01 March 2012

Preparing my Heart for Motherhood of Three

Okay, so in my last post I talked about how I wanted a clean house, and I wanted my "instincts" to take over and get it done for me.  Well, I've been sick this week, and therefore, instincts or not, I have not been able to get much of anything done.  But, I have spent a lot of time in bed where I could just think.  I've thought about where my priorities lie, and how maybe, just maybe, if my house isn't clean, that's okay.  What really matters the very most is my children.  I'm sure that living in a spotlessly clean home will help them learn and grow even better, but there is a lot more I could be doing with them than just sweeping my floors around their messes.  Not only that, but in a very short time I'm going to have one more to care for, and I'm sure life isn't going to get any easier. 

Today I am starting a challenge for myself.  Before this baby comes, which is sneaking up on my way too quickly, I want to make a few changes in my home, and in my heart.  I want to set some patterns that will help me to be a better mother to Eli, Silas, and the baby that is joining us. Some of these things may seem silly, but I think they will really help me to be the mother I want to be.  So, starting today I am switching things up.  I am starting small (don't judge!) and hopefully moving on to bigger and better.  Here's my list of changes I'm going to implement this week:

1. Start my day off on my knees.  I'm terrible at personal prayers.  We pray over meals, and the boys always pray at night, but I often forget my own devotions to my Heavenly Father.  I'm going to hit the floor first thing every morning.  I figure it can't hurt, seeing as I need all the help I can get!
2. Get ready for the day before I leave my bedroom.  Showered, dressed, and even a little makeup!  I'm hoping this will help me get moving with other things quicker, instead of spending the morning in my PJs not getting much done at all.
3. After breakfast clean the kitchen and do a house tidy. I live in a small house, it isn't hard to clean up the messes from the day before, and with the house tidy, I can get so much more done.  While doing this, start a load of laundry - that way it doesn't pile up quite so much.
4. Have a plan for dinner before lunch.  Soak, thaw, and prepare what I can so I'm not rushing later in the day.
5. Do an activity with the boys every day where I'm totally engaged.  That means I'm not doing something else while they are working on something, but I'm right in there with them.  With St. Patrick's Day and Easter coming up, this should be easy. 
6. Read scriptures with the boys during lunch.  Again, something we often leave out of our day that is very important to me.

Okay, I'm going to stop there for now.  There is a whole lot more I need to be doing, and a bunch of stuff I need to NOT be doing, but I'm going to focus on a few things for this week anyway. 

What things do you do each day to keep you grounded with what really matters?  Does anyone else need to join me in a revival of spirits? I'll keep you posted on how this affects my day and my heart.

3 comments:

  1. Since having Simon I have actually really been making an effort to do your first two items. It can make such a difference! You will be a great mama of three!

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  2. Those all sound like small things that will make a big difference! It is amazing how much more productive I am when I get showered and dressed (because yes, somehow that has become optional lately! Ha! I swore that would never happened!) One load of laundry a day also saves my sanity and I found that doing a quick tidy of the house BEFORE I go to bed makes a big difference in my attitude when I wake up to a house that doesn't need to be clean (also preparing for breakfast the night before).
    Doing an activity every day with them where I am fully engaged is also really important for me to start, they (and I) are so much happier when we spend time together (with no laptop, smartphone or ipad in sight! my former problem...) We have just started doing a kind of "formal" time together- I put Easter eggs in a bag that they pick from to start that has a song, activity, scripture or word game (i spy etc) inside to start...then we do our activity and end with another "egg"...so far so good! they LOVE this time...

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  3. Here, here. These are the things I want to have time to think about.

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