Not perfect yet....not even close...aiming for Great right now

Aiming for Great...

I don't want to be perfect, if I was I couldn't hang around all of you imperfect people I love so much. Smile! I said I love you! Besides...if I aimed for perfection, I would miss by a mile and I really hate failing.  So I aim for Great and I am shooting arrows left and right and even straight down the center. As someone I knew, whom I used to think was perfect, said, "quit aiming and FIRE already!" So I am aiming AND firing.

Having been inspired by a great blogger, http://www.ourlovelymess.com, and a book that I can't remember the name of, I am aiming and firing at the clutter. I am getting there. Living room, check. Kitchen, I thought it was done, but I feel the urge to go back through it again. Downstairs bathroom, check. (That one was easy, there isn't anything in there!) My bathroom, check. My bookshelves, check. (That was a HUGE victory) Zander's room, check. My clothes, check.  Here's the deal, check means de-cluttered, not cleaned. My garage is FULL! Swap with friends set for Friday at lunch and Garage sale set for Saturday morning. Now I must complete the de-cluttering by Friday. Aim, Aim....FIRE!

I am aiming and firing at Great parenting. See previous post for details on that. Right now, I'm not sure if I have hit Good parenting. Aiming...

Health. Failing. We have been sick for weeks, with one thing and another. Off to the doctor we go again tomorrow. Haven't done Yoga in forever! Need to see Allergist. Aiming....

School. I am aiming and hitting Great so far! Finally a win.

Valentine's Presents for Family....half done...is it midnight yet? Aim.....zzzz....

Relationships, I have hit Great with some, barely at Good with others. Aim...Aim....Fire! (metaphorical arrows of course!)

What are you aiming at? What are you hitting?

Things that make my heart smile

In no particular order of course.

1. Sleepy smelling kids with cold noses leaning over my bed to see if I'm "asleep". ( I was awake from the moment their feet hit the floor, but I'll pretend to sleep to make them smile)

2. Sleepy smelling doggies with cold noses in my half awake face,seeing if my morning breath is rocking! (somebody loves it!)

3. The smell of fresh ground coffee with snooty foreign names any time of the day.

4. Warm and cuddly size 12 feet in my bed. (no he doesn't scream like a girl when my 10 slivers of ice touch them, he's a keeper)

5. Dancing Kids, who make up random songs and sing really loud and think they are hilarious. They are right, they are gut busting, tears pouring hilarious!

6.  Little boys in overalls. (he hates them, but if I beg and plead he will wear them for mommy)

8. Little girls who's baby teeth are bucking out ready to fall out. (She won't let us pull them...may be the first kid to go into highschool with her baby teeth)

9. A really great heart wrenching song that says exactly what I was trying to pray last night.

10. Doggies that sit on your chair and lean over your shoulder, stick their nose in your ear and watch you type. (I wonder what they think when they look at computers...)

11.  Costco Pizza on Friday night with a movie and ice cream and coffee, but only if my besties are sitting in their sweats watching the movie with me!

12. My friends for all their laughter (at me, with me, who cares, its funny!) and big listening ears and patience and honesty. For ones who were friends of my youth, friends of my old age (snort) and the ones that are friends of my heart!

13. My husband who is as cool as he thinks he is and maybe a little more. He still chases me around the kitchen and is one of the few people who isn't scared to laugh at me or make fun of me! For some crazy reason he thinks I'm cute and somewhat intelligent and trusts me to take care of his kids....yeah he makes my heart smile.

14. Jesus...he's so patient and merciful and gracious and .....well there just isn't enough space or time....

This isn't a complete list of course, but just what I was thinking about as I smelled the coffee brewing. :)

My Mom's Version of Parenting

Tagging onto my last post and continuing the thought of what kind of Mom am I/do I want to be. Let's be honest. To be the mom I want to be would take a lot of time and effort and some change on my part. The question is, am I willing to do the work?  I want to be a Gentle Parent!

To quote a favorite blogger, "I don't want my kids to remember how I screamed at them. I want them to think of me as rational, calm and peaceful but also serious and to the point." (http://www.ourlovelymess.com) This is part of the premise to "Gentle Parenting". I read several of the post on Gentle Parenting, and I don't agree with many of the ideas, however I love the idea of gentle.

This is how I remember my mom. My own mother was very consistent and quiet. I don't remember her ever yelling at me or heaven forbid, scream at me. Yes, she did spank, but I only remember a few times and they were quite effective.  I wouldn't have dreamed of talking back to my mother, yelling at her or arguing with her.  My dad on the other hand....well...yelling, arguing and fighting were a regular occurrence.

I would say I am very consistent. However, and I am sure all would agree with me, gentle is not a description anyone would use to describe me or my parenting techniques. Really! So why aren't I this gentle, consistent mother, who's children obey her every word? Well I would say the honest truth is I lack some discipline in my life. I'm not consistent with my devotionals, my laundry or my hanging up of clothing... Oh wait, lets not use this as a confessional, this would be the longest blog post in the history of blogging! Suffice it to say, disciplines are difficult for me.

My mom was a very disciplined person for most of my childhood. About the only thing I have seen my mom read is devotionals and her bible and she reads consistently. Her house was always clean, laundry done up regularly, and she worked full time until I was eleven years old. As I write this I am beginning to see a pattern. Discipline and organization can birth calm and peace and perhaps a gentle spirit?

I think I will sit and think on these things. Actually I think I will jump up and organize this house while I meditate on this.  Maybe I will do homework too and perhaps I'll clean out some drawers and fold laundry....I'm so not feeling calm or peaceful thinking about this.


I'll keep y'all posted on the organized, disciplined mom. Are we peaceful and calm?