Happy 2014

It's that time of year again. A time to look back, reflect and move forward. A time to figure out what you want to make the upcoming year all about. Years past I always had the same resolution. Work out more and eat more healthy. This year I decided to change things up. I feel that 2013 was a year of discovery and growth. I learned a lot about myself this past year and feel like I am finally coming into my own as a  mom, wife and friend. So looking ahead to this next year I have a few goals for myself

 

 

 

1. Be Hands Free

I am always on my iphone/ipad and that needs to stop. When the husband was gone I felt I  needed to have my phone on me at all times.This of course led to me constantly checking social media and wasting much of my time on those sites. What a distraction from what is really important. I never want my family to feel that they are not as important as my phone. So my goal is to keep my phone in my room anytime I am home. Phone calls and texts can wait until when the kids are napping or after they go to bed.

 

2. Simplify

Life with 2 kids isn't always easy. In fact it is down right hard at times and I only make things harder on myself by constantly feeling the need to having a perfectly decorated home, a spotless house, and a four course meal for dinner. But that is not possible and my struggling to achieve those things just leads to more stress. So here's living a more simple life

 

3. Be Content

So many times you log onto blogger or go to a friends house and get hit with that green eyed monster called Jealously. There are days I feel like I never measure up, I need to be prettier, trendier, thinner. Or my house needs to be cleaner and more put together. At the end of the day with two young kids I am years away from having a house that looks like it could come out of a magazine. I have toys scattered everywhere, food stains on the walls and a house that is messy the minute the kids wake up for the day. But all that is part of my current life stage and I need to be content with that. Years later when the kids are grown I will have my perfectly decorated house and will look at it with longing as I wish for sticky fingers to touch my tv and toys to be scattered about. So being content is very important to me this year. I need to celebrate this current stage of life I am in

 

4. Quality over Quantity

I have learned this lesson a lot this year. As a military spouse  with a husband who is always gone I feel the need to have a lot of friends. And while that is great it truly is quality over quantity. I want to focus more on my quality friendships by  Nurturing them and letting them grow. Becoming a better friend is a important goal for me this year

 

5. Marriage

When it comes to my marriage, after 15 months apart we have being alone down pat. It's the being together part that we need to work on.  I need to cut my husband some slack when it comes to fitting into our routine at home. No talking negatively about him to my friends, even when frustrated and to put him before myself. To make the time for our marriage and to find hobbies and interests that we can both do together

 

6. Good bye negativity

I want to led a more positive filled life and that involves cutting out the people or things that infer negativity over positivity

 

7. My Children

One thing I really learned this last year was to look at who my children are as people and raise them accordingly. At first I felt pressure to raise them the way some books tell you, or by how my friends were raising their kids. And again I felt like I never measured up when trying to do that. Until I realized that every child is different and there isn't a mold to fit your child into. My children are who they are and I love them for it. I love their little personalities, their characteristics and their mannerisms. They are amazing little people and all I want to do is nurture and guide them to be the best that they can possibly be. Gianna is so fun loving, spirited and independent that I never want to break her of those qualities. And Ethan is sensitive, funny and all boy. Again qualities that I never want to break him of. Just guide and support. So my main goal this year is to be a more mindful parent and to above all raise my kids with all the love that I can give them

 

Random Resolutions

-Read more and watch tv less

-Get back to attending church on a regular basis

-Do not get caught up in gossip. Regardless if I am or am not the one doing the gossiping

-Clean eating- I lost all my baby weight finally right before the holidays and have gained a bit back. Here's to getting back on track with my eating habits

-No more soda and limit my nightly glass of wine to once a week

-Have a date night with the husband once a week. Even if it means a date night in. Be creative when it comes to planning those

-Stick to a budget

-Be more consistent about saving money

-Finally learn how to use my Nikon

-Embrace life every day and be more present in the moment

 

I can't wait to see what this new year brings us. Wishing you all a happy new year!!