January Update on 2018 GOALS

As promised, here is the GOALS update I am aiming to share at the beginning of each new month. I won't bored you with every single detail, but an overall summary about how each goal is coming along. Updates will be in a color other than black. If there is no update in that area, I'll just skip it until there is progress in that area.
Without further ado,
Spiritual:

• Make a new habit of praying WITH Dan as often as he is willing. We only managed a time or two this month, but starting new habits is a challenge, and praying with each other requires us to be particularly vulnerable, so I'm looking forward to growth in this area as the year passes.
• Read the Bible every day. I did NOT do well in this area last month, but I'm committed to doing better this coming month. I have my 21 days devotional from church at my bedside ready to go for Monday.
• Make a prayer list and pray more often and more specifically. I don't have a written list yet, but I have been praying more.

 Health:

• Instead of specific numbers/servings/grams, etc. I am adopting a eat-to-live attitude instead of my usual live-to-eat policy. I'm trying to pack simple healthy lunches each day, get more veggies in than in the past, and make sure I get my water every day. By end of year, I want to be able to hike Dripping Springs, A Mountain and Aguirre Springs. That's it. I did really well on this challenge, especially since we were doing a Pantry Challenge this month. I packed simple lunches, drank tons of water and reminded myself often that I didn't need to acquiesce to every craving. It was too chilly and I was too ill for much of the month to do much hiking, but the forecast for the next week looks amazing!

Books:

• Read 52 books (or approximately one per week) hopefully along these lines
  
  • 6 marriage  2 In progress
  • 2 financial
  • 10 novels 1 In progress
  • 1 magazine subscription
  • 2 gov't 1 In progress
  • 3 history
  • 10 read-alouds with DT 1 In progress
  • 2 book club choices 1 In progress
  • 1 spanish
  • 10 Christian Living
  • 10 books that I had on my list from last year
    No wonder I'm always scatterbrained, I'm reading 6 books at a time! LOL!

Family:

• Start eating together at the table at least twice a week We managed about 1 meal per week, which is about 1 more per week than normal, so...progress
• Get away together for at least one long weekend and 4-one day trips I'm starting to plan a small weekend away for Dan's birthday later in February.
• DE-CLUTTER the whole house. I mean it. For reals. This month saw Dan, Derek and I all go through our drawers and closets, the spare bedroom closet and the linen closet all got an overhaul and we took 6 garbage bags of clothes/linens to the thrift store that we love.

Cultural/Social:

• Attend one cultural/social activity per month that's inexpensive or free~ Game Night does not count, no matter how much we love it This month I saw The Lesters in concert with Mom, went to a paper crafting event with Amanda, had lunch with Jody and Ruby, and toured the local art museum with DT.
• Attend 1-2 BIG events this year (Newsies, Lion King, TobyMac, etc)
• Participate in #NoPantsApril2018 and #100HappyDays 

Personal: 

• Wear Make Up 1-2 times per week Being ill and the weather bringing us high winds and crazy dust kinda blew wearing make up out of the water, so I only managed this once, but once is better than none. Progress.
• Slowly upgrade my wardrobe with an emphasis on high quality classics with a few trendy pieces thrown in for fun (Limit t-shirts with writing on them)
• Plan meals and cook 4 times per week, plus pack healthy lunches for DT and I at work Pantry Challenge month means I cooked every meal all month long. DT and I did well on packing healthy and tasty lunches and the guys helped by eating all the leftovers.

Financial:

• Get back on track once Dan gets a new job and stay current on the bills
• Save 50% of my monthly earnings to start and grow our emergency savings
• Tithe more generously (not just to the church, but to our community)
• Pay off Dan's Honda
• Put up a clothesline, repair the breakfast nook roof/ceiling, install raised garden beds in the back yard, get a coop and 4-6 chickens, and plant dwarf fruit trees along the rear fence line. (probably only 1-2 two of these will happen this year and that's OK) 

I know that despite my trying to be "reasonable" with my goal setting, I've set some pretty challenging goals. And that's not a bad thing. I will try to update once a month to see how I'm progressing.
Overall, I did better than I thought I was going to this month. I'm reading, I'm praying, I'm being social/cultured, I rocked Pantry Challenge, and the house is getting decluttered. Progress...in enough areas for me to be pleased. Take that, January!

