Deals & Giveaways

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 3)

    Sharing goodies

    We have entered our third week of our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises).  It has been a real joy doing these fun events everyday.  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.

    Here is what we have done so far and a couple pictures to share of our adventures:

    • Day 12– Paid for the person’s meal behind us in line at the drive through.  The girls were giggling as we drove away.  They had fun thinking about the responses the people behind us would have as they drove up to the window to pay for their meal.
    • Day 13 – Delivered the goodies for Jake’s team at work.  They had a lot of fun with their new “toys”!
    • Day 14 – Sent a “surprise” gift to someone who we hadn’t seen in awhile.  Love being able to bring unexpected sunshine into someone’s day.  
    • Day 15 – Put together goody bags and made treats for the girls classmates at school.  The girls picked up what they wanted to make and helped then put all the items into the goody bags with very little supervisor.  They were excited to spread the Christmas Cheer with their friends.
    • Day 16 – Gave the girls teacher, school staff, and the kids in their class some Christmas goodies.  We had a blast celebrating with their class and taking baskets of goodies to people.
    • Day 17 – Put a card and Christmas goodies into the mailbox for our mailman.  The girls thought it was awesome putting fun stuff into the mailbox.  It took them several minutes to figure out the “best” way to place the goodies so the mailman will see them.
    • Day 18 – taped some coins to the vending machines at a local store for the next person to use.

    Goodies for our mailman

    One of our favorite verses this week went along with our Day 17  activity. 

    Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others – Philippians 2:4

    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.

    Sharing another “Citrus Hand Scrub Kit” 

    I was not able to snap as many pictures as we were doing the activities this week because I felt like it was more important to participate in the activities then to get the “perfect” picture.  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:

    Teacher and school staff presents!

    I have been asked by a number of people for a printable version 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:

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was full for Christmas Celebrations, activities, and work travel.  I am thankful to have Jake back at home with us and look forward to spending some quality time with my family over the Christmas Holidays.  The girls are now out of school so I debated whether or not to do a goal list this week because I want to make sure to spend any “extra” time with them.  I am going to try to keep it short this week for that reason.

    Here is the update on last weeks goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
    2. Read a book to the girls everyday
    3. Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
    4. Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed) – had a couple late nights, really need to work on doing better with this one.
    5. Do the 25 Day of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities with the girls this week

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – did a few days
    2. Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday and Thursday – with Jake out of town I stayed up later to work on projects instead of going to bed on time
    3. Finish reading The 60-Minute Money Workout by Ellie Kay – got it started
    4. Start Reading and listen to the next section of  Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper

    Home Management Goals

    1. Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
    2. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
    3. Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday) – it was late a couple nights
    4. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    5. Wrap and send out all Christmas Cards / Presents that need shipped or mailed

    Business Goals

    1. Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
    2. Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
    3. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    4. Review my 2011 Business Goals and start planning ones for 2012 – didn’t even look at them this week with all the busy activities going on

    Ministry Goals

    1. Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
    2. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Pay off remaining debt – working on it
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – finishing up the debt so we can get rolling on this one

    Here are my goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
    2. Read a book to the girls everyday
    3. Do the 25 Day of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities with the girls this week
    4. Spend extra time with my family while the girls are on Christmas Break!

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Listen to Dave Ramsey’s Dumping Debt audiobook

    Home Management Goals

    1. Get suitcase packed for our business / family trip
    2. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    3. Wrap all the Christmas Gifts

    Business Goals

    1. Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
    2. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts

    Ministry Goals

    1. Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Pay off remaining debt

    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

  • Pampers Gifts to Grow – 5 Free Points

    You can receive another 5 free points from Pampers with a new Gifts to Grow code!

    This code is different from the previous codes I have given.

    Use Code:  TWITVJB16CD2011

    The code didn’t have an expiration date but they usually expire in a few days so be sure to add it to your account soon!

    You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!

    For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    It was a week full of traveling, work, and Christmas celebrations!  I was able to stay under budget and stock up on some goodies, including produce and other fridge & pantry products!  I am thankful that South Carolina does not have any tax on groceries, this is very beneficial when I am trying to stay within the grocery budget down for our family.  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Groceries from Ingles and Dollar Tree

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $12.77 at Ingles for 1 fresh Cantaloupe, 1 bag Grapefruit, 2 bags Brussel Sprouts, 1 bag Broccoli, 1 bag carrots, 1 bag Peanuts, 1 jar Claussen Pickles, and 1 container Honey Ham.  (Everything I bought this week at Ingles was on sale, marked down, or on clearance.  All the produce including the huge bag of grapefruits were marked down to $0.99 cents! The ham was marked down and is perfect for making lunches, the Claussen pickles are my husband’s favorite pickles but I rarely buy them because they are so expensive but since they had one marked down I snagged one for him this week!)

