• Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    We are wrapping up February this week.  How is that possible!?  This past week we celebrated the girls 10th Birthday.  It is hard to believe that they are already 10 years old.  We had a couple of snow and ice days so the girls got out of some school this past week so I was thankful for the extra time I had with them.  Unfortunately, Jake had to go on a work trip so he missed out on some of the snow and ice adventures, but made it back to celebrate the girls birthday together!  I have a lot of projects that I want to get accomplished this week as we gear up for a very busy March!  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Ashleigh’s Dream (Thoroughbred Series #5) by Joanna Campbell to the kids – finished reading during the days off school
    2. Plan one special activity with the family – celebrated the girls Birthday
    3. Play a Game with the Kids – played games during the kids snow days, the girls and I played their new Destination USA game from Grandpa and Grandma
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events – have another fun family adventure to plan
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework – they got out of school early on Monday, no school Tuesday and Wednesday, and started late on Thursday so our homework schedule was altered this week!
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before – only had to pack lunches Sunday night, Wed, & Thursday nights this week
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids
    9. Celebrate Kid’s Birthday

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – got behind a couple days with the kids home and spending time with them
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – took a little more time
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer – working on it
    4. Clean House (Focus – Laundry Room) – spent time with the kids with them being off instead of tackling the laundry room
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Linens Cabinet) – spent extra time with the kids instead
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pick Up Down Sticks) – we picked up sticks, but there are more with all the wind we’ve been having
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Hay for Goats)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt) – made an extra payment again this week
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
    5. Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay – put on hold with the ice and snow this week

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Wonder’s Yearling (Thoroughbred Series #6) by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Prep for upcoming Family Adventure
    9. Pull out our Spring / Summer Clothes

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – Laundry Room)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Linens Cabinet)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pick Up Down Sticks)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Sweet Hay)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Medical Bills
    3. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt)
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Attend “Financial Peace University” Class & Become More Accountable with our Finances
    6. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
    7. Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay

    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

    Thankful for a fun time with my parents and brothers family last weekend.  The weekend went by quickly, but we packed in a lot of fun.  We celebrated the girls birthday, played games, read books, went on adventures, ate good food, and so much more.  Grateful for my parents and their willingness to come visit so they can spend time with our family.  The girls were thrilled to have some time with their grandparents.  Quality time together means so much to kids and memories are precious treasures during their growing up years!   Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Ashleigh’s Dream (Thoroughbred Series #5) by Joanna Campbell to the kids – didn’t read as much of the chapter book with all the extra activities this past week
    2. Plan one special activity with the family – spent several days with Grandparents and Brother’s family, even made a trip to downtown Greenville
    3. Play a Game with the Kids – played a couple old and new games with the kids this week!  Grandpa Russell taught them a simple version of 7 up & 7 down.  Grandpa & Grandma played their new “Herd Your Houses” game with them!
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events – some preparation items were put on hold briefly while  my parents were visiting
    5. Spend time Monday – Thursday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids – had a birthday party Friday night with Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Lee, Aunt Becky, and the boys!
    9. Confirm my parents plans and activities for their upcoming visit
    10. Celebrate Valentine’s Day – glad to spend time with my parents, we packed a lot of fun into the day!
    11. Spend Extra Time with Extended Family – we split out time with our house and my brother’s house so it was nice to have some time together.  The kids enjoyed a lot of extra play time together too.

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – didn’t keep up with it a couple days this past week and pretty sure I was low a couple days
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – took more than 1 day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer – working through some of the items that need used
    4. Clean House (Focus – Overall House Cleaning) – it wasn’t completely done, but thankful for Jake and the girls pitching in to help.  It wasn’t perfect, but nobody seemed to mind.
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Game Closet) – got it cleaned out!
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Yard Clean Up) – we got some things cleaned up than had another wind storm over the weekend now have more branches and other items blown into the yard that need to be picked up now
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Salt Block for Goats) – we have a mineral bucket for them

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – have some extra “catch-up” work to do this week
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt) – working on it, made a small extra payment on it last week
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – went to more than 1 store and went over budget this week (really need to work on this one)
    5. Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay – sold a couple items which we applied towards an extra payment on our debt

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Ashleigh’s Dream (Thoroughbred Series #5) by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids
    9. Celebrate Kid’s Birthday

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – Laundry Room)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Linens Cabinet)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pick Up Down Sticks)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Hay for Goats)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
    5. Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay

    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

    Last week flew by so quickly and we are now entering the middle of February.  I am excited about some of the fun events coming up this week.  My parents will be coming to visit us in SC for a few days.  The kids are thrilled and I have to kick into gear to get my house picked up before our guests arrive.  Also, this week is special because we are celebrating Valentine’s Day which is a great time to demonstrate our love to those around us.   Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Wonder’s Victory by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids – we did it different this week, we split up in pairs to play games one-on-one with the kids (Jake played Chess with Karlie and I played Trouble with Brina)
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids – working on it
    9. Confirm my parents plans for their upcoming visit

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer – still going through the various items
    4. Clean House (Focus – Dining Room)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Game Closet) – isn’t quite finished yet
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Clean Kids Outdoor Toy Storage Containers)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up More Dog Food)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt)- working on it, made a small extra payment this week
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – went to more than 1 store
    5. Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay – sold a couple items and used the money to make an extra payment on our debt

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Ashleigh’s Dream (Thoroughbred Series #5) by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids
    9. Confirm my parents plans and activities for their upcoming visit
    10. Celebrate Valentine’s Day
    11. Spend Extra Time with Extended Family

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – Overall House Cleaning)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Game Closet)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Yard Clean Up)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Salt Block for Goats)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
    5. Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay

    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.

