Loving Life
Congratulations Brina! Regional Science Fair Champion – Cupcakes on the Rise Project
Brina bringing back her trophy!
Brina has worked really hard over the past few months on her Science Fair project, Cupcakes on the rise! She has made approximately 410 cupcakes since starting her experiments. Our fridge has been full of chocolate cupcakes and she as well as Karlie have taken a lot of cupcakes to school everyone week to share with their friends and classmates. Proud of Brina for all her hard work.
Regional Science Fair Champion – Brina!!!
For her science experiment Brina picked a cooking experiment. She wanted to find out the difference in the heights of cupcakes when you use eggs versus egg substitutes (like applesauce and egg replacer). Many people have allergies and it is important when making food for people with these allergies to know how the recipes will turn out. The eggs act as binding agents in cupcakes, but will non-egg cupcakes turn out similar and tasty. Are there any noticeable differences specifically in height (but also observations regarding taste, texture, how perishable the cupcakes are, and more information).
Congratulating my sweet girl on her win! She was still in shock, but excited and pleased!
Brina started working on her Science project months ago. She started with making cupcakes one batch at a time. Brina did everything in making the cupcakes (a couple of times Mom or Dad chipped in and helped with clean up, but otherwise she did it on her own). Next she took the information from her experiments and created her journal, graphs, took pictures, and more. Once she had all her experiments completed and the journal was complete she started working on her display board. She added all the required and key information on her board and then spent the next few days adding more cute decorations to make it fun and appealing. There were a lot of stickers used in the process! 🙂 The display board turned out well too.
Jake and Brina at the Regional Science Fair Ceremony! Way to go kiddo!
She discovered that although the applesauce and egg replacers do act sufficiently as binding agents in cupcakes they do not rise as high as the cupcakes containing eggs. The taste and textures of the non-egg cupcakes were not only acceptable, but preferred by some family and friends. The day before her school’s Science Fair presentations she made another batch of cookies to share with her and Karlie’s classmates. She won the opportunity to go to regional the following week! The day before the regional Science Fair competition she made another batch of cupcakes with the 3 different binding agents to take for the judges to enjoy. Jake took her during the school day to set up her project and we came back for the ceremony that evening. We were pleasantly surprised when they announced her as the 1st place winner for the Regional Science Fair 2016. She won a trophy, certificate, medal, and a cash prize for her Science Fair Project.
Standing with my sweet Brina by her display board, cupcake goodies, and all her awards! Good job Brina Bee!!!
Thankful for an opportunity to see Brina work for months through the Science Fair process and her hard work get rewarded. She is a great cook and always a big help in the kitchen. The project was fun, tasty, and a great learning experience for everyone in our family.
Relationships: Now & Forever
Forever
When I look in your eyes and see your bright smile and feel your comforting touch, when I hear all the love in those warm, caring words that encourage and cheer me so much. There’s a feeling I have that “forever” is ours, that, no matter the season or weather, Our hearts will be filled with the same kind of magic and love that first brought us together. – Emily Matthews
A great reminder for those of us who are married. Our spouses know us better than anyone else. They know how to make us laugh and push our buttons. There will be days when life is smooth and bright while other days may have a few storm clouds brewing in the distance.
Take the time to talk with your spouse. Share your heart. Spend time doing projects and fun activities together. Go on a date. Relax, snuggle, and share a hug. It doesn’t matter if you have been married for a few days or many years investing in your partner is important.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
It was really nice having an extra day tacked onto our weekend this past week with Memorial Day, but felt like we were playing catch up at work and in other areas the rest of the week. Thankful for the extra time with my family. We (mostly Jake really) got a lot done on the laundry room. It is looking good. We still have some more work to get it finished up, but at least it is usable and the washer and dryer are hooked back up.
The girls wrapped up their last couple of days of school. No more elementary school drop offs for our family. They are enjoying the start of their summer break. Late on Friday afternoon they joined me at work and helped get some items organized at the office. Thankful for their willingness to pitch in and help! They were excited to spend time with me at work. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Finish reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein to the kids. – over halfway through the book, the chapters are short, however, sometimes we only have time to read 1 chapter a day with everything going on.
Read 7 Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.- Do devotions, reflecting on our blessings, and prayer time with kids every night. – prayer time and blessings (yes), but did not do kids devotions every night – they were crashing on us a couple of nights at bed time.
