April Goals

1.  Read/listen to 2 books. I'm obsessed with Audible right now and have been listening to books each chance I have. 

2. Go through and get rid of Jack and I's clothes. 

3. Review photobooks and add recent pictures for 2017 Walgreens album. I got my first photobook at the end of March and I just love having a book full of pictures of Jack from his birth to six months. I'm excited to buy more of these books that I've created. 

4. Plan and make bake sale items for Easter Egg Drop. The Women's Service League of McGehee is hosting an Easter Egg Drop this month and I've signed up to make some bake sale items and also volunteered to work during that day. 

5. Put $500 in savings. I'm really trying hard to build up my savings for several things coming up in our lives like trips and things we will need to buy. 

6. Blog 10 times. I've really backed off blogging to focus on some other goals in my Powersheets. 

7. Put together Jack's Easter basket and Jack's class treats. I'm going to make Jack a beach themed Easter basket plus some typical Easter treats. 

8. Find and purchase Mother Day gifts. I have a couple different gifts I need to buy and I'm excited to pick out exciting things for the sweet women in my life.

9. Exercise 4 times a week. My mom got me a gym membership for my birthday so I'm making exercise a priority this month.

10. Participate in online book club by posting there at least 3 times a week. My new online friend introduced me to this online book club and I'm really enjoying it. She is in charge next month and I'm ready to see what she picks out for us to read. 

11. Take vitamin daily.  

12. Track Fitbit steps

13. Pay on 2 medical bills

14. Bring lunch to work at least 3 times a week

15. Eat breakfast 

Powersheets Progress

Since it is March I wanted to take a few minutes to update everyone on how my Powersheets are going. I'm two months in and I'm super proud of my progress. Lara Casey, the genius behind the Powersheets, is all about progress. I've had to retrain my mind to think about the little steps as more important than I once thought of them. 

I had a couple different goals that I've really been rocking. There are some other goals that I'm just now really working on. My goal themes are finances, happiness, health, religion, and community. 

FINANCES

I got my taxes done and started a savings account. I've also been paying off a lot of the smaller medical bills and paying on the bigger ones. I put together a google sheet of my current debt where one cell calculates the sum at the bottom. I love seeing that sum number decrease each month. 

HAPPINESS

I found myself really feeling anxious and stressed towards the end of 2016. I would snap at people and find myself getting frustrated quicker. I knew these feelings were taking a toll on me and I didn't want to hurt the people around me. In the first week of January I went to my doctor and she put me on Paxil. It has been such a turn around. It took about two weeks to feel the positive effects. My only side effect was not being able to sleep but that only lasted about a week. It is hard to explain what it has done for me. The best way for me to put it is that it has mellowed me out. I don't feel different in my body, I just can deal with things so much better. It is like an instant count to ten for my brain. I can't recommend it enough.

HEALTH

This is the one area where I've made minimal progress. I need to lose weight but let's face it-that isn't any fun. I do worse with eating crap for breakfast instead of planning ahead. I still drink too much Dr. Pepper with my favorite Sonic ice. I have done well with moving more but I'm still needing to work on that so I bought a Fitbit in hopes of walking more steps. Does anyone know of any step challenges that I could participate in? I have started taking a multivitamin daily, taking better care of my teeth, and doing a nightly face routine.

RELIGION

I had felt the urge to be closer to God and started exploring that relationship mid 2016. In 2017 I wanted to go deeper so I started a prayer journal that I write in through the week. At first my goal was to read a book of the Bible each month but now my goal is to read the Bible this year. I feel so much closer to God and I'm happy with the direction I'm heading. One area where I haven't done well is getting into church. I went a couple of times in December. The first time Jack got lost. The second time he screamed and refused to stay in children's church. I then started letting him just stay with me but the whole time I'm entertaining him and couldn't pay attention. Honestly, it was just a lot of work getting ready to just get there and not being able to enjoy myself. The issue with children's church is that it is a different person keeping the kids each Sunday so Jack is never able to get comfortable. I hope that we can try again at a later time. 

COMMUNITY

  Since moving back to my hometown I lost the daily interaction with my friends. I'm planning on staying put for awhile so I wanted to make friends with people in my community. All of my high school friends have moved away or we haven't connected in awhile. I've also wanted to get more involved in my community. I stepped out of my comfort zone and joined our local Womens Service League. I hope to do good works in my community and hopefully meet some new friends. 

