Goals for 2012: Not Late, Just Well Thought-Out!

{photo credit}

So, it has been quiet around here lately. Would you believe it has taken me a few days almost a month to figure out our goals for 2012?

Yes, I can be a little slow at times, but I wanted to make sure I got it all just right. I hate having plans and then those plans going awry. It makes me a little testy.

School Goals

No, I am not totally crazy, but our new school year began January 2. Yes, I do know that we started a “new” year last fall, but that calendar is just not working for us. I have reconstructed our school year to run the entire length of 2012, January to December. I have never felt this good about a school schedule before, so I am hoping this is going to go well.

Now, does this mean my children have “jumped up” a grade? No. We don’t really “do” grades around here, except in Sunday school and for sports. And that is only because they “make” us 😀

Home Goals

I definitely want to get my craft on a little more this year. I have already made seven (yes, seven) wreaths in the span of two weeks. I even pulled out my nemesis (aka, the sewing machine), and we ended up getting along nicely. If Amy and Myra keep posting really cute crafts, I may never get anything else done. Ha!

Decluttering is also a huge goal for this year. Our garage needs cleaning out waaayyyy too often, and I take that to mean we have waaayyyy too much stuff. I also feel like our house is packed with stuff. Whether it is, or it isn’t, we have a lot. And some of it has got to go!

There aren’t a lot of home improvement things we can do, as we do not own our home, but we put sod down in the front yard last year. This year, we are going to focus on making the backyard nice. Shane’s parents gave us a fire pit for Christmas, so we are really excited to have that! We also want to extend our patio a bit, and get a nicer picnic table and chairs. The garden also needs some type of fencing around it.

{The Diva}

Work Goals

I am still working part time on Couponing 101, and my responsibilities on Kingdom First Mom have increased dramatically. More on that later 😉 I am so thankful for both of these opportunities, as it has allowed our family to afford more, pay off more, and be “comfortable” financially. It also came in handy when I purchased a new laptop in December… I had money saved, plus I cashed in a ton of Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards that I in turn, used to pay for part of my new MacBook Pro.

Health Goals

We are still trying to live better and be aware of what we eat, drink, and use. I am still making my own hand soap… I don’t think I will ever go back to store-bought! It is super easy and much cheaper.

We no longer have a microwave at all… my parents’ microwave went out and we let them have ours. It has been over a year since we pulled the plug, but I can honestly say, we do not miss it at all!

I was thrilled when I found out Azure Standard has a drop 20 minutes from our home. We now buy most of our groceries and food items from Azure. I have even purchased fresh apples and pears from them!

We also have found a wonderful farm, where we purchase our eggs and milk.

{The Princess}

Gluten is being slowly eliminated from our diet. We think it might be causing some of Reese’s behavioral issues, so we are adding vitamins and trying really hard to keep the gluten out. It is hard, though, as gluten is in so much! I am thankful that there are so many gluten-free options that are easily accessible.

Another beast we have to battle this year is sugar. I have a feeling this may be the hardest thing to eliminate! We have also greatly reduced the purchase of processed foods. My intent is to be completely rid of them by then end of the year. Hey… it’s a process, right?!

Shane is training for an alumni basketball tournament at the end of January, and has suddenly become aware of the benefits of getting in shape. I think the only beverages he consumes now are coffee and water with lemon (maybe the occasional tea if we eat out)! I won’t tell you the beverages I still enjoy from time to time {blush}.

We will also attempt a garden again this year. Unfortunately, our garden last year was doing well, but burnt up thanks to the scorching heat. No amount of watering could have saved it. Hopefully, this year will be not as hot and our garden will be healthy! I have found a ton of great ideas on Pinterest to expand our garden, and I cannot wait to implement them!

Ministry Goals

2011 was one of those years in ministry you would just rather forget. This year, I am going to continue to stay on the sidelines and focus on being a wife and mother. Shane does a great job as youth minister, and doesn’t need me inserting myself. If he needs help, he asks; and that works for us. Although, I do kind of like it when I offer advice, he doesn’t follow it, and then comes back later with a sheepish look on his face and says, “You were right.”

What? I’m only human 😛

Family Goals

As a stay-at-home-mom, you would think our family spends a lot of time together. We do, quantity-wise, but not as much quality-time as I would like. We need to be more intentional about spending real time together as a family, rather than just being in the same room.

{The Entertainer}

Financial Goals

In November, we purchased a new-to-us (practically new, as the owner kept it in pristine condition) Tahoe. It wasn’t an immediate need, but it fell in our lap and was a deal we could not pass up. We are almost completely out of credit card debt, and our plan is that by the end of 2012, we will only have that Tahoe payment.

An update on our family…

Abby Grace has decided that she wants to be a blogger, so she is taking an online typing course. I purchased a domain for her, but will start her out on Blogger until she gets the hang of it. Yes, this makes me both proud and a little worried!

Reese has halfway decided she wants to be called by her first name, “Ella.” She says it is more “princess-y” than Reese. {Que eye roll…} Reese has been in therapy for almost a year now, and she has made a lot of progress. Our middle girl is also doing really well in school. It looks like she is going to prefer math over everything else.

Meleah talks nonstop. She is quite the comedian, and keeps us laughing! I am not sure where she comes up with some of the things she says. If you are my personal friend on Facebook, you have already seen these, but I just had to share a few of the most recent “Meleah-isms”:

• To her Daddy: “Now, cover me up, old dude!”
• To me, while on my laptop: “You don’t play on my computer, little girl!”
• “Mommy, I eat my gum all.” (yep, she swallowed it!)
• “Mommy, I heard something. Maybe it was a coyote. Or a monkey.”

And that, my friends, is what is up with us. What is up with you?