- Plan one special activity with the family – planned a SUPER AWESOME activity, but cannot share yet – they may read it here…..I will reveal our fun activity once we’ve had a chance to tell the kids the surprise first! 🙂
Play a Game with the Kids– played a Horse board game with the girls (cannot remember the exact name of it, but you collect ranch and wild horses as you go around the game board). Neat game the girls got from my parents a year or two ago.Attend After Work ActivitiesLunch Boxes packed the night before work & other planned activitiesPrep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)– yes, we prepped for our upcoming trip and was able to get some items completed – still have a little more planning to get done over the next few days / weeks!Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break– getting everything figured out- Ride Bikes with the Kids – was not able to get this done this weekend, we had fun, got things done, but couldn’t do everything! 🙁
Work on family projects together –moving forward in the right direction on our projects (wish we had more time to get more items accomplished)Start packing suitcase for next family adventure- Daily 15 minute “Speed Clean” for entire family to keep the daily clutter under control – we did this several times, but not consistently every day. It did work well when we did do it!
Kid Goals
- Have kids do 1st week in Summer Workbook(s) – since it was a partial school week / summer vacation week they did not get this done, hopefully we’ll get it done soon.
Encourage Kids to read independently at least 30 minutes a day– they read daily on their non-school days when they were on summer break- Sign up kids for the Easley, Anderson, & Greenville County Summer Library Reading Programs – was only able to make a quick trip to the library to return books, wasn’t able to get them signed up for all the programs yet
- Sign up kids for Barnes & Noble and other similar reading programs – hoping to do it this week
Have kids work on our approved educational websites to encourage growth (at least 2 hours for the week)Have kids work for at least 1 hour on this week on improving their typing skills- Each kid finish creating at least 2 blogs posts for their Fun with Sis blog – one finished 2 blogs another did not get 2 completely done
Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grown their skillsKids start packing suitcases for next family adventureAt least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each day- Keep up with my FitBit Goals – hit a bunch of my goals, but missed a few!
- Do yoga at least 5 times a week – missed one day….so close!
Go to my Appointments Scheduled this weekUpdate Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries dailyTackle some lingering projects on my “to do” list
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week- Clean House (Focus – Laundry Room Remodeling Work Completed) – was able to get a lot of items completed, but the entire laundry room is not done quite yet. Will need to put it on hold as we tackle some other activities the next couple of weeks, it is still on our priority list though!
Organize Chaos (Focus – Refill Kids Snack Bins – hope to focus again on the laundry room in the future once further along)Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Plant Lilly Flower and Blueberry Bush – weather permitting)- Pet Care (Focus – Replant grass in Goat pen) – Jake was able to get their collars working again, but we weren’t able to replant the grass yet
- Repairs – (Focus – Refinishing our Laundry room, painting and laying new flooring) – flooring is completely laid – thanks Babe! Still need to add the molding, fix the door frame, paint the doors, add the closet door, put up 1 more wall, ceiling, and add the last sections of shelving.
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsRespond to Inquiry – Business Relation EmailsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attentionWork completed for clients- Notes typed for work – was able to get some of them completed
- Folders Labeled for work – made good progress
- Desk drawers organized – was able to move forward, still more to do
- Do at least 5 blog posts this week – close but not quite there this week
- Catch up on Hootesuite – almost caught up
- Upload pictures from last few weeks and update – was able to get a start but have more to catch up!
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchOne-on-one quality time with Jake (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)One-on-one quality time with Brina (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)One-on-one quality time with Karlie (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
Financial Goals
- Schedule a meeting with the Financial Advisor – still trying to get it on the schedule
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – made one extra payment this week
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork – paid and filed most of them
- Go grocery shopping one time this week and stay within budget – very close
- Sell, giveaway, donate, or through away items no longer use – work in progress
- Take items to the recycling distributor – was not able to get this done this week.
- Make meals with items from pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to use up what we have and eliminate any extra spending – got home late one evening and didn’t have dinner already prepped
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein to the kids.
- Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
- Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
- Do devotions, reflecting on our blessings, and prayer time with kids every night.
