Batch Working Towards Productivity in the New Year

Happy New Year!  I love this time of year because it is great to reset and prioritize my goals and objectives.  And while I have several goals for 2019, my focus on batch working is going to help me accomplish those goals more efficiently.

6 Goals to Accomplish in 2018

Happy New Year!  I'm motivated and excited for 2018, and I wanted to share with all of you some of my goals I have set for this year!

Family Goals

Family has always been one of my top priorities and in the last year I have actually started making some changes so I can focus on my family and be at home for them even more.  My family goals aren't anything new for us but I guess I want to refocus and put greater importance on these goals:

In the New Year I want to re-establish having family meetings on Sundays.  A couple years ago we started doing this but kind of let it go by the wayside over time.  Sunday nights for our family is a great time to go over the week's plan and schedule, talk through things that need to get done, and also talk about goals and ideas.  Our kids especially love giving supper recommendations each week, and thinking through BIG things like birthday party themes, vacation destinations and family fun activities.

In 2018 I also want to re-focus on creating individual time for each kid daily.  I know my kids do better if I have taken some time with them one on one, to do something special with or just for them.  This can be anything from reading a book, baking in the kitchen, or playing outside.  When you have four kids it can be easy to group them all together for activities and even have them just help each other out, but taking time separately with each kid isn't only a benefit for them, it is also a benefit for me to get to know and appreciate them as an individual.

Having individual, quality time with my husband is also a goal too!  He is the most important guy in my life and I never want to take him for granted.  Sometimes with young children it is easy to just focus on their needs, but taking time each day for us is important.  For Lent my husband and I have done nightly devotions together, but an idea is to do that all year long, rather than just Lent this year.

Farm Goals

My Farmer and I have been talking through goals and dreams for our farm ever since he started farming 12 years ago.  This year I want us to take some time to actually prioritize our projects and put a realistic time frame on these ideas.  We've had some plans on our to do list for the last few years but have never accomplished them.  What do we need to do to actually finish the task?  What will our budget actually allow us to execute this year?  These are things that we need to sit down and take time to work through.

Another goal that will help us on our farm in the New Year is if we both make more time to be in the office.  When you farm it is easy to concentrate on the outdoor tasks - feeding and taking care of the pigs, working in the field, getting machinery ready for the field, etc.  But taking time to file paperwork, track inputs and outputs and organize our records, will not only help us come tax time, but it will also help us with marketing, making daily business decisions, and can help us accomplish those projects that I just talked about.

Individual Goals

Finally, I can't do any of the above if I'm not taking care of myself.  I talked the other day about how I feel like 2018 is my year to make healthier choices and changes.  One of first things I'm going to do in order to make those healthier choices is to wake up earlier.  This is not a new concept, and isn't even the first time I've made this a New Year goal.  But when I have done this, I have found myself more productive, am able to take more time for myself and in general am happier.  I know waking up early works and I'm determined to make it my routine.  I even have an accountability partner in place to give each other morning texts and encouragement to get up and get going.

My other individual goal goes along with being healthier too, and that is to drink more water.  This is another thing I have been good at in the past, and then have fallen off track with, especially since this last fall it seems.  When stress has gotten high and sleep has been minimal I have fallen into drinking more pop than I know I should be drinking.  The New Year seems like the perfect chance to get back on track and concentrate on drinking more water daily.

What are your goals in the New Year?  Be sure to share and Comment for a Cause!

Healthy Eats #Celebrate365

Now that all of our Christmas gatherings are over, it is now time to get organized for the New Year, and I'm not just talking about how to fit all the new toys into our house...  The most popular New Year's Resolution is making healthier choices, so my Celebrate 365 co-hosts (Carlee from Cooking with Carlee and Jan from Tip Garden) and I have decided to host a Healthy Eats Recipe Blog Party!

The New Year is a great way to have a fresh start and as I have been thinking through my goals for 2018 I have been thinking about making healthier choices.  2018 actually marks the first year in many years that I have not been pregnant or nursing.  One of my body's main jobs has been taking care of kids over the last six years literately and while yes, one of my main jobs will continue to be taking care of four kids, my body at least isn't physically supplying nutrients for more than one person.

