Welcome home

I read this post a few weeks ago and I thought to myself how lovely it would be if I could manage to pull off a happy household when David comes home. I tried at first. We moved into the new house and everything was disorganized enough that it felt like an impossible task, but I was determined. So after the house got some sense of order to it and I was feeling up to the challenge, I decided to try it out.
Now I'm a fairly reasonable and realistic person. I know I'm no Martha Stewart. I wasn't going to have a three course meal, all made from scratch, waiting on my husband. The house is never going to be spotless with two little ones running around.
But I thought I could control the environment to some degree.
I lit a candle.
I attempted to have dinner, however humble, on the table when he walked in the door.
I wanted to have the house straightened up so he at least wouldn't trip over toys as he walked in the door.

Do you know what happened?

That particular day both kids were out of sorts, crying and whining all afternoon.
Which meant I had very little time to cook and even less time to clean.
I had good intentions of having a fairly nice dinner, but it ended up being mostly thrown together.
David was 30 minutes late due to an unforeseen project at work.

He walked in the door and I know he was not met with a calm and gentle wife who lovingly greeted him at the door with kisses.
He was more or less greeted before he even got in the door with shrieks and screams. From both kids. And me.

And that has been the scene in our house more often than not lately.
I'm tired of it.
My husband's tired of it.
And whether they know it or not, the kids are tired of it.

I'm learning.

It's okay if I stop what I'm doing and pay attention to my kids. Even if I have to spend the majority of the afternoon playing with legos and pretending to bake a cake in the kids' kitchen. I obviously can't do that all the time. But I'm learning that if I can give the kids some of my attention then they're more satisfied than if I try to get my stuff done first.

Oh, I have so much to learn.

One goal I have that I hope will help is to have a more positive spirit and fill my mind with more Philippians 4:8.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I know this will bring me joy.
And it will bring my family joy, too.