S.M.A.R.T. Saturday Habits

How did I do this week on my S.M.A.R.T Habits Saturday goals?

Let's see...

1. Made bed-everyday, did great!
2. Swish toilet & wipe down vanity-good, missed a couple of days.
3. Workout-one day, it was hard to squeeze it in with family & the other obligations that I had this week. Plus I had late nights 3 nights in a row & I just didn't wake up early enough to get going in the morning.
4. Quiet Time-one day-same as working out.
5. Quality Time with hubby-okay, same as working out. We were so busy each evening it was hard to squeeze time together. Next week should be a little better.

New goals for this week? You bet,
6. One load of laundry each day-at least!
7. Load dishes in dishwasher everyday-will go to bed each evening with a clean kitchen.
8. Bubble bath in the evening before bed-at least every other day!

Check out other goals at The Lazy Organizer's blog for other S.M.A.R.T. Saturday participants.

To-Do List (Week of 7.9.2007)

I just got the idea to post my to-do-list for the week on my blog. I have mentioned several times that I like the accountability of having my tackles posted on my blog so why not my daily to-do list!

Zone for the week: Kitchen-some major cleaning areas for the kitchen are: cleaning oven, clean out junk drawer, & cleaning out frig & freezer.

Monday:
1. Clean downstairs FR-run sweeper, wash sofa covers, clean off desk.
2. Clean off stairs.
3. Clean SJHs room.
4. Clean GLHs room.
5. Help CSH finish picking up his room.
6. Prepare one of my Freezer Chick's freezer meals. Made the Tuna Tortellini Gratin.
7. Clean out car.

I also washed a load of lights and darks.

Tuesday: I will have my cousins four girls today in addition to my four kiddos. We will plan to go swimming after the dentist appointment so I will need to get up extra early to get my list done!
1. Unpack CWHs bag from ODP.
2. Wash whites.
3. Wash darks.
4. CSH-Soccer-7v7-2 games in JC actually got rained out.
5. CWH-soccer "tryouts"
6. Dentist appointment-GLH & SJH
7. Prepare one of my Freezer Chick's freezer meals. Will prepare the Honey-Pecan Chicken. I am also working on the Inside-Out Burgers.

Wednesday:
1. Hair appointments-GLH, SJH & me.
2. Prepare one of my Freezer Chick's freezer meals. Flash freezing (so they won't stick together)Inside-out Bacon Ranch Burgers need to pack them in freezer bags.
3. CSH pack for ODP.
4. Soccer "tryouts."-CSH
5.Freezer Chick's meet for exchange & planning for next month.
6. Pick up from the girls being here-still working on-didn't have time with our hair appointment & GLHs dentist appointment.
7. Workout-didn't wake up early enough! Maybe tomorrow...

Thursday: (Book Club and Meet with Household Executive regarding organizing office.)
1. Wash sheets on beds.
2. Make sure CSH has everything packed for ODP.
3. Run sweeper.
4. Sweep & mop kitchen.
5. Sweep & mop bathroom.
6. Workout.

Friday:
Hopefully a fun day at the pool! Yes, we are going to the pool!

Saw this "quiz" on another blog....

You Are A Gold Girl

You're dependable and hard working. You never miss a deadline - and you're never late. You have a clear sense of right and wrong. You're very detail oriented. You get frustrated when your friends are sloppy - or when they don't follow through. You're on top of things, and you wish that everyone else was!

What Color Girl Are You?

SMART Habit Saturday

I am joining in again...I had joined in on this adventure at the first of the year. Then I didn't blog for about 2 no 4 months. Now that I'm in the blogging habit again, I decided to join in and start working on developing good habits with The Lazy Organizer. Here is the original link from the Lazy Organizer about the challenge.

I am going to start with three new habits/goals for this week:

1. Making bed each morning.

2. Cleaning toilet each morning and wiping down the bathroom vanity.

3. Working out each day.

There....that's a start!

I'm adding the following two items:

4. Quiet time each day-spend time with the Lord and in my Prayer Journal.

5. Date night or quality time each week with my honey!

Tackle it Tuesdays #6 (Goal Setting)

One month in the new year has come and gone and I'm not any closer to getting my goals for the New Year in my routine. This week's Tackle it Tuesday is getting my goals and routines on paper and to start implementing them this month.

Here are the areas/routines that I would like to establish and accomplish this year:

1. Spiritual

2. Physical

3. Daily Routines for Work

4. Daily Routines for my Home

The first area, which I feel it the most important is setting goals and routines for my Spiritual Life and Well-Being. I think this is key to making sure that all of my other goals will be meet.

1. Have a small devotion and prayer each morning. I have several devotionals to choose from. I think I will start with "God Calling" Edited by A.J. Russell. Here is what the inside cover says about the book "Here is a devotional that will bring the reality of God and His constant concern for you into your heart every day of the year. Whatever your circumstances, God Calling cannot fail to bring you closer to God. It will help you overcome your daily worries and draw you ever closer to the peace you're seeking."

