Lessons while making Potato Soup and belated New Year's Resolutions

Today, as I prepared dinner which was one of our family favorites, Potato Cheese Soup, I was thinking about blogging as I often do, believe it or not, so I knew it's about time I broke the ice on this blog and wrote something even anything! As many of you, I have been invaded by the business of living my life. So, anyway, here's a little update about my life currently:
I tend and care for my own children and I'm currently running a small daycare on the side. I have one full time little boy and several part time with Tuesdays and Friday's now being my busiest days. It has been such a learning experience for me in caring for these children but I am actually learning a lot from them!

During the week, it feels like I have twin boys as my son and the one I tend are the same age being only one month apart in their birthdate's. I have discovered a simple fact about children that I now realize can help with the dynamic of my approach to helping them grow up. A lot of times, it is traits that I sometimes find annoying in children that also tend to be wanted traits in people as adults. People who are driven, busy, high powered and make it possible to get things done around them seem to be desirable for being able to succeed. It's all about how I continue their approach to growing, learning and dealing with the problems children need to overcome. How I overcome a challenge is so much of the battle I face in my everyday life. Adjusting is necessary in so many of my situations. Finding the right adjustment to wield the power I have within me is important in helping development in a child. This has helped me and I give my best effort each day in small ways to work with each child I care for. Limits are set, consistent efforts and follow through are helpful, and a schedule. Each day I have a new opportunity to improve which I find, thankfully, I need to do this a lot. Starting a new day can be nice.
Another thing I have been doing this year is making an effort to write down my thoughts each day in a creative way using poetry, prose or through a story. I've found that I thoroughly enjoy writing micropoetry. This is often found on Twitter which means you are sharing poetry in 140 characters or less. I love this exercise which has challenged my brain and I feel it is fun!
Recently, a friend has encouraged me to write a novel in prose so this is a goal I've set for 2011 as well.
Another goal is to find a way for myself to get back to formal education. I'm enjoying looking into the opportunities that can be available to me but it will be a lot of hard work. I finally feel that I am ready for this challenge.
Also, I've been making huge efforts to keep my house tidier this year. I think I do better and life runs a bit smoother when I can feel better in my surroundings.
Last year, I did a lot of things and I'm sure that I acheived a lot but I didn't formally write out my goals out or even set them in a post as I did the previous year on this blog. So, I didn't feel I had anything to gauge my success with so in the end I feel I have missed out on that in 2010. This year, I want to see my progress and how much I grow so that's why I decided that it's better now than not at all to set some New Year Resolutions and I thought of all of this, and so much more, while making potato soup today.

Here's a re-cap of my goals this year:

1. Continue to maintain and improve my efforts in dealing with my children and others on a daily basis. Make efforts to connect with them.

2. Write down my thoughts each day using a creative method. i.e., poetry, haiku, short story, prose, essay, etc...

3. Write a novel in prose.

4. Find a way to continue my formal education.

5. Keep my house tidy. Clean and organize too.

6. Read 25 books and write reviews for each.

7. Learn and improve speaking in another language as I'm a bit familiar with Spanish and German but know neither very well.

8. Continue my blogs. Don't re-invent but continue each one to the best of my ability. Let's face it - I like each one too much to give it up entirely. Goal: 2 blog posts per week.

9. Work on staying in touch better with my brothers, sisters and in-laws. Simple acts of kindness through e-mail, letters, facebook, phone calls and blogs. Work on family history projects and see if they'd like to as well.

10. Continue to develop my artistic abilities in papercrafting, scrapbooking, and rubber stamping.

2009 Looking Forward

A New Year is here again! Here I go pondering about my life and I'm looking forward with some new goals for 2009:

1) I plan on reading 25 books and posting the book reviews on 5-squared. I broke it down to 2 per month with an extra book thrown in one of those months. I plan to attend, as consistently as I'm able, the Classic Lit. book group and Focus book group and these reading selections will help me achieve this goal.

2) I plan on writing one personal story from my life each month and mailing it to my sister, Bonnie. I would like my sister to get to know me better and I'd like to record bits and pieces from my life. I would also like to include writing a poem here and there as well. (10 poems/12 stories)

3) I plan on continuing to make tote bags for people. I would also like to use re-usable tote bags at the grocery store and get in this habit of becoming more eco-friendly.

4) I plan on helping my children learn some basic conversational Spanish, having regular trips to the library with them and scheduled reading time too. Also, I'd like to help them learn their math skills better, esp. multiplication facts, including re-memorizing some myself.

5) I plan on going on a walk every day. I'd like to be ready to participate in the "Light the Night" Walk or the "Walk Now for Autism."

6) I plan on reading the scriptures for the Sunday School lessons for church. Teachings are from the Doctrine and Covenants this year. Our Heritage is suggested to be read along with this, so I'll read this too. I would also like to read these chapters from the Holy Bible in Genesis, Pslams/Proverbs, Job and the Four Gospels.

I'll update and re-evaluate my progress, even if just to myself, from time to time.

When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life.
~Greg Anderson

Timothy T.C. So wrote this great article on setting goals - Check it out!

2008 In Review

In the beginning of 2008, I don't remember a whole lot since I had my baby, Noah, in Oct. '07 and I think I was still recovering with that somewhat into the first part of the year. I know I thought about goals, since I usually do at this time of the year, but I can't find my journal entry or sticky piece of paper or wherever I may have written my '08 goals. So, I'll do my best to see what I can remember. I think my year really started to be a bit better in April of '08 - thanks to a re-evaluation, started to blog and some encouragement from my friends too.

1) I do remember making some sort of weight-loss goal. I'm embarrassed but the truth is I didn't stick with it at all. I tried a little bit on my own and created a SparkPage at SparkPeople.com. I had good intentions but didn't bring them to action so I'll have to re-evaluate for '09.

2) I had a writing goal and I attended a few writing groups as I could throughout the year. Although, I didn't get my novel written or any super great stories, I did manage to write a couple handfuls, or a bit more of poetry. I do like the poems I have written this year.
Also, I participated, in March, as a guest editor to the San Antonio Express News. I read & chose some poems that others had written for print in the paper. I really learned a lot. It was a good experience.

3) I made a goal to read more books. I continued taking part as I could in the Classic Literature Book Group at my local library. My friend, Amanda, is the moderator for the group and she does a great job so I enjoy this book group. I plan to continue next year.
In April, she set up an amazing book review blog called 5-squared and she invited me to participate in reading books and writing the book reviews on the blog. Personally, I was flattered for the invitation and this inspired my reading goal. My goal was 17 books last year and I have 15 posted on there right now. I have one last book review to write for '08 and that will be 16/17 books for me! I'm happy about that! (Jared , I did make your challenge of 8 books!)

4) I can't remember my original art, scrapbook or craft goals but I did end up learning some new skills and doing a few projects. I've enjoyed a bit of rubber stamping, beading, and sewing. I've posted most of that here on this blog.
The highlight of my craft projects this year would have to be the tote bags that my brother-in-law, Nathan taught me how to make. I was amazed at how quite a few things I had learned about sewing in my childhood, from my watching or helping my mother, came right back to me. I completed 5 tote bags, with Nathan's help, and I have 4 others in the works. Perhaps, I'll post a sneak peak later.

5) I've been participating in a Joy School for Gracie this year too. We've had some fun times and it has been so fun! I'll post our Halloween picture and what we made thanks to my sister, Bonnie and her fabulous idea to make the ghosts!

Sure, I have things to improve upon but I did accomplish some things. I'm sure as I keep thinking about '08, I might remember even more. All in all, I did alright! Here's to bigger and better things in '09!