Christmas Banquet 2013

Jared and I had the privilege of planning our church's yearly Christmas Banquet. I thoroughly enjoy planning, decorating, and cooking for banquets and things so I was really looking forward to doing it. We planned our previous church's Valentine's banquet almost every year that we were there and found that we worked well as a team. This is the first year that I have also had the opportunity to prepare the food besides planning and decorating. I had some awesome help in every aspect so I don't suggest trying to pull something like this off unless you can recruit some help at every stage.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 21

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20.

Day 21: This chapter is all about looking at your progress instead of looking at the areas that still need improvement. Your progress toward discipline in one area will undoubtedly affect other areas in your life. "Success builds on success." So keep working at developing your one habit, don't give up even when you don't feel like you're making progress. "One day soon, you may wake up and realize you've changed your whole life...beginning with one simple habit."

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 20

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19.

Day 20: Crystal talks about little jobs (things that can be done in 2 minutes or less) and how we need to just do them instead of writing them down or procrastinating. We could save a lot of time (and mind power) if we would just do these little things instead of repeatedly thinking about and trying to remember to do them. "Each time you clear brain space by getting a trivial task completed and off the list, you're making room for heavy-duty thought processes. Think about all of the problems you could solve, or all the ways you could let your creativity flow if you didn't have a dozen nibbling tasks torturing your brain."
Crystal suggests that you make a list of these tiny tasks each morning when you get up and then do them as quickly as possible. It will help give you some extra motivation and sense of accomplishment.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 19

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18.

Day 19:
Get it done early. "This principle applies to your home and family life as well as your business. Whenever possible, get it - whatever it may be - done early and eliminate the stress and frustration of being pulled in a million directions." Crystal talks about how she had a problem with always being late. I can totally relate to this as I have struggled with it as well. "Why complete a task now, when I can wait 30 more minutes and do it in a mad rush?" Pretty silly thinking, but many times I find myself doing it. Procrastination brings extra stress so why do we do it? It's a wrong mentality that we need to change. Well, at least, I need to change. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to be on time for everything at once. Start slowly by focusing on one event at a time.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 18

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17.

Day 18:
Embrace your own uniqueness. You are you so don't focus on trying to measure up to someone else. It just wastes time and energy. Be a wise steward of the talents, gifts, and abilities that God has given you. You can think about ways to improve upon these, but you cannot change who He has created you to be. It's tempting to look at people we admire and consider our differences from them to be shortcomings. But don't think for one minute that you're inferior because you don't measure up to them. You are a unique person, created in the image of God with your own unique set of skills, weaknesses, joys, tears, homes, and bodies. Crystal recommends reading Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton. One of the big things that Marcus pushes for is playing to your strengths, not your weaknesses. Learn to build on what you already do well and bring your weaknesses up to average. "You were born an original, don't die a copy!"

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 17

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16.

Day 17:
Stop comparing yourself to others! Crystal encourages everyone to not feel guilty if you aren't able to do exactly what she is doing, which is getting up early in this case. You have to look at where you are in life and determine what is best for you and your family. Consider your needs, the needs of your family, your strengths, and your weaknesses. Choose goals that work for you and your family, even if it's completely opposite of what works for someone else. Don't pine after someone else's life. Learn to be content with and make the most of YOUR LIFE. Develop your own style, develop your own habits, develop strong discipline, and be a person that others can look up to.

I am in the same boat as Crystal. I am not pregnant or nursing. My kids sleep through the night most of the time. At 7, 5, 4, and 2, my kids are starting to be able to do more things without assistance. I homeschool my kids, which provides for a more flexible schedule. We are debt free (minus the mortgage) so it is easier financially for my to work part-time from home. My hubby is totally on my side, encouraging and challenging me when I need it. Every mom has to learn what works and is best for her family. Now, neither Crystal or myself, for that matter, are telling you that you have excuse to be lazy. We are merely saying that everyone is different, has different circumstances, and lives at different stages of life. I remember when I was pregnant with Miss S. and had all-day sickness if I didn't get 7 hours or more of sleep. There was no way then that I would have been able to do what I am attempting now. It wouldn't have been wise or healthy. Life would be pretty boring if everyone was the same. Be a better version of yourself instead of trying to be someone else.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 16

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15.

Day 16:
Eat your frog. My mom always talked about this when she was teaching. She'd tell us to get the subject done first that we struggled with or didn't like so we wouldn't procrastinate on it. Today Crystal talks about the same thing with our daily tasks. This chapter is a challenge to stop procrastinating on that one thing you don't want to do. I have to make sure I get my workout done first thing in the morning because if I don't do it then, I will most likely not do it at all. It's not that I don't like working out, I actually enjoy the exercise and especially the way I feel after it. The reason I have to do it first is that I don't want to get out of bed. If you haven't noticed it yet, I do not like mornings so it takes a lot of discipline to make myself get out of bed earlier than usual to workout. When you start the day with the thing you like least, the rest of the day is more enjoyable and it gives you some extra momentum for the rest of the day. Crystal then goes one step further and tells us to not only do the thing we like least first, she also says to do the thing we enjoy the most last. Then we have an extra incentive to finish our other tasks.

