Twins
First Day of School 2012
Karlie and Brina ready for their first day of school 2012
How is it possible that school is already starting again?! It seems like summer vacation just started and in a blink of my eye it is now gone. The girls started school this Tuesday. They were sad to say goodbye to summer and all the fun adventures that we had together but at the same time they were excited to start school again too.
They each picked out their own backpacks, school supplies, and clothes that they wanted to wear on the first day of school. This is the first year that they have separate teachers. So far they have been thrilled with having different classrooms. It has been more work for Mom and Dad because even though they are in the same grade the teacher policies, homework, and many other activities are different.
Karlie’s all ready to go!
Brina is ready for me to finish taking pictures so she can go to school!
I am praying that this school year is an amazing time of growth for both of the girls. It is hard to see my baby girls growing up so quickly. They are an amazing blessing in my life and I love them dearly. I look forward to seeing all the awesome things they will learn this year!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week we went with Jake to Charleston. It was great spending time together! The girls had a blast in Charleston….it was their last week before school starts again. Thankful for a great summer with our girls.
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Read regularly to the girls and have them read to meParticipate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the KidsSpend time with family before the kids go back to school– went to Charleston with the familyGet the girls items packed for schoolGo to the pool / beach– went to the pool, park, and beachDoctor Appointments complete before school starts– had a lot of appointments (teeth, eyes, ears, etc…)
Personal Goals
Exercise at least 5 days this week– went to the pool, park and beach this week!
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week – didn’t get it done with all the traveling this week
- Prep for my Fall Organizational Schedule – wasn’t able to get it done
Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporary on hold
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – working on it
- College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold momentarily
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
- Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
- Girls Packed and Ready to Start School on Tuesday
- Get into the School Routine
Personal Goals
- Exercise at least 5 days this week
- Attend a Beth Moore Conference with friends
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Prep for my Fall Organizational Schedule
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Prep for upcoming Alms & Legs Meeting
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
- 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.
Creative Kids: Random Notes of Love
Cute little surprise note!
On one of our trips this year the girls hid a note in my backpack. I love finding fun notes from my girls. So who do you think put this note in my bag? If you guessed Brina you are correct! Jake got one in his backpack from Karlie. It’s the little stuff like this that makes me so thankful for my sweet girls!
Sweet note hidden in Daddy’s backpack!
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?
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
We were blessed with the opportunity to spend a long weekend away with the St Clair side of the family. All my extended family was able to make it out this year and it had been awhile since all of us were together for a weekend. It was great catching up with everyone. Thankful for the amazing blessing of having a family that gets together to relax and enjoy each others company.
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Attend Family ReunionRead regularly to the girls and have them read to meParticipate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids- Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion – have a plan that I need to execute once we get settled back in at home from our travels
- S
pend time with extended family Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get
Personal Goals
Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family
Home Management Goals
Put mail on hold for when we are awayLine up someone to come by and check on the house / pets while we are away
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attentionWork on projects with the family business
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – currently looking at cars and praying the perfect one comes along
- College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily on hold
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
- Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
- Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
- Spend time with extended family
Personal Goals
- Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family
Home Management Goals
- Check in with the person coming by and check on the house / pets while we are away
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work on projects with the family business
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
- 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.
Travel & Vacation: Road Trip Snack Bins
Brina and Karlie’s Road Trip Snack Bins loaded and ready to go!
Our family loves traveling and going on road trips together. Road trips have always been one of the exciting adventures our girls look forward to every summer. It is pretty common for us to pack up the suitcases, snacks, and hit the road with the entire family. We have done several 40 plus hour road trips with the kids and they still look forward to them. We try to make the road trips a fun adventure for them. No we don’t take them to fancy restaurants, hotels, or amusement parks along the way…..we do this without adding a bunch of extra costs to our family. We pack picnic lunch / dinner so we can eat on the road. We bring along snacks, books, games, audio books, little goodies and more. We used to pack a basket full of snack items for the girls but it never failed that the basket was always out of reach for someone so that’s when we came up with the road trip travel bins for the girls.
Delicious treats ready to be eaten on our upcoming eighteen hour road trip.
The kids have LOVED having their individual containers of snacks that they can eat as we drive. The containers are smaller and snap shut so they can be stored right beside the girls seats in the car so they can always reach them. Each kid gets their own snacks and they can choose what to eat first, second, and so forth. The girls enjoy having the nuts with the shells to peel off and the majority of the time those are the first items they munch on. It is hilarious hearing them in the backseat cracking open a peanut! We try to give them a mix of sweet and salty items, nothing in the bins need refrigeration. Our kids don’t eat all of these items on a daily basis but when you are doing a 5, 10, 20 or 40 hour road trip it’s important to keep everyone in good spirits and this is an easy way to help.
