A Not-so-healthy Hermit and Her Charts

I just read the funniest post by Jami Nato and I have to share the link...

"I extroverted myself and went to the lake."

If you're an extrovert, you may not find this all that funny, but if I hadn't been sitting with the girls while they were falling asleep I would have been laughing so loud.  You see, I am such a hermit, as Jami calls herself, that I really don't ever want to do anything.  I love being home, keeping a clean house (yes, it's true, even though it's usually not clean, I love trying), hanging with my girls, and basically withdrawing from society.  But, life necessitates that I get out some.  Even if it's just to go to the grocery.

And this weekend, I will be going way outside of my comfort zone to jump on a bus (double-yuck) for a 12-hour trip (when in fact the drive should take less than half that time, but that's a whole other story that I don't have the time or energy to tell) with a bunch of ladies from my church (although I don't yet know who they are) to go hear Beth Moore.  Ahhhh, the Word makes it all worth it.  A good teacher will motivate me to do a lot of things I wouldn't otherwise do.  My sister says I'm really just a Beth Moore stalker.  Perhaps.  Perhaps she's right.

To be honest, I've tried to back out of this trip, but my man won't let me.  Of course, he knows that once I get going I'll be fine and in the end I'll even have a blast.  If nothing else, the worship time led by Travis Cottrell will make it all worthwhile.  My man just has to kick me out of the house first.

All of this reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my sisters recently.  I was doing the majority of the talking, as is usual for this conversation hog, and telling her about all my parenting struggles.  How I felt overwhelmed a couple of years ago by this daunting task of shaping these little ones into the people God designed them to be.  (Drop face into my hands.)  I thought part of my problem then was due to being over-committed.  So, I pulled out of everything.  This past year I have been at home.  Period.  Other than teaching a class on Sunday mornings, I have had no commitments.  Now I'm wondering if part of the problem is that I'm inside these walls nearly all the time and we don't get out enough.  So, I'm slowly reintegrating into society.  I have decided to take a very small role on the Steering Team of my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group.  This will force me to meet with other women two Tuesdays of each month.  Whew!  Baby steps.  Don't want to over-do it now.

Okay.  Now that I've thoroughly disturbed some of you and many of you will be praying for me since you think I'm a stalker that hides out in my house all day long with shifty eyes, let's move on to lighter subjects.

These are some of the things that I've been doing behind the closed blinds of my house.  Kidding about the blinds.  Okay, not really.  I have had them closed a lot but only because it's like 110 out there and we're trying to stay comfy in here.

First, paint, paint, paint...

When we moved in this house three years ago, everything was tan.  Tan is not bad, but tan is not me.  I couldn't justify painting newly painted walls, so I've waited not-so-patiently for an excuse to add some color to my life.  I must wait no more.  Enter reason numero uno:

Most of you already know we have been doing a lot of projects around here this summer.  In addition to new siding, new roof, and new AC, we have replaced both entry doors, which required replacing the trim around the doors, which required painting the walls.  Yippppeeeee!

Drum roll please....

May I present...Yellow!

Or gold.  Gold that looks green in this picture, but gold it is.  And my accent wall...

Ahhhh.  Color is so fun!

Also, in my kitchen, you will find a bit more evidence of the activity of the three hermits that live here.  (Yes, there are four people that live here, but my man is not a hermit.)  The evidence is on my frig, in the form of magnets, "Shrinky Dinks" magnets to be exact.  We had left-over "Shrinky Dinks" plastic from an art project with Aunt Sissa, and we were in need of some more magnets to hang my artistes' masterpieces.  Sooooo...with the help of some permanent markers, scissors, a toaster oven, and some seriously strong magnets from Hobby Lobby, we now have new magnets!  Voila!

And with our new magnets, we have hung some new charts:

Basically, these charts are designed to encourage good behaviors.  The pictures represent actions that I expect of them, such as...

Getting dressed by themselves
Brushing their hair
Making their bed
Helping fold laundry
Picking up toys
Putting up dishes
Getting their own toothbrush
Going to the potty (baby girl)
Practicing writing letters and numbers (big girl)
Saying their Bible verse

Each time they do one of the above, they can put a check on their chart.  When the chart is full, they get a reward.  (A very small reward, like candy or a quarter or...TBD.)  We have been using the chart for less than twenty-four hours and they have already become much more enthusiastic about doing what I ask.  Hope that sticks!

These hermits also have been eating very healthy.  Or not.  This was our breakfast one day this week:

Breakfast pizza and a cupcake.  Once again, superstar mom.  Sometimes you just have to eat fun food.

And if you notice the little book on the bottom left-hand corner of the picture, it is a devotional book.  Over the summer, I have fallen out of the habit of morning devos with my girlies.  I am trying to get back in that habit.  Not doing so well.  Hoping the consistency of preschool (which begins in two weeks--aaaack!) will aid in re-developing this habit.  Why are good habits so easy to break and so hard to re-establish?  As my man says, life gets in the way.