2011 Aspirations

Ok - Whoever keeps resolutions?  A resolution seems like a strict school marm harshly tapping you with her ruler each time you fail on a promised resolution.

I have decided to make 2011 Aspirations instead of New Year Resolutions!

2011 Aspirations:

1.  Read more books to my kids this year ...
I'm not a big fan of reading for pleasure, to be honest it's not relaxing to me and I always think it's a waste of time, however this attitude may not be healthy to pass on to my kids who have years of required reading ahead of them.

2.  Go on a Lee and Michelle weekend trip this year . . .
The kids are old enough now and we have never done this, so it's time!

3.  Go camping at least 4 times this year . . . Next weekend is our first trip (with kids). Praying we don't freeze!!!!

4.  Go on a sister's trip again this year . . .  My sisters and I did this last year (minus Heidi) and it was one of the highlights of my year. Heidi you are coming this year!!!!

5.  Waterskiing this summer in Texas water :)

6. Get our backyard looking good.  It's grass, a whimpy tree and a fence right now.   Lee's planning on a big deck, I'm planning a fountain, fire pit and lots of elephant ears :)

7.  Do something truly amazing for someone in secret with no chances of repayment of any kind in return.

8.  Get a good family picture taken.  This is an aspiration every year!

9.  Lay down a stereotype that I have been holding on to.  It gets in the way, it's annoying, it's probably not true, it drags me down, it's not unifying.  I've been holding on to it as a means of self preservation and protection.

10.  Have my children get to visit all of their cousins this year.

A poem - "When will I ..."

When will I?

When will I stop cleaning up all these crumbs?

When will I be through with potty training little bums?

When will I get to watch the 'Today' show?

When will mine be the only nose I blow?

When will cartoons be a thing of the past?

When will keeping up with chore charts not be a task?

When will I get a restful nights sleep?

When will I stop tip-toeing into their rooms for a peek?

When will I enjoy a cup of coffee without interruptions?

When will I not be the mediator between these sibling eruptions?

When will I get to shower alone?

When will mine be the only hair I comb?

When will my bathroom trips be for a party of one?

When will demonstrations of poop and pee be done?

When will I not play these games of pretend?

When will 'wrestle mania' in the living room come to an end?

I know, I know

It will all be over too soon they say,

& then these details I'll try to replay.

But, moment by moment is all I can see right now . . .

So through this time in my life I'll prayerfully plow.

By Michelle Carlson

Inspired by the crumbs under the table today.

Mother's Day 2009

A short article ... by Jacque Grillo

ten resolutions for parents

January 05, 2011

by Jacque Grillo

We're continuing our look at ways to get organized and inspired for 2011. Today's essay is on resolutions -- the kind that are perfect for parents of little ones.

1. Resolve that one day each week will be a day without television, videos, computers, and electronics of any sort.Shut the things off. Reclaim your homes.
2. Resist the pressure to become your child's day planner, social secretary and entertainment organizer. Allow for days where nothing is planned. Celebrate boredom! Don't protect your child from a day with nothing to do. Day after day filled with adult-organized activities and events destroys any possibility of creativity or self-discovery. Don't allow your child to become the center of your universe.
3. Play together, fantasize together, and get creative together using only the simplest of materials: old clothes, a cardboard box, crayons, paper and glue. Make-up characters and stories - together.
4. Get out of your child's way. Provide her with time, either alone or with friends, that is largely unsupervised and where an adult will only intervene when the screams reach a high decibel level. Teach them to trust in themselves. Let them make mistakes and experience the consequences. Stop rescuing.
5. Intentionally deny your child something he "really wants." Don't just delay its acquisition but never allow the desired object into your home. Have conversations about the experience of disappointment. Share your own experiences of how it feels to not get something you "really want".
6. Plan a long weekend away for you and your spouse and resist the urge to check in by phone every hour. Trust me -- your children will survive and everyone will benefit.
7. Don't buy into the "more is better" culture. Almost always less is more.
8. Remember what life before children was like. Commit to having a life of your own with your own activities, friends and interests. It's not only good for you but a great model for your children.
9. Worry less. Almost all problems self-resolve in time and the small percentage that don't probably couldn't have been prevented in any case.
10. Have faith in something and share it openly with your children. It can be God, the Universe, Love or the inherent goodness of your fellow man. It's one of the greatest gifts you can pass on to your children.

I was amazed how a secular article could touch on a few great points! 

 A few of the resolutions I automatically do (#3, #5, #7, #9) but feel like I may be the only one in my neck of the woods who thinks like this.  Just a bit  comforting - and amazed that a secular article would notice the importance of those ideas.

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2010's Hopeful Anticipation ...

Last January I wrote a blog post titled, "Hopeful Anticipation".  In this post I knew God was up to something but that "something" was hidden.  I knew the Spirit was preparing us for something to happen in 2010, call it discernment, insight, intuition, a feeling, a stirring deep within ....

I call it "the burning bush".  I often feel like a modern day Moses, I have many faults and a few fears, but then when I rely on the Spirit; grace, calm, strength, and faith exude. God's presence and direction visible and  warming this unmistakeable fire penetrates if you have eyes to see it and open hands to accept the generous gift.  What is the gift?  It's the presence of God's Spirit directly involved in all of the moments of your life. Do you have the"spiritual eyes" to see this? Do you deny the gift of the helper, do you ignore it or gratefully rely on it?

A little Jesus-Freak-ish?  Yes, I know!  However, I can not deny it, it is more real than anything I have ever seen visually, known mentally or experienced physically.  I attempt to consciously live driven by the Spirit moment by moment.  I am not always successful or discerning, but I'm working on that!

Christians have no problem with accepting all of the amazing miracles of the old and new testament.  However, how is it that some Christians don't accept or want to see that the Spirit is at work in our lives today?  It is so confirming that the Spirit is alive and active when I read what Jesus said in John 16, "I have to leave you now but a helper is coming in my place, and I must go in order for me to send him .... when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all truth." I believe those words are for us today, not just for the first 12 disciples.

How did I know 2010 was going to be a big year? Not intuition, not a good guess, but by truly searching out that fork in the road God had for us.  The Spirit of God put anticipation in the pit of my stomach and in the desires of my heart to follow wherever that may lead.  I wasn't fearful if God was sending us down a path of struggle, been there - done that and honestly it was an amazing time of transformation and growth. Painful at times, Yes!  Of course I was hoping that the fork would lead to green rolling hills and beauty of some kind.

Moving to Katy has been a wonderful realization of that "Hopeful Anticipation".  Not many rolling hills here (it's pretty flat) but beauty beyond what we ever hoped for.  Beauty in the way God worked out all the tiny details and vividly guided us to this place.

Ever wish you had a crystal ball and could see into the future?  Maybe you can.  The Spirit may show you just what God has in store for you.   But you've got to be listening and searching and open and close to the Spirit to make sense of it all, otherwise you'll mistake the Spirit's voice as a good guess, mother's intuition or a coincidence.  It is very exciting to see God working in the details of your life, my prayer is that you have eyes to see it. Amen!