2019 Goals :: December Check-In

Wrapping up my goals for the year! Whew :)

Goal #1: Drink 60oz of water every day

I again averaged about 30 ounces a day, and I had to work really hard for that...

Year Review :: Truth be told, I didn't shine on this one this year. It's really something I need to continue working on for my overall health, and I will continue to fight to drink a healthy amount of water on a daily basis.

Goal #2: Increase my fitness level

We faced a lot of sickness this month, so fitness {even our little walks around the neighborhood} took a nose-dive this month. 

Year Review :: Overall, I increased my fitness level from where I was at the beginning of the year. I still have a lot of fitness goals I'd like to achieve, but like I mentioned last month, I have to readjust my expectations on what that looks like in this season of motherhood. I still want to make it a priority; I want to be healthy! But I also don't need to freak out that I'm not running marathons {which I wouldn't do anyway} or attending all the mommy boot camps right now. There will be time to add in some more of those rigorous routine elements of fitness, but for now, I will focus on just staying active with my kiddos!

Goal #3: Listen to the Audio Bible daily

This month I listened to Hebrews 1-7.

Year Review :: I didn't listen to a lot this year, but I was consistently in the Word, so that's a huge win for me! I like having the Audio Bible as an option in this crazy season of motherhood. But I also feel like I was able to rely less on it this year and actually open up my physical Bible more.

Goal #4: Read 55 Books

I read 7 books this month, which got me SO close to my goal!

Year Review :: I didn't hit my goal of 55 books, but I'm ok with that. Reading 52 books is still a huge accomplishment for me, so I have no regrets on this one! I'll post my yearly review at the beginning of January, like I usually do :)

Goal #5: Participate in the #150hoursoutside project

This month we didn't get outside as much {again, due to sickness}. But I am so glad we both met and exceeded our goal for the year!

Year Review :: We exceeded our goal for the year! We ended up logging 202 hours of outside time, and I am so glad that we did this! I still want to increase the amount of time we spend outside, but I think this was a pretty good start, especially considering the craziness of our year!

Goal #6: Do something creative every month

I didn't do a single creative thing for myself this month, but I'm totally ok with that.

Year Review :: I am so glad I had this on my list this year. While I still have a laundry list of projects I wish I could be working on right now, I am thankful that I got to work on so many fun things this year. Having a little bit of a creative outlet is so fun and relaxing for me!

Goal #7: Be more intentional with discipling Eli and Maddie

This month, we focused on Advent. While we did the Shepherd's Treasure activities, I found that to be more of a fun Christmas activity thing, rather than an Advent one. But we did our Jesse Tree ornaments, along with our nightly Bible reading, and it went so well! Eli and Maddie loved reading a story every night at dinner time, and I really tried to focus on keeping our conversations on those stories and Bible truths throughout the day. 

Year Review :: I have really seen so much fruit from doing this! Eli and Maddie are still learning and piecing together general Biblical concepts, but it has been such a joy to watch them learn and remember simple Bible truths. I love singing songs with them, reading the Word with them, and talking about how good God is with them. This will continually be a challenge for me to keep conversations focused on Christ throughout our day, but I am so thankful for so many great resources!

2019 Goals :: November Check-In

I'm pushing through to the end of the year! I'm ready for these check-ins to be done, anyone else? :)

Goal #1: Drink 60oz of water every day

I think my "normal" is about 30oz per day, which is about half of where I need to be. So I think it's official that I didn't hit this goal this year... and yet, I don't think it's a complete loss. I think overall, I drank more water on a daily basis than I normally do {except when I was pregnant}. I'll just keep working on it.

Goal #2: Increase my fitness level

Still about the same as last month. We had some really lovely weather that allowed us to take more walks and get outside. But that was about the extent of my fitness this month. And while it's still something I want to do better with and incorporate into my daily life, I don't feel as stressed about it anymore. I know this is just a season {a short one, at that}, and so once my kiddos are a little older and more self-sufficient, I think this will be easier to accomplish in a way that I really want to, rather than in a "make it work however I can right now" kind of way. And I'm ok with that {for now}.

