Lesson FAIL: Those less fortunate and keeping things clean

I try. Really...I do.

But sometimes, lessons we teach (or in my case, apparently--try to teach) our children just don't seem to be grasped the way were were hoping for.

This past week, we--and by we I mean all three boys and I--have been working on two things: counting our blessings and keeping our room clean.

We've talked about those who are less fortunate than we are, and how we need to help people in need.

We've thanked God for the big things: our home with a roof over our heads; cooler days so our van isn't so hot when we ride around in it; the money we have to buy our necessities; and the fact that Daddy has been kept safe on all of the jobs he is currently working on.

We've thanked God for the small things: bike rides; unlimited books we can check out from the library and read for free; finding Indian beads at the park; zucchini bread; new (and very cool) boxer brief undies to wear to bed at night; nunchucks for the Wii; and Mt. Dew frosters from Circle K.

{Okay...maybe that last one was me.}

AND, we've also been cleaning up the boys' room each and every day before rest time.

I've been stressing to them the importance of keeping things neat and tidy (one day, their wives will thank me....of that I'm quite certain....) which has meant quite a bit more picking up and straightening than they are normally used to.

Apparently, all the extra work finally got to Cameron, because the other day, while in the middle of picking up yet another pile of toys, he said in a quite irritated tone:

"We need to give some of this junk away to some poor people so that we don't have to pick it up all of the time!!"

*sigh*

I guess we'll keep working on those lessons....