Winter Activities

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    On the back of my office door this SMART sign is hanging.  Some days when I look at it am encouraged while others I have to sigh because while I am continuing to make steps in the right direction there are those weeks that it feels like I am moving at a snails pace (or slower).  Maybe this is the week I can get caught up on some items!  Thankfully Jake is back home from his work travels and everyone seems to be healthy so that’s always good.  I am looking forward to the girls getting off school later this week for the Christmas Holidays!

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    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 Decorating  & Putting up Christmas Bins
    7. Work on Christmas List – working on it, a few more items to get done this week
    8. Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings – had a blast doing week 2!

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week – need to get back on track with this goal
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Reading / listening through my Bible – doing the 90 day plan through YouVersion – I FINISHED the 90 Day plan I was working through!!!! So excited that I stick to it! I am already looking forward to the next one!

    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. Tackle Fall Cleaning & Organization Projects – with all the Christmas activities going on this had to be put on hold temporarily
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

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

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email – opps this one fell through the cracks with the busy schedule this past week, we are done meeting until after the Holidays but meant to send out an email to the group

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van – working on it
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.) – slowly building it up
    4. Stay within Christmas Budget – need to review what Jake & I spent recently, it’s harder when he is traveling

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read to the girls and have them read to me daily
    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. Help with the girls School Christmas Parties
    7. Work on Christmas List
    8. Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 3)

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise at least 5 days this week
    2. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    3. Pick out my new YouVersion plan!
    4. Finish reading Significant Work by Paul Rude (super excited about this book!)
    5. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

    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. Finish Wrapping & Prepping for the Christmas Events
    4. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

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

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Write and Send Out Community Group Email

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Payoff the Van
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses (we are trying to build this back up because we had to take some out for unexpected expenses recently.)
    4. Stay within Christmas Budget

    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.

  • Fresh Christmas Wreath

    I DID IT!!!!!  I made my first ever fresh Christmas Wreath and it actually looks……like a wreath!  A friend hosted a Christmas Wreath get together recently and a bunch of us put together wreaths.  At first I was not entirely sure why I was there….it seemed like all the women in attendance were crafty and have excellent decorating tastes and then me (the person who has been in the same house for 10 years and still doesn’t have curtains up, gulp).

    I am thankful that Dee took the time to show me how to get started because without her guidance it would have been interesting I am sure.  It was nice catching up with friends (some who I hadn’t seen in months) while I put together my wreath.  It only took me a few minutes to get the base completed but as I was talking I continued stuffing more greens into the wreath and by the end this is what it looked like.

    I am not really sure how or what I did but I was pleased that it at least turned out well enough to hang on the front door especially for a “not-so-crafty” person!  Don’t get me wrong, I love crafts, its just mine rarely turn out looking like the picture or something I would want to hang on the front door!

    It was a fun night of food, fellowship, and wreaths.  I was shocked when I looked a my watch and several hours had gone by!  Guess, its true “time flies when your having fun” or in this case catching up with friends and making wreaths.  I am thankful for an opportunity to get together with some amazing women and for all the greenery people brought to share.  There were piles of greens in the garage, kitchen, dining, etc….  I am not sure exactly where all my greens came from but they are beautiful and smell awesome.  The only thing not fresh on the wreath is the berries.  They did have fresh berries at the party, however, I was told they dry up and will drop on the floor so I decided to use the fake berries because they would not get tracked across the carpet.

    Thanks Dee for hosting and for giving me a gentle shove out of my comfort zone to try something new.  You’re a great teacher!  I love having the fresh wreath on our front door!  While I won’t be teaching professional wreath making classes any time soon I would be more comfortable putting together another one in the future after this experience.

    Brina and Karlie were super excited to check out my wreath the next morning.  When I opened the door and they saw it this was their first responses:

    Karlie -“Wow, Mom that is beautiful!”

    Brina – “The goats would LOVE to eat it!”

    Love my girls, they know how to make my day so much brighter!

    My first fresh Christmas Wreath hanging on the front door!

