Stop-Out Bullying!

Tomorrow marks World Day to Prevent Bullying.  Everyone is encouraged to wear blue tomorrow to promote the day.

Checkout these resources for the rest of bullying prevention month.

http://www.stompoutbullying.org/
http://www.nea.org/home/neabullyfree.html
http://www.stopbullyingcampaign.net/

March on Washington

I had the privilege of joining thousands of other citizens in Washington, D.C. for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington.  During our time we listened to many speakers that spoke about equality and justice.  

As a teacher, I know that equity is one of the cornerstones of America’s public education system.  At this time of rapid change in our nation and the world, the need to ensure equity in education has never been greater. All students, including students who come from high poverty communities, English language learners, students with disabilities, and students of color need meaningful educational opportunity. 

I am committed to participate in discussions and action that help treat all of our students as equals. Students learn when they are treated with respect and know they are cared for.  Here are a few pictures from the event. 

Back to School Disappointment

The beginning of the school year can lead to many mixed emotions from sadness of the end of summer to excitement about what another year can bring.  One of the things that is making going back to school this year less exciting for educators across our country is that elected officials and other leaders are aggressively working to pass laws that help corporate America and hurt our nation's students and schools.

Students shouldn't have to worry about whether or not their teachers will have enough time to help to help them with their individual needs because there are too many students in a class.  Class size, adequate tools and resources, and safe and modern school environments are grown-up worries.

As teachers and parents we must work together to insist that our elected leaders work for our students and not against them.  In several states around the country, politicians only stop by for a photo op while making decisions about public education.  Although many of them talk a good game about making children a priority their actions tell an entirely different story.  Instead of investing in America's future they are cashing in on our children.  The make shortsighted trade-offs that jeopardize the promise of an excellent public education for all of our children to create high profits for corporations.

It is time for parents and educators to stand up to bullies like ALEC and do what is right for our children.  The main purpose of public education is to level the playing field and provide opportunities for all children.  Schools are assets, and they can and should be the heart of a community.

Half Way There

The year is half over!  It is hard to believe that my goals area already 6 months old.  There are several goals that have had to be changed and others I have already accomplished.  Here is a quick update on them.

Financial Wellness 

By the end of 2013, we would like to pay off over 20% of the current outstanding debt on our house.  To do this Anna and I will continue to work together with our finances  find more opportunities to earn and save more money.  We have also considered looking at selling our house, since we probably have a larger house then we really need. 

UPDATE:  Anna and I are still on pace to surpass this goal in 2013.  We have knocked another month off our debt free date and are now on pace to be debt free no later than June 1st, 2016!

Occupational Wellness 

One of my goals this year is to have portfolios prepared for every one of my students showing their specific progress based on the Humanities IB-MYP Objectives for 6th grade.  In order to do this, I will continue to stay organized and make sure to be given specific and meaningful feedback on all major assessments throughout the year. 

UPDATE: I have completed this goal and will not be adding another goal in this area this year so I can concentrate on the other areas. 

Physical Wellness 

I have many physical wellness goals this year.  One of my goals is to complete the entire week of RAGBRAI in July.  By the end of 2013 I would like to be back at my pre-broken foot weight. 

UPDATE: I have actually taken steps backwards on this goal and this month likely will not help as I am traveling most of it.  I still will be making this a goal and doing the best I can during the month of July.

Environmental Wellness 

One of my goals in 2013 is for William to complete the "Leave No Trace" requirements for cub scouts to learn the importance of taking care of our environment. We will work with William to learn to be intentional with doing things outdoors and indoors to help protect our planet. 

UPDATE:   William completed this achievement and got his award at the June pack campout.  I will not be creating another goal in this area to be able to concentrate on the other goals. 

Intellectual Wellness 

My goal for 2013 is to read at least 100.  As Charlie Jones said, "Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet."  I want to read some good books, so that I can be a better person five years from now. 

UPDATE:  I have currently read 46 books in 2013 and am working on several other ones.  I am currently three books behind pace to make my goal, but hope that July helps me catch up and get ahead while on vacation. 

Emotional Wellness 

I will continue to blog about my throughs and feelings at least once a week throughout 2013. I will also post additional content on my blog's facebook page.  

A friend shared a great idea on facebook that our family has decided to put into action in 2013.  We will be keeping a "Good News Jar" to write notes of all the good things happening this year to open up and read on December 31st, 2013.   

