Goals for 2012

(Goodbye nasty gray dining room carpet! 

I love our new dining room floor that my hubby put in this weekend!)

Here is my list for 2012!


Spiritual Goals:
*Read through the NT during my personal devo time (sometimes I do the whole Bible but it gives me far less time to digest and really study, so this is a better goal for this year...)
*In conjunction with my hubby--we have a goal to have regular couple devos/prayer, something we haven't been good about lately
*Moving towards a more Radical lifestyle all the time
*Continue to be in 2 weekly Bible Study groups (one for moms, one for couples)


Marriage Goals:
*A one or two night getaway for our anniversary this summer
*Reading a good marriage book together that we can really chew on and discuss
*Building better communication--I think we're finding out that though we see each a few times a day and talk about lots of stuff, we still fail to tell each other really "key" things and need to have more heart-to-hearts!


Family Trips:
*Go camping at least once this summer in addition to church family camp
*Go to MN to see my dear friend Hannah get married!  She's waited a decade and God brought a wonderful, godly guy into her life and I'm going to be in the wedding!


Alathia Joy:
*Teach her the basics of sewing
*Teach her to clean the bathroom by herself
*Continue working with her on folding clothes (she begged me to teach her to run a load of laundry already)
*Have her reading chapter books by the end of the year
*Work with her on gentleness and self-control
*Help her memorize verses to finish her 2nd AWANA book
*Have her take homeschool art lessons and ice-skate with the homeschool group weekly

Jeremiah David:
*Swimming lessons (his self-made goal for the year was to learn to swim better)
*Continue with phonics and reading
*Work with him on honesty and self-control
*Enroll him in Sparkies in the fall
*Teach him to wipe himself (terrifying for a mom who is OCD about germs and cleanliness....)
*Continue having him do regular chores
*Daddy's goal for Jer:  Teach him not to interrupt when adults are talking
*Enroll him in spring soccer


Justus Abraham:
*Learn to stay dry all night, every night
*Swimming lessons
*Work with him on learning the alphabet
*Daddy's goal for Justy:  No interrupting!
*Continue to work with him on sitting still in church and being quiet
*Teach him to make his bed


Katrielle Hope:
*Learn to walk (She can do it--she just doesn't like to do it!)
*Get constipation issues resolved (Her doc prescribed Miralax today so she should be feeling great in no time!)
*Work on obedience training as she begins to explore more and test the boundaries more


Work Goals:
*Continue working my cleaning job and add another if possible so I can work 3-4 hours a week and bring in some money for the family
*Continue to do photo shots as I'm asked
*Contemplating some ideas for an income-earning blog--not sure if it will pan out or not but it's definitely an option
*Continue to refine my photography skills, read, research, and practice! 


Ministry Goals:
*Continue helping lead Pray and Play weekly
*Continue helping with the AWANA Sparks group at church
*Continue to exercise the word "no" with most of the ministries I get asked to take on
*Plan fund-raisers with a good friend to raise money for Door of Hope, a home for abandoned babies in South Africa
*Continue to open our home to Christian events, meals with friends, missionaries needing lodging, 5 Day Club, etc.


Health Goals:
*Continue rebuilding my health--vitamins, rest, exercise, and healthy eating
*Continuing checking in weekly with my "Health Buddies" to stay accountable in these areas
*Finish losing the baby weight
*Eat less sugar and more proteins and complex carbs.  This book has been fascinating to me!


I believe God gave me the word SLOW for my "word of the year" for 2012.  I want to slow the pace of crazy busy....even though crazy busy is pretty much a given when you have four kids, and especially if you homeschool.  I want to find ways to slow down and savor these moments with my little children and take a pause to listen to the Spirit.  SLOW is also for earning to be slow to anger in moments of stress or in difficult circumstances.

New Year--Old Need--Tales from our "Duplex"

Over the past few days I've been mulling over resolutions and goals, reading inspiring posts by friends on the things they hope to accomplish this year, and getting excited about what's ahead for us in 2012.  And yet, in the midst of all the hope for the best year we've ever had there is a weight that pulls me down.  A little thing called reality.

