I love September, but I think it's weird how September never really feels like I think it should. 

I feel like September 1st should usher in cool, crisp mornings and the need to wear a light sweater and make pumpkin muffins. But it never quite works like that in Oklahoma. It's still mega hot and the flies are invading my kitchen like it's still the middle of Summer. 

But nevertheless, I still love September. It means a new catalog and new Fall scents in the Scentsy world. The kiddos go back to school. We fall back into a routine, and football season starts. I'm not huge football watcher necessarily, but I grew up in a house where we hosted football watch parties every weekend. I've come to find the sound of a football game playing on the TV to be oddly comforting. 

As each new month opens, I like to sit down and set some goals for myself for that month, both for my business and for my personal life. 

This month, I'm keeping things pretty simple. A long time ago, I started a planning method I call the Sunday 7. It's a simple way to look at the most important areas in your life and set goals for those areas accordingly. 

You can read more about the Sunday 7 here.  Also you can find lots of posts about the Sunday 7 on the right hand side of the blog under Categories. 

I'm using my Sunday 7 planning method to help me set some goals for September. 

The Sunday 7

1. Faith: in the Bible everyday, intentional prayer time/journaling
2. Family: spend one-on-one time with each kiddo everyday this month...even if it's just for 5 minutes
3. Friends/Relationships: Lunch with a friend this month and in-house coffee dates with my Scentsy team. 
4. Work: Sell at least $2,000 of Scentsy and Velata this month AND help 2 new people start their own businesses this month. 
5. Health and Fitness: Walk 3 times a week and start a light weight workout 
6. Money Management: schedule our monthly budget meeting, stay on top of both business and personal accounts, and live on our budget. 
7. Downtime: Read. Listen. And find space for rest. Don't overdo it. Snuggle that baby A LOT and enjoy the newborn life.....it's only a season....soak it up. 

What about you? What are your goals for this month? And how do you go about setting and keeping goals? I love learning about how other people stay motivated and focused. Please share! 

The Return of the Sunday 7

Over the past couple weeks, I have had several questions about the way that I plan out my week. If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you know how serious I am about planning and being intentional with your time. 

Last week, I will admit, I got overwhelmed. I usually get out of sorts when returning home from a trip, but this was different. We came home from Scentsy's Family Reunion and had a launch party for a new recruit, a huge team get together, a Velata tasting, a full day of foster care training, an amazing surprise party from our leadership team, and a huge fundraiser for Oklahoma City's Hope Link , a team play date, and then finally.....a weekend to relax and catch up. 

Catching up is good. Since this weekend was a nice little catch up for our family, I thought it would be a great time to re-introduce The Sunday 7. 

The Sunday 7 is a simple tool to help you map out the 7 most important areas of your life and then make sure you have scheduled time for each of those things in a given week.

The seven areas you choose are up to you. Below you can see my personal Sunday 7. Every week, I map out the 7 most important areas of my life and then make sure that they each have a place in my weekly schedule. 

If you're interested in creating your own Sunday 7, I've created a blank Sunday 7 template that you can save to your phone or computer and print out for yourself. 

For a more detailed explanation of the Sunday 7, click here. Happy planning friends! 

Tonight it's The Sunday 7

Last week I had a rough time recovering from Scentsy's Family Reunion. There was just so much to process. 
By the end of the week, I was convinced that I was a bad wife, a sucky mother, a terrible Scentsy consultant, a horrible friend etc, etc, etc. 
And let me tell you, that is just no way to live a life. Stupid devil....getting me overwhelmed and telling me lies. I really hate him. 
Even this morning I was thinking about how I suck at being a Christian. That's not a good thought to have. 
And then I started thinking about how I could make things better again. Turns out it just takes a little intention and planning. 
Even though it's late tonight, I knew I had to sit down and figure out what the heck I'm supposed to be doing. 
As I sat down to fill out my Sunday 7, I instantly started feeling better about myself. You know that I'm a girl who likes a plan. 
I'm not sharing my Sunday 7 this week. You need your own. I just wanted to share that I feel better about the week ahead when I remind myself what's important and then plan out a time for all of it to happen during the week. 
For a detailed explanation of The Sunday 7, click here.  

Happy Sunday {Printable Sunday 7 List}

After a long day of being mommy to my 3 littles while daddy helped his momma and daddy move today, I'm officially exhausted. {I know he's going to be so much more exhausted than I am.}

It was a good day. We made a giant camp out under the trees in our front yard this morning. It was like a slice of summer time heaven pie.

I'm finally snuggled up in bed, planning out the week ahead. And that's a good thing.

That means that it's time for the Sunday 7! A few of my friends and fellow SuperStar directors and I recently got together and shot a video that talked about the challenges of running a small business in the summer months when life is a little different for everyone.

You can see the video in it's entirety below.

I think one of the keys to finding success thru the busy summer months is having a written goal. We tend to get distracted and forget that we need to have down in writing what it is we want to accomplish for the day, week, or month.

In the conclusion to the above video, we challenge everyone watching to actually get a plan on paper. Set some goals for the summer. Find a way to hold yourself accountable.

I am all about written goals. But I often get distracted from my monthly goal, so I created a system called The Sunday 7 that helps me stay on track and set small, weekly goals to reach my bigger goal.

The Sunday 7 is not just about business. It is about your entire life, the things that are most important to you, your values.