UPDATE:  I will continue working on these goals even while traveling. 

Spiritual Wellness 

After finishing reading the Bible again in 2012, I plan on starting over in 2013.  In addition to reading the Bible, I will be using Tony Dungy's The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge for my personal quiet time in 2013.  Another spiritual wellness goal of mine for 2013 is to begin weekly devotionals as a family at least 5 days a week using Bruce Wilkinson's Family Walk.

UPDATE:  We completed our marriage small group study in June.  Anna and I are working on a couple devotional together over the phone while I am away and in person when possible this month. 

Keeping Priorities in Balance

One of the struggles I have while striving to live a balanced life is keeping my priorities in the right order.  I have many responsibilities to my family, at church, at work and within other groups I choose to be involved in.  Each of these responsibilities uses part of the the time I have each day.  Jon Acuff in his book Start says that we need to make sure to "disappoint the right people".  Who are the right people?  To know the answer to this question, we must know the priority order of our responsibilities. This will help us know who we should be disappointing when we are faced with a a decision with conflicting priorities.

Here is the order I believe our priorities should be and I will give some reasons why.  You can think about them and pray to help set your own order.

Priority 1: God
I believe that God should be our number one priority.  All other decisions and parts of my life are impacted on my relationship with God. This does not necessarily mean that your church activities come first, but your relationship with God should.  You need to make time to be in prayer and to study God's Word so that you can listen for what he is calling you to do in other areas of your life.

Priority 2: Spouse
If you are married, your spouse should be right below God and above everything else.  You need to continue to work on strengthening your relationship with each other.  God calls us to be one and you cannot do that without investing time into your relationship to communicate with one another about life.  If you have children it is important so that they can fill security of a strong marriage/family and have a model for relationships in the future.

Priority 3: Children
If you have children, we are called to take care of our own household or we are worse than unbelievers.  Not only does this mean providing for them financially, but being there to lead them spiritually, emotional, etc.  As a father I believe it is my job to help my son be the best version of himself he can be.  I want to help raise him to love God and to be a person of good character.  In order to do this we need to invest your time into our children.  Also, in order to take care of your family you need to take care of yourself, so I include my own physical/emotional needs under priorities 2 and 3.


Priority 4: Other Family Members
After you take care of your immediate family it is important to continue to strengthen your relationship with parents, siblings, grandchildren, etc.  This means spending time with them and helping them when needs arise.  You may even include close friendships into this priority level.

Priority 5: Work 
Whether we work outside the home or stay-at-home with the children we have responsibilities that take up time.  In Colossians 3:23-24 we are called to do everything we do as if we are doing it for God and that includes our work.  It is important to do the best we can at our jobs to be able to provide for our family, but also to represent our faith in the work environment.   We are called to be honest and be hard workers.

Priority 6: Friendships and Other Activities 
I include extra friendship time in priority 6.  I build friendships in throughout my life in the other priorities, but don't do as good of a job scheduling time to really build on these relationships as I would like.  Many times it friendship compete or are partnered with the activities I choose to prioritize.  To help prioritize the other activities in your life, you could make a list of the activities you participate in.  This list may include extra responsibilities at work, church activities or the clubs/associations you are a member of. When you finish compiling this list put the activities in order of highest priority for you.  By doing this, you will be able to know which ones are the most important.  Some strategies I use to rank my list include:

• the difference I can make in people's lives by doing the activity.
• the time the activity will realistically take away from my other priorities.
• the difficulty of getting someone else to take the role instead of me.
• the relationships (family and friends) that I could build on while doing the activity. 

I hope this helps you as you think about making a list of priorities in your own life.  What did I miss?  How would you rank your priorities? 

My Goal Update as Summer Begins

Summer break is approaching for students and staff and it is a great time to reflect on your goals for the year and make some adjustments to finish the final 7 months strong.

Financial Wellness 

By the end of 2013, we would like to pay off over 20% of the current outstanding debt on our house.  To do this Anna and I will continue to work together with our finances  find more opportunities to earn and save more money.  We have also considered looking at selling our house, since we probably have a larger house then we really need. 

UPDATE:  Anna and I are still on pace to surpass this goal in 2013.  We updated our financial records and made some progressions and are on pace to be able to be complete debt free by July 2016.  l  I believe we will continue to work with gazelle intensity to get out of debt even earlier. 