After March I do the Spring Refresh in my Powersheets book. These pages are dedicated to thinking about what has worked and what has not worked. You can then rethink your goals and see if any of them need tweeked or thrown out. I can already see some of the changes I want to make. I'm happy to report I've made such progress with my goals that I'll be able to make them more complex and even add another one or two. For example, one of my goals is to make happy memories with my family. I want to add more to that goal by being more specific and adding some adjectives to that goal. Cultivating important relationships is something I want to continue working on by exploring new ways to make fun memories. 

I'll leave you by saying that having my Powersheets has been such a positive game changer in my life. I knew I wanted to make some major changes in 2017 and I couldn't have predicted how instrumental Powersheets would be in making my goals a reality. 

How are your goals going this year?

March Goals

I'm giving up my weekly goals for the month of March to focus on some bigger goals for the whole month. If doing things this way doesn't work out then I'll go back to the weekly goals. I'm always willing to change things around to find what works best for me.

Also, March is super busy for us. Some big things are my birthday, Spring Break, Parent/Teacher Conference, assemblies, and a few other big school events.

I need to keep things manageable.

1// This is the month where I really hope to lose weight. I just started Fitness First Nutrition and I hope to make huge progress this month. More on this throughout the month.

One of the reasons I am doing monthly goals and not weekly goals is because my biggest goal is exercise and nutrition. It is going to be my main focus so I don't want to put too much on myself.

2// Do 2 pieces of Easter art with Jack.

3// Put out Easter/spring decor on March 18.

4// Celebrate my birthday and Easter.

5// Work in my bullet journal daily.

There you have it. Lots of events on the calendar so I'm keeping it manageable this month with my goals. I love a new month with all of its possibilities. Have a good one!

Week 14 Goals Recap + Week 15 Goals

Week 14 Goals

1// Get my headlight changed. I just found out today that my left one is out. I'm sure my dad can handle this one. Who knew changing a low beam headlight would take so much work? We watched several YouTube videos on how to get this done without dropping the bumper. On Saturday my brother in law's friend came over and he took a look at it. They worked for at least at hour before it got done. I contributed a 12 pack for their efforts. 

2// Finish a Year of Yes. I don't think this will be too hard since I'm loving it. I haven't finished it yet but I'm close. I love it...like really love it. This book will make you think and I can't recommend it enough. 

3// Drink lots more water. I need to get better at this. I'll get in a groove and then jump right out of it. 

4// Do 2 canvas art pieces with Jack for St. Patrick's Day.

5// Put out St. Patrick's Day decor.

6// Pay bills and other debts (I get paid on Friday). I could mark this off partially. I'm waiting on my new checks to finish this one up. 

7// Put together my birthday wish list. My birthday is the 15th of March and I know my family wants some ideas. I already know one items was purchased...so pumped!

8// Take Jack to get his haircut. Jack is never going to get a haircut. I had to cancel the appointment he had because my back was just too messed up. She said she would reschedule. I didn't hear from her. I wrote her back a few days later and she said she was busy. I then took him to the little hair place inside Wal-Mart and no one could do it that day. 

9// Make appointment for Jack to get his hearing checked. He isn't having any issues but they have to get tested at school and he wouldn't cooperate so I have to get our PCP to sign off.

10// Get a printout of Jack's immunizations. 

11// Call my student loan company to answer their question about how often I get paid. 

12// Start online shopping for Jack's Easter outfit. This will be a fun one.

13// Research a good cause. I think it is time to focus on one cause that is important to me. I want Jack to grow up knowing that we support _________. I think if I narrowed things down a little I could make a bigger difference. Choosing a cause or charity isn't an easy task. There is so much out there and some controversy with certain charities. I want to do my research first. There is a girl (one I actually taught when she was in high school) and I see how the great work she is doing for pets. It has nothing to do with her job but is something that she is passionate about. When I see where she has saved an animal it makes me so proud. It also makes me feel down that I'm not making that type of difference. 

14// Purge Jack's toys once again. I've repurposed a storage bin with six compartments and I want it all to fit in it and his toy box. Currently he is using a crate, a toy box, and the space under the roll top desk. I didn't mention the block containers in the back bedroom nor all the trains under every piece of furniture we own.

This was not my finest week of getting things accomplished. In my defense, my back has/had (I think I'm on the mend) been pretty messed up. I had to take it really easy and didn't walk during my lunch break at all last week. I hope to get back to things this week.

