Motivate Me Monday

Well, it is past midnight, so I figured it would be okay to go ahead and publish my Motivate Me Monday post. :-) My dh is still away, and I don't sleep well without him, so I've been up pretty late at night. You'd think that I'd be getting lots of stuff done, but so far...well, I haven't been too motivated.

Oh, well, on to my post! :-)

First, I want to say a belated Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. I am going to see my mom this coming Sunday (YAY!) and we will celebrate Mother's Day with her then. I am looking forward to it!

So here's my list for this week...

I need to get my house "company clean". My parents and big brother are coming in less than a week, and I've got some deep cleaning to do before then!

I hope/need  to work in three of the four bedrooms in our house, deep cleaning and sorting clothes (winter to spring), cleaning walls, straightening drawers, etc.

I forgot to get my deacon care cards ready for church today, so I will need to have them finished by Wednesday night.

I would like to have some time for "therapy" (card-making). I need some more get-well and sympathy cards to keep on hand.

I need to send a card to the mom of one of the boys on our ds' soccer team. Her mom has cancer, and I made her a card similar to the one I told about in this post. I can't believe how many times I saw her and forgot to bring the card to her! UGH! Getting old (and forgetful!) isn't for sissies. :-) Anyhoo, now I need to mail the card to her so that she can give it to her mom. (BTW, if you want to pray for her, the mom's name is Pat. Thanks!).

I think that's about all I want to plan for this week. I have several fun things planned (sleepovers, meeting friends at the park, etc.) to help the time pass quickly while dh is away. So far, it is working out pretty well. We are already on Day 3...of *sigh*25.

I hope you have a wonderful week, and that you accomplish your goals. Happy Monday!

*smiles*
debbi

Motivate Me Monday

Good morning, Lovelies! I hope you all woke up to a beautiful day like I did. The sun is shining, and today is going to be a GOOD day. After all, "Today is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

Well, today is Monday (again?!), and this is going to be a busy week (YIPES!) so here is my list for this week's Motivate Me Monday:

I hope to make several cards and send them. There are about ten people that I need to send cards to for one reason or another.

I hope to go help my friend that has just come home from the hospital. I plan to bring a meal, and a baby gift for her darling baby that was born six weeks early (and is doing great!).

I hope to get together with my BFF for some good-ol'-fashioned "women-talk". It has been a few weeks since we were last able to get together--I'm in withdrawal!! :-)

I hope to get together with another hs-ing mom to show her the curriculum we will be using next year. It is called Learning Adventures, and we L.O.V.E. it!!! 

I hope to get 23 cards/notes made for my husband to take on his trip to Ireland (one for each day that he will be gone, boo hoo!). 

I hope to face his leaving with joy. I am not going to cause a scene or sob uncontrollably, even though I will want to, lol. I truly want God to be glorified in how we handle this separation. 
I. just. don't. know. if. I. can. do. it. *gulp*

I hope to purchase some things for the missionaries that my husband is going to work with.

I hope to purchase or make two baby gifts, a bridal shower gift, and a wedding gift.

I hope to write and send several Graduation cards.

I think that is probably enough for now, don't you think!? I really do pray that God will use this week for His glory and in a way that pleases Him.


Until next week...Happy Motivate Me Monday!

*smiles*
debbi
 

Motivate Me Monday

Wow! Did this week fly!

I can't believe that it is already time for another Motivate Me Monday, can you?

This has been another great week of serving the Lord! I have been so blessed with how the Lord helped me to see and help others. Check out my MMM post update from last week.  I'm sure that I am the one who was the most blessed.

I am continuing with my goal to do one thing each day that helps or encourages someone. Here are some of the specific things I hope to accomplish this coming week:

1. I hope to help out my friend that is in the hospital...either by making her family another meal or going to watch her kids, or both. She gave birth to her son, but since he is six weeks premature he will be in the hospital for a while.

2. I need to make some sets of Thank You cards for gifts: one for a baby gift and one for a wedding gift.

3. I am hoping to get together with some friends this week. It seems like life sometimes takes over, and then our friends (and sometimes our family!) get left behind. I haven't even talked to my BF this past week! Shame on me.

4. I need to do some deep cleaning. And I mean deep.

5. I'm open to whatever else God has for me to do. Sometimes the unplanned RAKs are the biggest blessing, ya' know?

Happy Monday! I hope your week is full of being a blessing!

*smiles*
debbi

**All pictures are courtesy of Photobucket**

Motivate Me Monday--Updated on Saturday

Good Morning, Lovelies! It is Monday again...and you know what that means....

Yep, and it's going to be a quick one! I have been so busy with my goals for this past week, and I have lots of plans for this coming week so I need to type quickly. :-)

First, an update on this past week. God is so good to me! As I am trying to be more aware of the needs around me I have realized that not everyone is as blessed as I am (duh!). I truly have so much to be thankful for, and that is another good reason to try to do more to impact the lives around me.