Occupational Wellness 

One of my goals this year is to have portfolios prepared for every one of my students showing their specific progress based on the Humanities IB-MYP Objectives for 6th grade.  In order to do this, I will continue to stay organized and make sure to be given specific and meaningful feedback on all major assessments throughout the year. 

UPDATE: I have completed this goal.  Students will get to take their artifacts home next week.  It has been a great school year.  I am looking forward to a summer full of activities to rejuvenate and prepare for another challenge next year. 

Physical Wellness 

I have many physical wellness goals this year.  One of my goals is to complete the entire week of RAGBRAI in July.  By the end of 2013 I would like to be back at my pre-broken foot weight. 

UPDATE: I am cleared for physical activity that doesn't involve kickboxing or constant jumping.  I am adding many physical activities back into my schedule and will work on getting back into shape.  I will be participating in RAGBRAI in July, but due to a training/conference for the NEA position I was recently elected to I will have to leave 2 days early.  I have updated my 2013 goal to get back to my pre-broken foot weight.  This will mean I need to loose another 29+ pounds between now and December 31st.  One of the ways I am doing this in June is  being part of an fitness challenge accountability group.  Come join me!

Environmental Wellness 

One of my goals in 2013 is for William to complete the "Leave No Trace" requirements for cub scouts to learn the importance of taking care of our environment. We will work with William to learn to be intentional with doing things outdoors and indoors to help protect our planet. 

UPDATE:   William only has to do a presentation with a poster to his pack to complete the requirements.  The pack did not have a pack meeting in May, so I am trying to organize a time that with his den/pack leaders when he can complete this component of his achievement.  Hopefully William will be able to do this in June. 

Intellectual Wellness 

My goal for 2013 is to read at least 100.  As Charlie Jones said, "Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet."  I want to read some good books, so that I can be a better person five years from now. 

UPDATE:  I have currently read 39 books in 2013 and am working on several other ones.  May was a very busy month with not much time to pick up a book and read, due to this for the first time all year I am behind the pace I need to maintain to reach 100 books.  

Emotional Wellness 

I will continue to blog about my throughs and feelings at least once a week throughout 2013. I will also post additional content on my blog's facebook page.  

A friend shared a great idea on facebook that our family has decided to put into action in 2013.  We will be keeping a "Good News Jar" to write notes of all the good things happening this year to open up and read on December 31st, 2013.   

UPDATE:  Summer is going to be busy and I will be focusing on being thankful and writing those comments both in our jar, through social media and here on my blog when the time allows. 

Spiritual Wellness 

After finishing reading the Bible again in 2012, I plan on starting over in 2013.  In addition to reading the Bible, I will be using Tony Dungy's The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge for my personal quiet time in 2013.  Another spiritual wellness goal of mine for 2013 is to begin weekly devotionals as a family at least 5 days a week using Bruce Wilkinson's Family Walk.

UPDATE:  Anna and I are doing a couple new devotionals as a couple.  We will be completing our small group series on marriage on June 16th with our small group as well. 

The Road to Awesome

The fourth session of The Legacy Journey is The Road to Awesome and is taught by Jon Acuff.  I was surprised to watch the whole session without seeing Dave.  It shows that he is really is committed in leaving a legacy beyond himself with the company he built to help other people.  Jon starts stalking about the importance of using our passions and do what God has created us to do.  The first step is to change our lives to be structured in a way that we can deliberatively do this.

Jon laid out five stages on the road to awesome.  These stages used to be based on age, but that is no longer the case.  Our place on the road to awesome is no longer about when we were born, but when we decide to get started.  Now is the perfect time to start because we cannot skip stages, but we can shorten them.

Stage 1: Season of Learning:
This is the stage in which we figure out who we are and what we are about.  We don't want to just "find our purpose" but we want to live with purpose.  During this state we will be experimenting with different passions.  We need to remember that it is okay not to be amazing at everything we try the first time.  The only thing we can control for sure in our journey is our starting line.

Stage 2: Season of Editing:
During this season we are subtracting things out in order to narrow our focus.  We need to ask ourselves many questions like, "If I died today, what would I regret?"  When you figure out your answer to that question then check your schedule to see if you are actually spending your time on those things.  We work on finding what gives us the most joy and focus on those things.

