The Abundant Wife

So how did your  goal-setting going for 2012?  December was an overwhelming month for me as I took on way more than I could handle, and ended up burnt out and exhausted.  I could not wait for the holidays to be over and things to return to normal.  I did accomplish almost everything on my “To Do” list, but not without a lot of unnecessary stress.  I hope your holidays were better than mine, and that you were able to enjoy them stress-free!

January

All-Staff Conference, Meet My Sister’s New Baby, Substitute-Teach in Maryland, Find New Doctors/Dentists

February

Substitute-Teach in Maryland, New Driver’s Licenses, New Registration, New Auto Insurance, New Keys, Have Truck Weighed/Smog-Checked

March

Study for and Pass the CBEST, TB Test, Fingerprinting, Order and Install Blinds, Letter to Naomi, Letter to Oliver, Invite Someone Over, Visit Factory

April

Attend BSF Bible Study every Week (Complete All Homework), Visit Community Museum, Invite Someone Over

May

Attend BSF Bible Study every Week (Complete All Homework), Attend Sacred Marriage Couples Bible Study every Sunday (Prepare a Dish), Visit Fort Bragg with friends, Invite Team Over, Pay Off Citimortgage (2nd Mortgage), Apply for Refinance (1st Mortgage), Try Using Cash for Groceries and Gas, Weed Flower Beds, Transplant Bulbs, Make Mother’s Day Gifts

June

Attend Sacred Marriage Couples Bible Study every Sunday (Prepare a Dish), Attend My Sister’s Wedding in Maryland, Orioles Game, Take Kids Swimming Every Friday, Invite Leaders Over

July

Purchase Black-Out Curtains for Kids’ Room, Birthday Letter to Naomi, E-mail Landlord Photos of House, Renew Lease on our Rental Property, Apply to Substitute-Teach, Take Kids Swimming Every Friday, Invite Leaders Over

August

Sell Washing Machine/Grill/Books On-Line, Visit Lake/Park/California State Railroad Museum, Clean Out Garage, Install Kitchen Cabinet Handles, Repair Diaper Hamper, Make Toilet-Paper Holder, Clean Truck Interior, Mount Carbon Monoxide Detector, Mount Curtain Rods and Curtains in Kids’ Room, Hang Naomi’s Stars and Brad’s Schedule, Frame 8×10 Photo, Clean Fridge Interior, Take Kids Swimming Every Friday, Get Texting for Brad, Substitute-Teacher Orientation, Apply New Blog Theme, Link Blog to Facebook, Link Blog’s Facebook to Pinterest, Invite Leaders Over

September

Visit River/Old Sacramento Gold Rush Days, Create Blogging Masterminds Facebook Group, Re-Write English Curriculum, Invite Team Over, Swap Regular/Maternity Clothes in my Dresser, Purchase Tickets for Flight to Maryland in November, Renew Substitute-Teaching License in Maryland, Create Painting for Church, Decipher Substitute-Teaching Documents, Close on Refinance (1st Mortgage), Hang White Board

October

Decorate for Fall, Attend Church Membership Classes, Attend Women’s Retreat, Find Halloween Costumes, Visit Pumpkin Farm, Prepare for my Family visiting, Visit Fort Bragg, Visit Chandelier Drive-Thru Redwood Tree, Visit Pumpkin Farm, Visit Lake Tahoe, Attempt to fix Oliver’s Dresser Drawer (I finally threw it away), Install Door-Stoppers, Sell Books On-Line, Brown Spot-Painting on Woodwork Around House, Re-Paint Hallway, Paint Birch Tree Murals in Kids’ Room, Hang Clock/Batteries, Take Truck to Mechanic for “Check Engine” Light, Repair Lamp with JBWeld, Hot Glue Broken Butterfly, Wood Glue Broken Bulletin Board, Apply Felt Pads to Bottoms of Chairs, Vacuum Furnace, Start Purchasing Christmas Gifts

November

Find/Deliver Christmas Gifts, Visit Family in Maryland for Thanksgiving for 2 weeks, Substitute-Teach for 5 days in Maryland, Take Extra Art Supplies to High School Art Teacher, Donate Items, Sell Books on Amazon, Transition Oliver’s Clothes to “New” Dresser, Call/Visit with Maryland friends, Have Mom Cut My Hair, Change Bank Accounts in Maryland, Figure out why my computer hasn’t turned on since Oct. 25, Clean Out Freezer, Sikh Parade, JFK 50, Handel’s Messiah, Chili Cook-Off…

December

Make Anniversary Plans (Find Babysitter), Brad’s Father Visiting for 3 weeks, Prepare for Annual Christmas Parties (Host or Find Babysitter), Find 4 more Christmas Gifts, Put Away Fall Decorations, Decorate for Christmas, Get a Christmas Tree, Find a new OB/GYN, Schedule Hospital/Birth-Center Tour, Substitute-Teach, Try Budgeting with Crown Mvelopes

