2017 Habit Tracker Printable

Hope everyone is having a Happy New Year so far!

I wanted to start the year off with a free printable for you.

This has been updated for 2017, so people can reach their goals and have a better life. Whether your goal is to take a photo everyday, exercise everyday, or you want to remember to read your Bible everyday.

Simply color in the circle when you complete your task for that day and keep the momentum going.

If you miss a day or two - don't give up. Just keep trying. Progress not perfection is what's important. One small step each day can lead to big changes in the future.

Enjoy!

Click Here to Download and Print

Feel free to print this for your own personal or classroom use and share it, however no permission is given to sell any printables on this site. All rights reserved.

Happy New Year 2015!

Happy New Year!

I hope 2014 was an awesome year for you and your family and I pray that 2015 will amaze you will all the wonderful things that happens.

I wanted to share with you my word of inspiration this year.  It is focus.

Focus on my family.
Focus on my faith.
Focus on what I want out of life and the steps I need to take to achieve it.
One day at a time.
One moment at a time.

Try to live in the present. Be in the moment. Focus on the good.

Well that is my plan for this new year. What's yours? Feel free to share your plan in the comments. I'd love to hear them.

My Goals for the 2013-14 School Year

I'm a stay at home mom with all my kids in school. To be honest, I find it hard to get my home deep cleaned while my kids are home all day during the summer. Some little maintenance projects get put on the back burner, so the kids can get my undivided attention. Plus things like my crafts and blog projects get left by the wayside.

Now that the kids are in school it's time to get back to work "so to speak".

This year I decided to list my goals to accomplish while the kids are in school instead of just winging it. Call it my goals, a honey do list or whatever you want. I just want to get them done. :)

Family
1. Help my youngest master her math facts - 15 min a day Monday - Friday
2. Plan one fun thing to do as a family each quarter. (Sept. - June)
3. Schedule a trip as a family.
4. Reinstate pizza and a movie night once a month.

Home
5. Paint the dining room.
6. Recover my hope chest and stool
7. Clean all the kitchen cabinets fronts or refinish them.

Blog/Business
8. Strive to post every Monday - Friday
9. Create at least one new printable every month
10. Write and publish my first e-book

Personal
11. Exercise every day 20 minutes minimum (dance, walk, yard work, etc.)
12. Read at least one book every month (Sept. - June)
13. Journal everyday
14. Create one thing every month (craft, sew, quilt, etc.)

Financial
15. Fully fund oil for this winter ahead of time
16. Fully fund Christmas ahead of time.
17. Pay off the truck loan
18. Save up for and purchase a new laptop.

These are some of my goals for the school year, but I may probably will add or change them as needed.

I encourage everyone to create goals for themselves. It helps you focus on what you really want in life.  Each of us gets one life - do what you really love. Make sure your time is used most efficiently to make this your and your family's best possible life.

Do you have any goals for this school year? Share them below.

Still Can't Afford Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem

I did a post a while back about not being able to afford Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem. Read it here.

I just want to say that back in 2010 I broke down and actually signed up for Weight Watchers.com.  I followed their online version faithfully for almost a year. I actually did very well and lost almost 60lb by following their recommended point values. Then with only 5 lbs to go they changed their system to points plus and didn't want to learn a whole new diet plan. The old one worked so well for me. The new plan just didn't work for me so I quit. Not to mention I couldn't keep paying every month for the rest of my life.

I've since got an iPhone and found a wonderful app called "Lose It". It is a f*re-e app and has a lot of the same features as Weight Watchers Online. I love it. I can log my food each day and it even deducts calories burned through exercise. The really neat feature is if the food isn't listed in their database you can scan the bar code and all the info is automatically entered. It's great.

It also works on the iPod touch and iPad. It's available on the iTunes site for download or you can access site online at www.LoseIt.com. They have a basic no charge version and a paid version that offers more features.

I still believe that Sparkpeople is a great site. They also have an app for the iPhone but it costs $3.99. They offer lots of great resources on their website at no charge or monthly fees. Their site has more interaction between other users than LoseIt's free version does.

The holidays are fast approaching and so is New Years in case you are considering weight loss as a Resolution this year.

Please feel free to share your experiences with these sites.

Free Ways for Moms To Learn From Home

The kids are all in school. The house is cleaned, laundry is started...now what do you do???

It's nice to have some down time to relax so you can be energized for your family when they get home. However, now is the time to start getting ready for your future also.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to stay home after your kids start school - congratulations! Consider taking some enrichment classes for fun during your free time.  Some examples would be piano or guitar lessons, a foreign language, or perhaps learn a craft.

