Family photos by Burlap & Pearls Photography
Update on our Family Resolutions-2015
The Girls-
Our youngest daughter learned to ride a bike but our oldest says she still doesn’t feel confidant as a jump roper. Something she wants to continue to work on in the new year.
Papa-
My husband stuck with meditation this year. He took his own approach and found that the teaching of Wayne Dyer are his favorite to listen to on the way to work.
Mama-
This year I loved the resolution to read a book a month. My word of the year was content and it helped keep me focus on what is really important. I love having one little word to keep coming back to in all areas of your life through out the year.
Books Read this Year
January:
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
The Husband’s Sercret by Liane Moriarty
It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig
February:
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
March:
Audio Book: The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison
April:
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
May:
Kid President’s Guide to Being Awesome by Robby Novak and Brad Montague
The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
June:
The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner
July:
Me Before You by: Jojo Moyes
The Girl on The Train by: Paula Hawkins
August:
Yes Please by: Amy Poehler
Summer Island by: Kristen Hannah
September:
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by: Mindy Kaling
The Gift of Failure by: Jessica Lahey
October:
Most Likely To Succeed by: Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith
November:
Creative Schools by: Ken Robinson
December:
Better Than Before by: Gretchen Rubin
How To Raise An Adult by: Julie Lychott-Haims
Family- Service Projects:
Q1:
Care Package: Shop, package and mail a care package to a Troop overseas. We have a friend of a friend we are surprising and we were able to get photos of the troop and where he is stationed to help our kids grasp the concept of who we were helping. My five year old helped me write the letter and my three year old decorated the box and helped pack all the goodies into the box.
Easter Baskets: There is a local organization that invites volunteers to help package Easter Baskets that get donated to over 3000 children and adults in our community. We signed up to pack baskets in March.
Q2: Donated 100 children’s books to hospitals across the US. My girls helped me package all the envelopes.
Q3: Time spent with seniors at local retirement home. Just thinking about this day brings tears to my eyes. I set the event up for my MOPS group. We had almost 30 mothers and children spending time with seniors. We set up stations: Nail Painting (this was a huge hit–kids painting seniors nails!) cookie decorating. puzzles and card decorating (for residents in the hospital)
Q4: Box to soldiers, turkey meal to a family for Thanksgiving, Christmas Caroling at the local Senior Home.
Marriage:
Sad news on this one: Dave and I started the year off doing yoga together and then stopped. He kept doing yoga and I didn’t.
The good news? We kept up our monthly date nights. We designed a lanai together, had an overnight without kids for a wedding, danced all night when we spontaneously came across a dueling piano bar and made our marriage a priority over and over again this year. Looking back on 2015 in regards to US brings a huge smile to my face.