Organization
Three Ways Your Family can Welcome in a New Year!
With a new year comes a lot of excitement! The feeling of a fresh start in many areas of our lives, planning for future events and adventures, new goals, and more! Everyday is a blessing! While we welcome in the New Year don’t forget to reflect on the many blessings that you have enjoyed over the past year(s). I encourage you to initiate a conversation with your family (it can be during a family dinner, game night, or any good time when everyone is present). During this family time focus on these three things as a family to start off your New Year right. This time together will make a positive impact on the hearts and lives of each individual family member and is worth it:
- Reflect back the fun memories and blessings of 2016! Often the hardest part with this stage is getting the ball rolling. Before the family time create a list of several good family memories to get it started. Mention one and let others input their memories tied into that event as well as start adding their own memories. Give everyone a chance who wants to talk the opportunity. If there is a pause bring up a different memory to keep them going. Before long you’ll be laughing and the kids will be bringing up memories connected to the event or new ones that you forgot about. This is a wonderful way to end a year and begin a new one.
- Take a moment to think about the tough times over the past year! While the harder times are not easy to deal with or will bring back sadness or emotions they still have an impact on our lives. Sometimes during these times of discussion you realize that a family member is still struggling with something. Whether it is grief over a lost pet or loved one, anger, frustration, or something else. This is a good time to gauge how everyone is doing and give you an opportunity to encourage each other or help those family members heal. The love and support you receive from those around you can make an incredible impact on your life as you continue to move forward. Knowing you are not alone, you are loved, and you have a team of people who want to help you can help the family member heal more quickly. (Do not use this time to point out problems with each other, but to talk about harder times and to encourage. Some topics made need to be tabled for a later and more lengthy conversation) It will give you a good insight into your children and some ideas of what to help encourage them with over the next few weeks as they continue to grow and heal.
- Look ahead! As one year wraps up and a new one begins it is a great time to set some goals both personally and as a family. Use this time to set family goals together. There may be some activities that the kids have been wanting to do, but you have been letting it slip not even realizing that it was very important to them. The goals discussed during this family time should be family related, although they most definitely have a personal impact on each family member. Write these goals down and review them weekly or monthly or regularly throughout the year to remind the family members of what is important to the family as a whole. This also provides a lead in for each of the members to think about their personal goals. It allows a great opportunity to have a group of people focused on similar goals and encouraging each other along the way. Some family goal ideas (eat healthier, regular family game night, monthly date night with spouse and each child, daily family devotions, learn a new skill together, plan a family vacation, weekly family night, quarterly family service project, etc…). Make a point to write the ideas down and either make a decision that day or within a few days on the family goals. Type up a list, print it or email it to each family member so that they can be reminded of the ways your family is working together to create stronger bonds, happy memories, and improving lives.
Setting aside a time when everyone is together can be difficult, however it is important. It can be during a family dinner, game night, or another time when the family is together. Make sure it is a convenient time with as little distractions as possible. A time when everyone is more relaxed (not hungry, ready for bed, or trying to multi-task while having this conversation). The reflecting on memories helps create a happy bond, the tough times allow family members to see that they are not alone and have the support of people who love them, and looking ahead gives you the opportunity to improve and grow into a better individuals and family unit. If you do write down the family goals please do your best to follow through as much as possible because these goals are important to the members.
Life has a way of staying busy. Taking the time to spending reflecting on good memories as a way has a way of bringing everyone together. It may cause some laughter, tears, and healing. It is good to be reminded of the many blessings in our life and to realize that we are journeying through this life together. Yes, we make mistakes along the way, but we can can make the best of it and have a lot of fun too. Many blessings to you and your family this 2017 New Year!!!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
We are officially on the new school and work schedule starting this week. The girls are now in middle school. It has been a little bit more of an adjustment, but they (and their parents) are doing well. Looking forward to seeing the schedule get into the new normal rhythm. I a positive there will be a lot of fun and exciting events as we fly through these next few weeks.
Thankful for a great summer. We had a lot of great opportunities to catch up with family and friends across the county. We were able to cover a lot of territory over the past couple of months. Last week we had close friends staying with us for a few days which was awesome. Grateful for friends who check in on our house and pets while we were traveling and that work was flexible with the slightly insane schedule.
