Re-evaluate for 2011

I have been looking back at 2010 and thinking about the things I would like to do different in 2011... the following are a few of the things I have come up with.

Personal Changes for 2011:

set a time to start my day in prayer and Bible reading. be consistant
make reasonable goals with my weight loss and eating plan
walk Goober 3 times a week
have coffee with a friend once a month to rejuvenate and be a blessing to another struggling mother
start a journal. write in it every evening.
excercise... oh how I hate that word :P
save a special note or drawing from each of my Pack ( I tend to THROW everything away :( So sad when I think about all those special little notes)

** Handsome Hubby has kept a letter written to him from Beans when she was 11, turning 12. It is such a sweet little note, he keeps it in his wallet, it is getting worn out, he asked me last week to do something with it so he can perserve it, yet he doesn't want it put away somewhere. He wants to be able to pull it out and read it whenever he needs a sweet little pick-me-up. why haven't I kept the sweet little notes from my Pack??**



Household Changes:

deep clean one room every week
make a meal plan and grocery list every Sunday (and FOLLOW THRU!)
be diligent in making Handsome Hubby's lunch every morning, and find more interesting options for him
do family devotions every morning b4 HH heads to work
organize the schoolroom and all paperwork in this house!
cut electronic stimulation for my Pack... focus more on good books and games to play as a family
2 video rentals a month... family friendly and one must be a classic
invite one family over once a month for a meal and family fun
paint my bedroom, fix the hole in the ceiling


Financial changes:

have a solid budget for all gifts for 2011 and stick with it (bdays, Christmas, ect)
make my gift list for Christmas 2011 (homemade or thrifted) complete 3 gifts a month
one date night a month that costs $ (like dinner and a movie)
one night a week is date night (going for a walk, completing a project together, playing a game together, ect)
pay for any home-improvements with cash



I am sure I will come up with a few more things to add to my lists of things to change as I reflect on this past year, on my challenges, my struggles, my joys. Areas in my life I want to be stronger in, areas I need to purge in my life. I will try to remember to keep things updated on my blog, if I forget, send me a little note and ask me how I am doing on these things, I am a big fan of accountability!

A Few of My Favorite Things 2010

~1~ my Pack and their willingness to work with their hands
~2~ a mom who encourages my love of all things simple
~3~ antique sewing baskets full of little treasures (given to me by a lovely mother of my <3)
~4~ working with my hands
~5~ learning to sew
~6~ looking at the beautiful gift baskets and knowing that they were 100% handmade!
~7~ seeing our garbage can Christmas morning (after presents were opened) and seeing not one single piece of wrapping paper!
~8~ spending time with my little nieces and nephews and loving them so much it hurts
~9~ my children, who seem to enjoy my love for all things simple
~10~ My Pack! they are 5 of the most amazingly wonderful kids I have ever had the privelage of knowing!
~11~ my gift from my mom! "Country Wisdom and Know-how, everything you need to know to live off the land" I LOVE THIS BOOK!!
~12~ corn-filled bedwarmers :)
~13~ gardening... the day after Christmas I woke up with a smile on my face... now time to plan my garden for spring!
~14~ Christmas shopping at Goodwill :) and finding the most wonderful gifts for my girls there!
~15~ having 5 children, it makes even a seemingly small amount of gifts (for each child) look like an abundance when multiplied by 5 ;)
~16~ seeing Beans and Mouth's eyes light up when they see 2 huge jars of pickles under the tree with THEIR names on them!!
~17~ making Handsome Hubby's dream come true this year! a 4-wheeler with a plow! (used, pretty old, but runs great!)

I'm sure I will think of more during the next few days, I will try to remember to jot them down.

Awwwwww, time to relax and breath :)

Why is it that after Christmas is over, the presents have been unwrapped, the food has been eaten (and lots and lots of leftovers seperated and frozen in managable amounts), the baking is done, my projects are completed (some made the deadline, some did not), the parties are over, the ornaments have been lovingly wrapped in newspaper and put back in the boxes to await for next year, the house has been de-Christmas-ed, that I feel like I can finally breath again? Other than the obvious reason of me being allergic to the tree and I can actually breath again ;) I feel like this year was alot less stressful,(after I got over the fact that I was not going to knock myself out looking for that "perfect" gift for each of my Pack, there is no such thing, I have come to the realization). The tree came down today, the decorations all put away, my cozy livingroom back to normal. I can look out my livingroom window again. I can breath.

... Hey Dad ...

" Hey Dad.
Remember when I was like, five,
and I believed everything you told me?"

"yeah"

"Well Dad,
I grew up".


(overheard yesterday when Beans was talking to Handsome Hubby)

Fifteen

I cannot believe she is 15. I feel old. very very old.

Mono for Christmas

Poor Beans has mono again I am thinking :( So sleepy and exhausted all the time. So pale. Headache that doesn't stop. Sore throat is gone but still has a low grade fever. What a miserable time to have this flair up again. So thankful she has been working hard in school so far this year! A couple weeks off of school isn't going to hurt her any, and trying to get her to get her work done (and done well) is pretty much impossible at this point. So she gets a few weeks off of school, will be sleeping thru the holidays... and I informed her that she won't be snoboarding till we get her checked out to make sure her spleen isn't enlarged... not a happy girl right now.

But on the bright side! She turns 15 next week and is so excited to take her test and hopefully get her learners' permit!!! If she can stay awake thru the test...

Oh! thought of another bright side! She will get out of helping shovel out the driveway tomorrow after we get 12-16 inches of snow!! That is definitely a bright side I think :)

Now I better get back to my to do list.... but today seems more like a "curl up with a good book" kind of day.

What do you think? Clean clean clean, bake bake bake, sew sew sew? Or read read read?

To Do List

Everyone has a to do list this time of year. All the things we MUST get done. And we have DEADLINES!!! And only a certain amount of time to get it all done :P
I am one very blessed mom, I have 5 AMAZING helpers! They are so great about stepping in and helping me get everything done before it needs to :)
Little Brother is wonderful at making sure the woodstove keeps on keeping us warm all day long. Beans is great with grabbing a recipe card and digging into baking the goodies on our list. Blue Eyes keeps the laundry chugging away and Mouth makes sure the chores get done everyday :) Baby Sister is great about giving me a hug and she loves helping me get the hand projects done for the Christmas gifts getting made for all the grandmas this year.

My List:

*Finish all gifts for the Grandmothers
*make bags for neices and nephews and the BP
*finish Beans' Bday gift!! (YIKES! Only 6 days to get that done!)
*bake: cherry choco star cookies
choc covered cracker thingys
kiss buttons
lemon meltaways
and about 10 other cookies, goodies, candies to make

*sew the Packs' Christmas gifts
*plan the menu and cook/bake for the Youth Christmas Party (saturday!!)
*drill the 2 youngest of the Pack on their program lines
*plan the menu for Christmas Dinner
*take the Packs 2010 portraits (this week!)
*deep clean the bathrooom, kitchen and porch b4 Saturday
*clean my bedroom and go thru my clothes
*plan the menu and bake/cook for D's work party
*Christmas Cards.... sorry people, scratching that one off my list this year :P maybe every other year will suffice?
*clean oven (still smokes from Saturdays bubbling carmel mess)
*Clean bathrooms at church b4 Sunday (!!! Yikes!!!! almost forgot about that one!)


And thats this weeks list and its already Wednesday.... better go. I have A LOT to do!!!

What does your to-do list look like at this time of the year??