Photo: geishaboy500

In an attempt to make sure that my little ones feel loved, I am going to try to incorporate more of the following:

• Take the time to stop what I am doing and truly listen to them.  Giving someone your undivided attention lets them know that you care about that person and what they are saying.
• Read aloud to them every day – several times a day, if possible!  No matter how old my children become, I am going to continue to read to them nightly.  You can never be too old to be read to!
• Schedule time to spend with each child individually.  Not only do children need to know that we love them, but also that they are special enough to take time to get to know them better by spending time with them one-on-one.
• Touch them – hug them, kiss them, tussle their hair, tickle them – use loving touch to remind them of your love.
• Surprise them with a sweet note in their lunchbox or a specially cut sandwich.
• When they participate in an event -  whether that is a sport, a dance, a concert, an art show, or just a impromptu puppet show – truly watch and pay attention to them.  They are showing their love in their actions, we must do the same!

Visit Mom’s the Word for more ideas to Make Your Home Sing.

Photo: lonelypluto911

Here are some of the ways I am going to try to show my love just how much I love him:

1. Make him his favorite treat just because.  He loves chocolate chip cookies!
2. Set aside uninterrupted time to spend with him in the evening instead of pursuing my own interests to let him know that he is important to me.  More often than not, once we get the kids in bed, we tend to migrate to our own activities until we go to bed.  We rarely make the time to reconnect with each other on a regular basis like we need to.
3. Complete his chores for him.  Even if it is a simple as bringing the trash bins in from the street after refuge and recycling has run, it make his day that much easier.
4. Write him a love letter telling him why I love him – not just that I love him.  Everyone needs validation from time to time, and what a great way to share the wonderful way he makes me feel than to reaffirm all of the wonderful qualities he possesses.  This is a gift that will keep on giving as he can read it any time that the wants a pick-me-up.
5. Show him that I want him, not just need him.  Cheap Trick expressed how we all feel so well – “I want you to want me.  I need you to need me. I’d love you to love me.”  I want him to know that I choose him day after day because he is the man that I love and want, not just my best friend.

What special things do you do for your husband?  I would love more ideas to help DH feel how special and loved he is!

This post is linked to Make Your Home Sing Monday.

Rejoice in the blessings that we have received or wallow in self-pity.

I choose the former.  Life is too precious to be wasted on the “should-av’s” in life.

WHY is it that we spend so much time worrying about other people???

WHY are we so concerned the choices that others make that have nothing to do with us?

WHY should we be upset about how they are acting, what they are doing with their time, or how they are spending their money?

WHY can’t we just accept others for who they are and support each other as best we can?

If I don’t make the decision to enjoy what God has given me but instead complain about what I am lacking, I am foolish.

If I deplete my energy being a busybody, how has that served me or my family?

As every moment on Earth is a wonderful blessing from God, I am going to try my best to focus on my blessings and be supportive to those around me.

When do I feel the happiest?  When do I feel the most content?  When do I feel the most fulfilled?  When do I feel the best about myself?  How can I change from the person that I am to the best person that I can be?  I can’t address every facet of my life at once – yet it is a journey of growth and self-discovery.  Therefore, I have to determine which portions of my life can be rather easily adjusted to obtain the largest impact on my happiness and which tasks will take more work and are longer term goals.

I can’t become the person that I really want to be without effort on my part.  Sitting here contemplating the changes that I need to implement is only the beginning.  Now, I must continue along my path with diligence and faith.  Faith that I can be whatever or whoever I set my mind to be.

I hope that you are the person you desire to be.  If you aren’t, only you can make the decision to make small changes in your life to help you come closer to that person.  I would love to walk beside you in your journey to be the best you as I hope you will join me on my path to a better me!

• I have learned that if I get up earlier in the morning, I am able to accomplish so much more! I also was reminded that arising anytime before 7 AM is not good for my body.  (He arrives just before seven o’clock in the morning.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been very good at getting out of bed to my alarm instead awaking to the sound of the doorbell when he arrives with his mom bright and early in the morning.)  However, I will continue to get up around 7 AM – just not much earlier than that.  (I am a night person and would much prefer staying up at night and sleeping late in the morning.)

• Our boys’ ability to share has been stretched. They have found sharing their toys much easier than sharing their mommy.

• Because of the very limited time that I have to accomplish certain tasks without a tiny one in tow, I have become much better about not procrastinating and getting my chores done early.  This has also helped my mood as I don’t feel the stress of the tasks I have waiting for me to complete.

• We have been reminded of the amount of freedom that we have as a family as our almost-preschooler only takes an afternoon nap – instead of two naps daily  – which really makes scheduling errands and activities so much easier!  He even skips his nap frequently allowing us complete scheduling freedom.

We have enjoyed his weekday visits.  I hope he has learn as many positive things from us as we have from him!

