Monday, January 6, 2014

Inspire Yourself!

Already feeling like I've given up on some of my resolutions.  As a recap, here are the things I've done to advance them recently (because I know you're all just dying to hear about my day):
  1. Run a marathon: I put my name in the lottery for the New York City marathon.  Not only have I never run a marathon, I have to admit that I've also never been to NYC.  If I get picked to run the marathon, I will be able to cross off two bucket list items in November!
  2. Pray with the kids on the way to school.  Well, today was my first opportunity, and I can put a check next to this one.  Admittedly, George refused to participate, but at least he was quiet and respectful as Luke, Evie and I said the Lord's Prayer and asked for special blessings today.
  3. Stop yelling at my kids so much.  I can also say there was no yelling this morning.  Yay me.  Also, I thought this article by Hands Free Mama called "The Important Thing About Yelling" was pretty compelling.  I've already tried to embrace some of the suggestions in there, especially trying to offer help.  I had some friends over Saturday and just before they arrived (after hours of tidying the house so it only looked slightly messy instead of like a tornado had hit) Luke poured himself a big glass of apple juice and then put the big bottle back in the fridge. 10 minutes later, I opened the fridge and found that he hadn't screwed the lid on completely and then when he closed the door, it had tipped over and the entire contents had spilled down the fridge into the produce drawer, the cheese drawer, and the meat drawer.  It had pooled on two shelves, covering the bottoms of jars and containers.  Everything was sticky.  I called him over and explained the problem, attempting to keep my frustration under control.  After all, I could have easily have done the same thing.  I told him he had to help me clean it up.  I know this is supposed to be a great learning experience for the kids, but it takes so much longer to actually watch them do it wrong and then clean up behind them.  Everyting was sticky, and I watched him simply blot the inside of the produce drawer with a look of disgust.  I offered to help him, explaining that I was not mad or angry -- just frustrated.  So, when my friend Emily arrived, I was sprawled on the kitchen floor in front of an open refrigerator and piles of food sitting on the tile floor around me.  Luke took off as soon as his friend arrived (which was fine) and I continued wiping down each bag of lettuce and container of deli meat.  I survived.  I scowed my displeasure at Emily and tried to bite my tongue.  But damn.  It was everywhere.
  4. Blog more.  Well here it is!
Also, I just saw this posted on FB, and I swear it was really worth listening to.  I know that it looks focused on sports and fitness, but listen to what they are saying.



I was really struck by the line, "The richest place is the graveyard."  That statement has got to be so true!  I know I have so many ideas floating around in my head that would be lost completely if I died tomorrow (heaven forbid).  You probably have some amazing things too, so pursue them!  Spend your time making your dream come true, not working for someone else to help their dream come true (there are limits, of course).

So, I'm inspired now. Are you?

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