Goal #3: Listen to the Audio Bible daily

This month I listened to Acts 12-15, the book of 1 Peter, and Galatians 2.

Goal #4: Read 55 Books

I read 3 books this month. 

Goal #5: Participate in the #150hoursoutside project

We had some beautiful weather this month, which meant some good time outside! Of course, we also had some super cold days that kept us bundled up inside, but we tried to take advantage of the nice weather when we could! :)

Goal #6: Do something creative every month

I didn't do much creatively this month, but the bulk of it was for Eli and Maddie's birthday party. I also worked on some aprons and shirts with a company logo for my sister-in-law. She was show-casing her cookie decorating at an artisan fair and wanted to have her new company logo on some shirts and aprons. That was just a simple iron-on project, but still fun!

Goal #7: Be more intentional with discipling Eli and Maddie

We still make every effort to get to BSF every week. We have had to miss some due to sickness, but we are looking forward to continuing the last few weeks strong! We finished up the names of God cards from Tiny Theologians, and then we took a little break. We're gearing up for Advent, and we have lots of things planned for that!

2019 Goals :: October Check-In

I am currently working to persevere to the end of the year with my goals. I am definitely losing some steam on things, but I think I have developed some good new routines overall, so that's got to be a resolution win, right?

Goal #1: Drink 60oz of water every day

I did well at the beginning of the month, but as it got colder, things started dropping off again. I tend not to drink as much {of anything} when it's cold outside.

Goal #2: Increase my fitness level

I increased my fitness from last month {which isn't saying a lot, considering that I didn't do anything last month haha}, and I have just resolved that my grand plans of fitness just aren't going to happen right now. I'll keep trying and working at it, but right now I am doing well to just remind myself to stay active. Having toddlers helps that, it's just not the fitness active that I would prefer to be. Maybe I can pursue more specific fitness goals later, when I can carve out a little more time for myself. For this month though, my "increase" was just more walks with the kiddos while the weather was nice.

Goal #3: Listen to the Audio Bible daily

Again, still listening to the verses in my BSF study, so less quantity, just more frequency. This month I listened to Acts 5-11.

Goal #4: Read 55 Books

I read 4 books this month. It felt good to be reading again :)

Goal #5: Participate in the #150hoursoutside project

For a good part of the month, we had GORGEOUS weather, so that made getting outside so fun! The past week or so has been super cold and rainy, so we didn't make it outside for several days haha. We'll just plan to enjoy the outdoors when we can!

Goal #6: Do something creative every month

This month, I worked on decorations for Eli and Maddie's third birthday! I'll be posting about their party soon, so you can see what I have been working on then :)

Goal #7: Be more intentional with discipling Eli and Maddie

We have continued with our Acts study in BSF. Eli and Maddie are still loving their class, and I love hearing about all they are learning! We also finished up the attributes of God from Tiny Theologians, and then started the names of God. These cards are really pretty...but not exactly toddler-friendly. Since the letters are in script, my kids don't recognize them. And the names were a little hard for little ones; I haven't heard my kids repeat the names as often as they did the atributes. We will still finish the alphabet and use them in the future, but they are definitely geared more for older kids {probably more school age}.

2019 Goals :: September Check-In

September felt off in a lot of ways...I definitely got out of some good rhythms, but also started a few good new ones. So we'll see what next month holds!

Goal #1: Drink 60oz of water every day

Meh. I probably averaged about 30-40oz a day. Not awesome, but not terrible.

Goal #2: Increase my fitness level

Hahahahahaha. Yeah, this definitely didn't happen this month. I found comfort in my "I workout. Just kidding. I chase twins." shirt. Surely that counts, right?

Goal #3: Listen to the Audio Bible daily

I started going to BSF again {yay!}, so I have been listening to the verses for the week. I don't listen to as many chapters, but I listen to the same verses repeatedly throughout the week. So this month I listened to Acts 1-4.

