Walk 500 miles this year (510 miles walked!!!)
I blew through this goal early! This is by far one of the best things I do for myself each year. It keeps my back strong (herniated discs are bummers) and my weight (kinda) in check. **Thank you to Bodyfit by Amy for giving me fun options to do indoors when the weather is awful outside.
Read more classics and nonfiction
The Women of Troy was a hard, but interesting read. It retells the end of the Trojan War and its aftermath from a woman’s perspective. It was very brutal throughout, but that’s how it was at the time. Nothing got sugarcoated and it is full of mythological references. To see what women were subjected to and the brutality of the soldiers to the captives made me very thankful to live in the world today and not back then. **If you liked Circe you should like this book too.
Salt to the Sea was another hard book. It follows a group of teenage refugees fleeing the oncoming Russian army at the end of WWII by trying to reach the large ships that are taking civilians to safety (supposedly) The tragedy of Wilhelm Gustloff was something the world hardly heard about at the time and sadly hardly even remembers today. It was 6x more deadly than the Titanic! Whole families were killed and only a few lifeboats made it out safely (They removed many from the ship before it sailed to be able to hold more people!)
Yet again another really hard book to read (this was a trend this month) The story of Moloka’i depicts what it was like to live in Hawaii and be diagnosed with leprosy. I knew about leprosy, but I never knew the scope of what it meant at that time to be a leper. You lost almost all of your rights to a normal life and were made to live in a leper colony. If you had children while there, they were taken from you after birth. Sadly, the main character experienced this harsh reality in the book. The redeeming grace in this book was the loving presence of the Sisters of Mercy who ran the hospitals. If you like a sweeping historical fiction (based on real events) then this is for you. We get to see what it looked like for a 7 year old girl to be diagnosed, shipped off to the colony, make friends, fall in love, and eventually succumb to the disease (though she lived to be an old woman luckily which was unusual because many died rather quickly) You also get to share in the love, heartbreak, and forgiveness that follows the main character as she lives throughout this hard time.
Keep a gratitude journal
I am so grateful that my husband if finally home! He has been in Korea for the last few months working as a government contractor and we have missed him so much.
My kids helped me to rake up and burn the majority of leaves in our yard (there were so many!!!) Emma’s willingness to help was a blessing to me. Ben was more of a moral support person, but he tried his best to rake too.
I am loving to work on my embroidery projects. Busy hands, happy heart.
Try new foods/recipes
Nothing new this week
Do more things as a family
We raked leaves, drove around and looked at Christmas lights, and watched a ton of Christmas movies together. We plan on going on more hikes and playing a ton of games when my husband gets back.
Buy more used items
I bought two books (Dracula, The Grimms Fairy Tales) two shirts for Ben, and a stuffed Curious George doll. Emma found a pair of dress boots for $10 and a surprise gift for me.
Take each child on an outing by themselves each month
I actually completed this goal for both of my children this month! Ben and I went to see the new Ghostbusters (it was awesome!!!!!) and then we grabbed some Krispy Kreme doughnuts after.
Emma and I went out for pizza and then saw the new West Side Story (it was awesome too!!)
**It was so nice to spend one on one time with my kids. We are together all day, but focusing on each one individually refills their “love bucket” quicker.
Finish my 2019 NaNoWriMo novel
I gave up on this goal. My laptop is still dead and my novel is still being held captive. (I still think that would be a great movie plot!)
Work on my bullet journal skills
Eat 5 fruits/veggies each day + drink 96 oz water
I did this for 5 days this week. Now to keep it up through the holidays will be the challenge….
I am working on my goals for next year and I have come up with some fun ones. Now’s the time to start your planning! Why not join me in smashing new goals in 2022??
The Thrifty Educator 