Family Fun
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was a whirlwind of activity. The girls now only have three more weeks of school. I am looking forward to spending some extra time with them this summer. We are getting closer to finalizing our summer plans. It will be fun to catch up with family and friends over the summer break. I had great intentions last week, but somehow little things took priority over some of the items on my list. Part of the problem is that we haven’t had a full weekend at home to get stuff done in several weeks. I love this time of year with all the celebrations and fun activities, but it does effect productivity. Hoping that I will get some of these ones tackled soon before our upcoming 3 day Memorial Holiday Weekend! Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Finish reading Boxcar Children’s Blue Bay Mystery (Boxcar Children Series #6) by Gertrude Chandler Warner to the kids – were getting closer to the end, we had a bunch of library books we were trying to finish reading first
Plan one special activity with the family– we went to Hollywild (more on that later this week)Play a Game with the KidsPrepare for Upcoming Spring EventsSpend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with HomeworkAttend After School ActivitiesLunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforePrep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)- Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break – getting closer to getting the details worked out
- Ride Bikes with the Kids – we didn’t get this done with everything going on
Work on special projects with the kidsAttend Cousins Baby ShowerKids glasses fixed– finally fixed after 4 trips to the eye doctorKids orthodontist appointment
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each dayContinue my YouVersion plan(s)– I am doing it every day, but for some reason it won’t update it anymore- Keep up with my FitBit Goals – I was a little short this week, hoping to do better this week!
Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this weekUpdate Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week- Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic) – have a little more to do
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Laundry Room) – I got started….
- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Deck Cleaned & Prepped) – hoping to get this completed this weekend
- Pet Care (Focus – Mix Extra Vitamins in Goat Food) – some are done, but need Jake’s help on the other vitamin
Repairs – (Focus – Pick Up Replacement Lightbulbs)– few have been replaced, but need to pick up a few more
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsRespond to Inquiry – Business Relation EmailsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention- Work completed for clients – I have 2 more projects to wrap up this week
Prep, plan, and organize content for upcoming summer months while the kids are out of school
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car – working on it
- Payoff Medical Bills – working on it
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, HVAC unit, and other debt) – working on it
Pay Bills & File PaperworkGo grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Boxcar Children’s Blue Bay Mystery (Boxcar Children Series #6) by Gertrude Chandler Warner to the kids
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Prepare for Upcoming Spring Events
- Spend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with Homework
- Attend After School Activities
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
- Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
- Ride Bikes with the Kids
- Work on special projects with the kids
- Attend Science Fair Project Presentations
- Annual Pest / Termite Inspection Completed
- Kids orthodontist appointment
- STEM Club Meeting
- Spend extra time with the Family over the Memorial Holiday Weekend
- Finish sending out the remaining Graduation Cards
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Keep up with my FitBit Goals
- Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
- Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Laundry Room)
- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Deck Cleaned & Prepped)
- Pet Care (Focus – Mix Extra Vitamins in Goat Food)
- Repairs – (Focus – Take Slide Off Jungle Gym)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
- Prep, plan, and organize content for upcoming summer months while the kids are out of school
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car
- Payoff Medical Bills
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, HVAC unit, and other debt)
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
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.
Flashback Friday: Playing Around the House
Karlie talking to Daddy!
This Flashback Friday took place about 10 years ago. The girls loved having fun around the house (well at least we did). It was nice when we had time to relax as a family. Jake is always great with the kids. The girls were still little, but were starting to move around more on their own.
Hanging out on Tigger!
Karlie is unsure about this Tigger animal.
Karlie on the move while Brina rests peacefully on the floor.
Organized Chaos: Yard Clean Up & Bonfire
Family yard clean up day
I typically focus my “Organized Chaos” posts on items that have been done inside the house. Sometimes being organized means going outside and getting stuff done too. We don’t always keep up with everything going on both inside and outside the house, but it feels good when we have a chance to pull together and have a productive day.
Recently we had a family yard clean up day. The girls and I spent the some time in the morning picking up fallen sticks from all the trees around our property while Jake changed the oil in our vehicles. After he was done with the cars Jake mowed the yard. We had a bonfire and got rid of a bunch of the sticks. The yard looks better, at least until the grass grows with all the rain we’ve been getting. The girls always enjoy cleaning up the yard and especially getting a chance to have a bonfire.
Burning some dead tree branches we picked up in the yard.
The girls were pretty good about helping feed the fire with dry sticks.
