I gave myself two weeks for the goals in my last goals post since we had family visiting and did a little traveling ourselves.  I am giving myself two weeks again since I will be baking for a church bake sale, planning and hosting a birthday party, and traveling again.  Such fun, but a lot of work too.

Previous Goals and Accomplishments:
 
Homemaking Goals:  

1.  F̶i̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶u̶n̶p̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶s̶u̶i̶t̶c̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶a̶ ̶t̶r̶i̶p̶ ̶t̶w̶o̶ ̶w̶e̶e̶k̶s̶ ̶a̶g̶o̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶p̶u̶t̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶p̶i̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶a̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶.̶  Accomplished, but only because I had to pack again so now I need to unpack again.

2.  Mend at least one thing from my mending piles.  Starting small because I have had mending piles forever and rarely take the time to mend anything.  (Not accomplished so on my new list.  I have set aside something to mend though.)

3. B̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶s̶c̶h̶o̶o̶l̶ ̶o̶p̶e̶n̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶l̶e̶.̶  Accomplished.  I baked chocolate chip cookies and made extra dough so that later in the week when we had family in town we had fresh baked cookies.  

4.  S̶t̶a̶y̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶p̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶n̶o̶r̶m̶a̶l̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶s̶e̶h̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶r̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶c̶o̶o̶k̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶c̶l̶e̶a̶n̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶l̶a̶u̶n̶d̶r̶y̶ ̶e̶t̶c̶.̶  Accomplished.  I cleaned for hours and hours since we had family coming into town.  I actually did some deep cleaning which I don't always have time to get too.   Well, I didn't have time last week either but that's what the wee hours of the morning are for right?  As you will see my goal of 7 hours of sleep a night was not fully accomplished.    

Mothering Goals:

1.  C̶o̶n̶t̶i̶n̶u̶e̶ ̶R̶e̶a̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶J̶e̶s̶u̶s̶ ̶C̶a̶l̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶C̶h̶i̶l̶d̶r̶e̶n̶'̶s̶ ̶b̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶o̶y̶s̶.̶ ̶ ̶ Accomplished.  I can't say we read it a lot, but we did squeeze in some time at the bus stop waiting for big brother and I packed it with us on our little trip so there was some travel reading.  

2.  Make peanut butter play-dough.  The little boys are excited to try this. - Not accomplished.  Just ran out of time.  This is still on our to do list.  

3.   F̶o̶l̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶o̶y̶s̶ ̶ each day on completing their chores.  I would say this was partially accomplished.  Some days I was on top of it and some days I was not.  We have some improving to do here over the next couple of weeks.

4.  S̶t̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶b̶i̶r̶t̶h̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶y̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶f̶t̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶A̶r̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶N̶a̶t̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶r̶t̶h̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶y̶.̶  I sent an evite and made a pinterest board of some ideas and now I need to make lists and get the supplies in order.  

5.  Finish mailing my son's thank you notes from his birthday. - Still not done, but I have a big push now to get this done before the next birthday party.  

Professional Goals:

1.  P̶u̶b̶l̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶v̶i̶e̶w̶ ̶p̶o̶s̶t̶ and work on another one.  Got one done, but not much accomplished on a second post.

2.  F̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶s̶t̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶q̶u̶e̶.̶

3.  W̶o̶r̶k̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶p̶h̶o̶t̶o̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶p̶h̶o̶t̶o̶ ̶e̶d̶i̶t̶i̶n̶g̶.̶

4.  P̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶c̶u̶r̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶l̶i̶n̶k̶y̶'̶s̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶3̶ ̶d̶a̶y̶s̶.̶  Barely got this one done.  In two weeks I think I did the minimum of three days.  

5.  Pin at least five old posts on some of my group pinterest boards. - I only pinned one old post on group Pinterest boards.  Lowering my expectation on this goal because like all blogging work it takes precious time.  

Personal Goals:

1.  Exercise at least three times.   Usually workout videos.  I have a pilates video from the library I am currently using. - Not accomplished at all, unless you count lots of walking to and from a college football game and up and down the steps of the stadium.  Lowering my expectation here too.  No excuses I know...but it's hard when you have kids and not that much motivation.  

2.  Get 7 or more hours of sleep a night. - Sometimes accomplished and sometimes not.  I do love sleep.  

3.  R̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶J̶e̶s̶u̶s̶ ̶C̶a̶l̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶d̶e̶v̶o̶t̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶5̶ ̶d̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶e̶e̶k̶.̶  Accomplished.  I love this devotional.  It also helped that I had perpetual adoration last week.  Quiet time in prayer and thought is so important.  

