New Years Resolutions

I started thinking....what should my New Years Resolutions be this year? I came up with the old standbys - Lose weight, exercise more ( although I have already been doing those 2) I need to continue to do them, get my house organized clean my car. But then I thought....those are all about ME. What about things I can do in 2008 for others or to improve my relationships with others? So this is what I came up with.....

Resolutions for 2008

- to spend more time playing with my daughter and enjoying her before it is too late

- to listen more and talk less

- to be more purposeful in my relationships

- to reach out more and initiate interactions rather than waiting for people to come to me

- to take people at face value

- to plug in somewhere I can serve others

- control my temper and my words so that my daughter learns to be a more gentle spirit than her Mother

- judge less and forgive more

Have you thought about it yet???

What will your resolutions be for 2008???

Why???

So I went to the movies last night. I really wanted to see The Great Debaters...I think it looks good. But instead I was talked into seeing Alien vs. Predator. Don't get me wrong...I actually like Alien 1 and 2. So. it wasn't that hard to convince me.... Anyway, when we got there my first clue to HOW bad this movie was going to be was the size of the theater they put it in. I was at a huge theater so I thought it would be a big room. Ummmmm ...no. It was in the smallest theater ever!!! It maybe held 100 people, if that. So, I started getting a little worried..but then I thought, "how bad can it be?" The answer?.......REALLY BAD!!!! There was NO plot. I still don't know what it was about. All I could gather was that the Alien and the Predator basically both come to Earth to fight each other and kill anyone that kinda gets in their way. Usually though, even these kind of movies draw the line at killing children. NOT THIS ONE!!! They even kill babies in the nursery at a hospital. Why do people pay to see this stuff????? I can't believe I did!!!

Thankfulness...

Last week a friend of mine wrote a blog entry about being thankful. I felt a tug then to write down what I was thankful for, but then never did. Then, yesterday at church the message was about being thankful and how God loves when we are thankful for what he gives us. I am very thankful for so many things in my life and thought I should finally take the time to jot them down. So ....here goes:


I am thankful for my husband- although we have our moments....he is a GREAT husband and father and trys so very hard to keep me happy. Which for those of you who know me well.... you know that this is NOT an easy task. I am blessed to have such a loving , caring husband. Thank you God for Tim !!!


I am thankful for my daughter - I have known since I was a little girl that I was going to be the mother of ONE little girl. I don't know why...but God planted that seed early and it stuck with me. When I got pregnant I bought girl bedding right away. Everyone said I should wait....but I knew. I love Emma with all my heart and all my soul. She is everything that is right, rolled up into a beautiful little girl and I get the priviledge of loving and taking care of her everyday. Thank you God for Emma!!!

I am thankful for my Mother and Father- Who knew my parents would be such GREAT grandparents??? They love Emma so much and she loves them. We are blessed.

I am thankful for my friends - I used to think that I only needed one or two good friends. But as I get older, I realize that I not only like having lots of good friends....but I NEED them. I am so very fortunate to have such great girlfriends.

I am thankful for my sister-in-law- I am so lucky to have someone who can understand my life like she does. When the secrect is too dark to tell ....I can tell her. Thank you God for Stacey!!

I am thankful for my job - I have the BEST job in the whole world. My boss is so very generous to me. He truly cares .....my life would be so different without him in it giving me guidance along the way.

I am thankful for my life - God has done so many wonderful things in my life. It hasn't always been easy....but HE has always seen me through it and I know that He always will.

What's a mother to do??

For the most part Emma is doing well adjusting to going to school 5 days a week. We have had a few little problems...but not too bad. There was the sticking the tongue out at her friend day (2x) and the I won't get out of the car without my purse stuffed with toys day. But nothing horrible. She had actually managed to go 9 whole days without having her name put on the "sad" side of the board......until today. So, I picked Emma up from school today and usually the first thing she says is " Mommy, Mommy I didn't get on the sad side today." But today????? Not a word. So, I say " Emma, how was school today?" She starts crying and says " please don't tell Daddy". So as it turns out, today at PE, there was a little problem. Apparently, this is the 4 year old version, Avery wanted to be in her "club" and Emma did not want her to be, so she told her no. Then Avery tells the teacher Emma won't let her be in her club. The teacher tells Avery not to tattle. So, Avery asks her again. Again, Emma says no...of course. Avery goes back to the teacher and tattles. The teacher then tells Avery she has to sit in time out for disobeying her. So, get this. While Avery is in time out, she is talking to the other children. Emma tells Avery that she is not supposed to be talking while she is in time out. Bossy little thing.....where does she get this from??? So, Avery continues to talk. So what do you think Emma did???? She told the teacher. So, then there Emma was....in time out....next to Avery...for doing the exact same thing. Helloooooo....were we not paying attention?? Does she think that the rules apply to everyone else and not her??? So, being the horrible Mother I am, I laugh. I am sorry, but I think that is pretty funny. She so deserved her punishment!!! Emma didn't think it was funny and didn't appreciate me laughing. Like they say my sweet Emma....what comes around, goes around. So, what's a Mother to do??? Laugh? Punish? I always pray that if Emma does something wrong, she will be found out right away and that the punishment it swift. I don't want her to ever think that she has gotten away with something, even if only briefly. I want her to always think " it just isn't worth it....".
So, what would you have done????

Losing Weight = Tuition for my Daughter

My daughter goes to a private school in Plano. It is WAY out of range for us financially. I was very fortunate to be able to run a golf tournament last year that ended up paying all the tuition for this year. Since then....I have worried EVERY DAY about how we will pay for tuition next year, and the next year and the next year. I know that God says not to worry about tomorrow because tomorow has enough worries of it's own....but I have to tell you, I don't do that one very well. I try not to and then find myself doing it again.

So rewind to 2 Friday's ago. My boss and I are having a "discussion" about how I don't feel appreciated and about how I haven't had a raise in 6 years. ( yes, you read that right) Granted I do work less hours now than I used to , so I guess that kinda makes up for the raise. But sometimes I just feel like whinning. Anyhoo...so in the midst of this discussion. He says that he will make me a deal. He is always on me about my weight. So, he says that IF I will lose weight he will pay Emma's tuition. Not just next year, but through high school. HELLOOOOOO!!!! How can I NOT do this????? How could I possibly look my daughter in the eye someday and say "sorry Emma, you could have had this great Christian education , but Mommy decided to be fat instead." So, I MUST lose weight!!!!
To get things going I decided to join a "Boot Camp". I was doing water Aerobics this summer and the lady that taught that started the boot camp. It is for 6 weeks and so far so good. I have only had one bad day so far. Well, it was week one....but still. Wednesday was a killer. I did 2 hours in the pool that night. Only 2 of us showed up that night so we had her undivided attention. NOT GOOD!!! Yep, she nearly killed me. I even had to get up in the middle of the night to soak in a hot bath and take some Advil. You know it is bad when it hurts to lay in bed. I am going to stick with it though. I hope I finally do it this time. The stakes are high and I need to do this for Emma.

A Place for me

So, I have a blog that is mainly for my Daughter. I post pictures and report about the things that she does, but not really about me and what is going on with our family. So, I decided that I wanted a place for me too. Where I can write about how I feel and what is going with all of us. Of course, my daughter is a HUGE part of that.... but I just felt like I would like to have a place for me.