Tag: Goal setting

My Goals for 2026

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In the past, I’ve written about why New Year’s resolutions suck and why S.M.A.R.T. goals don’t in this blog post. Additionally, I was breaking everything down into monthly, bite-sized pieces, but it felt way too time-consuming and redundant. So, this year, I’m sticking to a straightforward yearly list. This list is in no particular order.

I’m also leaning into flexibility—if the last few years taught me anything, it’s that plans can change in a heartbeat. I’m leaving out the stuff I can’t control, like doctor visits, social worker paperwork, clinic back-and-forth, and all the travel and costs that come with embryo adoption. I’m praying that this will finally be our year. *Sigh* It’s been a long road, so I’m trying to stay grounded and just take things as they come. Let’s get started, shall we?

My 2026 Game Plan: The Full List

1. Be able to hoop in both directions with ease. I’m getting better with this and want to do this with and without shoes.

2. Hula hoop every day that I’m not working. I’ve actually been doing great with this so far, but I don’t want to jinx it! Basically, if I miss a day, I just do a double session on my next day off.

3. Upgrade my hula hoop to a fancy HDPE or a polypro hoop. My current basic HDPE one works fine, but it’s definitely not fancy. Also, I’ve realized how much I actually hate my first DIY weighted hoop—it weighs a ton! If you’re curious about what I’m talking about, you can check out The Hoopologie Guide.

Image source: Images are my own. Bringing the outdoors inside on cold days when I have to do an indoor workout.

4. Lose the excess post-pregnancy weight and winter weight. I still have about 25 lbs to go, and honestly, I’ve struggled to drop the baby weight after both pregnancies. At least I’m finally doing something about it this year!

5. Buy some new clothes for the Singapore trip. We’re going on a trip near the end of March, and I’m also hoping to fit back into some old favorites that are still a bit tight.

6. Fit into my jeans from 2018. This totally ties into my last goal. I’d be so happy if I could at least fit into these again!

7. Upload one blog post a week, or at least aim for 3–4 posts a month. I really want to be more consistent with this since it’s so easy to let blogging slide when life gets busy.

8. Goal to cash out again on Redbubble at least once in 2026. Actually, I already hit this goal yesterday! ✔️

Note: For every sticker sale, I make a teeny, tiny comission. 💵

9. Goal to cash out at least once on Medium. I’ve been stuck at $4.00, and the minimum payout is $10. I haven’t been very active lately, but I’d love to change that. If you use Medium too, please give me a follow—I follow back! @sereneluna

10. Learn to be happy without spending money.  I want to stop online shopping just because I’m bored or trying to fill a void. I actually stopped collecting things for this exact reason. I know I have a bad Temu habit—especially at 2:00 AM—but I’m trying to be way more mindful about it.

11. Use up my makeup and hair products before buying more. I’m planning to finish what I’ve got first and just learn to manage with what’s already in my stash. Honestly, I just have way too much stuff right now.

12. Take a “spiritual enlightenment” trip once a month. I’m recording these dates in my calendar because I want to stay consistent. I started off strong in October 2025, but honestly, it’s gotten way harder with the kids around. I really need a day of zero responsibilities and have someone around to make these “solo” therapy sessions work.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ ꜱᴏ ꜰᴀʀ:

🍄 Oct 8, 2025
🍄 Oct 20, 2025
🍄 Oct 31, 2025
🍄 Dec 11, 2025
🍄 Jan 15, 2026
🍄 Feb (Pending…) ✨

13. Make more of my own capsules for microdosing. I plan on using the specific varieties I have on hand—I just need to set aside a day to actually blend and prep them. I’ve already got my empty #00 and #0 gel caps ready to go. Years ago, I made “weight loss” supplements from Pinterest using various spices from my kitchen, so I’m definitely no stranger to making my own supplements. 😝💊

Image made using AI: How AI envisions this mantra. 💕

14. Learn to be happy with drinking water. Instead of soda water, tea etc. because it’s getting expensive, I want to buy some lemons or limes to flavor water. Even lemons and limes are expensive, but I buy 1 at a time and they last a long time. 🍋💦

15. Replace my broken Nalgene water bottle. If not, I guess I’ll have to get used to using the Stanley cup I already have. TBH, I still prefer the Nalgene.

16. Finish using the Cirkl cartridges and don’t buy any more. I haven’t touched them in months and honestly don’t care for the brand—it’s a very overrated water bottle, in my opinion.

17. Finish the art projects I have already started.  I’m currently working on the diamond painting feathers. Just to clarify, I’m not doing these for Becca; she actually has the same diamond feather set that I do!

Image source: Images are my own. I turned the feathers into tree ornaments.

18. Start treating my body better. I want to go to bed at a decent time, get enough sleep, and drink plenty of water. I also want to read more books and journal more often. It’s all about the fundamentals, yenno?

19. Finish my lucky paper star jars.  I’ve done one out of six so far. Once I’m through with those last two diamond painting feathers, I can move on to the paper stars for teacher gifts. It’ll probably take me several months to finish them all! ⭐️

20. Finish reading 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson. I still haven’t finished it because reading always makes me so sleepy. It’s definitely a goal to finally finish reading the book this year.

21. Finish transferring my iPhone photos to the computer and then delete them. I have a hard time deleting photos, but I need to make more storage space. I have a ton of digital clutter that needs to be dealt with. 👩‍💻

22. Organize my work binder and catch up on my reflections and work goals. These are due by September 30, 2026, so I have some time to get everything in order.

23. Get a pedicure this summer, maybe for my birthday. I recently got one and really liked it. I guess this is more of a bucket list goal, but I’m counting it!

24. Learn how to braid hair. I’m terrible at it, but I really wish I could learn. Or maybe my husband can learn how to braid it for me instead.

👉Images are my own. Here are a couple of rare selfies of me! 💁‍♀️

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS

I think my goals for 2026 are quite reasonable and realistic. Instead of overcomplicating things, I’ve focused on what I can actually handle while leaving room for the unexpected. Having this list written down feels like a great way to keep myself accountable, and I’m looking forward to seeing how much I can check off by the end of the year.

Image source: Image is my own. Hello old friend.

Do we share any similar goals? What are your goals for 2026? Do you believe in New Year’s resolutions, or do you think they’re a waste of time too? Let me know in the comments section below ↓ I’ll do my best to reply to everyone.

