Makin' a List

My hope is that this post makes you laugh all while stopping to think about setting some goals yourself. 

I'm gonna start off being honest here and just so you know, it's not all that pretty. 

So here goes...

I am trapped in a world of lists.  There, I said it.

I have a daily to-do list, a weekly to-do list, an ongoing list for Mama Couture with new ideas and promos, an ongoing grocery list that I amend daily, a list of suppers for every night this month...and on and on I could go.  It's sickening.  And, it's my own fault.  BUT, these lists help me be organized and help me feel accomplished (you know it feels pretty awesome to scratch through those mundane tasks when they're complete!) and make me a great -- wait, good -- wait, okay -- manager of my household. 

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans." 

-- Proverbs 16:3

Though the lists above are tedious and most are pretty unnecessary, there are a few lists that are worth their while.  For years and years (probably since high school?), I have made a "Goal List" at the start of each new year.  I hate to use the word "resolutions," because these are things to aim for.  "Resolutions" are over-rated.  My list isn't usually all that long either.  I don't have the list in front of me, but going way back to 2010, my goals were (briefly -- yeah, right):

1.  Be diligent about spending quality time in the word on a daily basis. 

I had been guilty of a quick 10 minutes in the Bible once or twice a week.  So the 2010 goal was to spend true time studying and journaling and in the Word.  I can honestly say that this goal has been met and I get so blessed to browse back in my little journal notebook thingy and literally see the Holy Spirit workin' on me.  Good stuff.

2.  Teach Harrison to write his name. 

Okay, this goal took way longer than I expected it to.  Wow.  He had a good grasp on the alphabet, but teaching him to write the actual letters was a bit of a challenge.  Overall, he had it down pretty good, but after he started school in the fall, his wonderful teacher mailed it.  So I can't take credit for 100% of this one.

3.  Teach Harrison to wipe his own butt.

Yes, I just said that.  We knew with him starting school, the teachers had made it clear that they do not wipe little booties.  This meant Harrison had to get the hang of this on his own.  And let me just say, I had no idea how huge an undertaking this was.  Wow.  We worked on it ALL summer, but needless to say, he's an expert booty-cleaner-upper now!

4.  Better prioritize my time.

Too many needless hours get wasted around here and it's no one's fault but my own.  This isn't something I saw through all that well and is one that will be making an appearance on my "2011 Goal List."

The best part of this Goal List -- and any list -- is seeing visible proof of accomplishments, both big and little.  Looking at 2010's list, it's pretty cool that the majority of these were totally crossed off by the end of the year!  How's that for feelin' productive??!

OK, fast forward to the present.  Been thinking about the "2011 Goal List," and it's pretty lengthy.  Yikes.

1.  Make it a priority to take better care of myself.

I'm just gonna come out and say it, by taking "better care of myself," I mean diet and exercise.  Ugh.  No, I'm not trying to lose 20 pounds by March or anything like that.  Just to overall be aware of what I'm putting into my mouth and making it a point to get active every day...even if that means speed cleaning the house or pulling my critters to the pond and back in their wagon.  After Brig was born, I got right on diet and exercise to burn off that baby weight, but once it came off, I slowed down - way down.  I will say that I didn't wait til January 1, 2011 to start this goal, but I actually started the week before.  I'm journaling everything (and I mean everything) I eat and am getting a good burst of activity in every day...except Sunday.  (See goal number 2.)

2.  Remember the Sabbath.

Too often in my hurried life, I have directly dishonored what God says about Sunday and not devoted it to rest like I should.  Sadly, Sunday usually ends up being a catch-up day...catch-up housework, catch-up ironing, catch-up washing my truck, catch-up yardwork.  There's a reason those lazy Sunday afternoons are so addictive, it's because that's what God has commanded us to do.  It would be like my boss at work coming in my office and commanding me to take a nap and rest and me blatently not doing it.  Does make sense?  Hooray for our new Sunday schedule at RRC, in which services have been moved an hour earlier = an extra hour in the afternoon for rest.  Though the services do start early, it feels so good to roll out of bed and start the day at church. 

3.  Better prioritize my time.

This is a rollover from 2010, one that needs better attention.  Working from home, I figured out right away how important it is for me to be productive with my time.  This stretches over to all aspects of my day.  How wonderful a feeling to fall into bed at the end of the day and say, "What a productive day."  This is how King Soloman described the Proverbs 31 woman's (whom I adore) productivity:  "She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.  She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.  She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.  She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night."  (Proverbs 31:15-18)  In summary, that girl's a workhorse and I wanna be just like her.  The easiest way to get there is to make the best use out of the time I do have.  While at the same time...  (See goal number 4)

4.  Be more "in the moment."

I'm not gonna lie, routine day-to-day junk fills a good part of my day most of the time.  Not only am I not prioritizing my time, but I'm missing out on my babies all the while.  I'm ready for a slow down.  Sounds simple; hope it's simple to carry through.  And a big part of being "in the moment" is not sweating the small stuff...but that's another post entirely. 

5.  Buy a piano.

Well, not just buy a piano, but start playing again.  I played growing up, but after I started college and got married, I just didn't have the time to devote to it any more.  When we sold our house and moved, I really couldn't think of a place to put the piano in our new house and I sold it.  The piano I've had and played on since I was 6 years old; I sold it.  And have regretted it ever since.  But that's soon to change!  

6.  Save more money.

We blow much more money on silly frivilous things than we should and we are making it a point to be more conscientious about every dollar spent.  And this is going into effect across all areas of our budget.  Other than the obvious, directly depositing extra money into savings, we're re-evaluating things we thought we "needed" like cable TV and Netflix.  We're looking at ways to cut our spending on insurance and home utilities.  I'm even making it a point to be better about couponing.  It's the easiest way to save tons of $$ on groceries and 80% of the time I don't even do it.  I've adopted the motto "Save Money.  Live Generously" (without sounds like a Wal-Mart ad) and we're stickin' to it!

7.  Take time out for myself.  

Whether this be an hour at Starbucks with a book or an entire afternoon of kid-free time on a golf course with my main squeeze, this is something I've realized just in the last month or so that I desperately need.  So often, that "me time" is the first thing out the window when the day gets hectic and I've got to get it back...soon!  

So, looking at this list now, I'm a bit overwhelmed.   But these are ALL things I can control and really can make happen. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some work to do!