Noise Alert

In a household with children one can expect a certain amount of noise.  Playing, fighting, laughing, crying, banging, crashing, clomping, squealing...  In a household with children with Asperger's there are more noises at times, the constant noises or repeated words and phrases.  A new babies bring their own kinds of noises- crying, cooing, the swing rocking, musical toys.  All of these noises combined together create the symphony of our home, the beat we live by.  And usually that is a great thing.  Usually.

For some reason our summer is fizzling out, dying a slow painful death.  The kids are bickering, dropping trash everywhere, fighting, not wanting to play outside, and screaming.  One, or both, of our toliets overflow everyday.  And the screetching by the one, or at times two, preschoolers has reached a new level of loud. This wakes up the baby, who cries.  And then is over tired and cannot fall back asleep.  Who keeps Mommy awake.  All night long.  And the preschooler is up bright and early.  So Mommy gets no sleep.  And has a headache.  And is very irritated by the noise, good or bad, but mostly bad in the past two days. 

The fun level is crashing quickly, the frustration levels are rising just as fast.  And school is supposed to start on Monday for them, Tuesday for me.  Usually at this point I am excited, energized, and so are the kids.  We have crates full of new supplies, new materials, fun activities, and field trips planned.  I am not organized, but that is nothing new.  The house is cleanish, and the laundry is caught up.  I even have food in the crock pot for supper.

The problem is the noise.  Not the household noise, but the life noise that is blocking out my peace of heart and mind.  My quiet time spent in reflection, digging into the Bible, and covering our home in prayer.  It is the noise that fills my head, not the noise filling my house.  The noise that is blocking my attitude of praise and thanksgiving, keeping me off balance and unfocused.  My heart attitude sets the tone for my whole family.  If I am frustrated, they are fighting.  If I am joyful, we have laughter.  I know this is a fact.  I can see it in our lives. 

As we begin a new school year, a new journey, with so many joys, I have to set aside the past school year with its problems and trials, all the frustration.  I have to set aside myself, my lack of motivation, and my tiredness.  I need instead to create a new attitude in my home, one of peace and joy, love and laughter. 

Having so many things going on, that is difficult.  New baby, new school year, new classes for me, those are all overwhelming when tacked alone, let alone all at once.  So as we begin this new part of our journey, we will have a new commitment.  A commitment of loving each other, of loving God, and of service to Him.  And that new journey does not have to wait until we crack open our math book for the first time, it starts now.  With a family prayer, a new Scripture to memorize, and planning our day to include quiet time and time to play and grow together.  Please join me in praying for our family, our school year, and that I get some extra rest this weekend.