This is part of my adventure in giving my monthly resolutions focus a yearly focus. You can read all of my resolution posts here (scroll down for older posts).

Mental Focus: Clearing the clutter through home organization
Last month, I was supposed to clean out the porch. I didn’t.

This month, according to my master plan, I’m supposed to work on the living room. We’ll see.

It’s not that I don’t want to continue this journey of junking the unneeded, it’s that my motivation lately is…nonexistent. So in June, I’m going to focus on that bad attitude that’s lurking underneath nearly everything lately and I’m going to pray…a lot. I think I’ll probably also fast. Fasting is powerful.

Physical Focus: Getting off my duff
I’ve been slacking on this, but as I shared a while back, I’ve given myself permission to put this away for the time being. Recently, though, something came to light that made me think this needs to be a priority. This month, I’m going to do some research, make a plan, and hopefully implement it. It’s going to require that I ask for help, so I’m going to pray for the humility to do that.

Spiritual Focus: Staying focused in my prayer life
One thing I don’t do well is evening prayer. This month, I’m going to focus on saying one small prayer before bed. My intent will be to thank God, but the focus is going to stay small and achievable. Did I mention that I’m going to rely heavily on God’s help to accomplish this? (I’m not an evening person. Not at all. I fall asleep early, and usually I just nod off…sometimes as early as 8:00!)

This is part of my adventure in giving my monthly resolutions focus a yearly focus. You can read all of my resolution posts here (scroll down for older posts).

Mental Focus: Clearing the clutter through home organization
We have a handy covered porch that’s home to our big freezer, the close-to-the-house wood, and a lot of other junk. I’m going to be clearing out that junk this month, and while I’m at it, I think I’ll persuade my Prince Charming to help me with the flower beds and landscaping, because dandelions, while a favorite of mine, aren’t part of the plan. Maybe weeding and mulching sound more physical than mental, but I assure you, in my world, Dirt Therapy is very much mental.

Physical Focus: Getting off my duff
I’ve been slacking on this, but as I shared a while back, I’ve given myself permission to put this away for the time being. Yes, it’s important. I know that without a doubt. But I can’t handle it right now…and so I’m pausing it…maybe even until next year. That said, May is a great month for getting outside, and I’ll be doing that. (It will just lack focus. *sigh*)

Spiritual Focus: Staying focused in my prayer life
It’s all about silence, but this month, I’m going to work on my focus as well. Sometimes, in the life of a mom of young children, silence doesn’t come at the designated times. Just this week, I’ve had my classroom of silence at 4 AM holding a fussy toddler and at 9 PM soothing a restless preschooler. In that silence, I need to remember to pray. Someone out there needs it, and so do I!

This is part of my adventure in giving my monthly resolutions focus through a yearly focus. You can read all of my resolution posts here (scroll down for older posts).

Mental Focus: Clearing the clutter through home organization

This is the month of the playroom. I’ve been working up to this for a few weeks (though I forgot that April was playroom month until I looked in my planner a few days ago), in preparation for our parish rummage sale. I told my four-year-old that I would pay her $1 for every black garbage bag she fills, and that she’ll be able to spend that money at the rummage sale OR save it for that special toy she’s been saving all of her money for in the last few months (she has $32 saved!).

Getting rid of toys isn’t the only part of the playroom focus though. Our playroom is the room people walk into when the enter our house. It’s where our wood stove lives and there’s also a corner that’s my husband’s place to keep stuff (for lack of a better way to describe it).

Physical Focus: Getting off my duff

I’ve been slacking on this, but as I shared in my small successes this week, I’ve given myself permission to put this away for the time being. Yes, it’s important. I know that without a doubt. But I can’t handle it right now…and so I’m pausing it…maybe even until next year.

Spiritual Focus: Carving out a classroom of silence for prayer

I have continued to explore the silent time that I mentioned last month. Some days, I just can’t get to it, because of other obligations. Perhaps the lesson for me, in all of these areas, is to be flexible, to have a foundation that’s solid (for me, in the spiritual focus, it’s the rosary) and some landscaping that adds beauty but that doesn’t distract from the real thing. (Not sure my metaphor is quite right…) I know I need this silent time, but sometimes, I need sleep more, and that’s OK. Perfection doesn’t always mean what I think it means; my goal is to become ever more open to GOD’S will and not purely focused on MY will.