I could write all about everything I want to do to be a better Christian, wife, mom, friend, sister, neighbor, and church member in 2012.  Goals really are important and have their place in life.  But I'll save that for a future post.  Today, I'm thinking about how I've failed and what hasn't gone right so far this year:

I forgot to pick my kid up from a playdate....until the friends' mom called...wondering why I was so late...yikes!

I snapped at a kid who just doesn't know when to quit

I've been exasperated and already muttered to myself, "Why on earth did I ever have children?"

I've put some of the kids' brand new toys in Toy Jail

I've cleaned up a wet bed incident in the middle of the night...waking to ear-splitting screams just as I was drifting off into a deep sleep

I've found myself overcommitted, and hating the things I had to get done one night, but feeling trapped by my schedule because I didn't say no

I've wrung my hands in despair over what to do with a baby who is in agony--unsure if she's teething, experiencing constipation pain, or an ear infection

I've reprimanded and disciplined little ones many, many, many times

I've woken up with an overwhelmed feeling when I survey the wreckage that I'm in charge of cleaning up

We've already sent one of our favorite babysitters packing (getting her home an hour later than we had hoped and rather than our kids going to sleep peacefully like we'd imagined, they screamed the whole time....)

We've had an overflowing toilet in the downstairs bathroom, a continually flooding laundry room and thus the inability to do dishes or laundry, or flush

My hubby and I got upset with one another over a garage door that almost got closed accidentally on the back of our van

I've put off some schoolwork we should be getting to

I forgot all about AWANA starting up again tonight

I haven't taken down the Christmas tree

I've had to have a serious talk with my daughter after she witnessed something inappropriate at a playdate (nothing horrible...but nevertheless distasteful)

I've listened to a friends' embarrassed confession

I've dealt with late people who have inconvenienced me, disobedient kids, and sticky fingers

I've heard my husband say that there's no wiggle room in the budget this month

I've worried about my husband's aching wrist and the kink in my back that just won't come out

I've made phone calls trying to figure out how to get my kids' healthcare coverage again--a computerized form got lost and their coverage was dropped

I've had a black-out in our house...in fact it was in the middle of typing this post...

I've had to ask a few different people for help with our flooding laundry room

I've had two embarrassing moments...slipping on packed snow in front of folks I was photographing and making an accidental faux pas with company

And though these problems are light and momentary in the grand scheme of life, especially when compared to those facing death or persecution, or those who are fighting terminal illnesses or grieving a loss, these little things still serve to remind me:

THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME

Having a wonderful year doesn't mean having a perfectly easy year.

Ann Voskamp has said:

"There’s only one address anyone lives at and it’s always a duplex:

Joy and pain always co-habit every season of life.

Accept them both and keep company with the joy

while the pain does it’s necessary renovations." 

2012 is a NEW year

but I have an OLD need:

I need Him.

I need Jesus, a Savior and Friend, in this messy life...this life that will always be filled with difficulties--difficulties that both whisper and holler reminders at me that this....all of this here....this isn't what it's all about.

Since you've seen the "pain side" of our duplex, I'll now recount the joy side, lest I leave you thinking life in our household is a major downer:

I've made goals and have an action plan to actually meet them

I've read one great book already!

I've enjoyed coffee and prayer with some dear friends

I've gotten a bouquet of flowers from a wonderful friend who wanted to bless me in the midst of my plumbing trials

I've had a different friend offer to buy us dinner

A sweet elder from our church volunteered tools and time to help us with plumbing issues

Another friend called to let me know about an awesome grocery deal

I got a free coffee, thanks to a tip from a friend

We ate delicious pizza and brownie sundaes with my sis-in-law Anna to celebrate her 29 years! 

(She's standing by her present from my brother)

We've played "Scum" (a favorite card game) with dear ones while eating chocolate fondue and ringing in the New Year

We've hosted fun overnight guests--Josiah's folks, sis, and her boyfriend

We met Karl, a super-sweet and godly young man from Canada who is dating Josiah's sister Kianna and came with them for the visit

We've had a movie night without kids, courtesy of my brother

We've had friends offer tools and assistance with our flooding laundry room

I had the privilege of taking photographs of a beautiful, newly engaged Christian couple

I got a good belly-laugh out of accidentally calling Karl "Uncle Karl" to the kids, providing Josiah's mom and sister with some giggles of their own!

