today was our first snow day or rather cold day of the year. even though it wasn't the day i would choose (the first day we were scheduled to go back after a long break)- it was wonderful. wonderful to have a reason to be frozen in and not leave the house all day. wonderful to soak up some more time with my girls. wonderful not to have to get out of pajamas.
it's a new year- 2014- yep, 30 years after the year i was born (eeek!!)- and a new year, the start of a new decade in my life, is a good time to commit to some new things. over the last few years i have learned to create attainable goals that truly push me but are not impossible. so this year's revolutions:
1* stop yelling (365 days without yelling)- i was loving the orange rhino challenge and this is just being more intentional to put things in place to stop yelling completely. i already slipped and raised my voice on january 3rd but i hopped right back on the horse. i have "no yelling" reminders on my phone set to ring at high stress times, i am trying to stop and have energy breaks when i'm feeling tense, and there will always be 2 very loud, very persistent little girls to help me succeed.
2* read the bible daily- NO more crazy goals but just to simply open my bible daily. when His words fill me and i am drawing near to Him in so many ways i am a better wife, mom, teacher, etc. this will help me to reach number 1 and number 3.
3* spend one on one time with my girls. this is a daily thing- the reason that i am free from facebook- to be intentional about making time to connect to the people closest to my heart. but it's also a special thing, so we set up a monthly date calendar for them to ensure we are both investing time in our children. ivy is excited because her and daddy are scheduled for january! this year ivy and tula will each get 3 dates with me and 3 with daddy. i know the return for this time well spent will be huge as they grow older!
so today, ivy and i had a hot cocoa date during the little girl's nap time and we talked about "revolutions." ivy is really into what everyone's revolutions are and no matter how many times i corrected.... resolutions.... she is continuing to talk about her revolutions, my revolutions, everyone's revolutions. she hopes to pet the dog more - a revolution that she has already deemed super difficult. she also wants to work on being a good friend- naming specific things that she wants to do at school.... asking people to play who are shy, listening more when her friends are talking, and not just having one best friend.
it isn't always easy to stop and spend time with just ivy and me. sometimes i am talked out, i am listened out, and i need a little peace, a little quiet while both tula and joss nap. so i had her have 30 minutes of quiet time and during that time i was able to prepare myself for some one on one time with my biggest girl. i know it sounds silly to say "prepare" but friends, it's true, it is sometimes hard for me to give up me time (nap time) to anyone else but when i do stop, disconnect from everything and everyone else, i am always thankful.
i am thankful to learn more about my girl's heart. that she is growing older and wanting to be a better friend. that she has compassion toward our sweet pup and for the shy girl in her class. that she is asking questions- why do you want to not yell anymore? why do you need to read the bible every day?- good questions that push me, and that hold me accountable to my actions. i was thankful to hear her heart and share mine with her. i see her pretending and playing and being a little girl but then in our one on one time i see that she is maturing into a little lady (not too fast though). i want to be sure i am doing all i can to shape her into the lady God calls her to be..... and my actions are the first thing she will want to imitate. the pressure is on- but i am ready to rise to the challenge.
cheers to new revolutions!
it's a new year- 2014- yep, 30 years after the year i was born (eeek!!)- and a new year, the start of a new decade in my life, is a good time to commit to some new things. over the last few years i have learned to create attainable goals that truly push me but are not impossible. so this year's revolutions:
1* stop yelling (365 days without yelling)- i was loving the orange rhino challenge and this is just being more intentional to put things in place to stop yelling completely. i already slipped and raised my voice on january 3rd but i hopped right back on the horse. i have "no yelling" reminders on my phone set to ring at high stress times, i am trying to stop and have energy breaks when i'm feeling tense, and there will always be 2 very loud, very persistent little girls to help me succeed.
2* read the bible daily- NO more crazy goals but just to simply open my bible daily. when His words fill me and i am drawing near to Him in so many ways i am a better wife, mom, teacher, etc. this will help me to reach number 1 and number 3.
3* spend one on one time with my girls. this is a daily thing- the reason that i am free from facebook- to be intentional about making time to connect to the people closest to my heart. but it's also a special thing, so we set up a monthly date calendar for them to ensure we are both investing time in our children. ivy is excited because her and daddy are scheduled for january! this year ivy and tula will each get 3 dates with me and 3 with daddy. i know the return for this time well spent will be huge as they grow older!
so today, ivy and i had a hot cocoa date during the little girl's nap time and we talked about "revolutions." ivy is really into what everyone's revolutions are and no matter how many times i corrected.... resolutions.... she is continuing to talk about her revolutions, my revolutions, everyone's revolutions. she hopes to pet the dog more - a revolution that she has already deemed super difficult. she also wants to work on being a good friend- naming specific things that she wants to do at school.... asking people to play who are shy, listening more when her friends are talking, and not just having one best friend.
it isn't always easy to stop and spend time with just ivy and me. sometimes i am talked out, i am listened out, and i need a little peace, a little quiet while both tula and joss nap. so i had her have 30 minutes of quiet time and during that time i was able to prepare myself for some one on one time with my biggest girl. i know it sounds silly to say "prepare" but friends, it's true, it is sometimes hard for me to give up me time (nap time) to anyone else but when i do stop, disconnect from everything and everyone else, i am always thankful.
i am thankful to learn more about my girl's heart. that she is growing older and wanting to be a better friend. that she has compassion toward our sweet pup and for the shy girl in her class. that she is asking questions- why do you want to not yell anymore? why do you need to read the bible every day?- good questions that push me, and that hold me accountable to my actions. i was thankful to hear her heart and share mine with her. i see her pretending and playing and being a little girl but then in our one on one time i see that she is maturing into a little lady (not too fast though). i want to be sure i am doing all i can to shape her into the lady God calls her to be..... and my actions are the first thing she will want to imitate. the pressure is on- but i am ready to rise to the challenge.
cheers to new revolutions!
