More and Less: January Edition

I decided a few weeks ago that I'd like to do a monthly update on how things are going with "More and Less". More of the good and less of the not so good are my goals for the year. My words and my theme if you will. But when I realized I was forgetting some of them ALREADY- what?!- I knew I needed a way to remind myself and hold myself accountable. And, lo, this is it. Maybe it will work. #it'sworthatry

Here's an update on each area I'm working on...

MORE....

*Going to bed early. I have actually done really well with going to bed earlier this month. Yay! I credit a lot of this to the fact that it's the off season for us and it's been easy getting the boys in bed at a good time. And an earlier bedtime for the boys makes for an earlier bedtime for mama. It's a win-win. 😊 The only times I've stayed up late this month have been snow days or occasionally on the weekends. More of going to bed early has been a success in January.

*Cleaning during the week. This has been hit or miss. Mostly miss. Ugh. I did good cleaning during the week leading up to Garrison's party, but does that really count? I want to do more cleaning during the regular weeks. I did a little here and there maybe 1 other time this month. So not so great. I honestly just didn't think about it very often. (Except for vacuuming. I vacuum on the regular. The crumbs and trash/dirt are my nemesis!) Anyway, I'm going to shoot for more next month.

*Praying and time with the Lord. Getting back into our school routine with my quiet time and prayer life as a top priority really made a difference for me this month. I am loving my devotion I'm doing (Pressing Pause: 100 Quiet Moments for Moms to Meet with Jesus) and I have been way more intentional about praying... first thing in the morning but also throughout the day. I'm especially thankful for my progress in this area this month.

*Physical Activity. Hmmm. I didn't add much physical activity this month. I went on 2 different 1- mile walks this month but that's about it. Of course it is still Winter. So that can make it tough to get out and get moving, but I still want to do more. Even in the Winter. Even if it's just some planks or stretching. Something. Hopefully February will be better.

*Blogging. I continued blogging as much as I could. And I think that will be the case every month. There just isn't always time to write as much as I would like, so I think the goal here is to continue versus more. Once or twice a week is probably my max when I'm in school. 

LESS...

*Time on my phone. This is by far the hardest "goal" on my list. WHY?? How did I get here?? Technology is the devil!! SIGH. Without even realizing it or thinking about it or noticing it, I have been keeping my phone with me just as much as before, and I'm still on it... just as much as before. Noooooooo! It is crazy to me how second nature it becomes to always have your phone. To automatically "need" it. To keep it with you constantly. To search for it (without even thinking about it!!) when it isn't near. It. Is. Ridiculous. Ughhhhhhh. My new approach (as I didn't even realize my phone addiction was so severe and tragic) is to set an alarm for 5:35 each evening (around the time Terrell gets home) and to put it away (in our bathroom where Terrell charges his phone) until after the kids are in bed. I will most certainly miss some texts and phone calls by doing this but I need it out of sight, out of mind for this to work. And for my kids to see that I don't have my phone constantly. As for the car... I'll have to make a habit of putting it in the console. If it's in my purse versus my hand, which I did actually try to do more of this month, it won't work. At least not effectively. So this is serious. And calls for drastic measures. Big time. Hopefully my update will be much improved for February. 

*Sweets. I had ups and downs with this one. I'm doing way better with not having anything sweet after lunch. So that's a success. Yay. After school, however, is a different story. And usually when I cave. It sort of depends on how hungry I am and how I'm feeling. Getting sick hasn't exactly helped my resolve any. But, baby steps. Breaking habits ain't easy.

*Being overwhelmed. I think I did pretty good this month! So I'm definitely calling it a success. The off season has been a big help and being ahead at school (with lesson plans mainly) has also been HUGE for me. Those 2 things aren't going to last forever though so the true test hasn't come yet. I will say that planning Garrison's party and getting everything ready while being sick and working full time and not losing my mind due to being overwhelmed was a major feat for me. MAJOR. So Praise the Lord for helping me stay somewhat calm!! I'm praying I can keep up the pace with school and hopefully be somewhat prepared going into Spring sports. Being ahead at school just makes a such a big difference. 

Some progress, some not, but I'm glad I sort of stepped back to "review" and see what I need to do moving into February. For me, it's really all about being intentional and making the effort. I may not update every single month but I'm going to try. It's been helpful to self-evaluate. 😊