Bye-Bye 2010....Happy New Year

Well, the end of the year is at hand.
As always, it brings up nostalgic thoughts. Assessments. Decisions. Planning.
I can't say I'm not happy to see 2010 go BUT at the same time, it means my babies are another year older that I don't want to accept and I don't want to look forward to Kindergarten for my youngest and the loss of those stay-at-home, play-with-your-little-ones years. That's a very sad part for me and I yearn for it already.
Ok...moving on! I will very soon be bawling if I don't move on.

2010 brought us:
-move from Tiger cub scout to Wolf cub scout
-5 day per week preschool
-Matthew's loss of training wheels
-Patrick's first bike
-our lowest point economically to date
-I taught my firsts VBS
-our family's road trip to D.C.
-I began first job in 8 years
-couponing entered our lives!
-closer to God
-I taught my first baptism class
-began a Family Ministry at church
-Led a book discussion group for parents at school
-substituted for the first time!
-grew closer with my husband
-became experienced campers

What will 2011 bring?
Here are my hopes:
-Matthew will learn to tie his shoes
-Matthew's 1st reconciliation & 1st holy communion
-regular confession for 3 out of 4 in our family
-Lenten celebration for the Family Ministry & an even better Advent celebration
-Job/salary shift in the UP position for me at school!
-regular work for hubby
-continued downsizing of "things" in our lives (presents, importance placed on things, etc.)
-financial improvement/security
-good health
-a handle on household cleaning, organizing, decluttering
-improved planning for holidays/birthdays/celebrations
-more crafting/sewing
-improved skills at work
-improved patience & skills as a parent
-marriage encounter
-better meal planning/cooking ahead

God please grant us peace, patience, guidance, understanding throughout this upcoming year. Please bless us with health, safety & please help us make enough money to pay our bills, stay in our home & remain at our school. Please help us keep you in the center of our home & family at all times. May all the angels, saints & our dearly departed please pray for us. Amen.

Life Lesson #5

Life Lesson #5

Time is a gift.
Use it or lose it, but it's a gift with an expiration date.
If I spend all my time in a hurried frenzy trying to achieve some ridiculous ideal or recapture something I used to do (or be....or look like), then that gift of time is going to be expiring sitting on the shelf.
The gift of time is right now. this moment. today. this Christmas. this weekend. this vacation. this year. It's all of it.
Working for a school I get the 2 weeks of Christmas vacation off, just like my kids.
I spent the first week of that vacation shuffling crap from one room to another, cleaning, overthinking, worrying about cards to mail, gifts to buy, money to budget, wrapping, errands, hustling about. I wasted. I lost. I missed that whole week. I didn't do the things I had really wanted to do.
What an idiot.
I made the most common blunder of all.
Not seeing the forest through the trees.
I was so busy doing what I thought was preparing for the season that I missed that whole week OF the season.
Now I'm kicking myself & licking my wounds.

Time is a gift.
Don't forget it.
That's my Life Lesson this week.
Time is a gift