If you enjoy my work, consider supporting me. 🌸☕💕

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

Why I’m Quitting Duolingo

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The thing that kept me going the longest was the daily learning streak, but I am not getting value from the app anymore. This isn’t a formal review of the Duolingo app; these are just my thoughts. I plan on making my account private before deleting the app off my phone and logging out completely. That way, I’m not letting down anyone who was previously completing weekly challenges with me. Some of the contacts I had on Duolingo are also my blogger friends on WordPress. ✌️💕

Duolingo has been a popular language learning app for years, and I finally decided to try it back in December 2022. I even found a way to get it for free, which saved me hundreds of dollars. It offered the features I needed, and although there were a few things I couldn’t unlock with the free version, I had unlimited lives, which meant unlimited hours of learning.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

So what went wrong? Over time, I realized that it was not the best way to learn a new language. I was learning German at the time but eventually started repeating earlier lessons just to keep the daily learning streak going. I liked that the app had a gamified approach to learning, using a streak system and allowing us to win challenges with other Duolingo learners in the community, but it became too addictive and repetitive for the wrong reasons. My biggest gripe was that it ultimately fell short in providing a comprehensive learning experience. Here are my 3 biggest reasons why:

1. Duolingo Will Keep You Hostage Until You Leave.

A major issue I have with Duolingo is that the app keeps you hostage and tied to their daily streaks until you delete it for good. Not only that, but you can temporarily freeze your streaks if you miss a day or two. I should have lost my daily streak months ago, but because of that, my streak kept going, and I felt obligated to do useless Duolingo lessons just to maintain it. Personally, I found that Duolingo’s bite-sized lessons and constant push for maintaining streaks made learning a language feel like a chore or a game to be won, rather than a rewarding journey.

Just look at how ominous the owl looks ‼️

2. Grinding XP is a Waste of Time.

The leaderboards were fun initially, and I managed to reach the Diamond League. Although I never placed first in the Diamond League, at this point, I couldn’t care less. Similar to daily streaks, grinding for XP is also a colossal waste of time due to the gamification of this app. I used to spend every waking hour on Duolingo grinding for XP, but I honestly don’t have the time or energy anymore to even try and compete in the leagues.

3. Memorization Just Isn’t Enough.

The third issue I have with Duolingo is that it focusses too heavily on translation exercises and sheer memorization of vocabulary and grammar rules. Not only that, but the translations can be funny or plain weird lol I couldn’t help but chuckle multiple times at some of the words and sentences. While the fundamentals of German vocabulary and grammar are important, it doesn’t adequately prepare you for real-world conversations and immersive language learning. Unfortunately, the Duolingo app lacks opportunities for practicing real-time speaking, listening comprehension, and cultural context – all crucial components in order or someone to become proficient in a language. I haven’t personally used Rosetta Stone, but I heard that the program does a slightly better job at language immersion.

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(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

While Duolingo may serve as a decent supplementary tool, relying solely on it is unlikely to lead to true language mastery. I’ve realized that deleting the Duolingo app and using additional language learning methods, such as taking classes, conversing with native speakers, and consuming authentic media would be a better use of my time if I were to continue learning German. That being said, I am not traveling to Germany anytime soon and I plan on taking a break from learning a second language for now. I currently have a 477-day streak, but once I publish this blog post, I will delete the app, and my streak will reset in a couple of days. I am at peace with this decision as I feel it is for the best. Btw I took this screenshot a few days ago before switching my account to private mode.

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👉My account is private and unsearchable for now.

And one more thing, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use this app. All I’m saying is maybe use Duolingo as an additional method of learning and not as the Holy Grail when learning a new language. On a slightly unrelated note, I feel that kids could benefit from Duolingo Math and Music, which are newer additions to the language learning app, so I recommend checking those out for any parents whose kids respond well to this style of learning.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

November Recap | Fall 2023

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I was sick with COVID last week (yes, I had the plague) and was unwell throughout the entire week. I am now starting to feel slightly better but still taking it easy for the time being. Unfortunately, my entire family also fell ill last week and we all spent the week bedridden. As November 30 arrived and it was time to reflect on the past month, I found myself too unwell to engage in any activities. Instead, I decided to ride it out until I am able to blog again.

When reflecting on November, I can confidently say it was a consistently busy month. There was always something demanding my attention, whether it was attending appointments, taking my children to their appointments, or working diligently. It seemed as though time flew by, and before I knew it, it was the end of November.

Sick and Sick Some More

At the beginning of November, I fell ill and thought I had recovered completely. However, to my dismay, I soon developed a persistent cough which turned out to be COVID. It seems like my immune system didn’t fully recover from my earlier illness in November. If I learned anything, it’s to never take your health for granted. One day you could feel fine and the next be completely bedridden. So be prepared for anything.

It should come as no surprise that I haven’t had much motivation to write recently because I was sick and it’s hard to write when you are sick. I did renew my WordPress plan, but I downgraded from the Premium Plan to the Personal Plan. Honestly, I haven’t noticed much of a difference and I don’t miss the Premium Plan as much as I thought I would. Additionally, I would like to mention that I have successfully resolved the PayPal issue I encountered last month, and the money is now visible in my PayPal account. Although I have not transferred it yet, it is reassuring to see it there, and Redbubble has reset my earnings on their end. Overall, Redbubble has been a super slow month, but I did manage to make a few sales during Black Friday week.

(っ◔◡◔)っ P.S. I am currently accepting sticker requests for anyone who is interested. Feel free to visit my shop and browse through the designs I have uploaded so far. Currently, you have a selection of 87 designs to choose from!

👉 Follow me on Redbubble: @sereneluna

NOVEMBER RECAP 2023

Career Goals:

  • Go back to work I did go back to work, but then I got sick again and missed more shifts.
  • Reply to manager’s email regarding COVID swab result I sent not one but 2 emails because I ended up with COVID in the end.
  • Catch up on work emails I am mostly caught up. There’s a couple minor things I still need to do.
  • Complete BLS renewal Yes, I completed it. This reminds me, I should probably email work a copy.
  • Complete 80 total designs for #Redbubble I currently have 87 designs in my shop. You can check out my #Redbubble designs here.

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly recap This is the monthly recap lol Additionally, I have compiled a list outlining what I am able to do and what I cannot do, which you can find and read here. I also wrote about a week that was almost laughably crappy, but it pales in comparison to what was to come the following week, which you can read here.
  • Send email to SW regarding International Gov form In the end, we decided to scrap the idea after encountering a roadblock.
  • Attend Domestic seminar this month Yes, we attended the seminar. The process is still super slow and frustrating.
  • Complete and submit International Seminar Questions Yes, I submitted all 11 pages but again, we ended up scrapping our plan in the end.
  • Keep tabs on doctor’s appointments/pending appointments Managing my family’s busy schedule is exhausting. Text message reminders have been a lifesaver for me in staying on track with all of my appointments.
  • Complete and submit Application B Nope, that didn’t happen. We still need to submit Applications B & E, which are more extensive. We have hit a bit of a roadblock with the application process as well.
  • Daily Duolingo practice 🇩🇪 I have managed to keep the streak going, but that’s pretty much all I am doing with it at this point. Unfortunately, I just don’t have the time to learn German these days. When I looked back at what I did this year, the results were surprising.

Health Goals:

  • YMCA 2x per week minimum I have been going to the YMCA on twice a week on weekdays when I am feeling well, and this routine has greatly benefited my overall mental and physical health.
  • Buy a new bathing suit for the pool My bathing suit is falling apart and I need a new one badly. I haven’t been to the store.
  • Finish Kool-Aid and Nuun drink mixes I am considering getting rid of the Nuun drink mixes, but for now, I occasionally add them to my water when I am working. However, these days, I prefer using Gatorade drink mix, as I find it much more enjoyable. While it may not be the healthiest option, if it helps me drink more water, I don’t really care.
  • Leave the house once a day and get some sunshine ☀️ I fell ill twice in the month of November, which resulted in me staying home most of the time. The limited exposure to sunshine had a significant negative impact on my mood and further exacerbated my feelings of depression.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

Wow! Can I just say that November was a challenging month? Not only was I sick at the beginning of November, but I also fell ill again towards the end of the month and unfortunately caught COVID. On top of that, I had a rough couple of weeks. However, despite feeling nervous about returning to work, I am grateful that I am now [mostly] healthy again. You don’t realize the importance of your health until you fall sick. Immunity is something that should never be taken for granted. I still need to write a blog post about my December goals, and I plan to do so either tomorrow or sometime next week. In the meantime, enjoy listening to some soothing beats that will help you stay focused on your work..