Now while I said for the first time I'm able to concentrate on my body, I am still feeding my growing family three meals a day, so I would love to see all bloggers link up their healthy meals and recipe ideas for individuals and families.  Feel free to share all of your 21 Day Fix, Keto, Paleo, Weight Watchers, high-protein, clean, etc. recipes so we all can get inspired to be healthier in the New Year!

Are you making plans to be a healthier you in 2018?  What is your favorite healthy recipe or food to eat?  Be sure to link up in the Blog Party and Comment for a Cause!

An InLinkz Link-up

Bloom Where You Are Planted

It doesn't seem possible that it is Friday after the New Year already.  I normally do a New Year Goals post at the beginning of each year but I got to thinking as the New Year rolled around that I really didn't have any new goals.  I concentrated on eating healthier and being more active after Miss R arrived this summer, and I plan to continue doing that.  I wanted to continue to focus on mine and my family's routine this year.  And I wanted to continue to simply build a happy home.  At first, I didn't know if this was a good thing, or a bad thing.  But then I read my morning devotion, which I started as a goal this past fall, on January 1st and the first line said, "Lord, guide my choices today so they will bloom blessings for the generation tomorrow."

Fun Fact! Those are soybean flowers

I thought WOW!  How perfect!  I love and live by the saying, "Bloom where you are planted."  And then to read, and remind myself, how my choices will impact me and future generations, just seem to work completely.

Another Fun Fact! This a row of corn
sprouting out of one of our fields

As a Wife and Mom, I work hard to provide opportunities for my family.  I want to see my husband and all four of my kids succeed both now and in the future.  How can I do this?  Share God with them.  Show my love to them.  Spend time with them.  Can it really be that simple?  I think so.  And I think it is one of the most important things I can do right now.

As a Farmer, I'm working hard to make the right choices and decisions for our farm, so our land and animals are the best and healthiest they can be.  I also want to do this so my kids can be the sixth generation of farmers in our family.

So how are you blooming blessings?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!  And I hope you all are having a great start to your New Year!

New Year Goal - Making a Daily Routine

For the last week or so, and all day today, I've been thinking about what my New Year Goals for 2016 should be.  I decided in the end that what I really want to work on, is routine.  Now, if you know me, you're probably thinking, Val needs to work on routine?  I do keep myself and my family in a pretty good routine, but there is room for improvement.  We have had great times of our routine throughout 2015, and I'd like to take all of those great times and combine them all into one.

The first routine:
Kids strive on having regular bed times and wake-up times, so why do I, as Mom, not do that for myself?  I need to get myself back in my best groove by going to bed at a regular time and waking up at a regular time too.  Now, talking about waking up, there are days I have just slept till I heard the first kid wake up, but I have noticed, especially over the last year, if I don't get at least 30 minutes to myself in the morning - I'm sluggish all morning, and sometimes all day.  With three kids and a fourth on the way, I don't have time to be sluggish.

The second routine:
At the end of the summer I started focusing on including daily exercise into my routine.  I did a pretty good job working out daily, and then fall harvest hit and my exercise routine decreased to rain days.  And I have to add, after harvest it has been hard to get back into my regular exercise routine.  I know I need to add exercise to my day because it gives me strength in multiple ways.  I also know that I need to exercise either during afternoon quiet time or right away in the morning.  Exercising at night doesn't work for me.

The third routine:
I have a hard time being productive at home if my house isn't clean.  A clean house makes me feel at peace, and able to tackle other tasks that need to get done.  I have a pretty good daily house cleaning and laundry routine that I plan on keeping, but I'd really like to monthly tackle some bigger jobs (aka clean and organize closets, our porch, our garage, our basement, etc.)  For some reason these areas have never seemed to be organized since we moved to our house over two years ago!  When we moved in we had a few areas that became dumping spots, and I have never been able to get those areas out of those ruts.  2016 will be the year of finally getting fully unpacked and organized!

