My 2016 Goals & Resolutions

"We can become the masters of our own destinies by practicing self-discipline and by setting worthy goals that will lead to higher ground so that we can  become what our Heavenly Father wants us to become."

~ M. Russell Ballard

I couldn't agree more with Ballard.  Setting yearly goals and resolutions gives me a clear and more concrete focus on what direction I want my life to move in for said year.  Last year might have been a bit rocky, but I was still able to knock some of my goals.  Persevering through my challenges has without a doubt led me to a higher ground as well as made me an even better person.  When all's said and done, I truly believe that that was what God wanted for me- to make and mold me into a better, more understanding and more faithful woman.

Therefore I decided to once again pick up the reigns of my destiny and set some new goals and resolutions for 2016 as well as to continue making progress on a few that rolled over from 2015.  The kids made some goals of their own for the New Year as well.  Another activity/tradition that I kept alive this year was creating vision boards together as a family. See our boards from last year here.

I'm a visual learner.  Therefore having visual representations/inspirations of what I want to accomplish is very helpful and motivating to me.  I'll be sharing more about our vision boards later.  Meanwhile you can check out a brief list of some my goals and resolutions for 2016 below.

Family vision boards in progress!  #YUMMommy #visionboard #familygoals

A photo posted by K. Elizabeth (YUMMommy™) (@theyummommy) on Jan 1, 2016 at 5:12pm PST

Home Life

- Declutter: This is at the top of my list because I refuse to take any junk or items that we haven't used in over a year to our new place this summer.  So far we've already donated a few bags and boxes of stuff to a local charity as well as shown our recycling bins loads of love.

- Read my devotional daily:  The lovely folks over at FaithWords sent me a copy of Unafraid: 365 Days Without Fear (affiliate link) by Gracie Malone this past November and I enjoyed it right away.  Since I had already started it, I decided to continue reading it in the New Year.  Each devotional is dated, but you could totally skip around and read the devotional that best fits your mood or need.  I'm determined to continue growing in my faith.

- Travel/Take another vacation:  We didn't get to visit New York or New Orleans last year, but we did get to take a mini family vacation to Atlanta and went to Myrtle Beach for a surprise visit to see my little brother.  This year I'd like to show the kids more of both our state as well as our country.  Right now we're aiming towards taking a trip to Disney World and having my mom, niece and baby sister tag along with me and the kids for either Thanksgiving or Christmas Break.  SN: Check out Nakia Cole from Kingdom Destinations if you're in the market for a travel agent and want to miss out on some of the headaches planning a long distance vacation or trip can be.

- Refresh my Spanish:  Long story short, I used to be able to speak and write fluent conversational Spanish with no issues.  However, a few years of not speaking Spanish has me needing a refresher course or two on my favorite language.  The kids will be taking lessons with me.  I've taught them numbers, colors and a few words/phrases that I can still recall off the top of my head, but I'd love if Spanish became their second language.  We'll also be learning a Italian too!

Relationships

- Create a marriage notebook/journal:  Any lasting and great relationship takes hard work.  So I plan to put in lots of hard work by creating a marriage notebook/journal where the Mr and I can share our deepest thoughts, relationship wish lists and more for each other to read and discuss.

- Host a monthly family night:  Games, movies, junk food, laughs and the whole nine yards.  I want 2016 to be the year our family rediscovers its fun side.  My kids are getting older and keeping my bond with them strong is more important than ever as they get exposed to other (negative) influences.  Using family night as another tool to build up their trust and comfort in confiding in me.  Also, I just love having a blast with my loved ones and to do more of that in 2016!

- Send out more snail mail:  Technology is cool.  It's quick and it's fast, but sometimes you have to kick it ol' school again.  This year I'm taking it back to the start like Coldplay and sending out more cards for the major holidays, birthdays and update letters to family and friends.  My aim is not to receive any back in return, but to simply let them know that they are constantly on my mind, in my heart and loved by me and my family.  Both my family and hometown experienced quite a few deaths last year.  If there's anything I've learned from saying goodbye forever it's that you often regret the times you had the opportunity to say so much more.

- Visit a bestie:  I haven't seen any of my besties in over two years y'all!  We all went to college together in the Queen City and then they all dipped out and moved back home after graduation.  4 out of 5 of us have kids and 3 out of 5 of us are married.  So, I'd say we're overdue for some face-to-face catching up.  I'm not sure if I can make a reunion with everyone happen, but I can try to reunite with them individually!

Career

- Collaborate:  While I did collaborate once or twice last year, I want collaborate even this year with other content creators as well as non-creatives.  I've been jotted down notes for potential projects as well as a wish list for those folks (and brands) I'd like to work with for those projects.  Here's to seeing some new faces besides my own and the kids on YUMMommy!

- Attend a blog conference:  I haven't attended a blog conference in a while.  With the world of blogging, vlogging and social media changing so fast, attending the classes/sessions that some of these conferences offer would provide me with a wealth of information.  Not mention blog conferences are great places to network and meet new friends.

- Better monetize my brand:  Simply put more in my pockets opens up the door for me to invest back more into YUMMommy and better enhance your experiences here.

Finances/Money

- Set up bank accounts for kids:  I can talk to the kids about money all I want, but the best way for them to learn is through hands on learning.  Therefore, I'm going to be setting up kids/student accounts for them at my bank.  They'll have deposit all of their money except for what they plan to tithe at church that Sunday.  From there we'll decide what percentage can be used of frivolous stuff and what percentage has to stay in the bank (because college time will be here before we know it).  They'll also get to learn how to use debit cards and write checks in the process.

- Make double mortgage payments:  There no sense in racking up extra interest or dragging out mortgage payment if I don't have to.  Once we actually start paying a mortgage our goal is to pay it back in the half time or less outlined on our loan.  Debt freedom is the name of the game for 2016 and I'm going all in.

- Get back to couponing:  The coupon notebook and envelopes have returned.  It's not cheap feeding a family with food allergies.  Who knew it cost so much to keep harmful chemicals and preservatives out of your food?  Plus, my kids are growing like weeds and that means they're really putting the food away now.  I can't even be upset because they get that from my side of the family.  In order to keep up with their growing bodies, my stockpile must return and in order to bring back the stockpile and free up more cash for food and other essentials, I'm getting my coupon on again.

There you have it folks!  These are my main goals for 2016.  Nothing impossible or that continued hard work and determination coupled with self-discipline and faith can't accomplish.  After all I can all things right?  Snag the FREE below by clicking on the 5 x 7 picture.  Remember this printable is for personal use ONLY!

What are your goals and/or resolutions for the New Year?  Share them below in the comments.