Whimsy

It's what children bring to our lives with their fanciful play and humorous notions.


It's a little bit of spice - like a dash of paprika or a sprinkling of cinnamon - that keeps our days from becoming bland and boring.


They keep us from taking ourselves too seriously.


Take a moment to notice your child's unique point of view today and add a touch of whimsy to your own life!

Saturday Salutes

Collette at The Art of Being Mama shares how she reminds herself to focus on God's Word throughout the day.

Find a way to show your children you love them today in 20 Ways to Enjoy Your Children at Ordinary Inspirations.

I'm thinking about joining Tsh in her Project: Simplify. Let me know if you are planning to participate!

We have another full weekend planned. Hope yours is a good one!

How Can I Fear?

Bad dreams.

Nightmares.

I'm awakened from a sound sleep by a girl standing by my bed, frightened by their lingering effect.

One of our daughters has been visiting the land of scary dreams for the last week or two. While I appreciate still being needed for comfort and security, these fears have been causing both she and I to lose sleep. I try a solution that has been successful in the past.

Never underestimate the power of God's Word. Some time ago, I worked with my other daughter as she spent many nights unable to fall asleep. We used a strategy of reciting certain Bible verses about sleep at bedtime and that has made a huge difference.

For the current situation, Psalm 56:3 seemed to fit perfectly. "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." After saying this together just before I tucked her in for the night, we sang the following chorus from a song by Ron Hamilton:

"How can I fear? Jesus is near.
He ever watches over me.
Worries all cease; He gives me peace.
How can I fear with Jesus?"

Two of the last three nights have been nightmare-free. Another benefit? My husband was out-of-town for several nights this week, and the Scripture verse and song were just as much a comfort to me as they were to her!

What ideas have you found useful in helping your children overcome scary dreams or other situations which frightened them?

Ever Had One of These Mornings?

While I may not like to admit it, not every day in our home gets off to a smooth start.

“You’re going to be late!” “Where’s your book bag?” “Did you brush your teeth?”“We don’t have time for this today!”

If an award for “Grumpiest Mom” were handed out each morning, I’m afraid I would be nominated more times than I’d like to admit. I am often so focused on getting everyone up and dressed, hurrying dawdling eaters at the breakfast table, gathering items to pack in lunches, and hurrying each family member out of the door on time that I am short-tempered and joyless.

I recently decided to evaluate the cause of my grouchiness to see if I could remedy the situation. Here are some ideas I am finding helpful as I struggle against early morning insanity.

You can read the rest of my article on Avoiding those Grumpy-Mom Mornings at Mothering.com.

photo courtesy public domain pictures

A Ma Ingalls Moment

Being a good steward of my time is a goal on which I wanted to focus in 2011.

While I have a routine for my early mornings, which includes getting myself and my family ready for the day, I find that there are larger blocks of time later in the day that tend to get wasted. Although not every one of my days looks the same, I wanted to develop a basic schedule for regular tasks that I can adjust as needed.

I also need to get a better handle on cleaning the house. I've never assigned certain chores to specific days (i.e. laundry on Mondays, baking on Tuesdays), because it made me feel too "Ma Ingalls-ish." Not that there's anything wrong with Ma Ingalls, mind you. Yet in order to ensure that our master bathroom does get cleaned once in awhile, I decided to give this a try.

[Tip of the day: Keep a small pad of paper and a pen in the car. I spend a good deal of time there and occasionally have a great idea strike me that I don't want to forget. That's where this list originated.]


Daily: straighten house, do meal prep for supper, exercise

Monday: errands, laundry

Tuesday: ironing, baking

Wednesday: errands, laundry

Thursday: clean master bathroom, baking

Friday: clean master bedroom, vacuum, laundry

(Lest you think that the rest of the house never gets cleaned, I'll let you know that our daughters do a number of chores each Saturday morning that help get the other areas in order.)

I will try to begin each day with the daily tasks, move on to that day's assigned tasks, and after those are done, devote time to the computer and writing-related projects that I want to accomplish.

I'm hoping that having this plan in place will help me make the best use of my time. Besides being inspired by Crystal's ebook on time management, I'm also enjoying following Jennifer as she implements the Flylady's system. What have you found works for you in this area?

Linked to Raising Homemakers.

On His Own

I sat in the car, parked in front of the school playground, waiting for my daughters to finish their after school art class. I watched a small five-year-old boy sitting alone on the swings. With all the intensity he could muster, he focused on pumping his legs.

His progress was so slow; at first the swing barely moved at all. Back and forth he leaned, pushing and pulling with all his might to get going. I wanted to step to his aid, get behind him and send him soaring with one big push.

Yet as hard as it was for him to do it himself, I recognized the importance of leaving him alone. Sure, it would be much easier for me to assist, leaving him nothing to do but enjoy the efforts of my work. But what profit would there be for him in taking that route?

No, it was something he needed to learn to do himself. After all, how else could he get that boost of self-confidence that swept through him once he finally got going? His big grin wouldn’t be nearly as meaningful if someone else had done it for him.

As I watched, I thought about how necessary it is at times for me to stand back and let my children struggle. There are things I could do that might make it easier for them today, but in the long run would actually hinder their development. Acknowledging that they may fail, yet encouraging them at every turn will help them mature into a person who can persevere through difficult circumstances and empathize with others in similar situations.

While I’ll always be there watching and praying, sometimes they must step out and attempt something on their own – an unfamiliar skill, a public performance, a new relationship. And I will let them try and, yes, even sometimes fail – not because I don’t love them, but because I do love them so very, very much.

Linked to Word Women Wednesday.

photo courtesy public domain pictures