Say What?

I know it has been a long time since I posted and you guys are all eagerly awaiting another post! rrrrrrrright! Things have been crazy lately and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight.

Do you guys think that large families have these crazy dynamics that are unique to them? I do. The things that happen inside our four walls have my friends with small families shaking their heads and running for the hills. Occasionally those same runners come back just to see if they have missed anything. Yep that is our life. Wanna join?

So in no particular order are some of the things that have happened recently.

10. forks in the dog kennel. I was trying to tidy before the nurse came and found them. Still not sure about that one, but I was going to let the nurse try and figure it out either.

9. Piles of bloody wipes behind the sewing machine. (sorry if this is grossing you out). I wasn't at all sure I even wanted to find the source, but persevered and found that one child had lost a tooth and another child had helped them clean up. hmm.... going to work on the cleaning thing

8. 5 pairs of shoes, 4 jackets, 3 shirts, 6 socks (not pairs of course) and some shorts in the backyard. I am absolutely certain that they go out completely dressed. Not sure what happens after that.

7. Chopsticks in the shower? Don't ask. I didn't.

6. Band-aids stuck all over grandma's bed. I can explain this one. They were trying to help her keep her oxygen in place. I did inform them that they should come ask for help next time. Especially before 200 band-aids were stuck everywhere.

5. Springs coming off the trampoline. Maybe because the load limit has been exceeded carefully adhered too and has seen almost daily use for the last 4 years.

4. Random notes that say I wuv my seester or Mommy can I hav mor razins? or U r the best mom ever! (too much texting in this house!)

3. 5 gallons of milk, 5 dozen eggs, 4 whole chickens, 4 pounds of cheese, 5 loaves of bread and 20 pounds of ground beef. All consumed in a 2 week period or less. Not including fruits, veggies, grains and small insects that we also consume in that time period.

2. The noise level that requires us to wear earplugs per OSHA standards. I promise that it is often louder than a baseball game in the spring.

1. The never ending sticky kisses, quick hugs, night-time chats, laughter, lively meals and living life to it's fullest!

I am certain that if I had only one child life would be easier but not as much fun!

T.R.A.I.N.

I don't know about your house, but sometimes my house sounds like a broken record. It goes something like this. "That's mine, I don't want to share, I had it first, Why?" Does that sound familiar? We become so wrapped up in our needs, desires and wants that nobody else matters.

I have been thinking about this for awhile now and trying to think of ways that we could work together to eliminate the ME syndrome. It seems to be the hardest to get rid of. Yesterday a thought came to me and I thought that I would share it with you guys.

T- teach them to
R- respect
A- and
I- intercede for the
N- needs of others

Yesterday was the last session, at church, on dealing with anger. Chip spoke quite extensively on praying about our attitudes. That led me to think about the amount of time that I spend in prayer. It was very small when compared with the time I spend eating or playing or wasting time. If I spent even a fraction of that time focused on the needs of others, wouldn't that change my world view from me to them? Them being the term for family, strangers, close friends, etc. If we kept a prayer log and could see God actively working in our lives wouldn't that direct our attention upward and not inward?

I want to implement this in our family for the next 30 days and see how it might change our perspective of things. Would you join us? If you do leave a comment and let us know how it changes your family. If you already do this let me know how you do it with small children thrown in the mix.

Have a blessed Monday!