Join Amy at The Finer Things in Life celebrating Finer Things Friday!

I have been doing a very poor job of taking care of myself like I need to.  I long to be the best person that I can possibly be on the inside and the out.  To this end, I am making a promise to myself – from now on, I am going to take care of me the best way that I know how.  This is going to be a very difficult task as I am very good at “treating” myself in ways that aren’t beneficial for me in the long run (i.e., way too much chocolate and not enough sleep).  As I begin on my journey to a better me, I am going to focus on three areas: my health, implementing and maintaining a schedule, and reading for enjoyment.  As I define how best to travel on this journey, I must remind myself that long term changes don’t happen over night and that I must stay the course even when the travel is difficult.  I look forward to the adventure of becoming the best person that I can be!  The more complete I feel in my life; the more I have to give to my family and friends.  I may never have the perfect body or the most immaculate home or be the best conversationalist, but I will continue to strive to love the woman God has helped me to become!

Remember to take care of yourself and those around you will be blessed by the better you!

Join Mom’s the Word for other ways people are improving their lives on Making Your Home Sing Monday.

Photo: Tamara

We tend to take things for granted and overlook the small blessings in our lives.  When we take pleasure in the little things, we live a more graceful life.  We have a more joyous heart.  We tend to live a richer life – full of the beauty that is encapsulated in everything around us. As I contemplate the multitude of blessings in my life, these are some of my favorite little things that really are the big things in life:

• Hugs and kisses from my two little boys. It is amazing just how quickly they grow up!  My youngest is still a kissy, huggy snuggler, but my oldest son has grown up into a “big boy” and isn’t much of a snuggler anymore.  Although I am very blessed that my older son still gives hugs and kisses, just not constantly like he did two short years ago.

• My boys taking turns sitting on my lap while I read them books. I know that all too soon, neither of them will want to sit on their mommy’s lap.  I relish each moment that I have now!

• Reading books to and with my sons. I absolutely LOVE books!  To be able to share the joy and knowledge that one can gain from a book with my little ones is such a privilege!  I love the fact that I get to share in the adventures they embark on when they enter the world of books.  Another cool thing is that my oldest son can sound out and read rather large words, but still prefers me to read aloud to him.  I treasure this time of him wanting me to be part of his intimate world!

• Observing my sons helping each other. Watching them interact in a kind and generous manner without external interference is heartwarming.  I cling to these moments to help me deal with the much more often bickering that occurs.

• Holding hands with DH. So much intimacy is communicated between us when we hold hands.  The reassurance that we are sticking together through the good and the bad with God’s help and guidance and hearts full of love and devotion to one another.

• Spending time with extended family. We take those that we love for granted as they have always been a part of our lives and we expect them to always be there.  Spending time with my grandparents and other extended family last weekend refilled me.  Simply being in their presence brings me reassurance that all is right with the world.  Spending time with our parents is a gift that we don’t take as lightly anymore as they live over 1,600 miles away.  When we do have the opportunity to spend time with them, we cherish it greatly.  It is amazing just how much you miss being able to hug your parents!

• Chatting with my best friend. I am very blessed to be able to talk to my best friend almost daily on the telephone for extended periods of time (thank you, unlimited long distance!!).  We are able to talk about all aspects of our lives and find support in each other for the struggles we are facing.  Even when we don’t have any “news” to discuss or issue that needs debate, just hearing her voice brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart.

• Praying as a family. We say grace before meals.  We all say a bedtime prayer together as part of our nightly bedtime routine for the boys.  The feeling that I get listening to them recite the prayers is indescribable.  It feels as if the Holy Spirit is filling me up to over-flowing.
  

• Watching the children get excited about something. I wish that I could capture their joy and amazement when they discover something new or are enthralled with something!  But I have found that I enjoy life more fully when I am experiencing it first hand, instead of through a lens (which is what I used to do).  There are many times that I wish I had my camera in hand in order to capture those moments to be relived many times over, but alas, it just isn’t the case much anymore.

• Falling asleep next to DH. The warmth and security of DH laying beside me at night isn’t so much physical as emotional.  Knowing that he will always be by my side is comforting.  When we are apart, I have a hard time falling asleep.

• Hearing “I love you.” Sometimes we hear this phrase so often that it seems trite, but isn’t that what life is really all about – loving and being loved? I know that I am touched every time that someone tells me that they love me – even if it is off-handed.  Just because the phrase can be said by anyone doesn’t mean that they don’t care about us.  And, well, I enjoy being loved!  It makes me feel, well, loved!
  

I am going to make a more concerted effort to enjoy the little things and bask in their pleasure!

What are the little things in your life?

Please check out Amy’s Finer Things Friday for more little/big things.

