Goals for 2010

Pic of my parents with our children--Christmas 2009

Can it really have been a decade since I graduated from high school? Wow! Here is my list of goals for 2010:

Spiritual Life:

*Finish the Bible by end of January

*Spend the rest of the year going through overviews of every book of the Bible. In reading through the Bible in 2009 I didn't have time to read a lot of the study notes or book overviews. My study Bible contains some great stuff and I want to spend this year getting an overview of the major themes of each book. I'll post my progress a few times throughout the year.

*Continue to listen to Dricoll's Luke series and delve into that NT book

*Pray for some young men, most of them relatives of mine, who are really spiritually lost right now. G, C, R, J, and D. Lots of time in intercession for them.

*Start the habit of eating "True Bread." I got this concept from my favorite blog, Holy Experience. After each meal they read a little Scripture and fill up their souls as well as their bellies.

*Continue doing Gratitude Journals and growing in thankfulness

Children:

*Help Alathia read more proficiently

*Teach Jer to count to 20, recognize all colors, color in the lines, recognize ABCs.

*Train Justus to obey commands and come when called

*Ride Jeremiah hard on being more independent and working diligently

*Work with Alathia on controlling anger and drama

*Continue to curb Jeremiah's whining and crying

*Memorize the 10 Commandments and 1-2 other large portions of Scripture

*Swimming Lessons for both Alathia and Jeremiah

*Start the kids on a habit of taking offering money to church weekly

Marriage:

*Take 2 marriage get-aways for a night or two each time (perhaps a ski trip and a summer trip)

*Pray together nightly

*Discuss and set boundaries for family holiday plans and family visits.


*Look for creative ways to encourage him.

Homemaking:

*Sew Alathia another ruffle skirt and possibly some dresses (dresses in her size have become almost impossible to find in our area!)

*Continue once-a-month meal-planning

*Bulk cook (whether I do tortillas and dry bread mixes or 30 frozen dinners) at the beginning of each month

*Figure out how to move twice in two month's time without losing my mind (this spring or summer we will be required to leave for the foundation project to resume on this house.)

*Develop an intense menu plan/shopping plan in preparation for the possibility of being pregnant in a year or two and having to feed 3 hungry kids while enduring intense sickness.

*Sew baby gifts for the 8 little babies coming in 2010 to friends of ours.

Reading:

*Mark Dever's book on Understanding the Old Testament

*Understood Betsy

*Mary Ostyn's new book

*A Sweet and Bitter Providence

*A Portrait of Calvin

*At least one Dave Ramsey book

*Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

Family Trips:

*Take the kids on one fun weekend--either a waterpark, aquarium, or zoo

*Attend my friend Amber's wedding

*Attend the homeschoolers of WY conference in May

*Camp at the North Shore in MN in July with Josiah's family

*Attend the Raising Kids Who Do Hard Things seminar in Denver in Sept.

*Far-fetched dream: Attend the Relevant conference in October and meet all of my favorite bloggers!

Health/Body:

*Lose 5-10# of the final baby weight

*Make going to bed earlier a habit

*Rise before the family for quiet time and morning prep

*Continue to exercise consistently and stay accountable with my weight-loss buddy

*Find an affordable but healthy and natural vitamin for the children

*Purchase a gallon of coconut oil and phase out vegetable oil as much as possible from our diets

*Phase white or refined sugars out of our diet/baking as much as possible

*Eliminate as many plastic bottles and sippy cups as possible and use glass storage containers for all of my flour, sugar, oats, etc. and for fridge leftovers

Friendships:

*Look for ways to help the two moms at our church who just had preemies.

*Get to know the ladies God is bringing into my life.

*Invest in friends who mentor me, sharpen me, friends who need friends, and friends who need Christ.

*Maintain boundaries with friendships that may seek to distract me from my first calling.

*Send off some belated wedding gifts to some friends who got married in 2009

Finances:

*Go to the envelope system with cash instead of primarily using my debit card.

*Continue saving for a downpayment on a home

Ministry:

*Lead and teach a Teen Girl's Bible Study

*Continue to be involved in my awesome bi-monthly Women's Bible Study which my mom leads and my sweet Aunt Joanie and new-Christian cousin Val attend

*Encourage my friend who is a new believer

*Take the kids to the nursing home at least 4 times to chat with residents

*Chat with a friend who seems to be on the brink of becoming a believer


*Focused blogging--brevity isn't one of my strong points but I'm seeking to grow in it! I want to post things that bless and inspire others

Parties:

*Throw or help throw a bridal shower for my friend Amber

*Throw a special dinner for my parents for celebrating 30 years of marriage in 2009

*Host a birthday bash for Mom (who turns 50 in a few weeks) and Val, my cousin, (who turns 40 in a week).

*Alathia wants a ballerina birthday in February and it's her year to have a "friend party."

*Help plan and coordinate baby showers for the 5 ladies at church expecting this spring.

*Cut back in involvement with friend's birthdays. At this stage in life, because of all the family members we have (whose birthdays are clustered mostly in January and November) and the blessing of numerous friends, I'm trying to figure out how to phase out planning gazillions of birthday parties or luncheons while still finding ways to make dear ones feel special on their birthdays.

At the end of 2010 I expect to see:

*G,C,R,D, and J experiencing God in new ways, convicted of their need for Him, and closer to salvation than before.

*That we are closer to purchasing a home or more settled in where we will rent long-term (we're both so sick of moving!!!)

*That we are thinking about a fourth child, if the Lord is willing.

*Ali taking care of her bathroom needs herself, reading quickly, and growing in maturity.

*Jeremiah taking care of all of his getting dressed needs, making his bed himself, and doing chores more quickly.

*Justus learning to speak in sentences and hopefully eating more neatly.

*Our family having a simple Christmas at home and not traveling anywhere.

*My brother announcing that they are going to have a little girl! (This one is just for fun--I tease him about having a baby soon and tell him that I pray that he has at least 3 daughters eventually so I can have some nieces!)

How I want my home to be described this year:

*A place of laughter, growth, and freedom to be the people God made us to be

*A Christ-exalting place that shines like a star in a very dark world