I am well familiar with some seasons being easier than others, but children learn best how to behave in church by being there, in the sanctuary, EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK.   And better yet, try to attend daily Mass on a regular basis, too.  There was a time where my husband was able to attend daily Mass most days of the week and that was when my oldest learned how to behave in church.   Since then, our daily Mass attendance has been sporadic at best, but it is excellent for the children since they can usually see more of what’s going on.  In addition to that, there is just something about the extra graces provided by attending an extra Mass with the kids by yourself.  I’m filled with joy every time we go; even if it’s a struggle the whole time .

Consistency is also a key.   We used to let our oldest crawl and walk all around the pew.   That totally did not work.   She is 5 and still has trouble facing forward and not being a little monkey!    With our next, we got a little wiser and I decided that she was going to be a lap-baby until she was at least 2 years old.   If we are in church, she is on somebody’s lap.  Period.  If she struggled, we squeezed her thigh and told her, “no, we sit quietly in church.”  If she resisted again, we told her “no” and squeezed her again.   The next time, we took her out, disciplined her and then went right back in.   There were a few times we went out more than once (or twice or three times), but under no circumstances did we let her run around in the vestibule, go to the cry room, or take her for a walk.  It didn’t take long before she sat as quietly as you can expect from a small child.   On the plus side, it also meant that we never had to take out a screaming child who had fallen and gotten hurt again J.

Lastly, if you have a domestic church, it makes it much easier to teach respect for God and prayer time in ALL settings, not just during Mass.  Our children are required to be respectful and participate as much as they are able while we are saying grace, doing a family rosary, and even reading the Bible.  We also teach respect for Holy items in church such as Bible’s never being thrown or put on the floor or not wearing Rosaries as jewelry.   When they are instructed from birth about these objects and behaviors it almost becomes a part of who they are and how they behave and it makes attending Mass an extension of the Church.

As a practical manner, here is how we cope with and address issues with children during Mass

Birth

• They attend Mass and are usually held or put in a sling.   If they are asleep in a carrier, we have done that on occasion, as well.
• A soft (quiet) toy to grasp is also helpful.

Age 1

• Still on the lap!
• Remember a pre-church snack!    I try to feed them before we leave, although we now have crackers in the van for the ride over (and back) since we attend the late Mass each week now.  This is especially important when the child is not nursing as much or when you’ve decided they are old enough that they no longer need to be nursed during Mass (about 15-18 months in our home).
• A religious beanie baby or stuffed toy.   We used to bring a book or other quiet toy, but it became annoying when they dropped it at the quietest point of the Mass J.

Age 2

• Off the lap as they are able to sit quietly.  So far, mine still prefer to be on a lap most of the time.
• A small notebook & pencil, a ring of holy cards, or small beanie baby or other stuffed toy.

Age 3

• Off the lap.   Facing front.
• A small notebook & pencil, a ring of holy cards, or small beanie baby or other stuffed toy.

Age 4.

• Off the lap.   Following the motions as desired or sitting in the pew.
• Participate in giving Peace and saying the Our Father.
• A small notebook & pencil or a ring of holy cards.

Age 5

• Following the motions of Mass – standing, sitting, kneeling.
• Participating in the Peace and Our Father.

We have also made some listening pages for our 4-5 year olds to use during Mass that helps them follow along, yet have something to keep their hands busy.   There is a different one for each liturgical season and I have made them for both the Novus Ordo and the Traditional Latin Masses since we attend each depending on our mood and schedule.   You can find them on my blog today — Catholic Mass Listening Pages — Novus Ordo and Traditional Latin Mass.

How do you keep your little ones in the sanctuary during Mass?

Copyright 2013 Jen Steed

Here is the tentative schedule that I have used when introducing my little ones to prayer.  The ages are only approximate and are GREATLY dependent on how well they can communicate and what their interest and attention is.   I will also say that I have 2 girls.  I have heard boys are different; I don’t really know since I don’t have any.   All that just to say that isn’t meant to be a hard and fast schedule, but it is what seems to work well for us.  If you are wondering how and when to start introducing your children to prayer, this may be helpful for you.

Age 1.5

• Help them make the Sign of the Cross whenever the rest of family is doing it (Mass, Grace, Family Rosary, etc.)

Age 2

• Glory Be (at bedtime)
• Grace (at meals)

Age 3

• Guardian Angel prayer (at bedtime)

Age 3.5

• Hail Mary (at bedtime)

Age 4

• Our Father (at bedtime)
• Simple Morning Offering
  • Oh Jesus, I give you today.  All that I think and do and say.

