Most of the blogs by mothers that I read have coupons, recipes, and other ideas to help save money. Here are some of the highlights this week:

1.  From Money Saving Mom:

FEBRUARY 1, 2014 | CRYSTAL PAINE

FOR MORE COUPONS, search our comprehensive Coupon Database for manufacturer coupons, printable coupons, eCoupons, and more!

2.  From The Art of Simple: “Where all New Year’s resolutions go to die”:

How To Redeem Your Goals

Here are three simple things that have had a profound effect on me this year: one daily action and two questions I try to ask myself throughout the day.

1. Choose Excuses or Stories
He thought it was all over. His athletic career and all his dreams were done. After all, how can you play basketball, a sport that relies heavily on peripheral vision and depth perception, when you only have one working eye?

Isaiah Austin was discouraged, but his mother was the strength he needed, and she challenged him with what is now my favorite quote of the year. She said to him,

“You have a choice. You can make this your excuse or you can make this your story.”

Wow. What a powerful, powerful statement.

He decided to make it his story and the Baylor University player is now one of the top players in the nation. His excuse story has been plastered all over ESPN and sports websites for weeks, inspiring everyone who hears it…including me.

Now, when I face an obstacle in my journey toward my goals, I ask that question, “Will I make this my excuse, or will I make it my story?”

What about you? What obstacles have stopped you? What choice will you make?

2. Write Your Goals Down Daily
This one has been huge for me. I started writing out my goals each day. Yep, each and every morning. I’d already been writing out books of the Bible (don’t be impressed, I just write a few verses each day) and that habit has been revolutionary in my life.

I figured writing out my goals daily would be just as helpful, keep them at the top of my mind, and allow me to refine them each day. It has been a powerful practice for me. It does take some time, about 15-20 minutes (I have a paragraph or so for each area of my life – Faith, Personal, Family and Work), but it has well been worth it.

When we commit to goals and fall behind, it’s easy to just stuff them under a pile of papers. Knowing this, I never committed to my goals this year, but I did commit to writing them out each day. It’s hard to hide from your goals when they are there to greet you every single morning.

3. Make The Ultimate Decision
The final bit of inspiration that has helped me to persevere in my goals this year is a quote I read recently:

“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want more.” – Unknown

When I want to hit my snooze button, I ask myself, “Am I choosing what I want now or what I want more?”

When my kids ask me to play a game at the end of a long day, I ask myself, “What do I want now and what do I want more?”

Answering that simple question is like a jolt of clarity and self discipline.

3.  From Rage Against the Minivan: “where is the mommy.war for the motherless child?“:

If you watch the trends of media, whether it be print, internet, or tv, you’ve probably noticed that every couple of months there is a new version of the “mommy war” being played out.  Last month’s battle du jour was surrounding moms who work vs. moms who stay at home. Today, a firestorm has ignited over a provocative photo and article in Time magazine about extended breastfeeding and attachment parenting.  These manufactured mommy wars are predictable because they tend to provoke strong reactions from mothers who feel judged, as well as mothers who want to feel superior for their choices. A litany of analysis, outrage, and defensiveness usually follows. Women tear each other down, while the entity responsible for initiating the battle reaps the benefit (whether it be a hot debate on a talk show or a political playing card).  The insecurities of women surrounding their parenting choices are frequently pawns in the ratings game, and I think the most recent Time magazine article and photo of a preschooler breastfeeding are intended to incite such a reaction.

I don’t much care if you breastfed your kid until they started kindergarten, or if you fed them formula from day one. I don’t really care if you turned your infant car-seat forward-facing prior to age 2, or if you homeschool, or if you send your kids to daycare while you go to work. Do you cosleep? Did you circumcise your son? I DON’T CARE.  Do you babywear? Push your kid around in a stroller? Use a leash for your kid at Disneyland?  Whatever.  Good for you.

When it comes to issues of motherhood, there is one issue I care about: some kids don’t have one. All of these petty wars about the choices of capable, loving mothers is just a lot of white noise to me, Quite honestly, I’m often astonished at the non-essential parenting issues I see moms getting their panties in a wad about. Particularly when there are so many kids in this world not being parented at all.