10 Ways to Make September Sweet

I loved my Awesome August goals and review, so I decided to do something similar for September. If this bores you, try it out for yourself and you'll see it's pretty fun!

1.) Create a fitness goal for the month.

I will definitely keep going to yoga 2 times a week, but I'd also like to add in 2-3 days of running (Starting at 5 minutes each time the first week and working up one minute per run each week after that. Thrilling!) AND 3 days of strength training per week via Tone it Up or a workout video.)

2.) Create an academic goal for the month.

I will do 2 stats modules per week (a module is either a lesson with 1-3 chapters + homework or a test). There are 15 modules total and after today I will have completed 4 of them. Therefore sticking with this goal will help me finish by the second week of October. It's a self-driven class that I can take up to 9 months to complete. But I am not dragging this out until March!

3.) Go to the farmer's market weekly.

I LOVE the fresh produce and I'm going to miss it this winter. Store-bought tomatoes just aren't the same.

4.) Focus on 5+ servings of fruits and veggies per day.

Speaking of produce... It seems like I'm always renewing this goal. It's much harder than it sounds, especially on days that I work. 

5.) Cook a dinner at least once a week that both Ross and I can enjoy.

I've really been trying to make something both Ross and I will eat. Remember "Therese, Therese will eat no meat and Ross will eat no greens?" We're trying to change that on both accounts.

6.) Take walks after dinner at least 3 nights a week.

Allergens be darned. I'm going to enjoy the sunshine while I can!

7.) Go on 2 bike rides with Ross this month.

Biking is one of the things that Ross and I had in common when we first met. But since we moved and no longer have a paved riverside trail in our backyard, we haven't been out on our bikes together in two years! I rode once and nearly got hit by an idiot driver thanks to the lack of sidewalks, driver's common sense, and nearby biking trails. Ross has had a little more success  biking with his boss who knows the city better, so hopefully he can show me some bike-friendly routes this month. 

8.) Do a good deed on September 11.

I listen to K-LOVE a lot and they're really  pushing for people to honor this year's anniversary by making a positive difference in the world. 

9.) Make a new inspiration board.

Having a blog makes it easy to look back at previous projects. I made my last inspiration board in September 2010 and it's amazing how much of it ended up working out.

10.) Live in the moment.

I know this isn't a tangible goal and success or failure is all in my head here. But while I love the crisp, clear days of fall, I spend them all dreading winter. This year I was wearing my winter coat to and from work for most of April. Clearly I'm not ready for winter again so soon. I just thawed out from the last "snowpocalypse"! So I need to learn to embrace the present and not worry about the future because I have ZERO control over the weather, but I can control my attitude about it.

*To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly 

in love with spring.*  -George Santayana

How are you planing to make your September sweet?!

Edited to add: end-of-month review:

1.) Yoga + running + strength training- About 2 weeks ago, yoga fell off the radar. And I can tell. I'm stiff and my yoga abs are fading. I plan on starting again ASAP. I may have to suck it up and run on work days if I really want to do all 3 of these things regularly. (But I doubt that'll happen now that mornings are dark).

2.) 2 stats modules per week- I've made leaps and bounds, but didn't quite do 2 modules a week. And apparently even though the class stretches out over 9 months, the teachers change on a semester-ly basis. My summer teacher was a PROMT grader, but the fall one took 2 weeks to grade a 7-question assignment (in which I got 100% so she didn't even have to spend time making corrections) and it's been almost 2 weeks since Exam 1 and nada. (Although I'm pretty sure I didn't get an A+ there...) I'm requesting Exam 2 tomorrow, regardless.

3.) Farmer's market weekly- LOVING IT. Seriously. Seasonal bounty is no joke and when I just stick to the produce and meat and avoid fancy cheese and preserves, it's pretty darn affordable.

4.) 5+ fruits and veggies a day- I'm probably getting about 3-6 on any given day. But none of my produce is going to waste, so that's good enough for me.

5.) Dinners that Ross and I will enjoy- We've been crazy busy and don't eat dinner together too often, but I think we got about one per week. We need better planning ahead in October for this to happen.

6.) Walks after dinner- I didn't count, but we've been sure to step outside when the weather and our schedules permit.

7.) 2 bike rides- NOPE. I'm sad about this, but there's just no good trail here (C'mon KC. Omaha just got recognized as a bike-friendly city and you're one of the most bike UNfriendly cities I've been in!)

8.) Do a good deed on 9/11- this didn't happen, mainly because I switched with a desperate co-worker and worked that day for her. Can that count as my good deed?

9.) New inspiration board- I have the stack of magazines, but haven't gotten around to clipping and pasting. It takes a lot of time...

10.) Live in the moment- I've been outside a lot even though I'm allergic to the season, and I've been much more social than I have in years. Seriously. At least 1-2 events on our social calendar every week is earth-shattering. I hope to keep this up as the weather gets colder!