Prioritize your Goals!

My goals...wow, this has been on my mind if you can't tell by now! I know I told you I had an idea about this for us all but I am afraid I am not ready yet! I want to do it right and I am just not ready for that yet! I am still learning about blogging and I don't feel it's the correct timing.

I read a great post this morning at Serene Journey. It hit right on! I realize that in order to get where I want to end up, I need to work on it now! Not the little things like meal planning, decluttering, organizing and the household notebook. I know these things are going to help me and I will continue as time allows but I need to prioritize! If you want to learn more of where I am coming from, go read How to Choose Goals and Ensure Success.

Here is my list of goals with PRIORITY! (all of the ways to accomplish these are realistic for my personality and procrastination issues at this time.)

1. Procrastination: It is not of God and should be my #1 thing to battle! Less procrastination, more goals completed!

• Pray, Pray, Pray


• Research ways on how to combat it!

2. My health overall: I am not a healthy eater. Nor do I exercise, other than chasing the kids!

• I have already been working on it but eating more fruits and veggies. Less salt and less sugar. More water!


• Walk on the beach at least 3 times a week! I can do that!!

3. This Blog: I want it to reach out and help others as it will help me too. You can read more about my goals with this here and here.

• I need to get going with this due to our financial status. This was not the original plan for this blog but we just cannot afford daycare and I refuse to work in a restaraunt or bar (I have serious reasons for that!) I always have loved to be on the internet. As a matter of fact, a good friend from church used to call me the Internet Queen. I know I could make money with it. It's just figuring out how! Although, I refuse to let it get out of hand. My wanting to reach out to others is and always will be on the front burner!


• More research on blogging. Possibly my own domain, twitter, technorati and stumble upon, overall layout, Feedburner, more subscribers, etc.


• Schedule


• More writing to keep me from spending so much time on here instead of on my home!

4. Frugal and Financial: I want to do these both. Frugal is something new for me and I need to learn more about. I am just tired of living the way we are having to live, it's time for change!

• Read the book that was given to me, "Total Money Makeover" written by Dave Ramsey. I hear so many good things about his ideas. I know it will help!


• Envelope System (which I hear is also one of Dave Ramsey's ideas for helping).


• Research on how to be frugal


• Start using the coupons! (I am horrible at remembering them!)

5. B&B: I know we could do it and do well. It's getting to a point of good financial status to get it! You can read more about that here.

• It is hard for me to write the ways I will accomplish this until I complete all of the above! I will do this at a later date!
  

I have also realized that being more faithful to God should NOT be a goal, I should just be doing it!! PERIOD! Same goes with my family!

I will keep you updated on how things are doing with all of them. Especially if I decide to change my domain!! All of my readers are great!! Thank you for being loyal so far!

Romans 14:12 says "So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God."

I am sharing all of this because I think accountability is huge!! If anyone has any ideas for me on any of these, has the same goal (we can work together!), if you have a goal you would like to announce so that I can keep you accountable, and/or want to just keep me accountable, please do so! Pray for me as well!

Many Blesssings!

Chele

Ponderings - Trying to do too much on my own!

I am going to do this now. I wrote it for tomorrow but am afraid with all that is going on (holiday weekend), I will forget to post it!! ;)

I have come to realize I am trying to do way too much!! I am so desperate for some organization in my life that I am wanting to do EVERYTHING!!! There are so many "parties" going on in the blogging world that would help me and I want to do them all!!!! I would list them all but I would have two pages taken for just that list!! Haha!


I am going to list some of my goals and plans (of course there are many more!)

BEING A FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN

• Being a better Sunday School co-teacher. Erika, I'm sorry for slacking. I really am trying to come up with things and trying to feel more comfortable with it...it's not coming to me, yet!

• I so much want to start doing a devotion with my children at least one night a week and doing daily devotions for myself. That is something I struggle with big time! You can read more about that here.

THIS BLOG

• I want my blog to reach out to others and have been reading up on blogging a lot since I started this. Some things may change with my page but I will keep you all updated through the changes! I have been blessed with my readers....no!! more like FRIENDS!!!! I can only pray that God continues to use me!

