I’m taking a mini-sabbatical from the online world.

I’ll be offline (no blogging, tweeting, FBing, email, etc.) for seven days beginning Sunday. I’m doing this as a way to check myself, refresh my soul, and be a lab rat for my new eBook. I’m entering the “real world” in all its offline glory.

There will be a post on (in)courage on Tuesday that I will pre-schedule here to go live on Tuesday. I won’t be answering the comments that day, but I’ll go back and reply after next week.

Love to you all!

Now for my goals…

Last week’s goals: 

Personal:

Read the bible every day

Get up by 6am HA! Um, no. Just now getting back to normal after my weird week long sickness.

Take vitamins every day

Finish The Happiness Project Getting there…

Marriage:

Continue with secret marriage book

Children:

Read an hour every day (we’re currently reading Alice in Wonderland) I don’t know if it’s been an hour, but I’ve been reading much more. Also, Alice in Wonderland is so weird.

Friendships/Family:

Invite in-laws for dinner They’re coming on Sunday!

Home:

Do one load of laundry a day

Writing:

Work on book every day but Sunday Oh have I got news for you all…stay tuned…

Don’t do any work on Sunday

Put review of The Cure on the blog

This week’s Goals

Personal:

Stay completely offline for seven days

Don’t get sick {ahem}

Marriage:

Make my husband a special treat to take to work with him

Children:

Outline specific tasks the kids can do to earn nickels (I just listend to How to Get Your Children to Love Work and I loved it)

Home:

One load of laundry a day

Writing:

Finish my new book proposal

…

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I got completely derailed this week.

I was all gung-ho on the weekend and on Monday (which explains the laundry, the sheets, and the buckets), but Monday night my 6 year old got sick. Which meant of course that I was up for hours in the middle of the night. Tuesday, I felt a little off, Wednesday I had a sore throat and a head cold, and by Thursday I told the hubs I couldn’t get out of bed. He promptly brought me tea and lemon pound cake and gave me the day to hole up in bed.

Just when a gal thinks she’s got it together, snot intervenes.

Here is my pitiful recap:

Personal:

Read the bible every day

Read Event Planning: The Ultimate Guide To Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events (read through the parts that are relevant to what I’m doing)

Shower every other day (I can’t wash my hair everyday because it’s crazy hair. Also, I hate showering.) Yea, this didn’t happen, I was laid up in bed.

Drink coffee black – I’ve decided to cut out cream and suger instead of coffee – one cup in the morning if I get up early I was sick and indulged in three mochas. But before I got sick I had coffee with just a pinch of almond milk.

Get up at 6am (Lord, help me) Monday through Friday – I’m setting my coffee maker to grind the beans and brew the coffee at 5:15am hoping the smell will woo me out of bed. I’m also setting my alarm on my dresser. I did this the first few days, and then…yep, got sick

Exercise for 20 minutes each morning Monday through Friday Again, sickness derailed this. I worked out Monday morning, that’s it.

Work towards having more energy – start by reading Energy Explosion – A 7 Day Guide to Jump Start Your Energy, taking my vitamins every day, and getting seven hours of sleep each night I started Energy Explosion, I took my vitamins every night, but seven hours of sleep? Nope, I was up with my sick daughter three nights in a row.

Marriage:

Continue on with secret marriage book

Whoop my husband in a game of Settlers He whooped me the first game, I got him the second!

Children/Homeschooling:

Work on five new cursive letters with Ella

Math every day with Ella

Have Ella read two books each day to me

Read to the babes an hour every day I did great the first two days, then, not so much

Begin reading Fancy Clancy to the babes Finished it!

Friendships/Family:

Send birthday card and gift to my sister

My Home:

Get laundry crazy – get all laundry in the house done, folded, and put away (starting fresh!)

Buy cleaning supplies and buckets for each bathroom, ala Courtney style

Buy new sheets, and wash them

Make one new, healthy recipe I bought the ingredients for this but haven’t made it yet

Business/Blogging/Writing:

Finish the last of the Desperate edits (oh yes, there are more)

Write 500 words towards my book every morning before babes wake up

Figure out daily blogging days (for example, Fridays are goal days)

This weeks goals: 

Personal:

Read the bible every day

Get up by 6am

Take vitamins every day

Finish The Happiness Project

Marriage:

Continue with secret marriage book

Children:

Read an hour every day (we’re currently reading Alice in Wonderland)

Friendships/Family:

Invite in-laws for dinner

Home:

Do one load of laundry a day

Writing:

Work on book every day but Sunday

Don’t do any work on Sunday

Put review of The Cure on the blog

…

How are you doing with your goals?

