Last Year's Goals

There must be some kind of law that says all Christian bloggers have to write about their beginning-of-the-year goals. And I was going to explain to you all how I don't make resolutions, but goals instead, and then I saw that several of my favorite bloggers already said that. So, without further ado, here are last years' goals:

Try making my own laundry soap
Huge success! I tried both liquid and powdered forms and absolutely love it! I've been using this exclusively since last Feb. and now have my mom doing it too (and all the older gals at Bible Study want to learn how to make it now as well!) I figured out it cost about 1.5 cents a load and is environmentally friendly and safe for babies.

Have a Yard Sale with Amy

Big success! Got rid of some stuff cluttering up the shed and made some cash.

Make a stash of newborn diapers before #3 comes.
I somewhat accomplished this goal. I ended up buying a bunch of like-new Fuzzi Bunz for hardly anything at a yard sale and getting some diapers on loan from my friend Heather so I didn't sew very many myself. I did sew a bunch for Jer and my friend's baby Noah last year and taught a few ladies how to sew them too!

Exercise Regularly
Hmmm. I did take plenty of walks and chase two little ones all year but I think it was my most slothful year yet due to the pregnancy. I fell in love with doing pilates at the end of the year and found it was the "miracle cure" to my neck problems.

Go to the Homeschoolers of WY conference
Since this ended up being around the same time as my cousin Ashlee's graduation, I skipped out on this and chose family time instead. We still have a couple of years to get "in the swing of things" with homeschooling.

Continually improve our nutrition
I started out my pregnancy drinking a lot of organic milk and trying to eat very healthy but the cost got to me and I went back to being frugal and not buying as much organic. However, I still try to buy organic on sale when I can and I'm becoming an expert "sneaker" as I recently got the book "The Sneaky Chef" and have a freezer full of mysterious vegetable purees to sneak into our meals.

Read at least 10 Books on Parenting/Biblical Womanhood/Spiritual Growth
I have no idea how many books I actually read last year but I definitely read at least 20 in this category. Some of my favorites were: Humility, True Greatness by CJ Mahaney, Biblical Womenhood in the Home by Nancy Leigh Demoss, Treasuring Christ in our Traditions by Noel Piper, Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp, and Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.

Trim the Grocery Budget as much as possible
I am thrilled to look back and realize that thanks to couponing, which I learned how to do a little over a year ago, we got over $706 worth of 100% FREE products in the last year. This isn't counting all the stuff we got for mere pocket change or on super discounts! Bargain shopping, paying attention, making menus, and clipping a few coupons here and there really does work! And I only get the paper once or twice a month and our newspapers here are a joke when it comes to coupons. Thanks to the friends from MN who send me coupons now and then! (And you, Sherah, in Colorado!)

Play more music during the day (especially Classical)
We've gotten into more of a routine of doing this and the kids always request music now to dance around to. They also enjoy hearing their favorite hymns/worship songs on YouTube videos with various Christian artists singing them.

Make Ali a Chore Chart for Basic Chores
We had one on the wall right above the changing table and Justus ended up shooting up a spray and peeing on it! With December being busy with our move, I haven't made a new one but I'm weighing out my options and considering what I want to do for the coming year.


Project Minivan!
I'm astounded at how God provided for us this year. We prayed for a minivan and we are driving a lovely one! We prayed for a better rental, and I'm typing this in our new house rental complete with a large bathtub, huge, fenced yard, and PRIVACY!!! God's provision has been so evident to us this year through these physical blessings!