FOCUS Goals for week of March 3, 2013

Family Circus

Well the spring sports season is going full force.  Each day evaluating the weather and asking the same questions. Are we going to be able to practice today? Should we practice indoors? The chaos has begun. The calendar I spoke of last week is covered in places to be. So I apologize for my late post for weekly focus, but it will likely happen again before the end of May.

New Goals, comments, and excuses are in purple below.

Goals for a Better Home

1. Personal Focus to better my relationship with God.

Daily: Start and end each day with prayer. Read two chapters in the Bible. Serenity Prayer  

Weekly/Monthly: Read Part II Chapter 3 & 4 in “The Lamps Supper” and answer questions. We were able to meet this week. Again a lot of good conversation, I am still really enjoying and getting a lot out of the book.  Run 4 days.  Another bad week, better luck this week, I hope.

2. Remove distractions at key times.

Daily: No computer 6:30-8:00am and 3:00-5:00pm (after everyone is home)I will give myself a little leeway on the afternoon as email is how much of the sports updates on practice is done.  

Weekly/Monthly: CUT BACK ON ELECTRONIC TIME! I still would like to keep this on here and this week with my family discuss some time limits. To be honest I think the electronics make us all crabby.  

3. Add something to give more of me to my family.

Daily: Morning Blessing and Focused one on one conversation each evening for all.  Family Lent study.

Weekly:  Really work on my household order and meal planning. When we are busy if I am organized and help have things ready for the evening, we all have a lot more peace in our life.

Monthly: Take my husband on a date.  We did go out with another couple, but I told him I’d still take him out just him and me, so I still owe him one.

Goals for a Better House

1. Daily Check Points: Weekly Plan Sheet. Still using the same one, my final check point is being completed more and more which in return makes the morning check point easier.

2. Weekly & Monthly Tasks, Chores and To Do Lists: Weekly Plan Sheet & Monthly Cleaning Schedule. After a month using the cleaning schedule, I have an idea now of where I still struggle and even some areas that don’t need as much attention. So I will make some adjustments and see how it goes. You’ll notice a lot of catching up on my “to do list”. I really want to get back on schedule everywhere. I was lucky last week with cancelled practices to have the evenings to catch up, but that luxury is going away and since in my “Better Home” goals I am working on providing more order for my family in this chaos, I catching up is big part of that.

3. Weekly/Monthly Project to Do List:  

Monday: Weekly: Catch up! Prep Book Study, Pick up dance shoes Monthly: Chores

Tuesday: Weekly: Basement Foundation appointment, Catch up misc. laundry Monthly: Chores

Weds: Weekly: Order Soccer Uniforms, Hang hooks in laundry room Monthly: Catch up chores

Thurs: Weekly: Get things for dance competition; get player cards for soccer Monthly: None

Fri: Weekly: Kids pictures Monthly: Daily chores & catch up chores

God Bless you, Sleep tight, and Have Sweet Dreams

“ God Bless you, sleep tight, and have sweet dreams.” My parents used to say each night when they tucked us in. I too now do this for my own kids. How nice to read an insert in our Church bulletin about how this simple statement has so much to offer.

“A blessing from one’s parents is a small gesture that carries with it extraordinary richness and meaning. Through this action, the parent entrusts the child to God and ask for all that the child needs, for the child to feel God’s presence, and for his or her peace of body, spirit and heart.”

(Home is the domestic Church, Jan/Feb 2013Catholic Parenting Newsletter)

Unfortunately I do not always read the Catholic Parent Newsletter thoroughly, but it always amazes me, that on more than one occasion when I do, I read something perfect for that very moment in my life. I guess it’s true, God is listening always. Now my “God Bless you, Sleep tight and have sweet dreams” is said with more heart after reading this, but there was more in this article than this that encouraged me to write.

Over the past few months I have repeatedly heard parents say “Praying for my kid’s safety today”.  It can be a scary world. Sometimes, as we should, all you can do is put it in God’s hands and say your prayers.  That helps us as parents have a little peace, but how can we help our children learn to feel safe and at peace when away from us also?

The article discussed parents blessing their children at bedtime AND at their comings and goings each day.  Just as the good night blessing is meant to give your children peace as they go to sleep, why not give them that same peace when they leave each day.  What better way than to remind them that God is with them each day, all day.  

Here are a couple ideas to try. Each only takes seconds, since typically for us that is all the time available to say goodbye because we are rushing out the door to catch the bus each day.

Ideas for a departure Blessing:

·         Suggested in the article: “May God bless you and watch over you today.”

·         Simply make the sign of the cross on their forehead, mouth, and over their heart. A gesture we use in church each week and at many special church occasions. In simple terms, may God be in your thoughts, in your words, and in your hearts.

·         The Guardian Angel Prayer: This is one I learned as a kid and seems appropriate for the start of your day.   “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard and rule and guide. “

·         Pray Scripture Over your children:  This was suggestion in a comment made on one of my earlier posts.

