Whew! I didn’t think I was going to get this post written today. It’s been a day of total insanity, trying to get ready to leave on our vacation tomorrow morning. I only got about half the things done I wanted to do, with no break in the last 15 hours. It probably would have been fine if I hadn’t spent three hours running unexpected errands in Madison. But Greg apparently really needed mouthwash. And Target FINALLY had a deal on cat litter. And Shepard was desperate to get the new sandals I ordered, but weren’t supposed to come until we were gone and I wanted to see if I looked at a different Target if I could find them. (I didn’t. But then they came in the mail today anyway, even though tracking still says tomorrow.) I was doing twenty different things in five different directions and I am about at my wit’s end. I’m ready to call it, though. The only major thing left is three loads of laundry that should have been folded and put away. But it’s just going to have to wait. I can possibly get it done before we leave tomorrow. Maybe.
Anyway! I really wanted to write this out tonight so I could have my goals in mind this coming week, even if I’m not officially counting it as a time frame where I NEED to be thinking of my goals. I know I’m going to feel just as stressed the day after we get back as I do today, so better to be prepared! I’m trying to take it easy on myself again this month because there is SO MUCH going on. There isn’t much spare time for anything besides getting through life and all the fun activities and celebrations coming up.
1 – Have an AWESOME vacation!
I need it. Greg and I both need it. I feel like there hasn’t been a whole lot of fun or relaxation in the last couple of months. I really can’t even believe how busy our schedule has been without our kids really even being in more than one activity at a time. Plus my sleep schedule has been so messed up for like six months which never helps with anything. I’m looking forward to GETTING AWAY . I was actually quite stressed about it, but multiple people have told me I’m allowed to forget about everything for a week, so I’m going to try. As best I can. 🙂 We have a pretty loose itinerary for the week, which doesn’t always work out very well with our super anti-spontaneous personalities. But way too often I go on trips expecting to do so many things and then I’m disappointed if we can’t fit something in. So I created large lists of possibilities with a ton of restaurant choices and we’ll just see what we feel like. Or do that the first day and if it feels too stressful I’ll create super detailed plans each night for the rest of the days! At any rate, I’m really excited to see Colorado – a state we’ve never been to before. It’ll be really great!
2 – Treat myself to a special Mother’s Day weekend
So because I have very little control over what happens on actual Mother’s Day, I have a longstanding tradition of spending the Saturday before out shopping by myself. Last year I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t drive yet and I could barely walk with my crutches. My family still took me to the farmer’s market, but that was a far cry from the kind of day I like to have. This year’s Pre-Mother’s Day will be my first time at the farmer’s market this season, so it’ll be extra special! I already informed Greg that I will be gone the entire day. Maybe I’ll see a movie or just browse every bookstore in Madison until I don’t even want to look at another book. No matter what, you better believe I’m going to make the most of that day! I also strongly encourage other moms to do something like this too, especially if you spend most of Mother’s Day celebrating grandmas. It’s SO worth it treating yourself to a special day doing whatever YOU want to do.
3 – Do a 6 year anniversary Heartstring Annie giveaway and sale
I was hoping to have my giveaway doll finished up today so I could jump into this right when I get back, but no such luck. But hopefully by the middle of next week I can get going on my belated anniversary celebration. It’s a great way to drum up some new customers, plus I’m sure I’ll be needing that boost in sales!
4 – Finish my Hope*Writers 90 Day Direction course
So it’s still a little unclear to me if this course is supposed to take 90 days to complete, or it’s supposed to give you a timeline for your first 90 days of deciding the direction you want to take in your writing. I’m pretty sure it’s the latter, because I think most of the videos are taken from the conference they did 2 years ago. So three day’s worth of conference material spread out over almost four weeks. It’s going to be tough with all the doll stuff also going on, but I’d like to make it a higher priority than I have these past two weeks since I signed up. I’d love to have some sort of plan for how I want to proceed with both of my career directions over the summer, so hopefully this will help me figure out how much time I should be devoting to writing versus everything else in my life!
5 – Go through all my new cookbooks
I still have the two cookbooks from Christmas. I have another I bought a few weeks ago. And two more came today on release day. So five cookbooks. A ton of new recipes to peruse. Infinite possibilities and inspiration! Even if it takes me an entire day, I want to get through them all and actually start making new foods.
I think that’s enough! I didn’t want to make it an actual goal because it sounds kind of dumb, but basically I really just want to enjoy the month of May. There are always so many fun things going on, but I can’t help getting depressed about the school year coming to an end. Summer is really, really hard on me. I am an extreme introvert and not the most patient or fun mom, especially when I’m often trying to continue on with my own full time working in the middle of all the added responsibilities of kids being around all day. I’m hoping this is the May I can let go of my worries and just enjoy each day as it comes. We have a week of vacation, which will be great. I have a long overdue night out with a few friends scheduled. My pre-Mother’s Day festivities. Actual Mother’s Day. Greg’s birthday. The Happier Podcast live show in Milwaukee. My goddaughter’s dance recital. The school carnival. Shepard’s soccer practices and games. Our 13 year anniversary. And maybe, I think, seeing Hudson for the first time in almost four months! It’s such a busy month, but it has the potential to be really great if I can just get out of my head and enjoy my life. I think I’m ready.
