Recap of 2011 Resolutions

What good are goals if you don't remember what they are? My year didn't turn out exactly how I planned, and somewhere along the way I lost control of my life. I finally feel like I'm gaining control again, so I'm thinking about goals for the new year. I decided to look back on last years goals to see how I did on those first. All the kids set goals last year and they let me publish them, so we'll go over them one by one. Hopefully we will see the enormous progress we've made this year.

Cooper:

Stop beating up Turner. Nope

Stop coloring on walls and books. Win! Yes! Although it could be that he just grew out of the stage? Or perhaps the threats? But he does not color on walls or books anymore!

Turner:

Stop slapping. He doesn't slap. So I guess yay? But I don't recall him ever slapping. That's a good way to set a goal. Say that you won't do something that you already don't do. Brilliant.

Stop Hitting. Well, he doesn't actually hit a lot. So I guess good. He mostly screams. I feel a new goal coming on. So good job Turner, you're 2 for 2!

Regan:

Learn Ballet. Uh, no. Didn't happen. But she is friends with someone who takes ballet. Does that count?

Read the scriptures. I don't know exactly what she meant here, but as a family we did okay on that. Not perfect, but we tried. I don't think she read much on her own.

Practice violin and piano. Okay. Violin, she's done great. She was in the middle of Suzuki Book 2 a year ago, and is now in the middle of Suzuki Book 3. She's very motivated with her violin right now and is doing a great job with practicing. Piano, however, has fallen to the wayside. We keep talking about it, but she already practices for about an hour a day, so it's hard to fit in another instrument.

Landon:

Practice (violin) without anybody's help. Well, this is a fail since he quit violin this summer. He did however take up percussion with the school band and he does practice that on his own. He talks about starting up violin again, but I don't see it happening.

Read the scriptures. Again, I think he's only done this with the family.

Do some triathlons. Nope. A move and lack of necessary funds precluded this from happening.

Porter:

Make a usable knife. Maybe? I don't know. He's made lots of other cool stuff this year, though.

Make a good short movie. Nope. All movies he makes are not good. They are, in fact, the opposite of good. But he thinks they're funny, so whatever.

Say my personal prayers every day. I don't know. Possibly.

Brush my teeth every day. I don't think so. But definitely more often than he did last year.

Shower more often. Yes. Win.

Go to sleep more often. What the heck does that even mean? He still sleeps every day! But now that he gets up for early morning seminary (starts at 5:50 am), he goes to bed on his own accord between 8:30 and 9:00 every night.

Obtain a Flip (video camera). Well, if you count that he always steals mine and makes movies using it, I guess that he got that one. AND...he hasn't even broken it...yet.

Hayden:

I want to write in my journal more often (every week). No, I don't think he has.

I will read the Book of Mormon (or other scripture) every day. He may have missed a day or two, so he came pretty darn close.

I want to participate in the Youth Triathlon Championships. Nope. Didn't do a single tri this year. No time, no money.

I will swim in the State Competition. Yes, and yes! He has done it twice. He qualified in the winter of 2011 with Timberline High School and competed in the Washington State Finals, and then after moving to AZ, he qualified in the fall of 2011 with Liberty High School and placed 6th in Arizona State Finals.

I will not procrastinate...quite as much. Fail.

And me....

Spiritual Six (family/personal scriptures daily, family/personal prayers daily, FHE weekly, Temple monthly) It depends on the month. Some months, did great, others, not so much.

Losing weight. Did it. Lost about 15 lbs this year.

Run a full marathon. Plans changed when I moved. You can't train for a marathon in an Arizona summer. It is just too hot. So didn't happen. But I did train for a half, I just never ran it. I did run 3 to 5 times a week all year though.

Go on a vacation! Did it. After moving to AZ, we went back to WA for a vacation. Win!

Get better at getting kids to do chores. Uh, better try that one again this year.

No yelling. Believe it or not, that one has gotten better. I hardly yell any more. I could still do better, since my goal was NO yelling, not just less yelling. Maybe next year. Or maybe when my kids move out?

So obviously I need to do something different about my goals. Not just set them January 1st, then review them 12 months later. Maybe review them each month and set shorter term goals each month. What a concept. :)

How did your 2011 goals work out for you?