i've been counting down since last Dec 26 ... are you ready? me neither!!

Monday, January 7, 2008

our minds are made up


after a week of mulling over the new year, we had a Family Home Evening focused on our resolutions.
our family motto this year is: Lose Weight in 2008
obviously for the adults in the house - we are feeling a little on the pudgy side as of late and plan to shed a few pounds this year but for the kids - since they're all a bunch of skinny minnies we talked about the other definitions of 'weight': stuff; junk; too much; extra; things we don't need; things we haven't used in a long time; clothes that don't fit; hurt feelings; grudges; things that weigh us down.
we have a new rule in our house: No More Yelling! we are trying to use sign language more and have the Spirit in our home more by keeping our voices down.
our Family Goals are as follows:
1)clean out the JUNK
2)keep our stuff put away: everything has a place and everything in it's place - except when we're playing with it.
3)have our house be a place where Jesus would be happy!
we talked about what that means: "a place where Jesus would be happy" ... we think it means that it's not messy, we are talking nicely to each other, and all of us feel happy.
we also set personal goals:
Abi
*no more talking back
*prepare to be baptized by reading the Book of Mormon and learning the Articles of Faith.
Elyssa
*no more whining and talking like a baby
*listen and obey - the first time
*keep room clean
Ammon
*use the potty - no accidents!
*learn colors, letters and numbers
Easton
*learn more sign language to communicate more - instead of screaming
*start using WORDS - everyone [and by 'everyone' i mean the 3 older siblings] will stop talking for him, we are going to start teaching him what that thing is that he's pointing at.
Andy
*daily scripture reading
*daily cardio
*[he doesn't want me to tell you this one but i'm sharing it anyway] bear tesimony in fast and testimony meeting 3 times this year!
Emily
*in order to lose 30lbs: i will stop eating at 8pm, eat more healthy snacks, and have only 5 pieces of candy a day. (think i can do it?)
*cardio 3-5 times a week
*read the Book of Mormon completely through before Abi's baptism
*daily personal prayer - morning and night
*[inspired by my good friend Colleen] up and dressed before the kids - at least 3 times a week to start ... hopefully i'll love it so much that it will become the norm!

there you have it folks, it's there for the world to see and be accountable to! i need to make a poster to help us remember and actually work on these resolutions. i hope that we will make this a tradition each january! last january i decided on 2 words for the year ... i should have made a few signs for myself!! if i was going to pick a word for 2008 - it would have to be LESS - less weight; less clutter; less stress; less junk; a lot less! besides it's true that 'less is more!'

stay tuned for the results at the end of 2008 (hopefully they'll be fun and entertaining like HeidiJo's!! this year's were amusing as well) - i've already figured out my personal motto for 2009 - "Lookin' FINE in 2009" (i know, you can't wait to hear more about that one, huh!)

6 comments:

Super Angie Супер Энджи said...

YEA! Love all your ideas. I love the FHE idea...gonna use that. You are totally gonna do awesome dropping that weight. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

A note about being up and dressed...I treat each day as a day where I am going out to the mall or on a date. I totally dress up--not talking dresses and pearls etc. I wear nice jeans, cute shoes, makeup and hair and NO t-shirts. I make sure I am all put together before I can take Dallin to school at 8. Seriously, it has made a huge difference in how much I eat, being motivated to exercise, and being more organized. I think you will enjoy the outcome of your goal, "up and dressed before the kids - at least 3 times a week to start"

Anonymous said...

All right Em! Your goals are definitely attainable - you'll have to let me know how the yelling thing goes. You're lucky you know how to sign!

I'm impressed by Super Angie! People in Seattle don't get gussied up before school. It must be a cultural thing!

Mrs. James Quigley said...

Way to go Shaws. You can do it. I will posting my goals soon, to follow your example and maybe it will hold me more accountable. I love you and please let me help in anyway that I can.

Super Angie Супер Энджи said...

Nicki...born and raised in Seattle, but now like in lame old Utah where people where Jammies everywhere! But I lived in Germany for a time and thats probably where I picked it up...they get dressed up nice just to go buy veggies at the corner market.

Whimsy said...

These are such great ideas, Emily! If you need a workout buddy come April or May, give me a shout - I'm ALL ABOUT losing the baby weight once the actual baby is not **part** of the baby weight. Ha ha!

jennycooks said...

What a great family night to have Em! I so need to update my blog. You go girl.