Age 4.5

• A decade of the Rosary

Age 5

• The Angelus (with the morning offering)

If your children are inclined to move quicker or slower, feel free to move ahead, slow down, or add prayers as desired.   I know that when children were young, on those days where they were reluctant, grumpy, sick, etc. and were unable (or unwilling) to say the words after, I said them for them (or finished them) at bedtime.  After time, they became accustomed to the fact that we say prayers before bed.  Period.  Only you can be the judge of whether to push it that day, but I would try not to make it a punishment or force it if they aren’t ready.

Above all, be consistent and make it a part of your family’s culture!

Did I miss any of your favorite prayers for little ones?

Copyright 2013 Jen Steed

Serving Others

The best way to be like Jesus is to serve others.   We get started early by filling boxes for Operation Christmas Child.   We do one for each of our children, both the ones we get to play with and the ones playing with God.   This year we filled 4 for children ages 2-4.  My daughter loved the whole process.   She helped pick out items for the children at the stores this fall and she LOVED packing the boxes.  In fact, I didn’t help her pack them until we had to play a little Tetris to fit the dolls in.   While pick up for this ended yesterday, you can still put it on your radar for next year.

Another way to serve with small children is to purchase toys for Toys for Tots.  Again, this is something that we prepare for all year long.  In fact, July is the summer toy clearance at many big box stores and we stocked up for the last two years and kept forgetting to drop them off.  Our pile is enormous now.   You could also hit the after Christmas toy clearance if you have room to store them for that long.   My oldest has been pointing out toys all year that we could buy for children who won’t get toys for Christmas.

One that we haven’t yet tried that’s been on my list (and honestly, probably won’t get to until next year) is the good deeds manger for Jesus.   My daughter (at 4.5) could probably make a pretty good stab at this one, but I think she will get it MUCH more next year.   Basically, you make a manger out of a shoebox or something and every time you do a good deed you add a piece of hay.  The goal is to make a nice soft bed for the baby Jesus when he arrives at Chistmas.  This post at Shower of Roses explains the Manger very well and provides links to resources as well.

Jesse Tree

Holy Heroes Jesse Tree DVD

The first year we did this, I bought those flat round wooden Christmas ornament cut outs and actually drew a picture that corresponded to each figure in the Jesse Tree.  Some turned out better than I anticipated.   Others…well, not so much.   But then I purchased the Holy Heroes Jesse Tree DVD.   Many of the videos were the same as the Advent Adventure but the DVD includes a PDF of the ornaments for the tree.  I promptly printed these out, colored them in, and used Mod-Podge to put them over my elementary mini-paintings.

Feast Days

In addition to serving others and crafting, we relieve a little of the pressure to celebrate prematurely all month long, by picking a few feasts to celebrate.   We have decided to do the whole St. Nicholas thing and so we leave out carrots for his horses and fill the stockings that eve and then have a fancy breakfast and dinner on 12/6.   We also have a fancy dinner on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (12/8) – everything is white (turkey, potatoes, cauliflower & rolls or pasta alfredo) except we have gingerbread (cake) for dessert.   Usually before Mass which is usually at 7pm.  One of the parishes in our town is called Immaculate Conception and there is usually a small parish festival that weekend that we participate in as well.

Truth in the Tinsel

While not a specifically Catholic book, Truth in the Tinsel is a series of Christ based projects based on the people and places involved in Christmas for small children.  Each day has a bible passage to read, a little project to make (all with materials you probably already have if there are kids in the house), a little bit to talk about and something more you can do associated with each story.   There are enough projects for each day in December leading up to Christmas but she has made it super easy for busy moms – you don’t have to do them all.   She includes several alternate schedules so that you could do several different tracks of 1-2 times a week and she also created a printable ornament set this year for days when the craft just wasn’t happening.

Delay “Christmas”

Just because the stores are playing Christmas music on Black Friday and have the trees out on Halloween doesn’t mean my house is like that, too.  We try to go slow.   First we put away the fall decorations and bring out the plain old winter ones (Advent colors, snow, etc).    Then we get out the Advent wreath and Jesse Tree supplies.   Usually the tree is put up the 2^nd or 3^rd weekend in December and I try not to decorate it with ornaments until the 3^rd Sunday of Advent (besides the Jesse Tree ornaments).   Around that time, the nativity comes out (minus Jesus & the 3 wise men).  It’s not easy but we REALLY try to stretch it out.

