May Goals.

I haven't set goals since February and I'm not crazy enough to look back at them now.  March was unpredictable. April was survival mode. May is going to be survival mode too but I have to jump back in at some point. 

flower-planting is a goal this month too. our neighbor said the last people who lived here chopped down the most beautiful lilac bush. this year, for the first time, it's started to come back. 

1.  Do the May calendar for The Balanced Life. I'm committing to a full month of pilates before jumping back into any kind of cardio. I haven't done regular pilates since...oh-em-gee, maybe last May? I'm super excited to watch pilates work its magic in the post-partum months. I'll add in cardio workouts soon enough, but it feels good to know I have the confidence in the tried and true workouts I love and don't need to push myself into sweating to feel progress. 

2. Begin and follow through on a full month of Bible reading, going along with this plan. 

3. Read the two books that I have started but not been patient enough to sit down and finish. 

I have a lot of other random tasks on my plate for the month...packing up my classroom, cutting the grass, planting flowers, making a vet appointment, sorting through boxes in the garage and barn...

So I'm going to say if I can do #s 1 and 2 up there, I am going to reward myself with some book purchases. I very rarely buy books. Almost never, in fact. But, since my library is so bad that I've actually complained, I am going to be willing to spend a bit of money on books. I've always found it absolutely pointless to buy stacks of books you just have to store (and move around) when libraries offer them for F-R-E-E. But when I can't get an ebook I want to read for a least 6 months, I have to just throw in the towel. 

Again, I'm just kind of posting these for public accountability. Some days right now, honestly, my only goal is to make sure I have dinner made.

Any goals for May? 

February Goals 2022

More snow than MO usually sees, I'm told. 

Let's review January's goals:

I was supposed to read and finish a book.  I finished THREE books. I will recap in a quarterly book report. Quarters are more manageable than months this year, I think. 

I was supposed to go through baby boxes. I did this. We have a few pieces of equipment to set up still and there's a few things we can't find, but I did go through the boxes. I sent off some baby boy clothes to my brother, got the rest of Wells' clothes ready to donate, we moved the dresser to the baby's room, and  Wells still doesn't have a bed or dresser (he's still in the toddler bed version of the crib) so this baby will be in a bassinet until we get him a bed. 

I was supposed to use my planner to track. I did for some time and then I got sick with a cold/cough/sinus infection/alpha-beta-charlie variant/whatever you want to call it and I just gave up on that. I'm trying to get back at it. But I am using my planner to do some long-range notes and goals too. 

New goals for February: 

1. Drop off bags at the thrift store. I have so much baby stuff and there's an actual Good Samaritan donation center here, instead of just a Goodwill/Salvation Army where they make a profit. I would rather the baby things go to someone in need. 

2. Cardboard recycling. Like in Colorado, we don't have recycling that comes to the house, so we need to flatten and store all of our Amazon boxes cardboard until we have enough to take it somewhere. I want to get it all dropped off this month. I think it's been since November that I last went there. 

3. Read and finish two or three books. My library wait list books are still 6 months out (for ebooks) so that's a joke. I actually emailed the library saying how terrible they were at getting books in peoples' hands (the JOB of a library) and I never got a response. Shocking. 

But I have two BOTMs coming my way this week and I have an ARC that I just finished. And I think I have two audiobooks I need to get to...So this goal is technically on the way to being met.

4. Use my planner to track. We're going to try this again, hopefully without the sick days. 

Any goals for February? We're already, thankfully, a week in. 

This week also includes a lot of little goals like prepping Wells' valentines and my valentines for school, keeping up with school (which is laughable at this point after 3 snow days), and making some phone calls. I'm tired already.

Mid-Year Goals Check-In for 2021

As you often do, I set some goals for the year. I kept them to myself this year because I didn't want it to be a hard and fast set of rules. Just a few things I wanted to work on or try out.

Being over halfway through 2021, here's what I came up with and here's how it's going:

1. No frozen pizza. Since Wells was born, I'd had a fallback plan of frozen pizza at least once a week. Better than takeout? Sure...but still. This goal went super well in 2021 until May when we started eating frozen pizza twice a week because we were spending weekends at a new house with no dishes to cook with. I don't know why this is my pit that I fall into. Having *a* frozen pizza on hand just gives me comfort in knowing there's a night in the future where I don't have to make dinner. 

2. At-home balayage. My usual highlighting isn't doing it for me anymore but I'm apprehensive to try something new. I would love to do balayage because they make kits for it. I don't want to pay hundreds at a salon. 

When I went earlier this month to get my hair cut, I also scheduled an appointment for some lowlights. I can't promise that I'll be able to keep that appointment with Scott's crazy schedule, but it should cost less than $50 and I can live with that. 

3. Renew my passport. This is because it's 10 years old and needs to be done. And, given the August deadline on that, I sent it off at the beginning of June as soon as I had a new permanent address. 

4. Track my clothes spending. This is a new one for me. I've never tried it and been successful before. I started in January and have been very intentional about my buys. As of June 2nd, I've spent $530 on clothing in 2021. That includes 4 pairs of shoes and a pair of Align leggings. It was mostly dresses for work. Also, I didn't buy anything in February. 

I'm going to be totally honest. I've lost track since then. I know there were two more pairs of shoes, a bag, ....? Some leggings? I have undertaken a closet rehaul (as you do) to try to organize things I will only actually want to wear when the school year comes around. Given what I know about my last time in the district and what I've seen in the one time I went into my new building, the school runs cold, so I'll need some cardigans. I only have 3-ish right now, but they are always my most worn items as a teacher. So I don't have a plan for back-to-school shopping yet, but it's on my radar. Suggestions? 

Did you set any goals for 2021 or was the bar low this year? I think the bar was kinda low, right?

