Fall Activities
Organized Chaos: Organizing Our Games
Our Family Game Closet
Our family LOVES games! Every year for Christmas we get a new family game to play. It has been fun having a Family Game Night or a Game Party with friends at our house. One of the problems with our games is we used to store them in two separate places so when guests were over we either had to show them two games storage places or try to list off all the games for them to choose from. A couple months ago as I was cleaning out the front closet I realized several things……
- The front coat closet is only used about 3 months a year (we live in South Carolina so we have a shorter winter season)
- We keep the coats we use the most in other places in the house (this closet was only storing extra coats / jackets, table linens, and our vacuum.)
- Usually when our guests arrive the coats / jackets get laid over a chair near the closet instead of actually hanging them up in the coat closet.
- We get into our two game closets a lot more then we get into the coat closet (with exception to take the vacuum out).
- If we were to put our games in this closet all our games can be put into one location.
- We could still store the vacuum (which was the only item currently in the closet that we used regularly) in the closet with our games.
After pondering the layout for our “new” game closet I decided to see what my husband thought of the idea. He thought it was a great idea too. We already had some of the materials we would need leftover from re-doing the bedroom closets so we agreed to do it.
Here is what I did:
- Removed everything from our front closet (donated the coats / jackets that the girls had outgrown and put the table linens in the linen cabinet with the sheets and towels).
- Used the leftover shelving items from re-doing the bedroom closets.
- Purchase a few additional shelving pieces with a gift card that we have from Home Depot.
- Put away all the games from the other two locations into the closet.
I was very excited to get the shelves up and get all the games into the one closet. The new system is both practical and perfect for our family. It is much easier picking out a game to play when we have a family game night or when our guests are over. Plus, there is no more trying to figure out where we put a game since they are all in one place. I am pleased with our new game closet, just wish I it hadn’t taken me so long to figure out where to put our games! Where do you store all your games?
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
I was back to my regular schedule for the most part this week. It was a busy week with a lot of catching up to do from the Thanksgiving Holidays. I wasn’t able to get everything crossed off the list but made some headway.
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everydayRead a book to the girls everyday- Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed)
- Get the girls passport pictures taken
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – started the week well but flopped when it got really cold outside
- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday and Thursday – did it about every other night
Finish reading The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine who has a blog called Money Saving Mom (VERY excited about the opportunity to preview this book by a blogger I have been following for years and thankful to be featured on her blog weekly with the Save A Lot Deals!)Listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)
Home Management Goals
Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house- Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday) – it was late a couple nights
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day- File the receipts and coupons for the last couple of months. – started, but not finished
Business Goals
Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my deskPay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Review my 2011 Business Goals and start planning ones for 2012 – pulled it out but didn’t get in depth time to work on it this week
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- Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others. – didn’t meet my goal this week
Deliver a meal to a new Mom.was able to take meals to 2 new Moms! What a blessing to share and meet the new little ones! 🙂
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Pay off remaining debt – made progress this week
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – on hold until debt is paid off
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 the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed)
- Do the 25 Day of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities with the girls this week
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday and Tuesday
- Finish reading The 60-Minute Money Workout by Ellie Kay
- Listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)
Home Management Goals
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Start wrapping and send out Christmas Cards / Presents
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Review my 2011 Business Goals and start planning ones for 2012
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
- Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others.
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Pay off remaining debt
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
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
Working in the Yard & Building Bonfires
We were planning on working in the yard and doing a bonfire. As soon as we got into the yard it started to rain. So we decided to take a little break and eat popsicles.
Skipper hanging out with us too Skipper decided to stay and hang out with us. Maybe she could get a nibble of a popsicle, ha!
Toasty fire to warm us up We ended up doing a fire once the rain, thunder and lightening subsided. It did sprinkle on and off but we still were able to pick a lot of sticks and limbs off the yard to make our bonfire.
Boiling water for hot chocolate We cooked the water for our hot chocolates on the stove since the bonfire was so hot.
Karlie drinking her hot chocolate and watching the jiffy pop start popping Karlie enjoying her hot chocolate and fascinated by the jiffy pop.
Brina munching on some freshly cooked jiffy pop! We made jiffy pop for a fun snack at the bonfire. The girls and Skipper loved it! It was both a productive and fun evening together with the family.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
May you have a truly amazing day with your family and friends. I am thankful for the many wonderful blessings in my life. I love this quote because even during the difficult times there is “always something to be thankful for”. What a great reminder not just for Thanksgiving Day but for everyday of our lives!
Raising Multiples: Upstate Multiples Club Fall Party
Checking out the rabbits Our family had fun at the Multiples Club Fall Party! We went to Fisher’s Orchard in Greer, South Carolina. It is a small peach farm with a little barn, farm animals, pumpkins, hayrides and more for families to enjoy.
