A New Year

It might be 9 days old already...but a new year is upon us.

This past year has been such a whirlwind that it has taken me 9 days to realize we are already into our new year.  Goals need to be set and promises need to be made.

Normally I take a bunch of time to reflect back on where we have been and where we are going in the next 12 months so I can thoughtfully set goals.  I did the reflecting back in my last blog, sort of.  As for where we are headed?  No idea this time around.  We just haven't really sat still long enough for planning.  Maybe I will have time for that in June, when school is done?

But we can always count on the following goals ongoing...
1.  Get back to responsible kids.  With moving and moving and changing everything, the kids have not had their chore list or responsibilities for picking up and taking care of their things.  We need to get back to that.  Colin only has 7 years until he leaves for college and I want to send him on his way with enough skills to take care of himself.

2.  Get back to saving.  We have spent more money in 2012 than I care to EVER spend again.  It would be nice to stop spending for awhile and get the bank balance higher.  Of course we still have so much to do with the house that it might be impossible to stop spending completely.  And those children still have to eat and have new shoes...

3.  I took 9000 pictures in 2012!  I would like to take less pictures and have the ones I do take be more meaningful.  I would like the time to practice my skill so this is possible.

4.  I would like to read more.  I love to read and I have passed this love onto my children.  But, I would like them to see me actually reading more.  I would like to read to them more.  I would like to finish some of the books that have been on my shelves for more than a year!

5.  Get rid of stuff.  We got rid of a lot of stuff before we moved.  We got rid of a lot of stuff while we were renting.  We got rid of a lot of stuff after we moved in.  But we have so much more stuff to get rid of.  It would be nice to feel less cluttered and more organized.  And going back to #2, it would be nice to buy only what we need and not just more stuff.

6.  Keep my eye on the prize.  My goal in staying home now that the children are in school is to focus on what is important.  Renew myself during the day so that I can focus on the little ones at night.  All of those types of things.  Really, the thing that makes me the best me is keeping my eye on what I believe in.  Being true to who I am and not being who everyone else things I should be.  When I do that, I am happy.  And everyone knows, a happy mama makes a happy home.

7.  Travel.  Molly would like to go see Mount Rushmore.  Molly would like to go see Washington DC. I don't really care if it is Northern Minnesota or all of Northern Europe, but I would like to continue the tradition of taking my children to places they have never been before.  So much can be learned when you experience new things, both near and far from home.