How do you incorporate more anticipatory kinds of activities into your Christmas?

Copyright 2012 Jen Steed

Catechism Catcher

So you remember the cootie catchers from grade school, right?  I don’t know about you, but I spent all day meticulously folding them and picking my favorite colors for the top.  I’m sure I put a ridiculous amount of thought on the fortunes inside, too.   Well, Arma Dei has created a cootie catcher to help review your catechism!    Well, to be precise, they have actually created 10 of them.  You can purchase a PDF of the Catechism Catchers and you will get a cootie catcher for each the following 10 areas:

• Classic (covers 16 areas of the Catholic Catechism)
• Rules to Live By (sacraments, virtues, etc.)
• Gifts & Graces (Beatitudes, gifts, fruits, etc.)
• Sacraments
• Mysteries of the Rosary
• Mysteries of Faith (Eucharist, Ascension, Assumption, etc.)
• Vessels & Vestments
• Sins, Sorrows & Stations
• Old Testament
• New Testament

I like the vessels & vestments, mysteries of the Rosary, and sins, sorrows, and stations catchers the best.   I like that the packet has several different areas of faith to review so that my daughters and I can work at one at a time.  It’s a really interesting way to test what they are learning in catechism class/CCD and I like her suggestions to print each subject on a different color paper.   My daughter thinks they are fun to play with – since she can’t read yet, maybe catechisis by osmosis?

Like I mentioned in my review of A Treasure Chest of Traditions (also by Arma Dei), some of the catchers are a little cluttered.  In order to make them more readable, it’s almost necessary to color them to make things stand out a little.  Also, you kind of have to make up your own rules since they aren’t quite like traditional cootie catchers.   She does give suggestions which are useful and luckily my girls don’t know how normal ones work so they aren’t thrown.

Overall, I think these are very cute and a great tool to make studying catechism fun.   I would recommend them for older students as they are more for review and less for learning.   I would think you could start in 1^st or 2^nd grade while reviewing for first communion prep and could go as old as high school/RCIA/adult.   You can get the PDF for $12 or the printed version for $14 + shipping at http://armadei.blogspot.ca/2012/06/catechism-catcher-20.html.

Disclaimer:  Monica at Arma Dei provided the product for review but all opinions are my own.

Copyright 2012 Jen Steed

1. Morning Offering

I read in True Devotion to Mary by de Montfort, that sending things to Jesus through Mary is like having a meager apple to present to the King.  Delivered by you, it’s just a little apple.  But Mary.  Oh, Mary!  She shines up the apple and puts it in a basket filled with fine silks and makes it look like much more than a humble apple.   That being said, this is the morning offering that I use:

“Oh Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.  I offer them for all the intentions of your sacred heart – salvations of souls, reparation for sin and the reunion of all Christians.  I offer them with all the apostles of prayer, including those of our Holy Father for this month.  Amen.”

2. The Angelus (6am/noon/6pm)

The Angelus is basically 3 verses with a Hail Mary between each and a closing prayer.  It takes all of 5 minutes to do.  Originally said in the evening, later it was added to the morning and at noon. You can find the full prayers of the Angelus at EWTN

3. Grace

Fr. Libby recommended that we say grace before AND after all meals.  If we are sitting at the table, I try to remember to do it before snacks also.   Most everyone is familiar with Grace Before Meals.  If you would like to know the formal Grace After Meals, see below.  Many also pray for the souls in purgatory at this time as well.

“We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, who livest and reignest world without end. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”

4. Rosary

The reasons to pray the rosary are numerous.  She makes many promises to those who do and besides that, the more you do it, the easier it becomes to deeply meditate on the mysteries of Christ.   I personally have several iPhone apps, a CD, and several different prayer books to make it easier to say my rosary.   Find some resources and a chunk of time that works for you!

5. Bible Reading

It doesn’t take much – just 15 minutes, less if the Lord seems to speak to you through his word.  For some reason, he didn’t recommend the daily readings but more solid time in the bible, including Proverbs.  I must confess, I mostly read the daily readings; it’s in the Magnificat and I do my morning prayer there anyway.

6. Spiritual Reading

He also recommended 15 minutes a day of spiritual reading – either classic Catholic theologians  or the lives of saints.  I loved True Devotion to Mary and am LOVING Introduction to the Devout Life.  I plan to read about St. Therese next.
And lastly,

7. Examination of Conscience

By examining your conscience each night before bed, it gives you a chance to really look back on your day.  I find that by examining my day this way, I notice things I hadn’t noticed before.  Like, I can’t blog/play on computer during the day – I fly off the handle when my daughters are “interrupting” my “work,”   I discover things that I need to work on before they become big issues.

