blanket time...

one of the girls in my MOPS group last year told me about blanket time. blanket time is time out "quiet time" for mommy and children while sitting on a blanket of their own for a certain amount of time.

I have struggled being in the word since Tessa was born...well to be truthfully honest, I pretty much struggle to sit down and spend time with Jesus even when I got plenty of sleep at night. I have never understand why it is such a struggle, but it is. I desire it, I want to be obedient and then I am not.

Anyways...Tessa slept from 9:30 last night until 5:45 this morning!! I was so thankful. After I fed her, she went right back down. I was actually awake. Not plopping down in bed covering my head begging for a few more minutes. I picked up a book, Diapers, Pacifiers and other Holy Things by Pintus that I have been reading for you know over 5 months now. :) I cried, I wondered about my children and the relationship that we will have as they grow, what I desire for that relationship to look like, I was challenged and then little man woke up and off starts our day.

I had been wanting to try "blanket time" for a while now. We ate breakfast, got dressed and played. Tessa was still sleeping so we couldn't go for a walk just yet. I thought, "this is the day!" I gather a few books for Graham one of them being his Jesus Storybook Bible which he absolutely loves to look at and his blanket and we head to the living room. I start the timer and wouldn't you know, the boy who loves loves loves to look at books...he didn't want to today. I explained over and over again that it was blanket time, he had to stay on his blanket and read his books. bahahaha. just imagine how that went over with a 20 month old. :) thankfully I had been told it takes a lot of training and not to get discouraged. Graham is still really young.

so for 9 minutes, we talked about what we were doing. he wanted to play with his toys. we talked again about what we were doing, that he needed to stay on his blanket. he pointed and talked about something in the kitchen. smile. "Graham this is time to read your books on your blanket. Sit on your bottom and read the books. Do you want mommy to read with you?" he finally got interested in his books and talked about the pictures for you know like one minute. and then he shut his books and tried to get up. we talked again about what we were doing. it was a battled for 9 minutes but do you know what, even while battling, I read through these verses...

She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. ---Proverbs 31:26-28

it was part of a bible study that I was supposed to be doing called Good Morning Girls. check it out if you want. I think its a perfect amount of stuff especially if your kiddos are little bitty.

it was good time in the word although I was balancing training and talking and distractions. I desire to speak with wisdom and give faithful instruction. I feel like all of the things that I do in the house get so monotonous but I am suppose to watch over the affairs of my house. I do not want to be idle but feel like I have been and this may help get me over the hump. I want my children and husband to know how much I love them whether through words, actions, playing, eating, singing, whatever but I also need them to understand and know that I love Jesus and desire to walk as He walked.

hmmm, continuing to do this with my kids will allow them to see mommy digging into the word on a daily basis. and as they get older, give them an opportunity to do so as well. not to mention, keep me accountable to being in the word.

the sweet girl that told me about this said her children now ASK to have blanket time. wow. its amazing how God can open your eyes in less than 10 minutes. I will definitely be trying to be faithful to do "blanket time" with my kids on a daily basis not as another thing to check off of the list but because I want to...