I've watched my little girl practicing her walking with her new push-toy from Grandma and Grandpa

I've laughed with my kids, hugged them, and prayed with them

I am savoring the moments of having a one-year-old and a second little girl!

I've heard Justus say "I love you sooooo so much Mommy!"

I've discovered that Bountiful Baskets is coming to OUR TOWN this week, so from now on I won't have to drive 15-30 miles to get a BBasket!

I've read quality literature aloud to my kids

I've seen Ali get excited about reading and read for 30 minutes when she was only required to read for 15 minutes

I've heard a great sermon on priorities and fellowshipped at church

We were able to be there for a mom friend in desperate need--she had to drop four young kids off at night on New Year's Eve to head to the hospital--praise the Lord her baby is fine!

We almost had 8 guests spend the night (on New Year's Eve)--God has blessed us with a large home and lots of extra beds!

We hosted Pray and Play this week!

I got to see Karl and Kianna do Gospel rope tricks and watched him paint a Bible lesson for the 7 kids on New Year's Eve

I've actually been pleased with how a photo shoot turned out--a rarity indeed!

We got to open a huge box of goodies from my youngest brother and watch the kids squeal in delight over the toys and candy--he loves to spoil the nieces and nephews!

I've heard sweet and kind words come from my husband's lips, encouragement, affirmation, and compliments--many more than I deserve

I'm back to my winter cleaning job that is easy to do and pays a lot of money!  Perfect timing as this is the time of year when things get tighter.

I got to see a tiny, precious, cute newborn baby girl at church--she was only 2 days old--this is a friend who was told that she'd never have children and this is her 2nd biological child!

My kids are relatively healthy and I was able to get them back on health coverage today...a relief!

I am blessed to see how much Katrielle loves her Daddy and vice versa

So, 4 days into the new year, this is where I find myself...counting the evidences of grace in the midst of trials here in our "duplex."  Never a dull moment!  And never a moment where God is not doing something, loving us, teaching us, holding us....

Book List for 2012

Happy New Year Everyone!  I'm excited for a new year, a clean slate, a fresh start!  I've been busy compiling goals for 2012, and those goal lists include a booklist, as usual.  Here are the books I hope to read in 2012.  I average 100 books in a good year and 40-60 in a tough year, so this list is not really as big as it seems.  I've always been a bookworm, from the time I could walk across the street to the library by myself at age 7 or 8, and the local librarians, most of whom have been there for 25 years or more, know me well!  So, in addition to these "focused reads" I will probably read another 50 fiction books.  My father-in-law buys tons of Christian fiction, especially all of the Beverly Lewis and Karen Kingsbury books so I have a lot of access to fun reads as well as educational, motivating reads.


The New Testament of the Bible

The MoneySaving Mom's Budget by Crystal Paine

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Unplanned by Abby Johnson

Pocketful of Pinecones and Lessons at Blackberry Inn by Karen Andreola

Entre Leadership by Dave Ramsey

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

A Sweet and Bitter Providence by John Piper

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Cansfield Fischer

The Vine and the Trellis by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne

Heaven at Home by Ginger Plowman

Somewhere More Holy by Tony Woodlief

5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter by Vicki Courtney

The Twelfth Imam by Joel C. Rosenberg

The Tehran Initiative by Joel C. Rosenberg

Already Gone by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer

Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp

Give Them Grace by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson

The Persecutor by Sergei Kourdakov

The Husband Project by Kathi Lapp

Cool Beans by Erynne Mangum

Putting God in His Place by Matt Whitman (OUR PASTOR!!!), Matt Ostercamp, Aron Utecht, Mark Coddington

The Art of Photography by Bruce Barnaum

Chasing the Light by Ibarionex Perello

On Being a Photographer by David Hurn

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

Photographic Composition by Grill and Scanlon

Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes




Re-read:

Radical by David Platt

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss




Read-Aloud to the Kids

Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John

The Tanglewoods' Secret by Patricia St. John

Star of Light by Patricia St. John

Stuart Little by E.B. White

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White


I'm sure many of you would benefit from various books on this list, but I'd like to gently encourage you to read this book, "Mother" by Kathleen Norris, if there is one book you read this year and you are a mom, or hoping to be a mom someday.  It is so beautiful, simple, easy-to-read, and powerful in encouraging you as a mom.  I have read it a few times in the last decade and plan to read it a few more.  It only takes a couple of hours to read and it is WELL WORTH the time.  If I could, I would buy one for every friend and blog reader I have!

