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Monday, January 4, 2010

New Years Artcile for Brighton Blade

How can it be that New Year’s is right around the corner? Didn’t 2009 just start? How is it that when I was 12 it took 10 years to get to 13 to be a teenager but now the days are flying by and next thing you know my own children turning teenagers is right on the horizon?

I read a quote in Reader’s Digest many years ago that said something to the effect of “when you have children the days can seem endless but the years fly by.” My first child was an infant when I read that and my days absolutely seemed endless. I didn’t get, until now, how fast the years would really fly though.

It’s New Year’s Resolution time. I made a resolution a couple of years ago to read through the Bible in a year and I actually did. This year I was going to stop using credit cards and use cash only. I failed after a week! However, I ended the year by taking Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University and cut up all of my credit cards and do really only use cash now. So, while there was a hiccup, I did ultimately complete the resolution.

The problem is, once I started actually completing the resolutions, I have to now be much more careful about what I’m going to say. I mean I don’t want to say that I want to get back into shape and then have to spend a whole year working out…that would suck! I’m not going to give up my beloved fountain cokes and then really have to give them up for a year!

Also, with the years going by as quickly as they seem to be and my children growing up way too fast, I have to prioritize. I like picking a resolution that will make a lasting change in my life. I want something that will grow me and my character and that I’ll feel empowered by. It has to be hard enough that I have to discipline myself to complete it but easy enough that it can actually be done.

2010 will be a big year for the Clinton house. Our youngest child will turn five and start Kindergarten. My oldest will be in her last year of Elementary School. We are taking a family trip to Zion National Park in Utah and Disneyland in California. It will be another year of growing and my children becoming ever more independent. But the truth is, every year is a big year, every year my children are becoming more independent and every year my family is my only focus.

So, this year I am going to try to find balance. I will always put my children at the top of my list. However, this year I am going to put more emphasis on two things: my husband and myself. This year I resolve to love my husband like never before and make sure our marriage doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. I also resolve to try new things for me. Let’s face it, the kids are going to grow up and I need to have something that I like doing. So, while the kids are away, this mama is going to play and find herself a hobby!

Happy New Year!!

So....blog readers...what are your resolutions for 2010??

1 comment:

JulesB said...

What an encouraging, a little sad, but encouraging article! Love that statement about the days lasting but the years flying by.