Happy 2012

What a holiday and new year it has been!  My kids made out very well with so many gifts.  I had some great time off and relaxation that was much needed!  I really love being home with my kids and I do plan on making a bigger commitment to working towards a more flexible schedule this year.  Here's to putting ideas into reality!

I did very well with Christmas shopping and staying within a budget for the most part.  I did spend a couple hundred dollars on credit cards, but when you are shopping for almost 40 people, that's pretty impressive it was only that much.  It wasn't a complete success to avoid credit cards, but given my history with Christmas shopping and charging now, and worrying about it later, it was a significant improvement.  Also, I started out in December having no idea how I was going to manage to buy any presents, let alone avoid charging on credit cards.  I definitely believe in God during times like this, because it's only through faith in him that somehow everything works out.  I do want to be realistic on my goals and intensions to reduce & eliminate debt.  However, I also don't want to beat myself up so bad that I feel like my goal is completely unattainable because I'm thinking so extreme.  So, although some finance gurus might not agree with me, I feel my Christmas was a huge success with more room for improvement next year.

I'm back on the track of focusing on improving my quality of life all around, not just financially.  I have a great life, one I wouldn't trade for anything.  Three healthy, happy and delightful children and a husband who has stuck by with for all the tough times.  However, I also believe that people need to constantly evolve to continue to be happy and successful.  I love surrounding myself with other people who live their lives this way or support such an idea.  I definitely have improvements I can make in my life and fully intend to do that so I can feel I'm being as useful as others as others have been to me. 

I took a break from this blog for the last month while I managed all the other many crazy holiday festivities.  I baked cookies and pies with the kids.  We went to see Santa Claus.  We spent time with extended family and friends.  It was a very busy holiday season, but it is time to get back to our normal routine.  It was a really nice month. 

This year, my focus is:

• Improving my relationship with my husband
• Focusing on my kids' milestones
• Making Goals a priority based on my dreams, not my limitations
• Keeping positive energy around me
• Working on my debt elimination goals
• Helping my husband make his business successful
• Creating work that brings income with necessary flexibility
• Planning a trip to Italy
• Future planning of family vacations
• Offering as much help to others as I possibly can

I don't make specific resolutions.  Yes, you could argue that the above are 'resolutions' for the new year, but I believe it's the way I envision living my life every day, whether it's a new year or not.  I think the last couple years, there has been so much change and diversity in my life that I was scared and fearful of things that were out of my control.  I lost my job in my experienced field, had 2 additional children that I wasn't financially prepared for, and have like so many Americans, stressed over paying for medical costs that just seem to be growing faster then most of our salaries.  Therefore, I struggled on where to put my focus because I chose to ignore those huge situations that scared me to death.  Over the last couple months since I've started this blog and really decided to focus on my life, I really had an 'awakening' of what I want out of life and where I want it to go.  I may not be able to control everything that happens to me and my family with any degree of certainty, but if things are going to happen, then I need to be an active participant on how I react to those situations. I've listened to many successful people and motivational speakers over this period of time to realize that I must visualize my success in order to achieve it.  And through all this, I've been reminded that I can achieve any of the success that I pursue.  I truly believe this and I wholehearted want my children to believe this.  There are many, many hurdles that each of us will face that will completely take us by surprise but we need to be reminded by those positive people around us that we must not lose focus or we lose ourselves.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  May this year bring you as much happiness and success as you allow yourself to recieve!