Week 15 Goals

1// Get Jack a haircut.

2// Do workout video 2 times this week.

3// Walk 3 of my lunch breaks.

4// Complete tasks 9-14 from last week.

5// Bring my lunch to work 3 times this week. I really want to try and make my own lunchable type meals. 

I'm keeping it pretty simple this week since I have so many tasks to complete from last week. My biggest focus is getting back to working out. 

Week 13 Goals Recap + Week 14 Goals

Week 13 Goals

1// Buy chocolate bars to make my Valentine candy bars for my co-workers.  I didn't end up with candy bars but I did end up with something just as cute. You can see what I came up with here.

2// Find a Valentine's gift for my mom and assistant. I'm thinking about doing pedicures. I didn't do a pedicure for my assistant. I found a really cute frame and stoled a picture of her grandkids from Facebook and put it in it. It turned out really cute. My mom got a pedicure.

3// Make cookies for Jack's daycare. Well it wasn't cookies but Jack and I did make Valentine cupcakes and they loved them.

4// Write out February work goals. Done and I've already marked a few things off. 

5// Do cardio twice this week.Ha! I did drop 4 pounds but I'm sure I gained them back over the weekend. I weigh again on Thursday. 

6// Order treats for 3 kiddos here at school that I always buy stuff for on holidays.  I wish every kid got something delivered for Valentine's Day. 

7// Drink that H2O! I did better during the week that I've done in the past two weeks but I didn't do so great over the weekend. 

Week 14 Goals

1// Get my headlight changed. I just found out today that my left one is out. I'm sure my dad can handle this one.

2// Finish a Year of Yes. I don't think this will be too hard since I'm loving it.

3// Drink lots more water.

4// Do 2 canvas art pieces with Jack for St. Patrick's Day.

5// Put out St. Patrick's Day decor.

6// Pay bills and other debts (I get paid on Friday).

7// Put together my birthday wish list. My birthday is the 15th of March and I know my family wants some ideas.

8// Take Jack to get his haircut. 

9// Make appointment for Jack to get his hearing checked. He isn't having any issues but they have to get tested at school and he wouldn't cooperate so I have to get our PCP to sign off.

10// Get a printout of Jack's immunizations. 

11// Call my student loan company to answer their question about how often I get paid. 

12// Start online shopping for Jack's Easter outfit. This will be a fun one.

13// Research a good cause. I think it is time to focus on one cause that is important to me. I want Jack to grow up knowing that we support _________. I think if I narrowed things down a little I could make a bigger difference. Choosing a cause or charity isn't an easy task. There is so much out there and some controversy with certain charities. I want to do my research first. There is a girl (one I actually taught when she was in high school) and I see how the great work she is doing for pets. It has nothing to do with her job but is something that she is passionate about. When I see where she has saved an animal it makes me so proud. It also makes me feel down that I'm not making that type of difference. 

14// Purge Jack's toys once again. I've repurposed a storage bin with six compartments and I want it all to fit in it and his toy box. Currently he is using a crate, a toybox, and the space under the roll top desk. I didn't mention the block containers in the back bedroom nor all the trains under every piece of furnture we own.

I've set myself up for a very busy week but I believe I've got this.  If I manage to accomplish all of these things then I'm going to reward myself with a pedicure or a haircut/dye/style. This is the first time I've brough rewards into this whole weekly goal thing but I have a lot of goals and if I do it all then I for sure deserve a prize. 

Week 12 Goals Recap + Week 13 Goals

Week 12 Goals Recap

1// Finish my taxes. I've been waiting for some papers from daycare. I talked to the director and she said we would get them this week. Yay me! I have even gotten back my state taxes already (and spent them-ha). 

2// Workout three times. It's time I start to add in more cardio. I am meeting my step count so I'll be moving that up but I still want to add in more calorie busting cardio. See, what had happened was....okay I was lazy. My lack of dedication is crushing me. 

3// Purchase a Valentine's gift for my mom, my librarian assistant, and my Secret Pal. I have zero ideas. I am going to do Valentine wrapped candy bars for my co-workers. I had also thought about doing a hot chocolate bar with donuts. I'll make up my mind closer to Valentine's Day. This was a total loss. I did get my Secret Pal her gift and also a few gifts for other friends and my sister. 

4// Do "love you to pieces" Valentine art with Jack. Although I love this idea I've decided it just isn't in the cards for us this year. We (I) cut out hearts and Jack painted them. 