Goal #4: Read 55 Books

I read 0 books this month. ZERO. My guess is that I probably won't hit my goal this year {I have read 38 total, so I'd have to read 6 each month going forward}, but we'll see how close I can get. 

Goal #5: Participate in the #150hoursoutside project

We still had 90-100 degree days, so our time outside was pretty limited. But we did get outdoors some mornings before it got too hot. We're definitely looking forward to cooler days!

Goal #6: Do something creative every month

This month, I worked on a wood/vinyl sign for my Grandpa's 90th birthday party. I also started working on some things for Eli and Maddie's 3rd birthday {what??}, but I will wait to share that until later :)

Goal #7: Be more intentional with discipling Eli and Maddie

I was excited to start this Fall semester! I finally made the leap to get back into formal Bible study; I have desperately missed it. It is WORK to get everyone ready and out the door and to class on time. But it's SO worth it. I am studying Acts and Letters of the Apostles with BSF, and I am really excited that Eli and Maddie {and Aiden!} get to be a part of the preschool program. They walk through the same Scripture that I do, so then we get to review it together throughout the week. Aiden's leaders send home these handy cards that help us review the lesson together each morning at breakfast. I love that their little hearts are learning {and even remembering} truth!

We are also currently walking through some attributes of God. I bought the ABC's Bundle from Tiny Theologians, so we review one attribute each morning. Right now, we're doing good to repeat the attribute name- they see the letters and associate them with other things they know. So they see "A" and I ask them "A is for what?" and their answer is "Aiden!" Every time. Haha. But we'll get there. I look forward to using and reviewing these cards a lot in the future!

2019 Goals :: August Check-In

August felt really busy and FULL. 

Goal #1: Drink 60oz of water every day

I drank a lot more water this month. It was SUPER HOT, and I found myself actually feeling dehydrated a lot more quickly, so I had my trusty water tumbler with me at all times. I didn't actually keep track of how much I was drinking, but it was not unusual for me to refill my 32oz tumbler 2-3 times each day. So that's gotta be a win {for me}!

Goal #2: Increase my fitness level

I did a little better with my fitness level this month, at least at the beginning of the month. My cardio wasn't as high, simply because we didn't go on many walks {did I mention it was HOT??} I did some ab workouts several times a week. The first week I could hardly breathe for a few days...I overdid my ab workout and it hurt haha. But I found a good groove, and I really feel like I can start to see some progress on my baby belly. It's still small and slow, but I'll take it!

Goal #3: Listen to the Audio Bible daily

This month, I listened to the book of Psalms and Proverbs.

Goal #4: Read 55 Books

I read 3 books this month. With how busy we were, I am surprised I read any at all. The only book I really enjoyed was the Risen Motherhood book

Goal #5: Participate in the #150hoursoutside project

August was HOT. Which is no surprise in Texas, and really, it's the first time that it felt really miserable outside. So we didn't get quite as many hours logged outside {and instead opted for indoor, air conditioned activities}, but we still hit our 150 hours! And we still have 4 more months in the year!

Goal #6: Do something creative every month

This was a REALLY big month of creativity! I was able to do some coloring, work on a project for my nieces, finish Aiden's first year photo book, and I was also in party planning mode for Aiden's first birthday! It was A LOT to cram into one month, but it was super fun for me! :)

My coloring buddy :)

I can't believe PK started Kindergarten already!!

I only squeezed this one in this month because I had bought a Groupon for a photo book and like a dummy didn't pay attention to the expiration date. And I just didn't want it to go to waste! Plus, I caught a deal for free unlimited pages, so total {with shipping} I spent $23 on a book that would have cost $150. I count that as a win :)

I "restored" an already loved Cozy Coupe for Aiden's birthday, and I think it turned out pretty good! A little car wash, some new paint and new stickers, and Aiden LOVES it :)

Goal #7: Be more intentional with discipling Eli and Maddie

We finished up our Hero Training and learned how to be Truthful, Grateful, Kind, Generous, and Brave. We squeezed in that last one just so we could go ahead and finish up in August. I was glad we did this curriculum this summer, but I will say that if I never have to hear the song Jesus is my Superhero again, it would be too soon haha. I am looking forward to starting something new in September!

