2016 Goals

Even though it is now closer to February 1 than January 1 I wanted to make sure that I spent some time considering my goals for the year.  Though I often fall short of the goals I set for myself, I've found that it has been incredibly helpful for me to really examine where I've been and where I want to be. Many goals are the same as in the past years; some because I didn’t complete them and others because they ought to continually be on the list.

Spiritual Goals:

• Daily Bible Reading

• Focused/Planned Bible Study

• Focused Bible lessons for the kids. I have an idea to do some form of journaling with them, but we'll see how that works out.

• Start using the Scripture Memory System with the kids (and me!) again. This system has been a great tool to learning Scripture, but I've really fallen short with it recently. 

• Develop a deeper and more specific prayer life.

• Make an effort to be aware of others’ needs, as well as how to help those in need. Overcome my fears of reaching out to speak to people (the introvert in me really struggles with this . . .).

• Make an effort to encourage brothers and sisters in Christ.

• Always be ready and eager to share the gospel.

• Maintain and exhibit an attitude of joy that should be evident in my life because I am hidden with Christ (Col. 3:1-4).

House Goals:

• Clean out the garage . . . completely . . . in anticipation of possibly converting our garage to a master bedroom. We've already gotten a good start on this, but there is still a lot to do, including many more trips to Goodwill!
• Get the house organized, and purged of excess junk. This past year I read the book The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up, and it really opened my eyes. I started working through some of the methods in the book before we left for Paraguay, but didn't finish before we left. And once we returned from Paraguay things just seemed so crazy I never finished. I look forward to completing the process.

• If/When we complete renovations on the house, clean out and organize thoroughly when we rearrange rooms.

• Teach (and enforce) good habits to the kids for keeping their areas picked up. The kids have really been doing well with this lately, and Luke has even been helping out a lot more as well.

• Keep up with Flylady’s daily assignments to help keep the house in a manageable state. 

• Handle papers (mail, or otherwise) when they come into the home, rather than just piling them up to handle later.

• Get one “house” project done each month (paint the front door, repair the floor, etc.)

• This isn’t technically a “house” goal, but it fits here best: Keep our cars clear of junk and trash.

Health Goals:

• Get back into a healthy eating routine. Prior to getting pregnant last year, I felt like I had finally figured out this healthy living thing (I'd lost weight, and even though I still needed to lose more, was really feeling great!). But between pregnancy and living in a foreign country for three months last year, my eating habits have somewhat fallen away. Time to get back on the wagon!
• Exercise at least three times a week. Make it a point to walk more (for instance, like to pick up Ella from school).

• Gain strength and endurance.

Family goals:

• Eat at home more often, and actually plan meals for the week (it is easier to eat at home when you've planned!).

• Cook dinner with the kids 1-2 times a month. I really want to involve them more in cooking, but I get stuck in this bad habit of not involving them because it is quicker/easier for me to do things myself (and dinner time always seems to be hectic around our house).

• Try out a new meal at least once a month.

• Cook a hot breakfast for the family at least once a week.

• Stick to our budget, and look for ways to save more.
• Evaluate/consider schooling for Ella and Troy next year. Ella was homeschooled for kindergarten, but has gone to public school this year for first grade. We've liked things about both situations and opportunities, but this isn't the post for that!
• Get outside more with the kids.
• Get down on the floor and play with the kids more.

Parenting goals:

• Emphasize the concepts of respect and authority with Ella, Troy, and Luke.

• Encourage Ella, Troy, and Luke to have the heart of a servant.

• Encourage Ella, Troy, and Luke to be thankful.
• Teach Ella and Troy to be aware of others around them, emphasizing humble hearts and teaching them that it isn't all about them.
• Encourage Ella and Troy to follow Matthew 7:12.

• Foster a good relationship between the kids (teaching them about sharing, patience, kindness, etc.).

• Give Ella and Troy more responsibilities around the house (chores, etc.)

