Kids
Travel & Vacation: Quick Trip to Nebraska & Kansas
Brina having a blast swimming at the pool in Nebraska
Earlier this year our family made a quick trip out to Nebraska and Kansas for a conference. During the trip we got to spend some time hanging out with family too. While Jake and I attended the conference the girls got to hang out with Grandma Penny. They had a blast swimming, going to the Children’s Museum and more.
Watch this! Karlie preparing for her next dive! Love the blue goggles and floats, she cracks me up!
Crashed after a fun day with Grandma…..can you guess whose wearing the “heart” pjs and who is wearing the “rockets”, ha?! I think it is hilarious that they have a queen bed with covers yet they are laying on top of the sheet and barely even using a pillow. You can tell from this picture which one wiggles around the most in her action packed dreams.
Slumber party in the living room at Grandpa and Grandma’s with the cousins
One of the best parts about going to Kansas is seeing family. The girls always love hanging out and playing with their cousins Nathan and Brandon. The kids have a blast together!
Grandma set up a craft for the kids. They were super excited and it kept them entertained for quite some time. It was fun listening to them chitchat while creating their cool designs.
Kids being kids….doing jumping jacks, playing Simon Says, and having fun
Early morning Kansas Sunrise (taken through the car window on our way back to the airport). Kansas has some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets.
The girls were concerned that the girls bathroom also served as the “Tornado Shelter” for the Grand Island airport. It was a really nice and small airport, thankfully no tornadoes came while we were there.
Hanging out at the kids section burning off extra energy before our next flight out of the Dallas Airport. This picture was taken only a few moments before Karlie spit out her lose tooth. She has a thing with traveling and losing her teeth for some reason because most of the ones that have fallen out have been away from home (in the Dallas airport, at a hotel in Charleston, eating a tomato at VBS, etc…). I am thankful for the fun times and great memories with family! I am already gearing up for next fun adventure to the Midwest which will be here before we know it.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Leaving On A Jet Plane….
Karlie and Brina watching the airplanes coming and going from the Greenville Spartanburg Airport
Do you remember the John Denver song “I’m leavin’ on a jet plane, Don’t know when I’ll be back again….”? I don’t necessarily love the entire song but every time I fly that phrase pops into my head. Our family, especially the kids, love traveling and flying! The last time our entire family flew was back in January out to Kansas (the pictures are from that trip). It was the first flight the kids were big enough to sit in their own row together without one of us beside them. We sat in the row right behind them so we could monitor them and they did very well. I love seeing their excitement over traveling and flying, it’s contagious!
We are currently gearing up for another fun flight to see family soon. The girls have already started packing their backpacks, talking about all the places we will go and who we are going to see. Here are a few pictures from our last adventure on the plane:
Karlie reading the informational sheet for the airplane!
Karlie is all about flying and learning more about airplane. Every time we fly she reads about the airplane, the safety manual, and anything else she can get her hands on. The whole experience is a grand adventure for her!
Brina all snuggled up and asleep in her seat on the airplane
Brina loves to fly but when it is a couple hours past her bedtime after a super busy day once the flight is in the air she tends to crash. Glad to see her sleeping. If only I could curl up and sleep that comfortably on the airplane seat.
Karlie loves flying!
Karlie turning around to see what Dad and Mom are up to and sneaking a peek out our window too! She loves gazing out at all the city lights and watching as the plane lands.
I am truly grateful that both my girls love to travel and fly. They have always been excited about going on various adventures. It is a blessing to be able to travel to see family and friends. The items they pack in their back packs keep them busy for hours while on the plane or at the airports. I am thankful for the amazing memories we have created throughout our years of traveling together and look forward to many more.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away.
Teaching Our Children: Book Bingo
I got the idea for “Book Bingo” from 2 Love Learning! The girls have been enjoying reading the books and getting BINGO’s! For every Bingo they get they receive a prize. When they fill the entire Bingo card they get a bonus dollar reward.
I started doing this for the girls almost a year ago and it has been a big hit for the kids.
If you are looking for a great way to encourage a kid to read this mixes reading, games, and incentives all in one place. The girls love seeing the cards fill up. We draw smiles on the square after a book has been read. You can find a blank bingo card here.
Family Activities: Bouncing Around
Karlie having a blast! Love her expression in this picture.
One of the activities the girls find as a special treat is spending time in a bouncy castle or slides. Sometimes for birthday parties or a get together with family or friends they get to bounce and slide to their hearts content. This activity is great exercise for kids whether it is the heat of summer or a snowy winter day. When they were babies they were terrified of the bouncy castle, now the higher the bounce the better!