Stuff and Things I'm *Glad* I did in 2020

Resolutions aside, I had set no goals for 2020 (that I recollect anyway) so I have nothing to recap. Along with that, I have some personal goals for 2021 and things I hope happen but...if 2020 taught us anything...maybe I won't get too hung up on measures of success. Mostly, I have post-it notes in my planner with things I want to try to get to or accomplish each month. *insert giant shrug here* We'll see what happens.

These are some things I can feel proud about from 2020, though. 

I'm glad I...

Moved halfway across the country. It was good for the soul to discover a new place and settle into a bigger house. 

Went home for Christmas. 

Went back to work. This was very valuable for me. I am in a full-time position but it's not my own classroom and I feel like I half-belong, if that makes sense. This feeling was amplified when the birthday list came out for January and my birthday wasn't on it. While I don't love people knowing my birthday (it's just awkward?), it's just one of those things that makes me feel like I don't *really* belong. 

However, getting dressed and going somewhere and using my brain has been enormously helpful and good for my mental health. I also have learned a LOT. Especially in a year where teachers are refusing to go back to work in many parts of the country(!), I feel like I'm doing my part and no one can say I didn't try. Trust me when I say that being out among the living is good for you and sitting at home alone all day is not. 

Saw a counselor. I did spend the better part of 2020 still talking to the counselor I used to see in Pittsburgh. We did all virtual meetings from March onward, but this was just more convenient for me since her office was 45 minutes away and I used to have to take Wells with me. Covid helped me there. I don't want to say she was enormously over-the-top helpful, but it was a good experience overall. She offered a few bits of wisdom that have stuck with me but that's about it. It was a good year to have a counselor! If you are struggling with the effects of 2020, I recommend it for the new year. 

Got new glasses. Last February, I went to the eye doctor and got a prescription for new glasses. It'd been about 10 years and my old ones were un-wearable because they were too strong. In October, I scratched my cornea and had to wear glasses for almost two weeks. If I wouldn't have had these new glasses (Warby Parker, $95), I'm not exactly sure what I would've done. Definitely my smartest move of 2020, in my personal opinion. 

Took an anti-fungal pill. Oh my gosh, this is weird, but just listen: when I was pregnant, I ended up with a toenail fungus that would not quit. My immune system just stopped in December 2017 and everything that could befall a person, infection-wise, hit me at once. It never got better and eventually got worse, and started to spread. I tried every topical I could find, including prescriptions. Nothing worked. Finally, I talked to my doctor last spring about taking an oral pill. She gave me what I wanted and I had to have bloodwork done twice to check liver function while taking this pill and it was 3 months of taking this thing EVERY DAY but...at the end of 3 months, it worked. It completely and totally worked and I'm so glad I did it. My toenails are completely back to normal. (Okay, maybe this was my smartest move of 2020?)

Read the Bible. The entire Bible. I'm giving myself until January 11th to finish it because I didn't start until January 12th last year. However, I am likely going to start it all over again, with fresh eyes and a different translation on January 13th. I can share details if you'd like! OR, if you have a study to recommend, send it my way. 

What's the very best thing you did or accomplished in 2020?

My No-Spend Month of August

I've discovered 3 things while doing a no-spend month. I hadn't done one in years. 

1. Pick a month toward the end of the season. August, February, May...A month where you won't need a whole lot because you're already set in your routines for the season. Like, you don't need to buy sandals in August because you already bought them in June.

2. I think, for validity's sake, you shouldn't declare it to be NO SPENDING AT ALL because you still have needs and because it's very easy to fall into the mindset of Well I'm going to buy everything I need and want by January 31st because the no-spending phase starts February 1st. That defeats the purpose. Also defeating the purpose: I found myself keeping a list of everything I needed to buy come September 1st. Like more essential oils and random things I don't need for survival but I've run out of. This isn't actually saving money, it's just delaying. And what if something needs to be replaced? Should I just wait til the next month? That doesn't make a lot of sense. For example, Jett and Wells got a little carried away one day this month and Jett busted my Pilates ball and I had to throw it away because it had a big tooth-shaped hole in it. I still haven't ordered a new one. 

3. Sometimes things come up. You'll see my examples of these indiscretions below. And goodness knows I haven't exactly been hauling in clothing/shoe/book/etc purchases in the last few years. I did a lot more random spending for myself Before Kid. Speaking of Wells, sometimes he needs things. So...see below.

Things I bought for me that I didn't "need":

The literal second I started this self-imposed challenge, my monthly Patreon subscription to Crime Junkie went through. $5

On my to-pick-up-soon list for awhile has been a new blush brush. Wells, I kid you not, took mine one day, dipped it in the toilet, and painted the bathroom wall with the water. This was back in June, before we left Pittsburgh. That brush did not make the trip to Kansas with us. $4

I got a new phone so I needed to order a case and screen protector. I absolutely LOVE this case from Amazon so I just got it in the iPhone 11 version. $18 total. 

I was out of essential oils. I absolutely love this set. They're already blended and don't smell chemical-like. They smell spa-like. $13.

I got a haircut. $24, including tip.

My monthly The Balanced Life subscription. $9

I realized I hated the diffuser I bought as a placeholder when our regular one broke this spring. So I bought a replacement. This was definitely a "want" but if I'm home all day and I want to use the essential oils, it's something I value.* $25

We needed new pillowcases for our guest beds. Meh. Could've put this off. But having a put-together guest room makes me RIDICULOUSLY happy after our experience with no real guest room in Pittsburgh. $20

*I don't think oils have magical healing powers or anything. I just like the fresh, clean smell they add. It's not artificial like a candle might be and candles scare me with Wells around. 

Things Wells needed:

A second carseat. $60

New shoes (2 pairs). $60

Two coloring pads $10

Two boxes washable crayons $7

and...a Nugget. $246.18

This took a heckuva lot of mental gymnastics to justify this month. I tried to get one in June, after being on the notification list for 6 months or something.

They sold out in 3 minutes then, and it was one of the greater disappointments of the last few months for me. 

