The new year is in full swing and I’m finally getting around to creating some goals.  I prefer to call them goals rather than resolutions, because resolutions sound well, resolute.  And that seems final and scary.  Goals somehow seem more cheery and easily accomplished.

So here they are – my 3 goals for the new year:

1.  Read more real, full length adult books.

Now, when I say adult books I’m not referring to adult literature in the steamy romance sense.  I simply mean books that are not made out of cardboard and have more than 12 pages.  I read A LOT of that kind last year.  And don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love reading with my children and I love that they love it as well, but Mommy needs a little more intellectual stimulation (the kind that doesn’t rhyme or involve talking animals).

Last year I read a total of 2, yes 2, adult books.  No, I am not proud of this. And no they were not lengthy classics like Tolstoy’s War and Peace, that might make this acceptable.  So, I’m going to go ahead and say that my goal is to double that number this year in hopes that I can end the year feeling overly accomplished!

What’s standing in the way of my reading you ask?  Well, there are these two little boys.  Whoever told you that stay-at-home moms of toddlers and preschoolers have lots of free time was not one of said moms.  My reading time is pretty much relegated to when they are asleep.  However, this time is also marked for cleaning, laundry, lesson planning (for those 3 hours a week I do work outside the home), spending one-on-one time with my husband, a little bit of sleeping for me (yeah I need that too), other general household tasks, and sometimes just sitting around and telling myself “you can do it.”  Admittedly I also spend some of this time on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and watching TV – these are the areas where I hope to cut down my time and insert more time for reading.

All that to say that my goal is to read 4 books this year….I know, I know I set my sights high!

2. Get back to exercising.

About the first 6 months of last year this went really well.  I made myself get up 5 mornings a week before the boys and exercise and get a shower.  If you know me you know that this is amazing.  Not the showering part, I’m pretty dedicated to that, but the exercising.  I’m not someone who runs, or goes to the gym, or historically has had any kind of exercise routine.  But after having two kids my body convinced me it was time.  And I did really well…for a while.  Then summer came and we were traveling and I took a break.  With fall I was determined to get back into it, but then I got a cold and took another break, and then the boys started waking up earlier and earlier, and I have yet to convince myself to get up at 4:30 am to exercise and shower before they are awake.  And then I was just out of the habit.

My current excuse is that it’s freaking cold in my house.  Yes, I live in Mexico City and I’m sure you think it can’t possibly be that cold here, but let me tell you – it is!  Yes, the daily high is still around 70, but because of the high altitude, at night it gets down into the 30s and 40s, and with no central heating and cinderblock housing this means that my house is cold All. Day. Long.   Never before have I lived somewhere where I put on an extra sweater or jacket and scarf when entering my house rather than leaving it.  Brrrrr!

So, my goal is to start exercising again, at least 3 days a week, but I’ll be honest, It’s not likely to happen before it starts to warm up a bit.

3. Stop trying to predict the future.

No, I have not been trying out a career as a fortune teller.  I just have a habit of letting my mind wander to what could be or how I would like my life to look rather than trying to fully live the day to day.  Life in Mexico has been a challenge for me to say the least.  I keep using that as an excuse to dream up a different life for myself and my family.  The problem is that this dream life does not exist now and may never exist.  I need to stop dreaming of what could be and start trusting God to take care of each and every moment…including this one.

I love the way Robin Kramer put it in a recent post on her blog, Pink Dryer Lint: “After all, if I’m aligned with God, I’m not going to miss the life I’m supposed to be living.”

I want to fully live that life.

So, there they are, my 3 goals for the year.  If you actually read all that – thank you for taking an interest.  Feel free to ask me about them as the year goes on….I could certainly use some accountability.