10 Reminders around my house

There are a million things I want to tell my self/husband/children on the daily but the only thing I can regularly manage is “I love you”. Everything else I’ve left up to the many post it’s, chalkboards, laminated magnets, letterboard, rocks, and whiteboards that coat the walls of our abode. Some are uplifting, others are irreverent, all are important. Here are my 10 favorites:
1. “If you can be one thing, Be Kind.” – In a perfect world, I would have given a formal family counsel where we would talk in depth about kindness. I would have shared inspiring stories of  big hearted people sharing and caring for all who cross their paths. Then I would have given an index card to each family member and encouraged them to write out a personal goal of kindness and tape (yet another) card to the wall as a reminder. Things I had planned to do… Alas, the only thing I did was read this quote out loud, called it our back to school theme, gave them a quick little ditty over dinner the night before school started and slapped it on the letterboard in the downstairs bathroom.
2. “No Techno Time, TV, or Toys in the morning!!” – I have some independent kids and a few that need a little extra guidance. Every August when we get back into the daily grind that is school, I always have a kid or 2 that struggles with staying on task in the mornings. It only takes me 1 bad morning… till I spend an entire day coming up with new ways to organize my children. Enter CHORE CHART. I seriously have to create a new system 3x a year just to keep these kids on their toes. This phrase is always hand written on the top of the chore chart in BIG letters, laminated and displayed so nicely on my fridge. I’ve noticed that when they have a personal list of what needs to happen next, they are more likely to be self sufficient when preparing themselves, and our home for the day. Plus, I don’t have to yell as much.
3. “The Season for Prayer is always.” – A few years ago, I taught a class for the women of my church on Sundays. This particular Sunday the topic was on Prayer. This quote stood out from the entire lesson so I busted out my chalk pens and spent way too much time creating beautiful lettering on my framed chalkboard. It ended up looking so good that I have not dared to erase it! It is a large board and placed strategicly in the family room. Hopefully someone is inspired to pray.
4. “Has anyone fed the kids?” – I saw this quote printed on a cute pendant in a picture my girlfriend posted to Instagram. I was too cheap to buy one and just so happened to have all the supplies to make one so I did. I just thought it was clever and witty. Now it hangs next to my table as a beacon for food.
5. “Even if ‘everyone is doing it’, Wrong is NEVER Right.” – During a biannual church conference, I heard this quote in this talk. It was like a bell ringing and lingering in my ears and I immediately determined this was something I needed for my children to know. Yet another framed chalkboard fell victim to my chalkpens and quickly became a permanent fixture to our home. This one I keep right at the exit of our home so that whenever someone leaves the house, they leave with great words of wisdom.
6. “No Tampons down the pooper!” – After much debate on how our monthly clogged toilet came to be… my husband snaked the toilet and found the obstruction. Sigh. Ever since the first day Aunt Flow came to visit, I have been flushing lady sticks down the toilet. I shared a bathroom with 6 sisters, was I the only one doing this wrong? Dad, did you just quietly unclog all the thrones of our castle on the reg? Needless to say, I had to break a 20+ yr old habit. So the night after my husband showed me the error of my ways, I jokingly wrote this reminder on a hot pink index card and taped it above the TP holder. We laughed pretty hard about it but that 3×5 card has saved me on more than one occasion.
7. “We can do hard things.” – I don’t even remember where I got this from. I do remember knowing in a counseling session that this was going to be my mantra as I paddled through the rough waters of my divorce. In fact the night before my ex husband and I sat our little children down to tell them of our split, I painted it on a sign. I used to chant it over and over again in my head as I struggled with all the difficulties as a single mom. I would remind my kids these words whenever they were having a hard time or even on encouraging notes left on their desks at school. This simple phrase was often all I needed to remind me to get on my knees and pray. Is it weird that a sentence means so much to me? IDK. I still hang the sign I painted in our home. It makes me happy when I see it. 
8. “Scooter ~ Our beloved fur brother and friend~ August 26, 2010-August 18, 2016” – Our kids really struggled with the loss of our dog Scooter. Even the kids that didn’t like him where pretty busted up over his absence. After a few weeks and still high emotions, A friend suggested a formal memorial/funeral would provide the kids some closure… So for FHE we talked about the plan of happiness. We all stood and shared a favorite memory of our dear Scooter, wrote letters to him which were tied to balloons and sent with love up above. It’s really hard to watch your kids be sad but I’m very grateful that we were able to have this lesson on grieving. I took a smooth river rock from the front yard and made it into a type of headstone and it sits on the hearth of our fireplace. RIP Scooter.
9. “There will always be more Blessings than Burdens even if some days it doesn’t seem so.”  – I think this one I found on Pinterest but I know that it comes from here. Life is difficult! Sometimes I feel like I’m barely able to master one trial when another one creeps into sight. It can be overwhelming and too often I find myself feeling discouraged or defeated. So I like to surround myself with words to buoy me up when I’m in need. This one is up on the whiteboard helping me to just keep swimming.
10. “Pray, Damnit” – While doing the dishes at my Sisters home in UT, I noticed a small tile next to her faucet that said “Choose the Right, Damnit”. I laughed so hard! I loved that it was so blunt. I don’t typically have a difficult time making good choices but I do need to work on my prayer game. I wrote it on a post it and put it on the side of my nightstand so I would see it when I laid my head onto my pillow at night and… when I opened my eyes in the morning.
Do you have reminders around your home? Do you notice reminders in others homes? What is your favorite reminder?
Do tell.