10 Goals For This Week and more...

Here's What's New 10 Goals For This Week 31 Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Crockpot Freezer Meals Q&A: "What is your best time management tip?" The Best Birthday Present A Girl Could Ever Hope For 15 Money-Making Hobbies I Used to Be So Organized (Part 1) Free Printable Meal Planner :: 10 Goals For This Week Happy Tuesday! How is your week going? It's only Tuesday, I know, but so far, it's been SUCH a great week for me! Here's how I did on my goals list last week: Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals 1. Write a love note to Jesse. 2. Have an at-home Movie Date with Jesse. 3. Finish reading a book with the kids. 4. Watch the Democratic debate as a family (my kids are loving watching all of the debates and discussing all things political right now!) Personal Goals 5. Start working on a new handwork project. 6. Finish at least one book. Business Goals 7. Finish article due for my book launch. 8. Do a Money-Making Mom scope each afternoon at 3 p.m. (Are you joining us for this? If not, you can download the Periscope app and search for my name or @MoneySavingMom to join in live. Or, you can watch the replays on Katch.me/MoneySavingMom) 9. Everything done for special Influencer Boxes to go out to about my new book. 10. Write emails to go out to email lists about book launch. Here are my goals for this week: Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals 1. Write a love note to Jesse. 2. Have an at-home Movie Date with Jesse. 3. Finish reading a book with the kids. 4. Watch (or listen to!) the Royals games together. {GO ROYALS!} Personal Goals 5. Keep working on the boot cuffs I'm knitting. 6. Read through I Used to Be So Organized & blog about it every day. 7. Work on being on time for my daily Periscope shows. Business Goals 8. Don't check email until after 12:30 p.m. every day. 9. Do a Money-Making Mom scope each afternoon at 3 p.m. (Are you joining us for this? If not, you can download the Periscope app and search for my name or @MoneySavingMom to join in live. Or, you can watch the replays on Katch.me/MoneySavingMom) 10. Send out the very first Money-Making Mom email newsletter (want to be on the list? Sign up for my free 5-day course on How I Make a Full-Time Income from Home here.) How did you do on last week's goals? What are your goals for this week? I'd love to have you share your progress on last week's goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you've blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let's cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives! You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here. :: 31 Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Crockpot Freezer Meals Kelly from New Leaf Wellness has put together a list of 31 gluten-free, dairy-free crockpot freezer meals. You can download her free printable that includes all of the recipes and a grocery list. :: Q&A: "What is your best time management tip?" Do you have multiple goals you're hoping to accomplish? Do you feel overwhelmed with your business ideas or to-do list? It can be difficult to reach your goals while also tending to everyday tasks and responsibilities. It is so easy to jump into multi-tasking mode, but I actually recommend doing the exact opposite! Learn about my best time management tip in this video and how it can propel you towards reaching your goals. Looking for more tips & advice? Sign up for my FREE 5-day How I Make a Full-Time Income From Home course! :: The Best Birthday Present A Girl Could Ever Hope For As you all know, I celebrated my birthday while we were in South Africa. It was one of the most memorable birthdays ever… and for a number of different reasons! The day before we left for South Africa, our Monday Group planned a surprise Birthday Party for me complete with streamers, cake, candles, a birthday banner, balloons, a specially-decorated birthday seat, flowers, and brand-new grown-up coloring books. And then they ended the night by praying over our family before our South Africa trip. It meant SO much to me that they'd go to all that effort for me and our family. The best part was that when we walked in and I saw all the decorations, I was feeling terrible that it was someone's birthday and I didn't know whose it was. I thought I must have missed a text or something… And then they all hollered "Happy Birthday" to me as I rounded the corner and I realized that it was MY birthday this week!! I guess that's what happens when you turn 34. You start forgetting things right and left - including your own birthday! The next day, we boarded a plane for the 15-hour flight to South Africa. It was not the calmest of flights - and we arrived in South Africa feeling tired and ready for bed. But that night and the next morning were hard. As I blogged about before… I lost my really important bag with my medicine, supplements, glasses, and contacts at the airport. (They never found it and we can't figure how or where it disappeared.) I had been up for a few hours in the middle of the night with very cranky, jet-lagged kids. I had tried to blow dry my hair and burned up the