Looking Forward to 2012- Resolutions Post

Many people think resolutions are dumb, that they are fun to make, but check them in say, February and they’re long forgotten.  I’ve never thought that way at all.  I think resolutions are what you make of them.  If you take them seriously they can have an impact on your life.  If you don’t, then yes, they are dumb.  I think the turning over of the calendar to a new year is a gift to each of us.  Just like the gift of Salvation- you only need to accept the gift.  If the calendar turns for you year after year after year and nothing ever changes, well, you have no one to blame but yourself. 

For me, the calendar turning is a time to reflect on the previous year and look towards the next to determine what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to change and what needs to be different.  Change is part of life.  We are all changing every moment.  The question is, is that positive change, or negative change?

As I look over my resolutions from last year, I am pleasantly surprised!  I have accomplished almost everything on my list from last year .   

In the area of Finances we can check off all but “accumulate no additional debt”.  We did accumulate an additional debt of a little under $1,000 for police lights and one piece of the kids’ curriculum.  With the pay cut we had, I’d say this is pretty good!In the area of children, most of these were progressive, or continual goals, but we made some progress on them, and the big one of finalize the adoptions happened! In the area of Marriage there is still the problem with the socks…..  And we didn’t renew our vows because we had so much going on with the babies around our anniversary…. Friends and Family will have a lot of the same goals this year, I need some work on priorities.  Home Management will be a main focus for 2012….  pretty much the same goals LOL….  but I will say my Spiritual growth has been huge this year.  So, as you can see, your resolutions are what you make of them.  I can say I have done a lot to improve myself and my life over the past year.  I don’t do it just for me, I do it for my kids and my husband.  I want to be the best I can for them.  I want to set a good example for my kids.  I want to instill to them the importance of continual self improvement.  I hope I’m doing that.

So, here are my goals for 2012:

Finances:

• Pay off all debt except the house
• Refinance the mortgage to be a 15 year mortgage
• Create and Maintain a Christmas Club Account
• Continue Menu Planning, with the goal of reducing the grocery bills
• Create and maintain sinking funds for various projects around the house and car

Children:

• Finish teaching Auston to drive, feel safe with him driving (is that possible?)
• Potty Train William
• Help Gregory to be more secure in himself
• Help all the children (but specifically the older boys) find some of their gifts and develop them
• Maintain the kids school schedules and keep up with their work
• Find a MDO program for the babies to go to
• Try not to “sweat the small stuff”
• Maintain the therapy schedule for the babies, and ensure they get what they need from that standpoint
• Get William’s belly button fixed and circumcision done

Marriage:

• Make sure he has clean socks LOL
• Continue regular date nights
• Spend some time away from the house for our anniversary (we never got to do this last year, hoping to do it this year)
• Revel in the newness of every day- even after 16 years together I still find out new things about my husband
• Believe in him always
• Surprise him
• Remember always that he is a gift

Friends and Family:

• Do more anonymous giving and acts of service this year.  (If you haven’t done anything like this you should!  It’s is a blast!)
• Send out Birthday and Occasion cards
• Continue with the progress I’ve made so far with my mother by exchanging cards, and try to focus on the positive.

Health and Fitness:

• Renew my commitment to Weight Watchers and stick to the new 2012 plan
• Exercise 3-5 times a week at minimum on a regular basis
• Start running
• Participate in at least 3 organized events- 5K’s etc
• Eat more fruits and veggies
• Lose at least 25 pounds again this year (for a total of 50 pounds since joining WW again)
• Maintain my reduction to one cup of caffeinated coffee per day, supplementing with other non-caffeinated drinks and teas

Home Management:

• Build a room in the garage for the boys
• Stain the deck
• Replace remaining facia
• Replace Carpet with other flooring
• Replace furniture (from the thrift store) I do have two small children still after all….
• Plant Flowers
• Improve the landscaping around the house
• Replace the window that Gregory broke on Christmas
• Maintain a cleaning schedule so as not to get overwhelmed by the house
• Train my family to HELP with said cleaning schedule.

Spirituality:

• Continue to do Bible Study lessons consistently
• Trust God when it doesn’t seem right
• Believe that God is in control.  Always.
• Chose the activities I’m involved in with the church so I don’t feel burnt out or resentful
• Tithe Consistently

Other Personal Goals:

• Clear out my schedule a little
• Schedule time for myself, time for things like bubble baths WITHOUT interruption, pedicures, massages. 
• Remember that taking care of myself helps me to feel renewed and therefore makes me a better mom and wife
• Learn to better delegate, and trust other people to handle tasks
• Learn to not get upset when the tasks are not done how I would have done them
• Read at least 12 books this year.  I’m so excited to have my new Kindle and actually think I can do this.
• Create a relaxation ritual for myself
• Craft more

Seems like a lot, but really, is it?  There are, after all, 365 day in which to achieve these goals