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Month in Review and September Goals

Lily and Johnny spent hour playing together this month!

August was busy! We enjoyed lovely celebrations of Lily and Mike’s birthdays. Then my cousin came to visit, and we visited Parlee Farms as well as the Louisa May Alcott Orchard House and the New England Quilt Museum with her – but I took no pictures. I highly recommend farms with children, but not the Orchard House. Luckily my kids were very well behaved – not so much at the equally “not for kids” (to quote Emma) quilt museum! In fairness only one kid didn’t behave at the quilt museum, but it only takes one!

We donated four large bags of clothing and outgrown toys, and we had a wonderful time at Story Land. I didn’t do too well at keeping our garden alive – heat at the beginning of the month combined with the rain and wind we got from Hurricane Irene plus some pest that destroyed our winter squash did away with everything but a couple of hardy tomato plants. Hopefully those survive!

I did very little sewing this month, although I did repurpose a couple of sweaters into several projects with some help from Emma. In addition to the doll shrug, we made two pairs of doll pants, and two skirts for Emma. Plus another pair of pants for Johnny’s doll (another one from my childhood). I didn’t cut out my dress, or sew my skirt, or sew the girls’ dresses. I suppose the repurposing was a form of procrastination, but most of my time was spent on the transformation of our kitchen floor from this:

old kitchen floor - dark and poorly doneTo this:

new kitchen floor - so much more light with the lighter floor, no unsightly cracks and gaps!

The kitchen looks so much brighter with the lighter tiles, and I LOVE that there are no longer unsightly cracks and gaps! This project has been on our to-do list since we moved in four years ago, and I am SO excited to have it done!!! Especially when you consider that the old peel and stick squares didn’t extend clear to the cabinets – there was about an inch gap where you could see clear through to the concrete slab! It also extends to the laundry room, where the washer and dryer previously sat on bare concrete. We have plans to cover up the stunning black and tan tile that graces most of the rest of the house, and to rip up the carpets so that incredibly-allergic-to-dust-mites Mike can breathe without living on medication.

I did get back to school shopping done, and Emma’s kindergarten backpack is all packed and tucked away in my closet for safekeeping until the first day of school. School starts late in Massachusetts – and runs until the end of June! I started teaching piano to one of Emma’s friends; my first student since having kids. He is a sweet kid, and so far it’s fun – plus it motivates Emma to do her practicing! They are both starting piano for the first time, and it always fascinates me to watch two different kids approach the same tasks so differently – excelling and struggling at different points.

September is family month – my cousins, Mike’s mom and grandma, and hopefully time with my family members who live in Massachusetts (we try to meet up at least once a month). I’m all the more grateful for family since one of my sisters just moved to China – and we have yet to find a good way to talk on the phone! Anyone know of a good way to call China? She moved there with her husband and baby boy. She’s working on getting a blog up and promises to contribute a guest post for my geography series once she’s a little more settled. In the meantime, I’m enjoying this blog by her friend who moved there with her. I’m still taking geography guest posts from other interested parties at well – just email mamasmilesblog at gmail dot com if you are interested! =)

Goals for September:

  • Enjoy time with family! My cousin and his family are coming up to visit this weekend, and Mike’s mom and grandma are flying out for a visit at the end of the month! Target Area: gratitude
  • Go through belongings and find more to donate – I already have a pick-up time scheduled as extra motivation! Target Areas: generosity and gratitude
  • Go through everyone’s dressers and pull out clothing that is not being worn that can be donated or saved for the next child. Target Areas: gratitude and peace
  • Get the kids settled into a school routine. Target Areas: education, health, and peace
  • Enjoy the beginning of fall – my favorite time of year in New England! Target Areas: gratitude, health, and peace

I do hope to get the sewing done, but it isn’t getting set as a goal this month. Sometimes I’m better at working on things when they AREN’T goals, and it just isn’t top priority at this point.

What does your September look like?

monthly goals at mama smiles


MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.

18 thoughts on “Month in Review and September Goals”

  1. Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog

    Love reading your monthly goal posts! I’ll be going through the closets & finding stuff to donate too… in fact, I have it on my to-do list for today. My girls like to play “hide and seek” on skype & have virtual tea parties with relatives who live far away. :-)

  2. It sounds silly but in September I want to finish all the Christmas presents shopping,as well as get a few Christmasy things prepared (like green and red paper strips for a service chain-link decoration… the idea came to my mind last Dec. when I felt strongly I wanted to decorate my heart more han our home, not that I am a big decorator). The last two years in the month of December we went into less stores than the rest of the year and the peaceful, calm family time was heavenly!

    Other than that: 1.)getting myself mentally and otherwise organized for homeschooling and wisely coordinating/selecting 2 or 3 out-of-house courses
    2.) changing around the sleeping situation – comtemplating a family bedroom; not sure yet

  3. My parents use Skype to talk to Russia. Quality is not terrific, but better than nothing. Your new floor looks very nice! And did I read “the next child”? Sounds like you have big plans ;)

    1. lol that must be my subconscious speaking. I would love another child, but no plans for one at the moment =)

  4. Skype is a great recommendation – we love it as long as our connection speed is fast enough.

    Your kitchen floor looks fantastic and really brightens up that space.

    Enjoy your family month!!

    1. Glad I could provide a timely reminder! =)

      I love the donation pickups – such an easy way to get motivated and sort through things by a deadline!

  5. Hello,
    I like how you set the most important goals for a month. Being a mom is a busy job. I’m a mom to an 8 year old boy(twin), 8 year old girl(twin), and a 10 year old boy.
    Now that school has started I’m getting a little time to take care of myself. I’m hoping to push my new business forward, practice riding my motorcycle (I just passed my endorsement test this week.), and do my best job of being a mom and wife.

    As far as the best way to call China, use Skype. It’s easy to download. You’d both have to have a webcam. Most laptops have them now.

    1. I downloaded Skype, but I need to play with it and get it to actually work on my computer! Thanks for the recommendation!

      It sounds like you will be busy in September! Good luck with your business, and I hope you do get some time to take care of yourself!

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