2013 Goals Pt.2

So, In my last post, I reviewed the goals I set for 2012.  In this post I'll set some goals for 2013.

I set my goals based on Luke 2:52. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.


In Wisdom (Academic/Intellectual Goals)
1. Read American Literature course book.  This is a book I selected to use for Kathryne's 10th grade literature course, but it is filled with classics and broken down into historical time periods.  There are quite a few I haven't read, so I want to read through the book.
2. Read 5 doctrinal/devotional books.
3. Attend homeschool convention.
4. Read Les Miserables.  After seeing the movie and hearing the music, I have to attempt the book.

In Stature (Physical Goals)
1. Attempt elimination diets to determine what affects my fibromyalgia.  The nutritionist has given me five top foods to try.
2. Exercise at least 10 minutes 5 times a week.  What the heck, I'll try again.
3. Turn off light by 12:30 each night.  At this point 12:00 seems hard to reach.  I hurt so at night that I have to have time to unwind and try to settle before I can sleep.
4. Track food and exercise regularly at Spark People.  When I am faithful to do this, I eat better and exercise more.

In Favor With God(Spiritual Goals)
1. Continue the 3 year Bible read through of The Voice.  I began this year after stumbling across The Voice Bible, and I am really enjoying this.
2. Read through the Bible in 90 days once.  I'm not sure I'll make two times this year because I want to focus on my 3 year read through also.
3. Memorize one verse a week.  I'm going to be more focused this time and use this web site I found:http://bible.org/article/advanced-scripture-memory-program.

In Favor With Man (Social Goals)
1. Blog 3 times a week.  This can include anything in all three blogs.
2. Participate in at least 10 blog cruises/hops.
3. Continue relationships through Ladies Bible Study and Fun Friday.

So here we go: a new year, a blank slate, a page turned, and another chance to do the things (1) I think God wants me to do and (2) the things I would like to accomplish.

Linked up with Weiser Academy:

Review of 2012 Goals and 2013 Goals Pt.1

In 2012 I broke my goals down into the categories mentioned in Luke 2: And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

So, let's see what goals I met:

In wisdom (personal growth):

1.  Read 5 classics for the year. Hmm, I would be hesitant to say I even read one classic this year.  Of course I did read several of the Little House books to the little girls, and we read A Little Princess.  Does that count?

2.  Read 5 devotional/doctrinal books for the year. I read 7 by Jen Haker, Great Day Every Day by Max Lucado, As One Devil to Another by Richard Platt, Family Driven Faith by Vodie Baucham,The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, Grace by Max Lucado, and The Radical Question and a Radical Idea by David Platt.  So I completed this one.

3.  Attend homeschool convention in March. Yep, did this one.  And it was great!

4.  Develop more resources for Teachers Pay Teachers website. Nope.  I've sort of given up on contributing any more.  My trial item didn't sell.  Maybe I quit too soon.  I might come back to it.

In stature (physical growth): I have failed pretty miserably with all of these.  I am in pretty bad shape physically at the end of this year with my chronic pain.

1.  Exercise 5 days a week.

2. Go to bed earlier- by midnight.  (I know this may sound late, but I am a night owl and tend to read at night and not go to sleep.)

3.  Get up by 8am every morning.

Favor With God (spiritual growth):

1.  Read through the Bible twice in the year. Yep.  Bible in 90 Days completed 2x.

2.  Pray daily and regularly using ideas from In Constant Prayer.(This was a great book about praying the hours that I read this past year.)I did increase my prayer life.  I didn't necessarily use the book.

3.  Complete one in depth Bible study. Yes.  I was in Ladies Bible study during the spring quarter, and we completed a women of the Bible course.

4.  Memorize 4 Bible chapters throughout the year- one per quarter. No.  I really want to try this one again.

Favor With Man (social growth):

1.  Blog 5 times a week. I'm not sure I ever made this, but I did increase my blogging.  And I was chosen to be on the Schoolhouse Magazine Review Crew.  So, I hope I'll continue to increase blog readership.

2.  Read and respond to blogs 5 times a week. Yes.  I did this most weeks.

3.  Get together with godly women in real life once a month. I'm not sure I timed it out to once a month.  But, I have had good interactions with other women- through Ladies Bible Study and through our Fun Friday co-op.

In my next post, I'll set goals for this year.

