It’s time for a new month and a fresh set of goals. I hoping February will be a lot more upbeat and enjoyable than January. When I sat down to write out my goals I had a hard time coming up with much because our calendar is so full. It’s the shortest month of the year and we seem to always have a million things going on, this year even more so than in the past. So I’m going to try and keep my goals pretty light and obtainable this month!
1 – Don’t give up on the life I want
Okay, so that’s not exactly “light.” I’m just feeling pretty frustrated and down tonight. I’m honestly just ready to throw in the towel when it comes to maintaining friendships or making new ones. It doesn’t seem important to anyone else, and I’m tired of fighting this battle on my own. But as much as I want to give up, I don’t want to give in to that feeling. I want to muster up some hope that adult friendships really can come out ahead. I also want to believe that marriage can be consistent and parenting doesn’t always have to be a challenge. I want to dig deep this month to bring whatever it is I need to carry me into spring when surely the future will start looking brighter.
2 – Have two wonderful family vacations
We have two vacations this month! Weather permitting, we’re going to Nebraska next weekend to visit my brother and his family (Hudson!) and go to the Guster concert I bought Greg tickets for at Christmas. The following weekend we’re headed to Florida for Universal and Harry Potter World! Greg’s parents are taking us and we’re going to be there for five days, with Shepard’s birthday falling right in the middle of that. Experience says that our family vacations almost always turn into disasters. I’m hoping with the level of excitement the boys have over these trips, though, it’ll really work out and we’ll all have a great time!
3 – Celebrate Shepard
For some reason I always feel like Shepard’s birthday is somewhat overlooked. In September for Caden I’m always full of fresh energy and give him these awesome parties. In February, even though it’s almost two full months later, I still feel like I’m dragging from Christmas and can’t gather enough motivation to give it my all. This year is even weirder with being in Florida on his actual birthday. I’m thinking that maybe we’ll celebrate at home the night before we leave, giving him his presents then. In Florida we’ll be sure to make the day awesome. I’m pretty sure I’ve convinced him that we can go a year without a friend party because I don’t know when we’d fit it in. And I’ll throw a low key family party after we get back. He’s a pretty happy kid already, which is maybe why I don’t feel like I need to try as hard as I do for Caden. But I want to make sure he still feels special, even though it’s going to be such an odd year.
4 – Get the boys haircuts
Greg has been giving the boys buzz cuts for maybe about five years now. It’s fine, it works, they just put up huge fights about it. But now Caden insists that he wants his hair longer and it seriously looks AWFUL right now. His hair grows so fast and it sticks up in a million directions and does not look cute AT ALL. So I’ve convinced Greg that this month – because I want them looking their best in all the Florida photos – they can go to a real salon to get real haircuts. They’re both already fighting this idea too, but I’m going to insist.
5 – Don’t forget about Valentine’s Day
I always like to make Valentine’s Day (and all minor holidays) special. But when I look at my totally full calendar I already know it’s probably going to pass by pretty quietly as we’re madly getting ready for Florida two days later. I’m not sure if Greg and I can swing a date night in those days between the two vacations, but I want to for sure make the actual holiday sweet and fun at home.
6 – Re-read 2 favorite books
I always want to re-read my books, but never give myself the chance. This month I have full permission to read some of my all time favorites again. I’ll definitely be reading The Hating Game and there are a few others I’m debating over.
7 – Have a romance filled reading month
I’ve recently started reading for the season and February is all about romance! If I get sick of it then I’ll obviously change to something new – I’m always a mood reader. But I’d like to mostly read love stories and upbeat happy things in this month.
8 – Prioritize at least a few minutes of self care every day
This year is off to a pretty bad start as a whole. But when it comes to my day to day stuff, I think I’ve been pretty balanced so far. I want to keep that up! I don’t have any lofty ambitions about kick starting a big exercise routine or anything, but I want to start taking better care of myself this month – physically and mentally. Go for walks when the weather is mild. Beg a friend to spend an hour with me here or there. Read when I need a break. Connect more with my kids. Eat healthier snacks. All the good stuff.
I guess I actually did come up with a lot of goals, but I think they’re achievable. February is going to be a great month!
