#onelittleword 2014: April Goals

Hi friends!

It's that time again...goal recap! Are you still working on your #onelittlewords? How are they going?

It might not look like it, but I feel pretty good about this month! 

Here's what I was working on:

Home:

- 2 loads of laundry washed, dried and folded 5 days a week. Well, it's not quite this specific, but I do feel like I'm at least keeping up with the laundry most of the time, so I'll call it a win!

Personal:

- In the Word every day. I'm getting better. I'll just leave it at that.

- 8 cups of water daily. Again...better! I have discovered that if I keep a tumbler with a straw full and close by this is easy. If I depend on myself to fill up glasses of water throughout the day, I won't do it.

- 2 workouts per week. Yes! Well, at least for the past week, but it's a good trend. I just discovered Blogilates, and I'm in love! Combine that with the YouTube app on our PS3 and I'm good to go!

Blog:

- Keep reading How To Blog... I'm almost done and it is rocking my world! Now to start putting things into action.

- Finish new design! :) It's DONE! Have you seen it? If you read this in a reader you probably haven't. Click on over and check it out!

Finances: 

- Write a snowball plan for remaining consumer debt Done! I'm not going to post it, but if all goes as plan we will be consumer/medical debt free by the end of the year! Woot!

OK, not on to this month

Home:

- Clear out the last of the moving messes. Even though we have found a place for most things, there are still a few spots that have homeless things just sitting around. Time to either find them a home or get rid of them!

Personal:

- In the Word every day. 

- 8 cups of water daily. 

- 2 workouts per week. 

These three are pretty much non-negotiable, and not totally mastered, so they're staying put!

- Fresh produce at every meal. Dinner is good with this one, but I want to be better about getting fresh fruit or vegetables at breakfast and lunch. It's so easy to just grab a bagel or some leftovers, but is it really that hard to grab a banana or some carrots too?

Blog:

- Two posts a week: I've been trying to get back into a regular posting schedule after pregnancy and the holidays kicked my butt. I'm feeling good about post a week, so time to move on to two! Any requests?

- Set up Google+: Facebook is being lame. I have a google+ account for this page, but I've barely used it. Time to get it going! Are you on Google+?

Finances:

- Set up bank budget tool: Our bank has an online budget tool, but I haven't set it up. If I'm going to keep up with that snowball plan, I need to get that done!

So that's the plan for this month! What's your plan?

If you do, what are your favorite way to spend quite time in the Word?

Do you get your water every day? Tips and tricks?

Be blessed!

Heather

#onelittleword 2014: March Goals

Hi friends

It's goal time! I wish I could say that I tackled everything on my list this month, but that's just not the case. Being back to work, even part time, is really messing with my ability to balance everything and get things done. Hopefully I can figure out some tricks this month!

Here are last month's goals, and my progress:

Home:

- Eat at the dining room table. This one we did! I think there was only one day in the past month when we had to eat at the living room table. SO nice!

- 2 loads of laundry washed, dried and folded 5 days a week. Still working on this one. Most days I can get a load or 2 washed or dried. Folded? Not so much. Put away? That's a funny joke!

Personal:

- In the Word every day. Oh, am I still working on this one. Why are the things you know are good for you so hard to do? Thank God I have some good apps on my phone. Even if I can't study, I can at least get a little something.

- 8 cups of water daily. Nope. Not even a little bit.

- 2 workouts per week. Hahahahahaha!!

Blog:

- Keep reading How To Blog... Still chipping away at this one. It is so nice reading this book as part of a group!

- Finish new design! :) It's so close, you guys! Like, SO close!

Finances: 

- Write a snowball plan for remaining consumer debt Nope. Honestly, I've been putting this one off because I just don't want to see the numbers. I know that we are going to get it paid off this year, so I should be super motivated to see how far we have come, but it's just stressing me out. Time to get it done!

OK, so this month pretty much stunk goals-wise. There's no hiding that. All I can do is stay focused this month. I need to figure out routines that work for me, and stick with them. Since I mastered so few of February's goals, I don't feel like I can add anything new for March. Here's to a finished list in April!

Do you have any laundry secrets? How do you power all the way through?

Do you have a good household routine? What is it?

Be blessed,

Heather

#onelittleword 2014: February Goals

This post contains affiliate links. I will earn a small commission on any purchases made through these links. Thank you for your support!

Hey there friends!

Whew! I think we're through the worst part of moving. We still have more stuff in boxes than I would like, but we're getting there!

We're already halfway through February, but I wanted to make sure I shared my goals with you! The accountability is good for me. Maybe some of them will help motivate you, too!

Here's a quick re-cap of January's goals:

Home

- Pack! This is a big one, and its going to take most of our time. 

