November Goals

 This month, I want to have more fun. That's it. That's my whole goal. I have a pretty great life-- plenty of all of the things, work I enjoy, a happy marriage to someone who makes me laugh every single day (speaking of-- do you play Netflix icon wars with your family? The kids made my profile pic young Queen Elizabeth, and the other day, Ben changed it to Olivia Colman's Queen Elizabeth, and I laughed so hard I forgot why I even turned on the TV), the most delightful chunk of a toddler, and 4 big, smart, occasionally helpful but always entertaining kids.

Despite all of that, I spend too much time feeling put upon, beleaguered, etc. I can't really change my to-do list, but I can change the way I think and talk about it, and I can also tweak a few things to make every day feel happier. So, that's the plan.

• So far, Ben and I have committed to making double of at least one meal a week. We have soup in the freezer as well as a pan of enchiladas. and the enchiladas we assembled and cleaned up together one night after all the kids went to bed instead of just vegging on the couch and drooling at our screens. We had fun and talked way more than we usually do, and we will appreciate this effort on a busy night.
• I have also started thinking about constant freaking cleaning as "resetting my space," and for some reason, this frame really appeals to me.
• Finally, so far this month, I get dressed first thing every morning instead of waiting until after Minnie and I take a walk-- which something I used to do and would lead more often than not to me still wearing my junky athleisure-- which leads to me eating poorly and just feeling gross. Doing my hair and makeup and putting on real clothes before I supervise breakfast has been a total mood changer.

I am excited to approach each day and find other tiny happiness boosters and pockets of fun where I can.

For example, Minnie hates our Tuesday drop-off and pickup gauntlet and sometimes  screams in the car. So I remembered to bring her coat and shoes, and she spent 15 happy minutes crunching in the leaves instead of crying in the car. Such a boost (and then she freaked when I put her back in her seat and screamed the whole way home, and I was SO STRESSED by the time we arrived but there was Panera waiting for us on the porch, so... winning?)