Here's how it works:

1. You pick the top 7 most important things you in your life. (Most people can classify theirs based around what you see below....but it's flexible! Do what works for you.) 
2. Write down the most important tasks you need to do this week concerning those areas of your life. 
3. Take those tasks and find a time where they fit into your schedule. 

That's it! We're managing our time well, and setting weekly goals all at the same time. 

Now I will tell you that I have super exciting news concerning The Sunday 7 this week....thanks to my friend Emmy at Much Ado About You, we now have a printable template for the Sunday 7 that you can print off, fill in, and keep in your planner all week long! 

Here is a little sneak peek of what you'll get next week: 

But this week you can download a blank copy by clicking here. 

Next week I'll have a copy with the 7 most popular values already filled in so all you have to add are you tasks. 

1. Faith 
2. Family 
3. Friends/Relationships
4. Work
5. Health and Fitness
6. Finances
7. Down Time 

Happy planning to you! And don't forget that if you want an August start date Much Ado About You planner, you only have until tomorrow, June 10th to order one! 

A Beautiful Mess of a week ahead

The first official week of summer has left me exhausted. I usually end a weekend feeling refreshed, but this weekend, I'm writing from bed feeling worn out.

The past few weeks have been long and emotionally draining. It still feels like there is so much to do here in Oklahoma to help our communities that have been devastated by our recent tornadoes.

Sunday is usually a Sunday 7 day, where I plan out the week ahead with the desire to be intentional with my time and resources.

But there are good things that happened this week....so many good things.

My kids are loving their chore charts. They are working daily to earn stickers and come up with new ways they can help around the house.

I have snuggled, spoiled, and kissed all over my babies more than a normal week. There have been so many reminders of how precious life is.

We went to the library, made cookies, played at the park, went on walks, had sword fights, and made forts in the playroom. What could be better than that? Who cares if the laundry doesn't get folded? (I mean don't get me wrong, I would like for it to, but it doesn't really matter.)

We have made messes and made fun, and I hope it continues all summer long.

Longer days have meant later nights at our house as we enjoy our first spring in our new surroundings. And every late night is worth the fun. With over a hundred trees, a creek, and lots of wildlife, we have had plenty to explore around here.

All that being said, I want to give a little disclaimer on the idea behind the Sunday 7.

The Sunday 7 is not meant to discourage you or make you feel like a failure when you don't make all of it happen. I never get every single thing on my Sunday 7 list done.

What the Sunday 7 is meant to do is remind you of your values and the things that are most important to you. It is not meant to make your life perfect or make everything work. It's meant to help you find more balance and peace by identifying and remembering what really is important in your life.

There is never a Sunday when I look back at my past Sunday 7 list and check off every single thing.

It's more about putting the things that matter to you in front of you as a constant reminder every week.

So this week, when you plan out your Sunday 7, remember that you're not working towards perfection. You're working towards a beautiful mess while putting the things that mean the most to you at the forefront of your mind.

Here's my Sunday 7. Happy Sunday....(really Monday now!) It's a beautiful mess, and I love it.

The Sunday 7

1. Faith: in the Bible everyday
2. Family: dinner at the table 5x this week, reading with the babes everyday!
3. Friends/Relationships: Check on all my friends with new babies (there are so many of them! Don't drink the water!) 
4. Work: Get the Summer Survival Video Series done and ready to post! Yeah! 
5. Health and Fitness: Run 2x this week, workout at Barre3 2x this week, drink lots of water!
6. Money Management: Set up budget for June and pay bills
7. Downtime: Read! Finish at least 1 book this week 

Here's my little reminder of why I make the Sunday 7 a priority. My littles have to be at the top of the list.

Wishing you a week full of beautiful messes.

The Return of the Sunday 7!

I wish I could record the way the wind sounds as it blows through our trees. It's almost like the ocean.

I know it's not the ocean, but I had this beautiful thought today while rocking in the front yard holding babies, sitting with friends, watching kids play, that although this is not California, it is more paradise than I ever could have asked for.

The trees sound like the waves in the Oklahoma wind. There are people here that we love dearly. People we know we're supposed to serve with, love on, and simply serve. And today I felt the Lord remind me that there were a million reasons for us to stay here. I know this is where we're supposed to be right now. It just feels right.

But I digress.

This feels like it has been the week that would never end. And I know that I don't know the half of it. On Monday a deadly tornado ripped through over 17 miles of Moore, Oklahoma.

And even though I don't live in Moore, the effect of that tornado has shaken our entire state, the country and even the world. It has been a long time since I have been so emotionally exhausted.

But I have also been reminded of how short our time on this earth really is. Oh that precious word, time.

If you're reading for the 1st time, you should be warned that I am pretty crazy about planning and time management. I'm pretty sure it stems from all the things I think I need to do. But the older I get the more I undertand that the time I have with my children is precious. I know it is going to fly by in an instant.

With a successful and busy business to be run, a husband to love well, baby weight to lose (soon please!), and friends and family to fellowship with, I do not want my children to get the leftovers of my time.

Insert The Sunday 7!

The Sunday 7 is a simple tool to help you map out the 7 most important areas of your life and then make sure you have scheduled time for each of those things in a given week.

For a more detailed explanation of the The Sunday 7, Click Here.

So here a little bit of my crazy from tonight....there is a slight chance I have too many calendars (the one on my fridge isn't even in the picture!).

And then here is my Sunday 7.....and if you read it, you can see that it's actually 8 this week.

