Teaching our Children

  • On the Farm: Recipe for Acorn Cookies

    Fresh Acorn Cookies

    Now I am going to share with you a couple of recipes that you can make using fresh acorns.  To learn more about acorns check out On the Farm: Acorns Are For Squirrels and how process fresh acorns so you can use it in recipes here is a post On the Farm: How to Prep Acorns for Cooking.

    Once you are ready to use your fresh acorn meal or flour here is one of the recipes you can try:

    Acorn Cookies:

    • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
    • 1 cup Brown Sugar
    • 1/2 cup Shortening
    • 1 large Egg
    • 1 cup Acorn Flour
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a larger bowl cream the shortening, egg, and sugar together.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the cream mixture.  Blend in the acorn flour.  Add the vanilla extract until blended well.  Take a medium size ice cream scoop and place onto a greased cookie sheet.   Use a fork to slightly flatten the balls.   Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

    Freshly scooped cookie dough.

    Cookie sheet full of cookies ready to go into the oven!

    The cookies are not as moist as a Chocolate Chip Cookie but not as dry as Shortbread Cookies.  They are a little dryer then I expected but they turned out pretty well.  We shared this recipe with our Community Group and people at Jake’s work.  It was a fun recipe do make and share with others.  I would make sure that those eating do not have a nut allergy.  It provides an interesting conversation started and you are sure to be the only one at the event with Acorn Cookies!  Now if I can just find an acorn cookie cutter.  Stay tuned for some more of our acorn recipes in upcoming posts!

    Recipe adapted from Grandpappy

  • On the Farm: How to Prep Acorns for Cooking

    Fun Fall Experiment - Processing our acorns so we can cook with them.

    I recently decided to experiment with cooking acorns and the adventure turned out pretty well.  There are some things I will do differently the next time around but overall the whole experience was educational and enjoyable for the whole family. To learn how I decided to go on this unique venture you can read about what got me started in my post  “On the Farm: Acorns Are For Squirrels”.

    I am always looking for ways to teach my children and since the Fall season is here after a few comments, questions, and some researching about acorns it was decided that our next activity was to go through the complete process of gathering, sorting, opening, processing and cooking with acorns (now that we know that acorns are not just of squirrels).  Here are the Five Steps to gather, sort, crack, and process the acorns in a day instead of doing it the traditional way of putting them in a stream or burying them in mud and waiting weeks before you can eat them.

    Bucket full of acorns

    Step 1 – Gathering Acorns:

    • Each family member took a bucket or bag and headed outside to start collecting acorns.  We found a couple trees that had acorns under them and started filling our buckets. Please see “On the Farm: Acorns Are For Squirrels” to find out which trees to collect acorns from.
    • Inspect each acorn as you pick it up for holes or cracks.  Some good ones will have the caps on others will no longer have the caps attached.  (I discovered later that we were not good at detecting microscopic cracks or holes in the acorns, so later we just gathered the acorns and used the sorting step to eliminate the bad acorns, see below).
    • Fill up your bucket or bag and pour all the acorns into a large sink
    Filling up the sink with acorns and water.
    • Tips to help with gathering (I discovered some ways to make this process easier for the future acorn gatherings):
    • You don’t need to look at each individual acorn, the sorting process is much better at isolating the bad acorns and making sure only the good ones remain.
    • Observe what the wildlife is doing prior to picking up acorns.  For example if the squirrels prefer certain trees then head for those trees first because the acorns will most likely contain less tannins and have less of a problem with bugs.  Trust the animals instinct, they go for the good ones first.

     

    Filling up the sink with water to see which ones will float.

    Step 2 – Sorting Acorns:

    • Put all the acorns in a large sink, plug the sink and run cool water over the acorns.
    • The water level should be several inches above the acorns on the bottom to help with the sorting process.
    • The acorns that are crack, have holes, or that are bad will float to the top of the water.
    • The good acorns will sink and remain on the bottom.
    • Remove all the acorns that are floating and leave the good ones on the bottom.
    • Stir the acorns with your hands (or a paint mixer) to shuffle around the acorns, if any more float to the top of the water remove them.
    Stirring them with the paint mixer to see if there are any more floaters.