Have something to share with me? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below ↓ Currently, email is NOT the most efficient means of reaching me as I behind in relying to emails. Leaving a comment is the quickest way to get in touch, unless you are one of the lucky ones who has my phone number.

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), you can get real-time updates about my day-to-day life there. I recently made the decision to join X/Twitter and I’m excited to see what it has in store for me.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

October Recap | Fall 2023

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This blog post is overdue, and I must admit that I lack enthusiasm for blogging. However, I did successfully renew my blog plan and downgraded to the Personal Plan without any difficulties. It’s unfortunate that I was unable to directly contact the WP engineers via chat like I have done in the past. When the time came to renew it, the only option available was email. While email still got the job done, it was a bit more time-consuming and annoying. Fortunately, they knew exactly how to assist me and were able to switch me to the Personal Plan. I didn’t have to worry about losing my data or deal with exporting backup files.

Looking back at October, it was an incredibly busy month. “Busy” is an understatement. There was so much going on that my memory is hazy. October came and went in a blur. Between my daughter’s birthday, the birthday party, seminars, and appointments, it was a lot to handle.

Am I Bored of Writing? No, just frustrated.

So I did end up posting an article on Medium and engagement was absolutely pathetic. I guess it wasn’t a complete failure because I did end up making $1.98 CAD for doing absolutely nothing with it. My account on Medium is is still pretty dead at this point, and I really hate how the algorithm punished writers who aren’t active on the platform. It’s the same phenomenon on all platforms, and I am not singling out Medium here. All I’m saying is that if you aren’t active on all platforms at all given times of the day, then good luck lol Since it isn’t hurting me to keep my Medium profile, I will continue to post the minimum on it to keep it active, but don’t expect much more from me.

I am more concerned about my lack of commitment to blogging as of late, and I am less and less enthusiastic about writing altogether. I haven’t been actively blogging like I would have liked to, and just want to be making designs for Redbubble. I also have some frustrations with Redbubble, especially when it comes to their payment method, namely PayPal. I have never used PayPal before, and it is quite frustrating that my commissions are not showing up in my PayPal account. Will I have more luck contacting Redbubble to try and sort this out? Probably not. Enough of my complaining.

👉 Follow me on Medium: @sereneluna

👉 Follow me on Redbubble: @sereneluna

OCTOBER RECAP 2023

Career Goals:

  • Figure out the orientation dates for work This got sorted out for the most part. Do I feel confident now that I did the orientation? Not really…
  • Print and review orientation notes + reply to manager’s email I reviewed my notes and I did reply to that email. However, I now have another email to reply to so it’s really a chain of emails.
  • Catch up on work emails + attend workshop on Oct 12 Yes, I did both of these things.
  • Work on side hustle if there’s time I added quite a few new designs to the shop. There’s currently 78 designs to choose from! You can check out my #Redbubble designs here.

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly recap I posted a blog post that was also published on Medium. Unfortunately, the Medium article didn’t generate any traffic, which suggests that the algorithm penalizes inactive users. You can read my blog post here.
  • Complete and mail a paper copy of international form to Gov. We finally accomplished this, but I was instructed to seek guidance from another person, which I have not done yet.
  • Update planner with due dates, appointments, etc. At this point, I have completely abandoned paper copies. Paper books simply do not work for me at all.
  • Keep tabs on doctor’s appointments/pending appointments Managing my family’s busy schedule is exhausting. Text message reminders have been a lifesaver for me in staying on track with all of my appointments. With the constant brain fog I’ve been experiencing lately, I honestly don’t know how I manage.
  • Complete and submit Application B Nope, that didn’t happen. We still need to submit Applications B & E, which are more extensive. We also need to answer the questions from the first seminar.
  • Daily Duolingo practice 🇩🇪 I have managed to keep the streak going, but that’s pretty much all I am doing with it at this point. Unfortunately, I just don’t have the time to learn German these days.

Health Goals:

  • Exercise every day (hula hooping, treadmill, chores, etc.) I have mixed feelings about how I did. In my mind, I think I did okay. I joined the YMCA last month so swimming has been helping A LOT.
  • Finish Kool-Aid and Nuun drink mixes The artificial drink mixes have become increasingly unpalatable. Despite my strong dislike for them, I find it difficult to throw them out. The only drink mix that tasted good was the low-calorie lemonade.
  • Leave the house once a day and get some sunshine ☀️ Some days were so cold and miserable that I hardly left the house, but on the nicer days, I did leave the house and got some sunshine. I could do better with this and it might be time to break out the sun lamp again.
Leave a comment if you want my IG handle. I’m not active in Instagram.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

Unfortunately, my daughter’s picture day didn’t go as planned, and there isn’t an opportunity for a picture redo-day. On the bright side, my son’s picture turned out great! This year, I had hoped to have both of my kids’ photos professionally taken in a studio. However, my husband suggested that we prioritize saving money instead. He does have a point – the cost of in-studio photos has alarmingly increased over the years. Last month, my daughter celebrated her 7th birthday with a fun-filled birthday party. We were delighted to have 18 kids attend, making it a great turnout. Additionally, we took the kids trick-or-treating, and my daughter had a blast!

A sleepy skeleton and Mommy Long Legs

Have something to share with me? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below ↓ Currently, email is NOT the most efficient means of reaching me as I behind in relying to emails. Leaving a comment is the quickest way to get in touch, unless you are one of the lucky ones who has my phone number.

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), you can get real-time updates about my day-to-day life there. I recently made the decision to join X/Twitter and I’m excited to see what it has in store for me.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

September Recap | Fall 2023

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How did your September go? Mine was surprisingly more productive than usual. I managed to stay productive throughout the month and it made me wonder if listening to productivity podcasts every day had anything to do with it. It always saddens me when a favorite content creator disappears or stops uploading new content. I heavily rely on their content for motivation, so it’s truly disappointing when they are no longer active. #firstworldproblems

During the month of September, I didn’t go to doctor appointments and have been procrastinating on scheduling them. However, I did make progress on the extensive paperwork for the social worker and I am halfway through completing the applications. The last two sections are time-consuming and extensive, but I hope to complete them by the end of October. As for expenses last month, not gonna lie it was a lot. Hopefully, October will be kinder to us.

Redbubble ≥ Medium

By dedicating a lot of time and effort, I successfully achieved my target of having 60 designs in my Redbubble shop by the end of September! It’s safe to say that I have been tirelessly working on creating new and captivating designs. I did hit a roadblock where sales have plummeted and I am unsure why this is happening. I haven’t changed anything, have been adding new designs, and have kept the prices low. I am determined to find the motivation to push through and keep going. After all, I only have a limited amount of time to devote to my hobbies and side hustles, and digital art requires a significant investment of time.