I am hoping to get back up, running, and staying on top of things more regularly with the house, blog, and personal goals. You should be seeing some of our fun adventures over the summer break. Hoping to ease back into some of these items so I am not over committed as I gear up for a busy week. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
Finish reading The Forgotten Filly by Karle Dickerson to the kids- Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids – these are fun, short stories that make the kids giggle. We actually saw one of the locations where one of the stories took place when we were traveling through Alaska! Very exciting!!!
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids. – somehow this set got placed in a random spot and didn’t go through it until later in the week
Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids– these have been a fun learning tool for me tooReflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night– always love hearing the neat things they are thankful for in their daysPlan one special activity with the family– spent time with our friends that were visiting from MainePlay a Game with the Kids– we did a Nerf war with friends while they are visiting all adults and most of the kids participated (Savannah slept through the whole Nerf game)Create Memories with the Family– thankful for great memories and special times together – I took off the girls last day of summer to hang out with them and our friends from Maine- Spend Quality time with each family member – the girls did a slumber party with Bradley this week so we did not do one-on-one time with everyone this week
Do a new, unique, or different activity with the family this week– craft time and science experiment fun over the weekend
Kid Goals
Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grow their skills– lots of fun learning and being creative as well as attending the first few days of school- At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day – didn’t get this on a couple of the school nights
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water, wear FitBit, and do yoga (or at least stretch out) each day – I didn’t get all these goals accomplished this week. Had some technical issues with the TV for yoga while Jake was out of town with work. Did well on the water and decent on the FitBit though.
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
Business Goals
- Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
Ministry Goals
- Quality time with my family
Financial Goals
- Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Pick out a new Chapter book to read to the girls and start reading it
- Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
- Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
- Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Create Memories with the Family
- Spend Quality time with each family member
- Do a new, unique, or different activity with the family this week
Kid Goals
- Do Homework Monday – Friday
- Pack Lunches and Prep for the next day
- Spend one-on-one time with kids each day
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water
- Wear FitBit (at least 10,000 steps and 10 sets of stairs every day)
- Do Yoga at least 5 times this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- Give Skipper a bath this week
- Speed clean & pick up the house 15 minutes a night
Business Goals
- Update Work Notes
- Get caught up on blog posts
- Work on a few special projects
Ministry Goals
- Go to breakfast or lunch with a family member or friend
- Counting my blessings journal
Financial Goals
- Schedule a meeting with the financial advisor
- Get our finances and budget back on track
- Pay down debt we owe
- Limit amount spent on Groceries, Household, and Other Items (use what we already have at home)
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
Don’t Be Upset By …
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
Finish reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein to the kids.– finished reading it, the girls loved it!
Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.Plan one special activity with the family- Play a Game with the Kids
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Attend After Work Activities Lunch Boxes packed the night before work & other planned activitiesPrep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer BreakWork on family projects togetherDaily 15 minute “Speed Clean” for entire family to keep the daily clutter under control
Kid Goals
Have kids do work in their Summer Workbook(s)Encourage Kids to read independently at least 30 minutes a dayHave kids work on our approved educational websites to encourage growth (at least 2 hours for the week)Have kids work for at least 1 hour on this week on improving their typing skillsEach kid finish creating at least 2 blogs posts for their Fun with Sis blogSpend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grown their skillsAt least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each dayKeep up with my FitBit Goals- Do yoga at least 5 times a week – not so great on this one, got out of my regular routine
Go to my Appointments Scheduled this weekUpdate Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries dailyTackle some lingering projects on my “to do” listRead over the kids blog posts
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- 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
Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the weekClean House (Focus – Clean Living Room)Organize Chaos (Focus – Label & Hang Up Kids Necklaces)Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Pick up Sticks found in the yard from the past couple of storms)Pet Care (Focus – Work of the Goat & Dog Fences)- Repairs – (Focus – Check on Water Heater Recall Notice we received) – haven’t been able to do this one yet
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 – need to wrap up one more
- Notes typed for work – need to update with new information
- Meeting regarding work goals and upcoming tasks completed – update and review
- Folders Labeled for work – working on it
- Training on new projects – making progress
- Desk drawers organized – getting it there
Do at least 5 blog posts this weekCatch up on Hootesuite- Upload pictures from last few weeks and update – have more of them completed
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchOne-on-one quality time with Jake (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)One-on-one quality time with Brina (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)One-on-one quality time with Karlie (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
Financial Goals
- Schedule a meeting with the Financial Advisor – narrowing down the schedules
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – working on it
Pay Bills & File Paperwork- 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! 🙂
- Sell, giveaway, donate, or through away items no longer use – making good progress, but still have a ways to go
Take items to the recycling distributorMake 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
- Finish reading The Forgotten Filly by Karle Dickerson to the kids.
- Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
- Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
- Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Attend After Work Activities
- Lunch Boxes packed the night before work & other planned activities
- Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
- Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
- Work on family projects together
- Daily 15 minute “Speed Clean” for entire family to keep the daily clutter under control
Kid Goals
- Have kids do work in their Summer Workbook(s)
- Encourage Kids to read independently at least 30 minutes a day
- Have kids work on our approved educational websites to encourage growth (at least 2 hours for the week)
- Have kids work for at least 1 hour on this week on improving their typing skills
- Each kid finish creating at least 2 blogs posts for their Fun with Sis blog
- Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grown their skills
- At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Keep up with my FitBit Goals
- Do yoga at least 5 times a week
- Go to my Appointments Scheduled this week
- Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
- Tackle some lingering projects on my “to do” list
- Read over the kids blog posts
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 – Family Room)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Laundry Room)
- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Blow off deck, sidewalk, & driveway)
- Pet Care (Focus – Refill Goat & Dog Food)
- Repairs – (Focus – Check on Water Heater Recall Notice we received)
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
- Notes typed for work
- Meeting regarding work goals and upcoming tasks completed
- Folders Labeled for work
- Training on new projects
- Desk drawers organized
- Do at least 5 blog posts this week
- Catch up on Hootesuite
- Upload pictures from last few weeks and update
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- One-on-one quality time with Jake (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
One-on-one quality time with Brina (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)One-on-one quality time with Karlie (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
Financial Goals
- Schedule a meeting with the Financial Advisor
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Go grocery shopping one time this week and stay within budget
- Sell, giveaway, donate, or through away items no longer use
- Take items to the recycling distributor
- 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
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
Thankful for extra time with family. It was a week with a little bit of an adjustment with the girls on the summer camp schedule. They had a blast. This week is going be another fun adventure for them. Thankful for the opportunity to spend extra time with the girls during the summer schedule. While they are in camp I will be at work so we can have time after work and camp. I want to keep our menu fairly simple and easy not only to save time, but to not heat up the house too much. Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree): Holiday Event
- Tuesday (Seafood, Soup, Salad, or Sandwich Entree): Baja Fish Tacos, Fresh Salad
- Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Sweet & Spicy Teriyaki Chicken, Steamed Rice
- Thursday (Pork Entree or Kid‘s Night to Cook): Seasoned Pork, Grilled Summer Squash
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or pasta entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
- Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree): Holiday Event
Be Prepared & Avoid The Oops! Walmart & SheSpeaks #AvoidtheOops
Have you ever been in the middle of hosting an event at your house and realized you are out of napkins? Gone to brush your teeth only to discover you are out of toothpaste? Went to start the laundry only to find out that you are out of laundry soap? All of these are possible scenarios and can be quite frustrating. I speak from experience! It is not cool to run out of essential items when you really need them!
At the time it is not funny when you realize you need something and do not have it on hand. It can be a big inconvenience because you may have to stop what you are doing and go to the store to pick up the missing product. You may need to be creative with your available resources because you cannot pick up the missing item (using cloth napkins while your guests are still visiting or napkins). Whatever the resolution in those crazy times it simply would have been easier to just have the item already at the house!
No one likes that sinking feeling when you reach for something only to realize it’s all gone. Avoid those oops moments by stocking up at Walmart.
One of the best ways to “avoid the oops” and running out of staple items is to keep a stock of essentials from Protector & Gamble. Whether it is an impromptu summer event, gathering, or last minute outing. It is always great to keep the daily or regularly used items on your list and small stockpile (one or two spares). The best way that we have helped to “avoid the oops” in our household is to create and use a system.
First, we try to keep at least 1 extra of the essential items that we use regularly in our house. Whenever, any member uses or opens up the last of an item they automatically add it to our shopping list. It doesn’t matter if I use the last item, my husband or kids, everyone has the freedom to update the list. It helps us keep what we need in stock. Until recently I would pick up any items on our shopping list around town, however, using WalMart’s “avoid the oops” program would save me the time and energy of running errands. Plus, I get the opportunity to order great products and have them delivered directly to our house (extra bonus)!
