Tag Archives: motivation

goals + recipes for the week of 4/13

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Hi friends! Hope you’re enjoying a lovely weekend! Yesterday I was busy teaching all day — I taught four classes as part of my new job working for Communication Academy. I was pretty tired last night, but I had so much fun working with such exuberant, energetic kids!

Today was a relaxing yet productive day. I opted to sleep in and go to the later church service, because sometimes you just need to hit snooze! Today’s sermon was so inspiring: all about redefining “failure” and life’s disappointments as a step forward and getting up to try again. It was a great reminder of the importance of perseverance and faith.

After visiting with some friends at post-church coffee hour, I headed over to one of my favorite local coffee shops for some lunch, a chai latte, and a work sesh! Something about working in a crowded, noisy cafe does wonders for my productivity. Is it like that for anyone else?

Speaking of productivity… Sunday means it’s time for goals!

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 12 pages
– read 100 pages of The Kitchen God’s Wife
– go to two yoga classes
– prepare for my new teaching gig
– connect with three friends

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 12 pages
– prepare for teaching & tutoring this week
– send out three query letters
– read up to page 250 of The Kitchen God’s Wife
– go to two yoga classes
– connect with three friends

And here are some recipes I’m drooling over this week:
– spicy seedy power crackers via Robyn @the real-life rd
– grapefruit arugula salad via Sarah @The Pajama Chef
– peanut butter & raisin muffins via Danica @It’s Progression
– healthified fettuccine alfredo via Money-Saving Mom
– healthy dark chocolate pudding via Two Peas & Their Pod

Questions of the day:

  • What was a highlight of your weekend?
  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What recipes are you drooling over lately?

guest post at Parent Grapevine

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Hi, friends! Happy Monday! I’ll be back tomorrow with this week’s year of Wooden post, but for today I wanted to let you know about a guest post I wrote for the terrific blog Parent Grapevine:

Help Your Child Become a Better Writer: 3 Easy, Fun Prompts to Try!

I’ve been a writing teacher for the past eight years, working with a range of ages: kindergarten through senior citizens. I’ve led writing workshops for public schools, private schools, home-schooling groups, community centers, and more! I also taught undergraduate writing courses at Purdue University for three years.

When I talk to parents and teachers, two questions come up again and again:
1. How can we make writing FUN for kids and teenagers?
2. How can we help our kids become better writers?

The answers to these two questions are tied together: like anything, people become better writers with practice. The best way to help your child become a better writer is to encourage him or her to write, write, write! Well, how do you do that? By making writing a fun activity.

Head on over to Parent Grapevine to read the rest of my post, including three popular writing prompts I use often in my work with young writers.

Hope you’re having a marvelous Monday!

goals + recipes for the week of 4/6

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Hi everyone! How is your weekend going? Mine has been lovely so far! Bianca came over and we baked some delicious pumpkin spice muffins. I got caught up on one of my fave TV shows, Nashville {thanks, Hulu!} Yesterday I went to morning yoga class and a women’s self-defense class. And I got to see my dear friend Michelle after she’s been out of town for three weeks! It was SO great to reunite with her.

As soon as I hit “publish” on this post, I’m heading off to morning church service, and then I’m going to the Oakland A’s game with Allyn and his family. It will be my first baseball game in forever and I’m really excited!

Before I head off for the day, it’s goals time…

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 12 pages
– send out newsletter {subscribe for *free* here if you want}
– go to two yoga classes
– prepare for my Steinbeck Fellowship reading {such an amazing night!}
– connect with three friends
– have a wonderful time with my mama in town! 🙂

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 12 pages
– read 100 pages of The Kitchen God’s Wife
– go to two yoga classes
– prepare for my new teaching gig
– connect with three friends

And here are some recipes I’m drooling over this week:
– cheesy mexican chicken skillet via Lindsay @The Lean Green Bean {guest-posting @Nut Butter Runner}
– oatmeal fudge bars via Sarah @The Pajama Chef
– homemade pizza using this crust recipe via Danica @It’s Progression
– edamame & black bean salad via Julie @PB Fingers
– dark chocolate + pistachio + sea-salt cookies via Two Peas & Their Pod

Questions of the morning:

  • How has your weekend been so far?
  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What recipes are you drooling over lately?

goals + recipes for the week of 3/30

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Aaaaaand just like that, it’s Sunday again! And the end of March! Where does the time go?

My mom is here! My mom is here! 🙂 I’m so happy to see her. Yesterday evening we had a nice, low-key celebration of my grandma’s birthday with the fam. Tonight we are going out for a fancier dinner to celebrate.

grandmas bday

me and gma

The cake turned out wonderfully! It was a big hit! Confetti cake mix + white chocolate chips stirred into the batter + homemade cream cheese frosting + rainbow sprinkles expertly sprinkled by my cousin Bianca.

bday cake

Before I head off for the day, it’s time for goals!

