#1 is very obvious!! Get a new template for my blog!! I love the “scrapbook-type” templates that I see all over blogspot, but I have hardly found any that are created for WordPress. đ If anyone knows of a site similar to “cutestblogontheblock” that designs templates for WordPress, please let me know!
Now on to my other goals. . . This is more like a brainstorming session, which I will edit and revise numerous times before year-end, but hopefully it will be a helpful start for the New Year. Over the weekend, I will revise it for the first time, so I can start fresh on Monday morning.
My Spiritual Goals
- Make my daily time in Word a priority** preferably before the kids get up
- Write new prayer list & increase time in prayer*; record answers to prayer and praises daily
- Pray about my goals each day; ask God for help
- Read 5 Psalms**and 1 Proverb**each day, as well as other passages in order to Read-Thru-the-Bible-in-a-Year**
- Finish Bible studies on Ephesians & James
- Continue (and complete) study with Ruth on Lies Women Believe . . .
- Finish The Excellent Wife study Melissa, Kristy & I started last year, before I was put on bedrest.
- Be ready for church EARLY and on time to church EVERY TIME!! Daniel would love me!!!
- Come to home group early and be prepared: Prepared to keep the children occupied; prepared spiritually by having thought through the passages/topics at hand; prepared to intentionally learn what God is doing in each person’s life so I can actively pray for them better throughout the week
My Goals for Daniel and Me
- Coffee & pray twice/week before the kids wake up, before Daniel leaves for work
- Discuss & continually re-evaluate my goals on a weekly (or at least monthly) basis, and be sure they line up with Daniel’s goals for us
- Pray earnestly, with specific requests for him in my personal prayer time.
- I want to improve in the areas of consistency in my walk with God, exercise, and keeping a schedule; I think these things will have a huge impact on our marriage.
- Take Justin & Christine up on their offer to watch the kids once/month for a date night!! Just schedule it!! (Goal: at least 10 “dates” in 2009)
- Try to schedule some sort of summer weekend get-away (without children) for Daniel & me, as it has been several years since we have taken a trip together just the two of us.
My Goals for Our Family
- Having people from our church/neighborhood over for dinner (or dessert after the kids go to bed!) more often (Let’s shoot for once/week or more)
- Plan a family night once a week; going to need to be creative with a 2yo & 6mo!!
- Exercise as a family (once it is nice out): biking, walking, frisbee w the dogs at the park
- Plan weekend outings for the year (esp. zoo outings!)
Books to Read
- Lies Women Believe . . .
- The Excellent Wife
- Shepherding a Childâs Heart
- When Sinners Say âI Doâ: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage
- Something on how to maintain a swimming pool: our new house has a pool which has been winterized and needs to be set up and cleaned for the summer
- Something on children starting music lessons early (my 2yo daughter LOVES music!)
- Write a book list and continue adding to this list–so many books on my shelf that I need to read!*
My Financial Goals
- Determine how tight I can keep the grocery category and still eat healthily!
- Determine how much we should be spending on âhousehold itemsâ
- My husband is doing the finances right now; but my goal would be to improve in my other areas so much that I would have time freed up to do the finances as well, since after all, I’m the CPA in the house! I want to have more input in this area, but feel I need to grow in other areas first.
Children’s Schedules/Structured Learning Time Goals
For 2-year-old Mara:
- Daily schedule, including âchoresâ like emptying the silverware tray, feeding the puppies, making her bed, etc.*
- Structure her Bible time: stories, singing, Bible reading, Bible memory, etc. (make plans)*
- Structure her chart/flash card time, general reading time, etc. (Start Music flashcards too)*
- Structure listening times (Classical, sacred, children’s music, radio, sermons, etc.)*
- Structure her coloring/painting/playdoh/etc time and research crafts & schedule once/week*
- Buy her a piggy bank and teach her about giving/saving/spending, each time she receives $$
- Take the kids to the park every day the weather permits (we live in the inner city and don’t have a yardâjust basically a cement pad behind the house)
- Research when she should start piano or another instrument
- Be consistent in discipline, even rearranging my plans when necessary
- Begin looking into Pre-K curriculum: Mara reading & writing next fall?