I was "surprise notified" and given a few days notice that they were rolling out more stock in August so I set my phone alarm, got my credit card ready, and prepped to order one. Scott watched in amusement. 

Anyway. I got one. Should be shipped this fall. My plan is to hide it for Christmas but we'll see. I think you have to take them out of the boxes pretty quickly? 

So it was not a cheap month for Wells. 

Everything else: 

I was keeping track of groceries for a bit there but we had a friend help move us to Kansas and he stayed here for several days, and we had friends over for dinner last week, so we actually spent a lot on grilling and alcohol and did a stock-up at Costco and all of that....so the food budget was out of its normal proportion. 

And cleaning products, generally bath/toiletries, and paper products are rolled into the grocery trips so separating them out seemed like it'd be overkill. 

How I benefited from doing a self-imposed challenge like this:

I didn't throw random things in the shopping cart. 

1. I caught myself looking at nail polish more than once. I didn't need it at the end of summer. I can get a fall color in a few weeks, you know? (and the money we're all saving on pedicures? whoa, right? I used to get 3-4 a year)

2. No ebooks. I rarely buy books but I do occasionally grab a daily deal on Amazon. I didn't even look this month. I currently have like 4-5 library books borrowed anyway.

3. No clothes or shoes. I went to Target, I think, only once this month for diapers and I didn't throw an $8 t-shirt in the cart.

4. No random paper/pens. I'm generally not one to buy random notebooks...to be honest, if you want to stress me out, give me a pretty notebook for a gift. I will fret over what I'm supposed to be doing with it. 

But sometimes I think I should buy new pens. Truthfully, I don't need new pens until I use up the last round of pens I bought (a year ago?) and I've been through enough pens in my time to know which ones I like and which ones I don't. I don't feel the need to try out fancy ones. Still, the allure of the school supply aisles is always there this time of year. 

Have you done a spending challenge lately? I like that it keeps me honest and gives me a chance to reflect. 

*This post felt ridiculously materialistic to write but it's always interesting to me when I see these on other blogs so that's why I feel it's probably worthwhile to do every once in awhile.*

Linking up for Prime Purchases with Tanya!

May Goals...

...none. 

Just none.

I have a short little list of to-do tasks I work from each week. I have a basket I put random tasks in that need to be completed. I have a monthly calendar that I use to track workouts and appointments. 

There's no need to set up a bunch of random tasks for me to pressure myself into completing. If you are setting up goals this month, that's awesome. I'm just not in the place I assumed I would be in May, so to make goals that have no purpose isn't something I want to do. 

Back to April...

*squints at old post from a month ago, which feels like a year ago, in an attempt to see what I didn't do*

1. I did not take bags to Goodwill because Goodwill is closed. I have bags packed up, ready to go.

2. I did pack-up Easter. I packed up a lot of things actually. Makes me feel like I have some amount of control on an uncontrollable situation. 

3. Finish the 3 books on my nightstand? I can't remember what they were. I did not finish the 3 library books I have and can't yet return because I didn't like them. I did read 4 books in April, so I'll share those next week.

4. I did do an at-home pedicure last week. 

5. Track at-home workouts and keep up with Bible-reading plan. I did this. I am behind by a few days on the Bible but it's 110% better than nothing. 

I blame it on Psalms. They're great for quotes and inspiration but grasping context from Psalms is hard. 

Hopefully, in June, things will be moving forward and I'll be annoyed that I *didn't* set May goals. 

Goals for May? Worth it? 

(also, this new Blogger dashboard: hate it so much)

April Goals.

Well....

Does anyone feel this way when they think about goal-setting in April?

Let's first reflect back on March...

I did decorate for Easter. I did give myself a pedicure, but now I need another one. I did 2 out of 3 birthday gifts but none have been delivered because, well, you know. I have continued working on the packing of boxes in the basement.

But thinking about April...

1. Take bags to Goodwill.

2. Pack-up Easter.

3. Finish the 3 books on my nightstand (this probably won't happen but I can hope I get suddenly motivated to read)

4. Another at-home pedicure.

5. Track home workouts and keep up with Bible-reading plan. - - These are the two things that give my days at home a structure and a feeling of at least I'm doing something.

What goals are you setting for April???

February Goals and January recap

Looking back at January... << that's what I said I would do and down below here is what I actually did.

Uh, they're different.

1. Bed by 10. Nope. I did try. And some nights I went to bed at 8:30-9:00, easily. But I didn't have a hard and fast rule of bed by 10pm.

2. Gym. Instead of going to the gym, I did the opposite and I quit the gym.
But I did track my workouts. In January, I did yoga (10-30 minutes, depending) 22 times. I did Pilates (10-40 minutes) 16 times. I did Barre (20-40 minutes) 6 times.

This is going to sound a bit odd, but when I do these monthly self-imposed yoga challenges, I notice the biggest change in tone. It does things for me when it comes to muscle tone that I don't realize it's doing.

Having quit the gym, I got MORE done this month when it came to physical activity. Good for me.

3. Re-pack the decorations. I actually did 95% of this. I have one tub that's extra full and probably need to buy another one for the overflow. I have plenty of cardboard boxes, but I don't like putting decorations in cardboard because these decorations live in these tubs most of the year and damage is more likely with cardboard.

4. I did not schedule an eye appointment. The place I called was being weird about Tricare (it's a national chain and right down the street so I thought that was a safe bet). She asked for my insurance's name, put me on hold, asked me for my insurance card, I told her I didn't have an insurance card but I had a military ID.
She put me on hold.
Then she said to call the number on the back of my insurance card and ask them.
So...

I need to get this taken care of at some point. I have a dentist appointment in March so it'd be awesome if I could get an eye appointment the same day or so, and get my mom to come visit so she could watch Wells and I could knock all of this out at once. << these are the things I think about all day.

1. No spend month.
February is a short month. I splurged on a little bit of everything since my birthday was in January and I thought Why not?. Now I'm going to track expenses, aside from regular bills. It's always interesting to see how others spend money.