Photography goals:

• Take more pictures! Pregnancy (particularly dealing with hyperemesis gravidarum, severe morning sickness, for my entire pregnancy) really does a number in my life, and photography is no exception. I often don't feel like doing much of anything, and picking up my camera was certainly not a priority when I didn't feel well.
• Learn Adobe Camera Raw (I've always used Adobe Lightroom, but have been recently reading that Adobe Camera Raw might actually be the way to go).
• Learn more about off-camera flash.

• Learn more about Adobe Photoshop.

• Learn more about graphic design.

Other goals:

• Become fluent in Spanish. I really, really thought that after spending the summer in Paraguay, a Spanish-speaking country, that I'd be much further along in this journey. But I'm not (since our time down there, we've heard many people tell us that it takes most people a year in an immersion environment to become fluent). I did learn quite a bit when I was in Paraguay (and through Rosetta Stone leading up to our trip), but I have a long way to go.
• Focus on having a optimistic response. I don't consider myself a pessimistic person (I don't have a negative outlook on life), but I do have a tendency for my first reaction to things to be very skeptical.
• Exhibit patience towards all, but especially with the kids at the end of the day :) .

• Work on time management, including getting up at a more consistent time in the morning, and going to bed earlier in the evening. This goal probably isn't going to really be feasible until Annie is sleeping at a little more predictable/regular schedule though.

• Finish reading Bringing Up Girls and Bringing Up Boys.

• Re-read Your Mama Don’t Dance.

• Continue reading A Well-Trained Mind.

• Read Home Education.

• Blog more! I've missed writing, and although no one may read it, I really enjoy it.

2015 Goals

For the past few years, I’ve made a point to write out specific goals at the start of the year. Although I often fall short of these goals, I find that it is very helpful to me personally to write these goals out. In particular, it helps me to be aware of ares in my life that I know I need improvement. Many goals are the same as in the past years; some because I didn’t complete them and others because they ought to continually be on the list.

Spiritual Goals:

• Daily Bible Reading
• Focused/Planned Bible Study
• Focused Bible lessons for the kids. We've been doing a lot of review over their Bible class material during our devotional time, but I want to incorporate more specific Bible lessons. (It would actually be good for me to write out some specific goals of what I'd like the kids to learn over the year. . .)
• Continue using the Scripture Memory System with the kids (and me!). We've been diligently working with this system since I started homeschooling Ella in September, and it has been a great blessing for us.
• Develop a deeper and more specific prayer life.
• Make an effort to be aware of others’ needs, as well as how to help those in need.
• Make an effort to encourage brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Always be ready and eager to share the gospel.
• Maintain and exhibit an attitude of joy that should be evident in my life because I am hidden with Christ (Col. 3:1-4).

House Goals:

• Get the house organized, and purged of excess junk at the beginning of the year. This feels like a never-ending goal, but it is good to get a big purge done at the beginning of the year, especially after filling the house back up with Christmas presents. : )
• Clean out, organize, and get the kids' rooms set up. We are in the process of moving Ella and Troy into one room (Luke and Troy had been sharing a room, but with sleeping schedules (especially that of a toddler), we've decided it will be better for Ella and Troy to share a room now)).
• Teach (and enforce) good habits to the kids for keeping their areas picked up. This was a goal that I had last year, and the kids definitely follow my lead on this (which means I need to LEAD). If I do a good job reminding them (as well as enforcing), they do a pretty good job at keeping things picked up, but it is easy to let things go.
• Keep up with Flylady’s daily assignments to help keep the house in a manageable state. 
• Handle papers (mail, or otherwise) when they come into the home, rather than just piling them up to handle later.
• Get one “house” project done each month (paint the front door, repair the floor, etc.)
• This isn’t technically a “house” goal, but it fits here best: Keep our cars clear of junk and trash.

