Excuse, excuse, excuse

Since I have been stepping on toes all week, (remember it is out of love) I might as well continue today in the home. So, ladies (and my couple of gents) are you ready to stop your excuses? Are you ready to get the priorities and purposes back in your home that God intended? Or (yes this sounds rude but, be truthful with yourself) do you want to keep whining like a two year old or a teenager with excuses?

The saying, "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy," is very true. But mama needs to make choices that leads to a happy not so stressed home. So, mama, what choices need to change in your home?

For today, I want us to look at our own choices, not those of other family members. Let's transform ourselves before we go after the family. And because I have been a little blunt this week, we will start with the easy choices.

1. Choose to create an atmosphere that energizes and strengthens one another for the day.
Crank up the worship music in the car and/or at home. Take a minute for a quick family prayer about the day. Do not expect little angels if you let them start their day filling up on the world.

2. Choose to minimize.
Minimize the stuff in the schedule and the stuff in your home. Busy schedules and a house full of stuff is not making anyone happy. A hectic schedule makes you stress which makes your kids stress. A cluttered dirty house starts to drive you crazy and yet you buy more junk. Stop! If it makes you crazy why keep it.

3. Choose to turn it off.
Turn off the phones, TV and computers and sit down as a family over dinner or at least dessert. If all you do is harp on your kids and never stop to just talk, well how do expect to have a good relationship with them?
Also, just turn everything off so you can get laundry done or pick up or clean up from dinner. The longer you let things compile the longer it will take to fix it. If your child is struggling in school do you put it off until they fail? Of course you don't. Then why put off putting up a couple of things every day and not be left with a huge mess. Again, you are the adult and the one that should be teaching responsibility. You put off your chores for TV or the computer, do not be upset when your child or husband does the same.

You desire to raise godly, responsible, success free kids. It starts with you and I in the home. Are you ready to be the adult? If the excuse does not fly with you when your kids use it then it should not fly when you use it.