Goals

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Our family was able to spend some time with extended family over the last couple weeks.  It was nice catching up with many people and creating new memories.  Now that we are back home everyone is trying to get back on the regular schedule.  Before long the kids will be back in school so we want to make sure we are prepared for that as well as enjoy our last few weeks of summer break together. I am hoping to get caught up on a few goals this week.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
    4. Spend time with extended family – spent time in both Kansas and Colorado over the last 3 weeks

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time catching up and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. Check in with the person coming by and check on the house / pets while we are away

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – working on it
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily on hold until we get a new vehicle

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
    4. Spend time with extended family

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Pick out my next book to read

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pack for upcoming trip
    5. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    We were blessed with the opportunity to spend a long weekend away with the St Clair side of the family.  All my extended family was able to make it out this year and it had been awhile since all of us were together for a weekend.  It was great catching up with everyone.  Thankful for the amazing blessing of having a family that gets together to relax and enjoy each others company.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Attend Family Reunion
    2. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion – have a plan that I need to execute once we get settled back in at home from our travels
    5. Spend time with extended family
    6. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. Put mail on hold for when we are away
    2. Line up someone to come by and check on the house / pets while we are away

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – currently looking at cars and praying the perfect one comes along
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily on hold

     

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
    4. Spend time with extended family

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. Check in with the person coming by and check on the house / pets while we are away

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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.

  • FREE RedLaser Smart Shopper App

    I am super excited to share with you the RedLaser Smart Shopper App!  I love it when I find a phone app that is free, useful, and will help me save time as well as money when I am shopping!  This application can be used on an iPhone, Android or Windows phones.  RedLaser allows you to easily scan or search for item information, details, ratings, and price comparisons so you know you are getting the most “bang for your buck”!

    This application has come in handy several time while traveling with the family over the summer break and as we start to prepare for another school year.  The app is free but you could save a lot in just one week while using it.  Plus you can check to see if the item you want is in stock at your local store prior to even leaving the house (therefore saving you once again gas and time)!  If you use up the last of the shampoo and want to make sure to pick some up while your out you can scan the shampoo, find the best price for it, and where to pick it up same goes for grocery items and any other household products you use regularly.  You can easily create and share shopping lists using this application.  When you pull up a product you can even see the ratings and reviews before you even purchase it.

    Some Features of RedLaser:

    • Scan and search for products using the bar code scanner.
    • Compare prices online and at local retailers, so you’ll know you’re getting the best deal.
    • Find out which stores stock what you’re looking for by searching
      for a product locally. No need to drive around town searching for what you need!
    • Browse product reviews and ratings.
    • Buy directly from your phone using PayPal mobile express checkout and you can pick up your item in a nearby store.
    • Create shopping lists (or wish lists!) and easily share them with friends and family via email, SMS, Twitter and Facebook.
    • Scan a food item to get allergen and ingredient information.

    You can get more information about RedLaser and how it can help save you money at the following locations:

    Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks and RedLaser.  The opinions expressed in this post are my own.   A special thanks to SheSpeaks and RedLaser for providing the information to review this awesome phone app!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    I was able to tackle a good bit of items on my list last week.  Although this week is a little busier with activities outside of the house I still want to get a lot accomplished!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
    2. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Get to the 1/2 Goal Mark (1000 Hours) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading Hours)
    5. Go to the library with the kids
    6. Celebrate July 4th with the Family
    7. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get – narrowing it down

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – at least 5 days this week – got in a couple

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated schedule to our Community Group – didn’t get this done

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – still saving for it
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold until we get the car

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
    2. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Get to the 3/4 Goal Mark (1500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    5. Go to the library with the kids
    6. Take the girls to Horse Camp
    7. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – at least 5 days this week

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pack for upcoming family reunion
    5. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
    4. Put in extra hours with clients while girls are at camp

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Prepare for the next Alms & Legs meeting

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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

  • Giveaway: “More Than Enough” by Dave Ramsey

     

    I am thrilled to announce a new giveaway on Blessings Multiplied!   The winner of this giveaway will receive the More Than Enough book by Dave Ramsey!  I have read and listened to several of Dave Ramsey’s books including this one in the giveaway.  This book discusses topics such as discipline, goal setting, accountability, patience, and generosity (both with your time and resources).  To read more about what this book is about check out my earlier post on it.   Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

    1. Sign up to follow my blog (if you haven’t done so already) and leave a comment below telling us how you follow Blessings Multiplied.  Sign up to receive Blessings Multiplied via email or like on Facebook.
    2. You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing your best tip money saving tip.

