Progress Report 7

Wow. Looking back at the list I was supposed to do this week... oops. Focusing on the positive. I completed chapter 5 and started chapter 6 in my computer class. I started working on my budget projection for DbR. I have the majority of my logo article sketched out by hand. Now I have to type it and get Mandy to proof it for me. The logo project will be wrapped up tonight. And, I sent out my business cards to Penmor Lithographers in Lewiston. Maybe I can get some referrals from it.

Things accomplished that weren't on my list: I completed a prototype and all proofs for the wedding invitations I have been hired to do. The shop has new insulation, a brand new ceiling, which has been painted, and new lighting fixtures. It also has a wonderful new front door. J and M jacked up the back wall and are starting to put the tongue and groove pine on the walls, now. So much is happening so fast. It's making my head spin, but in a great way.

1. Get paper cut and start printing invitations
2. Complete Chapter 6; start Chapter 7
3. Finish logo article
4. Use Article Blue Print on brochure article
5. Make an appointment with tax guy for DbR
   
6. Watch as my design studio takes shape in front of my eyes
   

Progress Report 7

Okay, okay... I think I might have to permanently give up my driving privileges. I haven't been to the BMV yet, and don't know when I'm going to be able to get there. I've stopped driving distances longer than a few miles to work.

Last week I went to all the youth activities that I mentioned in the last post, put in some extra hours at work, helped cook soups and serve a soup dinner at church, and nursed two sick kids back to health after picking them up from their grandparents.

I've also been studying and reading up on Dave Ramsey. He has a radio program that I've listened to all of the archived shows I can get to. I've read two of his books and printed out a bunch of his worksheets. I've also investigated his training materials. And for the first time, feel like we can get in control of our finances. I'm excited and am trying to get the rest of the family on board. For the first time, Eric and I are sitting down to work on a budget this week!

This week I have to:

1. get my kitchen back in order
2. do tons of laundry
3. unpack the kids
4. 4-H meeting
5. clean off sewing desk
6. create a budget w/ Eric

This Week Is Picking Up Speed...

And I'm running to catch up! I have been so busy this week and it seems the hurrier I go the behinder I get. Yup, but I'm having fun this week and getting a chance to do things that are a luxury. Like reading a book. With a cup of coffee. Without the kids. I also went snow tubing with the youth group, had a party with the teens and some of them stayed the night, and had special service Monday night. I dropped the kids off to their grandparents and I'm trying to get some extra stuff done at work. Life is good....

Progress Report 6

Looking for a good excuse to not get things accomplished?... I have one. Cold Medicine. After fighting an ear infection and now a severe cold, I am exhausted and fuzzy headed. Putting two coherent sentences together is proving difficult. Thankfully I didn't procrastinate this week and got my clients work out of the way quickly, before illness hit. I ran Article Blueprint on my business card article, but didn't get my logo article written. I didn't even crack my school books this week. I need to buckle down on that again. I got hung up reading You, Inc. Mandy needs to read this one too. I finally got around to changing the header on my website, but I'm not completely happy with it yet. More tweaking is in order.

We spent Saturday in the Bangor area, so I lost a day of being able to accomplish anything. It was worth it to see Z swim in the States again. Today is a holiday for me, so now I'm playing catchup and trying to get better.

I will keep the list light, while my head is still fuzzy.

1. Finish logo article
2. Complete Chap 5 assignment
3. Work on budget projection for DbR
4. Wrap up current logo job
5. Send out b.cards to Penmor
   

Progress Report 6

I thought I was going to make it last week, but life got in the way again. I was able to get the brakes fixed on the car, put more money towards fixing my car, wrote an affiliate article and took Geoffrey to the Science Fair (which was a big hit!). I went to several stores to find the kind of pantry organizers that I want and was unsuccessful. I'll have to order it. I didn't find time to sit at the BMV's office to get my license renewed. That's top on the list this week. I was convinced that I'd get my bathrooms scrubbed this weekend, but with special services 3 days in a row, and one of those days being Valentine's Day, it just didn't get done. So that also migrates to this weeks list.