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Attend After Work Activities
- Lunch Boxes packed the night before work & other planned activities
- Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
- Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
- Ride Bikes with the Kids
- Work on family projects together
- Pack suitcase for next family adventure
- Daily 15 minute “Speed Clean” for entire family to keep the daily clutter under control
Kid Goals
- Have kids do 1st week in Summer Workbook(s)
- Encourage Kids to read independently at least 30 minutes a day
- Sign up kids for the Easley, Anderson, & Greenville County Summer Library Reading Programs
- Sign up kids for Barnes & Noble and other similar reading programs
- Have kids work on our approved educational websites to encourage growth (at least 2 hours for the week)
- Have kids work for at least 1 hour on this week on improving their typing skills
- Each kid finish creating at least 2 blogs posts for their Fun with Sis blog
- Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grown their skills
- Kids start packing suitcases for next family adventure
- At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Keep up with my FitBit Goals
- Do yoga at least 5 times a week
- Go to my Appointments Scheduled this week
- Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
- Tackle some lingering projects on my “to do” list
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Clean House (Focus – Normal Maintenance Cleaning)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Start getting the Laundry Room back together and organized so we can clean up the family room downstairs)
- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Plant Lilly Flower and Blueberry Bush – weather permitting)
- Pet Care (Focus – Refill Skipper’s Feeder)
- Repairs – (Focus – Check on Water Heater Recall Notice we received)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
- Notes typed for work
- Meeting regarding work goals and upcoming tasks completed
- Folders Labeled for work
- Desk drawers organized
- Do at least 5 blog posts this week
- Catch up on Hootesuite
- Upload pictures from last few weeks and update
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- One-on-one quality time with Jake (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
One-on-one quality time with Brina (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)One-on-one quality time with Karlie (talking, date night, or doing an activity together)
Financial Goals
- Schedule a meeting with the Financial Advisor
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Go grocery shopping one time this week and stay within budget
- Sell, giveaway, donate, or through away items no longer use
- Take items to the recycling distributor
- Make meals with items from pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to use up what we have and eliminate any extra spending
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.
Brina & Karlie’s 5th Grade Graduation Party & Celebration!
Brina and Karlie with Mrs. Johnson at their Graduation Celebration Party! Mrs. Johnson was Karlie’s homeroom teacher in 2nd Grade, taught Karlie in Gift & Talented Program from 3rd grade up, and was both girls STEM Club Coach for 2 years. Excellent teacher!!!
Such a sweet Daddy spent a lot of time helping get ready for this big day including helping cut starfish, decorate, blow up balloons, and so much more. Thankful to have a partner that pitches in and takes the time to celebrate with the kids!
Luau theme at the Grad Party! The kids had a blast!
Karlie with her homeroom teacher Mr. Moore and her friend David! Mr. Moore was an awesome teacher!
Brina hanging out with her friend at the party!
Sweet Sisters! Thankful for these two girls!School: Karlie’s 5th Grade Awards! Good Job KARLIE!
Karlie’s 5th Grade Awards!
Brina and Karlie had their 5th grade Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 27, 2016. There is something both unique and special about having twins because they challenge and encourage each other in many areas of their lives. Thankful for the girls love of learning. It is great seeing them grow up into amazing young ladies!
Jake and I knew the girls did really well this year, worked hard, and got decent grades, but we were still surprised at how well they did. Thankful for all their hardwork regarding school. It has obviously paid off and they have learned a lot throughout the year. They did fantastic this year. It was a tough year, but it was worth all their effort!
All there teachers were excellent and encouraged them to learn a lot while making learning fun for the students! Their Homeroom Teachers, Gifted & Talented Teacher, Reading Teacher, and STEM Club Coaches, Library Leader, Chorus Director, Safety Patrol Leader, Beta Club Leader, the Administration Leadership Team and more were all good about communicating with the parents which is always key in helping the kids be successful. Thankful for all the teachers and all energy they put into our kids this school year.
We are VERY PROUD of the hard work Karlie put forward this year and the amount she was able to accomplish throughout her 5th grade year! The girls have the biggest class in the school so it is a huge honor to get these awards. Way to go kiddo!!!
Karlie received the following 18 Award Certificates, 13 Award Medals, 3 Award Pins, 2 Trophies, & 4 Specialty Awards:
- 1 – Highest Math Achievement Awards (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Social Studies Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Reading Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Science Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Language Arts Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – “A” Honor Roll Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Jet Toy Challenge Competition Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – Brina’s Team went to Regional Competition)
- 1 – 5th Grade Elementary School Diploma (It’s official that she has graduated up to 6th grade – Middle School. Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, & 1 Stuffed Bear)
- 1 – Helping Hands & Beta Club Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – for doing Community Service Projects throughout the school year)
- 1 – Chorus Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – participated in Community Chorus Events & Activities throughout the year)
- 1 – Academic Excellence Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Library Assistant & Book Worm Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Adorable Book Worm)
- 1 – President’s Education Awards for Outstanding Academic Excellence (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – Safety Patrol Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – 1st Place Accelerated Reading Award & Trophy (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, & 1 Trophy – Karlie broke her schools record in highest AR Points!!!)
