Here are my goals for this month…
Do you have any plans for March?
And…do you have any suggestions for sunglasses you like that protect your eyes from the sun?
Category Archives: goals
February Goals Revisited
So it’s that time again.
Time to review which goals I have officially accomplished in February and which ones I needed about 5 more days to complete.
*Get Yearly Photos Framed – Check! These will be ready to pick up in a week and I will share them with you.
*Pay Library Fine – Check! We haven’t gone to the library in six months because I was convinced I had a large fine to pay. Turns out it was only $10.
*Make Birthday Skirt or Dress for My Daughter – Check! She wore the skirt to school on Monday and I’ll be sharing those pictures soon.
*Play more Music in the House– Check! – I played some music but not as much as I would have liked, though going from no music to some still counts as a check in my book.
*Figure out How to Keep My Car Clean– Check! I think! So far so good in the clean department. I shared with you here how I started the process and next week I’m hoping to share with you some storage holders I made for the car.
*Do the Art Project with Andrew he’s been asking to do– Check! Go here to see the process
*Hang “I Love You” Signs – Check!
*Make Jeopardy Game for etsy – Fail! It’s about 20% complete – will bring this goal over to March
*Paint Bedroom Lamps and Buy New Shades – Check! But not 100% sold on them yet. Will share soon.
*Read a Parenting Book – Check! I read How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Farber & Elaine Mazlish. I have to admit, I am not a big nonfiction reader so for me to read this is a big deal. I am so glad I decided to read it. The authors provide tons of scenarios and cartoons that show positive and negative ways parents and children interact. The book is meant to be used as a workbook but I chose to read it front to back since I wanted to make sure I completed it. Now that I’ve read the book through I’m going to go back and read each chapter more thoroughly and use it as a workbook.
One point the authors try and guide parents toward is not making all of the decisions and solving all of their children’s problems. One day Alex had a friend over and this was turning out to be a little difficult for Andrew. He wanted to be involved in all of their games and was feeling left out.
He came downstairs and said, “Alex and *** won’t let me play their game.”
I took my moment and seized it, “How does that make you feel?”
“It makes me angry and frustrated.”
Here was my biog move, “Ummmm.”
“I’m going to tell them I’m frustrated with them.”
AND HE DIDN’T COME BACK DOWNSTAIRS TO COMPLAIN AGAIN!
I’m hoping for more of these moments when I read the book again.
*Host a Mardi Gras Party – Check! Go here for the door wreath and here for the decorations.
*Do not accumulate one single bag while shopping – Check! I will admit I probably stretched out my purse a bit when I forgot my bags. Other times, I simply didn’t have enough bags so I would have the bagger just stick those remaining 8 items into the cart. I found myself saying several times, “I know it’s weird, it’s just a resolution I’m trying to keep. My friend emailed me about a great bag to use when out shopping for clothes so I have gone ahead and ordered one since placing new shirts in the bags that previously held onions is really not a smart choice.
*Scrapbook 10 pages in Andrew’s scrapbook – Check! Barely. 10 pages done.
***As a side note, last month I had the goal to drop $100 from our food budget. I failed miserably since I didn’t keep an ongoing written list of spending. This month I redeemed us by spending $300 less than what we normally spend on groceries… so we are back on track.
Overall, I feel like I accomplished a lot this month so I know the list is helping me. But. And it’s a big but… I feel like the list is constantly looming over me. When I was sick for a week this month I worried about all the wasted time. I may shorten my list for March since there’s birthday parties to plan and a whole week of spring break – and we all know that nothing off the list will get done that week.
Have you accomplished anything this month your excited about?
January Goals Revisited
Setting goals by the month turned out pretty well for me. While I accomplished a lot of things on and off my list, I will admit I sometimes felt stressed by the list. There were moments when I was sitting on the couch thinking, “I really need to get up and make some pillows.” While I thought this I never actually got off of the couch to work on anything but I still thought it.