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 2)

    Fresh Citrus Christmas Potpourri wrapped up and given to friends & neighbors this week

    We into our second week of  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises).   It has been a lot of fun doing the daily activities and doing our best to be a blessing to those we meet.  Seriously, I feel like we walk away from an activity feeling more blessed then we did going into it.   What a joy it has been participating in intentional acts of kindness during the Holiday Season.

    In some cases we get to see who receives our B.L.E.S.S. gift and in other cases we will never know who is on the receiving end.  We pray that whoever receives or finds these gifts will experience joy during this Holiday Season.  Each night we take down the B.L.E.S.S. activity for the next day and read the verse and the activity then pray for those who have and will receive our little BLESS’ings.

    Gift bags full of goodies for our Community Group members

    Here is what we have done so far and a couple pictures to share of our adventures:

    • Day 8 – Gave a donation to the Salvation Army at a local Big Lots store.  Brina was the one with me when we put the money into the red container.  It was a great opportunity to discuss what Salvation Army was and why they collect money during this time of year.

    Fresh Christmas Potpourri gift

    • Day 9 –  Put together little gifts (Fresh Christmas Potpourri and a bag of Chocolates) for the families within our Community Group and delivered them at our Christmas Social.  Thankful for the neat people God has placed in our group this year.

    Brina and Karlie helping me put away all the AWESOME food families donated during the Awana Food Drive.  The pantries are restocked and ready to be a blessing to people within our community.  Thankful for the girls help getting everything put away (love those chickadees)!

    • Day 10 – Organized and put away food items into the Alms & Legs Food Pantry after the Awana Food Drive.  I was SUPER EXCITED to see the cabinets full again!  Praying that the food will be a huge blessing on the lives of those who need it.
    • Day 11 – Brought a bag with goodies to the tutor for Christmas to brighten her day and spread some cheer.

    Lasagna, garlic bread & Coke are in the van and on their way to a friend

    • Day 12 – Made and delivered a meal to a friend to help out.  The girls had a lot of fun delivering the meal and playing for a few minutes with their friends.  Praying for our dear friend as she is going through radiation while trying to take care of her family, we hope the meal was a blessing to them this week.

    One of the baskets full of goodies for our neighbors

    • Day 13 – Delivered Christmas goodies to our neighbors.  I made Fresh Christmas Potpourri and homemade sweet treats!  The girls look forward to this activity.  The have a lot of fun delivering the gifts and catching up for a few minutes with each neighbor.  Thankfully our neighborhood is fairly small so we had plenty of time to do it in the afternoon after school.
    • Day 14 – While at KMart checking out I was talking with the cashier asking about her day, if she was ready for Christmas, and such.  Through the conversation I found out that she is a single Mom with a girl the same age as my girls.  I felt led to be a blessing to her.  Even though I paid cash for the transaction I told her to keep the change (which wasn’t a lot) and put it towards something little for her girl this Christmas.  Even though Jake has to travel sometimes I am very grateful for him and everything he does for our family, I cannot imagine how busy it must be as a single Mom.

    One of our favorite verses this week went along with our Day 13 activity.

    This is my commandment, that you have love one another as I have loved you.  – John 15:12

    It has been a lot of fun working on ways we can be a blessing to others.  This verse talked about “loving others” which can be difficult at times because some people are just hard to get a long with.  We talked about why it is important to show love and compassion to those around us.  The girls decided that when we find it hard to love someone we should ask Jesus for help and to adjust our attitude towards that person because there are many days we are not lovely people ourselves yet God always loves us.

    It is fun be to be a blessing to others not because we anticipate any rewards or benefits from it, but because we were given the greatest gift of all.  God’s love, grace, and mercy.  He wants us to give cheerfully from the heart.

    Basket full of goodies to deliver with the meal on day 12 – Rice Krispy treats, fruit salad, lettuce salad, and a box of Angry Bird fruit snacks!

    I am super excited to see how great this B.L.E.S.S. activity is going already.  It has been a true joy sharing with others (many of whom we’ll never meet).  It has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing what will happen with our fun adventures this week.

