Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everybody!

I don't normally make New Year's resolutions, but this one I've been wanting to do for a long time and I think if I make it public it will make me more accountable.

I want to read through the Bible in one year.

I have never actually done this. As a matter of fact, I cannot say with any certainty that I have ever read through the entire Bible. Rather embarrassing to admit actually. So, I am committing to doing this.

There are several different read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year programs out there and I have decided to do this one. I like it because you read something from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs every day! They also have a neat feature where you can enter your own start date - which means there's no reason to wait till 2010!

I have a few other goals as well - like finishing off that baby weight loss, getting more organized (Flylady is helping with that), being on the computer less and improving in my role as a mother to my wonderful four children and as a wife to my amazing husband.

I want to be more pro-active and less re-active in my parenting.

I want to be even more intentional about teaching them what a relationship with Jesus is all about.

I want to allow myself to be the fun parent sometimes too - I need to realize that playing with my kids counts as getting stuff done!

So, what are your New Year's resolutions?

Routines for Kids

Taking inspiration from Pam's blog and how she's such a mean mom, I mixed in a little Flylady and decided it was time to make up routines for our kids to follow. They were really excited about it. I let them pick out their colours and stuff. This is sort of what they look like - in real life there are also pink boxes around all of Emma's routine, etc. I used Blogger for Word to put my file on here so that's why it's a bit messed up. Sophia & Olivia's routines are in pictures because they can't read yet. I can't figure out how to get the pictures to work too, so I guess I'll have to take a picture of their and post it later. Here's Emma's Routine....

Emma's Routine

Monday Morning		Tuesday Morning		Wednesday Morning		Thursday Morning	Friday Morning	Saturday Morning	Sunday Morning
Get dressed and tidy closet		Get dressed and tidy closet		Get dressed and tidy closet		Get dressed and tidy closet	Get dressed and tidy closet	Get dressed and tidy closet	Get dressed and tidy closet
Make bed		Make bed		Make bed		Make bed	Make bed	Make bed	Make bed
Fill water bottle and pack lunch bag		Fill water bottle and pack lunch bag		Fill water bottle and pack lunch bag		Fill water bottle and pack lunch bag	Fill water bottle and pack lunch bag
Brush teeth		Brush teeth		Brush teeth		Brush teeth	Brush teeth	Brush teeth	Brush teeth
Swish toilet, wipe bathroom mirror		Swish toilet, wipe sink and countertop		Swish toilet, wipe bathroom mirror		Swish toilet, wipe sink and countertop	Swish toilet, wipe bathroom mirror	Swish toilet, wipe sink and countertop	Swish toilet, wipe bathroom mirror

Monday Afternoon	Tuesday Afternoon	Wednesday Afternoon	Thursday Afternoon	Friday Afternoon	Saturday Afternoon	Sunday Afternoon
Go through backpack with Mom	Go through backpack with Mom	Go through backpack with Mom	Go through backpack with Mom	Go through backpack with Mom	Sweep and mop floors in living area
Clean out and put away lunch bag	Clean out and put away lunch bag	Clean out and put away lunch bag	Clean out and put away lunch bag	Clean out and put away lunch bag	Storytime with Emma
Put away backpack and change clothes	Put away backpack and change clothes	Put away backpack and change clothes	Put away backpack and change clothes	Put away backpack and change clothes	Take turns cleaning ONE of these: dresser or closet or bed or floor
Snack!	Snack!	Snack!	Snack!	Snack!
Practice piano	Practice piano	Practice piano	Practice piano	Practice piano
Do homework	Do homework	Do homework	Do homework	Do homework

Monday Evening	Tuesday Evening	Wednesday Evening	Thursday Evening	Friday Evening	Saturday Evening	Sunday Evening
Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom
Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow
Brush teeth	Shower, brush teeth	Brush teeth	Shower, brush teeth	Brush teeth	Shower, brush teeth	Brush teeth