Secret to Success

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.”~ Colin Powell

　
Over fall break I decided I should clean. I started with the kitchen, living room and dining room. Not just the simple presentable clean. A deep clean. The kind of clean where I clean the inside of the microwave. The kind of clean where I take things out of the dining room hutch. Dust them. Dust the hutch. Then put everything away again. The kind of clean that makes me want to sleep on the kitchen floor because the rest of the house now looks disgusting compared to the glistening, lemon scented, clean of those three rooms. You get the picture? I cleaned!

 

I don't have the time or energy to clean like this during my regular week schedule. I don't think any of us do.
Today at our MOPS group our speaker mentioned the Proverbs 31 woman. She said, “she is a scary lady”.

I’ve already told you in previous blogs that it is my goal to be like her. I quickly learned that while I can strive to be like her and do all the things she does, I can not do all the things she does at once. Our speaker today said it well, “You can try to do everything all at once. But, something will eventually have to give. Usually it ends up being our mental health!”

I’ve been spending a lot of time these past few weeks thinking of ways to make things easy. Looking for that secret to success. I started thinking of the areas that cause the most chaos & stress around our house. I compiled a list of those things along with some things we've done around here that worked. Things I've heard that work. Things that I'm getting ready to try. Things that I know from experience, don't work.

• Meal planning

We plan meals on a weekly basis. We’ve tried two weeks at a time. And even a month at a time. With the way our schedule is and the space we have to store food. Right now a week plan works best for us. I plan our meals and keep a list on the fridge. That way each morning I just have to pick something off of the list & defrost it so it’ll be ready for that night. I’ve also started adding a crock-pot day. Once a week I plan for something I can cook in the crock-pot. This way I take care of it at the beginning of the day and it’s done. I can stay at the park an hour longer that afternoon and avoid the hassle of preparing dinner at our most chaotic time of day.

• Disciplining

We were having a hard time lately with Alexis. She’s the kind of kid that works best with routines & set instructions. So, we made a list of the top 3 things she was struggling with. We wrote them on a piece of paper. Each of those “problem areas” now have a set consequences. This way she knows exactly what kind of response she’ll get from each action. I’m not yelling back at her in frustration & telling her she’s lost the TV, computer & all her Barbies for a month (out of anger & a lack of having a set consequence in place) I’m not proud to admit that has actually happened.

• Cleaning

The first thing I've been doing is trying to be more aware of my time. I'm the queen of, "well, I only have an hour before I have to go do ---. I might as well just sit here". I hate starting projects, cleaning, etc. Only to have to stop. I get in a groove. I don't like to stop once I'm in my groove. But, I've had to re-think that. I've realized I need to do what I can, when I can.

So, when I was waiting for the sink to fill up (in order to defrost dinner for later that night) I decided to unload the dishwasher, instead of just standing there staring into space. When I was taking my "me time" watching a favorite show while the kids napped, I folded two loads of laundry. When I walked out of the bedroom this morning I grabbed all the laundry I could find on my way to the kitchen & tossed it into the washing machine. Being more conscious of those minutes here and there and using them more wisely, has helped to keep things a little more tidy.

This is a great site. It can be a little overwhelming at first. I’m starting up slowly. I’ve just used a couple of her tips and have noticed a difference.

http://flylady.com/

We’re also working with the kids more. Giving them more responsibility. We’ve decided to purchase a positive parenting program. I know that I could probably make something similar to this myself. But, I don’t have the time, energy or desire to do so. So yes, I paid for this. My family is all very visual and Mark, Alexis & I are “list” people. When we have something staring at us in the face, we’ll do it. Otherwise we’re lost. This program will hopefully help to continue to keep us on track. Even without the program, we learned some helpful tips regarding chore distinction with the kids

http://www.accountablekids.com/

These are only three of our problem areas. I could talk about more and I might at another time. Hopefully, this gave you some ideas of things you could try or at least some inspiration to try something new. If anyone has any helpful suggestions concerning these three (or other problem areas) I’d love to hear from you.

I know that often their will be curvballs thrown our way. Like when my boys decided to have a poo fight in their bedroom. Or, when they paited themselves, my bedspread and the floor with nail polish.

　

Sometimes crap happens. These are the moments you can't plan for. The stresses you can't factor into your day. You just deal with them as they come along. You pray for peace, Patience, perseverance and long suffering. Most importantly you laugh. (sometimes it might not be till much later in the day)

Proverbs 31: 25-28

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
   she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
   and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
   and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
   her husband also, and he praises her: