Don't you just love it when you have to get to set an example for your kids?
My Bible Study on Tuesday was great as usual. We are reading The Power of a Positive Woman by Karol Ladd. Our chapter was about hope. Our sweet leader talked a lot about our attitude.
Mine's great, don't ya think?
Our leader mentioned that when her daughters were young, she would have to remind them to change their words. When they would say, "I have to do my homework." She would tell them, "No. You get to do your homework."
I thought that sounded like a super idea. My Princess struggles a bit with her glass being half empty. It drives me nuts. I know right where she gets it, though.
The King.
Oh, I kid. It comes straight from her mama. My tendency is to immediately focus on why I can't do something...why it won't work...why it might wear me out, etc.
You know, there's nothing like seeing your bad habits in mini version to help you to see how ugly they are. (The habits, not the kids.)
I have to work really hard every single day at keeping my glass half full.
But I've learned that, for me, it is a choice. I can choose how I look at the events of my day.
A few years ago I decided that I would look at my mundane chores a little differently. Rather than whine about every load of laundry that I fold, I would be grateful. Not that I had clothes (though I am) or that I had a washer & dryer (glad for those, too), but that I had a husband and daughter whose clothes I could clean. I wouldn't fuss about unloading the dishwasher...I would be thankful for the little hands that ate off of that plate.
It sounds a little dorky, but it works.
In the blink of an eye I could be without either of my peeps. I'd say I can suffer through cleaning the bathtub for them.
So after thinking about all of that, I decided that The Princess could use a dose of happy.
Yesterday morning I decided that I was going to be very careful and deliberate with the words that I used throughout the day. I was going to try to look at each situation through my rose colored glasses. (They were HARD to find. I had apparently put them away quite some time ago.) I wanted The Princess to see how to turn her lemons to lemonade.
(If you can think of any more positive thinking cliches let me know, I'm about out...)
So, here's a snapshot of our Wednesday:
We woke up late. I had to get the dogs to the groomer and The Princess started on her school work. This one wasn't too hard. "Aren't you glad we got a little bit of extra rest?"
I was out of my favorite breakfast: The Luscious and Fabulous Chocoate Caramel Cluster Zone Bar. Ok. I can do this..."This is fun! I can try something new for breakfast!!"
We received an email reminder of the school's mandatory Latin spelling bee tonight. Of which we had no idea. And it is tonight. "Won't that be exciting! You don't even have time to be nervous!!"
This is where it really became fun.
Oliver, my cat, had the runs in the night. And apparently sat in them. His beautiful, white, fluffy, coat, um, wasn't. So I tried to laugh about it. "Hahaha. Isn't it funny that, um, Oliver, um has, um..." Struggling.
And then I saw that I wasn't going to be able to cut the nasty out. I was going to have to wash it out. (gulp) The problem with this (besides the embedded cat poop) is that Oliver bites hard when you try to wash him. Like, draws serious blood. So. I couldn't let The Princess help.
Not that she was offering.
I had to hold him by his scruff to keep him from mutilating me. (Let's not forget that cat poop smells worse than any other documented smell in the known world.) I had to run the water, rub the shampoo and (gag reflex kicking in) scrape. out. the. poop. with. my. fingers. of. the. other. hand.
In my rose colored glasses.
"Isn't it so great for Daddy that he's out of town? Isn't that so funny that this happened while he's on vacation working?"
(Ok. If you want some serious joy, click on that picture.)
Throw in trash night and the cat (who is apparently ill) throwing up in my bedroom and you can imagine the joy spewing from my lips.
Oh, and thank you very much, Kelly... the Chick-Fil-A nuggets that I had been craving ALL STINKIN' DAY were ice cold.
But at least I'm the one that gets to teach The Princess all about this nutty life.
If she can learn how to find joy in each day (you don't know how bad I wanted to say, "...if she can learn to turn her frown upside down..") her life will be so much more fulfilling.
That's a reminder that I needed, too.
(Perhaps without the object lesson involving the cat.)
