I will either find a way or make one - Lifeplanner - Goals - September 14-20, 2020

 

I'm feeling very...I don't know how to explain it...I need life to go back to normal. I want to see my friends and my family. I want to travel. I can't just sit along the sidelines and wait anymore. I don't want to ruffle feathers though, that is how I was raised...to be nice...and honestly, that is not serving me at this time.

My extended family seems to be on the "this pandemic is not real/not bad/over" side of the spectrum and while I know that certain areas are seeing some progress, others are a big mess. Including the community my family lives in. Its so hard to see people going about their lives as if there is nothing going on and I am so thankful that most of my family has so far escaped Covid, but I am angry they are part of the problem. 

I just want to tell them how much they suck and maybe it will cause change, it probably won't, but I really am tired of being isolated, in my house, 5 hours away from them, with a 3 month old that has never seen other people.

Don't get me wrong, I love my life. Sebastian brings me so much joy, but I am really tired of not being able to share that joy.

Ok. That's enough of that.

Planner Spread

Goals for the Week

* Build Desk when it Arrives
* Measure and Plan Harvey's New Table
* Finish 3 books
* Install Curtains in the Office and Sebastian's Room
* Decide on and buy Sebastian's Halloween Costume

How are you doing? I really want to know.

September is the Other January - August 31-September 6, 2020 - Life Planner - Goals

 Gretchen Rubin said it best...September is the other January. I haven't been in school for *ahem* years, but every year, this feels like a new start. Fall is coming, the holidays are around the corner and it feels like a blank slate is ahead for the season.

Planner Spread

My kit this week is the sushi kit from Cricket Paper Co. I got the regular kit and the glitter add on. The colors and the design are a huge departure from my normal aesthetic, but I love it because I miss sushi desperately. I added some Planner Kate script stickers to round out the week.

Goals for the Week

I have a lot I want to accomplish this week. 

* Week's Facebook Posts
* Update Nixplay and Family Album
* Save $250
* Train Ellie 3 times
* Read Pray Like Mary
* Pray The Queen's Secret
* Set Card and Gift Reminders in my Phone
* Find Family Photographer
* Send out Birth Announcements
* Focus Hour with Chris
* Weekly Blog Posts

Powersheets

Are you reaching for goals this week or are you planning a quiet week?

Foundation Check In - August 2020

 2020 has not been the year any of us were expecting, but I think Foundation was a good word to focus on for the year. 

My main goal with Foundation was to focus on my marriage and faith. Thankfully, those are two things I can focus on this year. In regards to my faith, I have an almost daily prayer habit now and have been re-learning prayers I learned in grade school. I have also been praying novenas and the rosary. I end my prayer time with a list of things I am praying over and then I do a Litany of Saints, asking them to pray for us. I don't love the devotional I am using this year, but I think I will finish it out and get a new one in January like I usually do.

In regards to my marriage, we are so much closer than ever. Considering we are living a lifestyle similar to pioneers of the 1800s, where we literally only see each other for days on end, its a good thing we are best friends! We haven't found our footing since adding a newborn to our family, but I think that is normal. We basically share newborn care duties, house care duties, watch TV and sleep. We have talked about starting to do a game after he goes to bed, so hopefully in the coming weeks we can make that happen.

Some of my outer goals under the Foundation heading were to

1. Build a community, which has been so much more difficult due to Covid. But, I am making time to do virtual happy hours and things like that with different groups of friends. I also started in a new Bible study in February and I love that group of women and hope we can become a bit tighter as the years go on. 

2. Spruce up the house, which has been a bit of a success. Sebastian's room is almost done, except for painting and trim. Next up is Chris's office, which needs a new desk and curtains...and eventually a sofa bed for our guests. Hopefully by the end of the year, we can replace our bed and nightstands. We realized that with our current family configuration, a queen sized bed just won't cut it. Later, if Sebastian is scared by a storm, I want him to be able to climb into bed with us and the three of us, plus Ellie, will be a tight squeeze in a queen sized bed. 

3. Finances, which has gone pretty well. We have paid off our credit cards, paid almost all of the adoption expenses, and started saving for a new car. My contributions to that cause are nil, because of Covid, but I hope that I can ramp up and get some travelers in 2021.