    Tips to help with sorting:

    • We used a large utility sink to sort the acorns.
    • Don’t worry about inspecting every acorn (see the Gathering Acorns step above) before putting it into the sink.
    • This sorting step will eliminates 99% or more of the bad acorns in your batch so you can speed up the gathering step by not looking at each individual acorn.
    • You may be surprised at how many acorns are floating
    • You may need to go back out in the yard and pick up some more acorns.
    • In some batches we had as many as half of the acorns floating to the top.
    • Throw away any floating ones because they are not good so you don’t want to waste your time cracking them if you cannot use them.
    • We used the paint mixer to stir up the acorns which help make sure if any bad ones were trapped under the good ones they came to the top so we could remove them.

     

    Rinse the acorns for a few minutes to get any remaining dirt off of them. We used this stick to help disperse the water over the batch of acorns. Then let them soak to soften the shells so you can crack them open easier.

    Step 3 – Cracking Open the Acorns:

    • Once you have sorted the acorns and only have the good acorns remaining (the ones that did not float) drain all the water out of the sink.
    • After all the water is drained, rinse the acorns with the drain open for several minutes.  You do this by running the water through the acorns and stirring occasionally.  This step helps get out any of the extra dirt and cleans the acorns.
    • Plug the drain, refill the sink with water and let the acorns soak under water for approximately hour to soften the shell.
    • Once the acorns shells have softened take out an acorn, tap it lightly with a hammer until it cracks slightly, peel back the shell and remove the nutmeat.
    • Put the nutmeat in a pot that you can cook it in and put the shell in another bowl that will be taken back outside to compost or throw away.
    Cracking open the acorn with a hammer.
    • Tips to help cracking open acorns:
    • You can use a flat screwdriver to help pry open the shells.  Usually your fingers will work but sometimes having a screw driver helps.
    • You can start cracking open the acorns right away instead of soaking for an hour, however, you will notice that the longer a acorn has been soaking the easier the shell is to remove.  I just took out a handful at a time so the remaining ones could continue soaking.

     

    What a whole acorn nutmeat looks like.

    Step 4 – Processing the Acorns (AKA “Leaching” the tannins out of the acorns):

    • This step is very important with acorns.  You will need to leach the acorns to remove any tannins that are in them.
    • Bring two large pots to a boil.
    • Pour the acorns into one pot and let it boil for 15 minutes.  The water will turn a dark brown / black color which is the tannins coming out of the acorns.
    • After 15 minutes strain the water off the nuts and transfer them to the second pot of boiling water.  Boil them for another 15 minutes.
    • While the second pot of water is boiling with the acorns refill the first pot and bring it back to a boil.
    • Continue transferring back and forth from one pot of boiling water to the next for 15 minutes at a time until the water stays clear.
    • The nutmeat will not have a bitter taste to it once the tannins have been removed through leaching.
    Our full pot of acorn nutmeats in the boiling water as we start the leaching process.
    • Tips to help with processing / leaching:
    • If you can use a large pot with a strainer inside it for transferring the nutmeats between the boiling pots of water it will be much easier.
    • Make sure to never rinse the nutmeats in cool water during the leaching (boiling) phase of the processing because it could actually cause the tannins to seal in the nutmeats making it impossible to remove enough of it so you can safely eat them.
    • It usually takes several boiling times before the water comes back clear.
    Tannins coming out of our acorns. (See how the water is a dark brown color)

     

    A dehydrator full of dried acorns! They will dry to a dark brown color.

