Long Weekends Are Refreshing + My September Goals

There's always something nice and refreshing about a long weekend. We enjoyed a great few days filled with soccer, football, family, playtime with friends, church, and a nice day on the lake yesterday.

This picture makes me as happy as this ice cream made Kaden!

Extra relaxation always motivates me and this weekend was no exception. Kevin and I have a list of things we're slowly marking off of our lists to do and we were able to get a few things done this weekend.

I took a break from my computer yesterday, so today, I thought I'd share with you my goals for September.

  1. No french fries. This is something Kevin and I are doing together. We both eat pretty healthy, but lately, french fries have been slipping into our diet a little more than they should. I don't ever eat them at home (because I don't cook them), but I'm very guilty of ordering a number 1 at Chickfila. As it is, I probably only eat fries five or six times a month, but they're really not good for me. Kevin really likes fries and wants to cut down on eating them, so together, we decided we'd cut them out this month. 
  2. Take better care of my skin and eyes. I am horrible -- I repeat, horrible -- at washing my face every night and taking my contacts out. It may not bother me now, but in a few years, I don't want to be regretting the extra five minutes I could have taken to avoid lines and wrinkles. I also read in this month's Better Homes and Gardens that you should sleep on silk pillowcases as they're less harsh on your face than regular cotton ones. I'm going to pick some up for us this week.
  3. Run 100 miles. My running has been slightly off lately. It's hot as can be here (we're talking heat index of nearly 100 at 8 am) with a really high level of humidity, so I haven't been really worrying about my speed too much, but life has been busy and I've been closing out a few weeks with only about 15 miles. This may seem like a lot and it's about what I used to run, but I've been aiming for 22-25 a week (realistically) for the past few months and can tell a big difference in my running when I hit those numbers. September is a busy race month and I want to be as good as I can be.
  4. Decorate our upstairs office/gym/playroom. We have a bonus room upstairs that has a few purposes, but it's only used for mainly one - my treadmill runs before work. Occasionally, the boys will play up there and Kaden, especially, likes to hang out while I'm running, but it's not set up very well for that either. We have a desk for the boys to do their school work and another desk for us, but it's not organized. I've had a few ideas of how I'd like to fix it, but I haven't really had the time to tackle it. I'm planning to put my ideas to action this month and get it fixed. I'll be sure to share true before and after photos.
  5. Go through my clothes. I have a closet full of clothes. And an upstairs closet full of clothes and I don't even want to begin to think about the things stores in drawers in our room and upstairs. It's really a shame. I tend to hang on to things thinking I'll use them one day, but then I don't. I want to go through all of my clothes in my room at least and get rid of what I don't need.
  6. Try one new recipe a week. I always have good intentions to cook new things, but while I'm cooking more (about 5 nights a week), I'm not cooking too many new things. This month, I want to cook one new recipe a month. I'll share them all with you as I go.
  7. Read two books. I've recently rediscovered my love of reading, or rather, made it a priority to read more. I'm finishing up Summer Wind by Mary Alice Monroe, and I'd like to read one other book this month. 
  8. Eat cleaner. Whole30 intrigues me, but there are a few things I can't give up - like grains, dairy (I eat a lot of yogurt), and legumes (this includes peanut butter). That said, I try to shop the outside of the grocery store. This month, I want to bring home less from the inner aisles.
  9. Make our scrapbook for Baltimore and D.C. and catch up on the rest of our books. I have fallen very, very behind in my photo book making. I want to catch up this month.
  10. Finish decorating my offices. That's right, offices. I haven't talked about it here - and I will - but I now have two offices. I'm part of an intensive fellowship program at work that requires 25-40% of my time to be spent in another office where I'll be working for about the next 18 months. I don't have a real "office" in the other office suite where I'll be spending time, it's just a cubicle, but I want to make it inviting. In my current office, there are a few things I want to do like hanging my diplomas and updating my photos. 

What goals do you have for September?

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