This past weekend Paul and I casually brought up the holidays and discussed whether or not we’d be hosting any parties this year.  Which lead me to realize exactly what the date is. Gulp. I checked and double checked the calendar to make sure.  But…

Yep.  We are less than 14 weeks away from Christmas.

Just let that sink in for a moment…

OK.  Now close your mouth and refocus here.  Just like you, and just like every other year — I am shocked. I’m left wondering where the time went. Wondering how this is possible.  The days are so long and the weeks go by so fast.  It makes no sense!!!  So of course I’m feeling like it’s all rushing. Feeling like I’m not embracing the seasons enough.  Not just the seasons in nature, but the ever changing seasons in life.  Are we appreciating the little things?  Are we doing things that make us happy?  Are we living for Christ’s sake??  Sometimes these thoughts are too big for me to process.  I can end up down a rabbit hole pretty quickly.  So I have to break it down.

And one way to do that is to set these little goals each season.  Whether I achieve them all or not, I think it’s important to slow down and give myself permission to work on other things outside of the day-to-day grind.

So with Fall officially starting on Friday, here are a few little things I’d like to accomplish in the next few months.

Go somewhere new with the husband // This goal is actually carried over from Summer, since we never really got around to it.  Doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just make the effort to go out and smooch each other in public.  Just kidding, Paul doesn’t allow that sort of thing.

Teach Stevie to put shoes on //  This is another one that didn’t happen over the Summer.  We are getting closer, but wow.  It is a process.  A couple people suggested Crocs for him and I think I might just have to try that.  If he could at least learn to slide those on to go play outside, it would save me a lot of grief.

Don’t get too worked up over apple picking or pumpkin patching // While it’s usually on my to-do list to participate in all these cute, Fall-type activities, I honestly don’t want to go out of my way to make it happen. I put a lot of pressure on myself to keep it fun, but especially in Stevie’s case, it is really unnecessary.  So if it works out, great.  And if friends want to go, I’m in!  But if not, I won’t look at it as a mom-fail.

Reduce waste //  This is a big one.  And it’s going to be done in baby steps.  Every time I clean out my car I’m kind of disgusted by how much garbage there is.  It’s bound to happen when we are always on the go, but I think I can do better.  So that’s where I’ll start.  Reduce waste in my car.  Prepare better, pack snacks in reusable containers, minimize the use of straws and disposable cups.  Seems as good a place to start as any.

Learn a few tried and true Instant Pot recipes // Along with the rest of the population, we got an Instant Pot on Amazon Prime Day.  It’s cool.  It’s capable of a lot.  But so far, I have ruined more than half the meals I’ve made.  I mean, they’re edible and they taste ok, but the texture seems wrong more often that not.  Mush.  So I’ll keep trying to get a handful of no-fail recipes under my belt.

No phone use while driving // I know this should be a total no-brainer.  And I’m embarrassed to admit this isn’t the first time I’ve made this goal for myself. In fact, it was one of my new year’s resolutions.  But for whatever reason, I get more and more relaxed with it over time and break this promise to myself over and over again. We are in the car so often and while I don’t use my phone as much as I used to, I do still pick it up and text at stop lights or in reeeally slow traffic.  I need to just keep that darn thing put away.  I sends the wrong message to Stevie and it’s plain old dangerous.   I hear the iPhone 8 has a “Do Not Disturb” feature.  Guess it’s time for an upgrade, eh?

Keep clothing expenses to a minimum and sew something //  I posted a long rant about clothes earlier this week, but my overall goal is to just calm the eff down about clothes.  It’s the never-ending, forever-changing goal.  I’m not saying I won’t add any more items to my wardrobe, but I am saying that I have some beautiful fabrics calling my name…

Do you have any simple goals for the Fall season?

loves,
jaana