Health Goals:

• Get back into a regular cardio routine even if it just means pushing the stroller around the block.
• Gain strength and endurance.
• Continue healthy eating. It took almost all of 2014 for me to get into a healthy eating habit, but I did pretty good for the last two months of 2014 (I actually weigh less now than I did at the beginning of November, which is a big deal to me when you consider all the eating that normally takes place in November and December!).

Family goals:

• Eat at home more often.
• Cook dinner with the kids 1-2 times a month. I really want to involve them more in cooking, but I get stuck in this bad habit of not involving them because it is quicker/easier for me to do things myself (and dinner time always seems to be hectic around our house).
• Try out a new meal at least once a month.
• Cook a hot breakfast for the family at least once a week.
• Stick to our budget, and look for ways to save more.
• Emphasize the concept of respect with Ella and Troy.
• Encourage Ella and Troy to have the heart of a servant.
• Encourage Ella and Troy to be thankful.
• Foster a good relationship between the kids (teaching them about sharing, patience, kindness, etc.)
• Give Ella and Troy more responsibilities around the house (chores, etc.) 
• Get outside more with the kids.
• Get down on the floor and play with the kids more.

Photography goals:

• Learn more about off-camera flash.
• Learn more about Adobe Photoshop.
• Learn more about graphic design.

Other goals:

• Become fluent in Spanish.
• Exhibit more patience towards everyone, but especially my husband and children.
• Work on time management, including getting up at a more consistent time in the morning, and going to bed earlier in the evening.
• Finish reading Bringing Up Girls and Bringing Up Boys.
• Re-read Your Mama Don’t Dance.
• Continue reading A Well-Trained Mind.
• Read Home Education.
• Continue working on Ella's homeschool (figuring out what to do next, considering what things have worked/not worked, etc.)

2014 Goals

For the past couple of years, I’ve made a point to write out specific goals at the start of the year. Though I fell short in many of my goals last year (for lots of reasons, some legitimate, some not so much), I find that writing these goals out really helps me to focus and reflect. Many goals are the same as in the past years; some because I didn’t complete them and others because they ought to continually be on the list.

Spiritual Goals:

• Daily Bible Reading
• Focused/Planned Bible Study
• Write Bible study lessons (and execute them) for the kids.
• Continue using the Scripture Memory System with the kids (and me!). We started this system last year, and I really loved it! However, I started slacking off though in completing this with the kids, and I want to get back on track with it. 
• Develop a deeper and more specific prayer life.
• Make an effort to be aware of others’ needs.
• Make an effort to encourage brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Always be ready and eager to share the gospel.

House Goals:

• Get the house organized, and purged of excess junk at the beginning of the year.  I feel like this is a never-ending project. I cleaned things out fairly well before having Luke, but I still need to clean out more!
• Clear out and organize the kids' rooms and playroom. 
• Teach (and enforce) good habits to the kids for keeping their areas picked up. This will be particularly important once Luke becomes mobile.
• Have a garage sale.
• Keep up with Flylady’s daily assignments to help keep the house in a manageable state.
• Handle papers (mail, or otherwise) when they come into the home, rather than just piling them up to handle later.
• Get one “house” project done each month (paint the front door, repair the floor, etc.)
• This isn’t technically a “house” goal, but it fits here best: Keep our cars clear of junk and trash.

Health Goals:

• Get back into a regular cardio routine even if it just means pushing the stroller around the block.
• Gain strength and endurance.
• Refocus on healthy eating. Between severe extended morning sickness and gestational diabetes, pregnancy always does a number on my eating habits, and last year’s pregnancy with Luke was no exception.

Family goals:

• Eat at home more often.
• Cook dinner with the kids 1-2 times a month. I really want to involve them more in cooking, but I get stuck in this bad habit of not involving them because it is quicker/easier for me to do things myself (and dinner time always seems to be hectic around our house).
• Try out a new meal at least once a month.
• Cook a hot breakfast for the family at least once a week.
• Stick to our budget, and look for ways to save more.
• Emphasize the concept of respect with Ella and Troy.
• Foster a good relationship between the kids (teaching them about sharing, patience, kindness, etc.)
• Give Ella and Troy more responsibilities around the house (chores, etc.) 
• Get outside more with the kids.
• Get down on the floor and play with the kids more.

