SMART Habit Saturday

I thought I'd start out well and join in again. I haven't done a new habit in a long time. Between Aaron's masters degree and then being pregnant I haven't had the time or energy to try to start new things. I haven't been able to keep up with the normal stuff.

But, I have been feeling a little better, lately. I want to start getting SMARTer, again. It may take me several weeks to get these down and I think I'll join Lara and do only one thing per month.

This month, I am going to work on exercising. I haven't had the energy to do much working out and I need to start! We just bought a new piece of equipment and since it is still new and fun, I should start now!

So, if you'd like to start becoming a better you, go over to the Lazy Organizer and get started!

What to do you think?

I'm not going to bother with trying to commit to a new SMART habit this week or probably next, either. There is just too much going on. I did, though, want to report on last week's progress. This is the hunting mask that my Dad requested. I think my design turned out pretty well. We had fun trying it on. I also made the Mary Jane slippers that I have been wanting to try for Belle. She loves them. They still need some latex on the bottom. I still need to find some. I also made a hat for my niece and play snakes. This week I started mittens and a matching hat for Luke. I am really taking a chunk out of my list!! It feels really good to be able to catch up to myself once in a while!When I come up with a plan to accomplish everything we have planned this weekend, or when I recover from it, I'll have to post about it! If we survive as more than piles of goo!

Smart Habit Saturday

This week I was working on getting up at 5 AM. I have done an okay job. I have usually at least turned on the light and read in bed instead of trying to squeeze a few more minutes out of the night. So, I think that is a keeper and one that I need to continue to work on!

This week, and probably until I finish all of my current projects, I am not going to add more projects and I am going to complete the ones I have started.

When it gets to be closer to Christmas, I start thinking about all of the things I could make for friends, family and for my home. I usually get too carried away and I don't get them all done. I hate that so much!! I even started early this year, but I keep getting fun, new ideas and I put the ones I really need/want to finish down for too long.

So, no new projects and I am going to finish up the old ones.

It's too bad that I did this goal a long time ago. I guess it is the curse of a crocheter to start too many new projects!

If you are new to SMART Habit Saturday, go and check out The Lazy Organizer. She has great ideas and is always inspirational!

Smart Habit Saturday

I did better this week than I did last week. That is a big step!

This week, I want to work on waking up (and actually getting out of bed) at 5 am!! I know, it sounds like some crazy person time to wake up and I agree with you. Aaron commutes and carpools, so he has to leave the house at about 6:15. I get up with him, make breakfast and help him get ready for work. The kids also get up pretty early. Belle does anyway. Luke is not a morning person!

Anyway, Aaron usually gets up and showers at about 5 and I stay in bed until 5:30 or 5:40. That doesn't give a lot of time for helping him much.

So, I want to wake up and actually get out of bed at 5 and start the day. I think it will give me some time to get myself ready for the day as well.

Come see what all the fun is about at The Lazy Organizer!!

Smart Habit Saturday

Well, I don't have much to report. I didn't do any better on my goals than when they weren't goals. I mostly forgot to do them for most of the week.

I think I want a more concrete goal to go along with scripture reading. I still want scripture reading to be something that I do EVERYDAY without fail. That is something I definitely need in my life.

I also want to have my whole house better each day than the one before. I think I should at least take this one floor at a time. I'll start with downstairs. That is where we spend most of our time and what is the most visible. So, I want to tidy up (with the kids' help) the living room when the extra creatures are gone at the end of each day. I've heard several people say that they clean up after the kids are asleep so that it is nice in the morning, but at that time of night, I am too tired to care, much less do anything about it. I also want to keep the kitchen clean by actually getting around to empty the dishwasher and then refilling it as well.

So that's it. Scriptures, tidy living room and clean kitchen! I think that is manageable.

If you are new to SHS, go check out what everyone else is up to!

Smart Habit Saturday

I bet you never thought I'd do this again! I had too much to try to figure out with a completely new schedule that I couldn't think about adding new and better habits.

As I type, I'm not sure what I should improve. My bathroom, clutter, bedroom, kids' room and scripture study are all things that need some help. Hmmm...I'm doing okay with scriptures, but I want that one more solid.

I think I'll resolve to read my scriptures everyday and also take time to deep clean once per day. It can be a different project each day, but I want to make it a habit to do some of the household things that tend to get neglected.

So, wish me luck and go over to The Lazy Organizer to see what everyone else is working on!!

SMART Habit Saturday

Last week, I made my cleaning schedule and although I didn't follow it everyday, I did follow it for about 4 days. It is a good start and I want to continue that for this week. It feels nice to have things cleaner and more orderly. We have also been purging our paper clutter from most of our marriage!! We are definitely in recovery from our pack rat tendencies!! If we can just get it all out of here and on to better homes (or the garbage...).

Here is my schedule:

Su-maintenance
M- weekend recovery
T-vacuum & mop
W-bathroom
R-major organization
F-vacuum & mop
Sa-sheets & dusting

Every day-toys away, clutter removal, laundry & dishes

If you aren't doing it already, go over and see the Lazy Organizer!

