The Journey of Parenthood…

Goals for 2014

I am a BIG believer in always having goals and always being focused on self improvement! Here are my goals for this year, in random order:

  1. Always be mindful of my #1 goal in parenting: Raise children who love the Lord and who show others that Christ lives in them. 
  2. Continue in our Dave Ramsey lifestyle and stay focused on our financial goals. 
  3. Research and find methods to help Kye and Britt get along better and have well established consequences in place for when they argue.
  4. Be a support system for people in my life that I care about and also work on building a stronger support system around me too. 
  5. Go through my old blog posts and make them more “Pinterest friendly” and do a better job pinning posts as I write them!
  6. Be an encourager to others and especially help new mothers the best I can…possibly put together a baby wise facebook group?
  7. Do not let my own personal hurt during Leo’s delivery dampen any of the joy. Stay focused on this sweet, wonderful blessing and on the people who are there with us, surrounding us in their love and support. 
  8. Train Britt to no longer suck her fingers outside of bedtime.
  9. Write a new will prior to Leo’s birth.
  10. Be in prayer about our decision for where Kye should attend school for first grade and do our best to make the best decision for his future and for our family as a whole.
  11. Focus on the reasons I love Zach and let go of the little things that get in our way! 
  12. House Goals: Transition all new rooms, patch and paint areas to spruce up home, refinish dining table and coffee tables, put backsplash up in kitchen, put the edging around the under cabinet lighting in kitchen, and add an over hang onto the storage shed to store golf cart and Power Wheels.
  13. ENJOY this phase of life. Savor my days with my children. Soak up the sweetness of my newborn!
  14. Transition Britt to her big girl bed.
  15. Be Zach’s biggest cheerleader. He works hard and deserves my constant, unwavering support!
  16. Have a more active and constant prayer life and do more with my time for the Lord.
  17. Be 100% there for Casey when Branch is born and really devote the time before Leo is born to being a support system for her. 
  18. Catch up and stay caught up on Facebook albums.
  19. Focus on God’s GOODNESS in all things. Even in tough times, remember He is Good and there is goodness everywhere in everything!
  20. Be healthy after Leo is born and work hard to get back to being ME 🙂
  21. Do a better job of keeping the kids clothing stored properly when they grow out of things and do a better job storing baby items for the next baby as Leo grows out of them!
  22. Finish all of my blog navigation tabs before Leo is born.
  23. Help Kye have a positive transition to his new room upstairs.
  24. Find acceptance with my lot in life with family. Find true fulfillment in my little family and get to a point of peace about my lack of personal extended family. 
  25. Respond in a timely manner to questions and such on the blog Facebook page.
  26. Share my personal testimony on the blog.
  27. Focus on rest and breastfeeding when Leo is born…accept help and ASK for help as I’m sure I’m going to need it!
  28. Have plenty of meals made ahead of time and in the freezer before Leo is born.
  29. Find age appropriate chores and responsibilities and implement them for both children to help our family when we add another baby.
  30. Do not be afraid to let go of relationships that aren’t mutually beneficial. Sometimes friends are for a season and that’s okay. Seasons change and friendships evolve. Be okay with letting go if needed.
  31. Publish 350 or more blog posts and stay closer to “real time” in my blogging.
  32. Be mindful in my pregnancy to eat healthy, drink lots of water, get plenty of rest, and EXERCISE!
  33. Continue my daily bible readings with the kids and work on doing bible studies for MYSELF too!
  34. Don’t let pregnancy or postpartum take over my ability and desire to look my best each day! Bust out that spray tanning system on the regular 🙂
  35. Limit the phone usage for Zach and I when we are spending time with the kids…find a good balance to make sure they always feel valued, listened to, and never 2nd best to our phones.
  36. Make our 30th birthdays special even with a new baby!
  37. Have my vehicle completely paid for and be well into the next Dave Ramsey step!
  38. Have Britt night and nap trained…be done with diapers for her for good. 
  39. Continue to focus on healthy eating for the kids, even when life gets crazier with a newborn added in the mix. 
  40. Have lots of special individual time with Kye and Britt before Leo is born and still make time for them daily! 
  41. Make plans for a family trip that will allow our children to play in the snow.
  42. Buy a gun for myself and learn how to use it!!!
  43. Read both Preschoolwise and Childwise and apply them to my parenting techniques.
  44. Find an easy way to back up photos and actually DO IT.
  45. Work on spending more quality time with Zach’s grandparents. 
  46. Find a non-family babysitter and build a relationship with them so we have someone we can use when family isn’t available.
  47. Have more structured playtimes for the kids, less random free playtime.
  48. Put Leo’s needs first for the first year of life and stay true to our goals for Leo to be well sleep trained and a true baby wise baby.
  49. Take many family trips and have Leo be just as “well traveled” as Britt and Kye.
  50. Continue to have a close bond with Casey and Jordan as we all adjust to our lives with new babies.
  51. Do not fear what the future may hold, trust that the Lord has is handled!
  52. Have this year be a year of FOOT HEALING. Whatever it takes…put this phase BEHIND US!
  53. Do my best to prepare Britt for preschool life and help that be an easy transition for her.
  54. Try not to stress over Hawaii. If it doesn’t work out, try not to be overly disappointed. 
  55. Continue focusing on my true friendships and make time for doing more things with my friends when I can. 
  56. Be the best wife I can be for Zach and show him love in the way he best receives it. 

I am very excited for this year and all the wonderful plans we have, especially with the new addition of another sweet baby to love on! I know this will be a wonderful year for our family 🙂 

Emily Parker
Latest posts by Emily Parker (see all)

2 Comments

  1. Robyn Mullican
    February 20, 2014 / 7:51 pm

    I love how you set so many goals for yourself every year! Have you ever thought about reviewing them (in a blog post) in like June/July to see how you're doing? Maybe it'll help you stay on track with ones that you may forget about!

    Reply
  2. Kristen Kliethermes
    February 20, 2014 / 9:57 pm

    I'm so excited! This is my first time following a pregnancy of yours! And a full year too!

    Reply

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