Goals update and goals for September

August felt like a funny old month. We hardly saw the sun and we all spent far too much time indoors. I did do reasonably well at my August goals though, especially with getting the garden sorted despite the fact that our garden waste collection seems to have ground to a halt. 

Another good effort made was working on my cross stitch map. Here's what it looks like now, and I'm really pleased with my progress on working around some of the fiddly country edges. 

I always find that September is a good time for a fresh start, or more specifically the first week in September that the children are back at school. I find it even more motivating than the beginning of the New Year. 

So without further ado, here are my goals for September:

* Get my tummy muscles back. I had a fairly toned tummy back in the spring because I was doing abs exercises daily. I stopped, and now the muscles have gone. I do a leg workout most days already so I'm going to add in another short workout every day and make most of them abs workouts. Just quick ten minute ones but they make all the difference. 

* Get back to regular gym trips. We agonised over whether or not to renew our gym membership and in the end we made the decision that we would, but downgraded to a joint membership rather than a family one. I've been a few times already, but once the children are back at school I can get into more of a routine and I'll be aiming to get there at least twice a week, hopefully more often.

* Pick up regular blogging again. I do love blogging but it's been a bit hit and miss since covid started. I have lots of ideas, and at this time of year there are so many seasonal things to write about. I want to write about books and reading, crafting, homemaking, the children, days out and travel.

* Get the garden and garage winter ready. Do a last cut of the hedge and lawn, empty out the pots and the vegetable patch, tidy and sweep out the garage. And cross my fingers that next summer isn't as much of a washout as this one was!

* Sort out my clothes. I'm normally very good at keeping my clothes under control but I've gone for a bit of a change in my outfits recently since I lost some weight. I've ditched the unflattering jeans that I've worn for years and moved towards leggings and long tops or dresses which I'm finding really comfortable (and hopefully the look suits me!) I need to reorganise a bit and think about which clothes I genuinely enjoy wearing.

September for me is generally a month for getting everyone back into the routine that has been lost over the summer, bringing the house back into a clean and tidy state and enjoying plenty of time to myself to get on with my own work and hobbies. 

I'm off to a good start, so hopefully September will be a productive month!