The Abundant Wife

Recently my fellow blogger Katherine gave an update on her goals for 2013.  I thought it was time I revisit my goals for the year too.  Some are coming along quite well, and some are coming along so poorly that it’s embarrassing.  Ah, such is life.  If you see me succeeding in any one area, you can bet I’m probably failing in another.  I try not to be too hard on myself (which can be difficult for me), and celebrate what achievements I’ve made.

25 Goals for 2013

Spiritual:

• Daily “quiet time” — Read my Bible and write in my journal 6 days a week.  (I’m doing well on this goal, and even finished my latest journal in just 9 months!)
• Finish reading my Bible beginning to end for the 4th time.  (I’m doing well here too.  I’ve read from Matthew to Revelation, and Genesis to 2 Samuel in just over a year.)
• Finish the last 2 membership classes required to join our church. (We finished!)
• Join a Bible study.  (We started attending our Small Group again.)

Marriage:

• Weekly “date night.”  (Fail.  We did find a local church that provides free childcare once a month so parents can get a night out.  They will resume again in the Fall.)
• Weekly scheduling/planning time.  (Fail.  Although I think we are getting better at coordinating our calendars.)
• Other.  (Fail.)

Parenting:

• Decide on a name and give birth to the new baby.  (Yes!)
• Research pre-school homeschooling for Naomi.  (Yes!  Still in progress.)
• Visit the Sacramento Zoo.  (Fail.  We did go to San Francisco though!)
• Consistent bedtime routine from 7-8pm: bath, brush teeth, read books 15 minutes each night.  (Fail.)

Health (Body/Mind):

• Walk each day.  (Fail.)
• Read a book each day.  (I’m doing well on this goal and have already read about 21 books this year!)

Home:

• Purge and organize to make room for the new baby.  (Yes!)
• Home improvements.  (I should have specified which ones…because I’ve made some but still have others to do.)
• Freezer cooking.  (I did this before Evelyn was born and even had enough for my Mom when she stayed with us for two weeks after Evelyn’s birth!)
• Clean once weekly.  (In March I did a Cleaning Challenge, but before and after March I haven’t been very consistent.)

Blog:

• Write 2-3 posts weekly.  (Well, I took months off from blogging, almost quit altogether, then started writing more often than ever.  Have I mentioned that I’m indecisive?)

Finances:

• Choose new insurances (auto, home, life) and write a will.  (I chose new auto insurance, but I need to work on the other three things.)
• Make money by selling items on eBay, Amazon, and Craigslist. (Amazon, yes!  Others, no.)
• Make money substitute-teaching (Fail.)
• Use Mvelopes to budget for purchases. (Yes!)

Ministry:

• Assist Brad with administrative tasks of youth ministry.  (I’ve been helping label invitations to our banquet recently.  I’ve also attended our Girls’ Bible study, and continue to host meetings in our home 2-3 nights a week.)
• Look for opportunities to be generous.  (Yes!)
• Look for opportunities to build real-life friendships.  (Yes!)

After looking over my (overly-ambitious) goals, I think I’m doing well for a year that included the (expected) birth of my third child, and (unexpected) two surgeries.  It looks like the areas where I could use the most improvement are my marriage goals, getting the kids in bed on time, walking, cleaning, making money, and long-term financial planning.  However, I have made great strides in having regular quiet times, adjusting to a new baby, reading, researching home-schooling, improving my blog, learning to budget, and building real-life friendships.

Did you write down your goals for 2013?  In what areas have you succeeded?  In what areas do you still need to improve?