Thanks to Farther Finance for sponsoring this post.
I didn’t make many goals for 2020 but by the end of March it was clear that the only goal I should have for the year we just went through was to SURVIVE. From being cooped up in the house with three kids to figuring out elearning to life with a toddler I made it through the year and that was an accomplishment in and of itself. I’m glad I didn’t make a ton of resolutions for the year that started the new decade because that would have been a lot of pressure when I spent most of the past nine months in my pajamas!
Now that it’s 2021 I’m kind of used to this stay-at-home life so I decided to push myself and come up with some goals for the coming year. Having a type-a personality I like to set goals and not having any during this time has been difficult. So I set some and am sharing for accountability…I’m going to do one small thing for my physical or mental health each day, start Tot School with my daughter, keep up with a cleaning schedule for my home, and start saving more money.
As a mom I always put myself- and my needs- on the back burner so my first goal for the year is to just do one thing for my physical health or mental health each day. Maybe it’s making that doctor’s appointment for myself that I’ve been putting off, taking a selfie with my kid and not picking apart my appearance, or finally starting the book that’s been sitting on my side table next to me for the past year. I know that doing something for myself each day would make me a happier, healthier mom!
I shared about my goal of starting up Tot School again in a blog post yesterday. Tot School is simply the idea of intentionally exposing young children to early learning skills through fun play at home. I’ve set up some sensory bins and have started writing the first lesson plan with a theme of “snow” which is coincidentally the same theme I started with over a decade ago when I did this with my son. It’s a bit of work to put together but, as a past preschool teacher, it’s something I enjoy doing and I think it can really benefit my daughter.
In the past I always set a goal for a spotlessly clean house but I’ve just went ahead and thrown that unrealistic goal out the window. I never achieved it before and now, with a toddler and four people who don’t leave said house, it’s not even a consideration. So I’m just setting a goal of finding a cleaning schedule that works and hoping my home doesn’t get to “did a tornado just go through here?” status. I’m trying to focus on a room a day to “deep clean” with a general tidy up of all the main living areas on a daily basis and then just going to dig out my “Sorry you missed it… My house was clean yesterday” sign to display for any guests that might stop by. And thankfully I have two older kids to help clean so the cleaning doesn’t solely fall on my shoulders.
The last goal -saving money- should have been easy to accomplish since everything has been cancelled and we aren’t spending any money on sports, school activities, and the like but unfortunately us being home constantly means my two growing boys are eating more and that I found myself on Amazon buying things we probably didn’t need more than I care to admit. In 2021 I want to cut down on the excess spending (I know my husband will love to hear that!) and sell things we don’t use anymore to build up our savings. I’d also like to start investing some of that money.
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What goals do you have for 2021? Let me know by chatting with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
