Smart Habits

It's the end of August. Back-to-school time. This year I will be facing a September like one I have never dealt with before, and the thought of it is occupying a lot of my time - probably too much. We are homeschooling again, the boys know the routine - and were quite adamant about wanting to continue this year. I am counting on them showing responsibility and self-discipline in getting their school work done this year. We are in a different house this year, in a different situation, and for the first time in homeschooling memory, I am working. It's a lot of balls to keep in the air. I am working on gearing up for it, and know that my self-discipline needs to be stronger than ever before to make it all work.

Calandria started posting about "Smart Habit Saturdays" a while back. Recently I have been thinking about the idea, and thinking I should climb on board that train. SMART stands for Saving Money, Associations, Resources and Time, and the basic premise is that you do have the power to make new, positive habits in your life if you do so in small steps and with deliberateness (is that a word?). The recommended procedure is to make a new plan every Saturday to incorporate one new good habit in the coming week. Then, you are supposed to blog about your new habit regularly - I think the blogging is supposed to provide accountability, as (in theory) your readers will be eagerly awaiting news on how you did during the week. Sort of a Weight Watchers for life-habits, without the weekly fees or counting points.

Today is Sunday, but I am going to give it a try. Of course, being me, I have about 16 new habits I know I should tackle. Which one first? Is it better to start small and see how it goes, or start with a bang and take advantage of the adrenalin which comes with something new? I think I will start with meal planning. I have been wanting to plan our meals to be healthier, and the boys are willing to experiment with more home-made foods and less processed convenience foods (well, they say they are, we will see how the reality goes.) My hope is, too, that if we fill our bodies with healthier food, we will have more energy to do other things which are on my "future habits" list. I want to move to more organic and locally-grown/produced foods, as I believe nothing good can come of the additives and chemicals found in so many products these days - and while it may be too late to prevent the damage to my body, hopefully I can minimize it for the boys and improve the odds for myself.

I'd like to say I will photograph and report on the meals we plan and make but you probably have noticed a pattern of me forgetting to take pictures until after the food is eaten ... so no promises! But I will report in - and honestly admit my shortcomings as well as my triumphs. And if you have any good tips for me, or recipes, please send them over!