How is your word of the year going? Did you pick something that is workable through this pandemic? 

You Are Enough - August 17-23 - Life Planner - Goals

 

What woman doesn't struggle with the thought that they could do or be more? Single women, married women, moms, not moms...we all struggle with the nagging feeling that we could be better, do better, look better, sound better...

As a new mom, I'm struggling with figuring out my life. I am a stay at home mom, primarily, but I am also a part time travel agent and a semi-caregiver to my mother in law. Right now, Sebastian is 11 weeks old and I am loving all that I do for him...even the screaming when I stop feeding him to burp him...ok...that is a lot to handle...but I love that I get to handle it.

What I am struggling with is cleaning, travel agenting, and caregiving. 

I keep telling myself that it will get easier. That soon I will be able to get some stuff done while he is awake, but for now, I am trying to squeeze everything in as quickly as I can when my husband is free to help with him and when he is napping.

Chris is on "vacation" this week. So, we each get 3 or 4 "focus hours" each day to work on things we need to get done. I'm seriously hoping to catch up on cleaning and travel agenting and caregiving during my focus hours this week. 

LifePlanner Spread

This week's kit is from xomamaplans on Etsy and Instagram. I am sticking with the Top 3 strategy in the half box at the top of each day and the general to-dos listed below.

Powersheets

Weekly Goals

In addition to my Powersheets Weekly goals, I am planning to hang the photos in Sebastian's room, clean the house well and hopefully, start working on my September Facebook posts to get back into the swing of things work-wise.

I also want to start thinking about my September Powersheets if I have time toward the end of the week, read a book and buy the damn desk already.

Weekly Words

Check In

How are you doing? Really? Are you struggling with feeling inadequate lately? Are you struggling with anything in particular this week?

August 2020 Goals

 

This month is all about family and home. We are settling in to our new life as a family of 3 and I need to put a bit more focus on our foundation.

Monthly

1. Plan - Execute - Send Thank Yous Sebastian's Baptism.

This is mostly a life to do.

2. Save $1000

Our savings took a giant hit the past few months, so we need to start socking away money for a new HVAC system.

3. Read Pray Like Mary

This covers both my faith goal and a 20 for 2020 goal. 

4. Buy a Desk

Chris will be working from home indefinitely and needs a better deal. Especially since his old desk broke during the carpet installation.

5. Declutter and Settle Nursery

This is pretty self explanatory. The nursery is a bit wild and just needs some organization.

6. Declutter and Settle House

The house is in a state of flux with all the new baby stuff. We need to get rid of some stuff we want to sell and some donations. Once that is done, it will be easier to give everything a home. 

7. September Facebook Posts and

8. October Facebook Posts

I need to get back into the swing of things with my travel agency.

Weekly Goals

1. Blog 

This is mostly for me and to keep myself accountable.

2. Disney Blog

Again, I need to get back to work on my travel agency.

3. Read 1 Book

I don't have a lot of energy or focus to read since Sebastian was born.

4. Focus Hour with Chris

I need to spend a focused hour with Chris every week. 

5. Train Ellie 3 times

It's been hard for Ellie while we've been in this newborn stage. She has been doing well, but I want to give her some focused time because I enjoy it and she needs it.

Daily Goals

1. No Dairy

Dairy is not my friend. I do better not eating it. I have more energy, feel better overall and do not have stomach issues when I avoid Dairy.

2. Park with Ellie

I love this time of day. Taking her to the park to give her some one on one time is important. It also gives me some quiet to basically zone out, listen to nature and recenter before I start my day.

3. 5 Bottles of Water 

I got a 24 oz camelbak water bottle after we came home with Sebastian because its easier to carry around and I need to drink 5 of those each day to stay well hydrated.

I Kept a Secret

It was hard to blog this spring because I was keeping a big secret.

We had matched with a birth mother at the end of February and were not so patiently awaiting the birth of our son. I was terrified I would jinx us if too many people knew, so I kept it to a minimal number of people.