    Step 5 – Drying the Acorns:

    • Once the water is clear after boiling the acorn nutmeat you can drain them completely and transfer them to a jelly roll pan, spread out into a single layer and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  OR you could put the acorn nutmeat into a food dehydrator until the nutmeats is completely dry (approximately 8 to 12 hours).
    • The nutmeats will turn a dark brown color when they are completely dry.  You are now ready to try out your acorn recipes!
    • Tips to help with drying:
    • The dehydrator works really well for drying out the nutmeats.  It works a lot like drying fruit or beef jerky.  Plus it can run through the night and uses less power than your oven.
    • You can dry the acorns for several days in the sun but you take the risk of bugs and squirrels taking the acorns or they could go moldy.  It is pretty easy drying them in the oven or dehydrator so I think that would be the best option.
    • You can store the dried acorns for several months in the refrigerator or freezer, they will last several week at room temperature.

    Information regarding processing Acorns was found at Wikipedia, Grandpappy, and LiveStrong

    I will be sharing soon a couple acorn recipes that we have tried with the acorns we have processed from our yard.

     

  • Raising Twins: How to Handle Favoritism in Twins or Multiples

    Today I am going to discuss a  question that was recently addressed in our Multiples Club because it is something that happens more often then we like to admit in families.  Although my experience is coming from having twins I can image this happens often between siblings as well.

    How do you deal with favoritism in twins or multiples?  For example, when a family member or friend “prefers” or is more drawn to one child over the other child.

    Wow, as a parent we hope and pray that this never happens in our family.  It can be really difficult as a parent to see one child getting extra attention from a grandparent, family member or friend. I know it is normal for people to be drawn to those with similar personalities so how do you make sure your child isn’t scarred for life or is effected negatively by this type of situation?

    It is important that as parents we  love and protect our children as much as we can, however, at some point they will realize that life is not always fair.  When something  “unfair” happens this provides an amazing  opportunity for us to guide them through a tough situation in their  life while reassuring them that he/she is loved, important to the family, and that he/she has many talents / positive characteristics.  During those times they may need a little more one-on-one attention from you.

    Here are a few ways we have helped ease the situation:

    • A lot of prayer – asking God to give you wisdom on how to handle the situation
    • If it is a rare situation don’t bring it up (especially in front of the kids) and try to not make a huge deal out of it  (this is hard to do as a parent, you want to stand up and defend your kids). Instead build the individual children’s confidence by encouraging each child and complimenting them on their positive qualities.
    • If it happens often, after much prayer, you may need to speak to respectfully to the friend or family member letting them know that it has come to your attention and try to set some type of guidelines (for example – please do not bring a gift specifically for one and not the other child, joint gifts intended for all the kids are okay,  if you take the one to a special event find a time to do something special with the other child)
    • As parents go on “Date Nights” with your kids, especially when you have twins or triplets that have spent their entire life together. Jake goes with one and I got with the other one and then we switch the next month. This helps each child to have fun, quality time, and your undivided attention for several hours. Just doing this once a month has opened so many doors into our daughters lives and hearts. They will share things with you that you never knew they struggled with as well as cherish the Mother/Daughter memories they share with you.
    • Focus on the positive strengths and characteristics in each of your children.  Just because they were born on the same day does not mean they will be the same person.  Our two girls have very different personalities and each of them have amazing strengths and talents.

    Have you ever had to deal with this in your family?  What have you done to help your child or children get through this situation?

  • On the Farm: Acorns Are For Squirrels

    Rinsed acorn with its cap still on.

    “Acorns are for squirrels to gather and eat during the cool winter months” was my response when the kids asked me about the purpose of acorns.  It has been a pretty mild Fall in our area but our yard has been full of acorns, squirrels, birds, rabbits, turkeys, and all kinds of animals gathering for the cooler months.  Our family has been blessed to have property with a lot of trees, a small creek, and plenty of wildlife.  Even though we live in the “suburbs” on our little 4 plus acres it feels like we are out in the country.  One of the Fall activities we have as a family is raking leaves and acorns.  Now that the acorns and leaves are steadily dropping the discussion regarding Fall, leaves, acorns, and activities around the season have been in full swing on the farm.