This week is school vacation. My boss and her family have gone to warmer climates for the week, but gave me permission to do some deep cleaning while they are away. So without any daily mess to clean up, I'm going to hit it hard and try to put in some extra hours. This will really help with getting my car fixed and paying it off early.

I also was given some skirts from a friend at church who needs some alterations and mending done. I promised to have them back this week.

My kids are going to their grandparent's for half of the week. So I'm delivering them Wednesday, and probably picking them up Saturday. I hope to get the cleaning done that I need to then.

There are a few other things that I'd like to get done this week, but for the sake of my sanity, I won't list them now. :)

1. Renew license
2. Scrub bathrooms
3. Fix skirts
4. Work extra hours
5. Drop kids off

Growing Your Box

I've been reading a fantastic book lately, You, Inc. The Art of Selling Yourself. There have been many things that have struck me as so true, others I realized I knew, but hadn't vocalized and yet others are completely new thoughts to me. One of those new introductions directly relates with what Mandy and I are working towards, breaking out of the box. Interestingly Harry and Christine Beckwith say this doesn't work.

Your box - your way of thinking, working, and living - has worked for you. It's the box in which your were born, a product of your DNA with which you were encoded. You can change your box about as easily as you can alter the shape of your head... Don't try to think outside your box; it's too hard. Instead, grow it.

They suggest that instead of trying to work outside of the box that you were born with, bring new things into it; grow it. Do things that you never thought you would do and pull those experiences into your box. Perhaps that is closer to what Mandy and I are doing. Each of us has decided to rearrange our boxes and expand them to include the things we wish to accomplish. To think of it this way takes some of the fear out of trying to do something new because the boxes we live in are familiar, allowing that comfort to support and encourage growth.

I have a certain way of doing things, and that hasn't changed. It's just been reorganized and I see the results coming to life before my eyes. Think on this.

If nothing changes, nothing changes.
If something changes, something will change for you.

Can I Be Super Woman?

Is it really possible to do everything that we are supposed to do every day? According to the magazines we are supposed to take time to pamper ourselves, spend time with our children, spend time with our spouse, exercise, meditate on spiritual things, clean house, work, manage the budget, run errands, and on and on and on...

How come I can't seem to do it all? When I actually squeeze in some exercise, the housecleaning suffers? Or when I spend time in prayer and reading scripture, I don't have time to exercise. Am I being lazy? Is there enough time in a day? I have decided that I will put this to the test next week. For one day next week, I will list all of these things and check them off. And if it's possible to do it all in one day, is it possible to do it all every day? Will I even have a life after I'm done doing everything I'm supposed to do? It's a quandary.

Progress Report 5

Wow! Is it week 5 already?? It feels like I just wrote out week 4's list. Just where does the time go? In any case, I tried very hard to stay focused last week. But to be honest, I didn't really do anything until Thursday. Wednesday was my birthday, so I took the day off from responsibilities and went shopping instead. (After I posted my list of 30 Things.) Thursday I started working on cleaning the kitchen and my desk. I got it mostly done and left it. Friday I had to devote to my husbands projects, although Geoffrey did work hard on his science project that day. Then came Super Saturday! That's the day that Row and I pick up the slack and try to cram everything in. I analyzed the work I had done already and wondered if it was enough to get by. Should I cross the kitchen and desk off my list and work on other things? I decided no. It was not what I had envisioned it to be so I bit the bullet and kept going. I finished those projects and cleaned out the toy room also. So all in all, I did everything except post another article to my affiliate site.

Not writing that article sparked another thought. Is it okay to not completely finish our lists? We are trying to be accountable. We are trying to be diligent. We are trying to become what we are not. So the answer is... yes! Of course it is okay to not complete everything on our lists! We are trying to create more freedom for ourselves, not enslave ourselves to a list. Life happens and part of breaking out of this box is so we can enjoy life more. The point of 2010 Progress is not to be shackled by one more responsibility, but to stay focused on the things that are really important to us. Just keep moving forward!

