Teaching our Children

  • Gift Giving: Welcome Home Basket for My Sweetheart

    Basket full of goodies for my handsome man!

    When Jake goes away on a business trip I try to have something special for him when he gets back home.  Recently I had this basket full of goodies waiting for him on the couch upon his return.  The basket included:

    • Love Note
    • 2 bags Original Chex Mix
    • 2 pack Hand Sanitizer
    • Sheets Energy Strips – Cinnamon and Berry Blast
    • Peanuts
    • Rolo’s wrapped in a red Love Note

    Inside the wrapping paper – “I love the way you roll!”

    I am thankful for a husband who loves me, works hard to provide for our family, and is an amazing Daddy to our girls.  These little gifts are just one of the ways I love to remind him of how much he means to us.  The kids have a blast helping pick out something special to “welcome” Daddy back home whether it is a balloon, a favorite food, special drink, sign, drawings, cards and more.  Every time I try to do a different surprise and in various locations in the house to mix it up a little bit for him.  I have a lot of fun doing it for him and I know it is appreciated too.

  • Family Activities: Date Night Wish Lists

    Found one of Brina’s Date Night Wish lists from earlier this year!

    Jake and I try to routinely go on a Date Night with the girls.  He’ll take one out and I will take the other girl out on a Date.  Sometimes we’ll ask them to write out a list of some fun activities they would like to do during Date Night.  As I was going back over some things I came across these two lists from earlier in the year.  They made me smile reading them and remembering all the fun memories.  Many of the activities are free they just require some extra time and attention.

    Karlie’s Date Night Wish List for her Date with Daddy

    We like to request these lists every few months because it gives us a good idea of what is important to our kids.  So often we think the big elaborate activities are the most fun but after talking with them and reading their lists sometimes they would rather sit down and read a book with you, look through the telescope, picnic in the park, play ball, go look at animals at the pet store, or even a trip to the library.  Just reading these lists again make me thankful for my girls and the little activities that make an big impact on their hearts and lives.  Spending time together one-on-one and as a family is more important then all the trinkets in the world.  These date nights are priceless memories that have opened up many wonderful conversations with our girls.  They always look forward to their special date nights!

    Do you plan one-on-one time with your children? If so what activities do you enjoy doing together?

  • Recipe: Fresh Blueberry Muffins

    Fresh Blueberries

    A couple weeks ago the girls and I went over to a friends house to pick blueberries.  I was really impressed with how dedicated the girls were to picking the blueberries with me.  They had a blast picking the blueberries, washing them and of course helping us eat them.  The kids loved eating the fresh blueberries and helped me make homemade blueberry muffins, blueberry smoothies, and more goodies with the fresh blueberries.

    When we picked the blueberries we used a beach bucket to store them in while we are picking because it had a handle.  When we got home we rinsed the blueberries, and laid them out on racks to dry out (see picture below) before bagging and putting them in the freezer.

    Fresh blueberries drying out after being rinsed

    You don’t want to store fresh blueberries in an tight container all today, especially if you are leaving it on the kitchen counter for awhile because they will go bad.  The blueberries, much like some people, need a little bit a space between them and the next one to breath.

    Homemade Blueberries Muffins (made with the fresh blueberries we picked together)

    I am so thankful for a sweet friend who let us come over and pick blueberries.  The blueberries have been a huge hit in our house and it was great having a chance to pick and catch up at the same time.  Blueberries are very healthy for you and this is the time of year to get stock up on some either picking them yourselves or getting them on sale at the store.

    Fresh Blueberry Muffin Recipe:

    • 1 cup fresh Milk
    • 1/2 cup Oil
    • 1 Egg
    • 2 cups Flour
    • 2/3 cup Sugar
    • 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 cup Fresh Blueberries

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 12 muffin cup pan.  Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together and create a well in the center.  Put milk, oil and egg in bowl and blend well.  Add the moist items to the flour mixture and stir until moistened.  Fold in the fresh blueberries and spoon into muffin cups. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove from oven butter the tops of the muffins and sprinkle with sugar in the raw crystals.

     

  • Creative Kids: Fun Pixos Craft

    The girls are having fun building cool designs!  The globe like object holds a variety of colored balls that swirl down and pop out when selected.  The red topped bottle with a lid on the right side in the back is a water spray bottle to dampen the balls which makes them stick together.  You use red pen shape tool in front of the spray bottle to pick up the balls and place them on your tray.  The purple hose on the left side used is to blow air on the balls to dry and seal them together.

