Here we are rolling over into 2016. Sayonara 2015, you absolutely STUNK!

So, for a review of last year's resolutions.

• We did manage to reduce our debt, and cash flow unemployment, nearly all of the big move, and with the generous support of so many the burial of Abigail.  We didn't pay cash for the car, but the loan we took out was tiny.  It will be paid off just making the minimum payments this year, and the interest rate is so low that the bank will have made a whopping $11 dollars off of us.  I can live with that, even if Dave Ramsey wouldn't.  I am happy with how much progress we made on the debt.  Everything I had planned to do by the end of the year we were finished with in July, to the tune of $20,427.47.  For the most part I am happy with that.  We might have used about half of what Gary made this year, to get rid of debt.  Not too shabby since we also have 3 kids.  Of course with the layoff we didn't do much after that, other than to cash flow the move to the tune of $5,186.46.  One of the unspoken reasons why we wanted a bigger vehicle was to have another baby.  I suppose we made that goal too, even if it wasn't the way anticipated.

• I also managed to improve my time management.  It's an area I feel like can always stand to be improved.  My planner has been a big help in that regard.  (Seriously, that EC Planner has been one of the BEST buys I have ever made. If you think you are interested follow the link and you and I both get $10 off if you buy one.)  Gary tells me that I do ALOT, so I must be doing fine in that area, but I always feel like I don't get enough done, and I don't have time for so many of the things I want to do for all the things I have to do.

• I feel like I met the majority of my schooling goals over the spring, to finish out the school year.  This year was going really well for the first 2.5 months too.  We took off from co-ops in the spring, and only did one in the fall.  I was intentional about picking out field trips, and making the most of opportunities when we were job hunting with Gary, and staying on target when we were home.  We have addressed alot of character stuff, but as always new things crop up in their place.

• One of my biggest successes I think has been in handling my temper and interactions with the kids.  I have for several years now, tried to be better about not yelling.  And you know what, losing a child that you will never be able to say "I love you" to, makes not yelling at the ones you do have infinitely easier.  I still rarely lose my temper with them over defiance, and having to repeat myself a million times.  But I can count on one hand the times that has happened in the last 5 months, and it doesn't equal me yelling.  What burns me up now more than anything, is the rage I feel when I hear someone else screaming at their kids.  It is pretty irrational, but hey, try losing a child, and then we'll talk about my irrational anger with other parents and medical professionals.  But I digress, I continue to hope to improve, to better model what I expect behavior wise from my children, but I'm not going to list it on my resolutions next year.

• My biggest failing this year, has been with my Bible reading and studying.  I started off well with the Church's reading, but had fallen off the wagon by mid year.  My own studies have been sporadic at best, and I didn't really start with any of them till after we lost Abigail.