2017 Goals

It's that time of year. The time that we look back on the past year's achievements and make goals for the next year. Well, 2016 has been a whirlwind of a year for me and my family and I'm looking to get organized in 2017. We added a new member to the family in late 2015 and we've seen our family's joy, messiness, and exhaustion increase like crazy. Our little man is already one and with his growing so quickly this mom is just trying to keep up.

While I'm still trying to catch my breath between raising a baby (now a toddler right?!), working at home for most of the week, supporting a husband that is working a full time job, going to school, and working in children's ministry, I have room to grow. I want to do more this year, do better at a lot of things. I have things I want to accomplish and I need to keep myself accountable.

So here it goes...for everyone to see, this is what I want to accomplish in 2017:

I want to be more organized again.

 Before I got married, I had an organized binder with my whole life in it. I had doctor numbers written down, I actually wrote in a planner and kept the dates, I had website passwords and important things all in one place. If I ever questioned when or what something was, I had a place for it all. Once I got married, I let some of it go. Then once I got pregnant, I let it all go. I don't have time to do it all the time, but just the time to set some system in place and adjust it as I go.

I want to love my body.

After having a baby, my body hasn't quite pulled itself back. I look at it and see stretch marks and extra skin everywhere, and I'll admit sometimes I hate it. I have to constantly remind myself that my body created something that my husband's cannot. Through God, my body grew a person. I look at my son all the time and think "I grew his heart, his heart was beating inside of me." I would love to get closer to my old size but more importantly I need to remember to love my body how it is, and keep it healthy.

I want to be more consistent and more intentional with my time with God.

I've been trying so hard to have quiet time with God this year, but I have been struggling all year to make it a daily occurrence. I want to lay it out on the line, my husband and I work in children's ministry at our church and I am no where near perfect. I struggle right beside those kids. A lot of times, the best I give God is using the First 5 app on my phone that gives me a short, but thought provoking devotional. I want to do more. I can't tell my son to read his Bible and spend time with God if I don't make a habit of it myself.

I want to get our family out of debt.

We have close to $45,000 in debt that I want GONE. That's including my student loans, a car, and some old hospital bills. Honestly, just looking at that big number makes me sick. But that's why I wanted to put it out there, so I can't take it back and pretend to myself that it's not there. I know it may not be possible to get rid of that much debt in a year but you know what? I want to take a huge chunk of it away and pay that stupid debt off.

Here's why I want to do this stuff:

• I want to teach my child that debt is dumb, and with determination and hard work, anything can be accomplished.
• a relationship can never grow if you don't spend time with the other person, especially God
• I'm tired of going around my life like a chicken with it's head cut off, I can never remember what is going on on what day
• I need to love myself, I can do wonderful things

Hopefully I'm not part of the huge majority that doesn't follow through with their new years resolutions...

here's to trying