LDTR Habit Companion

I’d like to know too.

Ditto mrsmccardell. It looks like a great resource…but having trouble implementing it into our lives. I would love to hear how someone was able to use it successfully.

That would be “following”. 

This is a GREAT resource in my opinion.  My recommendation would be to skip anything that holds you back, and just dig in your heels and start.  I think some/most of us tend to overthink things to some degree and then fail to act.  I started with just one or two very simple goals for attention that were the most urgent needs to get our home running more smoothly.  They didn’t really fit with the stories and text very well, so I’ve opted to wait on the reading with the kids for the most partt, until we’ve got this down.  For us, it was attention to duty, and I gave each child a few things i expect them do first thing in the morning.  That is our focus.  I’ve also added a “Yes, ma’am” chart to that and a penny jar for reinforcement.  They hear me speak, I expect them to listen carefully and respond appropriately.  This part you do have to determine on your own…there’s just no way around it if you’re going to work on habits.  No other person or book can plan that for you.  But it doesn’t have to be complicated.  The main thing is to start.  Somewhere.  Anywhere is better than nowhere.  I haven’t used the book very regularly yet with my children, simply b/c I haven’t gotten into the rhythm of doing something intentional as far as a “lesson” on habits yet.  I am still getting into the habit of working on habits right now.  Once we have this down good, which will be soon, I will begin applying this to school lessons as we get rolling on that again and use the book daily for a while.   I can’t imagine a more tailor-made (to CM specifications), ready-made resource.  If you are committed to working on habits according to the CM guidelines, this book has everything you need.  You just have to DO it with the kids.  The book gives you the part that it can.  It provides the material to inspire and keep you on track, and to help you get the children’s will on the right side.  You can read from it daily, weekly, or any way you choose.  I will be skipping the story from my own experience unless I get some inspiration along the way…then I’ll jot it in there and use it.  But I could get hung up forever on that one.  If something comes to me for the quotes/Bible verses part, i will use it, if not I’ll skip.  Activities…same deal.  Only if I get some inspiration at the right point.  Celebration? Winging it!  There will be some kind of reward at the end for each one.  No elaborate celebration for sure.  But definitely some kind of recognition.  We are doing little weekly prizes and a bigger one (playdough set for little ones, a book or two for the older one this time around).  It can’t take much thought or I won’t get it figured out.  But I can’t allow myself not to DO it any longer.  For me, it’s not the book that is hindering me.  The book has removed all my excuses.  It still isn’t doing it for me 😉  But I accept that as my problem.  Since this is mostly a Mommy action thing, that’s just the way it is.  That’s just the way I see it…my two cents.

I have been thinking more on this topic. I do not mean to say anything bad about the resource itself. I love to sit down with it and read through the various stories and habits. But it has not worked its way into our daily lives yet, like I hoped it would. I am sure that I am the reason. While the book can seem overwhelming, I think really habit training itself is overwhelming. I have a really hard time staying focused on one goal for six weeks. Can anyone offer help here?

Take home management for example. One week I will work on menu planning, new recipes, research on eating healthier. I will take a step or two in the right direction and feel really good about it. The next week, my focus shifts to, say, housekeeping and chores and the next thing you know, we are eating cold cereal for breakfast and Mac and cheese in the blue box for dinner. The healthy eating went out the window, to return a few weeks or so later, when the house suffers from a pile of dirty dishes from healthy cooking. And there are other things we may focus on like de-cluttering, budgeting, school planning, seasonal changes. And if the kids are sick, forget any progress in any area of home management. My focus seems to change weekly and while I know I am making progress, things do not get noticeably better for years. So I think the problem lies in the ability to stay focused long enough to make good progress.

I’ve found the e-book 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life really helpful in helping me set bite-size goals and actually stick with them and achieve them.  Maybe it would be helpful to you too, Wings2fly?