My new years resolutions.

For the past couple of years I have sat down and written over 100 goals I would like to accomplish. I looked back at these and realized that I had accomplished about umm 7. Yeah only 7. But instead of being discouraged I felt so excited. Had I only written 7 goals I would be amazed if only 1 was accomplished. Some of the goals are on going and will take years. Some I accomplished with little effort. This coming year I have decided to focus all my energy on two things

1. To have a home of greater peace and harmony
2. To be healthy and to help my family to be healthy.

To accomplish these goals I am going to:

1 Get up with my kids
2. Exercise 3-4 days a week
3. Figure out what exercise works best for me. Running seems to hurt my back but I love it. Not sure what I should do yet, any suggestions?
4. Read, no study, my scriptures first thing in the morning that I may start my day with the right perspective.
5. Continue to read scriptures with the kids before school starts. Even if we wake up late.
6.Help them to say their prayers every night before bed.
7.Have a meaningful conversation with God very day. Not just pray but ponder and listen.
8.Watch my tone of voice. Sometimes I sound so mean, I don't yell to much but my tone is not always very nice.
9.Plan my menus so that we always have good food in the house so that we don't resort to eating fast food that we all hate.
10.Write in my journal daily- things that I am grateful for and that I am learning from the joy of motherhood.
11.Have school work all organized at the beginning of each 5 week period.
12.Have good music playing often in the home.
13.Take individual time for each of my children.
14.Greet Ryan with a kiss and hug every time he comes out of his office (for lunch and for the day) and kiss him when he starts work.
15.Take time to play more often with the kids.
16. Have 5-8 servings of vegetables a day and find a greater variety of vegetables my children like.
17.Learn to love and appreciate every day as a gift from God.

I am so excited for this new year. I feel like this is the year to get things accomplished. Last year was a year of learning and growing from trials. Learning I don't have absolute control but Heavenly Father does. I feel I learned greater trust in Him and that I can live with greater peace knowing I won't be perfect in this life. No matter how hard I try I will still be imperfect when I die. This causes me to come to my Father and rely on my Savior for forgiveness and understanding.

When we took family pictures the other day I looked over at my SIL Sarah. She was smiling and seemed at such ease. I felt tense because my children wanted to be children and play in the sand while I wanted them to be perfectly behaved and stand by my side waiting for our turn to take pictures. I asked Sarah, "He do you always stay so calm?" She never seems to loser her cool and I love this about her so much. I am sure she has her moments but most of the time she is calm and collective. What she said to me has been running through my mind ever since, "I don't expect perfection." This may seem so simple to some of you but to me this was profound! I am a perfectionist by nature. I want everything I do to be "just so" and I get frustrated when things don't turn out the way I think they should. But to understand this principle and really apply it I will relive so much stress. My anxiety will be relieved. I am so grateful for good women in my life. I feel like Sarah is meant to teach me that my best is good enough.

This is my year to write my book.
To learn to more fully love me and in so doing love others more fully.
To learn the balance of helping others without taking their problems.
To see more fully my potential and try a little harder to reach and recognize my progress instead of being discouraged I haven't come farther.

This is my year! I have always looked forward to turning 30. I feel like 30 is the year I will always look back at with peace and joy. The year I figured it out.

I understand that I am ambitious but I am hoping that through my ambition, even though I may not accomplish all I desire, I will accomplish something and something is more then I would accomplish with no ambition. Ya, I am so profound. (Insert sarcasm right here.)