    There are several oak trees on our property but the one in our front yard has produced an abundance of acorns this year (the ground was covered and continues to be covered with acorns even after raking and collecting).  After thinking about it for a little bit we concluded that the reason that tree was so full of acorns had to do with the extra “water” that is has enjoyed from our garden.  Jake and I were talking about the tree and the amount of acorns and jokingly mentioned that we could live off the acorns if we wanted to this winter.  The girls were already collecting acorns for their “acorn pies” they were making in the sandbox and asked us a couple times why we couldn’t eat acorns.  I honestly didn’t have a great answer other than my normal because “Acorns are for squirrels.”

    After a couple weeks of thinking about our conversation and talking with the girls about how people in the past lived off the land through gardens, nuts, animals, and crops I decided to research acorns a little more.   I figured that if the squirrels are eating the acorns there has to be some benefits to them, right!?  They are a nut.   I read what articles I could find about how to cook acorns and decided it may be fun experiment for the family to try making something with the acorns.  There is not a huge amount of acorn recipes out there but I was able to get enough to feel confident to try it.  I figured it would be an interesting educational activity for the kids as well.

    Here’s some fun facts about acorns that you may or may not know about:

    • The first people that we can find in history who have ate acorns were the Greeks over 2,000 years ago
    • The acorn has been a source of nutrition for many people during past food famines.
    • Native American Indian tribes use acorns.  The Cherokee, Pima, and Apache Indians considered the acorn a staple food that they used in a variety of recipes.
    • The majority of acorns cannot be eaten raw from the trees or ground.  They have a bitter taste which is the tannin that is used to make leather.  If you taste a raw acorn and it is very bitter it is best not to eat it until it has been processed.
    • There are a variety of ways people have used to remove the tannins from the acorns.  Some records show that they have buried the acorns in mud for weeks then will dig them up and use the sun to dry them naturally.  Others place the acorns in a basket or cloth (the basket or cloth needs to be strong enough to hold the nuts but allow water to run through it) with heavy stones, place the basket in a quick flowing stream for several days or weeks then they would sun dry them.  Now with stove tops the process of removing the tannins is quicker by boiling the tannins out of the acorns (I will go through the entire leaching of the tannins process in a later post).
    • It is said that a fully grown Oak Tree can produce as much as 1,000 pounds of acorns in one season.
    • Acorns are low in sugar and have a sweet nutty taste.
    • Acorn flour or meal can be used in bread, cookies, grits, pancakes, brownies, stews, cakes, tortillas, muffins, and many other recipes.  You can eat an acorn plain or with a glaze once it’s been processed.
    • Acorns have carbohydrates, protein and fats, 6 vitamins, 8 minerals (including calcium, phosphorus, potassium), and 18 amino acids.  They have a lower fat content than the majority of other nuts and compare very well with other wild foods you find in nature.
    • Eating 1 handful of acorns is like eating a pound of fresh hamburger (nutritionally equivalent)
    • Much like the squirrels storing acorns for later we can store acorns for a long time as well.  Acorns do not spoil quickly so they can be eaten and/or processed at a later time.

    There are two main types of trees acorns come from:

    • The White Oak Trees can live over 650 years, be more than 4 feet in diameter and up to 100 feet tall.  The White Oak is the most common and has a dark green glossy leaf with light green on the bottom and the leaf edges are rounded.  White Trees have a smooth shell and the nutmeat is a shade of white.  The White Oak Trees are the best for acorns that you want to eat and use in recipes because they have a low tannic acid, but are still sweet and can be eaten after a little processing.
    • The Red Oak Trees are not as common and their leaves have a glossy green top side (much like the white oak) but there bottom side is fuzzy and the leaf edges are pointed.  The Red Oak acorns can take up to two years to mature and the nutmeat is more of a yellow color.  Red Oaks require processing before to eating and generally are not harvested for human consumption unless there is a famine.   Red Oak Trees have a higher tanic acid level which is why they need more processing and are typically eaten when necessary such as starvation or famine because if you eat too much tannin it can be bad for your kidneys.