At the end of May, the birth mother asked me if I would be her only support person in the hospital, because due to the Covid-19 hospital restrictions, she could only have one person. I was nervous and excited and instantly became a ball of anxiety.

We got word that she was scheduled to be induced on May 30, so we decided to go down on May 25 so we would be local if she went into labor earlier than that.

On May 28, we met her for pizza. Chris got to meet her and we had a really nice evening with her. Then, on May 30, I met her at the hospital and we settled in for a long stay. They didn't start the induction medicine until midnight and then things were just rough. Labor didn't progress well. Even after they broke her water on June 1 at 10 AM, she still didn't dilate past 5 centimeters.

By 10 PM on June 1, the birth mother spiked a fever and the baby was struggling through each contraction, so they started talking to her about a C-section. It was an emotional and overwhelming night, but she eventually agreed to do the C-section and our beautiful, big son was born after 2 AM on June 2.

Because she had a C-section, we decided to get separate hospital rooms and I spent the next 2 1/2 days taking care of this new, scary, cuddly, beautiful, little boy.

On June 4, my husband picked us up from the hospital and we met with the social worker to finish our paperwork and then took Bash "home" to our AirBnB.

We returned home on Father's Day and have been settling into life as a family of 3 (plus Ellie) since then.

I hated keeping this secret. It was so hard to write when I couldn't be authentic and share what was going on with me. So, here we are...Bash is almost 2 months old and I am figuring out how to keep a clean house and do things I like to do, like post on Instagram and here on the blog and work with my travel agency business, while doting on this little gift.

20 for 2020 Check-In

Well. 20 for 2020 is not going well. 😂😂

Let's catch up.

1. Get a King-Sized Bed
This is still on the table. Probably for the Fall.

2. Update the Office
We have started this. We bought new carpet and then the pandemic locked us down. The carpet has been installed, but we didn't get to shop for furniture, so in the next few weeks, we are going to order a desk and a sofa bed.

3. Update the Bedroom
This is also still on the table. Probably for the Fall.

4. Remodel the Kitchen or Replace the HVAC
We are putting money back for one of these projects.

5. Work Toward Goal Weight
This is going surprisingly well considering I have been eating a bunch more sugar than I used to.

6. $0 Credit Card Debt and 6 Month Emergency Fund
We are enticingly close to paying off the last of our credit card debt. We also have about 3 months of expenses in an emergency fund, so this is going pretty well! With the pandemic, we decided to keep money in savings instead of paying off the card just in case my husband gets furloughed.

7. Read 67 Books
I should be further along in his goal. If I read 8 books by the end of June, I will be on track. I am currently at 26 1/2.

8. More Romance
Thank you Pandemic ;)

9. 1 Second a Day App
I am doing very well with this!

10. Take Trips (Mom-Tiff-Erin-Chris)
Cancelled due to the pandemic.

11. Memory Keeping Project
This was a stunner. I finished it in like March or the very beginning of April. I will say this was my pie in the sky, never going to happen goal. Weird, right?

12. Get a Facial
Probably cancelled due to the pandemic.

13. Go to Disney on Ice
Cancelled due to the pandemic.

14. Go to a TPAC show
Cancelled due to the pandemic.

15. See the Nutcracker Ballet
Cancelled due to the pandemic.

16. Train Ellie
We have made some amazing progress! Its so crazy to see how much has changed in the 8 trillion days of this lockdown.

17. $100,000 Travel Agency Sales
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Cancelled due to the pandemic.

18. Post to YouTube 2x/week
Postponed due to the pandemic.

19. Blog 3x/week
Adjusted to 2x/week and doing my best!!!

20. Disney Blog 1x/week
Doing my best!

How are your 2020 goals going? Did you cancel any due to the pandemic?

May Goals

May is going to be a weird month. I'm just going to leave it there.

I tried to go light on myself, and hopefully this is pretty light, but who knows.

Chris is working from home until at least June 7, so we have another month of this, which is fine. Its growing on me. But lunches are hard.

My May Monthly Goals are pretty easy I think. I'm knocking 4 of them out this week, so hopefully the others are just as easy.

I literally just needed to slow this down a bit. The weekly tasks have been a bit oppressive in the past couple of months.