• A schedule to at least go by. I have so many great ideas and trying to figure out how to put it all together. I spend more time on my Reader and at other blogs that I get less time to work on my own blog. Although, I don't want to miss everyone else's posts.

• My own domain, better set up, and more!
  

MYSELF! (most of this goes with any of these headings!)

• I am still doing the Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge at Heavenly Homemakers. I am still struggling with it but most importantly I am still taking the challenge!

• the Creative Mama's Get Your Creative On! challenge that I know will help me pay attention more to detail and get that creative talent back from the depths of me!
  


• making new, faithful friends! Being a stay at home Mom is wonderful but I am enjoying actually talking adult talk during the day!

MY HOME

• We have a smaller home for the 6 of us than what we are used too. (Due to financial reasons.) The house is so cluttered and some serious changes are needed! We are having a yard sale Saturday morning that will get rid of some of the clutter. I have expressed in the past that I was going to start my own SimpleMom's Spring Cleaning Party next week (after the yard sale). My problem is that I am so overwhelmed that I don't know where to start. This is where my next goal is taking place. Simplify 101 is having a free workshop on help! I don't know where to begin! for a week. Starting on Tuesday. I have signed up for that and am excited to see what advice Aby has for people like me. I will do that week of the workshop then do the Spring Cleaning Party. It is just common sense to me.

• My Household Notebook. It's one of those much needed and wanted. It's a great idea if only I could get it done!

MY FAMILY

• Spending more quality time with my husband and my kids. Don't get me wrong, I do spend time with them but not like I wish I would or could!
  
  



• We struggle with our finances and honestly I am just tired of worrying about not having electric, phone, etc every week! A blessing came in the mail to me. It was Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover. I plan on reading this and trying what he suggests. Tsh at SimpleMom speaks highly of him and this book. She also wrote a great post today about 5 Ways to Dramatically Improve Your Finances....Beginning Now. Go check it out!!!

I have so much more on my list of things I want to do or finish! Including the everyday challenges in my home. But it could seriously take up pages and pages!! So I will stop there.

Okay now that I am done with sharing my plans and goals! Let's see how accountable I can be. Actually, now that I have reread what I wrote above. It sounds like I am complaining. I promise that is not the intent! I just wanted to share that there can be too many goals and planning. The only way I see ever accomplishing this is to be accountable with others and praying! I feel overwhelmed thinking of everything I want to do. I hope you all can keep me accountable! Being accountable is my biggest goal and plan...more to come the beginning of the week on that!

My plans keep changing and my goals keep adding up. It's about time to stick to a plan for once and only do a few goals at a time. I am a normal Christian Mom. I want everything to be just right for me and my family. Bouncing around with my ideas, plans and goals is not helping them or me!!

Do you think you can keep me accountable? I'm telling you, it's a hard job! ;) Do you need someone to keep you accountable, on track and cheer you on? Do you try to plan more than actually do? Would you be willing to cheer others on, pray for them and get them on track every week?

I hope this makes you think! Prayers for you to have many many blessings during this holiday weekend!

Chele





A beautiful walk down Rainbow Row! Charleston, SC

Creativity...where are you???

Ang at the Creative Mama is doing a Get your Creative on and I so want to do it!!! I used to be very creative at many things and want it to show itself again! It's been long, long gone. I don't know how it went away! I just know it will show itself soon. I have faith! The cool thing is this is not just about crafts like you would think (you can find out more about this by going to Ang's blog). I know I will have something to share every Friday but unfortunately not this week!

Everything that I have tried to accomplish this week has failed! I am not great or big on cooking. I am still learning but since I have been making a weekly menu for the past month or so. I am the main person cooking. I keep trying new things. I tried a Egg and Sausage bake and it was horrible. My poor husband and kids felt so bad for not wanting to eat it!! Of course that is the first time I actually woke up early enough to cook a real breakfast for my family on a weekday, go figure! I also was going to try a new All in One Pasta and of all things I forgot the sauce at the store and didn't notice it until it was time to cook! So needless to say, we had french toast last night for dinner! Sorry Ang! I will get that recipe put up on Monday or Tuesday next week, I promise! Go join Ang at the Creative Mama with this weekly challenge, it's going to be fun!! I'll have some better stuff to share next Friday!