Now it's your turn! It's not helpful to you if you just read mine, go make your own! We can be more effective parents, spouses, friends, and leaders when we decide to be intentional about our time.

Yes, it takes a little bit of effort, but it's worth it!

Happy Sunday on a Monday.

If you're going to be following my craziness everyday, you may want to know that there are fun things to come like:

• A couple giveaways! (one being my very favorite planner....look for more info tomorrow!)
• Summer Activities for Kids (and moms too!)
• A Summer Survival Guide (for all you moms in direct sales with kids at home this summer)
• Our New York trip recaps
• Chore Charts 
• Family Dinner Questions
• a new blog design (and new name!) coming in July!
• and so much more! 

Make sure to follow along so you don't miss any of it! 

The Return of the Sunday 7

I'm a planner. It's not a secret anymore.

To that a lot of people say, "you're so busy!"

It's not that I'm busy, it's that I'm intentional, and there are times that I absolutely keep sacred to my family. I do not text or call or chat at all hours of the night. I am not a slave to my phone.

I want my kids to remember what my face looks like, not the top of my head bent over a phone all day long.

I believe in service and serving but not when it sacrifices time with my family.

I try to be intentional with my time always.

Since adding baby #3 to the mix, it's been rough going getting back into the swing of being intentional with my time.

But it is time to get it together people!

I have this theory that really successful people are not any better than anyone else, they just work harder at managing their time. So I figure if I want to be successful, I should keep working at being better with my time.

Hence the return of the Sunday 7! {On Monday!}

Let's be intentional this week. Won't you join me?

Here's how it works:

1. You come up with the 7 most important ares of your life. It can be more than 7 if it needs to be. I have a dear friend who has started what she calls The Faithful Eight. You make it work for you. My areas are the things that I value. You'll have to determine what you value the most. 
2. Once you have your core values listed, you start listing out the most important things that need to happen in the coming week in each of the areas of your life that you value. 
3. Lastly, you determine when each of those things will happen each week. Put a date and a time to it. 

And off you go! After that, you're on your way to a more balanced and peace filled life. 

So what does your Sunday 7 look like? As always, feel free to post yours below to keep you accountable. 

Here's what mine looks like this week (I added an extra category this week):

This time I went through and put a check mark by things as I got them added to my planner. 

And there you have it. A peek into the inside crazy of my mind. : ) 

Wishing you an intentional week. Happy planning! 

It's a Christmas Time Sunday!

Talk about a busy time of year. I can't believe that December is almost halfway over, but it is!

With my commitment to being "Present" this Christmas, I am more committed than ever to being intentional with my time.

I have come to the realization that you can't help other people if you can't finish all that you have on your to-do list. Therefore, planning is essential if you want to be the "hands and feet of Christ." Now, don't get me wrong, there are times that the Lord will pluck you right out of your little "schedule" to do something greater than you could imagine, and He will do those things. But, I think we have to prove faithful. We have to prove that we are committed to our values and the things we hold important in our hearts and minds.

That's why I love the Sunday 7. I do think this is the perfect time to clear a few things up about the Sunday 7.

Someone at Bible study asked me the other day if I really accomplish everything on my Sunday 7 list.....the answer.....hardly ever!

Now, you could call that failure, but here's the thing. Your goal with the Sunday 7 should be to put the most important things in your life at the front of your mind. By naming the things that matter and setting a goal in that area of your life, you are giving it value. It puts things like emptying the dishwasher and cleaning the car to the back of your mind. Those are important and necessary things, but they should not be the things you worry about.

When you have the important things on the list first, all the little things begin to fall into place. So, please don't feel like a failure when at the end of the week you haven't done every single thing you said you would do.

So, let's do it.....what are you doing next week? Or a better question would be, what are you placing value on this week? What are you going to make important?  Remember, the way we spend our time, signifies what we value in our lives. 

 

 If you're new to the Sunday 7, I suggest you start here.

The Sunday 7:

1. Faith: Start everyday in God's Word. I actually did this last week, and He is oh so faithful and good! The week probably would have been much rougher had I not started everyday in the living Word of God. I will not fall away from that this week. It's far too important. 
2. Family: Yeah for this weekend! My family and I are headed to the Gaylord Texan in Dallas. I am so excited to spend three days doing nothing but loving on my kiddos and my hubby. We are going to have a blast. We're all excited about the time away. 
3. Holiday Prep: I don't know if it's weird or normal that holiday prep is on my list, but I think it's helping me be more "present" this year. My goal this week: FINISH my Christmas shopping! Yep. I am getting close, and I want to be DONE after this week. Then we can wrap and bake and listen to Christmas music until the end of the year! 
4. Scentsy (aka work): This is our busiest time of year. Customers are calling nonstop to place orders and stop by to see what we have in stock. We have new directors who just promoted, and we're in the middle of planning and forecasting for next year. This week the most important thing to get crossed off the list when it comes to work is to update all my directors (and recognize them for how awesome they are!) and get our large trainings in the books for next year. 
5. Health and Fitness: Make dinner 3x this week. Run 2x this week. Go to bed by 11:00 every night this week! 
6. Finances: Oh, the dreaded finances! I have to budget both our personal and business budget for the rest of the year on Monday; balance both accounts; and pay all the bills. And I have to pay the IRS (who knew?!) and finish our financials for November. {Sometimes owning your own business is no fun.}
7. Foster Care Prep: Finish the room. It's almost done! We now have furniture, so we're moving right along. Still just waiting on our fingerprints. Waiting and waiting. 
8. Downtime: Since Lush is coming to Penn Square mall (this week!) I think it's only appropriate that my downtime includes at least one really great bubble bath this week along with a little reading for fun. : )

                              It's your turn!