2019 Goals :: July Check-In

I made it halfway through the year before seeing a slow down on some of these things...that's better than the first couple of months, right?? I hope to pick up some steam again as I finish the last half of the year...

Goal #1: Drink 60oz of water every day

Still haven't made it to a full 60oz every day, but my water intake overall has increased. So I'll take that as a semi-win and keep working at it. Some days I can't get enough water, and other days I sip on sweet tea all day, so...there's that.

Goal #2: Increase my fitness level

So...my fitness level this month was pretty much zero. I didn't just sit around haha, it was just such a busy, on-the-go month, so I didn't have much time to focus on any specific exercises. I'm hoping next month will be better. Though it's already looking pretty busy, so we'll have to see how it goes :)

Goal #3: Listen to the Audio Bible daily

This was a still slow-going this month, but I was able to listen to James and 1, 2, 3 John.

Goal #4: Read 55 Books

This month, I read 2 whole books haha. I fell out of a good reading rhythm, but hope to pick back up next month!

Goal #5: Participate in the #150hoursoutside project

Now THIS...we did awesome with this one! We were so busy and on-the-go, and most of that was outside. We are just a few hours short of our yearly goal; I'm going to have to start adding leaves!

Goal #6: Do something creative every month

I have been in home-decorating mode! We have lived in this house for over a year now, and we just now put things up on the walls. You know...kids and all. So I have been dreaming and planning and sketching out designs. I have been selling a lot of the decor from our old houses {that just doesn't work as well in this house}, as well as some baby/kid items, so that I can save a little money and shop some sales to decorate this house. It's still a major work in progress, but I think it's coming together pretty well! At least not all of our walls are bare now haha. I'll try to post a home tour at some point, but here are a couple of the DIY decorations I worked on this month:

Goal #7: Be more intentional with discipling Eli and Maddie

We continued with our Hero Training and learned about the character traits of Diligence, Joy, and Patience. We skipped a couple of weeks during swim lessons, so we're a little behind, but Eli and Maddie still love learning about heroes!

Mike went to the Acts 29 Global Gathering for work and brought back books for everyone. He brought the kiddos The Biggest Story ABC board book, and they love it! It has been on my wish list for them, and I was so excited to add it to our library. It's so good!

2019 Goals :: June Check-In

I either did really well in a category, or really dropped the ball. Not sure what that means overall, but I'll see what July holds!

Goal #1: Drink 60oz of water every day

Totally dropped the ball on this one. I did drink water...just didn't even get close to 60oz per day. Whoops.

Goal #2: Increase my fitness level

I continued with the same workouts from last month...at least through the first half of the month. I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be increasing my reps each week to make it more effective, but I'm doing well just to complete the same workouts each week. Things kind of fell off in the last week or so, so I'm looking forward to jumping back on track in July.

Goal #3: Listen to the Audio Bible daily

Sigh. I hate to admit this, but the truth is that I maybe listened to the Audio Bible 3 days total this month. I have no good excuses, though I could try to spout a few {increased discipline of toddlers- which basically makes it impossible to listen to anything above the screaming; a lot of activities- so not at home as much, etc}. But you make time for what's important, right? I just didn't do well with this in June. I'm pretty far behind now, but I'm still hoping to at least start anew this month.

Goal #4: Read 55 Books

This month, I read 4 books. Not a ton, and a pretty random assortment.

Goal #5: Participate in the #150hoursoutside project

We spent A LOT of time outside this month! 

Goal #6: Do something creative every month

I actually finished and ordered our 7th year photo book! It feels SO good to have that off of the to-do list. Now to start our 8th year photo book :)

Goal #7: Be more intentional with discipling Eli and Maddie

This month, we started walking through Hero Training and learned about the following character traits: helpful, self-control, creative, and attentive. 

