I hope you’ve had a nice weekend so far. Mine has included some time in the kitchen.
I made something delicious with this
Recipe to be posted soon. Pumpkin Lovers, get ready.
Hint: Something on the order of these
I also can’t believe it’s October 1. Where has 2011 gone?
I’ve never posted monthly goals before because honestly, I don’t really set monthly “goals” in my own head. Yes, I always have things I am working on, projects and tasks I’d like to accomplish, things I’d like to do and items on my radar screen but I don’t write them out because I just keep them all upstairs in my gray matter. A very loose mental checklist of sorts.
I spent some time pondering what I want to accomplish this month and decided to share some goals for October:
1. Financial
Save money. I have a specific amount in mind and I’ll let you know if I meet it or not. I paid off my debt and have been saving money all year, but I’d like to save more before the end of the year. And no, I won’t be going too crazy with holiday gift purchases. At all. Guess I can write off Thursday Things if I want to save more, but I’d rather have zeros in my bank account than random trinkets and knickknacks that don’t amount to much. I think.
2. Exercise
Do different yoga poses than the ones I usually do; work on poses that I don’t like as much or that don’t come as easy.
I have a tendency to practice the same poses over and over at home because I have my little routine and I whip through it. I need to push myself to practice asanas that are not in my current repertoire.
3. Health
Get more sleep. At least 5.5 hours every night. Yes, I get less than this most nights.
This has been goal of mine for ages, including on my 2011 Goals & Intentions list, i.e. New Year’s Resolutions as some people call them, but I have continued to fail at it, miserably.
I’d like to work on this for my overall and longterm health. I don’t necessarily think it’s healthy to go without consistent sleep even if I can function “fine”. I’ve trained myself over the years to function on less and less sleep. I used to be a I have to have 8-9 hours girl. But life changed, a baby happened, demands come up.
I always say, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” But I would like to sleep a little more now.
4. Cooking
Develop, photograph, and blog about two new original dessert recipes
A few of you have written this week telling me you’ve made Magic Eight Bars which was a fun recipe to tweak and develop. How could sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and graham crackers ever be bad though?
5. Photography
Give myself another self-assigned project and just get out there and take pictures. And not of food. People or things.
6. Blogosphere
Comment on less blogs. I know many people want to comment on more blogs and I think that’s great. It mirrors my own journey with reading one blog and commenting on it, to reading and commenting on more and more blogs until commenting has taken on a life of its own and has become a full time job. And it keeps creeping up. It’s also one thing that prevents me from getting sleep, which is when I know that I change is imperative.
For nearly the past three years, I have been what I’d like to think is a team player in the blogosphere by showing my support for fellow blogggers and commenting on at least 30 blogs per day and probably 100 different blogs per week. I have made amazing friends, and have discovered a world that I never knew existed a few years ago. But that world has grown and grown and grown.
I read probably 50 blog posts a day but don’t comment on them all. And going forward, I plan to read in stealth and comment on less. If all of a sudden you don’t see me commenting on your blog anymore, you know why. I need to pull back from this commenting “job” and reclaim precious hours of my day for work, family time, sleep, and just real.life.
I appreciate each and every comment I get, and I appreciate my all readers, including those who read in stealth. I wanted to be upfront that going forward I am going to pare way, way down on the commenting. I am just putting this out there because I have people who used to comment on my blog and then just dropped off the map and they never explained things in any kind of post and I always wondered, was it me?
With me, it’s a time management issue because I can read in stealth about 5 times faster than if I comment.
I’m still reading, just not commenting.
7. Family
Spend more time with Scott and Skylar. At least two extra hours per week of family time over what we have now. Just being together is the most important thing in my life and I want more.
8. Friends
Get together in person with a friend at least once during the month. That doesn’t sound like much, but I have said before that it gets harder and harder to make time for friends when you’re not in school, and when you have a job and a family, but I need to do this for myself to recharge my own batteries so that I can continue to give to my family and others.
A coffee meetup does wonders for the soul. Even just an hour.
Questions:
1. Do you set monthly goals? Do you write them down or keep them in your head? Do you get down on yourself if you don’t meet your goal?