Seriously, I sat here for two hours trying to figure out what I did recently that was creative and can't think of a thing!! That is bad I know!!! I am so embarrassed. I even asked the hubby and he looked at me laughed and said "I can't think of a thing!" Hahaha! (of course he had something to say that is not appropriate here! Only a man!!) Anyhoo! Instead of having two days to notice something, I will have a week to notice the things I do and work on stuff to share! I'm up for the challenge. Have faith in me.... :)

Is your creative self in hiding? Do you want to see it resurface? Take the challenge and I bet it does!

Until next time, have a blessed Friday and a safe holiday weekend!!
Chele

I have a dream!

Or maybe I should call it dreams! I really do feel that God wants our dreams to come true too. He wants us to be happy, as long as our heart is in the right place and we keep him in the Center of it all! I have so many dreams. I guess it is a woman thing. Maybe from being brought up about the fantasy world. You know, princesses and princes, castles and materialistic things!

I have so many dreams. I dream of a better home to call our own. I dream of being able to pay the bills without the weekly stress of not being able to! I dream of my kids getting married to the "perfect" woman or man and having the "perfect" kids. I dream of this blog blessing others and myself (well, it already has blessed me with the faithful commenters and readers!) I always have dreamt that I would write a book someday! I dream of having a simpler life.

My biggest dream is something that I have almost every little detail planned out! If only I would win the lottery (if I would just play it maybe I would win, haha!) Or maybe, just maybe God will see it through without the urge of needing to play the lottery!

I'm going to share this with you. I want to own and run a Bed and Breakfast. Not just any but in Charleston, SC to be exact! It is my favorite of favorite places to visit (yes I have a few but this is my first choice to go). I am a people person. I love to meet new people. I have ideas to make ours unique! For example.... a place for kids to be welcome with kid stuff to do! If you ever looked into a Bed and Breakfast you would know that they have age restrictions, usually teenagers and up. None of them have anything for the kids to do in their place to stay. Charleston really does have a lot of stuff for kids to do! I sure would rather stay in a place where my children are welcome and can feel like my kids are not interrupting someone elses peaceful stay! The homes there are immaculant! Lots of room for a peaceful nights sleep but room for a kids area to play or watch a movie or whatever that they wouldn't be interrupting someones peaceful time! My biggest goal is to share the Good News with anyone that comes for a visit. You never know who it will touch. Being in the Holy City would be the place for it!! If only I knew someone that could back me on it! I know we could do it!! I am learning to cook and starting to like it too! My husband was a chef when I met him and he is also a handyman...we could absolutely do it!!! It is my biggest dream of all and yes I pray for it!!

I believe that you can pray for your dreams. It is not selfish to pray for things like that as long as your intent is right! I believe that all things through Christ can be achieved! I guess it helps that I am a positive person. I pray for all things written above. Why shouldn't I? It's always in my prayers along with praying for others, praying for protection for my family and so much more! I pray for both my family and myself to be "blessed indeed" (Prayer of Jabez).

Do you pray for your dreams? Why or why not? We would like to hear a dream or dreams of yours too! We all have them! Dream and pray on!! :)

Have a blessed Wednesday!

Chele

Weekly Menu

Well better late than never! LOL. Skipping today since it's almost over.

Tuesday May 19th
B-Waffles with fruit
L-Cold cut sandwich and side of fruit
D-Scalloped Potatoes and ham with lima beans and apple crisp

Wednesday May 20th
B-Sausage, Egg and Cheese bake with side of oranges (yum!)
L-Sandwiches with apples and/or cucumbers
D-Breakfast for dinner....Pancakes w/fruit

Thursday May 21st
B-Poptarts and fruit
L- Soup w/some fruit on the side
D- All in One Pasta w/garlic bread, stuffed zucchini boats and banana pudding

Friday May 22nd
B-Strawberry-banana crepes
L- Cold cut sandwich with fruit salad
D- eating out...cheap of course!

