January & February Goals

I can't believe it is already February! I am very glad. I am sick and tired of winter and each month that goes by brings us a little closer to spring. Thank goodness. The sun is staying out longer every day and that makes me happy. I can't wait til I can start walking in the evening again. 

Blogger has been doing really weird things, so excuse any weird formatting that pops up. Also, I thought about making more graphics and adding more pictures to this...but it's already a week late and I just need to post it ;) Maybe I'll be snazzier in March!

January had its ups and downs, but ended on a positive note.  I'm feeling a lot better and feel really blessed to have such supportive friends in my life. Thanks friends, I love ya!

Here's a look at how I did with my monthly goals in January. 

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Read five books this month - Check. Finished three Harry Potters and a couple others. I knew that I would binge the HP books which is why I made my reading goal so high ;)

Watch at least one Star Wars movie - Tim and I watched Episodes IV, V and VI. SO much better than Episode I, that's for sure. Harrison Ford is a hottie and Princess Leia is a badass. I'm glad I finally watched them! We're planning to go see Episode VII soon. 

Take Lexi on a Mother/Daughter date - We went out to lunch and shopping. 

Figure out a way to better organize the girls' rooms - Got them some storage tubs at Ikea, and now, before they are allowed screen time, they must pick up their rooms, the kitchen, living room, and basement. Works great.

Figure out something consistent to do with Lydia - We started Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. She can do it! Her attention span is short, but she's managed to read a couple of Bob Books and she is excited about that! We've gotten into a bit of a routine most days now that Lexi can work independently on some things. I also found some fun learning apps for her to play on her Kindle when Lexi and I work one on one. 
Talk to the vet about the stupid cats pooping in the basement - Had a conversation with him and we're pretty sure it's behavioral. He ordered a pheromone diffuser for us and suggested a carpet cleaner. I am glad we at least have a plan!

Eat a nutritious lunch most days - I started eating salads again. Not every day, but frequently. Good for me.

Walk with a friend at least once per week - I think I managed this most weeks.

Be more diligent about Lexi practicing piano - I've been better at reminding her. I'm introducing a daily checklist for her so that I'm not constantly nagging.

Write, in some form, every day - I have been writing nearly every day! I've started a story, which is why there haven't been as many blog posts. Also, I get distracted easily.
Invite people over for dinner and/or games - It was on the calendar than needed to be rescheduled. But we'll get there! Got two dinner plans on the calendar for Feb so far. 

Come up with some way to connect with God regularly - I've been reading and doing devotions/answering questions out of my Busy Mom's Bible now and then. We've been attending some classes/Bible studies that have been good. I don't have an exact routine. It's a start though. 

Do an Art Lesson each week - I think we did 2 or 3. They enjoyed them!

Finish & publish the Faces of Homeschooling posts I have lined up - Blogger has been giving me formatting issues, so I am just now getting those finished. One has been posted and the other is nearly ready. 

Go on a date with my husband - Sorry Tim. Got two dates on the calendar this week, so that sorta makes up for it ;)

Do a Walk at Home DVD or play Just Dance each week - I think I did this once. Oops.

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I've been mulling over my goals for February and it's been a little tricky, because I've been trying to decided what my priorities are first, rather than just setting random goals. I did much better reaching goals in January than I did in previous months, probably because I set fewer goals overall.

 I'm going to be light on wellness goals for a while. I kind of needed to focus on just feeling better mentally, since everything else stems from that. I saw my doctors and we are trying different supplements to keep my hormones and feelings, well, less insane. It's a bit of trial and error. First thing we tried didn't work but the supplement I'm trying now (lithium orotate) seems to be working really well. Time will tell if it's what I need!

I have also started a long term substitute teaching job at a homeschool enrichment center. I am excited about it! The girls get to come with me, which is great because we probably couldn't afford something like this if I weren't teaching there. I get to use my creative teaching brain in a classroom setting, which is going to be fun. I get paid, which rocks. I think it'll be great. We still need to adjust to going to bed and waking up earlier. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this is a one day per week program that provides Art, Music, Sign Language, PE and other classes to groups of kids who are homeschooled. They are grouped by age level and get to have lunch and recess together and have fun doing activities that easier to do in groups. 

Anywho, These goals are kind of random, but that's kind of who I am. 

Personal

Read three books
Pray more - Consider a routine for this

Attend a Bible Study/Church Class
Go to bed by 11pm on weeknights
Finish Season 4 of Grey's Anatomy (I take my TV watching seriously!)
Put on new Jamberries instead of biting my nails

Family
Go see Star Wars for Tim's Birthday
Play more games - Consider a routine or regular family game time
Analyze the budget and set some $$$ goals
Take Lydia on a date

Wellness

Go on a walk every week
Find recipes for and try 2 new meals

Social

Go on two coffee/dessert/whatever dates with friends

Homeschool

Use the weekend to plan each upcoming school week
Consider implementing some kind of "Centers" for Lydia
Tentatively decide on Science topics for the rest of the semester

Writing

Write every day

Take myself on a writing date where I can work quietly for a while
Finish Chapter 1 of my story