The only one sweet per day during self-isolation is going to be the hardest goal of all.

What do you anticipate your hardest goal being this month?

First Week of May

Well. We made it. Its May. States are starting to open, but I personally will be staying home as much as possible. However, as I write this, I have strangers in my house installing carpet because we bought it about 9 weeks ago and can't put off the installation any longer.

And just as we were settling into May...

I have no idea who created that meme, so apologies, but seriously. Giant Murder Hornets. I thought this was a joke when I first saw it and then I listened to the news...and Giant Murder Hornets.

Ok, back to my little corner of the world.

Weekly Goals

* Plan Chris's Birthday

* Order Chris's Gift

* Schedule Fingerprinting

* Send a Note to a Friend

* Have Game Night

* Clean my ceiling fans

* Vacuum Couches

* Clean the Air Purifier

* Clean the Fridge

* Update Command Center

* Have Subfloor installed

* Have Carpet Installed

Planner Spread

I used some American Girl stickers I found in a drawer!!!!! I paired it with some Planner Kate stickers and a few Disney touches from XO Mama Plans and I love it. Its just so fun. American Girl books were a huge part of my childhood and I love that these are in my planner this week.

Quote to Live By

What I'm Reading This Week

Unleashed by Sonja Corbitt

Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

What are you reading this week?

Five on Friday: TV Shows I'm loving

We are constantly searching for things to watch...now maybe more than ever...but we always struggle.

So here are five shows we have been loving lately.

1. Outer Banks on Netflix
I started this mostly because I love the Outer Banks, but quickly was drawn into the story.

2. Dispatches from Elsewhere on AMC
Jason Segal. Sally Field. Conspiracy Theories. What more do you need?

3. Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu
Joshua Jackson is a dad in this show set in the late 90s. Mind blown. Very hard to reconcile. Check it out.

4. What We Do in the Shadows on FX and FX on Hulu
This is a vampire parody show set in New York and its pretty funny. Guillermo is my favorite.

5. Miracle Workers Dark Ages on TBS
A follow up to Miracle Workers, this is another off the wall comedy.

What are you watching??

Productivity as a Coping Mechanism

I've come to realize that I am using productivity as a coping mechanism. If I have a list of 87 things to accomplish, I can't wallow or worry...I have to get them done. At the same time, I'm tired today. I have a lot to do today and probably put more on the list than the list can handle, but it keeps me going.

Weekly Spread

 Ellie had to be included this week.

Tending List

I've made some good progress on my monthly goals! I do need to a puzzle and work on weekly game nights. Why am I struggling with the fun stuff???

How are you doing?

Five on Friday: My favorite Covid19 Self-Isolating Pasttimes

For those of us not homeschooling, working 40+ hours from home, working 40+ hours in public, etc., this has been a very wild time of trying to fill hours that used to be filled with volunteering, lunches, church activities, etc. 

So, here are my five favorite self-isolating pasttimes...

1. Walking

I am really enjoying my morning walk with Ellie. We usually just do about 25 minutes.

2. Coloring

I have always liked coloring, I just never do it.

3. Baking

I have found my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and banana bread recipe. And I finally figured out how to do the make my grandma's cookies!

4. Cleaning

I have finished my spring cleaning and am working through some extra projects that I just never deal with...like cleaning out baskets and cleaning out cabinets.

5. Virtual Game Nights

We had been having regular game nights before all of this started and we have tried to continue as much as possible. 

What are your favorite things to do?

Its been 42 Days...

All I can say is WOW. This year has been the biggest dumpster fire. Its been 42 days since I last checked in. Nashville had just been hit by a devastating tornado and then the entire country went into a tailspin with the Coronavirus/Covid19 pandemic. Let me catch you up...

On March 7, I traveled to Northern Kentucky for a cousin's baby shower. On March 9, I returned home, bought carpet and went about my week. On March 13, we made the decision to begin self-isolating. I went to the grocery, a bird flew in my house, it was wild. Chris went in to his office for the last time on March 16 and we have officially been self-isolating since March 17. Today is Day 29.