*These items kept getting bumped from month to month during 2012: Find New Home-Owner’s Insurance, Investigate Long-Term Plans, Drill Holes for 4 Handles in Bathroom, Spackle/Sand Bathroom, Cover Back of Medicine Cabinet, Paint Inside Bathroom Cabinets/Drawers, Paint Kitchen Cabinets, Install Child Locks, Learn to Use Sewing Machine, Attach Kids’ Dressers to Walls, Babysit/House-sit/Pet-sit, Find Cheaper Auto Insurance, Apricot Preserves, Visit Historical Society/Community Museum/Sacramento Zoo, Choose a name for the New Baby, Process Pumpkins, Writing Monthly Letters to Naomi & Oliver…

What goals were you able to accomplish in 2012?

This may be the first time I have ever written down a list of New Year’s Resolutions or Goals.  For me, it always made more sense to do this sort of thing at the beginning of the school year (September 1) rather than the beginning of the calendar year (January 1).  However, since I started keeping track of my monthly goals last June, I now need new goals for a new year.

I was reading an old post by Crystal Paine recently, in which she recommended setting goals based on your priorities, and then choosing focus areas in those priorities.  So my goals list will look a little different in 2013!  I hope doing my goals this way will give more structure to my goal-setting.  So, without further ado…

Spiritual:

• Daily “quiet time” — Read my Bible and write in my journal 6 days a week.
• Finish reading my Bible beginning to end for the 4th time.  (I’ve read Matthew-1 Thessalonians since June.)
• Finish the last 2 membership classes (of 6) required to join our church.
• Join a Bible study.

Marriage:

• Weekly “date night.”
• Weekly scheduling/planning time.
• Other.  (You don’t get to know everything!)

Parenting:

• Decide on a name and give birth to the new baby (sometime in late January or early February).
• Research pre-school homeschooling for Naomi (who will be 4 years old this summer).
• Visit the Sacramento Zoo.
• Consistent bedtime routine from 7-8pm: bath, brush teeth, read books 15 minutes each night.

Health (Body/Mind):

• Walk each day.  Floss daily.  Drink lots of water.
• Read a book each day (even if it’s just a little bit).

Home:

• Purge and organize to make room for the new baby.
• Home improvements.
• Freezer cooking (for the new baby’s arrival, and other times).
• Clean once weekly.

Blog:

• Write 2-3 posts weekly.

Finances:

• Choose new insurances (auto, home, life) and write a will.
• Make money by selling items on eBay, Amazon, and Craigslist.
• Make money substitute-teaching.  (I substitute-taught twice in December, and 4 times in November).
• Use Mvelopes to budget for purchases. (I began on December 30).

Ministry:

• Assist Brad with administrative tasks of youth ministry.  (I began on November 29).
• Look for opportunities to be generous.
• Look for opportunities to build real-life friendships.

I know 25 goals looks ambitious for a girl due to have her 3rd child in less than 2 weeks!  For that reason, I have intentionally tried not to add many new things aside from those that I hope will make my life simpler or easier in some way.  Many of my goals overlap in purpose and achievement.  I also know that I will put all goals on the back-burner for the first 8 weeks (or as many more are necessary) after our new baby arrives so that we can focus on rest and recovery.

So, how about you?  What goals do you hope to accomplish in 2013?

So how is your  goal-setting going for 2012?  I’ve learned that one of the best ways to achieve my goals is to begin by writing them down!  At the beginning of the year I typed up a list of goals, and pinned it to the bulletin board over my desk.  Each month I cross off my goals as I achieve them.  Many goals have gotten bumped to the next month (some more than once!) but I keep on plugging away at them in hopes that I will reach them before the end of the year.

I didn’t get a lot of new things done in November as much as I continued on projects already begun.  I continued selling items on Amazon, donated lots of things to various people and organizations, and threw out a lot of garbage.  I continued shifting and organizing “new” furniture as Brad continued to transition his office from its other location to our home.  We attended some fun community events here in California.  We spent half the month in Maryland where we substitute-taught for five days, and spent a lot of time catching up with friends and family.  We also spent a lot of time this month trying to figure out what was wrong with my computer, which died on October 25.  Despite the many transitions, we found much to be thankful for this month!

