New Years Resolutions

I know this post is a bit late but it has been a little crazy around here lately. (Being a stay at home mom I have been watching my soap operas on TV and eating bons bons you know) Personally I do not like to set New Years resolution. Want to know why? I am a perfectionist. Yep. So if I do not hit one of my goals for just one day I feel like I have failed and there is no reason to try anymore. (Great attitude, eh?) So I began praying and I wanted to share with you what God has put on my heart for this year.

My first goal is to speak with love. You know those moms who are soft spoken and sweet and seem to always speak with love? That is so not me but I sometimes secretly wish I was. But you know what? God doesn't want me to be like anyone else he made me in HIS image and I am exactly who he wants me to be. I may not be soft spoken but I can change my tone with my kids or the looks on my face when I am speaking to them. I want to speak with love to my kids and my husband not just in public where other people can see but most importantly behind closed doors in our home.  "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18

My second goal is to be contagiously joyful. "Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections." Anonymous. I want to encourage people and build them up, I want to be positive not negative. Isn't it funny how when you pray for something God gives you opportunities to work on it? (More for another post coming soon!) Joy is not an emotion it is a choice. Lets just sum this up by saying smiles are contagious and should be shared! "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22

My third goal is to get quiet time with my sweet Jesus everyday. This can be hard! With 4 kids, homeschooling, running my own business, my hubby and 3 dogs, cooking, cleaning and on and on. I honestly just forget sometimes. (Even if I have to go hide in my closet from the kids for 10mins I am going to make it happen!) It is amazing how much more prepared I am for the day when I start my day off putting him first. Trust me there are many days that are far from perfect. (poop explosions, toddler meltdowns, dogs escaping, no one feels like doing school, days where Im pretty sure the kids are tag teaming mom) But let me say it is so much easier to handle these things when Jesus and I are a team.  "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105.

Another goal is to slow down and be intentional about the time I have with my kids everyday. Say there is this super cool craft I found (on Pinterest on course) but by the time I have gone to multiple stores to get the supplies and it takes all my energy and the kids are screaming at me and I am already tired and on edge before we even start. Is it really worth it?! I would rather do something super simple and make happy memories with my kids. This also includes putting my phone down. I was just thinking how everytime I nurse I am on my phone. This time of nursing is so short in time and I want to remember the bond we had and the look on my baby's face. I know I will miss it all too soon. "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty." Proverbs 21:5

My last goal is to take care of myself. Sometimes being a mommy I tend to take care of everyone else and then am too lazy tired to take care of myself. I am going to eat right and feed my body the right food, I am going to drink at least a gallon of water a day (I am nursing the 6 month old and the 20 month old afterall), take my vitamins everyday, and go to the gym three times a week. I am important and I need to take care of myself so I can feel good and take care of my family. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19

These are not goals I came up with on my own. I prayed about it and I feel like this is what God has put on my heart. And my perfectionism? Thats some thing I have to take up with God. I feel like with every little blessing we add to our family God helps me to let go more and more. I am so thankful His mercies are new every morning and I can start new. I am a work in progress!

~Juls