Day 4 - What's that smell?

I actually took yesterday off from being Suzy Homemaker to get some writing and editing done. Funny enough, the only thing I kept from doing was blogging. HA! Apparently, I live as Suzy Homemaker every day anyway. I still made beds, hand washed dishes (I don't own a dishwasher), did three loads of laundry, picked up several messes, and as the headline indicates, picked up an accident from my darling puppy. *sigh* Just what every glamourous woman wants to do, pick up a pile of dog poo!

There's a blog by a Canadian woman named Jen, but never Jenn who not only did a 1950s housewife experiment, but actually made the food, walked to the shops, and donned a dress all day every day. Go read it and have a good laugh! Wait until you see some of the meals she made!! (She actually used cookbooks from the time period, and all I can say is EWWWW!) She committed to two weeks and actually followed through and had some great insights. Seriously....go read it....now.

As I sit here writing this I've decided I have a ghost in the house. It's either that or my lamp is possessed. The bulb in the lamp keeps flickering; when I get up to check it it turns back on. As soon as I sit back down...yep, flickers out. Anyone know a number to a good ghost buster...or somewhere to get a cheap lamp?

I digress. Today is officially the fifth day of my experiment and I've learned a lot about spending more time with my family. While I didn't originally tell the kids what was going on you can definitely see a change in all of us. The kids seem lighter, the husband seemed like he was able to relax more when he got home, and I realized this is something I need to do every day, not just for a week. My life has always revolved around my family, but now, instead of saying I'm too busy doing laundry/dishes/cleaning/insert chore here, I take the time to listen to my kids and husband. I mean I really stop, look them in the eye and listen to what they have to tell me. It has been wonderful!

I can't tell you if I lost weight by all my scrubbing as I don't and won't own a scale, but I definitely feel good both emotionally and physically (all except my knees). Even with financial stress I find I'm able to sit back and hand my worries to God and realize there are some things I can't control. You know the saying - Let go, and let God.

Here's my challenge to you: Stop what you're doing, slow down, and really listen to what your kids, husband, wife, whatever have to say. More than likely whatever it is that you're busying yourself with isn't nearly as important as what your kids are trying to tell you.