The fourth routine:
Over Christmas break I have realized the importance of time with my kids.  Now, it is not like I don't spend time with my kids.  After all, I am a stay at home Mom and I'm with my kids everyday.  But there is a difference between being around and being present.  All of my kids do better if I can give each of them individual time daily.  This individual time can be reading books - just the two of us, playing a game - just the two of us, working on walking (aka JP), etc.  Also, My Farmer and I have a routine of going on a date night monthly (which we will continue in 2016).  I'd like to do better of doing something fun monthly with our kids, and including one on one kid dates too.

So there is a look at the best of my routines that I'd like to keep going all year long.  What are some of your goals for the New Year?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

New Year. New Goals.

One of my favorite things about New Year's is that it's a perfect time to have a fresh start and set some new goals and habits.  This year I've set some personal and blogging goals that I wanted to share with all of you, because I don't know if any of you are like me, but when I have to be accountable for my goals I work harder on them.

Personal Goals:

• Learn Spanish - When I was in high school I didn't take any foreign language because I thought I'd never need it because I was going into agriculture.  The truth, twelve years later, knowing Spanish wouldn't just help me as a farmer understanding others we do business with, but it'd also help me as a member of my community, as I live in a diversified area.
• Be Financial Savvy - As baby #3 JP should arrive any day, and as I am decreasing my consulting work, and as the farm markets look shaky, 2015 will be the year to stay on top of my family's finances.  One of my roles on the farm and for my family is taking care of all of our financials.  I want to do a better, more timely and better organized job of doing this task.  Things I'm going to do include utilizing our financial software all year long and not just at the end of the year as we are get ready for taxes, and I'm going to monitor our expenses to help create a budget as the year goes on.
• Pray - I would already consider myself a disciplined prayer but in the New Year I just want to refocus what I do and how I do things through my faith, and to receive support and guidance through prayer.  Prayer is an amazing thing and helps you accomplish anything.

Blogging Goals:

• Country Fair Blog Party - I am so excited to join several other blogs this year as a co-host of the monthly Country Fair Blog Party!  I have participated in this blog hop several times over the last year and was excited when the hosts invited me to join them as a co-host.  Each month has a different theme and is a great way to check out new blogs.  And if you blog yourself, a great way for new people to see your posts!
• Become Self-Hosted - I'm ready to step up my blogging game and become self-hosted.  Last year I made some contacts about going self-hosted and now this year I'm planning on actually taking those steps.  I already own my domain of www.cornbeanspigskids.com but have it redirected to my blogspot address.  By becoming self-hosted I have full ownership of my blog and have more freedom to do more with my blog.
• Daily Routine - Now I might not be making the best start by not getting this post out till 11pm... but I'd like to do little, simple, daily tasks in relation to my blog and my social network, rather than having certain days where it seems all my free time seems to go towards blogging.  I enjoy blogging and find it as a personal outlet in a way - why not make it part of my daily routine, rather than every few days.

I am excited!  How about you?  What are you looking forward to the most in 2015?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

March Forth on March 4th

Today is March 4th and every year on this day I take a look back at my New Year Goals.  March 4th is a great day to "March Forth" and re-establish your goals, rethink your goals, celebrate your accomplishments and set new goals.  Many people make goals or resolutions on New Year's Day.  I think that those that practice that tradition should also add March 4th to their calendar as a check-point date.  Here's a look at my March Forth goals:

• Family dates - I'm going to set a date for My Farmer and I today for later this month.
• Me time - I have been enjoying sending things to friends and family members but need to be more consistent on waking up early.
• Journaling - I have been doing a good job of journaling as part of a Bible Study I'm in for myself but haven't been doing a good job of journaling for the kids.  Today I'll make an entry in their journals!
• Google + - I have been doing a good job of sharing on Google + but I'd still like to learn more about the social media.
• Comments for a Cause - It has been going great.  I could probably be a little better organized for it but overall I have been happy with the program.
• Getting together with Bloggers - I have gotten together with my local North Iowa group of bloggers once this year and we're getting together again next week.  I'm also hoping and planning on getting together with some Iowa "foodie" bloggers later this month and some Iowa bloggers next month.  I still haven't found a conference to go to yet that works well with my tractor schedule and travel budget but I still have hope!

Here's some inspirational music for all of you on this March 4th!

How are you going to celebrate March Forth?

Be sure to Comment for a Cause!

