So, this is the New Year

Unlike Death Cab's song New Year I feel great. I am excited about the new things the Lord has for the Gale family. The hubs and I went out New Year's Eve we did not make it the show that I mentioned in the previous post, but we did have dinner and dessert. The show just started too late and the older I get the more of a homebody I become. We had a great time discussing our answers to the New Year's questions, reviewing our family plan and setting some other goals for the future. And we finished watching Season 1 of Downton Abbey and if you have never heard of it it is the best show I have ever watched. Don and I love it! I wanted to share a few resolutions for myself for 2012. I won't share all of them because there are over 30. I know that seems like a lot, but some of them were not really resolutions more of reflection questions and how to change.

1. Play with these sweet faces more. Don and I both feel like we are to focus even more in on our children. Training, loving, educating and discipling them. We plan to begin weekly dates with Eden. Don is taking her out Saturday for a special breakfast and Owen and I will have some sweet time together. And then next week I will take her out while Don spends time with Owen. Owen gets home dates right now because he is a little "difficult" at times in public. He likes to be free.

2. Plan my days better. This means taking each friday afternoon while the kids sleep and plan the upcoming week. Playdates, what school time will look like, what crafts we will do, what adventures we will go on, what things we will cook together. I have to be structured with my days otherwise I tend to just want to let the kids do "whatever" so that I can "whatever".

3. Blog more. Like to try and do 3 times a week. And redo the ole blog. I am not very technical so the way my blog looks now is because it was a free template that my sweet friend Al showed me how to do. Just like to get something different that fits me a little bit better.

4. Write and mail notes to people this year.

5. Mail birthday cards to my friends and family members

6. Start our family journal. We have had it for a few years, but have never written in it. It will be a journal that just keeps up with the things our kids have done, stages they are at, ways the Lord is growing and teaching our family.

7. Have a morning devotional and prayer time with my kiddos. I want them to begin understanding that we start our day with the Lord.

8. Listening to books on CD with the kids. We have started doing this and they love it! We have listened to Mike Mulligan and the Steam Engine and we got them this collection of proverbs stories that we listen to in the car. And I really enjoy them.

9. I want to be more of an encouragement to my husband. He has a huge job leading our family and he does a wonderful job and I need to tell him that more. He started a blog. And it is so good. He is a fantastic writer. Here is the link if you want to follow him.

10. I want to memorize more Scripture this year. I want God's Word on my heart and on my lips. To be able to speak truth to myself throughout the day.

11. Be on the computer less. I realized a few weeks ago that for no reason during the day I will just be checking my email or looking at facebook or the weather, yes the weather, when I had just checked those things an hour ago. So, I decided to only open the computer when the kids are not awake. That means I can only check it before they get up in the morning, when the nap and after they go to bed. I am excited about doing this. I think it will give a lot of freedom.

Alright, those are a few of them. Again, I am so looking forward to this new year. And I know everyday will not be perfect in these things, but I think it is important to set goals for yourself and when you get off of them one week or day or month just started back on them the next day. The Lord's mercies are new every morning!!

Goodnight.