{Better you Challenge}

Last weeks challenge was to get organized. Just in time for school to start :) I do this every year to help keep me on track. Then I have less temptation to slack off. Since I am a nanny, summers are usually my busiest time of year because I have all 4 kids home with me every day. So, I always welcome fall, when my schedule slows down a bit. 

This year, I am welcoming fall with open arms. This year I am only doing after school care for the family I work for, so I am home with Jackson most of every day. I am excited to get to do things with him all day, and have time to focus on Hoot & Bumble, and my school work. 

So, I sat down yesterday, and wrote out our rough, flexible schedule for the fall. I listed everything we need/want to get done, and wrote out a schedule. I set certain days of the week for library day, and other classes he may participate in. 

I also went out and bought a bunch of school supplies that we will need for what I have planned in Mommy School this year. 

I feel like everything is in order for a smooth year. I am so excited to be starting a fresh year. I really do love this time of year, even though I am sad to see summer go.

How did you get organized to get ready for fall?

I recently read an article about the nuclear radioactive junk that is being dumped into the waters from Fukushima. It is traveling as far as Alaska, and harming wild life. People are cautioning against eating anything that comes from those waters. I have been thinking a lot about the earth since I read that, thus where this weeks challenge comes from. This weeks Challenge is to do something for the earth. Even if it's just picking up trash, or planting a few flowers. Please do anything to make our earth a better place. We need to leave a clean earth for our children, and grandchildren. Don't leave our messes for them to clean up. 

For those interested, the link to the article I read first is no longer working, but here is a similar article: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/radioactive-ground-water-fukushima-nears-sea-20044298 

Please let me know if you participated in last weeks challenge, and come back to share how you helped the earth for next weeks Better You Challenge!

{Better You Challenge}

Last week I challenged you to spend some extra quality time with your children. Sometimes in the day to day hustle of life we forget to slow down and enjoy our children for who they are, and laugh at the little things. I know this is something I feel like I am constantly working on. After all, they are only little for so long. 

I am lucky in that I get to spend all day every day with our Jackson. Although it can be tiring, I enjoy it so much, and I am so thankful that I get this time with him. I will miss it immensely when he's grown. 

This week we spent some time one on one, and as a family, just enjoying each other. On Sunday we stayed in all day, and just hung out together. I spent time doing free art with Jackson, which is something we both love doing together. I love sharing my creativity with my son, and love watching him figure out his own creative style. He so brilliant :)

This weeks challenge comes just in time for school to start for the older children. If you have younger children who are not in school yet, their fall classes, or new activities may be starting. Either way, you can play along with this challenge. 

Every year around this time, I like to sit down, and make a plan for the school year. I try to write down all of our activities, and make a schedule for us to follow. It's a fresh start for the school year, and a plan so I don't slack off. So this week, I want all of us to make a schedule of everything we plan to get done every week. Go get yourself a pretty planner book, and actually write stuff in it :) Set yourself up for a good year- also organize anything else you've been meaning to get to lately- like that stack of papers on the kitchen counter. I will tell you more about  my start-of-the-school-year-routine next week after we all complete the challenge. 

{Better You Challenge}

Last week I challenged you to do something nice for someone. I am, by nature, a generous person. I've noticed though that as life gets busier, I forget to do small things for people. Doing nice things for people makes me feel great, and I love doing it.

Last week, on the spur of the moment, I called my brother up and ended up taking him out to lunch. I haven't seen my brother in a while, and it was so great to catch up. Jackson had a blast playing with his Uncle Michael.

What did you do for someone else last week? You comment is a contribution to this blog, and is greatly appreciated.

This weeks Better You Challenge is to spend a little extra time with your kids. Do something fun with them, put down your phone, computer, and turn off the tv. Give them your undivided attention. They deserve it. Let me know next week what you did, and how it helped you and your child(ren) bond.

HootandBumble@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/HootBumble

Elizabeth
xxxx

{Better You Challenge}

Last weeks Challenge was to make a list of some goals you want to work on. Long term and/or short term goals. Then get to work making those goals happen.

Making goals, and actually writing them down has been a regular part of my life the last year or so. I really feel like it helps keep me focused. I usually write some goals down once a week or so. Typically on Sunday or Monday. Anything from the previous week that wasn't completed gets moved to the new list. I keep separate lists of long term and short term goals.

