Practical Tips on Children Serving in the Home January 31, 2007

Before we get to today’s post, TODAY is the last day to sign up for "Route 66," our read-through-the-Bible in 2007 club.  You will have until January 31, 2008 to complete your reading so if you’d still like to join, sign up today!

"Mommy!  Mommy!  I got the lines straight!  Finally, I got the lines straight!"  My then 5-year-old, Jaime, could hardly contain herself as she ran down the hallway from her room.  Since she started using her big girl bed over 2 years prior — the one with the pink gingham bedspread with the little ruffle around the top — she had been learning to make her own bed.  (Well, I admit I sometimes snuck into her room when guests were coming to tidy it up.)  We worked together for several weeks putting the spread on the bed, while positioning it to line up the little ruffles around the edge of the mattress so it would hang properly.  But I had no idea she had been working hard to get those "lines" straight for 2 years! That morning we rejoiced at the hard work that produced such a happy moment.

Having chores makes a child feel like part of the family.  Starting to involve them when they’re very young is important because good habits and a vigorous worth ethic are (hopefully) well on the way before the typical me-centeredness of the teen years sets in.  Girls are brought alongside Mommy to learn to love and care for the home.  And boys are taught the importance of cultivating servanthood.  (Thanks, Laurie, for the excellent question about this.) I’m very grateful that my sons have had the example of watching their dad chip in to help with things like laundry and dishes as a way to bless and serve me.  Although boys should be taught to do "manly jobs" like yardwork, lifting heavy objects or simple home repairs I have also seen the value of them serving alongside their sisters with regular chores in the home (keeping their room, helping with dinner clean up, cleaning the bathroom, dusting and vaccuuming.) 

Here are three things about involving our children in chores that were helpful to me as a young mom:

• Start young.  As soon as they are able to crawl, they can begin to "help" put toys in a container.  It’s still "play" for them then, but can become a good habit early on.
• Be encouraging.  Through your words and tone of voice you can teach your children that work is fun!  Tell them how helfpul they are.  Thank them for helping.  Allow them to experience the joy of seeing your response when they are helpful.  When daddy gets home tell him, in front of the kids, how helpful they were that day.
• Start small…then be consistent.  Once they are walking they can be trained and expected to serve.  Have them put away their toys each time they take them out (or at certain intervals in the day).  Have them make their bed consistently around the same time each day.  Begin requiring them to put their dishes on the counter or in the sink after every meal. 

To help with some practial ideas you’ll find a list of age appropriate chores here ( Download stages_of_responsibility_in_children.pdf ).  There are suggestions of chores for your children from very little to age 10.  But please don’t think that once these responsibilities are well taught, they will always carry them out faithfully.  I’m still working with my teens and young adults to remind them to make their beds and not leave their belongings laying around the house 

Happy training!

Posted by Sheree

Teaching Your Children to Serve in the Home January 30, 2007

Being the mom of seven has been a wonderful privilege.  But it also has had it’s challenges.  After all, 9 people living in the same house means more food, laundry, mess and trash than a smaller family.

One of the things we tried to instill in our children at a young age was this:  being a part of a family has both benefits and responsibilities.  Regardless of family size, it’s important to train your children from a young age to rejoice in the benefits and embrace the responsibilties.

One important responsibility is household chores.  Do you struggle with the self-discipline necessary to faithfully tend to homemaking responsibilities?  Consider your own childhood.  Perhaps you were not trained and required to serve in the home.  Maybe your home was not well kept — or maybe your mom’s perfectionist tendencies produced the "if I want it done right, I have to do it myself" perspective that resulted in her doing everything.  Perhaps she tried to solicit your help, but your lazy or selfish attitude deterred her from perserving and she gave up.  Or maybe you were blessed to have a mom who trained you well, but you’d like some new ideas to inspire you to do the same with your own children.

Training our children to serve in the home is a wonderful way to help them to demonstrate the attitude of our Lord who "came not to be served but to serve"  (Mt 20:27). Young children can be taught how to "esteem others as more important than themselves" by learning to serve by picking up toys, throwing away trash after dinner, and running simple errands in the house for Mom.

Tomorrow and Thursday we are going to provide a few practical suggestions to help you to think of ways to teach your little ones to embrace the responsibilities of family life.  But with everything, it’s important to keep the vision in mind.  We don’t want to simply train our children to help so we won’t have to do everything as they get older.  We want to disciple them in Christlike character that will carry them into their adult lives.

