Wow. My original plan was that I would do a monthly look-back on how I did with my Word of the Year, and any progress I was making with my "25 in '25" goals. That did not work out for the previous two months, at least not in a blog post. I have been making use of a habit-tracker checklist in the calendar planner I use, and my progress may not be impressive, it is progress nonetheless.
My goals have essentially been to Practice - because that's my WOTY - sensible plans for meals and housekeeping, and consistent personal habits such as eating and sleeping well and getting more exercise. Some weeks I completely forget to check off that habit tracker, but overall I am more consistent with those habits. Generally, what I thought would work for housekeeping was to establish Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to concentrate on getting general tidying and chores and laundry done, with the more time-intensive tasks done on Saturdays. This plan freed up my Monday and Wednesday evenings, since I'm usually out during the evening, and left enough flexibility for me to catch up whenever necessary. For the most part this has worked pretty well, though I still tend to use the "lick and a promise" housework method most of the time! I've been doing weekly meal planning, which is still very flexible, and often subject to last minute changes, but there's a weekly routine that helps me think ahead and be practical.
During May, the weeknight meal plans and housekeeping have been difficult to keep consistent, largely because my daily commute has been longer and more frustrating than usual. For most of the month, there was major construction on the main highway causing bottlenecks and delays on the drive home, meaning I get home later and feeling more tired and frazzled, and wishing I could just eat a bowl of cereal and take a long nap! With warmer weather, I think grilling more often on weeknights will help relieve that pressure a bit, and I also hope that means going for walks on weeknights too. I don't know how long the roadwork will be an issue, but it could be months.
Here's a brief recap of the month, along with some photos. I don't bother mentioning the weekdays unless something unusual happened, since work is a lot of same thing every day, rinse and repeat.
Saturday, May 3 - I got my hair cut in the morning, and this time hubby went along so we could both visit with my hairdresser since she used to work at the greenhouse where hubby works. In the evening we met Harrison and family for dinner at a new restaurant location's soft opening. We tried all the things - so good!
Sunday, May 4 - quick lunch after church, then met the kids at Franklin Park Conservatory becuase first Sundays of the month are free for Franklin county residents.
Monday, May 5 - We had our year-end dinner and celebration for chorus. I was so surprised when I received the Bass Pinnacle award!
Saturday, May 10 - We did the Mother's Day outing on Saturday, and went to Charleston Falls Preserve followed by dinner at Harrison's in Tipp City for dinner. Not Harrison, my son, but a restaurant named Harrison's.
Sunday, May 11 - Happy Mother's Day! Yes, I called my mom, and the Maryland kids called me.
Tuesday, May 13 - First appointment with my new dentist and I was very impressed. Got me in quickly, fixed up my broken tooth and made appointments for a cleaning and to finally get my implant finished.
Saturday, May 17 - We went with groups from church to distribute bags in the local communities for a grocery drive to benefit the food bank. According to my step counter, I walked more than five miles delivering those bags!
Sunday, May 18 - After church and lunch, hubby and I went for a walk at Taylor Farm Park.
Friday, May 23 - I managed to leave work early so I could get ready for our weekend trip to Maryland. We left shortly after hubby got home, and had an uneventful drive, arriving at the 'homestead' a bit after midnight.
Saturday, May 24 - I went out to brunch with my friends. We went strawberry picking with the family, then stopped at our daughter's work to visit. While there, I had Kennady restring my dulcimer. Spent the rest of the day just hanging out with the family and playing some games.
Sunday, May 25 - We were up early since we had to get the entire worship team practice in before the Sunday School hour. It was so great to play with Kennady's worship team again! We got takeout for lunch all together, then napped and relaxed for awhile. Landon and Meaghan had plans with her sister so we spent the evening with Spencer, Kennady and Dan going for a walk and then getting ice cream.
 |
| We send Dan a lot of "Ohio sunset" photos, so this photo taken in Westminster, MD got titled as "Victory Vape sunset" - the ice cream place is in the same strip mall. And the carpet rolling man is a Westminster icon. LOL |
Monday, May 26 - We got mostly ready to leave, then went with Spencer to meet Kennady and Dan for breakfast. It was a great surprise when Dan's parents joined us and nice to catch up with them. Back to the homestead to finish packing. Made one more stop at greenhouse to see one of hubby's former co-worker, then drove home.
Tuesday, May 27 - Back to work and glad it's a short week!
Friday, May 30 - Went to a grad party in the evening and had a very nice time.
Saturday, May 31 - In the afternoon, we went to Springfield to see the Westcott House (a Frank Lloyd Wright house) and then had a delicious dinner at a Greek restaurant.
I'm setting a goal for myself that when I get around to the June WOTY/Goals follow-up post, I'll have put my "25 in '25" list into some kind of shareable format so I can share progress on that.
*********************
Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
~Psalm 119:34~
*********************
My Word of the Year for 2025 is Practice. Put the things I've learned and that I know into practice. Practice doing what I know I should do and want to do. Practice how I want to perform. Practice―and get better at―the things that are important to me. Make a practice of healthy and beneficial habits and routines. In 2024, my WOTY was Rhythm, and one way I tried to establish a rhythm was by keeping a very brief daily diary, to watch for daily and weekly patterns to develop and to be intentional about keeping the good ones going. In 2025, I'll continue keeping the daily diary, but with a focus on how well I'm meeting my goals in the disciplines I'm practicing. See my WOTY post for 2025 for how I chose this word: Word of the Year 2025 - Practice.
This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
I never can come up with one word for my year so I never participate BUT I love practice - you chose really well!! I enjoyed reading about all of your fun and meaningful activities!
ReplyDeleteEvery year I do a WOTY, I think it will probably be my last because I'm running out of ideas! LOL I appreciate you stopping by and reading, and leaving such kind comments!
DeleteHow lovely to spend time with the family, do you have to travel far to see them? It doesn't take much for a routine to go to pot, does it? I'm lazy when it comes to eating, every now and then I device a meal plan, but then one late evening and ... cereal it is
ReplyDeleteIt's about a six hour drive to where the Maryland family lives, so it's not too bad. Wish it was closer, of course, but we can't complain! I love cereal and that's my go-to when I really don't have time to make anything for dinner. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteForward progress is progress...we don't have to win any races, we just need to make progress...I have to keep reminding myself. None of my weeks look a like which is difficult for me. I am beginning to accept that is the way it is going to be but has been hard. This summer we are going to help out with our grands at least once a week and that is going to shake things up, too. Hope your commute becomes easier again very soon and allows you to get home earlier while you still have a bit of energy. Congrats on your award. I am sure it is most well deserved.
ReplyDeleteOh, P.S., we are going to share our summer bucket list and goals on 06.23.2025. If you would like to join us, please let me know.