Holidays

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    It was wonderful starting last week off with a Holiday!  We were able to get some extra items done around the house and spend some time together as a family.  Having the holiday on a Monday did through off our week a little bit, but we adjusted just fine!  We had a spontaneous dinner and gathering midweek with extended family which was a lot of fun too!  The girls had fun at bike camp while Jake and I tackled projects at work.  We’ve been busy working through a lot of items and project around the house as well.    Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein to the kids. – finished reading it, the girls loved it!
    2. Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
    3. Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
    4. Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
    5. Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
    6. Plan one special activity with the family
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8.  Attend After Work Activities
    9. Lunch Boxes packed the night before work & other planned activities
    10. Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
    11. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
    12. Work on family projects together
    13. Daily 15 minute “Speed Clean” for entire family to keep the daily clutter under control

    Kid Goals

    1. Have kids do work in their Summer Workbook(s)
    2. Encourage Kids to read independently at least 30 minutes a day
    3. Have kids work on our approved educational websites to encourage growth (at least 2 hours for the week)
    4. Have kids work for at least 1 hour on this week on improving their typing skills
    5. Each kid finish creating at least 2 blogs posts for their Fun with Sis blog
    6. Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grown their skills
    7. At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    3. Do yoga at least 5 times a week – not so great on this one, got out of my regular routine
    4. Go to my Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
    6. Tackle some lingering projects on my “to do” list
    7. Read over the kids blog posts

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – it took more than 1 day with everything going on this week
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus – Clean Living Room)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – Label & Hang Up Kids Necklaces)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Pick up Sticks found in the yard from the past couple of storms)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Work of the Goat & Dog Fences)
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Check on Water Heater Recall Notice we received) – haven’t been able to do this one yet

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients – need to wrap up one more
    5. Notes typed for work – need to update with new information
    6. Meeting regarding work goals and upcoming tasks completed – update and review
    7. Folders Labeled for work – working on it
    8. Training on new projects – making progress
    9. Desk drawers organized – getting it there
    10. Do at least 5 blog posts this week
    11. Catch up on Hootesuite
    12. Upload pictures from last few weeks and update – have more of them completed

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. One-on-one quality time with Jake (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
    3. One-on-one quality time with Brina (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
    4. One-on-one quality time with Karlie (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)

    Financial Goals

    1. Schedule a meeting with the Financial Advisor – narrowing down the schedules
    2. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – working on it
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time this week and stay within budget – went more than once with the impromptu family dinner with 17 people on Thursday night! 🙂
    5. Sell, giveaway, donate, or through away items no longer use – making good progress, but still have a ways to go
    6. Take items to the recycling distributor
    7. Make meals with items from pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to use up what we have and eliminate any extra spending

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading The Forgotten Filly by Karle Dickerson to the kids.
    2. Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
    3. Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
    4. Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
    5. Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
    6. Plan one special activity with the family
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8.  Attend After Work Activities
    9. Lunch Boxes packed the night before work & other planned activities
    10. Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
    11. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
    12. Work on family projects together
    13. Daily 15 minute “Speed Clean” for entire family to keep the daily clutter under control

    Kid Goals

    1. Have kids do work in their Summer Workbook(s)
    2. Encourage Kids to read independently at least 30 minutes a day
    3. Have kids work on our approved educational websites to encourage growth (at least 2 hours for the week)
    4. Have kids work for at least 1 hour on this week on improving their typing skills
    5. Each kid finish creating at least 2 blogs posts for their Fun with Sis blog
    6. Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grown their skills
    7. At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    3. Do yoga at least 5 times a week
    4. Go to my Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
    6. Tackle some lingering projects on my “to do” list
    7. Read over the kids blog posts

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus – Family Room)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – Laundry Room)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Blow off deck, sidewalk, & driveway)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Refill Goat & Dog Food)
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Check on Water Heater Recall Notice we received)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients
    5. Notes typed for work
    6. Meeting regarding work goals and upcoming tasks completed
    7. Folders Labeled for work
    8. Training on new projects
    9. Desk drawers organized
    10. Do at least 5 blog posts this week
    11. Catch up on Hootesuite
    12. Upload pictures from last few weeks and update

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. One-on-one quality time with Jake (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
    3. One-on-one quality time with Brina (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
    4. One-on-one quality time with Karlie (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)

    Financial Goals

    1. Schedule a meeting with the Financial Advisor
    2. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time this week and stay within budget
    5. Sell, giveaway, donate, or through away items no longer use
    6. Take items to the recycling distributor
    7. Make meals with items from pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to use up what we have and eliminate any extra spending

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results

  • Mother’s Day Celebration!

    Happy Mother's Day! Family Picture!My family

    Thankful for an opportunity to be a Mom! Being a Mom is an amazing honor and privilege that quite frankly scares me some days.  It’s good to know that the call of Motherhood is not a place for us to be alone, but a place where we get the opportunity to live life alongside other Mothers and sisters who can pray, encourage, and support each other throughout this incredible journey.

    I am thankful for my Mother and the many Mothers and sisters in my life that continue to make an impact on my heart.  We live in a broken world full of broken people therefore it is impossible to be perfect and being a Mom tends to make that oh so clear.  It is essential and refreshing to have people who are willing to speak truth and love into your life on a regular basis.  I am grateful for each and every one of these ladies in my life.

    Mother's Day - Breakfast in Bed

     Breakfast in bed – fresh cherries, fresh pineapple, yogurt, and an omelet (ham, cheese, mushroom, spinach, and tomatoes)!  Delicious!

    Jake and the girls made my Mother’s Day extra special.  I received breakfast in bed, hugs, and well wishes.  After breakfast we went to church together and heard a powerful message that hit home in my heart.  When we got home Jake and the girls (okay, mostly Jake) made an amazing lunch followed by a relaxing evening.  The girls gave me sweet cards, beautiful flowers, a blueberry bush, a swing cushion, and other goodies.

    It is not always easy being a Mom, however, there are more good days and great memories than I can count.  Some days are a little tough and I get frustrated with myself for not being able to do better, but I never regret becoming a Mom.  Motherhood is one of life’s greatest gifts and callings.  It is an honor and a little scary at times raising kids.

    Although life gets a little crazy at times I wouldn’t change it for anything.  It has been a wonderful gift seeing these two little blessings grow up.  They continue to amaze me and it is awesome seeing them use their talents.

    Happy Mother's Day

    One of the several beautiful and Sweet Mother’s Day signs.  This one is from Karlie and I discovered it sitting on my desk!  Love my girls!