.....day 121 of a year of writing.....

Oh, and you should definitely indulge in this while you plan.

The Sunday 7: A Christmas Edition

Even though it's late and I wish I were in bed, I've got a smile on my face and spring in my step. This weekend has been more than fruitful around the Dalke house. I've already mentioned many of the projects that took place on Friday and Saturday, but today was no exception.

Today after church, my mom and I came home to tackle even more projects around the house. The upstairs linen closets got cleaned out, the laundry is almost completely done for the week, Luke's big boy bed got put together (thanks to my handsome and talented hubby), my dining room table almost got cleaned off, and the walls in Addison's room got a re-do. And I have lots of bags and boxes to donate! Yeah! I even managed to have a short tea party with Addy and Luke in the midst of all of it.

I am felling pretty energized and accomplished. Now, of course there is still more to do. (There is probably always more to do when you're me.)

So now, even in the late hours of the evening, is the perfect time to plan out the week ahead. You know how I like to plan!

It's time for the Sunday 7. If you need a little re-cap on what the Sunday 7 is, check out this post: "When the word 'shower' gets added to your to-do list".

You know I want to know what you're doing this week. Here's a little of what I have planned. (Oh, how I feel better just sitting down to plan it!)

1. Faith: Start every morning in God's Word. To go along with that, I'm reinforcing my 11:00 p.m. bedtime (except for tonight) so that I can wake up before the kids do to get my day started.  
2. Family: Spending time with my kiddos is at the top of my list right now since there is always the thought of adding one more in the back of my head. I'm going to be intentional about our time together this week. Monday Luke and I are going to play at Bouncin' Craze and have lunch together. It'll be a fun date. He's a handsome little guy. Addy and I are going to head to Unpluggits to paint Christmas ornaments and platters to our heart's content. So much fun! Then my mom, Addy, and I are going to the Nutcracker on Sunday. 
3. Relationships:  This week I'm going to focus in on the people that God puts on my heart. I'm often so occupied with my own agenda, that I don't listen to the Holy Spirit's pull on my heart when I need to reach out to others. I'm going to be intentional about obeying when it comes to relationships this month. 
4. Christmas Prep: Well, I have about a million service projects on my plate (at least that's what it feels like), and there is a lot of planning that needs to happen this week in order to get ready for our silent auction and to evaluate what gifts we have for the Hope Link families we sponsor.  We need to figure out what we still need (more on that soon, I promise!). I also have to evaluate my Christmas shopping list. I did really great at the beginning of last week and checked a lot off the list, but there is still a lot more that needs to be done and I refuse to wait until the last minute. 
5. Scentsy (aka work): We have new leaders again in our organization, so this week will be focused on training and recognition. I've got a long list, but I won't bore you. 
6. Health and Fitness: Honestly, I'm not working out a lot lately. But I am eating really well and have lost 10 lbs, which I'm pumped about, all thanks to Weight Watchers. I do want to run this week though. If it happens once, I'm counting that as a success. I put it in my planner. I can do it!
7. Finances: The all so anticipated and enjoyable weekly budgeting of accounts has to happen tomorrow and I need to pay bills this week.  
8. Foster Care Prep: I'm buying baby furniture this week! I am so excited. Now all that's left to do is pray that our fingerprints come back soon! 
9. Downtime: Reading. Yep! I want to read for fun this week. Every night before I go to bed (at 11:00 since I have a bedtime this week). I am also planning on one nice relaxing bath. I'm not hard to please. 

So what are you doing this week?

Wondering why this is the Christmas edition of The Sunday 7?
You have to check out this video that my church produced. Makes me cry every time. It's a great reminder of why making the most out of our daily schedule really does matter. We can live in peace when we find time to place Him first in our day, first in our life, and first in our hearts.

May you be blessed.

.....day 114 of a year of writing.....

Lord, Prepare My Heart

With coffee #3 for the day in hand, I sit down to plan my week.

The weekend has been wonderful...family, friends, leisure, and good food. There really isn't more that I could ask for.

But today I saw a glimpse of what my future may hold. A mom holding a baby who wasn't hers. With puffy eyes from an emotional day and night, she tells me to prepare myself.

She said, "My baby isn't my baby anymore. Someone else's baby now has to be my baby. I thought I as ready, but I was not prepared for this. You can't prepare yourself for this."

Aimee picked up a baby boy yesterday and opened her home to a child not her own. Yesterday, Aimee and Richie became foster parents.

Aimee and Richie go to our church, and all along I honestly thought we'd have a baby before them, but God wanted me to see her heart today. He wanted me to see her pain and all the emotion behind this huge decision.

"You can't prepare yourself for this."

And with tears streaming down my checks, all I can ask is that the Lord would prepare my heart for this. Whatever this happens to be.

I'm surprised we don't have a child in our home yet. Our process is done as far as I know. Our home study is complete, and we have done everything we need to do. Now we're just waiting.

Waiting and preparing our hearts.

Lord, please prepare my heart for this. For this which You have so clearly called me to do. Please, prepare my heart and the hearts of my children for the work You are about to do in us.

A day of worship. A day of anxiety. A day of readiness. Are we ready?

I don't think we can be ready. How do you ready yourself for the unknown?