     -Donations to charity

     -Sell any sellables 

     -Unnecessary items packed this week

Well, we're all moved in, so everything must have gotten packed, right? Let's hope!

Personal

- Get in the Word every day! It could be sitting down to study, or jumping on to one of my favorite apps, but    it needs to happen.  January was great. Probably not every day, but very close to it! 

- Commit 1 hour a week to doing something fun for me. Ask for help with the kids if I need it! I actually did this! I got a few days of great naps from Owen, and good quiet time from Abbey which let me do things like read my favorite blogs, and get caught up on some scrapbooking!

Blog

- Read 2 books

     - How to Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul by Ruth Soukup Still working on this one. I'm reading it with a group, so we read a chapter each week. It's great so far!

     - Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home by Jacinda Vandenburg  This book is seriously my new favorite blogging resource! If you haven't already, you can read my review of it HERE. If you are a blogger, you want this book. Ke

So that was January. Not too bad, I think! Let's get going on to this month.

Home:

- Eat at the dining room table. The dining room table is our main crafting/school/work space, so it gets cluttered quickly. I need to make sure it is ready to be eaten at every night, or we end up in front of the TV. No good!

- 2 loads of laundry washed, dried and folded 5 days a week. Our new place has a vertical washer and dryer, so they are smaller than side-by sides. This means smaller loads. If I'm going to keep up, I need to step up my game!

Personal:

- In the Word every day. 

- 8 cups of water daily. I'm SO bad at drinking water. Considering the fact that I'm nursing, I really need more than 8 cups, but I'm not even getting that right now so baby steps!

- 2 workouts per week. Time to get this butt moving!

Blog:

- Keep reading How To Blog...

- Finish new design! :)

Finances: 

- Write a snowball plan for remaining consumer debt  (not an affiliate, just good info!)

OK...that should be good for the month, don't you think? 

Do you have any goals for the month?

Are you good at staying self-motivated, or do you need help?

Read any good books lately?

Be blessed,

Heather

#onelittleword 2014: Goals

Hey there friends!

Did you choose a word for the year? I really like a word rather than a resolution. It allows me to adjust throughout the year if need be, but still keep me focused and on track.

So here it is, my One Little Word for the year:

Yep, goals.

I've never been very good at them. I'm not good at making them, and I'm not very good at following through with them. Sure I can get things done, and I certainly have accomplishments that I am proud of, but I'm talking about the little day-by-day goals that, when you look back on them a year later, have completely changed your life.

I want to get better at those.

So, I'm choosing several areas that I would like to work on. Some will get monthly goals, while some are more long term. Every month I am going to come here and post my goals for the month, and update you on the previous month's progress. Yay,  accountability!

Here are the areas I am looking to improve:

1. Finances

This is definitely a long term goal. We have been working on getting out of debt, but money has been incredibly tight lately so we haven't made much progress. We haven't gone backwards, but we haven't really moved forwards either. We have 2 credit cards and 2 car payments right now, all of which are on schedule to be paid off by the end of the year. I would love to have them paid off sooner! I also want to save up a $1000 emergency fund. I will be starting a new part-time job soon (more on that later!) which will help a lot!

2. Home

I have talked about my housekeeping struggles here before. It's still a struggle. We are moving in a few weeks (just locally, to a new rental) and I am going to use that as an opportunity to create new habits! 

3. Personal

Self-care is important. I've discovered since Owen arrived that I am not particularly good at prioritizing it. When you can't remember the last time you went to the store by yourself, or painted your nails, or took time for your favorite hobby, or...showered...something is off. 

4. Blog

Yep, I have goals for this little space of mine as well. I like it, and if you are reading this, hopefully you like this too. I want to find ways to grow this space, stay true to my voice and my writing, but also use this space to help us meet our other goals. 

So, let's get going! I'm going to post these as tasks, since that's what they are. The tasks I need to do to get me to my goals!

January Tasks:

Finances

- Create new "snowball plan" for remaining consumer debt.

     -We took Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class a couple years ago, and it is fantastic! His              debt snowball plan is very helpful, and you really do see momentum! 

Home

- Pack! This is a big one, and its going to take most of our time. 

     -Donations to charity

     -Sell any sellables 

     -Unnecessary items packed this week

Personal

- Get in the Word every day! It could be sitting down to study, or jumping on to one of my favorite apps, but    it needs to happen.

- Commit 1 hour a week to doing something fun for me. Ask for help with the kids if I need it!

Blog

- Read 2 books

     - How to Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul by Ruth Soukup

     - Growing Your Blog While Managing Your Home by Jacinda Vandenburg

Did you choose a word for the year? What is it?

What are your goals?

Be blessed!

Heather