Creating Your Future: November 2016 Goals

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One of my biggest pet peeves is people who go through their existence acting as though life just happens to them. Your life is something you create. Your actions have consequences as does your inaction. That is why I’m taking the initiative to create my future and I want to help you with creating your future too. The key to creating your future is as easy as monthly goal planning. I’m going to show you how to create specific, actionable goals that will start building the life you desire.

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The key to creating your future is easy. I’m going to show you how to create specific, actionable goals that will start building the life you desire.

Divide Into Categories

When listing out your goals divide them into categories. Don’t just create a long list and hope you get through it. Organizing your goals makes them easy to stick to and easy to reference throughout the month. You also want to limit the categories you choose. If you choose too many then you will be too unfocused to accomplish any of them. Here are some category ideas to help you out, but remember not to try to do all of these in one month:

  • Family
  • Business
  • Finance
  • Fitness
  • Professional
  • Travel
  • Self-Improvement
  • Educational
  • Homemaking
  • Religious
  • Creative
  • Journaling
  • Holiday
  • Savings
  • Weight Loss
  • Organizational
  • Home Improvement
  • Cleaning
  • Long-Term* (See section below about long-term goals)

 

The key to creating your future is easy. I’m going to show you how to create specific, actionable goals that will start building the life you desire.

Long-Term Goals

This is the one exception to choosing extra goal categories. Everyone should choose 3 long-term goals. This step should also be done first. Identifying your long-term goals first allows you to ensure that supporting goal categories work towards achieving your ultimate goals. For example, if you want the freedom to travel when and where you want in 3-5 years then your professional, business, and/or finance goals are needed to achieve this.

 

The key to creating your future is easy. I’m going to show you how to create specific, actionable goals that will start building the life you desire.

How to Choose Your Goals

Step 1

As I said above, choose your long-term goals first. Here are my current long-term goals:

  1. Pay off student loans.
  2. Earn 10k a month from my site and side hustles.
  3. Spend summers travelling with my family.

Step 2

Next, number a post-it note (or scrap piece of paper) 1 through 3.

Step 3

Use the list at the beginning of this post as a reference and write down the categories that you feel correspond with each long-term goal. Overlap is perfectly fine as you can see in my example:

  1. Finances, Business
  2. Business, Organizational
  3. Finances, Business, Family

Step 4

Choose 4-5 categories to set monthly goals for. Be sure to include the ones you listed in step 3 then fill in the empty spots left. Here are my categories:

  1. Business
  2. Finances
  3. Organizational
  4. Family
  5. Self-Improvement

Step 5

Create specific monthly goals under each category. Again, be sure not to overload yourself with more items than you can reasonably accomplish in one month. You can see my November goals below.

[bctt tweet=”The key to creating your future is easy and I’m going to show you how! #createyourfuture” username=”diyadulation”]

My November Goals

Business Goals

Finance Goals

Organizational Goals

Family

Self-Improvement

There you have it. These are my goals for the month of November. I look forward to sharing this adventure with you. Are you ready to start creating your future along with me? Don’t wait to see what happens, be the catalyst behind it.

See where I’m linking up!

Zombie Ziplining: The Ultimate Fall Experience

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Spooky attractions are a blast and seem to be everywhere during the month of October. You have your pick of styles and activities from regular haunted houses to scary weekends at theme parks. This year, try something different from your usual haunts (heehee, see what I did there?). Give zombie ziplining a try. This is the ultimate fall experience complete with heart-pumping ziplines, healthy exercise, and spooky scares! Don’t let the zombie part fool you because this can totally be a family-friendly outing as well.

This year, try something different from your usual fall outings. Give zombie ziplining a try. Don’t worry, this can totally be a family-friendly outing.

 

[bctt tweet=”This year, try something different from your usual fall outings with zombie ziplining! #ziplining #fun” username=”diyadulation”]

 

Ziplining

Ziplining is a blast! In case you’ve never done it before here is a little bit about what to expect. Each zipline is a separate station. You will walk to the first station with your group after getting all of your gear on. The attendant will hook you up to the line and when you are clear to go you jump off. Remember to place your hands as instructed on the way down. At the bottom there will be attendants to help you get to the end of the line and get unhooked. Then you walk to the next station which is typically nearby. That is all there is to it.

 

Zombies

This is where it gets really fun. How do you take a night of ziplining and make it better? Turn it into a haunted attraction of course! Throughout the area there will be people are volunteers who have invented their own spooky scenarios.

