More 2012 Goals

If I don't write something down it is unlikely to happen. So, here are the thoughts that have been rolling around in my head since January 1st for my 2012 goals.

1 - Grow closer in my relationship with God. I know this is the foundation that will allow me to accomplish all my other goals. Specifically - spend more time in the word and in prayer. Realistically - get a daily Mom devotional and schedule time to shut everything off, even for 15 minutes, and have some alone time with my Heavenly Father.

2 - Be a better wife. Since the minute I found out I was pregnant with Averie almost 3 and a half years ago, I feel like I have been trying to balance being a wife and a mom. Combine that with feeling horrible during both pregnancies and two kids later, it has become an even bigger challenge. The relationship that Eli and I have should come second only to my relationship with God and I need to get better about living that way. I think about what Eli comes home to most days: a grubby, non-showered, pj wearing wife usually covered in some type of bodily fluid and all too often with a nasty attitude from being cooped up with a 2 year old and newborn. If I were him I think I would want to run away from that, so I need to step it up and make him happy to come home. Specifically - shower and ready everyday, not take out the frustrations of the day on him as soon as he walks through the door, make date night a priority, have tv free catch up time daily. Realistically - change out of pjs everyday, smile when he come home, once a month date night, 5 minutes catch up time each day.

3 - Work on being a better mom. Again, one of those things that will align when goal #1 gets focused on. If I died tomorrow, there are two things I would want my kids to have learned from me. The first is to treat others how you want to be treated. I remember interviewing my dad for a 5th grade project and he said that the golden rule is the most important thing to remember in life. And when you think about it, it is. I want my kids to treat the people taking their order at Zaxbys the same way they would treat some of the multi-millionaires at Mountaintop. The second is to plan ahead. I feel like the world would be such a better place, and America would be such a better country if people just planned ahead. I know that unexpected things happen all the time and you can't plan for everything, but you can sure try to make sure that you are prepared for anything. My goal for this year is to live my life based on these two principles and be an example to them. What I do will speak louder to them than what I say, so starting this early will help me to follow through when they are older.

4 - Run a 5k. I know, I know - I can't believe I just typed that. I was the kid in 9th grade who finished running the mandatory mile just ahead of the mentally challenged kids and counted down the days until gym class was over forever. Me, the person who only runs when a bee is after me or there is a sale/chocolate cake involved in something. Advanced PE - are you kidding me???? But our church is starting a Bible study with a 5k component and I think it would give me such a great sense of accomplishment to do something like this. I will also be branching WAY out of my comfort zone and will be an example to my kids that you can accomplish something that seems impossible. My dad is also wanting to do it too and doing it together would give me accountability and some bonding time with my sweet daddy.

5 - Keep a clean and organized house. I seem to let my house go, and go, and go until I work myself in to a cleaning frenzy at 11pm on the night I decide I can't take it anymore. It makes so much more sense to spend 15 minutes a day preventing said cleaning frenzy and staying on top of things. I really want to make my bed everyday, keep my bathrooms from looking like a science experiment, and scale Mount Washmore everyday. I also know I need to do this to set a good example for my children and start them in the habit of doing this themselves. Teaching Averie to be responsible for what she does is so important and will set her up to be a productive adult.

6 - Make an effort to make more friends. Being a stay at home mom gets so lonely sometimes. There are so many women at church and other moms at Averie's school who I like so much and love to talk to but I don't make the effort to hang out with or get to know better. I need to get out of my comfort zone and start asking them to hang out and do things with. It will be good for me and good for Averie and I think will help with goal #2 because I will have more people to lean on for support. I also want to stop lurking on the blogs I read and start commenting more because there are several with whom I have lots in common and would like to be friends with.

7 - Continue on the budget track with Dave Ramsey. Be debt free by October at the latest. Get gazelle about it and find ways to bring in or save more money. Get hardcore once that is completed about retirement and education savings. Teach Averie about money this year by doing commission chart and the save/spend/donate banks. Also, I want to find a way to volunteer and help teach others about this stuff. I feel like that is one of my spiritual gifts and I want to help people struggling financially get on track and begin to feel hope again.

8 - Do once a month freezer cooking. Doing that before Reid was born was AMAZING and has saved us so much money in not eating out. It is so much healthier than processed fast food junk. Come up with new menus and ideas to keep it interesting.

9 - Plan meals ahead of time. I usually have no problem doing this for dinner but I need to focus on breakfast and lunch for myself and Averie (and Reid when he gets teeth!). I feel like I eat so unhealthy for breakfast and lunch because I just grab whatever I can as I'm walking through the kitchen, whether its chocolate chips or cookies or chips. I need to make a weekly plan of breakfast and lunches and prep ahead so it is easy to grab and eat. I also want to expose Averie to new stuff and tastes.

10 - Stop beating myself up and worrying so much about everything. My goal for when I turn 30 is to grow a set of balls. I get so upset sometimes that my mama raised me to be so nice and I want to raise Averie to know how to say no. I want to stop worrying so much about what others think and live to make God, myself, and my family happy. Period. No worries about everyone else. I'm realizing the older I get that we only get 1 go around in life and I need to stop wasting so much time worrying about other people! I will learn to say no and if I start to beat myself up over something I've said or didn't say, did or didn't do I will mentally smack myself in the face and get over it! STOP WORRYING SO MUCH!

11 - Read more. Dave Ramsey says something about how in 10 years from now our lives will be the same except for the people we meet and the books that we read. I have a Kindle, I need to use it to learn more about things that interest me.

12 - Plan more family activities. Many times on the weekend I feel like we waste so much time laying around because we have no plans. Having no plans is nice occasionally, but life is too short not to get out and explore.

13 - Be nicer to the dog. Bless his heart, since Averie has been born his life has changed drastically. He went from a life of doggie raincoats and seatbelts to barely getting fed everyday. And I confess there are some days I forget to do even that. He is a sweet dog and a great part of our family and I need to work on having more patience with him.

14 - Take pictures and document our lives more. I know there are so many things Averie says and does everyday that I need to start writing down. And I want there to be plenty of pictures of Reid so he doesn't feel left as the second child (not that I, as the 3rd child, have issues with that). Blog more so I have an outlet and a way to record our lives.

So, those are my goals for 2012. At least the ones I can think of for now - I'm sure I will add more as time goes on. I can't wait to look back in December and see how I did!