    Neighbors gifts are ready to be hand delivered!  The girls LOVE delivering the gifts and catching up for a few minutes with the neighbors!

    The main purpose of this activity is to teach our family the joy of giving and sharing to those around us.  I plan to do another update on our fun B.L.E.S.S. adventures next week.  Sometimes it’s the little stuff that can make the most positive impact.  I would love to hear how you are spreading the Christmas cheer this Holiday Season.

    To learn more about our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activity and what we have done far check out the links below:

    Below are the printable versions of the  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities, verses, and sheets to handout so here they are for your family to enjoy as well:

  • Snowman Pizza

    Snowman Pizza

    Cool days, Christmas approaching quickly, and pizza just seem to go together really well.  During the Holidays the girls always hope for snow.  I can only remember one Christmas since my time in South Carolina where it actually snowed on Christmas day so that’s a rare treat!

    The nice part about snowman pizza is you don’t actually need snow to make it!  We made homemade pizza and decorated it.  The girls chose black olives for his mouth, a cheese wedge for his nose, pepperoni (with black olives) for the eyes, and two slices of ham for the eyebrows.

    You can use your favorite pizza recipe and make any snowman variation you want.  If you are looking for a pizza recipe here is one of our favorites from Money Saving Mom.  You can get really creative and make three separate pizzas and put them together to make a whole snowman (instead of just the head).  🙂

    Freezer-Friendly Homemade Pizza Dough

    • 2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
    • 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 4 Tablespoons oil (vegetable, Canola, or olive oil)
    • 5 cups flour (can use all whole-wheat, half white/half whole-wheat, or all white)

    Pour the warm water into a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir to dissolve.

    Add the remaining ingredients and mix.

    Dump onto a floured surface and knead dough for two to five minutes until smooth and no longer sticky.

    To freeze: Cut lump of dough in half and place each half in an airtight freezer bag. Freeze for up to 4-6 weeks.

    To bake: Place frozen dough in a greased bowl and thaw at room temperature for at least 3-4 hours. Roll out and shape onto a greased pizza pan.

    Add pizza toppings of your choice. Bake at 500 degrees for around 10 minutes (until the crust looks crispy and lightly browned).

    If you don’t want to mess with freezing the dough, take the kneaded dough and roll out and shape onto a greased pizza pan. Add pizza toppings and bake as directed above.

  • Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas

    It’s that time of year again…..excitement is building and the countdown to the final days of Christmas draws nearer.  This year we decided to spread the Holiday Cheer out at our house this year by doing the 12 Days of Christmas again.  I did this last year and  the year before; both years it was a huge hit!

    Christmas morning can be so busy and this allows an opportunity to spread the fun over 12 days instead of packing everything into one day.  Starting December 13th the girls will be able to open one a day with the last one being opened on Christmas Eve.  The cost in the previous years was less than $20 total, including boxes and wrapping paper, however, we decided to add their “big” gift to this stack.  Most of the gifts were bought on clearance over the past year and their big gift really wasn’t that much because we got a great deal on it.  We did a joint stack for both of our girls, although you can choose to do a stack for each person.

    12 Days of Christmas

    • Day 1:  Reindeer Christmas Socks (purchase last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 2:  White Christmas Teddy Bear Shaped Soap (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance and with rewards)
    • Day 3:  “B” and “K” Candy Cane Striped Christmas Ornament for each girl (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 4:  Christmas Stocking Sticker Craft (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 5:  Two Colgate Kids Christmas Toothpastes  (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 6:  Two Christmas Games – Pin the Star on the Tree & Christmas Checkers (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 7:  Christmas Bear Pez Dispensers and Pez Candy Packs (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 8:  Disney Cars Christmas Spiral Notebooks (purchased on clearance with rewards)
    • Day 9:  Gingerbread House Kit (purchased on clearance)
    • Day 10:  Princess and Frosty Hot Chocolate Tins Sets (found on clearance at Kmart and used gift card)
    • Day 11:  New Winter PJ’s for each to wear (picked up on sale)
    • Day 12: New Digital Camera’s (purchased when it was on sale with Swagbucks gift cards)

