I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want this year to look like. A big part of my stress and frustration with daily life is the lack of organization in our home. I’m the creative type so it’s easy for me to make excuses about keeping things in order. But when the the laundry mountain gets too tall and it’s 5:30pm and I still don’t know what’s for dinner, I’m not doing my creative energy, my family or myself any favors. I’m just overwhelmed.
And the awesome thing? A new year means a fresh start. A clean slate. A time for reflection and renewal. And it totally motivates me.
This year I plan to set aside time every day to keep the house in order and the fridge stocked. With a little planning, I think I can actually save time and energy and have things run more smoothly. So maybe my word for this year should have been organize or plan or homemaker. But my motivation to get things in order and to clear my mind is so that I have more energy to be with my boys.
I want to be present in the moment I’m in. I want to have a clear head with no nagging worries about the dishes or laundry. I know it won’t be perfect, but it can be better.
This year, I want to cherish the moment I’m in.
{Need inspiration to decide what your word is going to be? Check out this list on Ali Edward’s site}
I love your word “cherish” for the year. My chosen word is “calm” for many of the same reasons…to be fully and calmly present to my growing family!
And I love Amy’s idea of a kitchen journal. We’ve kept a calendar of meals for a couple years now, and have found that the weeks that we plan for all of the meals and grocery shop early always go the smoothest! My husband has usually done most of the cooking, but our schedules have shifted and I am starting to do more and more, so having a weekly plan has been great!
Hi Lisa. I was feeling overwhelmed by house keeping tasks and often coming up empty handed at dinner time. Once I started keeping a “kitchen journal”a few months ago, everything changed. I bought a little spiral notebook and I write down meal plans, grocery lists, family favorites, and jot notes in it everyday. I have made many discoveries that have helped my planning enormously. For example, I noticed that I just could never get it together on Wednesdays because I’m driving my kids around all afternoon. So I started making sure I had something in the crockpot that day. Also, seeing my plans and notes in writing is motivating. I wanted to see well-thought out plans in my journal frequently and not “today was a disaster”. As time went on, I could just look back in my journal for meals that worked and repeat them. It’s been a lifesaver and I wish I had started a kitchen journal years ago. Just a thought…
I find what really helps me is that when I’m cooking something (meatballs, chicken, lasagna) is to make double and freeze the second half. That way, I have one meal done for this week and one more done for next week…
Also, people swear by crockpots – putting food in the pot in the morning and just letting it sit all day.
It’s a beautiful word choice, the necklace is so lovely. Saw you in S. Life and wanted to connect. I’m just not able to pick a word for this year…can’t put my finger on what I want.
Have a blessed weekend, glad I found you. 🙂
~Scarlett
Thanks Scarlett! So glad you found me. xxoo
May your efforts towards organization and order be blessed this year Lisa. I always enjoy your posts and am inspired by your sweet spirit! Blessings!
I bought your word necklace last year and my word was “persevere” … I wore that necklace more days than not to remind myself of the importance of this word in my life. I’m still wearing it. I’m resisting 😉 buying another necklace this year but I got to thinking about what my word for 2012 would be and it is “grow” … I actually wrote a post about it on my blog.
Lisa, you are not alone! It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed after the holiday season. Give yourself some time to get back into the swing of things and by all means remember that all that matters is each present moment. You are always where you are meant to be and Cherish sounds like a beautiful focus! I choose the word Soar for 2012! Your work is beautiful and I wish you the best in the New Year.
Posted my word a few days ago at LOVD and it’s “Better”. Today I let off a little steam with a “What if…” post just to get me into the right frame of mind and reality again. Ever talk yourself out of a funk?
http://www.feellovdeveryday.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-if.html
i love the idea of coming up with a word to focus on for the year, but i’m not sure if i could follow through. however, if i do decide to focus on a word for 2012 it will be discipline based on this amazing post i read by {clover lane}
http://www.memoriesoncloverlane.com/2011/12/new-years-resolutions.html
Great word!
My word is JOY!
I explain why here: http://worthyoftheprize.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-2012-word.html
Happy New Year!
I tried to choose just one word but wasn’t able to. Instead, I chose two: hope and joy. I wrote about why here: http://ajigreer.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-have-two-words-for-you.html
…beautiful…
you always inspire me to do better. thank u for your words. i hoped you would see my instagram photo of my christmas bracelet that was made by you. my instagram name is crewmom4.
Try flylady.net. She takes it slow and easy and it’s working for me–to the point that I think it will stick. I work a job during the week, then drive 100 miles to get to my husband on weekends. Kinda crazy. But her newsletters say over and over that you’re not behind, just jump in where you are. It is a relief.
I’m trying to be a better homemaker, better home CEO, and eat more mindfully. Reading “Women Food and God”.
Thank you for sharing this. We are in super organization mode in our home too…for the exact same reason you shared. Unorganized home equals frustration, crankiness and lack of motivation in our home.
We recently became foster parents to two sweet sibling babies {a 6 week old and a 13 month old}! I feared that I would get nothing done…but actually we are on such a great schedule, I’m getting more done than when I was home alone while the kids were at school.
Good luck this year. I love your word. My word is Nourish and I’ll be sharing about it next week. Happy New Year to you and your family!
♥ april
Lisa — I know exactly what you mean, and I don’t have the excuse of a husband and kids…..so I find it really easy to have cereal for dinner and go back to the studio to avoid the housework…..so I started a new “policy”, using FlyLady. It’s a 15 minute a day committment to an orderly household, basically the break the house down into zones, and assign each zone to a time period during the month. It’s a great concentrated effort on hot spots, etc. Go check it out and even if you don’t follow it to the “t”, it’s full of organizing tips, and has a special section for the kids.
Hi Lisa ~ I think it’s definitely a woman/wife/mom thing to feel overwhelmed with all there is to do. Would a family meeting help, where you can get your husband on board to help with meal planning and laundry? Matthias (I hope I spelled his name correctly) could do things such as loading and unloading the dishwasher, setting the table, and folding laundry. Maybe a family chore chart would help? Just some friendly suggestions. 🙂
PS – I just received my open circle bracelet and I LOVE it! It is gorgeous. 🙂
I think us creative people all have the same troubles. I finally broke the dinner problem by making a list of the family favorites and putting it on the fridge. Every day at 4pm I get up from what ever I’m doing and start dinner so it’s ready by 5pm. It makes me start to think about it earlier because I know I have to start cooking early. If I feel really flustered that day, I get the crock pot out early and put some stew or pork loin in it. I’m extremely unorganized and try very hard to fight it. It’s like paddling up stream lol Good luck on your new year and getting a handle on it all. Just remember, to remind yourself of the good you do and don’t be too hard on yourself.
These were my thoughts exactly this morning! I need to get it together. (Your word has me sining that old song by The Association :))