Save Time and Money:
Who doesn’t want to have a little extra time at the end of the day or extra money left in the budget at the end of the month! Some weeks it takes everything you have to balance schedules and all the activities (school, work, family, extra curricular, and more). If you could have something already in place that would allow you to quickly and easily order quality staple products online for a reasonable price and have them delivered to your home it may reduce some of the unnecessary stress in your already busy schedule. Most shoppers don’t realize they have the option of shopping for the same great household essentials at Walmart’s everyday low prices on Walmart. And by doing so, they’ll also save time so they can enjoy more of that summer sunshine.
Share Your “Oops” Moment:
Have you ever had an “oops” moment? Please share! We are all human and have had those moments at various times throughout our lives. We can laugh or cry together about them!
I was thrilled to hear that SheSpeaks teamed up with Walmart to showcase their “Avoid the Oops” program. Practical products are awesome! I love it when my house is stocked with the basic necessities and the house looks as well as smells fresh! Thank you Walmart and SheSpeaks for helping me tackle my shopping list and clean my house! It is always great to find products that are useful and easy to get.
AMAZING Household, Cleaning, and Health & Beauty Items from Walmart that we Received:
- 2 – Pampers Baby Fresh Baby Wipe Tubs (72 count each)
- 6 – Bounty Basic Big Roll Paper Towels (95 sheets per roll)
- 9 – Charmin Basic Toilet Paper Bulk Rolls (319 sheets per roll)
- 1 Box – Gain Powder Laundry Detergent Original
- 1 Pack – Gillette Simply Venus Disposable Razors (4 count)
- 3 – Crest Cavity Protection Toothpaste 6.4 oz each
- 10 – Ivory Original Soap Bars
- 2 – Mr. Clean Magic Kitchen Scrubbers
- 4 – Puffs Ultra Soft Strong Non-Lotion Boxes of Facial Tissues (56 sheets per box)
- 4 – Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original
- 2 – Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Extra Power House Cleaning Pads
- 1 – Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Original Scent
- 1 – Mr. Clean Hawaiian Aloha Multi-Purpose Liquid Cleaner (40 fl oz)
- Sample goodies to try too!!!!
I received ALL these products shipped directly to my house for under $60! They were super easy to order online at Walmart and arrived quickly. It was a big time savings for our family! Head on over and try out avoid the oops today so you will be stocked up on your products for tomorrow!
You can shop in all of the following categories: Kitchen, Laundry, Cleaning, Health & Beauty, Baby, Bathroom and More!!!
Additional Information Can be Found About This AWESOME Program at:
As a member of the SheSpeaks Blogger Society, I was given samples of these products and program to write an informed review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own. A special thanks to SheSpeaks and Walmart for providing the products to review.
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a week packed full of a lot of emotions. With the girls wrapping up at a school they have been attending the past 7 years it has been quite a stepping stone for us. We are grateful to all the teachers and administration at Crosswell Elementary for the amount of time, energy, and attention they have invested in our girls education. They have made a positive and lasting impression on our kids. Wish we could take some of the amazing teachers with us to Middle school. We are excited to see what Middle School will bring and know that the kids will probably adjust quicker and better than at least their Mom because with them moving up a school their growing up seems more real. Love my girls and very proud of what they have accomplished over the past year! There was so much to be thankful for last week.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week. Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful to have the laundry room renovation started and that we were still able to get the laundry done so none of us have to run around wearing dirty clothes!
Tuesday – Thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with the girls after school that didn’t include doing a bunch of homework. We even had a few extra minutes to do a rapid quick clean up around the house and read some more of our books together. LOVE catching both of the girls reading independently on their own during free time (for those who know our family you know that for one of our kids this is a really big deal)!
Wednesday – Thankful for time after work to spend with other Mom’s at school prepping for the kids 5th grade Graduation Celebration Party. We were able to get a lot accomplished and organized during our time together.
Thursday – Thankful for Brina’s hard work on her “Cupcakes on the Rise” Science Fair Project because we were able to see her accept a 1st Place Trophy, Medals, Certificate, and Cash Prize (we had no idea there was a cash prize as well) for the Regional Science Fair! Very proud of our Brina Bee!
Friday – Thankful for an opportunity to watch the girls Graduation and Awards Ceremony! They did fantastic and both kids received numerous awards, medals, pins, certificates, trophies and other cool awards for all that they had accomplished throughout this year. Also, Karlie received a trophy for getting all A’s her entire Elementary School years. Super proud of these kids and the effort they put into their learning. Praying they continue to have the love of learning as they get older!