January

All-Staff Conference, Meet My Sister’s New Baby, Substitute-Teach in Maryland, Find New Doctors/Dentists

February

Substitute-Teach in Maryland, New Driver’s Licenses, New Registration, New Auto Insurance, New Keys, Have Truck Weighed/Smog-Checked

March

Study for and Pass the CBEST, TB Test, Fingerprinting, Order and Install Blinds, Letter to Naomi, Letter to Oliver, Invite Someone Over, Visit Factory

April

Attend BSF Bible Study every Week (Complete All Homework), Visit Community Museum, Invite Someone Over

May

Attend BSF Bible Study every Week (Complete All Homework), Attend Sacred Marriage Couples Bible Study every Sunday (Prepare a Dish), Visit Fort Bragg with friends, Invite Team Over, Pay Off Citimortgage (2nd Mortgage), Apply for Refinance (1st Mortgage), Try Using Cash for Groceries and Gas, Weed Flower Beds, Transplant Bulbs, Make Mother’s Day Gifts

June

Attend Sacred Marriage Couples Bible Study every Sunday (Prepare a Dish), Attend My Sister’s Wedding in Maryland, Orioles Game, Take Kids Swimming Every Friday, Invite Leaders Over

July

Purchase Black-Out Curtains for Kids’ Room, Birthday Letter to Naomi, E-mail Landlord Photos of House, Renew Lease on our Rental Property, Apply to Substitute-Teach, Take Kids Swimming Every Friday, Invite Leaders Over

August

Sell Washing Machine/Grill/Books On-Line, Visit Lake/Park/California State Railroad Museum, Clean Out Garage, Install Kitchen Cabinet Handles, Repair Diaper Hamper, Make Toilet-Paper Holder, Clean Truck Interior, Mount Carbon Monoxide Detector, Mount Curtain Rods and Curtains in Kids’ Room, Hang Naomi’s Stars and Brad’s Schedule, Frame 8×10 Photo, Clean Fridge Interior, Take Kids Swimming Every Friday, Get Texting for Brad, Substitute-Teacher Orientation, Apply New Blog Theme, Link Blog to Facebook, Link Blog’s Facebook to Pinterest, Invite Leaders Over

September

Visit River/Old Sacramento Gold Rush Days, Create Blogging Masterminds Facebook Group, Re-Write English Curriculum, Invite Team Over, Swap Regular/Maternity Clothes in my Dresser, Purchase Tickets for Flight to Maryland in November, Renew Substitute-Teaching License in Maryland, Create Painting for Church, Decipher Substitute-Teaching Documents, Close on Refinance (1st Mortgage), Hang White Board

October

Decorate for Fall, Attend Church Membership Classes, Attend Women’s Retreat, Find Halloween Costumes, Visit Pumpkin Farm, Prepare for my Family visiting, Visit Fort Bragg, Visit Chandelier Drive-Thru Redwood Tree, Visit Pumpkin Farm, Visit Lake Tahoe, Attempt to fix Oliver’s Dresser Drawer (I finally threw it away), Install Door-Stoppers, Sell Books On-Line, Brown Spot-Painting on Woodwork Around House, Re-Paint Hallway, Paint Birch Tree Murals in Kids’ Room, Hang Clock/Batteries, Take Truck to Mechanic for “Check Engine” Light, Repair Lamp with JBWeld, Hot Glue Broken Butterfly, Wood Glue Broken Bulletin Board, Apply Felt Pads to Bottoms of Chairs, Vacuum Furnace, Start Purchasing Christmas Gifts

November

Find/Deliver Christmas Gifts, Visit Family in Maryland for Thanksgiving for 2 weeks, Substitute-Teach for 5 days in Maryland, Take Extra Art Supplies to High School Art Teacher, Donate Items, Sell Books on Amazon, Transition Oliver’s Clothes to “New” Dresser, Call/Visit with Maryland friends, Have Mom Cut My Hair, Change Bank Accounts in Maryland, Figure out why my computer hasn’t turned on since Oct. 25, Clean Out Freezer, Sikh Parade, JFK 50, Handel’s Messiah, Chili Cook-Off…

December

Make Anniversary Plans, Brad’s Father Visiting, Prepare for Annual Christmas Parties (Host or Find Babysitter), Letter to Naomi/Oliver, Find 4 more Christmas Gifts, Find 4 Birthday Gifts, Put Away Fall Decorations, Decorate for Christmas, Get a Christmas Tree, Find a new OB/GYN, Schedule Hospital/Birth-Center Tour, Donate Extra Art Teaching Materials, Substitute-Teach, Create More Detailed Budget, Try Crown Mvelopes

*These items seem to keep getting bumped from month to month: Find New Home-Owner’s Insurance, Investigate Long-Term Plans, Drill Holes for 4 Handles in Bathroom, Spackle/Sand Bathroom, Cover Back of Medicine Cabinet, Paint Inside Bathroom Cabinets/Drawers, Paint Kitchen Cabinets, Install Child Locks, Learn to Use Sewing Machine, Attach Kids’ Dressers to Walls, Babysit/House-sit/Pet-sit, Find Cheaper Auto Insurance, Apricot Preserves, Visit Historical Society/Community Museum/Sacramento Zoo…

Have you created a list of goals for 2012?  I’d love to read an update on your progress in the comments below!