Maybe by adding this simple routine we can put our minds as well as our children’s at peace as we send our most precious gifts into the world each day.

Embrace that Project Calling your Name! &FOCUS Goals for Feb 25, 203

We are having snow day #3 at our house today, 2 days last week back on Monday and home again today. This of course interrupts my routine a bit, but I don’t mind I love having the kids home, it is bonus time with them in our busy lives!

Last week I didn’t cross a lot off my list. I don’t think I even posted a score last week trust me if I had it wouldn’t have been good. With that said I actually did accomplish a few projects that had been sitting waiting for my attention. Sometimes you have to embrace what you are driven to get done even if it’s not on your list. I find that forcing myself to stick to a project I have planned when another is really calling my name that day results in slow progress or even sitting idle all day. I am not saying procrastinate things that need to be done there is definitely a fine line, but changing projects is not always a bad thing. Normally I can accomplish things faster if am working on something I have true motivation for finishing.  So I took a few detours this week but I am glad I did.

The outgrown clothes tubs in the girl’s room are empty and packed away into their appropriate tub by size for others to grow into. What a relief as they were overflowing, which I guess counts towards the “Girls room Purge” so it’s not as much of a detour as I thought.

One of my laundry baskets has been tied up for months holding hand-me-down clothes from our niece for the girls. It was also emptied in this process and sorted into the appropriate tub by size.  I gained back 1-1/2 x 3 sf area in my room.

Finally my overflowing make shift household command center that has been staring me down for weeks finally got my attention. So glad it did, it made the rest of the week easier when I wasn’t digging through every folder each time to find something my “order” was disorder. I had found an idea somewhere online on how to file to do items. They included bills and other mail too I stuck to my system for that because it worked. I gave the idea a go 6 months but it just isn’t working well for me. It has helped limit the piles of to do’s on the countertop, only to move them into overflowing file folders which were harder to sort through when I needed something.  So if I was going to need something soon it ended up in a pile by the phone for easy access the next time. I am now trying a variation on the folders, writing about my mail sorting last week gave me an idea. I’ll give it a try and let you know how it goes.

Simple solutions that work for Our House:

Problem: My mind couldn’t store all our family’s places to be.

Our Solution: For many years now we have hung a large calendar by the phone to schedule all our events. Everything is available at quick glance. When a phone call comes in with a new date, it goes immediately on the calendar. As do all the dates for school, church, sports practices and games, meetings, birthdays, appointments etc... I think I will still keep my calendar even if I learn to have a phone calendar someday like the rest of the world.   

FOCUS Goals for week of Feb 25, 2013

New Goals, comments, and excuses are in purple below.

Goals for a Better Home

1. Personal Focus to better my relationship with God.

Daily: Start and end each day with prayer. Read two chapters in the Bible. Serenity Prayer  

Weekly/Monthly:

Read Part II Chapter 1 & 2 in “The Lamps Supper” and answer questions. Unfortunately due to weather we cancelled the second session, and we didn’t even end up getting the big snow bummer! Oh well we are reading on and I am learning a lot! I am so glad to be reading this book.

 Run 4 days.  I think I forgot about the running last week, or maybe dismissed it from my mind. I hope to get back on track this week by dropping back to 4 days.  

2. Remove distractions at key times.

Daily: No computer 6:30-8:00am and 3:00-5:00pm (after everyone is home)

Weekly: Control volunteering but still get things done! Still trying to find the right balance!

Monthly: CUT BACK ON ELECTRONIC TIME! So easy to pick them up yet hard to put down!  

3. Add something to give more of me to my family.

Daily: Give my family a proper send off and welcome home each day. Focused one on one time with each family member.  Family Lent study. This has been better for the 3 oldest the younger 2 ask me to read out of their children’s bible afterward so we have been doing that too.

Weekly: Send a handwritten letter.  I still have not taken the time, so sad. We did mail about 6 letters my 7 year old had piled up waiting for me to address, stamp for her and send. These were in my to do folders.

Monthly: Take my husband on a date.  

Goals for a Better House

1. Daily Check Points: Weekly Plan Sheet (Done)

2. Weekly & Monthly Tasks, Chores and To Do Lists: Weekly Plan Sheet & Monthly Cleaning Schedule. Cleaning still always a catch up game, but having a schedule has helped me to stay on track a little more.

3. Weekly/Monthly Project to Do List:  

Monday: Weekly: Catch up! Prep Book Study, Soccer emails(snow is causing the need for much communication!) Monthly: None

Tuesday: Weekly: Help kids with science fair Topics Monthly: Continue Girls Room Purge AGAIN!(I can’t wait until I can cross this off)

Weds: Weekly: Cleaning Catch up; Monthly: Continue Boys room Purge AGAIN!

Thurs: Weekly/ Monthly: Cleaning Catch up

Fri: Weekly: Cleaning catch up; Monthly: Continue Kitchen purge.