Hey, January is almost over, so let's talk about goals and stuff. I've got to be honest, January always brings a small dose of anxiety for me. I distinctly remember thinking on January 5th "We are five days into the new year and I haven't done anything!" Now, I don't have these type of thoughts on February 5th or July 5th or October 5th, only in January. However, I believe goals are a good thing. Let's be honest, it has been a goal of mine just to write this post for over 2 weeks now, so time to get some goals, at least one, accomplished! First, let's see how 2014 went.
2014 Highlight Reel
Road Trip to St. George (We always have a couple of those)
Family Mountain Adventures and Festivities
And every Instagram post full of baby pictures.
And every Instagram post full of baby pictures.
2014 was a really big year for me. Experiencing pregnancy for the first time, buying a house, moving, having a baby, trading in my job to being a stay-at-home mom. Big changes. Good changes, but big changes. I think I'm still trying to catch my breath (and some much needed sleep) after 2014. Now for my moment of accountability, here were my goals for 2014.
Secret Resolution: Survive. Ok, in all honesty, I knew I was pregnant when I wrote these goals last year. I hadn't announced it, except to some family members and close friends, but I was in the throes of morning sickness and heartburn. Something I learned from 2014, I really don't like being pregnant. So I remember when typing up these goals last year, I thought to myself, "Overall, my goal for this year is to survive." So congrats self, I have survived.
Resolution #1 - Catch up on my mission scrapbooks and blog books. I have a family blog that is private as well as this one. (If you want to be invited to it, let me know.) Anyway, I try to print off that blog into a book each year as our family album. This past year, I completely 2012 and printed it off and I'm halfway through 2013. I haven't touched my mission scrapbook much, though. So I would say this goal was partially completed.
Resolution #2 - Work on saving money towards our financial goals by eating out less and putting more into savings. Once we moved, we ate out less, because we moved away from many great food places; however, before that, we ate out all the time. You see when you're pregnant and smells get to you and being hungry makes you sick and you're exhausted every day after work, yeah, cooking doesn't happen. We did make our financial goals this year. We bought a house and paid off all the medical bills from having a baby, so I'd say we still did pretty well with this goal.
Resolution #3 - Learn a new skill. I made this goal because I knew I was having a baby, so I figured I had a lot to learn. Nursing - very difficult and painful that first month, but we figured it out. Cutting baby fingernails - still makes me nervous. Burping the baby - it was hard when he was so little, but got easier. Training my baby to sleep - still not there yet. I got to say Baby has learned a lot of skills this year, so he wins with this goal.
Resolution #4 - Give more priority to my stress relievers, such as spending time in nature, yoga, reading, etc. Hmmm, I didn't do so well with this, unless you count laying on the couch, watching Netflix and eating frosties. Well, that was up to having the baby. I can't have chocolate now, sad story. It wasn't the best year for reading for me. I couldn't find any story that I really connected with and now I don't have time. Yoga didn't work out because being pregnant and swollen made moving hurt and after having a baby, umm, I still hurt, but maybe I should try to do so now. I did go out to nature a bit after having the baby, but I avoided going to the mountains all summer long (which was so hard for me) because a rise in elevation can put you in labor! The things I learned in my birthing class, so no, didn't do great with this goal.
Resolution #5 - Focus on Gratitude. This goal is a hard one to measure, but I tried.
Now for 2015 Goals!
Resolution #1 - Plant and grow a garden. I have to plant some flowers in the front yard, or the HOA will be after us. However, the main aspect of our goal is I would like to plant a small veggie/fruit garden if possible. In our backyard we have this big section covered in gravel where the past owners had their trailer. We want to get rid of the gravel and cover it in grass. (Side note: If anyone wants free gravel, let me know!) I would like to use a section of it and try planting a small garden. I'm thinking a raspberry bush, cucumbers, some cherry tomatoes and maybe one or two other things. Gardening friends, is this doable? What are some easy things to plant for a newbie like me? Keep in mind, my past record with plants is not good.
Resolution #2 - Figure out some type of structured day for me and baby. You know, I'm finding being a stay-at-home mom has it's challenges. Now that baby is semi-sleeping better at night, I feel like it would be nice to have a more structured day for the two of us and figure out how to be more productive. Any thoughts/suggestions on this my friends with little ones?
Resolution #3 - Create a monthly budget and follow it. Well, we have completed the first part of this and created a budget and so far have been following it for the month of January, so I'm feeling encouraged with this goal.
Resolution #4 - Studying a new topic each week for my own personal spiritual well-being. In the past, I've read the scriptures almost every day, but it is usually a page here, a few verses there. I felt this goal would help me actually study than just read. I've been doing so for the past couple of weeks and it has been interesting.
Resolution #5 - Go somewhere new. Because, why not?
I think you did pretty good on your goals and it sounds like you've set some great goals for this year. I suggest cherry tomatoes--Sweet 100's were perfect for me--and try the cukes, maybe green beans or zucchini.
ReplyDeleteWhen my kids were little I had success by having a special day for each day in the week. (i.e. Monday-baking, Tuesday-laundry, Wednesday-sewing, etc.) When the weather's nice its nice to go on walks. Having a particular scripture study course will help. I suggest the seminary manuals. They were awesome. I love how you share your goals. Good luck to you.