I feel like I went through all the stages. Shock and panic. Inertia. Wild cleaning binges. Baking. Zoom calls. Lots more alcohol than usual. A bit of depression about the things we have to cancel. Resignation. And now, I am in a kind of zen state. I have finally found a rhythm, a sense of normalcy. Making grocery orders is less stressful.

There is one thing kind of lingering over our heads. Two weeks ago, my husband's company cut pay across the board 10%. We thought ok, this is to protect from lay-offs, furloughs, etc. Two days later, thousands of employees were furloughed. The following Monday, an email went out that said that the measures they took were not drastic enough and more furloughs were imminent. Talk about killing staff morale. We fully expect another round of furloughs to be announced Friday and are praying not to be on the list.

We have so much money wrapped up in our adoption plan and our safety net is not as plush as it once was, which is thoroughly frightening. We have already slashed our monthly budget to the bare bones and only have 3 streaming services left to slash...Netflix, Hulu and Disney+, which is only about what...$25 per month.

Anyway. I know people have it worse than we do, but the lingering threat of a furlough, the stress of waiting for adoption, the pandemic...its a lot to handle.

So, where am I now?

I have found a fun, daily rhythm.
6:00 - breakfast, get ready for the day
7:20 - Walk with Ellie
8:00 - Tidy the House and do my journaling/devotional
9:00 - Start the to do list
11:10 - Make Lunch
1:00 - Return to To Do List
3:00 - Watch the Covid 19 Conversations Instagram Live with Gretchen Rubin and Liz Craft
4:30 - Chris is usually done with work, so we go outside if the weather is favorable
6:30 - Dinner
8:00 - Shower, Dishes, Get Ready for Bed
10:00 - Bed

My goals for this week include things like Wash Windows, schedule Facebook posts for June, clean off the laundry room shelves and get our home study physical done.

Here are some things I am grateful for...

The ability to self-isolate
The ability to buy groceries online
The mostly favorable weather
Ellie and Chris
Keeping in contact with friends and family
All the essential workers
All this extra time with Chris even when I want some alone time
Entertainment companies unlocking their services to help keep us entertained
Stephen Colbert's Late Show from Home
Jimmy Fallon's Late Show from Home
Some Good News on YouTube
Here For You, a new daily podcast from the Forever35 podcast hosts
Audiobooks

Going forward, I want to blog more and I think I have hit a point in this situation where I can sit down and concentrate.


What are you grateful for? How are you doing?

March: In Like a Lion

A tornado hit Nashville last night and it was pretty devastating. It hit a lot of highly populated neighborhoods with a lot of Nashville landmarks.

On a personal note, we have a lot going on right now and we are both overwhelmed and edgy, so its been a bit rough. On one hand, February felt like it was a year long, but I also can't believe I already have to pay bills again. Isn't life weird?

Motivation for the Week

Weekly Spread

I love this book kit from Fabulously Planned. I supplemented it with some Planner Kate stickers and I used a Micron 03 and a Sharpie pen.

Goals for the Week

1. 1 hour of Digital Decluttering
2. 1 hour of Decluttering
3. 2 hours of Memory Keeping
4. 1 hour of cleaning the Laundry Room
5. Create a Budget
6. Work on scheduling Home Study Update Appointments
7. Create March Facebook Posts
8. Schedule Lunch with Chris
9. Start a Prayer Journal

Tending List for March

I didn't want to over commit to daily tasks this month because I have a lot of big tasks on my monthly list and on my weekly list.

Alright. Let's kick March's butt!

What do you have on your list for March?

Five on Friday: Netflix

So, I've basically just been clearing out my Netflix queue for the past few weeks and I want to share some of my favorite shows.

1. Locke and Key Season 1
Season one just dropped a few days ago and my husband, who hates watching episode after episode, has been completely alright with watching Locke and Key quickly.
Locke and Key is about a family who returns to the ancestral home of the father, who recently died. It is a murder mystery/fantasy.

2. Atypical Seasons 1-3
A friend recently recommended this show to me. It is about a family whose oldest son is autistic. There are three seasons and according to my internet research a fourth season hasn't been announced.