Karlie having a blast with the rabbits! Karlie loved petting, talking to, and looking at all the rabbits on the farm. She was thrilled to find that they were very soft and enjoyed eating the apple pieces she was feeding them.
Brina tickled pink to have a chance to hand feed the bunny rabbits! Brina has a soft spot for animals and babies. She had a grand time hand feeding all the animals on the farm.
Hand feeding and petting the farm animals. The girls thought it was awesome hand feeding all the farm animals.
Karlie running through the maze with a friend They had a really neat maze that the girls loved. Both girls went through it several times on their own. They enjoyed being able to do it by themselves yet they could still see us!
Brina giggling as she rounded the final corner of the maze! Brina thought it was hilarious she made it through the maze before Karlie the first time.
They got faster every time they did the maze. Both girls coming around the final piece of the maze at the farm.
Hayride through the peach orchard The girls enjoyed the ride through the peach orchard. We saw all kinds of scarecrows, trees, and a giant hay bale spider.
Our two little pumpkins sitting with the pumpkins. Pausing for a moment to snap a picture (much to the girls protest). They thought that we should take home some of the huge pumpkins but since they were $80 or more we decided they were a little out of the family budget.
Family at the Fisher Orchard Farm Quick family shot on the hay bales at the orchard.
Karlie getting her hand painted There is just something about being able to get your hand or face painted. The girls had fun getting their hands painted during the party. Karlie got a United States Flag and a Rocket.
Brina getting her hand painted Brina waited for Karlie to finish now she gets to have her hand painted. So much fun! Brina got a rainbow on one hand and a flower on the other hand.
Relaxing on the hay bale outside of the maze Brina and Karlie loved all the scarecrows at this farm and hay bales to sit on.
Pretty girls next to a happy hay bale at Fisher Farm It was a lot of fun hanging out with our family and families of Multiples at the farm for a few hours.
Family Outings: SkyTop Apple Orchard
We made it to SkyTop Orchard this year! We surprised the girls one Saturday morning by taking a road trip to SkyTop Orchard in North Carolina. Several friends had told us that it is a great place to go apple picking so we decided to check it out!
Too busy watching everybody and everything around them to look at the camera! Pausing for a moment to take a picture by the Sky Top 2011 Apple. There were so many people and activities going on that they girls were just mesmerized.
Hey MOM! Is this a good one? Karlie loved picking the apples straight from the tree. It didn’t take us long with four people picking to fill up our baskets!
Looking for juicy apples to pick! Karlie and Brina looking through all the apples on the branches for the ripe and juicy ones to pick. They got pretty good at picking out the perfect apples!
Brina pleased with the apple she found. Brina found a good one! She was so excited when she found a perfect apple to put into the basket.
Walking with Daddy through the apple orchard There were a lot of apples on the ground. Some of them were whole while others were turning into mush. If you stepped on a mushy apple you feet would slide. The girls held our hands when we were walking longer distances to help prevent them from sliding around so much on the slick apples.
Girls - Look Daddy there's a good one up there! Daddy - You want which one?! You know the saying “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence” well the same thing applies to apple picking. The perfect apple is always at the top of the tree out of reach!
Daddy gave the girls a few boosts to get some of the "perfect" apples at the top of the trees! Thankfully with a little boost from Daddy the girls were able to get some of those pretty apples up on top. They thought it was neat that they could reach the apples without climbing the trees.
Brina and Karlie playing on SkyTop's playground Another highlight for the girls was playing in the houses and on SkyTop’s playground. They had a blast checking out all the fun houses, slides, and fun activities.
Two sweet girls peeking through the playhouse window at me! As I was watching them play I caught them peeking at me through the window. Cute! Love those two girlies so much and thankful for an opportunity to go on a family adventure together. Great memories!
Brina Bee climbing up the wall Brina proudly climbed up the climbing wall. She came over to me and said Mom that is a lot easier then the ones that you have to get buckled into. Brina loved seeing all the babies and little kids at the orchard. Glad she had a great time!
Karlie Kook Kat peeping through the window. Sweet picture of Karlie peeping out the window. It is amazing to see how much they have grown up over the last few months.
Giant haybale spider The girls thought this giant spider was hilarious! They had fun climbing all over it!
Our family at SkyTop! We had a blast together picking apples and playing at SkyTop Apple Orchard!
One bushel of apples We picked one bushel (approximately 42 pounds of apples)! These apples were delicious! It was a lot of fun to eat them plain and in a lot of dishes from apple crisp to apple pie to applesauce to apple smoothies and more!
Family Outings: Fall Festivals & Fun Activities
A little behind in posting these pictures but I figure it’s better late than never, right!? Since a couple of our family members have requested these pictures here we go…..
