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).

Trying to Do Better Everyday

I guess now isn’t the appropriate time to write a New Year’s Resolution post, considering we’re a week into February, but I guess the thoughts behind this post really are a resolution of sorts.

For a long time, I’ve made major goals that require serious lifestyle changes all at once. I’ve finally recognized that I don’t ever achieve those goals because they require too much change at one time.  I’ve come to realize that I need to take little baby steps everyday in progression to an ultimate goal. I’m thankful to the Flylady and her methods for pointing this out to me within the realm of taking care of my home. I still have a long way to go when it comes to taking care of my home, but I have come such a long way – by taking baby steps rather than a giant leap. Sure, I could spend a weekend crash cleaning my home, but without putting good habits into place, I’ll need to do that cleaning again because it will just go back to the way it was before.

There are lots of areas I want to improve upon in my life and one of the main purposes behind starting this blog was to keep myself accountable and to push myself in those areas. Along the way I’ve learned that my focus should be to do a little better than the day before, and I’ll be making good progress whether that be in keeping my house in order or eating healthier or going to bed earlier or doing a better job budgeting or having more patience with my kids or having a stronger prayer life. By doing a little better everyday, I’ll be hopefully changing my life in such a way as to embed good new habits that lead to the major lifestyle changes I really want to make.

---
On a completely unrelated note, my photo of Ella that won first place in the Paper Mama’s Photo Challenge is in a vote-off for the best photo of the month. I’d love a vote if you like my photo! :)

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Resolutions

The Paper Mama's photo challenge this week is resolutions. There are lots of things I'm trying to improve in my life, but one area that I know I need to work on in regards to my children is to have more patience and to not be bothered by little things. For example, yesterday I was taking pictures of Ella, and I really wanted a shot with her in the middle of the bridge. Did she cooperate? No. In fact, she was scared at first and it is actually amazing I got the shot I did. I need to have patience with her as she is learning and growing! I can't be frustrated by the little things!

My photo last week was chosen as a favorite!

One Resolution

I'm only making one resolution this year: to gain discipline in my life.

Discipline to . . .

• . . .always put God first, family second, and self third.
• . . .spend more time on the important things, and less time on things that aren't so important.
• . . .always read my Bible daily.
• . . .meditate on God's Word daily. (And yes, this is different from the previous one.)
• . . .have patience with the little stuff that I sometimes let drive me crazy.
• . . .become a healthy person. (Sadly, I miserably failed at my previous challenge.)
• . . .organize and keep my house in a presentable manner.
• . . .start stockpiling on groceries and other household items (in an effort to save money AND be prepared).
• . . .plan my meals in advance.
• . . .finish the things I've started. (especially my thesis!)