Goals for 2013

When I was six or seven, I heard adults talk about setting new year's resolutions.  I didn't quite get the whole idea.  I remember setting a resolution one year to only order vanilla milkshakes when the occasion arose to go to McDonalds.  This was a sacrifice because chocolate was my favorite, but I decided I would strive to only order plain-jane vanilla just to see if I could do it.  I don't imagine we went to McDonalds all that often, so it probably wasn't too hard to keep... if I remembered my commitment!

As an avid reader of the Money Saving Mom blog, I've been inspired by reading about the author's yearly goals and monthly goal updates over the past year.  She talks about setting achievable goals, not for the sake of seeing if she can accomplish them like my vanilla milkshake idea, but to make progress in honoring the priorities in her life.  She then breaks her goals down into manageable pieces so that they are actually achievable and not overwhelming.

I set some goals for myself last year, but looking over them, one of the few I actually completed was making a habit of drinking more water.  I don't really feel guilty for not completing my other goals though, because I didn't really have an idea of what 2012 was going to be like when I set them - pregnancy and motherhood certainly change priorities and expectations!

I'll share some of my 2013 goals with you:

Priority #1: God
Read through the Old Testament using a reading plan.
Memorize the book of Ephesians.

Priority #2: Husband
Re-establish the habit of a weekly date with my husband, including at least one date a month out of the house without the baby!
Pray more specifically for my husband every day.

Priority #3: Children
Read at least two parenting books.

I have some other on-going things I'm going to work at being more faithful in for the priorities of church/ministry and family that I won't go into here.

Household/Personal Goals:
Read at least 24 books this year (I would have thought this goal was silly when I was a kid because I read voraciously anyway, but these days it requires more forethought and intentionality!).  This goal is not so much to hit the specific number of 24 as it is to strive to make time to read one fiction and one non-fiction book a month, since it is something I enjoy and find relaxing, and because I want to continue learning!  I actually made a list and have picked out two books that the library has to read each month.

Try at least six do-it-yourself (DIY) projects.  I might try some of the following:

• Homemade diaper wipes
• Homemade nursing pads
• Homemade frozen yogurt
• Homemade yogurt (trying a new method since I failed last time)
• Window sill sprout garden
• Laundry detergent

What are your goals for 2013?