This is part of my adventure in giving my monthly resolutions focus through a yearly focus. You can read all of my resolution posts here (scroll down for older posts).

Mental Focus: Clearing the clutter through home organization

I’d like to be getting more done in this area than I am, but I have also accepted that, for me, that’s going to always be the case. This month, I’m clearing out our office. It’s a room we use a lot, and one that has never been fully de-cluttered. Last year, when we were done moving our bedroom upstairs to the newly remodeled/dry-walled/insulated part of the house, I made an effort to make the office presentable. There are still boxes in here, though, and there are no pictures hung on the walls.

I’m going to make some tough decisions on the stuff in boxes. This is also the room in the house that will be, for all intents and purposes, the room where I will do my workouts, when I finally start them.

Physical Focus: Getting off my duff

Speaking of workouts, I’ve failed at the physical side of things this year, though not for lack of thinking. Before I could even think about letting go of the neat little plan I had made for the year (because, let’s face it, it’s not working!), I had to forgive myself.

Working out, getting in shape, doing one more thing (and a thing I’m not sure I’ll like!) is a major hurdle for me. I know I NEED to do it. I’m just not sure I WANT to do it.

Thinking about how I’ll approach it, I’ve decided that March is going to be the last month of thinking. This month, I’m going to explore a few options Bob and I have talked about (one of them a membership), and as I work in the office, I’m going to make a space for myself, one that will have a view of a picture or painting or something that will inspire me to go there, every day. I’m also going to research some different types of training/workouts (and if you have recommendations for a total workout dunce, please share!), to put a plan together that will work for me.

My goal is that by the end of the month, I’ll have my answer and also be underway, however slowly, to getting off my duff.

Spiritual Focus: Carving out a classroom of silence for prayer

When my second baby was born, my mornings of silence were shattered for a time. Recently, I’ve reinstated them, and I’m better for it. Then, a week ago, I tried something that was terrifying for me. I made myself sit (timer ticking though out of sight) for ten minutes in silent, mental prayer.

It was, quite possibly, one of the hardest things I’ve done.

Last night, when I gave a talk on peace to our youth group, I shared about this and one of the other moms asked me how I keep the distractions away.

I don’t have a good answer to that. I precede this time with a rosary, and I start off the time by asking God to help me. It’s hard not to have my hands and mind busy. The distractions come and come and come. But as I turn back to God, again and again and again, I can feel the power of the distractions lessening, a little each time. I can feel myself opening, just a bit more, to God.

This month, I’m going to keep exploring that silent time. I’m going to gradually increase it by small factors. It’s been one of the best practices I’ve adopted, and I can see its positive effects throughout my life. The specific way I do it was inspired by what I’ve been reading in Philip Dion’s A Handbook of Spiritual Perfection, which I highly recommend (and which, when I’m finished, I’ll be re-reading again and again).

This part of my adventure in giving my monthly resolutions focus through a yearly focus. You can read my initial post here and my January reflections here.

This year, I’m focusing on three areas: mental, physical, and spiritual. Each month, I’ll share my specific focus within the broader resolution in each of these areas. Sharing these here will help me stay accountable, and it will also force me to articulate what I am aiming to do each month within the larger context of the year.

Mental Focus: Clearing the clutter clears the mind, so this year I’m focusing on home organization, especially as it relates to clutter and cleanliness.

A new month means a new focus as I work my way around my house, decluttering as I go. This month, I’m taking my energies upstairs to our bedrooms. We don’t keep toys in the kids’ bedrooms, aside from a few favorite dolls and, of course, books, so I will be focusing on clothes, clearing off dressers, and perhaps even a bit of decorating. Last year, we finished our remodeling upstairs, so I have flawless walls that are begging for photos and paintings to be hung — photos and paintings that I own, but have just not taken the time to hang.

