Monthly Goals - February 2024

[Raenia]

Starting the February thread a bit early. I'm putting yoga back on the list (again!) in hopes that things have finally settled down enough. Still going to prioritize good sleep and walking outside, though.

1. Read 4 books (include DNFs)
  a. 2 from TBR
2. Go outside twice a week (8/29)
3. Do yoga once a week

Creativity
4. Cook once a week

House Stuff:
5. Basement Plumbing Work
6. Clean Caulk off Floor
7. Repair Basement
  a.  Main Room
    i. Bead Board
    ii. Baseboards
    iii. Door Trim
    iv. Wainscot Cap

Social:
8. Test Baby Coverage Plan
9. Plan 1 Date Night

[tygertygertyger]

I'm in again too. Thanks for setting this up - I found the accountability helpful.

1. Another low buy month. I already know this month will be expensive for some reasons (dog trainer), but I'd like to keep my other purchases to a minimum.

2. Boost activity! My goal is to do some activity every day, above and beyond the dog walking that I do. This can be something as simple as a sun salutation or a few pushups. The goal is the habit.

3. Continue eating down the freezer and pantry. Maybe I'll use that pie crust that's been languishing.

4. Continue reading a poem a day.

[Chris Pascale]

Donate blood.

Continue restrictive diet (lost 13 lbs in Jan) with exceptions for date nights on the 3rd and 18th, and 1-2 other days.

Complete weekly school assignments (classes I'm taking).

Post the remaining assignments for my accounting class that I'm teaching.

Apply for research grant.

Review/send paper to Boston University in prep for March conference.

[JAYSLOL]

My main goal for February is to clear out as much clutter as I can, I actually have the free time to deal with things and get organized this month, so I need to buckle down and just do it before I get bogged down with work and other commitments for the rest of the year

[Dicey]

I'm working on clutter this month, plus eating down the pantry.

On a fun note: the thrift shop where I volunteer is low on inventory. I suggested that we ask the volunteers to donate warm clothing so we can have a "Baby, It's Cold Outside" sale, and our new manager agreed. I managed to come up with sixteen warm things without a ton of effort.

[Serendip]

In for Feb with low-key goals..

- aim to keep average steps above 10,000/day
- eat mainly from pantry & freezer
- get studio space organized, start making art again
- aim for 4 breathwork/yoga sessions per week. minimum 5-10 minutes
- schedule eye appointment, dental appointment
- donate minimum one bag of goods to thrift store

[Raenia]

Welcome everyone! Short but productive first week for me.

1. Read 4 books (include DNFs) - 1/4, 2 in progress. One will probably be a DNF, but I'm giving it a few more chapters.
  a. 2 from TBR - 1/2, 2 in progress
2. Go outside twice a week (8/29) - 3/4, excellent start. I'm trying to take the baby for a walk on my lunch break on days that I'm at home, if he's awake at the time.
3. Do yoga once a week - Not yet, but I finally ordered a yoga mat. I used to do my yoga on the carpet, but now our only carpeted room is the baby's room, and I've accepted that I'm not going to be able to do it in there while he's napping, I'm too afraid of waking him up.

Creativity
4. Cook once a week - Nothing this week, just basic roast veg and freezer meals. I have a nice meal on the plan for this coming week, though.

House Stuff:
5. Basement Plumbing Work - Done! Dad came up to help, and we (well, mostly he) got it all done
6. Clean Caulk off Floor
7. Repair Basement
  a.  Main Room
    i. Bead Board
    ii. Baseboards
    iii. Door Trim
    iv. Wainscot Cap

Social:
8. Test Baby Coverage Plan - One week done, so far so good. First full week coming up.
9. Plan 1 Date Night - Done! MIL babysat while DH and I went to brunch. Also starting to plan one for next month - we want to see Dune Pt 2. And we already have tickets to a performance in April, just need to secure childcare.

[tygertygertyger]

So far so good.

1. Another low buy month. I already know this month will be expensive for some reasons (dog trainer), but I'd like to keep my other purchases to a minimum.
So far so good. Didn't buy anything at the thrift store yesterday. I added a bunch of dog puzzles to my online cart the other day, but reduced it down to one. I'm investing in dog stuff generally right now (training, etc), so a single puzzle seems like enjoyable fun.

