• Read my Bible every day - even if all I can manage is a passage or two! I feel as a mother, I need this quiet “spiritual milk” more than ever before!
• Read out loud from a Chapter book to my children each day and take the time to talk through the plot with them to increase their reading comprehension. Because of the chronic neglect they both suffered in their previous families, my daughter’s language processing delay and my son’s speech delay, it can be a challenge for them to articulate their thoughts and it makes people think they understand less than they really do; a little daily practice will help give them the skills and confidence they need!
• Get the dishes done every single night before I go to bed! There is something about dirty dishes on the counter top, or in the sink, that sets a negative tone and makes me neglect other areas in my home, too!
• Write and stick to a weekly menu plan!
• Spend no more than $75 a week on groceries! I really wish it didn’t have to be so high, but both my children were severely underweight at adoption and so I happily spend on foods which are helping them gain weight and grow! Their last Dr’s appt, their Dr took one look at them and said they looked like different children – their faces had filled out, their skin was better, their hair was growing etc. And the great news is, they are now in the 5th percentile on the height/weight charts! It took a LOT of work to get them there, but so worth it. Yes, we can ignore the fact that 95% of children their age are bigger than they are !
• Drink 4 glasses of water per day – this hasn’t happened in three months. Bad me!
• Take my children for a long trail walk each weekend.
• Unplug every single Sunday. I’ve always taken a day to unplug but now that I have children, I really want it to be a day at the weekend. I feel like Sundays are so important, both in terms of a sabbath and in order to set the tone for the week and get everything ready for 5 very very full days. Sundays it is!
• Finish reading Boundaries: When To Say Yes and How To Say No.  Motherhood humbles you and makes you see all the areas you struggle in that you don’t want to pass onto your children. There have been eight times in the last three months, where I should have stood up and said something  for the best outcome for my family, instead I was either silent or I didn’t define my/our boundaries. I’m hoping this book helps!
• Go to bed every single night by 10pm & have my children in bed with lights out by 7:45 pm. I will admit right now my sleep is all over the place, probably 2 nights a week I fall asleep immediately after my children do, another two nights a week I’m up until the wee hours of the morning and the rest somewhere in between.  My big goal right now is to take all the learning about my children’s needs over the last three months and establish both a rhythm for them and a rhythm for me that helps me best meet their needs. And the reality is, I need enough sleep in order to be the best parent I can be!

Those are my 10 goals for the month!

In other news, we are doing great. We have a big month this month (more on that later!) but our days are filled with sunshine and laughter. My children are simply fabulous!

What are your goals for December?

I just wrote a post on the co-op about selling out - you see everyone, absolutely everyone, is telling me we all sell out eventually, life becomes about convenience, becoming more like your neighbours, buying cheap and living easy.  It was reflecting on this, which made me decide I’m going to set myself some little goals for this week, as a reminder to focus.

1. Make a list of the things I will try not going to compromise on {understanding we all have bad days!} and post it here for accountability!

2. Make meals from scratch - the above is a healthier alternative to nachos with cheese – whole grain nachos with salsa, broccoli, free range chicken, olives, red onion, seeds and currants, with a plum on the side!

3. Make at least one gluten free alternative

4. Join a food co-op

5. Finish my decluttering mammoth project

Five simple goals for a simple week! What are your goals for the coming week?

If everything continues to go well, this is my last “free” weekend for about 8 weeks (8 weeks of appointments, meetings, hearings & visitations…). It is probably no wonder I have a lot to do. Thankfully it is a long weekend, and while I have a grant to finish writing for work, as well as a grant report to complete (& about 3 hours of notes to finish for my contract job which is now done – hoorah!) I’m dedicating this weekend to cleaning & organizing top to bottom. Now that I better know what needs we’ll be facing, I need to make sure nothing that isn’t of purpose stays. When dealing with sensory issues, purpose/need takes on a whole new meaning and my goal is to make home as stress free, welcoming, safe and haven like as possible. So I have beautiful music playing in the background, which will be followed by a radio book club. All the while I’ll be purging the kitchen, living room, dining room, closets, bathrooms and bedrooms and making a list of my our final needs.

Nesting doesn’t end when the floors are clean enough to eat off of, nesting is also finding its way into my kitchen. While I’ve often avoided gluten, I haven’t needed to find alternatives, but with wee ones who will need more alternatives as a part of their normal diet, I’m feeling a need to get back into the kitchen, an area of my little home that has been sorely neglected as of late. If you have any gluten free recipes you could recommend, I’d really appreciate them! Also how do you get stains out of clothes? My nice earth friendly detergent will not cut it!

