I’ve been a mom for five years now. I’m a mom to three different kiddos. It’s sort of a weird stage of motherhood—I’m not the newbie anymore, but I’m not a seasoned vet quite yet either. My younger sisters are having babies or thinking about babies and their friends are having babies, too. I get messages from women asking for recommendations for what they should add onto their baby registry or how I do it with three little ones.

I am the person I used to seek out. And that’s an interesting feeling. Mostly because I still feel like I don’t really know what I’m doing. I am winging every second of this journey, with an open heart, an open mind and a humble spirit.

One thing I’ve learned in the last five years is this: somewhere in between the million diaper changes I’ve done, somewhere among the mess of tiny little figurines and doll clothes, somewhere along the car rides and car seat buckling, somewhere smooshed in all the hugs and kisses I’ve been lucky enough to receive—well, I’ve lost myself a little along the way. I’ve put myself last, I’ve sat on the back burner, I’ve neglected my needs.

But I’m ready to stop doing that. Because I can do better. I am ready to do better. I deserve to do better.

I want to work on myself, and put myself on my list of priorities. Here is what I am going to try to do!

• Connecting with who I am right now and prioritizing what matters most
• Taking care of myself—physically, spiritually, mentally
• Empowering myself, strengthening my voice, believing in my mission

I have a lot of themes within my story that need revamping. I want to get rid of all the clothes that I don’t wear, that don’t serve me, that don’t make me feel good anymore and start investing in more staple pieces. I want to make over my diet and learn more about eating to fuel but balancing that out with eating for fun all while maintaining a healthy body image. I want to have fun and try out new hobbies to see what sticks.

But right now I know what I need to start with: SLEEP. I want to get better and higher quality sleep, so that is what I’m starting with. For the month of January I am going to be focused on fine-tuning my bedtime routine, going to bed earlier, cutting off screen time at a certain time, and then perfecting my morning routine, too.

I have a lot I want to improve on, but want to take small steps so I don’t get overwhelmed. Sleep seems important to start with!