Smart Habit Saturday

If you are new to SHS find out all about it here: Getting Started with SHS. Click here to read more SHS posts. Please don't forget to link back to this post so your readers can find out more about SHS.

Don’t delay if you’ve been thinking of joining us. These are the last two Saturdays in March and anyone who participates in SHS for two weeks in a row by the end of March will be entered into a drawing to win free Organizing Bags! After you have completed your two weeks, e-mail me the links to your posts and I will enter you in the drawing. You have until Sunday, April 1st to get your entry in. Monday April 2nd I will choose a random winner. I will even video record the drawing so you can experience the thrill with us! I can’t wait! These are the people that have entered so far. Tammy, Kassie, Dana, Michelle, Tirzah, Kara, and Lucy. If you e-mailed me and you don’t see your name, please try again.

I found the greatest quote last week by Diann Jeppson in A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion. She is talking about Homeschooling Mothers but I think it applies to all of us at any stage of life.

“Waiting for the chores to end before I take time to teach, mentor, plan prepare, inspire, and study is like standing at the banks of a mighty river waiting for the water to finish going by so that I can cross to the other side!”

Are you waiting for the river to pass before you cross over to become the brilliant, inspiring, competent person you were meant to become? No!!! We know you are building a bridge and already on your way to the other side because you are participating in Smart Habit Saturday. We are all working together here, pulling each other along, to make simple and often mundane daily tasks a little easier by creating life changing habits. This will give us more time to find our greatness within. Whether you want to become a great mother, wife, teacher, or leader, thank you for taking the time to inspire me!

I had a great week! I was able to stay off the computer every morning while we did our chores, except for one day when I wanted to finish an article before we took a field trip. My house has stayed a lot cleaner and this morning I even made a nice lunch for everyone. That is something I need to be doing every day! Weeks ago I tried to start new habits to keep my kitchen and my office cleaner. I have been struggling with it because I was trying to start new habits without getting rid of some old habits first. I do need to spend time at the computer but now I will find the time to do it with a clear conscience of a clean house! I feel like I can move forward again with my habits.

Here are the habits I have been working on this year. Some of them are habits and some of them still need a lot of work but all of them have improved my life!
Turn Off Computer during chores
Use Joe's Goals
Become a Dresser, Playing games with my kids and reading my Church Magazine
Kitchen and studio clutter free
Clear Counters
Clear Desk
Review Planner
Daily Prayer
Clean Toilet

My new habit for next week is going to be preparing a nice lunch every morning so it is ready by noon. The kids work so hard to get their jobs done, they deserve something better than a pbj sandwich! Today I made some delicious black beans in the pressure cooker, garlic chicken in the crock pot and brown rice in the rice cooker and it was easy. Everything was good except for rice that didn’t get cooked all the way. It was my first try with brown rice! I think I needed more water and after lunch I read that it helps to soak the rice for 30 minutes so I will try that next time. Does anyone have any other advice for me?

*Important - Please link to your individual SMART Habit post instead of your home page or else my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder will have to spend time fixing the links. Here is how you link to an individual post if you’ve never done it before: Right click on the date at the bottom of the post you want to link to (or the post title depending on where you blog) click “Copy Shortcut” and then paste it into Mr. Linky.