September is speeding by and today is the first day of Fall! This time of year always feels like a fresh start to me, even more than January 1st. After the care free days of summer, I am ready to get back into a routine of school and fall activities. At this point I also like to re-evaluate the goals I made at the beginning of January. Some goals still need work. Some goals were accomplished, so I can focus on a different area. Taking some time to review helps me to make the most of these last months of 2017.

I like to divide my goals into five main areas of my life – as a daughter of God, wife, mother, homemaker and woman. Here are some specific things I want to work on over the next month or so.

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Goal #1: I want to nurture my relationship with God, especially my prayer life.

Why this goal?

I love God but I want to love Him more deeply and more faithfully because I am His daughter and He has done so much for me.

Starting Steps:

• Pray the Morning Offering as soon as I wake. (No checking emails, news or social media first.)
  
• Spend time in morning prayer – During my morning beach walk, I’ll listen to the readings of the day (using the iMissal app) and listen to the Blessed Is She devotion of the day (using the “speak” feature on my iPhone) and pray all/part of the rosary.
• Intentional prayer/ sacrifice during the day – When doing household chores, especially those I dislike the most (I’m looking at you, laundry) offer the chore up for a special intention.
• Night prayer – Finish praying the rosary (if not completed in the morning) and do a night exam.
• Mass – Add one daily Mass each week.
  

* * *

Goal #2: Nurture my relationship with Brian by spending more one-on-one time with him, being more appreciative of all he does for us and treat him with greater respect (not like he’s my 5th kid.)

Why this goal?

I want to be a loving wife and show Brian how much I appreciate him. Our time together will help us reconnect, nurture our friendship and keep our marriage strong.

Starting Steps:

• Talk Time – Sometimes I am doing so much in the evening to prep for the next day, I don’t give Brian my undivided attention to just chat and catch up. I’ll give him that time in the evening before we turn on the TV to watch something.
• Date nights – We currently go out once a month but now that Bela is older and can babysit more, I’d like to up it to every other week or at least 2x a month.
• Daily act of kindness for Brian. – I haven’t done this in the last couple of months but I’d like to be intentional once again. It was such a positive thing for both of us. I’ll print out the list I made and add it to my planner for inspiration. For more info, refer to –  25 Acts of Kindness for your Husband.

* * *

Goal #3: Give the kids more one-on-one time, both with homework and at play. Also give them more responsibility and challenge them to grow as a young person.

Why this goal?

Spending more quality time together will strengthen our relationship and have fun as a family. As their mom I am responsible to help them become more productive, to work as a team and to resist being lazy and self-centered.

Starting Steps:

• Get all of my work done by 2:00 PM so I have the afternoons free to help the kids with homework. – That includes leaving the phone alone.
  
• Update the after school chore chart. – I want to include Bella with this and spend time giving her more life lessons (cooking, doing laundry, balancing a checkbook etc) since she’ll be going away to college in a couple years. (gasp!) 
  
• Plan weekend outings or family time unplugged.

* * *

Goal #4: Improve my homemaking by spending less, decluttering what we already have and using my time wisely, especially in regards to meal planning.

Why this goal?

When our home life is tidy and organized there is much more peace.

Starting Steps:

• Update our monthly budget and keep a daily log of spending.
  
• Return to daily 15-30 minute declutter/ organizational task.
  
• Update recipe binder and make a “Favorite Meals” reference list. – I am always stumped on what to make for dinner each week so if I had a list of meals that worked well for dinner I could have a little more variety.
• On Sundays, meal plan for the week. – This is especially important because if I am in the throes of homework or after school activities, I can’t be worried about “what should I cook tonight?”  When it’s planned, the guesswork (and added stress) is taken out.
  

* * *

Goal #5 – Continue to work on improving my health; nurture creativity with photography and hand lettering; challenge myself to be brave when I am out of my comfort zone.

Why this goal?

Physically, to be healthier and present in my family’s life. Creatively, being creative brings me joy. Mentally, I’ll feel more myself and less like I am hiding the real me.

Starting Steps:

• Physically: 5x a week morning walk at least 20-30 minutes.
  
• Physically: Add 2x week strength training. – I need to start by looking up program/videos for beginners. Any suggestions?
• Physically: Continue daily water, vitamins and weekdays in bed by 11 PM. – Not staying up late is soo hard for me!!
  
• Creativity: Return to my photography challenge. – See what I’ve done this year so far on Instagram with #rolphotochallenges.
  
• Creativity: In evenings work on handlettering drills while watching TV.
• Mentally: In social situations do something out of my comfort zone. – I’m sort of an extroverted introvert when I’m around strangers so I sometimes feel like I don’t show the “real” me.

I’m using Lara Casey’s goal making system and broke everything down into monthly, weekly and daily tasks. I may not get everything done but even a little progress is still progress! 🙂

What about you? Do you make goals? What is the one thing that you really want to work on this month(s)? Do share!

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