New Years Resolutions

A new year has begun, and darn it it's going to be a great one!  I know that the start of a new year brings about new resolutions and goals.  You know just because it's a new year doesn't mean you have to start new goals and resolutions then and there.  You can do it anytime you want to.  For me though it is nice and refreshing to start it the beginning of the year.  Matt and I were talking about our resolutions and goals last night.   We came up with a list.  I came up with a list for myself as well.

Family goals:

1. Spend more time together as a family, and make it count.  Family outings, vacations.
2. Weekly Husband and Wife dates.  Last year around this time Matt and I started going out on a date during the day on his day off while the girls were in school.  It was fun!  We didn't always spend money, we would go to the Temple, or go run errands.  It was just nice to be together.  I miss that.  It is so important to have that alone time together.
3.  I know several people that have special one on one time with their kids.  That is so important!  Matt and I are going to start having Mommy and Daddy dates with the girls as well.  I'm thinking a special day for each of them with each of us each month.  It will be awesome!
4.  Teach the girls during nightly reading of the scriptures.  We do really well reading each night, but that's just not enough.  The girls lose their focus and start bothering each other.  Matt usually reads a 1 column a night in the scriptures.  We don't even discuss it with the kids so that they understand what is going on.  It gets really boring and I even lose focus.  Not good!
5.  Have weekly family home evening.  We were doing good last year, and then life happened and got in the way.  I think this year we will start letting the girls help us plan the lesson, and all that goes with it.  I want the girls to learn from us more than anything, and not just from church.  I want them to know that their parents knew the gospel and that it is important.
6.  Teach the kids service, and charity.  It is so important to help and give to other people. You get such a wonderful feeling inside when you have done something nice for someone, or have given them something.  A friend of mine did a day of service for each day of December.  It was so fun to read about what they did, and how they grew from doing it.  I want to be able to see who needs help and help them.
7/  Be better with our food storage and emergency preparedness.  We have food storage, and emergency items, but we are slacking.  The main thing we need to get is our water storage, I keep putting it off.  We want to start buying 1 big item a month for food storage and emergency as well.
8.  Temple.  Matt and I were able to go to the temple a lot last year.  One day I was talking to my friend and we started talking about the temple.  We both had wanted to be better about going.  So we decided to help each other get their with our spouses.  We swapped babysitting time so we could go.  We almost made it a whole year going monthly.  This year I want to make it a twice a month with Matt.  It's so important in every way just to get there.
9.  Budget.  We had a budget set, but we always went over.  It was always stressing me out.
10.  Savings accounts for the girls.  We opened up savings accounts for the girls a couple of years ago.  We want to start putting money in each month to help them out.

Karen's personal goals

1.  Try not to stress.  I really need to quit it, it's not good for my health.  I get so stressed sometimes that my left arm go funky and we know where that leads.  I don't want to die of a heart attack.  Life doesn't revolve around me.
2.  Be charitable.  I have had some very charitable acts done for me and for my family. It is so wonderful to be blessed that way.  Yesterday we talked about charity in the lesson for relief society.  It was such a good lesson.  I have tried to be charitable, but have been turned down.  They wouldn't accept what I wanted to give to them.  It's hard to have that happen.  I just wanted them to feel how I felt when charity was done for me.  I was telling my Mom this yesterday and she said " oh your time will come."  I hope so!
3.  Be more soft spoken.  I yell a lot at my kiddos, and I hate it.  It always makes me feel like complete crap. I need to think before I speak.
4.  Learn the law of attraction.  I want to think positive thoughts and speak them and get the things that I want that would be good for me and my family.  I just want good opportunities and reap the benefits from them.
5.  Enjoy life.  I do enjoy life, but I don't enjoy it to the fullest.  Worry always gets in my way.
6.  Be a better wife.  Kiss and hug more.  Communicate.  Do nice things.
7.  Be the best Mom to my kiddos.  Be there for them. Listen.  Teach.
8.  Be healthy.  To be healthy not to overdue on the sweets.  Eat fruits and veggies.  incorporate them into a daily diet.  We are going to get a juicer.  I know that will help.
9.  More sleep.  Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise.  I need to quit staying up into the wee morning hrs.  I'm exhausted, and get very ornery because of it.
10.  Maintain my weight.  It has been a long long road this relationship between weight and me.  I have kept the weight off for a couple of years and it's been nice.  I work so hard every day to maintain.  I want to keep at it!  It makes me feel good.
11.  Remember the things that really matter.  Quit dragging the non important things into our lives and stressing about them.  So what if things aren't always put away right.  Quit being so OCD
12.  Get some hobbies.  I keep seeing all the fun things my friends are doing.  I get a little envious.  I could do fun things if I would just try.
13.  Be a better cook/baker.  I know how to cook and bake, but I want to try new things.
14.  Be more in tune with the spirit.  I want to know without a doubt that the spirit is guiding me.  I hate second guessing on whether that was a yes or a no answer to a prayer.  Learn to listen to those promptings to help me through life.
15.  Read more.  I love to read.  I just can't focus.  I want my focus back and to take time each day and read.
16.  Get Maddie out of diapers.  It's been hard to have her in diapers at night for this long.  I know each kid is different and will grow out of it.  I just hope this is the year.
17.  Get my kids active.  I don't want them to become addicted to video games.  I want them enrolled in something active.  I want them to gain skills, and talents.
18.  Do projects with my kids.  Learn together and have fun.
19.  Teach Kenzie how to cook/bake.  She is interested, I should start now.  She would have a blast, and she would be a big helper if she learned.
20.  Photo albums.  My kids need a photo album.  I grew up with one, and it was so fun to go back and forth once in awhile to see the change and reminisce.  I have all these pictures on the computer, but need to do something with them before something happens and I lose them.
21.  Talk to family members.  I have a good relationship with my family and Matt's family.  I just don't talk to any of them as much as I should.  I want them to know that I truly do love and care about them, and what they are up too.
22.  Quit being afraid.  Quit letting fear rule my life, it's dragging me down.  No more!

I truly do hope that I can do my part and keep up with these goals. I hope as a family that we can too.  I know it will build our relationships with each other, it's so important.  So bring it on 2012!