    Why do Acorns need to be processed before eating them?

    • Acorns contain tanic acid (if you try a raw acorn and it is bitter that is the tannin you are tasting) which is used to make leather and has several other great qualities, however, if you eat an excessive amount of tannin it could lead to kidney failure.  If you want to try processing and using acorns for recipes try to pick the acorns from a White Oak Tree since they are much lower in tannins; if you decide to consume ones from a Red Oak make sure to process them very well.  I will walk you through the steps to remove the tannic acid (tannins) from the acorns, the process is called leaching.

    Information regarding Acorns was found at Wikipedia, Absolute Astronomy, Grandpappy, and Nutrition Data

    I will be sharing soon how to pick the perfect acorn, sort them, prep the acorns for cooking, how to process the acorns to remove all the tannins, and a couple acorn recipes that we have tried.

  • Heart Reflections: Giving from the Heart

    The gifts that Karlie and Brina wrapped up for their friends.

    The other day I had two pieces of left over wrapping paper from a baby shower gift that I gave to the girls to use.  They were busy for about thirty minutes in the dining room talking and wrapping their goodies.  Later I found out they had wrapped up a few small toys to give to a friend that they heard was moving because his parents were having financial problems.  Now the girls didn’t really understand much about what type of the financial problems but they did understand that their friend was having to sell some of his toys because of the move and family situation.  Without any prompting on mine or Jake’s part the girls carefully selected some special toys he would like (silly bands, match box cars, pencils, stickers, and a couple more items), wrapped them up, and brought the gifts in  for us to see.

    It was only when they brought us the completely wrapped gifts that we found out who they were planning on giving them to.  My heart overflowed with joy to know that the girls were willing to part with a few treasured toys to help a friend in need.  They were not just giving any toy, they were trying to find some of their favorite toys to give away.

    How often to I unconditionally give of my best to others?  Do I give from the heart or is it to receive notice or out of the feeling of obligation?  The most wonderful gift comes from the heart with no strings attached much like the greatest gift we have ever been given.  I am thankful for a Savior who gave his life for me and for girls who remind me of what it is like to give generously from the heart to those around us.

    Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God

    which He has given you. – Deuteronomy 16:17

  • Travel & Vacation: Places to Stay and Play in Charleston

    Pizza picnic at the pool in Charleston!

    We got Domino’s (they had a buy 1 pizza get 1 free coupon) and brought it back to the hotel to eat. The girls wanted to check out the pool so we ate by the pool then went swimming.  The first night we stayed at the Holiday Inn in Mt Pleasant, it was literally a block away from Waterfront Park.  It was a busy weekend with a lot baseball tournaments, American Idol tryouts, and a couple other community activities. We still had a blast together and Jake was able to get his work done as well. The biggest down side to this hotel is their breakfast was pretty expensive for families but there are plenty of restaurant chains nearby you can get a breakfast for a great price.

    Swimming with Daddy in the pool.

    The girls enjoyed having some time to swim in the pool after a very hot day at the parks around town.  Thankful for an opportunity to spend some time relaxing together as a family.

    Karlie relaxing and snacking in her makeshift bed.

    Baths were taken and pedicures were done so Karlie decided to take a few minutes to relax and snack in her bed before brushing her teeth and going to sleep.  Glad the girls enjoy going on adventures and are flexible during the trips.

    Karlie, Brina and Mommy's fancy hot pink and purple pedicures!

    On one of our trips this summer I surprised the girls with bringing finger nail polish.  It soon became a tradition when we went on a trip for me to bring a couple “wild” colors and all the girls get their fingernails and toenails painted the first evening in the hotel.  The girls loved spending the time together and getting beautiful in the process.  Sometimes it is the little things you do together that make the most impact.

