My March goal of simplifying made for some really nice family time. We’ll be making our crayon shaving Easter eggs this afternoon – nothing like meeting a goal at the last minute!
Anna played with play dough for the first time this month! She thought it was pretty cool stuff, and then decided to try eating it. We’ll try again in a couple weeks, but in the meantime she is enjoying several of the activities from this list of craft and activity ideas for kids who eat everything!
Mike was gone for a week in March. This picture was taken the day after he got home – we’re all glad he’s back! He usually travels a lot, but lately he’s been around more, and we got a little spoiled. Mike’s work is slightly less busy since they hired a few new people, and we’re hoping that will translate to more down time with him!
I had a lot of fun with my kids this month, including a wonderful ballet outing with seven-year-old Emma. I can’t believe how quickly they are all growing up! Wasn’t it yesterday that Lily (three, above) was grabbing her toes like Anna (below)? And shouldn’t Anna be a newborn, not a full-fledged baby with lots of opinions and a delightful sense of humor?
I’m still on the simple track for April:
- Continue to declutter. Focus area: gratitude, simplicity, and responsibility
- Spend as much time outdoors as possible. Focus area: gratitude, simplicity, and education.
- Get some gardening and landscaping work done (Mike and Emma are painting our bench as I type!) Focus area: gratitude, simplicity, and responsibility.
- Enjoy a week off school with the kids! Focus area: gratitude
What are your goals for April?
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Gratitude and simplicity are great goals. Inspired…
Love your simple goals. Currently mine is to get through a birthday party today!
Good luck!
These pictures are all wonderful!!! My goal in April is to be ready to start regular goals again in May! :) :)
Good luck! I’m really enjoying your blog posts :)
It is so great that you do this. Reflecting and planning help you see the bigger picture : )
Hmm, April goals, I think I am going to take inspiration from your list and also maybe not be so last minute about things.
BTW, I love when babies discover their toes!!!
I love that baby stage, too. So cute!
I love your monthly goals – my parents are visiting from the States this month and we are so excited. We are also having a big (for us) party in early May so my main goal is to try to get a little ahead of myself with the blog and as much of the party planning done as possible before they arrive so that I can just relax and enjoy their visit.
I hope you have a great visit! We actually just bought tickets to fly to Florida to visit my parents later this month, so we’ll see how that affects my goals…
I found that monthly goals are much easier to accomplish than a new year resolution! I have already gotten a lot done by doing a new goal each month. This month my goal is to find a way to manage my time better.
Exactly! Time management is something I am constantly working on.
Glad your simplification goal is working!!! I’m not sure that mine is. It’s so easy to clutter the schedule right back up.
Great goals! I hope that Mike’s travel will settle down and you get to spend more time as a family. Everyone is growing way too fast!
WAY too fast! I can’t believe it. Mike is hopeful that work will be a little less busy, and I hope he is right!
It seems like I am constantly in a state of de-cluttering/ organizing/ cleaning, it just comes with the territory of having children I guess. And yes they do grow up way too fast!
Yes, the decluttering/organizing/cleaning cycle never seems to end.
Hmmmmmm, I want to set and have that silly garage sale that’s been cluttering up my garage for the past several months.
Good luck!
I have 4 or 5 crafty idea (I know! Shocker for me, too.) that I want to try with the kids. It’s my goal to actually get them done this month. It’s hard for me to plan ahead and get everything ready – one reason I don’t do many crafts!
Can’t wait to see what your crafts are!
I love the idea of monthly goals. Sometimes it’s just easier to hold yourself to something in the short term, and maybe then make it a regular habit. We are so ready to get outside too, hoping to get back to the playgrounds soon.
We made it to a playground one day last week, and it was wonderful! Here’s hoping for more warm weather to make that a regular outing again.
I probably should think about monthly goal too. You get me start thinking now …
I hope you do join us!