New Years Resolutions

I don't usually do any holiday resolutions. I tend to just take things a day at a time and as I find behaviors that aren't really getting me anywhere I try to modify them. I think it's even harder for me to modify a behavior based around the changing over of the year because it's just so dark and cold the last day of one year and the first day of the next. Now if we could get the 31st of December to be just awful cold and wet and dark and then the first of January to be warm and dry and sunny I might have a different feeling about the whole thing!

This year though I decided to let the kids write a little about it. I figured it'd be interesting to see how the year goes. So I went to Frugal in First and printed this for the children to fill out:

Thanks Pinterest!

It was very interesting what the children chose. I won't reveal everything but I will let you know my 8 year old would like to stop doing "school". As far as where they want to go I was expecting a trip to grandmother's house or a play date but instead they chose "Canada" and "Rabbit Island, Japan". When I told my husband he said, "I wonder if the kids need passports to go to Canada...." and his voice kinda trailed off. So maybe there will be travel for us this year!

Again I'm not that into resolutions for the new year but I do have a few goals floating in the back of my mind.

1) Find a church. No really, still haven't found one in easy driving distance that I'm thrilled about. It's been a little heartbreaking for me. I really miss having a church family and people at all the churches have been very kind but it's just not clicking yet.

2) Work on Streams in the Desert with the kids.

I think this devotional is a good fit for us. Has a little scripture and then brings out uplifting reminders of love. I found it in October or so and have been waiting so we could start with the first devotional on the first of the year. Glad that it is on my Kindle so that if we travel we can take it with us.

3) Do more art. I am so terrible about doing my own art while the kids are busy or playing at the end of the day and we end up doing very little of it together. How sad is that!? Terribly sad! I imagine my kids saying, "Yeah my mom was an artist, but she didn't do art with us." Lame. So I'm going to work on it. I've also got to work on doing something, daily, to keep my artistic mind flowing. I've found a few books online that have good kids crafts (but not just cute crafts, things that actually teach art theory or history while having fun) so I'm hoping to pull ideas from those.

4) Try to stay in touch with family more. I can't even explain how full my days are. Home schooling takes so much more time from me than a regular job. Yes we only school for 5-7 hours/day during the week but then the planning takes time and the full time wife job takes time. I realized a few months ago that I am rarely alone. And honestly my alone time use to be when I'd make phone calls. Seriously I have no idea how home schooling moms do it.

5) Chore list! Finally I got the chore list for the kids published and on the fridge. Ours is not a typical system but it works for us. The kids haven't had official chore list since we moved out of our other place in May! We've kept some of our standard things (F is in charge of trash, G is in charge of recycling) but the kids are really ready to earn money again. And chores are their opportunity. I told them I'd have list done by the first of January and yesterday G stumbled downstairs bleary eyed and looked for his list like he was searching for one more gift under the Christmas tree. Now that their list are complete it's time for me to make one for myself.

And just like clockwork G stumbled down the stairs and started telling me about a dream/nightmare he had last night. Time to snuggle and drink my coffee and get my day started right.