This year, try something different from your usual fall outings. Give zombie ziplining a try. Don’t worry, this can totally be a family-friendly outing.

When my friends and I did it, we went with a camper attack. We pitched a tent and hung some old clothes stuffed with newspaper half out of the door. In the stomach we placed a bowl full of pasta and pretended to eat entrails when zipliners came down the line. Another fun touch was our “brains patch” where we laid out heads of cauliflower dripping with red food coloring in the style of a pumpkin patch.

This year, try something different from your usual fall outings. Give zombie ziplining a try. Don’t worry, this can totally be a family-friendly outing.

To help you out, here are a few tips for you if you decide to volunteer to be a zombie:

  • Dress Warm – It gets cold fast when the sun sets. That goes double when you are repeatedly shoving your hands in cooked pasta.
  • Bring Snacks – You will be at your station the whole night so make sure you pack drinks and snacks.
  • Wear Old Clothes – Make sure you wear clothes that you don’t mind getting ruined. Not only will there be zombie make-up on you there will be a myriad of other things like grass and mud that can ruin clothes.

 

This year, try something different from your usual fall outings. Give zombie ziplining a try. Don’t worry, this can totally be a family-friendly outing.

Family

Don’t miss out on the experience because you have kids. These places are set up to be very adaptable to families. Each station attendant has a radio and can contact the attendant at the bottom of the line or at the next station to let them know that kids are in the group. The attendant will then pass this information on to the zombies so that they don’t scare your kiddos.

Kids can also go down the lines tandem with a parent, depending on their size. This is perfect for kids that are afraid to go alone. It is also great for parents that aren’t quite comfortable with their kids going alone yet. The workers want you to have fun and are willing to help in any way that they can.

Ziplining Tips and Tricks

  • Wear pants that are snug to your waist or be sure to wear a belt. The gear will pull on them as you zipline and worrying about your underpants showing kind of takes the fun out of it. Take it from someone with personal experience.
  • Also wear comfortable shoes. There is a decent amount of walking involved including steps up to the platforms. You also want to be able to run a little at the ends of the lines to get to the unhooking point.
  • It’s okay if you don’t quite make it. Sometimes you don’t weigh enough or you slide back at the end. They have tools to get you to the bottom so don’t panic.

Whew! Now you have all the knowledge you need to rock your first ziplining experience. This is perfect for your fall bucket list or simply as a unique girls’ night out. If you go with the latter, please dress for comfort. I cannot stress enough that this is not the venue to “dress to impress”. Your Channel pirate boots may look gorgeous but you won’t feel beautiful when the heel gets caught at the end of the zipline and you ungracefully flail on the line. I also totally recommend trying out being a zombie at some point. It is the perfect way to get the whole experience and enjoy some Halloween fun!

If you want to know where we went you can find The Big Zipper:

YouTube        /        (606) 564-8283      /      8094 Taylor Mill Rd, Maysville, KY 41056      

See where I’m linking up!

10 Awesome Ideas for Mommy-Son Date Nights

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Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. My oldest is 7 making him four years oldest than his next closest sibling. Unfortunately, because the younger two are still so small they require a lot of my attention. It can be easy for my oldest to fall between the cracks because he is so well-behaved and so independent. That is why we’ve started making mommy-son date nights a regular thing. It’s the perfect way to make sure he still gets important one-on-one time with mom. Goldfish crackers know how important this is too and that’s why they’ve created the Goldfish Tales campaign. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

 

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

 

[bctt tweet=”This week on the blog I am sharing our list of mommy-son dates! See what you’ll love! #GoldfishMoments #AD” username=”diyadulation”]

 

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

 

Arcade

There is nothing more fun than trolling the arcade together. This date night can be as big or as small as you want. My son and I recently did this while we were out of town for a conference I attended. We simply went down to the hotel game room after dinner and played our hearts out. It’s that easy to have a quick arcade date night. Grab some quarters and head to a movie theater arcade for a small date night. You can also go all out and head to a big arcade for an over-the-top date!

Mobile Game

Unless you’ve been sequestered in recent months you have seen the augmented reality games on the internet. These are an easy and inexpensive date night for you and your son. All you need to make it happen is the app on your phone and your neighborhood. Make sure your phone is charged before heading out because these games suck up your battery life. Then lace up your sneakers and hit the pavement together on the hunt. Your son will love searching out new creatures, portals, and more. You will love all of the laughs you share.

