Twins
Travel & Vacation: Trip to the Pirate Park & Charleston Creamery
Stopping to refuel…..so thankful the girls both travel so well!
We have been on some long trips with our kids (over 40 hours of drive time) which makes us very thankful that they both love to travel. They get excited when we tell them they will get to “sleep” in the van. The girls love it when the road trip is more than 5 hours because that means Daddy will put in the DVD player for them to watch movies while we drive. They stay entertained when we we take the 2 or 4 hour trips as well with books, games, music, and more. It is always an adventure no matter where we go and the girls love exploring different areas as well as going back to our favorite parks or places we have visited in the past. The pictures in this post are from our winter trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Love seeing their smiles, watching them play, and thankful that they had a chance to relax for a few days.
Karlie relaxing on the bench and blowing some bubbles.
Brina checking out the pirate treasure chest full of sand at the “Pirate” Park on Daniel’s Island.
Karlie (she is wearing the black shirt in the middle of the ship) is checking out the big sunken pirate ship
Brina climbing the lighthouse at the pirate’s park
Look out…..here comes Karlie!
Look out BELOW!!! I can hear Brina giggling as she comes zipping down the slide.
Getting ice cream from their favorite ice cream store – Charleston Creamery! In this picture Karlie is choosing her 1st topping. After they select their ice cream flavors and toppings a robot puts it together for them. The girls LOVE it!
The robot is getting ready to make the ice cream.
Mesmerized by the robot making the ice cream!
Ta….Da……the ice cream treat is now ready to eat! Thanks Robot! 🙂 The robot only serves soft serve ice cream but you can get one of their many homemade flavors in a cup, cone, or shake!
Charleston Creamery has a place for the kids to sit and play with toys while you enjoy your treat too. It’s a great family owned ice cream store. It is one of the girls favorite places to visit while in the Charleston area. For more information about their store, location, upcoming events, specials, or their newest flavor of ice cream you can find them on Facebook!
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!
Travel & Vacation: Hanging Out on Daniel’s Island
One of our favorite places to visit….Daniel’s Island (near Charleston)!
Happy Brina Bee, she loves our trips to Daniel’s Island!
As I was going back over some of our pictures from the last several months I realized I didn’t share with you our winter trip to Daniel’s Island. The beautiful part about going to Daniel’s Island in the winter time is the weather is awesome. Majority of the time you don’t even need a jacket. The only thing the girls were disappointed about our winter visit is that the pool was closed (but that was only for a split moment)!
Karlie thrilled to be back in Daniel’s Island at the “turtle” park
Brina and Karlie hanging out in the white boat at the park
Oh boy……Karlie caught something and is bringing it over to show me, love the silly smile on her face as she brings the surprise!
Some serious discussions going on about how to take care of their big turtles
Brina and Karlie put together mini pizzas for our lunch together
Delicious Pizza! I snapped a picture before she wiped the pizza sauce off her face, but she’s all smiles after lunch!
Caught Brina doing twirls around the room after eating lunch….I think she’s ready for our next adventure!
Karlie loves spotting all the USA Flags. She insisted that I take a picture of the one flying over the tennis stadium.
Brina and Karlie standing in front of the “astronaut” in TGI Friday’s!
Brina played so hard today on Daniel’s Island she crashed instantly
Karlie is asleep with a smile on her face after a fun day
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!
New Upromise eCoupons for June 2012
Upromise has posted their new eCoupons for the month of June 2012. Remember to activate your eCoupons to get additional savings. If you have not yet signed up for Upromise you can get more information regarding on our experience or directly at the Upromise website.
This month they have 41 coupons you can activate for bonus savings. Once you activate your eCoupons all you have to do is scan your rewards card or purchase the items at the store and the cash will be added to your account. You don’t even have to carry any coupons to get the rewards!
You can go to their website for more information on the Upromise program, it’s free to join.
Kids in the Kitchen: Ham & Pasta Casserole Recipe
The girls made dinner for us this week. They wanted to try a casserole so Jake found a recipe from Better Homes & Garden and adapted it for the girls. They got the items out of the fridge and pantry, measured, and added them to the casserole. I did help with getting it in and out of the oven but otherwise they put the casserole together on their own. It turned out really well!
Ham & Pasta Casserole:
- 1 1/2 cups Milk
- 1 can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (10 3/4 oz)
- 2 cups diced cooked Ham
- 1 cup dried Elbow Macaroni
- 1 can sliced Mushrooms (4 oz)
- 1/2 cup chopped Onions
- 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
Grease a 8 x 8 pyrex dish and preheat oven for 375 degrees. Mix the milk and cream of chicken soup. Stir in the ham, macaroni, mushrooms, and onions. Cover the casserole and bake for 40 minutes or until the noodles are tender. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the casserole and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes prior to serving.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Our family had an opportunity to spend Memorial Weekend with some great friends. I am so thankful for the chance to catch up and have a fun time. My goals this week (for the most part) are the same as last week to keep it simple and moving forward.