Stage 3: Season of Mastering:
Now that we have narrowed our focus, we need to gain as much experience as we can so that we can get really good at our passions.  Jon gave us three times on how to gain this valuable experience:

1. Volunteer somewhere - you pay time to receive experience
2. Get a part-time job - figure out if you will love/hate something as an employee before jumping all in. 
3. Be led - find wise mentors!

Stage 4: Season of Harvesting:

This is a stage that you are working within your passions along with lots of support.  You will need support from two groups of people.  The best way to get support from others is to support other people the way you want/need support. 

1. Your Inner Circle - this should be your spouse if you are married.  The worst place to put your spouse is on the opposite side of your dreams. 
2. Your Outer Circle - You will need to get support and feedback from friends and family too. 

Season 5: Season of Guiding: 

This stage is about helping others along their road to awesome.  You will be guiding others whether you know it or not, so be intentional about it.   Ask others questions about their goals/desires and build on relationships with those who can mentor you and you can mentor.  One tip that Jon Acuff gave was to tie mentoring building into something you both already care about so it is more likely to happen. 

We all need to get up and get started today to begin our legacy journey's no matter how old we are.  Stages 1-3 need us to be intentional for them to work but stages 4-5 will happen no matter what we do, so we need to be intentional so we harvest and guide within the legacy we want to be leaving behind.  One of Jon's last tips he shared with us was not to compare our beginnings with someone else's middle. We cannot expect to skip stages and be in harvesting guiding when we are just learning and editing, so don't be disappointed when that doesn't happen.  

I loved this lesson, it was filled with great information that also can be found in Jon Acuff's new book Start.  I talked about the book before, but I wanted to take this opportunity to have another random book give away.  Enter today using Rafflecopter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Keeping Myself Accountable

It is already the end of another month, so I will again keep myself accountable by updating you on my goals.

Financial Wellness 

By the end of 2013, we would like to pay off over 20% of the current outstanding debt on our house.  To do this we will need to continue to work together with our finances  find more opportunities to earn and save more money.  We have also considered looking at selling our house, since we probably have a larger house then we really need. 

UPDATE:  We are still on pace to do this and more.  We updated our financial records and made some progressions and are on pace to be able to be complete debt free by January 2017.l  I believe we will continue to work with gazelle intensity to get out of debt early and continue building a legacy. 

Occupational Wellness 

One of my goals this year is to have portfolios prepared for every one of my students showing their specific progress based on the Humanities IB-MYP Objectives for 6th grade.  In order to do this, I will need to continue to stay organized and make sure to be given specific and meaningful feedback on all major assessments throughout the year. 

UPDATE: I have continued to do this. 

Physical Wellness 

I have many physical wellness goals this year.  One of my goals is to participate in an organized run/race every month of 2013.  Another one of my goals is to complete the entire week of RAGBRAI in July. 

UPDATE: I have not had to have surgery yet.  I hopefully have another appointment tomorrow or at least get some good news to be able to bike even though running and jumping may not be cleared for awhile.

Environmental Wellness 

One of my goals in 2013 is for William to complete the "Leave No Trace" requirements for cub scouts to learn the importance of taking care of our environment. We will work with William to learn to be intentional with doing things outdoors and indoors to help protect our planet. 

UPDATE:   William only has to do a presentation with a poster to his pack to complete the requirements.  He will likely do this at the pack meeting in May.

Intellectual Wellness 

My goal for 2013 is to read at least 100.  As Charlie Jones said, "Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet."  I want to read some good books, so that I can be a better person five years from now. 

UPDATE:  I have currently read 34 books in 2013 and am working on several other ones.  I am ahead of the pace needed to meet my goal right now by 2 books. 

Emotional Wellness 

I will continue to blog about my throughs and feelings at least once a week throughout 2013. I will also post additional content on my blog's facebook page.  

A friend shared a great idea on facebook that our family has decided to put into action in 2013.  We will be keeping a "Good News Jar" to write notes of all the good things happening this year to open up and read on December 31st, 2013.   

UPDATE:  I have written more notes in the Good News Jar as well as started to create a journal of 1000 Gifts.  You can read more about this on a previous post.

Spiritual Wellness 

After finishing reading the Bible again in 2012, I plan on starting over in 2013.  In addition to reading the Bible, I will be using Tony Dungy's The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge for my personal quiet time in 2013.  Another spiritual wellness goal of mine for 2013 is to begin weekly devotionals as a family at least 5 days a week using Bruce Wilkinson's Family Walk.