All I know is that this week (whatever it may bring), I am standing on His word and His promises.

As a good friend of mine reminded me today: "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." -Ephesians 2:10

So I'll ready what I can in the meantime. My house is pretty much a mess from hosting Thanksgiving here and then being at my mom's for two days. Dishes, laundry, and cleaning up will consume the rest of the day.

I have a long list of things to organize and things to clean out. I feel like I'm nesting. I want to be ready for that which I know I will never be ready for. Oh, pardon my rambling!

My heart is heavy with what's to come. I'm nervous, excited, humbled, and scared. And this is how it comes out.

When you don't know what else to do, it's time to make a plan! You know how I LOVE a plan!

I's time for the Sunday 7. Let's be intentional this week. Won't you join me?

Here's how it works:

1. You come up with the 7 most important areas of your life. It can be more than 7 if it needs to be. I have a dear friend who has started what she calls The Faithful Eight. You make it work for you. My areas are the things that I value. You'll have to determine what you value the most. 
2. Once you have your core values listed, you start listing out the most important things that need to happen in the coming week in each of the areas of your life that you value. 
3. Lastly, you determine when each of those things will happen each week. Put a date and a time to it. 

And off you go! After that, you're on your way to a more balanced and peace filled life. 

So what does your Sunday 7 look like? As always, feel free to post yours below to keep you accountable. 

Here's what mine looks like this week (I added 2 extra categories this week):

1. Faith: Being in God's Word everyday this week. The goal is to start every morning with my Bible open and my heart ready. I've also started a prayer journal that I want to add to this week. 

2. Family: Dinner three nights this week at the table with the family. Peaceful, routine mornings with the kids. Reading time with both kids daily. 

3. Friends: I am beyond grateful for the friendships that I have especially as we go into this new adventure of being Bible study groups, via Facebook.

4. Holiday Prep: Continue to be intentional with my schedule and make sure my priorities are in the right place.  Be present in every moment!  My goal for the week is to stick to my Christmas gift and giving list and do my best to knock out the majority of my shopping online tomorrow on Cyber Monday! 

5. Scentsy (aka work): Re-contact all new directors who promoted in October, and set up a time to chat with them on the phone.  Get caught up on emails. Prep for Director's Christmas party (this Saturday!)

6. Health and Fitness: Start the week by getting up early on Monday morning to go to Barre 3 and run two times this week. Keep up with Weight Watchers' points. 

7. Finances: Set up payroll for our incorporation. Balance both personal and business accounts. Pay bills due this week.

8. Foster Care Prep: Clean out guest bedroom closet. Get a quote for replacing the flooring in the playroom. And clean out my desk in the kitchen to make it more usable for daily work. 

9. Downtime: No computer or phone time three nights this week! Both for me and Brian. Working on just being present in the moment. Sounds like vacation to me! Oh, and order pictures online. I have way too many pictures of my kids that need to be printed that I have never gotten around to! 

May you be blessed with intention and peace this week.

 .....day 107 of a year of writing.....

When the Word "Shower" Gets Added to the To Do List....

You know things can't be good when the word "shower" gets added to the To Do list. Usually things that happen on a daily basis don't need to be added to a To Do list, but somehow the word "shower" got added to my list today. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the three days I've spent overhauling my house in an attempt to make it Christmas ready far before Christmas. I do realize that I skipped an entire holiday, but I don't care.

I will have you know that my front porch is complete with both garland and lights and pumpkins. Yup, that's how I roll. : )

With the holiday season upon us, I think there is no better time than now to get our priorities in order. That means it's time for the Sunday 7. (And yes, you're taking advice about time management from a girl who put shower on her list of to dos.....don't worry about that.)

The Sunday 7 originally stemmed from a Franklin Covey time management concept that says if you want to make everything fit into your life, you have to tend to the most important things first. There is a great illustration called Big Rocks that basically says if you want to fit a bunch of rocks and sand into a jar, you have to put the bigs rocks in first and then let the sand fill in around the rocks.

The same is true for our lives. Whatever is important to us, has to come first.

Today at church, our senior pastor, Craig Groeschel, reminded me that our values determine how we spend our time.

The Sunday 7 is a way to put the things you value first on your priority list every week. It's a way to get all those big rocks into the jar so you can fill your life to the top with all the little things that will fall into place once you've taken care of the big things.

Here's how it works:

1. You come up with the 7 most important ares of your life. It can be more than 7 if it needs to be. I have a dear friend who has started what she calls The Faithful Eight. You make it work for you. My areas are the things that I value. You'll have to determine what you value the most. 
2. Once you have your core values listed, you start listing out the most important things that need to happen in the coming week in each of the areas of your life that you value. 
3. Lastly, you determine when each of those things will happen each week. Put a date and a time to it. 

And, off you go! After that, you're on your way to a more balanced and peace filled life. 

So what does your Sunday 7 look like? As always, feel free to post yours below to keep you accountable. 

Here's what mine looks like this week:

The Sunday 7: (8 this week)

1. Faith: Daily Scripture study. Prayers written in my prayer journal. Re-focus our Monday night Bible study group.

2. Family: Caroling with Addison and the kids at Keystone. Read daily to both Addy and Luke. Find a fun Thanksgiving craft for the kiddos to do on Thanksgiving day. Movie night on the couch with my hubby

3. Holiday Prep: This week the plan is to get all the food planned and ready for both Thanksgiving dinners we're attending; grocery shop; and finish the Christmas List and budget. Also, I need to order our family pics online for Christmas Cards. Finish Christmas decorations!

