Games

  • Travel & Vacation: Aqua Park in Labadee, Haiti

    Here come Daddy and Brina down the slide!

    On our next stop we visited Labadee, Haiti.  The place were we stopped was beautiful and relaxing.  Our first stop of the day was the Aqua Park.  You had to walk down a dock and they had a bunch of huge inflatables in the water from slides to trampolines and more.  The inflatables were spread out so you had to swim from one item to the next and if I remember correctly the water was 30 feet deep in that area.   The kids and adults had a fun time climbing, bouncing, sliding, splashing, and playing at the Aqua Park.

    Karlie getting ready to come down the huge water slide into the ocean!  It’s a lot harder then you think to climb up wet bouncy castles and slides!

    Aqua Park fun!  This one was a hard one to get onto especially for the kids, but Jeremy, Amber, Josh, and Lee had a blast on it!  They managed to get it moving and spinning pretty fast.

    The big kids had fun playing at the Aqua Park too! 🙂

    Brina swimming past me on her way to the next Aqua Park item.

    Daddy coaching Karlie has she starts to climb one of the icebergs

    Swimming around at the Aqua Park

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was crazy busy with doctor appointments, activities, and everything else.  Jake was out of town again for a couple days so packing and unpacking for him done as well.  Thankfully this week we’ll be spending extra time together since he doesn’t need to travel for work.  Hopefully, we’ll get in some extra quality family time too!  This week will be different than normal because our schedule is switched up a little bit, but I still plan to set some goals and have fun with it!  We’ll be spending some extra time with extended family members too this week! 🙂

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls – we got started but were not able to finish it this week, it may take us a little longer because it is a bigger book.  The girls are loving it!
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Finish going over our 2013 goals
    7. Doctor Appointments

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Start with my new YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – made a little progress
    5. Finish reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan- going through this book with a group of friends so not quite down yet

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Email a meeting notes from Alms & Legs Ministry Team meeting

    Financial Goals

    1. For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry. – wrapped up week 3 of this goal (WooHoo!!!) 🙂
    2. Payoff the Van – made another payment
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – didn’t make any headway this week but at least we’re holding steady

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls
    2. Read the first book of the Imagination Station set Voyage with the Vikings by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker to the girls
    3. Spend quality time with my family and extended family
    4. Take extra pictures so we can remember our time together
    5. Plan a special activity
    6. Play at least one game

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue reading my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
    5. Finish reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 4)

    We had a blast playing the 5 Second Rule game by Patch with extended family today!

    We just finished our fourth and final short week of  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises).   It was a really busy week and I didn’t have as much time to take pictures (and a couple of the ones I took didn’t turn out).  It has been an awesome doing the daily activities and finding ways to be a blessing to those we meet.  Seriously, I feel like we walk away from an activity feeling more blessed then we did going into it because it is so much fun bringing cheer to the people around us.   What a joy it has been participating in intentional acts of kindness during the Holiday Season.

    In some cases we get to see who receives our B.L.E.S.S. gift and in other cases we will never know who is on the receiving end.  We pray that whoever receives or finds these gifts will experience joy during this Holiday Season.  Each night we take down the B.L.E.S.S. activity for the next day and read the verse and the activity then pray for those who have and will receive our little BLESS’ings.  Throughout the week we also try to find additional ways to brighten people’s days so sometimes we do multiply activities during the day.

    Our B.L.E.S.S. Activity Adventures:

    • Day 22 – went to the store to purchase a couple items for Christmas Dinner.  Spent some time talking with the cashier and person bagging our groceries, including asking them about their families and Christmas plans.   She thanked us for waiting to check out and for asking about her family.
    • Day 23 – went to church with the family and ran a few errands afterward.  We were able to run in and pick up a couple things we needed, but towards the end of our errands Jake got a phone call from work and had to head home to handle some work issues.  Every where we went we made a point to smile at everyone we met and ask them how they are doing.  A smile and kindness will go a long way during a busy day.
    • Day 24 – was able to spend some time with extended family today.  We ate a delicious dinner, played, and had the kids exchange gifts.  Thankful for our family and the opportunity to spend time together.  Sometimes the best gift or blessing you can give to others is the gift of time. 