5// Drink lots of water. Last week I didn't do too great on the water because I was sick most days. Am I the only one who hates the taste of water when they are sick? Nope. I have got to do better. 

6// Search for a banner for March. Yeah I'm talking March. It just takes me awhile to make stuff since I usually only get to be crafty when Jack is sleeping. Once I find the idea, I have to start gathering supplies.  I have some cute decor things planned. Holiday decor makes my heart smile. 

7// Sit down with my dad and work out details on my future home. My dad is a contractor and has been drawing up plans. He wants to sit down and get my opinion on a few things. Y'all are probably wondering what I even did this past week. 

8// Get myself well! I have been battling this crud for over a week now. Just when I think I'm getting better, it comes back. I'm ready to feel 100%!  I am marking this off because I feel well today but no so much on Saturday. This sickness really just keeps coming and going. My brother in law that lives next door was diagnosed with the flu last Monday and his little boy is home sick today. It is surrounding me and nothing like working at a school to get some germs. 

Week 13 Goals

1// Buy chocolate bars to make my Valentine candy bars for my co-workers. 

2// Find a Valentine's gift for my mom and assistant. I'm thinking about doing pedicures.

3// Make cookies for Jack's daycare.

4// Write out February work goals.

5// Do cardio twice this week.

6// Order treats for 3 kiddos here at school that I always buy stuff for on holidays. 

7// Drink that H2O!

I don't have a lot of goals for this week because we will be packing in lots of Valentine stuff with painting, using stickers, eating Valentine themed food, baking, and just celebrating love. I hope y'all have a great week full of celebration and accomplishment. 

Week 11 Goals Recap + Week 12 Goals

Week 11 Goals Recap

1// Try out making smoothies. I really want to see if Jack will drink them. He isn't the best fruit or vegetable eater so I hope he will drink them so I can get more fruits and vegetables into his growing body. Major fail. well I did make one but it was awful. Next time, I need to add a sweetener. Various berries and milk just aren't that good.

2/ Finish Jack's class valeintines. So happy to have this one crossed off my list. 

3// Do even more research on bullet journaling.

4// Declutter bathroom products.

5// Volunteer at JBE Winter Ball which is this Saturday. Y'all, seriously so much fun! 

6// Start reading a new book.

7// Work with Jack on wearing headphones. He got screened for speech therapy and when they went to check his hearing he freaked out because he didn't want to wear the headphones. He has never worn any before so I plan to work with him on this because he is getting retested soon.

8// Fill out Jack's speech and development therapy papers. Where he goes to daycare they offer these services for free if they qualify. Jack isn't really behind but he has some things he can work on.

I seriously rocked it last week. I called in sick one day with the nasty crud. I had a fever so I didn't want to spread the love. Being at home that day really worked out because I got a lot done even if I was sick. I would rest a little and then work a little. It is amazing how much you can get done (and rest) when you are home alone. Lovely!

Week 12 Goals

1// Finish my taxes. I've been waiting for some papers from daycare. I talked to the director and she said we would get them this week. 

2// Workout three times. It's time I start to add in more cardio. I am meeting my step count so I'll be moving that up but I still want to add in more calorie busting cardio.

3// Purchase a Valentine's gift for my mom, my librarian assistant, and my Secret Pal. I have zero ideas. I am going to do Valentine wrapped candy bars for my co-workers. I had also thought about doing a hot chocolate bar with donuts. I'll make up my mind closer to Valentine's Day.

4// Do "love you to pieces" Valentine art with Jack.

5// Drink lots of water. Last week I didn't do too great on the water because I was sick most days. Am I the only one who hates the taste of water when they are sick?

6// Search for a banner for March. Yeah I'm talking March. It just takes me awhile to make stuff since I usually only get to be crafty when Jack is sleeping. Once I find the idea, I have to start gathering supplies. 

7// Sit down with my dad and work out details on my future home. My dad is a contractor and has been drawing up plans. He wants to sit down and get my opinion on a few things. 

8// Get myself well! I have been battling this crud for over a week now. Just when I think I'm getting better, it comes back. I'm ready to feel 100%! 

Week 10 Goals Recap + Week 11 Goals + Bullet Journaling

Week 10 Goals Recap

1// Do my taxes. I'm still missing one piece of information and then I'll be all set to go. I've done everything else so once I have this one thing I'll be getting them done. I do my taxes myself so I'm able to work on them when I can. 