4.  Read three chapters of The Power of a Praying Wife. - I couldn't find this book for a few days and did not accomplish this goal.  Next week.

5.  Work on getting up earlier on school mornings.  I hate being rushed in the morning and I am less patient with my kids when we are rushing to get out the door. - Better, not every morning, but probably half the time.  Keep working on this one.


New Goals:
Homemaking Goals:  

1.  Unpack suitcases again.  Another weekend trip equals more suitcases and unpacking.

2.  Mend at least one thing from my mending piles.  Starting small because I have had mending piles forever and rarely take the time to mend anything.

3.  Stay on top of normal household chores, cooking, cleaning, laundry etc. and more to get ready for birthday party.  

4.  Bake for the bake sale.

5.  Prepare anything for the birthday party that can be made ahead of time.  

Mothering Goals:

1.  Continue Reading Jesus Calling Children's book to the boys.

2.  Make peanut butter play-dough.  The little boys are excited to try this.

3.  Follow through with the boys each day on completing their chores.

4.  Continue planning birthday party crafts for an Art in Nature birthday party and procure supplies.  Actually, host the party.  It is in the next two weeks.

5.  Finish mailing my son's thank you notes from his birthday.  (Still haven't done this, but must get this done before the next birthday party.)

Professional Goals:

1.  Publish another review post.

2.  Finish one posts from my que.

3.  Work on photos and photo editing.

4.  Pin at least two old posts on some of my group pinterest boards.

Personal Goals:

1.  Exercise at least one time.   Usually workout videos.  I have a pilates video from the library I like.  (Really easing up on this one since I didn't do it at all over the past two weeks.)

2.  Get 7 or more hours of sleep a night.

3.  Read my Jesus Calling devotional at least 5 days.

4.  Read two chapters of The Power of a Praying Wife.

5.  Work on getting up earlier on school mornings.  I hate being rushed in the morning and I am less patient with my kids when we are rushing to get out the door.  

I have been really lazy about announcing giveaway winners.  As you can see this giveaway ended weeks ago and I am just now announcing the winner.  Oh well better late than never.  The winner of a Skyblaster from Aeromax was Tee.  Congratulations!  The winner was already contacted.


My Food Should Taste Good giveaway is ending today so if you haven't entered yet, now is your chance.  

I can't believe my baby is five years old today.  I was reminiscing recently and found this video of him when he was just a few months old.  It seems like yesterday.  

To my little man:
In case you read this someday...I treasure you more than you can possibly imagine.  I love you more than words can say.  I love you forever.  

Mom

Disclosure:  I received products for review purposes only.  Any opinions are honest and are my own.

We have been Kidorable fans for a long time.  Years ago I bought our first Kidorable rain coat at a yard sale.  It was pre-owned and still in great condition.  Our middle son wears it now and it still looks adorable.  Kidorable products are quality so you can pass them down to younger siblings and really get your money's worth.  

My seven year old was ecstatic when he received his new Kidorable rain boots.  There were a lot of excited and rushed thank you's.  He loved the dragon and castle features in the design and the overall comfort.  

Look at all that traction.  

And attention to detail.

My son thought this was so cool.  See how the dragon breathes fire on the other boot.  

Soft and Cozy lining.

Love this black edging that looks like the top of a castle wall.  

Disclosure:  I received products for review purposes only.  Any opinions are honest and are my own.

I decided to set some goals for the week for my own encouragement and accountability.  

Homemaking Goals:  

1.  Finally unpack this suitcase from a trip two weeks ago and put away everything  that is piling up around it.

2.  Mend at least one thing from my mending piles.  Starting small because I have had mending piles forever and rarely take the time to mend anything.

3.  Bake something for preschool open house bake sale.

4.  Stay on top of normal household chores, cooking, cleaning, laundry etc.

Mothering Goals:

1.  Continue Reading Jesus Calling Children's book to the boys.

2.  Make peanut butter play-dough.  The little boys are excited to try this.

3.  Follow through with the boys each day on completing their chores.

4.  Start planning birthday party crafts for an Art in Nature birthday party.

5.  Finish mailing my son's thank you notes from his birthday.

Professional Goals:

1.  Publish one review post and work on another one.

2.  Finish one posts from my que.

3.  Work on photos and photo editing.

4.  Post my current giveaway on giveaway linky's at least 3 days.

5.  Pin at least five old posts on some of my group pinterest boards.

Personal Goals:

1.  Exercise at least three times.   Usually workout videos.  I have a pilates video from the library I am currently using.