So in the spirit of Progress, here is next week's list:

1. Renew driver's license (oops :)
2. Help Geoffrey complete science fair project
3. Get brakes fixed on E's car
4. Get organizers for the pantry
5. Scrub bathrooms
6. Put $$ towards fixing my car
7. Write article for affiliate site

Progress Report 5

I'm a bit disappointed in myself for not completing my list this week. It wasn't a terribly difficult one. However, the point of this report is not to beat myself up. I did accomplish some stuff. The insulation is completely torn out of the the shop and J and M have begun to rewire. It's so exciting. I also finished one assignment for my class and sketched out an article on logo design.

A couple of things came up this week that weren't on my list. I got another logo job and met with another client to solidify her wedding invitations. Those will be primary on this weeks list. I started working with Article BP as well. Again, something for this weeks list.

I started reading a great book too. I suppose that distracted me a bit. It's called You, Inc: The Art of Selling Yourself by Harry and Christine Beckworth. I'm only a few chapters in, but so much of what they say is what Mandy and I are trying to accomplish with this blog and our new way of thinking. I probably look foolish reading it, because I can't get the smile off my face. :-) I can't wait to read more.

Week six will be very busy. I have my last day of the business workshop today. Tomorrow and Wednesday work, then Thursday is Dad's surgery. I have scheduled to have the day off to wait at the hospital with Mom. Plus the design work. So to put it in stone.

1. Preliminary concepts for logo.
2. Preliminary design for wedding invites.
3. Finish my article and publish it.
4. Run Article BP for one of my current articles.
5. Complete one assignment in my class.
6. Finish watching MMO vids.
   
7. And, I still really want to change the header on my website.

I should also add to my list to not procrastinate this week.

The Truth About Us

Chat - Feb 4, 2010

me: I was thinking that if we both have time to procrastinate our list until the last 3 days of the week, what could we accomplish if we weren't procrastinators??

Rowena: haha don't stress me out. Someday we will get that under control and take over the world. :D

She's probably right. I don't think the world is ready for us yet. Maybe 2011.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Birthdays seem to be a time of reflection. As soon as I woke up this morning I started thinking about where I was 10 years ago, and 1 year ago.

10 years ago I didn't have these worry lines on my forehead or the silver flecks in my hair. 10 years ago I didn't have the stretch marks and extra lbs I'm toting around. But 10 years ago I didn't have my two children who are a blessing to me everyday. And 10 years ago I didn't have those experiences that not only molded my face but my character as well.

Last year, 2009, I've already said was one of the hardest years of my life so far. I was trying to think of what I did last year for my birthday. It went something like this. Up at 3:30 a.m. Try to rekindle the fire. Drag kids out of bed in the dark, cold of winter. Put them in the car because we have to take Eric to work at McDonald's, the only place he could find work. Drive 20 minutes to get him there at 4:00 a.m. in a borrowed Volvo, way past it's prime. Our only car had gone off the road on a slushy afternoon a week or so earlier and busted everything underneath. Drive 20 min. back home put sleepy kids back in bed with me and try to sleep another hour and a half. Wake kids up at 6:15 to get Geoffrey ready for school. Drop him off at 7:00 to the neighbors to carpool into town. Back home with Ella, get dressed, get breakfast, stoke fire, go to work at 9:00. Finish work at 12:30 p.m. Drive 20 min. to pick up Eric from McDonald's at 1:00 p.m. and 20 minutes back home. Rush to try to get at least 1 load of laundry done and maybe some dishes. Maybe just take a nap. Leave at 3:00 p.m. to pick Geoffrey up from school at 3:20. Come home, get dinner, help Geoffrey with homework, do some housework, go to bed by 8:00 p.m. And then do it all again tomorrow. That was my schedule through most of last year. I was tired, we were broke, and no one was happy.

I'm so blessed this year.

This morning, I woke up when I wanted. The kids slept in past 8:00 a.m. because they are home-schooled this year. We have a working vehicle. Eric works at home. We have stable income and some money in the bank. I'm 20 lbs lighter and well rested. I have time to keep up on housework and do other things that I want to do. We're still suffering the aftermath of 2009, but there is now light at the end of the tunnel.

