By Melissa Batai

I have been a goal setter all my life, but admittedly, some of my goals, especially in my younger years, were completely unrealistic, immeasurable, and unattainable. I can set more realistic goals now, but I don’t always accomplish them.

If you’re new to goal setting, or, like me, you find you don’t always accomplish the goals you set, then you may be interest in Nadalie Bardo’s ebook, Goal Setting 101: How to Set Goals as an Absolute Beginner as part of her larger course.

This ebook is approximately 55 pages long and includes eight lessons:

Lesson 1: Intention aka why though?

Bardo suggests that many people set goals without even considering what their motivation is for achieving the goal. She encourages the reader to dig deeply into their “why” instead of giving common, pat answers. To assist with this, she has a workbook page to answer.

Lesson 2: Prioritization aka what matters most?

When you set a goal, you have to have time to accomplish that goal. We all lead busy lives, but we have to find time to work on ourselves. In this lesson, Bardo has a quiz you can take to determine what your current priorities are, which you can use to implement your goals. I was surprised to find that for me, the quiz was spot on and gave me an area of my life to focus on that I would like to see improved.

However, if, after the quiz, you still haven’t decided on a goal, Bardo has several worksheets to help you pinpoint your focus as well as a list of 350 potential goals covering a variety of areas in your life!

Lesson 3: Selection aka where to exactly?

You will likely find several areas you’d like to work on in your life, but Bardo urges you narrow it down to ONE goal, and focus on that one.

Lesson 4: Verification Part 1 aka be S.M.A.R.T. about it

This lesson is a particularly important one because it teaches you how to set a S.M.A.R.T. goal that you can measure.

Lesson 5: Verification Part 2 aka make sure it’s R.I.G.H.T.

I hadn’t heard of R.I.G.H.T. goals before, but the acronym stands for Resolve, Intuitive, Genuine, Hopeful, and Informs. This helps you determine if the goal is truly one you should work on (before you get to far into trying to achieve the goal).

Lesson 6: Partition aka break it down

One large goal can be overwhelming, so Bardo encourages readers to break their goal down into three or four smaller components.

Bonus Lesson: Equation aka fill in the blanks

Bardo offers a video to go with this bonus lesson and encourages readers to make their goal as precise as possible.

Lesson 7: Implementation aka but, how exactly?

Remember how you broke your goal into three or four larger parts? Now, you take the first part and write down all of the steps that you’ll need to do to reach this first part of your goal. Bardo also encourages and explains how to make habits that last a lifetime.

Lesson 8: Graduation aka what’s next?

Once you’ve accomplished your goals, Bardo explains what to do next.

Overall, this is a handy ebook designed to help you become more productive and successful by setting reasonable goals and taking the necessary steps to accomplish them. If you’re new to goal setting or, like me, you don’t always achieve your goals, this ebook and course can help you more successfully set (and accomplish) your goals.

As a homeschool mom to five boys, we do lots of crafts, hobbies, and creative things in the home. I have a child that loves doing models with tiny brick pieces to look like world monuments.



I have another who puts together pieces of paper to create realistic replica costumes. Another boy sketches for all hours of the day -- and night!



 


One challenge for my boys is getting enough light in their workspaces and also having a good view of the tiny pieces that they may be working with. We had looked at getting a magnifying lamp for a few months and were thrilled when Brightech asked us to review one. We also have a chance for you to win one!

Here's what we LOVE about the product:

1. It clamps onto any table or countertop with a very sturdy clamp.
2. The light source is powerful but soft enough that it doesn't hurt your eyes while working for long periods.
3. The magnification is more than adequate for jigsaw puzzles, adult coloring books, models, tiny crafts, and detailed work.
4. It easily swings back and forth (as well as up and down) to get into perfect position for your height and the project you're working on.

You do not have to be doing detailed work to like this lamp. Anyone who worries about eye strain, needs to see better (it's great for reading), or wants extra light in their workspace will love this. Use just the lamp portion without looking through the magnification lens. It works as a normal lamp, too!

