But as long as you are with me, there's no place I'd rather be

Tippets Family New Years Resolutions 2014

1. Spiritual- Read our scriptures over breakfast instead of at bedtime. Because I work 3-5 nights a week I miss family scripture study and that just isn't acceptable anymore. I think I'm gonna make some cheesy sign like "A scripture a day keeps satan at bay" to post on the fridge as a reminder for the more forgetful members of the family.

2. Physical- Less processed snacks. Hopefully only one a day (saved for on the go, car emergency/dr office type situations) Cary and I are very mindful to eat at least 5 fruits and veggies a day, and eat healthy balanced meals as much as possible. The children, however, do not share our affinity for healthy eats and as long as there is processed anything in the house they hold out for it. So it's gotta go. If there's only healthy snacks available... in theory that's what they'll eat. Or become crazy beggars at the playground--DON'T GIVE THEM GOLDFISH! I SWEAR I FEED THEM OR AT LEAST OFFER FOOD.

3. Mental- Less screen time. I know I'm a broken record with this one, but Cary and I really think we can benefit from less screen time, kids especially (we're probably the only people in the U.S. who think so). We no longer have tv (harder to let go of than I expected), but we definitely want to be more mindful of putting our phones away while the kids are awake and being "present." We want to teach them how to interact with people, be good listeners, be active and play. I'm sure they'll make up for their late start with technology once they get to school.

4. Social- Visit 5 new places as a family. With only 1.5 years until graduation and the possibility of leaving NC we definitely want to have experienced the fun things available around us.

If you have any fun places to visit or tips on the other goals, let me know!

Over and out.

Who's gonna stop me on the road to success

Happy New Years!

(I operate on toddler standard time... meaning somethings might sometimes get done, occasionally)

And so I bring you my New Years Resolutions a week late...

1. Spiritual Goal: Clean up my language. Quit cussing. Yes, I have gotten into a nasty habit of using (only) the biblical cuss words and have even had my 3 year old repeat one such word when she was really frustrated. Not a proud mom moment. I also need to stop saying negative things about the kids when they're in earshot, or ever (well except to Cary). Sometimes, as a mom you complain to your friends and I think that can be really damaging for the kids so I definitely want to stop that.

2. Physical:  Go to bed by 10:30 at least 4 nights a week. (I can't do weekends because I usually get home from work at 11). Currently I go to bed between 11 and 12, and am ALWAYS exhausted. Yes, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that Tucker STILL does not sleep through the night, but I can't control Tucker (apparently) so the best I can do is go to bed earlier

Run a 5k in under 25 minutes. Just wanted something that motivates me to do something besides Insanity, and running fits my budget. Let me know if there's an awesome 5k I should sign up for!

3. Mental: Focus on teaching my children pre-school skills. Zoey's a smart cookie and I've let myself get lazy because she a) generally learns things herself b) we butt heads when I try to teach her, but I can definitely provide more opportunities and more focused activities each day. My goal is to start doing this during nap time 3 days a week.

4. Social: Help my friends more often. This is hard to measure and doesn't follow my usual advice for picking a SMART goal so it's achievable. However, I sometimes shy away from helping friends because it is really hard to do with 2 toddlers. So I want to be more cognizant of when my friends express needs, could use babysitting swaps, or any other way I can step up and be of help to lighten their loads. 

          

Ta-da! I finally decided and wrote my goals down.

Also... hopefully tomorrow I blog about our family resolutions!

Yes! I love goals so much I forced the family to participate in resoluting with me!