My 2013 Plan

The Outline of intimate details for My 2013 Plan for a better me .....

1. Eating Healthier

I entered not 1, but 2 weight-loss competitions with my sister (shout out to "Mission Slimpossible"), and my friend, and a bunch of their friends. I love competition and it's just about my only motivation for most things in my life, so it absolutely helped to kick me into gear for releasing the control that eating has in my life. Surprisingly, the competition that these ladies offered was actually less "trash talking" and more "encouragement," so that caught me off guard in the beginning.

But back to my obsession.... I'm an emotional eater, a boredom eater, a recreational eater, a social eater. Let's just say, there was only 1 time in my life where I wasn't thinking about food (....and that's only because my life at that time was in crisis mode, thinking of much more profound things). So yes, this goal was about nutrition and health (and helping to create healthy eating habits for my family), but it was also about releasing an idol and foothold in my life. 

2. Being Motivated/Finishing What I Start

While I can be a very motivated individual when I get something in my head, follow-through is not my strong point....finishing is actually a profound weakness in my life.

I am coming to a point in my life where I prayerfully consider even committing. I tend to over-commit to anything from PTA to Bible studies to social events to relationships to sports to anything my kids find interesting, and then I only go halfway; so I started off the year weeding out things that were overwhelming and simply "filling up" my life, and anything that was impeding the growth of my family. This is NOT easy. Saying no to things that tend to be "good" is VERY difficult....saying no to things you actually WANT to do is even harder.

I came to terms with the fact that committing to things that require only a one-time fulfillment were more easily decided than long-term commitments, and so it wasn't very difficult in the midst of my weight-loss challenges and my goal of "a healthier me" to decide to sign up for my first ever 5K (after years of complaining I have bad knees, which is true; and saying that running is an evil torture, also true). I made sure lots of friends joined me to keep me company/accountable. I invested actual dollars toward registering, knowing that as "frugile" as I am, I may disappoint a friend by prematurely withdrawing, but I could not risk my husband's hard-earned cash by not going through with it (...and I understand that is ridiculous, so maybe that will be a future blog). So I anticipated the May 4th Color Run in Rochester, NY ...and we even thought of the best team name ever, "Run or Dye Trying!"

3. Stretching Myself and My Comfort Zone

I decided it was time to take a leap of faith in venturing forward in something I have never done before...and in something I always excused myself from because of lack of faith in my abilities......see #2!

4. Investing in My Man

This year marks our 10th anniversary! Anyone who gets to the 10th year of marriage and says it was easy or pretty is a liar! The first 6 months, maybe....the rest of it....a lot of work, a lot of compromise, a lot of complaining about how the dishwasher is loaded wrong. Then somewhere along the line, you both mature and you push the small stuff aside, maybe hit a crisis along the way, and you realize that you wouldn't want to wade these waters with anyone else! 

The last 4 years of our marriage have been a gift from God of redemption, growth, love, and true intimacy....the past year, even moreso....maybe even a "year of jubilee," if you will. 

So planning a second honeymoon that would trump our original honeymoon was of course part of the 2013 plan.... leaving the kids with...whomever...and escaping the world and responsibility to bask in marital bliss at some tropical location just made sense! 

5. Minimizing/Simplifying

Anyone who has watched the show "Hoarders" has walked away ready to get rid of every unnecessary item in their home, as well as any potential pets that they have only considered getting. I am no different.
That show scares the life out of me! If you watch that show and don't wonder that maybe someday you could end up walking hallways of stacked up garage sale finds that you could never possibly need or use at any point in this lifetime....well then, congratulations! (but then again, that may just mean you are already a hoarder...since they do say that only truly sane people question whether or not they are crazy.)
With that said, I no longer watch Hoarders....but I would still like to simplify our lives....and I would like to prevent my husband from every thinking, "maybe, just maybe, I should call that show 'Hoarders' about my wife."

In the same regards, I remember a very long time ago, a friend telling me that she watched a documentary (or read a magazine article, or whatever) showing different families from different countries standing outside of their homes with the entire contents of their life. At some homes the entire yard was overflowing, and at others they fit all of their worldly possessions in their arms. As an American, I am overwhelmed with consumption and convenience, so of course I have more than I need....do we really need those 10 extra toothbrushes in the bathroom closet in case a group twice the size of our family suddenly decides they have an intense need for fresh bristles at a moments notice? Doubtful! (...Though maybe the Cabreras would disagree, since they own a dental practice.)

So little by little this year, I would like to go through EVERY closet, EVERY room, EVERY cabinet, EVERY toy bin, and the contents of the ENTIRE basement in order to empty out the unnecessaries, materially and emotionally speaking. 

 I want my home to be full of joy and forgiveness and laughter and understanding and giving and compassion and grace and quality time and love....Not stuff!

6. Taking Time for Me

My sister-in-law, Maria and I used to have craft night every Monday night. We have loved finding Pinteresty ideas to create....we have even ventured to 2 (soon to be 3) sewing classes! 

I realized that making time to be creative is such a positive outlet for me. It's not only enjoyable, but therapeutic (hence my over-enthusiasm of home-made birthday parties for my kids!)....AND... I end up with something to show for my time! (unlike when I "outlet myself" into reality tv shows)

So while my Monday nights have been replaced with girls Bible study night (an amazing supplement to my schedule for "me time"....while also including God and some of the best friends a girl could find!) with Beth Moore (please do one of her studies if you haven't already!!!), the crafting thing has become a link to something inside me that I thought was lost...a sense of being creative, being productive, being relaxed. Making time for creative outlet in 2013 will better me and in the end, my family....Consider it my momentary break from anxiety and my life-link to sanity.

...So there you have it....the beginning outline of my hopes and dreams for this year...and it's not even January 1st...