As I said in the post, yes, I have things I am always working on and a little laundry list that I keep filed away upstairs. But I thought I’d write things out, share, and maybe help keep myself a bit more accountable.
If I accomplish none of these goals, sure, I may feel a little blah but I really don’t care that much, either. Practicing non-attachment is important for me.
Yes, it’s nice to have goals but if things happen that prevent those goals, dreams, ideas, or intentions from becoming a reality, then so be it.
Try again another day, another month, another time. Or don’t try. Some things just aren’t meant to be.
I don’t get discouraged or beat myself up if things don’t go according to plan. Life has ebbs and flows and not all goals are right for certain ebbs. Wait until there’s a flow, and try again if it makes sense.
2. What are your goals for the month?
Have a great weekend and don’t forget to enter the Bella Bars Giveaway
I don’t really set goals. I find that when I do they kinda “take over” my life, ya know what I mean? I have too much going on to add more “pressure” in my life. Usually, my goal is to just get us through the day and our schedules intact! LOL
As for commenting on blogs; for me, I feel like I can’t expect people to comment on my blog if I don’t reciprocate. So I really cut back on the amount of blogs I actually read. Although there are MANY fabulous blogs out there, I stick to the ones that I can relate most to in my own life. Hope that all makes sense…..;)
This is so awesome! I think you are really wise about the sleep thing, I was always so amazed that you could get by on so little. I know for me if I go to many days in a row with two little sleep, not good things happen to me. I get SO CRANKY! Also I feel like it messes with my body chemistry, and throws my digestion way off. I love your sentiment about expanding your yoga practise too. I am going to be starting Ashtanga yoga on Tuesday, and I am determined to make that “my” practise. Did you ever have an ashtanga practise? What has been your journey? I know there are SO many different styles of yoga to choose from, just wondering what yours is? Also, I respect that you need time for you and sleep and family, but I will be sad not to see you around my little corner of the blog world! It always has meant so much to me when you comment!
yes I practice ashtanga. that IS MY go-to. That’s what I do and love and although I like power, vinyasa, and flow-based yoga, it all is usually a derivation of ashtanga and that will always be my first love. Give me the traditional primary series (and 2 hrs of time to do it!) and I’m in heaven.
Cool. I can’t wait to do my first REAL ashtanga practice! I have done it in my teacher training, and on my own, but I cam going to finally go to a real studio! I started with Iyengar yoga, which as you know is the stark opposite. The first class I took that had sun salutations in it I was like “WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOINGGGGG!?” Now I am in love. Funny how things can evolve and change so much.
Pumpkin + peanut butter? I am intrigued, to say the least!
recipe is now up!
I set monthly goals, but usually they are school related. I think your goal to get more sleep is great – I don’t know how you function on so little!
“…I’d rather have zeros in my bank account than random trinkets and knickknacks that don’t amount to much.” –BEST line. I am learning this lesson the hard way (e.g., cleaning out YEARS’ worth of accumulated “stuff” in my house). Not fun! You said it best.
Yeah it takes awhile to get to that mental shift. Some people never get their unfortunately but glad you are!
Averie, I think your blog is an amazing work and huge accomplishment! You are my go to gal for any recipe involving sweet or cacao and I love making the oat cakes on the weekends. I love to check in and see what’s going on with you. I aspire to be like you in the way you eat, live, yoga and take care of your family. Kudos for taking the time to make sure everything is in check with your October goals!!
Thank you so much for the sweet comment, for reading, and for telling me “You are my go to gal for any recipe involving sweet or cacao and I love making the oat cakes on the weekends.” :) AWESOME!
I’ve dropped off the planet from commenting on everyone’s blogs (except for the last week)… life is too busy to commit to reading and blogging – but I’m always here! :)
Great goals for the month. This month my goals are to take a Zumba class, organize weekly meal plans, make some new recipes and work on my budgeting skills.
I’m a stealthy reader now! Mostly because I have a lot of sick days where typing at a computer is the last thing I want to do (helllooo Netflix). But also because I can read more blogs when I comment less. And when I DO comment, I can take the time to ramble a little and hopefully leave some quality ones. Also, I like the idea of adding to a conversation in the comments, and not just joining the chorus!
