Slow fade

Casting Crowns has a great song out called, "Slow Fade". The song is about how easy it is to slip into sin in our lives. We have been dealing with a slow fade here with some things. The last few months of my pregnancy I let so many things go with my children and now I am dealing with reaping what I sowed.
It amazes me how quickly small things can turn into big things. I have let the small foxes into the vineyard! During the time that Duane was off work we have been having to work on undoing some of the things that have somehow become a habit. I am having to work very hard at teaching my two year old to once again come to me when I call her. We are having to work on first time obedience and being kind and speaking kindly to one another. It would have been so much easier to pull those little weeds as they cropped up months ago, instead I have let them go and now I have a garden of weeds to pull. This has been such a good lesson to me to "do the hard thing" such as getting up and handling things immediately inside of letting them go. I really have done my children a disservice that I now have to work hard at turning around. It doesn't take long for these things to become a habit.
Duane and I have had to make some changes with how we do some things so that we can deal with issues that come up immediately. One of those things is to not leave the younger ones at home with the older ones while we run errands or even sneak out to have a date. We realize that to deal immediately and to be consistent with our discipline and training we have to always be with them. While it was so much easier and quicker to leave them at home, now we take all or some of them with us. We have figured out that by even taking 2 or 3 children with us helps with keeping things peaceful for the older ones at home.
We have also made our date night on Thursdays. Shyloh is gone at church, we put the little ones down to bed at 7:00, and Shelbie and Shaylah go to their rooms and read and don't come out. Duane runs to get us some take out dinner and we enjoy a quiet evening at home eating, doing a great new marriage bible study we have, and usually playing a game. Hopefully when we have restored order around here and don't have to have the little ones "tomato staked" to us we can once again enjoy a date night out! Until then everyone is in "boot camp" and Marshall law stands! ;o)
For those who think that just because someone has many children that they have it "all together", let me dispel that myth right now! I don't have it together! LOL I am very convicted that I have fallen into sin by not diligently teaching and training my little ones. I didn't see it happening. I guess sin is like that. I have been given the task of training these little lives and I have slipped. I am so thankful that forgiveness is found at the foot of the cross! I am also so very thankful for the Lord's grace and guidance to me as I mother this little flock he has given me! I am reminded that if my children are not "feeling" like the blessings that God's word tells me they are, then I am doing something very wrong in my parenting and training.

"He tends his flock like a shepard: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart: he gently leads those that have young."
Isaiah 40:11