Come January 1st, like many others, God uses the start of a new year to inspire a few goals for my future.
As a believer, I do think that we should always be making resolutions – always seeking ways to resolve to be more like Him.
But even still, each New Year has had a special place in my heart as I’ve seen how God has been faithful to make my resolutions come true (in one way or another!).
I wanted to share some resolutions from recent years with you…
New Year’s Eve 2007: By the end of 2007 the Happy Hubby and I were weathered soldiers on the journey of infertility. It had been a rough few years of doctors and tests and seeing lots of friends have babies while my own womb stayed empty. You can read more about that HERE. But I could sense God stirring some things in my heart as we prepared for 2008 – some convictions, life-style changes, that I knew He wanted me to surrender.
For 2008 I resolved three things.
- Get more fat in my diet.
- Be less busy.
- Get my booty in a Bible study.
The first resolution was because I had been wrestling with an eating disorder since my Middle School days. You can read more about that HERE. But I knew that God wanted me to give that issue to Him – and one way to do that was to introduce some more “fattening” foods to my diet (and I’m not saying that I resolved to eat cookies all day :-), I resolved to not fear the cookies or cakes or the good fats like avocado and salmon).
The second resolution was because I have a hard time saying NO. Can anyone relate? 🙂 I love people and I love serving and I love doing! The Happy Hubby is always laughing at me when I get up in the middle of a movie to fold laundry or reorganize a closet. But at that particular season of my life I felt so tired. I knew that my body needed some rest – some time away from all the activities and events.
The third resolution was one that I needed for my spirit. I just needed some good old fashioned fellowship with other lady believers who could encourage me in God’s ways. So, I called up my mother-in-law and she agreed to meet with me once a week to pray and to share with me from her fountain of God-given wisdom.
Well, those three resolutions added up to some pretty awesome results! 2008 was the year we finally got pregnant! And I’m not kidding when I say that I truly believe that those three resolutions – and by the power and grace of God – had everything to do with our miracle.
New Year’s Eve 2008: My resolution for 2009 was pretty simple. I wanted to have a natural birth. You can hear all about how that turned out HERE.
New Year’s Eve 2009: My 2 resolutions for 2010 were to…
1. Try to find a Literary Agent to represent a children’s book that I have been working on (I am in the process of chatting with someone right now about it! Prayers, please! :-)).
2. Get my booty in a Bible Study. How quickly we let go of the things that are the most beneficial! God knew I needed it, so this time, my mother-in-law called ME and we (her, me, and my two sister-in-loves) have been doing the Beth Moore Breaking Free study for the last 5 months. One word – AMAZING. If you haven’t done that study – YOU NEED TO.
Just my two cents. 🙂
And finally…
Here we are on the 4th day of 2011 and I wanted to tell you what I’ve resolved to do this year…
1. Meal plan. Oh, Happy Home Friends. How I have struggled to be consistent in feeding my family! And what has happened is that the Happy Buddy now won’t eat anything but baby food. If it’s not pureed, he won’t eat it. Well, purees and Cheddar Bunnies. This is kind of like the Sippy Cup issue where I have been so anxious that the Happy Buddy’s going to be eating purees until he is an adult.
In fact the other night the Happy Hubby was making me laugh my head off in bed because he was painting a picture of the Happy Buddy on his first date… sitting down to eat at a fancy restaurant with a beautiful girl… they study the menu for a few minutes… a server approaches and the Happy Buddy says, “She’ll have the filet mignon with roasted potatoes, and I’ll-” he stops mid-sentence, reaches into his pocket, pulls out an Earth’s Best jar of Sweet Potatoes and unscrews the lid, “Do you have a spoon?” 🙂
All that to say… I am resolving to make dinner every night (instead of winging it like I have been and then just giving the Happy Buddy his jars). I will be setting that dinner before our child. And that is it. No more baby food.
I guess instead of Meal Planning what it really is is me toughening up – not going the easy route just because that’s what the Happy Buddy wants. I need to do what I think is best for him and our family (those jars are EXPENSIVE).
