A New Day!

I am so grateful that each day is a new start!

For the past several weeks I have grown increasingly frustrated with my mothering skills and lack of knowledge in how to handle a spirited 21-month-old little boy and a 7-year-old that just wants more of my attention. Nate's behavior has been out of control and Emma's behavior was reflecting her frustration in a home that grew increasingly less peaceful.

Every night I would pray and ask God for answers, and every morning I felt Him leading me to the Word...this is where you will find answers. But my time in the Word was short due to busy days, fighting kids, and let's face it...my want to in the Word was gone. I was exhausted before my feet hit the floor each morning.

But God...don't you just love those two words?! God had a wonderful weekend in store for us that would change all that. We spent lots of time as a family and with family and with friends. It was fun and relaxing. The turning point came when we had dinner with some new friends on Saturday night. They are a little older than us but Godly parents with wisdom that they graciously poured over us. They gave us advice about parenting, discipline, finances and priorities...all peppered with the grace of God. It was exactly what we needed. Tim and I came home excited about the changes for our home and future.

I spent quite a bit of time in Scripture and prayer on Sunday. Tim and I spent time talking, and we decided to make some changes in the way we discipline our children, how we spend our money and what our priorities as a family would be. We wrote things down. We prayed. We talked to our children.

This morning I woke up excited! It's cleaning day in our home, and I believe in teaching the children to help. But I also saw the need to make it fun. So as we worked along, I would randomly call out "BREAK" and we would meet in the center of the house for a round of the hikey pokey, or to bust out some dance moves or to race cars along the floor. These breaks would only last about 2-3 minutes, but it was all the motivation my children needed. We got the house clean in half the time it usually takes me to do it alone, and we had fun along the way.

The best part is I instituted a new discipline method with Nate, and he has responded really well to it. I think I've gotten his attention and he is getting it! I also spent time talking to Emma over breakfast about various discipline topics, and she, too, responded quite well.

I'm reminded of one of my favorite verses in Lamentations about the newness of the day. Thank you Lord that each day is a new day and that we can always start over.

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:21-23