 

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

 

Fill a Time Capsule

This is another super fun and inexpensive date night idea. Go through the house and find items that represent you both today. Next, write letters to your future selves or fill out this free printable. Place your letters and your trinkets in an empty coffee can. Lastly, dig a hole in the ground and bury it. Dig it up on the same day next year for another fun date night.

 

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

 

Build a Fort

This one can also be as big or as small as you want. Build a blanket fort inside and play pretend or play a board game. You can also go big and build a permanent fort together in the backyard. Pull out some wood and tools to create a fun fortress he can play in anytime. Another option if you’re less-than-handy is to grab some paint and update a plastic playhouse you already own. No matter which option you choose, you will love the memories you make together.

 

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

 

Basketball

This one is pretty obvious but sometimes the obvious can be overlooked. My son made a comment the other day that made me decide to add it. He was nervous about trying basketball as his next sport because he didn’t know how to play. I realized I had never just shot hoops with him. Something as simple as a game of horse could help him feel more confident. It doesn’t have to be basketball for you and your son but playing any sport together can have an impact you don’t ever realize.

 

[bctt tweet=”Big news my friends! Submit your Fall Fun Goldfish Tale here https://ooh.li/5e45248 for a chance to win $1,000 and other prizes! #GoldfishMoments #AD” via=”no”]

 

Dart Gun Fight

What kid wouldn’t love having a dart war with his mom? You likely already have the guns lying around so why not make a date night out of it? Get your protective gear on and head to the family room. Let him know that it is totally okay to duck behind furniture and roll on the floor to avoid attacks. Take a fun picture of the 2 of you wielding your weapons to capture the memory.

 

 

Face Paint

This date night is like a makeover night but for boys. Get some face paint and decorate each other’s faces. You can get ideas from pictures online or take creative license to make your own designs. This is another one that you will want to take pictures of. Don’t forget that you can wash it off and try out multiple looks. Add a little more fun by acting out your paint designs. For example paint zombie faces and pretend you’re eating stuffed animals or paint ninja masks and show off your awesome Kung-Fu moves. Remember to be silly and have fun!

 

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

 

Code Breakers

Have a date being spies together. Create secret messages for your son ahead of time using the telephone code or print out these pre-made messages. The telephone code is easy to follow, and teach. It works like this:

  1. Draw a pound sign (or hashtag for your kid’s reference).
  2. Number the square 1 through 9.
  3. Add 3 letters to each square.
  4. Decipher each letter by adding the number the letter falls in with an exponent telling which letter in the trio. See the photos for reference.

For the date night, teach your son how to break the code in your secret messages. Then take turns writing notes to each other in your new code!

 

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

 

Selfie Scavenger Hunt

Go on a photo scavenger hunt with your son. This free printable is full of things you can find in your neighborhood so you don’t have to travel far or spend any money. Take a picture of yourselves with each item on the list and be silly with it. For example, for “leaf” take a selfie of the 2 of you holding leaves in front of your faces. The biggest rule for this one is that you both have to be in the picture. It’s important for you to be a part of the photos and not just behind the camera!

 

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

 

Have a Race

There are many ways to do this one. To help you get started, here are 3 ideas to give a try:

  1. Toy Cars – Find a slope or build one. Our driveway is sloped so it works for us but you can also use a flattened cardboard box propped at an angle. Next choose your cars and then, race!
  2. Remote Control Cars – This one is fun because you can create a track and/or obstacles to make the race a little more interesting. You and your son each choose a vehicle and go head-to-head. Try racing them on multiple terrains to see who wins on pavement, wood, and grass.
  3. Foot Race – Playing with your son is a great way to stay fit! This is the perfect activity for that. Pick a start and an end point and simple race. Up the ante of the race by stringing crepe paper streamers across the finish line. When the winner breaks through it, it will be as a true race champion!

 

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

 

Don’t forget your date night snacks when you’re on the go! Goldfish crackers are the perfect snack to throw in a backpack when you’re hunting Pokémon or refueling after a race. We love the Goldfish Colors because anything colorful always wins in our book but you can find the Goldfish to fit your family! Are you ready for even more fun? Visit the campaign landing page to get inspired and learn how to enter the Goldfish Tales promotion for a chance to win awesome prizes!