I was going to list the ways that I was able to help others this past week, but it sounds so much like bragging, ya' know? Just be sure that I am working hard to impact the lives of those around me, and I have been really busy! :-) But I have also been so blessed.

God is so good to me.

Now for my goals. This week I hope to:

*Send thank you cards to two friends. (Will hopefully finish these today!)

*Make a meal for my friend that is in the hospital (well, actually, the meal is for her family, lol). (Did that yesterday!)

*Keep working on the wedding invitations that I'm making for my friend. (They are taking a long time!) (I finished them on Thursday!! YAY! Now I'm working on the matching Thank Yous...)

*Watch my friend's kids for the day. (Did that yesterday, also.)

*Make a teacher's gift for my dd's piano teacher. (Did that on Monday. I forgot to take pics of it, tho, boo hoo!)

*Help my dd clean her bedroom (believe me, this is a real labor of love, lol!) (Actually, she did it all by herself. Miracles never cease! LOL)


*Whatever else God shows me needs doing! :-) (Today's goal is to minister to my family. I've been so busy helping others that I've neglected a few things around the homefront--laundry, cleaning, etc.! Plus, we need to fit in some shopping. My dd really needs some new shoes...she's growing like a weed!)

It was really amazing to me that yesterday's message in church was about just how much God has blessed us with. We Americans have so much. And yet we are so often a selfish and demanding group of people (just ask a foreigner). I can't change anyone else, but I am praying that God will change me.

We all have to start somewhere.

Until next Monday, happy goal setting...and go be a blessing!

*smiles*
debbi

All photos are from photobucket, except for the two pics of cards (those were taken by yours truly).

Motivate Me Monday

Confession time...

I didn't do so well with my goals for this past week.  

There, I said it.

Yes, I did exercise every day except one! And, yes, I did read with my kiddos! And, yes, I did work on school stuff.

But I didn't do the one thing that probably mattered the most (aside from spending time with my kiddos):

I didn't send one single card of encouragement. Not one. To anyone.

But, I refuse to wallow. I am going to try again. I. will. do. this.

So, here is my goal for this week:

                      I want to impact the lives of the people I know and love in a way that lifts their spirits, helps them along their journey, brings them closer to God.

Just one thing. Every day.

How can I do that?  Just wait and see...

Here is what I have already done with my today...(hee, hee, I'm living for today, Emily-friend!)

*Offered to babysit for the infant of new parents so that they can have a date night. I'm babysitting tonight! :-)
*Made a list of my craft supplies, so the local Christian School teachers can use my supplies for the crafts that they do with their students. (I'm bringing some paint to the K teacher today! Woo Hoo! This is fun!)
*Talked to a lady from Church about things needed for our Missionary Closet (a supply closet that our Missionaries can take from when they are home on furlough.) Will be working on putting together some things this week. (I plan to bring those things to church Wednesday night.)
*Baked for some local college students (they LOVE home-baked goodies!) DH will deliver the goodies tonight.

There are so many ways that I can impact the lives around me! (God, help me to be more aware.)

So what do you do to impact others? What are some of the ways that you volunteer your time or resources? I would love to hear your ideas! (Then maybe I can do them, too!)

When God gives us something, there is always enough to share. 

What do I have that God hasn't given me???

Hello! Nothin'. Natta'. Not. a. single. thing.

 Check back next Monday to see what else God allowed me to do for others. He is SOOOO good to me, don't ya' know? 

I'm off now to send some cards....really.

Happy goal-setting!

*smiles*

debbi  

Motivate Me Monday

Well, this is a very busy time of year for us, so I was tempted to say that my goal for this week was to actually get to my Motivate Me Monday post, LOL! 

Part of the reason I get so overloaded at times, though, is because I didn't used to set goals and work at meeting those goals. I was (and still am) so good at procrastinating! So, all joking aside, I am going to make time for my Motivate Me Monday post!! :-D

My goals for this week:

1) I need to keep exercising (FYI, I had to type that word three times before I spelled it correctly...excercizing, exersizing, exercising...) every day. My dh's Doctor told him that by exercising (there's that word again!) regularly he is significantly decreasing his risk of 13 different types of cancer. WOW! That's motivation.

Okay, so maybe my dh does run Marathons, but surely any type of exercise is better than none, right??


2) I need to make and send some cards to people that need a smile:

     A Praying for You card to my sister-in-law (her Dad passed away recently)
     A Praying for You card to my friend, Theresa. (She's in the hospital with Placenta Previa)
     A Thinking of You card to my Father-in-Law (I haven't written him in a while.)
     A Wedding Card to my niece (I just found out that she got married this week! Obviously, it was a last-minute decision, lol.)