Travel & Vacation: Federal Reserve Bank, Atlanta Monetary Museum, & Zachary Coffin’s Rock Spinner (Atlanta, GA)
On the steps of Atlanta’s Federal Reserve bank & Monetary Museum (white building on the right side of the picture)
We had a lot of fun exploring Atlanta’s Federal Reserve Bank and Monetary Museum on one of our recent trips to Atlanta, Georgia. The kids didn’t believe us at first when we told them that we were going to a bank to learn about money. Although the more we talked about it the more interested they became.
In order to go into Atlanta’s Federal Reserve Bank and Monetary Museum all adults must present a valid ID such as a driver’s license or passport. You cannot carry any electronics, phones, cameras, purses, or other devices into the museum. They do have lockers next to the restrooms to put your items into if you need them. We just put my id in Jake’s wallet and that is the only thing we brought into the museum so he could carry everything we needed. The admission and self guided tour is completely free. The only thing we had to pay for was parking since it is near downtown Atlanta and there was not any free parking available at the time (it was just a couple of dollars for parking so it wasn’t too bad).
It would have been really neat to be able to get some pictures of the museum and some of the items we saw while there, but no photography is allowed. The employees were really nice and helpful. The kids learned some cool history about money.
Probably the kids favorite part was the robots toting the containers of money back and forth between the various rooms. It was fascinating to watch them carry the bins full or partially filled with money from one place to another. In some of the bins there may have been a million dollar or more in cash! Did you know that they shred about 10 million dollars of cash every day? These are bills that have been crumpled, destroyed, or otherwise deemed as unusable. You could see people physically counting the bundles of money as they came in as well which was interesting to watch.
The kids had a little “quiz” or worksheet they filled out as we explored. It was a neat learning activity and the kids loved it. At the end we picked up a bag of shredded money to take home (which the kids thought was awesome)!
We did get some pictures on the outside of the Federal Reserve Bank though to help us remember our adventure that windy day in Atlanta. You can locate the Atlanta’s Federal Reserve Bank and Monetary Museum at 1000 Peachtree Street, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30309. If you are already at the Federal Reserve Bank you should check out the rock spinner is directly across the street from the Federal Reserve Bank.
Across the street from the Federal Reserve Bank was the Zachary Coffin’s Rock Spinner (pictures below) which fascinated the kids as well. As we were waiting for the stoplight to turn so we could walk across the street I happened to read the description on the rock spinner and mentioned for the kids to come over to see if they could move the huge boulder. They of course thought it was so cool they could spin such a massive rock!
Large Federal Reserve Building in Atlanta
Where’s Waldo…I mean Karlie, Brina, and I outside the building? If you look for the specks in front of the statue that looks like spots of “Red, White, and Blue” that’s us!
Our family visiting the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta
Zachary Coffin’s Rock Spinner! Once the girls starting spinning the rock other kids stopped to try it out too!
Zachary Coffin’s Rock Spinner – is a kinetic sculpture that helps you understand about the transformation of one’s relationship to mass. This particular boulder weighs 22,000 pounds and would normally be considered immovable, however, with a little art and engineering this huge boulder becomes something fun to move and play with (both for kids and adults). There is a plague next to it saying “Take it for a spin!” YES, you can spin it, stop it from moving, and switch directions, but no climbing is allowed on the boulder (for obvious reasons).
Making is move…
Brina and Karlie trying to see how fast they can get it to move
Who knew that a spinning boulder could provide so much entertainment!? If you are already in the area it is something neat to check out – Zachary Coffin’s Rock Spinner The kids thought it was neat!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Mother’s Day Celebration
Huge Mother’s Day chalk message on the driveway from Karlie!
I am blessed. Yesterday I was reminded again of how much God has given me. A family that loves me despite all my imperfections. Jake and the girls showered me with love on Mother’s Day. Even though Jake was on call this Mother’s Day weekend and was a little busier than normal, he made time to celebrate. It was a great day with the family.
They made me breakfast in bed. We went to church. Jake and the girls made an amazing lunch. That afternoon we relaxed, read books together, opened gifts, played games, and had fun. Thankful for my family and a chance to spend the day together. Their thoughtfulness made me feel loved and appreciated.
Breakfast in bed – cheesy scrambled eggs, ham, and sauteed mushrooms! Delicious!
Fresh flowers from the girls (they got them from Children’s Church)
Putting together the pinwheel steaks!
They choose what ingredients to stuff the steak with for lunch
Pinwheel steaks ready to go into the oven!
Stuffed with tomatoes, swiss cheese, goat cheese, bacon, ham, spinach, mushrooms, sunflowers, cranberries, and more goodies!
