Monday, August 15, 2011

Summer 2011, Part Two--Puttering Around with the Lights Down Low


Life continues to amaze me.
Just when you think you have life figured out, something new comes your way to change your perspective.

I am an inherently busy person. To-do lists and projects fill my days.  Always too many things to do and not enough hours in the day.  Every day.

Summer taught me to putter.
  • Straighten a room a little each time I'm in it.
  • Only touch something once--not move it and put it away later.
  • It's okay to not follow my scheduled trips to the store if it means I'm finishing up the kitchen or folding the laundry.
  • Kids need to address their assigned chores more than once a day.  They don't think it's such a burden when they only have to put away 4-5 things instead of 20 before bed. 
  • Don't expect my family to catch my vision immediately.  A little encouragement and a lot of consistency from me, and I'm beginning to see small changes in their behavior.
These may sound stupid, but it's changed my perspective on my housework and made a marked difference in its cleanliness.  Only took me 22 years of marriage to discover it.   I'm a slow learner.

And the second epiphany of the summer?  After dinner, dim the lights.  Use lamps and more subtle lighting--candle in the clean kitchen.  It calms my kiddos down and helps them recognize it's time to quiet down and settle down and get ready for bed.

These two small changes in my mothering have resulted in big changes with my family.

Thanks, Summer 2011.




10 comments:

  1. Very wise. I love the lights low.
    Your kitchen sounds inviting.

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  2. Turning the lights down low is a wonderful idea! It would make the house have a cozy and more quiet feel! I'm going to do this :-D

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  3. Love the low lights idea, and I bet your kids love the candles.

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  4. i learned that there are not enough hrs in the day....i wish time could slow down...my kids are growing and i don't want to miss a second.

    *loved the lights idea...going to start that tomorrow

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  5. I like the dim lights and candles idea, too. A lot!

    =)

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  6. The candle/small light in the kitchen really works. It makes a HUGE statement, but in a whisper.

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  7. Ooohhh... I LOVE that candle idea! We do dim the lights in the kitchen and living room as we move our lives upstairs, but even upstairs a candle or two would be lovely. I know it would calm ME down!

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  8. I light a candle every night in the kitchen when I'm done...and that means I'm DONE! :) We don't go back for a few more weeks...I'm not ready!

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  9. The last week has taught me that I can take it easy sometimes.

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  10. We turn down the lights and light candles too.
    makes a huge difference huh?:)
    have a happy day

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