January....here and gone

I so clearly remember thinking to myself, "Once Christmas is over I can start thinking about Josh's birthday." Josh's birthday was on January 12th. Because of a constantly evolving daily schedule the month of January has seemed like a blur.

This past year has been a year of learning and growing....and that's still probably an understatement. I've had to change the way I spend my time and which things in my life were true priorities. It's still an adjustment for Josh, Willow, Weston and Grace as they continue to learn that more is expected of them in a single-parent home. I love my amazing kids.

Things I've given up....and still survived!

1. CSI - For those of you who follow CSI all I can say is that it's just not the same without Grissom.

2. Survivor - I didn't see any of last year's episodes and realized I was watching faithfully to see Jeff Probst....the man's got the greatest job!

3. daily Facebook updates - I find myself checking updates via my e-mail....however, if you want to see who's following facebook faithfully all you have to do is change your relationship status.

4. daily Diet Coke - I still crave it every now and again, especially with chips and salsa, but I've managed to decrease the daily drive to the gas station.

5. my black minivan - I gave it up by default when I crashed it and at the same time my kids gave up the option of watching movies while we drive, but instead of buying a new van I opted to go back to my old 1998 Dodge Caravan since it's paid for.