March Goals

Here is a recap of February's goals:

1. Finish Valentine's Day video for the boys
2. Use my "real" camera to take photos
3. Experiment with Manual mode and read online tutorials about photography
4. No-spending month: only groceries (which I will still try to cut back on) and absolute necessities like toiletries if we run out (but we shouldn't because I planned ahead).  Only other exception: Saver's half-off President's Day sale!  
5. Eat less.  I've mastered the WLC diet, but I think I'm just eating too much still.  Eating smaller portions in general is something I need to learn to do, especially after this experiment is done and I have to return to "normal" eating.
6. Donate unused household items
7. Organize the linen closet
8. Organize the garage, or at least make some progress.  This is a big task!
9. Read about square-foot gardening and plan for making it happen
10. Continue the WLC

I failed miserably at the garage and the camera.   The garage is even more messy than when the month started, thanks in large part to the mini-flood we had in there during one of our endless snowstorms this winter.  We had to move everything out of the water and pile it in the corners...  Plus, I have to admit that it's been so absolutely frigid that I have had no desire to be in the garage after the boys go to bed.  I am actually looking forward to organizing the garage and having a "new" space to use and enjoy, so I hope to do it as soon as the weather permits.  I'm not even sure it will be warm enough to be out there this month if the weather this first week of March is any indication of what's to come for the next 30 days or so!

As for the camera, I really just didn't have time.  And as much as I want to take nice photos, I find I ALWAYS have my iPhone on me, so it's just easier to capture moments than with a bigger camera.  I will keep this as an ongoing goal, however.

The no-spending month was a relative success.  The truth is, our spending is lean--except on food during this WLC.  I also have a weakness for thrifting, and I think right now, it's costing me more than it's saving me.  So I will try to be more disciplined about that.  March is a difficult month to make a "no-spending month" because I have two weeks off for spring break with the boys.  I want to take them a few places and not be stuck in the house all day.  I'm praying the weather gets better soon!

I did manage to stick to the Whole Life Challenge in a way that I've never stuck to any diet or lifestyle challenge before.  This past Friday I had an office retreat at my boss's house down the Cape.  He always orders these amazing croissants from a local bakery.  And he gets a great assortment of cheeses and breads.  My office mates (who have been doing this challenge with me) and I decided to break the diet completely for this one day.  We all lost our nutrition points, and it was worth it in the moment--the food was delicious.  I think what put me over the edge, though, was the chocolate cake I had to celebrate my colleague Terri's birthday.  I felt so awful that afternoon and had a splitting headache all day yesterday.  I think it was the sugar more than the dairy or the carbs.  But just in case, I'm going to go off the diet slowly next week (it ends March 7).  I think I'll reintroduce these things one at a time to see what I had that reaction to.  I will go back to eating sugar, carbs, and dairy in limited amounts, but I do really want to try to limit it all as much as possible.  I actually haven't missed any food as much as I thought I would.  I do miss pizza, but I've been perfectly fine without it.  I haven't suffered much!

Finally, I finished the Valentine's Day video and published in my last post, so that was a great thing to get done, and almost everything is prepared for us to get the Square Foot Garden going.  I've started seeds indoors, purchased most of the materials, and read the book so I know what I'm doing.  That was a big step forward.

Explicitly stating my goals for the month really helped me be aware of what I hoped to accomplish.  Even though I didn't do everything, I feel better for having tried.  So, here are my goals for March:

1. Arrange more playdates for the boys with Max and Mikey, Brooke, and Leyla and Deniz.  (We have Luke's birthday party and a playdate set up with "LukeAbby" in April already.)
2. Set up the Square Foot Garden outside as soon as the snow is off the ground!
3. Come off the WLC diet slowly and carefully and keep up the challenge by exercising and stretching at least 5X/week. Will limit carbs, diary, sugars, and processed foods as much as possible for the long term.
4. Take the boys to the Children's Museum in Boston or the Aquarium.
5. Find some tutoring gigs.
6. This is cheating:  it's a goal for Carlos!  Finish painting the boys' bedroom.  He's done the ceiling and trim already, but the trim still needs touch ups and the walls have yet to be painted.  We also need to do the boys closet trim, but might do that later.
7. Try to use our good camera more and experiment with manual mode.
8. Start spring cleaning: garage, organize bed linens, donate unused house items and clothing, and anything found in the garage that we don't need anymore.
9. Make some photobooks of the boys.  I have some free books thanks to some coupons I found.
10. Knit a cowl scarf--if I can find the knitting needle size I need.