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Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
Our family at the Atlanta Zoo!
We surprised the girls with a long weekend trip to Atlanta, Georgia over Easter weekend. They were very excited to go explore the Atlanta area. We are members of our local zoo so we were able to get into the Atlanta Zoo at a discount which was really nice. The kids love animals, learning more about various ones, interacting, and so much more.
Since it was Easter weekend at the Atlanta Zoo the animals were getting special treats to enjoy for the Holiday. The new Amphibian & Reptile Exhibit also opened the weekend we were there as well. There were a lot of people at the zoo, but it was so big we had plenty of time do see and do almost everything (some things the kids enjoyed it so much we did it again).
Pink Flamingos were hanging out peacefully near the entrance to the zoo
So excited….Karlie and Brina! They have their maps out and are ready to GO!
The birds were sleeping peacefully all together on one branch.
It was a little chilly when we first got there in the shade at opening, but no one was complaining!
Birds of all colors
Brina soaking it all in. She loves animals.
Playing around in the water puddles.
Karlie smiling as she quietly watches the birds and little kids.
Meerkat’s roaming around in their pen.
There is always one Meerkat on watch (or guard) for predators
They gave the Meerkats a pillow case stuffed full of hay, little bugs, and special treats. They were a little timid about it at first, but before long they were all taking turns going into the pillow case and digging out their special treats.
Are you done yet! Hurry up and get your bug so I can get my turn inside the Easter treat sack!!!
They look cute, but serious. Look at those claws on this meerkat! Yikes!
Rhino heading out into the sun after getting some sticky mud on itself to protect it from a sunburn.
This rhino was moving the stick around and chewing on it. Must of had something tasty on it.
They drew flowers, easter eggs, and bunny rabbits with chalk on the rocks in the Zebra’s pen.
The warthogs got hard boiled and colored Easter eggs for their special treat. They both found the first one about the same time.
Someone found the purple Easter egg!
The elephants had Easter eggs that had a jello consistency that they place in baskets made of leaves. This elephant just discovered the basket of leaves and is moving it out of the way so she can eat her jello Easter egg.
Whole lot of elephants! They had a huge pen and sometimes if you couldn’t see them on one side you had to go around to see them in a different section.
Jake and his girls exploring the Atlanta Zoo
Beautiful bird
Brina found Big Bird’s Nest!!! HA!
My two little chickies in the huge nest!
Karlie thought the nest was hilarious!
Song: I Will Follow by Chris Tomlin
There is joy in knowing God. He will give you answers, wisdom, and direction in your life if only you take the time to ask Him. There has been a lot going on in our family these last few months. It has been our prayer lately that God will give us wisdom and clearly show us what He wants us to do regarding some big decisions in our lives. It is our desire to honor Him with our lives.
Where you go, I’ll go
Where you stay, I’ll stay
When you move, I’ll move
I will follow…All your ways are good
All your ways are sure
I will trust in you alone
Higher than my sight
High above my life
I will trust in you alone (trust in you alone)In you there’s life everlasting,
In you there’s freedom for my soul
In you there’s joy, unending joy
And I will followIntentional Living: Weekly Goals
We flew through last week with all the school, work, and other activities going on. The girls finished and turned in their Science Fair journals and display boards on Friday! WooHoo! It was so nice to get them done. They hand wrote over 100 pages in their journals and spent countless hours on the project. They don’t actually present the project until the middle of May, but the majority of the work is complete and turned in for the teacher to grade. This past weekend we were able to get away for a little bit to Georgia and have some fun! We went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival which was very entertaining; I will share more about that in a later post. This week the girls have a bunch of their year end State tests so hoping there is not a lot of homework so we can do some stuff around the house, yard, and have some extra fun in the evenings too. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) by Joanna Campbell to the kids – we actually got to get a good start on this book, hoping to wrap it up this week
Plan one special activity with the family– we had fun in Georgia over the weekend and went to the Georgia Renaissance FestivalPlay a Game with the Kids– we played Destination USA and a couple other ones togetherPrepare for Upcoming Spring EventsSpend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with HomeworkAttend After School ActivitiesLunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforePrep for upcoming Family AdventureFinish and turn in the kids Science Fair ProjectsPrep for upcoming Summer Break
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each day- Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – it was acting up last week, hoping to get caught up soon
- Keep up with my FitBit Goals – I blew it away on a couple of days and missed my target on a day or two, so probably if I average the week I hit close to my goal
Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week- Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily – it doesn’t get written down every day, need to do better
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – took 2 days with the altered schedule this past week
Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week- Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic) – it was cool and one of my daughters wanted to wear long sleeves last week so hoping to get it put up this week
- Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip) – almost done!
Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Clean Off the Deck)– the kids actually helped get this donePet Care (Focus – Get Another Water Bucket set Out for the Goats)
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – have a couple more to do
Keep up with the day to day items that need my attentionWork completed for clients
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car – working on it
- Payoff Medical Bills – working on it (finished another one, now if we can just not go to the Dr again for a few months, ha)
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt) – working on it
Pay Bills & File PaperworkGo grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) by Joanna Campbell to the kids
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Prepare for Upcoming Spring Events
- Spend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with Homework
- Attend After School Activities
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
- Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
- Ride Bikes with the Kids
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Keep up with my FitBit Goals
- Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
- Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
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 – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip)
- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Re-Stain the Deck – weather permitting)
- Pet Care (Focus – Give Skipper a Bath)
- Repairs – (Focus – Replace our HVAC Unit – it died a few weeks ago the joys of owning an older home)
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
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car
- Payoff Medical Bills
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt)
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
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.
I Love You Too!
“I Love U” spelled out with their Magformers Set
It is always a pleasant surprise when you walk into a room and find a nice saying or artwork waiting for you. The other day I walked into the dining room and this is what was on the kitchen table. An “I Love You” message and smiley face.
Thankful for my kids. Their creativeness and their little ways of reminding us that they truly do appreciate and love us as well. They requested that I take a picture of their artwork so they could send a message to some people and let them know that they were thinking of them on this particular day.
It’s the little things like this that make me smile. Parenting can be tough some days, but it is also very rewarding too. Grateful for these special moments when they demonstrate love, happiness, and the desire to brighten the days of others.
Insta-Snow Powder for Fun Indoor Snow Activities!
Super cool fake snow!
Our friends Mike, Ashley, and Bradley gave the girls Insta-Snow Powder for their birthdays! It is AMAZING! The girls have spent hours playing with it. Ok, I will admit it I have been playing with it too. It’s just so cool to play with inside!
It is super simple to make (just add water to a measured amount of powder). The canister we have makes 2 gallons of snow. We have only made a few batches and still have the snow we made from the last several weeks. It lasts a really long time if you put it in a ziplock bag. It is fascinating, not cold, and funky to play with.
The girls were wanting to go somewhere with snow for their birthday so our friend sent “snow” to them. They had the snow out almost immediately and within a couple of days of playing with the Insta-Snow we got real snow outside in SC. The kids are convinced our friends are good luck because every time they played with the Insta-Snow they sent them it would snow again in SC (which means no school too).
It is a fun activity for the kids. If any of the snow particles do get on the counter or floors they are easy to wipe up or if you miss them they will dry back up into the powder which is easy to sweep or vacuum up off the floor. We are gearing up to do a science project and the girls are convinced that whatever they decide to do they will need to add some of the Insta-Snow powder to give their science projects an extra WOW factor, ha!
I think the next thing we are going to try is to dye the snow different colors to see how it handles that and what it looks like when you mix various ones together. Thankful for thoughtful friends who know how to brighten the lives of the little ones (and big ones) in our home! THANK YOU Ashley from Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life for providing hours of entertainment at our house!!!
They thought it was neat being able to write messages in the snow!
The Insta-Snow Powder came in this canister and it makes 2 gallons. The snow expands rapidly to 100 times its original size. It goes from being a dry granule to fluffy white snow-like substance in a matter of seconds.
Inside the canister there is a scoop for easy measuring!
First we measured the insta-snow powder into a red cup than poured the water into it.
Mixing up the snow and water. It literally grew in her hands. Super cool!
Playing with it!
So fascinating they wouldn’t even look up for the camera
Pile of fake snow to play with inside.
Felt really neat!
Loved looking at all the little pieces and playing with it.
Building a volcano!
Look it’s snowing inside!
You could play with it for hours with your bare hands because it is not cold like actually snow plus it doesn’t melt and it’s easy to clean up!
Brina playing with the snow!
Creating a replica of the Great Wall of China which we were just talking about the other day!
If you are looking for a fun and indoor activity you can find Insta-Snow Powder and other Snow like items on Amazon.
Song: I Am Set Free by All Sons and Daughters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkLr2YvvHX4
Thankful that God forgives. Even when you mess up, He still loves and forgives you. His mercy and kindness are always available for you. He covers us with his grace even we don’t deserve it. You can be set free from sin today!
You broke my chains of sin and shame,
And You covered me with grace,
And You mend my life with Your holy fire,
You cover me with grace,And You are the hand that reaches out to save,
And I am set free, oh oh oh,
I am set free, oh oh oh,
It is for freedom that I am set free,And yes Lord,
We are grateful,
For Your grace,
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Travel & Vacation: Walt Disney World’s Trading Pins
Ready to trade!
When we went to Disney recently we decided to add a fun event to the girls days while in the parks. I was looking online for neat activities and inexpensive souvenirs when I discovered the Disney Trading Pin idea. None of us had ever done this before, but it intrigue me so I researched it more.
Get a Disney Trading Pin Starter Pack. We decided to buy a starter pack of Walt Disney World Trading Pins for the girls and see how it goes. You can find a lot of sets for sell on Amazon or EBay. If you do purchase from Amazon OR EBay, please check the seller’s feedback and verify that the trading pins you are purchasing are truly official Disney Trading Pins. The official Disney Trading Pins will all be made of metal and contain the mickey mouse head printed on the the backs. If they are not “official Disney Trading Pins” you will not be able to trade them at the parks. We purchased a set of 50 Disney Trading Pins for less than $0.50 per pin including shipping. The only catch with the pins we got was that we couldn’t “pick” which pins came in our package. We really didn’t have any preference on the pins we wanted to get starting and didn’t have any specific sets we were trying to collect any way so it made sense to get started with a decent number of pins by getting them online prior to going to Disney. You can also pick up various themed starter packs at any of the Disney stores.
