Every day starts the same way. I have these grand ideas that I will wake up and be the mom I really want to be. Then, the kids won't get up. One has lost his shoe. Another is dancing around the kitchen instead of eating her breakfast. I morph from the good mom I want to be to the one that just wants to get them out the door to school. Then, the moment they are gone I regret how the day went.

One would think that knowing this would be enough to make a change. Well, in a perfect world that would be the case. However, I just keep proving the definition of insanity by doing the same thing over and over again but trying to get a different result. It just isn't working anymore.

As we all move towards a new year, it is that time for a change. It means that you can wipe the slate clean and really try to make your life better. For me, I am going to try do make positive changes in my own life.

First and foremost, I need to stop trying to strive for perfection. Doing that instantly sets me up for failure. Instead, I am going to just try to be happy.

That may sound so simplistic, but it is true.

You've probably heard the phrase "Happy Wife. Happy Life." I really think that should be changed. We need to start to say "Happy Me - The Way to Be."

I know that when I am happy with myself and my own life, it transfers into everything I do. I find it when I work. I find that I have more patience and love towards my spouse. Best of all, I am a better mom. That's all it takes.

So, for me, 2016 is not about trying to change what I can't control. I can't control the lost shoes or the happy-go-lucky seven year old. However, what I can change is myself. I can find happiness in those moments and with the amazing life I have.