2015 Goals...or rather "Goal"

As I've mentioned before I'm not a big "New Year's Resolutions" fan.

I don't know if it's the fear of failure, or just the fact that I don't want to set all of these lofty goals for myself and then feel the pressure to achieve them. Either way, I typically don't do resolutions.

However, my hubs always sets new goals for himself every year, and then typically asks me, "So have you written down your goals for the new year yet?" This is typically when I either get very quiet and make up some excuse to run out of the room... or actually face the fact that setting goals is an important part of life.

Having a goal (or goals) is healthy. It gives you some focus on areas where you may feel you're dragging a bit, or would like to improve.

I think resolutions are more like big sweeping changes that are generally so hard to achieve, people end up giving up on them by March. Say for example, the ever-popular, "I'm going to work out 5 days a week and lose those stubborn 10 lbs."

Personally, I think that's just setting yourself up for failure.

However, if you set a goal to eat out only 3 times a week versus 5 times a week, you could seriously cut some calories and make a dent in that weight loss goal.

All of that to be said, that my goal for 2015 is: "To wake up earlier."

Seems kinda general, I know. But it's a start.

Trust me when I say that I am not happy about this goal.

I do not like anything about waking up early. Especially any earlier than I already am.

Typically, my children are awake by 6:30 a.m. most days. Which means, if I want to be up before them, I have to have my feet on the floor no later than 6 a.m.

There are several reasons that I want to wake up earlier, but the two main ones are these:

1. So that I can spend quiet time with God
2. So that I am not a cranky monster when my kids first wake up

For years I have struggled to find a good time to carve out my quiet time with God.

I've tried mornings, I've tried the kids' naptimes, I've tried before bed, and I've failed miserably at all of them.

So, I'm taking the literal biblical approach this year and I'm giving God the first moments of my day. Starting at 6 a.m.

My alarm goes off at 5:45 and I snooze once. I typically doze off and on for the next 9 minutes until the alarm goes off again. And this is when I get out of bed.

I shuffle through the bedroom to the bathroom, then out to the kitchen where I immediately turn on the Keurig and start brewing a cup of coffee (gotta love the instantaneous cup of coffee at that hour!).

I spend the next 20 minutes or so reading a devotional, then looking up the bible verse and then reflecting on it in my journal.

I'm only 5 days in at this point (I started this routine the day the kids started back at school), but so far, it's been great.

I'm not tired in the afternoons. I'm more alert and focused and in the morning, and best of all, I'm not a cranky monster when my kids roll out of bed (see goal #2).

Last fall, I began hitting the snooze button a few too many times. By the time I actually got out into the kitchen, the kids were either already up, or I needed to wake up Payton for school.

Then the hustle and bustle of the morning would start and I would feel totally overwhelmed since I just barely woke up myself!

Packing lunches, making breakfast, answering my toddler's millionth question of the morning... it was too much for my foggy, non-caffeinated brain to handle. And typically, I would end up snapping at someone. And that's not who I want to be.

Now that I'm getting up 30 minutes earlier, I'm still not a perky, super smiley, chipper person; but I am awake, and alert, and ready to face the day.

Things have been running a lot smoother around here in the morning, and I'm happy about that.

So, that's it. My goal is to wake up earlier this year.

I know it won't happen every single day. Maybe I'll sleep in a bit on the weekends. But for now, this goal is working for this mama. And that makes everyone a little happier around here.

I'd love to hear your resolutions or goals that you've set for 2015. Please leave me a comment if you'd like to share!

Wishing you all the best in whatever endeavors you're accomplishing this year.

Summer Goals

Here in the Heckman household, we are in full-blown summer mode.

The kids are staying up a bit later (sometimes a lot a bit later); I am allowing myself the luxury of sleeping in till 7 a.m. on most mornings; there are far more Popsicles and pool play dates than ever before; and things just overall have a more relaxed feel to them.

Today for instance, we left the house at 9:30 to go to the movies with our neighbors. Only to return to take naps, read, and relax until we left to go pick up another friend for a sleepover. Which will undoubtedly involve more swimming, staying up late and ice cream.

Granted, not all days are like this, but I am relishing the ones that are.

And speaking of fun summer things... we recently decided it was time for the boys to start sharing a room. We've been wanting to "bunk them up" for a while now, but wanted to wait until school was out in case Parker kept Payton up during the night.

The first night was a little rough, but by night 3, they both seemed to be falling asleep and staying asleep all night. Next up, bunk beds! Of course, this will require me to sell, get rid of, store, hide, move the crib out of the room, but one step at a time...

For now, I'm just loving listening to them on the baby monitor when they first wake up in the morning...the adorable chatter, the giggles, and the invite from big brother to come snuggle in his bed. Priceless.

I'm also taking time this summer to teach the boys some kitchen basics.

I realized that - to my own fault - I have always done all the cooking around here. Unless it was cookies or brownies, I rarely ever involved the kids in meal preparation. But with more time on our hands these days, I am trying to integrate them in the cooking process. Who knows... maybe it will help with their finicky food choices if they help prepare the food???

Another personal goal this summer is to cut down on the clutter. Not just the tangible, every day clutter (although that is definitely included), but also the mental clutter...

...the incessant emails from every web site that I've ever visited, the worrisome thoughts about life that worrying absolutely does not change, the mental confusion over our summer vacation/camp/work calendars that I have been continually messing up lately...

... that kind of mental clutter.

I started tackling this goal yesterday by going through my inbox and "unsubscribing" to all of the emails that I get from unnecessary web sites. Yes, some of them are good, and some of them are fun to look at (especially those shopping web sites!!), but they do not benefit my mental clarity on a daily basis. They entice me to buy things I don't need; covet things I don't have/do; and feel anxious that I'm "missing out on such a great deal!" if I do not buy them.

I'm taking things one step at a time this summer...baby steps if you will... moving from crib to "big boy bed"... from mental confusion and worry, to more margin and space in my brain... from doing all the cooking myself, to involving the family to help out.

I'll report back in August and let ya know how things are going. And until then, you'll probably see a lot less posting here on my blog. I'm taking a summer vacation of sorts. Not technically leaving town or anything, just spending more time doing other things.

If you'd like to keep up with us more frequently, please follow me on Instagram (@StacyHeckman). Until later my friends... enjoy your summer... Popsicles and all!