motor my blow dryer + flipped the breaker to a bunch of outlets. I was tired, couldn't see (because of not having contacts), and my head was throbbing because I didn't have my allergy meds. Lisa-Jo's parents had prepared this beautiful breakfast spread for us. And they gave me this amazing print of South Africa that is now is a special place in our room. But as you can probably tell from the photo above, I wasn't feeling well. I was tired, my allergies were acting up, my head was throbbing, and I was feeling stressed about not having my medicine or contacts. I can't see enough to really function without contacts and I will have throbbing headaches from allergies without my meds. So I knew it was going to be a really, really bad week if I couldn't find replacement contacts or medicine. I had soaked my contacts from the day before in contact solution overnight and knew I could probably get one or two more day's use out of them, but beyond that, I knew I was going to be in trouble. And then our kids were having a very hard time waking up. They had bad attitudes, they were crabby, and they plain just didn't want to get going. We finally all got out the door and then Silas threw up. It felt like it was starting off to be the worst birthday ever. I had so looked forward to being in South Africa. We'd been planning this trip for months. I'd been giddy with excitement about bringing my family here. But honestly, I was trying so hard to choose joy, but wondering if maybe we'd made a big mistake in coming to South Africa. I decided that instead of being frustrated over things I couldn't change or fix, I instead was just going to trust God and rest that He was going before me in this. And it was beautiful to see how the day ended up being so much better than I could have ever imagined! Our first stop was to visit this wood-working shop. I was utterly blown away. Like I wanted to squeal and cry all at once. You see, when I was in South Africa in January, we had many discussions about the possibilities of helping the locals learn more marketable skills (most can't think of jobs outside of being domestic workers or security guards or gardeners). It was just a dream in January, now they have a real live work-working workshop, suppliers, trainees, and customers!! And they have big, big visions of how this small operation might someday be a big scale operation making a huge difference in the lives of this very needy community!! As I wrote when we were in South Africa: This is Peet. He is spear-heading the new wood-working shop. I wanted to stay and talk to him all day long! I was so inspired and challenged by his passion, compassion, and vision. This wood-working shop is located in a very poor area of South Africa (Hammanskraal) and the long-term goal is to train and equip young entrepreneurs and provide a desperately-needed source of income for this community. I wish you could have met Peet! He not only wants to teach South Africans craftsmanship, but he wants to help them develop a strong work ethic, a commitment to excellence, and an entrepreneurial spirit - three things that are not commonly taught or exemplified to the young people in this area. As we left the shop, Peet handed me this beautiful tray that he had made especially for me. I was touched beyond words and cannot wait to display this new piece of South Africa in our home. It will serve as a constant reminder to me to pray for Peet and his family for God to richly bless their self-sacrificial efforts to make an impact in this community. Next, we drove to Reagoboka - where a crowd of children had been waiting for quite a long while to greet us. And I got to see the first on-the-ground glimpse at the two-room classroom that YOU ALL HELPED TO BUILD. Again, I was blown away. Again, I didn't know whether to cry or squeal. I had goosebumps and was overcome with emotion. Because folks, it's utterly humbling to think that God would use me - the girl who never went to college, the girl who was shy and insecure, the girl who still struggles with anxiety, the girl who is often a hot mess - to be a part of making this classroom possible. There aren't adequate words to describe how humbling and exhilarating it feels. As I wrote when we were in South Africa: Each of you who bought a copy of Make Over Your Mornings the day it launched helped pay for the bricks and the concrete and the local labor and the classroom supplies to build this brand-new two-room classroom!!! And we got to unveil it to the teachers and children this week. It. Was. Amazing!!! To think that all of us together are having a little part in making a BIG difference in this community of very vulnerable children - it's surreal, humbling, and goose-bump-inducing. THANK YOU for partnering with me to be the hands and feet of Jesus on this project!!! I wish you could have been there to share in the excitement and see and hear the gratitude they expressed to us. And then there were no words to describe how beautiful it was to see my husband and kids falling in love with everyone in South Africa, too. Be still my heart. My boy, Silas, was very nervous about this trip. He doesn't do new or change or