Over the course of these last few weeks, I've made some pretty big decisions. One of them was the decision to start making SMART decisions. And I've gotta say, once I had that decision in the bag, it was go time.
Some of my recent smart decisions have been small. Like not losing it when the kids colored all over Christian's changing table/dresser with a black Sharpie. Because, to their credit, they had been up there entertaining Christian for 30 minutes while I cooked dinner, keeping him laughing hysterically, and not making him cry once. Or each other, for that matter. Smart decision.
Or waiting until Rachelle finally put on her panties by herself and told me that she didn't want to wear diapers anymore before even attempting to potty train her. Because we've been at it for 4 days, and she's all but completely trained. Including peeing in public potties while running errands. Smart decision.
Other decisions have been a little more thought-out, a little more involved. Like my decision to give Fly Lady a try - for real this time, not the half-hearted attempt I tried over a year ago. Smart-decision-status still pending.
But I have also made two very big smart decisions recently. One is to quit teaching preschool. In some ways, it breaks my heart to do so, but it's time to move on. My need for having a preschool in my home has changed, and my family circumstances are definitely different than they have been over the last two years of my teaching. I'm teaching through December, and then after that, I'm going to continue doing school at home with Rachelle. Ever since I made the decision, I've had a HUGE weight removed from my shoulders, so I know it to be a smart decision.
I've also made the decision to start saying "no" - something I have never really done before. But as I have been feeling more and more weighed down by the many good things that demand my time, I've finally found the gumption to turn things down. It goes against every notion I have of what a consecrated follower of Christ should be doing, but I've prayed about it and feel right about it. So recently, "no's" were handed out to a babysitting request, a sign-up sheet asking for people who can give rides to church, an invitation to a Relief Society function, a invitation to a cleaning service project, and a request for help with the recent local elections. As hard as it was for me to do so, smart decision.
A lot of the things recently given the "no" response fell into my last decision category. I've made the decision to be more fierce about protecting our Saturdays. Typically, Saturdays for us have been errand days, work days, and social days. It's the day the kids have birthday parties to attend. The day I have girls' social events. The day Michael mows the grass and does lawn work. It's the day we scramble around to get ready for Sunday, and go in five hundred different directions until we enter the Sabbath so exhausted we're almost wishing for Monday to come around.
I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.
And it's ironic that Saturdays have become days like this because it's the one day during the entire week we're actually able to be together as a family. The kiddos are lucky if they get to see Daddy more than one night in a week before they are tucked into bed. And with his calling, Sundays are practically another work day for Michael - he finally makes it home in time for dinner. The kids have been seriously lacking some Daddy time. Thus project "Protect the Saturday" began.
I invite you to do the same. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Saturday that you're protecting, but I invite you to have protected family time. To really carve it out and make sure it happens. And stand firm in your protection. Because there will always be something to fill up that time. But making sure that family time is your number-priority, now that's a smart decision.
