Ah yes...with January comes the very popular topic of New Year's Resolutions. What emotions do you have when you hear this phrase? Excitement? Dread? Cynicism? I figure there are 3 different types of people when it comes to New Year's Resolutions:
#1. Those who get really excited, set a whole bunch of goals, and fail to accomplish any of them.
#2. Those who WERE in the #1 category, then became cynical because they never truly accomplished anything, and now resolve to never make resolutions.
#3. Those who know themselves, know where they are going, know their limitations, set realistic goals, and then work consistently to accomplish them.
I would like to think that I am #3. And since this is my blog, I can say whatever I want! I love September and January because of the excitement of something new whether it be the kids going back to school and the start of new routines, or the natural inclination to review the last year and feel excited about making changes. I have found that the last couple of years my resolutions have been focused around my family and what would make us a stronger unit. Last New Year's I was feeling overwhelmed with having a baby and being pregnant and sick again, and so I only set one goal. That was to read scriptures daily as a family. This was a habit we had previously failed at establishing. I wanted to facilitate success so I made sure each person had their own inexpensive set of scriptures to keep in the living room to use each day and I also made a chart so we could mark our progress. Did we complete this goal 100%? No. But we did about 60% and that is 60% better than any previous year! Am I thrilled about that? You bet I am!
And what about this year? Well...I do have a baby and a toddler, so I know I am somewhat limited in what I can actually do, however I feel prepared to embark on two more habits that Wayne and I have wanted to do but have not been successful in implementing.
#1 - Monthly interviews with each daughter. This is when either Wayne or I will have a one on one visit with a child and talk about school, life, projects, problems, goals, etc. Now that our oldest is a preteen, I am recognizing the importance of establishing communication habits that will carry into future teen years.
#2 - Monthly dates with each daughter. Similar to #1, monthly dates will allow Wayne and I to foster closer relationships with each daughter, doing something fun that they really enjoy.
And to help me stay on track, I have made little charts to help me keep track of when we do these each month, or to remind me to schedule time!
As a stay at home mom, I find it can be so easy to get stuck in all the mundane tasks of the day. I forget to look ahead and ensure I am doing today what I need to do, to ensure I create the family I want tomorrow. Having these consistent monthly goals helps me to stay on track and ensure Wayne and I are building the close relationships we desire with our daughters, one step at a time.
What family or parenting goals have you set for 2011?
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i love september and january too. i also love mondays! a fresh start, a new week, a chance to do things differently and better!
ReplyDeletei like your goals. we just had fhe last night, and made some family goals too.
1. scripture study as a family
2. family prayer
3. fhe
4. invite at least one family over a month- try to make it a nonmember family
5. do something nice for someone every day.
is 5 a bit ambicious? (sp?) we are on and off with the first 3. maybe i'll make a chart too!
Great goal Lisa - so are you going to post those charts so that we do not need to reinvent the wheel?
ReplyDeleteTalking about charts, I would like to set a goal of making chores and regular house work part of my kid's routines. I have realized that, though I am the type of mom that do not do everything for her kids, I have not been good at making chores a regular routine...
Anyone have a chart for that?
L
Shannon: Ambitious yes...do-able yes. I believe that as long as you improve a little bit over what you did last year...it is a success. By the way...can we be one of those families you invite...for one of those months?! ;)
ReplyDeleteLV: As for chore charts, you know, I found that when I made one, it didn't get used much. However, for the one regular chore that I have assigned (unloading dish washer), the girls alternate weeks. They actually chose to do it weekly rather than daily themselves...and it has worked beautifully! I just need to choose another chore to alternate with it so when one is on dishes, the other one is....fill in the blank.
Thanks for your comments!
ha ha ha...I just realized it sounds like I totally contradicted myself about charts. I should clarify, the charts I made for my monthly goals with the girls are simply written in my notebook (nothing fancy), so I can't share them. Sorry!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new blog Lisa!
ReplyDeleteNorm and I have made it a priority to do individual dates with the girls often. It has been a lot of fun and some of the most inspiring and funny conversations have happened during those moments of togetherness. Good luck with your resolutions.