If conversations with your family start with “how was your day” and end with “good,” today’s challenge should help! We’re on Day 4 of the 28 Day Challenge to Fill Your Home with Love. The tone of your communication at home might be just fine, thank you, or it could be filled with tension, rushing and impatience. Let’s exchange the stress for words filled with love!
Your Day 3 Challenge is to Apologize (if needed) & Affirm your family.
Our busy lives can get in the way of conversations with the people we love most. You might be as busy as my hubby and I. We both work full time outside the home and are usually rushing from one thing to the next. Family dinners are important to us, but for the past few months that routine was interrupted. I’m trying to get it back, but it’s taking a minute. So, maybe this 28 day challenge to fill our homes with love will help you and me both to have the kind of conversations that communicate love, affirmation, kind correction and LIFE!
[click_to_tweet tweet=”Want to speak more LIFE at home? Take the 28 Day Challenge to Fill Your Home with Love! https://www.thecoppeliamarie.com/28-day-challenge-to-fill-your-home-with-love/” quote=”Want to speak more LIFE at home? Take the 28 Day Challenge to Fill Your Home with Love! “]Want to speak more LIFE at home? Take the 28 Day Challenge to Fill Your Home with Love! (Scroll down to sign up!)
You Can’t Handle the Truth (in love)
Have you ever listened to yourself in a recording? I got SO MAD at one of my kids one time, that I turned on my phone video camera and left it on. I wanted to hear myself later because I knew that I needed a reality check. This was not the kind of mom I wanted to be.
Sadly, I heard an angry voice. Yelling. Impatience. Demands. Bickering. Ugh. I was so frustrated with myself. Why couldn’t I have more self-control? Couldn’t I leave the room, count to 10, take deep breaths and come back later?
You might be the kind of parent who has never yelled at your kids. I wish I could say the same. But instead of sitting down in despair, sipping a mug of hot guilt while reviewing everything I had done wrong that day, I read Lysa Terkeurst’s book “Unglued.” I got the devotional. To this day, I keep it in the master bathroom to refer to every now and then. It’s good. And it’s a good reminder that even amazing women of God have “unglued moments,” but those moments can be redeemed by God’s grace.
Here’s my Amazon affiliate link, if you want to check out the book. I may get a small commission at no cost to you!
Bedtime Apologies & Blessings
I apologized to my child. In fact, I’ve apologized MANY times when I realized that my behavior was not ideal. I apologized that time I was HANGRY or hormonal and yelled at everyone in the backseat. That time in the car when impatience got the best of me because we were already running late and WHERE IS YOUR LUNCHBOX?! Yep, I apologized. And bedtime is a fantastic time to share a heartfelt apology. After a long day, sometimes bedtime is the best time to connect. Honest conversations can lead to healing.
My hope is that saying something like “I wish we would have left earlier this morning and had more time to grab the lunchbox. I’m sorry I lost my temper” could help mend broken relationships and help fill our hearts with home.
Honest conversations and apologies are healing. Fill Your Home with Love. [click_to_tweet tweet=”Honest conversations and apologies are healing. Fill Your Home with Love. Take this 28 Day Challenge!” quote=”Honest conversations and apologies are healing. “]
The “Olive Branch” approach
This is great not just for moms and kids, but for wives & hubbies, too! God’s word reminds us to not let the sun go down while we’re still angry. As tempted as we may be to pull the covers and pretend we’re asleep (c’mon, we’re being honest here on the blog today!) it’s not healthy to do that. (And we’re talking not healthy emotionally, mentally, physically or spiritually if you think about it.)
Sometimes, we have to take our toddler-like selves with our pouty faces and crossed arms, walk ourselves over to that person we love so much (though we may be angry or whatever at them), and do what my hubby and I call “offer an olive branch.”
We have laughed at this many times when an argument could’ve ended very differently.
The “olive branch offering” is this: one of us realizes we’re being “idiots” in a particular argument or fight and we offer the other person one our pinky finger. Or our hand. As if to say, I’m offering this “olive branch” as a peace offering. I’d like to end this fight. I may be reluctant because I’m struggling with (whatever is going on), it’s not solved yet, we need to work thru this, but let’s do it together.
Sometimes that takes humility. Other times, we just realize the truth in love. When we’re in the wrong, we just need to make things right.
So, let’s make things right!
The solution may be easy, but it might take a while. Affirm what’s right. Celebrate the wins. Praise the positives.
Today’s challenge is to find 1 thing (or more) to AFFIRM in each person you live with. In fact, the more things you can affirm the better!
Affirmation Ideas!
Morning
- In the morning, let’s celebrate if a dish was put in the sink!
- Compliment your kids’ or spouse’s outfits.
- Thank whoever took out the trash.
- Appreciate the person who fed the pets.
(Yes, these may be chores that don’t need to be “appreciated,” but choosing to focus on the positives helps fill our homes with love!)
Afternoon
- Encourage ALL the hard work your child put in today at school.
- Go through their homework, ask questions and celebrate great work and effort.
- Thank your hubby or wife for their hard work all day!
- Affirm your kid on how hard they work on their after school activities and sports. “I’m proud of you!”
Evening
- Add a sweet compliment to your Hug & Prayer!
- You smell so nice after your shower/bath. Let’s snuggle!
- Are those your favorite PJs? I love them, too! You look so cute when you wear them!
- I know you don’t love pink, but that outfit looked really cute on you last weekend!
- Share your favorite personality trait for each family member:
- You’re such a great friend! I loved hearing that you texted “so and so” earlier. It probably made their day!
- I saw how kind you were when the dog got stuck and you helped her get off that chair.
- You’ve been working hard on that gymnastic skill. You’re so determined and persistent, I know you’ll make it!
- You were fearless during that last basketball game, even up against a rough opponent. You are so brave and such a great team player!
- No wonder they love you at work! You always go above and beyond with creative ideas. And you solved that problem they had the other day! I’m very proud of how hard you work to provide for our family.
I hope this 28 Day Challenge to Fill Your Home with Love really does make a difference in the atmosphere your family experiences every day.
If you haven’t yet, sign up for the challenge and I’ll send you reminders to your inbox!
Laughing (and filling our home with love) thru life,
Coppelia
