Kids

  • Heart Reflections: Living Life in the Fast Line….Going from 0 to 70 in Seconds

    So often I feel like I am living life in the fast lane……zooming through life faster and faster.  I don’t necessary hit the top speed but I am holding steady at a high pace for days and there is always some where to be or something to do.  It is possible to fill up every blank space in your calendar (believe me I have seen it).  There are those days, weeks, or months when I am just waiting for life to slow down a little bit so I can catch a deep breath, but when that glorious day arrives I realize that all the stuff I couldn’t squeeze into the schedule before hand has spilled over into that time that was once reserved for a quiet day.

    Notice in the top right corner of the picture the “service engine soon” light is on.   One of the things I found myself skipping (which is kind of embarrassing to admit) is my quiet time with God.  Much like the “service engine light” on the van I need to be recharged or have a tune up as well.  My relationship with Christ has a significant impact on all my relationships, yet there are days when I choose to neglect the most important relationship of all because life simply just gets too busy.

    When life gets too busy and I get stuck running full speed in the fast lane God has a way of slowing me down and getting my attention.  Earlier this summer my husband was in a car accident.  If you just looked at the vehicle the damage looked devastating, but thankfully God spared his life and he walked away with only minor injuries.  I am truly grateful for God’s protection and goodness in this situation.  Over the past couple months as we’ve been juggling one car, looking for another vehicle, and spending some extra time together I am reminded of His amazing grace and mercy for me.  I love my husband so very much, but God loves me even more and longs to have a personal relationship with me.  Why would I hold back from the most awesome relationship in my life?

    I make time for what is important in my life – God, family, work, ministry, friends or whatever else that may be.  Every person gets 24 hours a day.  How do I spend my day, what are my priorities, am I making a positive impact on the lives around me, or am I just rushing through the “to do” list and jammed packed schedule while trying to catch my breath in between?  How are my relationships being effected by my decisions?

    Sometimes the best thing I can do is stop, take a break, and enjoy extra time focusing on the what’s truly important.  When my heart is in the right place, my relationship with God is open and honest life seems brighter because I don’t have to live life in the fast lane or have to be the one in control because He holds my life and future in his hands.  Being a Wife, Mom, Friend, and everything else can be tough some days, but when you have your priorities in line it really can be quite enjoyable.  We all need to take some time every now and then to slow down, relax, and service the check engine light of our soul.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    We were blessed with the opportunity to spend a long weekend away with the St Clair side of the family.  All my extended family was able to make it out this year and it had been awhile since all of us were together for a weekend.  It was great catching up with everyone.  Thankful for the amazing blessing of having a family that gets together to relax and enjoy each others company.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Attend Family Reunion
    2. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion – have a plan that I need to execute once we get settled back in at home from our travels
    5. Spend time with extended family
    6. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. Put mail on hold for when we are away
    2. Line up someone to come by and check on the house / pets while we are away

    Business Goals

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

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – currently looking at cars and praying the perfect one comes along
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily on hold

     

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
    4. Spend time with extended family

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. Check in with the person coming by and check on the house / pets while we are away

    Business Goals

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

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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.

  • Book: “Starlight” by Kristin Earhart

    The girls enjoy the book Starlight by Kristin Earhart. This book is about a little girl named Haley and her foal called Starlight.  Haley did her best to train Starlight but it seems like Starlight was too busy having fun to listen until one night Starlight gets lost in the woods. Our girls really enjoy these books.  They are great for the early readers especially if they like horses.

  • Kids in the Kitchen: Easy Parmesan Chicken

    The girls have started making dinner for the family once a week.  It has been fun coming up with easy and fun recipes for them to put together.  My husband actually came up with this idea after the girls suggested they make chicken nuggets for dinner one night.  This is a super easy recipe to put together and the only thing you really need to help the kids with is taking the hot pan out of the oven.  It is really neat to see them get excited about cooking dinner!

    Easy Parmesan Chicken:

    • 20 to 25 Chicken Nuggets
    • 8 slices Provolone Cheese
    • Small can or bottle Pasta Marinara Sauce

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom of a 9 x 13 pyrex dish.  Line the bottom of the pyrex with one layer of chicken nuggets.  Place the slices of cheese over the chicken nuggets.  Spread the pasta sauce over the cheese slices and bake uncovered in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

     

  • Travel & Vacation: Road Trip Snack Bins

    Brina and Karlie’s Road Trip Snack Bins loaded and ready to go!

    Our family loves traveling and going on  road trips together.  Road trips have always been one of the exciting adventures our girls look forward to every summer.  It is pretty common for us to pack up the suitcases, snacks, and hit the road with the entire family.  We have done several 40 plus hour road trips with the kids and they still look forward to them. We try to make the road trips a fun adventure for them.  No we don’t take them to fancy restaurants, hotels, or amusement parks along the way…..we do this without adding a bunch of extra costs to our family.  We pack picnic lunch / dinner so we can eat on the road.  We bring along snacks, books, games, audio books, little goodies and more.  We used to pack a basket full of snack items for the girls but it never failed that the basket was always out of reach for someone so that’s when we came up with the road trip travel bins for the girls.

