August Personal Goals and July Achievements

The summer is flying by! In July my year round elementary schooler had a month off so we were busy traveling, rearranging the kids rooms and having a week of mommy summer camp fun. August is upon us and time to update you on my personal goals. Sharing my personal goals with you motivates me to focus on them and holds me accountable when I have to report my progress to you!

How do you stay focused on personal goals? Tips, tricks and posts are appreciated in the comments, let’s help each other out!

July Achievements

Home & Family

1. Moved our youngest Daredevil out of a toddler bed and into a regular twin. This prompted deconstructing Superhubby’s man cave and giving each kid his own cool room. It was a lot of work but now I feel better that the rooms are decluttered and toys organized. Guests will also have a better sleeping arrangement too should they come to visit.
2. I put my normal cleaning and cooking schedule aside for Superstar’s last week of summer break and called it Mommy’s Summer Camp. We went to our city’s Natural Science Museum and ate lunch with Superhubby, went to the driving range for kids to practice their golf, had an impromptu sleepover, coke floats and time to play with friends at the pool. It was a great week enjoying my kids!
3. Kids are enjoying helping me cook. Our oldest, Einstein, is quite the pizza maker. The kids and I went to a free Williams Sonoma Jr. Chef Kids class on how to make smoothies and milkshakes. The kids loved it and I got a cherry pitter that was easy enough for all 3 kids and I to use. Cherries are a good anti-inflammatory fruit so this will help me eat healthier and feel better. The next Williams Sonoma class we are doing is making paninis and then making our own pizza dough. I know I could google the recipes but kids enjoy going to the class and using the gadgets. It gets them really excited to cook!
4. We visited family in Texas and took kids to some tourist attractions they hadn’t seen before. It was a great time.

Reading

5. Finished 3 books: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for my IRL book club, Baby Rocket (historical fiction) and The Forgotten Daughter (contemporary women’s fiction, set in India for my Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge
6. Only scanned and read 3 new books with the kids. With summer break and the trip, we forgot about scanning the books we read into Goodreads. The kids each earned a free book during the week we were in Texas participating in the library’s summer reading program. Check out the 148 we’ve read together so far.
7. My oldest volunteered at the library for the Learning with Legos and Reading Corps weekly events.

Blogging

8. Happily introduced the Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge co-hosted by Lost in Books, Savvy Working Gal and I. A no-stress flexible challenge, you select how long you want to participate and where in the world you would like your reading journey to take you. It’s never to late to join in so be sure to sign up here! There are linkies by continent on my blog so you can share your book reviews and find recommendations for new books to read. We also have a Pinterest board where you can share your goals, book reviews and a map to show where your book travels have taken you.
9. I started a Facebook Book Lovers Boost Group in June and it’s growing. If you have a blog Facebook page and enjoy discussing books, be sure to join us.  Support other book lovers’ blogs and increase your blog page’s exposure and engagement.
10. I was sad to take a hiatus from the Small Victories Sunday and Throwback Thursday linkies I was hosting/co-hosting for the summer. I am spending more energy on my kids and have some blog projects I am hoping to get going.
11. I guest posted and wrote a tribute to my husband for Mommy’s Miracles Writing Vows series on marriage. I was so thankful for all the kind words and comments this post got. Thanks Laura at Mommy Miracles for the opportunity.

And in the blink of an eye, July is gone and we are on to August.I’ve been enjoying sharing my journey towards achieving my goals with you…one small victory at a time!

August Goals

Health 
1. Make exercise a priority, take kids to pool and practice my own swimming, 4 times a week.
2. Achieve my goal for ideal weight, the one my joints feel the best at. Avoid sugar!
3. Drink more water, at least 64 ounces a day.

Home Organization
4. Organize two areas in the house.
5. Sell outgrown kids’ clothes and toys.
6. Pick up paint samples for kitchen and 2-story family room.

Family Fun
7. Plan an Everything is Awesome birthday party for Superhubby.
8. Start teaching kids piano. We have a piano and although I can no longer play, I really should encourage the kids to. They love music and art!
9. Sign up for Brown Bag Ministry or Food Bank volunteering to do with the kids.
Reading
10. Read 1 big book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for Book by Book’s Big Book Summer Reading Challenge and for my IRL book club.
11. Read 25 books with my kids.
12. Read a blogging book.

Blogging
13. Build up writing consistency again.
14. Finish up 3 recipes drafts.
15. Get Small Victories Sunday linkup re-started.
16. Schedule some guest bloggers. If you are interested in guest posting about chronic illness, parenting or blogging tips or books, email me at tanya{at}momssmallvictories{dot}com. I would love to have a weekly guest blogger.
17. Start working my way through Blog Design For Dummies (affiliate link) to update my blog design.

Financial
16. Stay within our budget, start using cash for groceries to better manage spending.
17. Stay debt-free (besides mortgage).

What are your personal goals this month? Share with me the tools that help you get organized or save you money! Be sure to link up your goals posts or achievements in the linky below. Thanks Tammy at Creative K Kids for sharing this linky and inspiring us to reach our goals..one small victory at a time!