A Recap of Last Week’s Accomplishments

1.) Eat 6 fruits and vegetables a day. Yes.

2.) Write in my journal 3 times this week. Yes

3.) Do 3 sessions of yoga or Tai Chi. No. I only did this once.

4.) Climb 10 flights of stairs on the stair stepper 3x this week. Sadly, no. I climbed 10 flights twice, but after physical therapy, both my knee and my hips were bothering me, so I couldn’t do the last one.

5.) Do 4 sessions of yoga or Tai Chi. No. I did one.

A Recap of The First Five Months’ Accomplishments

We’re almost at the halfway mark for my goals! Here’s where things stand:

1.) Go to the gym regularly (4 to 5x a week) and increase all the weights I’m currently lifting over the next 12 months (Goal=200 times this year).  I went to the gym 12 times in February, only 2 times in January (it was a crazy month!), 8 times in December, 11 times in November, and 16 times in October, so 49 times so far. (24.5% complete)

2.) Master the stair master and climb 100 flights of stairs. This has been on pause the last two months due to my knee. I started the year at 6 flights of stairs, and I’ve worked my way up to 20 flights. (20% complete)

3.) Eat 6 to 10 fruits and vegetables a day. This is hit or miss. I definitely have to focus on this more.

4.) Honor my body and all it does for me by learning and practicing intuitive eating. Definitely still working on this one.

5.) Walk 1 to 2 miles most days (Goal=200 miles this year), I might need to modify this goal as I’ve been spending more time on the StairMaster rather than walking. I walked 4 miles in February, 5 miles in November, and 20 miles in October. (14.5% complete)

6.)Do yoga or Tai Chi regularly (Goal=150 times this year) I did Tai Chi 1 time in February, 2 times in January, 5 times in December, and yoga 3 times in November for a total of 11 times (7.3% complete). For right now, for whatever reason, yoga just isn’t my thing, so I have changed this goal to add in Tai Chi as an alternative. I’ll have more success with that.

7.) Read 5 books about health/wellness. I am almost done with the first one, Glucose Revolution.

8.) Study Japanese, or read a book, or do some combination of both for 45 to 60 minutes a day. Japanese study didn’t happen at all, but I did finish these books in the last five months:

When the World Fell Silent (review coming soon)
Heartwood,
The Man Who Fell from the Sky
The Housemaid,
The Runaway Sisters,
Yellow Crocus, (review coming soon)
I Can Fix This, (review coming soon)
Nobody’s Girl, (review coming soon)
Mustard Seed, (review coming soon)
Beyond Seven Forests, (review coming soon)
The Shining, (review coming soon)
What the Silent Say, (review coming soon)
The Personal Librarian,
The Second Life of Mirielle West,

My Goals for Week 23: February 2, 2026

Time to step up my pace this week:

1.) Investigate signing up for a Tai Chi class near our house. 

2.) Eat 6 fruits and veggies a day.

3.) Walk for 10 minutes every day after lunch.

4.) Create a list of things I want to do when I become an empty nester.

5.) Go to the gym 5x this week. (That’s the minimum I need to go weekly to reach my yearly goal!)

6.) Do Tai Chi or yoga 5x this week. (That’s the minimum I need to go weekly to reach my yearly goal!)

7.) Walk 6 miles this week.  (That’s the minimum I need to go weekly to reach my yearly goal!)

The post My Goals for My Goals for Week 23 (February 2 2026) and a Recap of The Last Week’s Goals & First Five Months’ Accomplishments appeared first on Mom's Plans.

About The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

The first part of the book intrigued me. Here was a woman, Belle de Costa Green, who was black, but she could pass as white if she lied and said her grandmother was from Portugal. Not only was she passing as white, but her entire family was, minus her father, who left the family years ago.

Belle obtains a job as the librarian for the Pierpont Morgan Library and goes on to provide financial support to her mother and siblings for most of her life. Not only does she have the heavy secret of protecting her identity, but she bears the burden of being financially responsible for her large family.

In her new job, Belle hobnobs with the rich and famous, and her boss, J.P. Morgan, gives her free rein to buy what she must at any price. Green does this all as a black woman passing as white during a tumultuous time in history.

My Thoughts on the Book

I loved the book at first, but then it delved too far into her romantic life, which I didn’t care about and was annoyed by most of the time. I felt there was so much to explore with Belle and her lifestyle and career, but instead, the reader is left learning about the weird relationship habits of the rich and famous, which Belle easily falls into. While I felt sympathy for her at first–after all, she didn’t feel she could have a legitimate relationship and marriage because that might result in a child who could betray her identity–when she kept making the same stupid mistake over and over and over again, I wanted to bang my head against the wall.

Honestly, the last half to one-third of this book was a slug for me, and I was glad when the book was finished. While the story was based on a real woman and real people she dealt with, I had no desire to learn more about any of them, unlike how I usually feel when I finish a book based on real events. I’ll leave Belle de Costa Green in the past, happily.

I give The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray 3 out of 5 stars on the Mom’s Plans’ scale.

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My Goals for Week 22: February 23, 2026

I’m taking it slow and focusing on the things that matter most to me to get back into the swing of things:

1.) Do 3 sessions of yoga or Tai Chi.

2.) Write in my journal 3 times this week.

3.) Climb 10 flights of stairs on the stair stepper 3x this week. (My knee is finally improved enough that I should be able to do this.)

4.) Walk 4 miles this week.

5.) Eat 6 fruits and vegetables a day (I’ve been lacking on this one, and I’ve really felt it!)

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Saturday

Breakfast–Potato, Bell Pepper, Egg, Cheese Scramble, toast, fruit
Lunch–leftovers
Dinner—Sesame Chicken & Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner

Sunday

Breakfast–bagels with peanut butter, fruit, eggs
Lunch—Easy Salmon Rice Bowls (we all loved this!)
Dinner–Thanksgiving in February (we had an extra turkey we’re cooking up along with Thanksgiving sides)

Monday

Breakfast–pumpkin pancakes, eggs
Lunch–I can’t remember!
Dinner–homemade sourdough pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms

Tuesday

Breakfast–omelettes with proscuitto and cheese
Lunch–Chicken patty sandwich, chips, cucumbers
Dinner—Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, Rotel Spanish Rice, refried beans

Wednesday

Breakfast–peanut butter oatmeal, banana
Lunch–leftover pizza, cucumber slices
Dinner—Turkey Tetrazzini,

Thursday

Breakfast–avocado toast, fruit
Lunch–ravioli, broccoli
Dinner–chicken sandwiches, French Fries, cauliflower

Friday

Breakfast–ham and cheese omelet, toast, fruit
Lunch–fajitas, leftover refried beans, cucumber slices
Dinner–leftover Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

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