New Year, New Goals!

2013 was a good year – and there were some things that went really well, that I want to continue….so we’ll start with those. 

1.  Keep running!  I made it almost 375 miles between February 25 and the end of 2013, so my goal for 2014 is 500 miles for the year….and a Half Marathon in May.

2.  Continue with Hello Mornings challenges.  This challenge has helped me more than you can imagine!  In 2013, I made my mornings a priority – which meant setting my alarm for 4:50 Monday through Friday.  Crazy, I know….but this lets me get in some time with God and a workout BEFORE I start chasing children….and I’m a much nicer mom when that happens! J  I also started planning my weeks – laying out the schedule for the week (hello, shared google calendars), planning meals, planning activities to do with the kiddos and of course my always too long to do list.  I’d like to say this made all our weeks smooth and peaceful and pretty much perfect but I’m pretty sure you know me well enough to know that’s not true….but it did help immensely!  And if nothing else, it gave me a plan and helped me be intentional about what I was doing!

3.  Keep reading – Reading 6 books a year has been on my list for the last two years and it’s here again!  The number of books isn’t so important to me as just making sure I’m reading – I love reading and it’s good “me” time!  Here’s the list to start 2014:  Finish Out of the Spin Cycle, then (in no particular order) Train Up A Mom, Sparkly Green Earrings, and Lead Your Family Like Jesus. After that I’m not sure….I’ll take suggestions if you have them.  I’m a big fan of dccebooks.com – they post a new FREE ebook every week, so my ipad is loaded with TONS of options!  Now if I just had the time to get through them all.  J

And here’s the NEW goals for 2014:

4.  Limit phone/email/facebook time so that I can be more intentional with my family!   You don’t need a big long explanation; I just need to DO IT!

5.  Be more intentional with our finances.  I’m not really sure what this looks like – it needs a little more planning (and probably some chatting with the hubby J), but here’s what I do know: we could steward our resources better!  I’m good about setting up a budget every month (and maybe not quite as good at sticking to it every month), but whether it’s spending money on things we don’t need (and by we, I mean I) or donating $25 to every.stinking. person that knocks on the door raising money for who.knows. what….we could use a little thought and planning.  I’d like to give more to causes we really believe in (and maybe not give to things that don’t matter) – coming up with a plan is definitely going to be the first step.

6.  No more yelling.  I hate, hate, hate to admit it, but I’m a yeller.  And there’s nothing that makes me want to yell more than bad behavior or stinky attitudes out of my little darlings.  But we have a problem – they’ve started yelling.  And it’s awful….and I’m pretty sure that me yelling at them to stop yelling isn’t going to do the trick.   So this one’s a family goal and I know it has to start with me.  Deep breath, count to 3…I can do this.  J

I’m still working on some goals with the kiddos, but I LOVE this resource!  2014 marks the 3^rd year we’ve used this to set goals for/with the kids and it’s super fun to see the progress we’ve made (and it’s good to see the things we need to keep working on).  I feel like so often in parenting I’m just trying to survive the day – keep the kids bathed, clothed, fed and not fighting is sometimes a monumental task by itself and I feel like I miss the big things.  The truth is, it’s those big things that matter.  20 years from now I’m not going to care about whether we missed a bath or two or ten, and my kids probably won’t remember that they had PBJ sandwiches way too often…..what matters is that they learn to love Jesus.  And that means I can’t get so caught up in surviving each day that I forget to point them to Him and His truth and love and mercy! 

So, here’s to a fabulous 2014!  Oh yeah and one more goal – I hope to blog here a little more often than I did last year, so hopefully you’ll see more of me! J  

New house

Missing a few cut outs for 2nd story windows.

Dining room and living room

Kitchen

Close up of the pantry

Office/study

Master bedroom

Utility room

View from the front door

Just when you thought I disappeared completely....

I pulled up my trusty old blog and realized that I haven't blogged since June....seriously, JUNE!  What on earth happened to the last 6 months?  

2012 was a pretty good year for accomplishing goals - I'll let you be the judge of 2013.  Here's the short version of the 2013 goals:

1.  Make my own health/well-being more of a priority.  

Done, done, done.  And I have to admit, I'm super proud of this one!  I stuck with boot camp ALL year and in February started running on the non-boot camp days.  A total unexpected blessing came when I discovered that one of hygienists that works in Tom's office wanted to run too -- she was in the boot camp I joined and we became fast friends!  She and I still run together 3 days a week and occasionally we pick up a few other running buddies.  I have to admit, I wouldn't have done as well with this goal without her!  I've decided I don't like running by myself...especially at 5 am in the dark. :)  We ran several 5K races, a 10K and a 60 mile relay race together and Miss Makenzie begged to run a race with me, so we ran a 1 mile race as a family.  Total I logged over 350 miles of running this year and  I'm planning for my first half marathon in 2014.  