2. Clean out spice cabinet and pantry.
I have this pipe dream: I would love to not have to pack up 79 bottles of spices to move again this summer. I've been on a mission to use up as many spices as possible, including making my own taco seasoning instead of buying packets. I've been thinking about whittling down the spices since we moved in. Scott has a habit of buying duplicates and you only need so much chili powder, you know?

So I need to overhaul this:

And I haven't sorted out the pantry since last spring. It's not in complete disarray but I remember the last time I organized it. I rode that productivity high for a week. I felt like I was accomplishing nothing that month and just thinking about how I had organized the pantry made me feel like a million dollars.


3. Print pictures. I haven't ordered sets of prints in a few months. It's that time again.

Linking up with Kristen!

An absolutely do-able Bible reading plan

A few weeks ago, a friend said I didn't know you were religious when I said I was trying to read the Bible this year.

I wasn't sure what to say to that. We don't go to church. I know it's a weak excuse, but we can't right now. I could dive deep on that one, but it is what it is. Like my friend, I'm thinking that many non-religious people generally assume that in order to be religious, you have to go to church. I also think this depends where you are from; in Pittsburgh, religious usually equals Catholic. In Alaska, I think I knew of *one* Catholic church but I didn't know where it was, but I knew our friends went there so it existed. Everything was generally nondenominational. We also went to an Alliance church and a Southern Baptist church there and liked both.

The religious thing isn't always connected to a church.

So my long-form answer to this friend would've been that I have spent the last 9 years trying to "read the Bible in a year", but have done multiple devotionals and Bible studies and spend hours each week listening to Biblical podcasts in an attempt to educate myself and push my thinking in the direction I prefer it to point. 

At this point, devotionals are just decorative. They aren't getting me where I want to be. If I'm going to spend time on this, I'm going to just go all in.

I've learned that "religious" and "relationship with God" are different and I'm trying to fall into the second category but also not fall into the pit of "you do you" and "Jesus is your boyfriend".  It's a balance. Devotionals have tended to point me toward "how is this about me?" and something I've really learned in the last two years is that it's NOT ABOUT ME AT ALL (forthcoming in a future blog post, btw).

But back to this conversation with a friend...

I could've led with "I was raised Methodist and married in a Methodist church" but that doesn't actually explain anything.

I could've gone into "We'll likely send Wells to a Christian school at some point, so we'll definitely be more involved in a local religious community...at some point".

I could've talked about how I spent every morning of the first 6 months of pregnancy, staring at The Bible Project on my computer, a stack of devotionals, and my one lone cup of caffeine at 5am every morning before work. Because I did.

I could've mentioned that my cousin and I used to "meet" on IM every Monday night for a year to do a Bible study together. She was in college in Pittsburgh and I was living in Alaska. We would read a chapter each week, take notes, and discuss. I specifically remember Romans, Acts, and Matthew, but we did do more than that.

I also could've mentioned that, in the military community where everything and everyone is moving so quickly, sometimes the only way to make friends is to get thyself to a church. That's what worked for me, anyway.

But I didn't do any of that because the toddlers were screaming about something. And we moved onto another topic of conversation.

This is probably why 2020 needs to be the year in which I read the Bible from start to finish. Because then maybe I'd know what to say to her.

My issues with most Bible-reading plans are many:

My study Bible is huge and I end up not taking the time to physically sit with it each day.

Printing a plan and reading, all on paper, usually gets away from me.

Devotionals aren't for me anymore. I don't want to tiptoe around the Bible. I just want to read it.

I don't know *much* about SheReadsTruth, but it seems like there's a paywall. I'm not paying for a plan. Also, it's more of a devotional, right?

I really enjoy The Bible Project videos but I don't always make the time to watch the videos. I used to, a couple of years ago, but I rarely get up early enough to have that kind of time in the morning now.

Same with reading on my phone. I 100% realized I do better with digital reading concerning the Bible but my phone isn't big enough for me to really prefer it as a method of choice.

So, the solution:

The Bible Recap. It's a 5-10 minute podcast EACH DAY that corresponds with a Bible reading plan.

The plan can be found on the regular Bible app. You just search for The Bible Recap under the "Plans". I use my iPad to do the reading. It's bigger than my phone and I don't have social media apps on my iPad, so I'm less likely to get distracted. A lot of people tend to read first thing in the morning. I do it last thing at night.

It gives you a video for each book of the Bible; The Bible Project ones that are so informative and well-put-together, as a matter of fact.

Then it gives you the chapters for each day.

You listen to the podcast after you read.

Or, if you're like me, you listen to the podcast before you read and it doesn't actually matter. It just picks out the major themes of the reading for that day. It's not a ministry. It's just a quick recap or summary of what was read.

I like that it's put together chronologically, but not necessarily in the order the books were written. It's more of a historical timeline and I really appreciate the continuity there.

Finally, the plan "started" on January 1st, but I started around January 13th and did double reading and listening for a week and now I'm caught up. I did that for ME, but you can just start now and it'll adjust your finish date. It doesn't actually matter when you finish, date-wise. I just like to be current on all my podcasts so I wanted to be up-to-date with the newest ones and not listening too far in advance of me actually reading it.

I am 100% more likely to keep up with my podcast schedule than I am to keep up with anything else in my life. So if I know there's a 5-10 minute podcast waiting for me on that day's reading, I'm going to do the reading. That's the kind of accountability that speaks my language.

The best part is that you can pick it up right now. Today. And just get started. You don't need to wait for anything.  I didn't expect this to be a goal of mine for 2020 and I didn't make resolutions to begin with. But this is something I got started on and feel like continuing, so if you want to join in, go for it. Here's a link with more info! The podcast is a great place to start.

Goals: December Recap and onto January

Looking back at December...

Christmas presents. Check.

Bake Christmas cookies. Check again.

