What must go?

As I get older, I seem to get more passionate about spending my time wisely. Things that seemed important last year, 5 years ago and even 10 years ago are less important or don't really matter at all anymore. I realize that spending 15 minutes answering my sons never ending questions is how I want to spend my time. Not spending those 15 minutes cleaning up the living room, not so important. I simply seem to truly understand that I get one chance to live every second of my life. I will never get that second back so if I can, I choose what feels best. Yes, sometimes I don't always get to choose what feels best. I do have to spend time paying the bills or working on the budget for a client but I am conscious about when I do those things. I make it a priority to spend time with my family in the evenings and on the weekends and do my best to work when they are not around or at least try to keep it between normal working hours. I am also very clear about things I simply don't like doing. I don't like cleaning my house, I would rather spend my time doing something I enjoy, so I pay someone else to clean my house. I also don't like doing laundry but my husband doesn't mind so he does the laundry. I enjoy keeping family journals, which is also a great way to record our life for my son, so I try to spend time each week writing. I have noticed that just saying "I have one chance to live this moment" makes a difference in the choices I make each day. If you need a powerful reminder of how precious your time is, try incorporating this sentence into your daily life.

Cleaning Out the Clutter

Five days ago I had no idea I would be moving. Now I have about 2 weeks to pack, try to get doctors appointments in, get my son into the new school and change addresses for everything under the sun. Life can certainly change fast. I have come to embrace these unexpected changes and look forward to the new adventures that come with change. Is it going to be a little chaotic the next two weeks? Of course, but everything that needs to get done will get done. One thing about moving is that it forces you to go through what you own and clean out the old stuff. Our first action step was going through the whole house and deciding what we didn't want to take with us. Then we put the items up on Craigslist and they all sold like hotcakes! It was fun to get all this cash within two days. I don't know what it is, but selling stuff is fun. It makes room for new things in your life and clears away the clutter. It is amazing how long we hold on to stuff. It is so much nicer to let go of our stuff and let someone else enjoy it. Almost everyone who came and picked up their new items were excited and thankful for the good deal. For me it is a good reminder to let go of things more often - both physically and emotionally. It is so easy to hold on to the old but holding on keeps the new things from entering your life. If you have a few minutes, look around and see what it is time to let go of and look forward to something new.

Who is my Battery Charger?

My sister has a saying that "As moms, we are the battery chargers". Everyone in the family comes to us to re-charge. We give them pep talks, tell them how wonderful they are, turn a bad mood into a good mood and give a positive spin to less than positive situation. Who, then, is our battery charger? Where do we go to get charged? If you are like me, sometimes it is a friend, your sister, your mom or sometimes it not a person but an activity or place. Once in a while though, I find myself in the position where I am spent. I have given all my good energy to the family and I don't have any left for myself. I don't want to talk to anybody else and I don't want to go anywhere or do anything. These times are particularly difficult as this is when I want to give up, go away for a month and just not be responsible for anyone or anything. I love my family but once in a while I dream of just being alone and irresponsible. These moments may not last very long but I do have them. As a mom, this then brings up feelings of guilt for being selfish. It can be an unpleasant circle. I find as I get older that I can work through these "give up" moments quicker and am not so hard on myself for having these feelings. After talking with friends and family, I have come to learn that I am certainly not alone and that I don't have to feel guilty about just wanting some space from my family sometimes. If you are having these "moments" also, just know you are not alone.

The Downward Spiral

I have to say, I am getting rather tired of hearing how bad things are and that they are going to get worse. Why is it people like to focus on what is wrong rather than what is right? Why can't we, as human beings, simply decide to focus on all the good things that are going on? Actually, we can. We just have to choose to think this way. I, for one, have made it my Intention this year to focus on the positive. I normally try to do this anyway, but now more then ever, I think it is imperative to shield myself from this downward spiral the media is focusing on. Yes, I know the economy is not quite what we would like it to be. Yes, I know the automotive industry is hanging on by its fingernails and yes, I know the housing industry is not the best it has ever been. I recognize and acknowledge these situations and choose to focus on the good in all of it. The down turn in the economy gives us all a chance to support each other however we can. The automotive industry has to take a good hard look at how they have been doing business and start taking responsibility for some bad decisions they have made. The housing industry means some of us simply have to stay put a little longer and those in trouble may need some help from friends and family. We also have to start making the lenders and brokers who were greedy start assisting the people they gave those loans to. I for one plan on having a wonderful, successful, prosperous year. The media doesn't get to decide what type of year I am going to have, I get to decide.

I don't have time to be sick!

I find it interesting that every year my son gets sick and my husband gets sick but I rarely even get the sniffles. I can't remember the last time I was really sick. My son gets sick because he is in school and the kids just keep passing the germs around. My husband on the other hand just hears that someone might be feeling sick and the next thing we know he has what they were talking about. I can still hug and kiss them, drink from the same glass, get breathed on by them and I remain as healthy as can be. I think it has to do with the fact that I am simply too busy to be sick. I also tell myself I feel great, even when I am not quite so great. I truly believe it is mind over matter. My husband is continually amazed that I manage to swim in germs and come out unscathed while someone can say the word "sick" and he comes down with something. It must be another one of my special mom skills. It goes along with being able to do about 5 things at once, know where every single thing has been left when it can't be found and being able to function on 4 hours of sleep. Well, someone is coughing and someone else is moaning so I guess that is my cue to administer the dosages, drug them into sleep and prepare for battle tomorrow.

New Year Transition

The holidays are over and it is time to take down the decorations, get the kids back to school and get back into your regular routine - whatever regular is. Do you feel a sense of relief? A little depressed? Or are you anxious about what this year will bring? I like to take some time during this transition from the old year to the new year to just think. I like to think about last year and write down my most memorable events. I write down a few things I accomplished that I am especially proud of, a few things that made me laugh, how I grew, what I learned and how I made my life and others lives better. I then take some time to think about my intentions for the upcoming year. Are there some specific goals I want to accomplish, some things I want to change about myself or things I am proud of that I don't want to change? I also re-visit goals that I am currently working on and adjust them as necessary. My New Year is a time for me to spend some quiet time with myself and just reflect on my life where it is at this moment. I give thanks for all the blessings in my life and thank God for all the blessings to come. Enjoy your New Year and where you are right now in your life!