I will say, I am having to adjust a lot of this curriculum to fit Eli and Maddie's age, as a lot of it is a little over their head. But I still think it is worth it to finish out the book to introduce these character traits to them. For families with multiple age levels, I think it would work great, because there are activities for everyone! But with just my two, I think this book would be better for when they are 3 or 4 years old. Or at least when they know who the super heroes are :)

Aiden doesn't want to be left out of our Bible reading time :)

2019 Goals :: May Check-In

Here's my May goals check-in :)

Goal #1: Drink 60oz of water every day

I did better this month! I'm not drinking a full 60oz every single day, but I actually hit 60oz on more days this month. And overall, I drank more water this month. So I'm heading in the right direction :)

Goal #2: Increase my fitness level

I finally started an actual workout program! Aside from walks around the neighborhood {pushing 100 pounds worth of babies in a stroller}, I started doing a home workout plan in my living room. It's nothing special; there are 500 variations of it on Pinterest. But it has a simple Monday through Friday plan that includes varying numbers of exercises. It's simple, and I can get it done in 15-20 minutes. Definitely a win for this Mama of 3!

*I tried to attribute the workout, but every variation that I found on Pinterest led to a junk website. So this is the variation that I have been using*

The first week or two KICKED MY BUTT. I am beyond out of shape, and every muscle hurt for days when I first started haha. But I am starting to feel a little better now. I can actually do the 35 sit-ups without having to take a break every 5 or so haha. It's a 12 week program, so we'll see how I feel in another couple of months. My goal is to feel stronger and hopefully make some headway on that baby belly. I'm sure I will have to do much more for the latter, but I feel like this is a good beginner's start. And plus, with a cutie exercise buddy like this, cheering me on during my crunches, what more could I ask for?

Goal #3: Listen to the Audio Bible daily

I got a little more caught up from being behind last month. I was able to finish Joshua, Matthew, Judges

Goal #4: Read 55 Books

This month, I read 5 books. Even though I didn't read too many books, it was still a pretty good book month, content-wise.

Goal #5: Participate in the #150hoursoutside project

We did pretty good with this in May. It rained A LOT, so there were a lot of days we were not able to play outside. And I know you can play outside in the rain or when it's still wet...but there are limits to what this mama of 3 littles is willing to endure. It also started to get pretty warm, so we're going to have to start getting creative with our outdoor time. I have 3 pretty fair-skinned babies that can't spend lots of time in the sun :)

Goal #6: Do something creative every month

I actually did something creative! My sister-in-law asked if I would make a cake topper for one of her cake clients, so I happily agreed! I got to pull out my trusty Silhouette Cameo and design what she wanted. A simple project, but somewhat creative nonetheless :)

I also made some more headway on our 7th year photo book. Mostly because I realized that we are quickly wrapping up our 8th year of memories...so I had a panic moment of realizing how far behind I am haha. My goal is to get our 7th year photo book done and ordered before our anniversary in July, then our 8th year book by the end of 2019. Because I need another goal...  

Goal #7: Be more intentional with discipling Eli and Maddie

After Easter, we took a little bit of an unscheduled break. We just had a lot going on, so I decided to put our daily planned activities aside. But then we went back to working through the Play Through the Bible curriculum. We finished up that curriculum and look forward to walking through Hero Training next!

2019 Goals :: April Check-In

Here's a look at April. Not too exciting this month, unfortunately...

Goal #1: Drink 60oz of water every day

I did a little better with this in April. I am still not drinking the entire 60oz of water every single day, but I am at least drinking water every day. I am not quite sure why this is such a mental hurdle for me. I will just keep pressing on...

Goal #2: Increase my fitness level

The beginning of April wasn't so great on fitness. But I think the second half of the month shaped up a little better. Still mostly walking with the kiddos; I do have to say that pushing a stroller with 3 kiddos {which I calculated to be about 100 pounds}, can be quite the workout. I continued with some really basic living room cardio and hope to do a more specific plan in May.