    Dollar Tree Groceries:

    • $1.00 at Dollar Tree for 1 loaf Nature’s Own White Wheat Bread
    Groceries from Whole Foods

    Whole Foods Groceries:

    • $2.14 at Whole Foods for 2 jars Tikka Masala Curry, 2 jars Korma Curry, and 2 jars Jalfrezi Curry.  (Used a coupon, part of a gift card, and they were on sale this week especially since I typically do not shop at Whole Foods since it is across town!  I was  SUPER excited to get six jars of curry for only $2.14.  Our family enjoys having curry every few weeks so this will come in handy, plus we have family coming to stay with us who loves curry too.  The only thing that I was really disappointed to see was that Whole Foods no longer carries the curry packs like they used to, either way I was still happy to get these for a little over $2!  The lady in front of me spent $194.00 which is more than my budget for the entire month on just a few things in her basket and the lady behind me wanted to know how I got all of this for so little.  Thankful for an opportunity to save AND share with others.)

    This week I spent $15.91 on groceries.  Even though I was under on my budgeted amount for the week I was able to stock up on some items at the same time plus it allows me a little extra to spend next week if I find a great deal.  I was thrilled to stock up on produce as well as other great fridge & pantry items this week.  Now I am hungry for a “curry” dinner!  🙂  I hope that next week is better week and we can come under budget!

    It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas Appreciation

    12 Days of Christmas Appreciation

    Last year I did the 12 days of Christmas for the girls so this year as I was putting together the 12 Days for the girls I was thinking about ways I could be a blessing for my husband as well.  I wanted to do the 12 Days of Christmas for him but the problem is he is traveling for work several days prior to Christmas.  He travels pretty lightly so for me to squeeze in an extra few gifts into his suitcase would be difficult.  I thought about doing 12 Days of  “Love Notes” but I already send him a folder when he travels with “I Love You” notes from myself and the girls.  I eventually came up with 12 gifts and  “love notes” for my husband’s 12 Days of Christmas Appreciation that would easily fit into his suitcase.

    Here is what my 12 Days of Christmas includes:

    Day 1:  You stole a “Piece” of my heart! (Reese’s Pieces)

    Day 2:  We are “mint” to be together! Love You!  (Junior Mints)

    Day 3:  Thanks for being my “lifesaver” so many times! (Life Savers)

    Day 4:  We know how to have a “jolly” good time together! (Jolly Rancher)

    Day 5:  You are the brightest “star” in my sky! (Starburst)

    Day 6:  I call you “sweet”pea because you are the “sweet”est part of my life! (Sweet Tarts)

    Day 7:  You are an amazing Daddy to our “kids”! (Sour Patch Kids)

    Day 8:  You have o”fish”ally stolen my heart! (Swedish Fish)

    Day 9:  You are my “M”agnificant & “M”arvelous life partner! (M&Ms)

    Day 10:  You are my “Baby”love and my “Baby”cake!  (Sugar Babies)

    (“BabyLove” & “BabyCake” are two of the nicknames I have for my man, just ask the kids!)

    Day 11:  You are my smokin “hot” man! (Hot Tamales)

    Day 12:  I love traveling and going to “Charleston” with you handsome!  (Charleston Chews)

    Once that was done I wrapped the boxes, put a bow on top, and set it up for him.  The neat part about using these boxes is they are all fairly uniform in size so they make putting your 12 Days of Christmas Appreciation stack together really easy.  You can put together this entire stack of gifts for under $12 if you paid full price for everything.  Walmart sells these boxes for $0.98 each everyday so if you can find some of them on sale at another store or use your Extra Care Bucks at CVS or Register Rewards at Walgreens you could easily put this together for less than $5.  If you don’t have time to put this together for Christmas consider doing it for Valentine’s Day (for your “sweetheart”), the month of your anniversary, your spouse’s birthday, or another special occasion.  The point is to express your love and appreciation for your spouse.

