A Challenge....

Well not really but sort of. I was reading "By sun and candlelights" blog today and she posted that she did not make resolutions becuase they always fail but rather New Year's GOALS instead. She asked everyone to comment with some of their ideas but since I usually write a novel I decided to just do a post on it and send her the link. I really like the term Goals instead of resolutions...how many people do you know say they are restarting their resolution because they did not do it the previous year? However "goals" are something you can work towards so if you don't meet them at least you are working towards them.


Start a small group at church....Already got the process started on this one. The people I have talked to so far are loving the idea so I am hoping it is successful. I put in the application for a twice a month "Freezer cooking and Fellowship" group. I got an idea for a supper swap but with that someone always has to deliver something each night of the week, this way we all meet twice a month in a big kitchen somewhere and only bring ingredients for the recipes we are making...depending on size of group each person makes one or two recipes times how many people are signed up. So if you make lasagne and there are 7 people in the group then you make 7 lasagnes and keep one for yourself and give the rest out, the other people in the group do the same thing. You wind up with enough meals for dinner for two weeks that you can pop in your freezer and it is healthier and CHEAPER...oops I mean "frugal" then going out to eat or even to one of those "freezer cooking places" plus you get to pick the recipes. :)

Work out 3 times a week at least....Ok I know this sounds cliche I mean doesn't everyone make this goal or resolution every year? However I am doing it with the mindset of "getting healthy" I also thought it would be a good time for hubs and I to do something together that is why for Christmas this year I asked for a gym membership for BOTH hubs and I. :) We will be startin that next week!

Blog more then once in a blue moon...Hey so far this year I have done pretty good I think. I will try and keep it up, and not just to brag about my kids either although look at the subject. lol No my goal is to blog about different topics etc. especially homeschooling. We will see how that goes.

Do some actual gardening with the kids this summer...I really do want to do something like that with them, I was thinking of starting small...maybe with a couple of those big round planters and go from there.

Take the kids to Disneyland...They don't know this yet but probably around August or begininning of September hubs and I will be taking the kids to Disneyland. We are not going to tell them until we are at the airport. I cannot wait to see the surprise on their little faces. My only concern is how they will do for the plane ride. I am pretty sure Honey Nut will be fine, Lucky Charms I am not sure he is so energetic and talkative and for those of you that know me personally...no I have NO idea where he gets that from. *sheepish grin* Of course I am concerned about how Trix will do it is a long time for him to sit, and I am always worried about seizures but I think it will be fine. I tend to be a worry wart big time.

Work more with local missions...One of the things I love most about our church is their love for missions. We have recently been in the Seattle Times on the FRONT page even talking about our church. They described us as a "church with no home but a mission to go where their needed" they could not be more right. My ultimate dream is to go on one of the big mission trips to Ghana or other places but for right now my kids are too little for me to be gone that long etc. HOWEVER that does not mean I cannot do local mission work. Our church has been to the California wildfires, local floods, etc. One of the local causes our church is involved with is a project called "Vine Maple Place" a place for parents to start over...mostly it is moms getting out of bad situations, however there are fathers too. I am planning on working more with the "decorating divas" group where we go in and set up the apt with the donated furniture (which the families get to keep by the way) and design a new home for a family to be able to start over in. I could write forever about this local mission but here is a link if your curious to know more http://vinemapleplace.org/ .

Help my children with their desire to do mission work...This is really important to me and heartwarming to know my kids want to get involved. One thing hubs and I have always tried to instill in them is a love for helping others. We started when they were young with the cookies to fireman and policeman on Christmas eve. More recently my daughter became really inspired to want to help in some way after a friend of hers in church started the "David and Goliath" project . I will provide a link here to a story on this little girl and what she wanted to do. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=306096502 anyway my daughter wanted to help besides just selling the necklaces so she is right now trying to decide..she is pretty sure she wants to make "hope blankets" that she can give to our missions director to distribute when they go to places like flood victims who lost everything etc. Or even to give to kids at hte local childrens hospital. Either way I think it is awesoem that she was inspired and also that she was inspired by another great little gal. I will post more on her efforts later. The boys want to do stuff too but we are not sure what yet.

That is about all I can think of for now. I have other goals more schoolwork related but I may just type those out later. :)

The Cheerio Queen