January and 2024 Goals

Well, I figured it was definitely time to share a few January Goals on here, as I know it is nearing the end of the month...even though January ALWAYS feels like such a long month. I always joke that the Riddicks thrive in January and summer, and every year I am reminded how true that feels. January is always such a good reset and refresh, and coming off of Christmas Break every year, it just feels like it propels us into the start of the year. 

Today I thought I'd share a few of our January Goals along with a few bigger goals for the year. My mom always laughs about my goal-driven personality, and Pierce always jokes that it's the answer he would give if someone asked what is something you love and drives you cray about your spouse at the same time time hahaha (Think convincing him to take a mile long walk with me on completely icy roads simply to make sure I complete my January Goal 😂) Usually, once I've set my mind on a goal, I really do try hard to accomplish it. I think it's the "J" in me in the Meyer's Briggs, but I love a completed task, and these goals are no exceptions. So here a few for your January, and I'd love to hear yours too!!

January Goals:

1. No grains or sugar. 

We've been doing this cleanse every January for some time now, and it's always such a great refresh for us after the holidays. Now, it's almost second nature and we don't have to change too much of our normal life...but I will say, we are missing our Spelt flour and sourdough bread...we can't wait to bake more soon!!! (We also always let ourselves have our chocolate chips in our smoothie bowls...I don't know when that started, but I'm almost positive it's always been a house rule around here even in January hahaha and sometimes we'll add in a Simple Mills almond flour brownie mix or almond flour cookies with chocolate chips, but it always feels like it's the perfect treat to go along with this cleanse!!)

2. Eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. 

This year, we also decided to challenge ourselves to adding more fruits and vegetables and landed on "10 points" or servings a day, and let me tell you, it has been such an amazing challenge. We have learned how much we have needed those fruits and vegetables, and at this point, it almost seems normal to grab a fruit for a snack in the afternoon and to finish off the night with some strawberries, a pomegranate or a grapefruit. We still have several days left in the month, but I'm hoping having more servings every day has become a habit for us at this point. 

3. Walk one mile every day. 

This one started off slowly, as I was just simply trying to make it outside everyday with Jane, but several days in, I realized it was such a great way to challenge ourselves and have a "task" to complete. I will say that the snow/ice storm made this a bit of a challenge, but also one that was so fun and some of those snowy walks with Pierce (and several with Jane as well!) are some of the sweetest memories I have from this month! This is part of my bigger 2024 goal that I'll mention in a minute! I love walking goals - for me, they always keep me moving and almost always lead to more quality time with Jane just chatting about colors and cars and praying for neighbors or catching up with Pierce after long days. I love chatting with friends on walks together or catching up on the phone also and lots of prayers and time for memorizing Scripture too. Walks have truly just become a favorite for me, and it's been fun to try to incorporate it into every day more! 

As for a few bigger goals for the year... Pierce and I try to sit down every Christmas break or early January and think about our year ahead and go over so many prayers, hopes, dreams and goals. 

We've been doing this since the first year I moved to Nashville when we were just dating and a lot of our prayers, hopes and dreams were about potential engagement and marriage. We snapped this that year, and since have always tried to make it back to Frothy Monkey to brainstorm, but of course with Jane, things look different these days, so sometimes it's just around our kitchen table or in our living room with a cup of tea, but it's always still just as special. 

So this is not an extensive list, but just a few that are fun to look forward to in this coming year! And I'd love to hear yours too!! 

2024 Goals: 

1. Walk 100 miles before the baby and 100 miles after the baby. 

I knew I wanted to challenge myself to something during this pregnancy, and also have a goal to get moving at some point after, and I thought this felt like the perfect mixture. We are due in June, so hopefully the half way mark in the year will be fun to look back and also look ahead. It may feel small, but it's been fun to have something on my Runkeeper app to keep me going. ☺️

2. Read through the Bible for the fifth time. 

This will be mine and Pierce's fifth time reading through the Bible, and it seems a bit of a lofty goal come June when I know we'll be in a big transition, but our Bible Reading Plan has become such a normal and sweet part of our mornings, I couldn't imagine ours days without it right now. It's also so fun to jump into it this year with my Discipleship Group and several friends who are reading through as well, so it's a fun one to look forward to this year. 

3. Do a craft with Jane every month. 

This is a small and simple one and one I did for a few months of the year last year, but I knew if I made it an actual goal, it would keep me challenged each month to channel some of that inner-teacher and creative in me. Jane has come to love drawing and every time she sees our paint, smiles and says, "Crafff!" So I think it'll be a fun one for both of us. Some months I'm sure will be SO simple, but sometimes those are just the sweetest. I posted about a few of our January crafts here if you're interested. I love those little keepsakes, and I'm excited for this fun challenge this year! (If you have any simple favorites for the months, I'd love any ideas too!!!) 

And really that about does it for a few January and 2024 Goals over here... Nothing too crazy, but a few fun things to look forward to. Another house goal I have that I've mentioned is to rearrange a few of our rooms upstairs to make room for our second little Baby Riddick, and that includes a lot of our closet spaces - so I am making good headway and will be sure to keep you posted on that lofty goal as well!! 

I'd love to hear your all's for the month or year too!! It's always inspiring hearing what others are up to throughout the months!! Thanks for following along and here's to a productive rest of January and a full 2024 as well!! 

I'll plan on seeing you back here tomorrow!!
Lots of blessings, 

Tab