MY BIG GOALS

My goal is to be a stay-at-home mama before Sam turns four.  My goal is to homeschool Sam and any future children that we welcome into our family.  These two goals/dreams/hopes/desires have been steadily growing in my heart over the past several years and I firmly believe that they represent God's will for our family. 

My theme for 2013 is "Do something today that will make tomorrow better."  When I think about this figurative "tomorrow," I think about spending my days with my kiddos, serving my family.  Turning this dream into a reality is something that I strive to work on every day. 

I realize that my theme may seem broad and a bit vague.  The phrase, "Do something today that will make tomorrow better" doesn't really lend itself to a clear and focused mental picture of what one can actually do on a daily basis to improve their future.

So what do I really mean when I say that I am working toward this goal?

I mean that I:

• Pray.  God is my best and biggest ally and through Him all things are possible.  Amidst other topics, I always pray for direction and to be led by His will.
• Economize.  I am a conscientious spender and put a lot of effort into making our money stretch and work in our favor.
• Save.  All of our extra income is being funneled into extra principal payments on our mortgage.  The equity that we have in our house is steadily growing and will translate into a hefty down payment for our next (less expensive) home.
• Plan on downsizing.  To live as a one-income family (and still be able to easily pay all of our bills) we are planning to sell our current house sometime in 2015.  We plan to purchase a more affordable home that will hopefully have the added bonus of a bigger yard...and maybe even a few trees.
• Work hard.  I put effort into being a good employee at my current job.  I am also working to build my blog and shop in hopes of creating a space to share the tidbits of my life and a source of supplemental income for our family.
• Enjoy today.  I am blessed with a work schedule that allows me to fit my full time hours into a three day work week.  That means that I already get to stay home four days a week.  I try really hard to fully enjoy that blessing.  I don't want to be so focused on our future, that I forget to appreciate what I have right now.

I am so thankful to have a husband who is on board with this plan and so excited to see how the next few years unfold for us.