Paint my nails. I did this for 3 weeks, solid. A new color each week. Then...they were all chipped when I went home for the week of Christmas and I took the polish off and never put any back on and my nails were annoyingly long so I cut them (and then bit them). And...well, maybe I'll go get a manicure this coming month.

Overhaul my diet. This was meant to mean that I would eat more protein and less bread.  I did keep up with it pretty well for a few weeks, then I started to get stressed out with packing/traveling. It wasn't that I fell into a huge pit of holiday eating; it was more that I just didn't want to think about it anymore.

January...

Cardio. Gawd. I hate this. I hate saying I want to start going back to the gym in January. I hate that this almost-18 month old has some serious separation anxiety issues that rear up at random times and in random circumstances.
But I NEED (NEED) the endorphins that go along with cardio if I'm to function as a happy human. There's no way around it. Scott and I may start taking him together in the evenings. Or I may just be forced to get out of the house at 8am each day, to get him to childcare before anyone else shows up and then I might have a fighting chance of 20 minutes on a cardio machine before he starts wailing.
This is so much work and so demotivating. And NO WONDER moms have trouble getting into shape sometimes. This is a hurdle that I did not foresee. THIS (THIS) is why people buy Pelotons, I'm certain.

Go to bed before 10. As in, lights out by 10pm. Not in-bed-on-my-phone or in-bed-with-a-book. In bed, going to sleep. I find this is much easier when Scott is home, versus when I'm at home with Wells alone. When Wells is asleep and I'm confronted with a few hours of anything-i-want-to-do, I tend to go a little crazy, reading things online and watching TV until 10:30pm. My definition of crazy is pretty loose.

Re-pack decorations. This seems pretty on par with what most peoples' resolutions tend to be: organize. For me, I need to take down all of Christmas, re-pack all of my fall decorations and also re-pack all of the Christmas ones. As well as dig out whatever I had up and around before I took a bunch of decorations down to put up fall and Christmas. It's a process. But it's more complicated that it has to be because I need to have everything organized and re-packed in the most efficient way possible since we're moving this coming year. I might need to buy another tote. My goal, really, is to have this part of life/the basement organized by the end of the month but we'll see. It might go into February.

And some random:

I think I may add in some yoga each day (LOL)...or maybe just 10 minutes a few times a week, in addition to my 15-30 minutes of Pilates that I really strive to do daily.  I don't put a lot into the language or the thinking or even the breathing aspect of yoga, but the flow and the stretching makes a huge difference in how I feel. I always turn the videos off before the final shavasana because it's boring. This is why I don't go to actual yoga classes.

And I need to schedule an eye doctor appointment. I'm running out of contacts. This involves calling my insurance company to find out who accepts Tricare and then finding a place nearby. Fun.

Also, I need to figure out what I want for my birthday. I have a few ideas but I tend to procrastinate this. January birthdays are hard.


What are your goals for January? I'm more into monthly goals, not year-long something-or-others that I'll forget about by February (that's a that for you, not for me kind of personal preference).

December Goals

I purposefully didn't look back at my November goals during the month of November. I knew I had gotten thrown off track.

1. Get started on Christmas presents. Yes. Check. I would add something like this to December but I legitimately have to finish all Christmas presents in December so it's kind of cheating/odd to make it a goal.

2. Christmas cards. Nope. Not at all. I have my coupon ready. But no cards have been even thought of and I have no picture to put on them anyway yet. Maybe this week? There's kind of a time limit on this too.

4. Try 4 new recipes. I don't actually know if I hit this goal. I think I thought I would have more time on my hands this month but I got sick so I didn't feel like cooking or baking. I did make these chicken meatballs with zucchini and I added grated carrot as well. And I made this pumpkin bread that was ah-maz-ing

5. Continue going to the gym. Nope. Not even a little bit. I was sick. And the last thing I could even think of doing with a sore throat and cough was cardio. And dealing with a toddler who is getting to be more toddlery every day, I didn't have the desire to navigate childcare. Maybe...sometime. Just the thought is demotivating.

1. Bake cookies. Also, make a few homemade holiday gifts/baked goods for family and friends.

2. Paint my nails. I'm aware that this is a thing most people do. I'll try it, solidly, for a month. I'm just so bad at it and don't enjoy it the way some do.

3. Finish reading "goal". I didn't have a great November when it came to books. I actually quit about 7 books? I hesitate to call them true DNFs because there wasn't anything wrong with them. I just didn't care enough to continue. More about books next week though. I think I have like 5 more to read in December to hit 50 books and I don't quite see that happening, but you never know.

4. Overhaul my diet. Which seems silly to do in December, I know. But I'm going to reflect back on the two years I spent consciously eating less carbs. Not low-carb, as I didn't fall into that category at all, but I was told by fertility doctors to eat high protein and less carbs (they actually recommended no carbs, and that's not sustainable nor healthy, in my opinion). Specifically, I remember drinking a protein smoothie for breakfast each day and just not eating bread. I probably went two years with little to no bread and didn't even buy it for so, so long. We didn't even miss it! Then, when I was pregnant, all I wanted was toast. It wasn't that I was sick and needed it; it was that it just sounded so good all the time. That carried over to now... two years later. I don't love it, necessarily, but I got into a habit and now I need to break it.
So the goal ...back to the point here... is to start the smoothies again and just stop the bread. It's unnecessary. This doesn't mean not eating crackers, chips, pizza, etc. It literally just means bread.

Are you setting goals for the month?
December is an iffy time to start new habits, right? I think it's so much better than the clean-slate January mentality, though. There's too much pressure when everyone is starting over at the same time.

November Goals

I was going to do a few weekend things this morning in a blog post, but Blogger isn't letting me add pictures? So this post was already done. 

Let's recap October...

Clean out bathroom drawers/linen closet. Eh, not really? I kind of did. I want to come up with an excuse, but I don't have one. I actually did clean out my bathroom drawer but Wells like to pull things out when I'm getting ready so it's not exactly organized anymore.

