New Year's Goals for 2011

Can you believe it's 2011????? Seems like the year 2000 just happened. Crazy.

I prefer to make New Year's goals to New Year's resolutions--more specific and measurable which means more chance of meeting them. Over the years, I've also learned that less is more: the fewer, more important goals you make, the better the chances of reaching them. The list below might look like more rather than less, but this is kind of like a to do list for the whole year; not so much in reality. So, here are a few of my more important goals for 2011:

Me:

• Do Hebrews study with my friend Sarah and keep up with my weekly Thursday Bible study.
• Lose 5 more pounds (and, um, re-lose a couple of the pounds I already lost this fall)
• Get moving/be active at least 2x/week
• Buy some new clothes and get my hair cut! (this might not seem like a needed goal for most, but it's been a while since I bought some new clothes and since I got my hair cut... I find that I can coast for a LONG time, but these are both urgent needs now. And, I need some new jeans to wear with my super cool, stylish new jacket that the hubby got me for Christmas!)
  

Family:

• Kids memorize 10-15 more catechism questions
• Kids memorize remaining ABC verses (we're on "G") and keep up with Sunday School verses
• Train kids in chores: specifically, helping with emptying trash, meal prep, kitchen duties, and bathroom cleaning (they already help pick up toys and put up their clean laundry)
• Go camping at least once in our new tent!!!
• Do something each week that is family-oriented (play games, watch a movie together, picnic, etc. We're much better about this in warmer weather)

Marriage:

• Go on a date at least once a month
• Go away for at least one trip by ourselves this year (we've managed this each year except the year our twins were born)
• In-house date night the weeks we don't go on a date out

Education:

• "School" 3-4 days/week with daughter (and boys tagging along); this is through the end of this school year. We're not sure what the plan is next year. She's learning to read and we do some informal math. That's all that "school" involves.
• Keep up with my own schooling (I'm taking one class this spring)
  

Household:

• Keep up with Fly Lady's Zone cleaning in general, doing quick basic house cleaning each week and focusing on one area in particular each week
  
• File all paperwork, pay all bills, etc. within 1 week of reception
• Keep my kitchen counters clean! (I worked hard to declutter them, only to have the holidays re-clutter them)
• Finish kitchen redo!!! (this is a biggie!!)
• Finish upstairs bathrooms redo!!!

Estate: (a ha ha ha ha.... if only... this is referring to our yard and exterior home)

• plant a modest garden
• tidy the front yard: keep up with weeding and such
• maintain big trees as needed (just had one taken down and two "cleaned out"--there are several more we need to keep an eye on)
• tackle the screened in porch: needs repainting, but we're dragging our feet big-time on this one

Well, that's it--if we do all of those things and nothing else, it will be a great year! Definitely some things to work toward, but I feel that these are reachable and will help keep me focused.

What about you? Any New Year's Goals you'd like to share with the peanut gallery?