Now I can focus on the future. As promised, I am posting my list of 30 Things I Want to Do Before I'm 30. It may be subject to change. Hey, it's my list and I'm allowed to change my mind! The first 10 are my 2010 list. Other than that, they're in no particular order.

1. See Pacific ocean

2. Fly

3. Quit my job

4. Make $50/day online

5. Lose 15 lbs

6. Paint my house

7. Pay off my car

8. Hike the Ecotat gardens

9. Shop in Freeport

10. Start an IRA or get $1000 in savings

11. Get my passport

12. Visit Lebanon TN

13. Ride a motorcycle

14. Go on a cruise

15. Get house out of foreclosure

16. Buy a new vehicle

17. Publish a book

18. Go to a concert

19. Have a tea party

20. Direct a play

21. Take piano lessons

22. Get concealed weapons permit

23. Go skiing

24. Take kids to Boston Museum of Science

25. Go to Power Conference in Plaster Rock

26. Go horseback riding

27. Give an anonymous gift

28. Get GED

29. Plan a trip to Hawaii

30. Convert toy room into library

So Happy Birthday to me! I'm going shopping now! :)

Progress Report 4

It's official. One month down, only 11 more to go! I really feel like this is a big accomplishment. Together, Row and I have made it through 4 weeks without losing focus. It's a good feeling.

This past week I worked hard on my list and really tried to do all of it. I was able to make another car payment. (That puts me one payment ahead of schedule.) I wrote an article for my affiliate site. It was very last minute, but it got done. I dropped off some more cash towards the fixing of my car. I'm hoping to get it back in a month or so. The kids and I attended our first 4-H meeting. It was great fun! The kids loved it and can't wait to go back. We even signed Geoffrey up for the science fair for Feb. 9th. I cleaned my bedroom and even bought and assembled a new bookshelf for it. AND... I started exercising again. I didn't start until Friday, but hey, it happened and I'm glad it did. I always feel better when I exercise in the mornings. So, 6 out of 7 items on my list were accomplished. I'm satisfied with that. I also worked my my Sunday school room one evening, cleaned the chicken coop, and got Dolly (my formerly wounded chicken) introduced back into the coop.

My goals for week 5 are:

1. Help Geoffrey with his science project
   
2. Clean the kitchen
   
3. Write an article for my affiliate site
4. Revise my 30 Things list to post on my birthday!!
5. Clean out the toy room
6. Organize my desk

Progress Report 4

By now I typically would have started slacking off from any New Year's resolutions made. I actually felt it coming on as this past week progressed. I heard myself making excuses and becoming rather blah about my progress. I looked back at the past few weeks and thought about the point to this blog and the conversations Mandy and I have had. Her article on accountability really kicked me in the rear as well. She is depending on me to keep up my end of the bargain. Heck, I'm depending on me to keep it up as well. The things I plan are for my benefit. I am the one who will pay for any slacking. So, I took a fresh look at my list for this week and dove in. I am very pleased to say that I accomplished far more than I had intended. That's the power of breaking out of the box.

Mandy is proofing my article as I type this now. I'll put it out for publication this afternoon. I completed one assignment in my class and began Chapter 4. The homework for my workshop today is almost ready, and will be before I leave. I didn't have time to do a new promotional piece, but it wasn't required for the class. It is something that I should do for myself soon, though. I did finish watching Module 1, completed Module 2 and started in on Module 3 of MMO. And, I put a new post on my website. In addition to completing my list I also pulled all the ceiling tiles out of the studio and began ripping out the insulation. That is not a fun job, as mice have been the primary residents for some years now. But, it's well worth it to see more progress happening in the building. I also bought my gas fireplace for 50% off it's original price. It won't be long now and J will take over for rewiring and then new windows, door, lighting..... Yay! It is really happening.

List for week 5:

1. Complete one assignment in my class.
2. Finish Module 3 in MMO.
3. Rip out more insulation.
4. Replace the header on my website.
5. Start coming up with little blurbs for my services page.
6. Write another article.