My Goals for 2011

Looking over last year's goals, it's great to see how far the kids have come in just a year.  Jeremiah is whining/crying soooo much less and they are all so much more independent.  Many of my goals didn't come to fruition because of our unexpected baby and unexpected move and purchase of a home.  Five of the six trips I wanted to take didn't happen.  The hardest goals to press on with were my spiritual goals and marriage goals, proving that there is a definite spiritual battle going on over those areas of life.  I had many good books listed to read but didn't get to most of them with how busy our year was.  One of my goals was to step back from planning so many parties/showers last year but due to the fact that I know 54 people who had babies in 2010, I ended up throwing 4 baby showers and attending an additional 5!  I threw 17 birthday parties and had over 150 different guests over for meals!  So, my goal of stepping back was a flop!  But despite the fact that many of my goals were not accomplished, I'm still glad I set them.  Goals give us something to reach for and measure our progress by.

I'm trying to keep my goals pretty simple this year. 

Spiritual

Grow closer to God through prayer (praying before children awake)

Memorize the book of Colossians along with Ann from Holy Experience

Establish "True Bread" as a tradition in our home, which is what I call the practice of reading Scripture at each meal.  We did it some in 2010 but not enough. 

Encourage teen girls' in their faith--whether through a monthly prayer meeting, another modesty night, or just visiting more with them at church.

Host a sewing day to make things for women in Zimbabwe.

Continue helping my friend Amanda do a weekly Pray & Play group for moms.

Motto for me spiritually this year:  "Only speak words that make souls stronger." (from Ann Voskamp)


Physically
Go to bed at 11pm except for one "free" night each week
Lose 20 pounds of baby weight by continuing to "weigh-in" with a few of my friends via e-mail each week.


Financially
Use cash for grocery budget as much as possible and stay within budget
Save up to buy a DSLR camera (either a Canon Rebel T1i or Nikon D3100)
Use any bonus cash or tax refund to pay down our mortgage faster

Job
Work through the rest of My Father's World 1st Grade Curriculum with Ali
Teach Jeremiah his letters
Continue cleaning job (2 hours a week at a local law firm)
Read everything I can about photography
Learn to use photoshop
Learn to use my new DSLR
Put together a portfolio

Relationships
Continue our longstanding tradition of Friday night date-nights but find more creative ideas rather than just the usual movie

As much as I hate not doing something for friends to celebrate them, I'm going to try really hard to NOT plan a gazillion parties/showers this year.  Hospitality is my gift but with 4 small children, including a nursing baby, I need to step back.  So, I will give cards and small gifts to friends on their birthdays, or attend parties others are hosting but will not feel personally obligated to make a cake and do a "get-together" for friends' birthdays.  I expect to throw parties for my kids, hubby, and parents, and possibly a baby shower for one friend and my sis-in-law.

Trips
I hope we can do 2 weekend camping trips this year and possibly 1 other family vacation, like a trip to Rapid City, SD with Josiah's family

Homemaking
Start back up with the bulk cooking once a month that was such a blessing last year!  I haven't done it for 4 months because of baby and am missing it!

Shop less.  I once enjoyed grocery shopping but the more kids I have, the more tiresome it gets.  I'd love to be able to shop once a month but need to work up to that.  I currently shop once a week.  I hope by the end of the year I am shopping 1-2 times per month (not counting quick milk/produce runs to the store).

Plant my first garden now that we have a home of our own!

Plant grass.

Have Josiah paint the garage and fix the fencing around our yard this summer.