Make it a game and prepare the kids before leaving home. A couple days before we left for Disney we put all the trading pins into a bowl and had the girls choose one out at a time so it was random. We explained what the pins were for, how to use them, and that they were theirs to keep, trade, and do as they please with them. They were really excited by this new fun game! After they drew all the trading pins that we had been sent they practiced their trading abilities by trading a couple among themselves.
Decide which ones you want to keep and which ones to trade. They sorted them by categories – ones they wanted to keep, ones they wanted to trade with others because they didn’t want them, and ones that they hadn’t decided whether or not they wanted to keep into their “maybe” stack. We used 4 lanyards that Jake had collected through the various conferences he has attended to attached their pins.
Make sure to get a lanyard or hat to store them on. Separate out the ones you want to keep from the ones you want to trade. They had one lanyard that they wore or kept readily available so they could trade with any cast member or other guest while at the Disney parks, on the transportation systems, hotel, standing in line, and various other places throughout our travels. The other lanyard they kept separate and that contained all the trading pins they really wanted to keep or try to collect. We kept the lanyard with the pieces they wanted to save in their back packs so they didn’t accidentally trade the wrong ones. Also, we discovered that occasionally the back would come off of a trading pin and at times the pin itself would fall off. If they lost one they were already trading it would not be as disappointing as losing one that they really wanted to keep.
Meet a lot of neat people and enjoy a variety of fun conversations. We weren’t entirely sure how well it would work, if the kids would like it, or if it would be fun for them, but we gave it a try. They LOVED it!!! It was so neat to see them talking, interacting, and trading not only with various cast members, but other guests as well. They had to be okay if someone didn’t want to trade and learn how to interact politely with both kids and adults. It was a great learning experience for both of the kids. They had a grand time and had so many interesting conversations with people we met throughout the week that we probably would have never talked with had they not been trading.
Educational souvenir and perfect for older kids. Let the kids handle as much as the interaction on their own. It was educational, fun, and for the most part inexpensive souvenir. The new trading pins in the stores sell for $6 and more per trading pin! This activity is particularly good for older children, probably 6 and up. The younger ones can do it too, but it takes more parent supervision. Most of the time I would step back and let the kids do all the conversations and interactions on their own. They got really good at it and had a blast at the same time. If your looking for a fun activities that can be done no matter where you are at in the Disney vicinity this is a wonderful activity. Once the girls knew what they wanted to collect it became like a scavenger hunt game for them.
Manners Matter. It is probably obvious, but like anything else in life it is important to be polite and use your manners when you are interacting with cast members and other guests. There are some people that absolutely do not want to trade and you have to be okay with that too! The girls ended up getting some pretty neat pins and even a couple extra ones when trading. I believe a large part of them getting a few extra pins was that they were polite and respectful when interacting with people during the trading process (plus wearing their birthday celebration buttons helped with that as well).
How to trade pins with cast members and guests. Any cast member will trade up to 2 pins with you as long as you do not give them one that they already have. Other guests do not have to trade with you, but there is no limit on the number of trades you can do with other guests. We had many opportunities to trade throughout the entire week! The kids were very excited by the pins they were able to collect during the week. They even collected a full set or two. They can back with only a handful of the 25 pins they began the week with before heading to Disney It was interesting to see how they choose to handle their sets and how their different personalities shown through in this activity.
Brina’s starter set. The top row was her want to keep and “maybe” sets.
At the end of the week Brina’s “keep” set on the left and “trade later” set on the right.
Brina made up her mind almost immediately what she wanted to collect, never changed her mind, and consistently only looked for those specific items. She managed to complete one full set and is only 1 away from completing her 2nd set. Brina especially enjoyed talking and trading with the kids (both the little ones and older ones). She would trade any of her stash of trading buttons with them just for fun even if they didn’t have something she wanted in return. It was a great social activity and she really enjoyed it!
Karlie’s Disney Trading Pins starter set. She separated hers out into to save, trade, and “maybe” trade categories.
Karlie’s two sets by the end of the week. On the left are her “keep” pins and on the right are her “still can be traded at a later day” pins. As you can see she has some of the same pins and a variety of new ones.
Karlie was fun to watch trade. She would trade with anyone and everyone. It was a great adventure for her to go up to workers, other guests, and just start up a conversation. She was always excited about a variety of pins. Although she originally only had one or two sets she was collecting by the end of the week she had several different sets she was collecting because she kept adding more ones she wanted to keep. She didn’t complete any of her sets, but she did get some very “Karlie” type pins which was cool!
If you want some more information about how to get started with the Disney Trading Pins you can go to Disney or Disney Blog or other individuals who have shared great advice with a lot of information for those who are looking at beginning to trade the Disney pins:
These should help you get off to a great start in your Disney Trading Pin adventure! Happy Trading!!!
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