Even though I have nearly given up on Medium, I still need to post there to maintain my qualification for the Medium Partner Program (MPP). Therefore, I will continue to upload content periodically if the content is deemed suitable for Medium. Kindly remind me to upload something soon. I completely forgot to upload something on Medium because I was so preoccupied with Redbubble. Here are the links where you can follow me:

👉 Follow me on Medium: @sereneluna

👉 Follow me on Redbubble: @sereneluna

SEPTEMBER RECAP 2023

Career Goals:

  • Bid on shifts as they become available I didn’t have to bid on shifts because I had enough shifts for the month of September.
  • Catch up on work emails + finish CCP requirements I renewed my license and fulfilled my CCP requirements. As someone who has undiagnosed ADD and can’t function without some kind of organization system, I now have a binder full of notes to keep everything in order.
  • Work on side hustle → goal is 60 designs I added my 60th design to the shop and reached this goal! You can check out my #Redbubble designs here.
👉 This is my 60th design! 🦀💕

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly recap I posted more blog posts than I thought I would, but that was partly because I was procrastinating on emails and working on the application for the SW. Here are the latest blog posts in case you missed them:

♥ 44 Superfoods that fight fat
♥ How to Snack Smarter
♥ Take Charge of Your Appetite
♥ Find Peace in the Madness
♥ 8 Ways to Sleep Better [Edited]

  • Scan paper documents → turn into digital copies I scanned a few documents but I didn’t scan the ones I eventually plan on discarding. I have way too much paper clutter.
  • Start habit tracking using Posh Planner LOL nope, that certainly did not happen. Although it is a beautiful planner, I have no desire to use it as I am still keeping track of everything on my phone.
  • Keep tabs on doctor’s appointments/pending appointments Managing my family’s busy schedule is exhausting. Text message reminders are helping me stay on track with all of my appointments. We had so many appointments in September!
  • Complete and submit Application A We not only submitted Application A, but we also submitted Applications C & D. However, we still need to submit Applications B & E, which are more extensive.
  • Daily Duolingo practice 🇩🇪 I have been performing poorly in the leagues, but I have reached a point where I no longer care. Due to time constraints, I have been unable to complete one lesson per day. My main concern now is maintaining my 262-day streak. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough gems to freeze my streaks anymore, so I must remember to use the app every day.

Health Goals:

  • Exercise every day (hula hooping, treadmill, chores, etc.) I have mixed feelings about how I did. In my mind, I think I did okay. However, my clothes are still a bit too tight for my liking, and I still feel uncomfortable. I have not been actively tracking my fitness.
  • Finish low-cal lemonade and Kool-Aid drink mixes I finished the low-cal lemonade and still need to finish the Kool-Aid drops. The low-cal lemonade actually tastes good whereas the Kool-Aid drops are more artificial tasting.
  • Leave the house once a day and get some sunshine ☀️ I did pretty well with this one because I have to take my daughter to the bus stop every morning. However, I didn’t get to enjoy much sunshine on the weekends, which made me miserable.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

And there you have it! Throughout the month of September, I spent most of my time at home following my daily routine. Given my busy schedule, I seldom have any spare moments. Although I am still procrastinating on emails, application forms, and doctor appointments, I am relieved to say that the CCP notes are finally complete. Overcoming this particular challenge was a significant accomplishment that had been weighing on me for quite some time.

Have something to share with me? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below ↓ Currently, email is NOT the most efficient means of reaching me as I behind in relying to emails. Leaving a comment is the quickest way to get in touch, unless you are one of the lucky ones who has my phone number.

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), you can get real-time updates about my day-to-day life there. I recently made the decision to join X/Twitter and I’m excited to see what it has in store for me.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

August Recap | Summer 2023

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Another belated blog post, another monthly recap. I am not apologizing this time! (see? I’m learning!). I often find myself losing track of time. It’s hard to believe that another month has passed us by, and just like that, September is here. But before I get too carried away, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the month of August.

August was a busy month, which included spending the first half of the month in Ontario. My birthday was also in August so August is a significant month for me. Lately, my top priority has been my family. I’ve been busy preparing my daughter for back to school after her time at summer camp. Additionally, I have been busy with paper work and expenses (which I’m not quite ready to discuss). There’s lots of paperwork and associated fees that have demanded much of my attention. Also, with the start of the school year comes a wave of additional expenses to handle. From tutoring fees for my daughter to license renewals, it feels like there’s an overwhelming amount of costs piling up. This is the first time I’ve experienced such discomfort in having to allocate so much money towards these necessary expenses.

My Side Hustle(s)

Although I have almost given up on Medium, I still need to post there in order to maintain my qualification for the Medium Partner Program (MPP). This means that I will continue to upload content every so often. However, my earnings from it have been quite disappointing. As a result, I have redirected my energy towards digital art. There are currently 54 designs available in my #Redbubble shop. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to work on this hobby in the past week, but I hope to dedicate some time to it again if I have any “down time.” I’m pleased to share that I continued to make sales throughout the month of August, which was absolutely fantastic! The valuable support and encouragement I receive from others serve as a powerful motivation for me.

👉 Follow me on Medium: @sereneluna

👉 Follow me on Redbubble: @sereneluna

AUGUST RECAP 2023

Career Goals:

  • Go back to work on August 27 This was the only shift I had in August. Going back to work after being OOP for a month was rough.
  • Catch up on work emails + look at CCP requirements I now check work emails on my phone, which saves time. The CCP is due soon, so it’s on my to-do list.
  • Work on side hustle I only added a couple of designs to the shop while I was in Ontario and hardly spent any time on a laptop. You can check out my #Redbubble designs here.

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly recap I did the bare minimum in August and only started posting more at the end of the month. In case you missed it, I recently posted a random blog post titled “So What!” which you can read here.
  • Find my Posh habit-tracking planner → I need to start using it Did I find it? Yes, I did. Did I use it? No, I did not. I think I will use my planner for habit tracking instead.
  • Keep tabs on doctor’s appointments/pending appointments Managing my family’s busy schedule is exhausting. Text message reminders are helping me stay on track with all of my appointments. I have been swamped with appointments!
  • Daily Duolingo practice 🇩🇪 I am doing so badly in leagues but I have stopped caring. I dropped down to Ruby league. Instead of overwhelming myself with marathons, I have adopted a more sustainable approach by committing to completing one lesson per day.
  • Watch the Barbie movie in movie theaters I added it to the list to ensure that I would actually accomplish the goal. Priorities, man. Anyway, I ended up watching the Barbie movie a few hours after posting this online. Manifesting works! 🙌
The 2023 Posh Planner that I’ve been neglecting 🙊

Health Goals:

  • Use new water bottle once it arrives (2000mL bottle) I decided to discard the water bottle as I struggled to assemble it. It was of poor quality and didn’t meet my expectations. I saw no reason to attempt returning it. I advise against purchasing water bottles from #Temu.
  • Hula hooping for 35-40 minutes daily for a minimum of 30 days I managed to stay committed for a couple of weeks to my fitness routine, but unfortunately, I hit a roadblock. My bedroom became cluttered with donation boxes, leaving me with no space to work out. As a result, I couldn’t complete the 30-day challenge and now feel hesitant about writing a blog post on my experience.
  • No buying junk food from Walmart, Dollarama, etc. I was doing fine until my mom took me to Dollar Tree! Since coming back home, I haven’t visited Dollar Tree or Dollarama. Instead, I’ve started shopping at Bulk Barn for snacks instead of Walmart. My go-to snack is coconut date bars—they’re my favorite!

