This year I am setting some lofty goals. I'm hoping that these are attainable goals, but there are several things that by 2011 I'd like to see. Here are just a few of my ideas. I want to continue to share where we are at through the year. I feel like if I post it out there for all to see it may give me more motivation to make it happen.

KIDS:
1. Don't get pregnant- Ok, this may seem funny, but really I need to not have a baby this year. God ultimately makes that call, but Dan and I will be doing our parts to not have another little one at any point in 2010. I've realized that if we can get Levi to where Isaac is or at least potty trained before we have another one it would be so much more enjoyable. Plus, many of my other goals hinge on this one. So it is a big one for me.

2. Potty train Asher- I'm really hoping this can happen before June. I've learned with Isaac that it takes time and it will come. I have more patience this time around, but it will be very helpful to have one less in diapers.

3. Start home schooling Kindergarten with Isaac (Sept) I want to start this year so I can do it as a test run. If it doesn't work then I send him as a five year old and we move on with life. I'm so excited to start.


HOME:
1. Get organized- One thing I have learned about myself is that I am more productive in an organized environment. I want to have my garage organized and make sure there is a home for everything. While our home is enough for the time being space is tight and i must learn how to make the best use of the space we have.

2. Chore charts- I want to have a list of chores for each member of the family. Even Asher can help. I want to know what I need to do in order to keep my home looking the way I want it. We want a large family and we need to start now to teach our children how to pitch in.

3. Clear clutter- My plan for this is to start craigslisting anything I know we don't need or use. I plan to clean out clothes as Levi grows out of them and sell them. We have way too many toys for the space we have so those will also be sorted through. We have recently bought some paint and shelves so I'm hoping to get some of the money we spent to organize by decluttering. Also, if we plan on homeschooling I want to have my materials well organized.

4. Sell and Buy a new home-One of the big things we want to accomplish is to sell our current home and buy something with more room that fits our needs. We are praying that God will provide the perfect buyers for our home. That this house will be a blessing to others, and that we may be able to find a home more suitable to our family. We are looking for something with at least 4 bedrooms, a full basement, an area to use specifically for school, an area for guests, large area to have House Church or host other things, and a yard that our kids can really play in. I know God is so much bigger than our dreams and so we will continue to pray that he knows our needs and has a plan for us. Until then I want to strive to use the resources we have been given to make this home the best it can be for our family.

5. Make my home a haven- This is a life long goal that I want to continue to pursue. So much of this has to do with my attitude. I want our home to be a refuge from the rest of the world. A place where my husband and children want to be. A place where above all God is glorified. This is a continuous journey. Learning how to make my home welcoming, peaceful, and fun will take a lot of time and learning. I want to strive to make it a place people want to be.

 

PERSONAL:

1.Lose weight- My ultimate goal is to lose 50lbs. I have a friend who will be my accountability partner, which is huge for me. I have gained quite a bit with babies and not had time to lose it in between. So this is a huge goal, but I want to be healthy and that is my ultimate goal. However, looking cute in a swim suit couldn't hurt. Plan for this is just your basic eating healthy (lots less sugar for me) working out at least 3 times a week. I'm planning on weighing in every Monday and posting if I have lost and how far I have to go.

2. Time with the Lord- I'm still trying to figure out what this looks like as a mom. I am working toward memorizing a verse a week. Also, just making some alone time with my Jesus every day. Even if it is locking myself in the bathroom for five minutes. This is an area I'd love to know how other moms make it happen.

3. Time management- My biggest struggle is bedtime. I never get to bed before midnight. So I want to figure out how to accomplish all I need to in a day and then have time in the evening to relax with my husband and still got to bed before 11.

 

FINANCIAL:

Live on less- In every way I want to cut back how we are living. Find more creative ways to spend less on clothes, food, entertainment, and unneeded stuff. I really think if we cut out some of the excess we will get more out of what we have. I don't know exactly what this will look like yet, but I'm really looking forward to figuring it out.

Save for a down payment on our new house- When we bought our current house we did a 0% loan and so now we are hoping to not only put down the equity from this house plus some money from savings. This means building up our savings past our emergency fund.

Pay off our van- We don't have very far to go for this. Hopefully we can have it paid off by the end of this year. Once this is gone we will have no debt outside of our mortgage.

Grocery- Maintain our $200 monthly budget.

Save for several big purchases.- We have several things we want that we have to take the time to save specifically for. One of them is a new TV.

 

I know these are a lot of lofty goals, but I'm really hoping that this year will be a good year for us. I know God is in control and all of these goals can only be accomplished through him. So welcome 2010.