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 12 pages
– send out newsletter
– go to two yoga classes {I made it to three! woooot!}
– finish reading through three lit journals from my AWP stash
– connect with three friends
– bake an amazing cake for Grandma’s birthday! {perhaps this one?}

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 12 pages
– send out newsletter
– go to two yoga classes
– prepare for my Steinbeck Fellowship reading
– connect with three friends
– have a wonderful time with my mama in town!

And here are some recipes I’m drooling over this week:
– these 3-ingredient recipes via Buzzfeed
– black bean pumpkin soup via Sarah @The Pajama Chef
– crock-pot salsa chicken via Danica @It’s Progression
– flourless pb & j snack cookies via Robyn @the real-life rd
– pumpkin toffee chocolate-chip muffins via Two Peas & Their Pod

Questions of the morning:

  • How has your weekend been so far?
  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What recipes are you drooling over lately?

goals + recipes for the week of 3/23

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Happy Sunday, friends, and welcome to new subscribers! So happy to have you here. I’m very grateful for everyone who takes time out of their day to visit my little corner of the blogosphere. Thank you all! ❤

I had a wonderful visit with my dad and Greg … my heart is filled with love for these amazing guys! And my cheeks hurt from laughing whenever we are together. They crack me up. Here are a few of my favorite pics from their visit:

me and dad

dad and greg

me and gb

silly cousins

with my boys

They left yesterday morning, and I miss them so much! Fortunately I’m keeping busy today with good things: church this morning, then a long-overdue catch-up visit with my friend Emy {slash work-sesh at our favorite coffee shop}, then an afternoon walk with Dana, and finally dinner with my aunt Annie’s family.

But before I head off for the day, it’s time for goals!

weekly goals 
Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 12 pages
– submit essay to Chicken Soup for the Soul
– go to two yoga classes
– finish reading through three lit journals from my AWP stash
– connect with three friends
– have a wonderful visit with my dad and Greg!!

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 12 pages
– send out newsletter
– go to two yoga classes
– finish reading through three lit journals from my AWP stash
– connect with three friends
– bake an amazing cake for Grandma’s birthday! {perhaps this one?}

And here are some recipes I’m drooling over this week:
– slow-cooker chicken chile verde nachos via Two Peas & Their Pod
– avocado chicken salad zucchini boats via Julie @PB Fingers
– peanut butter avocado chocolate chip cookies via Whitney @sometimes.always.never
– chocolatey freezer fudge via Robyn @the real-life rd

Questions of the morning:

  • How has your weekend been so far?
  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What recipes are you drooling over lately?

MPM-Spring

This post is linked up with Menu-Plan Monday.

goals for the week of 3/16

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Hi everyone! Hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far! I’m heading out to drop off my friend Michelle at the airport {I’m going to miss her a LOT while she’s gone the next three weeks for a work training! boo!} and then I’m heading out for lunch with this lovely lady and our men to try a new-to-me burger place called The Counter. Apparently they give you a clipboard and you get to select from all different choices of meat, cheeses, and toppings to build your own perfect burger. Here’s predicting there will be guacamole involved in my order. {And, knowing me, there will probably be guac on my face as well.}

But before I take off … it’s goals time!

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 15 pages {perhaps 15 was a bit too ambitious, but I did write a solid 10 pages, so I’m still counting it a win!}
– submit three pieces to journals
– go to two yoga classes {I made it to three, hooray!}
– finish reading The Empty House by Nathan Oates
– connect with three friends
– take Arianna out for a coffee date

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 12 pages
– submit essay to Chicken Soup for the Soul
– go to two yoga classes
– finish reading through three lit journals from my AWP stash
– connect with three friends
– have a wonderful visit with my dad and Greg!!

Aaaaand, bringing back the meal planning… here are some recipes I’m drooling over this week:
– black bean quinoa enchilada bake & spinach artichoke quinoa bake via Two Peas & Their Pod
– paleo peppermint doughnuts w/coconut frosting via Davida @The Healthy Maven
– strawberry chocolate-chip cookie bars via Sarah @The Pajama Chef
– pretty much all of these things rounded up by Robyn @the real-life rd

Questions of the morning:

  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What recipes are you drooling over lately?

goals for the week of 3/9

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I have one question for all of you: where did the weekend go??? Hard to believe it’s already Monday. I hope you have great things in store for the week! On my agenda: a fellows meeting in San Jose, a reading to celebrate the launch of the latest issue of Arroyo Literary Review, some church events, and hopefully lots & lots of writing! I came back from the AWP conference last week feeling super inspired and bursting with writing ideas, and I’m trying to harness as much energy and time as possible to get words down on paper.