    The girls helped me pick out a couple of the boxes of candy.  They were excited about his gifts and told me that “Daddy is nice so he will probably share some of his candy with us.”  You know what, they are right!  Their Daddy is sweet and generous which means the girls will most likely get a taste of his 12 Days of Christmas Appreciation.  Here’s a picture of the wrapped stack:

    12 Days of Christmas Appreciation Stack

    I am grateful for a loving, caring and hard working man that loves me despite all my craziness.  This is just one way to share my love with him not only for the Christmas Holiday but remind him even when he is away from home that I love him dearly.  It was a lot of fun putting together the sayings, wrapping the gifts and giving them to my man to put into his suitcase. It is my intention to show appreciation to my husband at least once a day.  Thankful for an extra opportunity to say “I love you” to my best friend and life partner!

    I received my inspiration from The Dating Divas after seeing her “You stole a “Piece” of my heart!” and “You have o”fish”ally stolen my heart!”   After the jump start on the idea I came up with the other goodies and sweet sayings for my hubby.

  • Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas

    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 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 until Christmas.  The cost was less than $20 total, including boxes and wrapping paper.  Most of the gifts were bought on clearance over the past year.  We did a joint stack for both of our girls, however, you can choose to do a stack for each person.

    Here is what our 12 Days of Christmas includes:

    • Day 1:  Christmas Ornament for each girl (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards).
    • Day 2:  Two Music CD’s by Suzi Shelton (received CD’s from doing a review and giveaway)
    • Day 3:  DVD Veggie Tales (DVD was free, but paid a small fee for shipping)
    • Day 4: Two Giant Candy Canes, one Princess and 1 Cars (purchased with rewards)
    • Day 5:  Two Christmas Coloring Books (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 6:  Christmas Craft, painting ornaments (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 7:  Christmas Flower and Snowman (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 8:  Christmas Book God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren (purchased when it was on sale with Swagbucks gift card)
    • Day 9:  Two Christmas Headbands (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 10:  Game (found on clearance at Kmart and used gift card)
    • Day 11:  Two Hooded Bath Towels (used a coupon and picked them up on Black Friday)
    • Day 12: PJs for each to wear Christmas Eve (picked up on sale and used a coupon)

    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!

    Karlie & Brina excited about their 12 Days of Christmas

    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 may have been under $10 out of pocket for the entire set of 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 craft with one being princess and the other being cars).  When the girls walked into the room and saw the stack of gifts they were super excited.

  • Save A Lot: Deals for the week of December 14 – 20, 2011

    The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience.  You can start stocking up on some great deals for upcoming Holiday cooking.  Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!

    Meats and Seafood

    Sugardale Bone In Hank Potion Ham – $1.17 per lb

    Boneless Prime Rib – $4.99 per lb

    Pork Boston Butt – $1.39 per lb

    Pork Spare Ribs – $1.99 per lb

    Cooked Cocktail Shrimp (41 to 50 count) – $4.99

    Hickory Springs Bacon (12 oz) – $1.99

    Farmington Pork Sausage, Mild or Hot (16 oz) – $1.99

    John Morrell Cocktail Smokies (12 oz) – $1.99

    Armour Meatballs, Original, Italian or Turkey (14 oz) – $1.99

    Sugardale Center Cut Ham Steak – $2.99 per lb

    Snow Crab Clusters – $6.99 per lb

    Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).

    Fridge and Freezer

    Colburn Farms Cream Cheese (8 oz) – $1.00

    Buyers Best Hash Brown Patties (11 oz) – $1.00

    Birds Eye Sweet Kernel Corn or Mix Vegetables (16 oz) – $1.00
    Use $0.50/2 coupon from insert 11/13 Smart Source (Expires 12/30/11)
    $0.75 each after coupon

    Jeno’s Crisp & Tasty Pizza, Pepperoni or Combination (6 to 7 oz)  – $1.00

    Blue Bonnet Spread Quarters (16 oz) – $0.69

    Minute Maid Pure Squeezed Orange Juice, Orginal or Calcium Plus (59 oz) – $2.99

    Kraft Chunk Cheese, Assorted Varieties  (8 oz) – $1.99
    Use $1.35/2 coupon from pamphlet Kroger’s My Magazine “Giving Back Together” (Expires 1/29/12)
    $1.32 each after coupon

    Welch’s Fruit Juice Cocktail, Concord Grape or Passion Fruit (64 oz) – $1.99
    Use $1.00/1 coupon from insert 9/25 Smart Source (Expires 12/31/11)
    Use $0.75/1 coupon from insert 9/25 Smart Source (Expires 12/31/11)
    Use $0.75/1 printable coupon from Welch’s
    Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 9/25 Smart Source (Expires 12/31/11)
    As low as $0.99 each after coupon