2. I am involved in 2 Bible Studies this Spring semester, they are Pathway to Purpose for Women: Connecting Your To-Do List, Your Passions, and God's Purposes for Your Life by Katherine Brazeltonand 12 Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur. Each study doesn't involve intense study like a Beth Moore study would but each needs attention. So each day I need to devote time to reading and doing the homework in each class. My plan for this semester is to alternate each day for reading and studying each book.


The Second Area is Physical, I would like to lose the extra weight that I have gained. Here are some concrete goals (establishing and carrying them out will be another story):

1. Start drinking water each day (as I take a drink of my Dt Dr Pepper!). I don't particularly enjoy drinking water. Most of you know that I'm a die hard Diet Dr Pepper fan and drink 6 to 7 cans a day. So weaning my system into drinking more water will require more effort on my part (and a miracle....I think that I will add this to my morning prayer to God....please encourage and remind me to drink water instead of soda each day!) I know this is key to achieving the over all goal...losing 50-74 pounds.

2. Start working out at least 3-4 times a week. My kiddos get on the bus by 7:45 am each morning, I can be at the gym each day by 8:00 am and get a good hour work-out in before tackling my day. So...here is my plan for the week:

Monday-Work out 8:00-9:00 am
Tuesday-Work out 8:00-9:00 am
Wednesday-Work out 8:00-9:00 am. Weight Watchers meeting at 9:30 am.
Thursday- Work out after Bible Study/Lunch at home or at gym (depending on my mood)
Friday-Work out 8:00-9:00 am.

3. Start counting my points each day with Weight Watchers. I am allowed 26 points per day plus an additional 35 points for the week. I can add those 35 points equally to each day or save them for a special treat during the week, like a dessert, dinner out etc!

The third area, I need to tackle is establishing specific routines for work. I run a competitive soccer league and there are times when I don't have as much work to do and times where I can't seem to get anything done but work and I really don't to be working at midnight! I think establishing specific routines each day or setting a time line will help those weeks not seem so overwhelming.

Here is what needs to be accomplished for the month of February for work:
1. Brackets set and email out to teams. Need to complete by Friday.
2. Email referees regarding the remaining Futsal schedule. Get schedule set by Wednesday.
3. Email coaches and managers regarding the CMSL Referee Clinic. Need to complete by Wednesday.
4. Set up email group list for Spring 2007 season. Run a test email. Need to complete by Friday.
5. Email referees regarding the Spring season. Need to complete by end of next week.
6. Get black-out dates on spread sheet. Complete by 2/13/07.
7. Spreadsheet to Mick, all registered teams and amount due. Complete by 2/9/07.
8. Referee and Futsal pages sent to webmaster. Complete by 2/15/07.
9. Start working on schedule. Complete by 2/23/07.
10. Schedule coaches meeting and AGM. Complete by 2/12/07.


The last area is establishing daily routines for getting my house in order and de-cluttered. This, I believe, is also key into having a happy and healthy home for my family. I get emails each day from the FlyLady and haven't looked at them much during the last couple of weeks and my house looks like it! I like how she divides your home into zones and each week she tackles that zone. For the month of February, however, I'm going to make a general To-Bo list of everything that needs to be done and tackle it over the month of Feb and starting in March after I have put out all of my Hot Zones I can start the weekly zones and work on keeping my house clean!

Here is what I need to get done this month:
1. Catch up on laundry and put laundry away! Not just set it in each room.
2. Run sweeper in each room.
3. Mop kitchen and bathroom floors.
4. Dust.
5. Organize my closet.
6. Pick up LR and FR and return items to appropriate rooms.

This list doesn't look like much but with my work schedule, it's a doable plan for this month.



Okay....now that I tackled my goals for the month of February, you will need to check back and see if I'm getting them accomplished! Check out other Tackle-it-Tuesday participants at 5 Minutes for Moms! Have a good week!

Slacker off Duty! Dreaming of Spring...

Greetings fellow bloggers!

I have taken a little break (not by choice) in blogging and haven't blogged in a week and a half except to blog on Thursday why I haven't been blogging!

Blogging keeps me accountable for getting things done around my house, with my job, etc. I really enjoy the Tackle it Tuesdays, the Works For Me Wednesdays and the Thursday Thirteens. I am able to get many things accomplished because I blog about them and show my before and after pictures. I love crossing things off my to do list on my blog because not only am I seeing my progress but my blogging friends are too and you are encouraging me along the way!

It's a new month and I am still working on my goals for the New Year. I made very little progress during the month of January, it might be because of the ice storm, snow and the freezing cold weather that depresses me and I'm just not motivated to get going on those goals. So.....with one month of winter behind us....one month closer to spring....I need to get a move on my goals and to do list. What are they you ask? I'm glad you asked....my accountability blogging friends....I'm going to start the first full week of February with what I need to get done this week....

