New Year's Goals....

Better late than never, I suppose. I've had several New Year's goals floating around in my head ever since I wrote about why I like goals instead of resolutions. If I write them down here, then that's more mental accountability than merely recording them on a scratch piece of paper in the kitchen. I did write up a list of food/kitchen-related ones on full tummies.

I'm going to keep the list fairly short--more chance of me meeting these goals.

• Organize closets enough to get one more shelf's space out of each; things that need to go into closets that are now "hanging out" in my house: sewing machine, partially finished end table of my grandfather's, extra toys, miscellaneous kitchen clutter, books, etc. My goal is to rework the closets enough to get some of these items into closet space instead of taking of valuable counter or desk realestate.
  
• Read Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship.
• Pray every day for 15 minutes.
• Work through question 20 in Children's Catechism with my daughter (we've just hit #11).
• Plant all my seeds (there are a LOT, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.) Keep a record of garden adventures (i.e. what works, what doesn't, how much produced, etc.).
• E-cards for birthdays (missed most of January, here, but can start now!).
• Digital photo book of 2008 by end of March; digital photo book for each kid's birthday; digital photo book of 2009 by Christmas.
• No new craft projects! 
• Finish existing craft projects by end of 2009 (daughter's quilt, husband's t-shirt quilt, miscellaneous pot holders, window treatments for bedroom and kitchen, etc.).
• Give back, give away, store all baby gear/clothes.
• Attack clutter: keep kitchen counters cleared off, desk cleared off, dining room table cleared off (if just those things stay caught up, we'll be in good shape!).
• File papers/deal with mail weekly. Daily, really, but every week will be a clean slate at the very least.
• Play outside with my kids 4 days a week (every day would be pointless in the rain we've had...).
• Lose 8 pounds.
• Throw/give away clothes that are too big once I lose aforementioned 8 pounds. At end of each season, if I didn't wear it that season, it also gets tossed.
• Date night with hubby every other week (we have a date swap with our neighbors).
• Kid-free trip with hubby sometime this year.

I decided this past fall that I wanted to "update" my look and try to look more like a wife than a worn out, unkempt mom. So, I got trendy new glasses. I just cut my hair (and it's very cute). Now, when I lose those last few pounds, I'll be able to wear some of the styles I prefer to wear! So, that's a work-in-progress goal, I suppose--like getting regular hair cuts and such.

Feel free to leave any of your own New Year's Goals in the comments section!