Speaking of which, it’s time for goals!

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 10 pages
– send AWP thank-you notes
– go to two yoga classes
– read & comment on story for fellows workshop next week
– finish reading The Empty House by Nathan Oates
– connect with three friends

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 15 pages
– submit three pieces to journals
– go to two yoga classes
– finish reading The Empty House by Nathan Oates
– connect with three friends
– take Arianna out for a coffee date

Before I wrap this up, I want to give a birthday shout-out to my wonderful friend Erica. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETS! ❤ I love you more than our sixth-grade selves loved Johnny Depp & Britney Spears.

baby photobomb

The infamous photo-bombing baby shot from Ghiradelli Square!

Questions of the morning:

  • What are your goals for this week?
  • What were your highlights of this past weekend?

goals for the week of 2/23

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Happy Sunday! My friend Janet is in town and I am so excited!

me and janjan

I love soaking up time with this pretty lady! Last night we went with my cousins Makena and Bianca to see a production of Guys & Dolls. So much fun! Today we have plans to go into the city and have dinner with some of Janet’s friends from graduate school. I’m looking forward to meeting them and checking out some touristy spots with Janet beforehand. And, of course, City Lights is on the agenda!

city lights

But before we’re off, time for a quicks goals recap!

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 10 pages
– prepare for new tutoring job
– go to two yoga classes {I made it to three, hooray for a good yoga week!}
– finish copyediting project
– begin reading The Empty House by Nathan Oates
– connect with three friends {plus I completed my year of Wooden action step for the week}

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– have an amazing time with Janet! go into the city, see a movie, take her to my favorite spots around town, and talk our faces off
– write 5 pages
– prepare for my new tutoring client
– go to one yoga class
– read fifty pages of The Empty House by Nathan Oates
– have a blast at the AWP conference! {and I guess be sorta productive and learn something too} 🙂

Questions of the morning:

  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What have been your highlights of this weekend?

goals for the week of 2/16

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Hi everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was busy with lots of fun things … time with family, friends, church, shopping, reading and writing! On Saturday I had an amazing time in San Francisco participating in the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt. Have any of you done an “urban sleuthing adventure” before? This one is an annual scavenger hunt that happens on the day of the Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco. The hunt takes you all around Chinatown and North Beach looking for clues, competing against the other teams to solve mental puzzles and test your observation skills. It was such a unique, fun way to explore the city and see the parade at the same time! And our team did great, solving 12 out of the 16 clues before we ran out of time. Woo hoo! Afterwards we went to a Mediterranean restaurant for dinner, enjoying excellent food and conversation. Definitely one of my favorite experiences since moving up here in August!

chinese dragon

chinese new year

me and allyn

allyson and henry

Today the long weekend fun continues: we are celebrating my beautiful aunt Mary’s birthday. She is such an amazing person, so full of laughter and love. She tells the best stories, always builds people up with encouragement and support, and inspires so many kids every day as a middle school English & History teacher. I’m so proud to be her niece.

seesters

My Mom, Aunt Annie, and Aunt Mary

Happy birthday Mary!! We love you!

Now, on to goals…

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 10 pages
– finish new short story I’m working on {This goal seems to keep being put on the back-burner. Maybe my story needs to percolate more before I put the words down on paper…}
– go to two yoga classes {I did yoga on my own, but only made it to one class because I took a friend to her doctor’s appointment on Thursday, during the time I normally go to back-to-back yoga classes. I’ll have to make it up this week!}
– complete two chapters of copyediting project
– submit to the I Am: Twenty-Seven project
– send in final fellowship application
– finish reading Power Ballads by Will Boast
– connect with three friends

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– prepare for new tutoring job
– go to two yoga classes
– finish copyediting project
– begin reading The Empty House by Nathan Oates
– connect with three friends

Questions of the morning:

  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What have been your highlights of this weekend?

goals for the week of 2/2

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Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I hope you have fun plans for today. I’m off to church soon, but before I go … it’s goals time! 🙂

weekly goals

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– write 10 pages
– finish new short story I’m working on
– go to two yoga classes {I made it to three!}
– complete two chapters of copyediting project {It was a great copyediting week… I made it through four chapters!}
– finish reading all of the old Narrative Stories of the Week in my email inbox {read five of these stories + got into two excellent short story collections, Orientation by Daniel Orozco and Power Ballads by Will Boast}
– connect with three friends

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– write 10 pages
– finish new short story I’m working on
– go to two yoga classes
– mail Valentines
– complete two chapters of copyediting project
– start final fellowship application, due Feb. 28
– finish reading all of the old Narrative Stories of the Week in my email inbox and Orientation by Daniel Orozco
– connect with three friends

Questions of the morning:

  • What are your goals for this upcoming week?
  • What have been your highlights of this weekend?