Goal #3: Listen to the Audio Bible daily

I fell a little behind on this, so I have been playing catch up. I was able to finish the book of Deuteronomy and James. I also continued through the book of Psalms.

Goal #4: Read 55 Books

This month, I only read 4 books. But one was over 800 pages, so it took me awhile to finish it haha.

Goal #5: Participate in the #150hoursoutside project

We did REALLY well with our outside time this month! We pretty much spent time outside every single day it wasn't raining. 

Goal #6: Do something creative every month

Unfortunately, I didn't get to do anything creative this month. Maybe next month...

Goal #7: Be more intentional with discipling Eli and Maddie

We are still making our way through Play Through the Bible, but we took a break to do a few Easter-specific things. Mike actually works with the illustrator for The Shepherd's Treasure {think Jesus-centered version of Elf on the Shelf}. We had looked at doing this with Eli and Maddie this past Christmas, but with Aiden and all the year-end craziness, I decided to wait. We learned that they also have an Easter edition, so I decided we could go ahead and do that with them!

Each day, we followed the shepherd on his quest to find his lost sheep. There's a card for every day, along with suggested ideas on how to "pose" your shepherd for your kiddos to find him. Each card reveals a different part of Jesus' journey to the cross. They provide a shopping list so you can have everything prepared ahead of time, but it was all super simple {many items we had around the house}.

It was a great way to build the anticipation toward Easter! I did a recap of our journey here.

2019 Goals :: March Check-In

Here's a look at how March shaped up...

Goal #1: Drink 60oz of water every day

I did about the same this month as last. With the weather warming up and us spending more time outside, I have already started drinking more water, so I am hopeful that April will be a good month for my water drinking.

Goal #2: Increase my fitness level

My fitness this month was...abysmal. I did some more walks with the kiddos, which is good. But other than that, my overall fitness was pretty lacking. Everyone was sick at the beginning of the month, and I never seemed to jump back into my fitness routine. I got busy, I got distracted, I just didn't feel like it...definitely need to do better next month!

Goal #3: Listen to the Audio Bible daily

I finished the books of Leviticus, Numbers, Hebrews, and Galatians. I also continued through the book of Psalms and started the book of Deuteronomy.

Goal #4: Read 55 Books

This month, I read 6 books. I wasn't sure if I was going to get to that many this month, but then a few came up all at once in my library queue, and they were books I have been waiting to read for several months now, so I found myself frantically trying to finish them. I didn't want to have to wait another several months to read them! Some were worth the wait, and some were definitely not.

Goal #5: Participate in the #150hoursoutside project

We did pretty good with our time outside this month! It definitely helped that the weather was so gorgeous- beautiful, sunny, not too hot yet. With the change of computers, my Microsoft Office programs didn't transfer. I apparently need my product key {which I can't find}, so I can only view and not edit my documents {super unhelpful}. So I don't have my pretty tree picture this month. Hopefully I can get into my programs or just recreate it for next month :)

Goal #6: Do something creative every month

Last month, I started a little sewing project that I have been meaning to work on for awhile. We were stuffing towels under doors to block light and noise during nap time. Easy and effective. But I decided I wanted something that looked a little nicer and would stay in place, since the towels usually end up moved all throughout the house during the day. So I searched Pinterest and found some good ideas for a double sided door stopper, and I was able to sew these fancy things together haha. 

I got the foam pipe covers {that you get at Home Depot}, filled them with dried beans to weigh them down, then wrapped/sewed fabric around them. I then sewed a piece of fabric between 2 tubes and slipped them under the doors. They work great! It's not exactly creative. But for me, it was relaxing, served a practical purpose, and it didn't involve changing diapers. So I'm counting it for this month!

Goal #7: Be more intentional with discipling Eli and Maddie

We continued through the Play Through the Bible book. We didn't do as many of the creative snacks, but we did more crafts, so that evens out, right? 

Coloring our Coats of Many Colors

She was so proud of her "coat"