UPDATE:  We have started a new marriage small group study called "Staying in Love".  It is a four week study that we are spreading out until mid-June.  So far it looks like a great study. 

Time to START!

Have you ever had a dream for your future? Have you ever wanted to experience an awesome life? Want to wake up every day looking forward to the work your do? The problem most of us face is that we get stuck in the comfortable place called "average" and don't every get started on the path of "awesome".

In Jon Acuff's latest book, Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters, he lays out five stages that everyone has to get through on their road to awesome. Those stages are; Learning, Editing, Mastering, Harvesting and Guiding. Throughout the book Jon talked about avoiding common excuses we all make, steps to find our true purpose and most importantly how to get started. 

You can download chapter one for free and then purchase the rest.

One of my favorite parts were the practical steps to put into action immediately along each stage of the road to awesome.  I am looking forward to implementing the principals into my daily life.   I loved the book and Jon Acuff's style of writing that is both powerful and humorous.

Disclaimer - I volunteered to be part of a launch team for the book after following Jon Acuff for some time. I received an advanced ebook to reed and write my review but was told what to write or required that a review be positive.

Speeding Along

I cannot believe we are already 1/4 of the way through 2013.  It is the beginning of another month and time to update the progress on my goals for the year.

Financial Wellness 

By the end of 2013, we would like to pay off over 20% of the current outstanding debt on our house.  To do this we will need to continue to work together with our finances  find more opportunities to earn and save more money.  We have also considered looking at selling our house, since we probably have a larger house then we really need. 

UPDATE:  We are still on pace to do this and more.  We updated our financial records and made some progressions and are on pace to be able to be complete debt free by April 2017.   I will also begin teaching my 3rd FPU class through my church on Sunday, April 8th.

Occupational Wellness 

One of my goals this year is to have portfolios prepared for every one of my students showing their specific progress based on the Humanities IB-MYP Objectives for 6th grade.  In order to do this, I will need to continue to stay organized and make sure to be given specific and meaningful feedback on all major assessments throughout the year. 

UPDATE:  We have not had a major assessment since my last post, so this is still on tract to be completed.

Physical Wellness 

I have many physical wellness goals this year.  One of my goals is to participate in an organized run/race every month of 2013.  Another one of my goals is to complete the entire week of RAGBRAI in July. 

UPDATE:  I have an appointment to likely schedule surgery tomorrow.  This I hope will be step in the right direction for my broken foot to heal so I will be able to be ready to participate in RAGBRAI in July.

Environmental Wellness 

One of my goals in 2013 is for William to complete the "Leave No Trace" requirements for cub scouts to learn the importance of taking care of our environment. We will work with William to learn to be intentional with doing things outdoors and indoors to help protect our planet. 

UPDATE:   William had almost completed all the requirements.  Our goal is to finish them by the April pack meeting.  We just need the weather to cooperate to be able to create a Leave No Trace service project and then he will create a poster to demonstrate his learning to display at the next pack meeting.

Intellectual Wellness 

IMy goal for 2013 is to read at least 100.  As Charlie Jones said, "Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet."  I want to read some good books, so that I can be a better person five years from now. 

UPDATE:  I have currently read 29 books in 2013 and am working on several other ones.  I am ahead of the pace needed to meet my goal right now by 4 books.  I have slowed down my reading a little with other things going on, but am still on track to complete my goal by the end of 2013.

Emotional Wellness 

I will continue to blog about my throughs and feelings at least once a week throughout 2013. I will also post additional content on my blog's facebook page.  

A friend shared a great idea on facebook that our family has decided to put into action in 2013.  We will be keeping a "Good News Jar" to write notes of all the good things happening this year to open up and read on December 31st, 2013.   

UPDATE:  I have written more notes in the Good News Jar as well as started to create a journal of 1000 Gifts.  You can read more about this on a previous post.

Spiritual Wellness 

After finishing reading the Bible again in 2012, I plan on starting over in 2013.  In addition to reading the Bible, I will be using Tony Dungy's The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge for my personal quiet time in 2013.  Another spiritual wellness goal of mine for 2013 is to begin weekly devotionals as a family at least 5 days a week using Bruce Wilkinson's Family Walk.

UPDATE:  I have continued using my two devotionals for personal time and feeling a stronger connection with God.  In March we decided to split the family devotionals into one that is for Marriage that Anna and I are completing together and one for William.  It is going well and hope that we can continue to put God as the first priority in our lives. 