Kids
Train the children to do more household chores as part of their daily routine:
Justus-make his bed, clean up toys faster
Jeremiah-set the table, cook, clean faster, load laundry to laundry room, help bring groceries in
Alathia-help with dishes, cook, clean bathrooms, switch laundry, fold laundry
Breastfeed Katrielle until a year
Katrielle is already sleeping through the night so I don't have to make that a goal--HALLELUJAH!!!!
Justus-potty training this summer


Books I'd Like to Read in 2011

A Sweet and Bitter Providence
A Portrait of Calvin
Family Driven Faith
Heaven at Home
Womanly Dominion
Somewhere More Holy
1,000 Gifts
A Charlotte Mason Companion
Respectable Sins
Understood Betsy
Dug Down Deep
The Vine and the Trellis


Things I Expect to See in 2011
Meeting my new nephew--the first child of any of my own siblings--exciting!
Katrielle learning to eat food, crawl, talk, and walk
Lots of friends and family in our home.
Opening our home to missionaries who are traveling through.


This year's motto for our home:
A place where words of grace are spoken.

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

Review of 2009's Goals

Here is a review of how I did at meeting my goals for 2009. This is a long, drawn-out post, but I wrote it because my blog is a huge mode of accountability for me in my yearly goals. So skip it if it bores you!

Homemaking Skills:

*I did not end up planting a garden as I had hoped to, but received lots of fresh produce from friends and family with an abundance. Due to our difficult year and the fact that we rent, it was a very good thing I didn't do a garden. I did do some pretty flower pots thanks to my mom's encouragement and help.

*I did set up a tickler file (and forgot to blog about it.) It's basically a box on our computer desk with various file folders in it and that's where I stash papers to save, Josiah's random papers, and coupon inserts. I need to make a habit of going through it and sorting papers in it more regularly. It definitely helped cut down on desk clutter because now my papers have a place to go.

*We have been recycling our milk and juice jugs and glass jars all year thanks to having a pantry in this home.

*I met my goal for organizing photos half-way. I organized all the way up through April of 2009 but that still leaves me with quite a bit of work to do to catch up until now (at the rate I take pics!) I figured out how our computer stores things and now have a system for how I'm filing photos.


Children

*I am amazed at how Alathia has grown in character and maturity in the last year. She has a lot more self-control, which was one of our goals, and little did I know that I would be homeschooling her already and seeing her enthusiastically tackle learning.

*My goal of keeping her busy has been met as she has more than enough schooling materials and projects to keep us both hopping!

*Resolving conflicts will be a lifelong lesson for them but the fighting has gone down a bit as they are older and play more games together (like building a tent, playing house, etc.)

*Teaching them to work: We got a magnetic chore chart with the kid's Christmas money last year and have been able to work the chore chart into our homeschooling morning routine. Before school begins we clean and straighten up the house. Our kids love to spray the kitchen floor and hand-mop it and sweep with little brooms.

*Teaching them to give: Progress is being made but we can always continue to grow in this area! They enjoyed picking out gifts from the Samaritan's Purse catalog this year (Justus-formula for hungry babies, Jer-soccer balls and food, Alathia-education for a child).

*We DIDN'T go to the nursing home at all, let alone a few times, as I'd been hoping to. Not knowing anyone in the home to visit was one of the biggest reasons, as well as just being swept up in the hardest year of our lives.

*My goal to research homeschooling curriculums was definitely met! I read a lot of books on the subject and jumped into pre-K homeschooling this September! I'm loving it!


Spiritual Life

*My goal to read through the Bible in a year was the best goal I made for 2009. What a rich blessing it has been! I'd been trying like crazy to finish by Jan 1st but alas, didn't make it! So, I've extended it to Jan 31st and I have Jeremiah 4-Malachi to read this month. I never would have made it this far without having told friends I was doing this and posted it on my blog for accountability!

*I definitely didn't meet my goal of being a patient and gentle mother. This is an ongoing pursuit! The fruit I see from this year is watching my kids apologize to me and to one another often because they see Mama doing it so much.

*I wish I'd paid more attention to the verse that was supposed to be my theme verse passage for 2009. Even though it's hanging next to the bathroom mirror, I sure need to put it into practice a lot more! (Proverbs 12:16-20).

*My goal of doing a Prayer Target of the Month didn't really happen. We continue to do a person of the day prayer emphasis and pray through the Christmas cards nightly, which is lots of fun.


*My goal of listening to sermons/uplifting music/the Bible on an mp3 player didn't happen since the player I got from my aunt ended up not working. So, at the end of 2009 I nabbed a $30 on a Black Friday sale with my portion of Christmas money for myself and quickly filled it up with hundreds of chapters of my Bible reading, sermons by favorite pastors, and favorite songs from my old CD collection. Now I wonder how I lived without it!

