Since one of my personal goals for 2013 is to take better care of myself, health care is one of the areas I have put on the priority list. But, aside from eating better and exercising – I also need to get up to date on medical appointments and wellness checks. It’s sad, but true, that all too often, we go to the doctor at the very last minute and only when necessary, though we make sure our children have their wellness appointments each year on their birthday. No more.

I have been wearing prescription glasses since I was 12 years old and though I am normally pretty good about getting my annual vision exam, last year I neglected to go. It was due time that I get an updated prescription and make sure all is progressing well with my eyesight. So, this past weekend, I headed to my local Walmart’s Vision Center and got a full eye exam completed, including a contact fitting. See that lovely picture of me to the right? That’s me rocking the special sunglasses I received after they dilated my pupils – it’s all in the name of good eye health!

The optometrist at my Walmart is an independent doctor housed inside the store, which makes it very convenient for you to get an eye exam done before your regular shopping trip, don’t you think? As part of this campaign with Walmart, I was also able to pick out a new frame, lenses, and will be ordering new contacts once my prescription is finalized, since the doctor switched the brand and strength of my contacts. Surprisingly, Walmart has quite a few frames to choose from, all at affordable prices. I’m used to paying close to $200 or more for just the eyeglass frame without the lenses, but Walmart has frames starting at just $9, all the way up to the mid-100s. Though I tried to find a frame in the $38 price range, my prescription is a little too strong for them and my lenses would have looked too thick. I did, however, find a nice Oscar de la Renta frame for only $88.

As for the contacts, once we make sure the new brand and strength is working well for me, I’ll be able to order contacts from Walmart and take advantage of the current sale they have. In fact, if I could, I would consider the new Equate 1-Day Disposable Contact Lenses, but I have a bit of astigmatism in one eye, so they won’t work for me. However, at only $30 for a box of 90 lenses, I think this is a great alternative for those that don’t often wear contact lenses or for younger kids and teenagers!

When was the last time you had an eye exam? Don’t forget, it’s just as important to have one even if you don’t wear glasses or contacts!

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

At the beginning of this year, I reflected on what I am looking forward to for 2013 and shared some personal goals and planned changes. One of those is to grow my knowledge this year – to read more, learn something new, enhance a skill – something along those lines. You see, I used to have lots of dreams, ambitions, and the energy and drive to do it all. Somehow, in the hustle and bustle of wanting to be a good mom, and be there…I lost that.

My husband has noticed. My family has noticed. And, slowly, I came to the realization myself. I have moments of pure brain mush – where I can’t tap into knowledge I know I once had. I can’t remember how to do the complex math problems I used to do when studying years and years of high-level math and science during my Engineering courses. Heck, I can’t even work in that field now without going back to school. It’s just not there anymore.

That’s just but one example of how I feel I’m no longer the woman I used to be. I know I have goals in mind, but they are not as clearly defined as they once used to be. I know I’m motivated, but it’s not showing in tangible results – at least not in my mind. So, what’s a woman to do? How do I bring my snappy, energetic, ambitious, and intelligent self back?

To be honest, I haven’t quite figured this out yet. I’ve thought about buying myself a study book to revisit topics like math and science, just to give my brain a chance to be stimulated in a different manner. I’ve considered enrolling in some kind of local class or program. There are many options, obviously, but I have yet to narrow down my personal choices and decide what it is that I currently need. I suppose that’s a process in and of itself, right?

I’ll have to work on figuring this out and finding myself again (so to speak). In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you – do you ever find yourself wondering where the woman you were has gone? Do you find that motherhood has, in a way, stripped you of your previous identity?

Original photo: Fabiana/Flickr

With 2013 being the year of change, streamlining, and lessening the chaos, I have been throwing out, donating, and reducing items in our household little by little. Nothing major – simple, yet effective decluttering is how I’ve been going about it. For example, as I’m washing and folding laundry, if I notice that some items no longer fit the kids (or myself), I take that chance to put them in a donation bag. Or perhaps if I see some toys that the kids don’t seem to be playing with much, I go ahead and toss them to make room in the toy bin. It feels good to take little steps for lessening the overall clutter in the house.

A problem area that has been sitting untouched for months, though, is my downstairs work desk. I have an informal home office space in the living room for my laptop, where I mostly do my work each day. Having this desk downstairs allows me to work with baby boy at home without restricting him to the upstairs office. This work area also allows for baby girl to do any online homework on my laptop, or some days, she plays games while I cook – all with me in the room and able to supervise. It’s worked out quite well, except for the clutter that has accumulated!

Because the desk is easily accessible, it means lots of times paperwork, flyers, mail, and other miscellaneous items are tossed onto my desk. I’m partly to blame for this too – not just the kids and my husband! We’ve all contributed to the clutter and my work space has become a mix of important papers, in-progress notes, extra electronics, and the kids’ artwork. So, I had to do something to change that.

