December Goals // November Recap

Where did November go? I feel like the time has flown by! Of course, I spent the last two weeks in Ohio, which was essentially a working vacation for me. I also spent a a few days at the beginning of the month in South Carolina. Overall, I spent more time NOT in Duluth than I did at home! December won’t be quite as busy, but I do plan on visiting my dad in Greenwood for my mom’s birthday/their wedding anniversary and for Christmas.

What did I accomplish in November? Not as much as I’d planned. Oops. But I did have a great month spending quality time with the people I love. At the end of the day, my relationships matter most to me.

November Recap:

For my career:

• I did accomplish more with Stephanie Shar’s The 30-Day Guide to Better Blogging, but I have not finished it yet.
• I did not manage to pitch an article to xoJane.
• I only published one article to The Huffington Post, but I also published an article on Role Reboot. Yay for small wins.
• I planned out my calendar through December, but not through January. I actually want to spend this month figuring out the best direction for my blog, which will affect my editorial calendar.
• I hit over 700 Twitter followers! I’m at ~720 right now. Have you followed me yet?
• I hit over 700 Instagram followers! I’m at ~860 right now. Have you followed me yet?
• This wasn’t a goal, but I also applied for a writing fellowship with Bitch Media. Only four fellowships are available, so I know it’s a long shot, but I won’t be chosen if I didn’t apply. I find out this month if I’m selected.

For my health:

• I literally did not accomplish a single goal for my health. Oops.

For my marriage:

• For the most part, I skyped with Dan every night, or every other night, while I was in Ohio. His parents and I even skyped with him while we decorated their Christmas tree!
• We did spend a day driving through the mountains and hiking to see two waterfalls.

For our household:

• I did all of the necessary laundry before I left for Ohio.
• I cooked fairly often when I could. Considering I spent less than two weeks at home, any cooking last month was an accomplishment!
• I did a major scrubbing of our primary bathroom! I cleaned the floors and the rugs of the other two bathrooms, but I didn’t completely clean them.

December Goals:

I keep intending to make attainable goals. Then I somehow don’t quite accomplish all of my “easy” goals. December will be a bittersweet month for my family and me. I love the holiday season, but this will be the first Christmas without my mom. Not only that, but December 13th will mark 5 months since her death. Plus it should be her 61st birthday and my parents’ 31st wedding anniversary. With all these emotions this month, I plan on keeping my goals very minimal.

This is the first time I’ve ever felt so Christmasy before Thanksgiving. I had a blast decorating this tree with my in-laws! I made the star ornament for my MIL the first Christmas I was dating my husband.

A photo posted by Brita (@belle_brita) on Nov 24, 2015 at 9:38pm PST

For my career:

• Start blogging course with Helene in Between.
• Create editorial calendar through January.
• Reach 1000 Instagram followers.

For my health:

• Schedule an appointment for a physical with a general practitioner.
• Schedule an appointment with an allergist.
• Hold a plank at least 4 days a week. Focus on improving form while working up to 90 seconds (which I managed once, but I was shaky).
• Meal-plan for Whole30 in January.
• Make Whole30 freezer meals for January.
• Allow myself to continue to grieve my mother as needed, even if it means not accomplishing other goals.

For my marriage:

• Pick out a Christmas tree with Dan.
• Put up Christmas decorations together.
• Enjoy an at-home date night snuggling by the fire.
• Introduce Dan to Long Family holiday traditions, but give him space to share any Fleck Family traditions with us.

For our household:

• Clean all three bathrooms.
• Ask Dan to vacuum the entire townhouse after I dust everything.

Wish me luck on my goals this month! Share your own goals in the comments below.

Linking up with Marriage & Relationship Goals, with Clear the List, and with The Monthly Goals.