I Am Moving My New Year's Day to February This Year

 

 

       You know all of those plans and resolutions that you think about as the old year is coming to a close and the next year looms ahead????

 

 

 

       Well, just like most people, I had been having those thoughts:  as soon as all that Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday business is passed and the college students return to school.......the rest of us can get our life back under control........right?  Right.

 

 

          Sounded like a good idea......till I came down with that nasty influenza on January 4th .......H1N1.....I am pretty sure........because though I was not tested....I was a poster child for the symptoms.  Ugh.  I was knocked out for four days, sleeping about 22 hours each 24.  During that time, in some of my more lucid moments, I realized that I had to let go of my plans for improving my life in the first month of the year.  Recalling the one other time that I had the flu.......it was one week on the couch 100% and a second week with mostly 50% couch-time. And then more weeks of recovery for my asthmatic lungs.  I knew I would not have the energy or stamina to make any fresh starts in the month of January, a month that also would have dental trauma included.  As of exactly three weeks from the day I came down with the flu, I finally feel about 75%. 

 

 

      So while I lay ill, I made a resolution to start my own new year resolutions in February.

 

 

My resolutions are.......

 

• To spend at least an hour a day homeschooling my youngest on the days I am off from work; at least half an hour on the days when I am off, but do not feel well.....which sometimes happens as I recover from one or two 14 hour shifts.  I was going to set up a "Morning Basket" style, and (now that I have heard the term) "Loop Scheduling".....something I used to do with our morning basket way back when my olders were littles.........it has a name now!  :)  I had put together this "plan" for him last August.....but barely touched on it.....this will be my resource for my basket.

• To regain my momentum with my mostly daily walking.....no less than four miles on my days off from work.

• To attend at least two classes at the gym per week.

• To utilize my typical eating patterns for those times when I am trying to get fit.  Still trying to get rid of the Hawaii weight gain from last summer.....after I had lost some weight.

• To improve my prayer life with some daily reading for meditation---at least 3-4 times per week.

• To try to do Flylady's Zones this year. In addition to the Morning and Evening Routines (that I get to most of the time) I have been on and off with Flylady since she started her email list and had less than 100 people on it.  So, yeah.....waaaay back when. I went off of her email list because I had things well under control after a year or so......but I have come back just for the inspiration....and since I have barely any control over stuff .....now I have lost so many of my chore-doers in the last year.  I really need to reorganize our plans.  The people who still live in my house are so dang busy......that it is hard for everyone to keep up.   I am great at organizing.  Lousy at maintaining a schedule.  Thankfully, my clutter is not too bad....it is just the day-to-day up-keep I mostly need to take care of.....oh, and a bunch of paper clutter. And computers to declutter.  And......and....and......okay.  There is some clutter, in some of the rooms, but it is not hoard-like.  ;)

• Figure to how to get my charting done at work in a timely manner so I have less overtime.  Our computer system is horrid.  Just simply horrid.  It has ruined our lives at work.  Nobody is happy anymore......there is so much grumbling.  I am a naturally cheerful person and this job is much too challenging and stressful for me to remain my cheerful self.  Ugh.  So, I am trying to figure out some methods for making the days less awful related to charting.  I have some ideas.  Please pray for them to work........sigh.

      Not sure if I am missing any...........I got spiritual life, health and fitness, home organization, work and homeschooling covered.  I try to stay simple and basic each year.  Less chance of failure that way.  I will add anything if it comes to mind later.


     I just had an interesting realization:  here I am, turning fifty years old in April.....making the same New year's resolutions as usual........and yet, I am not needing to turn to any new tricks......I am just planning to regroup and do what has worked for me in the past.  I am so excited to realize I do not need to teach an old dog any new tricks.  :)

Happy New Year Blessings,

                                       Chari


 

Willa's Word for 2014

I had a really hard time deciding on my word/motto for the year.  So many choices, so many that I could go for.   I kept settling on one and then another, and discarding them because they didn't quite make that click.   Maybe I will write a post about all the ones I didn't settle on.  There were some good ones!

