Month: January 2012

NYR update – Week One

I plan on updating this every week in effort to keep myself accountable.  Week one, and I am not doing that bad.  Of course, it is only Janurary.

I have been in my Bible, and I have been enjoying reading through it. I have enjoyed reading Genesis in particular.  I have never sat and read through it.

My meals and meal planning is going good too. I have to forgive myself when we deviate from the plan.  It is okay to not be perfect.  What a concept! Being easy on myself sometime!  Wow.  It is possible.

We have had some interesting meals and tried a few things.  We tried a new lemon chicken recipe that some of us enjoyed 🙂  I made everyone doesn’t really like whole grain noodles now.  I wonder if they will get used to it?  My dear daughter told me it was nice that we were eating  much healthier.  It made it all worth while.

I have gone to bed with a nice clean and shiny sink six nights this week.  It is so nice to walk into a kitchen not feeling behind before my day starts.

I have also stuck to my healthy eating plan, but haven’t gotten on the exercise wagon yet.  I am happy to report that I have lost 9.8 pounds since Christmas day.  I have to celebrate every ounce.

I know that many, many people are celebrating actually have kept their resolutions for a whole week.  I wonder how many will fall off the wagon this week?

As long as it isn’t me!

Be a better and healthier me.

Again, I hesitate to even MENTION the whole weight thing.  I really want this goal to be about so much more than a number on the scale.  I need it to be SO much more than that.

I realize that I am not my best when I let myself get to where I have been.  When I am not eating right, and my getting any exercise, I feel terrible.  When I am not taking care of myself mentally and emotionally, I feel terrible.  When I am too busy to have three seconds for myself or my family, I feel terrible.

SO that is why this goal has to do with so much more than weight.  I have to eat well.  I have to get some exercise. I have to give myself some time to decompress every once in a while.  It is about being healthier.

Unfortunately one of the big steps to being healthier is the fact that I have to lose some weight…

SIGH.

 

 

Be a better wife and mother

Again, I err on the side of generality.  If I had to list all the things that I need to better myself on, I would run out of paper.  However, this goal represent some specific goals that I have.

This year, I want to cook better and more often for my family. I want to actually menu plan ALL the time, not just some of the time.  I want to get my grocery shopping done early and in planned trips, so we have a lot less last minute trips to the store.  It will also mean a lot less little trips to get junk fast food, because I don’t have our plan made!  I have done this before, and it truly works. It means during the busy school year, we will do a lot of eating out of the crock pot, and sometimes this seems less exciting but it is much better than a crappy cheeseburger!I am pretty sure it will make us a stronger and healthier family.

I also want us to try and eat together at the table MORE often.  Our life is often so busy that this becomes less common.  The kids eat in shifts and then I eat, then daddy gets home. It is too common around this busy house.

I want to try more new things!  In the last two weeks, we have tried a few new recipes and we have had mixed reviews.  #3 doesn’t seem to like ANYTHING new, but we will keep trying.  #2 is happy that we are “eating more healthy,” and she is usually willing to try something as long as it doesn’t have cooked eggs.

I want to PLAY with my kids more often.  It is so easy to get so busy DOING my job that I don’t get to do my job of being a mommy.  I want to enjoy them more. I want to play games with them. I want to understand what in the world a Lollylalaloopsy thingee is.  I want to have a clue what  #1 means talks about something nerdy.  I want to listen to them more.  I need to let them know that what they are talking about it important…most of the time.

I also, am trying to make sure I go to bed with a clean sink.  It is a little thing that makes my morning SO much better.  There has only been one day that this hasn’t been done so far, and it was because I was in bed really early.

I want to take better care of my man.  I had better not write out an specifics just because he will hold them over my head.  I love you Honey, but I know you!

I struggle so often with being so busy that I can’t get done what I need to do.  I need to keep my focus on what is important.  I am a wife and mom first and that needs to be my focus. I am pretty sure that there are few moms who regret    they took TOO good of care of her family.

 

 

 

Be a better follower of Christ

“Be a better follower of Christ” may seem quite general at best, but I put it first because I feel it it so important. It is the one on which all of life hinges.

When you live immersed in Christian culture, it is easy to live apathetically. I work in a Christian environment. I live in a Christian environment. I am a pastor’s wife, and so often I must BE the Christian environment. It is easy to just “BE.”

I want to be ALIVE in my faith. I want to be living every second of every day with the goal of glorifying my Lord. That is why I am here on this earth, and why wouldn’t I live each moment in that light? Yet, it is so easy to just go through the motions and check things off the list of what I should be doing.

I want to love people. I want to love the people that GOD puts in my path. This is not easy! As we minister to those God has put in our lives, I sometimes find it easy to love those I walk by on the street, but difficult to love those I know and may hurt me. I must love the unlovable and at all times, not just the easy ones. I am unlovable, and yet my Father extends His love to me.

I want to share His good news. I hate the phrase “reduce lostness” because it seems cheesy at best, but this is what this part is about. I pray God can use me to do just that. I pray I will be listening and obedient in the moment. How humbling to think that My Lord, could use ME to spread His Word. What an awesome thought!

One of my personal challenges this year is going to be to read the Bible though. I know this may seem like an old-school challenge from days gone by, but I have never even attempted this! I want to read though my Bible this year. I want to be in His Word more than ever, and this will be a great way to start. I know His Word will not return void.

I can only pray God will give me the strength to be about His will. None of this can be done on my own. I know He can give me a fabulous year walking in His light.