Over the last few weeks, I’ve shared snippets of our journey as a family-based business and the values that have held us together and encouraged us to keep moving forward.
I’ve talked about how we started {and have grown} our business with no debt and with perceived disadvantages, like locations and connections.
I’ve also, shared an honest look at how we’ve bought our home, as entrepreneurs and without a mortgage.
I’ve done all of this to share and encourage.
Because I know that this whole juggling home, business, family thing can be truly overwhelming.
Throw in sickness or other challenges, and yeah, you’re all… Holy moly guacamole!!
Now let me share another secret with you… None of this would’ve been possible without systems that we’ve put in place {and are still putting in place} and that I’ve already shared with you… but more importantly, this is only possible because we’ve made changes to our lifestyle as we kept moving forward.
Whether it was eating cleaner and healthier to deal with illness, or organizing our time better to grow a business with a $0 budget, or managing our money better so we can stay debt-free to buy a home, we’ve made several life changes that aligned with our values and our goals.
As we move forward into our 6th year of business and life as parent entrepreneurs, Mayank and I have been giving some serious {as in discussions had when you’re at Starbucks!} thoughts to how to keep growing and yes, making those crucial changes, revisiting habits that we may have outgrown, because growth in business is closely linked to growth in your personal life.
As simple as that.
All of this to say, that today, I want to share the 5 life changes I’ll be making this year for a more productive and profitable business and a peace-filled home.
Not just the changes, I’ll also be sharing the actionable resource I’ll be using to actually reach these goals.
Pssstt.. the resource I share in this post is the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle, which has for now, ended. BUT if you want to be the FIRST to know when more bundles like these come up helping you save money and your sanity, pop in your details below. 😉
Join me? 😉
1. Eating Better to Lose Weight and Stay Healthy
One of my big life goals this year is to finally be my ideal weight {about 10 pounds lighter} and continue to work on my health.
And what Mayank and I have realized is that our diet does 70% of the work when it comes to our health.
We are what we eat, as they say.
Plus, when you’re healthy, it’s so much easier to have more energy, get things done, have the right focus and not be drained, exhausted, overwhelmed, all the time.
We’ll be planning our meals with renewed vigor since I’ve snagged some sweet cookbooks thanks to The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle, like the Healthy Make Ahead Breakfast Recipes by Kelly Roenicke and my personal favourite, Emergency Meals by Beth Cranford.
Plus, I’ve already shared the adorably cute menu planners we’ll be using and the weight loss tracker that’ll be helping me stay on track with my exercise and diet goals.
2. Being a More Patient and Intentional Parent
I’ve noticed myself being quite snappy over the last few months.
There have been times when I’ve noticed Manini’s sweet little face crumble when I give her a rushed, short reply.
Being short is good for pastry not for people.
So, I’ve been praying over this and scouting for resources to help me be more intentional and more importantly, patient with my little girl. She is the reason I do what I do. I’d hate for her to resent it or me, because of my impatience.
I’ve been reading and absorbing the incredibly simple yet powerful words from books like Guilt Free Motherhood and Mindset for Moms.
I’ve been listening to the Deliberate Moms podcasts and letting the words wash over my parched-for-patience soul.
3. Nurturing my Creativity
One of the things I really want to focus on from a self-care perspective is nurturing my creativity. Taking time out to be creative plays a HUGE role in keeping my passion alive for what I do in our business.
We work long hours {at least 40-45/week} and while I love it, I also need downtime.
I discovered I love grown up coloring and have been enjoying it since.
Inspired by my friend Erin Boyd Odom’s Your Retreat eBook, I also want to explore setting a day aside every month for my retreat. I like how Erin’s retreat for moms is actionable, easy-to-do and doesn’t require me to check into a spa or hotel.
I’m also, digging deep into Tsh Oxenreider’s Field Upstream eCourse to really tap into our life purpose and intentionally create our life around that.
4. Creating a Comfortable and Yet Un-Catalog-Like Home
We have a tiny home. We love it, and we work from it, but it’s tiny.
Do you know how quickly tiny homes can get messy? Faster than rabbits can breed. I kid you not.
THIS despite the fact that we’re constantly downsizing and living a minimal-ish life.
One of my goals this year is to have a comfortable and cozy home without it looking “decorated” or catalog-ish. Yes, I attach –ish a lot 😉
I’m going through Cozy Minimalist Mom and Tiny Owl Guide to Hospitality so we have both a beautiful-to-use home and can entertain more and with ease.