My steak was AMAZING!
Huge stuffed portobello mushroom! Stuffed with spinach, hummus, and topped with toasted granola – so tasty!
Mother’s Day cards from Jake and the girls. Karlie’s was the kitten and Brina’s the puppy.
Brina picked out a beautiful pink rose bush for me!
Karlie picked out a gorgeous red rose bush for me!
Adorable handmade flowers from my girls! Brina made the bright yellow one and Karlie made the blue and red one!
A place to sit and talk with Jake or read with the kids. Very comfy!
Sweet note from Brina. The top says “I am thankful to have a Mom like you because you are nice to me and play with me.” The bottom has a cute little poem!
Colorful Mother’s Day Butterfly from Brina
Cute card from Brina
Mother’s Day note from Brina wanting to know if I can play or cook with her! Love my girls!
Vibrant Mother’s Day drawing from Karlie
Sweet poem and note from Karlie on the back of her drawing.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
But no one a flower,
Just like you!
Happy Mother’s Day! Hope you are having a nice and relaxing day. Do you like the card and rose? The rose is a rare blue rose that only grows on Neptune! May you please read to me on the deck?
Thankful for my family! I treasure these times we have together. I am blessed.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
We made it through last week. Jake had some work travel. We had people coming and doing to get the new HVAC unit installed. My week was altered and adjusted as needed so I could be home whenever they needed to get access to the house to do their work. Thankfully we were able to get the HVAC completely installed by Saturday and it appears to be working well. It will be nice to have cool air once the heat hits. This week is a little closer to normal, however, I have a lot of appointments due to last week being a little more flexible. The girls will still be busy with homework and some more State testing, but I am hoping that it will not be as intense this week. If all goes well I hope to get a lot accomplished this week. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Finish reading Boxcar Children’s Blue Bay Mystery (Boxcar Children Series #6) by Gertrude Chandler Warner to the kids – working on it, we got some done this past weekend
Plan one special activity with the familyPlay a Game with the Kids– played a couple games with the kids Destination USA, Life, and morePrepare for Upcoming Spring EventsSpend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with HomeworkAttend After School ActivitiesLunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforePrep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)- Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break – getting closer to having the schedule figured out
- Ride Bikes with the Kids – didn’t get to this one
Work on special projects with the kidsMail Mother’s Day CardsCelebrate Mother’s Day with Family
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each day- Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – my app is acting up, hoping to get the kinks worked out this week
- Keep up with my FitBit Goals – I had some great days, but was still a little off by the end of the week
Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this weekUpdate Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – it took more than one day with all the activity going on
Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week- Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic) – the attic was a busy place with HVAC people coming and going so tried to stay out of their way this week
Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip)- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Re-Stain the Deck – weather permitting) – didn’t re-stain deck, but got several other items done
Pet Care (Focus – Pick up Dog and Goat Food)– we also took Skipper to get her annual shotsRepairs – (Focus – Replace our HVAC Unit – it died a few weeks ago the joys of owning an older home)
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – a couple more to get completed
Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention- Work completed for clients – have 2 more projects to tackle this week
Prep, plan, and organize content for upcoming summer months with kids out of school– making some good progress, hoping to tackle a lot more this week
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car – working on it
- Payoff Medical Bills – working on it – paid a couple off
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, HVAC unit, and other debt) – working on it
Pay Bills & File PaperworkGo grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Boxcar Children’s Blue Bay Mystery (Boxcar Children Series #6) by Gertrude Chandler Warner to the kids
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Prepare for Upcoming Spring Events
- Spend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with Homework
- Attend After School Activities
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
- Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
- Ride Bikes with the Kids
- Work on special projects with the kids
- Attend Cousins Baby Shower
- Kids glasses fixed
- Kids orthodontist appointment
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Keep up with my FitBit Goals
- Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
- Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Laundry Room)
- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Deck Cleaned & Prepped)
- Pet Care (Focus – Mix Extra Vitamins in Goat Food)
- Repairs – (Focus – Pick Up Replacement Lightbulbs)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
- Prep, plan, and organize content for upcoming summer months while the kids are out of school
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car
- Payoff Medical Bills
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, HVAC unit, and other debt)
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
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.
My Sweet Girls – Brina and Karlie
I have the privilege of being a Mom to these girls!
I love being a Mom. It is the most rewarding, yet most challenging part of my life. I am thankful for the many blessings in my life and that my prayers to be a Mom were answered over 10 years ago.