Finally I decided on:

One of my generation's mentors, Yoda, might not like that choice of term.   He famously said:

Yoda is correct at least in eternal terms.    Someday, I either will have done, or not.    Yet, in the present moment, trying is the first step to doing.    There is no "do" without "try".    So if I want to do things, it's good to try.

credit:  YesIKnowThat

And I like Chesterton's take on the topic -- remember?  

Trying -- amateur effort -- is an antidote to narrowness!    Trying doesn't have to be a hedge-your-bets kind of doing.  It can be a way of taking the first few steps without getting hemmed in with all the "what could happen"s.

I don't really like going past my comfort zone, so hopefully that word will remind me, when I have a choice between staying safe and going for something new and uncertain, that it's not an all or nothing choice, that most things have some built-in room for error, and that it's worth making an attempt.

That's how babies take their first step and how most adventures start.  Just ask Aidan!

Aidan taking his first steps about 11 years ago.

New Year's Posts Cache 2007-2013

This is kind of more for my reference than anything else, and will probably be my last post of links for a while, anyway!     I was practicing making banners at Picmonkey, and also trying to collect my (and Chari's -- we co-posted a New Year Thankfulness list in 2012) posts talking about New Year's resolutions and related things.     That way, it's easy to refer back to in future.  

By the way, I think this year  (2014) is going to be a retrospective year.  Be warned!   I just realized that I have been blogging for 9 years this January, and I have been online (in egroups and the like) for a little bit more than 15 years, basically since the time I knew I was pregnant with Aidan, my #6.   That would be November 1998.   So I have been digging through archives recently, trying to organize and provide myself that continuity so vital to a proper sense of self.  

Here's a New Year resolution for me!  Get better at archiving!   

So here goes:      

Loveliness of New Years' Resolutions

Learning Goals for 2007

Paddy and Aidan on a nature walk

 Resolutions and Retrospectives for 2007/8


a bit more on resolutions and how they work here


random thoughts on goals

The royal crew in Ireland.   We were in Ireland that year!   

Resolutions and Retrospectives for 2008/9

Blog in Review 2008

Aidan took this picture -- Paddy got involved

Checking Systems for New Year

Systems Update


(I was into systems that year)

Frodo thinking

 11 for 2011

2010 Retrospective

Word for 2011:  Cultivation

Pirate and Ninja Knight

Thankfulness Times Ten -- 2012 New Year Edition

Word for 2012:  Diligence

Clare and Paddy

New Year Notebooking Page

(Paddy wants to do this again)

Word for 2013:  Beloved

Aidan in doctor's waiting room with friends

TUAR Links: A Toast for Tolkien and More New Year's Post Links

First, yesterday was JRR Tolkien's birthday.

  More Tolkien illustrations here. 

Here are some Lord of the Rings Quotes to Live By

You can drink a belated birthday toast in honour of Professor Tolkien

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More words for 2014 at 4Real Forum.

Still trying to decide on my word, but I think I am getting close!  

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Brain Pickings:   How Long It Takes to Form a New Habit

Longer than you would think!  I want to read a book about habits, maybe the one reviewed here!

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Leonie writes about Filling that Page

She quotes Sr Carmela of the Holy Spirit

“I think of this new year as a white page given to me by Your Father on which He will write, day by day, whatever His Divine good pleasure has planned. I shall now write at the top of the page with complete confidence Dominie, fac de me sic it vis, Lord, do with me what you will, and at the bottom I already write my Amen to all the proposals of your Divine will.” 

That's how I feel about new years and new days, too -- that they are blank pages to fill.

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Faith writes about Housekeeping in 2014

....some mom said that she simplified housekeeping by having a ten day plan. She divided up her house into 10 zones and 5 days a week she worked through it. So I came up with my own version. I've also included the daily stuff too.

I used to write a lot about housekeeping (and health/fitness) at House and Hold.   Maybe I will see if I can dust off some of those old routines.   I think they helped.  

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Angela at Three Plus Two writes Food and Fitness Goals for 2014

Food and fitness are two other areas besides housekeeping where I need to start paying attention again.