2.  Keep reading....6 more books in 2013!  

Kind of done?!?  Honestly, I can't remember what I read this year, so I'm not sure I hit 6.  BUT, I finished Crazy Love, read Kisses from Kate, Unglued, and Parenting On Your Knees.  I'm working on Out of the Spin Cycle by Jen Hatmaker right now.  It's not really a "reading" book but I also finished Beth Moore's devotional on David....which is seriously 3 inches think and took my friend Cori and I a LONG time to finish! :) I can't think of any others so that might be all for this year.

3.  Memorize more scripture--me personally and with my kiddos.  

Not really sure how to quantify "more"....but we worked on this one this year!  The kids and I started really strong and then fell off the band wagon (kinda like my blogging). :)  Makenzie LOVES memorizing but it's definitely more of a struggle with Micah man (some due to age....some probably due to the fact that he's a boy and would much rather be running around or driving trucks than memorizing bible verses).  We started on the ABC bible verses and got about half way through (memorizing one per week) before Makenzie got overwhelmed.  I think we'll continue this in 2014 and see if we can revisit the ones we learned and finish out the alphabet.

4.  Make a few home improvements/decorating/painting etc. --nothing major, particularly given that we're planning to build in the {hopefully near} future!   

New house is in progress (pictures coming soon), old house is sold, and we're living in a not-so-fabulous rental right now.  I'm still calling this goal a success because we got all the living room lights replaced and it was AMAZING!  Our house went under contract Memorial Day weekend, so after that all motivation to update/improve was gone. :) 

5.  Redecorate my office at work.  

DONE....almost!  Wall paper is gone and office is repainted....and looks fabulous!  I just need to get my dad there to replace all the ivory outlets with white ones.   Here's a before and after shot.

6.  Set goals with (and for) my kids and accomplish them! 

DONE.  We set goals at the beginning of the year-- Makenzie helped set hers and has met every single one of them.  Micah and Gracyn got stuck with the goals mom set for them. :) Honestly I think this helps me more than it helps them....it keeps me focused on the bigger picture when the days get long and just keeping kids bathed and fed feels like a monumental task.  

All in all I'd say 2013 was a success!  I'm still working on 2014 goals, so I'll be back next week to post those!  

Long time, no post....

If it feels a little like I fell off the blogger band wagon....it's because I did! Life is just plain crazy around here friends and I can't keep up! Anybody else feel like they're treading water, barely able to keep afloat? That's where I'm at, and I'm not really sure what to do about it! Hang on and enjoy the ride, I think. I've been having a major case of mom guilt. Anybody else do this? It's Makenzie's "last summer" before Kindergarten, so of course I had all sorts of grand ideas about what a fun summer we would have together. Then my partner had heart surgery so I took on his cases and my own, so work got extra busy.  And we signed Makenzie up for t-ball. And Makenzie and Micah both thought gymnastics sounded fun. Add in Y-camps, a trip to Texas to see my ADORABLE new nephews, and all of a sudden I realize summer is going to be over and I don't even know where it went.

Then last week, I realize I should put the school calendar into my google calendar (because after all, if it's not in google calendar, it doesn't exist, right?!?). As I'm filling in the first day of Kindergarten, I realize that I already have a two day trial scheduled for not just the first day of school, but the first AND second day. And the mom guilt hit like a ton of bricks. You know, the thoughts like, seriously I'm the worst mom ever, what kind of a {terrible} parent misses their child's first day of Kindergarten....worse yet, what kind of a mom sends their kid to daycare or has a grandma pick them up from their first day of school. Once I calmed down a little and a slightly more stable side of me returned, I figured out that although there's really no hope of getting the trial moved, I can probably take Makenzie to her first day of school to and still get to court on time....and I know full well, that Makenzie will be equally more thrilled to see Grandma after school than she is to see her mom.  

So, here's my pep talk for tonight (mostly because I need to tell myself this).  If you're a mama, especially a busy one (is there such a thing as a not busy mama??), give yourself a little grace! We aren't perfect (SHOCK!) and trying to pretend we're perfect is only going to wear us out!  My own shortcomings and imperfections show my own need for a Savior.  And if there's only one thing in this life that my kids learn, I hope it's that they need Jesus....so maybe, just maybe, they'll see there imperfect, mess of a mama and her huge need for Jesus and realize they're in the same boat!

