February Goals

 

February is a new month to focus on new goals despite not getting nearly as far as I thought I would in January.  It gives me a chance to revisit what I thought would work  . .. . and then figure out what didn't work and make it better. You may notice (if you actually read my goals - which I understand why you wouldn't - they aren't yours!) that there are quite a few on this list from January because they did not get completed.  

Speaking of mindfulness - I am continuing with the goal of enjoying my teenagers to the fullest (which I feel I did in January - they are really great guys).  I also picked up a tear-away calendar for the year that sits in my kitchen window.  It has some reminders and quotes to think on each day.  Another mindful goal is to continue with the goal to unplug a little more.  I've been trying to just set my phone down and do other things intentionally.  I guess it is more the idea of not just mindlessly doing nothing but to actually get some things done (and THEN scroll mindlessly LOL)  I also picked up a devotional book - I'm just starting it out so maybe I'll share about it a little more once I've completed a few weeks of the daily readings.  I think it will be encouraging based on what I've seen so far - short reads but with great daily reminders and a focus on Jesus. 

Here are my goals for February:

1. Stage 2 of the basement - Spend 20-30 minutes 2-3 days a week sorting, emptying, organizing and deep cleaning.  

2. Scrapbooking A) Scrapbook 28 pages (at least) in February. B) Make up for pages in January that I did not complete.  C) Reserve February 6-8 for my scrapbooking weekend.  D) Finally I'd like to actually accomplish the following - Finish 3 months in 2011, Finish 3 months in 2025 and finish one month of memorabilia.  Oh, and order January 2026 photos. 

3. Get my oven looked at (and hopefully it can be repaired)

4. Monthly Habit - Keep the kitchen counters cleared.  The kitchen is also our main entrance so things get sit on the counter all the time (we are all guilty!).  My goal this month is to take time each day and put everything away that doesn't belong and wipe the counters down.  

5. Deep Cleaning Goals - I was super over-zealous with plans in January and kind of all over the place.  I'm keeping it a little more focused on one area - I did not finish the master in January like planned (lots of sickness derailed lots of plans!) so I will continue in the master until it is completely done.  IF that happens before the end of February I plan to move on to the bathroom. 

6. Declutter challenge - I found this video online and the lady gets rid of three things a day.  She's pretty random - like just opening a drawer and finding three things to donate or toss.  I like to be a little more streamlined but am returning to my "roots" which is the concept of decluttering/cleaning one small space a day.  A drawer, one shelf in a cupboard, a bin on a table top - just one.  It takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes (or even less!)  But, it doesn't take long until every space has been touched.  

7. Josh's room - the never ending room updates LOL  The goal is to still get everything up on his walls.  Maybe when Nate is at winter retreat the first weekend in February this will get done. 

8. Host Darryl's birthday :-)  

9. Complete projects in Nate's room

10. Purchase a flash drive and move Solid Rock Documents to the drive

11. Memorize my verses toward my 101-1001 goals. 

12. Practice my piano songs (that are now all nice in my binder) 

13. Chose our next 25th Anniversary Adventure for March and plan it. 

14. Read!  Towards my goal of 130 books! 

15. Read non-fiction books toward my 101-1001 plan. 

16. Find ways to unplug again this month.  

17.  My white paint project - Find my painting supplies and then purchase what I need. 

18. Figure out how to shorten the blinds. 

19. Write my resume. 

20. Write out my scripture verses each day. And do daily devotions/Bible Reading

21. Plan March Events before March 1st - St. Patrick's Day and Nate's birthday Party (rescheduled from January), Schedule Dash's vet visit, Reschedule my foot doctor appointment (I had to cancel it due to the weather) 

22. Plan a date with Darryl. 

23. Pick out some flower seeds to order and plant (easy things like sunflowers!) 

24. Clean and decorate the Laundry Room. 

25. Turn off cable this month (and then find ways to watch the few things we want to watch) 

26. Go out to dinner with my friend, Julie.  We talk about it a lot - but we never seem to put it on the calendar!  

27. Pick out a song to maybe sing for Easter (I'm so committed - notice the "Maybe" HA!) 

28. Prepare as much of my "Joyful" video for Presentation night as I can be the end of February.  (Nate has to help me with this project!) 

Phil Wickham, Crowder - It Really Is Amazing Grace (Official Lyric Video)

A new release of an old hymn.  Amazing Grace is such a well known hymn; I enjoyed the additions to the song (especially since I really enjoy Crowder!) 

Our weekly snapshot

 Here’s a look back at our week: 

Nate attended a birthday gathering with friends on Saturday. 

We had dinner with my mom on Saturday and played a game.  These three were acting like toddlers most of the night 🤣

Nate was finally able to make it to Centershot on Tuesday after missing the first two weeks due to bad weather! 

Nate headed off to winter retreat with a great group of guys!  (Don’t worry - he knew he was getting a hoodie when he got to his friends house so he didn’t have one on when we left!  And his winter coat is in his suitcase!) 