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Dawn at By Sun and Candelight writes a New Year's Eve Note

She reflects on how her family's life has changed in the last year.  This is a good idea.  Maybe I will try that.  

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Susan at Tending the Burrow talks about why she is blogging.  

Not exactly on the topic of New Year's goals and new starts, but close enough because it is in early January and it is something I have been thinking about too, why I (we) blog and WHAT I should blog.    Chari has no problem with WHAT to blog -- her challenge is finding enough time in the day to get to what she wants to do.   I have more time, but my level of focus is inconsistent.   I think when I have a filter for all the incoming thoughts in a day, I do better.  

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This is weirdly interesting:

Celebrities Edited into Classic Portraits

HT:  Sarah at Knitting the Wind.   Many of the men look just fine in Renaissance garb.   Some of the women look pretty good, but others just don't fit.    Something about female celebrity publicity stills just make the women look way too hungry, predatory, even literally starving/emaciated to fit in a classic portrait.    Sarah wrote some commentary on some of the pictures, very interesting.    

TUAR Follow This Link: Still More New Year's Posts

Still collecting links as I try to figure out my plans for 2014!

The above quote from Newman is what I was thinking of for my word/motto this year.  But I still haven't quite decided, and I have some other possibilities as well.  

I have been experimenting with PicMonkey -- a good way to procrastinate, uh, get in tune with technology.     This one didn't turn out the way I wanted, but I like the picture of Newman in his study.

I was experimenting with editing this divider on PicMonkey, and Paddy wanted me to put a bunny in the center of the curlicue.   Hello Bunny!

Here are the links of the day:

 Heart of the Matter:   Word of the Year -- Breathe

I like that word.   Still trying to decide on mine.

Simply Convivial:  Word for 2014:  Habitus

Ooh, this is a good one, and I love the way Mystie describes it!    I was thinking of "repetitio" which is somewhat similar, but didn't seem quite inspiring enough.    Still thinking....

Letters from Nebby -- What Kind of Resolutions Will You Make?

She quotes an author, Frank Boreham, who says:

“When, at the end of December, we pledge ourselves so desperately to do certain things no more, we entirely forget that our worst offenses do not consist in outraging the Thou Shalt Nots; our worst offenses consist in violating the Thou Shalts.” (p. 64)

Ouch -- that convicted me.    That was my main conclusion when I read Evangelii Gaudium,    So my resolutions/goals have to go in the direction of doing some of the things Jesus specifically mentioned, like finding ways to help the poor.

Mere CS Lewis -- Apologist's Prayer

I am not an apologist, but still I could relate, plus I just liked it.

Dappled Things -- A New Kind of New Year's Resolution

This was about Mary, the Undoer of Knots.  A friend introduced me to this devotion by sending me a prayer card.    Can you imagine the feelings of the wedding couple at Cana (or their parents --  even worse!) when they realized they were running out of wine?  Or have you experienced the same sinking feeling upon being in a tangled situation?  Mary's tact and her willingness to go straight to the Source blessed their wedding and provided an exemplar of intercession.     Really, I think the Undoer of Knots should be my patron this year.

Here in the Bonny Glen -- January Notebook

Nothing specifically about New Year's Resolutions, but I like all things papery and pretty.

Dewey's Treehouse -- 12 Posts of 2013 

I liked this idea and had fun chasing the links to old posts.  I would like to do something like it, perhaps next year.

Ordo Amoris -- Of the Reading of Books

Nothing specifically about New Year's resolutions, but I love book posts and got some new ideas for my to-read list here.

Duchy of Burgundy Carrots Lists of Five for 2013

Another good idea that I would like to do.

Afterthoughts:  Seven Quick Takes

As my first child reached the age of 12, about a decade and a half ago, I started reflecting on the verse "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man," and praying through it.   So I liked Brandy's idea of using the words as a structure for goal-setting.

I also like her point that January is a good MONTH to plan new things, because that is what I have been doing!