Toddler Time. Yes. I've been doing this since mid-September and I officially stopped going to the 6-12 month group a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed the people and the babies there and Wells got along with them all just fine, but I just could not relate to their struggles anymore. Truth be told, 6-12 months was really hard for me, baby-wise. I preferred 0-4 months and now he's very enjoyable. The stress of starting solid foods, "when will he/she crawl?", etc. I am SO GLAD we're past that. Like, thrilled. I felt a huge relief when he turned one.

Go to a fall festival/pumpkin patch. Yes. Wells and I went to this one with my family near my parents' house.

Paint a pumpkin. Yes.

15 month pictures. Yes.

Get started on Christmas presents. I've already started.

Christmas cards. Order them. I don't know. I may procrastinate this. At least I'm planning to procrastinate this in advance.

Try 4 new recipes.

Continue going to the gym because I need to get out of the house this winter and I need to establish that routine like now. And putting Wells in childcare there is fine. It's fine. He needs this too, even if he cries and they have to call me after 30 minutes. F-i-n-e.

What goals do you have for November???

October Goals.

Let's recap September...

How did September fly by so quickly? I'm not normally one to think this way. Actually, I thought two weeks ago was the last week in September and it was not, so I was really thinking this then and now it's just like, okay, maybe it was an appropriate length of time. 

Finish baby book- Done. This was leftover from August. Actually, what I finished was his baby calendar...the baby book is something I haven't seen since week 36 of pregnancy. Sigh.

Sell things- No. I listed everything. No one wanted anything. I have noticed that people will bite at the weirdest "for sale" posts though. And many I know here usually "ask around" to see if anything is free (that exact specific item). I like the idea of getting use out of an item more than once, more than I like the idea of giving something away for free (Goodwill is kind of sketchy in their business practices, I believe). And I like the idea of giving something away more than I like the idea of packing up some of this baby gear to move across the country next year. We'll see what happens.

Sort Wells' clothes/get fall clothes-  I did sort a lot of his clothes but it's been so warm here that he's still wearing whatever fits from summer. My mom and dad, I admit, bought him his fall wardrobe. So he's ready to go whenever it decides to cool off. The winter coat I bought him in February still fits so maybe that'll last til Christmas. He also got new sneakers a few weeks ago, fitted properly at Stride Rite, so fingers crossed they also last the rest of 2019.

Also...I got fall soap, ordered picture prints from the last few months, and figured out that my driver's license is good for as long as Scott's in the military with no renewals needed.

I also read 2+ books and Wells has a Halloween costume.

And I did contact the rental agency about renewing our lease...they said it "shouldn't be a problem" so I'll make a note to follow up in a month.

That was a long recap ^

Moving on.

Bathroom/Linen closet clean-out. Having been in this house for 9+ months, it's time to start reorganizing. I intentionally used up products/downsized when we moved last year because I didn't want to take useless things with us, including half-empty bottles. Now, I'm going to do a clean-out to prevent stockpiling.

Toddler Time. This is cheating because I already did it, but I started taking Wells to Toddler Time in September. I was going to wait until October, but he just up and started walking (not just toddling) over Labor Day weekend, so I figured he was ready. He does fine there because there's a lot of other June/July babies who are just his age. Now I need to transition him out of the baby group he's in. I really enjoy it and he's not a bully or anything so he can get along with 9-12 month olds just fine...I just can't keep him there forever.

Go to one fall-ish festival. There's multiple fall festivals in this part of the country and I have one in mind for October. The goal is to get there or get to at least one.

Paint a pumpkin. I decided that instead of carving pumpkins (which I haven't done since elementary school anyway), I will pull out the finger paint and Wells can paint a pumpkin.

15 month pictures. I haven't taken pictures since 12 months because he won't sit still and I'm not going to be one of those who takes pictures every month until kindergarten (I know someone who does). But I figured I'd instead update with pictures and a post every three months or so.

That may be enough for one month.

September Goals (and a look back at August)

Here's the August post and what I accomplished:

Finish baby book. Almost. I need to order pictures from the last 3 months and put those in and then it will be done. That's the on the to-do list for next week.

Set up savings account for Wells. Done.

Clean out Facebook lists. Yes. I did this but I didn't actually start using Facebook again. I need to update pictures, etc.

Goodwill donations. Done. I started a new pile in the basement as well.

Listen to an audiobook. Nope. Not even a little. I thought about it many times and then clicked to another podcast or turned on Pandora instead. Whatever.

Sell things.  Now that I'm back on Facebook and I joined a local buy/sell/free group, I have a bunch of stuff I want to sell. A stroller, a travel crib, etc. In particular, I have a few baby things that I just didn't like and wouldn't use again even if we did have another baby. Some things I could even sell on here if anyone is interested: I have a Zipadee Zip that he despised but those things have amazing reviews, and I have mesh crib bumpers that just didn't work for us, and I have a Puj tub that I never really got the hang of using.

In other goals related to Wells: sort his clothes and take stock of what he needs for fall. Sizing is so hard! I have all of his old clothes in tubs in the basement, but I need to go through his room and figure out what doesn't fit. I've discovered that keeping current on baby clothes-sizing is a part-time job.


Then, there's a lot of little things I just want to take care of: Order new fall soaps. I don't do candles because I prefer Scentsy, but I always stock up on soap at BBW for each season. Get Wells new sneakers because he's really starting to walk and his current ones, I'm betting, are too small. Print pictures from the last 3 months. I use Snapfish. I also need to contact the state of Alaska about a military exemption for my driver's license and I need to look into renewing our lease for 6 months. I found all of that on my calendar for September, when I checked out Google Calendar (which I live by each day, it seems).

Oh, and a Halloween costume for Wells needs to be thought up.

