1. Finances- Nathan and I have a budget that we monitor regularly. An incredible website we recently found is www.mint.com. We are both math people and love working with numbers but the website is super simple to use. It breaks down every line item in our budget and lets us know exactly how much we've spent in each category.
2. Days of the Week Clothes Organizer Thingie- I don't know what you call it but it's awesome. I have one in Reagan's room and one in Landon's room. It hangs in their closets and is divided into compartments labeled Monday thru Friday. Each Sunday, I just stick an outfit in each bin and they're set for the week. I ordered mine from a Lillian Vernon catalog. It prevents meltdowns and keeps me accountability for when I need to do laundry. It's a good thing.
3. Friends- It's a little bit ridiculous how awesome my friends are. I think I picked the best ones. Playdates. Coffee. Dinner. Supper Club. Book Club. Far Away Phone Call Friends. Former Co-Worker Friends. YMCA Friends. Ahhhhh. Friends are fun. And Nathan's the bomb-diggity at holding down the fort while I party hard with my friends (a.k.a. Meeting at Cracker Barrel at 4:30pm for supper.) Their encouragement and laughter helps my loo-loo brain function more peacefully.
4. Take a bath. Make sure you add bubbles and a little bit of color. I'm a fan of blue water. And make it really hot. So hot that when you get out your entire backside is bright red.
5. Television- I only let my kids watch television on Fridays. I am not saying I think television is the bad. I'm not saying I don't let them watch it at other people's houses. And you better believe if we're sick or it's Christmas time (Who can resist "Charlie Brown Christmas?"), or it's a lazy weekend, or "Minute to Win It" is on we're going to be watching some shows! But for our little family, it helps bring peace and provides us with more time. I've just noticed that, especially with our oldest child, watching television correlates with a bad attitude and a lack of consideration for others' needs. I've also noticed a lack of focus throughout the day if he's watched television earlier. And, quite frankly, it's just noisy and I've got enough noise going on in the house. I hesitated to post this one because there are loads of families who allow television and their children are doing beautifully. I think it really depends on the children and the needs of the family. I only threw this suggestion out here on the blog because it has helped our family.
Some powerful verses on peace:
"Turn your back on sin; do something good. Embrace peace- don't let it get away!" (Ps. 34:14)
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentless, and self-control." (Gal. 5:22-23a)
The Message translates Gal. 5:22-23 this way:
"But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard- things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way of life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely."
Have a beautiful, purposeful, peaceful week!
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