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

And there you have it! During the month of August, I spent two weeks of August in Ontario. My daughter also had summer camps and I have been busy getting her ready for school. I am also drowning in a pile of paperwork right now and should probably do something about that. Procrastination at it’s finest! am sure you guys can relate.

Have something to share with me? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below ↓ Currently, email is NOT the most efficient means of reaching me as I behind in relying to emails. Leaving a comment is the quickest way to get in touch, unless you are one of the lucky ones who has my phone number.

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), you can get real-time updates about my day-to-day life there.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

A Belated July Recap | Summer 2023

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Warning: A Little Rant Ahead 🔜

I admit that I’m growing tired of feeling like I need to apologize for writing late blog posts. Are we still doing this monthly blog recap thing? Yes, we are. I know that that July has long passed, but that’s beside the point. The important thing is for me to continue showing up, even if my blog posts are late.

Mixed Feelings About Everything

After spending a month in Ontario and unintentionally taking a hiatus from blogging, I have been reflecting on the value that blogging brings to my life. It occurred to me that despite creating the illusion of friendship groups and circles online, the truth is that there isn’t really a deep connection within the blogging community. Earlier in August, I celebrated my birthday and it made me realize that unless I loudly announced it on a social media platform, nobody bothered to wish me a happy birthday. However, I don’t remember many birthdays myself, nor do I expect others to remember mine.

I have even contemplated whether there is any point in sending birthday cards or snail mail these days, even though I still love sending snail mail. What is making me feel unhappy is the lack of reciprocation and the amount of maintenance and upkeep. I find myself wondering if there is any point in doing anything these days. Perhaps, instead of writing for an audience, I should consider writing for myself. It seems that I have lost sight of the ultimate objective when it comes to blogging.

A Lack of Emotional Support

I recently became aware that both my immediate family and extended family read my blog. Sharing my opinions openly was once something I craved, but now I find myself doubting if using my real name was a wise decision. Regrettably, the negative reactions I have received in person have made me hesitant to address certain topics that I wanted to write about, such as future plans in my personal life. While I consider myself a fairly private person, there are certain aspects that I am currently grappling with and feel emotionally overwhelmed. Furthermore, it’s disheartening to feel restricted in expressing myself freely. Perhaps Alias accounts had it right all along, but it is too late for me to start over. It’s frustrating to have to filter what I say once again, knowing that certain eyes are reading my writing.

End of Rant 🔚

JULY RECAP 2023

Career Goals:

  • Possibly bid on available shifts I only worked 1 shift in July. I cancelled the other shift d/t unresolved stomach pain.
  • Catch up on work emails + check MLL courses I haven’t really looked at my work emails and need to catch up on them.
  • Work on side hustle → have 60+ designs by end of July I currently have 50 designs available in my shop. I believe I only uploaded 3-4 designs throughout the month of July. I didn’t spend much time on my computer while I was in Ontario.

➤ Click here to visit my Redbubble shop 

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly recap I am behind on everything right now.
  • Transfer appointments to my Posh Planner Did I find it? Yes, I did. Did I use it yet? No, I have not. I didn’t bring my Posh Planner to Ontario, so now that I’m back home, I don’t really have an excuse.
  • Keep tabs on doctor’s appointments/pending appointments These days, I use my phone to keep track of everything. It’s just faster and more convenient.
  • Daily Duolingo practice 🇩🇪 I stopped tracking Duolingo leagues end ended up dropping several ranks. The only thing I care about is maintaining my daily streak. Instead of overwhelming myself with marathons, I try to complete one new lesson per day.
  • Finish photo album for my dad → due July 12 I completed the photo album and gave it to my dad. He loved it! I had some extra photos and framed them for my room.
In Memory of my pug, Zoë.

Health Goals:

  • Track steps on Pikmin Bloom app → advance to Level 45 🌸 Unfortunately, no progress has been made on Level 44 even after numerous tries. I’m still stuck there!
  • Track water intake on Water Llama app I still have the app on my phone but I haven’t been using it.
  • Leave the house once a day and get some sunshine☀️ Ontario was warm and sunny, making it easy to get enough sunshine in July. However, I often get sunburns, especially on my face, so I have to be careful.
Baby Aaron enjoying the sunshine! ☀️

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

And there you have it! During the month of July, I unexpectedly ended up spending an entire month in Ontario. Consequently, I had little time to work on my hobbies, which include writing and designing stickers, among other things. Now that I am back in Calgary, my schedule is extremely busy, and I am prioritizing my children who require my undivided attention. I am also contemplating how much time and energy I want to throw at blogging. In the meantime, you might find me uploading new designs to #Redbubble.

BTW, I forgot to mention that I recently got promoted to the Premium tier on Redbubble! I’m extremely thrilled about it because it means I no longer have to pay any additional fees from my sales. I get to keep the full commission I earn, which really motivates me to keep pushing forward. Additionally, Redbubble is having this awesome sale where all merch is 30% off for the rest of August!

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), you can get real-time updates about my day-to-day life there.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

June Recap | Summer 2023

10 Comments

I apologize for the slight delay in publishing this blog post. Rest assured, it was for a good reason. I recently took a break and disconnected from the internet while exploring British Columbia and Washington state. It was important for me to recharge and enjoy some much-needed downtime. It was a refreshing break, and now I am back and ready to share this post with you. Thank you for your understanding.

And before you tell me not to apologize, I must inform you that I am Canadian, and apologizing is deeply ingrained in our culture. Canadians like to apologize for everything.

Mixed Feelings About Redbubble

I’ve recently ventured into the world of print-on-demand (POD) and it’s been quite a rewarding experience so far. Surprisingly, I managed to generate some sales during my very first month! However, it was disheartening to discover that Redbubble took a substantial portion of my earnings, approx. 90% of it even after including the profit margin! All thanks to their new “tier” system. I find the situation quite frustrating, but my only option right now is Redbubble. When it comes down to it, my earnings from Redbubble far surpass what I ever made on Medium. Although I still contribute to Medium, my activity on the platform has significantly decreased.

