Family Finances
Family Activities: Enjoying the Simple Things in Life……
Jake pulling Brina and Karlie in the wagon (Brina’s waving at me).
When the weather is beautiful you’ll often see our family outside. After more than a year without the mower we finally were able to get it fixed. My Dad and Grandpa actually found a local mower repairman that fixes older lawn mowers in his garage (we were thankful for the help in locating someone to get the mower repaired for a reasonable price, isn’t family awesome). You don’t realize how much you use a mower until it is broken.
When there isn’t the extra funds to fix it or to buy a new one you make do with what you have. We did purchase a walk behind cylinder mower (the one with just the blades, no motor) for a $6 dollars at a yard sale that helped hold us over until the mower could be fixed. With the push mower (and you really had to push with all the weeds in our yard) and weed eater we were able to keep the weeds down and made the front yard presentable which bought us some time.
Since the mower was working again and the girls had been helping they were given a ride in the wagon. It is amazing how just a simple ride in the wagon can bring out the giggles in the kids. If you take a simple activity like pulling the wagon behind the mower and make it an adventure the kids will have fun.
It didn’t take much of Jake’s time to give them a ride around the yard but it meant a lot to the kids. Even if you cannot do something big or fancy for your kids taking a walk, pulling them in the wagon, collecting funny looking sticks, or playing catch can be great opportunities to spend time together. The point is to deliberately spend quality time with your kids everyday. These precious memories are ones that you will look back and smile at because before long they will be all grown up. What are some fun activities that you do together in the yard?
Family Outings: A Walk in the Park
Brina and Karlie pausing “briefly” on our walk so I can snap a picture!
Every once in awhile when the girls are off school and it is a beautiful day we get to meet Daddy for a quick picnic and walk in the park. Legacy Park is pretty close to Jake’s work so he can pop over and meet us over his lunch hour. I think the girls get more excited about going for a walk around the park then eating, ha!
Legacy Park has paved paths for walking, biking or jogging plus a playground for the kids, beach volleyball, and a big open field perfect for flying kites or playing soccer. On those hot days they have plenty of shade and restrooms (which are very nice for little kids). I treasure these moments when we get get together over the lunch hour to grab a bite to eat, walk, talk, and play together as a family. I think it is important to have some relaxing times built into our schedules. Not only do we get a few extra minutes together as a family we get fresh air and some exercise which is beneficial for all of us!
Do you have a park you enjoy going to for a picnic or to play?
New Coupon: Planters Peanut Butter
Planters Peanut Butter has a new coupon! Use $1.50 off 2 Planters Peanut Butter Coupon right now. The coupon is for a 16 oz jar of Planters Peanut Butter. With the sales at the stores this week the peanut butter a little over $1.00 each!
Publix
Planters Peanut Butter (16 oz) BOGO – $3.69 ($1.84 ea.)
Use $1.50/2 Planters Coupon
$1.09 each after couponWalmart
Planters Peanut Butter (16 oz) – $1.98
Use $1.50/2 Planters Coupon
$1.23 each after couponTarget
Planters Peanut Butter (16 oz) – $1.99
Use $1.50/2 Planters Coupon
$1.24 each after couponIf you don’t need peanut butter right now print out the coupon and hold onto it until the next $1.50 Planters Peanut Butter sale and get the peanut for $0.75 each! Great time to stock up on peanut butter with this coupon. These will come in handy with the school and work lunches.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was busy with Jake having a couple travel days with work and everyone fully back into the regular schedule with work and school. As we move into the middle of the first month of 2012 I am reminded of all the goals that I want to accomplish this year. The best part about staying on top of the goals (weekly check ins) is it points me back to my true priorities and provides stepping stones to where I want to be in the next year, 5 years, and more.
