new year, new focus

The month of January, for me, is a month to breathe. After a whirlwind of a month called December, I need an entire month focused on resting and breathing. I have the whole month off from school, so I intend to live. it. up. December was so ridiculous that I honestly do not remember resting once. This January, more than any other, I am planning to really get back on track with some things in my life. I plan to clean out every closet, drawer and corner in our whole house. I want to know right where everything is, and put things back where they go when I use them (what a concept). Usually, by the time fall hits, I am so overwhelmed with everything, that I cannot even think about focusing or refocusing anything. Now I have the time, so I better do it. Here are just a few things I need to redirect my focus to:

1. God- He is somehow never at the top of my list, which is just unacceptable. I am making a commitment to Him this year to be my first priority each day.

2. Money- Now that Kai has gone back to school, we don't have much of this, so the small amounts that do trickle in need to have a serious purpose. I have never been one for budgeting only because it's easier not to, but now I have no choice. I am making a commitment to budget every penny, so that we know where our money is going and what we can actually afford.

3. Food- For those of you who know me well, this is a big deal. For those of you who don't, well....another post for another day. I am an extremely busy being a student, employee, wife and mom. Because of this, I need energy to make it through the day, and to have that energy, I need to monitor what I am eating and make sure that everything I eat will boost my energy and not tear me down.

4. Family- Last, but most certainly not least, I want to focus on my family. I have strong desires to make lasting memories with Kai and Cory, and I do not want to take the time I have with them for granted because I am tired or stressed. I wish we had the time and money to have fun together all day, but since we don't, I have to make a commitment to focus on them when we do have the time together.

With these commitments, I need accountability. It is easy to make personal commitments that nobody knows about, and therefore, nobody can help with. I need accountability and people to check in on me and make sure I am focusing on what needs to be focused on. This January will be a month for new routines that will hopefully live on once school starts and things get crazy. I need to manage my time, energy and resources in a way that I can accomplish what I need to accomplish while also enjoying myself. I guess the reason for this post is to make a public statement to my friends and family sharing with you all what I need to focus on, so that you can check in with me and help me along the way.

I love having a fresh start at the beginning of a new year, and I am hoping that these new commitments will continue on past this year and hopefully require less refocusing and committing next January.