Showing posts with label plan
I can’t tell you how happy I am that my first blog post of 2017 is one that aligns with my desire to become more active and healthy this year. I don’t make resolutions; I make plans and set goals to better myself so I can be my best self for my family, friends and business partners. In order for me to make these positive changes, I needed to start with my breakfast habits and go from there. When I don’t feel like eating regular breakfast foods, I can still eat a healthy breakfast, thanks to belVita breakfast biscuits. They are an excellent way to power your day! 






Serve tasty #belVitaBreakfast Biscuits shop #belVitaWalmart #ad



If you’ve never tried belVita Breakfast biscuits, you will be pleasantly surprised at their great taste and how well these small packages stay with you. Believe it or not, belVita Biscuits give you four hours of steady nutritious energy when you serve them with fruit and a dairy product like milk or yogurt. That’s one easy way to get through the morning!




Our current favs of #belVitaBreakfast Biscuits! Find your fav #belVitaWalmart. #ad



These tasty biscuits aren’t just for breakfast either; my girls love to nosh on them before an afternoon choir or theatre rehearsal, too. Because belVita breakfast biscuits come in individually wrapped packs, they make the perfect grab-and-go snack. I can put one in their lunch box, or they grab one and toss it in their backpacks, and they are all set. 


 #belVitaBreakfast Biscuits are tasty and pretty! #ad Try them! #belVitaWalmart.


While we usually buy the Blueberry or Golden Oat flavor biscuits at Walmart, we were really excited to see all the new flavor options like Strawberry Yogurt and Vanilla Yogurt Crème. This week we bought Vanilla Yogurt Crème, which we found to be delightfully crunchy, sweet, and delicious!



#belVitaBreakfast Biscuits are on the cracker isle at Walmart. #belVitaWalmart #ad


There’s also these new flavor choices: belVita Breakfast Biscuit Bites in Cinnamon Brown Sugar and belVita Breakfast Biscuits in Toasted Coconut.  The next time you’re shopping at Walmart, head on over to the cracker aisle and look for the belVita Breakfast Biscuits section. I think you’ll love the selection and the price per box. Be sure to check out your Ibotta offers to save even more on the tasty, convenient belVita Breakfast products.  



#belVitaBreakfast Biscuits new flavors at #belVitaWalmart. #ad



Want to try before you buy? You are in luck! Visit your local Walmart on Saturday, January 7th for exclusive savings, tastings, and more. Want to know if your store is participating? Just head on over to Walmart here and check your store.



Here’s to our health and happiness as we start the new year.  I hope you’ll try belVita Breakfast Biscuits to help you power through your day too!


The Back to School Countdown Begins

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, July 08, 2013

Happy Monday to you! Did you have a great fourth of July weekend? I hope so.  

We had a most excellent weekend, taking a less-is-more approach to it all.  We didn’t plan a thing, except to be together, cook good food and have fun.

This approach worked so well, that we all agreed that our 4 day weekend was like a much needed vacation.  Our souls needed this break in the action and we aren’t even a fast track family. 

It’s a good thing that we had this respite, because now there are only 32 days left of summer vacation. Oh my. The powers that be (the school board here in middle TN) have decided that a start date in the middle of some of the hottest days of summer would be A-Okay. 


bus

Pitching a fit is a waste of time. Planning now for a smooth back to school transition in our home is a much safer bet. 



Here is my plan of action:


1. Start the bedtime routine change now.

 If you are like us and take a more lenient summer bedtime routine, it’s time to nip it in the bud.  Don’t wait until there is a week or two before school starts or everybody will be tired and crabby all day.  Parents: this means we have to go to bed earlier too. No more late night TV.

2.  Set a dinnertime.

Make sure dinner time is early enough that food is digested before bedtime, but not so early that your family has powered through what they ate and need a snack right when they should be brushing their teeth. This is especially tricky for me with a growing teen and tween. They are always hungry! (Yes, girls are always hungry too at this stage.) I aim for 6:30pm to 6:45pm.

3. Clean out their closets.

 Do this early, if you haven’t already AND make them try on every piece they want to keep. With my girls, I go one step further and ask them to see how many outfits they can make. This is a true sanity saver when you are back to school  clothes shopping and they are looking at all the cute jeans when you know they really need tops.

4. Clean out or prep our drop zones.

Every family is different, with a different system in place, but I have found that having the kids place their backpacks, incoming papers, permission slips etc. in specified places daily works for us.
For instance, backpacks must be cleaned out, repacked for the next day and be sitting by the front door for the morning. Period.

5. Listen now.

School can be stressful with some years more stressful than others. Both my daughters happen to be entering a grade that is particularly stressful: 9th and 5th respectively. You can probably relate to the freshman nerves, but may be wondering about little 5th graders. Trust me: this is the year the cattiness and cliques start.  I have set aside private time and chatted with both my girls about going back to school.

They were very illuminating conversations that helped me map out this first plan of action, but I know it won’t be the last this year.  I still need to plan my back to school supply shopping strategy and then there is this biggie to think about:

there is only 169 days until Christmas. 



