Twins

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Our family had a BLAST last week with extended family!  We went on a cruise with Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas.  We started at Fort Lauderdale, Florida and went to Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Haiti.  It was an amazing week full of awesome memories.   The kids were really wanting to keep on cruising…..somehow the appeal of chores and schools didn’t sound like as much fun!

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls – still reading it to the girls
    2. Read the first book of the Imagination Station set Voyage with the Vikings by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker to the girls – decided to read a Flat Stanley book first
    3. Spend quality time with my family and extended family – spent a lot of time with family and extended family on the cruise! YAY!
    4. Take extra pictures so we can remember our time together
    5. Plan a special activity
    6. Play at least one game

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – didn’t keep track of how much I was drinking with all the activities
    3. Continue reading my YouVersion plan(s) – I did not have phone access while on the boat so catching up this week
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – got some reading done on the plane, but still not completed (stayed pretty busy with the family and kids)
    5. Finish reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan – got through more of the book

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – was on a cruise so there was more laundry (swimsuits, formals, summer clothes, etc…) so it took more than one day since I was not able to start until the weekend
    2. Pay all upcoming bills – a weeks worth of mail was delivered on Saturday so have everything ready to be paid this week

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry. – this week was easy since we weren’t home
    2. Payoff the Van – working on it
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – was on hold this past week

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls 
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Unpack & put everything away from the Cruise Vacation

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Start with my new YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
    5. Finish reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan- going through this book with a group of friends

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. 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

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Pay medical bills in full

    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.

  • Space by Twin Sisters

    The girls really love to listen to music whether we are in the car, at home, or even sometimes outside!  One of their favorite groups to listen to is Twin Sisters.  The music CD listed above is on Space by Twin Sisters and is part of their Science Series.  Every night as the girls are going to sleep they get to listen to one CD.

    Before doing this they would keep each other up talking.  With the music it helps give them some quiet time as they go to sleep and typically one or both are asleep before the music ends.  The CD goes through a variety of fun songs about the space including astronauts, jobs, satellites, and more.

    I love the fact that the girls are not only listening to music in the car or at home but that the music teaches them about specific topics like space.  It says that the music is for ages 4 to 9 years old, but even younger or older kids will enjoy the cheerful music on the CD. Here are the songs on the CD:

    • When I Grow Up
    • Many Jobs To Choose From
    • It’s Called Cooperation
    • I’m Feeling Light As A Feather
    • Can We Live In Space?
    • You’re An Astronaut
    • Famous Astronauts
    • Stepping Out In Space With The MMU
    • What Is A Satellite
    • Heroes Of Our Time
    • Space Colonies
    • I’ll Be An Astronaut Medley

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was crazy busy with doctor appointments, activities, and everything else.  Jake was out of town again for a couple days so packing and unpacking for him done as well.  Thankfully this week we’ll be spending extra time together since he doesn’t need to travel for work.  Hopefully, we’ll get in some extra quality family time too!  This week will be different than normal because our schedule is switched up a little bit, but I still plan to set some goals and have fun with it!  We’ll be spending some extra time with extended family members too this week! 🙂

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls – we got started but were not able to finish it this week, it may take us a little longer because it is a bigger book.  The girls are loving it!
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Finish going over our 2013 goals
    7. Doctor Appointments

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Start with my new YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – made a little progress
    5. Finish reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan- going through this book with a group of friends so not quite down yet

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. 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

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Email a meeting notes from Alms & Legs Ministry Team meeting

    Financial Goals

    1. For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry. – wrapped up week 3 of this goal (WooHoo!!!) 🙂
    2. Payoff the Van – made another payment
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – didn’t make any headway this week but at least we’re holding steady

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls
    2. Read the first book of the Imagination Station set Voyage with the Vikings by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker to the girls
    3. Spend quality time with my family and extended family
    4. Take extra pictures so we can remember our time together
    5. Plan a special activity
    6. Play at least one game

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Continue reading my YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
    5. Finish reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. 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.

  • Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

    I just finished reading the book Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls.  They were a little confused when we first started this book because they expected the next book in the series to be about the little girl Laura and her family, not about a boy named Almanzo.  Although they were unsure about it at the beginning it only took a chapter to get them hooked and back into the series.

    Farmer Boy is book three of the set we are currently reading through with the girls.  The book introduces Almanzo, Laura’s future husband.  While Laura growing up in a little house on the prairie with her parents and two sisters Almanzo was living on a big farm in New York State with his parents, one brother, and two sisters.

    The book is written from Almanzo perspective and goes through many of the things he did as a boy from chopping wood, cutting ice, planting corn, raising a prize pumpkin, training his steers, and much more!  The girls found it fascinating reading about Almanzo’s days.   They especially liked that he was found of horses.

    If you are looking for a fun book to read to your kids (both boys and girls) or have your children read themselves this is a great book.  I know the girls will be going back and reading these books again on their own after we finish with the series.  They have really enjoyed this series and learning a little bit about how Almanzo grew up fueled their excitement even more!

     

  • Travel & Vacation: Kennedy Space Center (part 2)

    We got to hear, Bob Springer, an astronaut that has been in space more than once speak and take a picture with him afterward! The girls were very excited to meet someone who has actually gone into space!

    I shared a little bit about our trip to Kennedy Space Center earlier today.  Here is a little bit more about what we did during our adventure.  Thankful for the opportunity to spend some time in Florida, tour Kennedy Space Center, and spend some time catching up with our friends too.

    Live feed of them docking!  So neat to watch it before it is posted to the public.

