Hibernating

First off, I'm sorry it's been so long. I have great excuses, but really I'm sorry. Mainly, I haven't downloaded Christmas pictures yet because our computer fell in the way of a certain boy's coffee spill (thank you, Judah). Before you scream, "How did Judah spill hot coffee?" please understand, that it was cold coffee. Of course it was cold coffee. I haven't had the pleasure of finishing a hot cup of coffee since I gave birth to my first baby over 4 years ago. Anyway, so the computer is on the fritz, and Paul hooked up our old computer in the meantime, and I don't want to put new pictures on the old computer because I'm desperately hoping that we can restore life to the "new" computer.
Because there are no Christmas pictures to update the blog, I feel a little out of sorts just writing. But I find that I have lots to say, so here goes (with no pictures).
I find January introspective. After all the busyness of the holidays, now is the time to sit inside with a cup of hot chocolate and do a little housekeeping. And by the way, this January is not the beginning of a new decade, okay? It's the end of one. Sorry for the English major moment, but that kind of thing drives me nuts.
2010 has punched us in the face. Really, it's been cold, hasn't it? Geeze, I mean really, really cold. We had such a lovely December snow, then such a wonderful trip celebrating Christmas with friends and family, then we get home, and practically before the car is unpacked, POW! Welcome to the coldest January EVER! I'm cooped up in the house with the kids (my own, plus others), and then the work week finally ends, and I think I'm going to have a chance to get out, but no, instead I find that I have come down with a breast infection. My fourth since Judah was born, and by far the worst I've every endured. I'm finally on the mend, which is wonderful, but it was pretty rough there for a few days.
I hate to complain about this sickness when my sister, Stephanie, is lying in a hospital bed in Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. This girl is amazing, let me tell you. She was born with a heart defect and has undergone multiple open heart surgeries over her lifetime, the latest of which was two days ago. And her spirit is not broken. She has so much faith in her God, that just before they wheeled her away, she was comforting her husband and my parents. Her example throughout this entire saga has been one of absolute trust in God's love and His ability to provide. You can follow her process here. I love you, Steph, and am praying for you constantly and can't wait to throw my arms around you again and give you the biggest hug--carefully, of course. :)
If you follow the link, you can read about her goals for her recovery. Number one is "Don't waste life." Which is essentially where I'd like to go with this post.
I've got some New Year's resolutions, or goals, I'd rather call them:
1) Strengthen my prayer life. I've started a family prayer book, and I'd like to start using it. I'd like to really develop my relationship with God in this way.
2) Tighten up our eating habits. This includes more raw foods, more fruits and vegetables, less eating out. I don't have any very specific resolutions here, just general ideas.
3) Pay off our credit card debt by September. Why September? I don't know. I just think it's realistic.
4) Exercise. I need to be running 2-3 times per week and doing something else at least that much. We quit our gym membership a few months back due to money, so it'll probably be Pilates at home with the DVD.
5) To quote my sister, "Don't waste life." I love this. Stephanie and I have talked a lot about the kinds of things that preoccupy a mom. I could seriously spend the day cleaning, organizing, etc. because I'm at home all day with the kids. And being home with the kids is where I want to be. I wouldn't change this for anything, but I need to keep my focus.
Yes, it's important to me to have a clean, orderly house. But I need to remember WHY it's important. If I lose sight of that, then I become a slave to my obsession to have the perfect household, and my children see that what is important is the house and not them. It's a delicate balance game. It's the whole "Be a Mary, not a Martha" thing (if you're not familiar, in Luke 10, Jesus is visiting with the sisters Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. There are lots of poeple there, and Jesus is spending time with everyone, and Mary is at His feet, while Martha is running around the house making food, probably washing the dishes, just trying to keep everything orderly. Jesus ends up rebuking Martha and telling her to be more like her sister and just chill). I've always identifies with Martha here, because if it weren't for the Marthas of the world, what would everybody eat? How would all the Marys survive? But the point is, as I said before, remember WHY you're doing it all. Nothing we do matters if we don't have the right focus.
So, if the laundry has to stay in a pile for a while, or the sink has to be cluttered with dishes so that I can read a book to my daughter or wrestle with the kids on the bed, then it's okay. So, my final goal is to learn how to just let go a little bit. I think the whole family can benefit from that.