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AUGUST 2003 - SIMPLY SIMPLIFY It is summertime and the one thing that I see everywhere at this time of year are yard sales. It seems like spring cleaning turns into summer dumping. My family has not neglected this yearly ritual but this summer, we are going through our stuff with a passion. We moved only 2 years ago and, at that time, donated and gave away many of our possessions that were just clutter and taking up room, never getting used. We didn't want to pay storage fees to store things we never used anyways. How we have accumulated the amount of "stuff" we now are trying to get rid of, I will never know. Maybe we just didn't get rid of enough 2 years ago! This year, I have already done one huge yard sale and in another few weeks I will be doing a second one. I not only have lots left over from the first yard sale, but I have now found lots more to get rid of. It is always nice to get money for the things that we no longer consider our treasures and I am hoping to bring in a few extra bucks. This year, we are also looking at what we have and evaluating whether it brings us closer to our goals as a family and individuals or whether it clutters up our life along with our home. My husband and I started talking a few nights ago about finances, goals and time management and stumbling blocks to each. We decided to present it to our two oldest children (12 and 14) first and get an idea of their reactions to some pretty drastic ideas we wanted to present. We knew if we could get them on our side that the 2 younger boys (8 and 5) would be much more likely to be somewhat agreeable. So, with our lists in hand and a little bit of apprehension, we called Jill and Jeff to a "family" meeting. The first thing we did was share how financially it has been very hard living on one income and that we were probably going to be making some major/drastic changes in where our income goes and also the possibility that I (mom) will be looking for a job. The next thing we did was ask them "If you could spend your day doing 3 things, what would you want to be doing?". I was totally prepared to hear flippant answers like sleep, play with toys, be with friends, watch tv, do playstation or computer. To our total surprise, both Jill and Jeff were very thoughtful and answered things like "learn more about Egyptology, chemistry and languages" and "learn more history, science and cook". We then asked them if they were able to spend time doing that, what would they need to cut out. What things/toys/activities are stopping you from accomplishing those goals? We were able to go through so many time and space wasters in each of their lives and rooms and then decide if it was worth getting rid of those things to be able to spend time doing what they really desired to spend time on. At the end of the conversation, both Jill and Jeff were willing (no coaxing unbelievably!!) to get rid of our swimming pool, playstation, downsize on computers and tvs, sell toys and throw out junk (my daughter has 2-3 Burger King crowns in her room!!). We talked about how anything that needed dusting or fixing or cleaning was stealing their time away from what they said they wanted to be doing. Talking to our youngest 2 will in no way be met with the same enthusiasm but I am thinking that if we approach it in a similar way, we may actually find more agreement than we expect. The important lesson we learned is that it is easier to get rid of things cluttering our lives when we are doing it with the purpose to spend more concentrated time on the things we love. Now, it is time for my husband and I to walk through our home and closets and sheds and evaluate all that we have cluttering our space and time and lives!! Our goal is to have more family time playing games, going for walks or on hikes and other things that we have had to continually put on the back burner while we cleaned and fixed the possessions that seem to "own" us instead of us owning them. The more we have, the more we become slaves to. Time to set the captives free! :-) "…we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God…" 2 Corinthians 1:12 |
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 Teach your children essential tools for life. Heidi's husband Nick is the author of this educational workbook for children.  We
are taking care of a friend's fish named Cherry. Andrew, who is 5, is
fascinated with Cherry and talks to the fish everyday. The other day,
Andrew very seriously told me that Cherry wants out of her fish tank.
I laughed. He then asked me what I thought Cherry was thinking and how
Cherry felt. I told him that Cherry felt wet. :-) We are doing Vacation Bible School this week and I found out this morning that yesterday when Andrew's group was outside at a particular station, he decided to walk away about 3 yards from the group. The teacher went to go see what he was doing. As she got close to him, she saw that he was peeing - outside by the bushes! She reminded him that at church he needs to go use the bathroom inside, not pee outside! I think he has played in our woods too much! :-) |
Heidi
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If you want to help instill values, virtues and character in your child then check out this out! |
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