1. Workout.
2. Clean off desk.
3. Menu plan for this week. Post on Monday.
4. Get Recital packet information from Sherry....get packets out this week!!!
5. Get caught up on laundry. Put laundry away.
6. Straight each room in the house.
7. Work on brackets for CMSL.
8. Read first 2 chapters by Tuesday for Bible Study. (Tuesday's Bible Study)
9. Read for Thursday's Bible Study.
10. Mop floor in kitchen.
11. Mop floor in bathroom.
12. Run sweeper through out house.
13. Clean out car....unload car from dance competition.
14. Hotel information ready for Booster meeting on Tuesday evening.
15. Check on iPod status for the girls' shuffles.
16. Meet with Mindi.

Well...this should give me a good start. Check back to see if I get everything crossed off this week!

Tackle It Tuesday #4 (GLH's Closet)

My first Tackle- it-Tuesday post was tackling my daughter's room with the intentions of tackling her closet in the near future...since we were iced in for the last three days, I have my laundry caught up and the house pretty well cleaned. So last night, I emptied out her closet and gathered all of the supplies I had purchased to start on her closet...well I had to go back to Home Depot because I had the wrong size shelves and brackets. Oh well...after all that...

Today my tackle is to put everything back into her closet- organized since my sweet hubby installed the closet organizer. And we have another day where we don't have any place to be this evening because school was canceled due to the ice storm, therefore, most of our evening activities have been canceled as well and I can keep working until her closet is finished!

Here is the before picture:

Here is her room after everything has been removed from her closet...I can't believe there was that much in her closet!

Here is the completed project...We added two bars for clothing, one high for things that she doesn't wear that often, her dance cosutmes, etc. and one lower for the clothes that she wears on a regular bases. There is room to add more. There are three shelves and one more that I haven't installed yet. I still need to go through some of the rubbermaid boxes that I put back in her closet and sort the barbie clothes (there are 2 boxes that I need to go through) I moved her Barbie dolls to the back of her door and moved from her door to the closet to hang her dance bag and baton bag on each day. I put together her Bitty Baby storage chest, it's in the closet as well. We purged 3 Barbie doll vehicles and kept only 2...the pink convertible and the gray VW Bug. It looks so much better and more organized...and it's only 10:30 am! What else am I going to tackle today??? I added a small to-do list below the pictures.

To-Do Today....

1. Update registration form on CMSL website.
2. Update teams registered.
3. Go to the bank.
4. Clean off my desk.
5. Tackle hot-spots through out the house...LR, Hallway and Bedroom.
6. Put sheets on boys bed.
7. Wash GLH's sheets and make her bed.
8. List for OAMC (Shop Wed AM)
9. Dishes. Had boys put them in the dishwasher while I went to the bank! Smart Mom!
10. ??????

Check out more at Tackle-it-Tuesdays hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom There are some great tackles!

Resolutions for 2007:SMART Habit Saturday (Updated)

Lara-The Lazy Organizer posted a challenge that I decided to participate it. Each year we make a lofty (or not) list of things that we want to change or do better for the next year. I have a list in my head of things that I want to do this year to make myself a better person. I liked Lara's idea about incorporating small task and making them a habit. We are to post each week on Saturday our progress.

I am going to develop one new habit a week in four different areas: Intellectual/Mental, Physical, Social/Creative, and Spiritual.

Intellectual/Mental: Read each day from one of the books on my 2007 Winter Classic Reading Challenge. I'm currently reading the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. One of my 40 before 40 goals is to read these books aloud to my children. I read the book better out loud if I have already read them to myself.

Physical: Drink water each day. I'm a Diet Dr Pepper addict! I don't like water. I know that losing the 50 pounds that I want to lose will come off easier if I drink water each day. So I'm going to start with 32 ounces of water each day. I read in Body Clutter from Flylady that when you think you are hungry, you should drink a bottle of water instead. It just might curve your appetite. I going to keep that in mind each time I'm hungry, I should have no problem drinking water each day!

Social/Creative: I am about six years behind in my kids scrapbooks. I have about 30 rolls of film that I need to develop (before digital camera) but it's APS film and it's a little more expensive to develop so I have put off getting it develop. I need to take a roll each week to get develop. After they are all developed, I can start scrapbooking again.

Spiritual: My goal to get up and have a quick devotional each morning before I start my day. Then in the afternoon have a longer in depth prayer time and Bible study. One of my 40 before 40 goals is to read the Bible through. So for my quick daily devotion, I will read one chapter (ie. Genesis 1:1 etc) each morning.

Oh, this feels really good...I think that I might be able to keep my New Year Goals by taking baby steps. Thanks Lara for this challenge. See you on Saturday!

If you want to join us for the challenge, check it out at SMART Habit Saturday

UPDATED: I had a couple more thoughts and sections that I want to added the my SMART Habit Saturday list. I'm adding another area.....Housekeeping. I am going to add one new habit a month for that area. For the month of January....I will be making my bed each morning. It always feels so much better when you climb into a freshly made bed each morning. This is easier for me to accomplish if one of my girls don't get in bed with me in the middle of the night since I get up before they do.