Friday, January 27, 2012

2012 Goals

Everyone needs a roadmap!

This year is going to be a year of big changes for our family. The boys will be transitioning to big boy beds, potty training, and starting preschool. We just got some news that Husband may be returning to full time work after nearly 3 years of reduced hours. We are extremely grateful for the extra time that he has had to spend with the boys during their first years of life. Time like that can't be bought!

All of these changes coming have left me feeling a little out of control and floundering a bit to figure how to move our family through these changes this year while moving closer to our goals. At the end of last year, I read numerous posts from Crystal at Money Saving Mom about goal setting and how she goes about it. I was so inspired by her efforts that I decided this type of goal setting is exactly what our family needs.

Husband and I went out for dinner on New Years Eve (with a generous offer of babysitting from Grandma) and I took along a note pad. We talked about our plans and goals and dreams just like we used to before the boys were born. It was a really nice way to end our year and begin this one. Working toward the same goals with your spouse is such a great way to feel connected by purpose even when duty keeps you apart.

Here is what we came up with. Like Crystal at MSM suggested, I divided our life into priority topics and each topic into different focus areas. Each focus area then got broken down into specific steps to reach that goal.

Medical:
-eye exam for Husband
-Boys' annual appointment
-Choose new PCP and make appt for me
-Get HSA reimbursment
-Test A1C each Quarter (for me to make sure my mild diabetes is still mild)

Financial:
-See financial planner
-Open Roth IRAs
-Complete Will/Trust
-Increase emergency fund by $3000
-Rework budget
-Become cash only for variables

Parenting:
-Potty training
-Plan trips/activities
-Preschool prep
-Transition out of cribs

Relationship:
-10th anniversary trip
-Monthly date night (out)
-Monthly home date
-Monthly goal review

Plus Individual and personal goals for each of us. My personal goals and homemaking goals were a separate list so, I will talk about those separately. Some of my goals turned into family goals in a way but, they are my responsibility as the CEO of our home to implement which is why they remained on my list.

Doesn't "CEO" sound so official??

I will update these goals after our goal review sessions but, I can report now that it seems we are making progress so far! I will get more specific in my goal review posts.

I hope everyone reading will consider making a goals list for at least one area of their lives. I have already felt more purposeful and intentional in my days which can be tough to do when you're a stay at home Mom.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Stephanie,

    Although our little family does not include "little ones" (other than me as I am still the shortest), your advice is still so relevant to our lives. My husband and I also have been re-prioritizing for the New Year. A written list helps keep us accountable! Thanks for the great blog post!

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    1. Absolutely! For a very long time we didn't have little ones either so I know how people tend to discount families without children. That is just foolish. A family is started when you get married- not when you have kids. I always hated that whole "so when are you going to start a family" thing. I always said that we HAD started when we walked down the aisle. LOL Every family needs a direction to move in. I would love to see your list if you would like to share. I get new ideas from everywhere! :)

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