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  • What’s for Breakfast: Our Weekly Menu Plan

    Breakfast Treat the First Day of Summer Break for Brina and Karlie Strawberry and Bananas

    Here is what our breakfast menu looks like this week (the items in parenthesis are examples of the extra items we will add and change from week to week):

    • Monday – English Muffins (Egg)
    • Tuesday – Toast (Cottage Cheese)
    • Wednesday – Cereal (Spinach & Strawberry Smoothie)
    • Thursday – Pancakes, Poptarts, or Oatmeal (Sausage)
    • Friday – Bagel (Yogurt)
    • Saturday – Family Brunch (a lot of times we make Saturday breakfast together and it is whatever sounds good that morning or a new dish we want to try out.  It is not always planned in advance and could be an egg or breakfast casserole, omelets, hashbrowns, waffles, pancakes, etc… this is our big family meal of the day since Saturdays are often spent with extended family, friends, or doing other afternoon and evening activities)  Since we make more complicated breakfasts on Saturdays it is usually between 8 to 10 before we sit down to eat therefore they have become our Family Brunch.
    • Sunday – Make Your Own Breakfast (everyone makes their own breakfast before church which is usually something easy like cereal, toast, poptarts, oatmeal, smoothie, etc….)

    We are pretty consistent with our week day breakfast menu.  For each day of the work and school week Monday to Friday we have the same main menu item from week to week the only thing that changes is the “extra item” we add each day such as an egg, sausage, fresh fruit, cottage cheese, bacon, smoothies, or other items that we have in the kitchen.  During the school week the girls always have their main breakfast, at least one side (usually fruit, sausage, egg, etc…), vitamins, milk (one has non-dairy milk due to allergies), and small glass of juice.  When I am ambitious, awake, and my creative juices are flowing I will add a little extra silliness to make breakfast more enjoyable for the kids.

    We first started doing a different main breakfast item everyday a few years ago because I have one child who if she eats the same thing too many times in a row she stops eating.  Adding a little variety from day to day was enough to keep her motivated to eat breakfast.  It wasn’t until several months later when the girls pointed it out that I realized that we do the same main item on the same day every week.  “Mom, Tuesday is Toast Day…..”  So now it has become our rotating breakfast menu which helps keep us on track because we know exactly what we need to prepare for the next breakfast.  Plus the girls are sometimes still waking up when they come to breakfast and the morning menu helps them figure out the day of the week as well as prepares them for the upcoming activities they have that day.

    There are times I will mix it up (just for fun) or Jake will get up first and make breakfast!  The girls don’t hesitate to let him know if he makes a main food item on the wrong day….ha!  Our breakfasts are not fancy, but it gets us up and started for the day.  What do you make for your family breakfasts?

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    It was a full week.  We’ve all been fighting a cold so that made it seem even crazier since we were tired.  There were several nights when various family members crashed early.  Thankfully, we are all on the mend and back to our normal selves now.  We are looking forward to being back to our normal schedule again too.  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids – we were all in tears at the end of the story, but the kids loved it
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids – we spent extra time catching up on sleep, trying to get better from the lingering colds, and other activities this past week
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids
    9. Confirm my parents plans for their upcoming visit – their plans got altered slightly due to an unexpected death of a friend so we are hoping they will be able to come at a later time this month

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – I spread it out over a couple of days again this week
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer – working our way through the goodies
    4. Clean House (Focus – Master Bedroom & Master Bathroom) – made progress, got our new bed set up
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Kitchen)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Leaves) – it somehow manages to rain about the time we are ready to do the leaves
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Refill All Pet Containers)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt) – working on it
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – went to more than one store this week

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Wonder’s Victory by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids
    9. Confirm my parents plans for their upcoming visit

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – Dining Room)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Game Closet)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Clean Kids Outdoor Toy Storage Containers)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up More Dog Food)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
    5. Sale Items no longer using or do not need on Facebook / Craigslist / Ebay

    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

    I had high expectations to get so much more done this past week.  The good news is I was able to spend a full fun Monday with the girls since they did not have school for Martin Luther King Jr Holiday.  It was wonderful soaking in those precious extra moments together!

