Wednesday's Housework

Lately I've been working on de-cluttering AGAIN!  Seems we always end up with more stuff, even though I keep working on clearing it out.  And this past week it was my kitchen.  I wasn't working so much at de-cluttering as straightening up the mess of plastic containers. 

What a mess!  Always! And this pic is actually a bit neat.  No matter how much I clean up, it seems my dish dryers can't figure out where to put stuff.  So what I need is a heart change.  My heart.  Yes, I will continue reminding and teaching, but I will work at not being exasperated when I just cleaned it up and it's a mess again. 

One thought I had is that it's my new idea; they didn't dream it up.  So I can spend a few seconds making sure things are in their new spot.  As they get used to the place they found them, maybe they'll get the idea.  But maybe not, after all some of them are only five and six. 

Training is not about expecting it to be perfect all the time.  In fact, were that true, there would be no job for us as parents.  So when I look at it from that perspective I realize that this is how it should be.  Not that I should find joy in disobedience, but in training, yes.

This should be my joy.  Yes at times it's my frustration and at times I'm distraught with how little I'm getting through, but...I need to keep perspective.  Just as we are too near our children to see them grow physically, we can't always see the change emotionally and character-wise either.

I added a board, for double the capacity.  I won't need these till harvest.

 
If you're like me, you tend to hound them to get them to do the right thing - maybe nag is a better word.  But when I see the big picture, that they are growing and I see progress, not so much nagging takes place.  Sometimes I need to write it down, so that I can see it. 

So while the pictures have nothing to do with the subject, maybe they do.  My perspective needs to change.  At work, we have to document progress on charts.  You can look back over past months and see the change in a person.  It helps those who work closely with them to see improvement.

Just like grandma sees big changes when she shows up, after not seeing the kids for a few months, so I want to know that my kids are growing and thriving.  I want to realize that it's happening so that during the frustrating times, I can remember, "Oh, yeah!  Look how far they've come!"

Making the most of today
Steph