3) I need to work on school stuff.

4) I need to read with my kiddos. LOVE to do that!

My blog buddy, Emily, over at Too Blessed to Stress has an awesome post about living for today (i.e., not procrastinating!) It was just what I needed for this week!

Happy goal-setting!

*smiles*
debbi

Motivate Me Monday

Well, I am happy to report that I had a wonderful week of Spring Break, and we accomplished so much!! YAY!

So here are my goals for this week:

1. I need to exercise every day.  The weather is warming up, bathing suit season is coming...enough said.

2. I need to work on school stuff--for this year and next.

3. I need to spend more time studying my bible, instead of just reading it.

4. I need to use my time more wisely (i.e., stop procrastinating!!).

I hope you are all setting and achieving goals. I am super excited about what I was able to accomplish this past week (check out my pillow here, my cards here and here, and my necklace here.), and I am hoping this week will be even better.

Until next week...Happy goal-setting!

*smiles*
debbi

Motivate Me Monday-A little late--sorry!

Well, this week is our Spring Break, and my dh is home!! YAY!!

We have been busy just being together, which is SO wonderful. So, that is my goal for this week....to spend quality time as a family. I'm so excited!!

I am hoping to accomplish a few other things this week, (provided it won't take time away from dh). 

I am really wanting to post about several things--our Japan celebration, some cards I've made recently, and this really cool necklace I made...from paper!

Here's a pic of the necklace...

I also would really like to make a pillow for our livingroom couch. I know exactly how I want to make it and I have all the materials, but I just need the time. :-)

I hope you all reached your goals for this past week.

Happy planning...and Happy Spring!

*smiles*
debbi

Motivate Me Monday-Updated 3/22

Good Morning!

I am working on goals for my HOME this week. We have company coming this weekend, so that is where my emphasis will be for this week.

My motivation:  "She watches over the ways of her household., and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

My goals:
 
Clean the kids' bedrooms by Friday. Done

Clean my bedroom by Friday. Not done. :-(

Plan and prepare a craft for the kids to do on Friday. Done

Maintain a clean home all week. Did it!

Deep clean the kitchen and livingroom by Friday. Done!

Deep clean the Family Room today. Done. YAY!

So there are my goals! Check back here next Monday for updates to see how I did.

I decided not to hook up Mr. Linky until I know that someone else is interested in joining in. (duh!) :-) So, if you want to join my Motivate Me Mondays, and set goals for yourself, please leave a comment. 

Thanks! And have a great week!!

*smiles*
debbi

Motivate Me Monday--Updated 3/15

Good Morning!

I am still posting on my Daughter's computer, since I STILL can't access the internet on mine. :-o Hopefully, it will be fixed this week...

I have been sick all weekend, which is a pain (my To Do list grows as I watch, you know how it is!), but there is also a bright side, right?

I was able to catch up on some much-needed rest, and I had a lot of time to reflect.

I have been mulling over some things for a few months now, something that God has been working on my heart about....discipline.  If I'm totally honest, I am no different than the people I admire most, except for one thing...

I lack discipline.

So, during my time of reflection this weekend, I have decided to begin something called Motivate Me Mondays. I am going to set goals for myself every Monday--list things that will help me accomplish my life goals (which I am currently working on writing up. They will be posted when I finish them!).

And I want YOU to help me to stick to my list!!

I also would love it if you would join in! I added a button on my sidebar for you to grab, if you're interested. (Hopefully I can figure out Mr. Linky by next Monday, lol!) Maybe you're like me; maybe you need to set goals and be accountable to someone in order to reach your goals.

I want my life to make a difference. I want the lives of my children to make a difference.

No more excuses!!

So here's my list for this week (I've listed one goal under each of the headings for my life goals):

God: This week I will have prayer and quiet time every day. Did that!

Husband: I will keep the house neat, and I will put notes in his lunch three days this week.
Kept house neat. Put notes in only once. :-(


Children: I will spend time reading to them on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I will sew Emilie's bags by Friday.We crafted while listening to books on tape, and I sewed Em's bag!

Home: I will get rid of one thing every day this week.
Didn't. Will work on that this week.
 

Church: I will make 10 Deacon Care group cards by Sunday. 
Made 10 cards! 

Extended Family/Friends: I will make and send the Birthday cards for birthdays this month. I will make a sample of the wedding invitations for B.  Made and sent the birthday cards I needed to for this week. Couldn't make an invitation sample, since B still has my example.

School: I will keep up with my grading every day. I will add one fun activity to our schedule.
Did every day except one. We added planning our Japan week (I'll post more on that this coming week!)

Self:  I will exercise at least three times this week. (that was a tough one to write down!!)
I was sick all week, so I only exercised once.
 

There you have it!


What are your goals for this week? How about for your life?

"In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first."
Harry S. Truman