2018 Word and Goals for the Year

  I know I'm a bit late to the party, as it's well into January already, but I wanted to share my word/motto for the year and some goals I will be working throughout the year. But first, a quick recap of 2017 goals/word.

  It took me a while to determine whether I was done using the word ENOUGH, as it's been my word for a few years now. I finally decided that with 2017 fully in the rear view mirror, I was ready for a new word and new goals. I retired my #PlateSpinner hashtag in June of 2017 by retiring from the B-Bunch House after 5 years and starting a new job at LFAL. I fully embraced my new hashtag of #NoLongerAPlateSpinner just a few weeks ago by bidding my snack bar lady work trade job at Gym Magic a fond farewell and reclaiming my Saturday mornings after 8 fun-filled years. So, I'm calling 2017 a win on goals, since my only true goal of last year was to retire the plate spinner tag.


     Moving on! Hello and welcome 2018. The word I've chosen for this year is "Progress". My motto is more of the same by choosing "Progress, not Perfection" to print in my planner and on my heart all year long. I've spent too many years either in one camp or the other...exacting perfection (or beating myself up for lack thereof) or a lackadaisical Meh, close-enough-is-good-enough attitude. Neither actually work for me, or lead to a healthy balance in my life, so I think Progress is a better fit. I can give myself grace on the days where it all goes to the dogs, and encourage myself to do better when I'm not giving things enough effort to make it come together.
     As for my specific goals, I've tried to just be reasonable with myself this year. We are in a season of change. Dan is currently unemployed. I don't make enough to support us. That is stressful and requires a good portion of our attention until that resolves one way or another. PattyCakes just turned 19 and will probably move out within this year, leaving us with just one child left at home, a situation we've NEVER encountered before as even when we were young parents with only one actual child, I was nannying for 2 littles and caring for my young nephew many MANY hours a week. I've never parented ONE child before, let alone a child who has FULLY embraced his 12 and a half-ness like this one does. It's not going to a dull or boring year, that's for sure. And that's ok, I just need remember that as I attempt to be real about how many/how specific of goals I can work on while I live this life I love so much.

     So, for the nitty gritty:

Spiritual:

• Make a new habit of praying WITH Dan as often as he is willing. 
• Read the Bible every day.
• Make a prayer list and pray more often and more specifically.

 Health:

• Instead of specific numbers/servings/grams, etc. I am adopting a eat-to-live attitude instead of my usual live-to-eat policy. I'm trying to pack simple healthy lunches each day, get more veggies in than in the past, and make sure I get my water every day. By end of year, I want to be able to hike Dripping Springs, A Mountain and Aguirre Springs. That's it.

Books: 

• Read 52 books (or approximately one per week) hopefully along these lines
  
  • 6 marriage 
  • 2 financial
  • 10 novels
  • 1 magazine subscription
  • 2 gov't
  • 3 history
  • 10 read-alouds with DT
  • 2 book club choices
  • 1 spanish
  • 10 Christian Living
  • 10 books that I had on my list from last year

Family:

• Start eating together at the table at least twice a week
• Get away together for at least one long weekend and 4-one day trips
• DE-CLUTTER the whole house. I mean it. For reals.

Cultural/Social:

• Attend one cultural/social activity per month that's inexpensive or free~ Game Night does not count, no matter how much we love it
• Attend 1-2 BIG events this year (Newsies, Lion King, TobyMac, etc)
• Participate in #NoPantsApril2018 and #100HappyDays 

Personal: 

• Wear Make Up 1-2 times per week
• Slowly upgrade my wardrobe with an emphasis on high quality classics with a few trendy pieces thrown in for fun (Limit t-shirts with writing on them)
• Plan meals and cook 4 times per week, plus pack healthy lunches for DT and I at work

Financial:

• Get back on track once Dan gets a new job and stay current on the bills
• Save 50% of my monthly earnings to start and grow our emergency savings
• Tithe more generously (not just to the church, but to our community)
• Pay off Dan's Honda
• Put up a clothesline, repair the breakfast nook roof/ceiling, install raised garden beds in the back yard, get a coop and 4-6 chickens, and plant dwarf fruit trees along the rear fence line. (probably only 1-2 two of these will happen this year and that's OK) 

I know that despite my trying to be "reasonable" with my goal setting, I've set some pretty challenging goals. And that's not a bad thing. I will try to update once a month to see how I'm progressing.