4.  Scentsy (aka work): Trim through my emails and Facebook messages. Send out communication to all my frontline consultants via email. 

5. Health and Fitness: Keep on track with my Weight Watchers' points (which I am loving by the way!). Cook dinner Monday and Tuesday night this week. Run 3x this week. 

6. Finances: Keep on track with our cash budget. Balance business and personal accounts. Send over final documents for tax prep. 

7. Foster Care Prep: Have guest bedroom painted. Clean out closet in guest bedroom. 

8. Down time: Read! Simple as that. Read for pleasure, and stay off Facebook (it sucks me in sometimes!). Oh, and keep the word "shower" off my To Do list this week! : ) 

What does your week look like? I'd love to hear about it.

.....day 100 of a year of writing..... 

What Are You Doing This Week?

Yep. I want to know. What are you doing this week?

Being that it's Sunday, it is of course time for the Sunday 7.

The Sunday 7 is when we look at the 7 most important areas or our lives and decide what the most important thing to be done in each of those areas for the week is. For a more complete description of the Sunday 7 click here.

Being that we're out of town right now, sitting down to plan out my week helps me stay on track and keep from being behind due to travel.

Here are my 7 categories for the week (yours can change from week to week) and what I plan to get done in each group.

1. Faith: Continue reading my Bible daily. Start a prayer journal. 
2. Family: Individual time with each of my kiddos. Dinner three nights this week at the table. Bed times for everyone. 
3. Life Groups: Decide on service projects for the month of November for both of my Bible study groups. E-mail all Monday night girls. 
4. Work: Start filming New Director training videos. Connect with all frontline consultants via email. Plan presentation for Spring Sprint. 
5. Health and Fitness: Run 3x this week. Work out at Barre 3 Wednesday morning. Keep up with Weight Watchers points. : )
6. Finances: Get all our personal and business taxes in order...that's why we're in Salt Lake City! Take out cash for our cash only budget. Finalize Budget. 
7. Downtime: Read daily for pleasure. Enjoy our little getaway in Utah. 
8. Home Organization: I added one more this week! I am decorating for Christmas next weekend so our house will be ready for Thanksgiving. Also putting all my summer clothes away and getting the winter clothes out. 

Done! I have my week planned out. What about you? Now's the time. Start planning and find a little more peace this week. List out what's important to you, and carve out some time to get something done in that area of your life this week. 

As always, feel free to leave your Sunday 7 below in the comments section if it helps you get ready for the week. 

Happy Sunday! 

.....day 93 of a year of writing....

The Word of the Week {Discipline}

With the thought of a new baby or another toddler being my responsibility within the next few months, I can't help but think of how much more discipline I need in my life.

To be honest, there are very few things that I am consistently disciplined about. I have short stretches of discipline where I'm in God's Word every morning for a few weeks at a time or I make working out a priority for a month or so, but somehow everytime I get into a routine of discipline, before I know it, I'm out of the habit and wishing I were disciplined again.

Is it just me? I'm hoping it's not just me.

One of the things I desire most is a life of discipline. It seems as though when I have lots of structure surrounding my life and the expectations I have for myself, I am more at peace. And isn't that what we're all searching for? A little more peace?

It's not ironic that my life is more peace-filled when I read the Bible daily. It's not like there is less chaos in my life when I'm in God's Word (sometimes there is actually more chaos), I just feel more at peace about everything that's happening to me.  And it's not ironic that I have more energy, can get more done in a day, and feel better about myself when I make working out a priority.

But those things take discipline, and it seems that discipline is a virtue that is completely undervalued in our generation and even our society.

Being disciplined often means sacrificing the desires of our flesh to achieve more in this life. An obvious example is choosing to eat healthy. We often have to give up what may taste good for a moment to eat what will make us feel good long term if we want to eat healthy.

With discipline comes much reward. Often a better physical physique, a healthier family, a more peace-filled life, etc.

But are we willing to disciple ourselves? And at what cost? What are we willing to give up and sacrifice for a more disciplined life?

I know that I can make a list of the things I want to give. Things like procrastination, most of the TV, facebook browsing, multi-tasking, going to bed late.....and the list could go on, I'm sure.

I think this quote sums up our discussion over discipline:

That's the one thing I know to be true about discipline in any aspect of your life. It's not easy, but the payoff is totally worth it.

This week I'm drawing some lines in the sand in multiple areas of my life. These are things that I am going to choose to be disciplined about.

So I know this long post over discipline just keeps getting longer, but one of the tactics that helps me stay disciplined and focused on what is important is The Sunday 7.

My Sunday 7 this week involves multiple things that I'm committing to this week to become more disciplined. I encourage you to find at least one area in your life that could use a little discipline. Remember, your 7 most important areas, may be different than mine. For more information on the Sunday 7 click here.

