Hello world! Its me, Shelly! Its been a little while since I got on here, but I am hoping to do better this year! I am also hoping to lose the 5 pounds I resolved to lose last year along with the extra 5 I inadvertently added.
Every year I make a few resolutions, but only so I don't feel so left out. All my friends have these amazing and inspirational goals for the year. i.e I resolve to get debt free (people do that???!?)I resolve to learn Spanish (I learned my numbers from Handy Many, does that count??) I resolve to travel to a place I have never been before (Does a new grocery store because my kids got us kicked out of our regular one count??) I resolve to get in shape. (Which shape? Does egg shape count?) I resolve to help all the homeless dogs find a family, wipe out racism and save the whales. (I give up!)
So this year I thought about what I wanted to make my resolutions. I had decided in early December that I wanted to stop yelling. (I know you all are shocked, that I yell right? at least pretend you are.) I fell asleep at 10pm on December 31st. At exactly 12:00 an impressive amount of fireworks were shot off in very close proximity to my house. I sat up and yelled: "what the heck!!!" Seriously?? Not even a minute in and I dropped the ball on my resolution?? Well then the next morning my kids got up and started fighting about who got to brush their teeth first and blue gooey toothpaste was squirted all over the mirror and I realized I had definitely overestimated myself and maybe I needed to get some more realistic resolutions! Maybe something like don't lose your voice from yelling more than once (or twice) a week! After all the in-laws are coming to visit in a few weeks!
January 1st I found myself handing out resolutions to my kids. Heck if I couldn't do it, at least I could be a helper for others right? Isn't there a verse about encouraging others to do good in the Bible?? I told Micah that his New Years Resolution was to be more encouraging to other people. He responded, "I would if they weren't so bad at stuff!" I told Kyler that his was to stop being so negative. After a lengthy conversation in which I tried at least 20 different ways of explaining the definition of negative to my son, we switched his to not tattling so much. The kid is currently down to 1,233 tattles a day! He's rocking this resolution thing!! Caleb acquired the resolution to stop screaming. He dropped to the floor yesterday screaming at the top of his lungs. He caught my stern eye, stopped mid scream and said "never mind" before sulking away. I gave Liam the resolution to cut back on the stubbornness, but my little over acheiver had already set his own resolution and it was, "win. every. time." I thought my husband was the most stubborn person I knew (aside from his mother of course) but Liam has never been OK with being second best.
I am pondering another resolution though. (I know I kind of missed that January 1st thing) I thought about all the people I admire. There is a couple in Tennessee (you know who you are!) whom I admire greatly. They are best friends, an incredible blessing to their kids and grand kids, and they are always happy! When unexpected things happen to them, they always seem to find the good, the happy and the funny about it! They take time to have fun together, never seeming to worry about what anyone else is thinking. The never seem worried about making sure people give them the credit or know they are right, instead they spend their energy building other people up. They enjoy life more than anyone I know!
So this year instead of focusing on all the people who have made my life difficult and feeling bitter about it, I'll let it go! I think I'll find time to think about the happy, look for the good, and stop to laugh every day! After all the Bible says to think about excellent and praiseworthy things; perhaps there's something to that! And perhaps I'll give Kevin a New Year's Resolution to buy his wife more diamonds this year. That's excellent right??
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
