Kids
Some Things……Just Make You Smile!
My smiley face greeting
One busy morning as I was getting items ready for work and making breakfast I noticed that the girls were a little more pre-occupied than normal. I heard whispers and giggles but from what I could see they weren’t being bad just mischievous. Soon I finished up what I was working on, moved onto the next task and they started eating breakfast. As we hurried off to do the activities for the day I noticed the item they were working on together out of the corner of my eye.
A smiley face….. They had taken their dry erase board and made a smiley face out of their nerf darts as a special surprise! As soon as they saw me pause at the edge of the room and glance at their artwork they burst into more giggles. “What do you think Mom!? Do you like it?” I love that the girls took the time to put together a silly “nerf smiley” face just to cheer me up. Even though life has a way of staying busy (to the point of crazy at times) it is moments like these that make me smile and count the amazing blessings I have been given. Take a few extra minutes to treasure your little ones today – give them an extra tight bear hug, talk with them, or read a book to them….these days are precious!
Giveaway: “Wits & Wagers Family” Game by North Star Games
I am thrilled to announce a new giveaway on Blessings Multiplied! The winner of this giveaway will receive a copy of Wits & Wagers Family by North Star Games! As a Mom, wife and friend I am always looking for ways to entertain my family and guests. After playing Wits & Wagers Family several times with my family (see my review) I know many of you will enjoy this game too! This game has quickly become a favorite with our family. 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 what types of game you enjoy playing.
All comments must be made by March 31st at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.
You can learn more information about this great book and my review on Wits & Wagers Family by North Star Games.
*A special thanks to North Star Games, specifically Dominic Crapuchettes and Luke Warren, for the providing this game for the giveaway!
CONGRATULATIONS to Our “Dining On A Dime Cookbook” Winner!
The name has been drawn for the giveaway!
CONGRATULATIONS to
Kristina Nunez
for winning a copy of
Dining On A Dime Cookbook by Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper!
Thanks for making a comment in honor of our Giveaway!
An email has been sent to you with more information*
Enjoy Reading Your New Cookbook & Saving Money!
Don’t forget to enter our next Giveaway (the next giveaway will be announced later this morning)!
*Giveaway must be claimed within 5 business days of the prize being announced. Failure to claim the prize within the allotted time frame means you forfeit the prize.
Introducing……the Newest Members of Our Family – “Shipwreck” & “Overboard”
Our newest family members “Shipwreck” and “Overboard”
When we first moved into our house (almost 10 years ago) we set up a fish tank and put in two red ear slider turtles. One was called “Slider” and the other was named “Rigel”. They lived for about 8 years each. It has been almost 2 years since we have had little friends in that fish tank. My neighbor had mentioned several times that I need to go by the Wednesday Pickens County Jockey Lot sometime. I had a Wednesday off one cold and rainy day so I decided that it would be the day to check it out. That’s when I found these two little guys, the only thing I bought that day.
Karlie & Brina get to pick out 1 box to open…..they have to use their “reading” skills to chose the best option!
When the girls came home from school we had two boxes on the kitchen floor one had the word “turtle” written on the top and the other one had the word “nothing”. After their homework they had the opportunity to pick which box they wanted to open for their surprise. They were able to sound out the words and decided to pick the one marked “turtle”.
The girls decided to pick the box marked “turtle”, good choice kiddos!
Peeking into the box to see what is in the box……followed by squeals of delight!
“Shipwreck” and “Overboard” in their little tank
When I brought the turtles home they were the size of a quarter.
Trying to escape already
The girls were excited to see the new family members. It took us a couple weeks before we came up with their names but everyone agreed on “Shipwreck” and “Overboard”. It has been quite entertaining to have these two little guys around. They have a lot of personality and are constantly re-arranging their tank.
Fresh & Healthy: Lunch Box Meals
Lunch box goodies
About once a week I pack a special treat for the girls. This week in their little container I put two Hershey Bliss Milk Chocolate Meltaways and one of each color of M&M’s. The girls love getting these goodies and enjoy sharing with their friends as well. Here’s what they had today:
- Peanut Butter & Homemade Strawberry Jam
- Fresh Red & Green Peppers
- Fresh Strawberries
- Pita Chips or Quaker Granola Bar
- Yogurt
- Banana Muffin
- Juice Bag or Container
- 2 Hershey Bliss Chocolate Meltaways
- 5 M&M’s
Special treats in their lunch today
Fresh fruit & veggies
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
It was a fun week pack full of extra activities but I was able to make some headway on some of the goals I set for myself. I am hoping to make a lot of positive progress forward this week!
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday- Read a book to the girls everyday – I didn’t read a book to the girls the night Jake & I went out for our Date
Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this weekGo on our Date Night with JakeSpend time together as a family
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – in the whirlwind of events this didn’t get done
- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday – too many late nights
- Finish reading When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley – barely had time to pick this one up
Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).Travel “To Do” List
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house- Spend 30 hour a day de-cluttering the house – I picked up and maintained but didn’t de-clutter every day
Business Goals
Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog postsSpend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk- Finish 2011 Business Taxes – waiting on the accountant
Ministry Goals
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsMeet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – working on it
- Complete our personal 2011 taxes – waiting on business taxes to be complete
- Put money aside for upcoming trips – some set aside
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – part of the way through the first year
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this week
- Connect with each family member at least once a day
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday
- Finish reading When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley
- Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Spend 1 hour a day de-cluttering and organizing the house
Business Goals
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Finish 2011 Business Taxes
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Email Alms & Legs Ministry Team & Complete Meeting Agenda
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
- Complete our personal 2011 taxes
- Put money aside for upcoming trips
- 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
May this home be firmly built upon….
Game: “Wits & Wagers Family” by North Star Games
Are you looking for a great family game? Awhile ago our family received the game Wits & Wages as a birthday gift, since then we had played the game MANY times. So much that several our family and friends have purchased the game as well for their families. We were over….the…top….excited to receive Wits & Wagers Family by North Star Games to play!
Our family has enjoyed playing the Wits & Wagers Family game together. It is a wonderful family friendly trivia game that is fun for the entire family. The four of us played several rounds over the last month with each game being about 30 minutes long. The recommended ages for the game is 8 and up but our girls (who are 7) had a blast playing it too.
We have the original Wits & Wagers game and felt like the Wits & Wagers Family was geared more to a younger audience. The questions were easy enough for the kids to answer, but were not so easy that the adults knew all the answers. The topics were about items that appealed to kids as well. For example, a couple of the questions were along the lines of “How many colors of Fruit Loop cereal are there?” or “In feet how wide is the pitchers mound?”
The game is lighthearted and full of fun facts. You don’t need to know all the right answers in order to score some points. In Wits & Wagers Family you can only gain positive points with your “Meoples” and for having the closest answer without going over which makes it easier for the younger kids who are playing the game. I love that the game encourages you to learn some interesting facts which makes it educational for the whole family. The game is fairly quick, enjoyable, and almost anyone can play it.
The only thing that I was surprised about with this game is the amount of questions. The original Wits & Wagers has 7 questions and answers per card (which we went through fairly quickly because we played the game often) with Wits & Wagers Family there are only 2 questions and answers per card so you go through the deck much faster. I think offering an expansion pack with more questions would provide additional value to this game.
This game has provided a lot of great entertainment for our family. It has been wonderful being able to sit down after dinner and play a round of Wits & Wagers Family together. The time spent playing this game with our family has allowed us to create memories while while helping us unwind, laugh, and relax after our busy days.
If you are looking for a game that the whole family will enjoy you should check out Wits & Wagers Family or better yet come on over and play a round with us. The rounds go pretty fast and you may be surprised at how much you’ll learn. Who knows…..you may even find yourself having a little fun along the way! 🙂
You can purchase this game at major retailers like Books-A-Million, Target, or local game stores found on North Star Games retailer locator. To learn more about the game and those who created it you can visit North Star Games website. You can get the most update to date information on North Star Games by following them Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: A special thanks to North Star Games, specifically Dominic Crapuchettes and Luke Warren, for the providing this game for review purposes. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Organized Chaos: Wrapping Paper Organizer
Wrapping Paper Organizer
There are oh so many reasons why I love my husband….here is just one of them. About 10 years ago when we moved into this house I had all my wrapping paper organized in a box. Yes, it was all in one spot but since it was all crammed together it would often get torn or the roll I wanted would be pushed behind several other wrapping papers so I couldn’t find it or I would find the paper but had no tape.