More about the lamp:

The Brightech Lightview Pro LED Magnifying Clamp Lamp was designed for anyone who needs to constantly focus close up or anyone with vision problems such as aging eyes or macular degeneration. This lamp boasts a 5-inch diameter glass lens that will bring hard to see details into clear, sharp focus. It magnifies up to 225% magnification without getting hot so that you can enjoy your work and hobbies with joy and ease.

Wanna Win? Enter the giveaway to get your own Brightech Lightview LED Lamp Clamp here. You have until April 10th to get your entries in. Good luck! 

(Product and prizing received by Brightech. Opinions are our own.)

By Melissa Batai

Do you work full-time? Do you work from home and homeschool? Is your spouse frequently away for business or military deployment? Is your time so consumed with getting your own work and child raising responsibilities done that you feel you have little time for anything else? Is the cleanliness (or messiness) of your home driving you crazy? If so, Angela Davis’ ebook, Child, It’s Time to Get Off Your Butt , may be just what you need.

About Child, It’s Time to Get Off Your Butt

Angela Davis is the blogger behind Frugal Living NW, and mother to five children. She is not a Type-A personality, but she did realize a few years ago that she and her children needed a bit more structure in their days. She created this handy little e-book especially to help parents when their kids were on summer break. However, the strategies can be used all year long.

This e-book is only 25 pages long, so it’s a very quick read. However, the impact it can have on your family, your routine, and the cleanliness of your house is powerful.

The basic premise is that you create a Morning High Five, five things your child has to do in the morning before leaving for school or starting their day at home.

However, Davis also encourages readers to create a breakfast plan, so you have one less thing to worry about in the rush of getting ready in the morning

Extras in Child, It’s Time to Get Off Your Butt

What I love about this ebook is that Davis doesn’t just share the strategies for getting more things done in the morning and making morning time smoother. She also gives you all of the resources you need to implement this system right now.

She gives you a printable for the Morning High Five, which includes one that is blank as well as one that is filled in, if you’d like to use that instead.

She gives you a suggested list of chores for the Morning High Five, breaking them down by age.

She includes a blank chore chart so you can create your own schedule for morning chores for each child.

And she gives a list of, and recipes for, many easy or freezer-friendly breakfast ideas to help you create your breakfasts plan.

Final Thoughts

While this book won’t help you organize your entire day, it will help you and your children be more productive in the morning. This e-book is a complete package because it gives you not only the method, but every single tool you need to implement this program today.

If you’re struggling to get things done in the morning, or your kids are lazing about while you’re working hard, I recommend this system.

Thanks to Krusteaz for giving us the chance to try this new product by sending samples. Opinions are our own. 

Many people will be enjoying pancakes tomorrow, as part of the holiday tradition of Shrove Tuesday (or Pancake Day). I remember celebrating this as a child, and even today, it's fun to make pancakes for dinner before the start of Lent. One thing that always seems to cause trouble with our family, however, is the lack of protein that breakfast for dinner is sometimes known for. My husband doesn't like eggs, and my kids can never decide on bacon or sausage. We found a new way to solve the "protein problem" and it's quite delicious!



Krusteaz has an exciting new option for pancakes: Buttermilk Protein Pancake mix! It contains 15 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 100% whole grain flour in every serving. Unlike some other "protein" options on the market, these pancakes are surprisingly fluffy and delicious. There are no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives in this pancakes mix -- just awesome flavor!

They cook up a bit browner than normal, but my kids really enjoyed the flavor. We had some fresh cantaloupe and elderberries as a way to get some much-needed Vitamin C, too.


Those on a high-protein diet will really adore these pancakes, which cook up in minutes. My kids find the mixes to be easy to work with, so I'll often have them do pancakes when I don't have time to help in the kitchen.



What fantastic pancake recipes will you come up with this Pancake Day? (My kids just love them with peanut butter and honey.)


You can find these at your local grocery, or learn about the product from the Krusteaz website here.