Mom's Potato Salad

I had never made potato salad before I met Jared and the one batch that I made after we were engaged didn't turn out very well. Now Jared LOVES potato salad, but especially his mom's recipe and my attempt tasted nothing like his mom's. We got married 13 days before his birthday so I decided that I wanted to attempt potato salad again as a special birthday gift to him. I asked his mom for her recipe but she had always just made it "to taste" without a recipe. I knew how badly I'd messed up the first time and that I would need to have a recipe if I was going to be able to keep making potato salad like his mom. Then I had the perfect idea, I would have his mom come over and teach me how to make her recipe, writing down ingredients and measurements as she went, which is how this recipe came to be. I love how creamy and flavorful this recipe is so I hope you enjoy! It does make about an ice cream pail's worth so I have also included a half batch recipe below.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 15

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14.

Day 15:
Say, "Yes," to the best. Every mom must realize that "supermom" is a myth. If you want to live a productive, efficient, happy, peaceful, and disciplined life, you MUST learn to say "no." When I make getting up a priority, I must say "no" to habitually staying up late. I also have to say "no" to most activities and events that would keep me up late. I need to learn to count the cost of each commitment before I make the final decision. I can't say "yes" to everything so I must pick and choose wisely by starting with the best stuff first. If I have leftover time and energy I can say "yes" to some of the good things, too.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 14

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13.

Day 14:
Set yourself up for success. In this chapter, Crystal discussing the crippling problem of making excuses for why you can't do something. "Instead, choose to invest the time you usually would devote to formulating an excuse to considering what you can do to set yourself up for success in achieving your goals." If you goal is to get up early, you have to make going to bed earlier a priority. You may need to buy an alarm without a snooze, set multiple alarms, have a friend call you, etc. I had an alarm on my phone that wouldn't turn off or snooze till I had solved a couple of math problems successfully. I've also had alarms that slowly get louder and louder. If you're trying to exercise first thing in the morning, make sure you have everything ready the night before. Plan out your calories the night before if you're trying to get in the habit of eating fewer/better calories. Basically, do as much of the prep work ahead of time so that you have a better chance at success.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 13

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12.

Day 13:
Read motivating books. I loved this chapter because I have made this one of my goals for 2014. "Good books will challenge you to improve as an individual." Crystal talks about reading before bed and how it can help you unwind while sharpening your mind. She also suggests listening to audio books if you struggle finding time to reading. She offers 3 book suggestions to give a boost in the discipline department. 1. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, 2. 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, and 3.Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrows Success. I plan to put all three on my reading list. :) Biographies are also a good read.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 12

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11.

Day 12:
I didn't like today's reading. However, it was what I needed to hear - discipline demands FOCUS. "You'll never hit the bull's-eye if you're aiming at multiple targets." That statement hurt a little hearing it, but it's very true. I don't get very far on anything when I'm trying to work on several things at a time. I have really hard time staying focused (and I think a lot of moms feel this way, too). Crystal gives some really good common sense advice. 1. Remove distractions, i.e. if you're trying to lose weight don't keep baking brownies (yes, I do this and know that I shouldn't), if you're trying to accomplish a task evaluate where you're using your time (Facebook, twitter, reading instead of doing your task, etc.). 2. Focus in on the task at hand. She suggests using a timer and practicing stay focused (start with 5 minute increments). I will interject that every time I have tried doing this I get interrupted about 10 seconds into it by a small child in need of immediate attention. I think they can sense that I've started the timer. Now, I have decided to give it a try and see if I will do better this time around.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 11

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10.

Day 11:
Yay! I've made it halfway and I'm still going! I've had some great encouragement (and help) from Jared. Crystal tells you how to find and team up with a cheerleader to benefit both of you. It needs to be someone that you can keep in touch with on a regular basis to hold each other accountable - email, text, call, etc.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 10

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9.

Day 10:
I can really relate to today's topic, "Discipline Needs Cheerleaders". We all work better and stay more focused when we have someone cheering us on and challenging us to do more or be better. Accountability is a great motivator. I know this from experience. When we lived up north, I had two dear friends whom I would go running with on a regular basis and it really pushed me to work harder and to be diligent.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 9

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8.