There are so many wonderful devotions in our faith, but the priest who gave our talk thought these were the most important and attainable, even for busy mothers.

What devotions do YOU do on a regular basis?

Copyright 2012 Jen Steed

Even as an adult, I associate with people who have a common interest. Once I left work, for example, i never saw old co-workers again. As a mother, I belong to a fabulous local Catholic mothers group. But even there, I am on the periphery.

I belong to a very small church with a group of VERY orthodox Catholics. It’s primarily made up of large families who attend the traditional Latin Mass & homeschool their children. We don’t get to know these families much because we only see them at church and we generally have to get back home right after church – football, hockey, kids are STARVING,you know. Priorities .

My mom’s group on the other hand, is a little more mainstream. They are lovely women who are working very hard to grow in their faith & raise their children Catholic. These women attend the regular mass and (many) send their kids to Catholic school. I get funny looks when I stick close to home with my small children with whom we co-sleep, nurse for an extended period, don’t have baby-sitters, and plan to homeschool.

One would think that I’d just need to find common women of faith, right? To be honest, there is an enormous gap between these two groups and I’m not fully at home in either one. During my last hormone induced pity party, I had a bit of an epiphany. I don’t fit in anywhere else on purpose. HIS purpose. God is my rock. He wants to be number one in my life. HE wants to be the friend that I talk to more than any one else.

Knowing that this is how I am “in the world, but not OF it” makes the occasional loneliness easier to bear. I’m not meant to belong in this world; I belong to his.

To whom do you belong?

I’ve got a huge list of someday items for Lent.  Why someday?  Because they just don’t work in my current life.  My children are young (4 and 1) and many activities are either over their heads or over their tolerance level.   When I read Bring Lent to Life by Kathleen M Basi, however, I was stoked to find activities that my 4 year old would get!

To read the rest of my thoughts about this great resource, hop on over to CMO!

Copyright 2012 Jen Steed

1.  Determine what your best is.

Many people have an idea of how fancy they are willing to get for special events, like weddings.  Some families go all out with suits and ties or dresses.  Some are more casual and go for khakis and polo shirts.  In the Steed house, our Sunday best is a fancy Easter/Christmas style dress, tights,  and dress shoes for the girls, skirt & shirt or dress for me, nice pants & shirt for hubby. I like this stuff and so buy it anyway and I find I get more use by wearing it to church.  Think about what works for your family.

2.  Determine your minimums.

On the flip side, you need to know your minimums.  There are situations (vacations, new baby) where your best is not possible.  So what are your minimums?  I don’t allow spaghetti straps without sweaters/shrugs but wide sleeveless dresses are okay.  Shorts are never allowed, but skorts are.  Flip flops are frowned upon but in a pinch (like when I forget to pack church shoes), we’ve used them.  Figure out what your minimum standards are.

3.  Have a Sunday wardrobe.

With the girls clothes, I usually have two church dresses per season, but you could get by with one if you do laundry every week and/or take it off as soon as you get home.

I have 2 skirts & 2 shirts — one set for spring/summer and one set for fall winter.  Hubby just wears work clothes since he has to dress fairly nice for work anyway.

Plan or find a church outfit for each person.  If you have more than one outfit, awesome!  If not, one will make it super easy to get dressed.  Think about proper undergarments, socks or tights, shoes, top, bottom and any accessories.  If you can have a coat or jacket for church too.

4.  Shop.  With a list!

If you are missing pieces, make a list of what you need (i.e. Navy tights size 4-6, brown loafers size 3, etc).

For the kids, I purchase dress clothes after Christmas & Easter when they are on clearance.  Preferably in the next size up.

For me, I’ve found that the Worthington & East 5th Ave skirts at JCPenney are modest and $20 on sale–even less on clearance!  And they will last a long time, too.  If that’s not in your budget, consignment and thrift stores can have great things, too.

5.  Prior Proper Planning…

Once you have everything you need, get it all ready the day before Mass and put it all in one spot.  Include special coats, shoes, gloves, hair ties, hats, and whatever else you need.  I even include a special basket for brushing hair and washing hands/faces because I ALWAYS manage to forget until we are walking out the door.

Looking your family’s best is no substitute for paying attention, but on those bad days I’m sure God appreciates the effort it takes!

