How was your Christmas break? Ours was delightful but busy. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, and I delighted to spend most of the morning in the kitchen, pottering around. It was so good (toot, tooting by own horn, here), Toby didn't even make it away from the table before dozing off! Everyone had a great time opening and using their gifts - and I was so gratified that the sweater I started knitting for Tobes more than a year ago (!) actually fit.
We had snow for Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and again over the break, which delighted the children to no end - we still have the remains of an impressive snowman in our backyard. There was dinners with family: Boxing Day dinner with my parents, followed by some shopping, and the annual sibling get together - kudos to the winner of the chili cook off!
The horseback riding session that Abi and I had booked got postponed due to weather, but Toby and I (and Caleb) still got to see The Hobbit. Excellent movie, must see. Caleb was perfectly behaved!
New Year's Eve was the best I'd had in a long time. Toby and I are not party people, which usually means we go to bed around 10:30pm. This time, we got together for dinner with another family of non-party-ers and ate food and played games. So. Much. Fun. After they headed for home and the kids were in bed, the two of us saw the New Year in while watching The Return of the King. What a great way to finish the year.
What are some of your plans for 2013? Maybe you're a resolution maker, maybe you're not. Either way, the beginning of the new year is a good time to take stock, make a plan and get in gear. Personally, I feel a little behind on things. (I told Toby last night that I haven't even made a reading list for this year yet, and his helpful reply was a mocking gasp, "But you're already 2 days late!") I'm still kind of in the place where I'm making lists of what lists to make, you know? But it's all good. I make a list and if something is important, it'll happen. Eventually.
Aside from the reading list, another thing that I do annually is go through Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters. I've done this at least once a year, sometimes more, for the past few years, and it's always served me well. What are the priorities and how do I approach them? I always feel steady on my feet when I have a biblically-informed, God-honoring plan, and this is the tool I use to help me strategize.
Some of the other ideas we're working through together as a family is whether Abi can try violin lessons and where, signing Noah up to play baseball for the first time, when is the right time to sign up at the local YMCA, and evaluating our various commitments. All good stuff, but the need for wisdom is high when weighing the good against the best.
What are your methods for getting ready for 2013?