2// Pay bills. I get paid once a month so it is time to start paying off that debt for 2016. I paid $1171 of my debt. So exciting! I even paid one thing completely off-man that feels good!

3// Finish book and start another. I finished the book I was reading but haven't started another. 

4// Do a sit down and examine where I'm at with my long term goals. What is working?       What is not working?  I need to do this every few weeks to make sure I'm still moving in the right direction. 

5// Drink that water!

6// Continue packing lunch for work.  I only had to pack 3 lunches this week since we were out Monday and Friday.

7// Be thinking about or purchase something for my Secret Pal. I did zero shopping like I had planned. 

8// Finish putting together Jack's class Valentines. Here is the thing, I can only work on them after Jack is asleep and well I have hit the hay right after he has this past week. I have some time so I'm not panicking but I would like to get it done soon.

Week 11 Goals

1// Try out making smoothies. I really want to see if Jack will drink them. He isn't the best fruit or vegetable eater so I hope he will drink them so I can get more fruits and vegetables into his growing body.

2/ Finish Jack's class valeintines.

3// Do even more research on bullet journaling.

4// Declutter bathroom products.

5// Volunteer at JBE Winter Ball which is this Saturday.

6// Start reading a new book.

7// Work with Jack on wearing headphones. He got screened for speech therapy and when they went to check his hearing he freaked out because he didn't want to wear the headphones. He has never worn any before so I plan to work with him on this because he is getting retested soon.

8// Fill out Jack's speech and development therapy papers. Where he goes to daycare they offer these services for free if they qualify. Jack isn't really behind but he has some things he can work on.

My Experience with Bullet Journaling

For the past week bullet journaling has been popping up in my Pinterest feed. I had zero ideas on what bullet journaling really was so I clicked on a few links and learned more.

The bullet journal is what you make it. The key piece to it is an index. Here is what I have in my index so far:
Page 1: Quotes
Page 2: 2016 goals and word of 2016
Page 3: Index
Page 4: Weekly Goals Jan 25-Feb 21
Page 5: Weekly Goals Feb 22-Mar 20
Page 6: Step count Jan 24-April 22
Page 7: Books I've read 2016
Page 8: Blog post ideas
Page 9: Future home ideas
Page 10: Organizing ideas
Page 11: Recipes to try
Page 12: January Dump (where I put random thoughts and ideas)
Page 13: January and Feb happy moments
Page 14: Valentine's Bucket List
Page 15: Products to try
Page 16-20: Beauty Inspiration (cut out pictures and articles)
Page 21: Good deeds
Page 22: Feb dump
Page 23: Wish list-me
Page 24: Wish list-Jack

Here are a few pictures

I used a spiral notebook this time but I plan on picking up something else for my next bullet journal. I think I'd rather use something with no lines. I also want to pick up more colored pens. I had on hand blue, black, purple, and pink. 

I'm not a very artsy person and my hand lettering is awful but the great thing about bullet journaling is that you are practicing. 

Most people do a daily goals/tasks. I decided against that because most of my days are pretty much the same. I do better with weekly goals because I can work on those few things when I can fit in the time. 

This bullet journal is pretty much my rough draft. I'm going to use this one until I feel more comfortable with my lettering and decide what pages to take away or add. I've seen where people track more things than what I have in my journal so I may add more tracking pieces. I want it to be something that can function with me and not against me. I don't have lots of time to dedicate to it so I don't want to put too much pressure to write too much stuff down and then fail. 

I think keeping all my bullet journals will be fun to have so I can look back at them. It is such an interesting way to keep track of all the things in my wonderful life. Plus, it lets you be creative.

Have you ever tried bullet journaling? 

How I Am Adding Steps to My Day

I'm loving my Fitbit. Being able to track how many steps I'm completing each day is a major motivation. Currently, my steps goals is 8,000. I've been reaching that goal for the past week. I'll give it a few more days and then up it a few hundred more. My long term goal is to reach 10,000 steps most days. I'm starting to feel that I will be able to reach that goal as long as I continue to push myself.

Here are some ways I'm making sure I am hitting my 8,000+ steps each day.

1. During my lunch break I eat in 15 minutes and use the rest of my time to walk. Since it has been cold I've been walking in our schools gym. Yesterday it was nice outside so I walked around the school. Putting those earbuds in my ear and walking not only helps me get my steps in but it is a great stress relief during the middle of my day.