Day 9:
Today's reading was all about how important breaking large projects up into baby steps is. You need to see successes in the small things to help you keep moving forward with your goals. Whenever I complain about being overwhelmed by a large goal my husband says, "How do you eat and elephant?" The answer is one bit at a time, emphasizing how important it is to take small steps and just keep plugging away at them.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 8

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7.

Day 8:
You've got to put your goals on paper. Crystal shares the importance of writing your goals down on paper because writing your goals down gives them more weight. It helps you to track your progress, and your progress motivates you. Writing your goals down can also provide accountability. Crystal says that you should post your written goals in conspicuous places so that you see them on a daily basis. I post my yearly goals here on my blog so that there are more people than just me seeing them. It helps me to stay focused knowing that there is someone else who might be "watching" my progress.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 7

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6.

Day 7:
Resist Negative Thought Patterns. Crystal talks about how we need to keep words like "I can't" and "I'll try" out of our vocabulary, and replace them with "I WILL".  "Keep going, even when it feels like it's an uphill battle that's going nowhere. Your persistence will pay off."

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 6

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5.

Day 6:
Be realistic is the reminder that Crystal gives in this chapter. I run into this problem a lot. I think that I can get more done than I honestly can, which just frustrates and inevitably derails me. "...it's better to set the bar lower and actually meet your goals than to set the bar too high and keep falling flat on your face." She gives some great questions to ask yourself about your goals to help evaluate if they are too big to accomplish. When you're first starting out, you need to have small goals that are achievable so you don't burn out and quit.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 5

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4.

Day 5:
Discipline will take work, effort, and perseverance and you'll have days where you just don't want to follow through on your commitment. In light of this, we need to prepare for the inevitable obstacles and have a contingency plan in place. Write out a specific plan of what you want to accomplish and how you plan to accomplish it. Set reminders and alarms. Don't give up completely when you fail, if (more likely when) you fall down don't stay there. Defeat is not an option.

HELP! Luggage Advice Needed

Ruins in Costa Maya (from our last cruise)

We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship. Zooming through the sky...wait, that's Little Einsteins. No,
we're not to travelling aboard Rocket but we are going on a trip. Jared and I will be going on a cruise in the next couple of months (an early 10th anniversary celebration). All. By. Ourselves. Well, not completely by ourselves as we'll be going with some friends. With all this nasty cold weather we're experiencing I just CAN NOT wait! Warmth, sunshine, quality time together, I am counting down the days.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 4

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.

Day 4:
Crystal remind us that in order to truly cement a new habit, we need to focus on only one habit at a time. I have struggled with this a lot. I see all the things I want to change and then try to change them all at once. I always end up more of a mess than when I started. "It's better to focus on and master only three habits each year that actually stick, than to repeatedly try to develop 30 different habits all at the same time and end up overwhelmed, frustrated, and back to where you started."

Menu 2014: January 6-February 2

I wish you all a blessed New Year! We have been busy trying to get caught up on housework and also diving into our goals for this new year. School begins tomorrow so I need to be on top of my game in order to keep up with everything. Both Jared and I have determined to get back in the routine of eating healthy and working out so I will be trying to make meals a little healthier. My menu plan for the month is Comfort food, Sandwiches, Tex-Mex/Spicy, Italian, and Miscellaneous.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 3

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read previous days: Day 1, Day 2.

Day 3:
Crystal talks about how making certain small changes can have not only a physical benefit but also a psychological benefit, like when I choose to clean the kitchen before bed vs. leaving it till the next morning. The shape of my kitchen often affects my mood and therefore my level of motivation. "Moving in the right direction - even at a microscopic rate - is always faster than standing still."

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 2

I am reading 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life as part of my goals for 2014 and I'm sharing insights from each day's readings. If you want to catch up on my progress, read Day 1.

Day 2:
Developing discipline doesn't happen overnight. It is a process. Crystal reminds everyone that in order for the changes to stick, they need to be gradual. This is something that I've learned with losing weight and now need to implement it in other areas of my life.

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life: Day 1

One of my personal enrichment goals for 2014 is to read at least 6 books, so I started with some books that I'd gotten for free on my Kindle over a year ago. I am currently reading two books but the one I really want to share with you right now is 21 Days To A More Disciplined Life by Crystal Paine of the Money Saving Mom. Being my overall goal for 2014 is to become a more disciplined person I thought this book would be a good "goal multi-tasker". That's understatement. In the 3 days that I have been reading it, 21 Days has been a big help.

Goals for 2014

As I look out the window at the freshly fallen snow I am reminded even more that today marks a new year, and a fresh start with a new set of goals. I didn't hit last years goals but I am one step closer to where I wanted to be by setting them. So here goes, my overall goal for 2014 is to become more self-disciplined. Working at that one goal will get me closer to accomplishing these more specific goals: