Knowing Who We Are & Who We Are Not

We were so fortunate to have our very own Johanna Oddo speak to us about womanhood and mothering!

We are challenged to find what God equipped us for. Remember that you are the best mom for your children, and that He knows His plan for your marriage and family.
It benefits us to surround ourselves with moms not like ourselves...Gain from them, and your kids will benefit from them too.
Know things about yourself. Allow growing. And stretch. God will put us in those scenarios!
Don't define yourself by what you can and can't do---That limits God.
Show your love of God in your own unique ways!
God made us how he wanted us to be...Be OK with that, breaking the bondage of pressure to be somebody else.
On Mothering: Stay consistent and follow through!
Don't forget you are now parenting your future 21 year old. Communicate clear boundaries. Boundaries are good for proper development and foster high self esteem.
Remember: If they don't respect you at home, it won't happen at Target!
Kids need to know they can trust you. Delayed gratification is a good thing for them to learn.
Be confident in your parenting style and it will be easier to be consistent.
Take time to communicate with them where they're at. Treat each child as an individual.
Teach them how to solve their problems. Don't always rescue and remove. Teach to forgive.
Teach that it's OK to have emotions but it's not OK to get out of control.
Never make them feel ashamed for their questions. They will wrestle with God questions.
Match your lifestyle with your words.
Talk about their spouse.
No one will parent your child better than you and motherhood is high calling...let's not forget this, ladies!
Johanna can be reached at johanna@thebridgersm.com

Focus Organizing

Vanessa came to speak with us about organizing our homes.
She gave us a four step process and said the most important thing is to set boundaries!!

Step 1: Assess the space (MESS)

• M - is it a mechanical issue? perhaps a broken drawer? is the space blocked by furniture?
• E - emotional... not everything has to be sentimental, friends.
• S - situational. Did you just have a new baby? Did you just move in to your house (6 years ago for me)?
• S - system. You don't have the proper system in place to be successful

Step 2: Plan

What is your priority?
How much time do you have?
Vanessa gives herself anywhere between 4-8 hours for a closet, while an office can take 16-24 hours.

Step 3: Implement (LEASE)

• L - put like things with like things
• E - eliminate. donate things or throw them away
• A - assign things a home. find a place for everything!
• S - go shopping! Yay!! (for organizing materials)
• E - equalize. Once the system is in place, you have to maintain it daily.

Step 4: Evaluate

Is it working for you?

Thank you Vanessa, for coming to help us out! I know that my house could definitely use a makeover. Spring cleaning needs to happen year round up in here.

You can reach Vanessa at (949) 285-6517 or info@focusorganizing.com

www.focusorganizing.com