    Their cameras are their “big” items for Christmas this year.  Jake and I decided to give them to the girls for the last day of their 12 Days of Christmas so they would have the cameras to use on Christmas Day.  The girls are taking more and more pictures these days.  The inexpensive, non-English digital cameras that we bought for them several years ago have held up remarkably well.  Whenever their cameras are not working over the past several months they were asking to borrow mine to use so we decided to do a little research, save up (including earning Swagbucks) and get them a little better quality cameras this year since they both are showing a big interest in photography and creative writing.  The cameras made my typical $20 or less 12 Days of Christmas gifts a little higher this year but since it included their big gift for the Holidays I am okay with that because they will be so excited to start using them.  This time around we got the same camera, but in different colors to help keep track whose is whose without putting names on each camera.

    Other Ideas for 12 Days of Christmas:

    • Hair Accessories
    • Facial Cleansers or Make Up – if you have a teenager just starting to wear makeup or want to update your collection my Mary Kay contact is doing a 12 Day of Christmas set!  If your husband is looking for something awesome to get you he may want to contact Ann too.
    • Socks or Tights
    • Chapstick
    • Socks
    • Gloves or Scarf
    • Card Game
    • Construction Paper
    • Markers or Crayons
    • Matchbox cars
    • Small Toys
    • Baby Doll Clothes
    • Christmas Underwear
    • The ideas are endless!

    I wrapped them in the original boxes or found ones around the house to put the items into.  The Christmas paper was purchased on clearance and I used a coupon.  Many of the items we purchased on clearance throughout the year and / or used CVS – ECBs and Walgreens – Register Rewards, Swagbucks Gift Cards or Coupons.  I cannot remember the price for all the items but with the rewards it very reasonable price for 12 gifts and some days had multiple items in them.

    We did a joint stack for our girls to save money, however, the items we picked match their individual interests (for example, the pj’s were themed to match each girls tastes).  When the girls walked into the room and saw the stack of gifts they were super excited.  Love seeing their faces and hearing their comments when they first see the stack.

  • Snowmen Mini Donuts

    The girls were so excited to make and eat these cute snowmen.  After you finish making your snowmen, grab a cup of hot chocolate, your family, and curl up on the couch next to the Christmas tree or fireplace and enjoy.

    Snowmen Mini Donuts

    Our Blue Eyed and Green Mouth Snowman

    The girls love these little powdered donut snowmen!

    Our pretty girlie snowman

  • Easy Snowflake Marshmallows

    The girls loved having these marshmallows in their hot chocolate!

    Yes, I know you can make fabulous homemade marshmallows, but if you are limited on time and resources this is a quick, easy, and fun food craft you can do with your kids.  You only need 2 items to do  these cute snowflake marshmallows (and you probably have these items in your kitchen already).  The kids will LOVE these marshmallows in their next cup of hot chocolate!

    Easy Snowflake Marshmallows

    • 1 bag Large White Marshmallows
    • 1 pair clean Kitchen Scissors
    • Optional – Small Cookie Cutters

    Take one large marshmallow and flatten it with a rolling pin (it doesn’t need to be completely flat just enough so you can cut it easily).  Use your scissors to cut snowflake or other shape for your marshmallow.  If you have small cookie cutters you can use those to cut out the shapes.  You can do as many or few marshmallows as you like.  Place the marshmallows on a serving platter and enjoy with your next cup of hot chocolate.

    I did a mix of scissor and cookie cutter snowflakes.  You can do snowflakes, stars, trees, or whatever shapes you want.  The girls wanted to help, they did more of the cookie cutter ones but enjoyed experimenting with cutting the snowflakes with scissors.  These are cute for a fun evening with the family or a get together with a larger group.

    One of the super easy cookie cutter marshmallow treats the girls made!  They ended up eating some of the snowflake outlines and the rest they used in their hot chocolates.

