2017 Goals {1}

Come January, a lot of people make resolutions. I've tried to do that in the past with very specific goals, but I always have trouble keeping up with them. Regardless of that, I'm going to keep trying! This time, however, I just have some overarching goals that I will try to work on. Specific goals may come as I develop new habits and that's okay. Actually, that's what I'm hoping for. I want 2017 to be full of purpose and progress. To achieve those two things, I've come up with some areas of my life that I would like to focus on. Some might need more developing but that will come with time. It'll be a year-long working list!

GOAL #1 - Read

I would say read more but I'll be honest, I read one book a year. Michael Connelly has been my favorite author for a very long time and he publishes one book a year. It's time for me to branch out! I hope to add this to my evening routine. For awhile I was doing a sudoku puzzle, which I really liked doing. I'll probably do that and then read for 15+ minutes. That's a better way to end my day (I typically spend time on my phone anywhere from 15-75 unproductive minutes!) Here's my current list:

Hands Free Life: Nine Habits for Overcoming Distraction, Living Better, and Loving More by Rachel Macy Stafford

The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children Effectively by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell

How to Really Love your Child by Ross Campbell

The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time by Arianna Huffington

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry

So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

Hungry for Change: Ditch the Diets, Conquer the Cravings, and Eat Your Way to Lifelong Health by James Colquhoun

And of course, whatever Michael Connelly's 2017 release will be. He's celebrating 25 years this year so maybe I should get a signed copy at one of his book tour stops!

GOAL #2 - Control Finances Better

We were great about paying off debt when I had a second job. Since I stopped, we haven't been as great because we just don't pay close enough attention. We aren't good at meticulously managing our every day spending. We.are.lazy. It'll take a bit of work but once that's done, I hope to have a very clear debt payoff goal (this will depend on the cost of repairing our main sewer line - yikes, but manageable!) and a better way for us to manage our spending.

GOAL #3 - Cook More, Cook Smarter

This is two-fold. I haven't tried out a lot of new recipes lately or even made previous favorites all that much. I would love to get back to that and cook nice, healthy meals for the boys. Owen has gotten an interest in helping me in the kitchen so I would love to capitalize on that too. By planning ahead, we can spend more wisely, spend less, and eat healthier too! Gotta break those bad habits!

GOAL #4 - Form Healthy Habits

Not only do I need to eat better but I need to get moving! I hope to integrate physical activity into 5-6 days a week. I really enjoy group classes so I will find some of those to join and then all I need to do for the rest of the week is decide the time and location. I also want to drink more water. Gary gives me so much crap about how many water bottles I have so I'll just put those to good use! Lastly, I'll start taking daily vitamins too.

GOAL #5 - Travel

This is something we've never really prioritized. We're such homebodies and that has to change! Since last fall, we've put aside money every month for this so we've got some planning to do! Right now, we're thinking of taking a trip without the boys (as a sort of belated honeymoon) and I'd like to take the boys on a couple of smaller trips. One idea for them is the National Balloon Classic in Indianola, IA. It starts on the same weekend as Nordic Fest so it'll be a busy time if we do plan to go!