New?

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

I've Got a New Attitude

Excitement, fear, terror, anticipation, panic. Yep, I've got all those at once. As I sit here just a few days before the dawn of a new year I worry that I will crash and burn just as I have before. After all, I've been "trying to lose weight" for seven years. Wow, it's really been that long. I worry that I will continue to talk about my dreams rather than taking action or that if it gets to hard then I will abandon all hope and just quit. Again, true story.

And then I realized something. While I may not be exactly where I want to be at the end of 2014, I am way better off than where I was at the end of 2013. My marriage is growing stronger, my relationships with my kids are better, my overall mindset is much more positive and our money situation is controllable. Oh and I've made peace with the fact that I don't have to bring money in to help my family. I am most helpful to my family when I keep control of the money my husband brings in, provide them with clean laundry, teach the kids basic living skills, cook meals and help bring us all together by planning family activities and events. I wish with all my heart that I had discovered the joy in those things many years ago. That is when the sadness takes over. Knowing that our life has been spent with too many unhappy years breaks my heart.

I go forward into 2015 laying the sadness down and picking up the joy that each moment forward is one to embrace and be thankful for. I am thankful for the many blessings of 2014 and I open my arms to receive the amazing experience that is yet to come.

I will take each day as the gift it is and take action to create the life that is waiting for all of us. You see, I've known all along that dreams without action are just wishful thinking. The problem is that it has always been easier to just let things happen instead of making them happen. I can do just enough to get by or I can take the bull by the horns and ride that sucker until we've covered every inch of excitement there is to be had.

What do you say? You ready to give up just existing and start living?

Thursday, December 18, 2014

The One Year Mommy Makeover Challenge-Are You Ready for 2015?

We all have those moments where the very idea of staying the same is more than we can bear. We have New Year's resolutions that start with good intentions and end up falling flatter than Fred Flintstone run over by a steamroller. Then comes Spring with all of its hopefulness and a sense of renewal. We are ready to head out into the great outdoors, throw open the windows and let the sun shine in. Somewhere among the joy we discover that while the weather may be beautiful, we are stuck in the same place we were last year. No changes have been made no matter how much we thought we wanted them. So I propose a challenge. Not against other moms but against ourselves. This challenge is designed to help you look at what you really want to change in your life and make baby steps toward that vision. This isn't your average challenge. It is a year long experiment as to how much we can change our lives if we set our minds to it and take action.

Here's the rules:

  • The official starting date is Monday, January 5, 2015. (Because I know we all like to start on a Monday)
  • The days leading up to January 5 are about enjoying the holidays and our families while creating our lists of goals that we want to accomplish in 2015. What parts of your life do you need to change that will give you a life you want? Remember that you can't change people, you can only change yourself. As you change, so will everything else.
  • Consider everything fair game. Key places to look at making changes are: spiritual, health, home, marriage, career, friends and family.
  • Look at changing daily habits that will help you reach realistic goals. If you want to lose 20 lbs then you will need to determine how much exercise per day/week you will need to do as well as how you need to change your diet.
  • Use a spiral notebook, journal book, or even your own blog to document your progress. Take five minutes a day to jot down how things are going, how you are feeling, or just things you are thankful for.

A new post will appear daily to assist in your journey. (An experiment on my behalf for sure!)
This is a marathon not a sprint. The key is to take everything day by day.
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