Friday, February 20, 2009

Two Books That Have Changed the Way We Do Things

A little over a year ago, I started using a maid service, Maid Brigade.  I loved coming home every other week to a perfectly, completely cleaned house.  It was wonderful.  This company only uses green products and hardly uses any chemicals at all.  I've never been much of a natural, granola type, but as we started thinking about it, we realized that since we've used them, Sam has not had pneumonia or any respiratory problems like before.  And, he hasn't had an ear infection.  Jacob has never had an ear infection and only a couple of colds...which are practically impossible to avoid.  So, a couple of weeks ago, we decided that we needed to stop using a maid service.  I didn't really know where to start because I have always used a ton of chemicals to clean.  A friend of mine gave me a great book, Green This and it has changed the way I clean.  And, let me tell you, everything just seems cleaner without all of the chemicals in the house.  And, an added benefit is that it is a ton cheaper.  I have used essential oils to make the house smell good and have really enjoyed that, too!  

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about how hard Sam has been lately.  I erased it because anonymous left a really horrible comment and I didn't know how to erase just the comment.  Anyway, just so you know, we have had some real discipline issues with Sam and it was wearing me out.  My dear friend and mentor, Sabrina, advised me to get the book Have a New Kid By Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman.  It has totally changed our house.  We adopted his ideas and have put them into practice and most days have been wonderful.  Of course, Sam still has to test his boundaries and make sure that I"m really still in control, but for the most part, we have gotten along much better.  And, I don't think I've yelled since then. 

Ok, I really wanted to share those with you because they have changed our daily lives tremendously.  Not to mention Jesus Himself and how He changes me constantly.  And, how He is doing some amazing things in my life and calling me to new things everyday.  Let me leave you with a quote from one of my favorites, A.W. Tozer:

"Self-knowledge is so critically important to us in our pursuit of God and His righteousness that we lie under heavy obligation to do immediately whatever is necessary to remove the disguise and permit our real selves to be known."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love all of the resources we have available to us today and I love it when someone gives you the best book. And when the results turn out as great as they are going for you Sherry... we just want to cheer and thank the Lord for all those in our lives. Way back some years ago a friend gave me a copy of Children's Ministry magazine, I buy this resource all the time and read it cover to cover. God is so good!

Alicia said...

Hmmm.. I've had some run-ins with the mysterious "anonymous" person too. interesting...

I'm gonna have to look into what you and Rebekah are doing. I HATE cleaning- not just because of the bad smells from the products but because I never feel safe having my kids using things I've cleaned because those chemicals are so toxic. Thanks for the good advice!

The Wiggins Family said...

We are so in the same boat these days....Cleaning and parenting.... I love the story about Sam. I can only imagine the days when Zac is potty training and the adventures in store. Love you and thank you for your prayers. God has healed my husband!!

Janelle and Ella said...

This is SO good to know!! Thank you!! I really want to get the Green This book!

Lindsey said...

I love the idea of the "Green This" book - I will definitely be looking into it. And I have had several people mention the "How to Have a New Kid By Friday" book lately - sounds like a worthy read too! I trust your opinion and am glad to hear it's helped y'all. Thank you for sharing openly!