👉 Follow me on Medium: @sereneluna

Despite the challenges I’ve faced on Redbubble, my dedication to creating digital art and sharing it with the world remains unwavering. The valuable support and encouragement I receive from others serve as a powerful source of motivation for me. To provide you with a glimpse of the digital artwork I have been producing, I would like to share a screenshot showcasing some of my designs:

👉 Follow me on Redbubble: @sereneluna

JUNE GOALS 2023

Career Goals:

  • Plot shift availability for the rest of June to August I am away for the majority of July and I don’t know my husband’s schedule yet. Shift bids TBD.
  • Catch up on work emails + check MLL courses I am a bit behind on work emails right now but I will catch up on them this week. There are no MLL courses to sign up for at this time.
  • Start working on a side hustle → add at least 5 items to my catalogue I actually 44 items to my Redbubble shop and far surpassed this goal! I’m really proud of myself 💁‍♀️

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly recap I decided to repost a few of my Medium articles because there was a lot of interest from readers.
  • Find my Posh habit-tracking planner → I need to start using it Did I find it? Yes, I did. Did I use it? No, I did not.
  • Keep tabs on doctor’s appointments/pending appointments Managing my family’s busy schedule is exhausting. Text message reminders are helping me stay on track with all of my appointments.
  • Daily Duolingo practice 🇩🇪 While I may have slipped from the Diamond league, I am currently holding my ground in the Obsidian league. Instead of overwhelming myself with marathons, I have adopted a more sustainable approach by committing to completing one lesson per day.
The 2023 Posh Planner that I’ve been neglecting 🙊

Health Goals:

  • Track steps on Pikmin Bloom app → advance to Level 45 🌸 Unfortunately, no progress has been made on Level 44 even after numerous tries. I’m still stuck there!
  • Track water intake on Water Llama app I hardly used the app at all this month.
  • No buying junk food from Walmart, Dollarama, etc. I was doing great until we embarked on a road trip and my cravings for snacks kicked in. Now I’m back to buying snacks which I plan on cutting out again.
Some last minute shopping last week. I had to stop for steeped tea.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

And there you have it! During the month of July, I will be visiting my parents for a few weeks. However, I will still dedicate some time to pursue my passion for digital art and maintain my blog, if my schedule permits. Juggling multiple responsibilities has proven to be quite challenging, leaving me drained of energy. However, I have learned to prioritize and eliminate tasks that no longer serve me. One strategy that has been particularly helpful in keeping me on track is writing monthly goals blog posts. They serve as a constant reminder of what I need to focus on and help me stay motivated throughout the month.

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), you can get real-time updates about my day-to-day life there.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

May Recap | Spring 2023

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Can you believe that the month of May has already come and gone? It’s simply astonishing how quickly time passes us by, it really feels like it was just yesterday! Seriously, how is it already the end of May? It seems like time flew by in a blink of an eye and I didn’t even have a chance to take it all in.

This month has been incredibly busy – I worked on my anniversary day and Mother’s Day, so I decided to take the day off on my son’s birthday as a special treat. Yes, it was important for me to take that day off so that I could spend quality time with my family and enjoy the special occasion.

Feeling Burnout with Medium

As of late, I have been feeling increasingly frustrated with the Medium platform. My traffic and stats are at an all-time low and my follower count has stalled. Not only that, but I made a measly $0.78 USD this month which is maybe enough to buy a chocolate bar from Dollarama. Personally, I just don’t see how Medium makes any practical sense unless I want to devote 3-4 hours/day engaging with other writers, leaving comments, networking, etc. I don’t have time for these things when I could be doing something that takes me closer to my goals.

If you’re not already following me on Medium, I highly recommend it. I’m not planning on abandoning that platform, however at this time I will no longer be publishing original articles there. That being said, I’m considering transferring the previously written articles to this platform so that my followers here can have access to them as well.

👉 Follow me on Medium: @sereneluna

MAY GOALS 2023

Career Goals:

  • Don’t call in sick this month I didn’t miss any days of work during the month of May! I didn’t get sick nor did I need to take a mental health day. Yay, me?
  • Catch up on work emails + check MLL modules No need to catch up on the MLL modules; most work emails have been taken care of, but not all.
  • Reorganize backpack + print notes I organize my backpack every week. I’ll remove it from next month’s list of goals.

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly recap Yes, I am doing this right now. I have no plans to abandon my blog.
  • Publish 1-2 articles on Medium + share articles on blog I am unsure if I should continue to pursue this goal. The outcome these past 2-3 months was not as expected and I don’t want to give up, but I am uncertain about whether to invest more energy into this hobby.
  • Announce the winner of the giveaway in a blog post You can read that blog post here! ✨💫
  • Keep tabs on doctor’s appointments/pending appointments Managing my family’s busy schedule is exhausting. Text message reminders are helping me stay on track with all of my appointments
  • Daily Duolingo practice 🇩🇪 + finish diamond tournament 💎 I completed the diamond tournament and felt slightly disappointed afterwards, so I am no longer as enthusiastic about competing. Nevertheless, I still plan on learning German but will take my own time to do so. If by chance I drop out of that league, then it won’t be a problem for me anymore.

Health Goals:

  • Continue to track steps + upload progress on Twitter After returning from Singapore, I failed to maintain a daily goal of 10,000 steps and became complacent. Feeling frustrated with the lack of progress, I gave up on reaching that goal. I want to get back into fitness next month.
  • Track steps on Pikmin Bloom app → advance to Level 45 🌸 Unfortunately, no progress has been made on Level 44 even after numerous tries. I’m still stuck there!
  • Track water intake on Water Llama app → 1 Gallon of water per day My experiment of drinking a gallon of water each day using a large jug lasted ONE DAY! My husband complained about my water jug taking up too much space, prompting me to ditch it and stop tracking my water intake. Next time, I will keep my 32-oz water bottles chilled in the fridge. I really want to do better next month.
  • Simplify my diet and reduce my intake of processed food This month, I was unable to stick to any particular diet and I ended up feeling really terrible and bloated. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips on how to reduce bloating? Trying to find a healthier way of eating for the long-term would be greatly appreciated.

And there you have it! Despite the fact that I worked hard and there were many distractions this month of May, I still feel like my discipline wasn’t up to par. My health goals were completely neglected and this is something I regret and fully intend to correct in the future. With that being said, I know that I can always strive for more and do better in order to reach my goals. I know I won’t be ready for bikini season but it doesn’t mean I can’t wear sundresses! I just want to wear sundresses without feeling bloated and uncomfortable.

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), you can get real-time updates about my day-to-day life there. Exciting changes are coming soon, and I’ve been hinting about it on Twitter.

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

April Recap | Spring 2023

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I finally have a chance to sit down and write this month’s blog post as it has been an incredibly busy few weeks for me. Between the demands of my job, my household duties, and taking care of my children, I simply haven’t had the time to write until now that my husband is away on business trips. Despite all that, I can finally sit my butt down and write this blog post. I am working tomorrow so I don’t know when there will be time to draft a blog post for the monthly goals I have for May 2023.

Surprisingly, I managed to stay productive with my writing habits this past month in spite of being away in Singapore for the first two weeks of April 🏝️ It wasn’t until April 17 that I got back into the swing of things and started writing blog posts and Medium articles again. Unfortunately, I have limited time and energy now that Becca is at school and I am back at work every. single. week (Friday – Sunday). I apologize for any delays in responding and I’m doing my best to use my free time to catch up. Thank you for understanding.