Posted by Sheree

Sunday Morning Preparation January 29, 2007

Getting out the door on a Sunday morning to arrive at the church meeting on time can prove to be a bit of a challenge when you have small children.  Can anyone identify with this sentiment?

As Christians, the Sunday morning gathering is a priority as we hear the preached Word of God, respond to God in worship, enjoy biblical fellowship with others and share our faith with guests.

Todd and I decided at the beginning of our marriage that careful preparation in the home prior to Sunday morning would help to alleviate some of the unforeseen obstacles that can present themselves on a regular basis! For example, when our children were babies, it was inevitable that a diaper would need to be changed just as we were walking out the door (along with the baby’s outfit and sometimes my outfit as well

We have chosen to make Saturday evening our time of preparation. Typically, we keep the calendar clear so that I can be at home to make the necessary preparations. This includes bathing the children, setting out and ironing clothing, and tidying the home for hospitality on Sunday afternoons.

You know when you are ready to leave the house and one of your boys can’t find a shoe? It is amazing how something as small as a shoe can create great opportunities for character building! Something as simple as placing the shoes with the outfit they will wear the next morning can be a great time saver.  If you have babies, packing the diaper bag the night before can also be very helpful.

Our boys are getting to the age where they want to stay up a little later since they are "big" now. But, we are teaching them that getting to bed at a reasonable hour on Saturday evening helps us to be at our best physically for the Lord’s Day.

When I have neglected some of these little preparations, God has been very gracious, and I still make it to the meeting, but I have been able to see the value of making the effort to prepare my home as well as my heart for the Sunday meeting.  It is one of the ways I can be a help to my husband and serve my family.

A Month After Christmas January 26, 2007

You’re gonna love this hilarious poem.  Especially for those of us whose new year commitments include being more conscious of what we’re eating.  Enjoy!

T’was the Month After Christmas
         

T’was the month after Christmas,
          and all through the house,
          Nothing would fit me,
          not even a blouse.

The cookies I’d nibbled,
          the eggnog I’d taste,
          At the holiday parties,
          had gone to my waist.
         
          When I got on the scales,
          there arose such a number;
          I walked to the store,
          (less a walk than a lumber).
         
          I’d remember the marvelous,
          meals I’d prepared;
          The gravies and sauces,
          and beef nicely rared,
         
          The wine and the rum balls,
          the bread and the cheese,
          And the way I’d never said,
          "No, thank you, please."
         
          As I dressed myself,
          in my husband’s old shirt,
          And prepared once again,
          to do battle with dirt,
         
          I said to myself,
          as I only can
          "You can spend a winter
          disguised as a man!"
         
          So-away with the last,
          of the sour cream dip,
          the fruit cakes and candies,
          every cracker and chip.
         
          Every last bit of food,
          that I like must be banished
          Till all the additional
          ounces have vanished.
         
          I won’t have a cookie,
          not even a lick.
          I’ll want only to chew,
          on a long celery stick.
         
          I won’t have hot biscuits,
          or corn bread, or pie,
          I’ll munch on a carrot,
          and quietly cry.
         
          I’m hungry, I’m lonesome,
          and life is a bore-
          But isn’t that what,
          January is for?
         
          Unable to giggle,
          no longer a riot.
          Happy New Year to all,
          and to all a good diet

author unknown
         

Paper Bunnies January 25, 2007

Do you have paper bunnies in your home?  I sure do!  How can one tell, you ask?  All the paper in my house mulitiplies when it is left to itself!  That’s all the proof I need, and I hate those bunnies.

I have sorted and filed and trashed more paper in my lifetime than I care to recall.  Yet it never ends!  Is there a solution to this dilemma?  Yes, and it’s quite simple – try to remember this rule:  Only touch the paper that comes into your home once. This requires a commitment to put the paper where it belongs the minute you get it.  If it’s a bill – enter it into your "bills to be paid" file. If it’s an invitation – record the needed information in your calendar. If it’s junk – you know where to file that!  Why do we wait and put off the inevitable?  Most of us get distracted or think that we don’t have time to do it right then.  But putting these simple tasks off actually adds more time to our already full schedule in the long run.

Here are some interesting statistics when it comes to paper bunnies.  Amazing! 

Finally, humorist Dave Barry has a tip that might motivate you:  "I like to cheer myself up by pretending that my mail actually screams when I throw it into the wastebasket."

Posted by Debi

Oh, the clutter! January 24, 2007

It is amazing to me how much clutter can build up in a child’s room!

