Bad Hair Day? - Wacky Wednesday

       Yesterday we talked about TEA - how our Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions are all intermingled. So the questions is now, "How do we take control of our TEA- even on a bad hair day?" I know this sounds silly, but we all have bad days, and there really has been scientific research about how your hair can affect your life. Well, the most effective method of self-control - even on your worst days -is to seek God's help to replace negative thoughts and emotions with God's truth and positive focus. However, this does not have to be as difficult as it sounds. It can be as simple as Acting like we have right thoughts and emotions - in other words obeying God even when we don't feel like it. Talk to your kids about your struggles they need to know that we all have to obey even when we don't feel like it.
     Example #1:   If I am feeling a little down, my natural inclination is to feed my sorrow or take a nap.  Instead,  I can embrace God's joy and do something funny. Wigs are perfect for Acting (see photos.)
     Example #2: Sometimes people seem to rub me the wrong way. If I invest myself in that person, by doing something nice for them, my heart and mind is softened toward them. I maybe could don my spy wig and deliver them an anonymous gift card to the salon.
     Example #3: I feel a "headache" coming on at bedtime... I will let you imagine what happens next here. You can include the wig or not in this scenario:).

     You get the idea. Right Actions lead to better emotions and better thoughts. How do you take control of your TEA? Is there a specific thought pattern or emotion that you continually deal with? What do you not feel like doing on a regular basis? Do you have any funny wig stories for me?

TEA Time - Teaching Tuesdays

       Girls love tea parties! Boys enjoy them as well if they are accompanied by yummy snacks.  Take advantage of your kids love of snacks and of spending time with you. Plan a simple tea time to teach a short lesson about the importance of thoughts. As an added bonus you even get to teach about three letters - TEA.  T stands for thinking.  Thinking comes first, because it affects everything else. Your thoughts lead to E for Emotions. For example, if you continually think about or focus on all the bad things in your life, you will feel sad. The last letter A stands for actions.  The way that you feel will then make you want to act certain ways. For example, If you feel sad, you may want to cry, withdraw, take a nap, etc.. Thoughts > Emotions > Actions. They are all intermingled.
        For fun, you can label three sugar packets T,E, and A and add part of each packet to your tea to help you explain this concept to your kids. For older kids, you can substitute the "T" sugar packet with salt to show how your thoughts can affect everything else.
         What thoughts, emotions, or actions have you or your kids been struggling with? I would love to see pictures of your tea party. Check in tomorrow to see how to take control of your TEA.