Rejuvenation

Rejuvenation.

It's my word of the year.

A word to define how this year will play out. My goals. My dreams.

At the beginning of this year, I was asked by many bloggy friends, both personally and in blog posts, which word would best describe how I envisioned this year going; my "word of the year", if you will. But I couldn't think of a word. Not a single word. I kept telling myself, "Just come up with ONE word, Danny! You don't have to be sophisticated about it. Sophisticated?? Could that be your word... yeah. Probably not." My mind was completely blank.

Fast forward three months and the word came to me: Rejuvenation.

I've talked with Brent a lot about this. Not that we're especially philosophical people, but we agreed: this is OUR word. This is OUR goal. This year, 2012, is going to be a year of health; of wealth; of energy; of rejuvenation.

As you know, I am a SAHM now-a-days, and as I'm sure you can understand, that means I don't get a paycheck anymore. While I was working, things were great. We bought what we wanted, when we wanted. We ate at the best restaurants and I bought expensive clothes. I got my hair done regularly and Brent bought every new video game he could get his hands on. Life was good, but we weren't saving and we used credit cards. Stupid, I know. Now, here we are, 10 months after I quit my job, and we want to clean up our finances. I guess I should make it clear that we aren't extravagant consumers, and because of that, we aren't in an extravagant amount of debt. I used cash for my purchases because my income was "extra" and we, like many other credit card users, fell for the old "put everything on your card and pay your card off at the end of the month to earn our piddly rewards points" adage. The bank conned us. So we're going to get them back.

We are going to pay off our debt. The credit cards. The HELOC. The car. All of it. Then... we're getting a new house.

None of this would be possible if it weren't for Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, a video series we have been watching for a couple months now. His principles are easy and just. make. sense. Using his techniques, we have paved the way to becoming better stewards of our money. Financial Peace. That's going to be us.

No more worrying about making payments or affording a new house where we can raise more children. Where I can have a sewing space that's actually large enough to house my stash AND me at the same time. Where we can have room for bikes and soccer balls and sidewalk chalk. Where our future children will one day have their own rooms. Where we can throw a ball in the yard and not have to worry about it landing in the next door neighbor's yard... or the yard past theirs.

Rejuvenation.

I'm also learning to say "no" and to let go of things I cannot handle. I thought coming into Blog World I would be able to do so much more with my time. I was being unrealistic. I didn't know the time it would take to care for a baby. I factored in poop, food, and bath, but I forgot the most important moments would be those in between. The moments you can't plan for. The moments that sneak up on you and pull you away from that sewing project with the month-end deadline or the dishes... I hate doing the dishes, so it's not too hard to pull me away from that one, but you get the idea. Sadly, I've had to leave Beejeebers, one of the bees I joined this year. I felt terrible about it. I'm not one to give up on a commitment, but it had to happen, along with other schedule changes. And despite the fact that I will miss the skills learned with each new block and the relationships I've built with each member, I feel this was the right move for me. I'm clearing my planner; making time for me. My baby. My husband. My house.

I had gotten to the point where I passed off Clara the second Brent walked in the door from his 12 hour day so I could rush to sew. It wasn't fair to him. It wasn't fair to the people I was creating for, both in Blog Land and here in the real world. And I think most of all, it wasn't fair to me. I haven't sat down even ONCE and created something specifically for MY daughter. She doesn't have cute headbands or dresses or stuffies or any of the things I've made for other people and their kids. And it's not fair. I wanted to be a SAHM to be with and create things for Clara Mae, so I'm learning to say "no".

Another way this year is rejuvenating?? Physically. I'm just going to come right out and say it:

I. AM. A. LARD.

I do nothing. I walk a lot, but I'm not getting the regular exercise of my pre-baby days. I've heard all this junk about "Oh, just wait a little longer and Clara will be crawling/walking/running/flying and you will lose all the weight chasing her". Well, I'm calling bull crap. I'm not going to lose weight chasing my child around this tiny living room. I want HER to chase ME. I want to go to the park and teach her to play soccer and play tag and how to cross the monkey bars two at a time. I want to have the energy to do more than sit on the couch for the first hour or two of the day. I'm a young mom. I want more kids. And I want to be in shape when they come along too.

So I made a plan.

And I convinced the hubs, my mom, my dad, and my brother to join me.

We've started the P90 exercise routine, which I've done in the past. I've always loved it. I feel so alive and refreshed after each workout. I wake up in the morning feeling like a new woman. I'm not nearly as sore as I thought I would be (chalk it up to lugging a 20 pound baby around most of the day) and for that, I am grateful. It gives me the strength to keep going. And, I can't lie to you. I have some other motivation too:

Brent will buy me an Anthropologie dress and take me out on a nice date if I complete the 90 days without missing once.

The boy knows how to speak to me!

I'll still be walking and doing yoga, they will just be interspersed with my other workout routines, the first of which is this P90.

My goal is to be back in my pre-baby clothes by Sewing Summit. I want you all thinking I look fit! And hot! :)

So this part of the rejuvenation process will be the most embarrassing for me.

I have been inspired by Shelley of House of Smiths to take you along on my journey.

Here's where I started:

I am 5' 6". Size 14. 195 lbs.

My goal is to fit in my size 10 clothes by October. Two sizes. I can SO do that!

So as you can see, I have big plans for this year. Plans to be refreshed, renewed, and rejuvenated.

How about you? Anyone out there figure out their word a few months late?