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This weeks goals:

Personal:

Read the bible every day

Read Event Planning: The Ultimate Guide To Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events (read through the parts that are relevant to what I’m doing)

Shower every other day (I can’t wash my hair everyday because it’s crazy hair. Also, I hate showering.)

Drink coffee black – I’ve decided to cut out cream and suger instead of coffee – one cup in the morning if I get up early

Get up at 6am (Lord, help me) Monday through Friday – I’m setting my coffee maker to grind the beans and brew the coffee at 5:15am hoping the smell will woo me out of bed. I’m also setting my alarm on my dresser.

Exercise for 20 minutes each morning Monday through Friday

Work towards having more energy – start by reading Energy Explosion – A 7 Day Guide to Jump Start Your Energy, taking my vitamins every day, and getting seven hours of sleep each night

Marriage:

Continue on with secret marriage book

Whoop my husband in a game of Settlers

Children/Homeschooling:

Work on five new cursive letters with Ella

Math every day with Ella

Have Ella read two books each day to me

Read to the babes an hour every day

Begin reading Fancy Clancy to the babes

Friendships/Family:

Send birthday card and gift to my sister

My Home:

Get laundry crazy – get all laundry in the house done, folded, and put away (starting fresh!)

Buy cleaning supplies and buckets for each bathroom, ala Courtney style

Buy new sheets, and wash them

Make one new, healthy recipe

Business/Blogging/Writing:

Finish the last of the Desperate edits (oh yes, there are more)

Write 500 words towards my book every morning before babes wake up

Figure out daily blogging days (for example, Fridays are goal days)

…

I’ll post the update of these goals next Friday

Photo: Used with permission

What are your goals for the week?

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I’m beginning in July…

July - Get up early (this is going to be hard because not only do I love sleeping in the morning, but I have serious early morning brain fuzz. However, I’m going to give it a go because I need to use that morning time to work on my book)

August - Get dressed every morning with makeup & earrings

September - Consistant morning routine with the babes

October - Wash my face every night

November - Make my bed every day

December - Read every night before bed

…

What habits are you trying to get into (or out of)?

This post was inspired by Money Saving Mom

Photo: used with permission

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This picture has nothing to do with this post, but aren’t her tootsies so cute?!

My friend Crystal from moneysavingmom.com has inspired me to be more intentional with my goal setting.

I love how she comes up with her goals and then posts them for the world to see, along with weekly and monthly updates. I’ve decided to do the same (thank you, Crystal!).

I’m a little late to the party (just like I was with my 2012 book list), so I’m planning my goals from here to December. I’ll start fresh in January. Also, Crystal’s goals were so good, I just copied some of them. Want to see what mine are? Here you go:

Goals for 2012

Personal: 

Read the Word every day. Every day. I’m going to read through the Bible in a year using the ESV One Year Bible

Read through my 2012 book list (so excited about this)

Only have coffee as a special treat, not everyday (I’ve noticed that my face is clear when I don’t drink coffee – mainly because of all the creamer/sugar I have in it)

Make one new, healthy recipe per week

Focus on one habit a month

Work on loosening my grip on social media

No more texting/social media while driving (I know, I know! No more!)

Shower more (um, yea)

Work towards having more energy

Work towards being at peace/content with my life (I struggle with “calling” and what I should and shouldn’t be doing)

Marriage:

Have monthly date night with my man

Focus on really loving my husband this year – marriage is taking priority this year (I’ve let it slip)

Go on a weekend getaway for our anniversary in August (What do you say Suz?)

Children/Homeschooling:

Read the bible every morning to the babes during breakfast

One on one focused time every day with each child, even if just for 15 minutes

Monthly dates with each of my children individually

Begin first grade work with Ella (I will post what we’re doing soon)

Go on one field trip each month

Read at least 10 read-aloud chapter books to the babes

Friendships/Family:

Invite in-laws over for dinner every couple of weeks

Spend time with friends every couple of weeks (I will be intentional!)

Send cards for birthdays; send thank you notes/have my kiddos send thank you notes (I’m terrible about this)

My Home:

Do laundry every day but Sunday (seriously)

Decorate my dining room/get over my fear of decorating (Logan, help!)

Clean my sheets once/week (and for the love, get a new comforter and sheet set! I’ve been using the same one for 6 years and it’s ready to be retired)

Business/Blogging/Writing:

No work on Sundays

Stick with blogging/writing/conference planning game plan

Finish writing Having a Martha House the Mary Way

Focus on making SarahMae.com excellent

Focus on making the Allume blog and conference excellent

…

Per Crystal’s brilliant idea to post how she is doing with her goals on a weekly and monthly basis, I too shall do that. I’ll be posting my goal updates on Fridays (beginning next Friday). Here’s to an intentional life. WOOT!

P.S. Do you have a reading list? Link it up here!

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