Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Belated Resoutions...er Dreams

To all of my adoring fans (all, right..my grandma and my mother) I offer a sincere apology.  I have lots of excuses.  And I would love to make lots of promises, but Ive learned I can only promise today.  Because tomorrow?  I might be swamped in a ton of other things I said yes to.  Ahh... sounds like resoution number one.

1. Stop saying YES.  I really only say yes to myself.  But I do it because I enjoy lots of things.  And I WANT to do them.  Its just the doing them *all* part that is getting me in trouble. eBay, working nearly full time, staying organized at home, being creative in the kitchen, reading, scrapbooking, blogging.  Well... you get the picture. 

2. Keep better family records.  I've done a shoddy job of documenting our life this year (via scrapbooks and blog) and that bothers me, particularly because my memory for the details is pretty bad.  Call it dememtia, call it mommy brain, I dont know.. its a crying shame that I might forget that Liam says abagato for "elevator" and says "thank you door!" when an automatic door opens for us at the grocery store or that he is potty training pretty specatcularly after Nana potty training boot camp in Kansas City over Christmas.  Or that I might forget Natalie's shocking correct answer to 10 + 10 the other day or her excitement about school or her ability to do some chores around the house unaided.  I mean, to think that I might forget that both kids are playing in the next room and I can hear that Natalie is "Strawberry Shortcake" and Liam is "Honey Pie Pony"! (haha...you're never gonna live that one down kid!)

3. Work on contentment.  I've struggled with this one forever.  It started out with "if only I was popular" and has morphed into "if only I had this" or "if only I was more this way".  Its true women struggle with this all the time, but if you think about it, life is too short to wish for something else.  I have a quote on my desk that says this:

If you're always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you're in?

So true.

I would love to be content with what I have accomplished, with what my house looks like, with how I spend my time, with where God has brought me.  Its no secret now that we're looking to sell our house and I see my daughter following in my footsteps when I hear her say "I dont want this house anymore.  I want a new house."  YIKES.  How do I curb this before she lives a life of discontentment?

I'm reading a book right now called 1000 Gifts.  Its actually arrived in the mail today and I blasted through the first two chapters in no time flat.  And I really dont have the time or desire to just sit down and read.  But this was good.  I need to remember what's really important in life.  That the kind of things we have, the job we work at, the things we create or the experiences we have (i.e. lamenting I never got to see more of the world) is irrelevant.  Its WHO we impact and the relationships we develop and the time we spend following Jesus and seeking Him that's so important.  So in the moment I'm cuddling my daughter, that nagging feeling that the dishes need put away is irrelevant.  It *will* get done.  I just need to stop and cherish the moment.

Okay, so in response to resolution #2, I'm posting a couple of pictures. I know its terrible that I am only offering two pictures when its been eons since I've posted any, but I'll see what else I can come up with.



Cheese!