STOP Complaining!

“It’s too cold!”……. “I’m bored!”…….”I’m going crazing!”…….”I feel like a caged animal!”…….”I’m tired of the snow!”

Is that you? Feeling a little antsy? Can’t spend 48 hours in the same house with your family? Are you missing the traffic? Schoolwork? The 9 to 5 job? Shopping? The endless days of too much to do and not enough time to get it done?

Hopefully, you are not stranded on the roads, not able to get home BUT you are in a warm home, with food, and people who love you. If they don’t love you, now would be the perfect time to work on that relationship!

Since y’all are complaining, I thought I should come up with some ideas of things you could do to pass the time. It could be a long week! A few of these ideas may put you way out of your comfort zone! Haven’t done these in years! Well it is time to let down your hair, and have some fun!

1. Post a video of how to make something out of snow!

2. Teach someone in your home how to cook something new.

3. Record yourself singing a song, or even better, write the song and record it so that we can be entertained by something other than current road conditions.

4. Trade places; let the children be the parents and the parents be the children for the day, or maybe just a few hours.

5. Sit down and talk about what you want to accomplish or change this year. A lot of times we don’t accomplish anything exciting because we don’t take the time to PLAN!

6. Play dress up! I expect to see some interesting pictures!

7. Have a game triathlon. Pick 3 games and see who wins after the 3 are combined.

8. Have a spa day! Facials, manicures, pedicures, massages, play soothing music and stay in your robe all day and drink water with lemon.

9. Read! Read to your children, read to your spouse, read the self-help books you buy, but never seem to have time to read.

10. Most of all take the time to: Be still, and know that I am God.

Who Will Benefit from Your New Year's Resolutions?

Well I am sure most of you have made your New Year's Resolutions, and some of you have already broken them, or given up! Are they the same ones from last year? Lose weight, exercise, eat healthy, and maybe save money. Or they may be stop smoking, stop drinking, stop swearing, stop whatever. There is one thing that all of these resolutions have in common. They are all about ME!

Have you ever thought about making New Year's Resolutions that might benefit someone else? Here are a few suggestions that you could do on a regular basis:

1. Give a bag of groceries to the food bank.
2. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
3. Look for someone you do not know that you can offer a random act of kindness.
4. Go visit the elderly in the nursing home.
5. Find an nonprofit organization that you are passionate about and get involved.
6. Volunteer at a school to tutor a child that is struggling.
7. Get to know your neighbors better, so you can help when there is a need.
8. Pay for the person behind you in line at a fast food restaurant.
9. Keep rescued pets and help find them homes.
10. Give away everything you have not used in the last year, to someone who needs it.

Or what about New Year's Resolutions that might benefit your family and make it stronger? I am sure you can find even better ones than these:

1. Tell your children you love them every day.
2. Start listening to your spouse when they talk to you.
3. Make a special memory as a family every month.
4. Encourage your children to tell you their dreams, and help them chase them.
5. Visit family members that you have not seen in a while.
6. Take one of your children on a date every month.
7. Write a note of appreciation to your spouse for all they do to help the family.
8. Say thank you, and mean it.
9. Give a hug.
10. Live every day like you will not have tomorrow.

Take the focus off of YOU! Put the focus on OTHERS! And you will have the best year ever, in 2011.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Phil. 2:3