different very well. He's shy. He introverted. And he would usually prefer to be right next to his mama when we're in unfamiliar situations. So when I looked over and saw this, my mama heart just about broke in two. These boys put their arms around Silas, held hands with him, and embraced him - like they knew he was awkward and shy and they wanted to make sure he felt welcome and one of them. It was beyond beautiful. Seeing my kids face their fears, jump outside their comfort zone, and love beyond language barriers was one of the greatest gifts I could ever have been given as a mom. And just as I suspected, they fell madly in love with these kids - just like I had in January! Brian, my manager and friend (who came with us on this trip) fell in love with these kids, too! As I knew he would! After spending time with the kids - singing and dancing and hearing them share some special songs, it was time to get the classrooms ready to unveil to them. We had brought a number of special items to outfit the classrooms (all that your contributions helped to pay for - including furnishings, school supplies, and more.) We all helped to get everything situated so that we could unveil the classrooms. We took a before picture - this is the classroom that all of the kids had been squeezing into and taking turns using. I'd say the may have outgrown it just a bit. These pictures don't really need explaining do they?? I can't begin to tell you how excited the teachers and kids were. It was SUCH an amazing experience!! Truly, the best birthday gift a girl could ever wish for. I kept feeling like pinching myself thinking, "I can't believe I'm really here! I can't believe this is really happening!" Aren't these classroom colors so fun?? We brought some fun toys and dress up clothes for the kids - which they had a blast trying out and trying on! And then we all put our handprints on a poster board that they are going to paint and put up in the classrooms… so that we left a little piece of us back in South Africa! That night, they had planned a beautiful party for me. And while the day started on such a bad note, by the end of it, there were no words to describe just how blessed and happy I felt. I think this picture speaks a thousand words. It was worth all the effort to get to South Africa. It was worth the tiredness and the mishaps and the throw up and the cranky children. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. And it truly was the best birthday a girl could have ever hoped for. :: 15 Money-Making Hobbies Guest post from Laura Earning money doesn't need to be an exercise in drudgery. If you are creative and open-minded, you may be able to make cash doing something you love. 1. Start a Blog If you have a computer and a passion for just about anything, you have the potential to make money by starting a blog. There are two ways you can go about doing this. The first is to create your own blog and draw advertisers. The second is to find other websites who pay guest bloggers to write posts. 2. Arts and Crafts This is a great way to get kids to develop artistic skills, and put those skills to use. Don't worry, you don't need a future Rembrandt in your home to make money. There are many people earning very nice sums of money selling crafts (such as bead bracelets) on websites like Etsy or at local flea markets. 3. Photography If you or your kids are constantly taking photos of anything from food to animals to beautiful scenery, you may have an income source hiding in your image files. Why not post those photos to a stock photo website. If people use your pictures, you can earn a bit of cash. 4. Keeping a Garden Growing a garden helps kids learn about nature, good nutrition, and it gets them outside. It can also provide a little extra spending money. If you are near a local farmer's market, rent a stall and sell your surplus. 5. Baking Do you look forward to marathon baking sessions with your family during the holiday season? Well, this may be hard to believe, but there are others who dread the obligatory holiday baking. Good news, you can create a win-win situation by taking over this chore for a fee. 6. Shopping Much like baking, shopping seems to be a love-it or hate-it activity. If you or anybody in your family happens to love it, try posting a few ads on Craigslist, or other internet bulletin boards, offering to shop and deliver goods for others. 7. Foraging Did you know that there are plants and fungi growing around you that can be eaten or used for medicinal purposes? Some of these items, such as dandelion greens and morel mushrooms are in high demand from chefs. Others, such as goldenseal are wanted by herbalists and health food stores. 8. Video Production There are multiple ways to make money with this hobby. The first is to produce a video that is either funny, touching, exciting, or interesting enough to go viral. The second is to offer your services to others. You may not be asked to film weddings as an amateur, but you can get your foot in the door filming school theater performances and sporting events. 