One day I came home and my husband had put together this awesome wall mounted wrapping paper organizer for me. I may have even squealed with delight upon seeing it I was so excited! I LOVE that each wrapping paper has its own individual holder so I can easily grab the one I need. As you can see I try to stock universal wrapping paper that can be used for multiple occasions. Also a pair of scissors and tape remain hung up on the wrapping paper organizer so when I need to wrap a gift or better yet when my husband is wrapping a surprise gift for me everything is ready and accessible. The wrapping paper organizer is hung in a storage closet over our deep freezer. Everything I need is in one place – the wrapping paper, scissors, tape, flat surface (the deep freezer) with the bows and pens stored nearby.
Organized Gift Wrap with Scissors and Tape
Each wrapping paper roll is hung individually and can be taken down as needed. Every once and awhile I will have more than 11 rolls of wrapping paper if I hit a good sale (or stock up for the year after Christmas or other Holidays). If I have more than 11 I keep the new ones in their original packages, store them either in a container under the bed with my bags and tissue paper or another place out of the way until I am ready to put another roll onto my wrapping paper organizer. This system keeps me from having a lot of open wrapping paper sitting around with 1 chunk cut out of it, helps prevent tearing or wrinkling, it’s easier to find the one I want, and overall increases my efficiency when it comes to wrapping gifts for family and friends.
Scissors and Tape hanging on the gift wrap organizer
I hang a pair of scissors and a roll of tape on the wrapping organizer to make them easily accessible. When the tape gets used up I put it on my shopping list and hang the new one up so it is there for the next time. Whether I have an upcoming birthday party, baby shower, wedding, graduation, Holiday or another special event I know exactly where to go to wrap my gifts. Having the wrapping paper organized helps make the process of gift giving not only more efficient but more enjoyable!
Ghirardelli Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares
Delicious Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares from Ghirardelli
An extra special package came in the mail recently from Ghirardelli and SheSpeaks! The box contained a bag of Ghirardelli Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares. I made sure to wait until my husband was home to open them because just looking at them made my mouth start watering. If they were anything like the other chocolates I have had from Ghirardelli I knew we were in for a special treat! Oh my…..they were DELICIOUS….melt in your mouth goodness!
The perfect mix of flavor and texture…any chocolate lovers dream!
Ghirardelli has taken their chocolate to a whole new level with these Milk & Truffle Squares! The Milk & Truffle Squares have a rich slow melting outer layer of milk chocolate with a luscious truffle filling on the inside. The flavor and texture is heavenly!
Individually wrapped Ghirardelli Chocolate Milk & Truffle Squares that melt in your mouth
After receiving these and enjoying them so much my husband and I decided to stretch them out for as long as possible. Each night after the kids were in bed (shhhh….don’t tell the girls…..hehehehe) we would sit down for our quiet time together and each have a Ghirardelli Chocolate Milk & Truffle Square. One square was the perfect amount for an extra special treat in the evenings after a busy day!
Ghirardelli bag full of Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares
If you enjoy any of the Ghirardelli Chocolates or gourmet chocolate these Milk & Truffle Squares are perfect. They would be a wonderful for a Birthday gift, Valentine’s Day, Anniversary, Mother’s Day, your next Date Night or a special surprise for anyone that likes chocolate or truffles in your family. You can find the Ghirardelli Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares at most major stores (Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and more).
Goodies from Ghirardelli and SheSpeaks – Bag of Ghirardelli Milk & Truffle Squares and Coupons
Thank you Ghirardelli and SheSpeaks for giving us the opportunity to try these wonderful Milk & Truffle Squares! We LOVED them! I already have the coupons in my purse for the next time I go to the store so we can pick up some more. They are amazing! Thank You! Maybe the next bag of Milk & Truffle Chocolate Squares we’ll share with the kids too! 🙂
As a member of the SheSpeaks, I was given samples of this product to write an informed review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own. I was not paid to write this post. A special thanks to SheSpeaks and Ghirardelli for providing the samples to review and the coupons to use on more products!