On Getting It Wrong and Making It Right

I've managed to do most of Christmas shopping online this year.  It's great- no lines, no waiting, no fuss.  And I've gotten some really great deals.

Back in November, I found a great deal on my Amazon Local Deals site. It was a deal for a 8.5x11 photo calender from a company I'd never heard of called Printer Pix.  I was a little hesitant to buy since I didn't know anything about the company.  But last year I had purchased photo books for our parents, and they were a big hit.  So I took a chance and bought two.

I selected my photos and made my calendar immediately and placed my order for two.  Then I waited.  And waited. And waited.

I was getting a little nervous and planning to contact Printer Pix when I finally received a package from them in the mail.  I opened it excitedly to find...

There was a small, very small, 8x5 inch calendar with really fuzzy, tiny pictures.  And there was only one calendar.

I immediately emailed the company- "I only received one calendar. It's the wrong size. The quality is very poor."  The next day, I received an answer.  The company offered a sort of apology.  "We're sorry. You ordered the wrong size.  Here's the invoice."  There was no mention of the fact that one calendar was missing or that the calendar was so pitiful.

I emailed back. "Why would my voucher work with the wrong size of calendar?  My vouchers were for 8.5x11 calendars." And an answer back- "We're sorry.  Sometimes customers order something different with a voucher."  Huh?

I realized that I was getting nowhere fast.  So I quickly placed the calendar order with Shutterfly, a company I've used very successfully in the past.  I guess I should have stayed with a company I trusted in the first place.  I received two beautiful calendars within 2 days- the correct size.

Meanwhile I waited and waited to see if another calendar would surface from Printer Pix.

After another week, I emailed Printer Pix again.  "I haven't received a second calendar or any satisfaction from the first one being the wrong size and poorly made.  I am going to contact Amazon Local Deals and the Better Business Bureau."  No answer.

I finally received the second calendar.  It came in a plain brown wrapper and was bent in two.  It had a pretty good sized ink smudge on the cover.

I notified the company again.  This time I received another "apology" and an offer to remake the calendar if I would send the defective one back.

By this time, I had contacted Amazon Local Deals and the Better Business Bureau.  I let the company know this and let them know that I didn't want a remade calendar because they were so bad to start with and I certainly couldn't give them as gifts.  I also let them know that I knew I wouldn't have time to wait for a new calendar even if I wanted one because it had taken so long to receive anything else.

This time I received another "apology", a postage paid shipping label, and promise to refund all my money.

I mailed both calendars the next day.  That was just the end of last week, so I have yet to see if I get a refund.  I did thank the company for making things right.

There is a moral to my long tale: Stick to a trusted company- especially when it comes to something important.

A secondary moral: Don't try Printer Pix.  I hope they will stick to their word and make things right, but it sure has been an ordeal.

And lastly: I do recommend Shutterfly.  I'm not getting anything from this recommendation.  But, they've always done a good job on cards, calendars and photo books.  They also have good prices- even without an Amazon Local Deal.

Christmas: It Isn't a Day

Several years ago we began opening presents with the kids on Christmas Eve morning. We did it for several reasons.  First, as the kids got older, they really wanted a day to stay in jammies and play with Christmas things, and on Christmas day we go for brunch/lunch with Jason's family.  Also, we thought the kids would enjoy gifts more if we dragged them out instead of getting so much on one day.

We've received some questioning looks and wondering faces when we tell folks our tradition.  Although a few understand, some seem to think it's awful to think of such a thing.

But I've learned something over the years- especially since having my own children.  Christmas isn't a day.

Sure there is a time of year that we as a culture have set aside for a winter holiday.  As Christians we use it to focus on Christ.  As consumers we use it to buy presents to show love and honor to family and friends.  But the true, meaningful parts of Christmas aren't wrapped up in a day.

Aside from worshiping and praising Christ- which we should do every day, not only on December 25- the main focus of Christmas is love and relationships.  It's baking together, singing together, reading books together, playing together.  It's going to church together, eating together, laughing together.

And we can do those things (and should do those things) every day of the year.

From one of my favorite Christmas stories: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, 
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

Christmas is more.  And we can open presents together on December 24, or 25th, or in the middle of July.  And we can share the love and joy of family and friends any time.  Christmas isn't a day.  It's so much more.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends!

