Finally! A back-on-track homemaking challenge

It took me awhile to get it together, but finally I arrived at a promising plan for the back-on-track challenge I've been wanting to do in the area of homemaking.  Generally, I do pretty well with just writing something out, but in this case, where it involved a holiday and the busy months of November and December, I needed to see it in graphic form.  So I printed out 2 blank calendars, one for each month, and began charting out my challenge.

And here is what I came up with:
The challenge will run from today, November 15, to Saturday, December 14.  I am not including Sundays in my challenge, but could use an hour or two on Sunday if something very important needs doing.  I'm using FlyLady's basic zones** with a couple of tweaks of my own.

And here's what the challenge looks like broken down by weeks:
Week 1 -- November 15-16 -- Zone 3, the bathrooms
Week 2 -- November 18-23 -- Zone 4, the bedroom
Week 3 -- November 25-30 -- Zone 3, the living room (and the computer/craft room)
Week 4 -- December 2-7 -- Zone 1, the front porch, entry and dining room (plus hallways and stairs)
Week 5 -- December 9-14 -- Zone 2, the kitchen

Here's what I plan to do:
* Do the weekly home blessing** each week, even if it is spread out over several days.
* Declutter 15 minutes daily in the zone for each week.
* Do Kelly's missions** daily in the zone for each week.
* During the last three weeks of the challenge, decorate for Christmas in the zone for the week (this will be done after Thanksgiving in week 1).

In general, I have no trouble keeping up with tasks like dishes, menu planning, meal preparation, laundry, or bathrooms.  But in other areas I tend to not keep up as well as I'd like.  So, I am hoping that this challenge will get me back on track and help me prepare for the holidays at the same time.  Anyone care to join me?

I hope to check in every few days and update my progress on the challenge.  I think it's fairly realistic.

** If you are interested in taking part in these challenges and are unfamiliar with these terms, check out FlyLady.net for help.  You'll find a link to FlyLady at right in the sidebar under Links.

Back-on-Track health & energy challenge

If you've been visiting my kitchen table for awhile, you know that periodically I find it necessary to set a "back-on-track" challenge for myself, trying to get back on track in certain areas of my life.  Usually, I will aim to get back on track in several areas at once.  For a couple of months now I have been hoping to complete a back-on-track challenge.  It just hasn't been happening.  When I looked over how I did on my September goals, I decided I might just have the answer to why that is.  I noticed that in several of the areas I normally need challenging in, I was doing pretty well.  The two areas where I repeatedly fell down, week after week, were homemaking and health/energy.

Based on that, I decided to do two separate challenges -- one for each problem area -- in two consecutive months. 

When I got up this morning I was eager to start one of the challenges, and figured it would probably be the homemaking one.  Coming off a very busy weekend with grandkids here and also coming home from a getaway meant that there were lots of things to put in order.  But as I thought about it more, I realized I should start the health and energy challenge.  For one thing, I was already in the exercise and fresh air mode from our getaway.  For another, I had some excellent time with the Lord during our getaway and really felt that He would have me work on this area first.  So, here we go -- a health/energy back-on-track challenge!

Here's what I'm planning to work on:
*Drinking enough water
* Getting to bed at a reasonable hour
* Eating more fruits and vegetables
* Getting more exercise
* Eating less sugar
* Keeping track of the above each day
* Doing something creative every day (mental health!)

I am starting the challenge today and will end October 31.  Lord willing, I will check in every day or two.  If any of you would like to tackle a similar challenge, feel free to come here and check in at my kitchen table!

Back-on-track challenge!

Graphic from The Cottage Market

The weather this weekend was SO hot.  Almost unbearably hot.  It was definitely unseasonably hot.  Then yesterday afternoon we had a violent thunderstorm which cleared the air somewhat.  Today is still warm, but there's a nice breeze and cooler weather is said to be on the way.  Since I'm thinking more clearly, I'm going to begin a back-on-track challenge for myself today.

