Last year my New Years Resolution word was 'fundamentals'. I was still reeling from Molly being such a colicky baby and struggling to manage our horrible little apartment. It was a good word to focus on last year and I know we made some progress with that. We have been really good now at having a regular Family Home Evening on Monday nights (even though we usually just hold up a picture and read the scripture story on the back. It is still habit!). We have worked really hard at reading the scriptures every single night with the kids and having family prayer. The kids have really good habits of praying on their own every morning after making their beds...and we're still working on nightly individual prayers. I don't know why that is so hard for me to remind them to do! We usually have a family game and/or walk every single Sunday. We read a scripture every morning at the breakfast table. We say our happy's/sad's each evening at dinner. Those are fundamentals that were harder to get down with three babies, but my kids are all old enough now and they definitely know the routine. It's been really nice to solidify all of that in our home. (the quote from last year was Linda S. Reeves saying all we really need to have accomplished in our homes is daily scripture study and prayer and weekly FHE.)
This year it has been hard for me to pin down exactly what I want my focus to be. I REALLY want to focus on myself spiritually. In big ways like dedicated hours of time to reading books and marking them up and being a real student. But lets be real--while I might find time once or twice to be able to do that, this is what my 2017 looks like:
Sterling finishing up his final semester of book work (that he has to do really well on, so I'm pretty much on solo dinner and bedtime routine for the next four months) which ends with two months of studying for Step 1 (boards) which he has to pass to continue on in medical school. After that intense time of studying, plus lots of money going towards that test and study materials, we will be moving, having a baby (right now scheduled in the same week!?!?! I promise we didn't schedule that. I had planned to have this baby MUCH sooner, but the Lord has it all under control, right?), Sterling starts medical school rotations immediately after (just pray that we can get a day off so he can help us move!), Ruthie starts Kindergarten, Will is probably going to start Pre-K, and I will have a brand new baby that is HOPEFULLY much less colicky and much more sleepy than the last baby we've had around these parts, in a brand new place. Don't even ask me how a 9 month pregnant lady is going to pack up our house. Although, I'm more worried about a postpartum one having to unpack it. And then life revolves around whichever rotation Sterling is in at the time.
Which means there is a lot of me, managing a lot, and who knows what kind of schedule. Which makes it tricky to set a specific goal, cause it could be all upended very soon.
And...that is why this post is taking me so long. To sum it all up, I've thought quite a bit, and the word for 2017 is going to be:
LOVE.
Why? Because I have been sick and ornery for the past two months and tonight I was feeling a little bit better and I looked around at my kids and realized I have not been hugging nearly as much, or loving on them nearly as much, or giggling with them nearly as much as I need to be. And the whole reason I'm doing all of this is because I love it so much. I love them so much. I love my family so much. A few days ago at the breakfast table Sterling read our scripture from Thomas S. Monson's book A Future As Bright As Your Faith (yes, we read it last year, and we just decided to keep going and do it again this year) and Pres. Monson stated "Four pledges for the new year: I will listen, I will learn, I will labor, I will love. As we fulfill these pledges, we can have the guidance of our Heavenly Father and in our own lives experience true joy."
Sterling and I kind of took that as our mantra for the year. While I am obviously hoping to work towards all the good things that we always want in our life: being healthier, sleeping more, doing more scrapbooking or memory keeping, having patience with my children, doing meaningful things with my time, keeping up with my calling, being prepared and on time with my children, keeping a neat and orderly home, having FHE.....ALL THE GOOD THINGS. I'm going to keep my word simple and just say love. I want my kids to know, at the end of the day, that our house is full of love.
That breaks down to- I'll try to study a few more parenting books on coping with ENDLESS whining (I'm not joking. I've got a boy who doesn't know how to talk except in Whinese.), read my scriptures EVERY DAY to try to make sure I have the spirit with me, and try to remember to bring up all the good things the kids have done before they go to bed at night so they know that their mom loved all their hard work that day. And sing more. And hug more. Especially the whiney ones.
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