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everydayRead a book to the girls everyday- Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this week – we did four nights so not quite 5 this week
Set up a Date Night for Jake & Iand a Date Night for the Kids – got Jake’s set up but need to get a date on the calendar for the girlsThank You notes written and sent for the Christmas Gifts– written, stamped, and addressed will go in the mail Tuesday 1/17
Personal Goals
Exercise – walk at least 5 days this weekYAY! I stuck with it this week and did it!!! 🙂- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday – need to work on getting better on this one
Finish reading The 60-Minute Money Workout by Ellie KayRead and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the houseDinner ready by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)Spend time re-organizing and de-cluttering the office
Business Goals
Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog postsSpend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk- Plan new implementations for blog – just didn’t get to it this week with all the other activities
Schedule client meetings at least 2 weeks in advance
Ministry Goals
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsMeet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchWrite and send out Meeting Notes from our January Alms & Legs Team Ministry meeting
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – went over $40 budget but had enough cash to cover the groceries
- Emergency Fund – start saving 3 months worth of living expenses – started working on it this week but not completed yet
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this week
- Go on my Date Night with Jake (we got free movie tickets so excited to enjoy some time away together)
- Get the girls Birthday Party Details Started
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday
- Finish reading Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk
- Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
- Get my Travel Visa Application Sent
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner ready by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
- Spend time re-organizing and de-cluttering the office
- Update Family & Friends Contact Information
Business Goals
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Plan new implementations for blog
- Work on 2011 business taxes
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
- Start working on our personal 2011 taxes
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
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
It was a wild week, our family has a lot of fun adventures coming up so I am trying to stop on top of everything. Hopefully I will be able to share a little bit more about our upcoming plans before long. I was not able to get to the grocery store until late on Friday but thankfully was able to pick up almost everything I needed this week even if I did got a little over budget. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from Save A Lot | Rite Aid, Walmart, Ingles, and Walgreens
Save A Lot | Rite Aid Groceries:
- $7.90 at Save A Lot | Rite Aid for 2 boxes Blue Bonnet sticks of butter, 2 boxes Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, 1 container Butter Spread (3 lb), and 1 bag Carrots (2 lbs). (All the items were on sale or clearance.)
Walmart Groceries:
- $0.00 at Walmart for 1 bag Whole Wheat Sandwich Rolls (on clearance), 1 bag Everything French Bread (on clearance), 1 bag Chocolate Chips, 1 box Popcorn (8 count), 2 liter Mountain Dew (price matched), and 1 box Idaho Potatoes (free product coupon). (Bought items on sale or clearance and paid with a gift card so the total was zero.)
Ingles Groceries:
- $42.84 at Ingles for 1 jar Peter Pan Natural Peanut Butter, 1 can Tuna Fish, 1 Starkist Tuna Fish, 2 boxes Pop Secret Popcorn, 2 loaves Laura Lynn Bread, 4 bags Laura Lynn Shredded Cheese, 2 blocks Laura Lynn Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 2 Laura Lynn sliced Cheese (16 count each), 2 boxes Breakfast Biscuits / Pancakes (on clearance, 10 count each), 6 containers Fresh Blueberries (on clearance), 3 bags Snow Peas (on clearance), 1 container Cherry Chocolate Covered Pretzels (on clearance), 1 container Roasted Soybeans (on clearance), 2 bottles Bare Naked Fruit Drinks (on clearance), 2 Laura Lynn English Muffins (6 count each) and 2 sweet Yellow Onions. Not pictured 3 bags of chips we purchased to take over to a friends house. (Everything I bought this week at Ingles was on sale, marked down, or on clearance. All the produce was marked down to $0.99 cents, I was able to pick up some more cheese on sale, and used some coupons for the items purchased!)
Walgreens Groceries:
- $0.65 at Walgreens for 2 dozen Eggs, 1 S6 Power Bar, 1bag Domino Sugar (4 lbs), and 1 two liter A&W Root Beer (everything was on sale, I used $9.59 in coupons, and I received $1.89 in Register Rewards back to use towards my next purchase.)
This week I spent $51.39 on groceries. Even though I was over on my budgeted amount for the week I was able to stock up on some items at the same time plus I had a little extra to spend since I had come under budget in previous weeks. I was thrilled to stock up on produce (blueberries) and diary items as well as other great fridge & pantry items this week. I hope that next week is better week and we can come under budget!
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Book: “The 60 Minute Money Workout” by Ellie Kay
I recently finished reading The 60-Minute Money Workout by Ellie Kay. Each chapter was designed for a 60 minute personal finance workout once a week. You can work through the chapters on your own or with your spouse. The author uses the personal finance steps like an exercise workout but for your finances.