A digital ecard by Smilebox

Menu Plan Monday: December 17, 2012

Ah, I haven't posted a menu plan in quite a while.  I've actually been doing pretty well with it, though.  I've finally realized (mostly) that no matter what plan I use I have to actually COOK the food for it to work.  Who knew?!!  So, I've been using using Google Calendar to plan my meals.  I'm using Google Calendar to organize our whole lives, so I might as well include meal plans.

This week is a little iffy because Ashlyne has two Christmas show nights at the gym, Charles has two basketball nights, and the big kids have a Christmas party.  I've tried to plan quick food or crockpot food for every night.

Monday- Tater Tot Casserole; Green beans; Corn

Tuesday-BBQ Chicken

Wednesday- Crescent Roll Hot Dogs (sort of like pigs in blankets)

Thursday- Easy Crockpot Chicken (basically chicken in the crockpot with any cream soup served over rice)

Friday- Easy Beef Strogonoff

Saturdays and Sundays are usually leftovers and sandwiches around here.

To see more menu posts, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Christmas Confessions

I've resurrected one of my favorite posts from a couple of years ago.  It expresses perfectly my feelings about this time of year.  It's not been one of my favorite times of year for quite a while.  I had happy Christmases as a child, so this dysfunction has arisen in my adult years.  

For a while, I blamed the fact that when we were first married, Jason and I had far different expectations of the holiday.  I do think this colored my holiday perceptions.

But lately I've come to a realization.  I think what ruined the holidays the most were the tremendous expectations I placed upon myself.  If I couldn't have a house decorated to Southern Living quality, why decorate?  If I didn't bake exceptional confections like the ones in all of the magazines, why make holiday treats?  I set up these unrealistic expectations for myself and then was discouraged when I didn't meet them.

Over the years, I've reached a peace about Christmas.  I've accepted my abilities and limitations.  I've decided to do what's fun for us and skip the rest.  My home isn't decorated like Martha Stewart, and nothing I cook will grace the pages of a magazine. But we have some fun together as a family.  We have traditions that my kids look forward to.

And even though Christmas isn't Jesus's real birthday, we use some of our traditions to draw our focus to worship Him.

So, while I still like this post, and I still do think many of these same thoughts, I am in a better place than I was two years ago.  I am not going to be bound by others' expectations.  I'm going to do Christmas with my family.  We're going to have our own traditions.  We're going to love each other.  We're going to worship God.  

Merry Christmas!

I have a confession to make.  I don't like Christmas very much.  I've never been one to put up tons of decorations or to listen to Christmas music for the whole month of December.  I do try to be a little Christmassy (is that a word?) for the kids, but I think even they know I'm not always into it.

I've been analyzing why I don't particularly care for all the Christmas trappings for the past few years.  Here's what I've come up with so far:

1.  Christmas is NOT Jesus's birthday.  Let's have a little history lesson.  Jesus (according to historical documents about when the Roman census took place) was probably born in the spring.  Christians adopted pagan winter holidays and decided to celebrate Christ's birth during that time of year, so that they could have a holiday that wasn't pagan.  In fact, no where in the Bible are we even told to celebrate the birth of Christ.  Although Christ Himself tells us to remember His death.  (Luke 22:17-19)

2.  Christmas in our culture no longer means sweet family traditions and a happy celebration in the cold of winter.  It has become a beacon of materialism.  Stores put out decorations and sell gifts beginning in October now.  No matter what cliches we might say-  "It's the thought that counts."- based on time and money spent, we can tell it really is about what you get (or how much you give).

3.  The things that are good about Christmas, we seem to relegate to the month of December and forget about for the rest of the year.  It is great to focus on Jesus- not necessarily his birth -but God's promises and provisions all through history.  But, why we do we only do it in December?  Why can't we remember the symbolism of the Advent wreath all year?  Giving to charities and those is need is wonderful, but I am sure they still need things in June, not just December.  Spending time with family and friends and developing relationships should be a priority ALL year, not for one month.  Passing on to our children our faith through traditions and teachings should be done all the time, not only on Christmas.



So, where does all this pondering leave me?  I'm not sure.  I am in a family and in a church and in a community that has a different view of things than I do.  Quitting Christmas may not be the most realistic option considering those around us.  So, how do I reconcile what I'm thinking with what we actually do?  I'm still finding out.  I'm still testing the waters.  Our celebration of Christmas changes and evolves from year to year around our house.