New Year Buzz

So many things going on in my heart to write about... but tonight I thought I would sit down and share how great I'm feeling about this new year and what is ahead.  I want to post some of this because I know that we all have a tendency to start the new year off with goals, resolutions and a fresh outlook only to fizzle out a few months into it.  I realize that the odds are stacked against me as I share the changes I have put in place.  Maybe writing down some of them for a few to read on my blog will motivate me even more to continue to place goals ahead of myself which are measurable, motivating and realistic.  

BOOKS
I have created a book list for the first few months of the year - here is what I have so far that I would like to read:
-The Spirit of Adoption - Winning the Battle for the Children by Randy and Kelsey Bohlender (I finished this one last week!)
-Passion for Jesus Cultivating Extravagant Love for God by Mike Bickle (reading currently)
-Draw the Circle - The 40 Day Prayer Challenge (was reading but got side tracked lol)
-Praying the Scriptures for your Children Discover How to Pray God's Will for Their Lives by Jodie Berndt (given to me at the start of the year and is a book I will use in my prayer life for years and years to come!)
-Child Wise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam (reading currently)

All of the books above I have floating around my bed/side table/drawer/purse... its kind of crazy but the books I am really focusing on are Passion for Jesus and Child Wise.  

Some books that I would also like to read this year that I have on my bookshelf are: 
-Preschool Wise (started to read a year ago and will re-read after finishing child wise!
-Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Trip
-The Bait of Satan - Living free from the deadly trap of offense by John Bevere
-Fields of the Fatherless - Discover the joy of compassionate living by C. Thomas Davis

HEALTH
Small steps, but this year is starting on a good foot like many years past.  I am happy to say I am attempting the vegetarian lifestyle once again.  I was a vegetarian back in my early 20's and felt the healthiest ever in my life.  It was a lifestyle that my family adopted and supported each other with.  It is a big change - I went to McDonalds with my daughter for a date with the "play place" and they didn't even have a salad which didn't have chicken on it... and no veggie burgers!  I told her that we would be going to Burger King next time we take a trip to a play place because they have some vegetarian selections - she liked that idea.  

PARENTING
I am really excited to go into the new year with a commitment to being the best mom I can be.  Every day is a challenge and I know that I fail a lot but I have a new zeal for being a mother who is full of love, confidence, and one who is respected and obeyed.  As I've been reading some books on parenting I realize that as my daughter is nearing 4 years old we are transitioning into the phase where she is understanding the "why" behind so many things and I am able to train her the moral basis for obedience, respect, and how to be "others oriented" following the principle to treat others how you would want to be treated.  

As I have adopted some changes in what I've been eating I have been bringing more healthy snacks into the house and have had many conversations about getting healthy with ZJ.  I have been so pleased with her new technique of closing her eyes and plopping different tasting and looking foods in!  Here are some healthy snacks she has been taste testing and liking:
-pineapple
-roasted soy beans
-lettuce and mushrooms
-snow peas
-sliced apples
-potato soup

None of these things are that crazy... and she probably would have eaten other times for me if I had been more intentional and positively making efforts for health.  I am just so excited and encouraged that I am making progress with her eating habits.  She is a very picky eater but I think a lot of the reason behind her eating habits are due to not being offered a healthy selection consistently.

There have been SO many good days with ZJ regarding her obedience and compliance.  I am really encouraged and pushed to continue to role play, explain, and teach her the "why" behind so many things that I think a lot of times kids don't get.  Building character is one conversation at a time.  

I am so inspired in this role of motherhood... knowing that the most powerful and influential book or lesson that my daughter will EVER read or receive is the one that is lived out in front of her every day of her childhood - ME.  Knowing that the more consistently I am living my life, the more powerful my words and actions will be to her.  I can read all the best parenting books, say all the right things to her, train her in the ways of God, but... if I am not living out a life that is producing fruits of the Spirit in me, one that is active, positioning myself to hear from God and actually enjoying a friendship with Him... then chances are she will not want what I am teaching her that she needs.  She will not believe in anything that she does not see me craving and going to for more.  So... that is what I am excited about this year - I am longing for more of Gods presence in my life - I want to hear from Him and go deeper and wider into His character.  I want to push through the valleys of sadness, loneliness, depression, and any other thing that will come my way claiming the position and authority I have in Christ over these pitfalls .  My desire is to enjoy God more because I am learning that He delights in me more than I was ever aware of.