30 Before 30: Recap

Technically, I have 3 more days...but let's face it - there is very little chance I will have enough time to knock any of these off.  My stats are at the bottom.  Strike-throughs = done.  Yellows = in progress.  Gray = nope :(

30 Before 30

1. Continue a consistent morning routine, including Bible study and prayer, before the rest of the house wakes - Still needs work.
2. Have an exercise routine in place for at least 3 days/wk (I HATE running, but I would love to conquer my hate and do it anyway.  It worked with broccoli.) I am crossing this one off - come summer, it will happen.  Not worried about it.
3. Be on my phone less - my phone sucks...it takes FOREVER for anything to load, so this has pretty much taken care of itself
4. Make Thanksgiving dinner complete with a turkey, even if it's just for us, and even if it's not Thanksgiving - nope :(
5. Plant and tend a garden - My mother-in-law is giving me part of her garden since, as it turns out, I don't have a place that receives regular shade in my yard.
6. Make a first-year baby book for my daughter - I have two spreads done!  Here's one:
   
   
7. Be in the regular habit of reading for pleasure - check. Have you seen my list?
8.  Spend at least 30 minutes of undivided time with my children every day completing an activity of their choice - SO much easier in the summers!
9. Eat at home every weeknight and serve a vegetable with every mealpretty much a habit!
10. Take more pictures Yep...much to my husband's irritation
11. Continue to give to our church and other ministries and programs, becoming more generous every year And this sure has been easier now that we are clawing our way out of debt!
12. Finish my book :) - this was a joke, hence the happy face not penalizing myself for this one, as it was never a serious goal - I'm convinced it's never going to get finished
13. Be on the road to my goal weight (now that we are done having kids :)CHECK!!!!
14. Journal consistently - blogging counts
15. Continue to keep diligent track of my children's medical information using their ISNs - yes
16. Do my daughter's hair each day that I get up with her - I don't think I was counting on how much hair she would NOT have when I thought up this goal.  Letting myself off the hook and crossing this one off.
17. Be discipled by an older, mature, and more experienced follower of Jesus - YES YES YES! Details here.
18. Recycle EVERYTHING that is recyclable - Boom.
19. Compile all the video I have of my son's first, third, and fourth years of life and my daughter's first year of life, edit together, and make a DVD for each year - umm...no
20. Read at least two books on parenting - 0 for 2.
21. Enroll my son in preschool - yes - and one of the best decisions we've made!
22. Build my husband up every day with my words and actions - always trying to make this a focus
23. Have built up our savings and emergency funds to our goal amounts - I'm crossing this one off because this goal changed into "emergency fund and debt payoff," and we are rocking it!
24. Have gone on a family vacation, or at least have one on the books - July 2014, baby!
25. Continue to reuse and save money by purchasing used items instead of buying retail - yep!
26. Have a date night with my husband at least once a month - don't necessarily need to spend money, but just be alone together without the kids - um...no.  Not even close :/  I do feel like I should figure out a way to make this work, but it just doesn't fit into our current lifestyle. :(
27. Build up a new wardrobe - YES! Thanks to Chelsea for giving me her old stuff, Lindsey for helping me shop and tolerating all my fashion ignorance, and my husband for insisting I spend money on clothing without feeling bad about it
28. Re-draft and re-commit to our budget considering changes in our income - check check!
29. Get outside more - I still hate the outdoors, but I have certainly been out more
30. Be content to bloom (happily, not grudgingly) where God has placed me 

Okay. Out of 30 goals, here are my stats:

• I have completed or mastered 19
• I have started and am continuing to work on 7
• I have made no progress on 4 

Really, I'm most concerned about the four on which I made no progress:

• Make Thanksgiving dinner complete with a turkey, even if it's just for us, and even if it's not Thanksgiving 
• Compile all the video I have of my son's first, third, and fourth years of life and my daughter's first year of life, edit together, and make a DVD for each year
• Read at least two books on parenting 
• Have a date night with my husband at least once a month - don't necessarily need to spend money, but just be alone together without the kids  

Of these, the last two are the ones I'm most bothered about.  I have the two books I want to read and just haven't gotten to it because, well, I hate to read expository text.  The second one is frustrating because we are so stinking busy.  We try to make Monday and Tuesday evenings family nights where we eat dinner together, spend the evening together, and go to bed together.  Wednesdays are youth and Awana, Thursday is practice, and invariably Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are full of travel, birthdays, weddings, church events, baseball, errands, and all the things that happen when you are, well, busy people.  Sigh.  They will be goals for summer, when life slows down a little.

But, really, I feel pretty good about hitting 30!