Making Your Home a Haven, Part #4

Churchy, Domestic, Kids, Marriage

In this post, I am participating in Making Your Home a Haven, and Marriage Mondays.

I am love, love, loving this challenge series! It occurred to me today that I will likely be begging Courtney to start another one when this one winds down! <3

So with my candle going and with softer music playing in the house (most of the time), I kept my mindfulness of being peaceful and kind to everyone in my home. Recapping last week, I tried to attack the mental clutter. Knitting, baking and cooking have helped a lot with that, as weird as that may sound because I have to focus my attention to the stitches or the ingredients and I can’t let my mind wander. While this is a decent quick fix it does not get to the root of the issue, so that every time I am not knitting or playing in the kitchen I am horribly distracted by hundreds of tiny thoughts that add up to a whole lot of mental clutter. So all week now, when I’ve noticed that it’s creeping in – these completely irrelevant thoughts, I’ve just turned them over to God and refused to make a big deal out of it. That’s not said lightly and yes it is difficult, but this week has been easier since I’ve been shelfing all the internal chatter. So far, so good.

As for the clutter in the house, we’ve been over this. I am very thankful to say there isn’t any, but of course that’s because I clean every day and not everyone has time for that. I wasn’t always this neat and I can honestly say that the overall feeling in a home when everything is put in it’s place is so much calmer and laid back than when there are piles everywhere and everyone is running late and where is that permission slip?!.

This week now we turn our attention to physical tenderness in our quests to make our homes havens for our families. This is an important but sometimes neglected part of being a close family to a lot of people. We’re big on snuggled in our family, but I can sense that it gets harder to keep that up the older they get. My oldest is 10, and he’s always got a hug for me when he gets off the bus after school or when he’s on his way to bed – but will it be like that when he’s 15? I have my doubts lol. For now though, we generally watch movies together on Friday nights and sunggle up under a huge blanket on the big couch in the living room. We also do a whole lot of blanket forts, and that usually results in some close together time too.

I will be mindful of it though, and encourage a serious pillowfest in the living room. I give back rubs to my littlest and to my husband. This week I will be sure to also give some to wee ones #1 and #2, and ask them how they feel about this challenge. I always move the pillar candle form the kitchen counter to the table for supper and they have all seemed to enjoy that. When I was a kid we ate a formal supper in the dining room every night, with candles, linen placemats and napkins – the whole nine. My mother is a very classy lady, one day I’ll get there!

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Patty  •  Oct 25, 2010 @1:18 pm

    I suspect you’re closer to that classy lady than you realize! 🙂

    Enjoy your pillowfest!
    Patty

    Aww! Thank you! So sweet!!

  2. Sherry  •  Oct 25, 2010 @7:39 pm

    I’m looking forward to this week’s challenge! 🙂 Love your great ideas! Off to cuddle! 🙂

    Have a great week!
    Sherry

  3. Samantha  •  Oct 26, 2010 @8:13 pm

    Good for you guys!! That’s awesome!

    I know what you mean about the whole idle-hands mentality. It’s hard to be here and just have soo much time to think. Yuck. Who wants to be doing that? Even this second, Jake’s in bed, and I’m on the couch, in a quiet/dark house, trying not to be super lonely, or think of just weird, random stuff. Me and you are sisters, girl!

    We love our snuggles in this casa, too 🙂 We’re such a close little family. Very affectionate. For that, I’m grateful. I think people tend to take family for granted… can’t do that!

    Good for you, girly. Keep up the awesome wife & mama work!

    Also? Guest blog for me!

    You guys are such a sweet family, I love, love, love to see you guys! You are also an amazing wife and mama, and I hope you know that!

    I would be happy to guest blog for you!! Just let me know!!

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