Around this Pig Sty we have been challenged by an utter lack of disorganization (and an oblivious mommy). I didn't realize how bad some spots (or whole rooms) had gotten! After months and months of trying to figure out where I have gone wrong (ok... if I am honest... years and years), I have decided that I need to be an "intentional" parent. I need to pay attention to the details and not allow myself to get constantly sidetracked in thought and action. To put it simply, I need to start seeing what my husband sees!!!
To set things in motion, I made up some fun and colorful tidying up charts for the girls. There are 7 charts and each has directions for making the given room is presentable and picked up every single day!! Each girl will get 2 charts a day. One for the morning and one for late afternoon. I will do the leftover chart and, of course, help the 2 youngest with what they are to be doing. I don't expect it to be perfect but presentable is always nice!!
So we have a family meeting (minus Daddy who was at work) and I let them see the cards and we read over them. I explained the general gist of the cards, answer any questions, etc. They continue looking at the cards. An hour later I say I want the cards laying on the table only to find out 3 of the cards missing already! They spent about 15 minutes looking and STILL NO CARDS!!! How does this happen?? Three. Colorful. Cards. Gone. How? Where? Who. Stinking. Knows.
I decided I need to do more. I am good at putting together ideas for how we are going to do things. I am NOT good at sticking to them! We get on a roll, things are going good, I get relaxed, and 2 weeks later the process start all over. I get frustrated beyond belief. I lecture them non-stop. I come up with a system. We do it for a while. Things go good. I relax. A few weeks later things are out of control. I get frustrated beyond belief. I lecture them... well, you get the point. It is a vicious cycle!
That is when I decided I needed a CHALLENGE. I needed a time frame to stick to the new system. I needed a beginning and an end. (Hoping of course by the end, we have a created habits!) I thought 6 weeks was a good amount of time to try to stick to it. Not so long I would feel overwhelmed in the beginning. But long enough that habits could be developed.
Then I asked myself what I wanted to accomplish this time. How can I help myself be successful? The first thing that came to mind is how oblivious I am to the messes around me. Don't get me wrong, I know they are there. Sometimes I just don't pay attention to how bad they have gotten. Ok, often times I don't pay attention to how bad things have gotten.So I decided I need to become an INTENTIONAL parent for these 6 weeks. I need to intentionally pay attention to who is playing with what, that they are putting it away, how bad a mess really is, how much food is really under the kitchen table, toys on the bathroom floor that shouldn't be there, shoes on the kitchen counter (ok, I am exaggerating a slight bit).... I just need to pay attention. I hate to admit it but I think that is a lot of the problem!! Me! No, I am not making the messes but I have also never been on top of who was making them and forcing that little person to pick up after herself! Hmmm, this is a new way of thinking for me.... I am going to have to ponder this one further....
So today, as soon as we find the missing 3 cards, we start the challenge!! It won't be easy for me. Or the kids. But if we just stick to it.........................
Here. Goes. Nothing. or Everything?
