SMART Goals: April, 2014

Today is a turning point for me. I’m declaring today the end of our four-month adjustment period after moving to a new place. In previous monthly goals posts, I shared about adapting to the winter weather, dealing with my daughter’s tantrums, and feeling exhausted. Those dark days are over.

In yoga teacher training, we learned about Ayurveda (the sister science of yoga) to understand our body types or “doshas.” I am clearly a vata type, and when I get stressed or out of balance, I get scattered and nervous, and I’m easily emotionally exhausted. To get back into balance, I need to eat warm, healthy food and get grounded by practicing yoga or being in nature. And I’m finally getting back into balance.

My husband and I are slowly discovering our new life together in our country home. We are working through the house projects and getting more settled into our new routine. We went out on a date night and realized again how important it is for us to spend quality time together. We are also making an effort to meet other local parents to build a social network.

My relationship with my daughter has blossomed. With a combination of compassion, research, routine, and help from her teachers, my daughter and I have re-established a harmonious home life. Her happiness makes my heart shine.

Now that I can spend more time on Kids Yoga Stories, everything opened up again last month. The Good Night, Animal World virtual book tour was a massive success, thanks to the fifty bloggers who participated. Our spring-themed yoga, zoo animal, alphabet yoga sequences were a huge hit with families and classrooms bringing movement to their learning experiences. Three new yoga books are in the works: Hello, Bali, 123 African Safari, and Sophia Explores the Ocean. In response to a government program, we are busy gathering research on the benefits of yoga stories. It’s super exciting to possibly make an impact on bringing yoga to schools nationwide. We have also made lots of updates to the website, all in the hopes of making it more user-friendly.

April will bring us spring on the East Coast. I have no doubt that the blooming flowers will be a reflection of good things to come for my family and Kids Yoga Stories.

What was your month of March like? What’s working and not working? What goals would you like to create for April?

My SMART goals for April

Each month, I ask myself these three questions: What makes me happy? How am I living a healthy lifestyle? How am I living my passion?

This year, I’m teaming up with ten other bloggers (see links below), and we’re all writing our monthly goals in the hopes of inspiring you to write your goals, too. Please join us, tell us your goals, and share your successes and failures. Here’s to our collective growth and making the world a better place!

This month, I will:

HAPPINESS:

– Engage in social activities to engage with the community in our new neighborhood.

– Take “me time” breaks.

– Attend my first book club.

HEALTHY:

– Attend one to two yoga classes per week at a nearby yoga studio.

– Go for weekly hikes with my husband and daughter.

– Eat healthy, fresh food.

PASSION:

– Share an Earth Day yoga class plan on the Kids Yoga Stories website.

– Participate in the monthly Virtual Book Club for Kids with a kids yoga sequence inspired by a Denise Fleming book.

– Continue with the production of three of our yoga stories: 123 African Safari , Hello, Bali, and Sophia Explores the Ocean.

– Follow up on the Good Night, Animal World March virtual book tour hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews with fifty bloggers.

– Share our monthly theme of Tapas (Self-discipline).

As always, I would love to hear your feedback. Please e-mail me at giselle at kidsyogastories dot com with your suggestions for improvement, either for the yoga stories or website. Help me deliver high-quality content that assists you with bringing happiness, health, and global education to children everywhere.