- 1 – Children’s Book Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – STEM Club Award (STEM Club Team – went to state) (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Pin, & STEM Organizer for next school year)
- 1 – Gift & Talented “GT” Gift Award (Received a Karlie’s Characteristic Gift Award from GT Teacher and Classmates
- 1 – All A’s All Years in Elementary School Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Trophy)
Karlie and Brina together received 34 Award Certificates + 25 Award Medals + 6 Award Pins + 3 Trophies + 1 Cash Prize + 7 Specialty Awards at their 5th Grade Awards Ceremony!
Love these girls! XOXO
School: Brina’s 5th Grade Awards! Way to GO BRINA!
Brina’s 5th Grade Awards!
Brina and Karlie had their 5th grade Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 27, 2016. Jake and I knew the girls did really well this year, worked hard, and got decent grades, but we were still surprised at how well they did. Thankful for all their hardwork regarding school. It has obviously paid off and they have learned a lot throughout the year. They both had awesome teachers which is always beneficial for the kids too.
We did not even save seats for the girls (we didn’t realize that they would need to sit with us after graduation), but it didn’t matter because they barely even sat down before they were called back up on stage to receive their next award. They did fantastic this year. It was a tough year, but it was worth all their effort!
All there teachers were excellent and encouraged them to learn a lot while making learning fun for the students! Their Homeroom Teachers, Gifted & Talented Teacher, Reading Teacher, and STEM Club Coaches, Library Leader, Chorus Director, Safety Patrol Leader, Beta Club Leader, the Administration Leadership Team and more were all good about communicating with the parents which is always key in helping the kids be successful. Thankful for all the teachers and all energy they put into our kids this school year.
We are VERY PROUD of the hard work Brina put forward this year and the amount she was able to accomplish throughout her 5th grade year! The girls have the biggest class in the school so it is a huge honor to get these awards. Way to go chickie-a-dee!!!
Brina received the following 16 Award Certificates, 12 Award Medals, 3 Award Pins, 1 Trophy, 1 Cash Prize, & 3 Specialty Awards:
- 1 – Highest Math Achievement Awards (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Social Studies Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Reading Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Language Arts Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – “A” Honor Roll Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Jet Toy Challenge Competition Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – Brina’s Team went to Regional Competition)
- 1 – School Science Fair Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Regional Science Fair 1st Place Grand Prize SCPC Winner (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, 1 Grand Prize Trophy, & a Cash Prize)
- 1 – 5th Grade Elementary School Diploma (It’s official that she has graduated up to 6th grade – Middle School. Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, & 1 Stuffed Bear)
- 1 – Helping Hands & Beta Club Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – for doing Community Service Projects throughout the school year)
- 1 – Chorus Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – participated in Community Chorus Events & Activities throughout the year)
- 1 – Academic Excellence Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Library Assistant & Book Worm Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Adorable Book Worm)
- 1 – President’s Education Awards for Outstanding Academic Achievement (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – Safety Patrol Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – STEM Club Award (STEM Club Team – went to state) (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Pin, & STEM Organizer for next school year)
Brina and Karlie together received 34 Award Certificates + 25 Award Medals + 6 Award Pins + 3 Trophies + 1 Cash Prize + 7 Specialty Awards at their 5th Grade Awards Ceremony!
Love these girls! XOXO
Brina & Karlie’s Awards Ceremony! Congratulations Girls!
Brina and Karlie with Ms. Osbey. They loved spending time in the library as Library Assistants helping her!
Proud of these two girls!
Karlie receiving her Accelerated Reading Trophy! 🙂 She broke the school record in AR points! Loves her books! Way to go KARLIE!!!
Fifth Grade Awards Ceremony!
Hanging out with friends between Graduation and the Awards Ceremony
Safety Patrol!
Brina’s fantastic Homeroom Teacher this year Mrs. Husso! She was an amazing teacher and Brina learned a ton in her class!
Brina’s reading teacher for the past several years Mrs. Whitmire! She is AWESOME and has helped Brina so much with improving her reading skills! Wish we could take us with Brina to Middle School!!!
Karlie & Brina – 5th Grade 2016 Class Graduation & Awards Ceremony! Proud of these girls!
Both Karlie & Brina were the Highest Student in Social Studies for their home class!
Karlie & Brina were the highest student in READING for their home class! WooHoo Brina, she has learned so much over the past few years even with handling dyslexia. Proud of both of our girls!
