Week 5 (week 4)

Week 4: recap
Room: Living Room: was more on top of it then usual, still have a ways to go!
Health: Eat 2 fruit and/or veggie servings at dinner, definately way better! almost everytime.
Time Management: Keep track of how spend time for a week, whoops.
Budget: Only buy what's on shopping list, or an unknown sale, did  better than usual, but did get a few fall decor (well that was 50% so a sale....)

Week 5: was supposed to start last week.... but crazy busy and while i've worked on getting cupboards organized, and cut down on sweetened drinks, but still keeping this week for another week lol.
Room: Kitchen-unseen

• Clean cupboards (inside)
• go through and get rid of dishes never use, move seldom used to cupboard above fridge
• go through pantry, get rid of any old/won't use
• scrub fridge and freezer

Health:  Only one drink with added sweetener (not counting juice etc with natural sugar)

Time Management:  Only 3 hours of sit down media (before was only TV)

Budget:  turn off lights, and unplug things when not being used

The kitchen is one of the rooms i'm always behind on, and have to start in the cupboards 1st!  have been cutting down on candy etc.  but somedays way too much pop or sweetened coffee drinks, and those add up!  have been more concious of my media time, but still waste too much time on it.  Turning off lights etc, isn't too hard, and I do most of the time, but need to all of the time, electricity is my most expensive utility by far, and while I can't stop heating my house, or other necessities, I can use it more wisely!

Week 4 (Week 3 recap)

Week 3 recap- this week went pretty well, still haven't been walking charlie very much... last weeks room was playroom- didn't get it clean everyday, but did get one super good cleaning, kept the bathroom clean, hallways too for the most part.   Have been at least thinking about the 'treats' i've been eating, maybe more then 2 a day, but i'm at least paying attention to what i'm eating.  I have been paying more attention to the ammount of time i'm just sitting and watching tv and trying to be me productive while i'm sitting there (like entering reciepts, paperwork, making things for craft sale).  and for the eating out budget, i def have been way too much this week, it's been a crazy busy one, so i'll have to pay attention the next week and try to only eat at home (I did get some $1 tv dinners for those nights i'm tempted to order in, i have a super quick and easy dinner).  I have been doing better at devos, although it's been at night, but still it's better than nothing!



Room:  Living Room

• Pick up everyday
• Declutter 1x a week (saturdays)
• Sweep Daily
• Swiffer/Mop every Sunday, more if needed

Health:  Eat 2 fruit and/or veggie servings at dinner (eat a lot with kids but usually skip at dinner)

Time Management: Keep track of how spend time for a week

Budget:  Only buy what's on shopping list, or an unknown sale (only things I actually need/use!)

This week the room will defiently be the hardest yet, the LR gets trashed almost everyday from toys etc.  so it's going to take lots of discipline and time management!  I typicaly don't eat very many fruit and veggies when the kids aren't here, I tend to save them for daycare time, but eating healthy is imporant for me too!  I did get some fruit and veg (that I like) at safeway not even thinking about this weeks goals.
I'm also going to post the goals (from all weeks) on fridge, I did that the first week and it helped with motivation a lot, and after a crazy few weeks, i've definately been lacking the needed motivation!  I have also got caught up on some accounting for the year, and i'm determined to keep up with that too (will be so much easier for taxes next year!!!)

End of week 2 and start of 3!

Week 2 goals:
Chore: Main Bathroom
Health: Walk Charlie
Time Management:  No going back to sleep after get up in morning
Budget: Run dishwasher fuller/better

I did fairly well this week, didn't walk charlie at all, have to figure out how to fit in schedule, after the kids leave (which was my plan) just doesn't work, i'm tired, some days it's almost dark, and the last few days it was so muggy i had zero ambition to do anything by then...  Once a few of the kids start 'school' this week i'm thinking i'm going to try to take the few that are here with and go for a walk.   I cleaned the bathroom most days, and swiffered it half way through the week, need to do it a little more, but did better this week then others!  I don't think I went back to sleep any days, but did sit down on couch after kids get there, but didn't go back to sleep!   I hadn't been running the dishwasher horibly before, but a few times i would just go 'oh well, it's almost full' but this week i made the concious decission each time whether or not it was completely full or not.

Week 3:
Room: Play Room
           Pick up and Vacuum every night

Health:  Only 2 'treats' a day
              inc. pop, candy, cookies, cake.... (not reasonably sweetened tea or coffee)

Time Management: 3 hours or less of 'sit down' TV watching (doesn't include when actively doing something
                                             else)
                            Do something while watching too
Budget: Cut monthly eating out budget to $40 (inc fast food, delivery, real restaurants, deli food etc.)

The play room can get behind quickly so keeping up on it daily will help a lot! (and of course try to have kids do most of pick up before they leave).  Only 2 treats a day is actually a lot so even less would be better, but it's a very doable number and a stepping stone.  3 hours of sit down TV is more than enough, doesn't include things like watching hulu when doing dishes, or when picking up living room.  While I don't spend a ton of money eating out, if I go out etc once a week it really adds up!

