Blogtember // Day 2 : September Goals
Hopping on to the Blogtember challenge again today to share my September goals as well as a re-cap of August goals.
August Goals Update:
SPIRITUAL GOALS
(1) Finish reading Malachi, 1 & 2nd Chronicles to stay on track with this Bible Reading Plan. -- YES! Now I will slow down and take 1-2 Psalms per day so I can study them more closely.
(2) Continue to quiz myself -- Yes. Notecards have really helped me with memorization
PHYSICAL/NUTRITIONAL GOALS
(1) Exercise twice a week. Nope. I only ran twice this month! Shame!
(2) Eliminate dairy and gluten everyday -- YES!! Finally became more strict on this, thanks to my husband who gave me a good heart-to-heart about my health.
LEARNING GOALS
(1) Read 6 books, including The Hiding Place (our book club's first pick!). --I read 12 books. See my reviews HERE.
(2) Review nurse practitioner books/coursework to help me improve my skills for my new job.
WRITING GOALS
(1) Write one chapter of my novel .
(2) Blog atleast -- I have dramatically decreased my posts this month but its
SOCIAL GOALS
(1) Write to my Compassion Child (and remember to pray for her throughout the month)
(2) Have a friend or two over for dinner.
MARRIAGE GOALS
(1) Take time on Sunday evenings to ask each other THESE questions to help reflect on our week and how we can be helping one another in the following week. We've been slacking on this the past few months!-- Grrr. NOT YET
(2) Use THESE husband prayer cards to remember to pray for Greg daily. The cards helped a lot this month! I want to be more consistent about praying for Greg and the prompts are great!
FINANCIAL GOALS
(1) Restart our Tuesday evenings when we discuss finances and looking over our expenses using YNAB. We've been slacking the past two months! -- YES, finally!
September Goals
SPIRITUAL GOALS
(1) Use different methods to study a Psalm a day, whether using lectio devina
PHYSICAL/NUTRITIONAL GOALS
(1) Eliminate all dairy and gluten except for one cheat meal per week
(2) Get out there and run or do free weights twice a week
LEARNING GOALS
(1) Read 8 books
(2) Study and get PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) certified for my children's ER job
(3) Complete the online training I need to do this month
WRITING GOALS
(1) Write 1-2 chapters of my novel
(2) Blog atleast times for the Blogtember Challenge!
SOCIAL GOALS
(1) Have a friend (or a couple) over for dinner once this month
(2) Write three hand-written notes to friends who live in different cities
MARRIAGE GOALS
(1)Take time on Sunday evenings to ask each other THESE questions to help reflect on our week and how we can be helping one another in the following week. We've been slacking on this the past few months!
(2) Use THESE husband prayer cards to remember to pray for Greg daily.
FINANCIAL GOALS
(1) Weekly discuss finances together
(2) Decrease times we go to restaurants per month because OUCH! it's costing a pretty penny.
MINISTRY GOALS
(1) Finish all the required paperwork and training for YoungLife Capernaum
(2) Make some GED-preparation worksheets for the two Burmese refugee women I help teach English.
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What are your September goals?
i like how you break these down into different areas of your life. i feel ya on the financial goal to not eat out at restaurants as much. we are trying to cut back as well. more home-cooked meals and such. i've been searching for new recipes to try!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amber! Pinterest has been a good friend when it comes to new recipes. We try to keep our meals paleo-ish because of various food sensitivities we have between us two (white potatoes, beans, dairy, gluten, peanuts are all no bueno in our home) so it can get a little difficult to find new recipes sometimes and I am tempted to just cook the same things every week but I am slowly trying out new things.
DeleteI love the various categories for your goals! It looks like you have lots to accomplish this September, but I know you can do it! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Alannah! It helps me to categorize things like that because otherwise it would be easy for me to get overwhelmed with a long list of goals… my brain functions better in smaller chunks of info, I guess!
DeleteI am always in awe of how much reading you’re able to accomplish! I see you love books and I think it’s wonderful you’ve shared them with your readers. I also love that you’ve broken down your goals into different aspects of your life and only have 1-2 goals per area. Makes accomplishing them easier I’m sure! Following through this amazing linkup and look forward to what posts this challenge will bring!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kelly! You're so sweet! I don't know how to work our TV without my husband in the room, so I don't watch any TV unless it's Seinfeld re-runs on DVDs or occasional rentals, and I am not working full-time right now and don't have kids, so I have time in this season to devote to reading. I am enjoying it while I can because I know life will get a lot busier and other things will take higher priority than reading (like keeping an infant fed, bathed, and changed, haha!). I recently started listening to audiobooks while doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, and driving and that has dramatically increased my monthly reading too.