Feel free to share your goals so I can cheer you on this year as well! ~K~

Happy New Year and WELCOME 2018!

Happy New Year friends! I hope your 2017 was full of laughter, love, growth and life! I know mine was. And if yours wasn't amazing and wonderful and glorious, all the more reason to welcome 2018 with open arms, right? I'm preparing my list of goals, my word and motto for 2018 and a verse for the new year. I'll be sharing those later in the week.

If you want to share your goals and such, please feel free to do so here. I'd love to read what you are all working towards this coming year.

Happy New Year! Welcome, 2016!

Wow. 2016. I am old, y'all. And, I'm more ok with that than I thought I would be at this age. However, being "this age" is not as bad as some would have you believe. Knowing what you want, what you like and whom you love is so much more important than what other people think about you. Goodbye 20s, I don't miss you. Shoot, goodbye 30s, I don't miss you either.

There's a lot of talk at this time of year about goals, resolutions, priorities, mottoes, and having a WORD for the year. I don't think there is anything magical, per se, about turning the page on the calendar, but I AM all about turning over a new leaf, or finding new ways to stay on top of one recently overturned. I don't have a word for the year, although someone suggested 'Moderation'. I am opting more for the motto of "Stop the Glorification of Busy." We all do it. We admire people that get a ton accomplished every day. We do. I know that for years, I've found part of my self esteem in being THAT MOM, the one that does it all. That's all fine and dandy except that no one can do it all. Especially not well, and even more so, not forever. So, this year, I'm stepping back. I"m quitting the dog and pony show and working on things that are in line with my priorities. My family. My home. My friends. My church. My neighborhood.
In direct defiance of having it all and doing it all, I'm doing less this year. And I'm going to do a better job since I won't be spread so thin. I'll have time to laugh at my silly children's antics. I'll have time to spend with my hunky dunky husband. I'll have time to linger over a tasty dinner with friends without having to rush off to the next activity. Part of this will happen naturally as the boys get bigger and more independent, part because my nephew and my mother have both moved out this year, and part because my job requires less and less of me (except during holidays and summer break). But most of this will happen because I'm learning to say NO to unnecessary crazy. I'm learning to say, "That isn't in line with my priorities right now."
Here's what IS making the cut this year:

~Daily Devotions: This is something I've struggled with for years. 10 minutes in the morning make the whole day go better because I've started with the important thing first.
~Health: Losing weight through portion control and exercise. Lost 7 pounds just before Thanksgiving and kept it off through the holidays. Looking to lose 25-ish more pounds.
~Homeschooling: Having a set schedule again is making school happen more often and with better results.
~Budgeting: Again, an area I've struggled with for years, even though I manage the money. Dan's months in Iowa are helping us find hot spot issues and address them. I'm loving the Dave Ramsey "Every Dollar" app on my new-to-me iPhone.
~Socializing: I am seeking to spend a morning at least once a month (preferably once every 1-2 weeks) in the company of other women to lift each other up and bear one another's burdens.
~Mental Health: I am working to remove "SHOULD" from my vocabulary, since I use it to bludgeon myself over the head with guilt when I'm asked to participate in something that doesn't align with my priorities or talents. So, goodbye SHOULD, I don't need you anymore.
~Marriage: Last on the list, but certainly not in my heart. Dan's absence these past 6 months have really done much to remind me of how much we enjoy one another and what a vast hole has been in our lives since he's been away. So, I'm looking for ways to spend time together, even across the miles (so thankful for today's technology) and putting things together for us to do as a couple once he's home again.
That's it.
Other things like reading, letter writing, blogging, cooking from scratch and the like remain high on my personal to do list, but aren't being put on the list of goals for the year. If they happen, awesome. If not, that's fine, too.
If you need me, I'll be working out, visiting with friends, or face-timing the hubster. I love my life!