2. Boost activity! My goal is to do some activity every day, above and beyond the dog walking that I do. This can be something as simple as a sun salutation or a few pushups. The goal is the habit.
This is going well. I went to a roller rink yesterday and skated for hours. Also started one of the free bodyweight programs from Darebee... I'm doing one of their RPG versions so there's a storyline. I did skip one day but that's not a big deal.

3. Continue eating down the freezer and pantry. Maybe I'll use that pie crust that's been languishing.
Yes, making a good amount of space. Big challenge yesterday... was in the store with the plethora of frozen dumplings that I love and have been trying to eat up. I firmly reminded myself of the dumplings still waiting to attend me from the freezer, and didn't buy more.

4. Continue reading a poem a day.
Yep still doing it. Really enjoying the recent ones more than last months.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Thanks for creating this post. I always find it useful.

Financial:
-Achieve savings goals ($5k to college accounts) - done
-Earn $200 in side hustle - $85.37/200
-Follow pantry/freezer challenge (separate post) - quite a bit of progress made

Family:
-Review spreadsheets with both teens (college stuff) - not started
-Host senior soccer night - have done a bunch of work on this (hours & hours), but not done until mid February.
-One fun activity with the teens - upcoming ski trip
-Optimize points, perks, miles to keep travel costs down - nothing so far in February

Fitness:
-Stretch 2x/week - 1x so far this month
-Lose 2 lbs - no progress yet
-Follow half training plan - on track
-Strength train 8 times - 1/8
-Follow the No S diet - on track

Personal:
-Get together with a friend
-Practice Farsi 10 times
-Declutter 50 items from the house - 28/50
-Find a pickle ball class
-Take the Science of Well Being class

[Raenia]

Week two check in!

1. Read 4 books (include DNFs) - 1/4, 2 in progress. One will probably be a DNF, but I'm giving it a few more chapters.
  a. 2 from TBR - 1/2, 2 in progress
2. Go outside twice a week (8/29) - 6/11, 3 days last week. Weather has been cooperating, even when Baby is not.
3. Do yoga once a week - Still not yet. So many things to fit into nap hours, this hasn't made it to the top yet

Creativity
4. Cook once a week - Balsamic chicken and mashed rutabaga. First time trying rutabaga, I like it though it's not DH's favorite.

House Stuff:
5. Basement Plumbing Work - Done!
6. Clean Caulk off Floor
7. Repair Basement
  a.  Main Room
    i. Bead Board
    ii. Baseboards
    iii. Door Trim
    iv. Wainscot Cap

Social:
8. Test Baby Coverage Plan - Second week not as smooth as first week, but that's why we're stress-testing the plan
9. Plan 1 Date Night - Done!

[tygertygertyger]

1. Another low buy month. I already know this month will be expensive for some reasons (dog trainer), but I'd like to keep my other purchases to a minimum.
Haven't bought anything more. Thinking about buying roller skates, but I can put that off as long as I want.

2. Boost activity! My goal is to do some activity every day, above and beyond the dog walking that I do. This can be something as simple as a sun salutation or a few pushups. The goal is the habit.
Very pleased with myself here. Continuing my ninja training through the darebee program and getting a large variety of outside exercise in. Yesterday I went for a walk with some friends and carried a small dog for a good amount of time. They get quite heavy.

3. Continue eating down the freezer and pantry. Maybe I'll use that pie crust that's been languishing.
There is more and more room in the freezer, opening little by little. Yesterday I was scrounging for dinner, and found a frozen salmon burger and a jar of mango chutney that I'd canned 4 years ago... turned them into something super delicious.

4. Continue reading a poem a day.
Still getting this in most days. (Here is today's, for anyone interested: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/elizabeth_bishop/poems/896)

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Check in:

Financial:
-Achieve savings goals ($5k to college accounts) - done
-Earn $200 in side hustle - $315/200
-Follow pantry/freezer challenge (separate post) - quite a bit of progress made, including: bag of cranberries (f),  two cans of green beans (p), two containers of chicken pesto pasta (f), 2 of 6 burritos (f)

Family:
-Review spreadsheets with both teens (college stuff) - not started, but I did sit down with DS16 to review his course selections & verify he has enough credits to graduate, with his upcoming choices.
-Host senior soccer night - have done a bunch of work on this (hours & hours), & the event is tomorrow!!
-One fun activity with the teens - upcoming ski trip
-Optimize points, perks, miles to keep travel costs down - nothing so far in February

