new year's resolutions

I don't usually do this.  Make "new year's" resolutions.  I think those kinds of resolutions are automatically jinxed because, well, why did you decide to make them now?  Why didn't you make them before?  Why did you wait until a new year to do something?  Inside, in that heart of heart, you know you really just don't want to do these things, these resolutions, that's it.  Right?

But right now, I am making some commitments, and I don't really want to call them "new year's" resolutions.  However, since these commitments or goals - I guess that's the better way to look at them, goals - are being made around the new year time, I'll say, okay, let's call these new year's resolutions. 

I hope I didn't just jinx myself. :-o

Here they are folks, and I plan to revisit my progress on these throughout the year...  Remind me, if I forget (which would be total irony given the title of this blog!)  ROTFLOL - I love puns!

Anyway.. here they are....

1. Lose 15 pounds with Lose It!
This goal sounds totally new year's resolution cliche.  I can save myself from acquiring that label though by saying, this is something I've been working on since having Hannah, so since August really.  I was using Weight Watchers (I've done this in the past and lost a lot of weight), but I've found an app on my new cool phone that I got for Christmas - thank you hubby for catapulting me to the 21st century! - that I'm using to track calories and exercise and thus lose weight.  The app is called Lose It!  I'm excited - it scans food and puts it into my log - how cool is that?!

Sorry for the choppiness of my prose; I'm just thinking and being emotional aloud... or on blog... whatever.

2. Make extra money easily on the side!
Thanks to medical bills for me and Hannah - as well as a variety of other unforeseen things (like mice in my kitchen) - we could use a little extra money.  I don't know if I'd save it for, say, next Christmas, or we may use it as we need it, but it's clear, we need a little extra right now.

Here are some ways I've thought of doing this...  (and feel free to comment with any additional methods you'd like to share with me ;-)

• Selling teacher resources that I've created to other teachers by updating my new teachers pay teachers website.  You can see my site by clicking HERE, and feel free to share that with ANY middle or high school teachers you know!
• Consignment Sales - I have A LOT of baby things that are already piling up and I'll never use again.  As Hannah very quickly grows out of things, I plan on trying to sell these items at consignment sales - most of which are coming up in March.  I've already started putting things in bags and on hangers.  This leads me to the third way to earn a  little cash...
• ebay!  I want to sell some of this baby stuff on ebay.  People buy used things on this site all the time.  I experienced that this holiday season when I bought my daughter's Cinderella wedding dress costume - the only thing she asked Santa for and that was no longer on the shelves at any Disney store because they'd been clearanced out. Yeah, I panicked!  However, ebay saved our Christmas!  I'm hoping it will save our budget. I haven't set up a store there yet, but I'm gonna work on it...

3. Stay in balance!
Those of you that read my blog regularly - thank you, by the way for listening to my ... whatever ;-) - you will remember the weight loss balance bible study that I started leading.  It was great!  I really made changes in the three major areas of my life that I said I wanted to adjust. I want to keep those adjustments and not get out of alignment again and be in need of an emotional chiropractor. hehe I made a funny.  Hey, wait a minute.  Would an emotional chiropractor be a therapist?! :-/

• Family - I want to continue to spend quality time with Beth and Hannah. I want to continue to grow them emotionally and spiritually.   I also want to take more time with husband - I have no idea how or why he puts up with me!?  The man needs major TLC after my bad days, let me tell you!
• Taking care of my family means my people, yes, but also means my house.  I can't let it go to shot, but this one doesn't take precedence over my people.  People first.  Things later.  That's my new mantra...
• Spiritual - My God comes first. He has to.  He's the one that gives me the strength and ability to care for my family.  It's best for them that He come first, so I have to remember to keep Him there because I'm constantly getting this one screwed up!  This means quiet time must happen first thing in the morning - which is why my alarm goes off at 5am these days.  If I don't get my devotional/worship time in before everyone starts to wake up and we make preparations to get out the door, then it doesn't happen.  And as I said, I MUST HAVE MY QUIET TIME! Balance here means balance with my family, with my church, with my job.
• My job - Balance here is, well, difficult at best.  There are a million and one things that pull at a teacher's attention and time (and that's no exaggeration). Yep, no hyperbole here folks!  So, I made decisions like not checking work e-mail at home, not taking grading home, and not going to more than one speech and debate tournament a month.  In January, we even cut back on speech practice from Tuesdays and Thursdays to just Tuesdays - at this point, they know what they need to do to be successful without so much direct coaching from me. 
• note - These decisions I made concerning my job, well, I have to be somewhat flexible here.  Sometimes, deadlines come up and I have to take work home and I have to check my e-mail.  And sometimes, there are more than one important speech and debate tournaments that I have to go to in a month.  However, sometimes, is okay. Right?  It's just going to have to be...
• Me - There are times I need me time. Like now when I need to get all of this out of my head and onto a page.  Or when I need to get my toes done.  Or my hair. Or when I need a shopping excursion with my chicas.  I've got to remember to help me out at times too.

So, that's it.

Yeah, that's a lot.  But, that's my life - there's a lot to it.  And for that, I am grateful. If these are my biggest worries in this life, I am truly blessed.  We're healthy, happy, a roof over our heads and food on the table - happy.  There are many who can't say that in this life.

Thank you Jesus for my blessings, and thank you for new year's resolutions... um, goals.  GOALS! ;-)

Have a great Christmas!

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

 ¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.
 ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
 ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
 ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
 ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
 ²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Keep Living

I have a new obsession.  Grey's Anatomy.

And thanks to Netflix, I've been cruising through the seasons of this hit TV show at a steady pace.

I have to stop and ask myself, "Self.  Why do you LOVE watching this show?!"

It is NOT what a Christian should love to watch. No. No. It is filled with adulterous sex and an alarming amount of fornication. It's kinda disturbing. No, it is disturbing.

However, in between all the sexual encounters, they try their best to live their lives.  Their lives filled with adversity and tragedy and ... well, a whole lot.  And while they are living their lives, they live. 

At the end of each episode, a character spouts some maxim about life - life.  And, I love it.  And, I keep watching.  Because despite adversity and tragedy and... well, a whole lot... life is, and can be, beautiful.

A few days ago, one of the  workers at Beth and Hannah's preschool/daycare lost her husband in a tragic car accident.  They have two girls -  a five year old and a three week old.  Yes, you read that right - a baby just born a few weeks ago.  And Christmas is approaching.  And her life right now is painful, it's tragic, it's probably overwhelming her.  I bet if I were in her shoes, the last thing I would be thinking right now is that life is, and can be, beautiful.  But as BLMs (baby loss mommas), we know it - that life is, can be, beautiful.  That - despite the tragedies - it can be beautiful again.  Yes, it is also true that life can be painful and tragic, but it can be beautiful. 

It's the world's most oxymoronic paradox.

This sounds so stupid, so cliche and heartless, but it is true.  When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.  It's the only way to keep moving forward.  To keep living. To keep breathing. To make it through angelversaries, and sad holidays, and broken dreams.

Keep. Living.

Live.

And whatever comes, comes.  We can't control that.  So don't worry about it.  Just. Live.  And why? Because He - Jesus - lived for us.  He lived.  And, He died so that we might live.  How could we do any less?

I guess that's why I like watching Grey's Anatomy.  Because at the end of each episode, that's what they do.  They keep living.

Enjoy.......

Merry Christmas!