Happy Birthday Banner

I started making this with our June birthdays, but just barely finished it today before our September birthdays start next week. I think it turned out pretty cute, but I'm going to change the "i" to a vertically lined background. I just made it out of paper and cardstock again, using the same font as I did with the season pennant banners. :)

Habits

We had a little family lesson on establishing good habits. I read the kids the "Habit Poem" which was reprinted in a book I'm reading called "The Ultimate Career" by Darryl Hoole ~

The Habit Poem 

I am your constant companion. 

I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. 

I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. 

I am completely at your command. 

Half of the things you do you might as well turn over to me and I will do them – quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed – you must be firm with me. 

Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically. 

I am the servant of great people, and alas, of all failures as well. Those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures. 

I am not a machine though I work with the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a person. 

You may run me for profit or run me for ruin - it makes no difference to me. 

Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will destroy you. 

Who am I? 

I am Habit.

And from Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich.  The 21st Century Edition Workbook”.  

“The principle of habit will take hold of the faculties of your mind just the same as it will influence the physical muscles of your body.  The object in writing out and repeating a self-confidence formula is to form the habit of making belief in yourself the dominating thought of your mind until that thought has been thoroughly embedded in your subconscious mind, through the principle of habit.”

Beautiful or Useful

One of the books I've been reading is the book "The Ultimate Career" by Darryl Hoole.  I got it from the library a while ago and just ordered it off Amazon cause it's got tons of great advice that I'll need to spend years applying to my life, thus getting it for my shelf so I can refer to it over and over again.  Good stuff, and I loved this quote from page 6 ~“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” ― William Morris

I've been trying to apply it as I clean the rooms of the house today - I'll pick up whatever random clutter is around and think "Is it useful?  Is it beautiful?" and if the answers are no then in the trash it goes.  Which is why I threw away a lot of broken crayons yesterday as I swept them off the floor for the ump-teenth time last night.  I hope as I contine to de-junk with this quote in mind that I'll be able to create a home that is full of useful beauty.