- Twice/month library trips w kids
- Sort all the toys and rotate in 3 bins for 3 weeks each??? then re-evaluate this idea! LOL
- Obtain a list of âclassicâ childrens’ books she should/can read at various ages
For 7-month-old Micah:
- Daily schedule including meals, naps, etc.*
- Make more homemade baby food (we need another freezer if I keep making baby food!)
Homemaking Goals
- Have the LR/DR/Kitchen clutter-free when Daniel comes home for one month straight!! (and then continue the trend đ
- Consistently have dinner ready when Daniel comes home from work
- Consistently plan Daniel’s lunches for work every day and have some variety!! (sometimes it gets late and I don’t make his lunch; then he has to eat outâwhich is unhealthy and expensive)
- Consistently plan weekly/bi-weekly menus*
- Plan 4 shopping trips each month (2 big, 2 little: for produce/milk/etc.)
- Track grocery- & household-item-spending carefully
- Clip coupons regularly and only buy w coupons/on sale, where possible
- Make master family calendar for the year: deadlines, kids’ shots, etc.*
- Decide if I’m going to teach piano here; if so, get piano tuned and set up a plan for finding students . . .
- Begin a new Home Filing System (a tickler file for each month, special events/holidays’ planning, vacation/trip/travel plans, car records, appliance records, house records, bills, medical records)*
- Plan next Christmas this month while it’s fresh in my mind; list of all that needs to be done (from decorating to gift list, timetable for mailing gifts/giving to neighbors, church friends, etc.; baking list; meals list; party for friends on Christmas Eve; plans for our family’s Christmas morning & Christmas Eve; etc.); timeframe for doing it; look for gifts throughout the year. Have a Christmas file!*
- Follow Motivated Moms Planner until I create my own cleaning/housework schedule or find a method that works better for me*
- Make a list of all special projects in each room of the house, i.e. re-organize the bookshelf, mail Mom the framed cross-stitch I made her, paint staircase trim to match LR, paint baseboards, etc.*
- Do one âspecial projectâ on a different room of the house each day of the week
- Organize my clothes and the kids’ clothes; freecycle/consign extras*
- Organize the basement; obtain shelving for long-term storage items
- Write update letter to friends and send out for Easter!
- Have a family picture taken!
- Take Mara & Micah for professional pics, as soon as Micah is sitting up well
- Unpack one box/day until finished!!! (This should probably come before the special projects.)
Personal Goals
- Weight back down to 110 â 115 by May
- Re-work exercise plan (pilates/walking the dogs/time at the park/etc.) **
- Take vitamins every day **
- Drink 8-10 glasses of water/day **
- Start my letter-writing schedule again*
- Have a list of people I want to keep up with through periodic phone calls and call at least one/month, keeping record of when I last called*
- Set a schedule for going to bed and getting up and stick to it, as if I’m going back to Ernst &Young (every day!)*
- Schedule time for e-mail, uploading & editing pictures, Facebooking and blogging that is purposeful and not keeping me from what I âshould be doingâ
Craft Goals
- Finish Mara’s âBaby â 18 months/2 yearâ scrapbook
- Start Micah’s scrapbook and catch up to present
- Make apron for Mara
- Make Halloween costumes for Mara & Micah this summer
- Organize all craft stuff & make a schedule of using it, or get rid of it*
Places to Visit
- The Zoo!!! We will be there A LOT!!! because we live so close and we got a membership for Christmas!
- Please Touch Museum
- Take the kids to the shore? Possibly visit the Hensons? Discuss with Daniel.
- Plan two weekend summer getaways (take Friday off – Sunday): one with kids, one without??
*? Need to write another list or schedule out in order to complete this goal
** Things that I need to have on a checklist for accountability
That is quite a list. Breaking them into categories will definitely help you manage all those goals. Please keep updating your list so we can see your progress.
Toni