    Snowflake melting in a mug of hot chocolate

    Another cool “experiment” the kids can do with their snowflakes…..have them check out how much the snowflakes grow (expand) while in the hot chocolate!  Take a tooth pick and carefully pull the marshmallow out of the hot chocolate after it has been in only 30 seconds or so (depending on temperature of your hot chocolate) and see how plump your snowflake looks now.  The kids will LOVE it! 🙂

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 1)

    The girls picked up Pop-Up Christmas Stickers to give out to kids!

    We have officially started our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises) and in all honesty I think we have been blessed more by doing these activities.  It has been a real joy doing these fun events everyday and it has been a great experience again this year.

    In some cases we get to see who receives our B.L.E.S.S. gift and in other cases we will never know who is on the receiving end.  We pray that whoever receives or finds these gifts will experience joy during this Holiday Season.  Each night we take down the B.L.E.S.S. activity for the next day and read the verse and the activity then pray for those who have and will receive our little BLESS’ings.

    Our Christmas Pop-Up Stickers and B.L.E.S.S. card in a “penguin” bag so we can hand them out easier!

    Here is what we have done so far and a couple pictures to share of our adventures:

    • Day 1 – Handed out “pop-up” Christmas stickers to people we encountered throughout our day, including while we were running errands.  The girls even saw a couple of friends that day to give the stickers to as well (they were so excited).  The stickers they picked out were pretty neat, they have something like a little bubble under each one and when you pushed it down it would pop up within a few seconds making a little clicking noise (quite fascinating for all the kids).  Loved watching the girls give out the stickers and demonstrate how they work.
    • Day 2 – I had to make a trip to CVS Pharmacy to pick up some items.  Since I was in no hurry I decided to let the person behind me in line go first.  She seemed to have a lot of her mind and was in a hurry that day.  She was super sweet and thanked me several times for letting her go ahead of me.

    Donating to the Food Pantry

    • Day 3 – Picked out items to donate to our Church’s Alms & Legs Food Pantry.  The girls Awana is doing a food drive this upcoming Sunday.  The Food Pantry helps people in the local community who are in need of food and encouragement.

    Sharing some Pampers diapers and Clorox wipes

    • Day 4 – The girls were super excited to bring a pack of Pampers diapers and a container of Clorox wipes to our Doctors appointment today.  The Doctor, and his wife, recently had their first baby so we all thought it would be something practical we could share with them.  Brina loved bringing in the diapers and Karlie thought the wipes were an excellent idea especially with all the germs that are around during the Christmas Holidays.
    • Day 5 – While I was at the store today picking up items I noticed there were no carts in the store because they were all sitting on the sidewalks outside the store.  I decided to gather up as many carts as I could and take them back into the store.  It didn’t take much of my time yet it not only helped the store but those wanting to purchase items while they were there.

    Some of the goodies we have picked up for Country Santa this year

    • Day 6 – We picked out and donated gifts to Country Santa today which gives Christmas presents to local children who would otherwise have no gifts at Christmas.  The girls love giving to Country Santa because they get to help make another kid(s) Christmas  special. We pray that these gifts will be a to blessing to the kids that will receive these gifts for Christmas.

    Heart of Christmas – Toothbrushes, Toothpastes, and Pants

    • Day 7 –  Picked up hot pink Junior Pants for a sweet girl, 7 tubes of Toothpaste, and 7 Toothbrushes to donate to the “Heart of Christmas” event.  Our Church collects items for kids in our local schools who need clothing and hygiene items.  Since we were sick last Sunday we were not able to sign up directly, but when I emailed the person coordinating the event she said that these 15 items were still needed

    One of our favorite verses this week went along with our Day 6 activity. 

    Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. – Luke 6:38

    It has been a lot of fun working on ways we can be a blessing to others.  This verse talked about “giving” so it was a great one to discuss with the kids.  We talked about why it is important to share, give, and be to be a blessing to others not because we anticipate any rewards from it or benefits from it, but because we were given the greatest gift of all.  God’s love, grace, and mercy.  He wants us to give cheerfully from the heart.

