Party like a princess...

So times are a changing here in the King household. Almost 2 teens live here, and soon to be a bunch of pre-teens to follow. :) Trying to...

Saturday, January 15, 2011

my new year. finally.

so, in reflecting yesterday on my birthday...
and over the start of the new year...
i began to think about things i want to do this year.

bigger, better, new, and different.

here's what i came up with so far...
a bunch of these good ideas came out of thriving family magazine...
i "bolded" my most favorite.

~ put notes of encouragement  in my kids lunch and snack bags
(now i do this now, but they don't read so well, so it doesn't get the job done...but maybe until the end of the year it will be better...i remember my mom drawing her classic smiley face on napkins in my lunches...)

~ have an after Christmas thank you note party...at the kitchen table...
(we did this TODAY...now they are done...and i told kaden this will be the last year that i MAKE him do them...)  :)

~ camp overnight in the basement (more often)
(this is really not a big deal, and the kids love it.)

~ switch places at the dinner table...this will really throw daddy for a loop. :)

~ have a family memory night, where the kids share their favorite memories.

~ start a prayer jar...each family member writes prayers or draws prayer
pictures and leaves them in a jar. at years end, look thru the jar, and talk about God's faithfulness.

~ give something away every month...

~ when my son or daughter or husband shares something with me, stop what i am doing, and look him or her in the eyes, and ask a follow up question.

~ say i love you to my spouse at the start of each day...

~ have a different family member call grandma or grandpa every week...(this usually isn't a problem in this house)...  ;)

~ choose someone from a news story-a starving child in Sudan or a captive
in a foreign country- and pray for him.

~ keep a running list of things my family is thankful for.

~ have a family "read and feed". provide favorite snacks, pillows, blankets
and a book to read together.

~ put all your christmas cards into a pile.  draw one card each week, and pray for  that family.

~ make a point of noticing the positives in your spouse and children.
let them know what you see.

~ pick a night, or day, and have it be "no screen night." turn off all computers
and televsions to do something fun as a family.

~ write a love letter to your spouse. (he will hate this. he hates my letters. :) )

~ pray a blessing over your children each morning.

~ once a month, invite a family over for dinner on the spur of the moment.
the house will be messy, the food will be delivered, and the evening
will be fantastic!

~ celebrate the little stuff. hang banners for goal scorers and shoe-
tying experts. honor tooth losers by serving pudding for dessert.

the rest are my own...

~ start organizing my kids money, into jars, labeled : save, spend, give.
(it is high time this happens...and actually pay them a small amount, for
being extra helpful and doing extra chores.)

~ invest in my friends. take time for them. be real. very real.

~ don't forget to nourish one of the most primary needs in our children:
the security of a mom and dad who love each other...now and then, i feel like i have to choose between being a good wife and mom. just stop it.

~ study the Word. write it down. memorize it. with my kids.

~ continue to make bedtime intentional. even when i am sooo tired.

~ exercise. that's all. just do it and stop complaining already.

~ learn to sew. and knit...all those cute things on etsy for my new babe.

~ don't walk away from a clean loaded laundry basket without folding it.
(i am having huge problems with this lately.)

oh. there are plenty more i could add, but i am trying to be realistic
and not completely overwhelm myself. ;)

happy january.

8 comments:

Kendra said...

love these! I could total use/do some of these! jason hates my notes/cards too! too long he always says! and the clothes thing, I should try that, have 2 baskets full now to fold. and then putting them away is another ordeal! Happy belated b-day. and thanks for the wonderful lunch last sunday. jason will be bringing the kids to church on sunday!

Sarah said...

LOVE these ideas! Kinda funny my blog is about not having resolutions but choosing ONE word for the year...I have one word and you have a whole list!:) I will definitely be using some of these ideas though! Thanks for sharing!:)

Rick/Ruthie said...

You are an amazing woman, Missy, a blessing to those around you and your children. Happy belated birthday! Now I should be running off to bed to face the challenges of tomorrow instead of sitting at the computer. My word verification is bedded. Do you think I'm to get a message? : )

not your ordinary anything said...

ooh i love these lists missy! i like the prayer jar idea, it reminded me of one of my friend's mom's would jot down the funny things that her five kids said or asked when they were little and put it in a jar. so now they have this huge jar of HILARIOUS stuff they said as kids, i love that.

love that you have your kids write thank-you notes and let them sleepout in the basement. you're such a cool mom. and cool person in general! :)

Unknown said...

thanks for all the encouragement ladies. love it. you all just brightened my morning! winter wishes to all. mis.

Laura said...

love these missy! and happy belated birthday! thought it was high time to let you know that i regularly snoop around on your blog- and i was so excited to learn about the new addition that will be joining your beautiful family this summer!
much love from nicaragua, laura

Dawnell said...

"Due to licensing restrictions, some or all tracks may be unavailable for playback in your country." Hmm. Guess I can't enjoy the songs on your playlist from here. Bummer. Anyway, happy belated birthday; I'm glad you had grand 33rd! :) My roommate here is 29, but she seems very young, just like you! Have fun with those CHICKENS!! (I can faintly remember helping in the chicken house as a kid, but then we got rid of all that...) Thanks for the encouragement and prayers.

Unknown said...

laura and dawnell...

yay. for support all around the world. fabulous. laura...you are a total skinny minny from the looks of nik's pics. you look great. think of you all so far away from "home." thanks for the young comment dawnell. just got a wii for christmas, and a wii fit today, and it guessed my age at 37. yikes. guess i have some work to do. :) cheers. mis.