    Karlie ready to try out a new pool.

    We stayed at the Rodeway Hotel the second night of our trip to Charleston, it was literally across the street from the Holiday Inn so we didn’t have to go too far!  I was so thrilled to see the girls confidence in the water increase over the past few months.  They loved their noodles but were okay not having on their life jackets in the pool.  The hotel had a really great hot breakfast every morning, plus ice cold lemonade any time of the day which was a huge hit with the hot kiddos!

    Brina talking and motioning with her noodle.

    The noodles were great in the water but I remember getting bopped with them several times outside of the pool.  The girls were good about making sure to bring them to the pool but sometimes in the process of walking and talking the noodle was more like a weapon, ha!

    Relaxing at the hotel before crashing.

    We introduced the girls to the show “America’s Funniest Home Videos” on this trip.  They thought it was hilarious and as you can see from this picture they were completely captivated by the show.  Their favorites were the silly animal clips!

    The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

  • Book: “Ouch” by Ragnhild Scamell

    We rented this book Ouch! by Ragnhild Scamell from the library several years ago and it has been a favorite of the girls since then.  The book is about a Hedgehog who is preparing her nest for the winter months when an apple falls from the tree and sticks onto her back.  She tries to get help from her friends but ends up getting more and more items stuck to her until she finally finds a friend that can help her get them off her back.  The book has bright colors and is enjoyable to read to the kids.  If you are looking for a fun Fall book to read to your children you should check this one out at your local library.

  • Life’s Little Hiccups: Mint Chocolate S’mores Brownies

    My Mint Chocolate Smores Brownies….burnt to a crispy black color!

    Life doesn’t always go exactly as we plan.  Even though I try to make sure the schedule allows for plenty of time with my family, friends, church, work, household duties, and the many other activities in life that doesn’t mean everything will go smoothly.  The reason I call it Life’s Little Hiccups is because after the “stress” of the moment I can look back at the event and usually laugh.  Yes, it was frustrating to ruin something or that life didn’t go as planned but in light of all the other problems in life this is pretty small.  I have discovered that some of these crazy times make the BEST memories for the family.  How I react and recover from Life’s Little Hiccups speaks volumes into the hearts of my children.  Getting mad or frustrated will not solve the problem and often times there is a creative or easy solution if I just relax, think, and try again.

    It was a Sunday and I had been up since 4 am to take Jake to the airport for a work conference.  The girls and I went to the early service at church then came home and did some activities around the house, ate lunch, and worked on cleaning the garage (as a surprise for Daddy).  I think we had a little bit more fun cleaning the garage than is normal for most people because we had a blast cleaning, talking, laughing, giggling, and telling stories.  Before I knew it the afternoon had flown by and it was time for us to get ready for Community Group and Awana.

    I was in charge of making the desert for Community Group so the girls and I decided to make Mint Chocolate Smore’s Brownies to share (Jake is not a big “mint” person so it was something special that just us girls enjoy).  I put together the brownies, popped them into the oven, and began working with the girls on their verses for Awana.  After wrapping up several sections in their books I decided I should probably get ready.  As I was brushing my teeth Brina comes into the bedroom and says “Mom, it smells good in the kitchen but it looks a little cloudy.”  Oh no!  The BROWNIES!  Well as you can see from the picture above they didn’t turn out as I had hoped.  On the way to Community Group after dropping off the girls at Awana I ran by the grocery store and picked up a cake to share.

    When we got home from the events that evening as we were getting out of the van and Brina says “Mom, it smells good…..like when we burn marshmallows around the fire.”  Even with several windows open the smell had made it to the garage.  The good news though is burnt marshmallows really do have a great smell to them!  One of the many lessons I learned with this “little hiccup” was that stuff will happen (despite my best efforts), it’s not ideal but my reaction and how I handle the situation sets an example for my girls.  After everything we did together that day do you know what their FAVORITE story to tell everyone was?  Yes, the story about how we burnt the Mint Chocolate Smore’s Brownies.