2. I no longer stand and wait for something. If I'm waiting on the copier, I walk around the room. If I'm waiting for the microwave, I run in place. Those extra steps really do add up.

3. Instead of having my students run errands for me, I am taking things myself. Since I have an assistant with me I am able to leave the room without leaving the students unattended.

4. I park far away. I use to try to circle parking lots to get the closest spot. Now, I just park at the end. It adds steps and saves me frustration. No more looking for a parking spot!

5. Turning the 15 minute jolt feature on. If I sit for 15 minutes my Fitbit will let me know it is time to get up. I'll do a few laps before I sit back down.

Trying to find ways to add steps in has become a fun little game for me. I enjoy checking my step count throughout the day.

Do you have any suggestions on how I can add steps to my day?

Week 7 Goals

Now that Christmas is officially over, it is time to get back to achieving my goals. I have done really well with making weekly goals so I want to continue with them. This week Jack will be going to daycare so I have big plans to get some rest and also accomplish a lot.

1. Workout. I hope to lose some weight. I've just let myself eat whatever and do little to no exercise for awhile. Life had just been so hectic and it is time to do something. I have this Fit Bit to help.

2. Make some calls I've been needing to make but have had no time.

3. Find something or a way to organize my jewelry. Here are some ideas I'm thinking about.




4. Finish the book Playing Dead and the book Sparkle.


          

5. Get my oil changed. It needs to be done but I hate taking it to be done. It is also how I feel about putting gas in my car.

6. Finish my New Year's Resolutions.

7. Write out budget for January.

8. Organize beauty product drawers. It's gotten a little wild in there and I need to tame it. There is so much stuff that I bet there are some things I could be using now but they have gotten lost.

9. Find a organization system for Jack's trains. They are EVERYWHERE and someething must be done.

10. Water. Water. Water.

Week 3 Goals Recap + Week 4 Goals

1. Survive book fair week at school. It's the toughest week for me. It's busy. It's chaotic. It's lots of hard work both physically and mentally.  I made it!!! Y'all I am always so thankful when this week is over. When you have kiddos bring a dollar and want something that costs twenty....oh it is broken hearts. I always have a kid or two to cry, it is not a fun position to be in. Breaking hearts is not my idea of a good time. One very nice woman gave me $60 for me to pick some kids who wouldn't have money to go to the book fair. I picked 6 kids and gave them $10 each from "an elf". It made me so happy to see a parent give to others. 

2. Finish Jack's stocking. I'm not marking this one off because I have lost one Wal-Mart bag with several of his stocking items in it. I'm sure it is in the closet but I bought this stuff long ago and have put Amazon boxes on top since then. I'm sure I'll find it soon and have his stocking finished up. 

3. Get some important documents notarized.

4. Start using our advent calendar. Jack is enjoying the chocolate in his advent stockings. Yesterday my nephew was with us so I added some extra candy. My nephew Bennett thought it was the coolest thing and kept saying "let's look in the 7". 

5. Read Christmas books. This one is Jack's favorite. 

We've also read Frosty the Snowman and It's Christmas, David!

6. Watch Christmas movies.

7. Wrap Christmas gifts. I still have so many more to wrap.

8. Bring Secret Pal her gift.

9. Print off candy bar wrappers to use as little gifts for co-workers. 

10. Drink more water. I do awful on this. I really need to fix this though. I went and got a bottle of water right after I typed this so I can get on it...ha!

Week 4 Goals

1. Finish Jack's stocking.

2. Finish wrapping the gifts that I have purchased (those that have been delivered). 

3. Decorate our gingerbread house. 

4. Finish the current book I'm reading. 

5. Deliver my Secret Pal's newest Christmas gift and find her something for the last day of school before Christmas break. 

6. Finalize my Christmas cookie and candy list. 

7. Begin thinking of New Year's Resolutions (yes, I am going there). I'm thinking of doing a binder this year. I did a binder two years ago and I loved it. This past year was to hectic so I didn't make one. I'm starting to feel more on my feet and so I'm thinking of bringing the binder back.

8. Fill out paperwork for something I'm working on (and return).

9. Continue watching Christmas movies and reading Christmas books and continue with advent calendar.

10. Seriously, drink more water.

Week 2 Goals Recap + Week 3 Goals

Week 2 Goals

1. Put up the Christmas tree Took care of that on Saturday and it looks wonderful. Too bad I can't get Jack to stop breaking ornaments or unplugging the lights. Fun times guys!

