2013 Goals

Last year, rather than “resolutions” I set many goals for myself. I was successful at completing many of the goals for at least some length of time, but I did not keep up with most of them. That’s why many of my goals for 2013 are the same as in 2012. And, although I’m not a fan of “resolutions” I know that I have truly resolve to make some serious changes in my life if I really want to see these changes.

Spiritual Goals:

• Daily Bible Reading
• Focused/Planned Bible Study
• Write Bible study lessons (and execute them) for the kids.
• Start using the Scripture Memory System with the kids (and me!)
• Develop a deeper prayer life.
• Make an effort to encourage brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Always be ready and eager to share the gospel.

House Goals:

• Get the house organized, and purged of excess junk at the beginning of the year.  I did this last year, but I need to do it again! It is amazing how much junk builds up over time and also how much stuff you kept last year that you realize you don’t need this year.
• Have a garage sale (sooner rather than later).
• Keep up with Flylady’s daily assignments to help keep the house in a manageable state.
• Handle papers (mail, or otherwise) when they come into the home, rather than just piling them up to handle later.
• Get one “house” project done each month (paint the front door, repair the floor, etc.)

Health Goals:

• Get back into a regular cardio routine even if it just means pushing the stroller around the block.
• Gain strength and endurance.
• Continue on a path of healthy eating. Compared to a year ago, I have a much healthier eating lifestyle; however, I’m still not where I want to be.

Family goals:

• Eat at home more often. This is something that definitely seems to waver with the season. The holidays kills our routine, but hopefully I’ll be back on track soon with more cooking at home.
• Stick to our budget, and look for ways to save more.
• Foster a good relationship between the kids (teaching them about sharing, patience, kindness, etc.)
• Get outside more with the kids.
• Cook a hot breakfast for the family at least once a week.

Photography:

• Learn more about off-camera flash.
• Learn more about Adobe Photoshop.
• Work on posing.
• Learn more about graphic design.

Other:

• Exhibit more patience towards everyone, but especially my husband and children.
• Work on time management, including getting up at a more consistent time in the morning, and going to bed earlier in the evening.
• Spend less time on the computer.
• Finish reading Bringing Up Girls and Bringing Up Boys.
• Re-read Your Mama Don’t Dance.
• Read A Well-Trained Mind and Home Education as well as start doing serious research/planning on making a decision about homeschooling

Parenting from Proverbs: Teaching Application

Proverbs 2:1-5:

My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you,  So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;  Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,  If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:2 instructs us that we must not only incline our ear to wisdom, but also apply our heart to understanding. One of the most daunting tasks to me as a parent is teaching my children to apply knowledge in their lives. And, while I want my children to be able to apply knowledge in all aspects of their lives, the most important knowledge they must apply is spiritual. I don’t want my children simply to have knowledge of God and the Scriptures: I want them to live their lives according to God’s Word because they do have knowledge of God and the Scriptures. As a parent, I must seek to not only teach them God’s Word, but how to implement it in their lives so that they can truly live for God and bring others to Him.

This starts with me: if I’m not living in accordance with God’s Word I cannot expect them to live in accordance with it. However, it goes beyond me simply living as an example for them. I must discipline them appropriately when their actions do not line up with Godly actions. I must instruct them as to why it is important to follow God’s Word, not just simply tell them to do it. I must make it a priority to pray for their souls – privately, but also with them to help them see the concern and importance of their soul.

More Parenting from Proverbs

Teaching Ella to Pray

Raising my children to be faithful followers of God is the most important task I have as a parent. It is a difficult task that will require much diligence throughout my children's lives. I want to instill a true faith in them, and I strongly believe that instilling a true faith should begin at a young age.

There are many elements involved when teaching my children about God, but one we have been focusing on with Ella has been teaching her to pray. The process began by exposing her to prayer - whether that was during a worship service, before a meal, or before going to bed at night.

Next, we worked (and are still working) on teaching her to be still and hold her hands together during a prayer. We've taught her to hold her hands together as a way to help keep her focused and still. One most certainly does not have to keep their hands together to pray - the Bible does not teach that - but it helps to focus little hands that might be busy elsewhere during a prayer.

Ella is a good observer. Starting between 18 and 19 months old, she started saying "Maymen!" (aka "Amen") at the end of prayers that she heard. She also started requesting "prayer!" every time we laid her down in her bed. It melted my heart the first time she asked for a prayer.

Recently we've begun teaching her to verbally say a prayer. To do this, we've been getting her to repeat after us - short phrases with words she can say. Right now, most of the prayer we are getting her to repeat involves being thankful: "Thank you for mama. Thank you for daddy. Thank you for Troy. Thank you for grandparents." We also include other things that we should be thankful for such as the church, our blessings, and Jesus. I realize that at this point Ella doesn't really understand anything about what a blessing is or what the church really is, but it is important for her to become familiar with these words even though she doesn't understand them yet.

Obviously, there is a lot more involved in prayer than what we have taught Ella so far, but it is a continual teaching process. I know that I still have a lot of growing to do personally when it comes to prayer, and I hope that my focus on teaching Ella will help me in my own prayer life.