2016 beginnings

I love the new year, I get excited and set huge lists of goals and get calender's and planners and all those things and I love it.
This year is the same my mind is swimming with goals big and small and ideas, but this year I am going to try to find and overarching word, and a big main goal to focus on.
 I have tried to put some study and prayer into this. The word I choose is :

Trust

I almost choose other words like, embrace or accept or enjoy- wanting to make sure I enjoy and accept my life and the stage that I am in but in the end I choose trust.

This year is going to be a great exciting year, but also a hard one for me (I suspect). This year Mitchell adds yet another job to his to do list, teaching online for BYUI. I am so proud of him but it does take time for him that would usually be spent with us. Also as his Master program continues it will take more and more time and effort. I need to be supportive of these things- and I am.
Biggest of all is us adding a new member to our family in may. This will be the biggest blessing and it will also be hard for us. Babies take a lot of time and sleep from mom, I have a hard time with sleep deprivation and after my last sweet baby I struggled for well over a year with postpartum depression. I am hoping to prevent that. We plan to continue to watch baby T next year even after the baby so I will have 3 kids, 4 during the days.( Baby T will be walking soon too!)
 AS our family embarks on these new adventures it is important for me to have trust. Trust in the Lord, Trust in my Husband and trust in myself. Mostly Trust in God and his plan. I know that if I have a firm testimony and faith and trust in the plan and the Atonement of Jesus Christ then our little family, and myself can get through anything. The biggest part of that is knowing that even when horrible or hard things happen God can bring about good from it.
I really hope that this year brings nothing but joy to us. I am so excited for us to have another baby and for Mitchell to get further in his Masters program and to have all the new career opportunities that he has, I am so excited for Eli to Start Kindergarten and for Kayden to go from nursery to sunbeams. I am excited for K to learn to ride a bike like his brother, and for our family of 4 to grow to 5. To update the house and to learn new things. We have a lot of fun ideas and plans in the works and it will be so fun to see many of them come to completion. We have trips and vacations planned and ideas and goals for our family. It is exciting!

Other goals are :
Daily Scripture study - family, couple and individual
FHE
morning prayers -(we are pretty good in the evenings)

and my "mom" theme for the year is to LOVE.
L-listen
O-observe
V- validate
E- encourage

I suspect that with a new baby coming and school starting in the fall these things will be more crutial then ever.

New Years Resolutions

New Years Resolutions

First let me admit openly that I am not good at making short lists of reasonable goals. Once I start thinking about and writing down goals I get excited and I fill pages upon pages with ideas and lists and subcategorizes. So do I always reach all my goals, no. Do I try? Yes.

To begin I set General goal category’s and then put built points beneath each category. (example-that is also a real goal for this year).

Improve Photography:

v  Review rules

Ø  Basic rule of 3^rd and other composition guides

Ø  Once a month spend at least an hour reviewing (track in journal log)

v  Study more tutorials

Ø  Create specific Pinterest board

Ø  Practice at least once a month for 90 min (track in journal log)

v  Practice more

Ø  Once a month min (can be included in the above category’s time (track in journal log)

v  Get camera (hopefully?)

 See what I mean? I know it’s a bit too much but I love it. I see no reason why I cannot at least try. This year I am putting my goals on the blog because-and this is embarrassing to admit- I always forget where I write my goals down and year 2014’s master goal list was never found. I figure if it’s on the blog I can’t lost it…Right?

So before I continue with my list I will just say feel free to skip over this post if you want. You might find a good idea or too though, you never know.

Attend the Temple Every Month:

§  At least once a month attend the Temple. Go prayerfully

§  Work on family history

·         Ready the stories Grandma typed up

·         Index

¨       Once a month goal (track in back of journal

·         Spend time on family search trying to find names who’s work needs done-ask grandma for help GOAL: find one name.