More Articles for You to Read 📖

On Medium (@sereneluna), I have the freedom to express my honest and sometimes controversial opinions regarding topics related to freelancing, entrepreneurship, and other fields (eg. what defines a toxic person?) that I may not be able to write about on my blog. I’m not an entrepreneur, but I still find practical advice from successful entrepreneurs helpful for personal development. Listening to podcasts hosted by successful entrepreneurs and life coaches is a great way to gain valuable insights.

Here are the Medium articles that I posted during the month of April, which doesn’t include the articles I already uploaded on this blog. For those of you who are members on Medium, if you click on the links below and read these articles, I will earn a small commission to help fuel my steeped tea addiction. Thank you, in advance! ✌️💕

Medium Article Links:

1️⃣ Related Article: Somebody Cut You Out of Their Life, Now What?

2️⃣ Related Article: Stop Dabbling and Start Winning at Life

APRIL GOALS 2023

Career Goals:

  • Prepare to go back to work next weekend Yes, I went back to work on April 22nd, and I haven’t had to call in sick yet *knock on wood* As stated above, I work Friday – Sunday (evenings).
  • Catch up on work emails I am still catching up on emails. There have been lots of changes at work, so I have been receiving a lot more emails than usual.
  • Reorganize backpack + print notes I do this on a weekly basis and will reorganize my backpack tonight. I have already printed my notes.
👉 I am finally uploading the screenshot from last month!

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly recap I uploaded more blog posts this past month than I usually do. In total, I uploaded 4 blog posts in April! I think that is a new record for me 🙂
  • Publish 1-2 articles on Medium + share articles on blog I have yet to share the Medium articles on this blog. Is anyone interested in these articles?
  • Write an article about Medium 1-month trial experience Since Medium traffic in April was at an all-time low, I didn’t think many people would read my post so I wrote a rough draft of it on my phone. It’s possible that I’ll upload it at some point though.
  • Keep tabs on doctor’s appointments/pending appointments Despite my enthusiasm for tracking habits, I haven’t taken the time to use my fancy planner this year. I’m still using my basic one, and I’m not sure why I haven’t been more diligent when it comes to staying organized.
  • Daily Duolingo practice  + weekly friend quests I made it to Diamond League and am back to grinding for XP on Duolingo! *grumbles* I simply don’t benefit from learning German if I am not grinding for XP and competing in the leagues.

Health Goals:

  • Treadmill on days I am not working + upload progress Nope, this did not happen. I have given up on the treadmill because my clothes are fitting tight again and I feel like crap. I figured that I need to focus on my diet and hydration right now.
  • Limit drinks to water, tea, and coffee I drank whatever I wanted in Singapore, which included a lot of sugar cane juice! When I returned home, I went back to drinking water, tea, and some coffee.
  • Track steps on Pikmin Bloom app By default, this app tracks my steps. I wasn’t too active with the social aspect, so I didn’t really plant virtual flowers. That being said, I still use the app on a daily basis.
  • Healthy/clean eating 80% of the time My diet suffered A LOT during the month of April. I felt so dehydrated and gross by the end of April but I couldn’t go back to eating a high carbohydrate diet. I was feeling the adverse effects of consuming too much sugar from all the fruits and snacks I was eating, so I decided to switch to a more intuitive way of eating. As a result, my body naturally gravitated towards intermittent fasting (IF), which is similar to what I used to do years ago before IF was popular.

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), I’m tracking my health & fitness progress, and you can get real-time updates about my day-to-day life there.

•♡•♥•♡•♥•♡•

P.S. As a special celebration for the 7th anniversary of my blog, I am holding a giveaway exclusively for my Canadian readers! If you live in Canada and already following my blog, you need to act fast – the deadline to enter this giveaway is May 22. I’ll announce the lucky winner on this blog so make sure to watch this space!

➤ Click here to enter the giveaway

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

March Recap | Spring 2023

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Spring is here and it’s time to spring forward. That being said, it doesn’t feel like Spring here and there’s still lots of snow on the ground. Oh, the joys of living in Canada! 🍁

This month has taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of learning to let go and move on with your life. Although I have made some progress, I still have a long journey ahead of me. I have the itch to physically and emotionally declutter my space, so that is what I have been doing. I am currently in the process of decluttering my old laptop, phone, and #Twitter feed. It’s a work in progress but I am starting to feel a bit lighter.

Fill Your Own Cup First

This month, I only shared one post on this blog other than my Monthly Goals and Recaps. Although I had anticipated sharing more articles from Medium, I hadn’t found the time to do it yet. Nevertheless, I still have the intention of publishing my most recent article from Medium on here as it is an inspiring self-help article! If you want to read it now, I will share the Medium link here:

♡ Related Article: Nobody is Coming to Save You

Trial and Error

I also started a 1-month Medium subscription trial earlier this month and have already made plans to write an article regarding my experience with that. Although this content won’t be published on my blog due to its highly niche-specific nature and the fact that not all readers of my blog may be as interested in this subject matter, I do plan on writing th follow-up article eventually. For now, you can check out my article about my initial thoughts on getting a Medium subscription:

♡  Related Article: That’s it. I’m Buying a Medium Subscription!

MARCH GOALS 2023

Career Goals:

  • Stay up-to-date on my work schedule I wasn’t too pleased with myself during the month of March as I had two days off. One of them was spontaneous as I didn’t feel well and the other one had been planned for a while in order to do some shopping before our trip.
  • Attend in-class sessions on March 14ᵗʰ & 15ᵗʰ I attended this class and got 100% on the exam. I was surprised because I didn’t feel ready to write it.
  • Request March 26ᵗʰ off as it no longer fits my schedule As stated above, I planned this at the beginning of the month.
  • Complete the Connect Care modules on MLL I made sure to review every detail twice prior to the upcoming exam in order to ensure that I had everything covered.

👉 Screenshot of Work Schedule TBU (To be uploaded…eventually)

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts + monthly goals/recap blog posts In March, I published only one blog post which was a cross-post from Medium. I didn’t bring anything original to the table this month – sorry.
  • Publish 1-2 articles on Medium + share articles on blog If you’re interested in reading these articles, you can take a look at my work here and here. I already gave an overview of these articles up above (re: Nobody is coming to save you).
  • Sign up for a 1-month Medium Membership trial ✨ Yes, I signed up for the 1-month trial on March 6ᵗʰ Will continue with it once the trial ends? That’s for me to know and for you to find out in a future Medium article.
  • Keep tabs on doctor’s appointments/pending appointments I have been managing my schedule without any sort of planner and it’s amazing that I haven’t missed an appointment yet. However, it is time for me to update my planner this week as doing so will help me stay more organized.
  • Daily Duolingo practice 🇩🇪 I am determined to learn a new language but I’m choosing to take my time and go at my own pace. From what I can remember, I believe I am currently on Day 111 and have been steadily progressing this far. Since starting Duolingo, I have lost count of where exactly in the learning process that I am and know that this streak will be broken once we go on vacation. To be honest, after 3 months of using Duolingo, it has become quite tiresome and mundane which often leads to me forgetting to even open the app unless it notifies me with a reminder. Not gonna lie, I do miss the social aspect of the leagues and will likely re-join at some point.

