Goals for Feburary and Jan Review

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January has come  and gone in a blink of an eye. It has been a hectic start to the new year with 3 new school schedules to juggle and the new plans that I have for this year.

Achievements for January

 

  1. Dominique’s Desk Fan Page is slowly edging up to the 10k Fan Mark with the current number at 9700.
  2. Alexa ranking is down further and I hope that it remains the same or reduces further. Last glance it was 73,027
  3. holistic
    I’ve started up a new series on the blog called Holisting Learning with Dominique. It will be a year long series whereby I share what I have done with the 3 kids to give them an all rounded education.
  4. I’ve completed 4 book reviews, 6 giveaways and 2 product reviews on top of the normal daily posting on the blog. I still have quite a few book reviews to be completed but will finish them up months to come.
  5. Expanded my online portfolio by taking on  clients for website creation and am currently developing a website for a local baking shop.
  6. The kids are settling down well to their new school routine and are loving being in school.
  7. I managed to  bake bread and try out a new soup recipe. Will try out more recipes next month.

Major Fail area

  1. Weight has remained at 64-65kg. I have tried adjusting the portion size of my food and cutting out all the unwanted calories from junk foods. I need to step up on the exercise routine
  2. The year end  2012 photobook has yet to be done.
  3. I have yet to read the stack of DSLR camera magazines which I bought back in 2012.

Resolutions for 2013

For Myself

  1.  Focus on more healthy eating and exercising. Target weight is getting back to 60kg first.
  2. Reading up and learning more about how to use my DSLR
  3. Test out the recipes in the cook books that I have acquired in 2012.
  4. To brush up on my French and Japanese.

For the blog

  1. To increase readership even further and break the 15K FB Fan mark.
  2. Get more sponsors and campaigns.
  3. To double blog income.

For the kids

  1.  Engage them in more family based activities and teach them more life skills.
  2. Read scripture together with the kids bi-weekly with follow up activities weekly.
  3. Pray together before meals and before bed.
  4. Focus on both academic and physical development for each child.

For the family

  1. Go on family vacations at least twice a year.
  2. Spend time outdoors with the kids
  3. Watch movies or have games night once a month.

For our relationship

  1. Have a couple night once a month or as often as possible.
  2. Go on a couple trip without the kids.
  3. Pray together

Excerpts from the Heart of a Mom

Book Cover Excerpts from the heart of a mom

 

Excerpts From the Heart of a Mom by Jennifer Laurent is a down to earth book by an mom who has learned a lot through becoming a parent. In her book Jennifer shares with her readers excerpts of what was on her mind in the different situations which she faced.

She starts of the book explaining the reason behind writing the book.  She doesn’t consider herself  the perfect mother and has her fair share of ups and downs as a mother.  The excerpts in the book  covers various area from practical knowledge to one of a more spiritual nature.

Some of the excerpts include her thoughts on  thinking positive and be educated, being open, embracing the power or the mind-body connection and it’s okay not to know everything. You are not expected to be a know all and a perfect parent just be a parent who is truly present for our kids.

My thoughts

I enjoyed reading this book and can relate to many of the excerpts that Jennifer shared.  Many a time as a parent we try to be perfect and flawless and in the process set ourselves up for failure.  I agree that being there for your child and teaching them that we parents too are human and we do have our flaws. We do not know everything and do make mistakes like our children do.

We need to constantly center our focus and be there for our kids, learning alongside them.  It is a delicate balance but it is something that we learn from trial and balance as both we and our child grow and mature.

I strongly recommend this book for all mothers who are looking for some direction in their lives and wish to build up a closer relationship with their child.

Get your copy of Excerpts From the Heart of a Mom today.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes. All opinions are 100% my own. This post has a compensation level of 3. Please visit Dominique’s Disclosure page for more information.