Looking Back - Looking Ahead

If you are like many people, you find yourself doing some reflection at this time of the year. Many of us are thinking about the new year and possibly some "New Year Resolutions". What are your goals, aspirations, and hopes for the coming year?

Although I am constantly aspiring to better myself, this year I decided to give myself a little credit for all that I have accomplished. Instead of focusing only on what more I can improve upon and change, I am taking a moment to look back and acknowledge everything that I have already accomplished, changed for the better, and improved upon.

Let me share some of my story.

Although I knew I wanted to home school when my oldest was a toddler, circumstances prevented me from devoting myself to home education. Losing both my parents within 18 months, a divorce, single parenting while working two jobs, a child custody fight, several major moves and job changes, all within three years, kept me mentally and emotionally drained.

I remarried, had a new baby and was presented with the opportunity to stay home with my children. It was wonderful! The stability of our days, the time together, improved relationships. Taking a deep breath, I was able to start focusing on our home and family life.

Some of the positive changes we have experienced:

• decreased media - no more handheld gaming devices, no more television morning and night, no more inappropriate movies, no Ipods.
• increased routine - family meal times at the table with a candle and a blessing; regular bed-times and waking times; outside time daily; chore schedules; lots of read-alouds and daily imaginative play times.
• improved nutrition - less packaged "convenience" foods and more made-from-scratch foods, garden grown vegetables, weekly farmer's market visits, pick-your-own farm visits, organic and local food purchases, and family discussions about why all this matters.
• home education, including joining a local Waldorf home school cooperative that meets weekly.

This may be something that you have experienced from the beginning with your family, but it was missing from my life for a long time. When contemplating changes, in the beginning I felt so overwhelmed, where to start? But one change leads to another, and before you know it, things start falling in to place.

But I am still aspiring. What changes am I looking for in the coming year? I will be thinking about this over the next several weeks. I would love to hear what others are aspiring to, as they contemplate the new calendar year. And don't forget to take some time to focus on what you have accomplished this past year.
Michelle