Back to School

We are back in the swing of things around here now that school has been back in session for two weeks, so I thought now would be a good time to TRY to start blogging again. Once again, I can't promise I will keep it up.

My Lucy is in first grade this year and this is her first experience with "all day school". Here are a few first day pics!

In Pre-K she was finished at 11:15 and in kindergarten she got out at 12:15. So this getting out at 2:40 thing has been an adjustment for all of us. I've had to put Abby down her a nap earlier so she'll be finished by the time we need to leave to pick Lucy up from school. Thankfully, this has been a very easy adjustment.

Lucy is dancing again this year, and Abby will start next week. We have also added soccer to the mix for Lucy. She has been begging to play for about three years and we finally gave in and are letting her do two activities. She was beyond excited to go to her first practice last week.

On top of that, Michael and I are back in school too! We are both taking online classes through the college Michael attended after high school. So far it's going great.

We are looking forward to an exciting year for all four of us!

Love More. Eat Less. Live Better.

New Year's resolutions....can anyone honestly tell me that they have ever stuck to one for an entire year? I certainly haven't. At best, maybe three or four months. That said, I think a new year is a perfect time to try to start a life change. Otherwise, I'd keep saying, "Maybe I'll start on Monday....."

This year I have resolved to do a few things. In no particular order, here they are:

1. LOSE WEIGHT/EAT LESS. This is the one resolution I've made in the past that I've actually been successful at for more than a week. But I've never been able to keep the weight off long term. A long term solution to my weight problem, I know, is simply making better choices- controlling portions, getting active, and choosing a bowl of chicken tortilla soup at Chick-Fil-A instead of a chicken sandwich value meal- UPSIZED OF COURSE! :( I am one of those people who believes that food makes everything better. If I'm bored, I eat. If I'm sad, I eat. If I'm alone, I eat. And that has to stop. A friend of mine, who has lost over 50 pounds since July, told me that she asks herself- "Why am I eating?" If it's not to satisfy hunger, she doesn't eat. That is my goal this year. To stop looking at food as the focal point of every life event- even the little ones. To eat for one reason- because I have to eat to live. I will never stop enjoying food, but I have to stop indulging.

2. LOVE MORE. I resolve to stop judging other people's choices and to LOVE people like Christ loves me. I feel like I'm getting better about this, but I still have a long way to go. I want my children to be compassionate people, and they won't know how without an example.

3. PRAY WITH LUCY EVERY MORNING BEFORE SHE GOES TO SCHOOL. This one actually just came to me this morning. Today was the first day Lucy has had to go to school since the shooting in Connecticut. I hugged her way more than I normally do before sending her off to school- and I'm a hugger on a regular day. I decided that the only way I could send her to school without being a nervous wreck all day was to pray. So I asked her to join me. She has no idea what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary, thank God, but we prayed together that God would watch over her, her classmates, and her teacher. This is something we should have been doing every morning anyway...it's sad that it took a tragedy to remind me how important this is.

4. LIVE BETTER. I think the three things above will help me accomplish this goal. If I do all these things, I will be healthier, happier, and more at peace......LIVING BETTER.