Monday, January 20, 2014

focusing on in 2014

I know it's already mid-January. I know most people have already thought about their goals for the year. For me, I feel like the new year sneaks up on me every single time. I am still in the thick of family functions and holiday parties and just celebrating and then BAM it's already January 2nd. So, this year I took my time. I'm not one to write down a list of goals or anything, but I know that there are a few things that I really want to focus on this year.

The first is to simplify. We are hoping and praying that 2014 is the year that we sell our little townhouse and move closer to our church and community and have a yard. I'm pretty good at having a spot for everything and purging/donating/giving things away. Somehow, with kids, this job has gotten much harder. I'm trying to pare down what we have and donate, craigslist, and throw away all the stuff we just aren't using on a regular basis. Some days I look around and think that life would be a lot easier if we just had less stuff... so, I'm going to work on that.

The second thing I'm working on is being present. I find myself being tugged in a lot of different directions and being distracted more than I like. Sometimes it's not even on purpose, it can almost just be a reflex to pick up my phone and look at it. I told my husband the other day if I'm not multitasking, I feel almost bored. If I'm not making breakfast, checking email and changing a diaper then my mind wanders. I really want to regain my ability to just be present, to focus, to be fully in moments. For now, that means deleting the one game app I have on my phone and moving all social media to a folder that isn't on my main phone page. It means leaving my phone upstairs on my bedside table, so I don't just mindlessly reach for it. It means putting my phone away when Aaron and I watch tv at night. Baby steps for now.





Three = reigning it in. What's IT? Well, pretty much everything. It's so easy to spend more/eat more/workout less around the holidays. Remember that all elusive goal of moving? Well, it's going to take some hard work to get there. So, I'm committed this year to operating out of a budget, working out more, and continuing to eat healthier. I've already jump started the working out. I'm starting my third week of P90X3 with Aaron. I've been monthly meal planning, so our dinners are healthy and we spend less eating out. I'm starting to create a budget. Here goes nothing.




I suppose the last thing I want to focus on really is a goal. I want to wake up and start my day before my kids. I made the same goal after I stopped teaching. A pregnancy, a newborn, and many sleepless nights later, I still haven't reached it. It's so easy for me to hit the snooze button, but man, my day is always way less hectic when I drink a hot cup of coffee and read my bible. I got up early on Friday and it was great. It started out like this:



And about 15 minutes in, someone wanted to bring his bible and join me. 




Sure, I didn't get all of my bible study done, but I was pretty happy that Everett wanted to snuggle and read our bibles together. It was a good start in my book.


So, there you have it. 2014 I'm coming for ya! It's going to be a good year.