    Creamy Whip Whipped Topping (8 oz) – $0.99

    Colburn Farms Sour Cream (16 oz) – $1.59

    Wylwood Tator Puffs (32 oz) – $2.29

    Snack-A-Tizers Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (8 oz) – $2.49

    Save A Lot Today Pizza Rolls (15 count) – $0.99

    Take & Bake Pizza Pepperoni or Supreme (33 to 36 oz) – $5.99

    Take & Bake Pizza Cheese (33 oz) – $5.49

    Produce

    Mixed Fruit (4 lbs) – $2.99

    California Naval Oranges (4 lbs) – $2.99

    Celery – $0.69

    Sweet Potatoes – $0.49 per lb

    Mini Carrots (1 pound) – $1.00

    Household

    Wrightware Foam Plates (40 count) – $1.39

    Wrightware Napkins (250 count) – $1.69

    Poly Steel Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil (37.5  square feet) – $1.99

    Max Force Alkaline Batteries – $1.99

    Grocery

    Sunbeam Bread (20 oz) – $1.29

    Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, or Assorted Varieties Cereal Bowls (1 to 2) – $1.00

    Herr’s Potato Chips (3.75 oz) – $1.00

    Southgate Chili (15 oz) – $1.00

    Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix – $0.45

    Save A Lot Brand Soda, Assorted Varieties (2 litter) – $0.63

    Ginger Evans All Purpose Flour (5 lbs) – $1.99

    Colburn Farms Evaporated Milk (12 oz) – $0.79

    Ginger Evans Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (12 oz) – $2.29

    Wylwood Whole Kernel Corn or Green Beans (14 to 15 oz) – $0.59

    Kurtz Hot Sauce (12 oz) – $0.99

    Mantia’s Lasagna (16 oz) – $1.79

    Senora Verde Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies (10 oz) – $0.69

    Kurtz Ketchup (24 oz) – $0.99

    J Higgs Buttery Rounds (16 oz) – $1.99

    So Cheezy Streamin Cheese (8 oz) – $2.59

    Senora Verde Bite Size Rounds Tortilla Chips (13 oz) – $1.49

    Senora Verde Salsa, Assorted Varieties (16 oz) – $1.49

    Crisp Cranberry Lemon Lime Soda (2 liter) – $0.79

    Deter’s Ginger Ale (2 liter) – $0.79

    J Higgs Snack Mix (15 oz) – $2.79

    Wylwood Great Northern Beans (16 oz) – $1.19

    Kurtz Wing Sauce (12 oz) – $1.39

    LeCour’s Finest Fudge Shortbread (13 oz) – $1.59

    Monet Entertainment Crackers (8 oz) – $1.69

    J Higgs Peanuts (16 oz) – $3.39

    McDaniel’s Classic Roast Coffee (33 oz) – $6.29

    McDaniel’s French Roast Coffee (27.8 oz) – $6.79

    McDaniel’s Donut Shop Coffee (12 oz) – $4.49

    McDaniel’s Enhanced Coffee Creamer (16 oz) – $2.29

    Allure Sweetener (100 count) – $1.39

    McDaniel’s Coffee Filters (200 count) – $1.39

    Bakery

    Bakery Fresh Pies – $2.99

    Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals!  Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.

    For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here.  If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 2)

    Box of Candy Canes the girls shared with their class at gymnastics 

    We have entered our second week of our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises).  It has been a real joy doing these fun events everyday.  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.

    Colored paper ornaments to hang on the Christmas Tree in the children’s wing at the local library

    Here is what we have done so far and a couple pictures to share of our adventures:

