We can talk all day about the messes in our homes, can't we. Sharing the stories behind those messes can even be quite entertaining. But what about the mess of life? When life gets so busy, you can't tell which end is up? When life gets so busy you lose focus on your priorities? When life gets so busy your child looks at you and says, "You're going to be gone AGAIN?!" What about those messes? How do you start to control them?
I'm going to refer you back to this post where I reviewed a treasure I found at the library. I believe, and this is my opinion of course, that the place to start cleaning up the mess of life is in your own dining room. Or kitchen. Schedule a time for the family to eat together. Hubs and I decided to start our summer days as a family rather than as individuals. When we start as individuals it looks something like this. I'm up at 7 and eat whenever there is a chance. Mouse would be up at 7:30/8:00 and likes to eat right away. Hubs would get up whenever he needed to, anywhere between 7 and 8, and might eat or might not. JoJo would get up at 8:30/9 and eat within a half an hour of getting up. And Bud, well, he's a teenager so we might not see him til 10 or later. Then he might grab some breakfast around 11 and then not eat lunch with us. The day is messy before noon! But when we start our day as a family, it goes like this. Breakfast is served by 8:15. Period. Come to the table dressed or in your jammies. But we are at the table, all 5 of us, by 8:15. And, when we remember, Hubs leads us in a brief devotion. It's wonderful! It sets the tone for the day and starts us out loving one another.
What about the rest of the day? The week? The month? The year? What about the other messes that sneak their way in to life? I'll just tell you that it WILL happen. There is no way to live a mess-proof life. But getting your family into routines and traditions will help so much. Giving the children something they can count on has always been beneficial. Routine is important. Well, it's the same for adults. Knowing the family will eat together, say, every Friday night can become an exciting thing. Knowing that there are special services at church every Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, is exciting, no? Knowing that the tooth fairy leaves a little something under the pillow is exciting! Knowing that the family will honor Memorial Day every year with a trip to the cemetery for a ceremony, then games and a picnic, can be exciting to look forward to!
Routines and traditions counteract the mess of life.
I'm linking up to Messy Mommy Jobs on Weak and Loved. Read more about the messes moms deal with. And know that we are not alone on this exciting adventure called Motherhood!
Jenny - Your link doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side, our family eats breakfast together, too. We use Matins or Morning Prayer, and it really does help set the tone for the day. Thank you for reminding me that this is IMPORTANT.
Shoot, I've had TERRIBLE luck figuring out "linking up". I think I'll give up trying. Not a big deal.
DeleteBreakfast together is so great! I agree.
The text "Messy Mommy Jobs on Weak and Loved" does indeed take you to the other site. The button, however, does nothing but sit there and look cute. Just thought you might like to know.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't clear on which link didn't work. I meant the first one that should have linked me to a different post. Sorry for my lack of clarity.
ReplyDeleteNot a problem - thanks for the notice. It does now work. :)
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