I am feeling so grateful for the fresh start of a new year! January is always one of my favorites on the blog — one of the things I most love to do here is share tips for living as calm, confident, and capable women, and it feels like we’re all especially ready to sharpen ourselves this month! I hope to share a number of posts that will be helpful as you kick off your 2019, but for now, here are my January goals…

On my calendar this month:
— June’s third birthday party! Pink and purple sprinkles themed, per the birthday girl.
— Five days and four nights without John while he heads to Texas for job training – eeps!
— Our 14th dativersary!
— The premier of the new season of The Bachelor :)

What I’m loving right now:
— My in-laws got me this beautiful salad bowl for Christmas (we didn’t have one on our wedding registry!) and I can already tell it’s going to be a beloved piece in our home!
— These baked chicken meatballs are so yummy — I need to make a larger batch to keep in the freezer.
— I’m not sure if this counts as something I’ve loving because I haven’t actually used it, buuuuut John got an Instant Pot for Christmas. Hit me with your favorite recipes — all I know is I can cook frozen chicken breasts in half an hour!!

What I read in December:
— Errrr, nothing. Feeling very motivated to get back into a good reading rhythm this month!

January goals:
— Make a master list of months (of photos) still to be culled and sorted, then make a schedule to complete them in a year
— Shake the dust off our road bikes and bring them to the shop for a tune-up
— Read what the Bible has to say about Sabbath
— Host the first meeting of our church’s creative team
— Set reminders on my phone for walking and standing during my work days
— Set up a weekly meal exchange with my friend Katie, inspired by Victoria!
— Hang our new mirror in the living room
— Finalize my magic list :)
— Write our sweet girl a note on her third birthday (continuing a tradition)
— Order our 2018 photos from Social Print Studio

As a reminder, many of the goals above are drawn from my 2019 goals!

Hit me with your Instant Pot recipes if you’ve got em — otherwise, I’d love to hear something you’re looking forward to this month!

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I learned something this past year.

When John and I sat down for our end-of-year celebration dinner, we reviewed the progress we’d made on our 2018 family goals. We had 16, and in January I posted them on our refrigerator. We looked at them every single day, and as the months ticked by, we checked off every single one.

In contrast, my four personal focal areas for 2018… languished. I did make progress in each of the areas (thanks in large part to my monthly goals accountability – that’s you, friends!), but the goals themselves weren’t the driving factor. My “focal areas” were a little too vague, a little too general, and they just kind of sat there for twelve months. They mattered to me, but without even a twinge of specificity, they leaned a little too far to the heart versus the SMART side of things.

Anagram Photo

To be fair, it was challenging to formulate goals in a year when we knew we’d be expecting a new baby. And sharing those goals before Y’ALL knew we were expecting a baby? Even harder. So I don’t fault myself for how I set goals last year — but I’m excited to try something new in 2019!

The eight goals I’ve set for myself are far more concrete than is typical for me, and I plan to draw a mini goal from each of them for my monthly goals each month (inspired by Lisa!). Here they are:

1. Finish organizing our family photos, and create our first two albums. I made huge progress in my photo organization last year, and am excited to complete the project! The visual record I’m building will help establish and reinforce our family story, and it will feel SO GOOD to have everything neatly organized, easily accessible, and safely stored.
Some action steps: Make a master list of months still to be culled and sorted in Google Docs. Figure out how many months I need to do each month to finish in a year, then make a schedule.

2. Ride bikes as a family, and complete the MS ride in New Bern. Over the last few years of pregnancy and newborn life, fitness has not been the highest priority for the Thomases. John and I are thrilled to get back on our road bikes and get moving as a family! We’ll celebrate our hard work by completing an MS 100 or 150 fundraising ride in September (100+ miles over two days!).
Some action steps: Take our bikes to the shop for a tune-up. Get another kiddo bike seat and a car rack. Map out a training plan. Register for the race!

3. Rest in the Lord as we carve out weekly Sabbaths. Our weekends fluctuate between restful and overly-full, but even the restful ones feel as though we’re relying on our own strength and not the Lord’s. I’m excited to explore what true rest means and how a more intentional weekly Sabbath will transform our family!
Some action steps: Research and read a book or two about Sabbath. Read what the Bible has to say about Sabbath. Talk with John about our hopes for a family Sabbath. Brainstorm what it will take the other six days of the week to open up the seventh day, and make a plan.

4. Give my best to our church. We welcomed a new pastor halfway through last year, and the energy has been contagious since his arrival. There are some opportunities coming up my skills are uniquely suited for, and I’m excited to dig in and use what I can to draw others closer to a relationship with God!
Some action steps: Choose a meeting time for the creative team. Spearhead my Valentine’s Day idea.

Each of these photos means something special to me! I’ll print out two copies and put one on our refrigerator, and one in my PowerSheets.

5. Move my body throughout the day, every day. You’ve probably heard the dire warnings about the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle (me, too). Thinking about my 91-year-old grandmother and how nimbly she still navigates her world has lit a fire under me to force myself to add more movement to my days. Bang didn’t get to where she is by sitting on a sofa all day, and if I want to end up where she is, neither can I. This is the goal I don’t really want to set but know I need to :)
Some action steps: Outline a series of goals to gradually increase my working time standing. Research best practices for working while standing. Set an alarm to take a mini walk midway through my day. Pick back up with evening walks. Set up a standing desk at home.

6. Connect more deeply in our neighborhood. Last month we got the news that our two closest neighborhood couple friends are searching for new homes (locally, thankfully, but not in our same neighborhood). Truthfully, after making so much progress in this area and being so thankful for these friendships, it feels like a big setback and a bitter pill to swallow. But instead of wallowing, I’m setting this goal to force myself to dig in and create some new bonds.
Some action steps: Plan weekly meal exchange with Katie. Read This is Where You Belong. Schedule out girls’ nights for Q1.

7. Complete our family room. We’ve made solid progress on refreshing our family room and making it work for us, but there’s still a good chunk left to go!
Some action steps: Hang the mirror. Choose a pillow fabric and work with Aunt Nan to make them. Switch out our coffee table. Finalize toy storage. Add new lamps. Incorporate June’s artwork.

8. Kick off The Years of Making Magic. I have been alluding to this project for awhile now and am excited to officially introduce it soon! If you’ve loved my past 60 Before 30 and 101 in 1001 projects, you’ll love this newest incarnation! :)
Some action steps: Share the list and start checking things off! :)

I’ll be back with my January goals post soon, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear what you have planned for 2019. Do you have a word of the year? Have you set goals yet? I’d truly love to hear, so please drop a note in the comments! I can’t wait to cheer you on.

P.S. 2019 PowerSheets are still available – for now! :)

Vision board sources, clockwise from top left: pool, books, cyclist, kiddos, home, ice cream, bird, fabric, quote

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