December 2018 goals

6 December 2018

Friends! I’ve missed you! This may be the latest in the month I’ve ever posted a goals post in my many years of doing them, but gosh darn it I’m here! :)

Since going back to work at the end of October, we have essentially had house guests 24/7 as our parents took turns watching Shep during the day. We have also traveled 3 of the 6 weekends between then and now, and John, June, and I all came down with a 24-hour stomach bug this past weekend. Combined with a busy season at work, the holidays, and John starting a new job (!), I’ve felt a bit like I’m just keeping my chin above water. On any free evening I do have, it seems by the time I’ve taken care of my necessary tasks to keep our household running, it’s 10:30 and time to get ready for bed. This is unusual for me, and honestly it’s been frustrating. There’s been no time for reading and no time for writing, and I’ve felt the lack of both.

All this to say – thanks for sticking with me! I am hopeful that I’ll be able to share a few posts before the year is over (I’ve got so many brewing!!), but even if not, I know 2019 will be a fresh start.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves :)

On my calendar this month:
— Dinner out with John for our 2018 review and celebration – one of my favorite nights of the year!
— Christmas in Connecticut, complete with a Polar Express train ride with matching cousin jams!!
— A low-key New Year’s Eve dinner and board game night with neighborhood friends

What I’m loving right now:
— We’re trying the Crew + Co Advent cards for the first time this year, based on the beloved Jesus Storybook Bible. I think June is still a bit young for the practice, but I’m enjoying it :)
— Listen, if you enjoy the government/action/conspiracy genre (only my favorite genre of them all), you MUST watch Bodyguard on Netflix. It’s six episodes and you will be on the edge of your seat the whole time. SO SO SO GOOD.
— You all know and love my friend Nancy (she of How We Do It fame), so I wanted to make sure you knew about her new blog! I’m as eager as you to learn from her, and can’t wait to see what she has coming down the pike.

What I read in November:
— Still plugging away at The Coddling of the American Mind (see above). If you’d like more recommendations in the meantime, I’ve rounded up my favorite fiction and non-fiction picks for your perusal!

Revisiting my goals for November:
Write one thank you note per day (Only got through about 15 notes, but it was a great practice!)
Organize our loft (Uhhh no. Moving this to my yearly goals because it clearly needs a more expansive plan.)
Do lots of Christmas shopping, taking advantage of Black Friday sales (Oh yes.)
Share gift guides for ladies, gents, parents, and kiddos (Wish I could have gotten more of these together earlier, but they take hours to research and write! Would you still be interested in seeing the last two, even though Black Friday is over?)
Order Christmas cards and Christmas newsletter (Christmas cards ordered and received – they look so good!!)
Work on Shep’s baby book and update June’s
Take down June’s pelmet and replace with curtains, creating a reading corner

December goals:
— Set our 2019 budget
— Finalize and print our yearly newsletter and send out our Christmas cards with love
— Work on Shep’s baby book and update June’s
— Share the story of Shep’s birth
— Send out invites for June’s birthday and order supplies
— Love on our trash and recycling guys, our neighborhood friends, and June’s teachers

Friends, I’d love to hear: do you do anything special for the folks who help make your life run smoothly, like the ones I listed above? I’m always looking for good ideas, though peanut butter balls are perennially a must.

P.S. On the subject of goals: I’m sharing bits of my PowerSheets prep work on Instagram this week, and it has been fun! Would love to have you join me!

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Emily
December 6, 2018 8:23 am

Hang in there Em! You’re doing a great job! Just take it hour by hour – that’s what I try to tell myself. It’s so hard for planners to feel like we’re just getting by in a day to day sense. I bought some ball jars and sugar and lavender oil and am making sugar scrub for our frequent babysitters and as hostess gifts. Hoping the process is fun and easy! Would love to see the gift guides!

Chelsey
December 6, 2018 8:33 am

I read the Coddling of the American mind last month and really enjoyed it! Hope you are liking it! :)

emma
December 6, 2018 9:22 am

Congrats to John! What is he doing now? I can pass on the gift guides, but so glad I got this December goals post. Thanks for the Netflix recommendation, too. Happy Holidays!

December 6, 2018 9:40 am

I love the idea of having a special date night out to review and celebrate the year! We might need to implement that this year! :)

Kelly Strawberry
December 6, 2018 10:25 am

Definitely do the gift guides…it’s not too late and yours are always my favorite! I honestly purchase at least one or two ideas from your lists every year!

Kelly Strawberry
December 6, 2018 10:26 am

but no pressure if you don’t have time ;)

December 6, 2018 10:46 am

We’ve been in the same rhythm lately.. but looking forward to when you can pop back on here more! Reading your posts always feel like a chat with the big sister I never had! :) Merry Christmas to your sweet bunch!

Wanda
December 7, 2018 7:04 am

Sounds like you’ve been doing some great things! This season is always fun, but it can be overwhelming. Hang in there and enjoy as much as you can!

As for little gift ideas, I receive lots of fun little things from my students every year. While they are all so sweet, my favorites are almost always the messages in the cards written (or drawn) by the kids. They mean so much to me! But my second favorite thing is a little gift card to a coffee shop (just a few dollars)! It is a perfect amount for a little treat anytime I need it :)

emma
December 7, 2018 9:09 am
Reply to  Wanda

thanks for sharing the little gift ideas! this is my first year for getting gifts for my son’s daycare teacher so this is helpful!

Anne
December 9, 2018 9:44 pm

I keep hoping for the legendary Peanut Butter Ball recipe to one year appear! Fingers crossed! :)

Anna
December 10, 2018 8:50 am

Yes I have also loved your kiddos recommendations by age! They are helpful to search back by age, so please post if you have time :)

Em
December 13, 2018 1:34 pm
Reply to  Anna

Glad you like them! I have one in the pipeline to coincide with her third birthday, coming in January :)

Katie B.
December 13, 2018 12:09 pm

Hello! I’m a first time Powersheets user (thanks to your very generous giveaway) who also wants to establish the tradition of a year-end review + celebration dinner with my husband. In your experience, do you find that it’s better to have your Powersheets prep work started before that dinner, or do you think it’s better to complete it after that conversation? As I look toward my personal goals for the 2019, I want to ensure that they’re aligned with the direction we’re headed as a family. It feels like a very “which came first, the chicken or the egg” situation right now :)

Em
December 13, 2018 1:36 pm
Reply to  Katie B.

Excellent! Glad you are enjoying them! I find it helpful to start my prep work before our dinner, but to set my personal goals after our dinner. That way, I’ve already started thinking about some of the questions we’ll discuss, but haven’t gone too far in the process that I can’t redirect based on our conversation! The great thing about PS is that you can always go back in your prep work and add more to each page :)

December 14, 2018 8:07 pm

Em, I love your goals! As always. :) What’s new?!

So, I am one of the least likely people to recommend a TV show because I care SO little about TV, but have you heard of Designated Survivor on Netflix? I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s GOOD. Especially season 1. The entire Capitol gets bombed during a state of the union address and the entire federal government gets wiped out, and well, it wasn’t by who you would think would do something like that. ;) Might be similar to Bodyguard; not sure!