A Melodious Sonnet

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You Aren’t a Failure

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(A letter to my mom. I hope you other mothers out there will also be encouraged. You’re winners, too.)

Dear Mom,

I know you’ve said before—many, many times—that you sometimes feel like you’re a complete failure. I’m sorry. I know I’m probably one of the ones that made you feel like that the most.

Even though I’m not a mother, I know it must be tough at times—especially when I, as the oldest, am grumpy. I know the others copy my example, and I try to have a good attitude. I’m sorry for the days that aren’t so good. And for all the days I complain to you.

You Aren’t a Failure

I’d like to encourage you, though—don’t give up! You are making a difference, even if you can’t see it right now. We’re learning. We’re growing.

Each day you show us more of what it means to be like Jesus—yes, even through your exasperated sighs. Even though you’re annoyed—and yes, even a little cross when we break one of your jars—we know that underneath you still love us. A lot.

That love can only come from Jesus, because I can’t see any other way you’d ever be able to put up with us.

3 Resources to Help You Work More Productively

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I don’t think there’s anything I like better than a free program that helps me work more productively. And, being somewhat of a program maniac—I usually end up trying out just about every free one I hear of—this is the kind of post I love the most. If you’re interested in free, time-saving resources, then this post will fit you as well.

3 Resources to Help You Work More Productively

Today, I’d like to share three valuable l tools I use to work more productively. Two of the resources below were ones I mentioned in the two previous posts in this series—How to Prepare for a Productive Day and 7 Effective Ways to Get Unstuck Now. The other is one I’ve come across in the last month or so, and it’s been so helpful to me in this area that it deserves its place as well.

7 Effective Ways to Get Unstuck Now

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More times than we care to admit, we get stuck in an unproductive cycle of half-hearted work and discouragement at getting hardly anything done. Sometimes, it’s almost impossible to figure out how to get unstuck.

What we really need is a kick in the pants to get us moving.

[caption id="attachment_1108" align="aligncenter" width="800"]7 Effective Ways to Get Unstuck Now Photo courtesy of Pixabay/PublicDomainPictures | License: CC0 1.0[/caption]

But more often than not we aren’t willing to admit that we’re stuck, so we struggle on alone. It then becomes up to us to get going again.

Five Healthy Ways to Develop Relationships

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It’s hard to develop relationships with the little ones. As a big sister, there are times when I have little ones around me and they are—simply—getting in the way. Admit it—you probably have times like that, too. Then we’re expected to remember that we were once that age? Really, how hard does the job have to be?

When I was around seven years old, my then recently-married aunt and uncle came to spend a few days with us. At the time, my uncle’s family was living on our farm as well, and so when they came, our two families plus our visitors took a trip north to some sand dunes bordering several near-by lakes.

Using Charts to Stay on Track All Week

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Over the years, our family has changed the way we do school in different ways. We’ve switched curriculum several times, finding the perfect combination for our particular needs and learning styles. Currently, my siblings are using over four different curiculums, and keeping track of the progress in all of them can sometimes be a bit difficult to manage.

Over three years ago, Mom made a chart up for each of us children, and that has helped to stay on track immensely. As I’ve worked through highschool, I ended up making my own to suit my needs, but the basic principles are the same.