A Fresh Start in 2020!

Happy New Year!! We are officially 11 days into 2020! Studies show most resolutions fail by tomorrow (the 12th day)… how are yours looking?! What are some of your goals for the year (I would really love to hear… comment below and share some motivation while accepting some accountability partners!).

Our family celebrated by eating chicken wings, dancing to music, a 9:00 ball drop (last year’s…but my 5 year old totally caught onto our antics this year), and a new New Year’s Day tradition– making “Vision Boards”. We each cut pictures, words, quotes, and verses from magazines and print outs & pinned them to a cork board to hang in our respective rooms/bathrooms.

The kids loved getting to use push pins and scissors and planning their year ahead: catching worms, playing basketball, bowling, taking a trip to Oregon to visit cousins, doing more crafts, learning math and how to read, making their own food, learning to swim without swimmies and ride bikes without training wheels, eating more oranges, oh, and broccoli too (really???), visiting COSI (science museum 90 min away), frequenting local favorite parks, and reading their Children’s Bible.

Bryan, my husband, very methodically created a spreadsheet of sorts listing off his top 6 goals for the year with the Walt Disney quote “If you can dream it, you can do it” at the top, and printed it off to tack to his board (one sheet, to the point, like a man haha).

My 2020 Vision Board was kind of all over the place like my thoughts on a daily basis!

I included verses like James 1:19- “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.” That darn verse has been in every book, prayer journal, bible study, sermon, and devotional I have read/listened to lately and so I am taking that as a nudge from God (message received √ !). If I’m being honest, I struggle lately with anger towards my kids over their behavior and find myself yelling far more than I would like (I swore I would never be a yeller!). I go through phases of this (sometimes I blame hormones, but really I think it is more of a control/anxiety/pride issue that I need to address within MYSELF). So I am working on being SLOW to respond (speak) and intentionally addressing behaviors versus resorting to anger and yelling. It’s hard to admit this, as I LOVE my kids, but I think it is important to be REAL in blogging so as to create a sense of togetherness rather than pretending I don’t struggle and like I am some “super mom”!

This brings me to my next goal– reading 12 (inspirational, faith based) books this year, the first of which was “Grumpy Mom Takes A Holiday” by Valerie Woerner. This book, ladies,… LIFE CHANGING!! I highly recommend it and will be doing a book review coming up if you want to hear more about it! I related so much to the author and am implementing her strategies and adopting her joyful perspective surrounding the calling of motherhood. It was a book I could not put down and one that I will re-read for sure! I will say though, after reading the book, I feel like Satan was REALLY testing me as my kids were worse than ever (so you have been WARNED!).

Reading Valerie’s book led me to another “pin” on my 2020 board, “CHOOSE JOY.” Because, “the happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts” (Marcus Aurelius… also “pinned”!). Joy and happiness are the results of OUR choosing to control our minds, to look for the good, to be grateful, to take care of our body and soul, and to STOP COMPARING. Pinned, pinned, and pinned √ √ √ !!

Other goals of mine are to:

GET OUTSIDE. Rain, snow, or shine.
Eat clean and have regular family dinners.
Put my phone down (focus on the PEOPLE beside and around me) and stay off social media.
Get to church weekly and take notes.
Work out at the gym 3 times a week to get those endorphins pumping.
Take cold showers (my brother swears by this…I’m giving it a try…so far it is just painful).
Daily quiet time before the baby/kids wake.
Visit Oregon in the next year (family there).
Listen to Christian music more in the house and sing and dance with the kids.
Blog more regularly and with a focus on bringing others closer to God, to each other, and sharing REAL life.

And a final motivational “motto” for 2020…. “PEOPLE over Productivity”. I am big on to-do lists and a clean house, but am realizing that can keep me from what REALLY matters sometimes… quality time with those I love! So here’s to more baby snuggles, storytimes with the kids, Zingo games, hide-and-seek, messy crafts, and date nights!

Ephesians 5:15-17 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”