reflecting on some goals for the new year
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I like setting goals. I like putting them in writing so I feel accountable to what I've committed to paper. I like it at any time of the year, but I do particularly enjoy doing so at the start of a new year.
This past year has been a good one, but it's been one in which we mostly just survived it. Being intentional? Didn't happen a lot. Making it though the day without having a major breakdown from more than one of us? Barely happened most days, didn't happen on some. I've blogged a year-in-review, how-did-we-do? sort of post at this time of year in the past, but I'm skipping it this year.
Instead of reflecting back, let's just reflect forward, shall we? (And how appropriate is it that the reflections of the trees were so perfectly right on New Year's Eve when I took the picture above? A perfect time for reflections all around!)
Here are our goals for the year...
Bible-reading
If you'd like to join me in any of this - the Bible reading plan or memorization, the swims or runs, or anything else - let me know! Putting this out on the blog gives some accountability, but there's so much more when someone is doing it alongside (albeit virtually if you're not a local friend!) you.
And I'd love to know what you're planning for the year too!
This past year has been a good one, but it's been one in which we mostly just survived it. Being intentional? Didn't happen a lot. Making it though the day without having a major breakdown from more than one of us? Barely happened most days, didn't happen on some. I've blogged a year-in-review, how-did-we-do? sort of post at this time of year in the past, but I'm skipping it this year.
Instead of reflecting back, let's just reflect forward, shall we? (And how appropriate is it that the reflections of the trees were so perfectly right on New Year's Eve when I took the picture above? A perfect time for reflections all around!)
Here are our goals for the year...
Bible-reading
- Complete first half of this two-year plan for reading through the Bible. (For a preface to the plan, go here.) And build in time to reflect on the readings and pray Scripture instead of merely checking off each reading.
- Memorize Philippians (using the resource described and linked to here and here, though I'm using prettier notebooks I found at Barnes & Noble) and memorize two other verses/passages each month, starting with Isaiah 43:2-3 (joining in with a couple friends on this challenge).
- Use my prayer cards to pray intentionally for different people/groups. (See a future post for more on that!)
- Finish my prayer picture wall. Once again, I’ll be posting more about this later, but here’s a short explanation: we have a wall with (currently empty) frames on it, and the chair where Lee and I usually sit to pray and read the Bible is next to that wall. We’re adding pictures of people we want to remember to pray for along that wall as a visual reminder during prayer times.
- Grow in knowledge and experience in ministry to families with children with special needs, and expand what we're doing to be more holistically about families rather than centered solely on the kids.
- Network with others serving in similar roles, and work on writing projects to explain the whys and hows of this kind of ministry (because very little is out there from a Gospel-driven and -centered perspective, especially about the whys).
- Encourage others with this blog. It started as a record of our lives, but it's become much more than that. I like that.
- Take advantage of our monthly date night out. We've worked out a swap with one of our babysitters in which she's getting my old laptop (which was great, but not quite powerful enough for my Photoshoppin' needs) and we're getting babysitting for one date night per month for 2011. Also, be intentional about following through with planned date nights at home instead of getting distracted by things on those nights.
- In addition to date nights, restart D-Team meetings. (These are meetings that Lee and I have together once every week or two weeks to discuss our family calendar, finances, goals, and parenting concerns. We were pretty consistent with them, but then my thesis ate that consistency whole.)
- Use Operation World in the evening as part of our dinner-time family devotions, and add more emphasis on the nations in homeschool preschool during the day.
- Maybe switch to a different resource for Bible readings during our dinner-time family worship (but I’m waiting for it to arrive, so I’m not going to expound upon that just yet).
- Read a Bible story with the kiddos from one of our Bible storybooks during breakfast. (I mean, seriously, how long does that take? The answer: not long at all! We have plenty of great children's Bible story books, so it won't be hard to do!)
- Go on one outing a week for me and the kids that doesn’t involve going to church or the gym or someone else’s house. It doesn’t have to be anything more exciting than a trip to a local park or PetSmart (aka “the free zoo”), but we stayed in a rut of far too few fun kid-friendly activities in 2010.
- Be more purposeful and consistent in homeschooling for preschool (not sure yet what that will look like, but I intentionally began with a laidback schedule this fall because it allowed me to get my feet wet a year before we planned for much structure in our efforts; that "more structure" won't kick in until the coming fall).
- Participate as a family each month in the downtown Raleigh outreach our church does, providing a meal and sharing hope one Saturday a month.
- Keep better track of our giving.
- We’ve been tithing, but sometimes we play catch-up by giving double one month after accidentally skipping a month. Sure, it averages out in the end, but it’s not done with the attitude of giving the first fruits of our labor to God.
- We give to missions, parachurch organizations, and other non-profits as well, but we haven’t really been tracking that giving well, and I’m not sure we’ve been as intentional as we’d like with it.
- Increase our support for missionaries. We have several friends serving in other countries, and we want to add financial support to our current prayer support for them.
- Switch primary care physicians. I loved mine but didn’t love the whole practice, and then she left so I’m left with a team of doctors I don’t care for in a practice that I don’t think is run very well. I have a few great recommendations, so there’s no excuse not to change.
- Be better about going to the dentist and the eye doctor when I should.
- Swim in the four races that make up the 2011 Triangle Open Water Swim series. They’re only one mile races (with a two-mile option for one) – anyone want to join me? I have one sweet friend who is planning to join me for one race, but I’d love some pre-race accountability from others as well! (And it’s not like I’m asking you to partake in the Tampa marathon swim. Yep, that one is 24 miles and requires a boat to accompany each swimmer. I might have added it to my bucket list. Okay, I don’t have a bucket list, but if I did, that race would be on it.)
- Keep up the regular gym workouts.
- Build enough muscle in my knees through weight training to begin running again this summer and run in The Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run in December. I think they have a couple options, from one mile to 5K, so I'll let the arthritis in my knees decide which race to do when that time comes around.
- Aim for 8-10 hours of sleep at least four nights a week, and don’t deviate too far from that on other nights. (Because of my health junk, it’s recommended to get 10 hours each night. I scoffed. But not getting 8-10 hours a night sure hasn’t been working for me, so I’m up for trying it.)
- Give myself grace on the days when my body is limited.
- Finally finish sanding and painting downstairs (from the project we started, um, three years ago).
- Hang our new mirrors and paint in the master bath and the kids’ bathrooms.
- Make window coverings for downstairs (made easier by the fabric that was under the tree for me!).
- Grow our own fruits and veggies again this summer.
- Use the home gadget-y things I’ve acquired in the past couple years (but have mostly allowed to collect dust): my sewing machine, serger, Cricut (a Christmas present from momma this year – woot!), and DSLR-related goodies.
- Tackle the third floor project head-on this year: Finalize plans by end of February. Complete estimates by end of March. Start construction in May. (All of this leading toward making space to add to our family through foster care and/or adoption once the two extra bedrooms are up there.)
If you'd like to join me in any of this - the Bible reading plan or memorization, the swims or runs, or anything else - let me know! Putting this out on the blog gives some accountability, but there's so much more when someone is doing it alongside (albeit virtually if you're not a local friend!) you.
And I'd love to know what you're planning for the year too!