My 2014 Goals: Quarterly Update 1

My Annual Goals: 2014

You know how these big companies have quarterly audits to gauge how they are doing? I’ve found that to be a very healthy practice, not just in the corporate world, but even for ourselves. Back in January, I set a bunch of goals I wanted to achieve in 2014 – actually 10 goals, to be exact.

Well, here’s my first quarterly audit on those goals. I share them here for accountability, and hopefully to motivate you too to set goals and achieve them.

Spiritual:

1. Complete 4 Bible studies with Good Morning Girls{Completed the Intentionally Focused study, and I’ve started with the Easter study.}

2. Read through the books of Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges & Ruth. {I’m done with Leviticus and Numbers; just started with Deuteronomy.}

Intellectual:

3. Read at least 12 full-length, non-fiction books – ideally one each month. {I read The Wall Around Your Heart and Help for Women Under Stress. I also read The Pursuit of God (free download) which is a smaller book, and a couple of historical Bible-based fiction books.}

4. Complete the Titus 2 University eCourse. {I’ve completed just 5 weeks of this course… need to pick up the pace on this one.}

Physical:

5. Walk a 3 Km stretch by the end of the year. {I’ve been fairly regular with walking, but the maximum distance I’ve walked is only 2.2 Km.}

Marriage:

6. Go out on 4 dates with my husband. {Umm… I’m guessing the late night movie we watched together doesn’t count. What can I say? We haven’t been out on a date yet this year.}

Parenting:

7. Teach the kids 12 verses – one each month. {They’ve memorized 3 verses so far.}

8. Teach the kids 12 family ways – one each month. {Only 2 done till now.}

Home Management:

9. Follow the Confident Mom home management planner. {This went well for the first 2 months and then it slipped away.}

Writing:

10. Write 120 blog posts this year. {I’ve written 29 blog posts so far, not including this one.}

I realize I need to pick up the pace in a few areas, and maintain the pace in others. Hopefully the next quarter’s update will be more promising!

Have you set any goals for this year?
How has your progress been?

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sign up here to have new blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

—————————————————————————————————————————

My 2014 Goals: Quarterly Update 1 Read More »

Counting My Blessings: 1481 to 1490

Counting My Blessings

Every week (more or less), I share on the blog all the good things (and bad) I am grateful to God for.  If you’d like to know more, check out these blog posts on why I do it and how to get started.  Care to join me on this journey of intentional thanksgiving?

1481. The end of the school year.

1482. A backup internet connection.

1483. Overheard at home: “Mama, can you tell me what I was thinking? I forgot!” 😀

1484. Judah – our official family balloon blower!

1485. A husband who worked from home most of the week…

1486. …and took the kids with him whenever he went out!

1487. I show one of the sons a recent photo of the trio and ask him to identify who’s who. He responds, “I don’t know… they all look like me!” LOL!

1488. Cooking ghee rice for a potluck at church.

1489. A friend who took care of my family during my absence… so grateful!

1490. The call to get up, give up & grow up, in order to be excellent.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sign up here to have new blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Counting My Blessings: 1481 to 1490 Read More »

Top 3 Thursday – Edition #39

Top 3 Thursday

Here are 3 blog posts that encouraged me this week… Click through and read them, won’t you?

1. Screwtape Letter to an Exhausted Mom @ To Love, Honor and Vaccuum {I haven’t read the original Screwtape Letters, but this was certainly eye-opening.}

2. Dear Jesus, Hold My Hand, Please @ MomLife Today {I’m going to teach my kids to pray this prayer. And it’s something I need to pray too, on those difficult days.}

3. That One Thing He Really Needs From Me @ The Time-Warp Wife {Yikes! I am SO guilty of this…}

If you have read or written an encouraging blog post during the week, would you share the link in the comments below. I’d love to check it out!

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sign up here to have new blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Top 3 Thursday – Edition #39 Read More »

10 Years From Today

10 Years From Today

The kids are done with their school year. It’s the end of Kindergarten and come June, we’ll be entering a new phase in their schooling. With the boys at home for their summer vacation, I won’t deny that it’s been a struggle. I’m used to having a couple of hours of quiet around the home… but with them at home, asking for peace and quiet is akin to asking for the moon! 🙂

However, I truly am grateful they’ll be at home for the next two months. And God has been impressing on my heart to make the most of this time – to love them, spend more time with them, connect with them, and teach them some good habits. I don’t know if I will have this time with them as they grow older.