    All comments must be made by July 31st at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.

  • Book: “More Than Enough” by Dave Ramsey

    On a recent trip I read the book More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey. I have read a couple other of Dave’s books and have enjoyed them.  This book is geared more towards self improvement and motivation.  Dave emphasizes the importance of being content and living an ethical life.  While this book does discuss money it’s primary focus is how finances relates to your spouse, children, work and every other area of your life.  The book makes us pause and reflect on our character, values, discipline, and how we interact with those around us.  Some of the areas discussed:

    • Discipline
    • Goal Setting
    • Values
    • Accountability
    • Patience
    • Generosity (both time & resources)

    Even though this book was a little different from Total Money Makeover I believe it contains some key components to having a successful life.   Having all the money in the world isn’t much if we are not content or don’t have someone to share it with.  As with anything we can find ourselves being too extreme when it comes to finances (too frugal or too loose with money).  I like how he ties it all together and builds on the importance of family, goal setting, values, generosity, and finding contentment beyond our finances.

    Also, included at the end of each chapter in this book are Thoughts from Sharon which is a paragraph or two from Dave’s wife and her insights regarding the topic that was discussed.  In the appendix of the book there are several financial worksheets that you can use to help you get started with your finances.

     

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Jake had to travel last week for work so we tagged along with him since the girls were out of school.  We spent a fun week in Charleston swimming, playing, exploring, reading, and enjoying some extra time together.  We even made it to the beach which was a special treat!  Hopefully this week I will have a chance to get back up to speed with my goals and household obligations.  The pets were happy to see us come home too.  You will notice that some of my goals have shifted to reflect my priorities over the summer, it is more important to me to spend time with my family while the girls are on summer break then to ignore them so I can meet all my other goals.  Yes, I will continue moving forward with those goals as well but my highest priority the next couple months will be family since we have more time together.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Enjoy time doing one fun activity with the girls every day – spent a lot of time at parks, swimming, and spending time together in Charleston
    3. Read at least one book to the girls every day
    4. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day – the girls read through a whole bunch of books at parks, in the hotel and in the car, thrilled to see them get even more excited about reading
    5. Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
    6. Finish 1/3 of the Summer Reading Program
    7. Spend time at the pool playing with the kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – walked with the girls in the parks and went swimming everyday
    2. Spend quality time with my kids & Jake – spent time together in Charleston
    3. Finish reading  Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
    4. Finish reading More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey – started it

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week – the dinner menu was based off of Jake’s schedule and whatever coupons we could find for the Charleston area so not every dinner was planned with us being out of town (but every lunch was planned)
    3. Plan Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – did as much as I could remotely
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk – wasn’t able to do this since I was in Charleston

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated schedule to our Community Group – didn’t get the email out but prayed for and tried to connect with each girl in our group

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – actually stayed under with us being out of town, just brought items from home for some of our lunches, dinner, and snacks (breakfast was included with the hotel)
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold as we save for another family car
    3. Save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – working on it
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold while until we get another car

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
    2. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Take the girls to Vacation Bible School – VBS
    5. Get to the 1/4 Goal Mark (500 Hours) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading Hours)
    6. Go to the library with the kids
    7. Go on a Date Night with Jake

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – at least 5 days this week
    2. Finish reading More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Start My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated schedule to our Community Group

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    I apologize it has been so long since I have posted my $40 for 4 grocery update!  It has been a fun, amazing, wild, memorable several months with a trip to India, Charleston, Disney, Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, family staying with us on and off for a month as well as many other wonderful activities! I have been doing my best to stay within budget but having you alongside of me and reading my regular post definitely keeps me more accountable because I have blown the budget several times since I last posted!   Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Groceries from Save A Lot | RiteAid and Ingles

    Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:

    • $4.87 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 1 gallon Milk and 1 bag Brown Sugar (ran out of milk and used the rest of my brown sugar for the homeless dinner our Community Group hosted on Monday evening so had to restock these items)

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $11.79 at Ingles for 2 loaves Bread,  1 gallon Milk, 1 Yellow Sweet Onion, 1 container Pina Colada Yogurt (on clearance & so delicious I almost didn’t share it), 1 bag Fresh Green Beans (clearance $0.99), 1 bag Fresh Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Carrots (clearance $0.99), 1 container Mushrooms (clearance $0.99), 1 container Dill Veggie Dip (clearance $0.99), and 1 package Wholly Avocado Dip (clearance $0.99).  Everything was marked down, on sale, or on clearance at Ingles.