When do your kids go back to school?


Vimbly helps you take on New York

in , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, May 27, 2013
Thank you to Vimbly.com for sponsoring this blog post. I was selected for this sponsorship by Sverve.com. All opinions expressed here are my own.


Planning a family vacation to New York just got whole lot easier thanks to a wonderful website I recently got introduced to.

 If you live in New York or are planning a trip there, I invite you to check out Vimbly


logo
Courtesy: Vimbly.com

About Vimbly:

“Vimbly shows open time slots for activities, classes, & date ideas by different businesses on a single page and lets users book directly.  These activities include dance, cooking, glassblowing, pizza making, wine tasting, intro to cigars, learning to DJ, improv, scotch pairing, samurai sword fighting, persuasion class, and hundreds more.

Not only does Vimbly show you pricing on each activity, they show the times available for you to book each activity. All useful tools when you are trying to plan a vacation, day trip, or if you live in the city that never sleeps, find something to make you interesting. 


 
Vimbly
Courtesy: Vimbly



I was looking for family friendly NYC activities and these were just two I found.
New York and pizza go hand in hand, so of course we would have to take the NYC Pizza bus tour.
And I know we would all enjoy seeing Manhattan while on this brunch cruise!

cruise
Courtesy: Vimbly
With just one click I knew how much each activity would cost and the best time to book. Vimbly takes the guess work out of planning your trip and activities.

If I lived in New York I would find Vimbly.com an invaluable resource! It has helped me get a handle on what things cost for a family vacation to this awesome city.

I hope Vimbly.com adds more cities because I would use this online tool for every trip we plan.
You can learn more about Vimbly by visiting their website, following them on Facebook and Twitter.

Are you planning a trip to New York soon?

Friday Follow Up

in , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, April 27, 2012



On Monday I posted my weekly plan HERE. As promised, here is my Friday Follow up with completed tasks highlighted. I think I did pretty good! 


Home & Garden: 


1. Continue cleaning out girls closets, bagging outgrown items for donation.  (Work in Progress).
2. Price compare mulch for front flower beds, replant Jade, trellis rose bush, clean planters, bird bath, bird feeders.
3.  Clip coupons, sort, put in car! ( Will complete this afternoon for Saturday shopping).
4.  Research easy meal plans (blogs)?  ( Work in Progress, but I like Faithful Provisions so far).
5.   Help Ms. T & Ms. M sort books to sell or donate. ( Work in Progress, Ms. T, done, Ms. M resisting). 


Business & Blog:
1. Put contact stickers on JAFRA products in stock.
2. Add 15 minutes per day on increasing blog readership.
3. Share April/May JAFRA brochure with e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y who seems approachable. ( Work in Progress, shared 3). 
4. Join local women’s group(s).
5. Pick and post about a JAFRA product of the week.  (Posted HERE.)


So as you can see, some projects are easier to complete than others AND some projects require continuous effort. 

How productive was your week? Please share your thoughts!




Monday and My Plan

in , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, October 24, 2011


I'll be the first to admit: my posts have been a bit angst ridden lately. Sort of wishy-washy, what should I do, searching for purpose, all over the place dribble.

Yeah, harsh I know, but necessary dear reader, because if I'm sick of it; I know you are.

No longer willing to be the Debbie Downer, I have properly licked my wounds, gave myself a good mental shake and resolved to no longer be buffeted around the blogosphere like some poor helpless ninny.
Somewhere along the way, I drank the "Make Money Blogging" Kool-Aid and this stopped being fun.

I like fun; so here's my plan.

1. Stop Whining.

2. Count my blessings. They are plentiful.

3. Quit Sweating the small stuff.

4. Wholesale delete all money/social media/pro's emails and feeds. They are my kryptonite.

5. Keep doing product reviews. I still think they are fun!

6. Hang out with like minded bloggers.

7. Stop trying to do it all.

8. Write what I know. Followers and money will come if they are meant to.

9. Visit every blog on my readers list, if it's not a good match or of interest to me. Stop following.

10. Invite all my followers to do the same. If you are here and don't wish to read about and talk about all things hearth and home, raising tweens, running a small home based business while being happily married, please feel free to stop following me.


Simple. Action. Plan.

To those who actually read this blog and comment: Thank you! You are a rarity in this blogging community. And if I should find myself without many like you over the course of the next few days or weeks, so be it. I  rather enjoy knowing where I stand and with whom.

Happy Monday.

Monday and my Plan

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, August 29, 2011
Family work balance


It has been a while since I shared my plan for the week. What with the new school year starting, my social media manager position for Kinsman's Carpentry & Custom Cabinets
taking off, and the blessed relief from the heat, I was loathe to sit at the computer last night and type up my plan of action. 


 However, today is the last Monday of the month, so without further ado:

My plan for the week:


Home:


Bake banana bread
Go to Ms. T's schools open house tonight
start packing away some summer clothes
re-organize the front closet
move rocking chair project higher up on my list (since it didn't get done last week)
proof read Ms. M's school website and report findings to teacher
harvest basil to make pesto
take old magazines to library for share counter
clean out frig and freezer
continue company checks on security alerts for mother-in-law
update and sync all calendars with upcoming important school/family/church dates
start a new coupon binder/organizing system
stop everything and be grateful when each of my family members arrive home safely,
look into their eyes and be present and available.


