The Journey of Parenthood…

Goals for 2018

I LOVE that 2018 is a year of completeness for our family. Last year was such an up in the air kinda year. We didn’t know when we’d be matched, when we’d have a baby, what his needs would be etc etc. We also had a lot on us with Zach’s health. We got his diagnosis in January but didn’t really know what to expect. He had meds every 28 days then switched to an every 6 month medication.

This year we KNOW his plan for his treatments. We KNOW Spear is here, and ours, and healthy. There is a HUGE peace of mind in these things and being able to start a new year having that contentment is a blessing and a gift that we appreciate!

I have heard a lot that women in their 30s really find this inner confidence in who they are and let go of a lot of the insecurities they had in their teens and 20s. I can see that really happening with me and I’m LOVING IT. 33 is my lucky number and I turned 33 in November so I feel like this is going to be MY YEAR 🙂

I love making goals, even if they don’t all get met. I give myself a lot of grace for last year. I had no clue when I made the goals in January what the year would hold or how emotionally draining the adoption process would be 😉 This year though it’s ON!

These are all in random order:

  1. Finish reading the book Boundaries and really work on improving myself and growing in this area of my life and in my relationships with others. 
  2. Keep being a “hardcore Babywise mom” with Spear but also have the flexibility with him that I never was able to master with previous babies. 
  3. Get completely caught up to real time with blogging AND have all my blog books printed to be caught up to real time as well.
  4. Be able to give Spear at least one bottle of breastmilk a day until weaned from bottles. 
  5. Keep our golf cart well maintained and go on regular golf cart rides to avoid more rats from invading it. 
  6. Help Kye navigate this tender time of his life as a pre-teen. Find that balance with him and foster his relationship with Zach as well as help him to find his passions. 
  7. Make time for myself at least once a week (Zach is so good at this and I want to make sure I’m making my ME time a top priority!).
  8. Get in shape and stay in shape – eat healthier consistently and find that proper balance (no more emotional/boredom/because it’s free eating).
  9. Be understanding and supportive with Zach’s first full year in management and help him achieve those goals in anyway I can. 
  10. Investment property goals (post to come!): first to make enough to cover property management related expenses, then make enough to cover total cost of home, and finally earn enough to cover next year’s Disney passes. 
  11. Meet Britt where she needs me most – physical touch. Make a special effort to give her extra cuddles and quality time to make sure she feels loved and special. 
  12. Go on a date night once a month with Zach. 
  13. Focus on more quality family time together like playing board games, visiting longer at dinner, family walks, little moments together that can be made special. 
  14. Blog goals for my 10th year of blogging: total revamp, new ad company, completely update all navigation tabs for better organization, focus on Pinterest for growth, create more content, earn my goal amount for at least 3 months of the year. 
  15. Remind my friends how much they mean to me, do FUN things together, host events at my home, encourage new members to book club and help it grow. 
  16. Continue to learn more about oils and incorporate their use into our daily lives. 
  17. Visit Disney once a month – fully enjoy and utilize having passes!
  18. Get fully back on track financially. Write out a game plan to get savings/retirement caught up and back on track as well as plan for future expenses (home repairs, renovation plans, etc). 
  19. Seek positivity in all things. Look on the bright side. Be a light. Be the example of what I desire my children to be. 
  20. Enjoy Tess while she’s still at home with me until the fall and help her over the summer with swim. 
  21. Contentment. Be content in our family. Do not take it for granted, remember all the prayers and steps it took for us to be complete. Be content in that and in our home and our shared love for each other. 
  22. Home Goals: Fire pit. Plans for new carpet, countertops and appliances. Update mulch. Paint pool decking. Revamp our bedroom. Replace coffee and end tables in living room. 
  23. Reach out to new friends who I’m hoping to develop deeper bonds with. Be an includer. But also recognize relationships that take more than give and seek those that offer an equal balance and bring joy to my life. 
  24. Purge all my baby stuff and clean out attic to be able to better organize attic storage area. 
  25. Open God’s Word more this year. Pray more often on my own. Seek God in all things. Continue to step out in faith in the areas in which I feel led.
  26. Plan an epic surprise trip for the kids (shhhh!) and make it really special for us all! Enjoy the other trips we have planned both just Zach and I, as a family, and make an effort for trips with friends too!
  27. Be able to attend Zach’s appointments with him. Get in a good grove on making sure his needs are met with all aspects of his health and do things daily to make sure we’re doing our part while letting the meds do theirs! 
  28. Do not be afraid to speak my truth and continue to be transparent and open and honest and share my heart. 
  29. Continue to talk to Dad and Audrey on a regular basis, aim for two visits this year to spend quality time together. 
  30. Get 8 hours of sleep a night (Zach too!).
  31. Truly ENJOY my family. Stop always thinking about things I “need to do” and just ENJOY them. Savor Spear as my last baby and just soak up all the little moments with them every day. 
  32. Work on my impulse control. From not being able to resist a good deal to eating to using unkind words. Pray on it. Learn to PAUSE. 
  33. Continue my trend of this year in standing up for myself and being true to Emily and to my needs and being confident in who I am and what I stand for. 

As I mentioned last year, each year my list gets shorter and shorter on my goals. I think it’s part of getting older and wiser (ha!) and just knowing myself and my truest goals and desires and things I want to REALLY focus on and work on in the coming year. I am SO EAGER and EXCITED for the personal growth I feel coming my way and that’s already begun this year. It’s like something has just really “clicked” within me and I feel like I’m able to focus on myself and my personal growth in a way I haven’t been able to in a long time. Last year was so filled with focuses on other things (Zach’s health, baby waiting, other family stuff) and I just feel in such a good place in those areas and able to BREATHE and really reset our lives and get a new normal for us all and just have this inner contentment and peace. I’m PUMPED! 

Emily Parker
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