6 P's of Living in Small Space With Lots of People

Oh how much fun I have been having with my kids!

You know, I stand back and praise the Lord that even though we are extremely busy, we still enjoy our children and have time with them raising them into maturity and just appreciate them!

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My son is just the most hilarious person in the world, next to my Hayven who's pretty stinking funny. We went to the drive in several times so far this summer and we've seen Minions twice. One night, during family devotions and prayer, Elias breaks out and whispers in a creepy, low voice, "BANANA!"

Also the other morning, my son must have went and sat on the potty and forgot to put himself pointing downward because his shirt wreaked of pee. He had crawled into bed with me and fallen back asleep. We both were just waking up and I asked him, "did you pee yourself?" He looks at me with his big, brown, guilty eyes and said, "No! It's milk!" 

"Milk?!? You didn't have any milk!"

"No, it's milk" he said this time with some pretty convincing hand gestures to help sell his position. 

"Son, where did you get milk?" I replied, trying to hide my grin.

"It's milk."

There was a time that same day he did pee in his pants because he got so consumed with playing with his cars he couldn't dare take himself away to do such meanial tasks as peeing in the potty. "No, it's milk!" He expressed with a nervous whine behind his statement. :)

So, when Hayven was his age, she would say these things in the most ghetto accent! It was just hilarious! "I hode yo hand?" "I fix yo car?" "I hode yo bag?" Well Elias often says, "Mom! You feel me? You feel me, mom?"

Elias also thinks he is in charge. A lot. He takes the responsibility of the dad often times. I don't let him get away with this obviously. He repeats what I say or orders his siblings around. "Come down!" "Sit down and eat your food!" "Foods ready!" "DEPUTIES!! COME HERE!"

Hayven has recently gotten over her fear of bugs and actually enjoys picking them up and squishing them.

BUT, what I REALLY wanted to post about was:

How to Prepare for Living With Lots of People In A Small Space.

Now my husband and I would argue about whether our house is big or small. I think it's a great size! Our home is about 1,800 sq feet and it has three bedrooms with doors that close and one "passing room" upstairs that we use as a bedroom. The passing room has no doors, but works as a bedroom. So in reality its a three-bedroom and one-bathroom. However, we use it as a 4-bedroom. Also, we just finished the plumbing on our NEW 1/2 BATHROOM!!!

It was my kitchen pantry and is now a cute little bathroom! It's very strange to have a second toilet in the house. It's soon nice!! And very timely since...

My dad, step-mom, and both my little brothers will be MOVING IN to STAY in a few days. So it will be (1)Alex, (2) Me, (3) Ahavah, (4) Aleica, (5) Hayven, (6) Elias, (7) Alyssa, (8) Mariah, (9) Dad, (10) Mom, (11) Tres, (12) Aaron Matthew living here. 

Short notice? 

Very. 

STRESSFUL? 

Nope. 

Here's why:

I really believe a lot of our attitude is based around our perspectives and mind set. Maybe that's why in Phillipians 4 it tells us to "set our mind" on things that are pure, lovely, noble, praiseworthy ect. We know that this house, and really everything we own is not our own. Therefore, we have no problem giving up our own comforts in order to meet the needs of others! In fact, we really get excited and look forward to it! We love being stretched and laying down our lives for others. 

The kids and I have been meditating on these verses the last month or so:

John 15:13 Greater love has no man then this, then a man lay down his life for his friends. 

Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a random for many.

Matthew 25:42-45 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall He answer them, saying, 'Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did not to me.'

RABBIT TRAIL: Here's a quick blast to the past of pictures I found of when my brother, me, and my little sisters were younger in Disney World! Thought you might enjoy!

My brother and I were racing to finish our malts. Pretty sure I won. It was my mom's 40th birthday. 

Mariah was throwing a HUGE fit because she didn't get the parasol she wanted. She threw her hat on the ground. As you can see, we were all laughing hysterically. 

 AnYwAyS....

How to prepare to live in a "small space" with lots of people:

(1) PRAY! Prayer prepares. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your home with peace, protection, joy, fellowship, words of wisdom and prophecy, hospitality, and love. Pray over the people living in the home and the people moving in. Pray over relationships and issues that may arrive. Pray over the protection of your immediate family and that the Lord will keep your focus on loving your husband and keeping him the most important person. Pray the Lord will keep you growing your children into mturity instead of getting swept away with the complexity of everything else going on. Pray that each member gets some sort of private closet time with Jesus every day.

(2) PURGE! Grab some garbage bags and go to town! Oh, how I LOVE purging!!! Throw things away and donate to a thrift store or church garage sale. The LESS you have, the BETTER it will be. Each person moving in has a lot of things they are bringing with them. That's more clutter, more items on the floor, more dishes on the table, more garbage behind the couch, and more kids toys in the corners. Live simplistically so others can live comfortably. 

My current youngest sibling, AaronMatthew.

(3) PREPARE! Today, once our Sabbath morning is over, we're moving bunk beds around and switching rooms (again, for the 100th time this year) to best suit the needs of our GUESTS. We put ourselves last in consideration of all this with the exception of our marriage. Alex and I don't give up our bedroom for guests. EVER! We need a place where him and I can have to ourselves. A place we can escape, we can be intimate, and we never have to feel like this is going to be uprooted. We will be bringing our children into our room for a few nights when we have other people we're housing, but we (Praise the Lord) have a bedroom that can be split into two rooms with a large black sheet. 

(4) PARENT! Get your children ready. Tune them up on their duties at home. Make sure they're diligence in their chores is better then it's ever been. Beds made every morning. Rooms picked up several times a day. Dishes continually being washed and put away. Floors swept. Tables Cleared off. No one goes to bed without the house being clean. This will TREMENDOUSLY eliminate stress and clutter later down the road!!

(5) PLACID! Stay calm. Relax. Enjoy. Don't get swept into the chaos and spend every waking moment preparing, planning, cleaning, stressing. Sit back and enjoy where God has you in this time of life. Laugh at the chaos and the mess. When you need a break, slip into your room (I strongly suggest making sure your room is CLEAN before you leave it every. single. morning. This gives you a place to go that's in order for those times when nothing else is), shut the door and thank the Lord for a home filled with His people who need ministering to, and the honor of being the one to do it. Go for a walk. Call the home together for a time of worship, reading of the Word, and open and honest conversation of what the Lord's doing. 

(6) PERISH! DIE TO YOURSELF!!! It's NOT about YOU! Everyday I pull myself into the kitchen and bury myself in washing the dishes telling my flesh, "DIE! DIE! DIE! Why won't you die?!? It's not about you!" Memorize the scripture above and place them in a place where you will see them throughout the day. Ask the Lord to help you die to yourself that He may be glorified. 

Acts 2:44-47 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to every man, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Acts 4:32-34 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grade was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostle's feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.