September 17, 2014
I was thinking lately about our strange little family and how every once in a while you realize that how YOU do it isn’t how everyone else does it.
I have always loved family and grew up in a very happy one that valued our time together. As Casey and I have begun to watch our kids grow up in our household we have realized that we have some HOUSE RULES that pertain to our family and are non-negotiable when you live with the Prince’s. Even when we have fostered children we involved them in our home rules and we think that abiding by these rules is what keeps us happy and whole. Our home is a place of PEACE and JOY and these rules help keep it that way.
So here they are in no particular order.
PRINCE FAMILY HOUSE RULES:
1. Wrestle-mania. We like to wrestle and throw little people and put each other in head locks and yell and scream. We wrestle and even autistic Keller who hates hugs LOVES to wrestle.
2. Family Dinner. This is a non-negotiable that always is being ‘tweaked’ because Casey is a soccer coach and often gets home late. MANY nights we have TWO dinners at the dinner table because I eat with the kids earlier and then we sit with Casey when he eats. We eat together. We are working on Keller on this one because his little autistic brain HATES sitting at the dinner table but coaxing and bribery is helping!
3. Say “I LOVE YOU.” This one I got from my parents, but when you leave the home or say goodnight we must share that we love each other. Even though we ‘know’ it we still must say it. It’s good to know you are loved. All the little kids that are in and out of our home are also told they are loved. We are working on this with Keller but I have no doubt he will be screaming it out sometime soon!
4. Big LAUGHS. We like to laugh in our home and even on the hardest days we find ways to laugh. We watch funny shows, we do a lot of tickling, we tease each other and we generally try to just have a good time. Laughter really is the BEST medicine.
5. PRAY. We think it’s very important to pray together and so we do it with the kids and with each other as a couple. This is just a non-negotiable that we started at the beginning of our marriage 12 years ago. We do it when we need to pray, we do it when we are thankful, and we DEFINITELY pray when we don’t feel like it. We just pray.
6. Dance. When all else fails, just dance.
7. Make it work. We are ALL in ministry together as a family, no matter what one or the other is called to be a part of. Because of that we make our callings work for the ENTIRE family. God won’t call one of us to do something for His kingdom to the detriment of another. We are one as a family and whatever the call or need, we have to make it work for ALL of us. At the end of the day we are in this together so we figure out how to do it together or not do it at all.
8. You are welcome. People are welcome in our home. You are ALL welcome. Our home becomes a bit of a ‘train station’ at times, and we definitely have boundaries, but we want people to feel welcome and loved in our home. So come on in. Have some coffee, play with the toys, let’s pray about it, and feel at home. You are welcome here.
What are your house rules? We love our home and would love you to come by anytime!
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