What's a back-on-track challenge, you wonder?  If you're been visiting at my kitchen table for awhile, you know that periodically I see the need to try and challenge myself to establish better habits in different areas of my life.   I mentioned last week that I was going to try and start out on another of these back-on-track challenges.  I don't want to wait for a new year to try and establish some better habits.  So I am going to try and challenge myself in these four areas:

*  health and energy -- specifically eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep
*  homemaking -- getting back into the routines that work for me; getting better at time management
*  spiritual life -- especially Bible study, Scripture memory and meditating on Scripture
* creativity -- blogging more often, making some things for home decor, and trying to craft some birthday and Christmas gifts.


The first 2 areas are the biggies -- the ones I am severely off track with.  I'm not doing too badly with the last 2 (at the moment) but I'm going to include them because I can easily get out of balance in trying to zero in on only two areas.  Creativity is a crucial one for me.  If I neglect my spiritual life, I know for sure that it will keep me from doing anything else well.  And for me, neglecting creativity has a negative effect as well.  If I can continue nurturing my God-given creativity, I find that it helps me think creatively about the other aspects of life too, including those that need work.

 I will be starting the challenge today and continuing through the month of June.  I will try and post every day or two as to how I am doing with the four areas.  If anyone cares to join me in this challenge, you are more than welcome!

Back-on-Track Challenge, Week 3

Well, a third week of my personal back-on-track challenge has passed.  I am not sure where the week went.  Recall, I had originally planned this challenge for 21 days.   I've definitely decided to continue it for at least one more week, maybe more.   Here's my report for the past week; how I did in the four areas I was challenging myself in:

*  health and energy -- specifically eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep -- did okay with this.  Again, I probably did best with the "getting enough sleep" part.  Exercised only 2 days, though I did seem to be doing a lot of running around after kids, so perhaps I can count that.  Still need to work on all of these specifics.

*  spiritual life -- especially Bible study, Scripture memory and meditating on Scripture -- Again this week,  this went very well.  I again set some specific spiritual life goals for each day and I'm happy to say that I met those every day!  I will continue to work on these, because I firmly believe that the spiritual aspect of life is the most important and that if it is not all it should be, I will continue to have trouble with goals, purpose, and priority in all other aspects of life.

*  homemaking -- getting back into the routines that work for me; getting better at time management -- I'm still not where I want to be with the homemaking routines OR the time management, but there's been definite improvement -- especially in time management.  I was so thankful to see how Saturday went -- it was a busy day and I had a lot to accomplish.  I was so pleased to see how the Lord gave wisdom regarding my use of time to help me feel relaxed and not rushed.  (Praying to master the skills of time management has been an ongoing prayer request of mine for years, so that explains why I'm so thrilled to see progress!)  Still need to work a lot harder at getting those homemaking routines in place.

* creativity -- blogging more often and trying to craft some birthday and Christmas gifts  --   Did quite well with this; managed to finish three Christmas gifts and got a lot of prep work done for others.  I managed to post in both blogs fairly often, too, though not quite as much as I'd hoped to.

All in all I am pleased with the third week of the Back-on-Track challenge and am hoping it goes even better this week, which is already looking like a very busy one.

Back-on-Track Challenge, Week 2

Well, a second week of my personal back-on-track challenge has passed -- extremely quickly, I must add!   Here's my report for the past week; how I did in the four areas I was challenging myself in:

*  health and energy -- specifically eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep -- did okay with this.  Probably did best with the "getting enough sleep" part.  Exercised 3 days.  Had a busier-than-expected weekend with more chocolate involved than I should have had!  Still need to work on all of these specifics.

*  spiritual life -- especially Bible study, Scripture memory and meditating on Scripture -- Again this week,  this went very well.  As mentioned last week, Bible study is something I love and --  aside from the time spent simply reading my Bible each day and the time spent studying the Bible for my Sunday School lesson -- I hadn't been finding time for it.  This week I set some specific spiritual life goals for each day and I'm happy to say that I met those every day but one.  That said, I am not resting on my laurels but will continue to work on these!

*  homemaking -- getting back into the routines that work for me; getting better at time management -- I'm still not where I want to be with the homemaking routines OR the time management, but there's been definite improvement.  It helps me so much to make an overall plan for my week and to fit the different tasks in where I am most likely to have time to accomplish them.  Making a daily time schedule -- just a simple list on a piece of scrap paper listing the things I want to get done and when to do them -- helps me tremendously too.  My weekend was very busy but I did manage my time fairly well, thanks to spending a few minutes planning and scheduling each morning.

