Happy New Year!

I am not one for making "resolutions" per se, but I do usually make a list of goals at the start of each year. Looking at last year's list, here are some goals that were achieved:

Ian - learned how to tie his shoes, continues to move in the right direction with how long it takes him to eat, learned how to shower and shampoo independently, and learned how to silently read chapter books

Nadia - made progress with her cursive writing

Oliver - can do 100 piece puzzles, learned how to write most of his uppercase and lowercase letters, is doing a lot better in the kids' choir, can say which sound each letter makes, he can identify all the numerals 0-10, is making progress with counting to 100, and is about 1/3 of the way through the Level One reading curriculum

Nadia and Ian - we read from I Chronicles through Acts 10 and did complete the remaining six Beginners art projects by June. I wouldn't stay they've totally mastered their math facts (all four operations), but they know the vast majority of them.

Considering how overwhelmed I have felt the last four months, I am a bit leery of making any goals. I am trying very hard to be reasonable. For example, normally I have a goal about honing my photography skills. Although I'd love to work on that goal, I highly doubt I'll have time so I am not including it. Here are some goals for 2018:

House - Our master bathroom floor has been torn up for five months (and the shower is unusable). Paul tore it up to deal with a problem that was discovered in May 2016. Our deck has also been partially torn out for five months. Paul is planning to remove the rest of it and install concrete pavers instead. I'm hoping and praying both projects are completed in 2018. I'd also like to do a little bit of painting on the exterior of the house. I had planned to do that in August 2017 but didn't end up having time to do so. I also am hoping we'll get a storm door for the front door and new carpet for Ian's bedroom. Keep making progress on paying off the principal of the mortgage. I'd also like to keep working on hanging curtains around the basement to hide things like unpainted cinderblock walls, hot water heater, furnace, etc.

Ruth - lose weight (eat less, drink more water, and exercise more), show more patience toward the kids, play more board games with the kids, try at least one new recipe a month, make at least one presentation at a national conference, work on submitting an article for publication

Oliver - finish levels one and two of the reading curriculum, improve handwriting skills with writing uppercase and lowercase letters in manuscript, begin the level one spelling curriculum and 1st grade math textbook, continue to make progress with being obedient and controlling his temper, learn how to ride a bike without training wheels, play on a basketball team for the first time, learn how to swing himself on a swing set

Nadia and Ian - I really need to put more time into teaching them grammar and have them write more, finish reading the New Testament (Acts 11 through Revelation), finish the Swimming Creatures and Land Animals science textbooks