FEBRUARY Goals.

Happy February 2nd!! Can't believe we're already starting the month of February, but seriously. Time to review my goals from January and tell you about my new goals for this month. I realized that I made to many goals in January considering all that we had going on, and felt more overwhelmed about my goals.  

01// Dr. Oz Cleanse- I didn't end up doing this. I decided to do Whole30 this month and felt that a cleanse + Whole30 was a bit much for me so I nixed it!

02// New Workout plan- I'm now doing my HIIT workout plus running 2 days a week.

03// Start planning custom closet- We've made a plan, now it's time to build it.

04// Read 1 new book- I read For the Right Reasons by Sean Lowe. You can read my review here.

05// Start a 2015 Savings Plan- Done. You can read about it here.

06// Work on a house project- I didn't get to this at all this month. 

07// De clutter + Organize- Done. I cleaned out my office and tackled my kiddos rooms, and cleaned the closets & under sink cabinets. 

So heading into this month of February I've decided to tackle a small amount of purposeful goals. Here we go;

01// Whole30

I'm starting the Whole30 program this month. I've attempted it twice before and just not really prepared myself and then ended up quitting but I'm excited to prep right this time and tackle it for the month. 

02// Read 1 new book

This is one of my favorite goals, and I'm keeping it. This month I'm working on a few new books and trying to actually get through three of them. 

03// Work on a house project

This year we've decided to tackle our master bedroom. So this month we're working on the master bath. 

04// Plan a Date for My Husband

We haven't been on a date in a while, this month I want to take the time to plan a date for us. I've even got in mind a movie he's been dying to see. 

What are some of your goals for the month? I'd love to hear them in the comments below.

My Favorite Podcasts.

I'm an avid podcast listener, I love to listen to them while I'm working out, working in my office or on long card rides through traffic. I love hearing people's voices, learning from them, and just listening for pure enjoyment. 

Today, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorites that I've been listening to for a while and why I love them. 

Let's get to it: 

01// Cross Point Church- I've been listening to their podcast since 2009. Located in Nashville, the Lead Pastor is also the author of Plan B, which sorta changed my life. I love listening to this church's audio and all the staff pastors. Great stuff here. 

02// The Influence Podcast- I've just been listening to this podcast only a few weeks but I love it. Each week there's a new guest that I love hearing from. Most recently Rachel Kindcaid's & Crystal Stine's have been favorites! 

03// Dollars & Roses Podcast- This is another one I've been listening to for a while. They do a marriage podcast full of wisdom for your marriage. They talk different aspects of marriage, family, intimacy and they have awesome 22 day challenges for you and your spouse! 

04// Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey- This podcast a friend told me about and I'm so glad she did! Jamie's is one that I look forward to listening to and can't wait for another episode. Each time Jamie sits down with a friend and they discuss anything and everything. Which I love the variety, and I love learning from other women. 

05// The Art of Simple Podcast- Tons of inspiring guests. Tish is an author herself and I love listening to her stories. Her family is currently traveling the world, and I love listening to their experiences this year.

06// The Sarah R Bagley Podcast- She talks about leaving perfectionism behind. Although I don't consider myself one, I do however consider myself a people pleaser to an extent so I really appreciate the guests honesty about embracing imperfections. 

07// Inspired to Action- Kat Lee's podcast has some great guests talking about motherhood and encouraging you where you're at. 

08// This is Reality- Ok, now if you're a reality t.v. fan and more specifically a fan of 'The Bachelor/Bachelorette' series you'll love this podcast. Jason & Molly every week chat about the week's episode and give great behind the scenes info and scoop that help you see the show in a whole new way. They are really fun to listen to, and I love listening to them on my runs. 

Those are some of my favorites! Do you listen to podcasts as well? I'd love to hear what you're currently listening to? Leave your favorites in the comments below! 

Five Journaling Prompts for 2015

Every year my mom has bought me a brand new journal, she's been doing this since I was in the fifth grade. I have a journal from every year of my life since. I love journaling, it's a way to get my thoughts out and has been very healing for me over the years. My journaling has grown over the years, I write down a lot in my little journals and today they are some of my most prized possessions. 

One day maybe my children will read them. 

