"After much deep and profound brain things inside my head" (king Julius from madagascar), i decided i would make some new years resolutions, and take a peak at the old ones. now, this is hard for me to admit how bad i am at some things, but hopefully by stating my weaknesses, i can begin to work on them.
last years resolutions:
be COMPLETELY debt free by the end of the year!!! (an ambitious goal, but i am determined)
well that obviously didn't happen. if we hadn't gotten the house we probably would be? but you just never know...and since that isn't the path we took...we are still in debt, but working on getting out of it.
-read scriptures daily (even if it's reciting some in my head)
yeah, this is one that i'm bad at. i'd (rather) pick up an Ensign and read an article or two on a specific topic, but i want to get more acquainted with the scriptures like i was in seminary! and i guess i always use the excuse of i need to focus to read and get something out of what i read, and with the kids it doesn't seem like i can get enough consecutive time, but anything is possible. this could be the year!
-get Kathryn in speech therapy
well at least i got one thing done! kathryn has been in speech therapy, and done well.
-go to Foxy's at LEAST once a week!
yeah, that so didn't happen, but i got close in december...
-have a part-time job (work from home)
well, i have been on again off again with this one... but then again, i don't think this is totally necessary, so i'm not concerned
-have daily family prayer
well, this was one thing we definitely improved on, towards the middle of the year, i snapped into place, and we prayed like we should (before meals, before bed, when we were hurt or sad) and we certainly said at least 1 prayer a day, and i am so glad! i have seen a difference with kathryn, now she can say her own prayers and even says them when she's playing "pretend" with her toys. even daniel has learned when to be reverent and usually does good during prayers.
-do at least one thing on my long term to do list per week
yeah, this happened more like once every month or every other month...only cuz i didn't have it written down anywhere, which i have changed. this has a lot to do with being more organized, so if i do this, the organization comes with it.
-read the entire Book of Mormon by the end of the year!
yeah, i got started, but once again, never finished... i wish i could keep it going, but when i don't read consecutively, i have a hard time remembering what happened, so i have to reread a few verses, and by that time, i am just about asleep!
well, enough about the past year...
on to some new resolutions:
1. being more grateful, complaining less
yeah i need to work on this quite a bit. i guess i really don't realize i am being so "ungrateful" until after the fact, and i look back on it or read what i wrote, and suddenly...i'm complaining about something so silly and stupid. i was telling John today how much i've changed since we moved into the house...before we moved in i had a list of all the things i wanted to change about the house, and now that we are in the house and money is tight...i look back at the list and think how trivial all those things were. and i am grateful that we even have a house! and i really don't think most of that stuff i had written down was worth spending money on.
so to accomplish this, i have in mind to, at least 1 to 3 times a week, look back on the current week and think of things that relate to what is happening that i am grateful for, and WRITE IT DOWN... i'll probably put the list where i can see it and remember to BE GRATEFUL.
2. get organized
well, this entails quite a bit. i seem to have a ton of "stuff "piled places that just keeps getting moved around, i also have things i forget i have because they aren't put somewhere where i will remember i have it. so, besides going through the piles of stuff, i want to have a better idea of what i have, so i want to go through most of it, and decide where it will go for good. we have a lot of things in temporary spots, and that needs to change. a long with getting organized and knowing what i have, is making and working on a long term to do list.
i plan to start in sections going through, cleaning deciding what we need/want to keep, make a list of things to add/change and how - add to my long term to do list, and accomplish 1 thing on the list per month.
3. working out
4. read scriptures: new testament, book of mormon seminary style.
well, i decided to assign myself specific sections to read and this year i want to use the seminary/institute manual along with it to get a good understanding of what i'm reading.
i'm going to try to keep up a daily study routine to make it happen. i have found that reading the scriptures on the church website (scriptures.lds.org) i get more out of it, because all the footnotes are highlighted and you just click and can cross-reference all the footnotes, so i get a better understanding of what the verse means. i really like reading this way.
5. take the time to take better care of ME (hygiene, health, spiritual)
as a mom and especially me, i seem to neglect myself all too often. so i am going to take that "me" time that focuses on just me, myself and i. no projects involved, or finishing this or that, just time to better myself.
in the hygiene area, i will work on taking care of my skin (lotion, face wash, toner, etc) and i want to get better at fixing my hair and putting on makeup (i have no talent in this area). i just want to feel pretty again, but that requires time, so this year i will work on that.
in the health area, i want to eat a good balanced diet, and i plan to accomplish this by having a meal calendar that stays on the fridge to reference, so i can cook healthy things. i also want to try new meals this year, we seem to be stuck in a dinner rut. along with eating right, i also will be getting more exercise, which was another separate goal.
in the spiritual area, i have already made a goal to read scriptures, and another goal is to go to the temple, but i also want to develop a stronger relationship with my Heavenly Father through daily personal prayer.
6. FHE
in an effort to have a good spirit in our home and to reach our children right, i want to have weekly Family Home Evening. we had it going for a while, but it tapered off. i want to keep it going for the kids sake, so i am setting the goal this year.
7. focus on the kids happiness
sometimes i can get wrapped up in "getting things done" that i forget what is important...there is plenty of quotes out there that say something like "i'll put off the house work to play with the kids, they grow up fast, so the cleaning comes last" or something like that... and i want to enjoy the time i have with my kids a little bit more than i do now. i'd like to do something special with them at least 2 times a week, depending on how creative i am and how much my brain wants to think. i just love seeing my kids happy and having a good time, so i just want to see that more.
8. forgive and forget
i never really thought i had much of a problem with this, i always thought i was pretty forgiving, but recently a self-examination revealed i still have some forgiving to do. so in the new year, i'd like to dig deep, forgive those who i've not forgiven, and make amends. and the most important part of forgiving is forgetting. not letting something from the past come back up in a spiteful way.
9. spend more time with extended family, make time for friends
i can be bad about putting it off for another day, but without family and friends, you don't have much. so i'd like to stregthen my relationship with them all.
visit with family that lives in town at least twice a month, and those that live out of town, every other month. i'd like to have game nights with dinner so we can get together and have a good time. and i'd like to try to visit with the friends i have at least twice a month as well. after all, what's a friend that you don't see/talk to but once a month? i want to be more thoughtful and caring and remember what is important to those i care about.
10. go to the temple at least once a month
this is a big deal. i will set the goal to once a month just in case i can't find a babysitter for the kids, but this is so important for my "spiritual alignment". i want to be a better person, and can't do it without Christ. so going to the House of the Lord should help me stay in tune with the spirit.
11. be debt free except the mortgage
this year this is going to happen. and when it does, i'd love to be able to call in to the Dave Ramesy show and scream "WE'RE DEBT FREE!!!" i also want to make a list of "stats" and maybe frame it...but the most important thing about being debt free...NEVER CHOOSING TO GO INTO DEBT AGAIN! i recommend the "My Total Money Makeover" book by Dave Ramesy, but not for the light-hearted. i am serious about this debt thing, i even made vinyl lettering (thanks Jamie) with Dave's slogan "if you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else". i want to be able to live and give like no one else.
12. Work on scrapbooking my pictures
this is also huge. i am already behind, but i need to start now before i fall even more behind! i dunno where i will be at the end of the year, but i'd like to set a goal to finish 2 pages a week? we'll start there and see where it goes. i want to write down all the memories i still remember before i forget them!
that's it for now. maybe once a month i will give an update on how i am doing with each goal. i've set up a log so i can keep track. (that's just who i am =P) here's to being a better person and getting things done!
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