SMART Habit Sunday

I haven't been doing very well with exercise! I have GOT to find some way to get and keep myself to be more active!!!

Okay, for this week, I have decided to do something different from what I have been doing lately! I want to work on getting my house clean and keeping it that way. So, first I am going to work out a schedule of what to do each day, and then I am going to start doing it! Aaron is going to help, too. I bet I can even get the kids involved. Luke is old enough and Belle loves to do most things, at least for a while.

So, what are you waiting for? Go over to The Lazy Organizer and start getting SMARTer!!

SMART Habit Saturday

I missed another week, but I have still been trying to remember to take a vitamin and working my way through 64 ounces of water. I have been doing okay. I feel good about what I have been able to do.

This week, I want to work on exercise! I have been eating better and now, I want to work on exercise. I want to do something physical every day. Aaron wants to as well, so that should make it easier!

If you want to become a better person one habit at a time, go over to The Lazy Organizer and learn all about it!

Good Reading Habits

Our local library has a summer reading program again this year. If we read for 20 minutes per day, the kids can each get a free book after two weeks. They have really gotten into it and it has been pretty easy now that we are in the habit. I don't have to remember--they remember for us. They love to have books read to them. I think they'd listen until our voices gave out!! It is so nice to have them love books so much. Aaron and I are such book-lovers that we love that our children are following this habit.

Aaron and I have also been reading a lot this summer. We've both been reading young adult fiction by David Lubar and Neal Shusterman. They are both great authors and have written really interesting novels. I've read Dunk, Flip, Hidden Talents & True Talents by Lubar. Right now, I am reading Everlost by Shusterman.
Flip and True Talents are probably my favorites out of these, so far! You should check them out. As a warning: they are mostly free of language, but there is some violence.

SMART Habit Saturday

Hey, look at this, I'm early, today!! I have been out of the SMART loop for a few weeks. I have actually been doing really well on some of the things that I have done as SMART habits, many, many times! Since I got my Palm Pilot, I have been doing REALLY well with my scripture reading. I downloaded some of them to my eReader and it has been great! I also set scripture reading as a task that I have to check off everyday! It is great! I have also been a lot better at exercising the last couple of weeks. I have mostly been just going on walks, but it has been really good for me, the kids and sometimes Aaron!

As I am writing this, I don't know what to work on this week...

I'm still thinking...

Okay, I know! I want to make sure to take my vitamin and drink at least 64 ounces of water everyday. Both of these things will help me to be healthier. I have a bottle that fits 64 ounces and that helps a lot. I can measure it easier.

So, I hope you all have a great week!!

If you want to join up, go here and here to learn all about SMART habits!!!

SMART Habit Saturday

I have exercised more this week than I have in a long while. I am still not to the point of a habit, but I am working on it. Scripture reading didn't go so well. So, I am not adding anything new, I just want to maintain and turn these two goals into habits. Both are really important to me and they are also the things I tend to neglect the most!

How's that for a short post? I woke up way too early for the first day of summer for us. I slept great until Belle woke me up at about 3:30. I got up to use the bathroom and turning on the light gave me a headache. My neck also got the point that it was hurting in any position I tried. So, I got up to read the posts of you lovely ladies this morning.

So, if you want to join and start making life-changing habits, go over to see The Lazy Organizer!!!

SMART Habit Saturday

So, last week's reading the scriptures goal didn't go so well. I want to work more on that one! Exercise and scripture reading seem to be the things that I lack the most! I want to work on those two until I get them to be REAL habits!

I have been feeling pretty frumpy lately, and last night I jumped on the exercise bike with Aaron's Palm Pilot and "Crazy Daisy". The time just flew by! I need to get me one o' them! So anyway, that's what is going on here!

Good luck on your goals and if you haven't started, yet, come join!!

The Lazy Organizer is the ring leader!! She even gives away prizes! Good stuff, too!

SMART Habit Saturday

Okay, I am really tired, so let's make this short! Last week didn't go so well with the cleaning up toys. It happened all of...wait for it...ZERO days! How's that for a habit starter? So, I am going to abandon that one this week, because I don't think I am ready to do that. Maybe I need a better plan. I did okay with less blogging. I didn't always stick to the strict only once rule, but I was still able to be quite productive and I had a pretty good week over all.

This week I want to do two things. I want to read my scriptures everyday. I really want this one to be a habit! I have tried it quite a few times and it hasn't stuck yet. I know I need to do it for at least 21 days in a row to make it a real habit, so I am starting this one again.

My second goal is to clean the house well enough on Friday that I don't come downstairs to a hurricane zone! This yesterday I tried this, and so far it is okay. What happens is that we are usually gone on Saturdays and we tend to be lazy when it comes to housework on the weekend. And I try not to do many chores on Sundays, so we get a disaster on Monday, and sometimes in oozes over to Tuesday as well. For some reason, we seem to make bigger messes at our house when we aren't there...maybe we got the bad kind of elves instead of the ones that clean up or make shoes while you're not looking!

So, if I can have most of the laundry and dishes done and try to get/keep the toys cleaned up on Friday, there isn't as much for the elves to destroy!!

