Family Fun

  • Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)

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     Lioness pacing on her rock

    We had a blast seeing all the animals on our recent trip to the Atlanta Zoo.  We arrived just as the Zoo opened in the morning and stayed until closing.  The kids loved seeing all the animals, the activities, and special events.  It was a busy, packed, and fun day together.  We walked all over the area of the zoo several times over.  The morning was a little cooler, but it was very comfortable by mid-morning (not too cold or hot).  You can read more about our adventure on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog post.  

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     The two lionesses were playing and pouncing on each other while we were there.  They were so fast we weren’t able to get a non-blurry picture of both of them together.  It was neat to watch them playing around instead of just sleeping on their rock.

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     Better watch out….

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     Tiger giving himself a bath.

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     Out for a stroll

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     The seal was catching the fish they were throwing at them.  You can see the fish right in front of him.

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     Karlie and Brina learning about snakes.

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     Karlie having fun

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     Learning more about this little turtle

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    Curled up and watching people as they go by his cage

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     Brina fascinated by all the animals

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    What’s in this one!?

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     Karlie and Mommy having fun at the Atlanta Zoo

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     Me and my girls!  They are growing up so fast.  Thankful for these little adventures together as a family!

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    Brina was always good a spotting the animals really quickly, not sure how she does it so fast!

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     The snake was following the heat from Karlie’s hand

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     Jake and his girls at the Atlanta Zoo

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     Jake is always so good about explaining and showing the girls different pieces of information about the animals.  The snake is acting like it might try to strike Jake’s hand through the glass in this picture, but it never did.

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     The bear brought this branch with leaves on top of the platform so he could eat it by himself without the other one bothering him.

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    Fun times!

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    They loved learning about all the different wildlife.

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    Love my family!  Grateful for the opportunity to hang out at the Atlanta Zoo for the day!

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    Such a rough life…. They look so cute and cuddly.

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    This is a “Tanuki” it is very timid and doesn’t come out very often per one of the zoo workers that we asked.  We walked by its cage multiple times and never saw it out until almost the end of the day.  It gets spooked easy so it is not visible very often.

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    How does your Mom carry you!?  Silly girls – Brina and Karlie

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    Karlie loves brushing the farm animals. She is currently on her way to brush another one.

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    Brina talking with the zoo worker about goats and asking questions.  He was really nice and pointed out several different types of goats and characteristics of the ones near her.

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    Brina and Karlie brushing one goat.  Lots of TLC for this Mamma goat.  They always love the interactive animal adventures.

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    The giraffe is eying us while the ostrich was too busy eating to give us any attention

  • Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)

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     Our family at the Atlanta Zoo!

    We surprised the girls with a long weekend trip to Atlanta, Georgia over Easter weekend.  They were very excited to go explore the Atlanta area.  We are members of our local zoo so we were able to get into the Atlanta Zoo at a discount which was really nice.  The kids love animals, learning more about various ones, interacting, and so much more.

    Since it was Easter weekend at the Atlanta Zoo the animals were getting special treats to enjoy for the Holiday.  The new Amphibian & Reptile Exhibit also opened the weekend we were there as well.  There were a lot of people at the zoo, but it was so big we had plenty of time do see and do almost everything (some things the kids enjoyed it so much we did it again).

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    Pink Flamingos were hanging out peacefully near the entrance to the zoo

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    So excited….Karlie and Brina!  They have their maps out and are ready to GO!

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     The birds were sleeping peacefully all together on one branch.

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     It was a little chilly when we first got there in the shade at opening, but no one was complaining!

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     Birds of all colors

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    Brina soaking it all in.  She loves animals.

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     Playing around in the water puddles.

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     Karlie smiling as she quietly watches the birds and little kids.

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     Meerkat’s roaming around in their pen.

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     There is always one Meerkat on watch (or guard) for predators

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     They gave the Meerkats a pillow case stuffed full of hay, little bugs, and special treats.  They were a little timid about it at first, but before long they were all taking turns going into the pillow case and digging out their special treats.

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     Are you done yet!  Hurry up and get your bug so I can get my turn inside the Easter treat sack!!!

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     They look cute, but serious.  Look at those claws on this meerkat!  Yikes!

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    Rhino heading out into the sun after getting some sticky mud on itself to protect it from a sunburn.

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     This rhino was moving the stick around and chewing on it.  Must of had something tasty on it.

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     They drew flowers, easter eggs, and bunny rabbits with chalk on the rocks in the Zebra’s pen.

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     The warthogs got hard boiled and colored Easter eggs for their special treat.  They both found the first one about the same time.

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     Someone found the purple Easter egg!