*Generosity-Always something to grow in but we were able to give much this year due to God's goodness. He provided enormous amounts of hand-me-downs and free homeschooling supplies and we were able to share much with others. We had lots of families over for dinner parties or lunches after church. A very sweet blog reader, Jenny, and her husband totally surprised us by sending us $100 on a Wal-Mart gift card. Because we had plenty of Christmas gifts and a freezer stocked from bulk cooking, we were able to use this to bless some families in our church who wouldn't have otherwise had many, if any, Christmas gifts. Thank you so much Jenny!!!
I really appreciated the November Giving Challenge that Kingdom First Mom did on her blog. It was a great way to focus on giving to others every day.


Health/Body

*Got on a kick with one of my best friends and got serious about losing the baby weight in October. Lost about 8#, and have 5-10 to go!

*I do pilates or try to use my mom's treadmill or walk the river walk a few times a week. Having an accountability partner and knowing that if I don't do my exercises I'll lose the priviledge of eating chocolate for a week has helped immensely!

*Have NOT met my goal of going to bed earlier....not by a long shot!

*I have completely turned over my wardrobe with my hubby's help and no longer look like I've walked out of a thrift store! He vetoed a lot of my denim jumperish outfits and encouraged me to get some newer clothes! I found some awesome, long denim skirts for $15 at fashionbug.com and got some mid-calf fashion boots for wearing with skirts in the winter and some cute Keen Mary-Janes for everyday wear. In March, I spent most of my birthday money on clothing when we made a trip to Billings, MT. And thanks to the Black Friday sales on Lee Riders Jeans ($9, including a free t-shirt!) I have some cute jeans too.

*Becoming a Sneaky Chef has become second nature for me! Our eating has greatly improved in 2009 as I have become adept at modifying recipes to the fullest for maximum nutrition. This is one goal that I met and then some!

Marriage

*I don't pray enough for my husband. We have been praying more together because of the trials that have hit this year. I definitely can always grow in encouraging him more.

*I have met the goal of getting godly input for our marriage. Sermons, books, discussions with my husband, etc. have challenged us to always be growing.

*We did not do a getaway this year. My parents' summer filled up faster than a speeding bullet. We did have some nice dates out to supper here and there but no overnights due to lack of opportunity.

My impossible dream to begin praying about remains a seemingly-impossible dream that we continue to pray about: buying a house.

Finances

We continue to save a little bit to try to build up our 6-months of living expenses emergency fund and continue to invest it so it will grow. It has been a blessing to have life insurance and our wills done as of late 2008. Our $2,000 emergency fund sure came in handy when Josiah was injured and we didn't have to go into debt to survive the financial set-backs. Our health sharing group covered just about everything related to his bills so we were able to replenish our emergency fund by the end of the year. Because we had some savings, we were able to get 30% knocked off of the second surgery by paying cash and then the health sharing group paid us back and waived our deductible for saving them money.


Reading

I read most of the books I set out to read as well as tons of others that I picked up at the library. The couple on my list that I didn't get to read I plan to read this year.


Family Trips

We didn't know if we'd have the finances to go to MN in 2009 but we made it in July and in December. Long, exhausting trips, but my hubby enjoyed seeing his family a lot! We did a few small camping trips, did a weekend trip to the zoo in Denver, and got to attend my brother's wedding as it was held here instead of in FL as we had thought it would be. We also attended 3 other weddings of special friends in our state.

Friendships

*It has been amazing to see how my friendships have changed in the last year. I didn't expect to see the Blasdels move, but God richly blessed us with good times with them and with new friends who have moved into the area. I have really learned to let go in the area of friendships and to have better boundaries.

*I am learning to say no! It's getting much easier to turn down babysitting jobs and to not take on family stuff that I don't have the time or energy for.

*I let go of a friendship that was incredibly draining. It was very difficult but has been a very good thing in my life!


Parties

I did help with Dad's 50th birthday
Helped plan Anna's bridal shower
Threw Shiloh a baby shower
Helped a tiny bit with Amy's 40th (some of her other friends beat me to it and planned most of it before I could!)


