WMW prompts for Wednesday 29th June 2011:

#1. With summer upon us, how does your daily routine change? (more outside time, waking early/sleeping in, more/less activities, etc).

Now that it’s the school holidays, my daily routine changes completely. I have to juggle my childcare arrangements between my in-laws, my newly-retired father, my teacher sister and her teacher hubby and, last but not least, my hubby and I. This involves a lot of forward planning and negotiation. Our routine will go a little something like this:

• Monday – I go into the office early, as the girls were dropped off at Granny & Grandpa’s for a sleepover on Sunday evening, and Grandpa will be watching the girls all day. They’ll stay over another night, so I can get things done at home.
• Tuesday – Another early start at the office for me, then the girls come home just after tea for a little time with Mummy & Daddy.
• Wednesday - I drive the girls to my inlaws around 9 o’clock, then grab a McDonalds breakfast at the drive-thru, before heading to the office.  I work on a little later to compensate for the late start.  The girls stay overnight at the inlaws.
• Thursday - Another early start at the office for me, but I leave work sharp to collect the girls.
• Friday - I take a day’s annual leave or flexi leave to spend with the girls! 

I’ll also be taking two weeks off to go away on holiday with Hubby and the girls.  We’ve not actually booked anything yet, but intend to book a last-minute bargain break to Majorca, Spain.  We went there last year and had a fantastic time!!  

#2. Top five excuses for not reaching your goal. (weight loss goal, writing a book goal, cleaning the house goal, etc)

I’m afraid that I am the Queen of Procrastination!!  I’m easily distracted by this, that or the other!!  I think the reason why I fail to achieve my goals is that I take on far too much!!

Anyway, here’s my top 5 excuses:

1. Goals in General – I’ve got too much on my plate!
2. Goals in General – I lost track of time!
3. Housework - Somebody phoned, I ran out of black bags (or cleaning products), the weather was to nice (as if!!  Ha!), any excuse really! I HATE housework!!
4. Writing a book – My computer crashed and I lost my notes, I’m too tired, I don’t have time!….  I really need to stop procrastinating on this one!!
5. Weightloss - I’ve too much on my plate!  LOL    Seriously though, if I don’t keep track on my calorie intake and don’t make an effort to work out regularly, I pile the weight on!!  :S

It’s Working Mommy Wednesday! We’re half way through the week already!  Yay!

Top 5 goals for this summer

1. Lose weight & tone up – I’m currently on a diet and looking to lose a stone and a half (21 lbs).  I go to Zumba class once a week, and top up with Zumba Fitness Wii a couple of times a week.  I’m also doing Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Workout, which is amazing!
2. Re-vamp my blogs – I am currently working away in the background re-vamping and re-branding my blogs and websites.  I hope to start going live with these next month!…
3. Declutter – Every room in my house (without exception) requires decluttering. I need to reduce, re-use and recycle.  We need to make better use of space in our modest three-bedroomed home.
4. Make over my garden – We have a large garden with little or no plants.  I want to get some plants, shrubs and flowers, and create a vegetable patch.  I’d also like to grow some fruit and herbs.  We also require some decent garden furiture to make use of the outdoor space for entertaining.  I also need to set up a compost heap at the rear of the garden.
5. Write!! – I need to allocate some time to get back on my writing course and start writing for profit!…

Join in the fun over at Work, Wife, Mom, Life!

This week I’m joining in a new blog meme – Living Well Wednesday - a fun, weekly meme, focusing on achieving our new year goals ONE WEEK AT A TIME!

Whether your goals are physical, spiritual, mental (or anything inbetween) then this is for you!

This is a great time for me to join in and share my goals!

I have just recently finished up studying for my part-time business degree, and had to take a short break from blogging and blog hopping.  Now that I have got my final exams out the way, I have renewed energy for projects that have been on the back burner:

• Re-vamping my blogs – I have been wanting to revamp this blog for a while.  I have lots of ideas to restructure and rebrand this mummy blog – www.mammakerr.com.  I also have plans for my other websites, which I am keen to see come to fruition soon…. Watch this space!….
• Getting stuck back into my home-based businesses -I’ve been neglecting my home-based businesses – Vie At Home & Barefoot Books. I don’t really have time to do parties any more, but I would like to concentrate on my e-commerce sales, and explore other opportunities for doing business locally…
• Launch my NEW business venture – I have recently signed up as a Trader for Phoenix Trading, selling beautiful greetings cards.  In fact, the host of this meme, the lovely Natalie Collinson, is my upline manager at Phoenix.  I joined at the end of March, because there was a special joining offer.  However, I have been far too busy with my studying to launch my new venture.  I am now ready to get stuck in, so…. [shameless self promotion alert]…. if you would like to learn more, please visit my Trader website or contact me for a brochure.
• Write More – I would like to devote some time to continuing with the Writers Bureau Creative Writing course, which I started before my degree.  The course can be done at my own pace, so I put it on the back burner for a while to concentrate on my degree.
• Health & Fitness – I’d like to get back into the swing of things with food optimising via Slimming World’s Extra Easy diet.  I’d really like to lose a couple of stone (over 30lbs).  I want to squeeze more exercise into my daily schedule, such as Wii Fit, exercise DVDs and Zumba.