2.  Get 7 or more hours of sleep a night.

3.  Read my Jesus Calling devotional at least 5 days this week.

4.  Read three chapters of The Power of a Praying Wife.

5.  Work on getting up earlier on school mornings.  I hate being rushed in the morning and I am less patient with my kids when we are rushing to get out the door.  



Linking up at Create with Joy

Download a free copy of 10 Superfood Breakfast Recipes from Abe's Market.  

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I like to display all the cool things the kids create, but we run out of room on the bulletin board and it becomes a crazy mess on which you can never find anything important ever again...like that very important prescription or chinese takeout menu.  

So I hung some yarn up in a zig zag pattern with push pins and have been hanging the kid's artwork up with clothes pins and chip clips.  They love seeing their art on display and I think it's cute and whimsical.  

So we've had this up for a while...it's starting to get a little crowded, but the boys love it and request to have their work displayed.  

Disclosure:  I received products for review purposes only.  All opinions are honest and are my own.  

We have actually been eating Food Should Taste Good chips for years, but I have always bought the Sweet Potato flavor.  It was fun to try all these new flavors and broaden our culinary horizons.

A little About Food Should Taste Good:

I don't usually like spicy food, but I really enjoyed the Jalapeno with Cheddar chips.    They were spicy, but the cheddar flavor balanced the heat making them delicious.  The little boys even tried them and my three year old ate quite a few.  

To be honest, I'm not a fan of the Jalapeno chips.  My husband and I both thought they were too spicy.  If you like spicy snacks, give them a try but be ready for some heat.  

I thought it was kind of weird to flavor a tortilla chip with chocolate, but they are actually pretty good.  The boys like them a lot and I am thinking these would make a delicious coating for fried ice cream.  I'll let you know if I try it out.   

The Olive chips are delicious.  In fact, they are my husband's favorite.  He loves dipping them in hummus.  

For a healthy and delicious snacking experience, give Food Should Taste Good chips a try.  There are usually printable coupons available too.  

Enter to win Food Should Taste Good chips!  US only.

Disclosure:  I received products for review purposes only.  All opinions are honest and are my own.  

You may have noticed I haven't been here much lately.  Did you notice I haven't posted a menu plan in I don't know how many months?  I've been too busy and I've had some pretty big things to deal with.  So I have given myself some grace. 

God doesn't expect us to be perfect so why should we expect the impossible from ourselves.  All we can do is give the best that we can give at any given time.  Sometimes this may look like perfection and sometimes this may be far from it and that's ok.  We can't expect perfect.  Not from ourselves or from those we love.  

Yesterday about 5-10 minutes before we needed to leave for my 3 year old's afternoon preschool, I discovered that he and my 4 1/2 year old had gotten into glue sticks in the office supplies drawer of my desk.  My 3 year old had bright yellow glue plastered to his head.  His white uniform polo shirt was covered in multi-colored streaks of glue.  On top of this, he had a pull-up explosion that had leaked through to his uniform shorts.  Oh yeah and my blue and white quilt and white sheets had huge streaks of hot pink glue running up and down them.  I let the bed go until later, it could wait.  Preschool could not.  

I somehow managed to handle the situation gracefully.  Instead of yelling, I kept it together and got my 3 year old into the tub for a serious cleanup.  There was some lecturing about staying out of Mommies things, but no harsh yelling.  I'm sure I raised my voice, but I felt like I was keeping my cool.  I found a uniform in the clean laundry and got him ready for preschool again.  We were 10-15 minutes late, but it was ok.  (Luckily we live about 5 minutes from the school.)  Life went on and he had a great afternoon at preschool.  

I read an article today at thrivingFamily.com titled Perfect Isn't the Point.  It really resonated with me.  I have been trying to change my perspective and become more flexible when it comes to my expectations for myself and my family.  A couple of months ago, my husband told me that I yell at our children too much.  He was right.  Too much yelling becomes ineffective anyway.  I have been reflecting on this and trying to come up with better ways to redirect our boys and calmly handle messy situations.  Simply stopping what I am doing and focusing on my children and their needs seems to go a lot further than yelling.  

Our house is not always a peaceful and quiet retreat.  It's often loud and rambunctious.  There is always a mess to clean up, but there is also a lot of love and increasing amounts of grace.  I am and will always be striving to give us all a little more grace.  

Linking up at Create with Joy, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Deceptively Educational, Mommy Moments