I love my home, but you wouldn’t be able to tell it from looking at the piles of paper clutter than have accrued.  (I have a hard time letting go of papers as they represent information and knowledge to me.  I am working on internalizing the fact that most information is readily available on the internet thus I don’t have to keep physical copies of articles and such.)  So, today, I am going to show my family and my home just how much I love them by clearing all of the piles of paper clutter.  I am going to be vicious!  Can I live without it?  Yes!  Great – meet the recycle bin!  My home will be singing by dinner as it won’t be littered with papers!

Check out how others are making their home’s sing at momstheword.

When you have more than enough money to fulfill your needs?
When your soul mate smiles at you?
When your child tells you that he loves you?
When an friend calls to just to say “hi?”
When your pet cuddles with you?
When you are traveling?
When you curled up with a good book?
When you receive a hand-written letter in the mail?
When the traffic was light on the way to work?
When you nailed the presentation?

There are so many aspects of life which we can base our happiness upon. Yet, it is a choice as to what we allow to affect our moods. We all have things go wrong during our day:

We just can’t get up when the alarm buzzes the first time putting us behind for the ENTIRE DAY…
Traffic was horrid making us irritable…
The boss picks the other guy for the special project…
The kids make a mess and are fussing about everything…
Our spouse had a bad day and all household tasks are left for us to handle…
The cat threw up on the carpet AGAIN…

The list goes on and on. But are these really reasons not to be happy? Yes, they put a damper on that moment, but happiness is a state of mind. One which we have control over. We can choose to let these things bring us down for the rest of the day OR we can focus on the blessings of the situation or other blessings in our life.

Many – okay, most – of my days are rout with minor irritants that dampen my mood:

The kids don’t want to get dressed…
Now, they want to get dressed, but refuse to actually put the cloths on their bodies or let me do so…
The boys are arguing over a toy…
The house is a mess…
The ability to put DH’s dirty cloths in the hamper has eluded him – although our 2 year old and 4 year old do so without prompting…
The cat has thrown up on the carpet AGAIN…
It is five o’clock and I still haven’t even considered what to make for supper…
DH is irritable after a long day of work and traffic…
Did I mention that the cat has thrown up yet again???

But, these things are only minor nuisances. They might cause me a bit of additional work and definitely help me to develop more patience and tolerance, but they aren’t life-threatening although our attitudes can be. So, when something annoys me, I try my best – which quite often is not good enough – to remain calm and focus the blessings:

The kids are learning to assert their independence…
The boys are learning the art of negotiation…
We are blessed with an abundance of earthly things…
The boys love being Mommy’s helper and taking care of Daddy’s cloths for him…
Our purring cats…
McD’s is on DH way home from work (LOL!)…
DH comes home to be with us most every night and enjoys his work…

Happiness is a conglomeration of all of the little blessings in life that we choose to focus on.  As I continue on my journey, I work on my patience and understanding. I try not to become angered by the little ones’ blatant disobedience (most often failing). I try not to impose my expectations on others (DH) unduly. And, each night I pray that God will grant me the patience and skills to be the best mom and wife I can be. It is a blessing to know that I don’t have to be perfect!  With God’s help and my determination to try to choose to be happy as much as I can by recalling my blessings and the small joys that bring me so much pleasure instead of fixating on the nuisances, I am beginning to be a much happier person!  Please remind me of that it is up to me to remember my blessing the next time I start focusing on the negative, okay?

12 packages of 1.5 lbs. hamburger meat
1 chuck roast

Luckily, I “discovered” them just in time before they spoiled. The chuck roast and a celery bunch that was wilting in the bottom of the refrigerator were put into my sanity-saving crockpot to become a savory roast with carrots and potatoes for lunches and a dinner later in the week (reheated). Four of the hamburger meat packages were lazily placed as-is in the deep freeze’. I browned five packages and repackaged them into one pound packages and refroze to be used in later dishes. The three remaining packages were transformed into 8 mini-meatloaves and frozen for another day and 1 regular meatloaf to be reheated Friday night. I did retain one pound of the browned hamburger to be combined with the kidney beans (and seasonings) that needed to be used up to make chili for supper last night and made cornbread to go with it. So, what was about to have to be rubbish is now prepared meals for the next couple of days and for those days that I don’t feel like cooking in the future.

Do you frequently get that sick-to-your-stomach feeling as you open your refrigerator to find that *deal* that you purchased and had such great intentions for has spoiled? Does it break your heart see your hard-earned money being thrown away because you procrastinated and forgot? You are not alone! I am going to try harder to prepare items as I bring them into my house for longer term storage instead of allowing them to be wasted. This will take much discipline, but it is my job as homemaker to make our resources stretch as far as possible – and throwing away food because I didn’t feel like dealing with taking care of it properly earlier is a poor way to run a household.

Yesterday, I was able to turn my laziness into a blessing. Not only was I able to save our investment, but I also have some ready-made meals for later! Quite a feat for me!