September Goals
Ahhh…sweet September. I love this time of year when the smell of fall is so very close, school is still new and fun and it’s college football season! While everyone else is posting pictures of fall leaves and pumpkins {and mind you I LOVE both of those things} this is really more my reality living in a college town….in central Texas…..where there may only be 3 days of fall color to be found! I have not written a “real” goal oriented post in awhile so I decided it was time for a little more accountability.
{Organization}
- Weekly meal planning – I would like for our family to eat dinner at home 4 out of 5 nights during the week so planning ahead will be key. Maybe I will even share some of my favorites!
- Sunday meal prep – For the past two Sundays I have prepped easy to grab items or the kids lunches {as noted in this post} and prepped my lunches for the week. I hope to continue this each week.
- Closet flip – While it will still be rather warm in Texas, I will be ready to put away some of my summery colors and trade them for lighter weight fall colors. For tips on how I organize my closet to best utilize all my items and identify things that are no longer my favorites you can read last years post here.
{Celebrations}
- Plan Carly’s 10th Birthday! My last baby will hit double digits so planning the perfect little party to help her celebrate is definitely a priority. She is thinking she wants to throw a favorite things party but she has LOTS of favorite things.
- Start pulling ideas together for our October birthdays. Jordan will turn 25 so another BIG one to plan for and Riley will be home just in time for him to turn 22 so I definitely need to plan some family fun.
{Decorating for Fall}
- This needs no explanation really but I hope to have all my fall decorations out in September. This often takes the backseat to back to school and Carly’s birthday and the next thing I know it’s October 1st and I haven’t pulled out my decorations. I love adding some Halloween decorations come October 1st so having the fall decor out in September will make me happier!
{Better Choices}
- Fitness – Workout at least 4 days per week – with Dillon having a early morning football practice and the kids having after school activities planning ahead and actually adding my workouts to the calendar are necessary. I’m hoping the plan I’ve come up with is going to work well. I’m a happier momma and better able to stay on top of everything else with a good attitude if I have some endorphins working in my favor.
- Shopping – Dare I put myself in a no spend zone? I am going to try and make it the entire month of September without buying anything new for myself and instead work on shopping my own closet and coming up with some fun new combos. Eek….can I actually do this? I will qualify….if I receive any unexpected money or gift cards all bets are off. {smile}
{Stay in My Lane}
- Volunteering – I would love nothing more than to be a full time volunteer but that would interfere with my real job. I did a much better job last year of evaluating whether or not an opportunity was the best fit for me and my family before saying yes and I hope to do the same this year. It’s so easy for me to hear about something that sounds “fun” and I want to jump in but staying in my lane and doing the things that work best will keep me from losing my mind while allowing me to actually feel like I’m a productive volunteer. Read more of my thoughts on this subject in the post {Finding Balance in Volunteering}.
- Work – I definitely have issues staying on task sometimes. I have been making a list at the beginning of each work day and posting in a visible location on my desk to help keep me focused and in my lane. There are definitely some tasks I gravitate towards more than others but they are not always the highest priority. Having a prioritized list will hopefully help me stay on task! Oh…and my stand up desk arrived today!! I definitely think I will be more focused standing up!
{Blogging}
- Calendar – Setting up a blogging calendar is something I’ve tried but have still not mastered. I really would like to work on setting up a blogging calendar that will carry me through at least December. I love linking up and it definitely provides additional exposure for my blog but I really need to think about which link ups match up with where I really want my blog to be heading.
- Time – Setting aside specific blocks of time for blogging is another area I have not mastered. Last January I set aside one day a week when I took the night “off” and actually left the house from 7-9 or sometimes 10 and headed to the nearest Starbucks for some dedicated blog time. Having some guilt free time was very helpful but once baseball began it did not last long. I’m hoping to continue this practice. I also need to set aside a set time daily for blog reading and researching and stick to that time only.
- Direction – I would like to really sit down and line out where I would like to take this blog. I’ve loved fashion and family posts probably the most but would really like to continue the Queen Bees series and continue the Fit for a Queen series. I need to be more intentional with what I am writing.
{Family Time}
- Hunting – Dove season is one of Keith’s favorite times of year but I have actually not gone since we were dating. I always find some excuse why it doesn’t work into my schedule. If we can find some doves, my goal is to at least go once!
- Weekends – Planning at least one family activity each weekend is definitely a goal. So many weekends we split up on Saturday and I would like to see more of us sticking together. We missed so much church this summer and my goal is to make every Sunday in September. Our weeks just run smoother when we start them together at church.
- Dinner date with Jordan – Booked and on the calendar as a recurring event is a dinner date with my girl every month. The last two months we have missed and I’m determined to make it work this month!
- Date night – The kids activities are such that we will be able to have a regular date night this fall {score} so I am hoping two date nights for September will be added to the calendar.
- Social Media Downtime – With school and other activities all back in full swing I need to make the most of the time I do have at home with my kids. I need to set aside the social media when we are together and even move them away from the TV more. Not sure if this will be harder for me or them which is sad.
I really didn’t expect for this list to be so long but I really do think it addresses all the areas that really need a little tweaking. Running a household and being a parent is some tough stuff for sure and it all runs smoother when there is some balance!
Wishing you all a sweet September!
To see where I may be linking up today visit my contact page!