    Groceries from Ingles and Save A Lot | RiteAid

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $7.77 at Ingles for 1 container of Dill Seasoning, 1 loaf French Bread, 1 container Peach Yogurt  (on clearance), 1 container Fresh Pink Lemonade (clearance $0.99), 1 container Veggie Dip (clearance $0.99), and 1 container fresh Chicken Salad  (on clearance) Everything was marked down, on sale, or on clearance at Ingles.
    • Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:$17.33 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 1 package Flour Tortillas, 2 multi-packs Trident Gum (clearance $0.74), 2 Ham & Cheddar Lunchables, 1 bag Chicken Breasts, 6 packs Sandwich Creme Cookies (clearance $0.69), 1 pack Powdered Donuts (clearance $0.84), bags of Cheddar Cheese Balls, and 1 Watermelon.

    I was able to get a few great items this week. Thankfully, I was able to make it by the store and pick up some items that we’ll need over the next couple of weeks even if a couple of unexpected items got added to the list.  Thanks for helping keep me on track even in the midst of this busy season!  I don’t anticipate life slowing down too much though since the girls will be getting out of school next week and we have a lot of exciting adventures planned for their summer break.

    This week I spent $41.76  on groceries.  I was bummed that I went over on my budgeted amount for the week again but thankful I was only $1.76 over!  I would have made it but I was asked to provide snacks for the girls field day so it was extra items I wasn’t planning on for the week that helped me slide past my goal.  I was happy to find a few items marked down on clearance and provide snacks (watermelon, cookies, and cheese balls) for 20 students while staying pretty close to my budgeted amount.  I hope that next week we can come under budget!

    It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • New Upromise eCoupons for June 2012

    Upromise has posted their new eCoupons for the month of June 2012. Remember to activate your eCoupons to get additional savings. If you have not yet signed up for Upromise you can get more information regarding on our experience or directly at the Upromise website.

    This month they have 41 coupons you can activate for bonus savings. Once you activate your eCoupons all you have to do is scan your rewards card or purchase the items at the store and the cash will be added to your account. You don’t even have to carry any coupons to get the rewards!

    You can go to their website for more information on the Upromise program, it’s free to join.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    It has been a wonderful, crazy, and memory packed few weeks since I last updated my weekly goals.  Recently I have had the opportunity to travel to several amazing places both in the USA and overseas including Qatar, India, Charleston and more!  Plus we have had family and friends visiting with us from around the world too.  Life has been a bundle of adventures and memories.  There is so much to catch up on….  It has been several weeks since I had a “normal” week I am not sure what it looks like anymore, nevertheless, I need to re-focus and stay on top of the goals I have set for myself this year.  Thanks for hanging in there with me during this time of travel and a house full of guests!  I have started posting some pictures and tidbits on my adventures these last few weeks and will have more to share soon!  Since I have family guests from Indonesia staying with me this week I tried to make the list short so I can spend the extra time with family.

    Here is the update on last “months” goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day – there were a few days that I was not able to Skype with the girls when I was overseas
    2. Write and mail cards
    3. Spend quality time with Jake – I had an amazing time catching up, exploring, and traveling with my man overseas
    4. Date Night with Jake
    5. Visit extended Family – we had the opportunity to go visit Jake’s cousin Matt and his family while we were in India, we had a BLAST!

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – ummmm….I did a lot of walking and sightseeing but never really kept track of it
    2. Finish reading Who Got Peanut Butter on My Daily Planner by Cindy Sigler Dagnam – finished reading it on the airplane
    3. Keep an up-to-date written & photo log all the adventures this week – I took a lot of pictures, but I didn’t stay on top of the writing piece

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Take time to talk, listen, and encourage the people I encounter this week
    3. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week – I probably could have done even more, there were so many little things that I enjoyed doing for others during my travels.  Here’s one example – I gave out several disposable toothbrushes to several fellow travelers on my journeys.  A couple times while I was using the Colgate Wisps someone would ask me, “where did you get that?” and after telling them I brought it with me from home I would offer them one, it was amazing how many people appreciated this simple gesture.

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay on track with budgeted amount for the week – need to get our budget back up-to-date and back on track

    Here are my goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Connect with each family member at least once a day
    2. Spend quality time with our Guests
    3. Spend quality time with Jake
    4. Date Night with Jake
    5. Participate in a fun kid activity (go to the park, play, or explore)
    6. Do a creative craft with the kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Finish reading  How We Love Our Kids by Milan & Kay Yerkovich

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Take time to talk, listen, and encourage the people I encounter this week
    3. Be a blessing to a total stranger this week

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay on track with budgeted amount for the week

    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