I wrote the last post when I was (crazily) trying to wake up before my family and make up for it with a nap in the afternoon. Silly Emily, you're not a napping person! Despite being exhausted, I was unable to fall asleep and would only get a few minutes of terrible rest, even when forcing myself to try to sleep for 40 minutes. Once I scrapped that AWFUL plan, I felt much better.

I also made a few other changes.

1) I put the computer in the very back of my walk-in closet. (I'm on Dan's right now - and it goes to work with him.)
2) I started doing my devotions at the beginning of the kids mutual nap time.
3) I began doing chores ONLY when John is awake. (OK - I still clean the bathroom when John is asleep, but nothing else.)

The third was Kendra of Preschoolers and Peace's suggestion (but I can't find it). Additionally, when my parents visited, my dad let John help him build a table. My father is so patient! Later, when my dad saw John spill crackers, he told me, "Em, John can clean that up." It took some patience on my part, but sure enough, he could and he did. Since the three above have been implemented, the house has become very clean and I have become a lot more relaxed!

I've also let John help me make dinner - he can spoon liquids, stir mixtures, and watch me cut. That has (generally) helped dinner prep be a lot less stressful. When he gets tired of that, I have some special table toys for him. For us, table toys are toys with lots of little pieces that I don't want him to cart around the house, like a pegboard or magnet puzzles.

One last thing. I've been reading Montessori's books and have realized that these describe how John learns. I'm prepping right now to do some organized Practical Life work with John during Anna's morning naps. In Montessori classrooms, the children learn to treat the materials respectfully and to put them away so I've been requiring John to put things away which he takes out. "Please put away the 'Christmas Story' before getting out 'Ten Minutes to Bedtime'," I tell John IF he forgets. My living room is so pleasant now!

Happy New Year!

I've been in a bit of a funk for the past few days. Maybe it came about because of people posting New Year's goals on their websites or because of the difficulties of settling back into a routine after the excitement of Christmas and travel. It might be due to just seeing my incredibly talented sister-in-law or my amazingly organized mother-in-law. (She gave me articles to read about children that she cut out before my husband was born - and I nearly lost them in two months! She astonishes me! WOW! Organization is a point I'm working on.)

There are few things which help me out of parenting/homekeeping funks like reading a bit of one of Nancy Wilson's books. So, here goes. From "The Fruit of Her Hands", page 75:

"Many years ago I was the busy mother of three children, ages four, two, and under one. Life was full, with hardly time to sit down. I was occupied with many mundane things like diapers and laundry and crayons and play dough. Once in a while I would wonder just what happened to my "ministry" that I had enjoyed when I was single and working with a Christian organization. This was simply the very old "the grass is always greener" temptation.

One night as I was washing the dishes (which was the last hurdle before tucking in the little ones), my mind wandered off in that direction. Shouldn't I be leading Bible studies? Shouldn't I be involved in more active evangelism? Couldn't I "disciple" someone? Didn't God want me to do something for Him?

Immediately I realized what He wanted me to do. He wanted me to do the *dishes*. But I wondered if there was something *else* He wanted me to do. And I realized that, yes, there was something else. He wanted me to do them *cheerfully*.

As I reflected on this, I realized what I had known all along. God had called me to be a wife, mother, and homemaker. Because of this, all the mundane things I did were sanctified, holy, purposeful, and honoring to God, and I should offer them all to Him. "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). Not only that, I should also find contentment and satisfaction in knowing I was doing these things unto the Lord."

Now I think I'll go clean the bathroom and sort some laundry. Maybe I'll even clean out the fridge. But not only that... I'll try to do it cheerfully.