Well anyway, I did a simple exercise that has really helped me be more intentional with my life. And I thought I’d share it with you today. I asked myself 3 simple questions…

What will my life be like 10 years from today?

  • My husband and I will be in our forties.
  • We would’ve been married almost 17 years!
  • The boys will be 16!

What do I WANT my life to look like then?

  • I’d like to have grown in faith, and reached more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
  • I’d like my marriage to have blossomed over the years – in love and understanding.
  • I’d like my boys to have a personal relationship with God and serve Him passionately.
  • I’d like to be healthy and able to care for my family.
  • I’d like to be writing on a blog I own.

What can I do NOW to accomplish that?

  • I can spend more time learning from the Bible, praying and serving in our local church.
  • I can love and respect my husband, and serve him wholeheartedly.
  • I can lead my sons to Christ, sharing with them all that He’s done for us.
  • I can make good food choices and exercise regularly.
  • I can create and design my own blog from scratch.

Going through these questions has helped me clarify the path I’d like to travel over the next 10 years. Most people talk about a 5 year plan, but I’ve found a 10 year plan to be more effective. Of course, I haven’t taken into consideration how God might mess up my plans for my good and His glory. That could always happen, and I’m game for that! 😉

So, have you thought about how you’d like your life to look like 10 years from today? I encourage you to answer the three questions above, and write down what you can do now to accomplish that.

Wishing you God’s best,
Sheena

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sign up here to have new blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

—————————————————————————————————————————

10 Years From Today Read More »

Counting My Blessings: 1471 to 1480

Counting My Blessings

Every week (more or less), I share on the blog all the good things (and bad) I am grateful to God for.  If you’d like to know more, check out these blog posts on why I do it and how to get started.  Care to join me on this journey of intentional thanksgiving?

1471. A magnificent sunset.

1472. Getting the kids to help me with the laundry.

1473. Lessons from the book of Numbers in the Bible {Who would’ve thought?!}.

1474. Drawing a natural scenery for the boys…

1475. …and reminiscing how my father did the same with me 25 years ago.

1476. Fast relief from a stomach bug the boys had.

1477. Taking a day off to spend with my Father.

1478. A weekend full of long chats.

1479. Vanilla ice-cream with hot fudge.

1480. Hearing my husband talk non-stop like Yoda. {Hilarious!}

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sign up here to have new blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Counting My Blessings: 1471 to 1480 Read More »

Top 3 Thursday – Edition #38

Top 3 Thursday

Here are 3 blog posts that encouraged me this week… Click through and read them, won’t you?

1. Letting Go of the Pipe @ The Better Mom {Made me wonder if I was choosing to walk the pipe when God wants me to fly.}

2. Kids and Gold Stars @ Serving Joyfully {Kids these days are growing up with an attitude of entitlement. Time to take note and change things at home.}

3. Protectors, Providers & Leaders @ The MOB Society {Praying my sons grow up to be real men who diligently protect, provide and lead.}

If you have read or written an encouraging blog post during the week, would you share the link in the comments below. I’d love to check it out!

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sign up here to have new blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Top 3 Thursday – Edition #38 Read More »

A Habit A Month: Work at Home Plan

A Habit a Month

Once upon a time… (err… well, actually until a year ago), I had a regular feature on the blog called, “A Habit A Month“, where I shared one habit I’d worked on that month. Umm… except that the habit I’m currently working on took about 10 months to master. Yes, you heard that right… 10 MONTHS! And it wasn’t such an impossible-to-master habit either.

Way back in May last year, I started working on my ‘Work at Home’ plan. I had been working from home for 2 months at that time and I really wanted to streamline my work schedule. Needless to say, things didn’t go as planned.

While I did know how to optimize my day, implementing it consistently on a regular basis was a totally different matter. Over the past 10 months, I’ve had some good days, and some bad days; days I’ve burned out, and days I’ve flailed; days when sickness took a toll on our family, and days I’ve been on the verge of insanity. But I’m happy to say, after months of working on it, I now have a reasonable work schedule that accommodates irregularities at home and pressing work deadlines.

I work an average of 4 – 5 hours a day.

    • 2 hours before lunch when my boys are away at school.
    • 2 hours after lunch while the sons rest or play.
    • About 15 – 30 minutes after dinner to wind things up (if required).

The challenge was to make sure my part-time work did not affect my primary role as wife, mother and homemaker. My schedule now seems to have a delicate balance, that just might continue to work even if something unexpected comes along. I’m quite happy with this schedule and it works for now. I will have to make some changes in June though, when the boys start Grade 1 and stay back longer in school.