Photography:

• Learn more about off-camera flash.
• Learn more about Adobe Photoshop.
• Work on posing. I’ve come a long way in my posing over the past couple of years, but I feel like it will be something where I can always learn more. 
• Learn more about graphic design.

Other:

• Exhibit more patience towards everyone, but especially my husband and children.
• Work on time management, including getting up at a more consistent time in the morning, and going to bed earlier in the evening.
• Spend less time on the computer.
• Finish reading Bringing Up Girls and Bringing Up Boys.
• Re-read Your Mama Don’t Dance.
• Read A Well-Trained Mind and Home Education.
• Continue researching schooling choices for Ella, and make a decision with my husband about Ella’s schooling in the fall.

2013 Goals

Last year, rather than “resolutions” I set many goals for myself. I was successful at completing many of the goals for at least some length of time, but I did not keep up with most of them. That’s why many of my goals for 2013 are the same as in 2012. And, although I’m not a fan of “resolutions” I know that I have truly resolve to make some serious changes in my life if I really want to see these changes.

Spiritual Goals:

• Daily Bible Reading
• Focused/Planned Bible Study
• Write Bible study lessons (and execute them) for the kids.
• Start using the Scripture Memory System with the kids (and me!)
• Develop a deeper prayer life.
• Make an effort to encourage brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Always be ready and eager to share the gospel.

House Goals:

• Get the house organized, and purged of excess junk at the beginning of the year.  I did this last year, but I need to do it again! It is amazing how much junk builds up over time and also how much stuff you kept last year that you realize you don’t need this year.
• Have a garage sale (sooner rather than later).
• Keep up with Flylady’s daily assignments to help keep the house in a manageable state.
• Handle papers (mail, or otherwise) when they come into the home, rather than just piling them up to handle later.
• Get one “house” project done each month (paint the front door, repair the floor, etc.)

Health Goals:

• Get back into a regular cardio routine even if it just means pushing the stroller around the block.
• Gain strength and endurance.
• Continue on a path of healthy eating. Compared to a year ago, I have a much healthier eating lifestyle; however, I’m still not where I want to be.

Family goals:

• Eat at home more often. This is something that definitely seems to waver with the season. The holidays kills our routine, but hopefully I’ll be back on track soon with more cooking at home.
• Stick to our budget, and look for ways to save more.
• Foster a good relationship between the kids (teaching them about sharing, patience, kindness, etc.)
• Get outside more with the kids.
• Cook a hot breakfast for the family at least once a week.

Photography:

• Learn more about off-camera flash.
• Learn more about Adobe Photoshop.
• Work on posing.
• Learn more about graphic design.

Other:

• Exhibit more patience towards everyone, but especially my husband and children.
• Work on time management, including getting up at a more consistent time in the morning, and going to bed earlier in the evening.
• Spend less time on the computer.
• Finish reading Bringing Up Girls and Bringing Up Boys.
• Re-read Your Mama Don’t Dance.
• Read A Well-Trained Mind and Home Education as well as start doing serious research/planning on making a decision about homeschooling

2012 Goals

Rather than making resolutions, I’m setting goals for myself in 2012. I guess it might just be a different way of saying “resolutions” but, to me, goals are generally more tangible than any resolutions I’ve ever made, and I hope to be able to check them off the list sometime during the year (or at the end of the year). I realize this list is probably very boring to you, but I wanted to have a place to make myself accountable.

Spiritual Goals:

• Daily Bible Reading
• Focused/Planned Bible Study
• Write Bible study lessons (and execute them) for the kids.
• Develop a deeper prayer life.