* creativity -- blogging more often and trying to craft some birthday and Christmas gifts  --   Did okay with this; managed to get  some work done on Christmas gifts and planned others into my schedule (see above).  I managed to post in both blogs fairly often, too.  As I noted last week, I sometimes think I have more ideas for posts and crafting than I will ever manage to accomplish in this life!

All in all I am pleased with the second week of the Back-on-Track challenge and am hoping it goes even better this week, though it has already been busy and has the potential to continue so.  I may have to go beyond the 21 days I had planned for this challenge ...

Back-on-Track challenge, Week 1

So much for my thought of checking in every day or two on this!  Here's my report for the past week; how I did in the four areas I was challenging myself in:

*  health and energy -- specifically eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep -- did okay with this.  Probably did best with the "getting enough sleep" part.  Exercised 4 days.  Did better with eating right/getting enough water toward the end of the week.  Still need to work on all of these specifics.

*  spiritual life -- especially Bible study, Scripture memory and meditating on Scripture -- I'm happy to report that this went very well.  Bible study is something I love and, aside from the time spent simply reading my Bible each day and the time spent studying the Bible for my Sunday School lesson, I hadn't been finding time for.  This week I set some specific spiritual life goals for each day and I'm happy to say that I met each one.  That said, I am not resting on my laurels but will continue to work on these!

*  homemaking -- getting back into the routines that work for me; getting better at time management -- I'm still not where I want to be with the homemaking routines OR the time management, but there's been definite improvement.  It helps me so much to make an overall plan for my week and to fit the different tasks in where I am most likely to have time to accomplish them.  Making a daily time schedule -- just a simple list on a piece of scrap paper listing the things I want to get done and when to do them -- helps me tremendously too.

* creativity -- blogging more often and trying to craft some birthday and Christmas gifts  -- hooray!  Did well with this; managed to get the birthday gifts all finished AND into the mail in a timely way, and have done some work on Christmas gifts and planned others into my schedule (see above).  I did manage to post in both blogs fairly often, too.  I sometimes think I have more ideas for posts and crafting than I will ever manage to accomplish in this life!

So all in all I am pleased with the first week of the Back-on-Track challenge and am hoping it goes even better this week!

Trying to get back on track!

If you're been visiting at my kitchen table for awhile, you know that periodically I see the need to try and challenge myself to establish better habits in areas of my life. (The areas are not always the same, which is sort of encouraging in a way, showing that at least some progress is being made.)   I mentioned last week that I was going to try and start out on another back-on-track challenge today.  I don't want to wait for a new year to try and establish some better habits.  So I am going to try and challenge myself in these four areas :

*  health and energy -- specifically eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep

*  spiritual life -- especially Bible study, Scripture memory and meditating on Scripture

*  homemaking -- getting back into the routines that work for me; getting better at time management

* creativity -- blogging more often and trying to craft some birthday and Christmas gifts.

 I will be starting the challenge today -- and, working on the principle that it takes 21 days to establish a habit, will end the challenge on November 11.  I will try and post every day or two as to how I am doing with the four areas.  If anyone cares to join me in the challenge, you are more than welcome!

Back-on-track challenge update

With this challenge, I decided not to update my blog every day. I thought it might be better to post a weekly update as to how things went. So again, here are the areas I'm trying to get back on track with.

* health and energy -- specifically eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep

This week I did really well with exercising. I did my simple exercise routine 5 days out of 7 (which is what I usually aim to do) and went for a walk 4 days out of 7. I did pretty well with eating healthy through the week, though the weekend wasn't so good. My ideal eating plan is to eat healthfully as much as possible but I do allow myself dessert on the weekend. I got plenty of sleep. Drinking enough water still needs work, as I don't enjoy drinking water when I feel chilly.

