Review of Goals for 2018

We're doing pretty well toward meeting a lot of our goals for this year, though of course we're making more progress toward some than others.

More Veggies:  I've really gotten in the groove of making smoothies.  I make them up the night before, and then just pop them in the fridge to buzz in the morning.  It's an easy way to include a serving or two of veggies (think spinach, carrots, winter squash, sometimes even parsley).  I've also been making a large salad to go with dinner each night, which gives me some to pack for lunch the next day.  Making soups is an easy place to add veggies too, and we've been roasting more veggies to have with other meals, and Benny's even been making sandwiches or wraps with those too.  I think I'm the only one who's really actively trying to eat more veggies, but at least having them to offer helps provide a chance for the others to have more.

Move More:  I've been trying to work out with YouTube videos each night after the boys go to bed.  This is easier said than done some nights (last night case in point), where baby seems to be going through that 18-24 month sleep regression thing.  There are times he wakes up every 15 minutes right after I put him down, so it's getting hard to work out after doing the "must do's" of prepping lunches, things for a crock pot meal, laundry, etc.  To alleviate that, I'm trying to actively move more during the day in small ways, like walking around my classroom and school more, or parking at the back of a parking lot to force myself to walk more.

Try 26 new recipes:  So far, I've tried a southwestern chicken soup recipe for the crock pot that I adapted to fit my new diet, a hot cocoa "recipe" that satisfies my sweet tooth in an easy way, and a new green bean salad recipe.  They're all pretty good, and I'm looking forward to trying some other new ones this year.  I'm also enjoying just reading through old cookbooks, and some that came from my grandmother.  It's such a nice way to reminisce, and some of them (especially the Mennonite ones, like More With Less) are kind of like devotionals.  I always try to write notes on recipes I make about when I made that particular dish, what we liked about it, etc.  It's fun to reread these notes too.

Spruce up:  Benny has touched base with the painter who's going to do our trim work, so that ball is rolling.  We'd like to get that started on the trim painting next week, so we'll see if it works out schedule wise.  We've contacted our tree guy to trim trees, and thought he was coming once, but he hasn't.  So, we'll touch base again with him.  

Clean out!  We still have so much stuff!  I've cleared out probably 100+ items now, but we've also ended up acquiring things from my grandmother's, since she passed away right before Christmas.  So, since we're ending up with that stuff too, I'm kind of on a mission even more to clean out.  We even set aside some Christmas gifts to save as regifts, not because they weren't nice or thoughtful, but because many of them duplicated what we already have.  I've also been working on using up more of what is in our pantry and freezer to clean out there too.

Build up the emergency fund:  We haven't spent quite as much on food this month, so that extra will go toward the emergency fund.  We also need to get our rental spaces relisted, which will help us rebuild this sooner.  I'm also looking into placing a Zaycon order for bulk meat, that's responsibly raised.  If you're interested too, check them out!  They offer pick ups around the country and prices are great.  By doing this in bulk, it would save more of our grocery budget for emergency fund.

Build a new house!  We are really praying on this one.  The original piece of land we wanted was sold (sort of out from under us... kinda sad), and the other in the neighborhood is really overpriced for the market.  So, we're trying to weigh how much this dream means to us, and if we can build a smaller, more efficient house that still meets our needs and budget in order to be able to purchase the other land.  I am leaning toward going for it, Benny not so much... Have you ever been at a crossroads like this?  How did you decide?

How are you doing with your 2018 goals?  I'd love to hear from you!