I know a lot of people who love the idea of journaling but just never have started, or maybe you're intimidated by the thought of all those empty pages. Today I want to share with you five easy journaling prompts for the new year to help get you started, give you a direction and hopefully you'll start a new habit to help you grow.

These can be done weekly, monthly or whenever you want. It's really up to you.

1. Prayers

I often write out prayers for my children, my husband, friends and family in my journaling. I also write my own personal prayers to the Lord and it's so encouraging to go back and read them and see God's faithfulness in my life.

2. Funny Moments & Memories

I use my journal a lot to write down and remember funny things my kids said that day or week. I also use it to write down memories from the week I want to look back on. This is also great for big moments, life moments, and vacation memories.

3. FiveThings You're Thankful for that Day

This is something that I started a few years ago when I was in a season of depression. It made me focus on the positive and good that God was doing in my life, it also helped me to see my own growth. Each day I like to write down five things I'm thankful for.

4. Scripture

Pick a scripture you want to learn more about, or one that you want to memorize. Write it down.

5. What you learned that day or week

Pick a lesson you learned that day or week. Something God has been teaching you lately. How he's moving in your life. And what he's speaking to you. 

JANUARY Goals.

It's the first week of a brand new year, I thought I'd look back at December's goals and share my goals for January as well. For a look back at December click here. 

For December I finished Dare to Discipline, we hung some new light fixtures in our home, I completed Orion's Christmas shopping, and I successfully cleaned out my office for guests. We also did a service project as a family for Sole Hope, you can read more about that here.

Ok, so let's talk about what's on the list for January. 

01// Dr. Oz Cleanse

I did this last year, and I want to do it again this month. After eating way to much sugar during the holidays my system could use this.

02// New Workout Plan

03// Start Planning Custom Closet

We've been wanting to rip out our builder grade master closet for a while now, this month I want to actually draw up plans and start making it happen.

04// Read 1 new book

05// Start 2015 Savings Plan

I've got some fun new ideas for adding to our savings in 2015. Can't wait to share one way we're saving money.

06// Work on a house project

As always, this goal helps me get stuff done off the list.

07// De-clutter/organize for the new year

January is the perfect time for this, I'm highly motivated. 

What about you? Do you have any goals for the month? Any that you'd like to share, tell me in the comments below.

My Word for 2015: ABIDE

Happy New Year! Did you have a good New Year's Eve? We spent the evening hosting friends in our home. We had some yummy dinner, and let the kiddos play till midnight! Most of them made it, and Ava loved having her friend here. 

I've been picking a word for the year every year since 2011, I really love doing this. It's a great way for me to focus the year. I also enjoy the process of sitting down talking to the Lord and praying about the year ahead. It's through this process that I choose my word for the year. 

Last year God challenged me to THRIVE, you can read more about that here. Looking back on 2014 I see where God challenged me in this, I see where practically I put forth steps to make sure I was thriving. To make sure that things were different than they were before. 

This year, I want to abide. 

abide

[uh-bahyd] Spell Syllables

• Synonyms
• Examples
• Word Origin

verb (used without object), abode or abided, abiding.

1.to remain; continue; stay:

Abide with me. Submit to. live in a certain place. remain in or continue in a state. stop temporarily and wait. 

I love that it says to remain. Now, most of the time in our culture we're taught that we shouldn't remain that it's essential to growth to keep moving forward, to strive for more, etc. On some levels this is true, and in some situations it's essential to move forward for growth. But this is not always the case. 

When I think about what the Lord wants to teach me, I can't help but abide in Him. Rest in Him. Remain in Him. 

Submit to Him. 

I love that scripture so much. It's so clear, and it's so my heart. I want to dwell in the presence of the most high. I want to abide in the shadow of Jesus. 

Our culture tells us that when we're in someone's shadow that it's a bad thing, a place we don't want to be. But in the shadow of Jesus there's protection, guidance and love. 

This is where I want to be. 

When my focus is Jesus and my actions towards others is love the rest just falls into place. 

Abide with Jesus.

Dwell with him. Remain in Him.

I want growth this year, I have lots of goals that I want to accomplish but I don't want to lose my focus. I don't want to miss what's the priority here in my life. My people. My husband. My kids. Ministry, and loving others. 

This year I will abide. 

Do you have a word for the year? If so I'd love to hear it, let me know in the comments below.