The girls bring me a lot of joy yet they know how to best push my buttons at the same time. Being a Mom is a huge responsibility. I want my kids to grow up to love the Lord. I pray that God gives Jake and I the wisdom to raise these girls.
While they keep me on my toes the kids also know how stretch me and make me laugh. Thankful for the amazing girls who call me Mom. What a blessing it is to be their Mom!
I am thankful for my Mom, Mother-in-Law, Grandma’s, and the many women in my life who have shared their love, prayers, and words of wisdom with me. Wishing all of you a very Happy Mother’s Day weekend!!!
Our girls!
Flashback Friday: Sleepy Babies
Karlie giving Brina a kiss as they are sleeping.
The Flashback Friday goes back to when the girls were almost 3 months old. It was so cute seeing the kids snuggled up together in their cribs when we went in to check on the at night or first thing in the morning. They could sleep almost anywhere. Thankful for these two sweet kids.
Karlie sound asleep in her carseat. So comfortable.
Sleeping babies – Brina and Karlie!
Not sure how they sleep so well all piled up. (Brina on the left, Karlie on the right)
Karlie asleep in her swing under a pile of toys.
Travel & Vacation: Cute Panda Bears and Wildlife Show at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
Panda Bear content to relax and eat bamboo
The panda bears were one of the girls favorite animals to visit at the Atlanta Zoo. I think the big fascination was watching the twin panda cubs. It was a little harder to get a picture of both of them at the same time, but the kids loved watching them eat and play. The Wildlife Show on birds was pretty neat too. Of course the girls went up after the show to ask more questions about the birds. The zoo worker was really great with the kids and patient in answering all the questions. On the way out the girls wanted a picture with the gorilla. It was a great day at the zoo.
You can read more about our adventure at the Atlanta Zoo on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA), Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA), and Travel & Vacation: Orangutan Easter Egg Hunt at Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog posts.
Looking pretty cute!
Look out, showing some teeth this time. Watch out! They may look cute and adorable, but I think it would not be a good idea to pet them with teeth that size.
Someone found an Easter pinata
Loving the bamboo
Peeling the bamboo stick apart, eating some pieces, and putting the other pieces on his belly for later.
Crunchy, but delicious
Good stuff
Panada’s look so cute
Checking things out around the pen
Heading towards some more goodies
Twin panda’s in their cage. One sleeping on the log and the other one eating some bamboo
Relaxing and chewing on some bamboo
Bird Show in the Wildlife Theater at the Atlanta Zoo
Getting all their questions answered
Brina giving Willie B a hug
Karlie and Brina enjoyed the Atlanta Zoo
Karlie all smiles
Travel & Vacation: Orangutan Easter Egg Hunt at Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
He’s eying that cool looking pinata egg with sweet Easter treats inside it!
Another one of the neat events at the Atlanta Zoo was the Easter treats for the animals. We were able to get front row viewing at the Orangutan Easter egg hunt. It was super cute. There was a Mommy with a little one which the girls thought was adorable.
The Easter Eggs were made of jello and placed throughout the pen, pinata eggs full of special treats, leaf baskets with goodies, and cardboard cutouts with peanut like substance on the back for the orangutans to enjoy. They had a lot of fun finding and snacking on their treats. Even the baby found some. They had paper garland hanging up which the orangutans enjoyed moving and playing with as well.
You can read more about our adventure at the Atlanta Zoo on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) and Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog posts.
An edible Easter egg in the tree and one on the rock in the background….waiting to be found!
Swinging out to get the Easter garland
Oh yeah, this eggs mine!
Climbed up on top of the platform for this pinata treat
Enjoying the goodies inside the pinata Easter egg
Holding the cardboard cutout of the bunny rabbit and licking the treat off the back of it
Hanging out near the hammock picking up and eating eggs, delicious!
Look closely, he’s got a green jello egg in his mouth
Momma and baby
Sitting in the shade – Mom and Baby (the baby is not really little, but obviously still under its Mother’s care)
Mom and baby kisses
Licking the goodness off the back of the cardboard Easter egg decoration
Mom and baby looking for some more treats
The baby wasn’t too sure about everything at first so it stuck near its Mom at the beginning of the Easter Egg Hunt
The baby is getting brave. He is climbing the pole to get the Easter basket, with a little Chick, and goodies.
Made it, now to grab it and head back down.
The Mom watched the baby climb, get the treats, and bring them back down. Then she took the items from the baby and ate them herself, ha! The baby did get some treats, but Momma Orangutan got the first dibs!
Rearranging the Easter Garland in their pen.