I heart shutterfly.

Seriously how cute is this girl....and how cute are these cards?? Her own personalized thank you cards...and now that she's 1, she'll probably even write them herself. :) Or maybe not, but at least I'll have a cute picture to look at while I'm writing!!

3x5 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Unsettled

I have about a million thoughts floating around in my head - so I hope I can get at least a few of them into one semi-coherent blog post. :) 

Last year I read the book Made to Crave (A MUST READ book!!)  One of the things that really hit me as I was reading and has stuck with me was Lysa's prayer "unsettle me" --it was a New Year and instead of lengthy resolutions that she'd never stick with, her prayer was a simple one, "unsettle me in the best kind of way.  For when I allow Your touch to reach the deepest parts of me - dark and dingy and hidden away too long --suddenly a fresh wind of life twists and twirls and dances through my soul."   I'm not sure why this resonated with my heart as much as it did - perhaps because I like nothing more than to be settled, perhaps because I long for peace, and order and consistency and routine, and perhaps because God was about to show me that it was time for a little "shaking up" to make room for the fresh and new He was longing to bring in. 

For several months now, I've gone back to that prayer - Unsettle me Lord, show me where I'm settling for less than your best, show me where I've missed the boat.  Don't let me settle in and get comfy if this isn't the place I'm supposed to getting comfy.  God has been SO faithful! 

Last year I felt God continuously unsettling me about the "busy-ness" of our lives.  With three kids, working 3 days a week, Tom in the National Guard and working full time, church activities, social activities etc. etc.....I don't need to tell you, life was (is) busy!  I had convinced myself that this was just life....especially life with three littles.  In my mind, this is just how it was supposed to be, and how it was going to be for the next 18+ years, and eventually (probably sooner than I would like!) the kids would be grown and life would slow down.   As last year progressed, I felt God telling me it was time to make some changes, time to slow down this crazy life we were living --and though it took me several months to realize it, one of the ways he was calling me to make this change was in my work.  This was hard and I'm not going to lie, God and I had more than one "battle" over this.  I hope you'll hear me out here and not pass judgment -- for the last 7+ years, I've felt like I really sought out God's will and followed his will with respect to my career.  I felt God calling me to go to law school, calling me to do the work that I do in juvenile court.  I was blessed with a job where I was able to work part time and still have time home with my kids and I truly LOVED what I was doing.  I think this is partly why I took it so hard when people criticized my working with young kids -- I was certain this was the work He had called me to do.  This is also why it was hard for me to make a change --why would God call me to quit my job now?  Surely He called me to get my law degree....why would he want me to "waste" it now.....and then doubt crept in, maybe I missed something, maybe God never really called me to go to law school.....what a miserable thought!  God is not a God of doubt and despair....and when I took the time to seek Him out, He was again faithful.  Through several more weeks of praying and seeking His advice, negotiations with my partners, etc, God revealed His plan.  A plan that would allow me to continue working with the kids and families He has called me to work with but giving me more time with my own kiddos.  He reassured me that He didn't lead me to law school and give me a heart for these "less fortunate" families for no reason at all -- He has a plan and a purpose and He is working it out in my life.

I love Beth Moore's take on this in her devotional on the life of David -- "David received invaluable experience in the process of keeping sheep.  Psalm 78:70-72 states, 'He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.  and David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.'  I believe God takes the building blocks of our lives and uses them for His glory.  Never assume that to follow Him means to throw away who He made you to be.  Few things seem less spiritual than keeping a bunch of smelly sheep, yet God used David's skills for eternal purposes." 
 
I love that and I pray that God continues to use my skills for eternal purposes!!  And lest you think it's time to settle in and get comfy in this new 2 morning a week work schedule.....don't worry, there's still plenty of "unsettling" going on.  He's still been unsettling the stinky attitude I'm prone to having towards my hubby and kids, unsettling the financial "goals" I've set and encouraging me to spend my money on things that make an eternal difference instead of building up "treasure" that doesn't matter, unsettling the lifestyle I've been living and utilizing the margin we've created by working less to add in some "better" things....like exercise and time to focus more on health.  That's a blog post for another day! :)  I have to say though - for a girl who likes stability and consistency, this unsettling has been refreshing!