1. Faith:  Starting everyday in God' Word. Completing all the homework for my Bible studies. 
2. Family: This one has to do with my kiddos. We have gotten into a bad habit of getting them in bed too late and it puts stress on all of us. For the next seven days, we are committing to having the kids in bed by 8:00 at the latest. 
3. Relationships: Life has been busy, and I have not had enough good conversations with my best girlfriends lately. We will definitely be connecting via HeyTell this week. 
4. Work (Scentsy): I have to become disciplined about staying current with my voicemails and my emails. I have a tendency to get behind, and not get caught up in a timely manner. This week I'm committing to catching up and then creating a disciplined habit of staying caught up. 
5. Finances: Here comes another line in the sand: This week we're finally going all cash. I have the budget finalized, and this is the week that we're disciplining ourselves to actually stick to it. 
6. Health and Fitness: Another major change here this week: I have gotten into a bad habit of eating whatever I want and hardly working out. Not going to work! So I signed up for Weight Watchers Online and I'm actually excited about it. You know I love a good plan! And I am going to discipline myself to run nine miles a week. 
7. Down Time: Strangely enough I should probably discipline myself to find some downtime. I am not good at intentional downtime. Sine the start of the Sunday 7, I have gotten better at it, but I still have a ways to go. This week I'm reading before bed every night (just for pleasure) and I'm taking at least one good bubble bath this week. 

So here's the million dollar question? What do you need to be more disciplined about? I think we would all agree that there is something....what is it for you?

My challenge for you this week is to post what you want to become more disciplined about and make a personal commitment to yourself to make that happen.

Where do you lack discipline? And what is your plan to create discipline in your life? I can't wait to hear. As always, you can post your Sunday 7 below too to hold yourself accountable this week.

.....day 86 of a year of writing.....

The Sunday 7

I was going to skip this week's edition of the Sunday 7, but when I sat down to write something else, I just couldn't do it.

Sunday screams intention to me. Using Sunday to prioritize my week is what makes my life work most of the time. When my planner doesn't get filled in on Sunday, I'm like a little lost puppy. I don't know where I'm going, what I'm doing, or what the heck I'm supposed to eat. It's slightly pathetic, but it's true.

Sunday is what takes me from chaos to peace. Sitting down to do the Sunday 7 every week is what reminds me that there is more to my life than "work" and that I have to chisel out time for all the things that make me happy, keep me healthy, and fill me up.

This week though, I'm switching it up a little bit. In addition to typing out the 7 most important areas in my life and the 7 things that I need to ensure get accomplished in that week, I'm also going to write down a copy of the 7 things I've committed to each week to add to my paper planner.

If you're new to the Sunday 7, click here to find out what it's all about.

Here are my Sunday 7 for this week.

1. Faith: Read my Bible everyday. The bold, italics, and underlining are for my personal emphasis. I'm serious this week. It's one thing I've let slip for a few weeks, and I feel the effects of it in my life. I have to get back into God's Word, and it starts tomorrow morning. 
2. Family: Field trip to the zoo with the kiddos this week! And quality time with my hubby at least three nights this week. That means that once Brian gets home, no computer for me and no phone for him. Just us hanging out. Simple but good. 
3. Relationships: {This week this area is going to be focused on women's life groups at our church.} Plan a dinner in November for our current Women's Life Group leaders. Get a Pinterest/Craft night on the calendar for the women at our church {early December}. Also on a personal note, email friends about our Christmas party/silent auction. 
4. Work {Scentsy}: Start a Monday Morning Motivation conference with my top leaders. Set up video shoots for our New Director Training program, and connect with new directors who promoted in October. And finally, record a YouTube video that discusses what to do when your team is growing in numbers but shrinking in sales volume. 
5. Health and Fitness: Run at least 2x this week. Work out at Barre 3 at least 2x this week. Cook dinner at home at least 3x this week. Drink lots of water! 
6. Finances:  Finalize our business and personal budget through the end of November. Hold budget meeting with Brian to discuss budget. Take out cash for cash envelopes. Attempt to get an organization system set up for couponing. 
7. Downtime: Don't leave this one out! I know it seems selfish, but it's essential! You can't do it all if you don't leave time for your sanity. This week I'm planning on at least ONE bubble bath, reading before bed every night, and a little fun on Pinterest. 

There you have it. My Sunday 7. You know I have to ask.....what are you doing this week? 

.....day 79 of a year of writing.....

It's Sunday!

Sunday! It sure doesn't feel that way around here. After twenty-seven hours of pre-service foster care training in three days, I feel like we had no weekend at all!

But I am glad to be sitting down and planning out my busy week so I can make sure it all gets done. Sunday means it's time for the Sunday 7, where we focus on the 7 most important areas of our lives and what things need to be done in each of those areas this week.

The Sunday 7: 

1. Faith: This week, I'm going to be in God' Word every single day. I have slipped slightly out of a good habit and have missed those words dearly. I also want to start writing my prayers (in a journal I bought weeks ago), and memorize a new verse. 

2. Family: Focus on more consistency in our household this week. I broke down and ordered chore charts for my kiddos. I was going to make them, but found these on Etsy and couldn't resist! You can find them at Abbie's House on Etsy by clicking here. I know that giving my kids a little more responsibility will be a great thing around our house. 

3. Relationships: Well ,this is my hubby's birthday week! He is turning 30! I plan on spending the week letting him know how much he's loved and appreciated.....shhhhh.....some of it is a surprise just in case he reads this. : )

4. Work: (Scentsy) Oh my goodness! I need to touch base with as many of my frontline consultants as I can this week. Having lunch with a couple of them! I also need to work on plans for our Directors Christmas Dinner and catch up on e-mails....what's new? 

5. Health and Fitness: I'm getting back on track here! When Brian was gone, it was hard to find the time to workout, so it didn't happen! This week, I'm getting back into my early morning workout routine. Yeah! 

