What Was I Thinking, Summer?

48 days ago I was filled with anticipation and thrilled summer vacation was finally upon us.  We picked our kids up from school, finished packing our van, and headed east to the beach on an eleven day road trip.  Our time at the beach was glorious.  So.much.fun.

We returned, took a week to recover, and got into a routine.  Job charts, poker chips, regulated electronic time, limited TV time.  I was on it.  My kids were reading, playing outside, being creative, doing extra chores...you name it.

We had designated school time.  Subjects they wanted to learn more about.  Workbooks.  I was prepared.  All in the name of earning a poker chip.  Earn 5 chips?  You've earned yourself some electronic time.  Bravo!

Fast-forward to mid-July.  My enthusiasm has waned, my fight is gone, and I just don't give a sh*t.  Can we watch a show?  Sure (if it means there will be no fighting, screaming, or wild children for 20 minutes).  Can I play the iPad mini, Kindle, Wii???...yes.  Please.  Just let me have some time.  Alone.  To read.  To think.  To do anything but listen to the chaos.  I'll even take the timer off for you!

My foot is injured.  I can hardly walk.  My husband is traveling.  Dare I say I'd do anything for a day of putting my feet up and doing nothing?  Instead I've schlepped my kids to swim lessons, made a wonderful dinner most of them complained about, and put them to bed later than I had wanted.

Oh, Summer.  Will you ever live up to the expectations I set in May?  Highly unlikely.  Perhaps next year I will learn my lesson.  I'll just let them run wild and throw any and all expectation out the door.  Until then, I'll continue to let things slide.  They have me outnumbered...the sooner I face the facts the better.

On the bright side, 40 days until school starts!  Then I'll be wishing I had these lazy, chaotic, loud days back!

The Halfway Point

I'm halfway through The Year to Get It Done!  The first half of the year has been a mix of enthusiasm and motivation mixed with frustration and feeling completely overwhelmed.  This year is a bit of a whole-life makeover and some areas have seen better growth than others.  I suppose this is to be expected when taking on a project of this size.  Consistency and balance are hard to achieve when you throw in a husband, four children, and running a household, but when I reflect on the past six months it is evident this project has had positive outcomes on both an individual and family level.

Many goals have been set and tweaked in nearly every area of life.  From physical fitness to relationships and all things in between, I have carefully considered the personal changes I'd like to make and goals I'd like to achieve.  This process lead me to my word for the year:  discipline.  I would love to say I've stayed the course each day, but there have been more setbacks and struggles than I can count.  There are days I have wanted to throw in the towel and dismiss this project all together, but my inner voice encourages me to keep going.  To fight through the struggles and persevere.  After all, nothing worth doing is ever easy.

There have been some big wins already this year:  we became debt-free (other than our house) and are making great strides building up our six month emergency savings plan, date nights and outings with friends have become a regular occurrence each month, I ran my first 5-mile race (and recently signed up for the 7-mile race which was my ultimate goal), we've taken one family vacation and are gearing up for another, and we have officially filed for a 501(c)3 status for the charity I co-founded.

Many other small goals have also been met and each day and I continue to pray and reflect on discovering who I am outside of "mom" and "wife."  I'm transitioning into a different season of life and working to create a business which allows me put the skills I possess to good use, pursue my passions, help others, and still allow me the flexibility to be here for my family.  Adding to our family financially will also reap many benefits and help us achieve our goals.    

As I head into the second half of The Year to Get It Done I am filled with a renewed sense of determination.  I am ready to pull my notebook out again, review my goals, and create a realistic plan to achieve them.  I pray for discipline and the ability to forge ahead and be able to clearly see the results of the work I have put in.

I look forward to the journey and watching our story unfold...one day at a time.