What Robs Your Spirit?

You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. ~ 1 Peter 3:4, NLT (emphasis added)
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A few weeks ago, I saw an inspirational post titled Cultivating a Meek and Quiet Spirit. To summarize, the author suggested writing a list of things that rob your spirit. What steals your joy? What "triggers" keep you from being the patient, peaceful, kind, loving person that God intended you to be?
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To attack your spirit robbers, she suggests taking these steps:
* Identify it
* Plan a solution
* Create a system
* Implement the system
* Choose what's next
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It didn't take me long to identify my spirit robbers. The most obvious one recently is being tired. And by "tired," I mean both sleep deprived and worn out. I'm sleep deprived every day, but Mondays and Tuesdays are much easier for me than Thursdays and Fridays. Earlier in the week, I'm refreshed since Mike is home all weekend and able to help me take breaks, nap and escape from the chaos every once in a while. At the end of most days, whether I'm sleep deprived or not, I'm often worn out. Sick of hearing the kids whine, complain and argue, sick of housework, sick of homework, sick of being pulled in a million different directions. So for me, being tired is a spirit robber. I'm not the person I want to be when I'm tired. But that shouldn't be an excuse, should it? I need to plan a solution and figure out a way to respond with love when I feel like bursting into tears. (BTW, I'm still working on the grand plan for this issue!)
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My other spirit robbers include: the kids' continued disobedience, wasted time, clutter, feeling disorganized, whining/fighting/screaming kids and the baby crying uncontrollably.
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One of the systems I've worked out (even before reading this post) for dealing with the kids when they're fighting, hurting each other or tattling repeatedly is to send them to their rooms. If I feel my blood boiling, I warn them that if they can't get along, they can't play together. About half of the time this works like a charm, but if one or both kids are having a rough day, I have to follow through with the punishment.
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This solves the problem on multiple levels: 1 - I get a "Mommy Time Out" and don't lose my temper. 2 - Neither child likes being isolated, so they tend to realize that figuring out a way to get along is better than playing in their room alone. 3 - The child with the bad attitude gets some space/rest/alone time to cool off. 4 - They both emerge with a willingness to be kind to the other person.
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(Oh the irony...when I began typing this post, the kids were happily playing together and are now separated into their respective rooms. Apparently, Ryan aimed his remote control helicopter at Kaylin's head and made her feel unsafe - that got them a warning - then Kaylin decided to bite Ryan's toe in response to him not sharing. That was the straw. And of course, it's FRIDAY afternoon. I am moments away from the reprieve of the weekend. I am so ready...)
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As wives and as mothers, we set the tone of our home. I heard it said once that we should be the household thermostat, adjusting the mood up or down as needed, to keep a peaceful home where your family loves to return. I used to feel a sense of pressure hearing that statement, but now I gladly accept the challenge. It's not easy, but it's so worth the effort.
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I'm going to go reset our household thermostat now. (*deep breath*) God has an amazing sense of humor. Mike just called to say that he left his gym bag in the men's locker room and is turning around to go get it (causing him to be late for an already-getting-cold dinner) and the baby is now screaming in his swing...let the weekend begin!