Looking Ahead in 2013

I have never been a big resolution person.

Especially not on January 1.

At the same time, I think goals are important in life.

It was about this time last year that I decided I was going to commit to counting calories and exercising more.

And I did.

So as I head into 2013, I am setting a goal for the year.

And it all can be summed up with one sentence (thanks to my friend Jaime for posting this on FB...she said it perfectly!)...

My goal?

Be more dedicated, as a Christian, a mother, a wife, a teacher, and even to myself treasuring every moment.

I mean, doesn't that say it all?

So what steps will I make to do that?

• Read my Bible more.  I don't want to set myself up to fail (which usually results in me giving up altogether) by setting some ridiculous or unattainable goal.  I love the idea of reading the Bible in a year but if I miss a night or two, then I am already behind. Before long, I feel like there is no way I am going to make it all up.  So my goal will just be to read more.  To truly read.  To ponder those words.
• Be a more faithful prayer warrior.  I do pray for others, usually on the spot because I might forget otherwise. But I want to do better about praying faithfully for those in need, those hurting, those with struggles.
• Be still. I need to listen to God more than I do.  I need to take time to be still and know He is God.
• Be more purposeful as a servant of God.  I do acts of service but I know I miss many opportunities by simply not noticing, not thinking, not realizing needs.  Of course, by hopefully being still and listening to God, I will be much more aware, much more purposeful in serving God by serving others.
• Be more purposeful in my time with my kids. I cannot, simply cannot, play every single game they want to play. I have one child who would love for me to play games ALL day long.  But I need to say "yes" more.  I also need to save my computer time for when the kids are in bed.  And that means putting my phone up too...
• Be more encouraging, more positive as a mom. I don't want to be the nagging mom.  I don't want to grumble and complain. And trust me, I have reasons to nag, to grumble, to complain.  I do know that part of my job is to address those bad habits, the negative attitudes. But I want to spend more time being positive, less time being negative.  
• Teach my children.  Teach through words but also through actions.  One way we are hoping to teach is through a true allowance.  We have tried this a few times but we have had difficulty being consistent with it. We are hoping to teach some true financial skills through it (including requiring certain things to be paid with the allowance).  We have so many things to teach our kids.  I want to make sure I am the one teaching it, that I am not leaving everything to the church or the school.
• Continue to work on cooking and eating "cleaner" as a family (eliminating artificials, preservatives, etc) which means cooking more from scratch. I am also slowing building up my kitchen with tools I need to do just that.  
• Try one new recipe a week.
• Update the pictures in our house (and include more of the younger two...that has not been on purpose. I just stopped having time after having four :)
• Pray with my husband more.  I am not going to say every day but I do hope we will truly spend more time praying together for our kids, our country, our jobs, our marriage, our finances.
• Find more time with my husband, whether it is a quick sushi date or even just curling up to watch a little TV together.  That means I will have to put aside the computer from time to time. :)
• Pray for my students and my role as a teacher.
• Seek new ways to be a better teacher.
• Attempt to do at least one organizing and/or cleaning task for our house each day, whether it is cleaning out the "junk drawer" or wiping out the fridge.  I will never get the house where I want it to be.  But I can do my best, a little at a time, to get it closer to where I want it to be. :)
• Continue to count calories, exercise, and take care of my body.
• Get more sleep.  Oops, I may need to start that tomorrow. :)
• Blog more.  I know that blogs are not the "in" thing anymore. And few people actually read this.  But my blog is my family's history as well as an outlet for me.  For that reason alone, I need to spend more time on posting.  It won't be daily but hopefully 3-4 times a week, depending on what is going on with our school/kid activity schedule.
• Treasure each moment.  Each sunset.  Each laugh of my children.  Each day with our dog.  Each kiss from my husband.  Just treasure them.  Be in the moment (which is REALLY hard for women since we multi-task at all times...).

That about covers it. :)

So, what are your goals for the new year?

 Reba