Goals

I've given just a bit of thought to goals for 2010. So far I've really only come up with general areas in which I'd like to set a goal. Here are my thoughts...
* Meal Planning Goal
Continue meal planning - occasionally cook for the freezer
* Weight Loss
I have a goal for 15lbs in the first 3 months of the year. I need a plan.
* Cleaning Goal
Nothing specific here. I've done a very good job with the house over the past two or three weeks. I need to keep it up and probably set up a schedule or something.
* Daily Bible Study
Nuff said! I would like to read the whole Bible this year.
* Stop Biting Nails
I did a great job with this during this summer. I got a manicure with mom for her birthday, and didn't bite for about 6 weeks. I think after that I needed another manicure becauce I was getting hang nails etc. I'd like to grow just enough nail to not be embarassed about a manicure, then try keeping it up every 5 or so weeks for a few months to see how I do. I'd love to be rid of this one this year!
* Work Goal
I've started working again. It's going well, but I need to set up some child care for about one day a week. I want a goal in this area for hours to work/balancing time with Miles. I don't want to give up any of the good stuff with him, and I'd like to use the time away to come back refreshed if a little more tired. :)
* Picture Goal
I'm not sure what this one will look like. Before I've wanted to take a picture either every day or every day that Jared had to travel. I recently found the 52 weeks challenge. I'll have to think about this one. Right now I'm thinking I want to take pictures of most of the projects that Miles and I do, and have a picture of me every week for the challenge.
* Gardening Goal
Last year I resolved to make a garden. With Jared's help this one was done in fabulous style and in time for the summer garden. This year it's going to be about not missing a gardening season and using what I grow. Our winter garden is doing great.
* Budgeting Goal
We are working on setting up a budget in a few areas. We will have to both determine a budget amount, and then stick to it!
* Sewing Goal
I'm not sure what all will be here. I did no work on Miles' baby blanket last year. I took the quilting class and really enjoyed it. I have done a lot of the hand quilting for this, and would like to finish it. I may have the border done by machine. I'm also considering taking another class. I'd like to make some gifts by hand this year. This will need some refining.
* Organizational Goal
Simplify my space (I.E. have a closet with some space in it)

Shoot Me! #1

My mom makes calendars for the family every year with pictures of each family member. She goes all out and even puts little pics on the day square for the birthdays and pictures of the couples on their anniversaries. They are so fun, and new every year. She tries to use no picture older than 12 months. It's very impressive. This year she called asking for a picture of Jared and I together. Well....let me look...uhh...in the same picture? Come to think of it, there are very few pictures of me at all!

Shortly after that I found Forever in Blue Jeans and a meme she was just wrapping up She says "We are always the ones behind the camera, this is YOUR chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family. Now she has a picture of herself from every week of this year. What a great motivation to use your camera, capture what your family is doing, and manage to squeeze into a few pics yourself!

Although, I have to tell you, if I'm goint to participate in this, I've got to figure out how my timer works!

Not a great picture, but it's a start. We took it right after breakfast. Miles wanted to cut and paste, so he was doing that and I snapped a shot of the two of us!

Letter Game

Miles and I have started playing a new game. We got the printables here (a fantastic blog too). I printed out the alphabet, and cut out some shapes for him.


He loves this game. We play one letter at a time, and he loves figuring out which shapes to use. I'll tell him the name of the letter and the sound it makes before he starts and he'll frequently ask the name of the letter after he's done too. He's pretty quick with it too.

Here he is wearing the big curve shape (like for a "C" or a "D") on his head.

Bounce House

Today we went to a bounce house place. Miles had a lot of fun! Here are some pics.In the car on our way.

Peek-A-Boo

Up, Up, Up!

Here I come!

Weeeeeeee!

He spent a fair amount of time staring at this video game.

Sorry for the poor photo quality. I think (hope) it was the lighting.

What? It's been more than a month?

I wonder what I've been doing. I can't really remember because my camera broke again! Aghhh! My camera has broken twice in less than ten months. Frustrating. The exact same part broke both times. After a couple of calls to customer service I did get them to promise to fix it for free although I haven't gotten the refund on my credit card. We'll see though.

We've had a lot going on, but I have no pictures to show for it. We had a great Thanksgiving. As usual we went to my grandmother's and had actual Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncle's house. It was a lot of fun! They live out in the country, and have a bunch of goats. We opened the goat pen and let Miles go a little crazy! He had so much fun.

Jared's mom asked about taking Miles on Monday mornings and doing a little preschool. We are going to work together to figure out what we want to teach him. I'm hoping to start taking more pictures of Miles. It takes me a bit to get back in the swing of using my camera after I get it back.

Jared is out of town most of this week. He just left tonight, and won't be back until Thursday around noon. I'm planning lots of activities to keep Miles busy. Hopefully wear him out a bit. After we got back from the airport we did our usual routine, and I got him in bed. I still heard him in there talking almost an hour after bed time! Wow!

Gift Giving

I've been getting ready for and thinking about Christmas for a while now. I'm still working on the HGP. I'm planning and slowly purchasing Christmas gifts. The big "question mark" has been a gift giving philosophy. How are we going to handle giving to my son. Do we give him everything he asks for at Christmas/birthday (they follow in close succession)? Do we set a budget and either give one thing or stacks of things as long as it is in the budget. Do we go with one gift and just leave it at that?

I just read something I'm really happy about for this problem. At Mom's Marbles there is a post today about gift giving philosophy.


Heather says
"Something you want,
Something you need,
Something to wear,
Something to read."

I like this idea. It's built in limits, and fills several areas. This way he doesn't just get things he wants, or just socks and underwear. I've already begun directing his grandparents in their ideas for gift giving so that we don't end up with piles of toys he won't play with six months from now. I think this will be great for us!

Funny things he says...

I just got Miles up from nap time. I knew he wasn't napping while he was in bed. Jared and I went in to get him up and the first thing Jared saw was his blanket on the floor and he asks what happened. Miles says "oh, it just fell." I saw his diaper laying on the crib mattress and asked what happened. He said "it just fell off!" Laughing we asked what happened to the pillow case which was off of the pillow. He said, "it just fell off!" I asked if it was at the same time as the diaper and he says, "it just fell off at the same time as the diaper!"