October: Reflection & Rejuvenation

Ah, October. I'm glad you're here. I'm sorry I haven't had time to greet you properly. 

I wanted to wait until I had time to sit down and reflect before I wrote this post about my goals for the upcoming month. 

So here I am, already into the second week of October.

Let me take a quick peek back at my September goals:

• Work on Purposeful Parenthood (no pressure to finish it): Yes! I'm really excited about the course.
• Get the bulk of Henry's Halloween costume finalized (I'm thrilled that I can re-use my costume from four years ago for myself): Yep! It's basically finished (although it seems unlikely that he will actually want to wear it on Halloween...).
• Work really hard for Magnolia Montessori For All to plan an awesome "Meet & Greet" event: This event has taken a lot of time to plan, but I'm hoping it will be worth it.
• Attend a parenting bookclub (we're reading Parenting from Your Heart): The book did not arrive in time from the library, so I did not attend.
• Get some fiction books from the library to help with my process of decompressing before bed: Yes! I read two really easy escape fiction books. It was awesome to read them.
• Enjoy the pop-up dinner party: I ended up canceling the pop-up dinner party. Four people couldn't come and two people canceled, including the person who was going to make the vegetarian enchiladas. 

What else did I accomplish that wasn't on my list?

• I ran three times a week.
• I attended three parent education events at Henry's school.
• I actively participated in Purposeful Conception. 
• I attended 14 meetings to help build Austin's first public Montessori school

I love the clean slate of each new month. What do I want to accomplish in October? The holidays are nearly upon us...

• Get my car's oil changed. I know this seems like minutiae and is hardly worthy of being listed as a goal for the month, but I need the accountability to get it done. 
• Be patient while we wait to see whether or not we successfully conceived during this cycle. The waiting game begins!
• Finish Purposeful Parenthood.
• Brainstorm Matt's birthday present. 
• Build our Christmas lists for family members.
• Work on publicity plans for my book, A Priceless Wedding: Crafting a Meaningful, Memorable, and Affordable Celebration.
• Publicize Kids in the Kitchen: Simple Recipes That Build Confidence and Independence the Montessori Way.
• Read for fun and relaxation before bed each night (I hope to participate in this month's book club focused on Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs).
• Get started on the construction for our house! The appraiser considered the additional information we submitted and agreed to raise the appraisal another $10,000. It puts us close enough to make it work.

Hmmm...I feel like my focus is scattered among several big projects: A Priceless Wedding, Kids in the Kitchen, Magnolia Montessori For All, and Purposeful Parenthood. The only thing I could cross off the list would be Purposeful Parenthood, but I'm really excited about working on it. Dilemmas, dilemmas. 

There's also the unknown of when/if I'm going to get pregnant again. The last time I was pregnant (before the miscarriage), I was taking a nap every day, which knocked out a lot of my productive work time. We'll see what happens. 

Photo Courtesy of the Nikki McClure Calendar

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