And so that’s where this current household of one is. Nesting. Hoping & praying it results in a delivery of sorts

Happy Weekending!

This tiny encounter made me think a lot about my own financial expectations. The reality is I do “need” to build some emergency savings because if I lost my job we’d be homeless and that certainly isn’t good. But it made me also very aware and thankful that my financial goals aren’t related to storing up treasures here on earth and given the choice I’d rather have the blessing of eight children and four months income saved, then $50K in the bank, multiple houses and weekly meals out.

Speaking of treasures, look to the right of this post. Isn’t Landon a beautiful treasure?

What are your financial expectations? Have they changed over time? Do they include material treasures or eternal treasures?

My mother for years had one bank account, a couple of years ago I convinced her to add in a second, so she now has her chequing account and her savings account. She uses her chequing account for life & the saving for a mix of emergencies, short-term savings and long-term savings. What I find, is that she gets stressed when she has to pull out of her long-term savings for a mini emergency, like needed the washing machine fixed. I guess because it is tied into her main savings account she feels like it is taking away from her hard-earned savings.

Early on I knew that type of banking system wouldn’t work for me, I need to feel like I have everything covered and I don’t need the stress of seeing my savings plummet more than they need to .  It drives my mother crazy that I have more than 1-2 bank accounts, but I’ve found a system which works for me!

My accounts are as follows

• Chequing – my pay is deposited automatically, all my bills/rent/groceries come out of this account, as well as giving and smaller purchases which don’t require saving for. 
• Mini-Emergency Fund/Short Term Savings Account – My goal is to keep a balance of about $1000 minimum in here to deal with incidentals. I do also top it up to pay for short-term/larger bills
• Emergency Fund – My goal is to keep 6 months worth of income in this account, specifically for if I lost my job
• Pension Fund – As I mentioned I haven’t been able to contribute in a while, but it sits there waiting! I have a Pension Fund through Friend’s Provident, and unlike 401K’s and RRSP’s in the US and Canada respectively, we can not touch our pension money until we are 55/60, even if you fall on hard times it is 100% locked in there.

So far I have to say this banking system works for me! It doesn’t deplete my hope when little incidentals arise and I can manage my money/accounts as needed, while hopefully meeting my financial goals!

What banking system do you have in place? Does it help or hinder you when it comes to your financial goals?

Financial Goals

• Pay off all debt – done June 2011 {debt from moving here and no income for several months!}
• Sponsor a cot at Butterfly Children’s Hospices aka ChinaKidz – done, June 2011 the day I paid off my debt!
• Purchase {or be gifted, ha!} a pull out couch
• Purchase {or be gifted, double ha!} a frame for a single bed – I have the mattress but it either needs a box or a frame!
• Save $1000 into a mini-emergency fund for cavities, medications, new shoes or any little needs that arise!
• Save $1500 to supplement time off
• Save 6 months of income into an emergency fund
• Begin contributing to my retirement fund again - however small (I haven’t contributed in about two years!) 
• Save $10,000 for possible challenge #2 fees

It’s interesting, when I add up the total amount I need to save, it seems absolutely impossible, but when I break it up into tiny baby steps it seems like a piece of cake – well, not quite a piece of cake ;)

What are your short and long-term financial goals?

My budget for this month is lean but I feel like I need to pull the reigns in a tad and get used to a reduced budget. So for July, my goals are:

• Food $100/£60
• Pets $70/£40
• Entertainment $25/£15
• Incidentals $30/£20 {I need to post a few things!}
• Commuting Costs $80/£45

I also have a few important “possible challenge” trips, but I’ll be using air miles as much as possible, although honestly it feels like no matter how careful I am, I’m draining money!

What are your financial goals for July?

Before I start I wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who has left such lovely comments this week, some saying lovely kind things and others letting me know I’m not alone with my values and affirming I can make the right choice for me. There are so many wonderful, good, kind people who read this blog, people from so many different countries and circumstances, people in their 80′s and people just starting out in this grown up world; each day I am thankful for you all!

It’s time…time to get ready; I have so much to do and sometimes I find it so very very overwhelming, it is easier to stick my head in the ground. But today I’m going to write it all out and begin putting one step in front of the other on my path.  And I need to get organized, desperately!  July also marks my last month with no medical benefit, no sick time and no vacation time – I can’t wait until August!! Finally, July is also the last month of doing extra contract work (18 to 20 hours a week on top of my full-time job and my 18 hour commute a week - can you say demanding?! Oh yes!) in order to help fund the possible challenge. I want to be content in my circumstances, and I am, but the relief I will feel next month is already palpable!

