Please note: Shoe rental is not included, so if you plan to take advantage of this more than a few times, I’d recommend purchasing bowling shoes for your children. You may be able to find a good deal on these at a local sporting goods consignment store. Or, you can purchase them on Amazon.com for around $25-$35.
Kathrynne (9) has been working really diligently on some difficult school projects recently. Projects that are requiring hours of work and concentration.
She’s learning perseverance, persistence, and patience. And, after a hard first few months of this homeschooling year, I’m so encouraged to see her applying herself and really finding fulfillment from her hard work.
This morning, as she headed off to get started on her school projects for the day, she said to me, “Mom, I figured it out: Don’t look your problems in the eye, punch them in the face.”
She went on to talk about how it’s so easy to get overwhelmed by problems and hard things in our life. We can sit there and stare at the problem — and feel defeated. But instead of sitting there and feeling discouraged because it’s hard, it’s so much better to just go punch it in the face.
What big things are looming over your head right now? A massive project at work? A big research paper for college? A huge house renovation project? 25 pounds you want to lose? A marathon you hope to train for? A large medical bill you need to pay off? A budget you want to create and stick with?
Whatever your big things are, don’t sit and worry about how you’re going to accomplish them. Don’t fret about how overwhelming they are. Don’t waste time agonizing over how difficult they might seem.
Start attacking them with gusto. Break them into bite-sized pieces and tackle each piece one-by-one. Don’t let yourself be overcome by the enormity of your problems or projects.
Jesse and I spent time really discussing what my focuses should be for 2014 and we nailed down four areas that are my priorities for this year:
Marriage: to continue to invest time and energy to strengthen and nurture our marriage and make it one of the greatest priorities
Mothering: to continue to invest in our children with the goal of teaching them character, life skills, and raising them to be responsible adults
Myself: to make my health a priority and to invest in my personal growth as a Christian, business owner, writer, speaker, and leader
MoneySavingMom.com: to invest time into blogging — not just overseeing the business and my team, but making writing content pieces one of my top blogging priorities
Having these specific areas determined at the beginning of the year is really helping me to prioritize and giving me much clearer direction on when, where, and what to say no to this year.
Here’s my progress for my 12 goals for 2014:
Marriage Goals
1. Read 6 marriage books. (I’ve finished two marriage books so far.) 2. Write 50 love notes to Jesse. (I’ve written 12 love notes so far.)
Mothering Goals
3. Read 40 books aloud to the kids. (We’ve finished three books so far and are almost finished with another.) 4. Finish memorizing Romans 1 together. (We’ve been working on this!) 5. Go through a cooking course with the kids.
Personal Goals
6. Read through the Bible. (I’m on track with this.) 7. Memorize Romans 2. 8. Run a 5K race and go through P90X again. 9. Read 150 books/ebooks. (I’ve read 30 books so far this year.)
Blogging Goals
10. Write 150 substantive content pieces for the blog. (I’ve written 40 substantive content pieces so far this year.) 11. Write 50 DIY/Recipe posts for the blog. (I’ve written ten DIY/Recipe post so far.) 12. Blog about/participate in the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge (I finished March’s challenge.)
Did you set goals for 2014 yet?
If you've posted an update on how you’re doing on your goals for 2014, I'd love for you to share your link in the comments. Or, if you don't have a blog, feel free to just leave a comment with an update on how you’re doing on your goals. Let's encourage one another to live lives of intention and purpose!
One of my goals for 2014 is to focus on my health. It’s easy to let our health take a back burner to everything else on our to-do list. But as I share in my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I’ve experienced what happens when you put your health last… and it’s not pretty!
With this in mind, I’m committed to making my health even more of a priority this year. And I’d love to have you join me for the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge.
We’re be focusing on one challenge area each month — all with the goal of being in a healthier place as a person by the end of next year. My hope is that as we work on instilling one new healthy habit each month, they won’t just be month-long challenges, but lifelong changes.
12 Months to a Healthier You Focus Areas for 2014
Here are the focus areas I’ve planned out for 2014:
January: Exercise Regularly February: Eat More Fresh Fruits & Veggies March: Drink More Water April: Cut Back on Sugar May: Get More Rest June: Create a Morning Routine July: Read More August: Go to Bed Earlier September: Declutter Your Home October: Cut Back on Caffeine November: Keep a Gratitude Journal December: Simplify & Say No
How This Challenge Works:
At the beginning of the month, I’ll introduce the focus area and encourage you to set a small goal for that specific area and I’ll share my goals.
Then, every Friday, I’ll have a check-in post where I’ll encourage you to share your progress & struggles and I’ll share mine, as well. If you want to blog about your progress, I’ll include a link-up at the end of the post so you can share your blog posts on this challenge.
In addition to the Friday check-ins, I’ll also probably share a few posts and guest posts on the monthly topics each month, along with sharing about related books, resources, or websites that I’ve found helpful.
Are you on social media? You can also share your progress on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter by using hashtag #12MonthstoaHealthierYou.
My Goals for Cutting Back on Sugar During April
My goal for April is to cut back on sugar — which is hard for a girl like me who has a strong sweet tooth! I’m going to make it my goal to only eat dessert once a week and to cut back on the sugar I use in my coffee on a daily basis, too.
I’m also hoping to keep up with January’s habit of exercising at least 4-5 times every week, February’s goal of eating a big salad at least six times a week, and March’s goal of drinking 8 glasses of water a day.
Will you be joining me for this April Challenge? If so, leave a comment letting us know you’re planning to join and what your goals are for cutting back on sugar in April. Remember to keep them simple and doable!
Don’t forget! On Wednesday, April 2, 2014, from 8-9 p.m. EST, I’ll be hosting a Twitter Party sponsored by Cree LED Bulbs. Our topic for the one-hour party is: Simple Spring Upgrades to Save Big Bucks.
We’ll be talking about ways to save on home improvement projects and simple ways to save around the home. It will be fun, fast-paced, and full of ideas and inspiration. I can’t wait to learn from all of you!
Plus, we’re giving away two Cree Prize Packs and each one will have a $100 Home Depot Gift Card and $150 worth of Cree LED bulbs! All you have to do to enter to win is to participate in the Twitter Party by sharing a tip, retweeting a tweet, or answering a question. How easy is that?!?
Would you like to learn more about saving money on home improvements and have a chance to win a free Cree Prize Pack? Then be sure to join us on Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. EST for the #CreeBulb Twitter Party.
To participate, just follow me on Twitter (@MoneySavingMom) and join in the discussion that evening by answering the questions I ask and/or sharing your money-saving home improvement advice. I hope you’re able to make it!
I’m a big fan of Cross Country Cafe. I’ve worked with them over the past two years and been so impressed with their commitment to amazing customer service and a standard of excellence.
Time and time again, they’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty. Because of this, I highly recommend their company.
The winner of this prize package will get a free Keurig K-cup coffee brewer, a counter top storage carousel, and a free six-month supply of delicious Folgers K-Cup coffee! I told you it was a fantastic giveaway!
I’m going to make it my goal to only eat dessert once a week and to cut back on the sugar I use in my coffee on a daily basis, too.
