April In Review

What was the most memorable part of this past month? Describe it.

There are a few things I find most memorable about this month. My first is actually starting college again. I’m taking 2 classes my first semester back and am thinking about taking two over the summer. The second most memorable is probably starting to film for my YouTube channel again. I haven’t had much time to film or edit since school is in full swing but I managed to put out a few videos I thought were worth sharing. The third is going back to marriage counseling with Nick. Things have been going better with us and we decided to go back to resolve some old, linger issues and to learn how to communicate better. Because of our busy schedules we haven’t been able to go every week but even going twice a month has helped a bit.

What were the three biggest lessons you’ve learned in the past month?

1. When I get really stressed out it manifests itself as being exhausted. I often find myself feeling tired and not knowing why but it seems to only happen when I feel overwhelmed and stressed.
2. If I stay on top of things it just makes life easier. As nice as it sounds to take a day off and just be lazy it just makes the next day twice as hard. It’s just best to keep plugging along instead of procrastinating.
3. I need to schedule my time better. I’ve found I haven’t had a lot of time this month and I’m pretty sure it’s because I’m not planning my time as well as I should and the unorganization that is my life is wasting so much of the little time I have.

Think back on the past month and assess your priorities. Are you happy with how you spent your time? If not, what steps can you take this next month to adjust them?

Well, from my third lesson I wrote in the previous answer I’m going to have to say no. I didn’t get a whole lot done this month other than school and maybe that is just how it is going to be or maybe I just need to get into a routine but I feel as if a lot of my time was wasted this month. I would say I really need to come up with a good routine that covers more aspects of my life. I can’t just focus on school work while the house falls apart and the kids are fending for themselves. I have to find more of a balance. I think a good step to take is to write out a new routine that splits my time between school, school work, house work, family time and relax time. From there it’s just following the new routine and tweaking it as need be.

How are you different between this past month and the month before?

I would say that over the past month I’ve been more motivated to get things done, especially when it comes to school. I’ve managed to do all my homework on time but I’ve also been able to work ahead in my math class which has helped a lot.

What or who are you especially grateful for this past month?

1. I’m grateful for staying on top of my school work.
2. I’m grateful that Nick has been picking up all the things I’ve been dropping.

Name three things you can improve on next month. What are concrete actions you can take to work towards these improvements?

1. Make and follow a more balanced routine as I said earlier.
2. Spend more time as a family. Since starting school I’ve lost quite a bit of time with Nick and the kids. Two nights a week I’m not even home before the boys go to bed. I’d like to make the weekends more family oriented. I want to do family game nights and have movie nights.
3. Find ways to eat a more healthy diet and to exercise more. I’m obviously just grabbing whatever I can find right now because I’m not on a good schedule. I’d like to plan better for breakfast and lunch and incorporate more fresh fruit and vegetables. I’d also like to find ways to exercise during the day. Right now the only exercise I get in walking to class, climbing six flights of stairs and carrying Dessa’s car seat to and from the car when I pick up the boys. I’ like to do a little more than that.

How did your goals go this month?

I’m not going to lie, I did really shitty on my goals. I started strong with going to bed early and waking up early but as the month progressed I totally fell off the wagon. I didn’t declutter 1 room and unfortunately my no spend April completely fell apart after both mine and Nick’s car need repair. I also didn’t do much more than grocery shopping out of the house so that wasn’t accomplished. I don’t know if doing homework every night is considered studying but I’m going to say it is just so I can say I completed one goal.

From 1-10, how do you feel overall about this past month?

I’d give April a 7. I feel pretty good about this. Not everything was perfect but I did keep up with the most important things and I feel like I am making a lot of progress with school. I just need to balance it out.