In other news, I hate this saying “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” That’s not you, I’ve had people say it to me in real life aaallll the time and it’s become a point of contention with me! I’m a stickler for sleep and I really don’t think trying to give up sleep for “living” is the healthiest way to live. You’ll get much more out of life when you’re well rested! Promise!
Love this post Averie. :) Same with me… I usually have goals in my mind each month (or week, or day), but they’re not always things that I write down. I definitely need to try to get more sleep as well. Being a college student, I seem to always lack in that department. And I totally agree on the yoga! I am Dave Farmar Baptiste podcasts all the way, but I know that branching out is so helpful for me as a student AND teacher.
You know it’s easy to practice what comes easy and neglect the harder things. That’s just human nature. Must consciously attempt those asanas that I am just…not that into :)
Love your October goals! I comment on blogs much less these days. Part of me thinks it’s a shame but I also want to get a life-work-blog balance and commenting less is one of the necessities. My October goals are to find a job (my first one as a qualified nurse! Scary), and practise kindness primarily towards myself.
Btw, how is your stomach and food intolerances these days?
Lots of love x
“Btw, how is your stomach and food intolerances these days? ” <-- short answer fine and in yesterday's post I discussed it a bit, loosely. With backlinks to two other relevant posts. https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/09/cake-bread-gluten.html
Cheers!
xo
Oops, missed those! I’ll wander over to them now :) xxx
I’ve always been amazed at the amount of comments you leave – whenever I read a blog post there is almost always a comment there from you already! I’m not surprised that you need to pull back a little and spend more time with you and your family, I think everyone can sympathise. Good luck with your October goals!
Thank you for noticing and for understanding.
I really liked this post.
And I can’t wait to see the new recipe! Just bought a can of Libby’s yesterday for overnight oats. :D
I hear you on the blog commenting, also THANK YOU for visiting my little blog. It gave me a wee buzz.
When I was trying to drive up my blog readership I was a crazy-ass commenter, all for the wrong reasons. I began to feel in COMPETITION with other bloggers and many of my comments weren’t really genuine, but just to ‘be’ there every day. One day I realised it was actually making me a bit miserable, taking time away from the important stuff and didn’t reflect the fun that I get out of blogging, or the personal reasons I started my blog. Now I do not watch my blog stats and I don’t ‘competitively comment’. I only do it if I’ve got the time and if what I’ve read resonated with me.
BTW, I made your nutella slice and it is like food crack! I love it maybe toooo much? All good. I made it thinner than yours and there were 48 squares… they are hiding in my freezer, just waiting to be foisted on anyone who visits (bwahahahaha). I love that your recipes are so easy. I think they will be featuring on my Foodie Fridays for a while yet.
I just saw your blog post…they look great! 48, eh? you cut ’em smaller than I do :)
and yes to everything you wrote including “but just to ‘be’ there every day.” I understand, totally.
hey averie, that’s great you’ve created an october goals. for me it’s all about my career and running. :) you know i only read about 4-5 blogs a day and it does take time. i also notice that you’re the only blogger i know that comments on other blogs that i read…and i’m always wow she always takes time to comment. i think that’s great that you do! as i actually don’t see other bloggers that i read comment on your blog … maybe bc of they don’t have enough time etc… you know… whatever reason they have. anyway, i think it will be good for you to comment less like you said. you will gain so much more time! (for sleep!) :) i want you to know though that i read your blog everyday even if i don’t comment everyday. :)
each and every comment you leave me is 100% appreciated and “as i actually don’t see other bloggers that i read comment on your blog” — yes, I feel like many bloggers have quit commenting all together and I dont want to do that, just pare it down :)
Family comes first :) We completely understand Averie and trust me I’ll always be hitting up your blog no matter what whether you reply/see my comments haha <3 There is nothing wrong with putting yourself first sometimes.
I have a very long list of OCT goals though, and I create a new list and carry over my non-accomplished every month until I become successful at it.
thanks girlie!