9. Officiating Sports Are you a football or baseball family? Maybe another sport is your passion. If you know the rules of the game, try contacting the local or state level that runs leagues and tournaments near you and offering your services. The kids can even get in on the action as many little league sports will accept officials as young as 14. 10. Canning Food If you keep a garden, your ability to earn money doesn't stop when the weather turns cold. You can continue making money if you turn your produce into jams, jellies, pasta sauce, and other home canned treats. 11. Pet Sitting/Dog Walking This is perfect for a family who loves animals, but cannot keep pets of their own. You can get your daily animal fix by walking, playing with, and caring for pets, while also earning a bit of extra money. 12. Starting a Collection Antiques, stamps, coins, comic books, figurines, etc… These are just a few items that you and your family can collect for both fun and profit. You'll enjoy the thrill you get when you track down that perfect item for your collection, and you'll get a kick out of the money you earn when you sell these highly collectible items for a profit. 13. Hair Styling and Makeup This is a great hobby and money maker for a style conscious teenager. When prom and homecoming seasons roll around, there are many girls who cannot afford to pay $100 or more to have their hair and makeup done professionally. Offer these services for $50 dollars and under, and your teenager can easily earn a few hundred dollars. 14. Tutoring Tutoring isn't limited to academics. If you are passionate about computers, furniture refinishing, arts and crafts, or even auto maintenance, you can earn a bit of money by passing that knowledge on to others. 15. Journalism Are you passionate about local art, music, sports, or food? If you are, and have a knack for writing, contact a few local publications. They may accept submissions for articles, or even have an opening for an occasional field contributor. You may also be able to work directly with artists or venues if they need help with press or promotions. Sounds good? Even better, many of these opportunities also work well as a family activity. Laura Callisen is a devoted mother, writer and sometimes traveler. Today she works as a freelance blogger and writes everything related to self-growth and motivation at Grab My Essay. photo source :: I Used to Be So Organized (Part 1) Are you joining us for this week's Book Club Book? Today, we're reading Section One of I Used to Be So Organized (chapters 1-3, pages 17-43), which talks about why you might be feeling overwhelmed and disorganized. I loved how Glynnis addresses the heart behind disorganization. Honestly and truthfully, my life has felt kind of out of control much of the time the past few months. I've had too much on my plate, I've been juggling too many balls, and I've felt like I'm just barely getting everything done by the skin of my teeth. I've been late, behind, and overwhelmed more times than I care to count. Some of this is related to launching a book, training a new team member, being in the middle of some big decisions with our business, dealing with difficult situations close to me that are currently requiring a lot of extra time, thought, and investment, and just also the normal stuff of being a wife and mom. Things came to a head on Friday when I was super late for an appointment and because I was so stressed about being late, I took two very wrong turns and ended up lost… which only added to my stress levels. That day, I drew a line in the sand to say, "I don't want to live like this anymore!" I took the weekend off and spent time just thinking through what was and wasn't working, what I could change, and how we could change our schedule so that I stopped living life so much in the frantic and panic zone. I tweaked some things around on our daily schedule and picked two areas that I really wanted to work on this week: I am not going to check email until after 12:30 p.m. each day. I've been training, Meg, my new virtual assistant, in the last two months and she's now overseeing my main inbox during the morning so that I can fully focus on homeschooling and my family. I was still checking in on my email early in the morning, though, and getting distracted by to-do's and projects. So I'm committing not to check email until after 12:30 p.m. I'm going to aim to be on time for my Periscopes each day. As I mentioned in my scope this morning, I've been late for a LOT of things recently - not only deadlines and appointments, but also my scopes. They are supposed to be at 7:30 a.m. CT and 3 p.m. CT and well, I've been 10-20 minutes late almost every single day. This is usually because I didn't plan well ahead of time. I wait until the last minute to plan my scope and get ready for my scope… which always takes longer than I guesstimate! So yes, I need to work on that! I'd love to hear from YOU. What 1-2 areas in your life do you want to work on this week? Leave a comment and let us know so we can be accountable to each other this week. :: Free Printable Meal Planner Download a free printable meal planner to help you get organized with your weekly menu. 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