2013 Goals: The Reckoning

2013 was a good year for me, for the most part.  Lots of drama and tears, but also a lot of accomplishment and progress.  Here's how I did keeping up with those pesky New Year's resolutions:

Spiritual

• Pray with a dual purpose every day--recognize and thank God for specific blessings, and recognize and ask for specific types of help.
• Using my current needs as a guide, plan on studying the scriptures topically.  I will study what I want to study, write about it or blog about it and change topics when I feel like I'm ready for a change.

Well, I could have been better with this.  But I've at least worked into daily scripture reading and prayer.  And I feel a difference in my life when I do at least that minimum.  I will probably just keep these goals and roll them over for next year.

Physical

• Track my food using My Fitness Pal.  
• Exercise 5 times a week, rather than the 4 I've been averaging.  I do an interval or HIIT-type workout, but as the weather gets nicer, I'll start getting outside and walking/running.

Check!  I have been developing some good health habits this year--I now exercise 5-6 times a week (strength train 3 times a week, and do cardio the other days).  I tracked my food for a while, but realized that the way to change my body and feel healthier is to be willing to be a little more realistic about how I need to eat in order to get the results I want--and there's more to it than tracking calories.  I've worked on things that I can do wherever I am--like portion control (just eating until I'm satisfied rather than overly-full) and prioritizing healthy foods and limiting less healthy foods.  For example, I only eat 2 or so servings of refined grains or sugary treats a week now--sugar and delicious bread are things I have a tendency to overeat, so it is better for me to have a game plan for those foods rather than just letting my taste buds rule.   Strangely, I find that this restriction actually enhances my pleasure in those foods when I do eat them, which makes my life feel more joyful.  Deprivation = joy?  Who knew?  Bottom line (no pun intended--harharhar), I've lost another 10 pounds this year through the combination of more exercise and better food choices.

Intellectual

• Research some possible career paths that I might be interested in.  Find out what I would need to do to get from where I am now to there.
• Reach out to my contacts in the academic world and see about the possibility of teaching a Sociology class locally or online in the meantime.
• Research for a possible book or blog idea based on research-based best marriage and family practices.

Check.  In the short term, I am going to apply to teach online classes at BYUI and BYUH.  I'm also looking into applying to an MFT program in the next 5 years.

Social

• Invite friends and their families, if applicable, over for dinner twice a month.
• Invite friends out with us on date night a couple times a month.  We love to talk to each other, but it's fun to include others in our plans, as well.

Mostly check.  I don't know if we met our averages, but we've definitely branched out more with others socially.   It's been good to get to know others and have some good connections where we live.

Familial
I have some roll-over goals from last year.

• Brainstorm with my husband about what each child most needs from us.  Set goals for how we can meet those needs.
• Be more consistent with the kids and their chores--make sure there are consistently implemented rewards as well as consequences.  We have a good system in place, but it requires every day, consistent follow-through (mostly by me, since Aaron doesn't get home until 6:30 or 7 most nights).  There's the rub :).  I just need to quit making excuses and do it.  

Check-ish.  So, I kind of wonder if this is a goal that'll ever be done.  We did brainstorm and have some areas of focus for each kid.  I feel like they are making progress in areas they need to develop, and we are trying to help.  Ah, parenthood.  Working on it.

With chores, we dropped our system of the kids earning money for their chores.  They can earn money through doing extra jobs, but they just need to do their normal chores because they are part of our family and need to contribute.  We had a fair number of kids who just thought, "Eh, I guess I don't need the money--so I don't want to do my chores."  We want our kids to grow up to be responsible without always wondering what's in it for them with everything--and we need kids to help us take care of household chores.  So this is working better.  

Organizational/Decorational (yep, I know--not a word)

• Drastically reduce the amount of stuff in the garage, and organize what's left over.  It is so easy to just dump stuff and run, and there is a decent amount of stuff out there that either needs to find a new home in someone else's home, be thrown away or be put away inside the house.
• Help organize and decorate the rest of the kids' rooms, starting with Sophie and Lucy's.

Check!  Or at least, a partial check.  There was a mythical time in mid-summer when our garage was looking fantastic.  Now, not so much.  I think it is a seasonal problem--when it's cold and unpleasant out there, it's not that motivating to keep it organized.  

As for the kids' rooms, I have some finishing touches, but they are looking great!  We painted in there this year and did a bunch of decluttering.  They look and function much better.