Fitness:
-Stretch 2x/week - on track, 4 times so far this month
-Lose 2 lbs - no progress yet
-Follow half training plan - on track
-Strength train 8 times - 3/8
-Follow the No S diet - on track

Personal:
-Get together with a friend - met one friend for a workout class & coffee, went on a hike with another friend, & carpooled to soccer with another
-Practice Farsi 10 times - 9/10 times
-Declutter 50 items from the house - 66/50
-Find a pickle ball class - opens for registration in a couple of days
-Take the Science of Well Being class - mostly on track, but need to finish up the current week learning

[Serendip]

In for Feb with low-key goals..

- aim to keep average steps above 10,000/day
- eat mainly from pantry & freezer
- get studio space organized, start making art again
- aim for 4 breathwork/yoga sessions per week. minimum 5-10 minutes
- schedule eye appointment, dental appointment
- donate minimum one bag of goods to thrift store

I've been all over the place this month, honestly it's been a hard one.
Positives: my steps are on point: average 11,000 this week and I've done well on the food challenge but that's about it so far.

[Raenia]

Week three check in!

1. Read 4 books (include DNFs) - 5/4, 1 DNF
  a. 2 from TBR - 5/2
2. Go outside twice a week (8/29) - 9/18, 3 days last week. Weather has been terrible, but shoveling snow counts.
3. Do yoga once a week - Nothing. It's so hard to find the time when Baby is asleep.

Creativity
4. Cook once a week - Very good week: cabbage stir fry, candied orange peel, digestive biscuits, pickled eggs

House Stuff:
5. Basement Plumbing Work - Done!
6. Clean Caulk off Floor
7. Repair Basement
  a.  Main Room
    i. Bead Board
    ii. Baseboards
    iii. Door Trim
    iv. Wainscot Cap

Social:
8. Test Baby Coverage Plan - Things are working, though not seamlessly. One of our carers got sick last week, and we had to call in backup.
9. Plan 1 Date Night - Done!

Still no movement on the basement, there's just so much to do and so little time/energy left over after work and baby.

[tygertygertyger]

1. Another low buy month. I already know this month will be expensive for some reasons (dog trainer), but I'd like to keep my other purchases to a minimum.
Buying my dog a few more items... he has long fur which gets matted, so we're trying a new brush for tricky areas and some detangling spray. From a reputable company, so $$.

2. Boost activity! My goal is to do some activity every day, above and beyond the dog walking that I do. This can be something as simple as a sun salutation or a few pushups. The goal is the habit.
Stlll going well. Missed a day or two recently, but we've gotten some tough news about friends so I'm definitely not beating myself up. (Though if I did, that could be a boost in itself...)

3. Continue eating down the freezer and pantry. Maybe I'll use that pie crust that's been languishing.
This has honestly been great. Every time I open the freezer, it pleases me that there is available space for some odds and ends. More to go, but it doesn't feel as hopeless.

4. Continue reading a poem a day.
Going well.

[Serendip]

- aim to keep average steps above 10,000/day : ABOVE 11,000
- eat mainly from pantry & freezer: YES
- get studio space organized, start making art again: SORTOF..Started organizing
- aim for 4 breathwork/yoga sessions per week. minimum 5-10 minutes :NOPE
- schedule eye appointment, dental appointment: NOT YET
- donate minimum one bag of goods to thrift store: Half-filled

[Raenia]

Week four check in!

1. Read 4 books (include DNFs) - 6/4, 2 DNF
  a. 2 from TBR - 6/2
2. Go outside twice a week (8/29) - 10/25, Only 1 this week, it's been very cold and unpleasant
3. Do yoga once a week - Nothing. Still not rising to top of the priority list

Creativity
4. Cook once a week - Good week for cooking, in addition to sesame daikon noodles and cabbage stir fry, baked rye bread, whole wheat bread, and digestive biscuits, and chicken tinga is in the crockpot now.

House Stuff:
5. Basement Plumbing Work - Done!
6. Clean Caulk off Floor
7. Repair Basement
  a.  Main Room
    i. Bead Board
    ii. Baseboards
    iii. Door Trim
    iv. Wainscot Cap

Social:
8. Test Baby Coverage Plan - Things are still working, though not smoothly
9. Plan 1 Date Night - Done!