    Shortbread cookies ready to go into the oven!

    • Day 25 – Enjoyed some time with my family.  I actually didn’t go out at all on Christmas Day so today I decided to make a special treat for my sweet, hardworking, kind, loving husband. I am thankful for him and all he does for our family.  He is my best friend and I always love my time with him.   I made him one of his favorite Christmas cookies – shortbread (with sprinkles on top)!  🙂

    It has been a lot of fun working on ways we can be a blessing to others.  This verse talked about “humility” which can be difficult at times because sometimes we want people to notice us.  We talked about why it is important to demonstrate humility.  One of the ways we decide to practice humility was by leaving gifts anonymously if we don’t know who was on the receiving end of the B.L.E.S.S. it is a lot easier to not be proud.  We all agree that leaving “surprise” gifts are one of our favorite activities because we completely leave-it-up-to-God to choose the person to get the blessing.

    It is fun be to be a blessing to others not because we anticipate any rewards or benefits from it, but because we were given the greatest gift of all.  God’s love, grace, and mercy.  He wants us to give cheerfully from the heart.

    I am super excited to see how great this B.L.E.S.S. activity is going already.  It has been a true joy sharing with others (many of whom we’ll never meet).  It has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing what will happen with our fun adventures this week.

    The main purpose of this activity is to teach our family the joy of giving and sharing to those around us.  I plan to do another update on our fun B.L.E.S.S. adventures next week.  Sometimes it’s the little stuff that can make the most positive impact.  I would love to hear how you are spreading the Christmas cheer this Holiday Season.

    To learn more about our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activity and what we have done far check out the links below:

    Below are the printable versions of the  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities, verses, and sheets to handout so here they are for your family to enjoy as well:

  • Game: Bean Boozled by Jelly Belly

    Bean Boozled Game

    Some friends of ours introduced us to this game called Bean Boozled by Jelly Belly a couple years ago and it has been a big hit with our family!  We’ve even picked up some boxes to take with us when we traveled to play with extended family and friends.

    There was a local store that carried the game, but the last couple of times I was in the store they didn’t have it in stock.  When I asked about it both times the person working told me that they didn’t know if they would be re-stocking it.  I checked online and Amazon carries it (this would be a great one to add to an existing order so you get free shipping).

    I cannot tell you how many laughs we have had over this game.  It is quite hilarious!  With a group of people you have each person pick out a jelly bean to try.  The is no way to tell if you have a “good” flavored jelly bean or a “bad” flavor, but as soon as you bite into it you’ll know!  The faces of the people biting into the jelly beans is priceless. We even played this game with Jake’s grandparents the last time with visited Vermont.

    Flavors

    • Licorice or Skunk Spray
    • Top Banana or Pencil Shavings
    • Buttered Popcorn or Rotten Egg
    • Berry Blue or Toothpaste
    • Chocolate Pudding or Canned Dog Food
    • Peach or Barf
    • Juicy Pear or Booger
    • Caramel Corn or Moldy Cheese
    • Coconut or Baby Wipes
    • Strawberry Jam or Centipede

    Even though they may “look” the same they taste VERY different. It is a good idea to have a napkin available for each player in case they need to spit out the jelly beans.  If you want to play a trick on your co-workers put these in a bowl on your desk, depending on which one they get they may never snag a candy from your desk again!

    For obvious reasons this game can only be played one time! Once all the jelly beans have been eaten the game is over.  Our kids love this game and can tell you many great memories of when they played it with various family members and friends.

    All the fun flavors, hilarious game!

     The box reads:

    CAUTION  These jelly beans may look alike but they could not taste more different from each other.  Think you can tell them apart?  WE DARE YOU!

  • Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas

    It’s that time of year again…..excitement is building and the countdown to the final days of Christmas draws nearer.  This year we decided to spread the Holiday Cheer out at our house this year by doing the 12 Days of Christmas again.  I did this last year and  the year before; both years it was a huge hit!

