Friday Favorites Roundup – April 19, 2019

Baseball practice has started for my son.  This is his third year playing.  We switched him over to Little League this year.  The past two years we used a city-sponsored organization, but we ran into an increasing number of problems.  There was a disparity in team talent, lack of organization, poor communication, and the like.  Little League is more expensive, but so far has been a much better experience.

The Michigan weather hasn’t done us any favors.  April can go either way.  This year we’ve had some really warm days, but also some incredibly cold days.  Practices have seemed to favor the chilly days.  It’s also been very rainy.  So, even if they practice when it’s not raining, it’s been muddy.

Regardless, it’s still fun to see kids learn and grow individually and as a team.

Great Blog Posts

With that said, here are five great blog posts I’ve recently read as well as one I wrote that I am proud of.  I hope you enjoy them!

Have a fantastic weekend!

The World Is Changing Every Day, Are You Keeping Up?

I love this time of year.  The days are getting longer, and you can actually notice this happening.  Here in Michigan, we have four to five minutes of extra daylight added onto each day.  Since I drive to work at the same time each day, I can see the sky getting brighter each morning.  It’s really cool.  I love how the world is changing all the time.  The question is, are you keeping up with all the change?

changing leaves trees
Changes happen with nature every day. What are you changing in your life?

Look Around

The sunrise and sunset is just one example of how the world changes.  Look around and you’ll see so many examples.

  • The size of the moon changes each day
  • We recently went to Florida for a spring break trip.  The further south we went, the more green things started to look.  In just a week’s time, on our return trip, the green extended even more north.
  • The daffodils just recently poked their heads out of the ground, and quickly grow and flower.

Read moreThe World Is Changing Every Day, Are You Keeping Up?

2019 Goals – March Check In And Evaluation Of My System

This year I set 12 goals that I could track numerically.  This means that I can track them by percentage complete.  The design of this is that I can track my success with real numbers.  Now that we’re a quarter of the way through the year, I’m seeing drawbacks and benefits.

Benefits of My Numeric Goal Tracking System

  • It’s definitely holding me accountable.
  • I’m keeping more interested on my goals.
  • I prioritize goals that are within reach when I have limited time or motivation.  For example, if I’m just a couple of thousand steps short of my ‘steps’ goal, I’ll go for a short walk or even take some laps around the house.  This is something I probably wouldn’t have done in the past.  I figure that will add up to a significant amount of steps for the entire year.  So, this definitely gives my system purpose.
  • Seeing the percentage complete is pretty cool.

Read more2019 Goals – March Check In And Evaluation Of My System

Proud Parent: My Kids Are Doing Cool Things

Every now and then it just feels good to brag about your kids.  What mom or dad doesn’t love being a proud parent? Today seems like one of those days!  Here are a few things that my kids have been up to.  I love seeing them grow and find their own interests.

Basketball

My son recently finished a basketball league.  He participated in a league last year, but this year was so much better.  We went through a different provider.  The league was run so much more efficiently and effectively.  The coaching was heads and shoulders above last year.  All in all he had a great experience.  He really enjoys playing basketball.  He doesn’t have the confidence yet to drive to the basket and to dive for balls, but he improved in just about every aspect of his game.  His defense was solid and he grew as a player.

Read moreProud Parent: My Kids Are Doing Cool Things

Hoping For Good Neighbors

We will soon have two sets of new neighbors.  Now we just need to hope that they are good neighbors!

Our Soon To Be New Neighbors

We have neighbors on four sides of us.  One set of neighbors on either side of us, one behind us, and another set across the street. We’ll be getting two new sets of neighbors soon.

Across The Street

Our neighbors across the street have already sold their house.  They are from out of state, here because of the husbands job.  The husband got a promotion, so they’re on the move again.  They put their house up for sale and sold it the next day!  Now that’s a good real estate agent, I think!  They’re sticking around until near the end of the school year.  They are quiet and keep to themselves.  It’s kind of a bummer because they spent almost a whole year doing interior renovations to their house.  Now they won’t get to enjoy them.

Read moreHoping For Good Neighbors

The Importance of Teamwork

My son finished his basketball league recently.  This was his second year playing team basketball.  As I watched the final seconds tick down, I was sad that his time was ending.  I watched all of the games he played in, as well as practice.  It hit me that there was a big difference between what I saw when they first started playing in January, versus where they ended up in March.  The difference was simple.  At the beginning, they were nine 4th-grade boys playing at the same time.  By the end, they were a team.  It was cool to see.  It struck me and I started thinking about the importance of teamwork.

The Importance Of Teamwork Everywhere

Things work better when teamwork is involved, don’t they?  Think about it.  Teamwork matters in so many different situation.

Read moreThe Importance of Teamwork