Let’s review my January Goals:
*Have a Date Night with Husband – check and check! We actually got babysitters twice during the month.
*Keep downstairs clean & ready for visitors – check! – The upstairs might have looked like a bomb went off but it didn’t matter to me. My floors were vacuumed, counters straightened, and toys were off the floor. My definition of clean would probably not be what someone else’s was but the house always felt clean enough in case someone dropped by. In other words, the mad dash panicked cleaning lady did not have to make an appearance.
*Complete Valentine Bingo game for etsy – check!
*Sew pillows for my bed – check! You will see the results soon.
*Add 20 items to my 143 Acts list – check! – #1, #2, #3 – bought bags of food for homeless at store #4 – gave unopened bottle of champagne to neighbors #5 – complimented stranger on her skirt #6 – gathered carts in grocery store lot and put them away #7 – sent email to teacher I used to work with telling her we still use the baby gift she gave us nine years later #8 – dropped off clothing at Goodwill #9 – sent in supplies to teacher #10 – sent in teacher wish list items #11- complimented mom at Kindermusik #12 – told mom her daughter was well behaved #13, #14, #15, #16 – waited for a moment so could hold door open for mom coming into school with stroller #17 – shared Angry Bird Valentines I created #18 – returned extra grocery carts #19, #20 – complimented a mom on outfit
*Try one new recipe – check and check and check! Three new recipes in one month! Who am I? Julia Child? We tried the Bacon Cornbread Muffins, a Jambalaya recipe, and these very tasty 15 Min. Sticky Buns.
*Complete bathroom redo – check, sort of – the pictures need to be hung tonight
*Knock $100 off monthly food bill – Fail! In a huge way! – completely over budget – spent entirely too much money – remember those 2 times we went out by ourselves? We ate at mighty expensive places and indulged – add 2 girls nights out for me with expensive trips to Costco and it just spelled failure for us – hopefully we’ll do better next month.
*Scrapbook 10 pages for Caroline – check – I actually completed 19 pages so this is a huge weight lifted off my back. I kept stalling on working on Caroline’s baby book but always felt guilty since the boys have several books. Now I can proudly say Caroline has a scrapbook now and she’s already 5 months old in it. Hey, if I hadn’t started she still wouldn’t have anything so I figure this is a great start.
Alright, this wraps up a pretty good month for me in terms of accomplishing goals. While I felt some mild panic set in around January 20th , I persevered and finished many projects. Did you accomplish anything your excited about this month?
Running for Pie
If you’ve read my blog anytime in the last 3 months you know I’m training for a half marathon and pretty much hating every step of it.
Regardless of this dislike, I am committed and will push on for two more weeks.
One big hurdle in getting to race day is over for one of my sisters and me.
On Thanksgiving we ran 9 miles. Definitely an accomplishment for us.
We ran 4 miles before a 5 mile Turkey Day run.
I use run loosely for myself but Kelly truly rocked it on the run.
7 AM before our run, about fifty degrees outside, apparently Kelly had some dribble issues that morning
Since we were running on Thanksgiving morning I felt I had a built in dangling carrot.
Mile one, I was running for turkey.
Mile two, I was running for stuffing.
Mile three, I was running for gravy.
Mile four, I was running for mashed potatoes.
And mile five, I was running for PIE!
My strategy worked for awhile but around mile four (really mile eight for us) is quite working. Right along with my Ipod. Now, I could hear my huffing and puffing along with everyone who was passing me by. Instead of mashed potatoes and pie I thought about pain and more pain.
Despite my negativity, I finished the race. I might add that I finished immediately ahead of a woman pushing a triple stroller containing two year old triplets. Some would be ashamed of that fact but I’m focusing on the AHEAD OF A WOMAN part.
It took me just under one hour and two minutes to complete the race while Kelly finished right at one hour. What can I say, her entire five miles were devoted to wine.
