My resolutions for twenty-ten, in no specific order.


Let Norah play outside.
I am realizing it doesn't have to be a picture-perfect day. That's what coats are for. And, it doesn't have to be a formal activity like an outing to the park or a hike in the state forest. Norah needs to be free to simply explore her own backyard. We have a great stretch of rocks and woods out back, grand enough to inspire any five year old's imagination.

Keep a garden.
I didn't get to do this in '09, since Avril was born right when I needed to plant my vegetables.

Listen to Scripture.
I really don't have time to read it, especially since I blog incessantly. But, I have the Bible on CD and I think I will try and listen to it while I am in the kitchen. I may actually hear more Scripture this way, since I am in there all the time.

Pray.
I plan to use two books as "guides." The Power of a Praying Wife is an all-time favorite with notes in the margins and pages well-worn. The other book, The Power of a Praying Parent, I've had for years, but it still looks brand new, to my shame. I'd also like to spend more time being quiet before God. I hear from Him often, but His spirit always has to break through the noise to say anything to me. I am beginning to wonder how much more He could impress upon my heart if I stopped using prayer as a time to ask for things and used at least some of the time to just sit and listen.

Sew.
I have several projects planned, all the materials just sitting, waiting to be used. I'd like to make curtains for some of our windows, decorative pillow cases, quilts, etc.

Collect books and music.
It may sound ridiculous, but I need to spend more money on these things. I am constant need of new music for work. I use the same old CDs again and again, so my fitness classes are starting to moan. I also never get around to buying the reading books I plan to collect for the girls. I usually wait until the end of a pay period to consider these purchases, when my discretionary funds are too low to justify the costs. I need to start purchasing these things right after I get paid so that I won't "waste" the money I want to spend on something else.

Call my friends.
I'm so independent that I actually tend to be selfish. I need to be a better friend and call the people that I love more often.

Keep my room clean.
It's one of the places in my house where stuff gets piled up. I'd like it to look nicer, remain neater, smell better, etc. so going in there would feel like more of a retreat.

Teach Norah to swim.
She's always getting better, but I'd like it if she could swim well enough and with enough confidence for me to "leave" her in the water and just watch from the deck or hold her sister who really does need the one-on-one attention in the pool.

Attend more home school group activities. This way, both Norah and I can make new friends and continue building the friendships we've already got.

Lighten Dwayne's load around the house. Stop complaining that he isn't doing the work and start doing some of the stuff myself, such as painting the new doors and base boards, maybe even cutting the grass... once.

Read to Avril. It's easy to spend all my free time reading to Norah, especially since her stories are new and more interesting to me and since we read as a part of her home school lessons. But, Avril deserves some of the same one-on-one, lap-time with her baby, board books that Norah got when she was little.

Talk to Norah.
I'm with her all day. Almost everything I do is about her or for her or with her, but it still seems like she doesn't get to say all she needs to say to me. Without a doubt, she chooses the worst times to open up, but that is when I need to stop what I am doing, look in her eyes, listen, show real interest in what she is saying and talk back.

Do you have any resolutions for this next year?