Wish me luck and good luck on all of your goals! What you aren't a SMART girl yet?? Go over to the Lazy Organizer's blog and join in!! It's fun, you make great goals and habits AND Lara gives away prizes!!!

SMART Habit Saturday

Wow! I'm actually getting this done on Saturday, instead of Sunday or Monday!! Go me!! I did really well on last week's habit of not getting on the computer for more than an hour and only once, until I hit my funk. Then, I just didn't care and wanted to waste as much time as I could... I am, by the way, over that in case you were wondering. I feel a lot better. I think I just needed to get enough hormones out of my system! That usually fixes things for me. Anyway, I am going to keep the computer thing going. I like that a lot! I feel like there are so many more hours in the day, when I don't waste them. I want to add another thing, too. I want to figure out a system to keep the toys cleaned up downstairs. We end up with toys everywhere and most of them were barely touched before they were abandoned for me to pick up later. I want to start a habit for the kids that they clean and take the toys upstairs everyday. We will use containers to store the few toys they decide they want everyday and take them down in the morning and back up at the end of the day! That is what we are going to try, anyway. Wish us luck!!!

Come join in, you know you want to!!

SMART Habit Saturday

I really liked how much more stuff I got done, this week when Aaron took the computer to work with him. I got backed up in my feed reader, but otherwise, it was nice to be forced to have time to do so many of the things I needed and wanted to do. So, my goal this week is to only get on the computer to blog once per day and to be on for an hour or less. I end up checking and reading many times through the day and I could be spending my time a lot more wisely!!


If you want to join in, go learn how at the Lazy Organizer!!

Smart Habit Sunday

I didn't read with the kids very many days like I wanted to and I only got exercise on two days. So, I am going to continue these goals. They are really important to me and I REALLY want them to become habits that I never break!! And, no new finished projects. I guess the things I have been working on need a lot more work than the previous ones. But, here are a couple of pictures from some I finished but didn't get blogged.

Here is a little pacifier caddy:



And Winnie the Pooh, no longer without clothing: (from this pattern)

SMART Habit Saturday, er Sunday

So, I didn't do so well on my goal this week. I kept working on old projects and I finished two more. That makes a total of SEVEN finished projects in two weeks. Only two were begun in that time, so I was mostly finishing works in progress. I have pictures of the most recent two, but they are still trapped on my camera. It has been so nice to get those things off of my list! It feels really good. I am almost ready to get working on another BIG project that will take a few months. (I hope I'm ready!)

So, this week, I'll get back on the exercise and reading to the kids everyday. If the weather is good, it shouldn't be too hard and we can go for a bunch of walks.

If you haven't started, what are you waiting for? Go check out The Lazy Organizer and start improving yourself!!

SMART Habits

I haven't done this, yet because I worked on Saturday and I was really tired when we got home. I also couldn't think of what I should do. I want to get my exercise routine going again. I felt so good when I was doing that and I have let it slide. So, goal number one for this week is to exercise in some way everyday! The other goal I want to work on is reading to my kids for 20 minutes (at least) everyday!! They really need that and this is one thing I really let slide. They both love books and love to be read to! I need to take advantage of that while I can!

So, as for last week, I wanted to work on some unfinished projects. I finished two of them and then I started a NEW project! Shame on me. It is on my list. I didn't come up with something I wasn't planning to do, so in that way it counts. I am almost finished, I just have to put an hour or so into it and it will be done! It was so nice to get some of those projects done and out of the way. I hope I can keep this up!

Come join in the fun of improving yourself a little at a time!!!

Smart Habit Saturday

So, I figured it was about that I talked a little about my old goals. I have been in on the SMART habit Saturday deal from the beginning. I haven't always done so well, though.

Week One: Run the dishwasher every night & empty it every morning,Read the scriptures every day, Make all the beds every day, Keep an idea notebook by my bed, and Create a return box/bag/drawer

Week Two: Continue on week one's goals

Week Three: Preschool with Luke and folding laundry

Week Four: Continuing on and exercise everyday

Week Five: Continuing old goals

Week Six: Continuing old goals

Week Seven: Learn something new everyday

Week Eight: Write in my journal everyday

Week Nine: Write in my journal everyday

Week Ten: Organize something everyday and try to maintain old goals

Week Eleven: Tackle my mending

Week Twelve: Get rid of an unwanted item everyday

Week Thirteen: Dishes, make beds and exercise everyday

Week Fourteen: Maintain old goals

Week Fifteen: Get some of my WIP projects completed this week. I have been working so long on the crocheted blanket that I have a lot of other projects waiting around for me. It is starting to drive me nuts. This one should be easy. I want to do this really bad. I am craving some other kind of project!!

So, there you have it. As you can see, I have had a lot of maintenance weeks. Many of them are because I didn't do so well on the old goals. I think the thing for me to remember when I haven't done so well is that I am better than I was before. Any improvement is a step up and a step closer to being the person I'd like to be!! I have been doing well lately, especially with exercise! I don't think I have ever exercised this many days in one month before in my life!!! I feel healthier!

I hope you are doing well, too! If you haven't yet, join with us, here!