Two Down, Ten to Go!

It is already the end of another month! I want again to thank everyone who has helped encourage me and kept me accountable to the goals I have shared with you.  Now that we are 1/6th of the way through the year, I thought I would reflect on the goals that were not completed by the end of January. 

Social Wellness 

I have already met my goal here.  I will try to work on creating a new goal during the month of March to help keep my goals balanced.

Financial Wellness 

By the end of 2013, we would like to pay off over 20% of the current outstanding debt on our house.  To do this we will need to continue to work together with our finances  find more opportunities to earn and save more money.  We have also considered looking at selling our house, since we probably have a larger house then we really need. 

UPDATE:  We are still on pace to do this thanks to Anna's parents saving for her when she was young.  We were a little concerned if we were going to be able to make this goal when we decided Anna would begin her journey toward earning her Master's degree this year.  Anna's parents reminded Anna that they had saved some money in saving bonds that she could use for paying for the tuition and books.  This truly has been a blessing for us to be able to continue toward making progress on our financial goals of becoming debt free while Anna works on her degree.

Occupational Wellness 

One of my goals this year is to have portfolios prepared for every one of my students showing their specific progress based on the Humanities IB-MYP Objectives for 6th grade.  In order to do this, I will need to continue to stay organized and make sure to be given specific and meaningful feedback on all major assessments throughout the year. 

UPDATE:  I have been able to continue to do this.  My students will be having parent-teacher conferences in March and I am looking forward to seeing the student/parent reaction to their hard work.

Physical Wellness 

I have many physical wellness goals this year.  One of my goals is to participate in an organized run/race every month of 2013.  Another one of my goals is to complete the entire week of RAGBRAI in July. 

UPDATE:  I completed my January run and had registered for races in February, March and April.  The week prior to the Red Flannel Run I broke my foot and was not able to participate and also had to realize that running a race in March was not going to be able to happen either.  This will be a goal that I will not meet in 2013 now, but am sure it will end up on a goal list in a future year.  My current short term fitness goal is to be able to heal and be ready for a come back race on April 20th.  I then want to concentrate on getting back to the gym and getting it shape and prepare for RAGBRAI.  I have registered for the week long event and signed up with team RAMBRAI (through Cornell College), the team that we hosted at our house in 2011.

Environmental Wellness 

One of my goals in 2013 is for William to complete the "Leave No Trace" requirements for cub scouts to learn the importance of taking care of our environment. We will work with William to learn to be intentional with doing things outdoors and indoors to help protect our planet. 

UPDATE:   William has completed all the requirements for the Tiger Scout badge and now has been starting some work on this achievement.  There is a lot that goes into it.  We need to practice the "Leave No Trace" principals on two more outings and then William will be organizing a "Leave No Trace" related community service project. 

Intellectual Wellness 

In 2012, I completed 82 books.  My goal for 2013 is to read at least 100.  Several of my friends were able to meet this goal.  As Charlie Jones said, "Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet."  I want to read some good books, so that I can be a better person five years from now. 

UPDATE:  I have currently read 24 books in 2013 and am working on several other ones.  I am ahead of the pace needed to meet my goal right now by 8 books.  I am helpful to be able to stay on pace throughout the school year and really kick it in gear during the summer.  In addition, this month with spring break may help me.

Emotional Wellness 

I will continue to blog about my throughs and feelings at least once a week throughout 2013. I will also post additional content on my blog's facebook page.  

A friend shared a great idea on facebook that our family has decided to put into action in 2013.  We will be keeping a "Good News Jar" to write notes of all the good things happening this year to open up and read on December 31st, 2013.   

UPDATE:  I have continued to update my blog at least weekly, though disappointingly I have not kept up with my twice a week updating since my I broke my foot.  I hope to get back to updating even more regularly this month.  I also need to work on writing more notes for our "Good News Jar".

Spiritual Wellness 

After finishing reading the Bible again in 2012, I plan on starting over in 2013.  In addition to reading the Bible, I will be using Tony Dungy's The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge for my personal quiet time in 2013.  Another spiritual wellness goal of mine for 2013 is to begin weekly devotionals as a family at least 5 days a week using Bruce Wilkinson's Family Walk.

