Bring on the NEW YEAR!

This past year has been full of changes, surprises, unanswered questions, hope, sorrow, happiness, determination and so much more.  Things have happened this past year that I am thrilled about and others I wish had never happened or I could have handled so much better.  This next year I full intend to use what worked and fix what didn't so that 2013 will be so much better then 2012.

My main struggle in 2012 was my ability to handle stress.  Toward the end of the year I was able to regain some peace but it is still not there.  It just so happened that a few weeks ago the sermon was about having the peace with God which reduces stress and brings peace to your life.  My mission for 2013 - obtain this peace.  Which brings me to resolution #1 - read new testament.  Since my time is strapped with going back to school I know I will not have the time to dedicate to reading the whole Bible in a year so I have my reading plan to finish the New Testament in the year.

Now I am an reasonable person and know that giving my worries to God does not include a magic angel to clean my house so my resolution #2 is to clean something every day so my weekends are open for relaxation and I won't be overwhelmed with the mess of the house.  My plan was to get my house completely clean and organized for the new year...well that hasn't happened yet but I am steadily working at it.

While money has been a big stressor this past year, resolution #3 is to do something every week to get out of debt.  While I know I wont be able to fully get out of debt since I am currently going back to school and adding more to student loans each semester, but all other debt is at my fingertips and I fully intend to destroy it.  If this means packing every lunch and even dinners on school days, then so be it.  If this means no more Parker's cokes, well, I gave up cokes for 2 years before picking it back up, why not give it up again?

I have stressed so much about my family; worrying about what we are doing wrong vs. what we are doing right with raising the kids.  Worrying that I'm not being a good mommy because my little girl half the time wants nothing to do with me and only wants her daddy.  Worrying that I am too strict, worrying that I am not strict enough, worrying that I am no fun, worrying that I am worrying too much - see the problem here?  I don't know how to formulate this one in a resolution, nonetheless, I will do what I can to be the best wife and mommy I can be.

A few other things I would like to accomplish this year...
- Make my photo books as the year goes rather then go through a years worth of photos at one time.

- Learn photography so I have reason to use the nice camera rather then the happy snaps, phone cameras and the IPad.  

- Learn to sew better, especially since Colleen is really getting into her "babies", would be so cute to make them matching jammies or matching blankets.  One of her babies at least needs a dress to wear, I don't know where the clothes for that one went...

So lets bring on the new year!