Week 3

Room: Play Room
           Pick up and Vacuum every night

Health:  Only 2 'treats' a day
              inc. pop, candy, cookies, cake.... (not reasonably sweetened tea or coffee)

Time Management: 3 hours or less of 'sit down' TV watching (doesn't include when actively doing something else)
                            Do something while watching too
Budget: Cut monthly eating out budget to $40 (inc fast food, delivery, real restaurants, deli food etc.)

The play room can get behind quickly so keeping up on it daily will help a lot! (and of course try to have kids do most of pick up before they leave).  Only 2 treats a day is actually a lot so even less would be better, but it's a very doable number and a stepping stone.  3 hours of sit down TV is more than enough, doesn't include things like watching hulu when doing dishes, or when picking up living room.  While I don't spend a ton of money eating out, if I go out etc once a week it really adds up!

Week 2.... redo!

This week has been one crazy week.  From major family drama Sunday night, that quickly turned into Monday morning (everything’s going ok now) to my living room light shorting out, thankfully when I was at home so it didn't result in a fire!  Since this week was so crazy I basically didn't get any of the goals done, I cleaned the bathroom, but not as often as I wanted, I did drink lots of water, although primarily trying to get rid of the migraine I had for a few days (with a houseful of boys it was difficult to beat!), I did call and lower my TV etc bill (goal from week one), and even saved more by finding a brand new answering machine at a resale shop!  Going to bed early just didn't happen, after getting off schedule Sunday night (family stuff) just wasn't disciplined.... and basically all the goals were like that, so instead of starting week 3's goals, I'm taking a week to get week 2's done and part of my routine before I get farther behind!  My goal for this adventure was not to feel guilty about not doing what I planned but to slowly make changes, so I am going to forget this last week even happened, and restart week 2!

So here are week 2's goals:
Chore: Main Bathroom
           Keep picked up
           Daily Wipe down
           Mop Sunday and Thursday

Health: Walk Charlie
              At least one square block daily

Time Management:  No going back to sleep after get up in morning
                                     No even sitting until load of dishes done, inc. any needing away

Budget: Run dishwasher fuller/better
                Less loads equals less soap, power, and water

I am going to add to it one thing, to make at least 3 things for the craft fair I'm hoping to be involved in, if I'm even going to be close to having enough things to sell by the time it comes, I need to get into hyper drive! 

So here goes week 2 (again!)

Week 1 recap- Week 2 Beginning...

Overall last week went ok... Of the 4 goals, I did ok, great on going to bed earlier, (well except for thurs night, but that wasn't without reason), decent on drinking more water, devos not so great...  and really didn't look at the tv etc bill, other than knowing need to get a cheap phone with an answering machine to cut costs.

Week 2 goals are easy-  keep bathroom clean (not a big deal-just more consistant), walk charlie everyday, don't go back to sleep in the morning (often i'll get up and get ready then have 20ish min til kids come so I'll go back to sleep), and to load dishwasher better.  Not huge goals, but one more step in the overall big changes of the next year!

Week 2

Chore: Main Bathroom
           Keep picked up
           Daily Wipe down
           Mop Sunday and Thursday

Health: Walk Charlie
              At least one square block daily

Time Management:  No going back to sleep after get up in morning
                                     No even sitting until load of dishes done, inc. any needing away

Budget: Run dishwasher fuller/better
                Less loads equals less soap, power, and water

Main bathroom can get dirty fast with the little kids (esp. since they're all boys!) and the white floors, so while I clean it often now, I need to be more consistent.  Both Charlie and I need more exercise, and 1 square block will only take a few minutes (and it won't seem like I'm wasting much time) and I can easily add to it later on.  Having 3ish loads of dishes a day, running the dishwasher more effectively will make a big difference!

Week 1 progress... technically...

This weekend of course I was way less productive then I wanted to be.  The new couch took way longer to clean than I thought (and still smells like someone else’s house, not necess bad, just not good), and then I spent some much needed time with the fam' and a friend, I did get the things in my weekly plan done, and some of the extras, but not all.  And of course when trying to get started on doing better on habits etc. life happens, even more so than normal (prayer for my fam would be appreciated, without going into details lots of drama), making it harder to get ahead, but I am determined!  I did get to bed at a decent time last night, a few minutes before 10:30 even, did get up and do short devos this morning, and have drank almost the 32oz of water I wanted to drink every day, the main hall is clean, and the second one is very close (needs to be swept).  Still though I'm behind in dishes, laundry needs to be put away, and there are toys everywhere...  and I have zero energy to do anything!  I'm trying to look at the positive and know I accomplished my daily goals, even if the house is a mess, that's the whole point of this journey to slowly get on top of things, cause there's no way I could do it in a day!  A ton of new habits in one day can't (or at least won't) happen, however a few a week will, and they add up!  Think tonight I may even go to bed earlier, keep telling myself if I'm not getting anything done, then I might as well go to bed and get up earlier and get more done then!