The five “workout” steps are covered in each chapter:
- Warm Up – prep for your money workout (5 minutes)
- Strength Training – set financial goals (10 minutes)
- Cardio Burn – put goals into action (20 minutes)
- Heart Rate – measure financial performance (20 minutes)
- Cool Down – Reward Yourself (5 minutes)
The book includes nuggets of personal finance information as well as worksheets that you can use or you can go to her website for additional worksheets and tools. Several of the financial principles she goes over are great for someone or a couple just starting to get their finances in order. I do agree with Ellie Kay on the importance of paying off debt, saving for emergencies and paying cash whenever possible. I think her “10/10/80 Rule” is a good starting point too:
- 10% – Share with nonprofit organization (church or other worthy organization)
- 10% – Save through an allotment or designation to a savings account and for investments
- 80% – Spend wisely
Making it a habit to give, save, as well as where you spend your money is valuable with the intention that you would eventually get better with your finances and you will be able to both give and save even more then the initial 10%. The author gives several quizzes throughout the book to help you identify were you are at on certain area of personal finance, such as personalities, spending, saving, debt, and more. I do like that she dips into the entrepreneurial side especially for the kids and small businesses.
Overall I think Ellie Kay provides a good basis for personal finance with nuggets of valuable information to get you started on the right track. At times I felt the five workout steps distracted from the content of the chapters and there were a couple areas I felt could have been more detailed such as outlining how to set up your first basic budget. Even if you have already been following the majority of the principles she outlines in her book it is good to be reminded of some areas that may need continual improvement.
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Step 1: Rate my review below (select the number of stars, enter your email, and hit submit).
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Once you rated my review AND confirmed your email, you will automatically entered in a giveaway for this book by WaterBrook Multnomah!!! They will pick one person to receive a copy of the book for themselves! WaterBrook Multnomah will contact the winner directly.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher through the Waterhouse Multnomah. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of January 11 – 17, 2012
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. You can start stocking up on some great deals for upcoming Holiday cooking. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Boneless Chicken Breast – $1.29 per lb
Boneless Pork Loin Roast – $1.99 per lb
Ground Beef (80% Lean) – $1.99 per lb
Boneless Chuck Roast – $2.69 per lb
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Milk (1 Gallon) – $2.99
Tony’s Original Crust Pizza, Supreme or Pepperoni (12 to 14 oz) – $1.99
Hungry Man Turkey or Salisbury Steak Dinner (16 oz) – $1.99
Banquet Pot Pies (7 oz) – $0.59
Michelina’s Pizzas Rolls (90 count) – $4.99
Snack-A-Tizers Pepperoni Pizza Bagels Bites (40 count) – $4.99
Blue Bonnet Spread (45 oz) – $2.49
Borden Shredded Cheese (8 oz) – $2.00
Coburn Farms Yogurt (4 oz) – $0.50
Coburn Farms EggZactly (16 oz) – $1.99
Produce
Biggin’s Potatoes (10 pounds) – $2.99
Red or Golden Delicious Apples (5 pounds) – $2.99
California Navel Oranges (8 pounds) – $4.99
Green Peppers – $0.50
Yellow Onions (3 pounds) – $1.29
Carrots (2 pounds) – $1.00
Dole Garden Salads (12 oz) – $1.00
Household
Power Cycle 2x Liquid Laundry Detergent (175 oz) – $5.99
Grocery
Maxwell House Wake Up Roast Coffee (34.5 oz) – $6.99
General Mills Cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Trix, or Golden Grahams (10 to 12 oz) – $1.99
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 12/11 Smart Source (Expires 1/21/12)
Use $1.00/1 coupon found on some boxes (Expires 3/28/12)
As low as $0.99 each after couponSundia Fruit Cups (8 oz) – $1.00
Nabisco Oreos (15 to 16 oz) – $2.99
Dinty Moore Beef Stew (24 oz) – $1.99
Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce (15.5 oz) – $0.99
Old Orchard Apple Cocktail Juice (64 oz) – $1.99
Use $0.50/1 printable coupon from Old Orchard
$1.49 each after couponKaskey’s Lowfat Cream of Mushroom Soup (10.5 oz) – $0.89
Kaskey’s Lower Sodium Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup (18.6 oz) – $1.79
Medeiros Extra Virgin Olive Oil (17 oz) – $4.29
Rollin Oats Quick or Old Fashioned (42 oz) – $2.29
Morning Delight Sugar Free Pancake Syrup (12 oz) – $1.49
Nature’s Trail Chewy Fiber Bars (7 oz) – $2.29
Shelby Grove’s Fruit Cocktail or Sliced Peaches (15 oz) – $0.99
Portmann Ranch Salad Dressing (16 oz) – $1.49
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
The week started off with some one-on-one time with Jake and I as the girls returned to school followed by some fun family time together. It is rare to have several hours at home alone with Jake so we spent some quiet time talking, relaxing, playing games and working on projects together. Having those few hours together was refreshing which helped jump start our 2012 year. I am ready to pick back up on speed with setting and following my goals, thanks for your encouragement and keeping me accountable.
