focus

Yesterday was a good day.

*lunch date with Dave
*afternoon nap with the kids
*one-on-one time with Ana
*scrapbooking and a movie in the evening

I finally feel ready to take on this new year. I've thought a lot about my focus for last year "capture the moments." I really feel like I improved in this area. I slipped up here and there, and didn't do quite as well as I had imagined, but I've gotten a lot better about not wasting time and enjoying my kids and life. The last few weeks have been an exception, but its a new year, and I finally feel ready to take it on. Of course I still have my winter goals that I will continue to work on. In addition, my focus for this year is:

"Charity Never Faileth"

I want to focus on being more loving. I want to show more love for my kids, my husband, my neighbor and my God. I want to be less annoyed at my responsibilities, and more anxious to serve, less selfish and more selfless, less frustrated and more friendly, less tense and more tender, less grumpy and more grateful. I want to be more kind, more thoughtful and mostly a more faithful daughter of God. I'm finally ready to take it on.

Yesterday was a good day.

winter goals

Now that summer is gone and we're in our own place, spending more time indoors, I've been thinking of some things I want to accomplish this winter. I've been thinking a lot more about my New Year's resolution to capture the moments and I've realized I've totally slipped out of that. So, I've made a list of things I want to do this winter. Not only projects, but changes I want to make in myself as well. Since my birthday is the end of the Spring, I thought I'd set that as my deadline. I may add more to my list, but for now, here are some things I want to get down before then.

1. Potty train Ana
2. Lose 10 pounds - not quite there. But I've extended the deadline for the end of the summer. I should be there by then.
3. Make my sister's throw pillow - I know, Shari, I'm a slacker
4. Make curtains for my living room
5. Make curtains for the kids' room - I actually just decided not to make a curtain. Maybe in our next place
6. Learn to make bread that turns out like my mom's - didn't even try. But I did learn how to make really good alfredo, potato soup, gravy, paella, and lots of other yummy stuff.
7. Read a book a month (or more)
Books I've read:
Persuasion
The Scarlett Pimpernel
Gathering Blue
Twilight
Bud, Not Buddy
Austenland
Tending Roses
The Tale of Despereaux
8. Make Halloween costumes for the kids
9. Get better about keeping myself under control in frustrating circumstances - I don't know if I'd consider this one "done" but I've gotten better, and that's what I wanted anyway.
10. Get out of my comfort zone more often - I've really made an effort, which is good.
11. Get into better scripture/prayer habits - improved, anyway
12. Set a good routine and stick to it - I'm in a routine, just not a good one...
13. Organize my house just like I like it and keep it that way so housework is not overwhelming - I did this for a while, then I got out of it, and now I'm not living in our own place. Hopefully we'll start out right
14. Get caught up in my scrapbook and figure out a system for next year - I did get some done, but I'm not quite caught up...
15. Make Jack’s Christmas stocking
16. Send out Christmas cards
17. Make a card table house for Ana

That's what I could think of for now. I'll probably add more goals to my list as time goes. I'll keep checking back and marking when I get things done.

losing momentum

I remember when I first started running a few years ago. I had tried running for exercise on and off, and never really loved it. But in the fall of 2003, I really started running consistantly. I don't think I would have stuck with it, except for the friends I had that I'd run with. I rarely ran alone. These friends kept me motivated to keep up (speed) and to keep going (endurance). It wasn't until I could run about 3 or 5 miles that I started running by myself just because I liked it and how I felt afterward. And I eventually ran 13 miles, just because I wanted to.

The other thing I found with running is that once I could run 3 miles, it wasn't too hard to run a couple more. 5 was no big adjustment once I hit 3. And once I could run 5, I could run 8, then 10, then 13. The hardest part was getting to the 3 mile point.

That's how I am with a lot of goals that I set for myself. I need a little extra motivation, and a friend right beside me to really keep going in the beginning. But eventually, I come to realize the benefits I'm getting and I can do it all by myself.

I feel like I'm losing momentum with the goals I set for myself this year. I wonder if it isn't because I'm working alone, and I still haven't reached the "3 mile" point. I'm still in the hard part. The part where, like running, I don't quite feel the benefits enough to keep going. But I don't really have someone working beside me, telling me to keep up and to keep going. Though Dave is supportive, he's not "running" right beside me. He has different responsibilities to take care of. But I'm losing momentum. I'm letting dishes and laundry pile up more, and I'm wasting more time throughout the day. I need to get recommitted to my goal, so I don't just stop. I just don't know quite what to do for that.

off to a good start

So, I've been thinking about my theme for 2008. A lot of times, when I set new goals for myself, I get easily discouraged over little slip ups. But this year its been different. Maybe its because I changed my focus from everything I was doing wrong to just one thing. I felt like I've been doing pretty good at "capturing the moments." When I'm just sitting around wasting time, I often find myself thinking, "Erin, capture this moment. What can you be doing right now?" Its never a guilty feeling, but an encouraging one. Here are some things that I think I'm doing better at.

*dishes. This is the one chore that I am notorious for putting off until it is way too overwhelming. But I've found that doing them for just a few minutes throughout the day is so much better. Even if I don't get them all done when I start to do them, a few dishes here and there can add up. Also, I've tried to do them when Ana is awake so my evening isn't full of dish-doing. It has been so much better!

*I made a "chore chart" for myself. I even made it all cutesy crafty so its more pleasant to look at. I organized my daily chores, weekly chores and monthly chores and assigned a specific day to each weekly chore, and Fridays to doing a monthly chore. It is so nice because I can focus on just one or two things instead of a whole week's worth of housework. It has really helped to lighten my burden.

*I feel like I've been better with Dave, too. I just have been feeling more loving towards him. Hopefully I've showed it more, too.

When I was at Dave's parents house this weekend, I was inspired by how quickly she cleans up dinner, toys, or whatever else. Its not like she spends all day cleaning, but her house is clean because she straightens up before it gets too bad. I felt like it was something I could do. So, I think I'm off to a good start.

New Year's Resolutions

So, I've been a little slow getting this together. Mostly because I feel like I'm so far from where I want to be that I don't feel that I'm at a good jumping off point. But my friend Morgan had a great idea on her blog. Instead of a list of goals, just pick one word that describes the change you want to make in 2008. So, I've decided to change my focus from a list of improvements to an overall theme for my year. I couldn't come up with just one word, but my theme for the year is:
Capture the Moments.

I want to capture all the wasted moments when I could be cleaning house or finishing projects.

I want to capture the moments of peace and quiet and use them to refill my spiritual tank.

And I want to capture the little moments with Ana and Dave. With Ana, I want to have more activities for her to do, more structured play. And I want my husband to know each day that I love him. I think I often just assume he knows I do, but I really want to show it more.

So, for 2008, I just want to capture the moments. Every moment is given to us. The only thing we can give back is how we spend our time.