Since I was five, with the exception of the last two years, I’ve been starting school the first week of September. That’s 25 years of First Days of School. Even now, while I’m still out on maternity leave, I feel the impact, as my husband and nearly all of our family are returning to the classroom or school offices. There’s a sadness about leaving summer behind, but there’s also an excitement to a fresh new year: new office supplies, clean classrooms, renewed opportunities for learning and growth.

Right now, I’m a teacher without a classroom, but I can still get that feeling of opportunity by looking at my next year and deciding what I want to accomplish. My husband and I still haven’t decided if I will be going back to work in January or next September, and we have a couple of months to figure that out. But I have at least five months at home, if not twelve, and I want to make the most of them. Back in January, I posted my resolutions for the year, and in March, I evaluated how I was doing so far. I’m happy with my progress in several areas:

1. I’ve kept up my exercise schedule, even putting in extra time over the summer, and I’m happy with my weight loss and strength level.

2. I stuck to my new habits of healthy eating (except while on vacation). I cut up veggies for salads every week, and I’ve found new recipes for meals and quick, healthy snacks. Now that my husband is going back to school, I’ll also be making snacks and baking healthy muffins and breakfast bars for him again. We both resolved to eat healthier after our beer, crab cake and ice cream-laden vacation.

3. I cared for my teeth with floss and fluoride every night! I’ve mentioned before how much I hate dealing with my teeth and my fear of dentistry, so I’m extra proud of this one.

I don’t feel that I need to make any new resolutions in the self-care category. I plan to continue with all my healthy habits and my exercise schedule. My new-school-year resolutions are going to focus on writing and parenting.

Writing Goals:

1. Website/Blog: Post 3-4 times per week (up from 2 earlier in the year.) Find a message or theme to unite my posts and give me a focus. Increase traffic by connecting with other bloggers and readers over social media. Keep polishing the design of the website so that it looks professional but also reflects my unique voice. Start a newsletter.

2. Magazine/Article Writing: Pitch ideas to editors, including links to related posts from my blog. Specifically pursue local area magazines. (I got a positive response from an editor of a local parenting circular, but then communication broke off without my knowing why. I was encouraged by her interest, though, so I’m going to make another attempt.)

3. Novel: Draft 8. Re-write sections on the character of Billy, who I think needs more to shape his personality and separate himself from the primary relationship of the book. Trim redundant descriptions and edit down in general. Start looking for representation.

4. Sign up for a writer’s conference in the spring of 2014.

Parenting/House Goals:

1. Keep engaging Edwin with music and words. Start introducing alphabet blocks so he can get familiar with the letter shapes.

2. Encourage Edwin to self- feed (just this week, he started to feed himself vegetable puffs, and he drinks well from a sippy cup, but I still do most of his feeding with a spoon that he has never attempted to take from my hand). Introduce him to big-people food and start including him in our meals.

3. Find more yummy, easy crockpot recipes, since I will likely be cooking a crockpot meal at least once a week.

4. Try a simple DIY project, like creating a photo wall, or painting the top of our old coffee table with chalkboard paint.

Do you make goals/resolutions for the new school year? If so, please share in the comments below!