My New Year's Resolution Theme: TIME

Happy New Year!!! I'm back...I blew the dust off my Blogger page today and opened a fresh blank screen to start my new year off right. Yes, I'm in "New year, new me" mode - reflecting on 2015 and thinking ahead to what 2016 might have in store. What do I want to change? Well, that's simple. A lot. As I started to think through the long list, I noticed a theme: TIME.

TARYN'S 2016 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION THEME = TIME

1. Less TIME on my phone.
   My 8 year old snuggled up to us in bed this morning and we all exchanged Happy New Years hugs. A few minutes later, without prompting, he said "Mommy, daddy, I know what your resolution can be this year." "Oh yeah, bud? What's that" "Spend less time on your phones." Wow. That was a hard dose of perspective. In this fast-paced world of social media and over-sharing, we sometimes forget that our kids need us to be present. Really there. Not with our nose in our phone updating instagram with the adorable photo we just half-staged 10 minutes ago. It's been one of those things I chide myself for now and then. "Mommy look!" as I hurriedly type a text that I have (without thinking) deemed more important than the somersault or other equally adorable feat my child has just so proudly mastered. The message I'm sending - and not the one on my phone - is that I'm too busy to care. Too focused on things and people other than those I'm with at that moment. So when Ethan called us out on it this morning, it was like a kick to the gut. Ricky and I both agreed that was something we would work on.


2. Make TIME for my children individually.
   The same child who pointed out the disportionate amount of time we spend on our phones, also has mentioned several times that he wishes he could spend more one-on-one time with us. This day and age, 4 kids is usually referred to as a "big" family (although with my mom from a family of 10 kids and my from 6, I still find this notion silly). I guess what it comes down to is we are over-committed these days. Each kid plays a sport, does an afterschool activity, is involved in church, invited to parties...all wonderful things, but it often leaves very little time to just spend together doing nothing. We have always tried to have a family game night each week, but as schedules change or a day gets overbooked and we are overtired, it is usually the first thing we cut from our list of to-dos. Hearing Ethan (definitely our most sensitive hearted child) say through tears that he never gets to spend time alone with either one of us anymore broke my heart. I definitely want to make it a priority this year to carve out that special time for each child. You know, while they still want to!


3. Find TIME for myself and my passions.
   Not just to take bubble baths or run to Target alone (both amazing things, no doubt), but to really refocus what is important to me. Writing, for instance, definitely took a backseat in 2015. I don't write for the stats or pageviews. I don't write to make $ (although I wish I did make $ from this blog). I write because it is a form of therapy for me. It helps me in numerous ways. Sharpens my creativity, clarifies my thoughts, allows me to vent.  Working on helping others through my nonprofit apertOWL and growing Louisville It Mom, the small-business/blog I started with a friend this year are also things that energize me. When I'm doing things I love it pumps adrenaline through my veins and truly puts a positive spin on my day and my attitude.


4. It is TIME to finally lose this weight!
   I logged back into My Fitness Pal this morning to find that I hadn't done so in almost a year. Yikes. According to the app, I am 9 pounds lighter than I was last year at this time, which some would say "that's great!" but I find it kind of disappointing. It is definitely not anywhere near the goal I had set for myself for 2015. I'm getting older and it is getting harder to shed the lbs, so I now know I really have to push myself to achieve it. Yes it's January, a time when everyone is resolving to "lose weight" and get to the gym. At the same time, there is no better time than now to refresh my thinking. I've done a lot of research on food and our bodies this past year so I feel like I have all the tools to really understand the best things to do to get healthy. Now I just have to DO it.


5. Don't take TIME for granted.
   I've seen a lot of friends and family members lose loved ones this year. I've watched as they learn how to heal, learn how to live again through their heartache. Loss is all around us everyday -- our soldiers, innocent people losing their lives at the hands of terrorists, mentally ill individuals deciding to shoot up movie theaters or shopping malls. The weight of all the loss can often feel so heavy that our hearts don't know how to process it. Instinctively we hold our loved ones near and remind ourselves how precious life truly is. Nobody knows when your last day on earth will be. And despite that truth we can sometimes forget to take in all the good. Breathe it in every day. Be grateful. Be present. Don't take a single second of this crazy journey for granted.