Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Mid-March Goals Check In

I love March. Love it love. Lambs, lions, rain -- THE FIRST REAL SUNSHINE IN WHAT SEEMS LIKE YEEEEAAAARS!

I am loving this March. Loving today. Currently:
  • the sun is shining
  • the kids are napping
  • my sink is empty
  • my Cricut is whirring along on a new project
  • there is another adult in my house (yay Kim!)
Those things are all such tank-fillers for me! Especially the sunshine. When the sun is shining, I am like super-productive-mother-extraordinaire. March is when we in the Midwest start to really see the sunshine again after the winter...it's a time of the year where I feel motivated to accomplish some things.

So it's probably a great time to check back in with the goals I set for myself in January. Accountability, checking-in, keeping tabs--whatever you want to call it--is a crucial tool for me in
getting things done. Otherwise I just completely lose track of myself and my intentions, and everything shifts into neutral-zombie-just-get-through-the-day mode.I want to be more than a zombie! Zombies are fine and all, but they're not exactly life-coach material. 
Alright, so here's my check in report! If you recall, I outlined four goals for myself, so I'll just mention them briefly and then try to be as honest as I can about how it's going. (If you want to revisit a more in depth explanation of the goals in the original post, click here.)

1. Get Physical! This object of this goal is to essentially be a good steward of my body. Specifically, I wanted to get through three rounds of the 21 Day Fix before March 28th.
How I'm doing: I think, in Spanish, the phrase is, "mas o menos," and in English I can only offer a half-hearted, "Mehhhhhhhh." Something happened and I hurt my knee in early February, and pushing through it seemed to anger the beast. I am still experiencing a fair amount of discomfort on a daily basis, and haven't been able to do any intense workouts, so unfortunately, I did not meet my goal of doing the Fix 3x by the end of March. But the fairer weather has had me out walking more often, and I can feel the difference that activity makes! I also started reading "Made to Crave" by Lisa Terkeurst and am looking forward to applying some of the wisdom she offers about physical stewardship.
Overall, I'm going to give myself...two out of ten stars for this goal, and a renewed motivation to apply it to my every days. 

2. Be More Housewife-y! This probably seems so vague if you're not in my brain, but the heart of this goal is that I develop working routines for my housewife-life. Specifically, I set a goal to be "settled" into our house by the end of the year.
How I'm doing: I can sit up a little taller now and say that yes, I have worked to apply myself in this area! Dan and I recently looked at our calendar and declared "reset" days for every month. On our "reset" days, we're both going to give the majority of our time and effort to cleaning and organizing our home. We each do a little bit of cleaning every day, but on our reset days the objective is to completely get our home back to square one of cleanliness and orderliness. Putting it on our calendar is such a help to me; it can't be forgotten or shoved aside!
We also decided to have a budget meeting once a week, just to check in and get a reminder of where our spending is at. We use mint.com to track our spending, and I have the app on my phone, but it still helps to have these talks in person so that we can stay on the same page financially.

I have been tracking my food-prepping in a small planner (I made five quarts of stock on March 3rd, two freezer meals on the 7th, fifteen tortillas last night...) and am hoping to use that to figure out the "ebb and flow" of food supply in our fridge. Once I figure out what I need and when, I'll go to my calendar and set specific times to get those things done. 
Overall, I'm not mad about how this is going, and will offer myself a B+ here!

3.) Hygmalion!
I opened an Etsy shop in December of 2015, and am working on adding to and promoting the shop.
How I'm doing: This is going...okay? I haven't gotten to add as many items to the shop as I've wanted, but I've been working on quite a few custom orders, so that's probably good. Also, the project my Cricut is currently cutting (that's a tongue-twister!) is one for the shop, so I'll be able to add a project for March. I'm looking forward to the coming months, though, because it looks like my kids may FINALLY be on consistent, synchronized naptimes. If you pray anything for me, pray that this would remain the same!
Overall: 10 points to Gryffindor! (I don't know...) 

4.) Sew Myself Silly! The objective of this goal is that I learn to sew better. Specifically, I want to be able to hashtag it out during #MeMadeMay2016 and wear something I've sewn every day.
How I"m doing: I have been able to sew a few things, mostly baby-shower gifts, and I just cut material for curtains in the kids' bedrooms, so my seamstressing hasn't been completely neglected. I also started following See Kate Sew and joined her Facebook group for tips and inspiration--it's been awesome and so motivating! I haven't gotten to sew anything I can wear, though, so I need to get it in gear before May rolls around!
Overall: I give myself three out of five needles.


Now, if anyone actually read all that -- bless you!! It is really important to me to honestly evaluate where I am, so thanks for indulging me. How are your goals coming along? Are you reinvigorated with purpose in this spring season?

8 comments:

  1. "Reset Days" are such a good idea and putting them on the calendar is genius! I think you're doing great with your goals!

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    1. Yes! Hopefully we really follow through and make use of them!

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  2. way to go daughter :-). I am encouraged to take a new look at my goals. I believe I slipped in to the zombie mode :-) no thanks to candy crush :/

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  3. I'm totally getting spring fever! I keep telling myself that I need to get a hobby (with sewing/quilting in mind specifically) and I keep neglecting it. Time to get into shape! :)

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    1. Check out the triangle quilt by SeeKateSew! It's a really nice starting project, not too hard, not too bland, and pretty modern in style—for a quilt.

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  4. Look at the triangle quilt by SeeKateSew! It's a really nice starting project, not too hard, not too bland, and pretty modern in style—for a quilt.

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  5. Wow, I feel like reading this has given me a glimpse into the life of a wife, mom, and homemaker that is growing into her own. Incredibly encouraging to see your journey. Thank you for sharing. I desperately want to grow into being a good wife, homemaker and hopefully mommy one day. I feel like it is an impossible task most days- like i need to quit my day job just to be a better wife right now..

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    1. Thank you for the encouragement! I will say that if I had a paying job (in or outside of the home) it would be a game-changer...I don't imagine my life would look at all similar to the way it does now. Applying yourself to the excellent glory of God is beautifully-exhausting, hard work, but absolutely possible according to His grace. It looks different from wife to wife, person to person...and for me—success varies from day to day! I am so happy to offer any help or encouragement, things I'm learning, tips to make it all come together, etc.—but this is not a game of comparison! Strengthened in Christ, we can do all things! You are loved. :)

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