Our time upstairs is usually time sleeping, but as the days get longer, I might find myself using the upstairs for storytimes. Who knows? If I add beauty there, we girls won’t be able to stay away, I’m sure of that. And if the girls are upstairs, I’ll bet Daddy will find his way there too.

Physical Focus: My body is not just a convenient dumping ground, but a tool that can help me accomplish my goals. Like any tool, it needs to be tended, so this year I’m focusing on getting myself moving, little by little.

I flunked this section in January, and it was only ten minutes a day! I’m still upping the bar in February, though, in part because I know this is something I NEED, and in part because, well, maybe I just need a spur to my side. This month, my goal is 15 minutes a day. That’s it. Fifteen minutes of movement, be it walking or running, chasing children or jumping for joy. The lambs get really fun this month, and Shepherd Dan has a whole new set-up that I should take the time to visit (kids in tow — they are big fans of lambs!).

Spiritual Focus: Spending silent and screenless time is essential for my spiritual well-being. This year, I am focusing on making time, especially at the beginning of my days, for prayer and silence.

Before I do anything else each day, I will pray the rosary, even if I’m running late or having a rough start. It’s that important, and having this as the priority of the start of my day will impact the rest of the day for my whole family. In January, I’ll be continuing the Online Retreat in Everyday Life. I am just finishing the other two devotional books I was working on (reviews coming soon!), and so I think I’ll use my morning devotional time to finally finish St. Faustina’s diary. (It’s only taken me two years!)

In the evenings, from after dinner on, I’ll continue to observe offline evenings. This will give me time for reading and my family, or, as was true in January, for falling asleep when the kids do.

My iPod, which has been an incredible source of catechesis in the last year, will be in my ears, but must never invade on the necessary silence (i.e. of early mornings) that helps me keep my focus.

This part of my adventure in giving my monthly resolutions focus through a yearly focus. You can read my initial post here.

This year, I’m focusing on three areas: mental, physical, and spiritual. Each month, I’ll share my specific focus within the broader resolution in each of these areas. Sharing these here will help me stay accountable, and it will also force me to articulate what I am aiming to do each month within the larger context of the year.

Mental Focus: Clearing the clutter clears the mind, so this year I’m focusing on home organization, especially as it relates to clutter and cleanliness.

The coldest room in our house, this time of year, is the kitchen and laundry room. It’s no accident that I’ll be working in the kitchen (and, by extension, the laundry room) this month. I’ll have to stay moving anyway and I have noticed the truth in what Marla Cilley (aka FlyLady) said in her book Sink Reflections, as the kitchen goes, so goes the rest of the house.

I’m going to fill trash bags if I have to, boxes if bags won’t work, and find out just what’s in the far corners of that dark under-the-stairs cupboard. (I think there may be grape jelly, but there’s no telling for sure.) I also plan to organize my cleaning supplies so they’re handy (though not too accessible for little folks).

Physical Focus: My body is not just a convenient dumping ground, but a tool that can help me accomplish my goals. Like any tool, it needs to be tended, so this year I’m focusing on getting myself moving, little by little.

In January, my goal is small – just ten minutes a day. It’s going to take me all year to make this a habit, because I’m working against years and years of aversion to sweat. But it’s COLD in January – outside and in my house. For ten minutes every day, then (and maybe while I’m working in the kitchen!), I’ll get outside or workout on my NordicTrak or something. The point is to get the habit started and get myself thinking of this reflexively.

Spiritual Focus: Spending silent and screenless time is essential for my spiritual well-being. This year, I am focusing on making time, especially at the beginning of my days, for prayer and silence.

Before I do anything else each day, I will pray the rosary, even if I’m running late or having a rough start. It’s that important, and having this as the priority of the start of my day will impact the rest of the day for my whole family. In January, I’ll be continuing the Online Retreat in Everyday Life and also tapping into the wisdom of Rosary Meditations for Real Life, by James Hahn, as I pray my morning rosary.

In the evenings, from after dinner on, I’ll observe offline evenings. This will give me time for reading and my family.

My iPod, which has been an incredible source of catechesis in the last year, will be in my ears, but must never invade on the necessary silence (i.e. of early mornings) that helps me keep my focus heavenward.