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everydayRead a book to the girls everydaySpend extra time with my family while the girls are on Christmas Break!
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – didn’t quite make it this week
Listen to Dumping Debt by Dave Ramsey
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
Business Goals
Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog posts
Ministry Goals
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4Pay off remaining debt– We made it, the final payments are being made on the last two items! Now we can start working on saving for our 3 month Emergency Fund
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this week
- Set up a Date Night for Jake & I and a Date Night for the Kids
- Thank You notes written and sent for the Christmas Gifts
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday
- Finish reading The 60-Minute Money Workout by Ellie Kay
- Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner ready by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
- Spend time re-organizing and de-cluttering the office
Business Goals
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Plan new implementations for blog
- Schedule client meetings at least 2 weeks in advance
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Write and send out Meeting Notes from our January Alms & Legs Team Ministry meeting
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – start saving 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
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
I am back on schedule with sharing my grocery budget for those who asked if I was continuing (thanks for checking on me). While the girls were out of school for the Holidays and Jake had a few days off work I decided to take a break from posting my Groceries $40 for 4. I did stay close (I went over by a little bit) to our target budget but did not take any pictures since my priority was spending time with my family during the Holidays. Now that school and work are back to normal routine I plan to share regularly with you. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
- $30.04 at Ingles for 3 boxes Fiber One Blueberry Yogurt, 4 boxes Fiber One Key Lime Pie Yogurt, 1 box Laura Lynn Taco Shells, 1 bottle Eggnog, 1 container fresh Portabella Mushrooms, 1 container fresh Black Eye Peas, 1 container fresh Raspberries, 4 packs Laura Lynn Sharp Cheddar block cheese, 4 bags Sargento Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, 4 bags Sargento Shredded Mexican Cheese, 1 box Laura Lynn Oatmeal, 1 head Caulifornia, 1 head Lettuce, and 1 bag Coleslaw. (Everything I bought this week at Ingles was on sale, marked down, or on clearance. All the produce was marked down to $0.99 cents, the yogurt was marked down to 50 cents, and all the cheese was on sale! We should be stocked up on cheese for awhile, somehow we manage to go through a lot in our house!)
Walgreens Groceries:
- $3.58 at Walgreens for 2 gallons of Milk (the milk was on sale for $2.79 each and I used a $2.00 coupon)
KMart Groceries:
- $3.00 at KMart for 12 pack A&W Root Beer (on sale and a special treat for my husband since he works so hard to provide for our family I decided it was worth the “splurge” for him.)
This week I spent $36.61 on groceries. Even though I was under on my budgeted amount for the week I was able to stock up on some items at the same time plus it allows me a little extra to spend next week if I find a great deal. I was thrilled to stock up on produce and diary items as well as other great fridge & pantry items this week. I hope that next week is better week and we can come under budget!
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Family Activities: Bubble Trouble
Brina blowing bubbles and Skipper chasing them across the front porch trying to pop them.
One of the best parts about having a pet is the entertainment they provide the family. Brina and Karlie LOVE blowing bubbles outside because Skipper has a blast chasing and popping the bubbles. It is hilarious seeing Skipper twist, turn, and jump trying to pop the bubbles while hearing the girls giggle and blow more bubbles. Thankful for two kiddos and one furry four legged puppy that bring laughter to the family. She is a great dog and companion for the girls plus a good squirrel hunter and protector of the home front.
Skipper popping bubbles from Brina and Karlie.
Living in South Carolina has its perks too. Even though our cooler winter months are in December, January, and February there are days when it is warm enough we can go outside and play. There have already been several days in the 70s this winter. I am thankful for those days when we have beautiful weather so we can have fun outdoors. The girls love playing outside with Skipper and I would rather have them playing outside getting some fresh air.
Karlie in the midst of a sea of bubbles as she tries out her bubble blower.
Even though we didn’t get a white Christmas, like last year, the girls are still hoping that we get a few days of snow this winter so they can play outside. They have fun making snow angels, snowmen, sledding and all those fun activities too. I am fine with having a mix of both warm and cool days because it makes the Winter months even more entertaining for the family!