And with that, I’m winding up the “A Habit A Month” feature on the blog. Let’s face it, I do not have the time or energy to work intentionally on one more thing within a month’s time. If I do manage to master a habit, I’ll be sure to blog about it!

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sign up here to have new blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

—————————————————————————————————————————

A Habit A Month: Work at Home Plan Read More »

Counting My Blessings: 1461 to 1470

Counting My Blessings

Every week (more or less), I share on the blog all the good things (and bad) I am grateful to God for.  If you’d like to know more, check out these blog posts on why I do it and how to get started.  Care to join me on this journey of intentional thanksgiving?

1461. Getting all caught up on the blogs I follow via Feedly.

1462. Final week of the kids’ exams {Hurrah!}.

1463. A lively discussion in our prayer group on the importance of church.

1464. Watching my boys mingle with other kids in church. It’s been a long time coming.

1465. The fact that I can’t wait for school to get over for the kids!

1466. Lessons from the life of Daniel.

1467. Getting hard knocks from God regarding the lack of prevailing prayers from my end.

1468. The kids playing restaurant with my kitchen utensils.

1469. Playing along with them for a while {they were stoked} 🙂 .

1470. A friend’s excitement at being given an opportunity to serve in church.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sign up here to have new blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Counting My Blessings: 1461 to 1470 Read More »

Top 3 Thursday – Edition #37

Top 3 Thursday

Here are 3 blog posts that encouraged me this week… Click through and read them, won’t you?

1. Temple Talk: The Struggle & Stewardship of the Spirit @ Good Morning Girls {We’ve been dealing with our health this week in the Intentionally Focused Bible Study and God’s been dealing with me, regarding my body and my health.}

2. Passion Following @ (in)courage {“…there is value in getting trained in something you are passionate about.” <– Loved this!}

3. Does It Really Take a Village? @ For The Family {I pray this is true for my sons as well.}

If you have read or written an encouraging blog post during the week, would you share the link in the comments below. I’d love to check it out!

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sign up here to have new blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Top 3 Thursday – Edition #37 Read More »

Why I Write

Why I Write

I love the written word. I love reading it, I love writing it, I love typing it! But I hadn’t always embraced it. Reading was always my most favorite thing to do in the world. Writing, not so much. When my 6th grade English teacher said that my essay on Heidi was remarkably good, I was thrilled but didn’t read too much into her comment.

It wasn’t until I turned 14, that I truly embraced writing. And it began with God’s word. I would write a verse from the Bible each day, and write down what I learned from it. I didn’t realize then, that this habit was actually called, “Bible Study”. About that time, I also began writing a page each day about everything that was happening in my life. It’s how I processed my day.

Over the next dozen years, I kept writing in my journal – not on a daily basis but as and when I needed to pour my heart out. Sometimes it would be a “Dear God” kind of letter, on other days I would record answered prayers. I truly enjoyed writing down my confused thoughts and seeing them make sense on paper 🙂 .

It wasn’t until I started doing a Good Morning Girls Bible study, that I seriously considered blogging (although I had been reading Christian Mommy blogs for months prior to that). Just a couple of days into the 1 John Bible study, I came across these verses:

“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,
that ye also may have fellowship with us:
and truly our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And these things write we unto you,
that your joy may be full.”
(1 John 1:3-4)

Here’s what I wrote in my journal that day:

What John saw/heard about Jesus, he told others. I have to tell people what I know about Jesus. I should be able to put my testimony down on paper (a blog?) and share it with everybody. Could a blog be my ministry?

This was in September 2011… one month later, I started blogging. I knew it’s what God wanted me to do. I did create a fancy blogging purpose a while back to remind myself what (or whom) exactly I was blogging for.

All that said, writing for me goes beyond blogging. I ended last year writing at least a dozen pages in my journal. I wasn’t blogging during that time frame, but I certainly was writing. Sometimes, God allows me to share it here online, and sometimes not.

But I’ve realized one thing. I can’t not write! It’s as simple as that.

I want to ask you one question today. What is that one thing that you can’t not do. It could be pursuing a new dream or just reviving an old hobby. If you know God wants you to do it, go ahead and do it! You will experience the fullness of joy that comes from walking in God’s will. And He’ll be sure to touch someone else through your obedience.

Stay blessed!

—————————————————————————————————————————

Sign up here to have new blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Why I Write Read More »