Setting Goals: 2018 Vision Boards

As 2017 came to an end I looked back on everything my family has gone through, the ups, downs, and in-betweens. We have learned so much and are better because of it. Using those experiences hubby and I were able to come up with our 2018 goals.

It has been a long time since I made a vision board and something I have been wanting to do for awhile now. The last time I had one everything on it came to fruition and it helped me feel grateful for everyday things. If you want more information on vision boards and manifesting goals, please read “The Secret,” found here, or watch the movie, found here.

To make our vision boards we first sat down and listed goals for multiple categories: finances, health, education, fitness, hobbies, and family, and chose a word for the year, “Present.”

  • Family Goals: occupy the present, minimalistic living, declutter, tranquility, better use of home space, exploration through books and the world, being who you want to be, and acceptance.
  • Financial Goals: cut credit card debt and stop using credit cards, make our businesses grow, add beeswax candles and crochet items to our business, work towards owning our farm, get family property put in our name, fix our family property and fix up hubby’s mom’s house, etc.
  • Fitness Goals: Complete “Insanity” dvds as a couple, do yoga every day, exercise in some form daily, learn to do the crow pose, and incorporate barefoot walking.
  • Health Goals: Create an herbal vitamin and remedy pantry, pray and meditate daily, be gluten-free, be sugar-free, live in the present moment, and choose health for your body, mind, and soul.
  • Hobby Goals (Mine): Learn to play the violin/fiddle, learn to crochet more than a simple blanket, write a book, and write more blog articles.
  • Unschool Goals: Remember why we chose unschooling for our homeschool, practice ASL on a regular basis, provide multiple opportunities to learn the alphabet and numbers a day, be present to help facilitate learning opportunities with anything Archer is interested in.

Using that list I was able to download images or type words to represent them. I simply made an individual slideshow using PowerPoint, found here, to make each vision board category.

Once my husband and I had both approved the final look of each board I printed them using my mini HP Desk Jet, found here, and laminated them with my Swingline, found here.

Since each category is on its own laminated paper, we are able to hang them in appropriate locations around our home. For example, the health board will be on our fridge, and the family board will be next to our couch.

This was such a simple and inexpensive way of making our vision boards compared to how I made my last one. My last vision board was on a massive framed cork board. I bought the cork board, magazines, ribbon, and pushpins, then spent time finding all of the images I needed and cutting them out of the magazines. It was kept in my bedroom, next to my door, so I could see it every day (which helped), but it would have been handy to have the different categories available in different areas or to have it be portable. With these laminated vision boards I can easily take them  with me.

To place them on my fridge I cut a piece of magnetic tape, found here, and placed it on each corner. For normal walls, I either used velcro, found here, or command strips, found here.

What will be are your 2018 goals and how will you represent them on your vision board?

Family Moto Vision Board

Family Moto Vision Board

Financial  Vision Board 

Financial Board

Fitness Vision Board

Fitness Board

Health Vision Board

Health Vision Board

Hobby Vision Board

Hobby Vision Board

Unschool Vision Board

Unschool Vision Board

 

DIY Color Matching Square

I have been increasing the number of homeschooling supplies I have and the color matching square I found on Etsy.com was $35 and not exactly what I wanted. So, I decided to get crafty and make my own color matching square with the fabric and pattern of my choosing.

I used small patterned felt, found here, to make each section. I chose dots for primary colors (blue, yellow, and red), snowflakes with swirls for secondary colors (green, orange, and purple), and stars for my black and white sections.

To make it easy on me, I made my square out of 8 sections by cutting each square fabric diagonally in half, creating a 45 degree angle.

I used Mod Podge glue, found here, to keep each section in place over a large piece of felt, found here, then sewed the edges of each section to keep it secured in place. (Please, don’t judge the quality of my sewing. This was my first time using a sewing machine and it took me a very long time to not just have one big knot of thread.) I then trimmed off the remaining felt from the back piece.

DIY Color Matching Square 3

On the back of the felt I wrote the name of each color next to the corresponding edge (As you can see, I tried paint and it didn’t turn out well. I ended up using a permanent marker instead).

Back of Color Matching Square

For my 2 year old to be able to play with the color matching square (more than just dancing on top of it like he loves to do) I painted 8 clothespins in  corresponding colors.

His new toy is already working. After only a day of playing with it he now recognized the color “orange!”

DIY Felt Color Matching Square

Using the front of the color matching square, we can practice matching colors (we use other manipulative besides the clothespins), naming colors, learning the difference between primary and secondary colors, match fabric patterns, and practice fine motor skills by manipulating the clothes pin. On the back he can learn to match the color of the clothespin to the written name of the color. As he gets older, we can discuss angles and how the square is made of 45 degree angles and right angles.

As you can see, a simple felt square can provide a lot of learning opportunities.

How will you design your DIY color matching square?