Tuesday, January 31, 2012

January Update and February Goals

I can hardly believe it's the last day of January! Where did this month go??! Seems like we just celebrated Christmas, and here it's almost time for Valentine's Day already. Crazy! Anyway, it's been neat to look back on my goals for this month and see how close (or not) I came to accomplishing them. Here's a recap of the goals, along with how I did:
  • Daily quiet time in the Word & prayer--I wasn't completely consistent with this, but I've definitely seen improvement. Hubby & I are on a new bedtime/early rising schedule this week, which is helping a lot!!
  • Fast from sugar (this includes cookies, candy, etc. but not bread or other carbs or starches such as potatoes)--DONE! I made it through the whole month. :)
  • Exercise 5-7 times a week for 20-30 minutes each time--I didn't quite make this goal; I exercised a total of 20 times in January for 20+ minutes each time.
  • Lose 5 lbs by Feb. 1st--DONE!!!
  • Read 2 books (this month's books are A Proper Pursuit--already finished--and Reshaping It All (weight loss/fitness inspiration!)--DONE! I also read another fiction book for review, Promise Me This (review coming later in Feb.)
  • Stick to our budget--We came close--still a work in progress. :) Jim had more days off this month than usual, so we didn't make quite as much income as I had planned for.
  • Pay all bills on time--DONE!
  • Go to bed earlier--Ummmm, does "sometimes" count? ;) Like I mentioned above, we are trying a new bedtime schedule this week, which seems to be working well to get us in bed by 10 pm.
  • Start school earlier--We're still working on this one, but I think (hopefully!) we'll see more improvements in Feb.
  • DIY project: turn all the tomatoes in my freezer into spaghetti sauce :)--DONE!!! Yay!
  • Sewing project: a few belated Christmas gifts--Nope, this one didn't happen. I ended up buying something instead of sewing what I had planned. However, I did start a no-knit yarn scarf for myself . . . does that count? :)
  • One other goal that somehow didn't make it onto my January list was having friends over at least once a month--DONE! We actually had company twice last week, which was so much fun!!
And here is my new list of goals for February!
  • Finish Fruit of the Spirit Bible study for my devotions (I am about 2 months behind when the study was *scheduled* to finish--but should be able to wrap it up in the next couple of weeks!)
  • Begin memorizing Titus 2
  • Lose 4 lbs.
  • Minimize sugar
  • Really work on portion control and drinking more water
  • Exercise 5-6 times per week
  • Read at least 2 books (Made to Crave and Loving the Little Years, plus hopefully another fiction book to review)
  • Rework the budget and re-read chapter one of The Money Saving Mom's Budget
  • Have friends over for dinner
  • Send (very late) Christmas gifts to my sis and family!
  • DIY project: Repair kitchen rug or make a new one
  • Sewing project: Aprons for Julia and me, and maybe some for gifts
  • Have a monthly date night
And I think that is enough to work on for the next month--in addition to other specific weekly goals! :)

2 comments:

Mrs. Smith said...

Way to go, dear buddy!!! Your goals and accomplishments are wonderfully motivating and I delight in your victorious month! High five, my friend! :D

Mary Ann said...

You get a high five from me, too! It's silly, but reading about your accomplishments does really motivate me, too. I hope to post a little one month recap & review on my blog today. Here's hoping I actually get to it :-) And it's truly comforting to know that other people that I like & admire struggle with the same sort of issues that I struggle with, you know? Thanks for sharing :-)