2012 in review.....and new goals fora new year

Last year I decided it was time to set some goals --make sure I was actually doing something my year instead of letting it just fly by.  And I actually did pretty well --I managed to blog once about my progress and then we added baby #3 and well, life got a little crazy.  There were definitely days where I was doing well to just get a shower :) but 8 1/2 months later, we're all still alive and I think I can honestly say, it was a good year! 

Here's the quick run down on how 2012 shaped up:

* I managed to read MORE than 6 books this year --I was trying to figure out exactly how many and I can't honestly tell you.  In April I was already at 5 for the year--after that I started on Francine Rivers but they were too long (or my attention span was too short) so those had to wait for another day.  I read most of Max Lucado's Outlive your Life, most of Beth Moore's So Long Insecurity....and I'm pretty  sure I read a couple others but for the life of me I can't think of them off the top of my head.  I started Francis Chan's Crazy Love --finishing this will be first on the list for 2013!

* Be more strategic with my kiddos --  Progress here definitely went in spurts...some days were really good, some days probably shouldn't be blogged about! :)  I really liked the goal sheets(here's a link to my 1st post about them) from Focus on the Family that I used last year--we will definitely be using those again this year!  This clearly isn't the kind of goal you do once and call it good....so it's on the list for 2013 too!

* Make at least one positive change -- This turned into some pretty major changes at work.  In the spring, I started cutting back on the court appointments I was taking so that I didn't have as many court hearings on my days off, but I still felt like there just wasn't enough of me to go around.  After lots of praying, thinking, talking, going crazy.....I decided to cut back my work even more and starting next week, I'll just be working Monday and Wednesday mornings.  To be honest, I'm really not sure how this will work but we're going to give it a try.  I'll probably have to return some phone calls during nap times but overall, I have high hopes that this will give me lots more time with my kids while still getting to do the work I love.  (And it ensures that I'm around to pick up Miss Makenzie from school everyday when she starts Kindergarten in August....but we're not talking about the "K" word because it makes me want to cry!)

* Get organized at home.  Pretty sure there is always room for improvement here but we definitely did well in this area!  Early last year we flipped the house and moved everybody to the basement --slowly but surely, I've gone through just about every closet/cupboard in the house and cleaned stuff out.  The highlight --making $200 on "crap" that I sold on facebook! :) 

Okay, enough on 2012....here's the new goals for the new year:

1.  Make my own health/well-being more of a priority.  I find that I get so focused on everything else that I forget to take care of myself....and I haven't worked out since I was about 3 months pregnant with Gracyn.  I've been thinking about this for a while but didn't think I could cram one more thing into my already to busy schedule.  Now that I'm working less, I decided to take a little "me-time" on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and I signed up for boot camp at the Y!  I'm super excited and fairly terrified all at the same time.  I'm hoping by spring to be squeezing in a few more workouts, but twice a week is a starting point!

2.  Keep reading....6 more books in 2013!  I've said it before, but I LOVE to read --it's just hard to make time for it.  Here's my list (although its subject to change without notice!):  Finish Crazy Love, then (in no particular order):  Multiply by Francis Chan, Kisses from Kate, Fearless by Max Lucado, Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst, and probably perusing/rereading Love and Logic about 50 times throughout the year as necessary!

3.  Memorize more scripture--me personally and with my kiddos. 

4.  Make a few home improvements/decorating/painting etc. --nothing major, particularly given that we're planning to build in the {hopefully near} future!   Living room lights and painting trim were 2012 projects that didn't get finished, so those get put back on the list for this year!  Our living room lights (or lack thereof) has driven me crazy for the 5 1/2 years we've been in this house....and now that two of them don't work, I can hardly stand to be in my house in the evenings because it's SO dark.  We had one electrician come look and he was going to come back after harvest to do the work.....and I haven't heard from him since.  So yesterday I called electrician #2 so hopefully we're well on our  way to accomplishing this goal!  I'd also like to find a new headboard for the guest bedroom and redecorate the dining room/end of the living room wall.  We've had the same shelves up since we moved in and it's time for a change.  Going to have to enlist the help of my sister in law on this!! 

5.  Redecorate my office at work.  I've been supposed to do this since I started working there 4 years ago.  I took over the office of the oldest partner (now retired) and he decorated in in the early 90's when they moved to the current building.  Picture: Ivory wall paper on the top half of the walls, burgundy wall paper on the bottom and carpet and a chair rail height wall paper border with eagles on it.....not exactly my style, but I haven't been able to decide what to do.  It's time to do something....I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any great ideas (or names for interior decorators!)

6.  Set goals with (and for) my kids and accomplish them!  (see the link above) 

Here's to a fantastic 2013!!