May 2015 Blogging, Reading and Home Goals

I missed sharing my goals with you last month, but the #BloggingTidbits chat last night inspired me to get my May 2015 reading, blogging and home goals posted today. Setting my goals at the beginning of the month helps me focus on what I specifically want to accomplish in my reading, blogging and home life. It’s also a good time to reflect on the past month, what I accomplished and what is still left to work on. We have a linkup too to support one another in our quest to achieve our goals, so if you have a blog post or goals you are shooting for, linkup with us or leave your goals in the comments.

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April Achievements

Reading:

* Read 4 books (I am a slow reader, that’s a good month for me):
1. Mademoiselle Chanel by C.W. Gortner
2. Legacy: An Anthology by Various Authors
3. Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a reread for our Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge readalong.
4. Worth It! Shatter Those Excuses and Free Yourself to Shine by Heidi Kleine

Blogging:

* 12 posts published

* 7,500 page views (still chasing my elusive 10,000 pageview goal)

* Search regained the top spot for referrals to my blog this month. Pinterest continues to hold the #1 spot for social media referrals 4 times as many as Facebook coming in at #2! I attribute it to implementing strategies learned during Pinning Perfect– a Pinterest ecourse (affiliate link) in January. I love seeing results in the numbers! Class registration is open for the May class, so sign up now, it’s your last chance before their summer break (and tell them I sent you). I highly recommend it! 

* Small Victories Sunday Linkup exceeded our expectations this month. We introduced my 7 new co-hosts back in Marcg, exceeded 200 posts linked up and have 3 more co-hosts ready to join the party!

* Exceeded 1,000 likes on my Facebook blog page!

Home:

* Planted our square foot garden. I think it’s my youngest son and my favorite part of the day tending to our plants. The lettuce, spinach, basil, rosemary and carrots are doing the best so far while the animals at least are enjoying our strawberries.

 

* Started using cash for groceries.

* I have 108 recipes now in Plan to Eat menu planning tool (affiliate link). Loving this program and getting my recipes in here so menu plans and shopping lists are generated with just a few clicks. 

* I am obsessed with my Erin Condren life planner too. I keep mine relatively simple with color coding my to do lists and started using the monthly calendar to track gratitude and things I’m thankful for. But it really helps me focus on my weekly goals. The 2015 planners are on sale for $30 right now and if you sign up for their email list using my referral link, you can get a $10 off coupon. This planner for $20 is a great deal, try it out and see if it works for you. Here’s a little peek inside my planner:

 

May Goals

Reading:
1. Read Diamond Head by Cecily Wong for a blog tour, Travel the World in Books and Diversity on the Shelf Reading Challenges.
2. Read Silkworm by Robert Goldbraith for my IRL book club.
3. Read 3 more books.

Blogging:
1. 10,000 pageviews, gonna get it this month!
2. Update 10 posts to make pinworthy.
3. Get 2,000 followers on my Pinterest page.
4. Update categories and tags…still.

Home:
1. Get 100 more recipes into Plan to Eat menu planning tool (affiliate link).
2. Plan vacations.
3. Get a new fridge!
4. Book the painter to paint our two-story family room.

Linkup Your Goals With Us!

This post linked up with Inspire Me Monday with Create with Joy and Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party with Creative K Kids.