    After removing the layer of burnt marshmallows off the top we were able to eat most of the middle pieces of the brownies (see picture below).  The girls took the brownies to school and told their friends about the brownie adventure they had with Mom over the weekend.  Now we laugh about how silly the whole situation was and that we all managed to not hear the timer go off.  I am thankful that we can look at the hiccups and count our blessings for the teachable moments that became funny memories we can share together.

    The Mint Chocolate Smore’s Brownies after the burnt marshmallows were removed.  The marshmallows made almost a glaze over the brownies and somehow were partially salvageable.  The girls thought it was hilarious taking a piece to school in their lunch.

  • Teaching Our Children: How to Celebrate Special Days (Wrapping Gifts & Writing Cards)

    Birthday balloons they picked out earlier this year - Karlie picked out the star one and Brina picked out the birthday celebration one.

    When a celebration is drawing near whether it is a Birthday or Holiday or Baby Shower or  Wedding or just something fun the girls get excited.   They LOVE wrapping gifts and writing cards.  It is cute watching them pick out the perfect card, beautiful wrapping paper, special balloon, and diligently work on putting together their surprise.  Sure they use a lot more tape, wrapping paper and the process can be messy but think about all the amazing opportunities you have to teach your child during it.

    • The Joy of Giving to others
    • How to wrap a gift with wrapping paper, in a gift bag, and adding the additional bling (ribbons, small gifts, etc…) to it
    • Hand Eye Coordination Skills with the cutting, taping, and folding
    • Creativity with wrapping and writing the card
    • Thinking of others
    • Measuring
    • Shapes
    • Sharing with someone else
    • Sizes and how they fit into a bag or how much paper they will need
    • And Many More
    Karlie wrapping a gift

     I let them each pick out their own wrapping paper to use.  It was a looked a little more like “Christmas” Holiday wrapping paper but that’s what they wanted and it was their gift to give away.  As you can see she picked out a special “treat” gift as well!  I am amazed at how much more efficient they have become even in the last year with wrapping.  Yes, we still have the occasional – “Mom, I didn’t cut the wrapping paper big enough” but overall they are getting better at the process as a whole.  (I’ve even had problems not cutting the paper big enough!)

    Brina working on a card

     Many times the girls will write not only a note in a card to someone but also draw and color a picture for them.  They really do put a lot of heart and thought into the cards and gifts.  It is really neat to see how much they care for others and enjoy doing it.  To them wrapping and card writing is almost as good (maybe better some days) than doing a craft.  Thankful for their willingness to be a blessing to others both family and friends.

  • Travel & Vacation: Enjoying Charleston’s Piers

    Boats loading on the edge of the pier.

    The boats are getting loaded up at the end of the pier.

    Little crabs at the waters edge

    They would run down the sand picking up pieces to eat and then would run back up the beach when the wave came in.  It was neat to watch the wave of crabs running back and forth.  We were standing on the edge of the pier these little crabs were scurrying back and forth with the tide coming in.  The girls thought it was hilarious.

    I was moving fast enough so Brina ran back to check on me.

    Love seeing the thoughtfulness and compassion in this sweet girl.  She truly does care about others and wants everyone to have fun together.

    Karlie on the run!

    Karlie noticed that Brina and I were still coming up the pier so she decided to check out what we were up to.  When did my babies grown up?  So excited yet sad to see how much they have changed even over the past year.

    Standing at the edge of the pier looking at the bridge that leads to Daniel's Island.

    The girls thought it was a little scary at the end of the pier, but thought it was super cool looking at the bridge.

    Karlie and Brina running down the pier

    The girls had a race down the pier.  They were running and giggling the whole way.  It’s amazing how educational and entertaining time at the pier can be for the kids!

    The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!