Halloween Giving
As a parent, I am always trying to find ways to help instill “giving” and “thinking of others” in my children. My kids are very blessed and I would like them to view themselves that way one day, even now. I think it can be a delicate balance to try and keep kids innocent while at the same time allowing them to be informed people. I try and choose opportunities which allow them to make some choices and feel ownership in their giving.
I was reading the paper a week ago when I came across this brief news item.
Kids Hospital Seeks Halloween Costumes
I instantly felt this was a project my kids could be involved in. This was the same hospital we had visited only a month earlier. Honestly, I hadn’t thought once about the kids at the hospital in October. I always thought about families celebrating Christmas at the hospital but never Halloween.
The costumes needed to be new and in a bag to limit germ exposure. They were looking for costumes in size 10 and up and 2 and under.
I showed the kids the article and asked them if they wanted to participate. The catch was that I asked them to donate $1 of their money to help cover the costs, I would pay the difference. My six year old immediately said yes while my nine year old was hesitant. After a little pressure from his brother he agreed.
After school one day I took them to the Halloween store and let them choose a costume to donate. They examined the costumes for fifteen minutes, discussing each one in detail.
They finally settled on a Clone Trooper costume from Star Wars. Caroline and I settled on a ladybug costume as our choice.
We paid for the costumes and left.
I was extremely proud of my children. Not once did the boys ask for a costume or an accessory and not once did they complain that their costumes were made from Goodwill clothing.
The kids went with my husband to the hospital to drop off the costumes. They left them at the front desk for the child life specialist to pick up and bring back to some deserving child.
Hopefully two ill children or their siblings will enjoy dressing up and being a kid in those costumes. More importantly, I hope this is a giving tradition our family will continue for many years.
Right back atya
Eight years ago I convinced my sister to train for and compete in a triathlon.The race consisted of a half mile swim, a 25 mile bike ride, and a 6 mile run.
On race day we were excited yet nervous.
Due to my age group beginning before hers, I finished the race ahead of Kelly. I walked into the crowd and found an opening roughly 50 feet from the finish.
When I saw my sister I began cheering for her, “Go Kelly! You Got it. You’re Almost There!”
As Kelly ran passed me she looked straight at me and gave me the finger.
Yes, she did.
Sisterly love lets you get away with a lot.
Every year or so my sisters and I try and have a Sisters Weekend. We meet up in a city, go the spa, and enjoy shopping and eating out.
Last week I spoke to Kelly on the phone and she mentioned scheduling a sisters weekend.
Awesome. I’m getting a facial, a pedicure, and a massage.
She also mentioned she wanted to get in shape and she needed a goal in order to do this. Kelly decided that training for a half marathon would be her focus.
Yes, great idea. It will definitely get you in shape.
“And I want you and Amanda to run it with me for our sisters weekend.”
Huh. That’s not such a great idea now.
Replace the facial with sunburn, replace the pedicure with blisters, replace the massage with leg cramps.
Awesome.
Reluctantly I agreed.
Our half marathon is in 14 weeks.
Monday I went for my first run. Now normally I don’t run. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’d stick around to fight in a dark alley rather than try and run. Running is painful and I am bad at it. But I’m in this to finish it and to support Kelly.
So the kids got on their bikes, Derek pushed Caroline in the jogging stroller, and I shuffled along running and walking.
Well, Kelly, after completing those first two miles of training, I have a message for you:
Right back atya little sis!
Stretching It
As I sit here writing this post there’s a good chance I won’t be able to get out of my chair when I’m done. You see, I tried a new exercise class today.
The new class I took today was completely different from my typical exercise routine. And when I say completely different, I mean COMPLETELY different.
For me, exercise has always been something that is fast, involves sweating, and has a time component.
My friend Liza invited me to her Yin Yoga class in the Mind Body Studio.
Just the words, “Mind Body Studio,” make my eyes roll.
But I tried to be open about the entire thing. After all, anything to help me get to my goal is worth a try.
Liza teaches the class so she gave me a synopsis of it. “The concept is to stretch your connective tissue by holding stretches for 4 minutes. In turn, the connective tissue responds by growing back longer and juicier giving more fluidity in the joints, more range of motion, more comfort in your body, and less injuries.”
