One of the perks of living in the Golden State- poinsettias from a nearby nursery
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas month. I'll be taking the month of December off from the Preschoolers and Peace blog, but will look forward to being back with you all in January, 2007. Wow! Can you believe it???
Please remember to pray for Karen.
May Christ rule in your hearts as you go forward serving Him each day.
It is so easy for us to compare ourselves to one another, isn't it? One of Satan's better tricks, I think. On our harder days it is easy to think that every other woman's life is easier. "She seems to be doing everything so well. But she..." Fill in the blank- but she...
-has fewer children than I do
-has older children than I do
-has a husband who is home three days a week
-has a husband who is gone three days a week
-has household help
-has a bigger income than I do
-has a better education than I do
-has only girls
-has only boys
-doesn't have to work part-time to make ends meet
-has a family that supports her
I'm sure you can think of a few, too.
Oh, sisters, let's not fall into this trap. Because for one thing, we may not know the whole story. While any of the above might be true blessings in the life of a sister, she probably struggles in areas you take for granted. Maybe her health is poor. Maybe she battles unrelenting spiritual warfare. Maybe her husband doesn't love her.
More importantly, when we take on an attitude of self-pity, we are really loving ourselves above our sisters. And comparison is a form of covetousness.
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's." Exodus 20:17
For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Romans 13:9
Oh, that we would love our neighbors as ourselves. And lay down the comparisons.
Ever wonder if you could use dishwashing liquid in the dishwasher? Well, you can't. My nine-year-old found out the hard way, but we called it a science experiment. 
I love lists. I love them because they get my thinking out onto paper so that I don't have to think anymore and I love them because they communicate what needs doing.
Two sisters here were having battles every time they needed to pick up their room. One claimed she'd done the job while the other claimed she hadn't and so forth. I was at the point of exasperation. This was a situation just crying out for a list! We posted the list last week and magically, 90% of the conflict just disappeared. Both girls know what is expected of them and neither can claim they did their part if the evidence is to the contrary.
GIRLS’ BEDROOM CLEAN UP
7-year-old
Make both beds
Tidy dressers
Fold clean clothes and put them away
Tidy bathroom
5-year-old
Put books away
Put dirty clothes in the laundry
Put toys away
Pick up trash and throw it away
What needs a list in your home?
You do know that all the things I've shared on Preschoolers and Peace have been the result of years. Time. From our family vision statement to our ever-changing laundry system to white boards, everything has developed over time.
And we haven't arrived.
Give yourself the years it takes to develop character in your children, systems that work well, and a life that honors God.
And know that things rarely stay as they are. No sooner have we mastered a schedule than it has to change for one reason or another. That's ok, too.
The post so many of you have been waiting for is now here!
Potty training is hands down my least favorite parenting task and I don't think I'm very good at it. But I have learned some things from my children that might be a help to you.
I realize that the generation before us claims to have had us all potty trained by 18 months or something like that. I have had my share of criticism from family members when my two-year-olds weren't trained, so much so that once I said, "You know, if you feel that strongly about it, you're welcome to take her home and train her." That promptly ended the discussion.
I wonder if perhaps they feel so strongly about it because they remember the days of cloth diapers and all the work that entailed. I know my mom has always thought it a lot of work for me to have two in diapers, but I never thought it was any big deal. If you use disposables, the days of cloth diapering and all it's subsequent headaches are gone.
Anyway, all that to say that I trained all three boys at just over two years old. All three took several weeks, a lot of accidents, and sufficient bribery in the form of m-n-m's to train. One boy took a full year before he was truly trained. Ugh.
After the year-long experience, I decided to wait to train our first daughter until she was nearly three. I also had a newborn, and managing all five under the age of eight meant I just wasn't mentally up to the task. I was expecting it to be a long, drawn-out ordeal as with the little guy before her. Much to my surprise, she was completely trained in about four days. Huh. Was it just the girl and not her age? Perhaps. But when the next little girl was approaching three, I decided it was time she was trained as well. Two weeks. Done. Was I on to something?
A few Sundays ago I thought it might be "fun" to put our littlest in training undies for the afternoon. She thought so, too, especially when the jar of m-n-m's came out. Lo and behold, this one caught on super quickly as well. We've had exactly two accidents, neither of them the yucky stuff. One morning she woke up announcing, "I have to go potty!" She had held it until I could get her out of her crib and take her to the bathroom! Unbelievable. This little one will be three in December, the latest I've ever trained anyone.
Certainly, there could be other factors that have led to our success with the last three. I have relaxed. A lot. They are all girls. But for our household, the potty training motto is now, "The later the better."