2. Get the majority of Jack's Christmas purchased. I got my Christmas bonus and I'm looking forward to shopping for my little guy.  I have everything purchased except one thing. Man that feels good to write!

3. Cook. Cook. Cook. Last week I shared these recipes and I plan on making most of them up on Wednesday. Tomorrow I'm doing the grocery shopping. I cooked so much that I'm all cooked out for awhile. 

4. Get consistent with Jack on picking up his toys before bed. I've been too laid back on this one. He has recently showed more interest in cleaning up his messes and he does it at daycare. I've gotta make this more of a priority at home. Just because it is easier for me to do myself, it isn't teaching him anything. How many times did this happen? Zip. Zero. Nada. 

5. Talk with my mom and sister about my dad's upcoming birthday. My dad tends to get overlooked on his birthday because 1. he's a dude and doesn't really care about a celebration and 2. it is around the holiday and everyone is busy 3. it is deer season and he is in the woods until dark. I hope we can at least plan a nice dinner. Now to decide what to buy the man who needs nothing and wants for nothing. Did not happen but I better hurry because his birthday is Sunday.

6. Go see The Good Dinosaur. Jack has never been to the movies. We had planned to go see the Peanuts movie around his birthday but the weather was awful. We have to travel to get to a theater (small town problems) and so we haven't made it yet. I think he will enjoy the dinosaur movie a little more though. You can read all about that experience here.

7. Shop for some new pants. I bought a wonderful pair of work pants at JC Penney back in the summer. I wear them often and love them. I have them in black and would love to find a gray colored pair that I love just as much. I never went shopping besides online. I hope to get a JC Penney giftcard for Christmas so I'll wait.

8. Start another new book. I'm on a reading roll and I love it. I hope to sneak in some quiet reading time during the week. I started a new Chevy Stevens books. I'm quickly working through all of Stevens' books. 

9. Clean. Lots of cleaning to be done before the whole family arrives.

10. Brainstorm some Christmas gift ideas for family members. My sister is the easiest person in the world to buy for (besides me-ha) but the rest of the crew, not so much. Why can't everyone have Amazon wish lists?  The only family member I have left to buy for is my mom. I have a few ideas but nothing I'm just really excited about. 

Week 3 Goals

1. Survive book fair week at school. It's the toughest week for me. It's busy. It's chaotic. It's lots of hard work both physically and mentally. 

2. Finish Jack's stocking.

3. Get some important documents notarized.

4. Start using our advent calendar.

5. Read Christmas books.

6. Watch Christmas movies.

7. Wrap Christmas gifts.

8. Bring Secret Pal her gift.

9. Print off candy bar wrappers to use as little gifts for co-workers. 

10. Drink more water!!!

Goals + Thanksgiving Videos

Christmas is quickly approaching and in order to have the most stress free holiday I am doing lots of prep work. Over the weekend I tried to start decorating. It did not go well. I hung some Christmas lights from Jack's window. I had to take him down. The child would not leave them alone. I put them where he couldn't reach them. What did he do? Pull up a chair. I thought, okay, he is just curious so I supervised him touching them. We looked at the colors and talked about how they would break. I figured he would be done. He wasn't. Of course, he pulled up a rocking chair to get to the lights. All I could think about is a broken leg. The lights had to go. Yeah, so I'm worried how the rest of the decorating will go. I want to start breaking down my goals for each week, at least until the holidays are over. 

goals week #1

1. make fudge and freeze

2. wrap my sister's ornament 

3. continue going through Christmas boxes to find all of our Christmas stuff

4. make list of Thanksgiving dishes and ingredients

5. buy 2 of Jack's Christmas gifts

6. get my Secret Pal a Happy Thanksgiving present

7. start a new book

8. get book fair set up before Friday afternoon

9. buy garland for advent calendar

10. confirm details about sibling Christmas buying (are we swapping gifts this year? are we setting a limit?)

It would be so awesome if I get all of these things done this week. Oh to set goals and accomplish them. Y'all seriously Thanksgiving is next week. Lordy! So many things to do! For those sweet little ones here is a few Thanksgiving videos that Jack has been loving this weekend. Hope you enjoy!

October + What We Are Doing + Goals

I think October is my favorite month. This morning as I was getting in my car I started giving it some thought. It felt amazing outside! It was October 1 and it finally felt like fall. It felt like a gift. I snapped this picture so I could remember what it looked like when fall came rolling in.

