Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was more like our normal again after the Holidays, surgery, and everything else. 🙂 I had a lot of items on my list and was able to get a good bit done, but this week is jammed packed with a whole bunch of stuff going on that really must be done. I am hoping to continue making steps in the right direction. Jake had to travel to Ohio last week, so we are glad to have him back with us again.
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
Read Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls– finished reading it to the girls, they LOVED it!Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforeDaily School Activities & Homework Completed- Attend After School Activities – last week some of these got canceled because the teacher was sick
Plan one special Activity with the Family- Finish going over our 2013 goals – Jake has been so busy with work and everything else we haven’t been able to complete this one yet
Doctor Appointments
Personal Goals
Exercise at least 5 days this weekDrink 8 glasses of water each dayStart with my new YouVersion plan(s)– going through 2 separate plans currently- Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – this one got put on hold for the week with everything going on
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned out for the weekPay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchWrite and Send Out Community Group EmailEmail a meeting notes from Alms & Legs Ministry Team meeting
Financial Goals
For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.- Payoff the Van – made a payment and thrilled to see it decreasing
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – this one’s going a lot slower, but we’re making some headway
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls – we just finished Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder so I tried to get them to switch to another book to change it up a little bit, but they insisted that they REALLY wanted to continue with this series! 🙂
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
- Attend After School Activities
- Plan one special Activity with the Family
- Finish going over our 2013 goals
- Doctor Appointments
Personal Goals
- Exercise at least 5 days this week
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Start with my new YouVersion plan(s)
- Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
- Finish reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan- going through this book with a group of friends
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Write and Send Out Community Group Email
- Email a meeting notes from Alms & Legs Ministry Team meeting
Financial Goals
- For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
- Payoff the Van
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
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.
No One Has Ever Become…
Go Ape by Patch
I picked up the Go Ape game by Patch at the grocery store on clearance for the girls for Christmas. It was a huge hit! Our family has already played this game several times since Christmas.
The Go Ape game adds a fun twist to the traditional game of Go Fish! Instead of asking another player for a card you act out the funny monkey picture on the card! The person who collects the most monkey matches wins the game.
It is hilarious watching the girls act out the various monkey faces! The girls is for 2 to 6 players and for ages 4 and up.
Phillycheese Steak Sandwich
Jake made this meal for us a little while ago. I love his Phillycheese steak sandwiches. They are delicious! This time around he did a Phillycheese steak sandwich with a side of freshly sauteed vegetables. Do I need to mention how much I love it when he cooks? 🙂
Phillycheese Steak Sandwich
- 1 pound thinly slice Beef Steak
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 medium Onion (thinly sliced)
- 8 ounces Fresh Mushrooms (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 cup shredded or 4 slices Provolone Cheese
- 4 Hoagie Buns
Trim off any extra fat from the beef and cut the meat into thin slices. Set aside. Heat oil on medium-to-high in a large frying pan. Add onion and season with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally. In a few minute (about 5) once the onions have softened and started turning brown add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until they are slightly browned.
Move all the vegetables to one side of the pan and add in the meat and cook for a few minutes until it is no longer pink. Divide the meat and vegetables into 4 equal piles. Spread the cheese evenly across the 4 piles of meat and let set aside for a moment.
Slice each hoagie bun and set on a plate. Transfer a pile of meat with a spatula to each hoagie bun and serve immediately.
Tissue Paper Bleeding Art
Do you have some crumpled tissue paper laying around? At the next birthday party or gathering make sure to keep the colorful, crinkled tissue paper for this craft or if you already have some on hand that works great too. It is super easy and loads of fun! Our girls loved these and had a blast doing this craft.
Colorful tissue paper in one of the kids bowl
Tissue Paper Bleeding Art
- Variety of colorful, crumpled Tissue Paper
- White Paper (we use a heavier paper or poster board)
- Small Bowl of Water
- Paint Brush
Gather some brightly colored tissue paper. Tear the tissue paper into a variety of pieces (small to several inches). Put a piece of tissue paper on the white paper and use a paint brush dipped in water to wet the tissue paper, you will see the colors start to bleed. Continue putting the tissue paper pieces down and painting with water until your white paper is full. Set aside and allow to dry over night. Once the tissue paper has dried, remove all the pieces and throw away. You can use your new tissue paper bleeding art paper to cut out shapes and use them for thank you notes or display (see picture at the top of the post).
Tip – if the kids are not able to get all the tissue paper wet you can use a spray water bottle and lightly mist the art piece before putting it away to dry.