Items that we packed for this road trip:
- Homemade Apple Chips
- Snoopy Fruit Gummies
- Chocolate Covered Cherries
- Foot Long Fruit
- Pack of Oreos
- Mixed Berry Granola Bar
- Cheese & Dipping Sticks
- Twizzler Stick
- Fruit Punch Powdered Drink Mix Package
- Mint Chocolate Swirl Marshmallows
- Pink Frosted Animal Crackers
- Pink & White Heart Shaped Marshmallows
- Chocolate Covered Raisins
- Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
- Multiple Flavored and Colored Miniature Marshmallows
- Sweetarts
- Box of Nerds
- Rice Crisps with Chocolate Drizzled
- Dried Fruit
- Raspberry Chocolate Covered Pretzels
- Whole Shelled Peanuts
- Dried Cranberries
- White & Pink Flowered Marshmallows
- Pecans
It is a lot of fun finding a variety of items to fill the Road Trip Snack Bins. We fill it after the girls are in bed and stick them on their car seats to find when they get into the van and buckle in for the trip. It is a special treat and gives us a positive start to the road trip too.
Brina and Karlie’s snack containers ready to be put into the car!
When we travel we typically stop only for gas and potty breaks. We have most of the food, drinks, and snacks we need to eat in the car. Occasionally, we’ll use a coupon to get a free drink when we fill up with gas but otherwise we try to keep the costs to a minimum which make road trips more affordable and doable. The girls get to watch DVD’s, listen to audio books and we play games as a special treat. The trip must be longer than 5 hours for us to get out the DVDs! Here’s a little more information about the Road Trip Snack Bins and what to pack.
We picked up the containers at Walmart for a couple of dollars. The stickers were at Hobby Lobby in the scrapbook section and we used a 40% coupon. We have used these Road Trip Snack Bins for several road trips with our girls and they have held up well. Once the trip is over and they have finished eating the items in the bins all you have to do is wash them and store until the next family adventure. It is a blessing to be able to travel with our family. We have created many amazing family memories on the road together.
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!
Travel & Vacation: Leaving On A Jet Plane….
Karlie and Brina watching the airplanes coming and going from the Greenville Spartanburg Airport
Do you remember the John Denver song “I’m leavin’ on a jet plane, Don’t know when I’ll be back again….”? I don’t necessarily love the entire song but every time I fly that phrase pops into my head. Our family, especially the kids, love traveling and flying! The last time our entire family flew was back in January out to Kansas (the pictures are from that trip). It was the first flight the kids were big enough to sit in their own row together without one of us beside them. We sat in the row right behind them so we could monitor them and they did very well. I love seeing their excitement over traveling and flying, it’s contagious!
We are currently gearing up for another fun flight to see family soon. The girls have already started packing their backpacks, talking about all the places we will go and who we are going to see. Here are a few pictures from our last adventure on the plane:
Karlie reading the informational sheet for the airplane!
Karlie is all about flying and learning more about airplane. Every time we fly she reads about the airplane, the safety manual, and anything else she can get her hands on. The whole experience is a grand adventure for her!
Brina all snuggled up and asleep in her seat on the airplane
Brina loves to fly but when it is a couple hours past her bedtime after a super busy day once the flight is in the air she tends to crash. Glad to see her sleeping. If only I could curl up and sleep that comfortably on the airplane seat.
Karlie loves flying!
Karlie turning around to see what Dad and Mom are up to and sneaking a peek out our window too! She loves gazing out at all the city lights and watching as the plane lands.
I am truly grateful that both my girls love to travel and fly. They have always been excited about going on various adventures. It is a blessing to be able to travel to see family and friends. The items they pack in their back packs keep them busy for hours while on the plane or at the airports. I am thankful for the amazing memories we have created throughout our years of traveling together and look forward to many more.
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.
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.
Family Activities: Roller Blade Fun in the Basement
Karlie roller blading downstairs….I wonder if she’ll do the splits!
It was hilarious watching as the girls started to learn how to roller blade. Roller blading is a fun indoor activity both on the cold winter or hot summer days! The first few times we had them try out the roller blades on the carpet to make sure they could at least keep themselves upright. It was a little easier to move on the tile but also much easier to fall down too. They had plenty of falls, splits, and crashes that first time but eventually started figuring out how to move so they could stay upright.
Brina working on her roller blading, much more serious and focused on keeping her roller blades together.
As with any new skill your learning you may “crash”! Karlie giggling about her fall.
Brina getting back up after one of her crashes!
Someone’s having too much fun…..Karlie trying to scare me as she coasts across the room on her roller blades