3. Grace and Frankie Season 6
Every season of Grace and Frankie makes my favorites lists. This show makes me laugh with its dysfunctional family dynamic and this season sets up the last season of the show to be beyond dysfunctional!

4. The Ranch Part 8
The Ranch finished its eight part run in January with a satisfying, but not overly heart wrenching ending.

5. The Crown Season 3
While this season was a bit slower, it was a nice introduction to the new actress that plays Queen Elizabeth.

Alright, back to Netflix...

Five on Friday: Happy Valentine's Day

It's been a while since I shared anything that I loved so here are a few of my recent favorites.

1. The Makeup Eraser
I love this reusable makeup remover. You just wet it with warm water and take your makeup off. I have two and I switch the towels out mid-week.

2. The Roku Channel
We are cord cutters and I usually stick to Hulu, Netflix and YouTube, but in January, The Roku Channel added Without a Trace and I have completely binged this series. The Roku Channel on the Roku has a lot of stuff to watch!

3. The Good Place and The Good Place Podcast
The Good Place is an amazing NBC sitcom that stars Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. It just ended a four season run by choice. It was not cancelled, they decided the story had been told. The Good Place Podcast is hosted by Marc Evan Jackson, who is an actor on the show. If you are at all interested in how TV shows are made, it is an amazing companion podcast.

4. The Pink Drink at Starbucks
I know that I am way behind the ball on this one, but until recently, if I was going to Starbucks, I needed full on caffeine, not lightly caffeinated tea.

5. Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan
This is the third book in the Crazy Rich Asians series and I have to say...probably the best one of the series. I truly hope this becomes a movie.

What are your favorites this week?

Goal Getting: February 10-16

Ah, another week. I love the start of a new week when we can make a new, fresh, unspoiled to do list and then make a mess out of it.

Monday Motivation

A lot of my goals for this year include building a foundation and growing from that. Health has been an ongoing goal for years, but this year it needs to be at the forefront, because what is at the foundation of your life if not your health. And to meet this health goal, I need to move from where I am. What is more important to me...remaining healthy or the cookie from Chicken Salad Chick?

This Week's Spread

This week, I used another kit from Fabulously Planned to honor Valentine's Day. I am finally settling into my hourly planner. I struggle with not having uniformity across each day, but then, each day is not uniform.

Goals for the Week
1. Go to Mass
2. Call the Insurance about the Roof (TOP)
3. Read at least one book
4. Start a Prayer Notebook
5. Eat at the table 3 times
6. Have 2 Game Nights
7. Blog 3x
8. Disney Blog 1x
9. Start Filming YouTube again
10. Sugar/Gluten Free 5/7 Days
11. Facebook Posts
12. Organize Social Media Assets

What is your top goal this week?

Powersheets January Check-In

January was a great month! I did not do great at my weekly goals, but I did great on my monthly and pretty good on my daily goals.

Let's delve in to it.

Monthly Goals
1. Go to the Eye Doctor - DONE
2. Learn a Catholic Prayer - I haven't memorized the prayer, but I have been praying it.
3. Read 6 Books - DONE - I actually should finish a seventh before the 31st!
4. Roof - No progress made
5. Crawlspace - DONE
6. Plan Destin Trip - DONE
7. Schedule Trip with Tiffany - DONE
8. $1000 in savings - DONE
9. Trainer with Ellie - DONE - I am giving myself that because I decided to push the appointment to Feb. 4 because I needed more time to work on our homework...she is a stubborn dog.
10. Facebook Ad - DONE
11. Lunch with Chris - DONE

Weekly Goals
1. Go to Mass - Not even attempted
2. Eat at Table 3x a Week - We did it for 3 weeks!
3. Gluten Free 5/7 Days - I did not do great at this, but I did ok.
4. Blog 3x a Week - I did this one week!
5. YouTube 2x a Week - Not even attempted
6. Disney Blog 1x a Week - I did it for 2 weeks!

Daily Goals
1. Devotional - about 50% of the days
2. Walk 20 in 20 - about 50% of the days
3. Train Ellie - again, about 50% of the days
4. 1 Second App - DONE

I am going to work on my Powersheets this week and I will share my goals on Friday!

