top ten for 2019

Wait, WHAT?! 2019?!
That means that it has been 19 years ago since we experienced 2000.
I think someone counted wrong.
That’s ridiculous, in my opinion.

But, as is the current tradition, I have started a list of goals. So far I have ten, but I am allowing myself the room to add more, if the hours in each day multiple by at least two.

I’ve decided to list them twice. The first list is actually the condensed version of the real list, created to see if it makes the original list feel easier or more difficult.
Let’s see.
Here goes:

1. Learn Spanish (well that seems hard/dificíl)
2. Read (that should be easy - I read all the time on Facebook and Pinterest...)
3. Say No (I say that to my kids already quite frequently)
4. Make Rules (this makes it sound like we have no rules)
5. Organize (which is on every goal list everywhere for everyone)
6. Purge (interesting...)
7. Write A Book (well that’s lofty)
8. Write My Blog (already 6 or so years in so....)
9. Get Certified (as crazy?)
10. Plan Meals (I plan on eating every day so there’s that!)

I guess a little more detail helps with achievement so let me try that again.

1. Learn Spanish - using the Duolingo App for a minimum of 3 times a week. This has been my favorite way to practice a second language BY FAR. And my kids use it daily during the school week. You should check it out if you are interested in learning a second language. There are even a few made up languages on the app!
2. Read 12 books for enjoyment and 6 books for personal growth. Because I don’t think I should ever stop growing and reading/learning from other people’s life experiences is so valuable. And I really do love to read!
3. Say No. It is time for me to trim a few things from the schedule. I enjoy so much of what I do, but the busyness and stress wear on me, probably because I have turned old. I’m not good at disappointing people and I hate saying NO so this will be a tough one. (Don’t worry, piano students, I’m still going to teach piano!)
4. Make stricter rules for the kids pertaining to technology, sugar intake, and outdoor exercise. Essentially: create healthier kids.
5. Organize. I tend to just “make do” with what we’ve got, but when I do that, things get messy. So it’s time to invest in better ways of organization throughout the house and garage.
6. That being said, there needs to be less stuff to organize. Hence the purging. This is pretty much a goal every year, and every year I make at least two appointments for the Salvation Army to get a pile of donations from the garage. And then I breathe easier for a couple months until it’s time to purge again!
7. I have set up a schedule to write a book. My goal is to have a rough draft by the end of the year. It might not be good and it might not ever get published, but, by golly, I’m gonna do it!
8. I have also set up a schedule to write my blog more consistently. The goal is for me to NOT be silent for a couple months at a time!
9. Certified in foster care with the hopes of adoption in our future, God willing.
10. Feeding everyone everyday gets stressful. So I’m trying something new. Every month I plan on scheduling the entire month of dinner so that I don’t have to stress about it every night, just once a month! Sounds great, right? But it’s only January so we’ll see how it goes...

I’m sure there are a hundred other things I could add to this list like exercise more, eat better, spend less money, save more, spend more time with God, but those are things that I try to do all the time anyway (and fail at on a pretty regular basis).  These ten things have been the top things on my mind for 2018 so it was time to be more intentional about them.

So here’s to being intentional in achieving our goals, my friends!
I hope 2019 is an awesome year for you!

❤️
KC