Goals instead of resolutions...

So I have decided, rather than make a bunch of resolutions I very likely won't keep, since they're usually "I won't ...", I am going to set New Year's Goals, which I have been mentally tinkering with for the last few days... Some of these are personal goals, some goals for the house (that will involve assistance from other household members), some are for the kids, etc.

1. Paint the house, inside and out. Thanks to some very generous gift cards I recieved for Christmas, this goal is now immediately possible, rather than something I'd like to do someday. Of course, the weather will have to cooperate!

2. Improve the yard, front and back. This includes tearing out the front lawns and putting in more interesting stuff - grasses, flowering plants, a few big rocks, two trees, and so forth; installing and planting raised veggie beds in the back; redoing the clotheslines as they sag terribly; putting in a sandbox/play area for the kids in the back; planting, planting, planting.

3. Set up the "playroom" and family office in our garage. Mostly this involves clearing out miscellaneous boxes, putting down some of my many area rugs, and setting up good toy/book/etc storage. We also need to get a heater that is efficient.

4. Lose (at least) another 20 pounds. I lost 21 pounds this year, and hope to do better in '08. Things that would help me accomplish this would be getting more exercise, and eating more healthfully. I want to keep working on this because I need to have energy for my kids, and to set a good example for them. I want to keep them healthy as well.

5. Find a better job. Part-time, decent pay, regular hours. It'll definately help that M will be going back to work fulltime in the next few weeks, as this gives my end of the financial contributions a little more wiggle room. I am looking at both secretarial jobs and instructional assistant positions.

6. Finish at the local community college and transfer. I have this planned, and in the works, for Fall of '08. I just need to actually accomplish it!

7. Follow my plans for the kids' schooling through early June. I have figured out what we need to actually do each week to accomplish my goals for them (mostly goals for Elf), so I need to make sure we do it. I won't reach my original goal of finishing SOTW volume 1 this year, and there are a couple of other things we won't get done, but that's okay and we'll just move on with what we can do, without undue stress!

So, there they are. My 7 goals for 2008. I have tried to make them realistic, so we'll see how it goes!