January/February Goal Report

Hello, hello, hello!

I am hoping this is me properly logged on and ready to blog in 2016 – let’s start with a goal report, eh?

I’m sorry I’ve been so erratic at blogging for the last several months. I don’t think I exactly lost my mojo –  I have been constantly composing blogs in my head, but the words remained trapped there as the rhythm of blogging had escaped me as homelife/mumlife/holidaylife/backtoschool life seem to crowd my days, snag my attention and tire me out plus a few ongoing health issues ensured I didn’t get my energy back.

But here I am! Fingers clicking away at the keyboard and writing within a quiet house, children temporarily evicted for Kindy and school. I was looking forward to the peace and solitude of having the house to myself, but since school has begun I haven’t had very many quiet mornings at home, instead I have had days crowded with appointments, people and commitments. In fact there has been only one quiet morning, but it was busy as I tried to rush around tidying as much as I could before I had to start Kindy pick ups. I had been warned how quickly this time passes, and indeed it does.

So, my plan was to update you each month this year on how I’m tracking with my goals for 2016. Well, due to failing goal 6, I’m going to combine the January and February posts into this one edition today.

1. Declutter
   So, this is happening really slowly, and I haven’t really completed a room at this point in time. But I have been decluttering, and there are some living areas that are a lot more clear. I have got pockets of clutter everywhere in this home, so this project is going to take time before we have some great results, but I feel like I’m off to a sound start. I’ll give myself a C on the decluttering efforts.
2. Cook New Food
   I am smashing this goal!!! A+ !  So far this year, we have done so much baking! I think I’ve kind of revised this goal to not just be cooking new food, although I’ve been doing this, but also cooking more from scratch. I’ve really avoided using the ready made packets and bottles a lot, and it kind of feels good to know that in the process we’re saving costs and cutting out a lot of nasty additives and preservatives that we might otherwise be consuming. Favourite meals the last two months have been salmon rissoles, creamy pasta (although this is an old fave), thai beef salad and a slow cooker massaman curry.  (Another go to recipe) I also made an awesome no knead bread. Truly revolutionary! So easy, no need for a bread machine and tasty! My kids are big bread fans and were really thrilled and can’t wait to have it even more during winter to go with soups.

   Thai Beef Salad

   Favourite treats in the lunchboxes that we’ve baked have been delectable date pillow biscuits, apricot and chia bliss balls, fig and lemon bliss balls, condensed milk choc chip biscuits, banana bread, pear tea cake, pear crumble cake, (pears were on special!), a New York brownie cheesecake and yesterday Imogen, Trent and I got the cookie cutters out and whipped up a double batch of gingerbread bikkies. I also had a delightful evening baking with my friend Belinda when our bookclub didn’t show up so we cranked out cakes and biscuits for our family instead. I have to say, I kept getting distracted because I was talking so much (plus my kids were being naughty and not sleeping so I was also chasing them back into bed). Thank goodness Belinda was more switched on then I was, so everything turned out. But bake and chat with a friend. I was in my happy place!

3. Create
   Another goal I’m happy with. I think this is deserving of an A in January, and maybe a B for February. In January I made some cute little sheet bags for the triplets to carry their sheets to Kindy in for rest time. I particularly love that I’ve used fabric that I used during their monthly photo shoots when they were babies!
   
   In February, I’ve had one meet up with my friend Jodie where she cut out bunting and I worked on my crochet blanket. It was a very pleasant afternoon, since I was late arriving and didn’t make it before lunchtime on account of trying to catch up on the declutter goal before I left. (So the Accountant wouldn’t complain too much!) I’m looking forward to our next creating session!!!
4. Theme Months
   Another F for fail here. Themes no. Spending time with the kids without themes. Yes. So only a technical failure, although I’d like to continue to try to be more specific with my triplet time on non-Kindy days. It’s easy to let them keep playing independently and get my own work done, which is fine, but I think we would all benefit from a little more concentrated Mum time.
5. Explore the Outdoors – Monthly Family Bushwalk Challenge #monthlyfamilybushwalk (Join in!!!)
   This has been my favourite goal so far I think. We have now done two bushwalks in both months, and it is just delightful to spend time in the outdoors as a family. Plus exercise! Plus seeing our country! Plus bonding! Plus building stamina! Plus, plus, plus, the list continues.
   In January we explored Maiala National Park at Mt. Glorious. We were very proud of the four children (we were missing Jonty who was out on Grandad’s farm with his cousins) who walked the 4.3km return track to Greenes Fall. Not a bad way to start our challenge!

   Maiala National Park

   Last weekend, our February exploration was Crows Nest Falls. We may need to repeat this one, either as a family or perhaps just the kids and I during a school holiday because we didn’t walk all the way to the falls because our little Miss got in the car with no shoes on. We drove around Crows Nest looking for shoes, but alas, it’s impossible to even find a pair of thongs in a sleepy country town after 12pm on a Saturday. We were able to walk quite comfortably to the Bottlebrush pool – Daddy had to carry the small girl a bit. She was quite happy to walk barefooted the way home though, in fact so did some of the boys as well. It was a hot day, so swimming at Crows Nest Falls was just lovely and refreshing, even despite The Accountant claiming he was attacked by a platypus. (He did get cut on his feet and legs by some animal, so who knows!) The kids also loved climbing on the plentiful supply of rocks. I can remember loving doing the same thing as a child. It’s lovely when history repeats itself.

   Crows Nest Falls

6. Blog more regularly 

Well, you all can give me a big fat F for January, and I think we could probably say for February as well, unless perhaps I can scrape two blogs this week, and then I might give myself a D. Hopefully this will be the turning point though!!!

So there’s a little bit of what has happening in my world. Of course sandwiched in there were rather important things like starting school and kindy. Also we had a trip to Bundy to celebrate a friend’s 40th and a visit to a shearing shed on Grandad’s farm out west, which was just great for the kids.

What’s been happening during the start of your year? Can you believe we are almost in our 3rd month? Do you love to bushwalk? Do you want to join our #monthlyfamilybushwalk challenge? Remember to instagram/facebook/tweet if you do and use the hashtag!!!

Linking with the ever lovely Jess at Essentially Jess for IBOT.

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