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
It is official, we now how two sixth graders in our house. The girls did amazing this year. It was a lot of hard work and even a few tears to get it all done, but it was evident in the during graduation and awards ceremony that they did fantastic! Proud of my girls! They only have two more days left this school year even though graduation was held last Friday. As summer is quickly upon us our schedule is adjusting again. I hope to continue to keep up to date with the posts (and even catch up a little bit too). We have a lot of fun activities planned for the upcoming month. I am keeping the menu simple as we transition into the summer schedule. Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree): Memorial Day Holiday Celebration
- Tuesday (Seafood or Soup Entree): Baked Tilipia, Garlic Bread
- Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Cracked Mustard Grilled Chicken, Grilled Vegetables
- Thursday (Pork Entree or Kid‘s Night to Cook): Crockpot Pork Roast, Mash Potatoes
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or pasta entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
- Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree): Memorial Day Holiday Celebration
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was crazy, but good as we celebrated a lot of great rewards that the girls had earned for all their hard work throughout this past school year including watching them graduate. Thankful for our girls and their excitement to learn. They had a lot of activities and times when it was tough to get everything done, but they pushed through it. Jake and I are proud of our girls.
I have added a “kid goals” section to my list of goals. Now that they are getting older and realizing the importance of improving and maintaining goals I want to be intentional about keeping up with their learning as they grow older. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Finish reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein to the kids. – was not able to finish with all the extra school activities this week, but read a couple of night
- Read 7 Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids. – read a couple, but not 7
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids. – did a handful only
- Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids. – hoping to pick this back up again this week
- Do devotions and prayer time with kids every night. – prayers yes, but it was really late a few nights so kept it short
Plan one special activity with the family- Play a Game with the Kids – we didn’t have enough free time in the evenings to play a game
Spend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with Homework- Attend After School Activities – attended all the activities including celebration / graduation meetings, regional Science Fair Competition & Awards, Graduation, Awards Ceremony
Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before- Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s) – working on it, but still has some more to go
- Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break – getting closer to finalizing everything
- Ride Bikes with the Kids – the extra activities took more time than expected
Work on family projects together– we worked on several items together as a family including items in the house including the laundry room. The girls LOVED helping paint!Brina & Karlie’s Graduation Ceremony– great seeing the girls graduate!Brina & Karlie’s Award Ceremony– the girls received A LOT of amazing rewards! Both received trophies, several certificates, award pins, medals, and more. Once again we were blown away by how well they did and all they received. Evidence that the hours they spent working on school work really did pay off. They were part of several great groups and had a wonderful team of teachers / coaches. We will miss this school that they have been at for 7 years, but looking forward to what middle school has to offer!Prep & decorate for Graduation party (Meet with people Mon / Wed) after schoolTake Brina to the Science Fair Competition– not only did we take Brina to the Regional Science Fair Competition – SHE WON!!! FIRST Place in the Regional Science Competition so proud of her! Way to go Brina! She received a trophy, medals, certificates, and a cash prize! She was shocked, but excited. The last 3 months of baking cupcakes for her “Cupcakes on the Rise” Science Fair project were worth it. We calculated that she made over 410 cupcakes by herself these past 3 months. She’s gotten really good at making cupcakes!
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each day- Keep up with my FitBit Goals – did so well this week with the exception of forgetting my fitbit at home on a day where I did a lot of moving around at work and after school activities. Oh well…
Do yoga at least 5 times a week- Go to my Appointments Scheduled this week – Jake took Brina to set up for the Science Fair over lunch on Thursday so I could work my regular hours, thanks Babe!
Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily- Tackle some lingering projects on my “to do” list – I did get several things moving forward, but nothing completely crossed off so officially I cannot cross this off my list….
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – my laundry room is still being renovated, I was unable to get in to do laundry on my normal schedule. Hopefully this will be complete or at least in a more working condition by the end of next week! 🙂 It’s going to look awesome though, Jake has done a fantastic job and the girls have pitched in and helped a lot too!
Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week- Clean House (Focus – Laundry Room Remodeling Work (get all of the subflooring cleaned and help Jake with getting at least 1/2 of it completed) – flooring is up and was stalled a little bit by another issue that caught our attention that needed to be fixed prior to doing more in the laundry room (thankful for a husband who can do so much). Having an older home can have a lot of fun and unexpected surprises that take extra TLC! 🙂
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Find Bins / Containers / Baskets to put on shelves in Laundry Room once up) – I have some ideas, but waiting a couple more days until I figure out how the new laundry room layout will look like prior to committing to any specific bins/containers/baskets. I want the items I get to be practical, efficient, and uniform as much as possible.
- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Plant Lilly Flower and Blueberry Bush – weather permitting) – the laundry room took up more time than we expected as well as a couple extra activities with school and other events were more time consuming than we original planned.
- Pet Care (Focus – Give Skipper her vitamins) – Brina especially is good about keeping up with Skippy’s vitamins!
- Repairs – (Focus – Refinishing our Laundry room, tearing out the old linoleum and sprucing it up) – All the old flooring is up, we are starting to paint and work on other areas. Looking better already, cannot wait until it is complete! Will be very nice!
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – few more need to be completed
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – a couple of days got away from me with all the activities last week, hoping as we get into rhythm with the new summer schedule I can tackle a few more of this necessary items
- Work completed for clients – have a couple more projects to complete
- Notes typed for work – I got them started (kids and other family activities took priority this past week.)
- Folders Labeled for work – I actually got a decent start of this one. I finished some of the categories that I was doing, but have a handful more to wrap up before I am officially done.
- Desk drawers organized – getting closer….does that count?!
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Schedule a meeting with the Financial Advisor – have a couple I need to follow up with this week
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – made another extra payment
Pay Bills & File Paperwork- Go grocery shopping one time this week and stay within budget – went over with the graduation party celebration and other big activities that filled up our week
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein to the kids.
- Read 7 Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
- Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
- Do devotions, reflecting on our blessings, and prayer time with kids every night.
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Attend After Work Activities
- Lunch Boxes packed the night before work & other planned activities
- Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
- Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
- Ride Bikes with the Kids
- Work on family projects together
- Start packing suitcase for next family adventure
- Daily 15 minute “Speed Clean” for entire family to keep the daily clutter under control
Kid Goals
- Have kids do 1st week in Summer Workbook(s)
- Encourage Kids to read independently at least 30 minutes a day
- Sign up kids for the Easley, Anderson, & Greenville County Summer Library Reading Programs
- Sign up kids for Barnes & Noble and other similar reading programs
- Have kids work on our approved educational websites to encourage growth (at least 2 hours for the week)
- Have kids work for at least 1 hour on this week on improving their typing skills
- Each kid finish creating at least 2 blogs posts for their Fun with Sis blog
- Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grown their skills
- Kids start packing suitcases for next family adventure
- At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Keep up with my FitBit Goals
- Do yoga at least 5 times a week
- Go to my Appointments Scheduled this week
- Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
- Tackle some lingering projects on my “to do” list
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 – Laundry Room Remodeling Work Completed
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Refill Kids Snack Bins – hope to focus again on the laundry room in the future once further along)
- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Plant Lilly Flower and Blueberry Bush – weather permitting)
- Pet Care (Focus – Replant grass in Goat pen)
- Repairs – (Focus – Refinishing our Laundry room, painting and laying new flooring)
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
- Notes typed for work
- Folders Labeled for work
- Desk drawers organized
- Do at least 5 blog posts this week
- Catch up on Hootesuite
- Upload pictures from last few weeks and update
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- One-on-one quality time with Jake (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
One-on-one quality time with Brina (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)One-on-one quality time with Karlie (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
Financial Goals
- Schedule a meeting with the Financial Advisor
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Go grocery shopping one time this week and stay within budget
- Sell, giveaway, donate, or through away items no longer use
- Take items to the recycling distributor
- 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.
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
It was a busy week with a lot of extra activities going on! The girls are busy with a bunch of year end school projects. After school and work there is the evening year end activities. The girls have been doing well with their swimming lessons. We have been impressed with how much they have been learning over the past few weeks. It is hard believe they are going to be finishing up another year. Now that the weather is warmer and it looks like a clear week I am ready to plan more grilling meals into our dinner menu this week. Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree): Grilled Steak, Grilled Veggies
- Tuesday (Seafood or Soup Entree): Baja Tacos, Fresh Garden Salad
- Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry, Steamed Vegetables & Rice
- Thursday (Pork Entree or Kid‘s Night to Cook): Grilled Pork Chops, Italian Herb Bread
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or pasta entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
- Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree): Grilled Steak, Grilled Veggies
