It dawned on me… a ha… that I should make a list of goals for Hudson and Hayes. Not necessarily things that I think they should be trying to do, but things I want to pray for them.

So I was thinking about them and who they are now. And how quickly they’ll change in a year. How much Hudson will be exposed to and what he’ll pick up on. How much Hayes will learn and change.

Raising boys is all I know. But there is a large part of it that I feel strangely unfamiliar with. There is a lot of responsibility to grow them into kind, thoughtful, strong, appreciative, Godly men as they prepare for their lives. This is new territory for me. So I need help. And lots of prayer.

For Hudson…

I’m praying for fewer tantrums and more words.

I’m praying that Hudson will be willing to eat different things and eat more consistently.

I’m praying that he will always know that we are safe and that our arms are always open for him.

I’m praying that as friends become more influential figures in his life, that God will bless him with good friends who are also good influences.

I’m praying that when he sees his Daddy he sees a man that can do anything, fix anything and always has the answers. Right now, he gets a lot of Mommy time, but the day will come when his Daddy is the one he’ll go to when he needs something.

I’m praying that he will continue to learn about his Heavenly Father and gain more of an understanding of how much God loves him.

For Hayes…

I’m praying for the relationship with Hayes and Hudson. That as Hayes grows they will laugh together and depend on each other.

I’m praying that he will develop right on track and will remain our healthy, sweet baby.

I’m praying that he’ll grow to enjoy eating table food more.

I’m praying that he always knows just how special he is to us and how much he has blessed our lives.

For me…

I’m praying that I’ll listen. That I’ll always show them how much they are loved and how much of a privilege it is to be with them. That I’ll give them my undivided attention. That I’ll teach them how to be good listeners.

I’m praying that I’ll always show my kids grace. And that I’ll extend a little bit of that grace to myself on bad days.

I’m praying that I can be conscientious about showing both of them just how much they are loved individually.

Do you have any hopes for your family and children this year?

1. College football is officially over and the SEC dominated another season. It was such an exciting season. I wasn’t sure, really, who to cheer for last night. I’m not an LSU fat at all, but really wanted there to be an undefeated team in the end. But I found myself pulling for Alabama and the Crimson Tide won. The Gamecocks ended on a great note and our orange-wearing friends in the Upstate weren’t so fortunate. (Sorry, friends, but TC insisted I include a mention about Clemson’s loss.)

2. We had the yummiest sandwiches from Cooking Light last night. It was a grilled ham, muenster and spinach sandwich with chow chow. It was so delicious and only 315 calories! Take that, My Fitness Pal!

Some people asked me what chow chow is. This is chow chow!

3. P.S. I’m starving! TC put a bunch of Take 5 candy bars in my stocking and I have been really tempted to eat them. Then I discovered that they’re GONE. He ate all of my Take 5 candy bars. It’s probably for the best anyway, right?

4. I’ve started Downton Abbey on Netflix Instant. I highly recommend you do the same!

5. My first day of waking up early and very carefully budgeting my time throughout the day went really well. I felt much less rushed and when we put the boys to bed at 7:30 p.m. there weren’t any chores left to do. We got to hang out and relax and watch some football.

6. My mom is back home in Indiana. We had an amazing few weeks with my parents. It’s always sad when it’s over, but we know we’ll see each other again soon. I’m so thankful for such a great visit at our house and then at their house. What a nice extended Christmas!

7. Have I mentioned I’m starving? Okay, I’m not really starving, but I sure would love some ice cream. My Fitness Pal has really opened my eyes to how much and how badly I had been eating. When my calories are limited I’m just so much more selective about what I’ll eat.

8. An update on the Diet Coke habit kick… I’ve only had one since January 1. And I had that one on a day where I felt really tired and dizzy and thought sipping on a little DC might help me feel better.

9. One of my goals for this year (and I promise I’m going to do a full post on all of my goals for 2012) is to stop making impulse purchases. If there’s something I want to buy, I need to think about it and really decide if it’s something I want. I’ve actually limited myself (ourselves) to one new clothing item per month and one new kids item/clothing item per month. I think it will make me think through my purchases more.