    Hot pink pants wrapped up with some extra goodies to be given to a teenager in our community through “Heart of Christmas”

    I am super excited to see how great this B.L.E.S.S. activity is going already.  It has been a true joy sharing with others (many of whom we’ll never meet).  It has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing what will happen with our fun adventures this week.

    The main purpose of this activity is to teach our family the joy of giving and sharing to those around us.  I plan to do another update on our fun B.L.E.S.S. adventures next week.  Sometimes it’s the little stuff that can make the most positive impact.  I would love to hear how you are spreading the Christmas cheer this Holiday Season.

    Below are the printable versions of the  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities, verses, and sheets to handout so here they are for your family to enjoy as well:

  • Travel & Vacation: Charleston History & Sites to See (part 2)

    Checking out a more modern one….some serious discussions are taking place.

    This post is in addition from our post earlier today on Travel & Vacation: Charleston History & Sites to See.    At least one night every time we go with Jake to Charleston we spend some time in walking through Battery Park looking at all the monuments, reading them and talking about history.  You would think by now the girls have this park memorized and would be tired of it, but they request to go here every time we are in the Charleston area.  The pictures of Battery Park are a little darker because we went at night.  Plus you’ll see some other great items to look out for on your road trip to Charleston (at least if you are heading to Charleston from the same direction we go).

    The girls always request a trip to battery park when we are in Charleston

    A large monument in Battery Park, the girls want us to read the monument then they have fun seeing how many different states they can find etched on the stones.

    Exploring the cannons at Battery Park

    This tree’s looking a little spooky at night in battery park.  Still haven’t figured out the meaning behind the white feathers from an earlier trip Travel & Vacation: Fun in Charleston.  If you know the reason I would love to find out!

    Mommy and girls in the giant gazebo at Battery Park

    Karlie especially gets excited when we pass the “rocket” because she loves rockets.  Brina gets excited because she knows that we are almost to Daniel’s Island! 🙂

    Another favorite sight on our trip to and from Charleston!  The girls always love seeing the USA Flag and on the other side of the road is a huge smiley face!

    While Battery Park is one of the kids favorite places to visit it is only one of the many great historical sites to see while in Charleston.  You can take a tour of Fort Sumter or Fort Moultrie or take a ride on a horse drawn carriage through Charleston as they share history and facts with you or many more wonderful activities.  Battery Park is an easy one because it is free (as long as you can find parking).  What are some other great historical or fun places to visit in the Charleston area?

    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: Charleston History & Sites to See

    Karlie and Brina standing at the pier with Patriots Point and USS Yorktown in the background.

    Brina and Karlie love going to Charleston with us.  One of their favorite things to do in Charleston is to explore and learn tidbits of history.  Charleston has a lot of history so it has provided many opportunities for us to learn and appreciate our country’s history.  We always visit Waterfront Park in Mount Pleasant whenever we go to Charleston.  Near the pier is an area with a fountain, monuments, and plaques honoring our military.  You can also see the USS Yorktown from that area too (see picture above).  There are other areas in Mount Pleasant, Daniel’s Island and Charleston with a lot of history as well.  Here is a few we enjoy visiting when we are in the area.

    A sign near the monument

    Monument….”on behalf of a grateful nation”

    Department of Army (1775) monument

    Throwing their coins into the fountain.

    United States Coast Guard (1790)

    South Carolina state flag flying in the wind next to the monuments

    United States Air Force

    Fountain near waterfront park

    Department of the Navy – United State of America

    This one is on Daniel’s Island and says “By 1680, Charleston had moved to its present location and was growing rapidly.  It attracted French Huguenots and others drawn by the promise of religious tolerance and available land.”

    Department of Navy – United States Marine Corps

    In Peace and War – United States Merchant Marine (1775)

     The neat part about reading these monuments with the girls is that it gives us an opportunity to discuss our country, its history, and show appreciation for the men and women who have served and those who are currently serving.  We have many amazing blessings living in the United States.  No country is perfect, but we have a lot of great things to celebrate in our history.

    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!