reflection and resolutions

My husband understands that over the past few years I haven't been big on NYE celebrations. Bless his heart. He doesn't even ask if I want to go out because he knows the answer. The perfect New Year's Eve is cuddling on the couch watching a movie and remembering to flip the channel over to witness the ball drop 30 seconds before midnight.



Mr. G made a few midnight treats because he is a good man who likes to make holidays special.

He poured two glasses of Almond Champagne at 11pm. I had three sips and was nearly knocked out. Such a lightweight.

We made a toast to 2012 and said goodbye to 2011. The biggest change in 2011 was the addition of our little man, Noah. And what a blessing he has been. Noelle turned 3, which Mr. G and I are still scratchy our heads about. How did she get so big? We spent every holiday with family and took some fun trips to the beach. I completed several DIY projects, began home schooling Noelle, and started watching my niece and nephew again. Mr. G took the summer off for the first time since he started teaching 10 years ago, his Varsity water polo team took first place in the league, and he was awarded Coach of the Year!  It was a great year.

I'm not one for resolutions but I decided to set some goals for this year in areas that I could really use work. I want to look back at this post at the end of the year and be proud of what I've accomplished. 

1. Patience and Contentment. Lord grant me patience. I'm not sure why I've struggled with this during the past few years. Lack of sleep, perhaps. Whatever the reason I need to get my heart in the right place and stop feeling so bound up and ready to explode. With that I also pray for contentment. To be content with the fact that the house isn't going to be perfect at the end of the day. There may be a few dishes in the sink, dirty clothes in the laundry room, toys on the ground and that's okay. It's never going to end, so why beat myself up every day trying to make it perfect? There will always be laundry. There will always be something to clean. There won't always be a time to get on the floor and play with my kids or make new inside jokes with my husband. I really need to remember this. Contentment doesn't change the circumstances, but it changes the way the heart perceives those circumstances.

2. Clean out the clutter. I recently learned a valuable lesson. It happened when I was putting away the mountains of Christmas presents the kids received this year. I started taking some out of the packaging and putting a few away to re-open on a rainy day and I thought, "more stuff to clean up, good for me." My thoughts are always sarcastic. With that I grabbed trash bags and started clearing out the playroom. Anything that was missing pieces or just plain ole junk, I tossed. Anything in good condition but was no longer played with went in a donation pile. In the end I filled six large trash bags with toys. And it occurred to me. The less stuff we have, the less time I'll spend cleaning it. And the more time I'll have doing things that I love, like playing with my babies, spending the evening hours with my husband rather than organizing, and having some "me time."

3. Finances. My worst enemy. I hate dealing with money. I suck at it. So this year I'm going to stop sucking and be awesome. Mr. G and I agreed to pay an extra $100 on my car to pay it off this year and to save, save, save! And hopefully use some of the saved cash and go on vacation for crying out loud! We need to get away!

4. Grow out my hair. I'm doing it! My sweet friend, Christina, cuts my hair and she always laughs when I come in and say "cut it off." Because 8 weeks before I said, "I really want to grow it out." I've been curling it a lot lately (see header picture) which has been helping the awkward stage. 

5. Be healthier. No more drive-thru meals because it's easier and faster when we are out of the house. This will also help #3.

6. Read. I was an avid reader before kids. Soaking in a new book almost weekly. But "me time" was quickly overshadowed by a sweet little girl with blue eyes who unknowingly begged for my attention. I'm currently reading The Grace of God by Andy Stanley with my small group and it has been great. I want to keep it up and continue to read a new book at least once a month and read my Bible daily. I completely slacked on this in 2011 so I'm making it a goal. And since I'm going to need God's help with the rest of the list I figure I better get back in His word.

7. Adult time. Go out on way more date nights with Mr. G (we went on 2 last year...yikes) and make more of an effort to spend time with my best friends. Might as well throw in more family nights while I'm at it. :)

Bring it on 2012! It's going to be awesome.