Welcome to the weekly goals review. This is where I will complete a review of my prior week’s goals as well as setting a new round for the upcoming week. I’m glad to have you on board. Are you working on your Sanity Plan?
Weekly Goals Review
- Positive parenting: Work on my son’s 2 major tantrum triggers.
We made some breakthroughs with both the diaper changing and “driving” issues. For diapers, instead of continuing to engage in the rebellion against laying down for a diaper, I’ve been putting directly in a quick bath. He will willingly lay down for getting his diaper off if it’s to get in the bath. After several days of doing this, he was much more willing to lay down at other times for a diaper change. I also noticed that he was more compliant when just waking in the morning or after a nap so I took advantage of that time as well. For the car, we just needed to reinstate an old rule we had which is no “driving” ever. There were quite a few fits about it, but then it stopped. And if it’s never an option, it makes it easier for them to accept. Lesson learned: Don’t engage in a particular rebellion, try out radically changing the scenario to “reboot” the sticking point. Also, if something is going to be a point of contention every time, skip it altogether.
2.
Quality hubby time: Have date breakfast.
Date breakfast was awesome. We had a great adult conversation and were able to eat slowly and really enjoy it. Lesson learned: Be willing to think outside of the box when it comes to getting time together with your spouse.
3. Personal care: Make an appointment to see a local chiropractor.
DONE.
4. Organization: Transfer to my new phone.
NOT DONE. There are always reasons why I don’t get to things like this. My old phone’s been acting up and I really want to check to see if the issues are covered under warranty, in which case it still need to be active. Lesson learned: I always have reasons for not getting something done. I just have to determine if it’s valid or just an excuse.
5. Work/Life Balance: Take a break from work to spend time with company.
Done. I had a really great time, and as it turns out, there were still plenty of opportunities to write while people went off and did their own thing.
This Week’s Goals
Here are my goals for this week based on my 5 improvement areas:
Positive co-parenting: Support my husband’s interactions with the kids.
I’ve noticed a lot of friction in our co-parenting recently (which actually unwinds some of my efforts to be more romantic). I tend to be really controlling when it comes to the kids, so this week I want to focus instead on stepping back when my husband parents, encouraging him to spend special time with the kids, and complement him about his parenting (without being obvious).
2. Quality hubby time: Finally, a real date!
It’s set for Thursday, just need to make reservations…
3. Personal care: Go swimming every day.
We are over the hump in our trip, so I want to take advantage of having the pool for getting extra exercise. My goal for the week is to do laps every day.
4. Organization: Transfer to my new phone.
Resetting this goal. First, call Apple about my phone issues. When resolved, back up to the new phone and make the switch. And… order a new case for it.
5. Work/Life Balance: Catch up with my family.
We spent time with my in-laws last week, and it made me realize I haven’t talked with my own family in a while. My sister was struggling with some stuff at work too, so my goal this week will be to connect with my sister, my dad, and my mom.
*****
I feel pretty good about my week. I got a lot done despite having company. The hours I have free because of the sitter are so helpful and I try to be as productive on tasks that need focus during that time. Finding the right balance is hard for me because I am pretty driven to work, so I’m glad to see that I’ve been feeling more relaxed and calm and getting to enjoy our time here.
How are you doing with your Sanity Plan? What are your goals for the coming week? Did you notice any particular barriers to completing what you wanted to get done?
Click here for a custom goal sheet you can use to track your own weekly goals.
My husband wants to move. Well, actually we both *want* to move but the whole prospect is a bit terrifying for me.
I have become deeply sentimental about this home that we’ve created. We brought both of our children home from the hospital to this house. Especially around the holidays, I am overwhelmed with joy remembering the traditions we have worked so hard to create here. If we moved within a year, I am not sure that either of our young ones will remember this house beyond what they see in pictures.
Looking back at that stressful time, it’s easy for me to see the events that led to my attack. I was working for a Big 4 accounting firm with high demands on all employees. I was in my first semester of a prestigious MBA program that I felt thoroughly unprepared for. I had been house hunting, trying to find the perfect first home. I was fostering two feral kittens that had been infested with roundworms (hence the worms hallucination).
First time parenting is 
How Siblings Aren’t Necessarily Good for Each Other
My good friend’s sister died this week. She lost her battle with tongue cancer, claiming her life less than a year from her initial diagnosis.
I wondered what our life would be like if I lost my husband. Would I be strong enough to carry on? Could I raise our family on my own? “Of course, you would,” my husband assured me, “You’d have to.” I know I would, but it would be devastating.
Do you know what a family in crisis looks like? Would you be able to tell? I am not talking about the crises that are apparent to an outsider, such as a death or an accident or a family being displaced from their home. I am talking about the subtler kinds of crises, the ones that are less evident, impacting the family by eroding the structure from within. Perhaps caused by sickness or mental illness or even financial troubles.
When my son was born, it only compounded our troubles. He was the loudest, most unhappy baby. He 
I’ve only just started letting people really know the truth about how exhausted I really am.
I move as though I am in slow motion. Fighting, as if each movement is an effort to overcome swimming against the tide of an angry ocean.
Isn’t this enough?
Our society is so politically correct these days. But what if our insistence on using “positive” words actually detracts from the truth? What are we covering when we insist that our families are blended, instead of broken?
We have to get used to each other’s personalities. The dynamic in a house changes with each child, but that is a natural progression. Adding in a new “grown” child means going through an acceptance process of each person’s personality. I’ve had to get used to her and she’s had to get used to me.
“I just don’t want to look back on this time as the Dark Ages,” I tell my good friend’s wife. A large group of my college classmates and our kids were visiting a traveling farm last fall.
But there has been so much more that I have to work to bring to mind.
What about the late night and early morning snuggles? When I found their perfect tickle spots or blew raspberries on their sweet, soft bellies.
This week, I opened the window to my heart. I shared a deeply personal essay about how I feel when I 
And my words were shared more times than my humble heart could imagine. You shared them because they are your words now. You shared them because you were finally able to make someone else understand how you really feel. You shared them because they might describe and help someone that you know.