56 Days

I found the ultimate mommy project: 56 days of encouragement toward betterness. You can find it here, at Paradoxology. It is so simple, yet so powerful. I've done it for one week now (I wanted to try it out before recommending it.)

Here is an example of day 1:

For the next eight weeks, you’ll need a small notebook. You want something you can fit in your purse and take everywhere. You’ll also need a pen that is with it at all times. You don’t want anything to be an excuse not to do your assignments.

Day 1. (Monday) Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Your goal is to observe your children all day. If you’d normally correct behavior, by all means, do it now but don’t start worrying about new problems to fix. Just identify them. Write it down. Something like

John- Disrespectful expressions when he doesn’t like my answer/direction.

Sally- Whines for what she wants. Other kids seem to give in to quiet her.

Mary-Tantrums around nap times. Need to de-stimulate her earlier.

Just keep the list running all day long. Write down your areas too. Things like.

When I’m tired, I tune them out.

I ignore behavior when I don’t want to deal with rebellion.

I dread naptime.

Whatever needs changing, write it down. Even things as simple as, “We need to bake cookies more often.” Or “The children need more frequent baths.”

Easy, huh? But, boy-howdy, what a little extra attention-paying can do! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. And if you do it, I'd REALLY love to hear how it is affecting your family.

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