Um, that’s nice but where is the part that says I will be able to fit into my shorts by June?
She also mentioned, “No experience is necessary. It has an awesome benefit of really grounding you and melting stress.”
Grounding me? I don’t know about this. It’s already sounding a little hare krishna-ish to me.
I did an initial walk by of the studio, casually strolling by and trying to peek into the room without being obvious. (Don’t judge, you know you case out new joints too). The lights were off and I could see three people sitting on the ground.
The second trip by I took a deep breath and opened the door. I made a deal with myself though. If there was any humming or chanting I could be out of there before you can say, “Dalai Lama.”
The studio was dark except for a closet light. I quickly found a space towards the back of the room and gathered the necessary equipment. I had 2 mats, a foam roller, and 2 blocks of foam. I was just sure Liza would distribute the stop watches when she arrived.
Class started by Liza guiding us into a stretch which had the lower half of my legs lying on the floor while I held the rest of my body up on the foam blocks. Initially, I felt awkward and out of place. A few moves later though and I was feeling fairly confident I would be able to finish the class.
I was holding my own and quite proud of myself when I noticed Elastigirl. She was practically performing a Cirque de Soleil number next to me as I was struggling to touch my toes. Liza noticed Elastigirl too and gave her more challenging stretches that would have put me in traction.
Throughout the class, Liza would direct us to, “appreciate your body.” Holding a stretch for four minutes certainly gave me enough time to be thankful for my strength.
As I was holding one of my stretches I noticed I was the only one not wearing spandex. I don’t know about you but if I’m supposed to be appreciating my body I certainly don’t think being in a jump suit of spandex and standing in front of a 4 way mirror is the way to do it. My baggy shorts and t-shirt let me appreciate my body just fine.
As the class came to a close, Liza asked everyone to lay on the ground, close their eyes, and breath for five minutes. “Connect with your body.”
I kept my eyes closed for approximately 20 seconds because frankly I had been connecting with my body for the last seventy minutes and really wanted something to eat. As I peeked around the room the other class participants somehow managed to keep their eyes closed.
All in all, the class was a good experience for me. I tried something new and was pretty successful. I think I may go again next week….that is if I can get out of my chair.
Weight a Minute…that Can’t be Right
I like…chicken flautas, chips and queso, chocolate, ice cream, cake, pizza, … and sadly that’s what I’ve been eating for the last 10 weeks. I got extremely lackadaisical when it came to my eating. If I thought about it, I ate it. What, no veggie today? Who cares! Pizza for dinner! That’s got green peppers and onions, right? Bound to be the 6 daily servings I need.
Sadly, my carelessness and poor eating choices have gotten me into trouble. I weighed myself a few days ago at the gym and was so very disappointed to find out I weighed 12 lbs more than when I got pregnant. Two more lbs than 8 weeks ago. The initial deal I made with myself was to eat whatever for 2 weeks and give into the grief – eat, eat ,and eat. Well, 2 weeks turned into 3 weeks which turned into 4 weeks. Now that I’m on week 10 I’m ready to tackle this issue.
I have always been a physically fit person so this is not where I want to be right now. I have a few motivating factors although the biggest one is not fitting into my clothes.
So I’ve taken steps. For the past week I’ve altered my eating to be much more aware and conscious of it. Here are my rules: 1. drink more water, 2. eat bread (tortillas, sandwich bread, buns, biscuits, pretzels) only once a day, 3. exercise when I can (three times this week), & 4. nothing to eat after dinner.
I wanted to give myself some leeway since going cold turkey on most foods would lead straight to cheating. For example, for Mother’s Day we ate at a Mexican restaurant where I ate chips and enchiladas (my only bread for the day). The following day I ate ice cream when Andrew’s team celebrated a baseball win (I did not have dessert for 5 days leading up to this).
I’m posting this after one week and here’s my progress….