10. In December, I bought this dress to wear to our Holiday Market Preview Party with the intent of also wearing it to a couple of upcoming rehearsal dinners and weddings. (The same people don’t attend every wedding, so why not wear the same dress over and over again?) I have worn this dress 5 times since I bought it and wore it again this weekend to a wedding. I’d say it was a good purchase.

11. Today will be spent organizing my closet while Hudson is at school and Hayes is napping. I also need to do another clean out of Hayes’s closet. It’s never-ending!

12. Hudson’s big new thing is saying, “Oh my goodness!” or “Oh my gosh!” I say both of these phrases really (too) often, so it comes naturally to Hudson, too, I think. He is hilarious and SUCH a boy!

13. It’s kids clothing line trunk show season and I have a few “trunk shows” coming up on my blog for all of you to browse. So many of my friends sell adorable kids clothes and I just wanted a way to help them out. I’m so excited to see the sweet little outfits!

14. So, Hayes normally sleeps until 7:30, but he has been waking up thirty minutes earlier. I think he knows his mommy is awake and he wants to play. I really do not want to move my wake up time to 5:30 a.m. to re-gain those thirty minutes of “me” time in the mornings. What up with that?

Any Hootie fans in the house?

“I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”
– Isaiah 49:4

For 2012, the big thing I’ve been focused on other than trying to quiet my heart and mind is doing good things with the time I’m given. I want to be a good steward of my time.

Not necessarily going out and changing the world things. But things right here in my home. I want to make wise choices when it comes to how I spend my time. I want to feel at the end of the day like I got things done.

I have a lot of responsibilities at home and there are lots of things that have to get done. And there are a lot of things that I want to get done.

I want to read a little every day. I also have a goal to read the Bible through in 2012 and I make time every time to finish that reading plan for the day. Blogging is my outlet and I like to make time to get that done, too. Then there are the emails and phone calls and just the little responsibilities that take up time.

This weekend, we attended a wedding out of town and I got to spend some time with a mom that I really look up to. She’s not much older than I am, but she is so wise and is so willing to share her wisdom with younger moms.

She’s a runner and I mean a marathoner. It’s so impressive. But because her hobby is running and it takes so much time, she gets up very early (way before her children and husband wake up) and does her Bible study and goes for her run. She doesn’t want her hobbies and outlets to interfere with her family’s day.

This really convicted me because my kids are my alarm clock. I love to sleep. They wake up at 7:30 every morning and I am still sleepy when they wake up.

In 2012, one of my goals (and I’ll share my others later) is to wake up an hour before my babies wake up. During this time, I want to finish my Bible reading for the day and work on my blog posts for that day. I hate to put my blog “in a box” like that because the words don’t always come to me at the same time every day. But I want to make sure my hobby (and part time job) doesn’t interfere with my family life.

“Teach us to use wisely all the time we have.” – Psalm 90:12

I definitely still need just as much sleep, so I just need to get to bed earlier. I don’t even like many things on television anymore, so I may as well just go to bed after putting Hudson and Hayes to bed. I can read a little bit and then fall asleep.

We were all given talents and I want to be sure that I’m using my talents for good, but also want to make sure that they don’t interfere with my responsibilities.

Going to bed at night with the satisfaction that I completed the things I needed to is a priceless, satisfying feeling.

By waking up just a little bit earlier I can accomplish so much more during the day and be a more relaxed, patient mommy.

One of my twitter friends, She She Made, is having a fantastic Anavini smocked clothing sale on Sunday at 5 pm. This sale will only be on Facebook, so you have to “like” She She Made on Facebook.

The sale will go live at 5 pm on Sunday. She will list each item and show the sizes available for each item. There are limited sizes available for each style, so make sure you get on right at 5:00.

She She Made has the absolute best prices you can find on Anavini smocking and Anavini is one of my favorite brands.

Here are some of the items she’ll have available on Sunday. Have fun!