Copyright 2012 Jen Steed

I purchased a book at a retreat I went to last Spring called Marian Devotions in the Domestic Church: Activities to build the Catholic Culture in the home.  Written by Catherine and Peter Fournier, this spiral bound book is full of ways to venerate Mary.

They have chosen 18 major Marian feasts to highlight — at least one for every month of the year except April. Each feast has an easily understood summary, recipes, prayers and other celebration ideas.  Some ideas are traditional, some are not, but all have some link to the essence of the feast.  They make their some of their own suggestions and pull heavily from the rich Catholic traditions around the world.

In addition to information on Marian feasts, the Fournier’s include Marian activities that are not date specific, like the rosary, the scapulars, Marian Saturdays and even gardening for Mary.  Blurbs about traditional Marian flowers are also sprinkled throughout the book.  Craft ideas and instructions close out the book an include ways to make 3 different types of Rosaries.  They even include the littlest children by providing coloring pages that can be copied out of the book or pulled from their website.

Overall, I loved everything about this book.  It’s packed full of information of many common Marian practices plus ways to make it come alive in your home. At only 100 pages, it’s thorough without being overwhelming.  Plus, it’s sprinkled with little gems in the borders of the pages — think titles of Mary & gospel readings.  In addition, the design is clean and pleasing to the eye.  If you want to get closer to God this coming year, this book will help you form a relationship to his Mother.  Start small–  start with Marian Devotions in the Domestic Church.

Merry Christmas and I pray that God blesses your families beyond measure next year!

Order Marian Devotions in the Domestic Church: Activities to build the Catholic Culture and support CatholicMom.com with your purchase

Copyright 2011 Jen Steed

She starts out nursing.  Then she gets restless and starts inching her little butt in the air.  I think somewhere someone has a twister spinner because the limbs start finding weird places.   I can totally see it:

“Okay, right hand blue. Got it!  Left foot yellow. Grunts. Okay got it. Right foot green?  I’ll try it…oooof.  I flipped a complete somersault. Hey, I’m still on the breast. Yes!”

I don’t know about your kids but mine can be dangling over a cliff and still be latched on.  After I flop her on her butt/side three times, she pops off.  POP!  Oh, yeah.  No gentle delatching going on in this house.  Sitting up with a glint in her eyes and the cutest smile ever she asks, “da?”.

And I sit up and proceed to tickle the little stinker who is, by this point, giggling madly about her silliness.

During this month of Thanksgiving, I try harder to push aside my selfish and cranky thoughts. Instead, I Thank God.  I thank God for baby feet and giggles.  I thank God for the wonderful man I married who provides for us so that I may stay home with them.  I thank God for his perfect plan of sustenance, bonding and service to our babies.  And I thank God for gifts so numerous I don’t even know where to begin.

How about you?  What are you most thankful for this holiday season?

Copyright 2011 Jen Steed

Fast forward a year or so and I found the best book for new Catholic parents I’ve ever read (three times now)– Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler by Kathy Pierce & Lori Rowland.  These ladies have fabulous ideas for introducing the faith to your children from birth.  They include the children in church and advocate church busy bags with more religious items than I would have considered with my first.  Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler also includes ideas on how to introduce many prayers and practices to the toddler crowd.  The authors also include many ideas on celebrating the liturgical year starting with the two biggies — Christmas & Easter.  Not only do they share ways to increase your Childs exposure to the Church, but they also take time to share how to minimize exposure to poor secular influences without withdrawing completely.

Overall, I thought this was a fabulous resource and I would recommend it to anyone who has Preschoolers or under–especially if they are expecting.  It’s a wonderful primer of all the basics, as well as some more advanced devotions.  It’s also great for people who may know the basics but not know how soon or where to start.

Order Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler and support CatholicMom.com with your purchase

Copyright 2011 Jen Steed

1. Learn how to do laundry effectively.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. – Colossians 3:23

Learn how to get out the most common stains in your house. Find out how your washing machine cleans best.  Check the labels of your clothing to see if you are cleaning them correctly.  Find out how to fold or iron or whatever else that you put off because you don’t know how to do it.  You can learn everything you ever wanted to know (and then some!) about laundry at Mama’s Laundry Talk.

2. Learn how to do laundry efficiently.

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise – Proverbs 6:6

Determine the fewest number of products needed to get the job done.  Are there places in your routine where you get thrown off track?  Try to find a way around it.  Can you skip a step?  I do not fold my daughter’s clothes.  Instead, I lay them flat & stack them in her drawers and hang the rest up.  Could your family benefit from having a family closet so that you aren’t taking clothes from one end of the house to the other?

