Goals for 2023

I have thought long and hard about my goals for 2023. I did accomplish most of last years goals, but not all. That is perfectly all right. I use these goals as reminders of what I am hoping to accomplish instead of just being carried away in the flow of life, which can easily happen. 

Home Repair Goals ~ 

1) Replace the Roof ~ This is a very necessary repair. We hope to have it accomplished in the next month or two. We are getting quotes over the next week. 

2) Buy an Electric Fireplace and Finish Brickwork ~ My last project in the rec room is to complete the fireplace area and hopefully get that room warmer in the winter. It can get down into the 50's in there.

3) Replace Bathroom Floor ~ The boy's bathroom has peeled up tile floor in one area and damage to the subfloor. I am hoping to get that repaired and the floor replaced this year. We might add in a new sink cabinet at the same time.

4) Paint One Wall of the Laundry Room ~ Ok, painting the laundry and basement walls has been on my list for two years now. So now I am making the task really small this year and saying I will only paint one wall. Hopefully, the momentum will kick in and I will get more walls done. 

Self-Care Goals ~ 

5) Walk 800 Miles ~ I came within 20 miles of this goal last year. Maybe, I will pass it this year.

6) Read 23 Books ~ I read 18 books last year, and I have a little bit more time for reading currently, so I am hoping that I can read 23.

7) Stretch and Strength rotation ~ I did manage to touch my toes pretty consistently last year. However, I noticed it can easily be lost, so I hope to continue maintenance and start working on holding on to my strength. The body stops just doing it automatically after the 40's.

8) Widen My Friend Group ~ My friend group is smaller and narrower than I wish it to be. I think the issue is that, as we transition away from homeschooling, some of our connections have been lost. Also, we have experienced many, many years of isolation due to raising such a special needs family that took us out of having time for or fitting in with lots of different social groups. Also, our special needs support group isn't the greatest fit. I am going to hang on to some of the people from it, but I am tired of the drama and not completely fitting in because "your family functions too well under the strain of raising special needs kids/adults" (comments such as this have been said to me, revealing some jealousy).

9) Have a Game Night Party ~ This is a carryover from last year. I really want to have a fun game night and play the Victorian cobweb game and Saran Wrap Ball game. Also, a gingerbread house contest would be fun. Perhaps a 12th day of Christmas party? I am thinking about how to fit this in and with whom to share this fun experience. 

10) Catch Up on All My Blog Books ~ I think I am 4 or 5 years behind in my blog books. I plan to take some of my earnings from my nanny job and catch up these books. These are basically our family photo albums. 

11) Organize Loose Photos ~ We still have boxes of photos from my childhood through the present day that really need to be organized and hopefully stored/displayed in a way that they can be enjoyed. 

12) Cook My Way Through Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader ~ I tried to do this when the kids were young, but there were too many food allergies. Most of those have resolved now, so I am going to give it a go. This is a cookbook that complements the Mitford series. I highly recommend the book series if you like gentle Christian fiction. 

Global Citizen Goals ~ 

13) Reduce 365 Things From Our Home ~ I accomplished this goal and then some last year. I am going to continue to reduce more, but attempt to do it in a more ecological way. Unfortunately, giving to Goodwill often means the stuff ends up in a landfill, even if they are just overstocked on a perfectly usable item. I plan to donate more carefully. Also, this does not include the constant rule of one thing in and one thing out rule, which has been in place for years in our home. 

14) Drastically reduce plastic bags in our home ~ I hope to get down to having almost no plastic bags coming into the house. This is going to take some serious practice. We are also using compostable trash bags as well as reusable food storage bags, such as Ziploc Endurables.

15) 52 Acts of Kindness ~ I heard someone say recently, "If everyone was just 10% kinder, imagine how pleasant our world would be." Now there is a motto to live by. I will be keeping a count of my bigger acts of kindness...beyond holding a door for someone or other moments of politeness. 

16) Chemical-Free Household ~ I am not likely to get to 100 percent, but I am trying to transition us to use as many environmentally and family-safe products as possible. We mostly use Tru Earth and Method as well as homemade vinegar products.

Travel Goals ~ 

17) See a New State ~ Arkansas, Michigan and Iowa are actually the closest. Also, we missed Vermont and Rhode Island (I have been to RI but others in my family have not) on the last New England tour. 

18) Go Somewhere by Train ~ Yep, this was on the list last year. Maybe this year.

19) Visit a National Park or Site ~ Our country has so much to offer. We have seen some amazing things in the last few years. 

20) See a New to Us City ~ This shouldn't be too hard a goal to obtain. 

21) Take a Weekend Trip to Roanoke, Virginia ~ Rebekah is interested in their ballet company, and it is supposed to be similar to our own city (mountains, small city, liberal, artsy and four seasons of weather). We would like to check it out for her...and maybe even ourselves someday. 

22) Visit Another Country ~ Hey, a girl can dream and we really didn't think we would get to NYC for Christmas at the beginning of 2022, but we made it! Canada would be the most likely or a cruise to the Bahamas. Dreams...

Family Goal ~ 

23) Weekly Family Game or Movie Night ~ This has been a goal that we have successfully accomplished for a few years now, but it gets harder and harder as the kids' lives expand. I find it extremely beneficial to all of us, so I will continue to try and keep it a mandatory activity. 

Blessings, Dawn