I am not even kidding when I show you what I made and hung over the Happy Buddy’s high chair…
It sounds so easy on a blog post! But seriously, I am not even kidding when I tell you that this kid went an entire day without eating because he just didn’t want to eat the turkey I had placed before him. He won’t even eat pancakes! What kid doesn’t like pancakes?! Oh, how I pray that he will learn to enjoy big-people food and not stubbornly sit there eating nothing and wasting away into a Happy Buddy Bag of Bones!
Maybe I should resolve to be less dramatic… 🙂
2. My second resolution for 2011 is to Date my Mate more. Pre-baby we dated once a week – no exceptions. Post-baby… we’re lucky if we get a date once a month! Yes, we do lots of fun things at home after the Happy Buddy is asleep, but we’re talking going out – painting the town red, my friends! It’s hard to make it happen, but the Happy Hubby and I are determined to do it. It’s important!
A friend of mine says that she and her Happy Hubby take turns planning their dates. One week it is her turn, the next week it is his, etc. I’ve got all kinds of ideas!!!! I just hope that the Happy Hubby will agree to this. 🙂
3. The third thing I resolve to do for this new year is to get up every morning to spend time with God before the Happy Buddy wakes up. I have been working on this for the last couple of months and it is now my most treasured time of day. And it’s not like I am waking up at some nonsensical hour when the moon is still shining brightly over our Happy Home. Just twenty or thirty minutes before the Happy Buddy.
It helps so much to start the day getting filled up with His unfailing love (Psalm 90:14) – so that I don’t walk around all day expecting to get filled from everyone else (which usually ends in disappointment). It helps to start the day knowing that God will be my strength and help (Psalm 28:7) through the day’s ups and downs (which keeps me from bursting into tears when the Happy Buddy and I are having High Chair Battles).
The Happy Hubby and I are also planning on reading through the Bible this year. We got one of those special Bibles that divides the books and chapters into daily readings. We are really excited about this. We did it once before – the year we were engaged – and finished reading through the Bible on our honeymoon! It was a super neat victory. I definitely encourage it!
4. And my fourth resolution is to keep on filling this blog with lots and lots of fun ideas for you to use in your Happy Homes. Get ready for a magical year!
There they are, Happy Home Friends! I sure would love your prayers as I rest in Him to accomplish these goals for 2011!
I’d love to hear YOUR resolutions. I am always happy to pray for you on your journey. 🙂
May this year be one filled with the One who truly works the magic in our lives!
Happy New Year-ing! 🙂
“See, I am doing a new thing!” Isaiah 43:19
*If you are looking for another great post about New Year’s Resolutions from a Christian Mom go HERE.
I absolutely love this post your wrote. I am right with you on what you wrote. Especially the part about your little one only wanting to eat pureed baby food. I’m not sure how old you’re little guy is but my twin toddlers are going through EXACTLY the same issue.
Lord help us all.
Please keep us updated on how the eating goes. I know I need to do the same thing with my boys.
THanks for such a great post. I’m working on my new year goals this week- a few of them are exactly what you wrote for yours.
blessings to you!
Liz
Hey Julie –
I’ve been reading your blog since you started it… it’s super fun! Never officially joined because I don’t have any kids so it’s not exactly applicable yet, but I’m storing ideas!! Anyway…. for some reason I was thinking about this the other day… have you ever considered turning this blog into a weekly (or daily) TV show?! It could be huge! Or you could do it as a youtube channel or something… All equipment needed would be at coral ridge already. I just think it would be a really cool service to people outside of your current readership. 🙂 Plus, could be a big business later on… Think about it and keep up the good work 🙂
Kristin
Well, isn’t your blog about the cutest and neatest? First of all, how wonderful to meet you, you happy lady. Secondly, thank you for linking to me.
So much to comment on here but I’ll just highlight a few on the top of my mind:
1. I have three picky eaters. They DO grow out of it. My oldest is almost six and she is starting to really branch out. This too shall pass – just don’t make a big deal about it (this is the only thing they can control so if they see your feathers ruffled over it, they will go nuts…At least mine did…:)) But oh how I giggled over your husband’s prediction of his future date…
2. Here’s my phrase for the year: “Would love to, but I can’t.” Say it with me. Again. And again. And again. I will be saying it too…:)
3. I’m so sorry you have struggled with an eating disorder. I have not walked this path but have friends who have and I know this is not easy. You should visit Mama Hall – she is a dear and this is something she has experienced. http://www.mamahall.blogspot.com/
4. Finished Breaking Free in November – one of my readers called it “Open Heart Surgery”. So true. So wonderful. So real.