How did your January go?

2020 Cultivate What Matters PowerSheets

Last year, I used the 6-month undated Cultivate What Matters PowerSheets and I really loved them, so I was excited to get them and use them to work on my life. Some of my 20 for 2020 goals correlate with my PowerSheets goals, but some don't, so I wanted to share my PowerSheets goals to start off the year.

Goal #1: Strengthen Marriage
I am planning to read some books about marriage, listen to podcasts, and be more intentional with my time with Chris.

Goal #2: Strengthen Faith
I have struggled with my faith for years. I need to go back to Mass regularly, learn more about prayer and pray better.

Goal #3: Improve Home
I want to clean out closets, update the bedroom and office, and either remodel the kitchen or replace the HVAC.

Goal #4: Concentrate on Finances
We are starting with paying off a credit card and building an emergency fund. From there, we need to save for a second (hopefully) adoption, a new car and a new house.

Goal #5: Health
I need to lose weight, eat healthily, work on getting fit, and keep my A1C low.

Goal #6: Adopt
We need to match, finalize and start the process all over

Goal #7: Build Community
I want to get more involved, but I'm not sure what that means for me yet.

Goal #8: #20for2020
This encompasses the remainder of my 20 for 2020 goals that I discussed in my post on Friday.

And that's it! That is my list of goals for 2020.

Do you use the Cultivate What Matters PowerSheets? Do you use another goal planner?

New Year, New Goals...Happy 2020!

Let's just pretend I didn't disappear for the last three months...ok?

For the third year, I am participating in Gretchen Rubin's yearly goal project...this year known as 20 for 2020.

This year, I tried for more "one and done" type of goals, but I ended up with about half "one and done" and half continuous goals.

1. Get a King-Sized Bed
In October, we went to Gatlinburg and got a cabin with a king sized bed. It was amazing. Chris got up to use the restroom, I had no idea. Ellie had all the space she needed. I got up in the morning and Chris had no idea. It inspired us to make the change from a queen sized bed to a king sized bed.

2. Update the Office
Our office is furnished with a 14 year old cheap desk that is starting to break. I want to make a fun office space for both Chris and I to use.

3. Update the Bedroom
With the King-Sized Bed, we need new night stands, new carpet and new paint. I'm hoping to keep the dresser and chest of drawers.

4. Remodel the Kitchen -or- Replace the HVAC
We need to do both of these things and the budget on them is about the same, so I think we can do one of them, but probably not both.

5. Work toward Goal Weight
I have a goal I want to hit this year. I need to work on my diet and my exercise to get there.

6. $0 Credit Card Debt and 6 Month Emergency Fund

7. Read 67 Books
I have already read 5 books!!!

8. More Romance
I want to go have lunch with Chris more often, get him a gift he really wants, eat at the table more often, play games instead of watch TV every night...that kind of thing.

9. 1 Second a Day App
This is an app that you use to document your year in a short snippet or picture.

10. Take Trips with Mom, Tiffany, Erin and Chris
Last year, I had wonderful weekends with Tiffany, Erin and Chris and I want to add Mom to the list this year.

11. Memory Keeping Project
Last year, I was watching one of my favorite YouTubers, Laken Edwards, and she does memory keeping the same way I did pre-Scrapbooking craze of the early 2000s. I hated Scrapbooking, but I had a great scrapbook. I've been holding on to keepsakes for years and this year, they are going into scrapbooks.

12. Get a Facial
Because its fun.

13. Go to Disney on Ice
Because its fun.

14. Go to a TPAC show
Because its fun.

15. See the Nutcracker Ballet
I've always wanted to go to a ballet.

16. Train Ellie
I need to get her to be obedient in tough situations and to stop overreacting to other dogs.

17. $100,000 in Travel Agency Sales
Last year, I did about $25,000. This year, I can do more.

18. Post to YouTube 2x a Week
Consistency is key!

19. Blog 3x a Week
Consistency is Key!

20. Disney Blog Once a Week
Again...consistency is key!


And that's my 20 for 2020 goals! I am really excited for this year and the goals I have to get done!

What goals have you set for 2020?