Time at Home Tuesdays: A Look at my Homemaking Goals

Alright, before my hiatus, I was plowing through my goals and taking a more in depth look at what I was going to do to achieve them. So we'll continue forward in that direction. This time, we'll focus on my Homemaking Goals.


Plan and Prepare a Weekly Menu that Includes Healthier Meals

I used to be pretty good about planning meals a week at a time. A long time ago I went through and made a list of our favorite and most-eaten meals. I have to say though, we've had to stop eating a lot of those things though because our budget just couldn't afford them. It's cheaper to buy things we eat regularly and use them instead of buying random things here and there for other meals. Does that make sense?

I do my grocery shopping on a weekly basis, so in the past, I've made my meal plans based on what's on sale and what we already have. I admit that most of our food is processed and packaged and just plain unhealthy. Isn't it terrible that the most processed foods are cheaper while the healthy, even organic, alternatives are more expensive. Somehow that doesn't seem right. Anyway, I find that meal planning helps me create a list of the items I need, and in turn I'm more likely to stick to the list instead of going to the store and buying whatever sounds good. I'm also more likely to make dinner instead of going out to eat if I know what's available to cook and I know that I have everything for it.

We don't eat out a lot, and when we do we always use coupons or discounts to bring down our cost. But of course, there's always room for cutting out the eating out part of our budget. Really, I'd say we eat out maybe 2 or 3 times a month. But even only 2 or 3 times a much isn't great. It's much more expensive and usually filled with an exorbitant amount of calories. I'd like to cut it down to only once a month, at the most. A step further would be only for celebrations (anniversaries, birthdays, etc) if desired. I don't want my children growing up eating only french fries and chicken nuggets. So here's how I'm moving forward:

• The grocery store sales start on Wednesdays here, so I spend Tuesdays going through the ads, and making my lists. At this time I will also make my weekly meal plan.
• Within 4 months (by the end of May), eating out will be cut down to once a month. By the end of the year, eating out will be cut down to only at times of celebrations. This excludes traveling, but only when packing our own meals is unrealistic.

Plan At Least 2 New Meals Per Month

I'm very bad about getting into a rut and eating the same things over and over each week. I get tired of it and I feel bad for my husband because he's probably getting tired of it too.

• Go through my cookbooks, the recipes stored on my computer, and any online resources to find recipes that sound good and that I'm willing to make.
• Compile these recipes into folders on my computer, for easy access.
• Print out a blank monthly calendar on which to write meal ideas/meal plans

Create a Cleaning Schedule

I've become a slacker when it comes to housework. I want to have a clean and pleasant home, really I do. But it's so much more fun to play around on the internet or spend time with my son. I don't want to waste my son's childhood cleaning because I'm afraid someone will see the dirt and dust. My apartment is lived in. Real people live here and *GASP* my child makes messes! I can clean up nicely though - when I have expected guests, lol!

That said, my home still needs to be a little cleaner. I love walking into or waking up to a clean home. I just love the feeling and the spirit I get from knowing that everything is in it's place. I hate waking up in the morning to my son's toys scattered about or trying to make dinner knowing that every single dish is sitting in the sink. I just hate that feeling.

I could use nap time to clean, but I usually have to spend that time cleaning myself, rather than the house. And by the time bed time rolls around, I'm so exhausted that all I want to do is sit on the couch and write blog posts. So, the only other option is to take time out of playtime and spend some time cleaning. My son is getting older and is getting MUCH better about playing on his own for short periods. So I think I'll have to take advantage of that fact.

• Set aside a week to do some deep, "spring" cleaning to get it all done.
• Using a calendar or spreadsheet, create a schedule to maintain the housework, so that it doesn't pile up and become unmanageable.
• Set aside an hour each day (can be split up) to get housework done.

Focus on a New Fruit or Vegetable Each Month

I have a hard time eating fruits and vegetables. I think it's the texture. Unfortunately I think the lack of healthy foods is what's gotten me to the point I am now with my weight. Even more unfortunate is that I think I'm passing on my dislike of fruits and vegetables to my son. Understandably, I think it's the texture that he has issues with. So hopefully, if he sees me eating them, he'll learn to like them too. He needs more than pasta and cheese in order to grow up healthy and strong.

• Learn what fruits and vegetables are in season when and use that to cut costs while focusing on them.
• Decide on 12 fruits and 12 vegetables to focus on and find recipes that are healthy and that incorporate the chosen fruits and vegetables.
• Let my son see us eating the fruits and vegetables and offer them to him at meals also. I need to be more diligent about offering them to him. He LOVED the purees, so I may need to go back to pureeing and slowly add in more chunks for him.
  

My List of Goals

I've been mulling all of these goals over for some time now, and I think one thing that I need to do is make a list of all my goals. I've also been doing some reading on goal making. I want to be able to make realistic, attainable goals. But one thing I've come across is that my goals need to be written out, and they need to be posted where I can see them daily. Posting them on my blog won't help me to see them, but I plan to print them out and post them so I can see them.

So, folks. Here we go. I know this isn't a full fledged, detailed list with dates and numbers and everything. I'm listing the goals, and I'll go through and flesh out exact details in other, smaller posts. I've even categorized them for you (and for me)!



Spritual Goals:

1. Study the Book of Mormon Daily
2. Pray more regularly
3. Bear my testimony at least once this year during Fast & Testimony Meeting at church
4. Attend the temple at least once a month
5. Attend church every week, unless we're sick
6. Have consistent, weekly Family Home Evenings
7. Have a daily family prayer

Homemaking Goals:

1. Plan and prepare a weekly menu that will include healthier meals
2. Plan at least 2 new meals per month
3. Create a home cleaning schedule to create a cleaner, more pleasant home
4. Focus on a new fruit or vegetable each month

Mommy Goals:

1. Plan more activities out of the house, even during the winter
2. Plan more creative activities at home, especially during the winter
3. Research learning activities and "preschool" type activities to do with Monkey Man. Implement them!
4. Set up playdates at least once a month to create a more social environment for Monkey Man

Weight-Loss Goals:

1. Find excercise videos and other workout methods that can be used at home during the winter. Research local gyms and consider justifying the expense.
2. Put an exercise plan into place.
3. Buy a scale so that I can see an actual number and results other than the loosening (or tightening) of my clothing
4. Keep a food journal for 1 month and use it to adjust my eating habits to aid in weight loss
5. After I get a scale, I can have a better idea of exactly what I need to lose. Right now, I know I need to lose at least 100lbs, possibly more like 150lbs. Eeek!

Social Goals:

1. Invite 1 family over for dinner each month
2. Plan, prepare, and carry out at least 2 parties in 2010
3. (Same as a "Mommy Goal") Set up a playdate at least once a month to visit with friends

Financial Goals:

1. Continue budget shopping, using coupons, clearance sales, etc AND cut grocery budget by another $10 each week this year
2. Save for a new carseat for Monkey Man
3. Save for new tires for our car
4. Cut out all unnecessary expenses from our budget

I think that's it, folks. I think each of these are realistic. Some are longer term goals (I won't be losing 100 lbs in a month) and some are things that I just need to make into habits. But, I'm happy with my list and that's what really matters. My plan is not to start every single one of these goals right now and overwhelm myself. Instead, after I get them all written out in more detail, I'll be picking out a couple to tackle at a time. After I've got those down, I'll continue with them, and move on to focusing on a few more.
If you have any suggestions for making these things easier, please feel free to comment or share them with me through email. I'd love to hear from you!