Last year, I decided to tackle my 5 yr. old son’s room.  It seemed impossible to clean and he could only do so much.  So, one Friday I was able to send both boys away for the day and I literally CLEANED OUT his room!  Prior to this I had purchased several storage bins that were the appropriate sizes for their toys.  I lined these clean, empty bins along the floor in my living room!  It was quite a site!  I also had a trash bag and a "donate" box easily accessible! 

Then came the attack…I had to be practical and ruthless.  This was war!  I asked the Lord to help me, got myself pumped up by trying to remember "purging methods" that I had seen on organization shows and put on some fun "working music."  It was a huge job, but at the end of the afternoon, there was a place for everything and everything was in its place!  It was wonderful!  I kept walking back in there just to admire the nicely lined bins! 

Then the boys came home!  Ha!  Reality hit.  But, the exciting thing was that Caleb could actually find his toys (and all the parts) and he could take out one thing at a time.  I had to work hard to train him how to do this (and it is still a reminder every day), but what a difference it has made!  Things haven’t been perfect, but much more manageable.  I go in about once a week to help them the room, but overall, it has been a huge blessing and worth the time investment!

Now I am endeavoring that for other rooms in my home!  Happy organizing!

Posted by Stephanie

Organizing to the Glory of God January 23, 2007

If you are anything like me you have started the year off with a to do list of things you would like to organize ~ the linen closet, the kids toys, the filing cabinet.  As I mark things off of my project list it gives me a sense of accomplishment, but it does something much greater.  Organizing my home can bring glory to God. You see one of my callings as a woman is to be "busy at home" (see Titus 2) and to make my home a refuge for my husband.  If things are in the proper place and my husband can find the flashlight or the fingernail clippers without a search party, then I am on the right track. In organizing my home I am living out "doing him good and not harm" (see Proverbs 31).

So as you declutter your office,clean out your sock drawer, or get rid of some of your tupperware containers that don’t have any lids I pray that you would be encouraged by this and remember I Corninthians 10:31 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Posted by Taraleigh

Last Week’s Mom’s Meeting January 22, 2007

Last Thursday we had a wonderful time together at our Mom’s Meeting.  Through teaching, pictures and a display table with practical ideas we were inspired to take on some new organization projects. There was even a drawing for a 2-hour organizing session!  Kim Sutter provided some internet links with helpful information that we wanted to provide for you below.

www.OrganizedHome.com

www.FlyLady.net

www.GetOrganizedNow.com

One mom said she got up Friday morning and got started right away.  She was so excited about the fruit of her labors, she invited "a few" teens from our church over that night for pizza after a basketball game.  After the thirty kids who heard about her invitation left there was some tidying up to do…but she was happy to have spent the time organizing.  That’s what having an orderly home is for — to bless others!  (Of course, we don’t have to have everything "just so" to extend hospitality, but, honestly, most of us are reluctant to ask people over when things are a mess.)

You can hear the message here.

Happy organizing!

Cooking Shortcuts January 19, 2007

One of my favorite time saving methods for meal preparation is simple, yet effective.

I purchase large packages of ground beef at Sam’s or Costco.  When I get it home, I make fresh hamburgers (one of my husband’s favorites) and then I brown the rest of the meat.  Once the meat has been drained and has cooled a bit, I separate the meat into 1lb portions (in freezer bags), then freeze.  It cuts out a whole step for future meals, not to mention the mess that it saves! 

Along this line, another quick tip… Any time I have leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken, I cut the meat up into small cubes and then freeze.  This chicken can later be used in casseroles, chicken pot pie, quesadillas, etc.  (Note: Sometimes I even plan ahead and grill extra chicken, just for this purpose!)

Hope these tips help you have a few more minutes to spend with your family, not just in the kitchen! 

Posted by Stephanie

January 18, 2007

At our Mom’s Meeting today we’ll talk about home organization.  (Don’t forget to listen to this or any messages from the Mom’s Meetings at the links to your left on this page.) Something about a new year makes some ladies want to clean out a closet or find a better way to deal with the new toys from Christmas with a toy box full of older ones.

For the next week or so we’re going to talk about some practical aspects of homemaking.  We hope the ideas you’ll read about will serve you — or spark new thoughts or remind you of old ones that are better suited to your family.  (If so, please post a comment so we can all benefit.)  We’ll begin with tomorrow’s Friday Favorite when Stephanie will share some great ideas about meal planning.

As we talk about these things, let’s keep our goal in sight — being "keepers at home" who bring glory to God by our warm and diligent care of the place God has provided for us to serve and bless our husband and children.  Let’s remember that biblical principles are our focus.  The practical ideas are just that…ideas.

Posted by Sheree