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Connect with each family member at least once a daySchedule a Date Night with JakePrep for our upcoming Family Trip- Read at least one book to the girls every day – missed a couple of days over the weekend
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day – the weekend was pretty busy so skipped a couple of days
Plan & go on at least one family AdventureSpend some extra time catching up with family and friends
Personal Goals
Exercise – walk at least 5 days this weekReview my upcoming goals- Finish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst – working on it
- Finish reading No One to Call Me Home by Rev James J. Close – almost done
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWork on Spring / Deep Cleaning the HouseWeekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the weekSpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk – missed a couple days with the Memorial weekend activities
- Work on upcoming speaking engagement – didn’t get to it this week
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchBe a blessing to a total stranger this week- Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group – didn’t send out the email last week
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – made some headway
- Save money for upcoming trips – working on it
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – starting to put more aside
- Save money for upcoming home projects – on hold temporarily
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Connect with each family member at least once a day
- Prep for Summer Break
- Read at least one book to the girls every day
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
- Plan & go on at least one family Adventure
- Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Review my upcoming goals
- Finish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
- Finish reading No One to Call Me Home by Rev James J. Close
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Work on Spring / Deep Cleaning the House
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
- Work on upcoming speaking engagement
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Be a blessing to a total stranger this week
- Email the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community Group
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses (we finished saving up for a 3 month emergency fund so now we are working hard on getting our 6 month emergency fund established, the yard sale this past weekend was a good boost for us)
- Save money for upcoming trips
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
- Save money for upcoming home projects
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: Wrapping Paper Canoe
Brina and Karlie’s wrapping paper canoe
After a recent celebration at our house we had leftover wrapping paper, tissue paper, and a couple boxes. As I was cleaning up the girls asked if they could use the leftover items for a few days before we threw everything away. After a few moments of hesitation I decided it wouldn’t hurt anything to let them play with the items and get creative. They were thrilled to have such large pieces of wrapping paper and goodies to create something super special.
Once they decided what they wanted to do they took the largest piece of wrapping paper they could find and made a wrapping paper “canoe” out of it. The red tissue paper was used to create four rows of benches inside the canoe. They used some of the cardboard to make oars for their boat. I am not sure why they decided to make a canoe but they both worked together to come up with the idea and did well working together on it. I let them keep out their wrapping paper canoe for several days. I was pretty impressed with how they were able to put everything together all on their own and even made something that resembled a paddle out of cardboard.
Even though my preference would be to clean up the wrapping paper, cardboard, and tissue paper right away after the celebration I allowed myself to let go and let the girls have fun with the items. The items were trash but they had a blast creating, using the scissors and the glue to put together their wrapping paper canoe. Yes, I could have thrown all the wrapping items away as soon as the celebration was over but I would have never had the joy of watching my kids entertain themselves for hours with their handcrafted wrapping paper canoe! It is a great way to reuse the wrapping paper multiple times plus the kids have a blast too!
Cardboard paddle for their canoe
The Blessings of Motherhood!
Mother’s Day cards – can you guess who gave me which card?!
There are so many joys and rewards to being a Mom. As I reflect on the recent Mother’s Day I am once again reminded of the many blessings I have in my life. It took my husband and I several years before we had children so when I look back it on those days it reminds me of the precious gifts we have been given as well as the big responsibility of raising our girls.
Cards from Karlie and Brina with for Mother’s Day with pressed flowers
Not every day is easy nor does parenting always go perfectly for me. Somehow raising children has a way of “highlighting” the areas in my life that I need to work on. Several times over the past few months I have noticed more and more how my kids reflect my attitude, actions, and words. I have had to apologize to my kids for overreacting, saying something hurtful, or just being in a grumpy mood. Thankfully through all the successes as well as the failures my girls still love me and want to spend time with me.
Mother’s Day cards from Karlie & Brina
More than a week before Mother’s Day the girls announced that they were going to our neighbors garage sale to “shop” for a Mother’s Day gift so off they went with their little purses and money to the neighbors house. The girls and their cousin came back with bags in their hands and smiles on their faces. They were very excited to find treasures for Mother’s Day and they picked out some pretty cool stuff too. Brina got me a “Mom” necklace, pens, and lipstick and holder. Karlie got me a candle holder with candles, a mirror, and a “Mom” bracelet. The best part is that they picked it all out themselves and they put so much thought into their gifts.
