New Years Resolutions . . .

I've resolved this year not to make New Years Resolutions. Rather, I've resolved to making New Years Goals and Plans for the year! I've organized them based on categories that I want to focus on in my life, both personally and for my family as their wife and mother. Some are much more important than others, some I'm well on my way on already (it is just a renewal of energy for what we're doing), some are challenging and others are just fun whims and crafts! It is my hope that by writing them down and posting them, I review and remember them often!

I've also been reviewing and updating my 101 Things to do in 1001 Days that I wrote early last year recently and found that I was well on my way or had completed quite a few of them! I'll also be adding a few new items to that list in the next few weeks. . . I've never quite made it to 101 Things (and still haven't)!

Health Goals

• Continue to change our diet to a more nourishing diet. This year I'd like to incorporate more grass-fed and pasture-fed beef and poultry into our diets (and budget) and continue to learn and grow in my use of sourdough and whole grain baking, and specifically adding in soaking phases for my grain and legume preparation. I also plan on trying out some new lacto-fermented recipes, specifically condiments (mayonnaise and ketchup being my priorities, escabeche is another goal/whim, along with batches of salsa, cortido, roasted peppers and pickles, which were big hits around here before) and might finally make some water kefir! Wish me luck!
• This spring I hope to revisit my green thumb and plant some tomatoes and peppers in pots on our back patio, along with an herb garden!
• Breastfeed the new baby and eat a nourishing diet for him.
• Once the baby is born and my milk supply is healthfully set, I'm going to work on losing the baby weight, and more, and get to a healthy weight - primarily with an increase in exercise, a low-er carb diet (i.e. reducing grain consumption, primarily; I do not limit fresh fruits and veggies) a 'la Eat Fat, Lose Fat, and a healthy attitude!

For more Nourishing Resolutions please check out
The Nourishing Gourmet's Nourishing New Year's Resolutions Carnival!
Thank you, Kimi, for hosting!

Faith Goals

• I gave T. the Spiritual Disciplines Devotional for Christmas in the hope that we would both read and benefit from the practices. My goal is to faithfully move forward through this devotional as a couple and grow in our faith.
• I also hope to begin the discipline of praying the Liturgy of the Hours. I've been inspired by Jen's focus on creating "hard stops" throughout her day and would like to purchase this copy of the Liturgy so that I can bring them with me wherever I go. Here's some other great inspiration and I just found this downloadable version of the Liturgy from Universalis for our PC or Mac.
• Continue to follow and celebrate the liturgical calendar in our home.
  

Reading Goals

• Begin (again) and finally finish reading Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI (it is truly a fascinating read, but I just always seem to be reading three books at once and have a crazy schedule whenever I pick it up! I need to focus on reading it and savoring it. By itself.)
  
• Reread The Screwtape Letters and read for the first time The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis
• Read more of the Bible.
• Read some of G.K. Chesterton's works
• Read and study some of the works of the early Church father's
  
• Relax and read something fun and light in the summer. Chick lit anyone?
  

Mothering Goals

• Be consistent with loving discipline
• Be a good example of a Christian and continue to teach him in the faith
  
• Potty Train Lloyd!
• Develop and be consistent with home pre-schooling. Set up a "schedule" (maintaining flexibility, of course, he is only almost two! I'm just trying to make sure to schedule time in MY schedule to focus on Lloyd's learning) for pre-school and develop better habits (my own) for demonstration and patience when introducing new concepts.
• Love, love, love my babies!
  

Craft Goals

Learn to embroider better, and then embroider more

• Embroider a Maria mantle for our Christ candle in our Advent wreath
• Maybe embroider some retro tea towels?

For Little Lloyd

• Sew two more smocks for Lloyd
• Make a Quiet book for his birthday
• Sew some lined/room-darkening curtains for Lloyd's room/nursery

For The New Baby

• Sew a few cute burp cloths out of cloth diapers
  
• Sew a few new blankets for him

Homemaking Goals

It's all about Reducing, De-Cluttering, and Organizing!

I received the book Confessions of an Organized Homemaker from my mom for Christmas, and while I began reading it at her home, got busy going through her cabinets! I've been inspired and am full of ideas! My main goal is to go through our (small) home and really focus on only keeping what we use and need regularly out, and then storing (nearby) the remainder while donating anything that we do not need nor use.

So far I've gone through our primary kitchen drawer of kitchen tools and reduced, de-cluttered and re-organized and I'm already very pleased with the outcome! I've also gone through our bathroom storage and re-organized, but still need to de-clutter a bit.

In the next few weeks I hope to go through our storage space (which is outside of our home and in front of our parking spaces); I know that there are a few boxes I've avoided going through since we've moved that I just need to go through and probably get rid of 75% of it!

We are also hoping to make some changes to Lloyd's room, which will also be the new baby's room. We'll be getting him a twin bed at some point in the next six months and I hope to sew some new curtains for his room as well. We will probably be purchasing the two dressers that go with our new bed in July (and finally having a complete bedroom set! MAYBE before I'm 30! :) and then moving T.'s dresser into their room for Lloyd.

Maybe it is an early nesting phase, but I'm super inspired! Wish me luck!

T. and I are working towards paying off debt so I'm planning on updating and revising our family's budget (which has primarily been his "project" - that Excel-fiend husband of mine) with him and adding a few more detailed categories to further delineate in detail our spending. I, as the wife and mother, will try to keep more up to date on it with him. I also plan on keeping closer track of our spending by saving all of our receipts (which I am very bad at. To me, they're clutter and annoying so I throw them away the minute I have a few stacked up in my purse; instead I plan on storing them in a manila envelope!) and recording them once a month to get a better idea of how and where we actually spend our money, rather than focusing all of our energy on how we plan on spending our money and then wonder where it went.

Finally, I'm continuing to build my homemaking binder. It is currently all on our hard-drive, but I'm working on tweaking my homemaking schedule, and continually saving ideas for celebrating the liturgical year. Hopefully this year I'll actually print these out and start organizing and using them more effectively!

What are some of your New Years Resolutions/Goals/Plans?