january focus: declutter and detox {do, read, learn, and be goals}

After the long holiday season, I'm really feeling the results of excess. Do you know what I mean? :) All kinds of new items have entered our household {4 kids + 2 adults + 3 Christmas celebrations = tons of new stuff}, and then all the sugary, fattening foods I've eaten in the last month and a half have left me feeling rather sluggish and icky too. I'm ready for a clean start in the new year! Are you too?

That's why I'm a bit excited about my January goals. I'm following the pattern of last year's goals and breaking them down into do, read, learn, and be, but focusing them on a theme or two. Or that's what I'm aiming for anyway. We'll see how the year pans out. ;)

For this month, my four categories are guided by these two main goals: declutter and detox. 

do:

a home declutter:

1. 40 bags- I'm challenging myself to find 40 bags of excess to purge from our house. I know it's there- in 15 minutes yesterday, I had a 13 gallon trash bag full! It might take more than a month, but that's okay. Any progress is good! {There are also tons of great decluttering ideas over here!} I'll try to keep you posted!

2. Take down 10 picture frames that aren't hanging on the wall. {I'm attempting to tame the visual clutter around the house.}

3. Rearrange living room and sewing room furniture to better use our spaces. 

4. Take down Christmas decorations. {It's only January 4, right? ;)}

5. Donate extra bedding we no longer need.

a physical detox:

1. Eat real foods- avoiding all processed foods if possible. I've been doing this for the last week, and it's not been fun so far. But I feel better already!

2. Exercise at least 8 hours per week. {I'm using this free fitness log! hey!}

3. Drink at least 64 ounces of water each day.

a spiritual detox:

1. Journal 1-2x per week in quiet time using Evernote. {I will easily type it out but I know I'll never do it if I'm supposed to hand write it. Typing is so much faster. ha!}

2. Wake up before kids and read alone in quiet at least 5 days per week {this has been so hard to do this winter}. Check off each day completed in my calendar for motivation.

read:

Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World by Craig Groeschel*

a book about the effects of culture on the Christian soul...

"We will never discover lasting happiness, significance and security in the temporary things of this world because we weren't made to live a temporary life."

"When we truly change what we believe, we'll gladly change how we behave."

learn:

Psalm 51:7-13 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a rightb spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

be:
I'm praying God will work on this character quality in me this month and through the year: repentance.

side note: so I looked it up in my Mac's dictionary and couldn't believe my eyes! The Gospel is even in my Macbook! Ahhhh!! :D Check this out:

repentance |riˈpentns|nounthe action of repenting; sincere regret or remorse: each person who turns to God in genuine repentance and faith will be saved.

I guess you could summarize my goals for January into this:
I want to go into 2013 with a clean heart, and a renewed mind, so that I can continue to grow in Christ. {Lord, may it be so!}
What is your focus for January? Are you decluttering and detoxing too? :D