At the end of 2009 I expected to see:

*Justus walking---RUNNING is more like it!
*Jer potty-trained---praise the Lord--I thought we would never make it! It took 10 months!
*A swing-set in the yard--no, but grandparents are looking for one--maybe next summer
*Kids memorizing Scripture--They did Psalm 23 and 1 Cor. 13 and have half the commandments down
*Me memorizing Scriptures from our Wise Words for Moms Chart--nope! Didn't work on it!
*The economy still struggling--Yep, my husband could end up being laid off if business doesn't pick up
*Getting our first real Christmas tree in our married life--Yep! And it's beautiful!

Last Year I wrote that I wanted our home to be:

A simple, restful haven

A Christ-centered training center

A place where many friends, old and new, have found hospitality and fellowship

Goals for 2009

A lot of my ideas come from Simple Mom's Questions

I'm not going to share what we are already doing (such as family prayer habits, devotions with kids, Friday night date nights at home, etc.), but rather things I want to begin doing in addition to the things we are currently doing. Thus, my goals:



Homemaking Skills

In 2009, I'd like to plant a garden here at our rental home and learn more about gardening well



I plan to keep better tabs on the paper piles by setting up a Tickler File, something my Aunt Suzee does (I'll blog about it when I see how it works!)



Now that we have the extra space, we are recycling now! Our landlord owns the local recycling pick-up business and offers us free pick-ups weekly.



We got a new computer last week (Yay for a computer that doesn't freeze up all the time!) but unfortunately, all of our pictures got mixed up moving them to the new computer so I have to reorganize photos in folders and weed out the ones I can delete. I love photography and I think it's important to capture our precious babies in photos but my goal is to sort and weed out photos right after I upload them instead of doing it every few months and having hundreds to sort through.

Children

I hope to really work with Ali on Self-Control this year.

Keep Ali busy. When she's not in pre-school, provide crafts, activities, and puzzles/games for her to work on to keep her out of trouble. I have a special shelf in our hall closet devoted to playdough, shaving cream, cornmeal tubs, tubs of beans, coloring books, sticker books, and other preschool-age activities and crafts.


I want to begin instilling in both Ali and Jer a strong work ethic and industriousness even though they are small.


We're going to really work on resolving conflict aka "Quit fighting, screaming, pushing, stealing toys 24/7!" I want them to learn how to play nicely together and remember the book Grammy got them, "Hands are not for Hitting."


Teach my children to give, regularly, of their time and resources.


Take the kids to the nursing home a few times this year to hang out with the residents. The elderly LOVE little children and that's a resource I have!

Become a bit more familiar with homeschooling curriculums since it won't be long until those days are upon us...




Spiritual Life

It has been too long since I read through the Bible in a year. I am following the Discipleship plan, along with Bethlehem Baptist Church. I read about 3 chapters a day out of Genesis and one out of Psalms, Matthew, and Acts daily right now. I often read a few of my chapters aloud to the kids at night after tucking them into bed. I'm also thrilled because I have access to the ESV online (because if buy an ESV Study Bible you get a code to access the site) and can listen to the chapters being read aloud while I fold laundry or clean.



My verses for the year are going to be: Proverbs 12:16-20 "The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult. Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit. There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy.



I also want to work specifically on being slow to anger. Those of you who joined me in the Gentle Mothers Support Club last year know I've been working on this for a long time and will continue to do so throughout my lifetime. Interesting how you don't think you are an angry person until you have a two-and-a-half-year-old or two or three kids...



I'd like to possibly do a Prayer Target of the Month thing. I did this in December to pray for my unsaved brother since it is his birth month and having that focus all month really helped me to remember to pray more. Whoever God lays on my heart each month will be my "Prayer Target." I also plan to keep posting "PETS for Kids" on my blog to encourage my blog readers to pray for their children.


Since Aunt Suzee gave me a used mp3 player for Christmas, I hope to download good sermons and listen to them while I do dishes/clean during naptimes or after the kids are in bed for the night


Generosity--times are tough for a lot of people and instead of hoarding things and being stingy in tight times, I want to strive to be generous this year.




