Money Saving Mom®

My good friend and neighbor, Tam, is running a #Choose30 Challenge on her site this month, encouraging people to choose one thing to do differently that will make an impact in their lives.

I wanted to join in, but I was a little scared to commit to what I really wanted to commit to. Because, well, it seemed a little dorky.

Also, I knew that if I “put it out there” it would mean that I’d have to, you know, follow through. And while I can be the Queen of Great Intentions, following through is not always my forte.

I’m working hard on that and have made some big strides, but I still fall off the bandwagon more often than I’d like to admit to.

But anyway, since I’m all about public accountability, I might as well tell you what my #Choose30 commitment is, however quirky it might seem to some of you.

Drumroll…

Here goes: I’m committing to get up and exercise, take a shower, get dressed in something that makes me feel great, and read my Bible first thing every single morning this month.

Before I hop onto the computer.

Before I get distracted with washing a sink full of dirty dishes that I should have done the night before. Ahem. (Yes, don’t ask me why I’d rather wash dishes than exercise and take a shower, but it’s true!)

Before distracting myself with the 432 other things I can come up with to do first before exercising and taking a shower.

I seem to find all sorts of “important” reasons to stall and wait until the last minute to get ready for the day… every.single.morning.

And some mornings, gulp, I realize that it’s not even morning and I’m still sporting my comfy pj pants and a t-shirt and bed hair. Because I’m classy like that.

I dislike this habit of mine a lot. I want to break it. I really do.

I’m more productive when I have exercised, showered, and dressed. I feel better about myself. And I don’t have to avoid answering the door or rush around like a mad woman trying to get myself looking presentable during the last 15 minutes before we need to be out the door.

Plus, my day just seems to go smoother and better when I start it out by getting ready for the day. Not to mention, I want to set a good example for my kids.

So that’s my commitment for February. That’s my #Choose30 Challenge. Here’s to hoping I can change this habit of mine for good!

{If you need some accountability to develop a new habit or jump out and be brave and try something different, head on over Tam’s blog to read all about the #Choose30 Challenge and to sign up to join the journey!}

So after starting my day at 5 a.m. with exercise, showering, and Bible reading, I had my blogging time and then it was time to jump into my day.

I tried this new hot cereal for breakfast. It was so-so.

During breakfast, I read from our current devotional: Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing. And then we all got busy on our morning chores.

I am trying out Sarah’s idea to use Daily Lists to help my kids stay on task. The kids were fairly resistant to the idea at first, but after a little convincing and encouragement, they seemed to have a complete change of heart. And then, they’ve ended up loving it and it really has seemed to help them stay motivated and focused!

As a bonus, they’ve needed a lot fewer reminders from me on what they are supposed to be doing or encouragement to steer them back on course. We’ll see how it plays out long-term, but I’m really loving the idea so far!

While the kids were working on their morning chores, I cleaned up the kitchen, started the dishwasher, and cleaned out this cupboard that has been screaming for attention for quite some time.

I pulled most everything out of it, wiped it down, refilled the oats and flour canisters, and then re-organized everything.

You can’t tell that big of a difference, but I can. And every time I open up this cupboard, I will be glad it’s now clean and organized again!

I also wiped out the cupboard underneath our kitchen island — where we keep our trash can and some other miscellaneous items.

And then while the kids finished up their chores and got started on their morning independent work, I ran upstairs to have a Google Hangout with Lisa-Jo, Joy, and the folks from Help One Now. We’re working on project for South Africa that we’re going to be encouraging you all to join in with us and we needed to discuss some details for that.

I usually don’t schedule any phone calls in the morning, but this was the only time we could find that would work for all of us before next week (when we’re launching this project — stay tuned!) so I just made an exception to that policy and went with it. Because the kids had their Daily Lists, they stayed very focused and on task while I was in the meeting — which was such a blessing!

When I got off the call, Jesse was just walking in the door so we sat and talked for a bit to catch up on his morning and I brought him up to speed on how the kids did while he was gone. We also chatted about a few decisions we needed to make. And then we all headed to the kitchen table while we did our Morning Time (this idea has been revolutionary for our homeschool and we are just LOVING it!!). While we read, sang, reviewed our memory verses, worked on handwriting, and read some more, Jesse made lunch for us.

We ate lunch and did our family devotions and then Jesse took over homeschooling and I headed up to my office upstairs to get in a few hours of work. This afternoon, I worked on scheduling some blog posts and social media, responded to comments and emails, scheduled a few things for the rest of the week, and then had a phone call.

We got the kids ready to go around 5 p.m. and headed to have dinner with a few families who live in our area. We love this small group of families — some of our dearest friends here — and always look forward to when we get to hang out!

We made it back home a little after 8 p.m. and Jesse read to the kids while I wrote this post and finished up a few projects that had looming deadlines. (I try to be completely offline after 6 p.m. every night, but we make the occasional exception when I have a deadline.) And now it’s off to bed for me…

How was YOUR day?