Positive Reinforcement

My new habits, there are two, to work on this week are: positive reinforcement for my children and picking up after ourselves.

I try to compliment my children and praise them when they do a job well done, but I realized this past week that I could do it more often and criticize less often. They respond better (who doesn't) and work harder when they know they'll be recognized for doing their best.

With 9 people living at our house it can get kinda (that's an understatement!) messy at times. I think 90% of the problem is we have a tendency to not put things away as soon as we are done with them. If I was as faithful as cleaning up after myself as I am when I cook, my oh my, the house would look and feel completely different. The other 10% of the problem is we need to declutter, purge, get rid of (whatever you want to call it) some of our stuff. There's just too much. But that's a habit for a different week.

So this week I will praise more often and pick up after myself and try to get the rest of the family to join me in that endeavor. As far as last week's habit of exercising. . . . I DID IT! I was able to exercise every day for at least a 1/2 hour. I had so much more energy, felt so good about myself, that it is definitely a habit I will keep up with.

If you'd like to participate in SHS or see what habits others are working on just mosey on over to The Lazy Organizer.