goals…how to make ’em and break ’em

To answer just a couple of your questions from yesterday:

1. Yes, my deep freeze has an organization system….the dividers came with the freezer. Awesome.

2. Will I share recipes? If I remember to I will try to do that. We just make stuff we already like…a lot of the meat isn’t cooked before it is frozen…

After yesterday’s post I feel a little funny doing this post today. I thought about just saving it for next week, but oh well. Since some of you asked and Chris keeps prodding I thought I’d share a few of my weekly goals. I’m not too sure about sharing these here. I am quite sure many of you can accomplish all of my weekly goals in half a day, but I can’t. I know one day I’ll look back at these and laugh that I had to be so intentional about what seems like little things. One day my kids will be more self reliant and won’t require so much attention for basic needs. My goals may or may not be totally different then. Who knows. With several young kids in our house it is very easy for the days to just become a run on sentence of fixing food + cleaning messes + changing diapers + tending to hurt spots + nap time enforcing + picking up toys….and repeat 50 times before bedtime.

For me it is easy for the days to become a blur of daily grind repeating itself. I have a list of daily goals that I try to accomplish each day. I also have a list of weekly goals. My weekly goals aren’t anything impressive or big, but they are things that often get overlooked in the daily grind of keeping up with my kids. I have to be intentional about them or they don’t get done.

Each week I give myself one goal in the following areas: Home Organization, Project completion, Something for Someone else, Each Kid

Home Organization: Last week’s home organization goal was to clean out the coat closet. Hated doing it. Love that it is done. This week is getting shelves up in the kitchen for my craft stuff. Next week is clearing out storage boxes under my bed. Eventually I make my way around every little area in the home and then start back at the beginning.

Project completion: As a project addict I always have a couple projects going on. I make sure each week one big one is completed. Last week it was building the add-on to our front porch (I watched kids, my dad & Chris did the building). This week it is painting that add on. Next week it is finishing up my next Design Aglow project.

Something for Someone else: This is the most important weekly goal for me. I want to make sure each week I am doing something alongside my kids that is for someone else. Last week we wrote letters to the boy we sponsor through Compassion International. This week we wrote ‘thank you’ cards for several people. Next week we are going shopping for food to take to our church for Thanksgiving baskets given to those in need.

Sometimes goals go as planned. Sometimes they do not. Last week when we wrote letters to our ‘sponsored son’, Biggest Brother wanted to color a picture for him. He wrote “Bad guys stink. Good guys are the best.” He was so proud and I just couldn’t tell him that it probably was inappropriate to send. So I sent it…with a note to Compassion International telling them they could throw it away, but I had to tell my son I sent it!

Each Kid: I also write down one weekly goal for each kid that I know I want to make sure I do. This week for Big Brother it was work on his front flip on the trampoline. It is a big deal for him, so I want to be intentional with helping him on it because that shows him I value what is a big deal to him.  It is more worth my time investment than a lot of things.

Making goals is not a natural thing for me, but in recent years I have found I need it. I don’t really think too long term these days. I know the things I want instilled in my kids when they become teenagers. I want to make the investment in Today. For me to feel like I am living in Today and not just surviving it….I need goals to help me stay focused and to accomplish all that I want to in these years as a young family. It is what works for me. It keeps a level of sanity in my often distracted head.

I hesitated a lot before posting this. Among those of you that only really know me online I think there is a bit of a myth that I have it all together. I don’t. That is so very far from the truth. I’m a regular mom who loses her cool all too often. I feel overwhelmed by laundry. I want to tie my daughter to a chair at times so she stops emptying every drawer in the house. Every time I step on a Lego I want to say something I shouldn’t. I don’t have it all together and I hope sharing my weekly goals  doesn’t leave any of you thinking I do.

I would also love to hear ideas from you on how you manage to get done the things you want to get done….