Adorable note from my sweet Karlie
I was spoiled because both girls gave me 3 Mother’s Day cards too. Just reading their sweet cards brought tears to my eyes. They have grown up so much…..its hard to believe that only a few years ago they were tiny preemie babies and now they are shopping, writing their own cards, and so much more. God has richly blessed me with Brina and Karlie. I love them dearly and pray that I have wisdom from above to be the best Mom I can be for my girls.
Note and picture from my beautiful Brina
Jake is so good to me everyday but he always surprises me around Holidays. He made all the meals the entire weekend (it was a wonderful break). Jake is an amazing cook so I was really spoiled over Mother’s Day weekend. His cards always bring tears to my eyes. This year I got a brand new…..office chair from my man for Mother’s Day. Even though I don’t ever remember mentioning anything about my office chair he noticed that it was getting near its end. It has been nice having a comfy chair to work in this week! Thank you Handsome for your thoughtfulness, kindness, and love.
Mother’s Day drawing and note from my beautiful Karlie
The best part of the weekend was spending extra time with my family. It was the first weekend in a long time that it was just us hanging out together. We went on adventures, played games, read books, worked around the house, spent some time with friends, laughed, and just enjoyed our time as a family. I am thankful for the many memories and our moments together are a truly amazing gift.
Cute note in the card from my sweet Brina
Teaching Our Children: The Value of Learning
Jake reading to the girls
Jake and I have made it a priority to read to our girls because it is such a important skill to help them continue to learn. It is our desire to read to them or with them every day. When life gets really busy it doesn’t always happen but it is an activity all of us enjoy. Many times in the evening Jake will read to them after dinner. The girls love picking out a book to read, listening to us read, and looking at any pictures that are in the book.
On this particular day the girls picked out a book about raising and caring for goats for Daddy to read to them (yes there is more to the reason behind them picking out this particular book, I will give more information on this topic soon). It is so sweet watching Jake read to the girls and hearing all their questions. Thankful for those opportunities to slow down, sit down, and relax reading with the kids. Whether it is to spend quality time with your child or you get excited when your child asks the meaning of a new word or you want your child to develop her academic skills the time you spend reading with your child is valuable.
Here are a few benefits that I have discovered while reading to my kids:
- Develops a love for reading and a story
- Improved confidence in school
- Increased language development
- Demonstrates a variety communication skills and styles
- Opens up many new worlds and adventures for them
- Quality time with you
- Stimulates their imagination and creativity
There are many reasons why it is important to read to your children. As summer vacation quickly approaches I am reminded of the importance of reading with the girls. When the girls and I are reading a “chapter book” as they call it together they are always asking me to read the next chapter because they are so excited to hear what happens next. I think the most chapters they convinced me to read in one sitting was seven, I was having a blast following the story too! I want to encourage you to find ways to incorporate reading into your schedule everyday even over the summer break. How do you stimulate a healthy and fun reading environment for your kids over summer vacation?
Daddy reading about “goats” to the girls
I love Karlie’s intent look and Brina’s crazy listening position. They make me laugh but also reminds me of the many blessings in my life too!
Book: “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The girls and I just finished reading the Children’s Illustrated Classic The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. They LOVED it! It was a good story with enough of an adventure to keep them asking me to read “just one more chapter tonight, please Mom”!
The story is about a little girl from India named Mary Lennox. She was spoiled by everyone and had very little interaction with her parents. When her parents died she was sent to live with her Uncle in England, Lord Craven. Her Uncle was a sad man who was still mourning the death of his wife from 10 years ago and really did not want to have anything to do with Mary other then to make sure she had the food and necessities she needs. Mary learns to love life in England and has grand adventures exploring the manor’s gardens. As she continues to explore outside, learns how to garden, and meets new friends Mary was able to keep more then one hidden secret that took those living in the large manor by surprise.
The girls really enjoyed having me read this book out loud to them. The pictures and story really came alive for them as we processed on through the book. If you have you girls (or boys) and you are looking for a good book to read to them you should check this one out!
Benefits of Gymnastics
Karlie and Brina ready to try out gymnastics
Several months ago there was a Groupon for a local gymnastics class for more than 50% off regular price. We purchased two and gave them to the girls. They were so excited to start gymnastics. It was quite humorous watching them the first day attempt to do a cartwheel, handstand and all the other gymnastic type stuff. It didn’t take long though before they were getting better at the different skills. Here are just a few ways we noticed gymnastic helping in our girls:
- Hand – Eye Coordination
- Boost in Confidence
- Flexibility
- Health & Exercise
Do your kids take gymnastics or other sports? Have you noticed any positive benefits to the sport? I included a couple other fun pictures from their first day at gymnastics. They loved it!
Brina and Karlie ready for gymnastics….let’s go Mom!
Karlie trying out the high bar
Brina doing the bar for the first time (sorry this is fuzzy, it was hard taking good quality pictures on the other side of the glass and with them moving so much!)
