New Year; Renewed Focus I have a love/hate relationship with the New Year. Every year I fall in love with Christmas break. I mean, I fall in love with the break… Late nights. Late mornings. Long walks. Christmas. Lights. Lots of coffee and cocoa. Celebrating Jesus. Family. Ahhh… heaven. Then comes the longest day of the year for me. New Year’s Eve. I am not a late night owl. (Yes, I said late nights were on my love list just a few sentences ago, but I meant late like ten o’clock). My kids seem to think that it is awesome to stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year. Me? Not so much. I hate New Year’s Day because it reminds me that Christmas break is over and that I have not thought about school for a few weeks. Drat. Well, we are now three days into this year and I am less prepared than ever. Each morning I am scrambling to make a to do list for each of the boys. As I remind myself of my priorities, I thought I would share them with whoever may be in the same boat with me. If you are brand new to homeschooling, you may find comfort in knowing that even us seasoned homeschoolers short circuit at times! New Year Resolutions Reminders My attitude sets the tone for the entire home: Make time to spend with the Lord each morning. My relationship with my husband trumps every other relationship: Focus on blessing, encouraging and loving my man. My kid’s character is waaaay more important than curriculum: focus on diligence, discipline, integrity, kindness, and love. Plan. This is a big one for me. I need to set aside at least a couple of hours every week to wrap my head around where I am leading the boys in “school”. I am behind. I need a big chunk of time to plan the rest of the year. Kids can smell when I do not have a plan… Relax. The best lessons in homeschool are found off the beaten path. Loosen up on the to do list and keep my eyes open for opportunities! Look ahead. I have one child graduating High school and another entering high school this year. I need to wrap my head around that. Make time (and a cup of coffee). Focus on the eternal. Yes, I am a Christian. I believe the Lord is coming back, just like He said He would. The daily news could have been taken right out of Old Testament Prophecy. I need to share my faith with urgency-especially with my kids! Take care of me. I am usually the last person on the list of people to help. I need to make sure I do not forget me. I tend to forget to eat and drink water. I need to lace up my shoes and get outside. I need to lose a few pounds. How about you? What would you remind yourself?