The Wine Dark Sea  New Year's Resolution: A Daily Dose of Art and Poetry

I like this idea too! (HT: Lissla Lissar) Melanie writes:

So here’s my New Year’s resolution: I’m going to try to post a poem every day. A poem and a picture to go with it. The connection between the two may be thematic or non-existent, I’m not going to strain myself too hard. Just something beautiful. Beautiful art, beautiful words. A space for loveliness. A pause for contemplation.

Found on Facebook:

11 Resolutions for a Better You

From a popular-science perspective.   But a bunch of them correlated with Charlotte Mason's ideas or with others I agree with.    If you want a scientific reason to justify your kids' literary education or your own occasions for curling up with a novel, here's a start:

4. Read fiction. Recently, researchers have begun studying the physical impact reading stories has on our brain. As you might expect, they are discovering reading results in heightened connectivity and brain activity—sometimes, even up to 5 days after the book has been completed. If you read fiction, you already know this to be true. If you don’t, this could be your year to start.

How to Have a Clean House Every Day

Presently my 20 year old son's room is more orderly than the rest of our house by several degrees, and he keeps on mentioning it smugly.    So I am collecting "clean house" links and plan for this to be a family project.  Including the 20 year old authority on cleanliness.  Heheh.

Chari and I hope your 2014 is going well so far!    

TUAR More New Year Links

I hope you are all having a good 2014 so far.     Since the blogosphere abounds with New Year's posts this time of year, and New Year's/ Epiphany is one of my favorite times of the year,  I am going to mostly be posting links for the next few days.     Eventually I hope to write my own plans and goals for 2014, but not yet -- I'm still thinking and waiting.

Words for a New Year:  2014.    

Sarah's word is rest, which is a very wise thing to reflect on when you are a mom of 3 little ones under age two.    My word for 2013 was Beloved.  My word for 2012 was Diligence.     I haven't decided on my word for 2014 yet -- still praying about it.

A new way of thinking of New Year's resolutions.  

Jessica writes:

So, this next week on the blog, I'm going to look at these different areas of my life: -Loving God -Loving my husband -Loving my kids -Loving myself (this is that stewardship thing!) -Writing (i.e., working well - insert your particular calling here) -Keeping House -Misc. And journal through what I'd like to work on this year.

I like this approach and these categories!  Here is her first post:   Resolution 1:  Love God.

New Year thoughts from Naru Hodo:

It doesn't really matter though how one frames ones questions as long as one prays, because God has a way of blowing away the froth and uncovering the heart of the matter. And as long as we don't panic at being denuded He will get the job done rather quickly.

  8 Weeks to a Less Cluttered Home:

Did I mention I need to go through the house thoroughly?  My last complete tour was in May, and I didn't blog much about it (too much going on with a dear only daughter's wedding and graduation!)      I usually make a Household Journey twice a year, though I should do it about four times a year, really.

Well, that took a while, and my family is waking up, so time to put more logs on the fire and make some muffins (peanut butter muffins, at my 11 year old's request) 

Choosing Saints for 2013

I am late on this post!   I've mentioned before that go to the Saints' Name Generator  all the time to pick saints for various intentions.   ( By the way, you probably already know, but Jen Fulwiler who made this great randomizer has been having some serious health issues and can use prayers)

 Last year I decided to pick a saint for each family member so I could especially ask that saint for prayers for that particular person.   I did that again this year so I guess I have a tradition building.   I actually started this post back in early January, but I got distracted, so publishing is a month late.

If you are interested, you can find information on the tradition of the intercession of saints here and here (pdf).    For me, asking the intercession of the saints is similar to asking for prayers from my friends and fellow Christians here on earth.   In addition, it gives me a chance to know some of these historical Christian witnesses a bit better and to learn more about the many, many unique paths there are to friendship with God.   All the saints' lives and words point to the one Redeemer, so it doesn't distract me from the Lord Jesus, but rather supports me in my goal to abide in Him. 

Here is my list of saints for various family members, with a little information about them (the saints, that is).    