January Comments for a Cause - Make-A-Wish

One of my New Year Blogging Goals for 2014 was to start a Comments for a Cause program.  This is a program where I will donate 50 cents for every comment made on my blog to a chosen organization or campaign monthly.  It was very easy to decide which organization would be my first recipient - Make-A-Wish Iowa.


I think what Make-A-Wish does for children with life-threatening conditions is amazing.  The hope, strength and joy these wishes bring to these children and their families is unbelievable.  I have gotten to witness this magical experience first-hand through a couple different ways.

The first way that I got to experience the magic of Make-A-Wish is through my cousin, Jake.  My cousin Jake was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer when he was in high school.  During his battle he had a wish granted to go fishing in Alaska (the photo to the right is of him doing just that!).  He always said that his wish meant so much to him during his last year of life.  And because of that, I knew I needed to get involved, which leads me to my second way of experiencing Make-A-Wish.

Me giving high fives to all of the dive team members
on a cold day with windshields below zero last month

I wanted to help make wishes come true for others after seeing the impact it had on both my cousin Jake, as well as his immediate family and even our extended family.  I have been involved with the North Iowa Make-A-Wish chapter for six years and currently serve as the chapter's vice chair.  I help with wish granting, fundraising and community events.  I even do some pretty crazy things to raise money for Make-A-Wish, like go sky diving (twice) and jump into Clear Lake in December (three times - I have passed on the opportunity when I've been pregnant ).  I started with Make-A-Wish with the sole purpose of granting wishes, but as time has gone on have found that fundraising can be just as rewarding.

There is something special though about giving a Wish family the initial call to let them know they've been approved to have a wish granted.  For those that don't know, there are four types of wishes that can be granted:

• I wish to go...
• I wish to have...
• I wish to meet...
• I wish to be...

I wish to go is the most popular type of wish, equaling about 70% of wishes.  These are travel wishes, and the most popular destination is Walt Disney World (Walt Disney Company is involved in 40% of all wishes granted), where Wish families stay exclusively at Give Kids the World.  I wish to have is probably the second most popular.  These are commonly shopping sprees, playgrounds or special iPads or equipment to help the Wish child.  I wish to meet is when a Wish child meets their favorite athlete or singer or movie star.  Finally, I wish to be is how Make-A-Wish all started.  In 1980 seven year old Chris Greicius was battling leukemia and all he wanted to be was a police officer.  With some organization and help from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Chris's wish was granted.  This type of wish has even made the national news lately with Bat Kid in San Francisco:

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In Iowa, a wish is granted every other day.  In the United States, a wish is granted every 38 minutes, and, on average, a child is referred for a wish every 28 minutes.  The average cost for an Iowa wish is $8,600, so get to commenting this month!  Every dollar helps make another wish come true!

New Year. New Goals.

The New Year is a perfect time for a fresh start, a clean state, or a new beginning, and that is why so many people look forward to this day.  Some people transition into the New Year by declaring a resolution, making predictions, choosing three words to live by or doing nothing.  For me, I set goals.

Goals are great because they help you think thoroughly through your ideas.  I can't help but think of making goals for 4-H in my youth when I write down my goals every New Year.  A goal must contain 1) the action, 2) the result, and 3) the timetable.

New Year.  New Goals:

• My goal is for our family to go on dates with each other, My Farmer and I, My Farmer and LP, My Farmer and MP, LP and I, and MP and I, four times each this year.
• My goal is to create more me time by waking up at 6:30 am daily to do things I find enjoyable.  I will also plan on connecting with friends by doing something special for a friend monthly.
• My goal is to preserve memories and special dates for my children by journaling in specific journals for each kid.  I will keep the journals in my office where they are easy to get to.  I will plan on journaling at least once a month.
• My goal is to promote my blog more by sharing each post on Pinterest and Google+.  
• My goal is to start a Comments for a Cause program by choosing a new organization monthly to donate 50 cents for each blog comment to.
• My goal is to attend a blogging conference or gathering by the end of the year to help me learn more about blogging and make more blogger connections.  I will ask other bloggers what conferences they recommend to help me determine which one to attend.

Happy New Year everyone!  What do you do to transition in the New Year?