Weekly Menu

 February is a busy month - Winter Retreats (Nate has 2 and Josh has 1), My brother Ken is coming for a visit, Superbowl Sunday, Darryl's birthday and Valentine's Day! As I plan my menu this month, I imagine that meals - and plans - will evolve some.  It should be a great month though! 

The plan for this week is: 

Friday -Nate is heading to his second weekend of winter retreat with friends.  He loves camp.  Josh, Darryl and I will enjoy dinner at home.  French Toast, Bacon/Sausage, and maybe some eggs.  Josh always likes eggs when I make breakfast for dinner! 

Saturday - Dinner at my mom's :-)  

Sunday - Guess what?  It is Superbowl Sunday!  Nate will return from camp early afternoon; Josh is actually going to his best friends house to watch the game.  I'm going to make a pot of chili for after church.  We usually have superbowl snacks but I think Nate will head to his normal Sunday Night youth group leaving just Darryl and I so I'm not really sure what we will do - have cereal? LOL  

Monday - Either leftover Chili or Spaghetti (I have sauce in the freezer from last week) 

Tuesday - Biscuits and Gravy, Eggs, and Fried Potatoes

Wednesday - Youth Group.  My brother Ken arrives today so, that may shift what and when we eat.  

Thursday - Spaghetti Carbenara and Bread

January Goal Recap

Sometimes I consider not doing these recaps because, really, it's not that big of a deal.  But, when I look back at past years it is kind of nice to see what I've done.  I have considered not doing a separate post but just linking back to the original post and may do that eventually but for now, here's a look back at what did (and did not) get done.  

I've mentioned in other posts that we dealt with sickness and weather in January which derailed a lot of plans including some of my goal planning and that's ok.  I'll try to give some insight as I go through the list.   

1. Stage 2 of the basement - A) Count all of the bins and then write down what my goal # is by the end of Stage 2. I have a total of about 60 bins/boxes so I'd like to cut it down to 45  B) Spend 20-30 minutes 2-3 days a week sorting, emptying, organizing, and deep cleaning.  It was cold.  Trying to spend excess time in the basement was not really that enticing!  What I did do was put all of the Christmas bins back where they belong because, guess what, there was space for every single one! 

2. Scrapbooking - A) Scrapbook 31 pages (at least) in January (one a day). I even have a cute little chart to fill out for each month of the year. B) Reserve January 9-11 as my "scrapbooking weekend" with the goal to scrapbook as many hours as I can.  C) Actual accomplish goals are -- Finish 3 months in 2011, Finish 3 months in 2025 and finish one month of memorabilia I am kind of disappointed in myself that I didn't get any scrapbooking completed.  My "Scrapbooking weekend" was filled with taking care of Darryl and Nate who both had the stomach flu.  Plus I ended up just feeling "off" (Thankfully I never got the flu like the guys did but I think I had the bug just enough to make me want to do nothing).  

3. Get my oven looked at (and hopefully it can be repaired!) This took a back seat to 1) Needing to get our well bladder looked at after a power outage (it was making terrible noises but in the end was fine) and 2) A part on my washer went bad and needed replaced.  I decided I'd rather have a working washer and continue to use crock pots HA!  

4. Monthly Habits - I find a photo recently that I'll post below:  

Yes, boring habits but good habits to build on.  Each month the focus is on one of them - starting it, getting back to it, or just continuing it. So, January's focus is the beds.  Last year I made it a habit to make my bed every day and I never missed a day.  I also want to add in a better routine of washing blankets and changing sheets as a habit (so a certain day each week).  Other habits I am working to continue from last year are "swish and swipe", taking out all trash on Wednesdays, doing a Monday Morning Reset, and Home Blessings Friday.  For the most part this is a "done" item.  Laundry plans were interrupted by sickness, waiting on the well to be checked and the washer being down for a few days.  

5. Deep Cleaning Goals - Recently I downloaded a cleaning checklist to use to help me better plan for cleaning/deep cleaning each room.  I like visuals and this printable is just that - a visual.  Part of the plan if to list the top 5 cleaning goals of the month.  I'm not sure I really have five.  What I do have is what follows: A) Using the new pintable's, do the daily cleaning (For example, on Monday - clean the kitchen, Tuesday- the bathroom, etc.) B) Do my "pick a room" for decluttering/deep cleaning - January's room is the master bedroom.  The goal is to get into every nook and cranny and deep clean it all.  I think that means I only have 2 top cleaning goals HA! Nope and nope.  HA!  I've already stated all the reasons for other things and they are the same for why I didn't even start on this yet. 

6. 30 day decluttering challenge - this is part of the aforementioned pintable's.  I'd like to tackle the list this month to help eliminate some of those "hot spots" that are always catching clutter.  So I liked this idea when I wrote it but it didn't have a good flow for me so I didn't end up completing it.  I have a different idea for February. 

7. Josh' room - Get everything hung up on his walls.  This will help clean out some baskets in his room too. Sickness.  Enough said. 