    Christmas morning can be so busy and this allows an opportunity to spread the fun over 12 days instead of packing everything into one day.  Starting December 13th the girls will be able to open one a day with the last one being opened on Christmas Eve.  The cost in the previous years was less than $20 total, including boxes and wrapping paper, however, we decided to add their “big” gift to this stack.  Most of the gifts were bought on clearance over the past year and their big gift really wasn’t that much because we got a great deal on it.  We did a joint stack for both of our girls, although you can choose to do a stack for each person.

    12 Days of Christmas

    • Day 1:  Reindeer Christmas Socks (purchase last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 2:  White Christmas Teddy Bear Shaped Soap (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance and with rewards)
    • Day 3:  “B” and “K” Candy Cane Striped Christmas Ornament for each girl (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 4:  Christmas Stocking Sticker Craft (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 5:  Two Colgate Kids Christmas Toothpastes  (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 6:  Two Christmas Games – Pin the Star on the Tree & Christmas Checkers (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 7:  Christmas Bear Pez Dispensers and Pez Candy Packs (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 8:  Disney Cars Christmas Spiral Notebooks (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 9:  Gingerbread House Kit (purchased on clearance)
    • Day 10:  Princess and Frosty Hot Chocolate Tins Sets (found on clearance at Kmart and used gift card)
    • Day 11:  New Winter PJ’s for each to wear (picked up on sale)
    • Day 12: New Digital Camera’s (purchased when it was on sale with Swagbucks gift cards)

    Their cameras are their “big” items for Christmas this year.  Jake and I decided to give them to the girls for the last day of their 12 Days of Christmas so they would have the cameras to use on Christmas Day.  The girls are taking more and more pictures these days.  The inexpensive, non-English digital cameras that we bought for them several years ago have held up remarkably well.  Whenever their cameras are not working over the past several months they were asking to borrow mine to use so we decided to do a little research, save up (including earning Swagbucks) and get them a little better quality cameras this year since they both are showing a big interest in photography and creative writing.  The cameras made my typical $20 or less 12 Days of Christmas gifts a little higher this year but since it included their big gift for the Holidays I am okay with that because they will be so excited to start using them.  This time around we got the same camera, but in different colors to help keep track whose is whose without putting names on each camera.

    Other Ideas for 12 Days of Christmas:

    • Hair Accessories
    • Facial Cleansers or Make Up – if you have a teenager just starting to wear makeup or want to update your collection my Mary Kay contact is doing a 12 Day of Christmas set!  If your husband is looking for something awesome to get you he may want to contact Ann too.
    • Socks or Tights
    • Chapstick
    • Socks
    • Gloves or Scarf
    • Card Game
    • Construction Paper
    • Markers or Crayons
    • Matchbox cars
    • Small Toys
    • Baby Doll Clothes
    • Christmas Underwear
    • The ideas are endless!

    I wrapped them in the original boxes or found ones around the house to put the items into.  The Christmas paper was purchased on clearance and I used a coupon.  Many of the items we purchased on clearance throughout the year and / or used CVS – ECBs and Walgreens – Register Rewards, Swagbucks Gift Cards or Coupons.  I cannot remember the price for all the items but with the rewards it very reasonable price for 12 gifts and some days had multiple items in them.

    We did a joint stack for our girls to save money, however, the items we picked match their individual interests (for example, the pj’s were themed to match each girls tastes).  When the girls walked into the room and saw the stack of gifts they were super excited.  Love seeing their faces and hearing their comments when they first see the stack.

  • Game: “Wits and Wagers Party” Game by North Star Games

     Do you have an upcoming celebration or game night?  Are you looking for the perfect party game?  You should check out Wits & Wagers Party by North Star Games!  You can have from 4 to 20 players and it only takes about 20 minutes to play a round.  The rules are simple.  Your guests will have a blast and will insist on playing another round.

    Wits & Wagers Party has over 200 questions that will test your knowledge of various facts.  Every answer is a number such as a year, percent, measurement, and so forth.  You get points for having the closest answer without going over as well as for guessing the best answer (which could be any player’s answer).  While this game is based on facts you don’t need to know all the answers in order to enjoy, participate, or even win the game!

    Here’s 3 more games we recommend (we’ve played them many times):

    Our review of this Wits & Wagers Family Game (easy enough for the kids to play too)