Books/Reading ( & Book Group):

v  Keep attending every month, if it disbands find/ or start another one.

v  Mitchell and I read one book a month together taking turns choosing what book we read.

v  Take kids to Library about Every Week

v  Read at least 1 book out of every 3 for my own education (nonfiction).Keep record in journal log

Canning Goals:

v  Can the following foods from our garden/Mom and Dad’s garden:

Ø  Tomatoes

Ø  Grape Juice

Ø  Pears

Ø  Apple pie filling

Ø  Fruit cocktail

v  Freeze the following foods from our garden/m&d’s garden:

Ø  Corn

Ø  Peppers

Ø  Berries (Raspberries and Strawberries

v  Go Huckleberry Picking

Ø  Freeze Huckleberries

Couponing:

v  Go to a class about extreme couponing

Ø  Create further goals after class drawing on what I learn.

v  Huggie’s rewards points-check monthly

v  DMR Points- check monthly

Create More traditions for specific Holidays: (more specific plans as holidays approach)

v  Valentines Day

v  St. Patrick’s Day

v  Mothers Day

v  Fathers Day

v  Memorial Day

Ø  Pinterest Boards could be made for each holiday. It does not have to be elaborate just fun.

Daily Devotional Habits:

v  Scripture Study and Prayer.

Ø  Personal Scripture study and prayer in the morning to begin my day

§  Finish D&C before end of the Year.

§  Memorize the Living Christ

§  Memorize Joseph Smith History Scripture Mastery

Ø  Scriptures study with the kids over breakfast

Ø  Prayer with kids especially before preschool

Ø  Read scriptures and pray with Mitchell before Bed Each Night

§  Read Mathew, Mark,, Luke and John before Easter

§  After that continue in Book Of Mormon

v  FHE Every Week

Ø  Continue to learn primary songs with kids

§  Want them to know whole 1^st verse of I Am A Child of God

Fitness Goals:

v  Run another ½ marathon

v  Run a few days a week

Ø  While it is dark and cold at least walk with the Kids

v  Practice Yoga Weekly

Ø  Minimum of 25 min record in Journal Log

v  Improve Swimming

Ø  If I don’t get a gym membership this one might be impossible but if that is the case I won’t hold it against myself

v  Climb Mt. Borah this summer

v  Reach my weight goal.

v  Drink more water.

Fashion Goals: (silly I know)

v  Only buy things I truly like. Be more picky

Ø  Don’t just buy it because its cheap

Ø  Get rid of clothes that don’t work for me

v  Take better care of my nails

Ø  Every other Sunday take care of my nails.

v  Get regular haircuts or trims

Ø  Every 6-8 weeks.

Get More Sleep:

v  Go to bed by 10 (except special occasions)

v  Take naps when sick

v  Wake up with Mitchell

Gardening:

v  Plant a tree

v  Put in a flower bed beneath back yard bush

v  Grow herbs

Ø  Basil

Ø  Cilantro

Ø  Parsley

v  Keep Orchid alive (4 months growing strong!)

v  Clean up flower bed in front yard.

Home

v  Repaint baseboards

v  Paint cabinets

v  Fix light fixture in bedroom

v  Decorate boys room

Ø  Paint

Ø  Wall hangings

Ø  Refinish furnishings

Improve Relationships:

v  Attentive listening

v  Mindfulness

v  Deep Breathing

Ø  Read up on it.

v  Think of the Mr. more

Improve blog:

v  Create a logo with Jessica

v  Post daily (except weekends)

v  Learn more

Ø  Bi-weekly read up on blogging

v  Family  Blog

Ø  Post for all holidays

Journaling:

v  Every Sunday record in boys journals

v  Write in mine when prompted

v  Use mine to record goals

v  Make shutterfly books

v  Print blog book

Music;

v  Practice piano

Ø  At least every Sunday

Ø  Memorize 3 new songs

v  Ward choir at least for Easter and Christmas

Kids Activities:

*Preschool for Eli (already in progress)

Swim lessons for both kids this summer

Something extra for kayden

Help Kayden (and Eli but he already knows) Learn his

Shapes

Colors

Sizes (big vs little)

Help both kids learn ABC’s

Do activity or craft with kids 3-4 times a week