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    The elephants had Easter eggs that had a jello consistency that they place in baskets made of leaves.   This elephant just discovered the basket of leaves and is moving it out of the way so she can eat her jello Easter egg.

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     Whole lot of elephants!  They had a huge pen and sometimes if you couldn’t see them on one side you had to go around to see them in a different section.

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     Jake and his girls exploring the Atlanta Zoo

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     Beautiful bird

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     Brina found Big Bird’s Nest!!! HA!

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     My two little chickies in the huge nest!

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    Karlie thought the nest was hilarious!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was busy, but good.  The girls survived their first week of State testing at school and we tried to do some fun activities every day to keep help make the week go more pleasantly with them.  They have another round this week though.  They played outside a little more to get fresh air and were a huge help in getting some yard work done.  They helped me clean up the pool, pick up a bunch of sticks from the trees in the yard, and even a bonfire (which they loved).  Thankful for my kids and their willingness to work hard so we can get things done as a family.

    Jake and I had a Date Night on Friday which was really nice to get out and how some quiet time together as a couple.   Jake got both of the vehicles oil changes complete, mowed the lawn (thanks to my brother letting us borrow his mower), and a whole lot of other tasks done around the house and yard this weekend.  We ended Saturday with a delicious meal over the bonfire.  Sunday we went to church, relaxed, and had a planning session for the upcoming week.  All in all it was a good week and it was the first weekend in weeks that we stayed home for the entire weekend which was really nice!  While it was a productive week for me I didn’t necessarily do what was on my “goal” list, I plan to do better about sticking to it this week.  Hoping to get a lot accomplished this week as there is a lot I want to do before the kids get out of school.    Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids – we didn’t play a board game this week, but we spent good quality time together
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Spring Events
    5. Spend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
    9. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break – we made some progress on it this weekend, hoping to wrap up some of the other big details within the next week
    10. Ride Bikes with the Kids – the kids rode bikes, but I didn’t get a chance to ride with them this week
    11. Mail out Mother’s Day Cards
    12. Celebrate Mother’s Day
    13. Go on Date Nights with the Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – it was acting up a few times last week so I am about 2 days behind schedule
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – it was two days this week with everything going on
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic) – girls closets are done, but still need to do my and Jake’s clothes. 
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip) – almost done, hopefully this week
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Re-Stain the Deck – weather permitting) – we scrapped doing this activity instead cleaned up the pool, mowed, picked up & burned sticks, changed oil in both vehicles
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Give Skipper a Bath) – she still needs her bath, but all the animals did get a good brushing from the kids which they loved with all their fur shedding now that it is getting a lot warmer
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Replace our HVAC Unit – it died a few weeks ago the joys of owning an older home) – working on it, should be done this week

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – need to get a couple more completed
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – got a little behind this week
    4. Work completed for clients – have one more to complete soon

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – made another payment this week, slowly and surely we’re getting there
    2. Payoff Medical Bills – working on it
    3. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, HVAC unit, and other debt) – working on it
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Boxcar Children’s Blue Bay Mystery (Boxcar Children Series #6) by Gertrude Chandler Warner to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Spring Events
    5. Spend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
    9. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
    10. Ride Bikes with the Kids
    11. Work on special projects with the kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily

    Home (Yard & Pets) 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. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Re-Stain the Deck – weather permitting)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Pick up Dog and Goat Food)
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Replace our HVAC Unit – it died a few weeks ago the joys of owning an older home)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients
    5. Prep, plan, and organize content for upcoming summer months with kids out of school

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Medical Bills
    3. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, HVAC unit, and other debt)
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within 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.

    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.

  • Flashback Friday: Sometimes Nobody’s Happy

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    Brina was watching Karlie cry.

    On this Flashback Friday we go to May 2005.  The girls were still itty bitty and in preemie clothes.  Some days all it took was for one of them to start crying which would cause the next one to start crying.  There were times when I knew exactly why they were crying and could help them (diaper change, food, etc…) while other times I had no clue.

    I didn’t always get everything done on time or necessary in the right order during those days on little sleep.  With the help and encouragement from family and friends we made it through.  Jake was a huge help!  Due to them being preemies and having the occasional apnea they had to wear apnea monitors at home.  It was nice having the monitors go off whenever they had apneas and we never had to worry when they were sleeping if they stopped breathing.

    They also had some caffeine in their first morning bottle every day.  The caffeine was prescription based and helped with their apneas.  The amount of caffeine they received would be the equivalent to my husband drinking several large amount of mountain dews back to back.  Needless to say as soon as they stopped taking the caffeine in their morning bottle they started sleeping through the night.  It was really nice once they started sleeping through the night.  It felt wonderful being able to function on a full nights sleep.

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    Brina decided that if Karlie was crying she should probably start crying too!  The joys of parenthood.

