new year goals Archives

Happy 2017!

2 January, 17 53 Comments

Cheers to clean slates, to new opportunities, and to a promise of new beginnings! Here’s wishing you + your family a prosperous + meaningful new year! May the Universe bless us all this 2017!???? ?#newyear2017 #mumwrites #pantone2017 #greenery

A photo posted by Vix Parungao (@mumwrites) on Dec 31, 2016 at 10:50pm PST

Nothing is more promising than the start of another brand new year! The thoughts of new adventures, new beginnings, new goals to set and meet, new experiences, and making more fond memories with the family is enough to excite anyone awake!

Our 2017 started off late simply because we spent the first few hours of it watching old favorite films on the tellie. We watched Lady in the Water, Anastasia, and Mulan 1 and 2. The little man dosed off a little after the first film was over but woke up in the middle of Mulan. He instantly fell in love with it {and was asking to watch it again after a few days! :-D }. We finished watching a little before the break of dawn.

Happy New Year, new year goals, greetings, mum's thoughts — New Years Eve!

We went out to catch some fresh New Year’s air around dinnertime because the little one requested to eat at KFC. As always, he enjoyed his meal. It was also commendable that KFC offers mineral water as alternative to those who do not want to drink soft drinks. We strolled around for a bit before finally heading home.

Of course, welcoming the new year is never complete without the proverbial New Years Resolutions. But I have long given up on them in favor of New Year Goals, which are more specific, realistic and achievable. Here are my 2017 goals:

Do 100 Crunches a Day ~ now this may be quite a feat as I have been quite inactive the past year. But I set out to be healthier and fitter this year {and finally get rid of the sagging mid-section, I hope!} and would kick-start this goal by doing 100 crunches each morning. I bet I will be rusty, so I might have to cut myself some slack and settle for half or even a quarter of this goal on some days.
Create a Daily Schedule ~ In line with my One Word for 2017, I will be creating a Daily Schedule to be more intentional and mindful of how I use my time. It is very easy to be side-tracked or distracted, especially if no one is keeping tabs on you, so it really is up to me to spend my time productively and wisely. I have discovered this lovely printable online and will share it in another post.
Spend Less Time on Social Media ~ I realized I have been spending too much time on my Facebook and Instagram page lately and I really need to lessen this as they are perfect time-wasters. Deleting the apps on my mobile phone is not an option as they come very handy when I blog. I am thinking of designating a specific amount of time each day to check on Facebook and IG updates then going offline for the rest of the day. That way I will have more time for far more important things. I am also considering to use a social sharing app to schedule social media updates so I won’t need to be online all the time.
Read 50 Books ~ Reading a book each day might be quite a tall order for a busy mum like me so I will settle for 50 books for this year. So far, I have already read 2 books {which I shall share here next, to serve as a reminder of this goal, and so you can bug me in case I am lagging on my goal! :D}
Spend Time Outdoors Daily ~ Yes, I am such an introvert and I do not have problems with staying indoors for days on end, but spending time outdoors does so much good to oneself that I should make the most of it. Whether biking or strolling, or going out for errands, or visiting my parents at the memorial, or tending to my plants and cleaning the yard, I will allot a portion of my time daily and spend it outdoors.
Take More Photos ~ You might think bloggers do this by default but I still need to learn the habit. I also need to take advantage of the opportunity to take as much photos of the little man while he is still little and while he still cooperates as I notice there are times when he does not want to be photographed any more. These photos will be lovely mementos of his childhood and I am sure he will appreciate that I documented his milestones and daily activities when he is older. I hope an opportunity to upgrade to an even better phone camera will come this year, too! To be more motivated, I am joining this year’s Photo-A-Day Challenge by Fat Mum Slim {you may search for #FMSPAD on your social media pages to know more about this fun photo challenge.}

I will fine-tune and add more to this list as 2017 progresses. I will also see to it that I achieve each of these goals I have set for myself. How’s your goal-setting for the new year so far mums? What items did you include in your list? I would love to read all about them in the comments below.

Cheers to a blessed, fruitful, and purposeful 2017! Here’s to creating more beautiful memories with our families and to achieving every goal we have set out for ourselves this year! :heart:

mum's thoughts

Marching On This March

1 March, 15 No Comments

March ought to be a very promising month and I only have one word right now to describe it ~ busy! First off, this will mark the start of my most favorite season of all ~ summer! We may have yet to decide where to go for our summer vacay, but I am sure we are definitely going to get our hands full.