    After talking with an astronaut for a few minutes the girls wanted a picture in front of the live feed so they took a seat on the edge of the stage.

    Two little chickies are ready in their 3D glasses for the NASA show!

    Pausing for a moment to relax while waiting for our food.  Karlie is processing it all and so THRILLED to be finally exploring Kennedy Space Center!

    Having a BLAST at Kennedy Space Center!

    Brina having fun and enjoying her Icee treat!

  • Travel & Vacation: Kennedy Space Center

    Karlie has had a fascination with anything space related for several years now.  She loves to talk about rockets, planets, astronauts, and more!  Back when the girls were in preschool (more than 3 years ago) she received a Chic-Fil-A Kids Meal from school and inside it was a coupon for Kennedy Space Center.  She asked if she could hang the coupon up on the refrigerator so maybe sometime when we go to Kennedy Space Center we can use it. The coupon was on the refrigerator for a long time (even after it expired).  We did get a great deal online for a food package while at Kennedy Space Center (buy one get one free coupon) which covered all our food and snacks for the day.

    A few months ago we made it to Kennedy Space Center.  I still remember the day we told her we got tickets and were going to Florida.  I think she jumped up and down, clapping, and giggling for several minutes.  She was over joyed and immediately counting down the days until we would leave for Florida.

    Our whole family had a blast exploring Kennedy Space Center.  It was really neat to see all the history and learn so much about space, rockets, and everything else we could soak in that day.  We arrived at Kennedy Space Center a few minutes before it opened and left as they were closing the gates.  It was a neat experience!

    We are getting closer!

    Starting to see some cool  stuff – United States Astronaut Hall of Fame

    Karlie is on-the- edge-of-her-seat excited her dream to visit Kennedy Space Center is coming true!

    We made it!

    Daddy and girls strolling on into Kennedy Space Center, so cute seeing the girls excited and holding hands.



    They look so tiny next to the base of this rocket!

    Daddy and the girls trying it out!

    Karlie is soooo excited and has looked forward to going to Kennedy Space Center for YEARS!

    Sweet Brina had a grand time.  Even though rockets are more of Karlie’s love she had a lot of fun exploring the area with us.

  • Would You Rather Hold A Scorpion, Spider, or Snake?

    Karlie was so excited to hold a scorpion!

    I was going back over some pictures from a few months ago and came across these…..pictures from the Critter Keeper event we attended.  The girls are fascinated by animals, bugs, and any other kind of wildlife.  I love animals too, but I like to keep a safe distance between myself and certain critters like large scorpions, spiders, and snakes!  One of the biggest highlights for them was being able to hold, touch, and learn more about a variety of different animals.  They LOVED it!

    That’s one big spider!

    Do you see the huge yellow and white snake?  Yikes!  Can you find Brina and Karlie in this picture?

    So proud of her “I held a Scorpion!” sticker

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was more like our normal again after the Holidays, surgery, and everything else.  🙂  I had a lot of items on my list and was able to get a good bit done, but this week is jammed packed with a whole bunch of stuff going on that really must be done.  I am hoping to continue making steps in the right direction.  Jake had to travel to Ohio last week, so we are glad to have him back with us again.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls  – finished reading it to the girls, they LOVED it!
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities – last week some of these got canceled because the teacher was sick
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Finish going over our 2013 goals – Jake has been so busy with work and everything else we haven’t been able to complete this one yet
    7. Doctor Appointments

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Start with my new YouVersion plan(s) – going through 2 separate plans currently
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – this one got put on hold for the week with everything going on

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. 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

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Email a meeting notes from Alms & Legs Ministry Team meeting

    Financial Goals

    1. For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
    2. Payoff the Van – made a payment and thrilled to see it decreasing
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – this one’s going a lot slower, but we’re making some headway

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls – we just finished Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder so I tried to get them to switch to another book to change it up a little bit, but they insisted that they REALLY wanted to continue with this series! 🙂
    2. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    3. Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
    4. Attend After School Activities
    5. Plan one special Activity with the Family
    6. Finish going over our 2013 goals
    7. Doctor Appointments

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Start with my new YouVersion plan(s)
    4. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
    5. Finish reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan- going through this book with a group of friends

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. 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

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email
    3. Email a meeting notes from Alms & Legs Ministry Team meeting

    Financial Goals

    1. For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. 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.

  • Travel & Vacation: Parks Near Charleston We Love! (part 2)

    Karlie is our water bug. She is having a blast!

    One of the girls favorite places to visit is Charleston.  We have enjoyed finding a lot of neat parks near Charleston.  Several of the parks we found while others were recommended to us by friends and people we met along the way.  It is always an adventure hanging out with the chickies at the parks.  They have a blast and love getting a chance to play, splash around, and explore!

    Playing in the water at the park

    A soaked Brina on the run and heading straight for me!

    Chatting while Brina holds back a fountain sprayer and Karlie relaxes for a few minutes on the fence

    Two little monkeys climbing on the tube slide at the park

    Brina loves spinning in these red cups! Makes me almost sick and dizzy just watching them!

  • Travel & Vacation: Parks Near Charleston We Love!

    Hanging out at Mount Pleasant. Notice the huge bridge above them, the girls always enjoy coming to Waterfront Park.

     

    Relaxing for a few minutes

    Silly Sisters

    If you are looking for a great spot to fish near Charleston you can go on the pier of Mt Pleasant next to Waterfront Park.  The girls always enjoy seeing pictures of the fish then walking down the pier checking out all the fish the people have caught that day.

    Swinging on the pier