I’m thrilled for you that you are committed to spending more time in the word. The rest falls into place after that.
What a blessing that our paths have crossed!
Natalie – you are so sweet to write such a newsy and encouraging comment! I LIVE for those comments, so yours MADE MY DAY. Thank you for taking the time to do it! I so enjoyed reading your post about the New Year – you clearly have a Happy family and a really terrific blog voice. 🙂 I hope to keep chatting with you!
Julie,
Thanks for listing your heartfelt resolutions from past years and present! I usually don’t do resolutions because I set myself up to fail. Although, mine is not eating baby food…your story was fun to read and brought me back to transitioning mine to real food…it was a challenge and now look 17 yrs later! I am needing to make more time for hubby and I to date…that to me was a God reminder reading that in this post! Keep posting I love reading!
RoseAne
So um… this doesn’t really fit as a comment “here” but I didn’t know how else to contact you. I was wondering if you have any great ideas for “date your mate” magic ideas when your spouse goes back to school. Or cute romance ideas for student spouses or back to school notes for your sweetheart or etc… If you have any great (or even not so great) ideas, I would *love* to see a post about it because the semester is just starting again…
Thanks! 🙂
Lisa, first of all – you are AMAZING for wanting to do something fun and creative for your man as he goes back to school! Are we talking college? Grad school? I once saw a cute idea where a gal took a package of Smarties candy and gave it to her love with a note that said “To my Smartie – have a great semester!” I’ll keep thinking about it… my Happy Hubby will be starting a new semester in a few weeks at his seminary, so this will be a good project! Thanks for thinking to ask!
I have heard of the smartie’s thing and there is an idea of giving him a dum-dum sucker and telling him something like how he isn’t a dumb-dumb but instead a smartie.
I was just trying to find things a little more creative/ endearing.
My hubby is working on his undergrad. I just graduated in December!!! 😀 😀 😀 And this is the first semester that I am home and have more time to do sweet things for him! <3
THANKS!!
Oh and just out of curiosity… what does it mean to be starting seminary? Is it like going to college? A job? Etc? I am very religious but not of your faith so it just makes me wonder what this is. 🙂
Hey Lisa! Seminary is school for students who want to learn more about the Bible and also get a degree to be a pastor of a church. 🙂 My hubby loves his studies! I will be thinking of something cute for you and I to do for our men!
Lisa, here’s an idea off the top of my head – you could write some sweet love notes on sticky-notes and fill them up in random pages in some of his most-used school books…
THANK YOU!! 😀 I think I know what I am going to be doing tomorrow to all of his books he left home! 😉 And seminary sounds sweet! I love studying the scriptures!!
Hello, my favorite home fairy!! I love your resolutions!! So great to get insight into your heart. You’re the best!
I, for one, would love if all I fed my husband was baby food. How easy would that be? Not to make light of something, but that joke did have me laughing!!
He will eventually eat! Some kids just don’t require as much. My 11 month old eats more than my almost 5 year old. You’re definitely doing the right thing, so keep it up! Just think how this tenacious personality will one day change the world. Things that are hard when they’re young are the very gifts that God will use in them to do great things.
Also, maybe you have a great meal plan, but I have found thescramble.com to be life changing for my meals.
Happy Home Fairy, you rock!! I am going to work on my resolutions soon!
You are my hero, Sarah. I am so grateful for your encouragement! I was just telling the Happy Hubby yesterday that I want to get to know you more. 🙂
I found this blog b/c I was searching Google for a picture to post on my own blog. I mentioned you at the end of my most recent post about my own New Year’s resolutions…mostly because I stole your cartoon, but also because I totally relate to the “I can’t say no” deal. Why is it so hard? I feel like I’m always busy and never have any time to spend with God. And I don’t even have kids, yet!