    Delicious treats ready to be eaten on our upcoming eighteen hour road trip.

    The kids have LOVED having their individual containers of snacks that they can eat as we drive.  The containers are smaller and snap shut so they can be stored right beside the girls seats in the car so they can always reach them.  Each kid gets their own snacks and they can choose what to eat first, second, and so forth.  The girls enjoy having the nuts with the shells to peel off and the majority of the time those are the first items they munch on.  It is hilarious hearing them in the backseat cracking open a peanut!   We try to give them a mix of sweet and salty items, nothing in the bins need refrigeration.  Our kids don’t eat all of these items on a daily basis but when you are doing a 5, 10, 20 or 40 hour road trip it’s important to keep everyone in good spirits and this is an easy way to help.

    Items that we packed for this road trip:

    • Homemade Apple Chips
    • Snoopy Fruit Gummies
    • Chocolate Covered Cherries
    • Foot Long Fruit
    • Pack of Oreos
    • Mixed Berry Granola Bar
    • Cheese & Dipping Sticks
    • Twizzler Stick
    • Fruit Punch Powdered Drink Mix Package
    • Mint Chocolate Swirl Marshmallows
    • Pink Frosted Animal Crackers
    • Pink & White Heart Shaped Marshmallows
    • Chocolate Covered Raisins
    • Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
    • Multiple Flavored and Colored Miniature Marshmallows
    • Sweetarts
    • Box of Nerds
    • Rice Crisps with Chocolate Drizzled
    • Dried Fruit
    • Raspberry Chocolate Covered Pretzels
    • Whole Shelled Peanuts
    • Dried Cranberries
    • White & Pink Flowered Marshmallows
    • Pecans

    It is a lot of fun finding a variety of items to fill the Road Trip Snack Bins.  We fill it after the girls are in bed and stick them on their car seats to find when they get into the van and buckle in for the trip.  It is a special treat and gives us a positive start to the road trip too.

    Brina and Karlie’s snack containers ready to be put into the car!

    When we travel we typically stop only for gas and potty breaks.  We have most of the food, drinks, and snacks we need to eat in the car.  Occasionally, we’ll use a coupon to get a free drink when we fill up with gas but otherwise we try to keep the costs to a minimum which make road trips more affordable and doable.  The girls get to watch DVD’s, listen to audio books and we play games as a special treat.  The trip must be longer than 5 hours for us to get out the DVDs!  Here’s a little more information about the Road Trip Snack Bins and what to pack.

    We picked up the containers at Walmart for a couple of dollars.  The stickers were at Hobby Lobby in the scrapbook section and we used a 40% coupon.  We have used these Road Trip Snack Bins for several road trips with our girls and they have held up well.  Once the trip is over and they have finished eating the items in the bins all you have to do is wash them and store until the next family adventure.  It is a blessing to be able to travel with our family.  We have created many amazing family memories on the road together.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    The girls are excited about getting to go to Grandpa and Grandma’s VBS program.  We are all looking forward to spending some time with family this week at the family reunion.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Get to the Final Goal Mark (2000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    4. Spend time with extended family
    5. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get – still working on it

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule – didn’t get much done with all the travel last week
    3. Pack for upcoming family reunion
    4. Pay all upcoming bills
    5. Clean house prior to traveling

    Business Goals

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

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – will work on it more once the car is purchased
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – still saving for a new vehicle
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold temporarily until we purchase a new car

     

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Attend Family Reunion
    2. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
    5. Spend time with extended family
    6. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. Put mail on hold for when we are away
    2. Line up someone to come by and check on the house / pets while we are away

    Business Goals

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

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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.

  • Creative Kids: Fun Pixos Craft

    The girls are having fun building cool designs!  The globe like object holds a variety of colored balls that swirl down and pop out when selected.  The red topped bottle with a lid on the right side in the back is a water spray bottle to dampen the balls which makes them stick together.  You use red pen shape tool in front of the spray bottle to pick up the balls and place them on your tray.  The purple hose on the left side used is to blow air on the balls to dry and seal them together.

    Karlie was excited to make a United States Flag!

    Even though it’s a skunk it looks pretty cute! 🙂  Love watching the girls do a craft, not to mention that it’s great for the hand-eye-coordination!

    Sweet little snail!

  • Heart Reflections: 1 Corthinians 13 Heart Assessment

    Beautiful purple flowers with white spots from our last trip to Charleston.  Sometimes I feel like my heart is spotted much like these pretty flowers.