Saturday May 23rd
B-cereal and bananas
L- Tuna mac and cheese with peas
D-Chicken Fajita Melts with a veggie toss and fruit

Sunday May 24th
B-Apple Coffee Cake
L-Sandwiches w/ fruit and veggie
D-Mushroom Pork Steaks with broccoli cheese and rice casserole and any fruit

Now you will see some wording like "fruit" or "veggie", that is because it really just depends on my mood! But I plan on getting all kinds of fruits and veggies at the store tomorrow. I am still doing the challenge and working really hard on getting the better habits going!

Happy Eating! :)

Weekly Menu

I have been doing a meal plan weekly and it has helped. Although last week was a little crazy and I never got to it. I have been trying to do it the week before so I have it ready on Monday for the grocery store. Needless to say, I just got back from the grocery store (it's 2pm, Tuesday). I will list my menu here and will do this every Monday. I also will post some check points throughout the week on how I am doing with the Eat more fruits and veggies challenge. I don't hardly ever eat breakfast. I'm just not hungry in the morning (that is why you will see the quick poptarts or cereal breakfast on my menu) but I am going to try better with that. It also doesn't help when Mom doesn't get up early enough to cook a breakfast! Lunch is usually just a quick leftover or sandwich. I will be better at that once my other 3 kids will be home for the summer in a few weeks. My 3 year old loves his dinosaur sandwiches, so normally that is what he gets. I'll work on him too!

This weeks menu plan...

Monday May 12th
B- cereal
L- chicken salad sandwich (it did have celery in it!)
D- Baked chicken, rice, broccoli and strawberry shortcake

Tuesday May 13th
B- poptarts
L- chicken salad sandwich (remember I hadn't made it to the grocery store yet!)
D-Shepherds Pie, Cheese loaf and banana pudding parfait

Wednesday May 14th
B- waffles with fruit
L- PB & J with peaches
D- Chicken Salad Wraps, cucumbers (instead of chips) and fruit salad

Thursday May 15th
B- Cereal and bananas
L- Good ol' chef boyardee ravioli and fruit
D- Aloha pork chops (includes tomatoes and pineapple), Parsley Potatoes & Broccoli. Desert will be Apple Crisp.

Friday May 16th thru Sunday May 16th we will be out of town. Sunday evening will be leftovers!

This is not very healthy yet! LOL. I am working on it and will get better with more ideas on how to eat and cook veggies. Stay tuned, I believe you will see a very unhealthy eater become a very healthy eater real quick! My menu may change a bit with what fruits or veggies are going to be eaten that day. Depends on my mood and what needs to be eaten quicker!

I only had one veggie and one fruit yesterday unless I can count the celery in the chicken salad! My goal is 4 fruits and veggies a day. I almost made it yesterday! Today so far...doesn't look good for me to reach my goal! But, tomorrow is another day. Talk with you soon!

Blessings,

Chele

My blog goals

I just had a revelation! I love when this happens, it gets me so excited!! I have been doing my own blog on another site. The problem is that the blog on that site was mainly for my family who doesn't live close to me could see what is going on with our life. More like a newsletter for them. To be completely honest, I wasn't happy with that site. This one is going to be different. I do love to write, I always have. I just never pursued it. It was one of those dreams I always said I'll get to it! I am planning on using this site to connect with other women like me or anyone trying to be a better Christian mother and/or wife. I hope to reach out to others that need God in their lives but I also am going to use it so I can share new findings of how to make life simpler for us! Life is busy, busy. You can wear out so fast! I hope this will become something that not only my friends and family but also online friends can be excited to read what I have to say. To be honest, I am praying my best friend will take me up on helping with it. To make it even better than what I can do alone (well, not alone...God will be here!)

Some ideas I have...

• Short bible studies- once a week we go over another set of verses from the Bible. Of course, I will start with Proverbs 31:10-31 (A wife of Noble Character). Who I strive to be and fall short many ways! We may have to do that at least once or twice a year!
• Favorite sites- I find so many I want to share with others. This will be the place to do it!
• Book Club- I know we do it with our church in the summer time, so I'm not sure when I'll start that but it would be really fun!
• Really anything that comes to my mind!

I will start tomorrow!

Have a blessed day!

Chele