~Monday Motivation~ water

Water.  So...my kids and I have been talking about water during school time a lot this past week. We came up with a question.  How much water is there on, in, and above the Earth? The image on that page is awesome.  They  *really* liked it.  And of course, this is an abstract concept at nearly 4 and 5.5 years old...but, introducing the vocabulary of the water cycle is HUGE for future understanding.  Then we began to talk about water in the human body.  I should mention....I am a "drink water" freak...so this is something they think about. And we wondered.... How much water is there in the human body?    Another fun link. :)  It is amazing how much water is necessary, and how much many of us tend to ignore it.  When E tells me she is too tired to learn (and I know she has had a good night sleep and not been pushed too far) I offer her a glass of water.  In five minutes or so...she is back to learning.  Miracle?  No.  Water.  ;)

So...where does this turn to motivation?  Here.  I am a self proclaimed water freak...but left to my own devices, I'd drink more coffee than water.  {hide}  It is true.  However, coffee does not have the same wonderful effects on the body as water does.  So, I have to have a little external motivation.  I found an app last summer that not only tells me how much water I need to consume each day based on my individual needs (ie: weight, coffee consumption, activity level, breastfeeding status) but also tracks it for me.  It is customizable for water serving size as well.  I just love this app and it is a daily user.  It motivates me to keep well hydrated and I feel GREAT being hydrated!  Water My Body  is a 99 cent app.  There is also a free one now, but I paid the 99 cents as it was not available when I started.  Oh, and you *can* hide your body weight.  I do.  ;)  Check it out!  It's a cheapie...or a freebie....and I don't think you'll regret it.  :)

~Monday MoJo~

One week down in the new year!!  I did not do 100% of my chore list last week...lol...sometimes I just can not do a certain task on the appointed day (ahem, toilet....I really dislike cleaning you.)  But...overall, I kept up fairly well...I'd say 85%-ish?  Not too shabby!  And...I also did other chores...like the major playroom overhaul.  :)  That felt GREAT and my children LOVED the outcome.  Which in itself elevates my success to 100%  :)  Yay me!  (Yes...I congratulate myself.  If I waited for outside congratulations, well...it could be a cold day.)

So...MOJO.  So far today I have

• edited my chore list to include some personal tasks (if you don't use one, check out Motivated Moms )
• made my menu plan for the week and completed a grocery list
• completed reading with E (we home school, remember?)
• cranked some showtunes to clean to  lol...yes, showtunes.  ;)  feel free to laugh with me!

I have to tell you about my grocery list tool-I ♥adore♥ it.  I use an app on my iPhone called Grocery iQ.  It is SO COOL and it really makes shopping sort of fun.  ;)  I can set the list up to shop by the isles in my store so everything is in the right order as I steer through the isles.  A simple click marks your item off the list and if you set it up with grocery prices, it will tabulate your running grocery total.  You can scan the UPC of *many* items right from your kitchen or from the market.  I have mine totally personalized with the things we use at home.  You can also use coupons with this app.  (I admit, I do not, so I do not know much about it...yikes!) You should really check it out.  I see they also have the app for Droid.  :)  Yay smart phones!

So...how did you do last week?  I admitted to my less than perfect run....tell me how you did!  What do you do to keep yourself motivated?  I can always use additional motivation.  :)

~Motivation Monday~

It is the first Monday of 2011!!  I would love to say I had everything in my life in order and spontaniously organized....but, often, I need motivation to do things.  Sometimes just talking about it with others is enough. I am all about *accountability*  ;)  Sometimes I need to make a check mark.  Some physical way to record my accomplishment.  I also use my iPhone and a few handy-dandy apps. (I did not think I needed a smart phone.  I mean...I had a phone.  I had a calendar.  I have a computer....dude.  NEVER was I so wrong.  Everyone needs an iPhone.  Needs.  You may not know it...but you do need one.)

So...in the spirit of the new year....I want to share how I keep organized.  Motivation Monday.  I'll post my methods, and I'd love for you to share too!

This is my household folder.  I keep EVERYTHING in it.

It is, quite simply, a folder that I decorated to make it feel special.  lol....yes....the "pretty" motivates me to keep it around.  :)  Inside I have my weekly chore list, my menu planner, a month at a glance calendar to record appointments, bills in the pockets, ballet schedules, homeschooling information/plans...you name it, if it has to do with keeping me organized, it is in there.  If I had to leave my house in an emergency...I would grab it right after my children.
The chore list *really* keeps me organized.  It lists many things that you may already do...but it allows you to check them off and feel the accomplishment.  Also, my favorite part, is that it takes big jobs that *need* to be completed (but sometimes rarely do) and breaks them up over several days so that you are not overwhelmed with a huge task on any one day.  Every Sunday evening, I look over the week and cross off things that do not apply to me and add extra chores that are individual to my home.  (Like, take out the trash can on Tuesday night....I would never remember otherwise!)
I like this planner so much, that I contacted Deann at Motivated Moms and asked her if my friends and readers could have a little discount to start off the year right!  She offered a code to take a dollar off, so this year long planner can be in your notebook for just $7!  Click here -

Click here to visit Motivated Moms.

or click on the button to the right, choose your planner (there is even an APP this year!!) and enter the code GETHERE upon checkout.  :)


Happy Monday!!  :)