UPDATE:  I have been doing a good job of getting my personal quiet devotional and Bible reading time in. One of the great resources I have added is a devotional called Ashes to Fire by Merritt J. Nielson.  It is a great devotional that has morning and evening pieces to bring me into a closer relationship between Ash Wednesday (Ashes) to Pentecost (Fire).  As a family we have decided that Family Walk is not an age-appropriate devotional for our family at this time so will be switching resources in March.  

Looking at My Goals for 2013

At the beginning of this month I shared several goals I had for myself in order for you to help keep me accountable.  I have appreciated those who have asked how I have been doing in different areas of my life.  Today I am going to reflect on my goals and update you on my progress.  

Social Wellness 

"In 2013 I plan on expanding my social networking community on facebook.  One of my goals is to reach at least 100 likes on the Brown's Balanced Life facebook page in order to gain a little viral traction and a platform to help others. "

UPDATE: I have already met this goal and am currently at 103 "likes".  I will continue to work on helping others throughout the rest of 2013 and hope to see this number continue to grow. 

Financial Wellness 

By the end of 2013, we would like to pay off over 20% of the current outstanding debt on our house.  To do this we will need to continue to work together with our finances  find more opportunities to earn and save more money.  We have also considered looking at selling our house, since we probably have a larger house then we really need. 

UPDATE:  We are on pace to be able to do this with paying 2.2% of the principal of our mortgage in January. 

Occupational Wellness 

One of my goals this year is to have portfolios prepared for every one of my students showing their specific progress based on the Humanities IB-MYP Objectives for 6th grade.  In order to do this, I will need to continue to stay organized and make sure to be given specific and meaningful feedback on all major assessments throughout the year. 

UPDATE:  We completed another IB assessment this month and I was able to grade them, provide written feedback and get them organized in their portfolios in a timely manner.  We will have at least 3 or 4 more assessments this school year.  Looking back, this goal is more of a school year goal then a goal for all of 2013.  

Physical Wellness 

I have many physical wellness goals this year.  One of my goals is to participate in an organized run/race every month of 2013.  Another one of my goals is to complete the entire week of RAGBRAI in July. 

UPDATE:  I completed my January run.  I am also registered for my February (Red Flannel Run), March (Look the Lake 8K), and April (Springtime Hill Climb) runs.  I am waiting to look at my options during May, June and July because I know there will be multiple races to choose from every weekend.  Today I also finished the registration process to be an official rider for all of RAGBRAI this year. 

Environmental Wellness 

One of my goals in 2013 is for William to complete the "Leave No Trace" requirements for cub scouts to learn the importance of taking care of our environment. We will work with William to learn to be intentional with doing things outdoors and indoors to help protect our planet. 

UPDATE:  We have completed some of the requirements along with William working toward his Tiger Cub badge.  We will be getting more intentional on focusing on the rest of the requirements in February. 

Intellectual Wellness 

In 2012, I completed 82 books.  My goal for 2013 is to read at least 100.  Several of my friends were able to meet this goal.  As Charlie Jones said, "Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet."  I want to read some good books, so that I can be a better person five years from now. 

UPDATE:  I have currently read 17 books in 2013 and am working on several other ones.  I am ahead of the pace needed to meet my goal right now by 7 books.  I  know there will be busier times coming up with conferences, meetings and other family commitments. 

Emotional Wellness 

I will continue to blog about my throughs and feelings at least once a week throughout 2013. I will also post additional content on my blog's facebook page.  

A friend shared a great idea on facebook that our family has decided to put into action in 2013.  We will be keeping a "Good News Jar" to write notes of all the good things happening this year to open up and read on December 31st, 2013.   

UPDATE:  I have continued to update my blog at least twice a week in 2013 (normally Sunday and Wednesday) so have kept with my goal of posting at least weekly.  Our family has also been using the "Good News Jar", but I have not been writing as many notes as I could.  I plan to increase my note writing in February. 

Spiritual Wellness 

After finishing reading the Bible again in 2012, I plan on starting over in 2013.  In addition to reading the Bible, I will be using Tony Dungy's The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge for my personal quiet time in 2013.  Another spiritual wellness goal of mine for 2013 is to begin weekly devotionals as a family at least 5 days a week using Bruce Wilkinson's Family Walk.

UPDATE:  I have been doing a good job of getting my personal quiet devotional and Bible reading time in.  We started strong as a family doing our daily devotionals, but as Anna has started her Master's Degree we have not done as good of a job at being intentional on doing our family devotionals in during those opportunities that the three of us are together.  I will recommit to making this a priority the rest of 2013.