    Gathered and donated 105 magazines to a local public library and school library

    • Day 5– Picked out and donated gifts to Country Santa which gives Christmas presents to local children who would otherwise have none at Christmas.  The girls each picked out two gifts to give to Country Santa for another child’s Christmas then we prayed for the kids that would receive these gifts for Christmas.
    • Day 6 – Gave out Silly Bandz to kids coming in and out of several local stores.  I was surprised at the different reactions we noticed while passing out silly bandz from sheer delight to total disinterest.  The girls still had fun doing the activity and sharing with kids.
    • Day 7 – Gathered and donated magazines and a stack of books to a local library and school library.   Both the school library and local library staff were excited to get some new books and magazines.  Our family loves reading so this was a fun activity for us.  We spent about 30 minutes in the local library donating items, picking out books to read, and coloring Christmas ornaments to hang on their Christmas tree.  The lady at the children’s desk was so sweet when the girls showed her the ornaments that had colored for the tree.
    • Day 8 – Bought and gave Candy Canes to all the kids in the girls gymnastics class.  We just started taking the girls to gymnastics about a month ago (we got Groupon deal from a local gymnastics school) and it has been a lot of fun watching them learn not only new skills but seeing them start new friendships.  It has been great getting to know kids (and their parents) outside of school and church that we can be a blessing to as well.
    • Day 9 – Handed out candy canes as we were running errands around town and at local stores.  It was cute seeing the excited looks on kids faces as the girls handed them a candy cane.  The girls loved doing this activity so much I had to remind them not to “rush” to the kids with a candy cane because it could startle the younger kids or their parents if they saw another child charging towards their little one. 🙂
    • Day 10 – We had a blast making and delivering Christmas goodies to our neighbors.  It was nice to spend a few minutes and catch up with the people on our street.  Taking the extra time to reach out to our neighbors has made a tremendous impact over the last few years even on our small street.  One of our neighbors lost their only child right before Christmas a few years ago so this is a tough Holiday for them.
    • Day 11 – Picked out, wrapped, and donated gifts to the Heart of Christmas for kids in our local schools who would not have gifts otherwise this Holiday Season.  Our church coordinates with the school guidance counselor to get information on these kids who are in need (naturally the names of the kids are not given just their sizes, styles, needs, etc…).

    Delivering more goodies to kiddos at another local store!

    One of Brina’s ornaments hanging on the Christmas Tree at our local library

    One of Karlie’s ornaments hanging on the Christmas Tree at the local library.

    A stack of books we donated to the school library.

    A basket full of goodies ready to be delivered to our neighbors!

    One of our favorite verses this week went along with our Day  10 activity. 

     This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. – John 15:12

    Something as simple a sharing a little gift to say “Merry Christmas” to our neighbors has opened many opportunities to interact with them.  I think this verse really stood out to all of us this week because we don’t take the time to invest in the lives around us as often as we should.  This activity was a little longer because we made it a point to spend time socializing with each of our neighbors for a few minutes but we all walked home feeling even more blessed because of it.

    Heart of Christmas

    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.

    Helping local kids by giving fun and practical gifts.

    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:

    I have been asked by a number of people for a printable version 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:

  • Song: “Tomboy In A Princess Dress” by Suzi Shelton (Music Video)

    Suzi Shelton’s newest music video has been released “Tomboy In A Princess Dress”.  Click on the video above to hear her latest hit.    Her songs are upbeat, cheerful, and enjoyable for kids and parents to listen to at home or in the car!

    To learn more about Suzi Shelton and to enter a GIVEAWAY go to Review & Giveaway: “Tomboy in a Princess Dress” by Suzi Shelton!  The winner of the giveaway will win Suzi’s newest release “Tomboy In A Princess Dress” PLUS 2 more CD’s by Suzi Shelton!  These CD’s would be perfect for your kids or to give as a gift!

  • Book: “God Gave Us Christmas” by Lisa Tawn Bergren

    I was excited a few weeks ago when God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren went on sale and we could buy this book for the girls with our Amazon Gift Cards I earned from Swagbucks to learn more about how to get started go here.  Our family has a couple other books by Lisa that the girls really enjoy (God Gave us the World,  God Gave Us Love , and God Gave Us Heaven) .  I like that the books encourage the kids to ask questions and gives the credit back to God.  Even though the girls haven’t received this book yet I read it as soon as it arrived and was thrilled to find it was written much along the same lines of the other books we enjoy from Lisa Bergren.

    This is a great children’s book that emphasizes the true meaning of Christmas.  The author created a pretty steady stream of “Questions” and “Answers” dialogue between Little Cub and her parents.  The book addresses some of the most common questions kids will ask around the Holiday Season such as “Who ‘vented Christmas? Was it Santa?”   Although Santa Claus, Frosty, and the other traditional Christmas stories are neat, it is important that our children know the true reason why we celebrate Christmas.

    God Gave Us Christmas is a wonderful book to give as a gift to children.  If you are looking at buying a Christmas book for fun or as a gift this season you should check this one out.  You can also get it from the library to read with your kids.