Brina sliding so quickly down the slide I can’t keep up with her!
Karlie bouncing out all her extra energy
Brina pausing for a split second at the end of the slide for me
Recipe: Easy Mini Pizzas
Easy mini pizzas
When you need a quick lunch or dinner for the family this is an easy one. I used English Muffins for the crust, pizza sauce, shredded cheese, and toppings (we used bacon crumbs, pepperoni, and black olives for this lunch). Baked them in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melted and viola….mini pizzas. These are easy enough for the kids to make themselves now too! It isn’t a meal we make a lot in our house but in a quick pinch it is easy and one everyone enjoys.
Happy July 4th!
Fireworks display taken from our family trip to Disney!
Wishing you a very Happy July 4th!
Hope your day is full of fun with family and friends!
In celebration of Independence Day the girls drew a United States Flag on the sidewalk!
Giveaway: “More Than Enough” by Dave Ramsey
I am thrilled to announce a new giveaway on Blessings Multiplied! The winner of this giveaway will receive the More Than Enough book by Dave Ramsey! I have read and listened to several of Dave Ramsey’s books including this one in the giveaway. This book discusses topics such as discipline, goal setting, accountability, patience, and generosity (both with your time and resources). To read more about what this book is about check out my earlier post on it. Here’s how to enter the giveaway:
- Sign up to follow my blog (if you haven’t done so already) and leave a comment below telling us how you follow Blessings Multiplied. Sign up to receive Blessings Multiplied via email or like on Facebook.
- You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing your best tip money saving tip.
All comments must be made by July 31st at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was busy with Vacation Bible School for the girls, work, looking for a new vehicle and a bunch of fun summer activities. The girls have been doing a great job reading everyday and completed a chunk of their goal. It has been fun being able to enjoy some extra time with them and participate it the fun summer activities. I was able to tackle quite a bit of my list for last week!
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day– I read over 20 library books, a chapter book, and about 20 books from our bookshelves to the girls this past week, they soaking in our reading time together.Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every dayParticipate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the KidsTake the girls to Vacation Bible School – VBS– they had a blast!Get to the 1/4 Goal Mark (500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)– they blew past 500 hours and getting close to our 1/2 markGo to the library with the kidsGo on a Date Night with Jake
Personal Goals
- Exercise – at least 5 days this week
Finish reading More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the weekStart My Summer Organizational SchedulePay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group – been a little more relaxed with this since we haven’t been meeting regularly throughout the summer months
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – went over on this one
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – on hold until we get the money set aside for the vehicle
- Save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – moving forward with it
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold until we get the new vehicle
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
- Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
- Get to the 1/2 Goal Mark (1000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
- Go to the library with the kids
- Celebrate July 4th with the Family
- Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get
Personal Goals
- Exercise – at least 5 days this week
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
- 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: “More Than Enough” by Dave Ramsey
On a recent trip I read the book More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey. I have read a couple other of Dave’s books and have enjoyed them. This book is geared more towards self improvement and motivation. Dave emphasizes the importance of being content and living an ethical life. While this book does discuss money it’s primary focus is how finances relates to your spouse, children, work and every other area of your life. The book makes us pause and reflect on our character, values, discipline, and how we interact with those around us. Some of the areas discussed:
- Discipline
- Goal Setting
- Values
- Accountability
- Patience
- Generosity (both time & resources)
Even though this book was a little different from Total Money Makeover I believe it contains some key components to having a successful life. Having all the money in the world isn’t much if we are not content or don’t have someone to share it with. As with anything we can find ourselves being too extreme when it comes to finances (too frugal or too loose with money). I like how he ties it all together and builds on the importance of family, goal setting, values, generosity, and finding contentment beyond our finances.
Also, included at the end of each chapter in this book are Thoughts from Sharon which is a paragraph or two from Dave’s wife and her insights regarding the topic that was discussed. In the appendix of the book there are several financial worksheets that you can use to help you get started with your finances.
Family Outings: Ice Skating
Karlie and Brina ice skating for the first time with Daddy!
There is a local ice skating rink in our town that is open all year. The first time the girls went ice skating was for a friends birthday party and they had a blast! Even though ice skating traditionally is a “winter” sport it is a wonderful way to spend a couple hours cooling off during the heat of the summer too! If you look around you can often find tickets to your local ice skating rink as well. Who knows you may even run into a friend or two (we have) which makes it even more fun!
Here are some pictures from another fun ice skating adventure!
Brina skating backwards?! No just turning around to look at Mommy
Karlie getting around on her own….with a little help from the wall!
Daddy pushing his girls around the ice skating rink
Daddy and Brina skating
Mommy pushing Karlie around the ice rink!