* spiritual life -- especially Scripture memory and meditating on Scripture

I found a Scripture memory plan and started on it. This week I memorized 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 and meditated a bit on Philippians 4:8

* homemaking -- getting back into my FlyLady routines with an eye to decluttering the entire house in 2010; spending less money

This week I did some extra work in the weekly zone, which was the kitchen. One big thing was to have my hubby help me pull the fridge away from the wall so we could clean behind and under it and also clean the side, and the side of the stove which is right next to it. It didn't take us more than 15 minutes, but what a great feeling to have that done. I also bagged up a few things to take to the thrift store. Also, FlyLady has been sending out some special "Olympic" events and I've been enjoying doing some of those. My plan is to do them all.

* ministry -- taking time to connect with people on a regular basis; using my God-given talents and gifts for His glory

I wrote some long overdue notes to friends this week. Also spent lots of time on my Sunday School lessons for this week and next. Began doing some thinking about the children's devotional book I write each spring.

* creativity -- trying to do something creative, no matter how small, every day

This week I was able to post on my blog several times. I also did some work on cross-stitch and embroidery projects and did some scrapbook journaling. I also did some creative kitchen things -- made cinnamon rolls and glazed brownie hearts with my granddaughters.

So that's how this week has gone for the back-on-track challenge! All in all, I'm pleased with how the week went, but there's always room for improvement.

Starting anew...

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been somewhat off track ever since Christmas. Throughout December I raced to finish up projects I was making for Christmas gifts. On New Year's night, we had our final gift exchange. I paused to make a list of New Year goals, but there was no time to begin implementing them. We received exciting news that our faraway daughter, husband and three little ones would come to visit in mid-January. Immediately I plunged into the enjoyable task of planning for their visit. Before we knew it, they were here! Four days after their arrival, my mother passed away. It was not completely unexpected, but we honestly had not thought it would be so soon. The rest of January was filled with fun family times along with more sobering moments as I tried to help my dad begin adjusting to life without my mother, along with plenty of required paperwork. Until today there hasn't been much time to draw a breath, never mind think about my goals. I am going to start today on another back-on-track challenge. Here are the areas I'll be working on:

* health and energy -- specifically eating right, exercising, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep

* spiritual life -- especially Scripture memory and meditating on Scripture

* homemaking -- getting back into my FlyLady routines with an eye to decluttering the entire house in 2010; spending less money

* ministry -- taking time to connect with people on a regular basis; using my God-given talents and gifts for His glory

* creativity -- trying to do something creative, no matter how small, every day

Perhaps some of you have been feeling the same way. It's not too late to get back on track, so feel free to join me in this challenge!

Living Room Challenge Update

Here's a quick update on the great Living Room Challenge. I dare say Carrie is making greater strides in her living room than I am in mine, but I have accomplished some of what I planned.

* I thoroughly dusted and decluttered three shelves of books plus the top of the bookcase. It does look much, much better.

* I decluttered a pretty basket which I use for storage of note cards, addresses, etc. and it also looks so much nicer and neater.

Hopefully I can accomplish more (if not all) of the challenge today and tomorrow. We will be away for Friday evening and most of Saturday, so I can't expect to get anything done at home in that time frame.

Living Room Challenge

I've decided to join in on the Living Room Challenge that Carrie is doing over at Life on a Back Road. My living room looks sort of OK on the surface, but the storage areas are in serious need of decluttering, so I'm going to focus on those for my own challenge. Carrie listed the areas she'll be working on and about how long she thinks each project would take, so I'm going to do the same.

* Straighten, dust, and declutter 6 shelves of books (1 hour)

* Declutter 3 storage shelves in bookcase cupboard (45 minutes)

* Reorganize cross-stitch books and materials (30 minutes)

* Declutter a storage basket (15 minutes)

* Declutter a storage chest (45 minutes)

Anybody care to join in on this living room challenge with us? I'll keep you posted as to how I do with this.

Derailment!

I guess it's official -- my Back-on-Track challenge has been derailed by the events of real life. It's not that I've gotten off track in every area -- I've done pretty well with my Christmas preparations, quite well with homemaking, and very well in the Bible study/devotional areas. But I just haven't gotten back on track consistently in all the areas I hoped to. So, I'm planning to start it up again tomorrow and go until Christmas, and see how I can do with the areas of:

* Health & energy

* Bible study/devotional life

* Homemaking

* Creativity

* Christmas preparations