It's been a long, cold month

and honestly, I forgot all about our goals! And my blog!

Looking back at our list for the month made me a little sad, because we had some good ideas on there.

As far as our family goals, we did watch a couple of movies together, even if I don't remember which ones. There were no new recipes tried, but we did eat a lot of good food this month ;)

The boys played Minecraft together a lot, and we took turns playing Battleship a couple of times, so while not technically "game nights" we did have some together time. I am counting that as a win!

My favorite activity this month though: taking the boys to the bounce house. They played for 90 minutes on a bunch of different inflatables set up inside a HUGE building, and had a blast.

While we didn't make any crafts together, Alex did make Valentine's cards at catechism class for each of us.

Jackson
I would say he practiced his pattern at least ten different times, as well as kicking and punching. He got to break a board this past Monday, and now has a white belt with PURPLE stripe. He was upset about having to "retire" his blue stripe, but I explained that purple was a higher rank, and next month he would have a chance to earn red! Jackson is learning so much from Choi. They go over the principles with the kids, and really try to teach them. He is learning self-confidence, gross and fine motor skills, building endurance, even working on his counting during stretches.

He didn't practice with his letter "J", but there is a neat app on his Kindle Fire that shows him how to form letters and has him trace them. Jackson has really liked playing it. I think it's a Super Why game.

Potty training is taking a turn in the right direction. He's going on the potty at least once a day most days, and trying to tell us just before he pees in his pull-up, though sometimes he misses the cue by just a little bit.

Alex
Three books were an easily attained goal for him this month. He read Spirit Animals #4:Fire and Ice, Little Town on the Prairie (a Little House book), and almost all of Hunger Games, which he plans to finish today!
He didn't finish his geography or map and compass belt loops, but he did finish his religious requirements, earning him his Webelos badge. He was also awarded the Citizenship, Science, and Geology belt loops, Geology pin, and Citizen and Scientist activity badges. Parvuli Dei got pushed back again, as it's not a requirement. If he chooses to work on it, we will probably do it over the summer/fall.

Ethan
E seemed less focused on reading and more on video games, which led to him a.) not tracking the books he read and b.) not reading much at all. After spending quite a while thinking about it this morning he knows he read 3 books: Top ten things about everything 2000, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: the Long Haul, Timmy Failure: Mistakes were made. All of which are easily read, and 2 of which he has read at least once prior. I am glad he's reading. But I am disappointed because he reads at a high school level and chooses easy books. This month, I will be pushing him to pick some novels or harder, new-to-him books, especially with it being National Reading Month.

There were some goals or activities that were the same on both lists, and Choi was one. Outside Choi practice didn't happen at all this month, as it was replaced with a lot of screen time for all of us. Orange belt testing is getting moved to March, because the testing fee is now included in the monthly fees.

They also both wrote one letter to their pen pals in Ohio, although mom keeps forgetting to mail them out.

Today is the last day of the month, and since we have yet to have an activity planned by either of the older boys, I am going to have them plan our day. One will choose a fun activity, and the other either lunch or dinner at a restaurant.

As far as my goals, I did cut back on pop, and went nearly 2 weeks with none at all. The last two weeks, I've had a few but not every day. I did have a few snack size candy bars in the last week or so after doing really good for awhile. Progress, not perfection.

Menu planning happened, sort of. We went off plan a lot this month. I find my motivation to stay on plan is better when I remember to share on here.

I can not wait for the warmer weather, because I may actually get off my butt and exercise. I see walking and bike riding in my future, hopefully sooner rather than later. I also couldn't decide on a hair cut or tattoo this month. Just no motivation. This dreary weather is seriously kicking me in the butt.

My 365HDG posts haven't been shared on here but I have been posting on IG and Facebook, even if there are days I'm sharing two days' worth of posts quite frequently.

When I say that there was "a lot of screen time for all of us", I am definitely included in that. Rather than picking up a book to read, I spent most of my days catching up on my DVR'd shows. Not even one book finished. If I am a little disappointed with E, I am highly disappointed in myself. Not only did I not read, I set a bad example for all the boys by relying on keeping my boredom away with a screen.

On a final note:
I am very proud of my husband. Not only did he continue to exercise throughout the month, he made healthy eating choices. The night we stopped at Culver's for dinner, he asked me to bring him a salad with grilled chicken and a cup of chili, over a Cheddar butter burger with bacon and fries! I should have followed his lead. He has definitely won our "challenge" this month, not just in actual weight loss, but in spirit. He didn't give up or give in. Jason is my knight in shining armor in so many ways. I love you, honey!


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