So... am running around this morning... will leave in just a bit to run errands today - knowing that I will have just an hour when I get home before we head out. I must be a little bit crazy, I guess to tag along with my hubby. It's just hard to get serious 'alone' time. Even though the kids are not as physically demanding of us any more - we get in our personal ruts and don't interact as much as we should.
And, at home, well... I tend to go about my business and he goes about his.. and when we get together for meals and such.. we talk about the house, the kids, the business. When I join him on a road trip... I can ask about the future and dreams and help him rise above the day to day a bit... and think about what happens next!
I will enjoy having time on this road trip to see what I can put into practice from the Thrive in Five program. Will I be able to manage to eat out appropriately? My husband really likes munchy snacks in the car... how will I handle that?
Will I remember to do some strength exercises and stretching? With 7+ hours in the car each day for 3 days...... I BET stretching is gonna happen!
*****
As far as monthly achievements, I've done pretty well in most areas!
I've made great strides in consistently implementing new healthy habits, working on focus areas in the house and scanning photos.
I've kept up - BARELY - with my church card ministry.. .but within a few months, I will have help! I've failed totally with my own personal birthday card ministry so I need to work on that one! The year is young :-)
Reading and movies - I've read some things for fun - and I've read 2 classics for educational purposes. They were okay - but I am sure there was some significance to them to explain why they were on the list of 100 greatest novels. So far I'm not impressed but it reminds me of when I was in school in literature classes.. and not understanding some of that either! As for the movie list.... I am checking them out - and learning about them. I do find brutality and horror distasteful and don't feel the need to add them to my life :-) so I imagine that for several of the movies on the list... some info from Wiki so I can educate myself about the storyline and significance... and I will have gleaned what I need to be culturally informed. I plan to continue this process of learning!
Financially, we are still on a monetary diet - so I'm having fun playing around using up my pantry goodies.. and working down some of the accumulated treasures. No worries yet - one of my goals is to clean out and use up anyway so this is perfect timing! Life is simpler :-)
The 15 minute areas focuses have worked well for me... the FUN part is that my family is joining in when I'm not looking.... I find my husband working a bit in the rooms I have targeted.. and he is working on the list of things to fix / paint/ etc. It seems like this is a winner.... and I know that we will be back in each area in a few months... but I am finding that we are still wandering around doing things in all the rooms where I have started! We'll see how long their interest lasts - but I'll take it!
I will not have time or money in the next month to re-do a piece of furniture but the list is growing! And we'll be ready :-)
Maintenance habits in some areas are good (health) but in others not so much (cleaning).... BUT all in all, because of the 15 minute focus, we are getting more cleaning done than we did before! But I still want to start creating better habits for more regular home maintenance... so later in the year, I may start a weekly habit for that.... not sure just yet!
We didn't manage a whole family gathering in January (except New Years) but I did meet one of my girls for a lunch out and had my granddaughter overnight (which translated into seeing most of my gang at church when her parents came to pick her up!)
And - if you've been watching my blog - you know I've been crocheting up a storm... but I'm proud to say I only bought 3 skeins of yarn in January (because I want to make sweaters for the grandgirls and needed something to coordinate with yarn I already had!) So that is working well... I really want to work through the yarn and have less around (fewer projects at a time)
I've done a little on the quilt so it is far from finished but am making little bits of progress... Not much else on the crafting front - mostly crochet this month!
Keeping up with the blog has been challenging.. but good experience. I do like writing! I've done a few reflection pieces and need to spend a little more of my reading / thinking / praying time with spiritual reading so I can do more of them. I feel really good about the ones I have done.
We also joined the writers group but haven't had a chance to go to meetings yet. I am looking forward to that. I have done very little in the way of written entries in my journal.... maybe that is not something I am going to do. Will try that one again in February and see what happens.
I will post monthly goals on a page of their own (still working on them!) ... and continue with the weekly list. That has worked well for me and I feel like we (as a family) are really moving along in the way we are supposed to! Personally I feel like I am getting more things accomplished toward my goal of simplifying my life!
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