The view from outside (the side of the house). 

October is a busy but great month. I want to jam pack this month full of wonderful things. Every weekend we have something fun planned and I'm just super excited.

Today though Jack has a slight stomach bug so I'm home. He is acting fine, just lots of diaper changes.

I was able to finish up our Halloween banner that I've been working on the last few days.
You can make your own by clicking on this link. It was lots of fun getting to look back at old memories. The only work involved was printing.

This isn't where it stayed but it gave me the space I need for a panoramic picture.

I'm loving this cardigan I picked up at Walmart. You can read about my love of Walmart fashion here. My favorite part is the sleeves. This is the best picture I have of it. I wasn't planning on writing about it but I ended up loving it so much that I felt like it needed a little air time.

Now for my October goals!

October Goals

1// Create a budget. Living with my parents has its pros and cons. Things in my life are finally settling a little and I'm ready to start looking into the future. Creating a budget with the focus on saving money to move out is one of my October goals.

2// Buy two of Jack's Christmas presents. I seriously have no ideas on what to buy him. Since I'm saving money, I don't want to over buy (like I may have done last year).

3// Start preparing my Christmas bucket list. I've been having dreams lately where it is Christmas Eve and I realize that I haven't gotten to do all the things I wanted to with Jack. I'm pretty sure that is a nightmare. Dreams where I forget things are the worse.

4// Go to the pumpkin patch/Homecoming game/Noah's birthday party/zoo

5// Find the perfect gift for Miss Maybree. My niece is due to arrive on November 2. I really want to get her some type of jewelry. I'm looking at this and this.

6// Do as many fun fall things as possible.


I'm keeping the not so fun stuff to a minimum this month because I just want this to be full of fun month. It's gonna be busy but fun and that is the best kind of busy.

May Goals

1. Plan and execute the big reveal party for the Secret Pals at work. I started the Secret Pal Exchange in our school last May and now here it is time for the big reveal party. All the secret pals are wanting to know the when and where so I have to make this a top priority soon.

2. Organize and sign up for all of the professional development I will need this summer.

3. Hit the gym at least 3 times a week. I love going to the gym but it is getting harder to find time to go with the weather being so beautiful. I use to go right after work but now that is prime time to take Jack outside.

4. Find the perfect gift for my Secret Pal. This will be the last gift I get her and I want it to be something she loves and something that will reveal who I am. I know her really well and she has no idea that I'm her Secret Pal. I have been holding back because I didn't want her to realize it was me. Now I can get her something that I know she will love.

5. Accomplish one thing on my 101 in 1001.

6. Cook supper at least once a week. My mom no longer works outside of the home and so she cooks supper pretty much every night. I would like to take over at least one night a week. For one, because I miss cooking and two, I think she would appreciate the break.

7. Clean out my office. Although it is my office it has never been used as an office. It pretty much is a huge storage room. It holds seasonal decorations, seasonal books, files, and library supplies. It needs a major overhaul before school is out.

8. Order the end of year awards.

9. Redo the parent volunteer form.

10. Hold one final PTO meeting to close things up for the year.

11. Wear my hair down more during the week. I'm so bad about throwing it up in the morning. Taking the time to roll or straighten my hair isn't something I prioritize. Once I wake up I am always anxious to get going. I have got to make myself stop, slow down, and do something with all this hair.

12. Clean out my car.

13. Get a professional pedicure.

14. Clean out/organize my closet and dresser drawers.

15. Clean out Jack's toy box.

16. Find a part time job. Although I'll be busy with professional development, I'll have more time than I do during the school year. I hope to find a job where the manager will work with me on the schedule since there are certain days where I just can't work. The hardest part is going to be the time away from Jack. I have to keep Jack in daycare because he'll lose his spot. Hopefully I can work while he is at daycare.

17. Be more aggressive with Jack's potty training. They are working with Jack at daycare so I want to do my part at home. He is great about going when you put him on the potty but he never tells me when he needs to go. He will start taking his clothes off so I think that is one way he is telling me but it isn't consistent.

18. Go through Jack's clothes. I seriously have most of Jack's summer clothes sprawled out on the guest room bed.

19. Stock the Accelerated Reader store for the kiddos. I have a store where the kids spend the points they earn from reading books and taking tests. I would like to get this done before summer starts.

20. Get Jack's haircut.