Here’s where things stand in our life. On Saturday evening, we were rear-ended. No airbags deployed, both cars drove away. It was very much the other drivers fault. However, the damage to our car is NOT minor, as the truck that hit us had its bumpers replaced with ram plates (seriously) and it actually cut the metal of my car. We don’t think there’s frame damage, but we have to accept it as a possibility.

To that end, we are all sore. We ended up taking SP to urgent care today because she was still sore (and because when you foster, it is always better safe than sorry). Assessment was as expected- she’s sore. Give her pain killers and fill a sock with rice, put it in the microwave, and then put it on her back.

 

This is a great way to start what is going to be an incredibly busy week. I have a 2^nd interview on Tuesday, at a time that requires us to have 2 cars (because I won’t be done before C needs to leave to pick SP up from school). That means that Monday, we need to get the car into the shop and go pick up a rental, and try to get C into his doctor, because his back is bothering him, too.

Tuesday night is also an event at SP’s school that we need to attend.

Wednesday, our new windows get installed (yay!), which means our dogs are going to stay with friends for the day.

Thursday will be a kind of break, but C will be making the base for jambalaya. Friday, I have another interview at 9am, while C takes SP to her last day of school. She gets off at noon, and we’ll both pick her up. Then we’ll have a social worker visit that evening followed by friends over for jambalaya.

Saturday is graduation at C’s school, and some friends have asked him to attend. Next Sunday is his first fathers’ day.

 

So yeah, this is a really great time for our car to be in the shop.

 

Blogging

The purpose of these two goals is, yes, to grow my blogs, but also to support and highlight blogs and bloggers I enjoy. Just like I will be posting 2 new to me blogs every week in my round ups, the point here is to draw attention to blogs that others might not be familiar with. (Blog swaps will not count toward either of these goals.)

Write one guest post per month.

January- yes

February- yes

March- no

April- no

May- no

I will have a blurb published on a friend’s blog here soon. I think I am going to count that for June.

Publish one guest post per month.

January- yes

February- no

March- no

April- no

May- no

Have someone who is writing a guest post for me. I need to check in on it.

 

Writing

Writing fiction is my side hustle, though I have yet to make any money from it. I’ve found that I devote much more time to the blogs than I do my fiction, though, because I am on a schedule. I feel accountable to my readers to get posts up when I say I will. And because I am a procrastinator, deadlines are a must for me. I get the energy I need to work on something from an impending deadline.

I am hoping to transfer the power of those two things- accountability and deadlines, to my fiction this year.

Submit at least one piece to a paying venue per month.

December: Yes (rejected)

January: Yes (rejected)

February: Yes x4 (2 rejections)

March: No

April: Yes (rejected)

May: No

Complete the first draft of my novella and start edits. I didn’t write this week. I don’t know that I’ll write next week. I really need to be back on a regular schedule.

 

 

Finances

A lot of financial goals will actually end up as floating goals- ie they will be things I expect to complete well before the year is out. But I do have some long term financial goals that I think will work for year-long tracking.

Create and track a practice stock portfolio. “Should” get to that post this week. Most likely won’t.

End the year “on budget” in the categories I’m tracking.

June Numbers

Category	On Budget
	Month	Year
Groceries	Yes	No
House	Yes	No
Eating Out	Yes	Yes
Allowance – E	Yes	No
Allowance – C	Yes	Yes

 

I love the start of the month because of all the “yes”es.

 

Floating Goals

Find a new job. Two interviews this upcoming week. One is a second interview. Also, last week I applied for a job at my old company, not something I was expecting to do, but it was an opportunity I could not ignore.

Replace all the windows in the house. Wednesday. My new windows are being installed on Wednesday.

Fix the plumbing issues. Once the windows are taken care of, this is my next priority.

Get an Exterminator. The ants all seem to enter around the windows, so I’m thinking the window replacement might solve this issue. We’ll have to wait and see.

Publish new photography/flash fiction book. One of my goals for my “down time” is to start working on this project. Sadly, my down time hasn’t been very down.

Refinance the house. DONE.

Earn my Certified Supply Chain Professional designation. DONE.

Rebuild savings to $5-10k. DONE. (Transferred a nice chunk this week to the high yield savings account. That felt really nice.)