Posts tagged Goals
June Goals 2019
Nancy Ray June Goals Strawberries 2019.jpg

June!!! Summer. Peach stands. Halfway point. Weddings. Anniversary. Pool time. Watermelon. Sprinklers. Thunderstorms. Books. Naps. Podcasting. Running. Working. Resting. Playing.

We’re 6 days in, and I’m already so hot 😂.

I love the month of June. I love reaching this halfway point in the year, looking back and looking ahead and seeing where I am. So far, so good. This year has been full of a lot of change and good things. I’m happy to say we are giving it our all, and I’m enjoying every moment.


June Goals

Read The Sacred Enneagram
Catch up on the Life Giving Home
Read 3 Chapters of Crucial Conversations with my Team
Beaufort’s Baby Book: Order Prints
Lyndon’s Baby Book: Tape Prints I have and fill out blanks
Schedule Q3 Planning Meeting w/Team
Fearrington Getaway with Will
1st Counseling Appointment


If you made it to that last one, you’re probably like, “Hold up. Counseling?”

Yes, counseling!

When I typed this blopgost up the first time, I deleted that line. Yes, there are sometimes goals I write down in my Powersheets that I don’t include on my blog because it’s just for me. While this “goal” definitely is personal, I wanted to share that I am going to start counseling in hopes that it might make someone else reading this brave too.

Will and I have been to pre-marriage counseling and counseling since we’ve been married, and it has been SO helpful and wonderful. But I’ve never been by myself. Just for me. Just for the stuff going on in my own heart and head. And as I’ve navigated this big change in my business this year, I’ve wrestled with a LOT of emotions. Emotions about this massive change of letting go of Nancy Ray Photography, my identity being wrapped up in work, my identity as a mom, and what I’m doing moving forward.

All in all, I need some help navigating all of those emotions, the grief of losing the business I’ve identified with for so long, and how to navigate what’s to come. I’m taking the time, money, and emotional energy to invest in my emotional health. Something that I feel is a little stupid, something that I feel is selfish, something that I feel is very important and definitely the best thing for me and my family. (Isn’t weird how I can feel all of that at once?)

I’m the kind of person that if I don’t write it down as a goal, I won’t do it. So I am. I may or may not let you know how it goes, but if nothing else, I want to encourage you - if you need to set up a counseling appointment, do it. I am trusting this will be the best decision. I know it will.

March Goals + Fun Friday: Podcasts I'm Loving
Goals.jpg

So, February feels like it was the fastest month of my life. Honestly, it was all a bit of a blur, and I’m still getting the hang of this mom-of-3 life. In short, it’s crazy. I’ve been a bit more brave, getting out of the house more and actually handling all 3 kids for preschool pick up and drop off by myself, which is nuts. (One day in the freezing rain. That was fun!)

I’m currently sitting at my kitchen island on February 28, all the windows are open, and the sun is shining outside. It’s exactly what I need today - after a week of freezing rain and waking up with a cold this morning, this sunshine is making me feel so alive today! Lyndon is asleep, Milly is having “quiet time,” and Beaufort is supposed to be sleeping, but instead is talking in his crib.

TBH, goals haven’t been high on my priority list these days. Making dinner, changing diapers, and feeding a baby have been. I go back to work in 2 weeks, and I’m trying to soak in every moment of these fleeting days with my sweet babies!

But I will confess: there is ONE goal I’ve been working on behind the scenes through out maternity leave, and I’m pretty excited about it!

a Podcast!

I have spent a lot of time in prayer about this, I’ve been working with my sis-in-law and bro-in-law on the sound and set up, I’ve been scheming with Sammy Jo on content. It’s been in the works since before maternity leave, but it’s been a refreshing project to get me excited to ease back into work! So stay tuned - If you are on my list, you’ll be the very first to know about it!

So as I’ve learned through my last maternity leaves, giving myself a LOT of grace for a “re-entry” into work is essential. With that in mind, here are my goals for this month!

March Goals

And since it is a Fun Friday after all, and since I’m binge listening to podcasts lately, here are 10 great podcasts I’ve been catching these days!

  1. The Next Right Thing // Emily P Freeman (rich content: short and sweet!)

  2. The Purpose Show // Allie Casazza (inspiring for mamas)

  3. Cultivate your Life // Lara Casey (inspiring for LIFE!)

  4. Armchair Expert // Dax Shepherd (completely random, I know! lighthearted and funny—great conversations)

  5. Go and Tell Gals // Jess Connolly (love her heart)

  6. Business Life & Joy // Shunta Grant (practical and refreshing!)

  7. Goal Digger // Jenna Kutcher (great practical content for building an online business)

  8. The Rachel Cruze Show // Rachel Cruze (inspiring finances for your legacy)

  9. The Happy Hour // Jamie Ivey (love her voice! her conversation with Lysa Terkhurst is a must listen to)

  10. Revelation Wellness // Alisa Keeton (so inspiring to run to, to meditate on—perfect for working out as a believer!)

Affiliate links have been used in this post!

Goals + Fun Friday: Meet the Deebot
Meet the Deebot

This Fun Friday is for those of us who are just DELIGHTED by clean floors!

Meet the Deebot.

(It’s like a Roomba - just a different brand.)

For the longest time, I did not justify the cost of one of these robot vacuums. I thought it was too weird, too expensive, and always was of the mindset “oh we should just clean our own floors.”

But with 3 kids and a giant dog who sheds, the TIME WE MY HUSBAND SPENT SWEEPING AND MOPPING was insane. It was morning and night, and it was time consuming. We’d rather be spending time with each other - not cleaning!

So some friends of ours bought two, and gave us one to “try.” (This is the only way we would actually have tried one.) They said we could either pay them for it, or they’d return it if we hated it. It was too easy.

After one night of using the Deebot, we were SOLD. We mop a little once a week now, and that is it!

So just know that this Fun Friday is NOT a sponsored post, but a post brought to you by a mama with limited time who loves clean floors, and now I have them!

A few things to note:

  • You can set it on a timer so it automatically cleans! I set it twice a day : 2pm during naptime and 8:30pm after the kids bedtime.

  • You do have to empty the trash after every cleaning. It takes .5 seconds and is way easier than actually sweeping ;).

  • It’s also good to rinse / clean the trash compartment once a month. Still, super easy.

  • It is wise to do a pick up before it runs! So far, the Deebot has eaten a sock and a pair of underwear and a washcloth and other miscellaneous toys and what not. But you can always fish it out! When that happens, it just automatically shuts off and beeps a few times, waiting for you to come rescue it.

February Goals

Setting goals with 3 tiny children in tow? Sometimes it’s laughable. I’m okay with that! Keeping it simple here, and focusing on things that will fill my heart.

  • Read Anonymous

  • Continue reading the Life Giving Home

  • Go on a date with Will

  • Take pictures of the kiddos, just for me

  • Do something fun for myself and by myself!

Affiliate links have been used in this post!