What about you?  What are your goals?

Join in. It’s easy.

• Write a post on your blog with an update on your goals this week
• Add the Living Well Wednesday button to your post and link to our host, Natalie, at http://nataliecollinson.com
• Link up each week using the linky tool on Natalie’s site.
• Visit other participants and enjoy the fun of working on our goals TOGETHER
• It’s never too late to join… hop on in, you can be sure of a warm welcome!

This week I’m addressing the World’s Universe’s Champion Procrastinator – ME!!!

Oh and here’s one for Hubby too!

If you don’t know what that last post-it is about then have a wee read at this.

Please hop over to Supah’s blog and join in the fun that is Post It Note Tuesday!

Guest Post by Jen Malik

Man, if I had a dime for every resolution I made throughout the years. Or if I lost a pound for every resolution I’d ever made. Hehehe. Seriously, as I get older, choosing the right resolution and sticking with it, starts to get a bit easier. I’m never going to be a size 0 again and my chance at being a billionaire is likely over, so why not simply work toward a realistic happier, healthier life, right? That’s exactly what I plan to do for 2010.

If you’re making a resolution for the New Year, here are 10 tips for keeping it:
- Find a support system. This is crucial to any type of change in your life. Having someone who will keep you accountable and encourage you when you miss the mark is one way to stop you from quitting altogether. Rely on family, friends and coworkers to give you that swift kick when you need it.
- Use online tools. These are popping up everywhere, especially for weight loss resolutions. Many of the online tools are free to use. Sites like SparkPeople offer informative articles, message boards, meal planners, video resources and online food diaries to keep you going from day one.
- Write it down. Some people only verbalize their resolutions. The problem with that is you can forget what you said after the first week. It is scary but putting your resolutions on paper makes them real to you. It is a commitment that is needed if you want to succeed.
- Be specific. Writing down phrases like “Become more assertive” can mean anything. Where do you want to be more assertive and with whom? Instead, record something like “Go to my boss and ask for a raise this year.”
- Start with small steps. No one gets from A to Z in one step. Those who try are often disappointed. If this is a weight loss goal, begin with starting an exercise program. If you haven’t worked out in a while, this single piece of a larger goal will take some time to establish. Goals that involve cleaning up your entire home can begin with one room and then move onto to the others. Tackling a smaller step successfully fuels your drive to continue.
- See the big picture. This approach helps when you are feeling discouraged by disappointment. Don’t lose sight of your ultimate goal or resolution. It is still attainable even with a few setbacks. You’ll have more to rejoice about later.
- Visualize. See yourself completing your goal. In fact, see yourself completing each step of the journey. Thinking about skipping your workout session today? Visualize yourself in the class and, though tired, you make it through to the end with energy. The mind is a powerful tool that can help or hinder you. And hey, if you’re mind isn’t powerful enough, post pics of what you’d like right on your refrigerator. A trip to Hawaii? A slimmer you? Put it up and see it every day.
- Set a deadline. Open ended resolutions can go on forever. Give yourself a concrete time frame to keep from floundering in your goal.
- Resist comparing yourself with others. Someone else may have the same resolution. They also may seem to be getting farther in their goals than you. Resist the urge to compare yourself and end up discouraged. Each person is different and you don’t know what support system or other goal achieving tools they are using. Be happy for them and even ask how they are doing it so well.
- Abandon bad resolutions. There comes a time when some of your resolutions may have to meet the trash heap. It could have been a faulty resolution that wasn’t thought out well in the first place. It doesn’t mean failure. On the contrary, it could be just what you need to help you accomplish the ones that are manageable.
Overall, don’t beat yourself up. We all falter here and there. The important thing is to get back on track. So spill it…what’s your New Years Resolution?

Happy New Year!  I hope, like me, you had a great holiday season.

What are your goals for 2009?

One of my main business goals this year is to blog more frequently.  Last year I started quite a few blogs with the best of intentions, but I’m afraid to say that I did not manage to keep them as up-to-date as I would have liked.  What with corporate job stresses, illness and family commitments, I was unable to find my ‘blogging groove’.  This year will be different.  I know that I need to plan and to focus, but I fully intend to get into my ‘blogging groove’ and update my blog portfolio on a very regular basis.

The advantages of achieving my blog goals include:

• I will create more content on my sites to help SEO.
• It will improve my communication with readers (old & new).
• It will create more opportunities for comments and feedback from readers.
• It will help to build relationships with readers & customers.
• It will develop my writing skills.
• I will create potential content for articles and eBooks.

Please, please feel free to contact me if you feel that I am not updating this blog as often as you think I should!!

Thanks for reading and come back real soon!!…