One happy and one scary pumpkin on the front porch In celebration of Fall Festivals, events, and activities we had the girls do a pumpkin this year. Brina wanted a happy pumpkin and Karlie wanted a scary pumpkin. They did the outlines for their pumpkins and Daddy cut out the pieces. They were both quite pleased with their pumpkins.
One Blue Crayon and One Violet Crayon The girls dressed up this year as crayons! They were super excited to wear their crayon costumes that we picked up on clearance last year.
Goody cups for the girls class at school. The girls helped pack the goody cups for their teacher and friends in their classroom! Besides stickers, pencils, glow in the dark silly bands we included a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Candy Corn Cupcakes for the girls class We made candy corn cupcakes for the girls class at school. They were so excited to take them and share with their friends at lunch.
Karlie and Brina carrying their goody basket into school They were thrilled to carry the goody basket into school. Several other students stopped to express their delight in the cool basket on their way to class, I think that alone made the girls day!
Two little crayons and Daddy getting into the teacup This was the first ride the girls went on at the Fall Festival. So thankful Jake was willing to ride with them, last year I went on it and almost threw up from the spinning!
Hold onto your hats little crayons! It made me dizzy just watching them spinning in circles but they had a blast!
Fun fall festival rides Our two crayons are in the blue one. They loved this ride last year too.
Having fun They loved looking out of their “cage” as they called it over the rest of the Fall Festival. When they got off they told us everything that they saw on the ride and what activities they wanted to do.
Ready to fly on the bug Two little crayons going for another spinning ride on the little bug, too cute!
Bug in flight It was hard getting a picture when both of them were looking at me. The bug got cut off on this one but at least both girls are looking my direction! 🙂
All buckled in...now ready to swing and spin Daddy was such a sport and went with the girls again on this spinning ride. Everyone is all buckled in and ready to SWING!
There they are swinging It looks pretty innocent doesn’t it but if your stomach does flip-flops while going in circles…..
Checking out all the equipment in the medical helicopter They had a emergency helicopter there so you could show your kids. Pretty neat seeing on the devices they put into it.
Two little crayons coming down the slide They had a blast jumping on bouncy castles, racing through bounce house mazes, and zipping down the slides.
Two cute crayons next to a giant black cat The cat was having problems staying up but I snapped a quick picture with them in front of it. They thought it was so funny seeing a giant black cat.
Starbucks: Buy One, Get One Free Holiday Drinks (11/17 to 11/20)
Starbucks will be offering Buy One, Get One Free Holiday Drinks!
Starting Thursday November 17, 2011 through Sunday, November 20, 2011
from 2:oo PM to 5:00 PM!
Family Fun with Silly String!
The girls found some leftover silly string that we had and wanted to “surprise” Daddy when he came home from work. Somehow they managed to get the silly string all over themselves and Skipper, Jake only got a few strings on him. It was something fun to do before heading into dinner and brought a lot of giggles. Of course Jake knew something was up as soon as he arrived home and heard the girls giggling non-stop…..
Karlie covered in Silly String Karlie wearing her library reading metal and a bunch of silly string. It was hilarious watching them try to squirt Daddy, each other and Skipper!
Brina on the run!! I never did catch a one of her standing still which is why this one is blurry. Brina was pretty good at escaping silly string. If any would get on her she would quickly pick it off and put it on someone else, including Skipper. Loved hearing them come up with this “plan” to surprise Daddy and hearing their giggles as they ran around the yard.
Skipper getting gained up on with silly string! Skipper really didn’t know what to do with all the silly string. She was a good sport letting the girls spray her and running around the yard with the rest of the family. I think Skipper probably got the majority of the silly string because she had the best reaction. Thankful for a dog that puts up with the goofy kiddos!
Even though Daddy was the initial target he stayed pretty clean! I did warn him to take off his work shirt prior to getting out of the car. The silly string was fun but I wasn’t sure if it would stain. It probably would have been fine but no sense making more work for me on laundry day.
Teaching Our Children: Target Practicing Skills
A few weeks ago the girls were reminiscing about our adventure earlier this year to the local Shooting Range so we decided to take out Daddy’s paintball gun and have them try target practicing off the back porch. They almost always hit the tree they were aiming for even if it was in different spots. The paintball gun was lighter so they could hold it themselves and it gave us another opportunity to discuss gun safety as well as a chance for them to target practice for a little bit.
Brina trying to hit the tree with the paint ball gun. I think Brina actually enjoyed the paintball gun more. It was really easy to see if she hit her target. “Splatting” the tree brought several triumphant giggles as they hit their unsuspecting target.
Karlie target practing with the paintball gun. Each girl had their own color of paint to make it easier to see where they had hit the target. This activity was a great way to teach kids learning about gun safety and target practicing without having to deal with as much danger or gun powder residue. The girls had a blast and were very pleased with being able to hit the target.
