Happy New Year! Don’t you just love the way NEW feels?.........new clothes, new friends, new attitude, new kind of coffee creamer, and of course new year. I just wish that we could bottle this feeling and stretch out for the entire year. Usually by about February I have forgotten all of those self-promises and fallen back into old habits. However, after my 30-day “Bruce” challenge with the diet dr. pepper, I am feeling strong. The Smart family made some resolutions, but with a 30-day expiration so that February can be a month of empowerment as we make decisions to continue our new habits or not.
Here are some of what The Smart’s are going to be up to for this month…..
We finally got our “privilege” chart completed for the kids. We have been using this concept with them for a couple of months now, but were all over the place with it. I was feeling overwhelmed when the holidays hit so one day it finally smacked me in the head that our kids were old enough to do more around the house. I started giving them tally marks for chores completed, good behavior, manners, etc. They also can lose points if they get in trouble at school, misbehave at home, or leave messes. They can trade those “points” in for privileges like sleepovers, play dates, or dates with a parent. Anyway, now we have a system that we all agree on and we are looking forward to putting it in place.
Rocky and I always pray with our kids at night before bed. We talk about what we are thankful for; who we know that is hurting, or anything else that we want to talk to God about. We USED to get up before the kids every morning and pray together as a couple. We somehow got away from that this past year. We have re-committed to that again. My sweet friend Neva gave me a great suggestion that we will use. Each of the seven days of the week will be a day of special prayer for a different reason. Example: Monday – Ashlynn, Tuesday – Rylan, Wednesday – Friends, Thrusday – Extended family, etc.
The kids had some interesting resolutions, too. Ashlynn committed to less drama. All I will say is that if you have a pre-teen girl then you will completely understand why I LOVE this one. Rylan decided that he should go to the movie “featers” (theaters) more often. We added this to our privilege chart as one of the rewards. I don’t want the boy to not accomplish his goal…..:)
I actually love to read other people’s resolutions. I also love reality TV. Maybe because it makes me feel more normal or because it shows me what other people see as priorities. Whatever the reason, it is fun! What are your resolutions?
Here are some of what The Smart’s are going to be up to for this month…..
We finally got our “privilege” chart completed for the kids. We have been using this concept with them for a couple of months now, but were all over the place with it. I was feeling overwhelmed when the holidays hit so one day it finally smacked me in the head that our kids were old enough to do more around the house. I started giving them tally marks for chores completed, good behavior, manners, etc. They also can lose points if they get in trouble at school, misbehave at home, or leave messes. They can trade those “points” in for privileges like sleepovers, play dates, or dates with a parent. Anyway, now we have a system that we all agree on and we are looking forward to putting it in place.
Rocky and I always pray with our kids at night before bed. We talk about what we are thankful for; who we know that is hurting, or anything else that we want to talk to God about. We USED to get up before the kids every morning and pray together as a couple. We somehow got away from that this past year. We have re-committed to that again. My sweet friend Neva gave me a great suggestion that we will use. Each of the seven days of the week will be a day of special prayer for a different reason. Example: Monday – Ashlynn, Tuesday – Rylan, Wednesday – Friends, Thrusday – Extended family, etc.
The kids had some interesting resolutions, too. Ashlynn committed to less drama. All I will say is that if you have a pre-teen girl then you will completely understand why I LOVE this one. Rylan decided that he should go to the movie “featers” (theaters) more often. We added this to our privilege chart as one of the rewards. I don’t want the boy to not accomplish his goal…..:)
I actually love to read other people’s resolutions. I also love reality TV. Maybe because it makes me feel more normal or because it shows me what other people see as priorities. Whatever the reason, it is fun! What are your resolutions?
1 comment:
Love it! You're a great mom! I really like the daily prayer idea too! Hope to see you soon! Come by the store if you're in town. And have a GREAT 2009!!!
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