    I did not make as much progress as I had hoped on some of the other items on my list, but for the most part I am moving forward which is better than no movement at all.  It is amazing how activities which appear to be easy or simple can actually take longer and eat into any extra time I had.  Trying to stay positive especially on those tasks that seem to never get completed (or take a long time)!  This week I have a lot of my list so hopefully it will be a more productive week.  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids – getting closer (the busy weeks have slowed us down)
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Tuesday – Friday helping the kids with Homework – they did not have school on Monday
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – still taking me 2 days, hoping to get back to normal schedule soon!
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week – I planned it out, but had to alter it a little more than I anticipated this week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – Master Bedroom & Master Bathroom) – got our new bed put into the room, just have some more organizing to do before I can cross it off
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Kitchen) – got the pantry cleaned out, but have some more items I want to get done in the kitchen
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Leaves) – although I did some raking with the girls this week hoping for a dry week soon so we can get the side yard blown and raked
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Fix the Goat Fence) – my sweet husband got this fixed

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – have a few pending projects
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients – I have 2 projects I need to complete soon

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Sale Some Items No Longer Using on Facebook / Craigslist
    3. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt) – working on it
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – went to 2 stores and was $20 over budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids
    9. Confirm my parents plans for their upcoming visit

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – Master Bedroom & Master Bathroom)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Kitchen)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Leaves)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Refill All Pet Containers)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

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

    Why Share My Goals?

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

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

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

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    It was a great week.  The girls had a crazy schedule with Lego STEM Robotics competition (FLL – First Lego League) and extra practice this week on top of all the regular activities.  They did a FANTASTIC job at their regional competition! Their team won the 1st place trophy for their project, research, and presentation.  They also won the GOLD TICKET which means they are going on to State Competition!  WooHoo!  Very proud of the kids and all the hard work they have done this year.  Go Solar SySTEM!!!

    I had a few extra external activities this week, but was able to make some good progress on other projects at home.  Starting to feel a little better so hoping to resume the majority of my normal activities and get a lot accomplished.  Although, I over did it one day last week and I paid for it for 2 days afterward so hopefully I can make a lot of progress forward without over doing it with my neck.  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids – continuing to read it to the kids (didn’t get to read every night with all the extra activities and homework)
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. STEM Competition

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – narrowing down plan options
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – it took me a little over a day with all the activities
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – Basement) – made some progress
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Pantry) – working on it
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Clean Up Old Storage Shed)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Find a New Location for Skipper’s Doghouse)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)- working on it
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – Master Bedroom & Master Bathroom)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Kitchen)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Leaves)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Fix the Goat Fence)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Sale Some Items No Longer Using on Facebook / Craigslist
    3. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

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

    Why Share My Goals?

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

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

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

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    It was a super crazy week with the girls back in school, Jake back on normal work schedule, and my days packed.  I was able to accomplish some activities and make progress last week, but need to pick up pace this week.  I have a lot of projects that need attention around the house.  When the kids were home for Christmas break I spent the time with them so some of my items got put on the back burner.  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids – making progress, but there was a lot of homework last week and weekend events took priority
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids – played Jake’s new game Dakato
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Dr. Appointments for Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – need to decide which plans I am doing this year
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – did it over the whole weekend since we had guests for the weekend
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1″ Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later) – trying to eat through the items already in the freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – House Cleaned Up After Christmas Decorations are Put Away)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Christmas Items Back in the Attic)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Blow Leaves) – working on it
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Skipper a Bath) – didn’t get it done this week

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Sale Some Items No Longer Using on Facebook / Craigslist – sold a few items!
    3. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt) – working on it
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – went to more than one store

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. STEM Competition

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
    4. Clean House (Focus – Basement)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Pantry)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Clean Up Old Storage Shed)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Find a New Location for Skipper’s Doghouse)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Sale Some Items No Longer Using on Facebook / Craigslist
    3. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

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

    Why Share My Goals?

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

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

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

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Winter and Christmas break for the kids went by too quickly!  They are now back to school and the house is too quiet.  I loved having extra time with my girls.  A lot of fun times, games, activities, and memories have been made over the past couple of weeks.  Thankful for the extra time with my family.  God has been good and we are blessed.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read a variety of Christmas and Library Books my Kids Picked Out from Home and the local Library, including Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows – still reading Where the Red Fern Grows, but read all the other books to the girls (now to return them to the library)!
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming New Year Holiday Events
    4. Play a Game with the Kids – we played several fun games over the Holiday break
    5. Spend Extra Time with the Kids
    6. Celebrate our New Years
    7. Make Cookies and Goodies with the Kids
    8. Do a craft with the kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – there were a couple days I didn’t drink enough water when out and about on adventures with the kiddos
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – still taking me 2 days, but getting closer
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week – our week was a little more off schedule so we remained flexible in the evenings this past week
    3. Clean House (Focus –  At least 15 minute daily “pick up” to keep the house clean as we prepped for the Holidays)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – Gifts Wrap & Boxes Put Away, Gifts Put Away)
    5. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Finish Leaves) – working on it last week we had more rainy days than clear
    6. Pet Care (Focus – New Dog House for Skipper) – Skipper LOVES her new dog house

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt) – working on it
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    5. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Dr. Appointments for Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1″ Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later)
    4. Clean House (Focus – House Cleaned Up After Christmas Decorations are Put Away)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Christmas Items Back in the Attic)
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Blow Leaves)
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Skipper a Bath)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

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

    Why Share My Goals?

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

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

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