January

This month was so long, yet went by so quick at the same time. We started it off still on winter break, with snow on the ground for three whole days and plenty of time for playing music and hanging out together. Then school started back up and now it feels like there's hardly enough time for homework and dinner, let alone music or anything else just for fun. I've started letting the kids stay up a bit later so they have more time with Dad, but that usually means letting them sleep in a bit longer and not getting any practicing done before school. It was a plan with good intentions, but I'm not sure it's actually giving us the intended benefits and will likely need some revision. In addition to getting through the daily grind, we got 4/5 of us to the dentist for cleanings, Hyrum had his 10 year well child check up, cub scouts and karate started back up, and we made it to a couple of social events including a birthday party and a wedding reception. Also of note, Cassie moved in with us in the middle of the month and so far we've all loved having her here.

Mission Prep:

Last General Conference, President Nelson challenged us to "establish a pattern of regular temple attendance." I feel like I've successfully attended once a month for quite a while now, but that there's not really a good reason for me not to go more. He wants us to "know more about temples than you ever have before" and promised that "more time in the temple will allow the Lord to teach you to draw upon His priesthood power when you have been endowed in His temple." I felt like I should be in the temple more often and have decided to try for every other week. This month I went twice. The endowment has seen some changes and I look forward to becoming more familiar with them. I've also decided that I will make health and fitness goals on a monthly basis. For January I wanted to do no sugar for the entire month. We were all so treated out after the holidays that I felt like our family needed to hit reset on our sweet-tooth button. We made a pretty good go of it for three weeks, and then I felt like the goal had served it's purpose. I could still stand to be more mindful of my overall sugar intake, but as a whole we are back to having a more healthy relationship with treats.

Meals:

Hamburgers

Sweedish meatballs

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

Fried chicken (Walmart)

Pork chops and salad

Roast potatoes and sauteed squash

BBQ chicken with carrot soup and salad

Pizza (frozen)

Pancakes and bacon

Chicken in British curry sauce

Macaroni and cheese with chicken nuggets

Waffles with blueberries and sausage

Lettuce wraps

Gyoza

Squash soup and salad

Chicken and dumplings

Chicken Tikka masala

Chicken noodle soup and rolls

Venison osso buco

Breakfast burritos