Family Goals 2012

This year we are trying to create a more peaceful home.  This is often a very trying experience but we have a few goals to help get us there.

1.  Hold weekly Family Council Meetings and follow with family game/activity.  We have given the kids a few things that they are responsible to report about at our "Family Meetings".  Andrew collects all of the food receipts for the week and totals them and then adjusts our "Grocery Money Spent" chart.  Chase is incharge of the calendar and letting us know what is going on for the week.  Juli lets us know how many more days until our vacation!  So far it is working well.  It gives us a chance to talk about issues that have come up during the week and work together on a solution.

2.  Eat out less.  This is such a challenge.  It is so much more convenient to just stop and grab something to eat.  We have created a monthly dinner calendar (and shopping list for each meal) to help with this.  Each of the kids has a responsibility associated with dinner.  (Help in the kitchen, Set the Table, Clear the Table).  They all wish it was their turn to help in the kitchen.

3.  Food budget.  We realized we were spending tons of money on food because we were at the store and hungry or didn't know what to have for dinner so we would stop and pick stuff up on the way home.  We thought we might be able to do it on $200 but for now I think we will adjust it to $300 and try and get down to $200 by the end of the summer.  I volunteer with Bountiful Baskets so that helps to bring in supplement food at no additional $$, just a couple of hours every other Saturday.  Having a menu and Andrew keeping track of receipts will hopefully help.

4.  Go on Vacation!!! It may not seem like the most appropriate goal but we don't generally take vacations that are separate from a work trip for John or I.  This year is our 10th anniversary and our vacation has evolved greatly since we started planning it over a year ago (Disney Cruise, Disney World, I think we are settling on Disneyland).  John and I both need time to get away from the everyday and really get to know our family.  John is also going on a "Guys Trip" to Mt Hood with his brothers and cousins in January.  I am going on a "Girls Trip" to BYU women's conference in UT with Becky, Kristine & Linda.  We are also thinking about some other little trips during the year.  John and I both take on-line surveys to earn hotel/airline points to off set the costs of our trips (John earn the most points but mostly because he travels for work).

5.  Scriptures Study and Family Prayer.  Last year we completed reading the Book of Mormon as a family.  The kids didn't want to read it again this year so we have decided to read the Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants.   We also have strive to have family prayer each night in the play room (kids idea). So far so good.