DeleteI am seriously loving your goals! Also, yes thank you so much for stopping by and mentioning the prayer cards! They are beautiful and I love them and I want them. Your goal list is so focused and manageable. Which always equates to productivity!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome! Yes the prayer cards are gorgeous and I love that there are Bible verses that go along with each of the prayer cards!
DeleteWhat a great way to break down goals and make sure you focus on different aspects of your life each month!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Katelyn! My brain seems to get less overwhelmed with goals when they are broken up into smaller chunks, so it has been working for me overall, though some areas (specifically physical health/nutrition) need to be made more of a priority
DeleteYou have some great goals! I especially love your nutritional, reading, and financial goals :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jen!! My husband has been great about leading us in the financial arena because finances kinda freak me out. But he encourages me and does such a good job of explaining things that I am starting to feel more comfortable and actually enjoy our budgeting conversations!
DeleteCooking at home together can be such a wonderful way to save money and spend time together. All the best as you pursue your goals!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! YES so true! I want to do a better job of meal planning for the whole week rather than what I am doing now (2-3 nights of planning at a time) so that I can avoid having nights when I am out of ideas for dinner and end up ordering takeout or something.
DeleteYou are one well-rounded, accomplished woman. I'm impressed!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michelle. You're too sweet. Definitely don't feel very accomplished a lot of the time, but excited to be working towards some goals and growing in different ways!
DeleteYou have obviously heard this already...but, I love how you organized your goals into sections! I too have been more strict on budgeting (drive thrus and coffee shops get me). Excited to follow along with your posts!
ReplyDeleteThanks Hailey! You are so kind! Being organized helps me stay sane :) And splitting the goals in groups helps my brain function better because it seems more manageable and less overwhelming for me than a long, daunting list. Coffee shops get me too… There is one in particular that is nearby and has the best chai latte, comfy atmosphere, and these gluten-free bars called "hippie bars" that I absolutely love.
DeleteNovel writing! Sounds exciting :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Patricia! It is very slow-gowing and unglamorous since I am working on the first draft, but you are right, it IS exciting!
DeleteWow! Those are all so fun, I especially like the goal of having people over. We moved almost a year ago and I feel like I still use the "settling in" excuse and I really want to (and should) be more hospitible and remember that I do like hosting! With so many goals, do you schedule all of them in a planner or something, or just try to spontaneously get them done?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I moved to San Antonio about a year ago too and inviting people over was a good way for the introverted part of me to feel more open to discussions with new friends (because I could control stuff like the background noise, it was only a small amount of ppl which I do a lot better in, and we were in a place that was comfortable to me rather than a new place). We have been wanting to invite my husband's coworkers over and I want to make it a priority to have a specific couple here this month.
DeleteI sometimes transfer my goals to Evernote app on my phone so I can easily access them and cross them off as I go, but for the most part, a lot of my goals the past few months have been rollover goals that I am remembering without needing to look at a planner --- actually doing them is the problem sometimes!! It also helps to talk to Greg about them throughout the month so that he can keep me accountable and so he knows what I consider a priority that month and can encourage me along the way.
These are great. I have never been a huge goal/list maker but in my last blog post I decided that I would start. It's interesting to see how other people break up their goals! Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elizabeth! I am about to hop over to your blog now to see your goals!
DeleteI love that you have included having a friend over for dinner. We did this so much more when we were first married and then as some of our friends bought bigger houses and I became more insecure about ours we stopped..and that is just silly because they are not coming to look at our house!! I really love that you guys talk finances. It is such a big deal and can really help you both to stay accountable. My hubby let's me handle everything and he really doesn't want to get into it but sometimes I'm positive I over spend because I don't have that check. You guys are off to a great start in marriage!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Yes, I feel insecure sometimes because we have a small apartment, but you are right -- that is not why they are coming over! I love spoiling guests when they come over by preparing a good meal and trying to make them comfortable and worry-free for those few hours as well as hopefully they feel like we are truly listening to them and they can feel encouraged and supported. Hopefully we can keep it up even when life seasons change and we become parents. Hopefully the more intentional we are now will help this become a habit and priority in serving others in our home and beyond. And thank you! My husband is great with leading us financially and he also is great with encouraging and teaching me because I often feel inept at understanding some of it.
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