Karlie highest student in Science for her home class!
Jet Toy Competition! Both Karlie and Brina’s individual teams went on to compete in the Regional Jet Toy Competition this year!
Brina won her class Science Fair and went on to win 1st Place Grand Prize in our Regional Science Fair competition! Very proud of Brina and all her hardwork! We calculated that she made over 400 cupcakes throughout her Science experiment! Way to go BRINA!!!
Award for Academic Excellence!
Relationships: Through the Eyes of Children
If you look at the world with the eyes of a child,
There is joy in the simplest thing,
From the green of a leaf on the earliest tree
To the curve of a bird on the wing.
If you look at the world with the eyes of a child,
There are miracles filling each day,
From the grass which mysteriously sways in the wind
To the gold in the sun’s friendly ray.
If you look at the world with the eyes of a child,
There is wonder beyond any measure,
From the stars and the moon in the evening sky
To the sparkle of a dewdrop treasure.
– Maryjane Tonn
I love how children take such joy and delight in the everyday things of life. From a babies giggle to sprinkles on top of the ice cream cone to a handful of cheerful yellow dandelions picked to be displayed in glory on the counter. The little moments of happiness and sheer gladness over the simple yet everyday tasks or items in life. Learning how to use or do something for the first time brings a great happiness to a child.
As an adult there is so much my children and other children can remind me. There is so many blessings all around us. Too often I take those good things that God gives me for granted. I know I don’t take enough time to focus on the blessings and goodness that I see around me.
Being around kids especially small ones for extended periods of time is exhausting yet rewarding. Their energy and excitement is contagious. I am thankful for my kids and the little ones that I have had the opportunity to spend time with because they remind me of the true treasures in life that I have been given. Thank you little ones!
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a week packed full of a lot of emotions. With the girls wrapping up at a school they have been attending the past 7 years it has been quite a stepping stone for us. We are grateful to all the teachers and administration at Crosswell Elementary for the amount of time, energy, and attention they have invested in our girls education. They have made a positive and lasting impression on our kids. Wish we could take some of the amazing teachers with us to Middle school. We are excited to see what Middle School will bring and know that the kids will probably adjust quicker and better than at least their Mom because with them moving up a school their growing up seems more real. Love my girls and very proud of what they have accomplished over the past year! There was so much to be thankful for last week.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week. Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful to have the laundry room renovation started and that we were still able to get the laundry done so none of us have to run around wearing dirty clothes!
Tuesday – Thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with the girls after school that didn’t include doing a bunch of homework. We even had a few extra minutes to do a rapid quick clean up around the house and read some more of our books together. LOVE catching both of the girls reading independently on their own during free time (for those who know our family you know that for one of our kids this is a really big deal)!
Wednesday – Thankful for time after work to spend with other Mom’s at school prepping for the kids 5th grade Graduation Celebration Party. We were able to get a lot accomplished and organized during our time together.
Thursday – Thankful for Brina’s hard work on her “Cupcakes on the Rise” Science Fair Project because we were able to see her accept a 1st Place Trophy, Medals, Certificate, and Cash Prize (we had no idea there was a cash prize as well) for the Regional Science Fair! Very proud of our Brina Bee!
Friday – Thankful for an opportunity to watch the girls Graduation and Awards Ceremony! They did fantastic and both kids received numerous awards, medals, pins, certificates, trophies and other cool awards for all that they had accomplished throughout this year. Also, Karlie received a trophy for getting all A’s her entire Elementary School years. Super proud of these kids and the effort they put into their learning. Praying they continue to have the love of learning as they get older!
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
It is official, we now how two sixth graders in our house. The girls did amazing this year. It was a lot of hard work and even a few tears to get it all done, but it was evident in the during graduation and awards ceremony that they did fantastic! Proud of my girls! They only have two more days left this school year even though graduation was held last Friday. As summer is quickly upon us our schedule is adjusting again. I hope to continue to keep up to date with the posts (and even catch up a little bit too). We have a lot of fun activities planned for the upcoming month. I am keeping the menu simple as we transition into the summer schedule. Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree): Memorial Day Holiday Celebration
- Tuesday (Seafood or Soup Entree): Baked Tilipia, Garlic Bread
- Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Cracked Mustard Grilled Chicken, Grilled Vegetables
- Thursday (Pork Entree or Kid‘s Night to Cook): Crockpot Pork Roast, Mash Potatoes
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or pasta entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
- Monday (Beef or Pasta Entree): Memorial Day Holiday Celebration