Also, maybe I'll try to read at least two books. Shameful, I know. I have one from the library I just got the other day because it was a hold from two months ago. And I do occasionally buy a 99 cent book on my Kindle if I see someone has posted a good deal and the book looks interesting/is recommended.

July Goals Reviewed and New August Goals.

Here's my original July goals post and here's how it went:

No Facebook- This went well, as it did in June. See below, though.

One book per week- I read 9 books so that's definitely more than one a week. I DNF'd two, though. I don't count books I DNF in my total yearly count, but I count them in the monthly one. 

Birthday Party- done.

Put together Wells' new photo album- done. I didn't write in the captions, though. His first album didn't have captions.

Register for gym childcare (so I can start going to classes during the day, etc)- No. I feel like I will procrastinate this until the end of time. Or at least until we leave Pittsburgh. I did start looking into care.com, though.

Sort toys- done. I got rid of a few and packed up a few. Rattles and such that he doesn't really do anything with anymore.

Finish baby book and add in pictures, momentos, etc. A friend gave me a calendar instead of a book and it works so well! It's already organized for me and I just need to put it together. It's pretty updated until maybe the last two months. It goes to 13 months so I just want to finish it since he'll be 13 months next week.

Set up savings account for Wells. This has been on the list for months. We decided we were going to put money in it each month and we had an amount in mind and we just literally needed to go onto the USAA app and do it. (Update: I'm adding this because I've already done it and it makes me feel good to have a win on the list already.)

Clean out Facebook list. I decided that Facebook might be more useful to me if I, you know, actually used it. So that means I need to get rid of all the "friends" from my hometown who just like to, apparently, post weather updates. We weren't friends in high school and we're not friends now. I want to use it to update baby pictures and keep in touch with the people I've met over the last 10 years. Now that I know what I intend to use it for, I need to do it. I started this last weekend when I was stuck in the Chicago airport for 3 hours. I downloaded the app again and got to deleting people and groups.

Goodwill donations. I've been taking donations to Goodwill, but I want to continue with that in August. At least another carload.

Listen to an audiobook. I don't have an audible account I actively choose/buy books on right now but I still have the app and I still have a book on there I haven't listened to yet. I listen to a ton of podcasts and I feel that my attention span might finally be coming around to the point where I can do a book again. I practically survived on audiobooks in Colorado, so it's a huge chunk of time/energy that's been missing for the last year and a half or so.

I think that might be enough for one month. I already have a loose list in my mind for September.

I'm linking up with Kristen for What's New With You because this ^ literally is what's new with me (insert laughing emoji).

July Goals.

I literally (literally) don't remember the last time I set monthly goals. Just the very idea of it 6 months ago pushed me over the edge. A year ago, I couldn't picture what life with a baby would even look like, so I stopped doing goals. (I just looked...sometime in the spring of 2018 is my last goal post.)

 I set "yearly" goals for 2018 and that went not quite well if you look at that link up there ^.

But I was thinking about things I wanted to accomplish this summer, based off of having the whole summer planned out more or less, so it makes more sense to just write them down and explain them to the internet, I suppose.

No Facebook. I went Facebook-less in June. It has been the most freeing and wonderful feeling.

Birthday Party. We're having a big-ish birthday party for Wells. Now, there's no food truck and no fancy rental space, etc, but we're doing a theme and decorations and doing more than I had assumed I'd do for a first birthday for a couple of reasons: we are living in a place where our families can drive a couple of hours and celebrate Wells' first birthday. The fact that that is possible, when we've been at least two connecting flights away for the last 9 years, is pretty neat. So I cannot not have a party for this kid. By his next birthday, we'll be an airplane ride away again.
I'm probably putting more pressure on myself than needed here, but I haven't planned a party in a decade. So we're buying a fancy cake and decorating the house and doing all of the fun things he won't remember but I sure will. Most of my energy for the first half of the month is going toward this party. I don't have anything planned for his actual birthday though (a Wednesday).
Any ideas for traditions I can start with him?

1 Book Per Week. This should be easy enough.

Put together Wells' new photo album. My mother-in-law's friend had gotten us a gorgeous personalized album when Wells was born. I filled it with pictures of Wells in Wyoming. Then it was full and I decided I just needed to start a new one for 2019 and our Pittsburgh time. I have the pictures printed and up to date (I try to order prints every few months). I have a new album. I just need to put it together.

Register for gym childcare. This is a hard one because I've intentionally avoided it. Only family has ever taken care of Wells for us.  However, after Wells has his MMR vaccine this month, I'm going to register him for childcare at the gym...because I really need to start using my membership more...and leaving him there for an hour as a toddler, not as an infant, shouldn't be a HUGE deal (right?).
I often think back to my gym in Alaska and the cozy childcare room and dedicated staff who were always smiling and loved taking care of the toddlers in there. Sigh.

Sort toys. I don't buy toys. 99% of our toys are gifts from family and friends. Therefore, they're starting to pile up. I'm setting a resolution to sort through our toys each summer, corresponding with Wells' birthday, and packing up what he doesn't use/need right now. I would love to say "no gifts" for his birthday but it's just family that we're having the party for and I know our family likes to buy baby toys. It's not like I'm inviting a classroom full of kids, each with a gift.
But this toy goal might get pushed to August. I just wanted to write it down while I thought of it.

When was the last time you wrote your goals out publicly? 

Any summer goals?  

2018 Goal Update

2 1/2 months into the year, I can say that I've not *quite* been on track with these goals I set. And they're pretty low-bar to begin with. Here's the original post, but I'll copy/paste the details for the sake of recapping thus far.

1. See one new movie each month.

Sure. I half-watched parts of Allied as I graded papers and Scott watched it on Amazon. But I thought it was dumb and wasn't invested.
I did go to see Game Night in February and it was good. Also, I watched The Girl on the Train on Hulu, but it was also in February, so does that count? I suppose it can as long as I see 12 new-to-me movies in 2018.

2. Write one in-depth book review each month.

I did this in January, but not in February. 1 out of 2. 

