hand washing & prayers

I have really enjoyed getting to review tons of books this summer.  While I know this pattern is going to slow drastically, starting next week, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all these books these past few weeks!

Today I was perusing a book that recently arrived that I will get to review in the next few weeks.  It is a book about Amish Values and at first I thought I was a bit crazy to request it.  Amish values?  Today?

Well, as I flipped through the book I noticed short chapters – 3 pages each.  So I started reading one.  Then another.  The one that really got the wheels turning (another reason I love to review books) the chapter on laundry day.  These two little girls described laundry day with their mother.  The day was spent washing all their clothes by hand (not sure how many but at least 6 in the family), rinsing, wringing, everything by hand. 

The community had families investing in gas powered washers, and over lunch the father suggested getting one.  The mother sweetly replied that she did not need a washer to cut wash time in half, she prayed for each member of their family while washing clothes every day.  She told her husband while cutting the washing time in half might be fine, cutting her prayer time in half was not.

Wow.

I loved this.  I am not about to get rid of my washing machine.  I mean, really?  But I am ready to get a bit more serious about praying for my children.  Right now I feel like I pray sparingly.  Not that I do not do it often, it is daily.  But do I prayer completely over them?  What if their future depended on my prayers?  Some day they would choose the right spouse, but not every day.  Know what I mean?  Maybe it is just me.  But I need a more regular prayer routine.  I am a person of routine.

Kristen keeps telling me about a prayer clock I think it is.  Prayers we pray each hour of the day, specific ones.  When you look at the time, you have a specific prayer to pray over your children.  I like this idea.  I like a daily topic too, I have done that in the past.  A topic each day of the month, this worked great for me.  I have modified that prayer plan this year for each of the kids to have a copy in their binder, and I will encourage them to pray the little prayer that accompanies it each morning before they start their school time.  I like that they will also know what I am praying for them, I think it will give them confidence to improve in those areas knowing that I am praying for them as well.  Here is a glance at my revised Character trait calendar. 

You can download a copy for Girls HERE and for Boys HERE.

I know it may seem like I need a schedule for everything, but I think I do.  I function better when things are planned in.  Otherwise, I forget, I get busy, I get distracted.  I like a routine, a schedule.  I have learned that I am not a slave to the schedule. but live by it as a suggestion.  So we will see if this will work for us. 

I still need to dig out the Praying the Clock, or hound Kristen and get it from her!!