birth of The {swank} List

Over the past couple months I have become extremely motivated.  Motivated to do things that I have been procrastinating over for days, months, and even years.  I'm not sure what sparked this sudden change but I have found that it has been definitely for the better.  It could have been my intense desire to create a privileged life for my kids.  It could have been the networking with other motivated moms and local personalities via Twitter and Facebook, seeing my brother positively change his life after a surprising breakup, or just me wanting to change.  It is probably all of the above.

Some say married life or being in a long-term relationship can make you become one.  You sort of lose yourself with the other person and adapt to what you know life is with that person.  Goals change, many forgotten.  Life takes another direction and you ultimately forget what you were trying to achieve in your previous life.  Kids may come and take up an insane amount of your time.  And then one day, you look at yourself and scream, "How the heck did I get here?!".

Yes, I can admit that all of the above has happened to me.  When Lil J was born, I never lost my sense of style {mostly because of Miss S.  She loves to make sure she matches her outfit with mine.  Coming from an 11 year old, that's a huge compliment}, but I lost my sense of self.  It was hard to admit at first and it took me two years to realize it.  Sure, I'm a Mommy of two now.  But I am also a {swank}mommy and I was determined to prove it far past my style {note:  I haven't had a haircut in over six months.  That's about to change today...}.

So I've decided to make a list for myself to follow.  Mainly so I won't forget my goals {short-term and long-term}, and also so I can complete them. You can find the list on my blog's right-hand sidebar.

Luckily, I have very positive people around me that support the things that I do.  I've found various local deals on daily deal websites that have encouraged me to try new things.  I have family that are willing to look after my kids.  I have a husband that is hands-on and very supportive in everything that I do.  I have friends that I can gossip to.  I am healthy.  I am able.  There is nothing stopping me from accomplishing the things I want to do in life, the goals I have.  They just might be set-back a little bit as my main goal is to spend as much time with my kids as possible.