Thursday, January 6, 2011

Looking Ahead

So, like I said, I love New Year's because it's a chance to look back on the past year and see how far you've come, but it's also a chance to look ahead and start new. I love setting goals. I like to think of them as goals and not resolutions because resolutions are about the end product: I want to lost 10 pounds, I want to read more, etc. Goals are more specific and tell you how you're going to get to your end. One thing Brad and I have always done on New Year's Day is sit down and talk about the past year and what we really enjoyed, etc. We also talk about what we would like to do better and then we set some goals for the new year. I find this really helps us because we can keep each other accountable to the other person's goals. It also helps put us on the same page as a family. Every now and then we try to talk about our goals and check up on each other to see how we think we're doing. So, we've had our talk and we thought we'd share some of our goals for 2011 with you. Here goes:

Amanda:
*Read 25 books
*Do quiet time every day (I'm not going to get too specific with this one because as a mom to a baby quiet time can look very different from one day to the next. One day I could have time to read my Bible and journal, the next I could barely have time to read a Touchpoints)
*Make a recipe I've never tried for every family party
*Try something new once a month (this could be anything: a class, food, an activity, etc.)
*Try a new recipe for dinner twice a month

Brad:
*Do quiet time every day
*Read 20 books

Micah:
*Learn to roll over
*Learn to crawl
*Learn to walk
*Make new friends
:)

Family:
*Pay off our car and one other form of debt
*Build up our savings account
*Make a weekly meal plan
*Go away on a family vacation

Those are some of our goals for 2011. What are yours?

2 comments:

  1. I would have to get back to you on my own goals :), but about one of yours... I sort of use e-mealz.com for meal plans. It's $5 a month (you pay $15 every three months), and you get a meal plan and shopping list every week. They have several different options for plans and even some that coordinate with specific stores' sales for the week. I heard about it through Dave Ramsey's radio show, but I don't know if he ever mentions it anywhere else. Currently, I'm signed up for the Points plan that uses healthier foods and shows you Weight Watchers Points values, but some of the recipes just don't appeal to me, so I'm thinking about switching and then maybe just making the meals healthier if possible.

    I actually just had a conversation tonight about my frustrations with meal planning (such as having to buy more of an ingredient than I'll need for the week and then it going bad when we don't use it), so if you find recipes or ideas that work for you, I'd love to learn! :)

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  2. Brad and I have been meal planning off and on for a couple months (really lost it towards the end of my pregnancy/when Micah was first born). We typically start by seeing what we have entree-wise (chicken, ground turkey, fish, etc.) and figure out what we want to make with it. Then, we add sides. We always figure out our meals first, then make a grocery list. I search blogs for new recipes and go through my recipe box so that we're not constantly repeating the same meals. Now, we're planning two weeks at a time (we might increase it to a whole month, though) so that we go to the grocery store less frequently and if we have extra of an ingredient we try to find something different to make with it for the next week. I think the more in advance you plan the less extra waste you will have.

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