Weekend 1.

The goals this weekend are more than just the 'year of change' ones, it's a 3 day weekend so I need to get caught up on more things too.  And I just scored a couch, chair, and ottoman off craigslist that I need to clean, and rearrange the living room a little for.

So here are the goals:

• Get the hallways cleaned up
• Find my good water bottle
• Set the timer on my coffee pot (for devos, the smell of coffee is a good motivator!),
• Set a reminder on my phone (for bed)
• Look at my TV etc bill. 

AND

• Pick up and vacuum playroom (just a few toys laying around)
• Pick up and mop living room (if I’m putting new furniture in, I don't want to be putting it on dirty floor)
• Wash all the (kids) mats etc. (3 day weekend means enough time!)
• Prune some plants in the garden, plant some flowers my gma gave me
• Sweep porch
• Wash windows
• Wash my car
• Wash Charlie
• Clean bathroom
• Laundry away....

and I'm sure I'll think of more.  It will be hard to stay motivated in this heat (it's in the mid-80's, I'm a total coastie and I almost feel sick from it lol), but I have a little extra time, and I’m going to take a nap so I can stay up later and use my more productive time (evenings and late at night), and by then the heat will have gone down a little too!

I'm off for my nap!

Week 1

Room (chore): Hallways (starting off easy!) 
          Keep picked up
          Wash Charlie’s bedding/bowls weekly
          Sweep 2x a week (or more if needed)

Health: Drink 32 oz of water a day
                          before any 'treat' drinks (pop, sweetened tea/coffee) drink at least 8oz
           Daily Devos in the morning
                           No distractions, at the table (coffee ok :) ), before the kids come

Time Management:  Bed by 10:30
                                  Turn TV off at 10, walk Charlie, then off to bed (if before 10:30 read or Sudoku)

Budget:  Look at lowering TV/Internet/Phone
                    Do I really need the gazillion channels?  Would it be cheaper to get a new phone with an                 answering phone (since phone is dying any way and would be able to lower phone level? any
                other way?


The goals the first week are pretty easy, just want to start off slow; the hallways aren't usually too bad, just a few toys here and there, baskets of laundry, Charlie’s food getting dumped.  I used to drink a ton of water, but have slowed way down, so it'll just take remembering to and having it out and easy to get to.  I am sporadic with my devos, so I want to set a time and a place to do them so I'm less likely to forget.  One of my biggest time management (and health too) is lack of sleep and therefore being tired, so by setting a reasonable time to go to bed, I will be less likely to get distracted and next thing I know it turns into midnight.  One of my biggest monthly expenses (other than rent) is my internet/TV/phone and while they (other than TV-which is almost) necessary for my business, there has to be some way to lower the cost!

So this weekend I am going to get the hallways cleaned up, find my good water bottle, set the timer on my coffee pot (for devos, the smell of coffee is a good motivator!), set a reminder on my phone (for bed), and look at my TV etc bill.   Then Monday morning, I will start the daily goals! 

Here I go!

The year of Change.

Recently I've been thinking a lot about my life and my future.  I tend to look towards the future more than the present, and have had the attitude 'I'll stay more on top of ___________ when _______ happens' or 'I'll do it later.'  However I've decided to start making those changes in my life now, nothing major in itself, just lots of little habits, adding up to major change.   The things I want to change range from eating healthier and exercising, to keeping up on 'chore' type things more.

When looking at all the changes I want to make I discovered they fall under 4 main categories:
1. "Chores"- basically house work and yard work,  I tend to let clutter add up, laundry get behind, toys get piled up, paperwork laying around, my house isn't dirty per se, just not as organized and picked up as I'd like it to be.  And I want it to stay that way (often I'll get on top of things then let them slide again).
2.  Health- all areas of health, physical, eating, spiritual, mental, when I get off in one area, the others quickly follow! 
3.Time Management- I tend to spend lots of time doing unimportant/unnecessary things, and if I manage time better, it will be easier to stay caught up on other things!
4.  Budget- While I spend more wisely than before, I need to work better on various areas of my budget, evaluate my spending more and find those areas I waste money in.

How am I going to do it?
Each week I am going to set very small, very obtainable goals to start, on the weekend get the rooms clean, the prep for other goals done, and then on the Monday start working on the daily goals, each week adding on to the new goals, slowly making all the changes I want. 

Why the blog?
Over the years I've read things, watched things, realized things I've wanted to change, (nothing like an episode of 'Biggest Loser' to make you want to eat healthier etc.) but after a few days when the motivation begins to wear off, the memory of whatever triggered the desire to change has faded, I quickly forget and go back to old habits, so that's where you all come in, to help me be accountable, to remind me to stay motivated.  It'll be a lot harder to forget or to go back to old habits when I know I have people reading this!  I won't be blogging every day, but my goal is at least 2 or 3 times a week, to share the success and struggles along the way!

So here goes, It'll be a long, sometimes frustrating, yet amazing year!