Health Goals:

  • Treadmill on days I am not working + upload progress At the start of this month, I really made an effort to get back into using the treadmill. Unfortunately, I slipped back into bad habits and eventually stopped. Bad habits seem to repeat themselves, don’t they?
  • Limit drinks to water, tea, and coffee I mostly stuck to water, tea, and coffee this month. I also drank a lot of pineapple juice because I ate a lot canned pineapples 🍍
  • Track steps on Pikmin Bloom app By default, this app tracks my steps. I wasn’t too active with the social aspect, so I didn’t really plant virtual flowers.
  • Healthy/clean eating 80% of the time I was really diligent about eating plant-based during the month of March up until this point lol Since I am currently on the go, I cannot eat as healthy as I would like to. I prefer eating low-fat, plant-based whenever possible. I am not vegetarian or vegan and do eat meat when plant-based meals aren’t an option.
When fresh fruit isn’t an option 🍍

(っ◔◡◔)っ FYI: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), I’m tracking my fitness progress, and you can get real-time updates about my day-to-day life there.

•♡•♥•♡•♥•♡•

And there you have it! Just a quick update that I won’t be posting Monthly Goals for April 2023. Why? Because I will be visiting Nick’s relatives in Singapore. Although travelling stresses me out, at least Singapore is a tropical island! 🏝️ I even named my #ACNH island after Sentosa, which is a beautiful place in Singapore. Before I go, I will share with you some photos of Sentosa, my Animal Crossing island. Do you play Animal Crossing too? Let me know in the comments section below ↓

Thanks for stopping by! ♥

February Recap | Winter 2023

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It is the end of the month, once again! I have thought about whether or not to continue with my monthly goals and recap blog posts. I’m curious to know if they have been a useful resource or tool for readers of this blog. Would you find value in these posts if I decided to keep them going? I haven’t been writing these blog posts for very long, yet my calendar is already full. That does not leave me much time to be creating quality content.

Despite the fact that I do not update this blog as frequently as I would like, I have been busy in other aspects of life and work has taken up a significant portion of my time and energy. On top of that, my family responsibilities take up an even greater portion of my day-to-day life. It often amuses me to see how people without kids feel they have the authority to comment on my parenting style when they are not experiencing the demands of being a parent themselves. Being a parent is one of the toughest jobs out there, so it’s no wonder why I prioritize this over blogging.

Let It Go~!

As I look back on the month of February, I am reminded that sometimes the answers that we receive in life, even though they may not be what we were hoping for, is usually the right answer. It can be excruciatingly difficult to come to terms with the fact that sometimes the answer we need is not necessarily the one that we would like to accept. I have yet to receive the closure that I was seeking, but I am slowly learning how to move on and accept these things for what they are. Letting go of things, whether it be a lingering grudge or feeling wronged by someone else, can certainly be a painful experience. Nevertheless, it is something that we must do in order to keep growing. These days, I have to keep reminding myself to “let it go!”

♡ Related Article: The Gift I Never Gave

FEBRUARY GOALS 2023

Career Goals:

  • Continue to pick up day and evening shifts I was able to secure two evening shifts earlier this month, and the other ones were the same. As I’m not fond of day shifts, I’ll stick with evenings for the foreseeable future.
  • Catch up on emails I am up to date on the important emails. Anything that wasn’t pinned to the top of my email list got neglected. I only check my emails once a day whereas I used to check it multiple times a day.
  • Bid of shifts as they become available Yes, I decided to bid for two consecutive days as previously mentioned.
  • Work on the MLL courses. # of completed modules: ?? I didn’t count the modules because I don’t care enough to count them. But I did complete a handful of them. I still have a handful left, which I want to complete before the in-class course starts in mid-March.

Personal Goals:

  • Publish 1-2 blog posts per month In February, I published two blog posts that weren’t the monthly goals and recaps. I also rewrote the poem, Friends No More and had fun answering the 20 Valentine’s Day Questions Tag ♥️
  • Publish 1-2 articles on Medium + share articles on blog Last month, to my surprise, I managed to successfully publish two articles on Medium. This took me by surprise since I didn’t think I would end up with any published articles at all. If you’re interested, you can take a look at my work here and here. I have yet to post these articles on the blog but have plans to do so at some point.
  • Keep tabs on doctor’s appointments/pending appointments This seems to be an ongoing cycle that never ends, and even though I initially planned to share the details of my new Posh Planner for 2023, I haven’t been able to get around to using it yet. And despite making use of my basic $4 Dollarama planner, I have been quite forgetful lately.
  • Daily Duolingo practice 🇩🇪 If you are a Duolingo user and haven’t added me yet, then I strongly encourage you to do so. I always accept someone who sends me a friend request as it’s great for doing the challenges with friends. I don’t have enough time to grind for XP, so I have been stuck in the Obsidian League for 3 weeks now.

Health Goals:

  • Treadmill on my days off + Accountability If this is your first time reading my blog, then I strongly suggest that you follow me on #Twitter! Not only do I post updates and photos to keep myself accountable, but it is also an amazing platform to connect with others who are striving for similar goals. I recently started taking virtual tours around the world while working out, and it has been an incredibly fun and unique experience so far. It is a great way to stay motivated while exercising as I am able to explore beautiful places all over the world without leaving my home. The visuals of these virtual tours are awesome, thanks to an amazing YouTube channel called @TreadmillTV (and others).
  • Limit drinks to water, tea, and coffee Overall, I am quite pleased with my success in achieving this goal of limiting my beverage purchases. During the month of February, I mostly drank water, orange pekoe tea, and coffee. I even managed to limit my trips to Tim Hortons; I only had steeped tea a total of three times this month. Also, I did indulge in some bubble tea with my daughter out of our shared love for it – a total of two times this month.
  • Track steps on Pikmin Bloom app The nice thing about this app is that it syncs with the step-counter on my iPhone. Carrying my phone with me all day isn’t ideal, but this app helps me stay on track. I set myself the goal of 10K steps per day, and it’s done wonders for my health and fitness! Not only has it helped me lose weight, but I’ve seen an improvement in my overall wellbeing too.
  • Healthy/clean eating 80% of the time Although I’m quite conscious of my diet, I still indulge in unhealthy snacks. To make sure my lifestyle is balanced, I opted to stop buying fast food, which I did for the majority of February. It is important to note that I have a tendency to engage in disordered eating habits, which I don’t want to do, so I don’t intentionally practice intermittent fasting. Over the years, I have gotten better, but I still slip up occasionally.

(っ◔◡◔)っ Key Takeaway: If you’re not already following me on Twitter (@serene_hilz), I’m tracking my fitness progress, and you can get real-time updates about my day-to-day life there.

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And there you have it! As you can see, my February Goals mostly stayed the same. I plan to upload a Monthly Goals Blog Post for March if I am able to find the time to do so. I will try to find time to post this week but there is no guarantee that I will be able to keep up with my writing schedule. After all, I also write for Medium (@sereneluna) and I am thinking about sharing those articles here 👀 It’s getting to the point where it’s hard to maintain a blog AND a Medium account. Now is a great time to follow me on Medium so you don’t miss any of my latest posts! I’m really happy to announce that I have now reached 1.3K followers on Medium and 1.4K followers on WordPress!

Thanks for stopping by! ♥