(husband) Kevin -- St Philomena
An early church virgin and martyr.  Little is known about her life, but her bones and an inscription were discovered in the early 19th century, and there is an amazing list of great Catholics who had a fervent devotion to her, including almost all the 19th century popes, and John Marie Vianney.    She is the patron of babies, children and youth and her feast day is August 11.  More about her here.   

My Parents (who are deceased) -- St Marguerite Bourgeous
This is a Canadian saint so seems very appropriate for my parents -- my Mom was a Canadian and my parents met in Canada when my Dad was at medical school at McGill University.  Furthermore, my parents led missionary lives and St Marguerite is the patron of the poor.    Her feast day is January 12.  

My Siblings and Their Families  -- St Francis Xavier
This is an amazing saint with a long list of patronages including many missions, countries and for navigators.   His memorial is December 3. 

It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards a man’s progress, nor the nature of the task, but by the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken. -Francis Xavier

Clare and (her fiance) Peter -- St Catherine of Sweden 
Memorial day is March 24.  She was a married saint and daughter of a saint (Bridget of Sweden), one of 8 children.   She is invoked against miscarriage. 


Sean -- St Peregrine Laziosi 
St Peregrine's  feast day is May 1.  He is known as an intercessor against cancer.    Here is a nice story about his conversion:

Peregrine Laziosi was born of a wealthy family at Forli, Italy, in 1260. As a youth he was active in politics as a member of the anti-papal party. During one uprising, which the Pope sent St. Philip Benizi to mediate, Philip was struck in the face by Peregrine. When Philip offered the other cheek, Peregrine was so overcome that he repented and converted to Catholicism. 

Kieron -- St Raphael the Archangel 
St Raphael is one of the seven archangels who behold the face of God.  His feast day is celebrated September 29th with the other named archangels, Michael and Gabriel.    He is the patron of travelers.  

Liam -- St Catherine de Ricci
ST Catherine's  feast day is February 13 (Ash Wednesday this year!) and she is invoked against illness.    Her father opposed her entrance into a convent so she lived a prayerful life at home until he relented.

Brendan -- St James the Greater
His memorial is July 25th (August 5th in the traditional calendar).   He was one of the apostles, brother to John, said to be martyred by King Herod a few years after the birth of the Church.    He has a long list of patronage, including veterinarians, knights, apothecaries, and various countries.


Aidan -- St Frances Xavier Cabrini
She is the patron of hospital workers and impossible causes, which seems suitable in relation to Aidan.   Her feast day is November 27.

At her canonization on July 7, 1946, Venerable Pius XII said, "Although her constitution was very frail, her spirit was endowed with such singular strength that, knowing the will of God in her regard, she permitted nothing to impede her from accomplishing what seemed beyond the strength of a woman."

Paddy -- St Joseph Calasanz
His memorial is August 25 (formerly 27).  He is the patron of schools and universities and schoolchildren.  He founded free schools for the poorest children, but his life was difficult and he died while his order was embroiled in controversy. 

Joseph’s friendship with the astronomer Galileo Galilei caused a stir with some Church officials. Some of the ruling class objected that to educate the poor would cause social unrest. Other Orders that worked with the poor were afraid they would be absorbed by the Piarists.....In his old age, Joseph suffered through seeing his Order torn apart. He was accused of incompetence by Father Mario Sozzi, ... (successor) Father Cherubini ...pursued the same course as Sozzi, and nearly destroyed the Order. A papal commission charged with examining the Order acquitted Joseph of all accusations, and in 1645, returned him to superior of the Order, but internal dissent continued, and in 1646 Pope Innocent X dissolved the Order, placing the priests under control of their local bishops.The Piarists were reorganized in 1656, eight years after Joseph’s death.

My Patron for 2013:

ETA:    Amy pointed out I had forgotten to choose my own.  Big oversight!   So I went and got St Dymphna.     She is the patron of happy families and therapists and is appealed to against mental illness, neurological disorders and abuse.   She is also appealed to against the loss of parents, I suppose because her Christian mother died when she was young, and she herself was killed by her own father.   She is Irish.   Her feast day is May 15.     Nice to make all these new friends! 

What is Your Word for 2013?

