Photograph Credit: Flickr (Angie Torres)
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. I almost postponed this post because I dread the cash-only issue.
I’m not sure if it is fear of the unknown, learning something new, or changing a system that is not broken. Whatever the reason, I question my choice in making this goal to follow Crystal’s 12-month plan as outlined in The Money Saving Mom’s Budget.
Though unmotivated, I may find peace and contentment far greater than I know it now with a new system. So, I press on with the goals I made to challenge myself. I am not a quitter, and I will continue even if I fall on my face. 🙂
The following is a recap of my progress from my May goals and my goals for June:
Physical
Drink 3 glasses of water per day. Success! I now drink 3 glasses of water each day. Aiming for 8 glasses of water each day, I will “take the plunge” 🙂 and increase this goal to 4 glasses of water each day.
Eat breakfast each morning. Finding ups and downs with this goal this month. With a new schedule for summer, I sometimes eat an early lunch and not breakfast. With each day a little different, our morning routine fluctuates. I will need to focus a bit more on this goal this month.
Exercise for 20 minutes at least 3 times a week. Back to the drawing board. I am experimenting with time slots for exercise again. With my kids home all day and the different schedules, I struggle with a consistent time to exercise. From my success during the school year, I know that the key for me is that block of uninterrupted time. For June, I will continue to work on carving out a time slot.
Family
Plan at least one family outing/activity each week. Accomplished! Finished soccer season and spent last weekend tubing and paddle boating. Love this goal, and keeping it all year.
Spend 10 minutes with each child each day. Much improved. Right now, my son enjoys snuggling on the couch, my older daughter want to work on her letters and numbers, and my youngest daughter wants to play with the Daddy, Mommy, and baby figurines. Taking time to play and enjoy my children brings peace and calmness to our home.
Allow children to help with a household task each week. Still discussing our allowance system, but I am enjoying my helpers. In taking turns, my older children bake and cook with me, help me clean and organize, and run errands. My youngest daughter enjoyed shopping at CVS alone with me. She pushed the cart (into the shelves) and chose the items from the shelf. The 15-minute errand turned into an hour, but we had a blast.
Financial
Follow Crystal’s year-long plan to reach my goals. I’m a little behind on this goal. I still have our bare-bones budget and need to create a full-fledged budget. This goal will carry over into June. Last month, I shared how I refused to use cash. Well, that decision was premature. I cannot make that decision until I have a full-fledged working budget and know how much I need in each category. Though I really hate the idea of cash-only, I do not have enough information to make that decision yet. I still need more time – lots of time. 🙂
Purchase dressers for my daughters’ room. This goal is ongoing. No progress made on this goal for May. Not sure when we will move our girls into the same room. Right now, there is no hurry.
Purchase upgraded computers for hubby and me. This goal is also ongoing. After dealing with our Internet providers’ change of contract, our computer issues might be network-based and not equipment-based. More research may point us in the right direction. At this time, I do not want to raise our utility allotment, so patience is the key.
Business
Write posts one week in advance. Bombed this one again! Continuing with scheduling post topics one month in advance is working, but I am not writing any faster. I’m still keeping this goal because one day I will get ahead. 🙂
Make one improvement to the blog this month. Accomplished! Still need to update the Facebook landing pages, but I organized and updated all the posts in the Document category when repairing my web site after a file corrupted.
Read two chapters of blog book each month. Failed! I’m concentrating on summer reading with my kids. For my summer reading program at the library, how-to books do not qualify. To reach my summer reading goal, I am reading other books. I hope to get back to my blog book soon.
Besides really stretching me, these goals are hard work. In using time wisely, I sometimes have to choose one goal over another. When that happens, I embrace it while making progress. If I fail, then I get up and try again next month.
These baby steps are slowly inching me closer to completing my goals. By starting, I have a better chance of finishing than if I just plan. Keep going!
Question: How are you doing on your goals this year?