With the new year here, I thought I had better make a list of all of the things I would like to change in my life. Here is just a sampling of things I need to get done this year.
First of all, I want to change how I handle my children fighting. I think what I am going to do, everytime they fight is make them sit down and write a list of 10 things they like about one another. I am hoping this will help them to cool off a little and maybe take the edge off of the situation. I really don't know if this is going to work, but I am going to try it. Any other ideas for fighting kids? Caroline and Hilton sound like they are going to rip each others throats out. And sometimes they do resort to hitting. Caroline does this more than Hilton.
Second, I really want to make a better go at reading the scriptures. We do it as a family pretty faithfully. But I really need to do my personal scripture study better. I just get doing other things and forget. You know?
Third, the whole change my health thing. I have been doing pretty well since my friend, Sarah inspired me. She looks so fantastic and she is really good at supporting me. So this year I have to make sure I eat better and exercise more and get rid of this pesky diabetes.
Fourth, I need to do better at being organized financially. I need to get all my bills organized and in one place so that I am not paying a bill on the day it is due and hoping I don't get a late fee. I am horrible at this. I also need a budget. I know some of you are recoiling in horror. I don't have a budget, I never have. I have always just gotten to the end of the month with the hopes that we still have some money in the bank. So I really am going to buckle down. A book that I recently read called The Penny Pinchers Club, really made me decide that this needs to be a top priority. So I am going to do it.
Those are my main concerns right now. There are subcatergories in each subject, but I will do that in my own outline. I have never been one to really set New Year's resolutions. I have always been of the mind that they are a waste of time because noone ever does them. But I am thinking that if I have it in black and white and take it one day at a time maybe I can change.
Change is a kind of a touchy subject to me. I have gone most of my life thinking that people are the way they are and can't really change. The reason I have believed this is because people have proven this to me over and over again. Sure, anyone can change for a few months or even a few years, but they always go back to the way they were. Everyone always disappoints me by not changing. But as I have done some scripture study lately, I have realized that this is not the way the Lord would have us see humanity. People are people because of their ability to change. No other species can completely change who they are. And this cannot be the exception to the rule. Heavenly Father created repentance because people can change. I want to believe this. People can change from good to bad, why can't they change from bad to good? I know that a lot of people can't understand my lack of faith in individuals. Especially people of this faith. But when I have been proven right again and again that people don't change, even when they desire it with all of their hearts, it is really hard for me to get on the Mormon bandwagon with this one. So, today I am going to take a leap of faith. Faith in humanity, that people have the ability to change. Faith in Heavenly Father, that he made us able to change so that we can be perfect. And faith in myself, that I have the will power, strength and desire within myself to change. It is going to be so hard. I have been who I am for so long. I don't know how I am going to do it. I have tried and tried and failed and failed, so many times. I don't even know what it is like to have real success. But I will do my best. That's all I can do. But it really has to be my best. Not just a little bit of my best.
So here is to the New Year. May I be able to prove myself wrong and actually change this time.
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Jenny, what a nice post. Very inspiring. I foresee wonderful success for you this year in all the things you listed except getting the kids to stop fighting by writing down what they like about each other. I predict this will happen about two times before you throttle them for whining and complaining about having to do it. I can't offer a better solution except to tell Caroline to act her age which is what I say to Sophie when she argues with an almost 4 year old. I think you need to put more responsibility on her to resolve things while continuing to guide Hilton on how to treat people and get along with siblings and let there be serious consequences for not resolving arguments. Revoking Wii privledges sounds like it would be a great start since they love it so much. Just my two cents since you asked. Believe me, my house is usually a zoo so I certainly don't have all the answers!
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