2013

it's taken me a week to figure out what my new year's resolutions are.. 

i have obviously been giving it a lot of thought.  

the following are the way i want to live my 2013:

i thought this was a perfect way to look at the start of a new year... be grateful.

i truly have everything that i really want.. an amazing husband, wonderful children, a super great support system of friends and family, my health and a roof over my head.  

i never thought i would be 25 and living the life i dreamed of.  now i just need to remember to stop anxiously waiting for the next stage of life and relax and enjoy the one i am in now. 

with having children, this one is a given! we may not have money to go out and have all the most fancy  things (heck, we don't have money to have common things right now), but that frees up time for some other wonderful things... snuggling up on the couch as a family to read books, sunday morning breakfasts, kisses and cuddles and building forts in the living room.

in 2012 i had the mindset 'what can i do, i am just one person' but i have come to realize that the most amazing, world changing, people were just that... one person.  chances are i won't change the world (i'm still realistic in 2013), but i can change the way i treat myself, my family and those around me for the better.  and i guess, you never know, that may start a ripple effect! 

i want to live my life deliberately, but i would be happy if i just was a deliberate parent.  i don't want to just float through life on autopilot, and i really don't want my kids to in their future, so i want to take this year to really sit down and think about what i think is important for my family.  i'm changing as a parent everyday, learning more and more about myself and my kids, and that isn't something i could have done if i just sat back and 'watched' them grow up.   i needed to actually get into the thick of it and make some choices, even if it meant going back on what i thought was right (see previous post for donna bell's quote).  i want to continue to grow and make calculated decisions that will be best for myself and my family.

i really need to start finishing what i start (wow, that was a mouthful).  my goal for this year is to deliberately choose (eh.. you see that, i'm already living deliberately. haha) what i am going to invest my time and talent in.  yes, i am a stay-at-home-mom.. i have all the time in the world, right?  i hope to complete more things that i start, and i know the only way i can do that is by not stretching myself so thin.  i often get asked to volunteer for things or do things for others (both of which i LOVE doing), but i really need to start thinking about myself and what is the best for me and my family before i begin making commitments.

i know this is silly, but it's oh-so-true!

i personally love getting things in the mail (don't deny it, as long as it's not a bill, you do too) and i love that i have the power to brighten someone's day by doing something so simple (and cheap).

i must begin to be more patient... heck, if i'm telling my three year old that he needs to practice it, i probably should too, right?  this kind of goes with my original goal outlook on life for 2013 'don't spoil what you have by desiring what you have not' but the waiting is especially difficult for me.  i am a planner.  i like to know what we're doing tomorrow, next week, and next month (who am i kidding... i am already thinking of our plans for parker and spencer's birthdays, which are in may).  right now we are in the middle of house hunting.  need i say more?  haha.. i just need to remind myself that as long as i do what i can get done, well.. that's all i can do.  it's hard and annoying and i feel like a total child who has completely no control over some situations, but maybe i should just take that as a gift that is is one less thing that i have to worry about.  ben has never stopped doing what is best for our family, so i will just trust that he will get us our perfect home (ahem.. 'soon'... right, sweetheart? haha).

be positive. period.

enjoy your manic monday!