Jessica Fisher’s A Month of Good Enough for Company meal plans {again in the Bundle!} are what I’m referring to when planning dinner menus for guests.
5. Teaching Life Skills to Manini
One of the things I want to encourage and help Manini with is learning to cook. Like Jessica Fisher, Katie Kimball of Kitchen Stewardship is another Mom who I trust when it comes to feeding our family.
Katie’s book Recipes for Kids Cook Real Food {also in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle} is what I have and will be using to help Manini get started with simple real food preparation. Whether it’s making a simple ranch dressing or putting breakfast together on the weekend, I’ll be trusting Katie with Manini’s “training” 😉
Finally, and most importantly, both Mayank and I want to pass on our family values of financial stewardship to Manini.
She’s 8 and while she does have a bank account and understands the basics of saving and spending, there’s still a bit of learning there for her.
However, she also thinks that the money in the ATM is given to us kindly by the bank! LOL!!
So, Mayank and I are using an adorably cute and very effective Kid’s Responsibility and Money Management Kit by Stephanie Morgan from Modern Parents Messy Kids. Yes, from the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle!
It has everything we need including a goal tracker, a ledger, cute labels for her “Save,” “Spend” and “Share” jars as well as routine charts and checklists for both family jobs and “paid” jobs!
So, there you go.
Our family’s journey this year to simplify, streamline and succeed at being more intentional with our health, relationships and business.
One Single Resource to Make Your Own Intentional Life Changes as a Parent Entrepreneur
I’ve shared how honored I am to be a part of the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle 2016 since Summer Sanity Savers for the Work-at-Home Mom is a part of it.
As a home manager first, and a content/community manager second, I always appreciate resources that help me infuse sanity into my schedules and I’ve always relied on the UHB to do that.
That is why this year, I’m delighted to have a freshly updated version of Summer Sanity Savers for the Work-at-Home Mom included in the Bundle.
All the resources that I will be using this year to be more focused on growing our business while focusing on our relationships, home and health will come from this bundle.
There are a total of 93 resources designed to help you win at this whole home management thing while juggling a business, homeschooling, homesteading and more!! At 97% off, this is a library of handy resources I never, ever pass up.
Even if you use only 5 resources from this library, {and trust me, you’ll use more than that}, it will be a blessing to your family. I can assure you of that.
Not only that, as a fellow parent entrepreneur if you buy the Bundle using my link, right now, right here, I’ll be happy to give you a $100 Store and Service credit {$50 for each} so you can not only read about the changes, but get the time to implement them too by hiring out stuff for your business that you don’t want to struggle with. .
So, if you’re ready to make business and life changes, for your home, health and happiness, click here to snag your bundle and then, fill the form here so we can send you your $100 Store and Services Credit.This Bundle may have ended… but there are lots more lined up. All equally incredible. So, pop in your detail below and you’ll be the first to know about them AND the sweet bonuses, we always offer!
Disclaimer: Yep, we do make a bit of latte money if you buy from our link. However, we will never, ever recommend anything we don’t 100% back and support. Plus, you pay nothing extra and we’ll think of you when we drink our coffee.
What a great post, Prerna. You are always such a blessing to me. Last year I wanted to buy this bundle and was very hesitant – but not this year! My login access is in my e-mail box right now! I’m very excited to start.
Being a from-home entrepreneur has been much harder than I expected. With my commute to work being a trip down my basement steps to my studio, I’ve packed on 30 lbs over the past 2 years! I’ve stressed over trying to prove my choice can make an income to justify not getting a ‘day job’ to the point of forgetting that flexibility was my biggest reason for starting my business!
Well, not in 2016! I’m taking advantage of my local community center and 8 weeks ago signed up for 2 lunch hour classes; I’ve rejoined Weight watchers (Hope stating a name is allowed!lol); and my husband bought me a self-propelled lawnmower so I can mow my 83 yr old mom’s small yard (an area of lots of stress for her).
So here’s to 2016! I’m so excited to dig into my bundle!! Thank you for taking such good care of me, Prerna. 🙂
Lisa!! Oh thank you! I’m sure this bundle will be a blessing… also, kudos to you my friend for already taking intentional action to create a life that’ll support your business. SO good!! Can’t wait to see more of your journey unfold!! Much love and many blessings!
Looking forward to really digging into my bundle Saturday! Thank you!