Clara & The Nutcracker Prince

Hand Painted Love Boxes



I Resolve... 2013

I have been sick and missed most of the three hour block today ( I couldn't manage to stay away from my class, but I went heavily drugged and didn't cough on anyone). I spent the other hours catching up on blog reading that I never get around to between September and Christmas. I also read through my blog. I was interested to find any of my past New Year's Resolutions and see if any have stuck and if the process is at all worthwhile. I was surprised.
I think it was in 2007 that I resolved to be better about the shopping. I have historically been terrible about keeping food in the house. I would so much rather buy restaurant food than real food, at least that is how I used to be. I cook a lot more now. I have a collection of recipes that I like and that my family likes. I try to follow an old habit that my MIL had of always having, "bread, fruit, milk and cheese" in the house. If someone was hungry, she always ran down this list, which reminds me that having "NO FOOD", which is a frequent complaint of my teenager does not mean that we literally have "No food" it just means that we might be out of potato chips, which "you shouldn't be eating anyway... refer to the list above".
Daily scripture study has historically been a problem for me. I go along really well for awhile and then get swamped and quit for awhile. But, the constant resolve has finally changed something. In the past year, I have turned a corner and I have learned to "feast on the word of God". I have always loved the scriptures, the beauty of the language and I've had a testimony of the gospel since I was ten, but this is different. I really want to know. I have questions that I need answered and I get an incredible amount of comfort from gospel study.  I am still not a daily student, but I'm almost a daily student. I hate to miss.. not out of guilt, but desire to read and to listen to the voice of prophets and apostles both ancient and modern.
My daily habits of health and exercise are almost a complete wash, but not entirely. I still eat too much junk and I have a start and mostly stop exercise plan that really needs to change, but even here I can't honestly say that my efforts are worthless. I have lost 7 pounds since the first of November... slow going, but at least it's in the right direction and I didn't put on the holiday 5 so that has to count for something!
So I resolve to keep resolving.
Every year, I've also made a goal of spending more one on one time with my spouse and it's never happened until this past year, when it did. We did a lot of fun things. We love music and we saw some great performances, the highlight of which was seeing Lang Lang at Abravenel Hall. We went to a couple of plays with good friends. Our friends, Ally & John starred in Little Shop of Horrors and they were WONDERFUL! C even took me Christmas shopping, twice! That was a first. We had regular date nights. Can we keep it up if I don't add it to the list? I think we got this one.

So for 2013
1. End Common Core in Utah
Failure here is very possible, but a friend told me that if this is truly what I believe needs to happen, then I should try. I feel very strongly about it so I am about to make myself a huge pain, which seems to come pretty naturally.. at least something does!
2. Spend quality time with my children every day.
I did this last year and I did pretty well, just not as well as I want to so... I'm not good at playing games, taking walks or sitting on the floor playing toys. When I do those things, I often wish I were somewhere else. So, I am going to achieve this goal by reading good literature to my children and spending time discussing those things that I want them to learn and know. I wish I was the kind of mom who builds snowmen, but I'm not.
3. Scripture study & Family Night
Just to be ever more faithful and take the time to teach the gospel. What is more important to me in the end? Nothing.
4. Lose 60 pounds by the time of my anniversary.
I always make small goals in this direction, maybe try a big one.
5. Keep up with cooking 5 nights a week making the meals ever more healthy.

6. Be Grateful!
Finally, since I just finished A Simple Act of Gratitude, I am going to try saying "Thank You" 365 times. Hopefully, this will be fun. Great book BTW.

That's it. See you on the flip side :)

A Simple Act of Gratitude...

Lawyer John Kralik finds the year 2007 a year of great loss. Walking in the mountains he hears a voice that instructs him to be more grateful. He begins a project to write a thank you note every day for a year.
You can finish this book in a couple of hours and it is well worth your time. I am so glad it's the first book I read in 2013. Read it!