    Karlie was excited to make a United States Flag!

    Even though it’s a skunk it looks pretty cute! 🙂  Love watching the girls do a craft, not to mention that it’s great for the hand-eye-coordination!

    Sweet little snail!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was a fun one with Horse Camp for the girls among all the other fun summer activities.  This week we are gearing up for extra time with extended family and friends!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
    2. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Get to the 3/4 Goal Mark (1500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    5. Go to the library with the kids
    6. Take the girls to Horse Camp
    7. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get – getting closer, such a big decision

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – at least 5 days this week – didn’t do well this past week

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pack for upcoming family reunion – getting started
    5. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
    4. Put in extra hours with clients while girls are at camp

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Prepare for the next Alms & Legs meeting

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold until we get the new vehicle
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – saving up for new vehicle
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily on hold until we get the new vehicle

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Get to the Final Goal Mark (2000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    4. Spend time with extended family
    5. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    3. Pack for upcoming family reunion
    4. Pay all upcoming bills
    5. Clean house prior to traveling

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.

  • Teaching Our Children: Book Bingo

    I got the idea for “Book Bingo” from 2 Love Learning!  The girls have been enjoying reading the books and getting BINGO’s!  For every Bingo they get they receive a prize.  When they fill the entire Bingo card they get a bonus dollar reward.

    I started doing this for the girls almost a year ago and it has been a big hit for the kids.

    If you are looking for a great way to encourage a kid to read this mixes reading, games, and incentives all in one place.  The girls love seeing the cards fill up.  We draw smiles on the square after a book has been read.  You can find a blank bingo card here.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was busy with Vacation Bible School for the girls, work, looking for a new vehicle and a bunch of fun summer activities.  The girls have been doing a great job reading everyday and completed a chunk of their goal.  It has been fun being able to enjoy some extra time with them and participate it the fun summer activities.  I was able to tackle quite a bit of my list for last week!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day – I read over 20 library books, a chapter book, and about 20 books from our bookshelves to the girls this past week, they soaking in our reading time together.  
    2. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Take the girls to Vacation Bible School – VBS – they had a blast!
    5. Get to the 1/4 Goal Mark (500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) – they blew past 500 hours and getting close to our 1/2 mark
    6. Go to the library with the kids
    7. Go on a Date Night with Jake

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – at least 5 days this week
    2. Finish reading More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Start My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated schedule to our Community Group – been a little more relaxed with this since we haven’t been meeting regularly throughout the summer months

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – went over on this one
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – on hold until we get the money set aside for the vehicle
    3. Save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – moving forward with it
    4. Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold until we get the new vehicle

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
    2. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Get to the 1/2 Goal Mark (1000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    5. Go to the library with the kids
    6. Celebrate July 4th with the Family
    7. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – at least 5 days this week

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Email the updated schedule to our Community Group

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results

  • Family Outings: Ice Skating

    Karlie and Brina ice skating for the first time with Daddy!

    There is a local ice skating rink in our town that is open all year.  The first time the girls went ice skating was for a friends birthday party and they had a blast!  Even though ice skating traditionally is a “winter” sport it is a wonderful way to spend a couple hours cooling off during the heat of the summer too! If you look around you can often find tickets to your local ice skating rink as well. Who knows you may even run into a friend or two (we have) which makes it even more fun!

    Here are some pictures from another fun ice skating adventure!

    Brina skating backwards?!  No just turning around to look at Mommy

    Karlie getting around on her own….with a little help from the wall!

    Daddy pushing his girls around the ice skating rink

    Daddy and Brina skating

    Mommy pushing Karlie around the ice rink!

  • Book: Just Me and My Puppy by Mercer Mayer

    Brina loves animals….really any kind of animals dogs, cats, horses, goats, sheep……anything.  As she continues to pick out some of her own books to read to me I have started to notice a common theme, pretty much all of them are about an animal.  She has read Just Me and my Puppy by Mercer Mayer several times over the past two weeks.   The girls have always enjoyed “Little Critter” and all the stories he is in but this one has been a favorite especially for Brina.

    The story is about “Little Critter” and his new puppy.  It goes through all the different activities Little Critter does to take care of his new pet including feeding and training the puppy.  I like that it shows how he is taking responsibility even if everything doesn’t go perfectly.  The book makes the kids laugh and is silly but captivates their attention at the same time.  They enjoy reading it on their own or to me.  If you have a child who enjoys puppies this would be a fun one to read with them.