Here is what I wrote last year:  What is Your Word for 2012?

I wrote then: 

For several years I've followed the example of some friends in choosing a word or motto for the year.    I usually start praying right after Christmas and by the New Year I have some idea of what my word or motto will be.   Often God shows me through reading or in some other way what He wants me to be aware of.  It is a great blessing!

This year, I wasn't coming  up with anything, so I have been praying about it  The thing is, I have recently found something that works in my daily life, but it isn't really something I can put into words.  I've tried.    In fact, I have been afraid that if I did try to write down words about it, it would go away, because the inadequate words would take the place of the thing.   It is more of a feeling or intuition that I get in flashes when I read the daily Opus Dei message.  But though it manifests only in flashes like that, it is somehow present enough to be like a watermark on the day, an insignia, but even more, like something I can follow.

Anyway, the 2013 word finally came up when I was looking up 1 John 3:2.  

Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of God; and it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. We know, that, when he shall appear, we shall be like to him: because we shall see him as he is.

It is :

Beloved, or as some translations have it:  "dear friends"

In the Vulgate
it is "carissimi" as in:

Carissimi, nunc filii Dei sumus: et nondum apparuit quid erimus. Scimus quoniam cum apparuerit, similes ei erimus: quoniam videbimus eum sicuti est.

That sounds like a superlative version of "loved ones", like "very dearly loved ones".

In the Greek it is ἀγαπητοί which seems to mean something like "dear ones"... it comes from the word agape, meaning love in the sense of God's love.

A lot of the epistles use this language of "friends" or "beloved" or "dear ones" and I've ignored it through the years because it was so familiar.  It even has been cheapened as every cliched televangelist intones "dearly beloved"... But suddenly it resonated with me as personal, addressed to me by those very saints who died for love of Him who died for us.  And ultimately it reminds me of something I too often have a hard time with --  our Lord's love.  Again, a term so often used that to someone brought up in the Christian tradition, it becomes ordinary.   But seriously, a God who loves enough to "become a slave"; like an amazing fairy tale, only true. 

 I don't think about that enough, so "beloved" reminds me of this shocking but completely evident reality.  

The picture above is of the Chartres Cathedral north window.    Aidan found it yesterday.  He wanted me to Google "Mass" (which means Catholic churches, to him, and only the most beautiful or distinctive attract him -- none of this 60's and 70's liturgical hodgepodge for him).  Then after browsing for a while, he said that he wanted to search for "Mass windows".   When we brought up the series of stained glass cathedral windows, he lighted on that one immediately.  Good call.    If I forget what my 2013 word means to me I just have to go and look at that picture for a while and it will come back.

If you have chosen a word for 2013, please leave a comment or link to your post!  I would love to see it! 

New Year's Notebook Page

It's not too late to celebrate the New Year!

For these two pages I wanted to try to practice some new folds and also make something bright and colorful.     I know it's past New Year's Day (really???), but I plan to go through it with Paddy when we resume homeschooling tomorrow.   That's why the questions aren't filled out yet.  It seems like a fun way to start our next term. 

I used two printables (links below) for the notebooking.  The printables ask you to reflect backwards to 2012 and forward to 2013 and write some of your "favorite things", so it seems like a fun thing to do with a 10 year old that we can look at a year from now.    Who doesn't like to talk about favorites?  Something like this might be fun to do on birthdays too!


Supplies:

Glue, scissors, paper scraps, cardstock etc.

Nadene at Practical Pages Lapbook Templates for ideas.   To find the templates in PDF, scroll down.  All the folds I used were from one of her templates.


Two New Year's printables.

• New Year's Activity (looks really cute in color, but I didn't have color : ()  I used New Year Review page 1.   Page 2 looked cute, too, but it looked like it would use too much ink and just be grey on my black and white printer.  Below, the cut-outs in white/grey are from this printable. 
• Kids New Year's Resolution Printable.  Very Cute, again!    Below, the cut-outs in yellow are from this printable.

Origami Paper.  I used the wildest colors I could pick that still looked somewhat all right together (to make up for the lack of color in the printouts).  