6. Finances: We are in the process of going all cash. We're switching from using our debit cards for everything to using cash. It's been a process, but we're almost there. We're holding ourselves accountable with a budget. I need to plan a budget meeting and get our cash envelopes ready to go this week. 

7. Down Time: The hardly ever happens down time.....for me this week, I'm going to make it a priority to read for enjoyment every night and take at least one bath this week. 

So there you have it...my Sunday 7. So what does your week look like? Have you planned it out? Do you have your To Do list started? Please share.....we'd love to hear what's important to you this week. 

.....day 72 of a year of writing.....

The Sunday 7....with Another Giveaway!

Well, fall is finally in the air, and I am so excited to wear boots and scarves and do a little fall shopping.

With fall clothes shopping comes the dreaded turning of the closets!

Does anyone else do this? No? It's only me?

Well, go figure.

I'm going to complain about it anyway.

Every time it changes from winter to spring or summer to fall, the closets in the Dalke house get turned into mayhem! I take all the no longer weather appropriate clothes and put them in tupperwares that live in the top part of my closet, and rescue the stuffy, wrinkled, oh how I missed you scarves and boots kind of clothes from their plastic prison so they can live on hangers and in drawers until the next closet change.

It happens to all the closets. I started with Addison's today. Her's is always the hardest. With three girls in our family (two cousins), we have a plethora of girl clothes. My sister-in-law Kristi brought over two huge Tupperwares of clothes for me to go through last week, so  had to start with Addison's closet first.

I'm only about halfway done, but I do plan on showing you pictures later this week. I also plan to tackle Luke's closet this week, too. His is actually really easy. We haven't had any hand me downs with Luke so all I have to do is pull out the clothes that don't fit and put them in a box to be handed down. He also needs a new wardrobe every season which makes that part a little harder.

I do not have any intentions of tackling my closet this week. It is too big of a project! I have to pace myself. And with Brian out of town, I already feel behind.

Even though it's late, I know I have to plan out my week if I plan on getting anything done.

So here is my Sunday 7. To read what the Sunday 7 is all about click here.

1. Faith: Start everyday this week in God's word. Memorize two new Scriptures this week. 
2. Family: Be patient with my kids. Make dinner around the table a priority. Reading daily with each kiddo. 
3. Home Organization: Kid's closets changed over! 
4. Work (Scentsy): Prep for a great team meeting on Sunday and provide helpful training on our live online training on Tuesday night. 
5. Health and Fitness: Workout three days this week and cook at least four healthy dinners.
6. Finances: Finish our Money Makeover (Dave Ramsey) budget. We're going back to cash and going to attempt to pay off all our vehicles ASAP. 
7. Downtime: In bed by 11:00 each night this week (I'm already breaking this one) and at least one relaxing bath. 

Want to know what the giveaway is? How about my favorite Scentsy warmer and three of my favorite scents?! Jane and a bar of Sugar Cookie, Clove and Cinnamon, and Pumpkin Marshmallow. (Delicious when you mix them together!) 

Anyone can win! All you have to do is plan out your Sunday 7 below by posting a comment. If you need further instructions, click here. 

Happy planning and good luck! The winner will be announced on Wednesday, October 12th. 

.....day 58 of a year of writing.....

The Sunday 7 with a Winner!

It's Sunday! What are you doing next week? 

It's time for the Sunday 7. It's when we gather together to list out the 7 most important areas in our lives and make them a priority for the coming week. 

Think of it as mini goals or a weekly checklist. 

Here's how it works:

You start with the 7 most important areas of your life (my 7 below are simply suggestions), and then you list out the one thing you are going to make a priority in the coming week in each of those areas. 

So here are my Sunday 7:

1. Faith: Start every day in God's Word. (I am getting close to mastering this....I feel like I'm finally beginning a habit.) Memorize a scripture this week. Stay caught up with my Bible study homework.
2. Family: Spend some much needed "down" time with my kiddos and my hubby before he heads out of town. Fun activities (probably from Pinterest) with the kids. And date night with Brian. 
3. Women's Small Groups: One of the hats I'm currently wearing is as a volunteer at my church organizing women's small groups. I have not been doing a good job. This week I am coming up with a plan and a system to make it easier to place women in small groups. 
4. Work (Scentsy): Connect with my directors and congratulate all new directors (set up training with each of the new directors). 
5. Health and Fitness: Four days of working out this week and four home cooked meals for dinner. 
6. Finaces: Come up with a solid budget for both our personal and business accounts; have a budget meeting with the hubby; start paying for things with cash (when at all possible). 
7. Down Time: At least one door locked bath for me.....no kids, no noises, just a few minutes of checkout for me. 

What are you doing this week? Does your schedule reflect what's really important to you? Have you tried the Sunday 7 yet? This is the week.....comment below with your Sunday 7 and get it in writing! 

By the way, you only have a few more days to take advantage of the Intentional Peace's 10% discount at the Much Ado About You shop. Simply type in INTPEACE at checkout. But hurry! The discount is only good until October 7th. 

Congratulations to Jami Jo who won her very own Much Ado About You planner! Here's how she said she would use it:

Jami Jo said...

I have always said that I was a "digital planner." It had worked for me but I am now seeing the need to write EVERYTHING down and I don't always have my computer with me! I think I might need to start switching my mind over to an actual "carry around with me" planner and this one would definitely do the trick!

Congrats Jami Jo! Enjoy your new planner! 

And be sure to watch for our next giveaway coming soon!

.....day 51 of a year of writing.....