New Year, New Goals!

This year is really speeding through its gears. March is already at the halfway point! I had decided that I was going to set goals and make them happen. So many things have been vying for my attention thus far. So focus was the first trait I needed to work on to get these goals accomplished. More often than I care to admit, I find myself being a bit scatterbrained. I have my mind set on a future trip. First, Israel, then I want to see Colorado. And then to go back to the Tennessee mountains. They are on my Bucket List. Mountains! I'm thinking I don't really want to play in the snow. After the storm we had here, I'm satisfied with my snow experiences already.

Organization is key.

But back to my goals. I really wanted to get better organized this year. We have had books scattered everywhere. My daughters were the only ones with shelves for theirs. And it drove me nuts, especially in 2020. But this year, my husband got me something I'm truly in love with. Shelves! Christmas gift cards were put to good use in getting another DVD shelf - to finally separate the kids' movies from ours and give us more room.

Since we do not subscribe to streaming services or have cable, a lot of what we watch is movies we own or borrow from the library. So we have a lot of them. 

And then the book shelf he got me was perfect! I was able to put the boys' books and my own on it, while still having room to spare. So I pulled things from bins to display for a change.

I still have 2 bins more of books that I know I won't be able to fit all, but it is a great start. Since taking this photo, I have been sent more books from my mom and the shelves are nearly full.

Girl, look at that body!

I wanted to lose 45 pounds. Be healthier. My husband and I laid out the ground plans for this year and the changes we wanted to see. However, we haven't fully kept to our workout goals. Sickness and storms have interfered in one way or another. We started strong and then my body revolted. I liked working out because it gave me more energy. Sadly, the pain has been killing me. I tried for as long as I could. Now I'm going to switch tactics and work on those meals, smoothies and sleeping better. I really love skipping a meal and having a smoothie for it instead. I am also loving making skillet meals that incorporate cauliflower rice and veggies. Just wish they weren't so expensive!

Cutting back on sweets - Only 3 days a week are we planning to let the kids have treats. As for us, we are only having them on truly special occasions. But in addition to that, we are making sweets a little more on the health-conscious side. More fruit, less sugar. Got any recipes - I'm all ears! Leave me a comment below.

Reading more.

Once upon a time, I was such a heavy reader. I let it go for a while, but I'm back at it. I'm setting goals. I have lots of books to read. The local library had a contest that the kids and I were participating in. It was so much fun to log how many we read! Goodreads also has a Reading Goal function. You set how many books you want to read this year and it keeps track based on the book reviews you leave. I love being a part of Goodreads! So far, I finished 10 books for that goal. For the library contest, I've read more, but mostly for reading to my daughter. As of the time I'm writing this - I've finished reading Ensnared in the Wolf's Lair by Ann Bausum about the 1944 plot to kill Hitler and the children who paid the price for that coup. This was followed by Tales of the Peculiar, the first book in a series my mom sent me that is by Ransom Riggs.

I plan to continue that series as well as The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore. If you loved the movies Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children or I Am Number Four, then these series may be of interest to you. With how I read lately, I'm flying through them.

Starting up date nights...

On my Bucket List, I decided I wanted to make a once a month date night happen. When you are in a relationship, especially with children involved, you need that time to reconnect. To be child-free and focusing on each other. No interruptions. January's date night was awesome! We went out to try Vietnamese food for the first time. February didn't have a date night because of the snow storm that disrupted life here for so long. And that is okay. We have had to get everything back on track since then. March isn't looking like we will have one either. My husband rarely gets Friday or Saturday nights off. And one of those is already booked for a camping trip. Hopefully in April we can pick it back up!

And finally...

I have decided to get a cane. I need something for days when it gets too hard. The pain has me struggling with just walking sometimes. And I have decided that I need to accept the help that a walking stick provides. However! With that being said, it won't be your standard walking stick. Oh no! See, I'm a cool nerd. Which means this stick of mine is going to be retrofitted to my personal style. I have been researching steampunk styled canes. Usually, these are for cosplay. Mine is going to be fully functional. I've been researching making one or buying one. I like something simple like this one. Would get through airport security easier!
 

Or I could buy one from Etsy. I found a couple styles that are pretty. And I could potentially add more to it. Check out this one. I'm stuck on whether it is going to be comfortable to hold. Probably not this one. But it is cool, don't you think?

 

What about you? What goals do you have? Any skills you want to learn? We are already a day away from March. No time like the present to begin!