21 days: Realistic goals (and my no-fail meals list)

Welcome back to day 4 of the 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life challenge. (See what the big deal is here, and buy the book to follow along here.)

Today, we’re looking at goals. You know the old but effective SMART formula? It means making sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Rewarding, and Timely.

My big goal is to organize my life – my house, my routines, my family’s routines, etc. But I’m taking it a little bit at a time, in smaller goals, a little at a time. And I know that once I get things under better control, they will still need to be adjusted as we go. Life and circumstances change!

Now we’ll go on to today’s assignments.

Assignment 1: Continue with a small habit
What was my habit again? That was my first thought! But I remember –  it means cleaning off my desk. And it’s mostly cleared off. Just a few catalogs that I need to look through and something I need to fix for my kiddos. And I can do that tonight. So check!

Assignment 2: Continue with life hack
Yesterday I didn’t finish sweeping the floor very well, and I noticed it right away when I came down to the kitchen today. I need to do better with that, but even a little bit of improvement regularly is a good thing, right?

Assignment 3: Mega-Project

Ugh. I’m finding it hard to work on so much and implement it immediately. Shuli made a good point – how can we do this without driving the people along for the ride nuts? I’m mostly working on things for me, and then introducing something new to them a little at a time. But since I’m making some bigger changes and some kind of overlap with the others (like chores for the kids and morning routines), it’s a lot of work to do.

Today, I did something that I really needed to do: I updated our no-fail meals list for our new location and preferences. This is a list of the easy to make, with ingredients I keep ready and waiting in the cupboard or regularly stocked in my fridge or freezer. None of these overly healthy, but they are served with at least one vegetable. Mostly, they are favorites, so I don’t have to worry about someone not eating, and they are ready to go, so when life happens, they can be ready to go and everyone gets fed.

Here’s my list:

• French toast casserole
• Pancakes/waffles and syrup
• Sandwiches: honey and cream cheese, pb&j, cheese
• Eggs/omelettes
• Cereal and milk
• Tacos
• Pizza (cheese)
• Grilled cheese/tomato soup
• Pasta with sauce/cheese
• Homemade garlic breadsticks with sauces
• Macaroni and cheese (box)
• Hot dogs

So how is it going for you?