Cherish the Moment!!

It's been one of THOSE days... The baby was up screaming from about 2am-7ish except for small naps in between. My oldest didn't WANT to do her schoolwork and fought tooth and nail through tears and whining almost to the finish. My 4 year old whined and pouted through much of the day. I got started on lunch late and tried to rush it along while trying to console my "sick" toddler, who was fussy and VERY clingy. I felt like joining them all and having an epic melt-down myself... I'm very thankful for my friend, Kim Fawthrop, who came over to help and graciously allowed me to lay down for a nap (Hey! Being 34 weeks pregnant is hard work ;-)!!). After devotions and our bedtime story, the girls wanted to do a few last minute chores (to earn a piece of candy), and my 4 year old accidentally dropped a full cereal container, effectively emptying the contents on the dining room floor... After all were finally tucked in bed, my 1 ½ year old started throwing a fit and did it so very forcefully that she gagged herself and made herself vomit all over herself and her bed (I gave her a bath just before bed), the floor, and the bathtub. Now she's laying beside me, almost asleep, with her feet coated in Vapor Rub and Vaseline and covered in socks. I somehow missed a spot when cleaning her up (I'm unsure as to how) because she smells like baby spit up... So much for my plans to work on my courses tonight... But, you know what? I wouldn't trade today, or any other day, that I get to spend with my kids for ANYTHING. They'll be grown and gone all to soon, then I'll be wishing for cuddles and slobbery kisses. I'll actually miss the dirty diapers and accidental messes. I'll long to clean up after them, because that would mean they were still home... with me. I'll ache for the times they were close by, even if it meant frayed nerves and a bald spot where I'd pulled out my hair. All too soon, they'll be gone!! Cherish the time you have with the children, regardless of the bumps along the way. Even a "bad" day is better than no day at all... I choose to cherish the moment! Much too soon, they'll be grown. I want to be able to look back and honestly say that I didn't waste one precious moment of time with my babies. God has given me a precious gift, time with my babies, and I plan to pack it so full of precious memories that it seems no more could possibly fit, and then I plan to pack in some more! I choose to cherish my children and our time together... How about you? <3 data-blogger-escaped-center="">

Messy Mishaps and Creative Conclusions

Just a simple bathroom break, right? Nope... not with chidren...

Approaching the bathroom, I noticed my bathmat and rugs were piled on the floor in the doorway. Weird... Stepping over the pile, I saw a large puddle of water in front of the bathroom sink. Not a big deal. Someone spilled water... Wait... Did the toilet overflow? Is that why the rugs are all outside the bathroom? Carefully avoiding the puddle, I moved further into the bathroom and looked at the puddle again. With my angle came a new realization. The puddle was yellow. Yellow!!! You have got to be kidding me!!! Hannah peed her pants?... again?!... or was it the dog?!!

Already exhausted from the day's work, I just stood there staring at the mess for a moment. As I stood, defeated, I thought about how there is always more work to be done. I thought about all the messes I clean up every day... messes that add to my work... messes that make me sigh in frustration as I roll up my sleeves to take care of yet another task when I was so close to being able to just sit down and relax.

Well... better clean it up... Conveniently, there was a large bath towel on the floor beside the puddle. Moving it toward the mess with my foot, I noticed that this was not urine as I had assumed, but a large puddle of hand soap! Praise God! I quickly cupped my hands and used them to scoop water onto the floor four or five times, then I used the soap and water and the dirty towel to scrub my floor. Now, thanks to someone's mishap, I have a very clean, very shiny bathroom floor!

As we go through life, it is so easy to jump to conclusions about people and situations, and I have found that I am more likely to jump to conclusions when it comes to my family and less likely to ask for the truth about a situation. The verse, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32), comes to mind here. Finding the truth behind everything, just simply asking, is so important! It will divert arguments, stall frustration, and build trust. Next time you walk upon a situation that looks bad, do not jump to a conclusion and then fume over it like I did. Instead, ask God for His help, ask those involved for their explanation, and ask yourself if your relationship is worth a squabble over a misunderstanding.


Until Next Time,

Nishoni Harvey
Author of "The Fanatics"

Howls on the How To's

Last month, I decided that I would try my hand at knitting. Last week, I bought a set of knitting needles on clearance at a store that is going out of business. Tonight, I tried to knit, emphasis on the word "tried".

Sitting down with my one page computer printout of "How To" instructions, a desire to learn, a new skein of green yarn, purchased from a yard sale, and my new needles, I was full of hope and anticipation. Then I tried to start... Who writes the instructions for these things anyway? Have you ever tried to read them? I turned my head sideways, I looked at them upside down, I crossed my eyes, I read them out loud, I stood on my head... No matter what I tried, understanding the instructions alluded me. They seemed to be written in Latin... or Chinese...

I tried and failed and tried again. Frustration had me sighing, pitching the needles, and vowing to give up. Finally, I got the first stitch to stay on the needle. Yes, I said "first stitch"! I kept trying. I had two, three, four stitches! Then I dropped my needle and had to start over... twice... *Sigh*... I now have two rows of enough stitches across my needle to make it wide enough to make a scarf... or maybe a potholder... all because I kept on trying!

Have you ever tried to teach your child something only to have them consistently fail at trying to perform the task set before them? Does it frustrate you? I wonder if our instructions sound like gibberish to them. I wonder how much it frustrates them. I wonder if they feel like giving up, throwing their "needles", or promising to never try again. I wonder if they keep on trying just simply to make us happy. I wonder if they take our frustration at the situation to mean that we are mad at them. I wonder if we discourage them by the manner in which we handle it and our lack of patience.

I learned some things today, things I should have learned long ago. I realized that maybe I am not always as clear as I think I am. I learned that when I try to teach my girls a new task, I really need to sit down with them and walk them through it step by step, showing them carefully how I want it done. I learned that it might help to show them, not just once, but two or three times. I learned that even though my children have a desire and acclamation to learn, unclear or hard to understand instructions may frustrate them to the point of quitting. I learned that my children's failures in learning to do a new chore, sew, write, read, or clean may be my fault, the fault of faulty instructions.

I made a new vow today. From now on, I will try my hardest to always be my clearest, breaking instructions down to the simplest form necessary. I vowed to not only tell my children how to do something, but to show them. I decided to actively teach, to truly train my children!

What about you? Do you get frustrated with your children's inabilities? What do you think we can do to meet the goal of carefully training our children and being frustration-free during the process? Will you join me in a challenge to go one or two days without yelling at our children in frustration over something as silly as writing the letter "G" wrong for the twentieth time in a row? Can we make it a week? What about a month... or a year? How about forever? I am going to try... How about you?