2012 Goals Final Update

I'm going to go ahead and review my 2012 goals list. Some of my goals that I set for this school year did not end up being ones that I wanted to stick to for the whole year. I'm starting with a new set of goals for the calendar year 2013.

Looks like I was way too ambitious in my personal goals (surprise, surprise, she says sarcastically) and got about half of my marriage and children/homeschooling goals done.

So, my progress:

GOALS FOR 2012:

Personal:
Scripture study every morning. {Have done this most mornings, but have found that simpler is better for me.}
Go to church and Sunday School every Sunday that we're home that is feasible. Otherwise, the Daily Office from The Mission of St. Clare. {Doing pretty well on this.}
Follow my personalized Rule of Life plan. {I'm not focusing on this anymore. I may come back to it.}
Run in at least three 5K races. {I've run one so far! I was counting next spring when I made this goal, so I'm on track.}
Complete Hal Higdon's Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced 5K training programs (8 weeks apiece). {I am on the first week of the Intermediate program now. I may just finish the Advanced program by then end of the school year, but I'm not sure.}
Clean daily along the lines of my online friend Valerie's methods and plans. {Switching back to more of a FlyLady regimen - and I've switched between the two before - because it seems to fit well with homeschooling and our current situation. Still using some of Valerie's tips.}
Get dressed and ready every day (with a semblance of style) using The Perpetual Student's Wife as a model. Outfit, make-up, hair in 15 minutes. Shower at night. Only with extra time can I do jewelry, nails, etc. {Doing this, but I'm going to save The Perpetual Student's Wife for rare days when I want to study style a bit. Otherwise, it takes up too much time on a daily basis. Going with about seven simple outfits for now.}

Commit to keeping a journal (daily). {I'm considering just doing a gratitude journal once a week, because I've read that research shows gratitude journals are more efficacious when they are done weekly rather than daily.}

Meal plan and cook every day using categories of food for each day and some freezer cooking. {Very pleased with the amount that I cook and I think my cooking skill has improved. I'm not necessarily sticking rigidly with a category of food for each day (as in Crock Pot, Italian, breakfast-for-dinner, etc.)}
Finish current knitting projects (mustang, baby hat and booties, charity bear, napkin rings, socks, Nana's Bath Mat). {I've either given up on these projects or made good progress. Almost finished the mustang, finished the baby hat and sent it, finished Nana's Bath Mat. I also finished a quick knitted Christmas gift.}

Do ongoing service with Xander and/or whole family. {Did a tree planting with an environmental youth group that went well and now we are on their mailing list for future projects.}

Begin studying piano on a regular basis using the Alfred books I have. {Not yet. This feels like something I will have to begin another year.}

Put together a photo album for the year using Shutterfly or something similar and order it. {Not focusing on this until January or later.}
Put together a scrapbook/portfolio at the end of the school year showing some of Xander's work. {Taken care of with Lindafay's good organization tips for homeschool.}
Learn to use the Singer sewing machine from Grandma (study manual). {Working on this; think I've had a breakthrough.}
Finish envelope back cushion covers for living room. {We shall see.}
Get Locks of Love hair cut.
Go running every other evening or more. {Doing this, with some challenging weeks when I don't run much.}
Do strength training (Jillian Michaels's No More Trouble Zones) twice a week. {Started this.}
Slim down in a healthy way using my adapted plan from Ask Lauren Fleshman. {Doing this or something like it.}

Marriage:
Try my best to have a focused conversation with Erik every day when he gets home from work without kid interruptions ("couch time"). {We always do a semblance of this.}
Have monthly date nights with babysitting by YMCA or family/friends. {We canceled our YMCA membership to save money, but we have traded off babysitting recently and will again this month.}
Spend most evenings with Erik after my run. Include playing board games, watching "our shows," and movies. {Doing this.}
Other goals I'd rather not publish.
Re-read The 5 Love Languages. {Have not done this.}
Try to eradicate complaining from my life. {I feel like I'm improving on this.}
Start to use Cozi as our family calendar and list-keeper so Erik and I can both view and edit. 

Children/Homeschooling:
Finish 1st grade material with Xander (can extend through summer months if I want). {On track!}
Incorporate work travel with Erik into school through journaling and travel scrapbooking. Get Xander a digital camera.
Go through What Your Preschooler Needs to Know and the Activity Book 1 with Nick (can extend through next year if I want). {Slowly doing this.}
Attend free preschool with Nick (can extend through next year). {Doing this.}
Sign them both up for a sports team this year. {Will sign them up for soccer in the spring.}
Continue to teach both some swimming skills in a non-threatening environment. {Got somewhere at the end of summer.}
Go on at least one field trip per week (can be nature hike, museum, special park, class, farm, factory, etc.). {We do this very well.}
Follow our adapted Plan from The Parenting Breakthrough with each boy. {This is happening at a slow but good pace.}
Look more into Lone Scouting.
Teach Xander/have him practice riding his bike, with and without training wheels. {He's practiced a lot more with Erik and now we can raise up the training wheels in preparation for taking them off.}
Teach Xander to tie his shoes. 
Finish The Hobbit and then watch the movie. {Only three or four chapters left; Erik and I watched the movie. Xander didn't want to watch a move in the theater.}
See if I can have Xander send monthly letters (with photos or drawings of where we've been) to Bailey and JT.  {Not doing this yet. He did send a couple of drawings to a classmate/friend from last year.}
Get Xander's tonsils out in November. 
Maintain this blog for anecdotes about the boys, homeschooling logs, and personal goal setting. {Yup.}

Service/Family/Friendships:
Spend some time on the Chronicles of a Babywise Mom Google group on Sundays. {Really wanting to get to this.}

Possibly spend some time on the Fascinating Womanhood ~ Alaska Alumni Yahoo group on Sundays. {Not doing this lately.}

Possibly do an occasional blog post on my Fascinating Ways blog. {Same as above.}

When we are home, invite a family over for dinner every week or two. {Did this twice. Will probably host a tiny party or two in the next few months. I'm not necessarily focusing on this right now.}
Do the same for playdates for Xander. {Need to line up a couple more playdates soon.}
Keep knitting for the Mother Bear Project. {Not doing this right now.}

Write at least two notes, cards, or letters per week. {I've been calling and emailing some people on a regular basis, and I'm sending out Christmas cards this week.}

Call immediate family members once every week or two. {Doing this.}
Spend Sundays on rest, church, service, family, and nature activities. {Doing this.}

Writing/Business:
Learn to knit [this pattern] which can be sold with her permission. [can't find it again; never mind]
Write for a half hour on Homemaking Cottage articles every other day. When articles for the month are done, work on improvement of expository writing, photography, and vlogs. {Spending an adequate amount of time on this for now.}

Do National Novel Writing Month again if Xander wants to do the Youth version (can incorporate into school time, thus freeing some of my time as well). {Putting this off until next year when the timing will be better for Xander.}

Keep learning. Any of my learning could come in handy in the future if I progress baby step by baby step. {Always doing this, I hope.}

Financial:
Follow new budget plan for saving/paying off car. {Have new budget and new financial plan; sent a large extra payment in November.}
Tithe 10% or more of my own income. Give to local food pantries, etc., with extra money. {Doing this.}
Check for surplus over $3K or $4K on the 10th of each month to put toward paying off the car/savings. {Doing this.}
Get haircuts with coupons - one person per month - and do manicure/pedicures at home (as always).{Doing this, plus now we have a pretty nice set of clippers with which to do all the males' hair cuts.}