Putting down the tissue paper
Water in a bowl and a paint brush
Tissue paper covering the paper now just need to wait for it to dry
What the paper looks like after the tissue paper dried and removed. The tissue paper die bleeds onto the heavy paper underneath and this is what it looks after it has dried, really neat! You can use this paper to cut out shapes and use for thank you notes or something special for the kids to display.
Roper Mountain Science Center – Animals and Activities
Wow! Look at all those tiny legs on this one!
Our girls love any trips we take to Roper Mountain Science Center! There is so much to see, learn, and explore. Whenever possible we try to go to their second Saturday events because they are a big hit with our kids. The second Saturday events have a theme and the kids can do anything from holding animals, crafts, participate in events, and much more. They have everything from animals, ocean life, space activities, farming, cultural events, and more! I have even learned a few new facts about history, animals, and space too. 🙂
Karlie holding a snake
Jake holding the snake. I am not a big fan of snakes so I was okay with not holding this snake, although I did touch it briefly…very briefly!
Look at this cool guy!
Yes, that is a huge spider that she is holding in both her hands! A tarantula actually!
Brina holding a box turtle
Karlie wanted to hold the box turtle too
Super soft……Chinchilla!
Is it a baby pig, baby squirrel, or baby chipmunk Brina is holding???? None of those, it is actually baby mouse (the mouse is only 1 day old)!
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of January 16 – 22, 2013
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. It is a great time to stock up on some Save A Lot deals. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meat and Seafood
Fresh Split Chicken Breast – $0.99 lb
Pork Boneless Center Cut Chops – $2.49 lb
Sirloin Steaks – $3.99 lb
Boston Butt Roast – $1.79
Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage (12 oz) – $1.99
Fairgrounds Hot Dogs (12 oz) – $0.99
*Pick 5 for $19.99 promotion on going! Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts or types of meats, vegetables and more.
Fridge and Freezer
Banquet Meat, Fruit, or Breakfast Pot Pie – $0.69
Morning Delight Buttermilk Biscuits – $0.59
Imperial Spread Quarters – $0.79
Kiggins Corn Flakes (18 oz) – $1.69
Arby’s Seasoned Curly Fries (22 oz) – $2.59
Stouffer’s Dinners (9 – 10 oz) – $.199
Redi-Serve Chicken Patties (35 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Signature Pick 5 Pizzas (26 – 28 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Redi-Serve Char-Broiled Rib Patties (26 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Signature Pick 5 Onion Rings (2 pounds) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Signature Pick 5 Corn Dogs (25.6 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Redi-Serve Chicken Nibblers (30 – 36 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Redi-Serve Chicken Strips (36 oz) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Signature Pick 5 Seasoned Potato Wedges (2.5 pounds) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Signature Pick 5 Sausage Biscuits (12 count) – 5 for $19.99 special*
Take & Bake Pizza’s – $5.99
Fairgrounds Premium Lunch Meat (14 oz) – $2.99
Fairgrounds Sliced Bologna (16 oz) – $0.99
Farmington Pork Sausage (16 oz) – $1.99
Produce
Russet Potatoes (5 pounds) – $0.99
Yellow Onions (3 pounds) – $1.49
California Navel Oranges (3 pounds) – $1.99
Vine Ripe Roma Tomatoes – $0.99
Grocery
Del Monte Pasta Sauce (24 oz) – $0.88
Barilla Spaghetti Noodles (16 oz) – $0.88
Save A Lot (2 liter) – $0.89
Portmann’s Salad Dressing (16 oz) – $1.49
Tipton Grove Apple Juice (64 oz) – $1.69
McDaniel’s Classic Roast Ground Coffee (32 oz) – $4.99
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix – $0.49
Portmann’s Mayonnaise (30 oz) – $2.49
J Higg’s Potato Chips (10 oz) – $1.69
Diane’s Garden Diced Tomatoes (16 oz) – $0.49
Nissan Ramen Noodles (12 pack) – $1.88
JJ’s Pies, Apple, Cherry or Chocolate (4 oz) – $0.50
Hunt’s Tomato Sauce (15 oz) – $0.79
So Cheesy Mac & Cheese – $0.39
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends. For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list. Please make sure to check with your local Save A Lot store, the ads do vary per region.
