Welcome to 2022!
I know this year will be FABULOUS! My family has some very exciting events coming up this year.
One of them is a new niece due to arrive this March! I cannot wait to meet my sweet girl! Her amazing momma will be One Blessed Momma’s February guest blogger, so keep your eyes open for her post!
Another thing I am looking forward to is a girl’s trip that my sister, Ellyn, and I have planned along with my oldest daughter, Rebekah. Charleston, here we come!
This summer also marks the end of my school board term and the first county fair my kids will be participating in with 4H.
This spring, my oldest turns 10 (Welcome to the double digits, Buddy!) and my youngest turns 3 this July.
My fourth child starts Kindergarten and my husband and I will celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary.
What a year!
With all of these fun and exciting events on the horizon of this new year, I want to make sure I pause to reset my New Year’s Focus.
Any of you AMAZING readers that have been around OBM for awhile have probably read my post on how I do not do new year’s resolutions. Instead I do a new year’s focus. It’s the lens through which I filter most of my decisions for the year.
My focus is something I think on and pray about for a good while before the new year. For more information on how and why I do a “focus” every year, check out my blog post from last January here.
Family Meals
During 2021 our family’s focus was “Family Meals”. Here is a quick recap of how that went for us.
I did some meal planning, though not as much as I had intended to.
I tried to spend a chunk of time on Mondays prepping and planning for the week. Mondays are my favorite day of the week. I try very hard to not go anywhere on Mondays and to make sure we have meals, laundry and a clean house (on a good week I even clean the car!) for the rest of the week.
Let’s just say, the success of my week weighs heavily on how productive my Monday is.
Beyond meal planning, I also reorganized my kitchen to better accommodate lots of cooking and it really made a difference! Clearing up some counter space and getting a new stove (with a double oven!) have been absolute game-changers!
Overall, prioritizing meals together has made a substantial and positive impact on our family life.
Read More; Watch less
Our new year’s focus for 2022 is: Read more; watch less.
We started a bad habit of watching T.V. and movies way more than I would like us to. It has really been placed opon my heart lately to take our eyes from the screen and stick our noses in a book.
Some of the books we look forward to reading in the next year include the folowing.
Reading List
The Bible
This is our top priority read! We plan to include even more of God’s word into our daily routine. My 3 oldest kids enjoy taking turns reading out loud and all of my kids love listening to Ezekiel Harden read through the New Testament in a year over on the Daily Audio Bible for kids app.
The American Girl Series
If you have not heard of these books you should look them up! Each series follows a girl from a different time period in American history and tells her story while teaching American history. We started reading the “Felicity” series this past fall and my kids LOVE them! Even my boys enjoy these books.
Big Red
This book is one that has been handed down for several generations. It’s about a boy and a hunting dog. It follows their adventures and eventual triumph of a great foe. We started this book already and, let me tell you, we are all enjoying it!
These are just a few of the books we intend to enjoy together this year.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the start of a new year brings with it so much promise and hope. It’s a fresh canvas waiting for our adventures to be beautifully sketched across its pure surface.
Unfortunately, not all of the adventures will be positive ones. But, because of our Heavenly Father, ALL things will work together for good if you love Him! Romans 8:28
I pray that you grow closer to our Heavenly Father every day of this bright new year.
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Laura Bush’s Reading List for Families
Meet Mollie
Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.