Goal-Setting – Page 10

Doubly Thankful

November 24, 2011 by Carey Jane Clark

This year, we’re privileged to spend the American Thanksgiving with my sister’s family. I think it’s appropriate that we have two Thanksgivings this year, because we are doubly thankful.

We have seen so many blessings this year, it would be hard to even count them, but let me try:

we are finally talking about real dates for heading back to China, and our life-in-limbo is almost at an end
I just signed with Trestle Press for the publication of my first novel, After the Snow Falls

These are huge things, but there are many “smaller” blessings I don’t want to forget:

our health. We have all been kept healthy, and the issues I was experiencing which evidently caused our miscarriages are finally getting resolved.
We have survived a financially lean season, and have seen repeatedly God’s abundant provision.
We have been experienced a lot of travel and seen a lot of the U.S. and Canada over the last year, have learned a lot along the way, and have had many fascinating educational experiences to share with our children.
We have made many new friends along the way, and have had the opportunity to strengthen friendships with old ones.
Our kids have been able to spend time with their grandparents.

Getting our kids to join us in having a thankful heart can sometimes be a challenge. I really like this Overflowing Gratitude Box. I think it would be a great way to use up scrapbooking supplies that are collecting dust in “our” closet at my parents’ place and encouraging thankful hearts in the process.

It’s cliche, but thankfulness really is a state of mind. Even in the midst of some of the hardest moments we’ve faced in the last year, we would be ungrateful not to recognize God’s goodness.

I hope, regardless of whether there’s a Thanksgiving holiday where you are, that you find plenty to be thankful for.

November 3 in 30, Week 1

November 7, 2011 by Carey Jane Clark

Wow. November. Time seems to have hurried up, especially now that we have an approximate target date for our return to China: January-ish. It’s still a little indefinite because of Chinese New Year, which begins on the 23rd of January. During the entire season, travel is next to impossible as the entire country is migrating, and then all business basically stops for a month. So we could rush to get there and be without a phone or internet for a month or so, for example. And we’ll need to have some time to find an apartment and get our things (now in storage in the south) moved across the country to our new home.

We’re hoping everything comes together quickly so we can book our flights and be out of here long before that, but we’re also trying to be realistic and not set ourselves up for disappointment.

This may cause me to adjust my goals somewhat for the upcoming months, but here’s how I’m doing on November’s goals so far:

Get my personal schedule on track. I’m doing better, but definitely not all the way. Most mornings, I’ve been up and had my devotional time, but definitely not as early as I need to. I’ve been about a half an hour late getting up each morning, and no, I’ve not exercised yet. Not even once.
Begin moving preparations. I’m a list-maker. So that has been my starting point with this move. I’ve begun making lists: things to assemble before we leave, mostly things we need to purchase such as spices that are unavailable in China, lists of numbers of suitcases (we use lightweight bins, like Rubbermaid but less weight), and what should go in them. I’m trying to look around at all we have and figure out how I can condense it. You just don’t realize how much stuff you have until you start to pack it all up to fit in 10 suitcases. Think about how much room five people’s shoes take up, for example! Next step: buy more bins and start getting a visual on things.
Pull off a successful birthday celebration for Sweetpea, and have a blast on our trip. All of this is yet to come. Sweetpea’s birthday is today, so she enjoyed a gift from Grandma on Saturday (video to come tomorrow), the official birthday party is on the weekend. Shhh! Don’t tell, Grandma & Grandpa and cousins are coming. She doesn’t know. And our trip is still a surprise, and has yet to be unveiled. The unveil will happen next week. I’m already getting excited!

November 3 in 30

October 31, 2011 by Carey Jane Clark

I just spent one of those weekends that makes you take a second look at your life and wonder if your priorities are completely in the right place. Not that they’re dramatically off-center, just that I wonder if there are some things I left behind along the way that I need to spend more time on–a lot more time on. It’s all very personal at the moment, and nothing I want to go public with, but it did make it a challenge to prepare my 3 in 30 post for November.

I can tell you what I’m NOT going to do. I’m not going to participate in NaNoWriMo. Much as I’d love to, it’s not the right time for me. Maybe next year. I’m not doing it with my kids this year, either, although last year’s experience was wonderful, and I heartily endorse it.

There are three reasons for this:

I’ve spent so much time in recent months concentrating on After the Snow Falls that I need to give myself a reprieve to recharge my creative juices.
We’re planning a big trip later this month. More on that really soon. I’m so excited! It’s a surprise for the kids that I’ll unveil here when I tell them.
We’re gearing up to move back to China! Again, excited beyond words, and so. much. to. do. Already reading moving blogs and advice because I’m determined to make this one less stressful!

This may require some future revision, but here are my goals at this moment:

Get my personal schedule on track. For me this means getting up before everyone else in the house, spending some devotional time, and then exercising and showering before breakfast preparations.
Begin moving preparations.
Pull off a successful birthday celebration for Sweetpea, and have a blast on our trip.

October 3 in 30, Week 3

October 16, 2011 by Carey Jane Clark

It has been a busy week and a short week because of the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday. As a result, I am behind on some of my goals:

Bible in 90 Days – (now about 96 days) and still not complete. I did work on this, but not to the degree that I did. I am about one or two days away from completing the revision of my novel, which did spill over significantly into this month. I’m looking forward to that being completely behind me. (Well, for now, at least ;)
Get our homeschool schedule back on track – Honestly, this one has me wondering if we should bother to be schedule people at all. We did well this week, a few things got neglected, but that was due to other appointments and field trips we ended up having to fit in, the short school week, and the day the kids had a tough time jumping back in after a three-day weekend. However, I know schedule is extremely important for the general happiness of at least one of my children, and this is why I persist.
Spend more one-on-one time with my children. I have been trying to fit some time alone with Sweetpea, and we just didn’t make it happen because of the family schedule. Part of my challenge here is she isn’t content with the kids of “you and me time” activities the other two are. I’ve been trying to convince her that time for just the two of us doesn’t have to mean leaving the house.

Looking forward to a week of getting things done, once this manuscript is out the door!

« Previous Page