Health/Body

Lose the last chunk of baby weight

Do pilates regularly

Go to bed a little bit earlier

Gradually turn over my wardrobe and get some flattering outfits .One of my favorite shirts is about 6 years old, and I bought it used! My one pair of jeans that were 3 years old gave out recently and I'm looking at a lot of my thrift-store buys and thinking frumpy!

Sneak lots of healthy purees into our meals (from The Sneaky Chef cookbook) and continue to fix low-fat, high-fiber meals with plenty of whole grains and veggies and fruits.

Marriage

Seek to encourage my husband in his job and pray for that area of his life.

Take a weekend getaway sometime this year for a date night in a hotel without the kiddoes.

Get godly input on marriage. Whether from books, sermon podcasts, articles, or talking with older folks, seek to always be growing in the area of building a godly marriage.

What seemingly huge or impossible thing do I plan to start praying about this year?

Buying a home

Finances

Since we got our will done (finally) and got life insurance this year (finally) and started saving 6 months worth of living expenses in a money market account we are going to focus on saving for vacations and trips upcoming this year and trying to increase our saving to eventually put a downpayment on a house. We hope to get a Roth IRA going sometime soon for retirement.

Reading

It would be silly for me to post reading goals since that's like saying, "You should breathe this year." Reading is pure pleasure for me and no matter what stage of life I am in I always make time to read! If our budget allows, I hope to get a few books I've been wanting to read for the last year: The 5 Dilemmas of Calvinism, When I Don't Desire God, Do Hard Things, Family-Driven Faith, Shopping for Time, and Praying in Jesus' Name.

Family Trips

We'd like to get to MN in the spring or summer but we'll see how the finances go. We'll probably spend Christmas in MN (but that, too, depends on finances)



Depending on where my brother gets married, I may have to fly to Florida in the early spring. If it's not in Florida, we will still be busy helping with wedding stuff here.



We are hoping to do a vacation in Colorado next August where we will do some camping, site-seeing, and of course the Denver ZOO (my kids can't wait!)



We'd like to do a few little camp-trips this summer on the weekends to places within a few hours from here. King Jo's folks gave us a little trailer to pull behind our van which will be nice for hauling camping gear!

What random thing would I like to try this year?

Join the choir for a church event (like for the Easter service)

Friendships

Seek to encourage and bless my friends, both far and near



Attend 3 of my good friends' weddings this year! Hurray for Heather, Cori, and Jessie!



Prioritize my friendships. Since I know a lot of people, this can be tough but I have to limit my interactions based on the levels of friendship. This means I focus on knowing some people really well and realizing that others will just be acquaintences or neat people I see only at church and that's okay! This means I realize that at different seasons and stages of life I will have different "close" friends. I often like to reach out to new people in town and "plug them in" to some activities or groups where they can meet people, but I have learned I need to then back off and let them take it from there because I can't have 30 "best friends forever." =)

Considering wisely the activities my family is involved in. Exercising the use of the word "NO" when needed but still getting out and enjoying playdates and things the kids enjoy.

Letting go of friendships that are draining. This one is hard because sometimes God calls me to befriend difficult people or uses conflict to grow me. Yet, I think that it is wise and good to have boundaries and sometimes I need to step back from spending time with others who manipulate me, use me, want to take up my family time, don't like my kids, are consistently selfish, etc.



Three parties that are a priority for me to be involved in planning this year:

*Dad's 50th Birthday in January

*Anna's Bridal Shower/reception in ?????

*Shiloh's Baby Shower in June

*Amy's 40th Birthday in September

At the end of 2009, I expect to see:

Jer having been potty-trained for half a year

Justus walking (my baby!!!)

Hopefully some kind of swingset in the yard for the kids

Ali recognizing all of her letter sounds and doing pre-reading stuff

The kids having memorized a lot of Scripture through repetitive reading

Myself to have memorized the Scriptures and questions from my "Wise Words for Moms" calendar which charts out things to ask when kids are needing discipline/training.

The economy still struggling and probably doing worse than it is currently doing

Us getting a real (not artificial!) Christmas tree for our house for the first time in all of our married life!

How would I like our home to be described in the coming year?

*A consistent, Christ-centered, training center

*A simple, restful haven

*A place where many friends, new and old, have found fellowship and hospitality