I have lost 1.9 pounds so far. While I would have liked to see a 12 pound loss (um, probably not) I’m happy with the progress.
Since I initially weighed in with my shoes on, I thought about giving myself a boost of confidence for the weigh in by only wearing my bra and underwear. I finally nixed that idea since the scale is located in the middle of the weight room. Could be just a tad awkward for the other gym members.
Perhaps my tennis shoes really weigh 8 lbs & I haven’t dug myself quite as big of a hole as I think:)
Do you have any goals you’re working on?
Financial Goals Updated
As I mentioned in a previous post, Derek and I have made some financial goals for our family this year. One of the ways I was going to directly help was keeping an eye on the food budget.
January’s goal was to spend $125 less on groceries/eating out a month (compared to 2010 monthly average).
Before I give you the results, here are a few “happennings” concerning eating during the month:
Derek’s birthday dinner, cookie cake for $24.95 (yes, I could have made one, no it would not have been as good), ladies night out for me, kids eat free night at BBQ place, Ben & Jerry’s dessert trip, Double Dip trip for dessert, coffee and breakfast for a friend, several meatless nights, bought diapers and wipes (yes, that’s included in this budget for us), several impromptu visits to CVS for gatorade due to the flu, and we ate out on several occasions.
So…how did we do……..(drum roll here people, work with me)
January 2011 food groceries / eating out budget was $328.35 less than our 2010 monthly average! Yeah for us!
What was the key to our success you might ask? Well, let me tell you. I ignored looks from my husband when I knew he wanted to go out to eat. No, seriously, I think it was our meal planning and cooking some meals ahead of time. It’s always easy to go out to eat when nothing is prepared at home. But if there is a casserole already sitting in the fridge, we’re more likely to go home and eat it.
I used this little form to keep track of all the food purchases. The form actually has 2 months on it. I cut off the top section to keep in my wallet for January and will use the bottom section for February.
It helped me keep a constant watch on what we were spending.
Here’s a peek at our January form filled out.
Thank goodness my birthday is today, February 1st. Just in time for our food budget to be huge. We are going to eat like kings tonight. Who cares if we have beans and toast the rest of the month. OK, maybe not but it’s fun to dream.
Now onto our February goals.
1) February’s goal is to spend $175 less on groceries/eating out a month (compared to 2010 monthly average).
Yes, we were very successful in January, but anything can happen and I’d still like to consider $175 a big achievement in the end.
2) February house goal: anything we buy for the house (decorations or furniture) has to come from money we earned by selling items on craigslist or ebay.
We have several items in our house which I’ve wanted to get rid of and replace for a long time. Sometimes it’s hard to justify getting a new lamp when the one you have works just fine. This goal could be a total disaster but I think it’s worth a shot. Don’t worry, I bought a gallon of paint last weekend so we would at least have a project to work on while we figure out this whole craigslist game.
So that’s what’s new with us in the goals department.
How are you doing with your 2011 goals?
Meatless Meal Ideas…I need help!
Since my goal this January is to lower our eating bill by $125.00, I’ve been thinking of some ways to do this. One way is to make my meal plan for the week and stick to it. Here’s this weeks meal plan which we have stuck to so:
Monday: Italian sausage bake, fruit
Tuesday: Pork chops,corn , applesauce, rice packet
Wednesday: homemade pizza & salad
Thursday: Blueberry muffins, eggs, fruit
Friday: Beef Stir Fry, eggrolls
Saturday:taco soup, fruit
Sunday:meatball subs, green beans, fruit
I also noticed that we eat meat for practically every dinner. That’s not good on the budget and it can’t be healthy. Here’s a list of the meatless meals that are typically in our rotation. I would love to expand this list:
*tomato soup, grilled cheese, pickle
*broccoli, rice, cheese casserole
*homemade pizza
*pasta
*breakfast foods (pancakes, blueberry muffins, waffles)
Do you have any ideas for meatless meals? I’d love to hear from you.