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Successful Summer Planning: Strategies for Effective Execution

School is out! Summer is here! This means kids are at home with not a lot to do. You probably have those few family vacation planned. Its the times between those vacations that our kids need activities. I always do a great job at planning the perfect schedule. The execution never seems to go as planned. But I keep trying. This year I have high hopes this will be the most successful summer mostly because my kids are older.

I start my schedule planning by making a list of everything I want/need in each day. Some of the items on my list are chores, reading/school work, working, exercise, meals, etc. I also signed my kids up for summer camps/activities. Then I started adding times to the most important items like the kids’ activities. However, the more items I add to the day the harder it is to fit everything into the day. Once I have a general schedule, the hard part begins, putting that schedule into action. I’ll admit, I’m great at creating schedules but I struggle with putting them into action. Knowing this about myself I need to find a way to hold myself accountable.

Some ways I hold my accountable are scheduling events in my phone with alarms. Writing a daily to-do list that I check off items as I go and rewrite of the days events. Setting goals for myself and everyday I remind myself of these goals. Another way that I can hold myself accountable is giving some of that accountability to my kids. They are old enough to have some accountability. They each have their own daily to-do/ chores lists. At the breakfast table, we discuss what events are scheduled and what needs to get done. They cannot play video games or watch t.v. until their chores are done and they have done some reading (keep a look out for my future post on my kids reading challenge).

Summer is here and vacations are planned. Now the times between vacations are planned. Kids shouldn’t get bored. They have a schedule and know what to expect. We know what to expect. We should have a great summer. Will you?

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Time with God with Daily Devotion

This year I did not make a list of New Year Resolutions. I have a word for the year. This year is confidence. I got my word from a quiz I took at dayspring.com As a way to grow my confidence, I want to grow my relationship with God. To help grow my relationship with God, I have created a daily devotion time. I have actually scheduled two times each day, most days. This post is about how and when I spend time with God.

I try to spend time with God every morning and every evening. In the morning I read that Day out of a daily Devotion book. This year I am reading “A Woman after God’s Own Heart” by Elizabeth George. Then I follow it up with doing a day out of Candace Cameron Bure’s “Radical Kindness” or a book similar to this (I’m not sure what I will do next). I try to do my morning devotion between getting my two older kids to school and dropping my third off at school. Sometimes, I have to push it till all kids at school.

In the evenings I read from my Bible. I am currently reading the book of Proverbs. After reading, I write a prayer in my prayer journal. I end my evening time with God by reading and writing in “Promises and Blessings From God’s Heart to Yours”. I ordered it online at dayspring.com. When I write in it, I either write a prayer or something related to the reading. My evening devotion usually happens when everyone is in bed sleeping. That way I am more likely to get that time uninterrupted. It can just be God and I.

There is another way that I some time do that helps grow my relationship with God, I read. I am currently reading “Get Out of Your Head” by Jennie Allen. Look for my review on this book soon. How do you spend time with God to help grow your relationship with God? I hope some of the books I am reading and doing inspire you to add to your daily devotion or add to your read list.

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Book Review: Do It Anyway, Girl!

As a new small business owner, one of the things I am trying to do is finding new ways to advertise and market my business. I came across this book on Facebook and Instagram. It is called “Do It Anyway, Girl!” by Michelle Cunningham.

She wrote this book on Network Marketing. How she went from not growing or succeeding in her business for six years. But, when she lost her day job, she gave herself six months to make her business a success or she would go find another Corporate job. Her book is about how she became successful in those six months.

Her book was a great read! An easy read. If you own your own business, I highly recommend it. You may not be able to apply everything she suggests in her book to your business but I feel there is enough good info to make it worth reading. Plus, it could give you inspiration on other ways to help your business.

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New Year, New Hopes

Another year has come and gone. It’s hard to believe that 2022 is over and 2023 has started. Last year did not go as I planned. I had planned to focus on my blog, this blog. I had months of content planned out. But, at the end of January, the beginning of February I decided to open a business. I design, make, and sell resin jewelry. For being a brand new Etsy shop owner, I feel I did great!

Now it is a new year with new hopes and dreams. I plan to grow my business. I plan to grow my blog. I plan to grow closer to God. To grow my confidence in all areas of my life. As a woman, as a wife, and as a mother. I will do my best to share ways and things I am doing to grow myself as a person.

What hopes and dreams do you have for this New Year?

Cheers to this New Year!