House Goals:

• Get the house organized, and purged of excess junk at the beginning of the year.
• Have a garage sale (sooner rather than later).
• Keep up with Flylady’s daily assignments to help keep the house in a manageable state.
• Handle papers (mail, or otherwise) when they come into the home, rather than just piling them up to handle later.
• Get one “house” project done each month (paint the front door, repair the floor, etc.)

Health Goals:

• Complete Couch to 5K (I’m currently in week 4).
• Lose weight. (I’m currently down about 8 lbs from November)
• Gain strength and endurance.

Family goals:

• Eat at home more often.
• Stick to our budget, and look for ways to save more (including getting back on track with coupons – it is always hard for me to keep up with those over the holidays).

Photography:

• Complete Project 366.
• Learn more about off-camera flash.
• Learn more about Adobe Photoshop (I’ve only recently purchased Photoshop).
• Work on posing.

Other:

• Exhibit more patience towards everyone, but especially my husband and children.
• Work on time management, including getting up at a more consistent time in the morning, and going to bed earlier in the evening.
• Spend less time on the computer.
• Get outside more (especially with the kids).

10 Pounds

I might be a little crazy to put myself up to this challenge, but it is something I've been thinking about and something I really want and need to do. What am I challenging myself to do? Nothing too hard I suppose. I am challenging myself to lose 10 pounds in about a month's time. Twenty-five days to be exact.

Losing 10 pounds in about a month is completely reasonable. It is only about 2.5 pounds a week. I can do that, right? Yet, I am only slightly (please read lots of sarcasm in my slightly) apprehensive that I'll be able to complete the task. Why?

Well, there are lots of reasons.

First off, I've never been successful at losing weight, only at putting it on. Over the past 10 years or so, I've pretty much done nothing but gain weight. Sometimes the weight gain was slow, and in my mind no big deal. At other times, the weight gain has been fast, and yet I still have a hard time controlling myself.

Secondly, I'm great at starting things, but not finishing them. I have no problem undertaking a task, but when I have to press onward to complete the task, or when the going starts to get a little tough I give up really easily or put it off until tomorrow. Just ask my husband about completing my graduate degree. I've been almost done for two years now . . . but that's another story for another post.

Thirdly, I'm lazy, terribly lazy. I hate this about myself, yet I am constantly making excuses for my laziness. I'll tell myself that I really deserve to be a bum on hang out on the couch watching TV even though there are things I need to get done. If I'm going to lose 10 pounds in 25 days, I'm going to have to spend some of my time working out.

And finally, I'm slightly skeptical because I'm challenging myself to lose ten pounds between now and Christmas. I already have three Christmas parties on the schedule, and one big family gathering before Christmas Day even arrives.

Something finally kicked in for me recently when I was considering this challenge. If I'm ever going to live the healthy life that I want to live, I'm going to have to learn to live that life all the time, even during holiday seasons. During the month of October, I found myself thinking, "Oh, once all the good pumpkin treats are gone for the season, I'll really start in on my diet." Once Halloween passed, I was rationalizing again, "Once Thanksgiving has passed, I'll really be careful with how I eat. After all, Thanksgiving time only comes around once a year." I cannot live my life always waiting for the next special time or season to pass before I commit to the healthy lifestyle I need to be living. There are too many holidays, birthdays, and special seasons year round to live my life that way.

Just a little over a year ago, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Although many women who develop gestational diabetes are not overweight when they become pregnant, being overweight is a risk factor for getting gestational diabetes (and I was definitely overweight when I became pregnant). I was diagnosed just a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, and at first I felt like I'd really be missing out during the holiday season because I had to follow a very strict diet to control my blood sugar levels. And although there were definitely things I wanted to eat and enjoy that I couldn't, I learned that it is possible to make it through the holiday season without over-indulging. For this challenge, I'm leaning on my experience from last year.

I KNOW it is possible to lose these first 10 pounds of hopefully many more to come during the holiday season. At this point, I am way too embarrassed about my weight to post it. I will, however, post my gains and losses over the next 25 days. My goal is to be at -10 pounds on Christmas morning!