    There are days when I feel like I mess up more than get it right.  I say things that aren’t sweet and nice, over react to the little stuff, or have a bad attitude.  Does anyone else have these types of days?  The people who probably know me the best are those who get the “privilege” of living with me everyday (my husband and kids).  They have seen many of my mistakes, bad days, and over reactions. As Jake and I approach our 12th anniversary I am reminded while the most important relationship I have is with my heavenly Father another one that impacts our entire family is my relationship with my husband.  While I was thinking about our upcoming celebration the passage in scripture that came to mind is the one from 1 Corinthians.

    1 Corinthians 13:4-8

    4. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5. or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6. it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  8. Love never ends. As f or prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

    The verse was brought to my attention again as I was reading Lysa TerKeurst’s book Am I Messing Up My Kids when I got to the section on spouses.  While most days go smoothly (thanks to the large doses of grace Jake extends to me) I could really benefit by working on many of these characteristics.  When my relationship with Christ is open and consistent it ripples across to all other relationships I have, including my spouse and children.  Lysa gave an amazing 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Assessment that I want to share with you.  It was really good and included scripture passages to reference and / or memorize.  Many of these attributes and characteristics can be applied to other relationships as well.  As I read through the list it made me realize how far from perfect I am and how wonderfully gracious the Lord is to me. Yes, some of them I do much better than others but I could improve in many areas as well.   What better place to start implementing some of these characteristics than with your spouse….let’s give it a try!

    Whether you are having a tough time or things are going well at home I think we all can benefit from applying the principles outlined below (insights from Lysa’s book Am I Messing Up My Kids):

    • Am I patient with my spouse  (I am flexible and understanding)?  Ephesians 4:2-3
    • Am I kind to my spouse (I am kind in thought, words, and actions toward my spouse). Ephesians 4:31-32
    • Am I supportive (not envious) with my spouse? (I do not keep score when I feel I do more) James 3:16-18
    • Am I encouraging (not boastful) to my spouse?  (I do not brag about my accomplishments while downplaying my spouse’s)? Hebrews 3:13
    • Am I humble (not proud) with my spouse? (I do not think my agenda is more important than my spouse’s agenda.) 1 Peter 5:6
    • Am I gracious (not rude) to my spouse?  (I build up my spouse with my words spoken in private and public.) Ephesians 4:29
    • Am I selfless (not self-seeking) with my spouse? (I focus on my spouse’s needs and wants and balance them with my own.) Philippians 2:3-4
    • Am I self-controlled (not easily angered) with my spouse? (I do not have a short fuse or quick temper) Proverbs 15:1
    • Am I able to forgive and let go (keeping no record of wrong) with my spouse’s shortcomings? (I do not use my spouse’s past shortcomings as ammunition in today’s disagreements or allow these things to taint our communication today.) Colossians 3:12-14
    • Do I delight in being faithful to God (not delighting in evil)? (I seek to live a pure life and choose not to flirt with sin.) Ephesians 4:1
    • Do I rejoice with the truth? (I actively pursue God’s truth over Satan’s lies.) John 8:31-32
    • Do I seek to protect my spouse? (I fill in the gaps where my spouse feels weak and vulnerable.) I Thessalonians 5:11
    • Do I trust my spouse? (I give my spouse the benefit of the doubt.) – I Peter 3:8
    • Do I keep hope alive in my marriage? (I trust God with “our” future, not “my” future.) – Jeremiah 29:11
    • Do I persevere in my marriage? (I look for solutions to problems rather than look for a way out.) Matthew 5:33
    • Am I committed to the permanence of our marriage? (I believe that divorce is not an option for us.) Malachi 2:16

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was a fun one with Horse Camp for the girls among all the other fun summer activities.  This week we are gearing up for extra time with extended family and friends!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
    2. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Get to the 3/4 Goal Mark (1500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    5. Go to the library with the kids
    6. Take the girls to Horse Camp
    7. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get – getting closer, such a big decision

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – at least 5 days this week – didn’t do well this past week

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pack for upcoming family reunion – getting started
    5. 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
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
    4. Put in extra hours with clients while girls are at camp

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Prepare for the next Alms & Legs meeting

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold until we get the new vehicle
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – saving up for new vehicle
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily on hold until we get the new vehicle

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Get to the Final Goal Mark (2000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    4. Spend time with extended family
    5. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    3. Pack for upcoming family reunion
    4. Pay all upcoming bills
    5. Clean house prior to traveling

    Business Goals

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

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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.

  • Book: “Belle” by Elizabeth Mills

    Both of our girls LOVE horses!  Their grandparents gave them several horse books which have quickly become some of their favorites.  One of the ones they enjoy is Belle by Elizabeth Mills.  The book is about a girl named Emmy who moved from the country into the big city.  Emmy loves horses and misses her home in the country but soon finds a stable were she can go riding in the park.  The horse she rides is named Belle who helps her adjust to living in the city.  If your child is starting to read independently and enjoys animals (especially horses) they will probably like this book.