3.  Pray while you work.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. – Mark 11:24

When you load the washer, thank God for the servant & abundance.  When you fill the dryer, thank Him for not having to hang them outside.  Or if you do hang them outside, give thanks for the nice weather . Others I know pray for the person’s needs with every piece of clothing they touch.

4.  Teach others.

Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God – Titus 2:4-5

There is no better way to learn what you know, than to teach someone else.  You could teach your children, a newlywed or even share stain removal tips with a first time mom.

5.  Volunteer.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace – 1 Peter 4:10

Do you enjoy doing laundry?  Interested in serving your Parish?  Most churches have volunteers who launder & iron the altar linens.  Call and ask if you might help & they will usually tell you how to do it.  The Holy Eucharist might look a little differently when you’ve helped to launder the linens!

What prayers do you say or what are ways you can use laundry to serve the Lord?

Copyright 2011 Jen Steed

The book is spiral-bound, making it easy to keep it open to the pages you want, and is about the size of a trade paperback.  I mention this because for some reason, I expected it to be larger.  This book goes through the liturgical year beginning with Advent and includes crafts, recipes and other celebration ideas for many saint and feast days.   Each month has a saints’ day/feast calendar and the pages are liberally sprinkled with prayers, finger plays, and side notes.

This is not a book you just sit down and read in one sitting, rather, it is broken up into small bite sized bits by month and season:  Advent, Ordinary Time, Lent, etc., making it more of a reference manual of Catholic traditions.  This makes A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families easy to scan quickly. You can easily find something to do this week or even today for your kids to do, especially on that rainy day. The book includes activities for all ages, starting with pre-school.

I didn’t find any activities in this book that were not loyal the Catholic Church, and really the only bad thing I can say about the book is that the pages are a little busy for me, however, the activities are of such high quality that the graphic images are well worth looking past.  The ArmaDei Publishing Company also has a blog with even more activities – http://equippingcatholicfamilies.blogspot.com/.

Overall, I would recommend this book to almost any Catholic family.  Even if you don’t have kids of your own, it would be fabulous for use with nieces, nephews, God-children, grandchildren, or any other children in your life.   It would also be a great resource for Faith Formation teachers and homeschoolers.

Order A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families at Amazon or Aquinas and More and support CatholicMom.com with your purchase.

Copyright 2011 Jen Steed

Make a Simple House in Order to Simply Live

We live in a huge house.   It’s an average house for the current times (about 2200 sq. ft.).   But historically speaking and throughout the world, it’s a huge house.   Over the years (we only built it 6 years ago), we’ve talked about moving several times.   Each time we’ve listed the house, we’ve sold hundreds of dollars worth of stuff on CraigsList and donated & given away just as much, if not more.  And we still have more stuff left than I can possibly fit into a 900 sq. ft. apartment.

But I’ve noticed several things in this most frequent purge.  We are getting down to the nitty gritty now & tough decisions need to be made.  The last three times we’ve only missed 2 things – a book case and a garment bag.  And the garment bag barely counts since we haven’t actually replaced it.  We’ve been asking ourselves:  Do we REALLY need this?   Are we ever going to get into this expensive hobby again?   What do we REALLY use and love?

But more importantly, I am finding that the less stuff I have, the more time I have for the people I love.   I can make time for prayer and not feel stressed.  I have more time to read books with my 3 year old and play with the baby on the floor.  Picking up the whole house when it’s an unmitigated disaster because we have another showing or open house, takes an hour.   Four months ago, it took 12 hours.  Not the cleaning, mind you, just picking up the stuff J.

Today, I’d like to invite you to simplify YOUR house in order that you may simply live.  Pretend that you are moving to a house half the size.  What would you not move because it’s too old, worn, ugly and otherwise not worth it?  What could you gift to someone that you haven’t used?  What could you sell to be able to purchase something you need?  Start small.  Pick a drawer. Or a bookshelf.  Or even a pile of papers on the table. Be ruthless—you are fighting for your spiritual life!

When we are not tied to things (especially those physical things) of this world, we are free to be able to do God’s work.  We can drop everything to help those in need.   We can save our money to be able to give like God calls us.   We can live and teach and be an example to the little sponges that God has entrusted to our care while they are on Earth.

What is God calling you to do?

Copyright 2011 Jen Steed