Work: His:


Link husbands new website to all social accounts
advertise new website with ad credits received from hosting company, (Google AdWords, Bing, Yahoo, Facebook, etc)
Update his profile picture
tag all photos in his gallery prior to ad placement
send follow up letters/emails to recent clients
upload latest project photos on Facebook and website
peruse September trade publications for interesting articles to share
continue to make sure he knows daily how much he is appreciated


 Work: Mine:

visit bloggy buddies, groups, websites and engage in all social media sites
learn more about my Google + account (ie. how to add it to my blog and other social sites)
look into hosting packages for my social media manager division
make a thank you for contacting me letter for initial inquires to hire me
research fee structure for my services
remember to not take it personally when a person or business does not follow up in the same manner or time frame I would
read blogs, take an e-course, continue to learn how best to move forward with my social media manager career
thank the Lord daily that I am blessed to be a work at home mom!


So that's my plan and it's a lofty one to be sure. No matter what, (unless it's billing, cause we need to eat) I will always put family first, so it won't surprise me in the slightest if some of these tasks are back on my list next week.

A Day in the Life of a WAHM

in , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, July 11, 2011
In reviewing my stats, I noticed that several searches were done for WAHM schedules, so I thought it would be fun ( and hopefully) helpful to share one of my days with you.
 Please note,  this is our summer schedule where kiddies reign supreme, but I think I've found a healthy family/work balance. It's worked for us so far.


6:00 AM
6:30 AM
Good Morning!
6:30 AM
7:00 AM
Coffee, please!
7:00 AM
7:30 AM
Get hubby out the door with all necessary items for his day : coffee, lunch, water, paperwork/invoices/designs etc. reminders of appointments. Love & smiles!
7:30 AM
8:00 AM
Work out, assist girls with breakfast, clothes, reminders of appointments for the day.
8:00 AM
8:30 AM
Check emails respond as needed : His business, Family, My business. Call hubby with updates as needed. Do billing, proposals, updates as needed or weekly on Friday morning.
8:30 AM
9:00 AM
Start a load of laundry. Shower, get ready for day.
9:00 AM
9:30 AM
Work on current project(s),His business 1st, then my business/blog if time allows. Clean up kitchen, plan dinner, plan day with girls.
9:30 AM
10:00 AM
Visit shared links, respond to blog comments, research offers, update all Web 2.0 sites, blogs, forums, groups as time allows.
10:00 AM
10:30 AM
Family/errand Time.
10:30 AM
11:00 AM
Family/errand time.
11:00 AM
11:30 AM
Return & make phone calls: Family, Businesses.
11:30 AM
12:00 PM
Free time with girls. Play outside, read, color, puzzles, dancing, singing, T.V. etc. girls choice.
12:00 PM
12:30 PM
Lunch.
12:30 PM
1:00 PM
Lunch and clean up.
1:00 PM
1:30 PM
Chat with hubby. Reconfirm appointments as needed.
1:30 PM
2:00 PM
Tackle at least 2 household chores/projects.
2:00 PM
2:30 PM
Tackle at least 2 household chores/projects and have girls check their chore charts and follow through as needed.
2:30 PM
3:00 PM
Find and/or implement boredom buster for the girls!
3:00 PM
3:30 PM
Find and/or implement boredom buster for the girls!
3:30 PM
4:00 PM
Plan a new boredom buster with girls input for the next day. :-)
4:00 PM
4:30 PM
Snack time!
4:30 PM
5:00 PM
Work. Girls get T.V./WII time. No seriously girls, I'm working here! :-)
5:00 PM
5:30 PM
Prep/start dinner.
5:30 PM
6:00 PM
Cooking, answering phone calls, herding kiddies, texting friends, etc.
6:00 PM
6:30 PM
Dinner time. We like long family style dinners most every night of the week. Family time rocks!
6:30 PM
7:00 PM
Dinner time. We like long family style dinners most every night of the week. Family time rocks!
7:00 PM
7:30 PM
Dinner clean up. Movie/Swim/Play/Walk/Garden time, or attending family/social functions.
7:30 PM
8:00 PM
Dinner clean up. Movie/Swim/Play/Walk/Garden time, or attending family/social functions.
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
Shower, storytime, one-on-one chat time with the girls.
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
Shower, storytime, one-on-one chat time with the girls.
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
Ah, another fine day in the books. Reconnect with hubby.
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
Watch T.V. Read a book/magazine, return calls/texts.
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
Plan next day. Sync schedule with hubby.
10:30 PM
11:00 PM
Try to be in bed by now. No late night T.V. or finishing up just one more thing.
11:00 PM
11:30 PM
Yep, I'm still awake, working through it all in my mind, formulating, reliving the day, praying, dreaming, counting my blessings, smiling,... zzzz
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