How Life Looks Now - Small House Update

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” -Epicurus

It is almost one year since we moved into the small house, after much planning and waiting and dreaming. It feels so right, and everything seems to have fallen into place for us. Looking back it was a pretty big change, leaving a lovely big house, moving further out and  to a much smaller home, but it was all part of a plan. An intention to change, and to make our life into what we wanted. I needed to remain patient and hopeful throughout the long process of selling and moving and down-sizing and simplifying, but finally we are here. You can read more about the journey here.

Since we have moved, there have been more changes. Mr M received a redundancy from his workplace of 18 years in January this year. This was a long time coming and something that he had hoped  and held on for. It was a good thing for him, for us. It was great that he could at last leave a job that he was unhappy in, even if it  paid well. It is wonderful that now he is studying part time for the remainder of the year and doing some casual agency work along the way. it is amazing that he can fulfill his passion for working in the health industry, rather than working with machines. He is certainly a people person!

Mr M, pictured here (left) with his best mate is preparing for the trip of a lifetime to Brazil. I am so happy that he is getting to realise some of his personal dreams, and I am content to be by his side.

Writing Goals

In order to have a successful outcome in something that we choose to undertake, we need to plan for that success that occur.

To achieve your own, personal goals you first need to make a plan. This is includes what your goal/goals are, and how you are going to make them happen. It shows how you will measure your success and the time frame that you are working towards. 

Think about areas in your life that you wish to improve. Think about the  bigger changes you want to make,  things that take time and effort as well as smaller things that are quicker, and generally easier to achieve. Then write these down as specific goal statements. Write them in positive language, in the present tense. Write "I am going to......"  When you write them down you committ to them. You become accountable (to yourself)  and more able to make decisions that reflect your goals.

Make your goals visible by putting them up somewhere, or by using pictures, or photos, or words to act as reminders of your goals.  Re-write your goals daily, so they remain fresh and current. Your goals will evolve over time, and you are likely to write them differently each day. It is best not to look back at the previous day, but write what occurs to you at that moment. That is the truest goal reflection you will have. If you wish, share your  goals by telling someone positive. This also assists in accountability and may help you to connect to resources to help you.

Now write 3 actions for each goal that you can do today. Once again state these in the present tense. " I will....." It is about breaking the goal up into small parts that you can inact to achieve the changes you desire. Focus on one of the actions asking yourself "What  is the most important thing I can do today?" Now make sure that you do it. Writing the actions gives you a plan of attack with specific tasks that you can do to get on with making your goals happen. It helps to remove the overwhelm.

It is important that your goals have attached time frames, otherwise they can and will drag on forever. Be realistic about the time you give yourself ( too little or too much) and reflect on your achievements and challenges along the way. Reward yourself for progress and move on from setbacks. It is important to set measures that show when you have achieved your goal, bearing in mind that your goals will have changed and evoled over time. Ask yourself "How different will my life look to tell me that my goal has been achieved?"

Most importantly be kind to yourself as you take small steps in the right direction. Make time every day to focus on your goals and actions, and you can start to realise the life you are planning.

My Place and Yours

I have just discovered that there is a new home for My Place and Yours, over at helloowl. The last theme was pink. Here are some very light pink roses picked from my garden and gracing my dining room, in bottles that had contained a pinkish blood orange drink.

The theme for this week is My Top Drawer and as I am in the process of cleaning, sorting and culling (pretty much the whole house) I thought I would refrain from sharing the horror!

I am making good progress on my goal of reducing things, and we are working towards a garage sale/op shop drop in a few weeks. It truly puzzles me that we have so much stuff. We are going to be selling/getting rid of most of the girls barbies, bratz, baby dolls and toys. I am encouraging them though to keep a few special things, as I know they will appreciate them in years to come.

We have FINALLY bought a new bed for the teen, after her room makeover last year, and am preparing to paint the ballerina's room in the holidays.

Goal Reflections

At the start of the Year I set some goals for the year, with specific objectives for the month to be recorded in a journal.

2010 GOALS , January objectives
1. Honor My Family spend time together, talking
2. Develop One Healthier Lifestyle Habit walk most days
3. Nurture My Home organise cupboards
4. Reduce Something let go of one commitment
5. Focus On One Area For Increased Independence use more whole foods

It is almost time to set new objectives , so Iwanted to reflect upon this month and what I have achieved. I have been cleaning out and sorting cupboards all throughout the house. I got onto my sewing room early in the piece, and cleaned out the desk, which hadn't been done for at least 5 years. I now have a draw with wrapping paper and cards, and a draw to store inspiration journals and notebooks. I even folded up ALL of my fabric!

The games/family/rumpus room is proving to be my biggest challenge. It is full to the brim with toys, games, books, magazines, scrapbooking supplies, photos and other assorted stuff! Yesterday I tackled the boardgames and sorted a cupboard just for them. We even played a family game of Yahtzee last night, which was a great way to achieve #1.

I haven't walked as much as I would have liked, but I still walked many nights after dinner, often with one or both of the girls. #5 is slowly happening, but a great outcome of discussing our food options has been the teen deciding to cook a meal each week. Last week she cooked a delicious chickpea hotpot.

I am off now to ponder my new objectives, with a coffee and some of Kirsty's delicious banana bread.

Crazy Disco Fun

The ballerina hosted a disco in her room last night. Invitations and tickets were sent out and
funny costumes were assembled. We danced to some funky tunes carefully compiled in a playlist on her new Ipod. We played games including blindfolded balloon catch (only one person is blindfolded, and everyone laughs at their attempts to catch the balloon) and we had to choose the best dressed toy, out of a collection of 19! It was lots of fun, and a great way to honour my family too!

Goals Journal

Write it down = make it real

Make it special = honour the committment

*cut up old magazines - Goal #4 -reduce something

Reduce Something

As 2009 drew to a close I began to contemplate the year ahead and what I want to achieve. In 2010 I will be finishing my studies and looking for work, those are a given. I have a family and home to take care of - also givens. The uncertainties relate to trying to earn income from my craft. I have decided to close my Chocolate Crow Trader shop and focus my creative energies on magazine submissions. I seem to have more success designing than selling. I feel relieved to have removed the pressure to make to a deadline, and create more for pleasure. It certainly feels like the right thing to do, for now anyway.

The picture above is of my latest published design, in Country Threads Magazine. (Vol 10 No 5)

2010 Goals

I have decided to write some goals to achieve this year. I have been reading blogs, contemplating what I want to achieve for the year and have been greatly inspired by this article on Tip Nut, which has 11 goals to work on throughout the year. It is worth looking at and pondering. There are some great ideas for each of the goals. I have adapted the list to suit my own needs and thought I would share it. I plan to create a journal with a list of the goals at the front. Each month I will work on one objective for each goal. I have listed my objectives for January.

2010 GOALS
1. Honor My Family spend time together, talking
2. Develop One Healthier Lifestyle Habit walk most days
3. Nurture My Home organise cupboards
4. Reduce Something let go of one commitment
5. Focus On One Area For Increased Independence use more whole foods

January's progress

1. is under control thanks to 7th Heaven (half way through Season 3) transporting teen to work and walking with the ballerina
2. I have walked after dinner every day this month
3. Dining room is done, vegie crispers are done, sewing room is a WIP, floordrobe is another story!
4. more on this in my next post

5. shopped today with a shopping list and week of planned meals and nothing in a packet or box for main meals

The picture is of White Chocolate Plum cake, made using plums from my parents tree, and chocolate left over from Christmas. So that covers at least #4 and #5!