Hey Friends, we've got some goals

Well, we made some resolutions over here.
Kate says she hopes to ride a bike with no training wheels.
Lola is ready for swimming lessons.  She also wants to pump her legs and swing without help.
Claire has a short list.  She aspires to squirt whipped cream from the can into her mouth.
Riley has 21 resolutions and she's working on one of them now - sewing some doll clothes for her new doll.  I'm so glad she's a 10-yr-old who loves her doll. :)

Nathan hasn't made a physical list, but I know he'd love to build a dining room table and a shed some time this year.  Oh, and I'd love for him to gut our bathroom.  Of course, projects are $$$$, so....

I asked the girls what my resolutions should be and Riley said, "Calm down."  Well okay.  Kate said we could both work on that together. :)

My mother-in-law gave me some oil paints and all the fixin's (scary, flammable chemicals) for Christmas.  When the weather is a tad warmer and I can open the windows, I'll break that stuff out.
I really should finish my kitchen wall.
I want to have people over more often, so we'll shoot for once a month.
I'll try to remember to drink more water.

Some people claim a word for the year.  I couldn't think of just one, but I love Cease Striving (and know that I am God).  I'll put it on my chalk board wall.  I think that striving business may be the source of all my problems.  I can't do it all, but when I try to, it makes me nuts and it takes over, and then I find myself viewing my girls as obstacles to all my striving goals, which is awful.  And I'm freed to no longer strive, after all.  Christ has accomplished everything for me.  My worth is not in how great my house looks or whether all our food is homemade.  Still, my brain loves clean surfaces and less goldfish.

So I think, on my quest to cease striving, I should care less about the cooking and cleaning (which could possibly give me a nervous breakdown).  I'm not sure how to cope with my OCD on this stuff.  Nathan says, "Leave the dishes.  We'll get them later."  I say, "Whatever.  You mean we'll forget them until the morning and I'll fall into depression as soon as I wake up!"  SO, somehow, I've got to let things go and play Uno and laugh and sing songs, rather than run all over the house picking up socks and ponytail holders while everyone else sings and laughs.

And lately, it seems like painting is always in the back of my mind.  I'm really excited to paint.  When I went to my sister's house after she'd had little Leon, I was surprised to see a few things I'd forgotten I'd done, set up in her house.  I thought, my gracious, that was a fun time in my life when I made pretty pictures.  Somehow it got crazier over here.  But I'm craving it.  I've got to forget the bathrooms one day when the girls are at school, leave Lucy outside, and paint.

Oh ya, I also need friends!  I used to see my friends weekly.  But the play date era is kind of gone with most of the girls in school.  And with homework out the wazoo, I always decide to stay home and help rather than leave.  I've skipped a couple of fun nights out lately and that's depressing.  So, I'm resolved to remedy that.

Oh ya, I'm still reading Alice Munro (re-checked it from the library for a 3rd time).  She's just great.  I'm reading one of her collections of short stories now.  But all the short stories piece together and share bits of her history.  It's just good writing.  I love reading good writing.

I thought yesterday was Friday, and it really got me through the afternoon thinking it was already the weekend.  Thankfully, it's Friday again. :)
It is so grocery store time.  Happy weekend, friends!