Well, that’s a wrap on 2016, folks! As always, it flew by in a flash. This year has been amazing for us and I’m overwhelmed by God’s goodness once again.
In December the overall goal was to slow down and simply enjoy the season. It felt amazing to take a step back from a lot of things, including posting so frequently, and really be present with the family. I need to remember that more often! But I had some other goals as well so let’s take a look at how I did with those.
1. Bake cookies with the kids
We made SOOOO many cookies! I didn’t think we did but now that Micah isn’t at work they are piled up everywhere. He will definitely be taking some to work ASAP so they aren’t all hanging out here needing to be eaten. I’ll also throw some in the freezer for future consumption 😉 But we had a blast decorating and making the house smell delicious.
2. Countdown to Christmas
Out of the 24 days of activities I think we only missed two because there were so many other things happening. All the other activities worked well with other plans for the day and the kids really enjoyed everything. The biggest hits were building their own nativity scene and making reindeer chow. I plan on updating the printable for next year with more ideas so it offers better options for everyone.
3. Plan Goals for 2017
Ready for my big goal for 2017? Whoooo baby! I’m going to write a book! Well, it’s already being written little by little but I’m so excited to make this long time dream come true! It will be a devotional with a bit of a twist. My goal is to have it done by the end of 2017 so I’m breaking the process down into manageable chunks. I’ll be sure to keep all of you up to date on the progress so you can snag a copy when I’m ready to release it. Squeeee! Aaaack! I’m really nervous excited about this… Nervited? Excitous? Something like that 😉
4. Focus on Jesus
I was so glad I made this goal. It shouldn’t need to be a goal but just like lots of things in our lives it’s easy to let it slip by sometimes if we don’t become intentional. How many of us say we want to eat healthier, exercise more, get together with friends, etc., but it doesn’t happen because we don’t plan for it? We found a great devotional that really made us chat at the breakfast table about God and what it means to have Jesus as a part of our lives. Sometimes the discussions even carried on at the dinner table or in the car when one of the kids would ask a question. I love hearing their thoughts about Jesus.
Goals for January
I usually choose one area of life to focus on each month but this month I’m doing it a bit differently. This month has the theme of “refresh and renew” because of the new year. All these goals will help refresh or renew something which is a good thing!
1. Start weekly decluttering projects
I feel like this is on just about everyone’s list this time of year! People get new things for Christmas and they want to purge everything else! I’ve got a list of 52 areas that I want to focus on this year. I’m talking individual drawers, spaces, closets, and surfaces. And not just clutter but basic purging of random stuff that piles up! I’m going to post the list next week and I want to invite you all to join me each week! I’ll actually post a picture of the pile of junk I find each week to toss so you can see how much we needed this. I’m looking forward to finding the top of my dresser again!
2. Drink my water
I really fell off the water bandwagon in December. I love reaching for coffee because it’s warm when everything around me is cold but I can feel the difference not drinking a good amount of water each day is doing. No more! I’m back to drinking a gallon a day because I know I can do it.
3. Water before Coffee
This goes with goal number two but it needs to be separated out so I make sure to get it done. I want to drink one full jug of water (1000ml/33oz) before reaching for my coffee in the morning. Not only will this help me get my water in for the day but it may help me cut down on my coffee intake. I was nearly up to a full pot a day in December and I know that’s WAY more than what I need.
4. Exercise as a family
Micah and I try to exercise regularly (although I took all of December off) so our kids see us modeling some healthy habits but I want to start building it into all of our lives. My plan right now is to make it part of the bedtime routine. After dinner we will do our quick clean up and then we can play a game of Simon Says with jumping, high knees, and other simple movements for the kids to follow. Then we can keep going with our normal bedtime plan. This will help keep the tv off after dinner as well! With the cold weather keeping us all cooped up I think this will help all that pent up energy the kids have, too!
I’m so ready for these great changes to become normal parts of our lives!
What are your goals for January? Do you make New Year Resolutions? How do you make sure you accomplish the goals you set?