3. Really dig in to writing about teaching.

I have actually been doing this! Here's everything tagged Teaching and Teacher Stuff and I'm attempting to get something up every few weeks. 

The interesting thing is that I know not everyone is interested in this and not everyone reads them and probably skims over them in blog-readers the same way I skim over most link-up/reintroduction posts. But this is a huge part of my life, so I want to have it documented to go back to later. This is one of those "this is for me, not for you" blog post topics. 

4. Try making macarons.

No. I actually don't anticipate this happening soon, if at all. With a move, a baby, and alllll the things that go with those two things, I don't think baking will be my outlet in 2018. 

When I originally wrote these goals, I knew we'd have some big changes coming with a move, trying to sell the Colorado house, etc. To set some shorter-term goals, I would say that I'd love to get a couple of rooms painted in Wyoming over the next few weeks and I'd like to get a lot of things packed up in Colorado so they are ready to move to Wyoming.

Goals for 2018

I like the term 'goal' more than I like 'resolution'.

1. See one new movie each month. I don't know if this will actually happen, given that I don't generally seek out movie theaters. But I figure I can also watch ones on Netflix that I've never seen. The idea is that I never watch movies anymore and always feel behind in a pop culture sense because of it. I would like to see Oscar and Golden Globe nominees because I do like award shows. I figure winter will be an easy time to start strong because it seems easier to sit on the couch and watch movies in the winter. We've also found a close, small, very nice theater in Laramie. I'm excited to try out those reclining leather seats. We can even walk there in the summer.


2. Write one in-depth book review each month.
I like writing about books in the sense that I want to tell you what I thought of the book and why you should read it. This will encourage me to find books worth reading AND to tell people why they should read it. It would be in addition to the usual SUYB posts on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. I don't know where in the month I'll put it though.


3. Really dig in to writing about teaching.
I need to do this. I have so many word documents and google docs and notes and blog posts about teaching; they need to be compiled and finalized into something I can self-publish or at least share with others. The issue is that after teaching all day and grading papers/planning at home, I rarely feel like writing about teaching. This might have to happen once school is out. But it will definitely happen. I heard a quote on a podcast that said "It's not a question of IF you will write the book, it's a question of WHEN you will write the book" (paraphrased and I don't remember the podcast). That is a true statement in this case.

4. Try making macarons.
I had to look for a few recipes to see what I'd be getting myself into with this, but it seems SO simple when they do it on The Great British Bake-Off. I need to try it. This is probably the recipe I'll try. 

So, what about you? Lofty goals for the year? Or are you coming up with something manageable and attainable?

Linking up!

September Goals

Whoa.

My last goals post was in April. Or was it March?

I don't remember.
I did have goals for May, but then May ended up being pure survival mode.

Then it was summer and goals don't matter in the summer, obviously.

August was stressful and busy.

But now it's almost fall and the world can right itself again.

via

So here's a few things I want to stay on top of this month...

1. Get my school work/grading done during the week. Scott is away during the week these days so I have no excuse not to get it all done while I sit around and watch TV. Then I can enjoy the weekends.

2. Finish the most recent season of Once Upon a Time. It's on Netflix now and that makes it so much easier to watch for some reason. I attempted it on Hulu in June and that didn't work out. I don't actually know if I'll finish it because seriously...it's boring me.

3. Finalize plans for traveling to Pennsylvania in October. I need a dress/shoes, we need plane tickets, hotel reservations, etc. (etc.)...there's a lot of "etc" happening here. I need to arrange for the dogs' care and for the time I'll miss  from school (which will probably only be two days or so but still...#planningahead). My brother is getting married.

4. Maintain 30 minutes of Pilates a day. I can do it...it's just a matter of taking care of it before I get too tired at night because then I'll just give up and go to bed. I'm doing well so far.

5. Get The Great Pumpkin Swap organized and off the ground. Yes, we ARE pumpkin-swapping again! Sign-ups start on 9/25 so mark your calendar to join in with me and Becky if you're interested!

What goals do you have this month? I need inspiration for October.

March Goals and new April ones too

March things I was supposed to do...

1. Get all winter/Christmas decor stowed away in the shed. Find a few new springy house decor items. Done. Well, the stuff is put away. I haven't really been out to find new decor, but I got new placemats and a print, so there's that.

2. Design/order bridal shower invitations for future SIL. Done-ish. I ordered these (with a few changes) and now have to get them printed.

3. Mail birthday gifts for March on time this year. Nope. Not even a little bit. In fact, they're not out as I type and probably not out as you read. 

4. Complete the Warrior Dog Dash 5K on base this month.  Yes.

5. Complete the 21 Days of Pilates.  Obviously. If I'm good for anything, it's Pilates. 

6. Read at least 6 books. Yes, actually. Forthcoming book post on 4/11. 

April Goals...

1. Try a really long audiobook. Most audiobooks I listen to are between 8-12 hours. I got it into my head that I wanted to do a much longer one, just for the experience. The most involved I've done was 11/22/63 (really enjoyed it) at 30 hours. Scott's favorite long book is The Pillars of the Earth and we have a friend who swears by Atlas Shrugged. I get my new Audible credit each month on the 7th, so the plan is to start The Winds of War this weekend. It's 45 hours.

2. Really make use of the charcoal-teeth-brushing method. I've used it sporadically but need to commit to every day. White strips make my teeth too sensitive so I'd like to try a more natural method.

3. Attempt to spend less than $100 per week on groceries. This is hard and I'll write a forthcoming post about my reasoning/rationale for often spending more than $100.

4. Watch a Lord of the Rings movie. Now that I've finished Star Wars, it's time to move on. I've never seen anything LOTR. How many movies are there? I don't even know.

Then I have a few goals I'm not putting on the blog #becauseinternet so we'll see. Don't want to bog myself down with too much and I generally only put up goals I assume I can be successful at. That's my strategy.

Do you have any goals for April???