For the first time March is going to be a rather busy month for us as we prepare for the little man’s final exams for this school year. Can you believe how quickly time flies? I am still in awe whenever I think Jared’s almost finished with his very first year in school and I cannot help but feel rather accomplished. Yes, we might have been tardy on so many times, but my little learner sure learned so much this year and I cannot help but feel proud! We are also gearing up for the Culminating activity in school a week after his 4th quarter examinations and it should be a very exciting time for our preschooler {and for mum + dad, too!}

The little man is also looking forward to his swimming lessons and has asked me time and again whether his lessons with his coach is starting anytime soon. I meant to enroll him as soon as his school is over, thus giving him more time to enjoy summer and the water. I am sure he is going to enjoy his lessons this year, like he always does, as he absolutely loves the water.

This month also happens to be a very big day for my youngest sister as she is getting married this month. Now, I may not be all ecstatic about the prospect of being all dolled-up and donning a dress, but the little one is doing ring bearer duties for the first time and that is just about enough to keep me both excited and on the edge at the same time. Besides, it will surely be one amazing experience to see everyone in the family in their Sunday best~~est~~! I am sure I will also get teary-eyed to see my sister finally walking down the aisle. It will mark another important milestone in her life and we are delighted to be there to witness the momentous occasion!

March + Productivity

books, mum's thoughts

Mum’s Personal Goal {2014}: Read A Book Each Month

4 January, 14 No Comments

It sure will be helpful and practical to set reasonable and attainable goals this new year, 2014, so, instead of saying “I will read more books this year,” I am opting for “I will read 1 book each month,“ that way if I was successful in my goal, I will have read 12 books at the end of the year or if I am even more successful I would’ve probably read more. Being the book lover that I am, I set out to read more at the beginning of each year. On most times, I was successful with my goal, but there are also times, like last year, when I read the least number of books.

Last year I purchased and got many a number of books that I cannot wait to read, so this year, I set out to read a book each month and I plan to add more as my reading journey progresses. Check out my list of books-to-read this year:

Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina ~ I was lucky enough to score a copy last year as a present from my sister, Belle, but never found the time to finish it, so this will be the first book I’ll ever open this year, unless the Universe presents another opportunity, that is!
John Green’s Fault In Our Stars ~ I got a copy of this from bookdepository last year, which I gave to my sister as a very late birthday gift. I was able to read a few chapters but was not too keen on finishing it, so I will try again this year. A movie adaptation will be out, so it will be a great motivation to finish the book first before I go to see the film.
Matthew Quick’s Silverlinings Playbook ~ Silverlinings is one of my most favorite words ever and much like Pat in this book, I am also a believer of those. I aimed to read this book after I saw the screen adaptation and fell in love with Pat. I have been successful to read halfway thru, I think, until I got preoccupied with something else, so this year i vow to finish this great read, and find out for myself if my sister’s opinion that the movie is better than the book is actually accurate.
Adrian Rogers’ The Lord Is My Shepherd ~ I was fortunate enough to receive great books to read last year and I do hope it continues this year. One of the books I hope to receive a copy real soon, and include in my non-existent bookshelves, is this devotional. Published by Lifebooks, The Lord is my Shepherd is now available in leading bookstores nationwide for Php145 a copy. Here is a bit more info about the book, in case you’re interested to get you or your family and friends your own copies:

In this hectic, demanding life, we are all looking for a heart-contentment that fulfills our yearning for love and protection…

For a quiet place to rest. For guidance and comfort and deliverance from fear. The secret lies in the gentle words of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. . . .”

This beloved psalm’s beautiful lines feed and comfort our souls. But its greatest gift is that it offers what we all need-the secret to satisfaction in this life, and in the one to come-and promises what we can all experience-an intimate relationship with the loving Shepherd who fulfills the very longings of our souls.

“Where are you looking for satisfaction? How will you know when you’ve found it? And when you think you’ve discovered the secret of satisfaction, will it last for eternity?

“In the deepest recesses of our hearts and minds, there are hungers that cannot be satisfied by the things of this world. St. Augustine once said that we were created with a God-shaped void. I agree. Only God can meet the deepest longings of our hearts. Nothing can satisfy us apart from a personal relationship with Him….

“Who knows what will satisfy your deepest needs better than the One who made you? As your Creator, He can see what your needs are going to be tomorrow and ten years from tomorrow. So He certainly knows what you need today!” –Adrian Rogers

I will make sure to update this to-read list as new books pile up and can I just tell you now that I am also currently planning on putting up a separate blog for all my books, the reading challenges I joined and my reading adventures. I will tell you more about it as soon as my ever-gracious host is done setting it up. And just a little teaser, the new blog will be aptly named Mum Reads, one of my new babies for this year.

Do share your reading list for 2014, I’d love to read all about it! :heart:

image is from freedigitalphotos.net