Some of my short term goals for this week are:

-To get my books for my school classes

-Work on some new Hoot & Bumble prototypes

-Decide on blog giveaway details

-Make more cloth napkins

My long term goal list frequently changes as life happens. 

The long term goals consist of things like:

-Reach 20,000 page views on my blog

-Reach 1,000 likes on facebook

-Be featured on a popular blog

So, did you write down your goals? I'd love to hear some of them. Have you started working on them? Please let me know what you've been up to. Comment below :)

This weeks Better You Challenge is to do something nice for someone. It can be as simple as getting a friend coffee, or listening to a friend who is having a hard time right now. Reaching out to people in positive ways is something we should all be doing every day. Giving of yourself, and not always being on the receiving end is what relationships are all about. It's what life is all about. Do something today to make a relationship better, then tell me about it! I can't wait to get started on this challenge!

Elizabeth

xxxx

HootandBumble@gmail.com

{Better You Challenge}

Last week I challenged you to try something out of your comfort zone. Sometimes it is really easy to get lost in the daily hustle bustle of life and we forget to actually live life. 

As a kid, I was very cautious, and nervous about everything. As I've gotten older, I've gotten much more brave about doing things that are out of my comfort zone. But I do tend to stick to things that are in my comfort zone, as I suspect most people do. 

Last week, I did do something out of my comfort zone. I went zip lining through the tree tops with friends. This was something that made me very nervous. I am a little scared of heights, but that is not what was making me nervous. I can't quite pin point why I was so afraid. 

I completed 1 short course, and the first obstacle of another before I had to call it quits because of my uncontrollable shaking and fear. I really liked the zip lining part of the course. If only the entire course was a zip line without the obstacles. 

Another thing I did outside of my comfort zone was to post my 12 things I miss about Breastfeeding post. I tend to keep most opinions to myself, and I am pretty modest. This post was very personal to me, and I was afraid to share it because I didn't want to offend any moms who didn't or couldn't nurse their babies. It took a lot for me to decide to post it. I decided the benefits to my blog outweighed the risks of comments I might have to respond to. To my surprise it was received extremely well by all types of moms, and it has become the top post of my bog to date. I am so proud of myself for my accomplishments this week. I feel like I've learned so much about myself.

Sooo, I want to know. How did you do? In what way did you step out of your comfort zone? Did you try something new and adventurous, or do something you don't normally do? 

As for this weeks challenge, I want you to make a list of some goals you want to work on. Long term and/or short term goals. Then get to work making those goals happen. Recently it has really helped me to keep a list of my goals. I try to do weekly smaller goals that work towards my bigger goals. It helps me in all aspects of my life- personal, and business. Good luck!

{Better You Challenge Series}

Last weeks challenge was to try to slow down a bit and not wish away the days waiting for better ones to come along. I challenged you to live in the moment and appreciate each day as it comes for what it is.

I think last week was the perfect week for me to do this challenge. I started my 11 day vacation on Thursday and left for a girls weekend with my BFF on Friday afternoon. So I had the temptation to wish away all the days before those things that I was looking forward to. It was hard, I admit, because I was super excited. But I had to keep reminding myself that I needed to soak up as much time with my son and husband as I could because I was going to be away from them for 2.5 days {first time ever}. I do feel like I spent more time slowing down than I have been. First challenge was a success. Now to keep at it.

How did you do last week? I want to know. 

This weeks challenge is to try something out of your comfort zone. It is really easy to stick to your comfort zone and back away when something scares you. But you never learn anything new about your self until you take a risk, and just do it. 

{New Series} Better You Challenge

I feel like I am constantly trying to make myself a better person. In my mind, there is always room for improvement. I hope I am better today than I was yesterday, and that I will be better in 10 years than I am today. Life is about learning, and growth.

I wanted a way to keep track of my thoughts, and hold me accountable, so I thought I'd start a new series. 

Every Monday, I will post my progress from the previous weeks challenge, and introduce the next weeks challenge. I encourage you to leave your comments with your thoughts, and progress in the comments section below. I would love to hear how everyone else did.

To start off the Better You Challenge Series, here is our very first challenge:

I feel like I spend so much time waiting for the weekends to start. Instead of wishing away my weeks, I want to live in the moment more. I want to appreciate each day as it comes. This is how it should be. We are all so blessed to have each and every day. I am not going to take the days for granted. Instead I will love each day for what it is, and find the good each day holds. I will slow down, and remember exactly why I love my life so much.

I challenge you to do the same. Let me know next week how you do!