I'm officially on winter break! I have been home alone this weekend, DW left early to visit family and the girls are with their dad. That leaves me here to wrap gifts, clean, work out, and generally take my time with everything. It has been nice, the quietness, but I'm ready to see everyone again!

I head home tomorrow to spend a few days with the girls and the rest of my family. Then I fly out to meet up with DW to spend New Years with her family. I get back home with a few days to spare before going back to work.

I took out cash to spend until the 15th, when I will replenish the spending money. I already got paid for the end of the month, due to the school holidays, but I don't get another paycheck until the last day of January, so I must be very careful to make it last!

My bills have been scheduled to be paid, and by early next week everything left in the account should be what is left over for spending. I'm giving myself extra breathing room this month, because I will have additional expenses such as shipping for presents, meals out while visiting out of town, etc. I will finish my shopping this weekend, much of it will be done online, anyway.

I have exercised each day an average of 30 minutes on Dec 2, 3, 4. Today I will work out when I get home after taking my daughter to a doctor appointment. I am looking forward to those 30 minutes by myself!

I'm also planning to head to church this Sunday. My DW and I have found one that is welcoming to us, and that shares our beliefs. DW and I differ a bit in our spiritual beliefs and we've never been able to find a church that we both feel connected to, so this is a pleasant surprise. The kids program is a bit of a bore, though, according to the girls. I'm hoping as time goes on they will get something out of it, at least give us something to talk about as a family.

That's the plan for the upcoming weekend, anyway. Saturday night I want to take the family to the zoo for the evening holiday lights display I've heard so much about, and it's free! Church Sunday, and online shopping. Exercise. Easy weekend!

I ran 3 miles yesterday, it was so nice to get that runner's high again! I've started myself on a "3 miles or 30 minutes in 30 Days" campaign. I run 3 miles or workout for 30 minutes for the next 30 days, which brings me to Dec. 31. I tend to eat better when I exercise, so if I commit myself to the exercise I know I will make better food choices, even with all of the delicious goodies around! And 30 minutes of exercise is not that hard to do. I may not be able to get on the treadmill each day for 3 miles, but I can get creative and do 30 minutes of some form of physical activity.

I'm mostly focusing on my exercise and diet to keep me feeling good, I don't really have too much excess weight to lose. Depression runs in my family, and I already deal with anxiety, so I need to be super vigilant about my lifestyle choices. I don't like feeling sad and anxious. Except when I am, does that make sense? Sad and anxious are normal feelings, and it's okay to feel that way sometimes, but I don't want to be feeling that way all the time. I need to set myself up to have positive thoughts for myself. It's much easier to think positive after a good workout, when fabulous feel-good chemicals are flowing through me. And food also impacts how I feel. If I'm stressed and rushed and cram junk in my mouth, I feel lousy. If I start out calmer, and make good decisions about what I eat, I'm going to feel better.

Bottom line is that I'm responsible for myself, if I feel anxious or negative, those are my thoughts. I need to set myself up to feel better. No one else will do it for me, and no one else will feel what I feel.

Tying it all into money, obsessing over my numbers doesn't change anything. I am making the best financial choices that I can make right now, and I'm setting myself up for success. Obsessing isn't going to get me closer to my goals. Day to day choices will get me closer to my goals. Desiring less is an easy way to improve my finances- the simpler my lifestyle the fewer my wants. I'm grateful for what I have, I have more than enough, and I am making the best choices that I can to provide for the future.