Some parents choose or will need to got back to work once their kids go to school. There are lots of courses you can take to help you transition back into the workforce. Here are just a few topics available: resume writing, cover pages, computer course such as Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint or HTML. You also may consider taking college type courses on writing, science, education or social sciences. There are lots to choose from when you know where to looks.

Here are some great sites to get you started:

200 Free Online Class - lots of courses offered by top quality colleges like MIT and Yale
http://oedb.org/library/beginning-online-learning/200-free-online-classes-to-learn-anything

Lots of Classes or Tutorials covering a variety of subjects such as Windows, Office, Google, email and interviewing skills, writing cover letters, math basics, money and everyday life topics also.
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/

Free-Ed.net - lots and lots of courses - mostly college type courses from various sources. It searches the net and finds the best free courses.
http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/

Learn a language - Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, German, Chinese, Russian and English
http://www.learnalanguage.com/

Livemocha - another site that helps you learn a new language - even get lessons sent to your cell.
http://livemocha.com/

YouTube - just type in "learn" into the search box and find ALL kinds of fun things to learn. Crafts, languages, speed reading, guitar lessons, almost any software program you can think of,  and lots, lots more.
http://youtube.com
 
Code Academy - Teaches you HTML. It's fun and easy. Even great for older kids. This site shows you how to program websites for fun or profit.
http://www.codecademy.com/#!/exercises/0

Whether you take courses for fun or to advance your career the goal is to improve your life and the lives of those around you.



I'm not affiliated or a representative for any of these sites. I don't make a dime from any of them. They are just sites I've found during my own personal search looking for fun things to learn on the web.

Happy New Year 2009!

Like most people I write out my New Year's Resolutions each year. However, I'm usually able to stick with my goals unlike most people who quit 2 weeks to 2 months into the year. How do I do it? Well, it's not rocket science.

First, put your goals/resolutions in writing. Write your goals like they have already happened. More importantly write SMART goals.
S - Specific or simple
M - measurable and meaningful
A - action-oriented, attainable and appropriate
R - realistic and relevant
T - time-based and track able

Next, review these goals often. Each week as you're planning out the week ahead, plan a small step or two that you can take that would move you toward reaching your goal. For example, if you want to lose 20lb in 2009, plan to walk for 15 minutes 2-3 days this week. Then up the amount of time each week or so.

Finally, remember slow and steady wins the race! Many people try to jump in with both feet - going all out. Such as working out 5 days a week for 1 hr a day when you never exercised before, trying not to eat any food when you live off take out, or quit smoking cold turkey. Everyone can use some help and support. It's better to reach your goal a little slower than you wanted than to never reach your goal at all.

What are you waiting for? Today is a new day. A new beginning.

Remember, be specific with your resolutions. Review your goals often, and most importantly slow and steady really does win the race! Follow these simple techniques and you are sure to stick with your resolutions.

New School Year = A Fresh Start for At Home Moms

September signals back to school for most of the children in the U.S.A. What will us moms do with all our free time? LOL

Whether your kids are in preschool a couple times a week, 1/2 day kindergarten, or are full-time in grades 1-12, you now have some time to yourself without children or at least less children. Use that time wisely because a new school year can mean a new start for moms also.

Make a List
Start by writing a list of everything you want to accomplish during your lifetime. Do you dream of going back to school for a degree, start your own business, or simply work on craft projects you've been putting off. Maybe your goal is to finish reading a book or perhaps write one of your own. Do you want to learn a new skill like photography, computer programming, knitting, gardening, or scrapbooking? It's completely up to you!

Break out your calendar
Set aside time each week to work toward your goal, just like you would for a doctor's appointment or meeting with your child's principal. By taking small consistent steps toward your goals you will build momentum and ultimately reach your goal quicker than you thought possible. Consistency is key!

Don't Make Excuses
If you dream is to take courses toward your degree consider distance learning through online courses. These allow you to do the coursework when it's convenient for you (during naps, bedtime, etc.)

If you want to learn a new skill check out some books from your local library or try a correspondence course. Many offer affordable monthly payment plans and it doesn't matter where you live.

If you plan to return to the workforce once your kids are in school full-time; practice your skills and keep up on the trends in your chosen field. Perhaps you want to train for a new career. There are other options to taking college courses. Try reading and learning the skills from books, videos, online, etc.

With your little ones in school now is your chance. Schedule some time, even if it's only 10 minutes, to work toward the life of your dreams. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" -- Tao Te Ching