As I roll through my RSS feeds and read all the 2009 recaps of my favorite bloggers, I am inspired afresh to set my goals for 2010…and while I didn’t save 100% down payment on a house or keep every last receipt to analyze my spending, I do have some amazing progress to report!
2009 THE GOOD…
If you’ve read this blog for long, you probably know a bit about my story. A lifelong Michigan resident, the dismal economy required us to move our family of seven across country to Texas. It was scary at first. Oh, who am I kidding…it’s still a little scary. But in a good way. The weather is great, the people are friendly and the food is ridiculously delicious. Insane even. Did you know that San Antonio is the birthplace of Tex-Mex food? I dare say you’ve never tasted a steak fajita until you’ve had one here…but I digress.
Were it not for the recession, I’d have never learned about couponing. I wouldn’t value every single penny we earn as I do now. These are lessons that I believe will make my children’s lives better because I’ll be able to arm them with financial wisdom to take with them into adulthood. I am thankful for the lessons learned as a result of hardship. And I am thankful to be on the other side of it.
Savings goal: I have a savings account y’all. With money in it! That’s something I haven’t been able to say since pre-recession times. Even with the expense of moving across country we managed to save $4,250 going into the New Year. And while my original goal was $10,000 I am satisfied with the progress we’ve made and look forward to setting new savings goals for 2010!
Earning goal: At the beginning of 2009 I set a goal to earn an average of $1,000 per month from home. I’m thrilled to report I am now more than doubling that! HERE are some ideas if you’d like to work from home too.
Christmas 2009 for FREE: I was able to get Christmas 2009 totally for FREE as was my goal. I made much more with Swagbucks than I counted on, which paid for most everything. Once I had several referrals under my belt, and was earning a “buck” each time they earned (for the first 100) that made quite a difference! The FedEx guy must think I’m crazy with all the Amazon boxes that came to the house…we had a great FREE Christmas by trading Swagbucks in for Amazon gift cards and by doing surveys.
Blogging Goals: Moms by Heart experienced huge growth this year, picking up several thousand new readers! I have been so blessed by this experience! I even got to go to L.A. and ride in a cupcake car thanks to this blog! Not to mention the amazing friendships I have forged with readers and fellow mom bloggers. The mom blogging community is packed with caring, helpful, nurturing women who look for ways to help others succeed. They inspire me!
THE BAD…
My weight continues to be a challenge for me, and one I plan to tackle afresh in 2010. Since I am an emotional eater, moving across country gave me a great excuse to set my goals aside. Andrea from Mommy Snacks is a big inspiration to me. Check out her Fat Burning Fridays. My friend Jaycie over at Coupon Geek is a real goal setter too and often has some inspiring weight-loss related posts.
So I enter 2010 with a renewed goal of weight loss. I’m not giving up, y’all!
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Learning that my youngest is autistic was a very difficult part of 2009. I am still coming to terms with it. But I must let you know that he is an absolute joy and a delight to us. Always smiling, always content – always full of acceptance and love!
Check out that sweet mug!
The thing about autism is that it is a “spectrum”. No one can tell if he will be able to function on his own someday or if he will need full time care. His future is a big question mark…One thing is for sure though, he has been a huge joy and blessing in our lives and I know God will walk with us through this! If Autism is a part of your life, I hope you’ll share your joys and successes as well as your struggles with me. We’ve started him on a supplement system and GFCF diet. I’d love to hear from you if you’re using the same tools!
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THE UGLY…
For the past year or so I have struggled quite a bit spiritually. Finding a new church and Christian fellowship in a new community is a challenge. As a result of my spiritual low, I have struggled with forgiveness and making amends. Not that I was ever particularly good at it.
With this in mind, I’ve decided to make FORGIVENESS my 2010 theme…I will study on it, memorize scripture…and *gulp* put it into practice.
Here’s the struggle for me: forgiving a person can sometimes feel like they’re “off the hook” so to speak. And if they get away with it…then maybe they’ll do it again, right? In a way I guess my unforgiveness has been a shield to protect myself from future harm.
I know the scriptures…70 times seven…turn the other cheek. Somehow this past year the truth of those scriptures migrated from my heart to my head. I KNOW them, but now I need to wholeheartedly believe in them and put them into practice. I need to have FAITH that following God’s Word will only lead to good. That I needn’t take justice into my own hands. It only seems fitting that this should be my theme verse for 2010:
Romans 10:17 (NIV)
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”
I believe that rededicating myself to the daily study of God’s Word will renew my faith and make it easier to forgive and make amends. This one’s gonna hurt a little.
I begin where I usually begin with any spiritual struggle – Beth Moore. She has a six part series called Living Forgiving. If you struggle in this area too, I highly recommend this free series.
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