A Week of No Complaining Day 7: But I’m Not Complaining

The day is not yet over but I don’t think or post about my blog on Sundays so I am writing now and setting to post on Sunday. (How cool is that!) This has been a useful exercise. I will spare you the “This has changed my life” comment because I am pretty sure once I am PMSing I will allow a complaint or two to slip out.

My husband completed our taxes today which just about assures that there will be a minor fight today (There was…sigh) So much tension to send the government information it all ready has and only desires so if we get something wrong they can charge us more…sigh…(was that a complaint or a statement of fact?)

I did learn I tend to use complaining as an ineffective method of communicating with my kids. That most of my complaints are about petty, temporary circumstances due to living with maturing people. That when I am focus on things that cause me to be grateful I am far less likely to complain even if life that day isn’t perfect. That a little self-control on my part can contribute greatly to the overall peace of the household.

If I wanted to build on this experience it would be with A Week of Praise and Thanksgiving, focusing on the good God has allowed in my circumstances, including the thing the maturing people I live with do right, well or with honor. That might be an interesting and worthwhile challenge. Something to think about…..

How was your experience with not complaining?

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A Week of No Complaining: Day 1

Wow, I didn’t realize just how much I mutter about things. To be honest, and I really prefer just to lie, I didn’t make it out the door for church yesterday without some complaining. How did I know this you might ask? How did I have suddenly become so self- aware?

One of my kids reads my blog. I now have my own personal complaint monitor. I have heard, “You are not supposed to be complaining” more than I care to admit. Thank you External Still Small Voice (hereafter ESSV). This experiment would not be as effective without your gleeful, unsolicited participation.

What is humbling and kind of embarrassing is how much I complain about the petty thing my kids do (mostly aren’t doing).

How does one confront the minor irritations of living with teens without becoming a whinny person herself?

My ESST this thoroughly enjoying herself!

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A Week of No Complaining: Getting It Out Of My System

It is a little scary to contemplate stopping complaining cold turkey. I have to get a last few kvetches in or out as the case may be.

Why are you starting home work now, it is your bed time!

Why is there no gas in my car?

I told you to take out the garbage! Why do I have to say it again?

Am I the only one capable of noticing the sink is full of dishes!

Get off the (fill in the blank)……phone, counter, my nerves, your brother's nerves

She asked you to her prom, why are you paying for the tickets……

You are going to be late! Again!

Were are all the clean towels?

You are working late again. Poor baby. Meanwhile on the inside....do you have any idea how hard is is to be a married single parent...sigh.

Anyone else have any lasts complaints?

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Still haven't mentioned my adventure to my husband.

Aging With Adventure: A Week of No Complaining

I have been thinking about this for a while: A week of no complaining. 7 days, 168 hours, 10,080 minutes, 604,800 seconds free of whining, moaning, grumbling…..see the list below. I have been dreaming, scheming and planning some way to enforce this on my family. Since I can’t do that I will try it for myself. Starting Sunday March 8^th at 12AM EST until Saturday March 14^th At 11:59:59PM the adventure in not complaining will commence.

I expect this will be a glorious failure, on the par with the Charge of the Light Brigade or the Apollo 13 moon mission. It should be noted that everyone died in the Charge of the Light Brigade, so I am thinking this adventure will be more Apollo 13ish.

Would you care to give this adventure a try? Perhaps for a 24 hour period instead for 10,080 minutes (that does sound like a lot of time not to deprecate)? I have a Mr. Linky and I might even able to figure out how to use it by Monday.

I will be offering a contest (bribe) to e-card users, leave a comment 1 entry, write a post and link either in a comment or the hopefully up Mr. Linky 2 entries. Twitter, tweet, facebook, stumble etc 2 more enteries, just leave a comment telling what you did. 2 lucky randomly chosen winners will get 500ec’s each. All entrants will get a shout out link in a summery post the following week.

PS: I am so not telling my family I am doing this!!

·To Complain is to: To express an objection and/or

remonstrate, grumble, whine, find fault, disapprove, accuse, deplore, criticize, denounce, dissent, cavil, charge, bring charges, report adversely on, reproach, oppose, contravene, whimper, nag, fret, repine, protest, fuss, moan, growl, grump, murmur, mutter, make a fuss about, take exception to, object to, deprecate, enter a demurrer, demur, expostulate, carp, attack, refute, countercharge, air a grievance, lodge a complaint, howl, grouse, kick, grouch, gripe, grunt, beef, bellyache, crab, squawk, tattle, kick up a fuss, make noises about, raise a howl, raise a fuss, make a stink, moan and groan, kvetch; see also accuse, censure, oppose

Antonyms sanction, approve*, countenance. * copied from Your Dictionary.Com