Page 1: About Me

Overview:
Left:   simple triangle fold.  Name, Age, Favorite Color.

Middle:  simple hexagon fold.

Favorite food, favorite activity, favorite book.

Right:  a quilt fold, then it looked too big and square, so I folded the corners in to make it look more like origami.   Favorite song, favorite TV show, best book read, favorite movie.    I'm looking forward to hearing Paddy's answers to these questions!  

Here's the fold closed. 

Page 2:  Highlights of 2012, and Looking Forward to 2013

Overview.  You can see I messed up a little.  I put the "looking forward to 2013" banner too high, which meant I had to squish two folds together.  Oh well.

Left:  a 4-part petal fold.  Favorite Memory, Hardest Thing,  Greatest Lesson Learned, What I Loved Most about 2012.

Middle:  An accordion fold shaped sort of like a pencil or rocket.  I decided it looked like a rocket so I went with the theme and made the little paper plane and the star.   A New Talent I Developed this Year, I Would Describe Myself As,  This Year I Became More...

Bottom:  A Circle Fold.  (for 2013) -- Biggest Goal, Want to Learn, Want to Get Better At. 

Top Right:  A sort of envelope fold I made up (I think).  You take a triangle and fold in the corners.   3 Words to Describe This Year.

Bottom:  I wanted to try a Pop-Up, so I used these instructions from Enchanted Learning, except that my attempt to make quadruple pop-ups failed, so I simple did a uni-pop-up instead.  MUCH easier to manage.   I used a quadrangle tri-fold from Nadene's templates, and simply glued the top two sections together so the hole for the pop-up didn't show on the front.   That probably doesn't make sense, but if you try it, you will see what I mean. 

That was the most complicated part of this page, except the actual layout, and I am proud of it!

I thought I would also link to a couple of cute journal prompt pages, more for Mom than for kid.

• Keep a 5-year Journal -- Daily Prompts.
• 50 Journal Pages (nice layout for scrapbooking etc)

What is Your Word for 2012?

Mariana in the Moated Grange

(The painting is by John Everett Millais and refers to the poem Mariana by Alfred Lord Tennyson)

For several years I've followed the example of some friends in choosing a word or motto for the year.    I usually start praying right after Christmas and by the New Year I have some idea of what my word or motto will be.   Often God shows me through reading or in some other way what He wants me to be aware of.  It is a great blessing!

Last year my word was "Cultivation".   When I look at last year, at first I was not sure if I had lived my word the way I wanted to.   But after some thought I think the word did have an effect.  For one thing, I planted a garden for the first time ever!    And there were some other things, too.    I think the word was probably a challenging one for me so the steps I took were small, but would have been smaller still if I hadn't been thinking of that word.

This year the word that came to mind as I reflected was "Diligence".    Diligence is the virtue opposed to the deadly vice of Sloth.   A lot of my most severe struggles -- or, oh well, being honest, culpable LACK of struggles, come from sloth.

From an article on diligence --

The word "diligence" comes from a Latin word meaning "to love." A related Latin word gives us "delight." In its original meaning, diligence is attentiveness, care, and concern in what we do, and eagerness, quickness, and zeal to do it. In consists in making the most of God’s gifts out of love for him and his Kingdom.

Aquinas says that Sloth is opposed to Joy,   This isn't quite the way we usually think of it, as a form of laziness or idleness, but it fits in with the idea that diligence is related to delight, and opposed to sloth.    Anyway, I think this word will give me plenty to think about during this year, and perhaps help me adjust my attitude about various less-loved household and family duties.  

If you've picked a word or motto for this year, I would love to hear it!

Willa

(Soooo, I (Chari) am hacking into Willa's post to say:  I think I will take her word for the year, too. I will also attach to that:  SERVICE.  I really want to focus more on being of service to my family......even with just such simple things as meals.....  I am SO NOT a Miss Acts-of-Service for a Love Language.  Sloth comes between me and that service. So, Willa, please do forgive me for this hacking.....and let us have much discussion and accountablity with the same word.  Ummmm, let's start in February.  : )  )