8.  Host Nate's 16th birthday party. You would this this is a sure thing, right?? Nope.  Due to the horribly cold temps (like a feels like of -28) forecasted for the morning of his party, we postponed it to March. 

9. Complete projects in Nate's room. Sickness

10. Purchase a flash drive and move Solid Rock Documents to the drive. Honesty -- I forgot about even doing this. 

11. Clean out the Joyful bins in the basement and use things I have on hand for the coming semester. Done

12.  Plan my lesson plans for both of my classes. Done

13. Put together my music binder with songs to play and sing throughout this year. Done

14. Memorize my verses toward my 101-1001 goal.  The camp the boys attend with out church is posted verses every two weeks so I plan to use their program to get my verses in! I printed them but didn't study them. 

15. Chose an adventure to do with Darryl as part of our 25th year celebration - to complete in either January or February. I have something planned for February that ties in with his birthday.

16. Read!  My goal is 130 books this year.  Maybe last year was a fluke and I won't read that many but since I read 128 last year I figured I would try again.  Reading on Libby helps alot - I don't have to purchase books, I just borrow them, read them, and return them.  I find I read more because of this since I'm not spending money. Done - I got a lot of reading done in January since I wasn't feeling up to doing much else. 

17. Read non-fiction books toward my 101-1001 plan. Done!  I actually got a non-fiction book read this month! 

18. Find ways to unplug once a week.  So, basically I want to find a way to stay off of electronics even just for an afternoon - but that is not completely accurate.  I still need to be able to help with school work which is often on a computer, my books are on a kindle, etc. But I think it is more, just stop the aimless scrolling.  Instead, maybe go for a walk, clean something, scrapbook, play a game with the family, or read a regular book (I have a bookshelf full!).  I feel like it will help reset my brain, help with anxiety, and help me be more present with my guys.  This is hard to measure but I feel like I accomplished this on some level.  I worked on setting my phone down throughout the day and going to do something - even as simple as emptying the dishwasher.  Again, I also read a lot which was good. 

19. My white paint project - First up, find my painting supplies and the white paint; purchase anything I need this month to tackle this project either by the end of the month or in February.  While in my head I want to do this, my motivation does not HA!  

20.  Figure out how to shorten the blinds.  This has been on my list since we bought them HA!  I'll start with the master bedroom - take them down, shorten them (it looks kind of easy) so they fit the window and then wash them.  It was took cold to take down blinds.  For real. 

21.  Write my resume. Not done. 

22. Undecorate Christmas - this will include going through my things (some still in bins) and cleaning out what we don't use/don't love.  . Done

23. Write out my scripture verses each day.  I found a great Facebook group where you journal scripture.  I have found that it helps with my mindfulness if I take time to focus on scripture more. I had great intentions but just never acted on those intentions. 

24.  Focus on Daily Devotions/Bible Reading - I am in an accountability group and we do group devotions 2-3 days a week; I'd also like to work on my own daily Bible Study as well.  I picked up a new daily devotional and am looking forward to getting into that now. 

25. Plan February Events before February 1st - Superbowl Snacks (HA!), Valentine's Day, Darryl's Birthday, and anything they guys need for Camp, 25th Anniversary activities, Date day with Darryl Done

26. Plan at least one date day with Darryl in January and plan a family fun activity to do this quarter (probably March due to winter camps) Done

27. Pick out dates for camping this summer/fall and get things reserved for at least one of them. I have tentative dates in mind but they won't be confirmed until I can actual reserve them as things fill up. 

28. Do final research/planning on my Mediterranean Diet experiment - I'd like to maybe do week 1 the last week of January. While I haven't done "final" research I did order a cookbook (it was free!) and have been looking through that to try and plan some meals. 

29. Write a true "Honey Do" list for Darryl with the extra things on it that I like him to do better than doing it myself :-) LOL  Done

30. Complete taxes and file them by the end of January if possible. This is in progress.  I'm waiting for some final documents so it may not happen but the 31st. 

31. Put together my "wish list" for the bathroom decor update since my room to deep clean in February is the Bathroom. Done

So, despite a kind of tough month, I do like the amount of "blue" (done) that I see throughout the list.  This has allowed me to see that I have gotten more done then I originally thought which is great!  It also shows me that I need to work on conquering a few more things in February.  

Andrew Ripp - I'd Do It Again (Official Lyric Video)

This is a song I heard playing on the radio a few weekends ago and enjoyed it so I thought I would share it here as well. 

Our weekly snapshot

 Here’s a look back at our week: 

This week started cold.  This was Saturday morning at 8:10a.  Brrrrrr! 

Darryl and Nate graciously helped me clean the church so then we got lunch!  

Josh went to a school dance with his girlfriend.  

Most of our week was quiet due to continued cold and snow causing bad road conditions but the guys finally got to attend youth group Wednesday! 

Last week our co-op was canceled due to weather so it was nice to be back together again on Friday.