With one more month of busyness, here are my SMART goals!

Medical/Health/Fitness

• Go back to walk in for my ears {I keep being told it’s “just” inflammation, but I can feel them 24/7 now and they hurt unless pressed against heat, or hold my head really firmly!} Went this morning - $131 later I have three prescription meds and have been told in 10 days those ears will be as good as new!
• Pick up completed updated medical forms
• Swim every day with ear plugs!
• Walk Sophie for 1 hour/night

Possible Challenge

• Two (yes, two!) trips plus I’m going to ask if they’ll let me do a third trip over my Birthday weekend
• Make my final payment for fees (approx $1900)
• Make list of everything I need & try not to panic about the how…{though panic I may…}

Organization

• Clear out guest room closet
• Clear out my room closet
• Re-organize chest of drawers to make room
• Figure out a system for books {I am being over-taken by books!}
• Have a purge of everything not needed
• Make a list of things I need

Budget

• Set a July budget & blog it
• Set goals for the next 6 months & 12 months & of course, blog it

Blog

• Diaper/Nappy Collection for Butterfly Children’s Hospice (aka ChinaKidz) – finally, now the postal strike is over and I’ve fixed the spam
• Reader survey
• Frugal Friday posts 1/5
• Update on monthly goals
• Budget

Volunteering

• Host a meal for the low-income ESL group I volunteer teaching English to!
• Take Sophie to the local nursing home since she is an approved pet friend, I just get to tag along  0/2
• Make lunch packs with water bottles for a group of homeless men 0/2

Social Stuff

• Have my friend K over

Whew!

What are your goals for this month?

I’m home, the event I needed to wear a suit for went swimmingly well, ending in tears & hugs all around and right now I’m happy, joyous, nervous, in need of a lot of courage and so incredibly exhausted even my fingertips ache.

At the beginning of the month I mentioned wanting to do a Ten Days Towards Health challenge, which is something I’ve done before to increase my energy levels and give myself a kick into a new routine. I find 10 days is not so long I feel overwhelmed, yet long enough I usually establish some good new norms.  Because of this incredibly long path ahead of me and all the demands on my time over the next 3 months, I need to better prioritize sleep, eating right and exercise. Having a dog who hates walking makes it a little more challenging to fit exercising in but I need to get back to a place of more energy, rest and self care! I also made the difficult decision to add in a bit more protein because right now I just have so many demands on my body & mind and it’s feel all together too fog like. We’ll see if it make a difference, right now honestly my main priority is to do whatever I need to finish this endurance marathon!

So, favourite recipes are ready and today was day one!

Breakfast: blueberry frozen yoghurt & a raisin bran muffin
Lunch: wicked thai soup [sooooo good!], topped with quinoa, cherry tomatoes, olives, feta cheese & onions, with zucchini and an orange on the side

Dinner: I’m going to make salmon with broccoli salad & a large spinach salad, with cantaloupe to finish

Veg: 3 servings
Fruit: 3 servings
Water: 5 glasses

Exercise:

AM – Walk 40 minutes
PM – Swim 45 minutes
Late PM – Walk 60 minutes

Sleep – Last night 5 hours (not good but I was traveling!) but I had a 1 hour nap this afternoon!

Whew, I just hope 5 days from now I feel a lot more energy than I have right now! If anyone else needs a good motivation kick please feel free to join me!

And before I go I just want to say a massive thank you for all the well-wishes for the treasure that is Cupcake!

And now I’m off to get healthy!!!

Happy Monday! Sophie is home again (whew!) and back to her happy self, refusing to walk anywhere she doesn’t want to go! Obstinate, yes! Cute, definitely!

Now that Sophie is home I can focus on the week ahead;  I’ve mentioned before, this week I’m forgoing menu planning and instead using up what is in my pantry. I hope to blog about what I eat, although it may not be a daily post and instead a synopsis at the end! This is also the last full week in May which means I need to get serious about my list of goals for the month, especially since next week I’ll be away for a bit with the “possible challenge”! Eek!

The plan for this week is really simple: keep on top of work, keep Sophie healthy, swim every night, eat healthy, plug away at the list and spend my evenings listening to some of my favourite Mozart to keep relaxed and calm, in spite of all I have on my plate right now! One good thing already completed this week is a few blog changes – a new header picture, a brief introduction on the home page and at a dear readers request, I put a tag cloud on the home page to make it easier for people to search through old posts! There’s nothing like a little blog clean up to give you a spring in your step!

What are your weekly plans?