It's that time again. Time for a fresh new start to another great year - 2012!!!
I always love the start of a new year. A chance to be better, a chance to change the things I don't like, and try fresh new ideas that I have been wanting to try but can't find time. Here is a list of my New Years Resolutions, or a better word Improvements.
1. Simplify Our Home
-Last year I spent a lot of time de-cluttering. I still have some de-cluttering to do but in order to better manage our home I need to simplify first. We moved into our present home about a year in a half ago and we downsized by 600 square feet. I love our smaller home and the advantage of having less space to clean and keep clean. But since living here I have realized that we have WAY too much stuff for this house. So time to get rid of the things that we REALLY don't need and maybe have only 10 towels instead of 30. Not sure how we got to 30 towels????
2. My Home Doesn't Have to Be Perfect
-I realized this past year I spend an enormous amount of time cleaning and re-cleaning over and over and over. I have to admit that having a clean and tidy home makes me happy. I like everything to have a place and be kept in that place. But this year taught me (no maybe the past 7 years) that it is humanly impossible for me to keep this house tidy and clean the way I would like it. I might have even discovered I am a little OCD, just a little though. My expectations of what is clean and tidy with 4 kids age six and under can't be the same as a home with no kids. I think I may never completely grasp this concept but hope to at least reduce my perfection expectations. My goal is to focus on the laundry, the dishes, and picking up as we go.
3. Spending More Quality Time With the Kids
-This past year I discovered just how quickly my kids are growing up. Having two in school and only two at home is a major change. I really enjoy my quality time with the younger two but miss Logan and Abi immensely. They are becoming children and not just my babies anymore. I miss their sweet faces and feel like I am not seeing them change and blossom as much as I wish I could. I tell Matthew all the time I can't imagine how hard it is to go to work and only see us all pretty much Saturday and Sunday. I know that before long they will be telling me to go away and leave them alone instead of asking me for hugs and extra snuggle time. This season in life is very challenging with so many young children but full of so many blessings and LOTS of fun. I am trying to soak it all up and remember everyday that one day I will look back and miss this stage of life so much. That's what all the older and wiser woman tell me.
4. Stop Trying To Be Perfect
-My goal for this new year is to try to stop being so perfect, or at least to our worlds standards: the PERFECT Mom, Wife, Friend, House Cleaner, Organizer, Volunteer, Prayer Warrior, and Exerciser. God doesn't call us to be perfect. He calls us to be the best we can be personally. All I can do is give it my best and know that God is proud of me. In the end, it is between me and God, right?
5. Prioritize
- Last but I think one of the most important for me is to learn how to better prioritize my life. Being a mother to 4 and a wife, it can be very difficult to keep up with everything. I have to learn that sometimes the laundry can't be finished, the dishes will not get done, and I may not have time to finish that last shelf I have been trying to organize because my sweet daughter needs me to play dolls with her. It is SO hard to stop in the middle of what I think at the time is important to say yes to something that I may not really want to do at that exact moment. But finding a balance and prioritizing what the most important things are and letting go of the things that can wait is what I need to do. I don't want to look back on life and wonder why I always put so much emphasis and time into things that aren't of lifelong importance.
These are my top 5 changes I hope to implement in my life in the year 2012. I am excited about what this year brings and all the new memories and blessings that are to come. I am so thankful for my life, my family, my friends, and God.
