Well I don’t know about you buy October just flew by! I really can’t believe that it is already November. I think we can all agree this year as been a pretty big cluster. I’m really hoping for some sort of normalcy soon, but I can’t lie, I don’t foresee that happening. But I am trying very hard to stay positive, and make do the best that I can. I feel like I was on fire last month, so lets see how many of my goals I actually completed. This was the first month in a long time that I went a little more in depth with my goals.
BLOG
~Print up a calendar to plan posts for this month, and start next month: Not only did I do a better job planning, I also figured out a better way to visual show my posts. I have started to write my posts titles on little post-it notes, that I then put on the date I plan to publish. Different categories (i.e. recipes, diy, link ups…) get different colors. Then if something comes up I can easily move the post to another time.
~ Create new pins for old posts. I have already been doing this, but I want to keep up on it as Pinterest likes new images (even if they link to old posts): while I didn’t do as many as I wanted, I did get a few posts done.
Like this one for mulled apple cider sangria. This post has been bringing in lots of traffic, so I wanted to create a new image, since Pinterest really likes new images.
And this one for just plain apple cider sangria (I swear I have lots of non booze posts! 😉 )
~ Keep up on commenting on friends posts, and find a few new bloggers to follow: I’ve been doing much better with reading and commenting on other blogs. Here are a few of my favorite ones, plus some new bloggers I’ve been following:
- Lindsay @ Lindsay’s Sweet World
- Dara @ Not in Jersy
- Joanne @ Slices of Life
- Andrea @ Living on Cloud Nine
- Holly @ Pink Lady
- Heather @ My Glittery Heart
~Post the monster crochet for real: It may not have gotten posted until the 29th, and I still need to take better pictures for Pinterest, but dammit I got it done!
I also just have to brag a little, as this is the best month my blog has had in quite some time. After having Aubrie (almost two years ago) it has taken a lot to get back into feeling like me. Then COVID hit and I felt myself falling apart. I really hope that I can continue the success I am seeing.
CRAFTS
~Sew the girls all a Halloween shirt or dress: I found this new fabric at JoAnn’s called “Pop fabric” and I love it! It was my first time sewing with a knit type fabric, and I just love how they turned out.
In case you were wondering what it is like to try to take a picture of three kids, where one DGAF that you want her to sit next to her sisters, see the above picture, Seriously though, that one keeps me on my toes. She is already insisting on clipping her car sear herself….
~Do a simple Halloween Fair Isle knit coffee tumbler cozy: I tried to do this, but need a little put more practice with knitting first. I did however knit a cute pumpkin cozy, so I kinda did something! My goal is to have the knit cozy on the blog Wednesday.
~Create a fall graphic t-shirt (and hopefully get the file on the blog): Check and check! You can see the post (and get your free file here)
~Start Aubrie’s Christmas stocking: I started it… I haven’t gotten very far. But I did start it!
~Start crocheting myself some slippers: So I tried to start the slippers. But I bought cheap Dollar Tree flip flops which did not work well, and tore when I was trying to put in the base round. I just got some new flip flops from Old Navy, so hopefully I can get it done!
HEALTH
~Work out five days a week: I almost had five days in each week of October. At the end of the month I opted to get up early one day to give myself a little extra time on the blog (unfortunately Aubrie decided that was a good day to get up early), and then the next night Aubire was up at night, so I decided my sleep was more important to my mental health. ~No drinking alcohol during the week: I did a good job of limiting alcohol to the weekend. I should state I did this more to limit the the calories I have been consuming. I’m trying to get my health a bit more on track, and this was an easy way to curb some calories. ~Drink 8-10 cups of water a day (64-80 oz): I did do a pretty good job on this. A few days I struggled a bit, but overall, not too shabby. ~Be in bed by 10 during the week: for the most part I did pretty good at being in bed by 10. The problem is Matt is a night owl, so he wants to stay up late (since he sleeps in later), and I want to spend time with him, so I stay up. But since I usually am up at 5am to work out, I have been making it more of a priority to be in bed. I feel that my mental health has been suffering, and I’m sure lacking sleep is not helpful.
Other
~Take “school pictures” of Annabelle: I did this when we took pictures of the girls in their Halloween shirts.
~Get pictures of girls for Christmas card: bwahahaha! Yeah, no. This didn’t happen. I did actually start trying to plan outfits though.. so there’s that.~Stay on top of planning school for Annabelle: I have done a better job staying on top of things with school. When I decided to pull Annabelle out of school (because our district was doing remote learning, and that just wasn’t going to work for us), I never dreamed that we would still be homeschooling so I didn’t buy any sort of curriculum. I did use to teach first grade, so do have a decent understanding of what concepts need to be grasped. But now I am always worried that I am not doing enough, and that I am failing her. My biggest fear is that when she finally does go back to school, she will be behind or super confused. I’m trying to be positive that homeschooling her is the right choice. Ugh. It’s tough, and thank you for listening to me spew my thoughts.~Finish Halloween costumes: Thankfully I did do this!
~Limit social media: I don’t know if I’m going to give myself a pass. I have been making a big effort, but I still catch myself mindless scrolling on my phone. I think I was between 2-4 hours a day of screen time. My time on Facebook and Instagram seems to be around 1-1.5 hours, which I’d like to get down.
Phew! That was a long recap. If you stuck with me this long thanks!
Blog
~ Continue to plan using my calendar for November and December.
~ Create new pins for old content
~ Reach 12k page views
~ Posts I really want to get on the blog
-holiday bow
– mulled cider
– Christmas wreaths
~ Work on getting ahead
~ Remember to apply for sponsored posts
Crafts
~Thanksgiving masks for the girls
~ Thanksgiving shirts/dresses
~ Waistcoat stitch mittens
~ Crochet slippers
~ Work more on Aubrie’s stocking
~ Start an Amigurumi elf
~ attempt something with Fair Ilse knitting
Health
~ Carrying over the no booze during the week
~Work out 5X a week
~ Concentrate on eating healthy snacks (what are your favorites?
~ Drink enough H20
~ Do a gratitude journal for November
Other
~ Plan a new Christmas mantel
~ Create a new recipe??
~ Come up with a new cleaning schedule, and try to stick to it
~ create a check list for the girls’ bedrooms (they get so terrible guys. So. very. cluttered).
~ Organize all the downloaded pictures on my computer
~ Stay on top of planning for Annabelle’s school
Here’s hoping for another productive month. I hope everyone has a fabulous week!