Through a declutter challenge offered up by Walmart, I took the opportunity to focus on reorganizing, decluttering, and re-purposing my home office area. I decided to make it functional for both my work and for the kids. If I give them the space and designate areas for them to have their papers, then perhaps it will lessen the clutter and mess.

I found a new desk organizer and wall-hanging file sorter on Walmart.com that I thought would help. I chose this desk organizer because it has drawers I thought would be useful for smaller papers, plus it has a space to hold notebooks in a standing position, which will help avoid a large stack. Though this desk organizer has less shelves than the one I previously had, I thought that would actually be a good thing since it means there’s less room for dumping mail, loose papers, and such.

The wall file sorter I purchased will be used to better organize those in-progress notes, mail, and to-do items. I also designated one of the pockets for the kids, so they have a reserve of printables and activity sheets they can easily access. I labeled each pocket on the wall file holder to help my daughter know which pocket was for her use, and help me see at a quick glance where everything is stored.

My desk is now clear of clutter, is better organized, and will hopefully remain that way with the organizational system I’ve set up. I’m hoping it really works for the entire family and provides me a cleaner space to be productive in 2013! Check out the before and after – much better, don’t you think?

What area in your house could use some decluttering and reorganization?

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™

We’re 17 days into 2013 and I’m still working on overall plans for self- and home-organization. I’ve been able to organize a few aspects of daily life, but others still need work.

Something I’ve started doing at the end of each week, is reflecting on what worked and what could have been improved upon during the past week. It’s really helped to dissuade those feelings of not having accomplished enough. When I take inventory of what the entire week involved, I quickly notice that things did get done, even if there were parts that could have gone better.

Planned Changes

In 2013, I plan to do a few things differently in an effort to not feel like there’s chaos in every single corner of my life. Some of those changes include:

Getting back to menu planning

I am not sure why I ever stopped creating a weekly menu plan. I know that it made it so much easier to know what to cook each day and have the grocery shopping done in advance.

Following a cleaning schedule

Though it seems unnecessary to have a cleaning schedule, sometimes the housework can go ignored with work, kids, and everyday responsibilities. I know that I personally tend to put off housework in favor of other tasks or for fun with the kids, etc. Because of that, an area that wasn’t in dire need of cleaning, piles up and then becomes a daunting task of catch-up cleaning. Following a cleaning schedule where the housework can be divided up into chunks throughout the week seems to help avoid a huge pile-up.

Using an editorial calendar for blog content

Amazingly, I don’t have a formal editorial calendar for my own sites, though I am used to working with one when freelance writing for other sites. I’d like to create one this year, even if just for a few months at a time, so that I can better plan upcoming content and how to fit in various requests.

Creating a self-care routine

Something else that tends to be pushed aside is caring for myself. As an example, I can easily go a week or more without properly washing my hair (and let’s not even talk about the deep conditioning treatments I should be doing). Now that I’m in my 30s, I think it’s time I have a regular beauty/self-care routine where I take care of things like my skin and hair on a regular basis. I certainly want to avoid future issues as I “get older.”

Exercising

This is always an issue for me, but I really need to get over it and just get myself used to a regular exercise routine. I don’t want to exercise just for losing weight (though I do want to lose some), but more so for my overall health and to show my kids that exercise is important.

What changes have you put into effect for 2013?

Photo: StormKatt/Flickr

Happy New Year my friends! As I look back at 2012, I realize that while it wasn’t bad, it could have been better. But, the past is just that and I am aiming to move forward in 2013. I don’t exactly have resolutions, but I do have goals in mind. I have things I want and need to do this year – for myself, my business, and my family.

Goals for myself include taking better care of myself. Outside of the usual New Year’s goals of eating better and exercise, I also need to take care of my health and am starting the year with various doctor’s appointments to schedule. I also want to create a regular self-care routine so that I don’t go 2 months without a pedicure, or a week without washing my hair. I get caught up in the daily routine and the rush of getting ready with the kids around, that I don’t often take the time to do much beyond the basics.

My inner self needs love too and this year I’d like to read more, learn something new, and just work on growing my knowledge. I feel like my brain is mush much of the time and need to change that.

I have several goals for my business as well, though I’m still figuring out the logistics and steps required to achieve them. But, 2013 needs to be a year of business growth regardless of how I get there.

Working on all these areas of my life will ultimately help my family. In the end, that is my biggest goal for 2013: to be a better mother, wife, daughter, and person. There are just so many pieces that go into completing that goal; I have to take them one at a time.

What is your main goal (or resolution) for 2013?

Photo: Ramos Alejandro/Flickr