Creative Kids: Sidewalk Chalk Paint
With the warm weather just around the corner (it was in the 70’s here this past weekend). I want to share one of our family’s favorite outside crafts with you. Sidewalk Chalk Paint is super easy to make and can entertain the kids for hours. The sidewalk chalk paint can take the place of traditional chalk and is inexpensive to make at home. You can make whatever colors you want; we’ve done all the colors of the rainbow, including Charleston Green (which was requested by the girls).
We’ve had kids from 1 years old and up play with this neat paint and love it!
Sidewalk Chalk Paint
- 1/2 cup cold Water
- 1/2 cup Cornstarch
- Food Coloring
- Jumbo Muffin Tin
- Variety of Old Paint Brushes
Stir the cold water and cornstarch together until you have a smooth consistency. Mix in 3 to 6 drops of food coloring. Repeat the process until you have filled your muffin tin with a rainbow of colors. If you want to make less you can do 1/4 cup cold water and 1/4 cup cornstarch. You can make your sidewalk chalk paint darker by adding a few more drops of food coloring.
My niece Noelle and I were having fun doing her name together!
This works on any sidewalk or driveway, although smooth surfaces may be a little better. Our driveway is rough but the kids always have a blast doing this activity. When Jake’s sister and family was here a few months ago we did this activity with the kids.
Brina painted her name on the sidewalk
The sidewalk chalk paint will wash off your sidewalk or driveway and is safe for your grass and plants. If you have leftovers you can put them into empty yogurt containers and store them until the next time the kids are ready for sidewalk chalk paint. You may have to add a few drops of water if the paint has become a little dry but it should revive well after adding a little more water.
Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping (Week 2)
Our family finished week 2 of our no grocery shopping goal. Every new year we set goals, challenge ourselves to reach new heights, and to focus on what’s really important in life. I have made it a goal to simplify my life more by enjoying the blessings and not wasting what God has given me. One of the ways I did this was by going through several No Grocery Shopping weeks, picking up only necessities while trying to use the items we already had in our fridge, freezer, and pantry.
When I did it this 2011 it was my intention to go 1 month, but I made it 8 weeks (with only a few hiccups). It is my plan to do this again with the hope of making it at least through the month of January. I will be sharing with you the successes and challenges on those specific areas in my life as I go through them.
Life Simplified Goal:
- No Grocery Shopping (except for necessities) in the month of January.
Explanation of the Goal: My goal during the month of January is to not shop for groceries other than necessities (milk, eggs, bread). Our freezer is full of meat, produce from our garden this summer, fruit, and other great items. Our pantry is also overflowing with all the great deals that we have picked up over the past few months. One of the reason for the goal is that I want to use the items I have and not waste them. Stockpiling is wonderful but there may come a point when we need to eat through that stockpile before it expires, save the extra money to work on a financial goal, and be creative with what we have at home. I have been thinking about this challenge for several weeks over the Holidays. Over the past few months (including our experience traveling to India) it has really hit me that we have been really blessed yet there are children and families that content with a lot less. Menu planning may take a little extra creative thinking on my part but I think I can do it. If I do purchase something it needs to meet one of the following criteria:
- FREE – I don’t want to waste free grocery coupons that my family will use while doing this goal
- Necessity – Milk, Eggs, Bread, etc…
- For Someone Else outside of my household. For example I make meals for new Moms in our church and if I need to pick up an item for them on the way to deliver a meal that will be an exception.
What Happened this week?
I finished the second week of this goal. The only things I purchased this week were a 1 gallon of Milk, a jar of Mayonnaise, and soft foods for my daughter who was recovering from tonsil surgery (bananas, popsicles, drinks, yogurt, etc…). I was able to plan our menu around the foods we had on hand, plus Jake was traveling for a couple days this week so we tried to keep it a little simpler.
It takes a little more time and focus to come up with a menu but everyone seems to be doing pretty well. The real challenge will come at the end of the month when we are getting low in the pantry and when we host guests!
I will share with you the challenges, successes and what I had to purchase so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating and sharing your story. I would love to extend this goal into February if I can make our pantry stretch!
Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others. Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff” and if you are like us we just have too much. I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives. When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.
Forever Reign by Hillsong
You are good, You are good
When there’s nothing good in me
You are love, You are love
On display for all to see
You are light, You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hope, You are hope
You have covered all my sinOh, I’m running to Your arms,
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reignYou are more, You are more
Than my words will ever say
You are Lord, You are Lord
All creation will proclaim
You are here, You are here
In Your presence I’m made whole
You are God, You are God
Of all else I’m letting go
