Can't Believe January is Already Finished!

Can you believe it?  We're already done with January and heading into February.  The holiday decorations have been packed up for almost a month and spring seems to be right around the corner.  I can't believe it.  Tonight I'm pulling down my New Year's decorations, but before I do, I thought I'd let you see them.

"Be always at war with your vices,

at peace with your neighbors,

and let each new year find you a better man"

--Benjamin Franklin

 

First, our inspirational quote...this quote replaced "'Twas the night before Christmas..."   (You can still see the North Star left from the Christmas quote.)  Now it is time for me to come up with a quote about love for Valentine's.

Nice photo, right?  (Not!)

These little Ikea tea lights are a perfect place to add seasonal sayings.  Different fonts, different sayings, different looks.




Loved how this project turned out!

Finally, this actually turned out to be my favorite "decoration".  I used 3M stickers to put a poster board with the heading "In 2013, I'd like to..." on the wall, put out a box of sharpies and left my family to do what they chose.  It was so fun to see what each of us wanted to do...

Sewing, computers, savings, rock climbing, and
deadlifts, butterfly pull-ups, reading more...it is a varied list.

Everything from better performance at the gym and saving money...

Horses, gardens, vegetables, savings, a pull-up, a muscle up, single-unders.
Then, there are the specific ones: 6:30 mile, 350 deadlift (yeah, right!), etc.

To improving other skills and gaining new one...I loved "get even more cats"!  It was really great to see what everyone was interested in as the month progressed.  What will be even more interesting?  To see how much we have accomplished by the end of the year!

 

118 Days of Productivity

As I mentioned at the end of this post, my husband Superman will finally be home for good in 118 days.  After almost three years of contracting overseas, I can't overstate how excited we all our that this part of our family's journey is concluding.  Still, we have "short-timers" in a big way.  You know about short-timers, right?  Short timers is that feeling you have after you've given your notice at a job and you're just waiting for the two weeks to be over so you can move on.  It doesn't mean you hated your old circumstances, it just means you're beyond eager to take that next step.  It is an exhilirating time.  Still, we have 118 days to get through.  Superman is tackling the challenge of short-timers by blogging each and every day of the end of his journey here.

When I posted the time on my FB, my friend Melissa (she wrote this awesome blog a few years ago and is a great one for meeting goals) said she was going to use that block of time to create a deadline for her own challenge.  I loved that idea.  So, I presented to the kids and to Superman that I was going to be productive every single day until he got home.  I don't just want to "wait" for him to come home.  I want to make the time fly.  I don't just want to kill time.  I still want this time to count.  I want each day to be productive.

productive

Definition

pro·duc·tive

[ prə dúktiv ]

ADJECTIVE

1.  producing much: producing something abundantly and efficiently

2.  worthwhile: producing satisfactory or useful results

3.  producing something: producing or able to produce something

Thus, I've challenged myself to be productive every single day for the next 118 days.  I especially like the second and third definitions of the word.  (I am not really worried about producing abundantly, but efficiently will definitely work for me!)  I want to cross things off lists, I want to meet my goals, I want no day to conclude with the thought "what did I do today?".

I'll be back later with a little bit of productivity for today.  In the meantime, I've got stuff to do!

Have a great day!

Think Two Years Doesn't Make Much of a Difference?

Have you noticed how, as you've gotten older, time sees to fly at a pace even faster than you remember it going by?  Have you put off things for a few months until you realize its been two years?  Let me give you an example:  You say to yourself, "Maybe I should clean out my closet.  There are some things I haven't worn in a few months."  Still, it isn't high on your priorities and so you put it off.  One thing leads to another and you end up with clothes in your closet you haven't worn in ten years.  On the one hand, it is no big deal.  On the other hand, how many things like this happen in our lives?  We're going to start eating better, we're going to start working out regularly, we're going to read more books, watch less television.  We're going to tackle "that" room or our finances, we're going to write this letter or call that person, and we don't quite get around to it.  After all, life is busy...and it really is.  So, we think we'll do it next week...next month...next year.  Before we know it, a few years have gone by and, since there is no such thing as "staying the same", we're actually falling behind in our own lives.
Think it doesn't matter?  Think two years doesn't make a difference?  I can show you just what a difference a few years can make.

Here is what our two younger kids looked like when Superman began contracting overseas in January 2010.

Here is what they looked like when he headed back to work this month (January 2012), exactly two years later.

Valiant has lost that "little boy" look and has gone from being substantially shorter than Superman to actually being taller than Superman.  Buttercup has transition from a little girl to a young lady and has grown at least five inches, too.  Time has marched on...and measuring the changes in our children help us mark its passage more clearly than anything else I can imagine.

Still think you can afford to let years past without making progress in your life?  I beg to differ.  Your life is happening right now.  Make sure you're participating fully.