  • Tooth Fairy Visits and Braces!

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    Karlie tooth fairy reward

    There is a lot going on around our house lately regarding teeth.  Recently, Brina got a spacer and braces for her teeth.  Both girls have lost some of their baby teeth too.  The tooth fairy has been staying busy at our house.  We do a variety of different things for the tooth fairy.  Typically we give a note, cash and a special gift.  The special gift can be a book, necklace, toy, or a variety of different items that appeal to the specific child.

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     Brina showing off her new braces!

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    Another tooth fairy gift for Karlie

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    Tooth fairy is now visiting Brina’s room

  • Travel & Vacation: Dry Erase Board Notes

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    Karlie’s dry erase board note to Jake

    In case you already haven’t noticed our family LOVES to travel.  Occasionally when Jake travels for work the rest of us get to tag along with him.  A lot of times his days are long and we don’t always get to see him throughout the day.  On our last work trip I told the girls to bring their dry erase boards and markers so we could “leave Daddy a note” for the day.  If he came back to the hotel room and we were not there he could see our notes, know what we were up to, and hopefully feel the love that we were sending his way.  It is not always possible to know when he may have a moment to run back to the room and if we are across town we cannot make it back in time to say “hi” so this is a little way to let him know that we are thinking about him even though we couldn’t be there to give him a hug in person.

    During this recent trip all of us were up with the sun at 6 am every morning and off in our separate ways shortly thereafter.  Sometimes it would be midnight or later before we reconnected again.  Several times Jake also left a note on the back of the dry erase boards for us which the girls loved.  If he had a few minutes and knew that we would be getting back really late he would prep dinner for us so we could make it quickly while the girls were showering so they could eat, relax for a few minutes, and crash in bed.

    We ate all but one breakfast and dinner in our hotel room.  All our lunches we packed in our backpacks and would eat whenever we were exploring for that day.  To help with the preparation and meal plan we brought a hot pot (yes, like the ones you use in college) to make our meals.  We were able to make some good, quick, healthy, and inexpensive meals in our hotel room like sloppy joes, mac-n-cheese, chicken & rice, soup, and more!  It was nice to relax together at the end of the day before hitting the bed.

    Every time we left for the day each girl would get out their dry erase boards and leave a note for Jake.  I would add an note to the bottom or side of each of their notes.  They had a lot of fun doing this for him and looked forward to it every morning.

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    Brina’s note to Daddy

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    Karlie letting Daddy know we are going to check out the animals!

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    Brina’s note to Daddy with a variety of colors.

    Monorail, Disney, Epcot, Flowers, Notes, Daddy, Pools, Dolphin Resort, Boardwalk, Swimming, Miniature Golf,

    Karlie’s note that includes a “heart family” of all of us.  Cute!

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    Brina’s note with hearts and letting him know to have “fun and do a good job”!

    Walt Disney World, Magic Kindom, Disney, Orlando, FL, Travel, Vacation

    Brina’s note to Dad with my note to the love of my love.

    Dry Erase Board Notes

    Jake’s note letting us know he prepped the meal and all we had to do is add water and boil.

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    Sweet note from my Handsome man!

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    Note from Karlie with her and Daddy as heart people.

    The girls love their Dad so very much.  It is precious to see how they enjoy not only doing little things for him, but also how excited they get to spend some extra time with him.  Thankful for a husband who works so hard to provide for our family.  He takes good care of all of us and always makes each of us feel special.  He is thoughtful, generous, and kind.  Even though he works hard he always makes a point to spend time with us as a family.  I am blessed in many ways.

    If your spouse travels and you go along with them you can easily do this for your spouse as well.  It was super simple, but made everyone feel more connected throughout the long days apart.  I hope that it made Jake’s days a little bit brighter.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    We flew through last week with all the school, work, and other activities going on.  The girls finished and turned in their Science Fair journals and display boards on Friday!  WooHoo!  It was so nice to get them done.  They hand wrote over 100 pages in their journals and spent countless hours on the project.  They don’t actually present the project until the middle of May, but the majority of the work is complete and turned in for the teacher to grade.  This past weekend we were able to get away for a little bit to Georgia and have some fun!  We went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival which was very entertaining; I will share more about that in a later post.   This week the girls have a bunch of their year end State tests so hoping there is not a lot of homework so we can do some stuff around the house, yard, and have some extra fun in the evenings too.  Here are my goals for this week:

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) by Joanna Campbell to the kids – we actually got to get a good start on this book, hoping to wrap it up this week
    2. Plan one special activity with the familywe had fun in Georgia over the weekend and went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival
    3. Play a Game with the Kidswe played Destination USA and a couple other ones together
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Spring Events
    5. Spend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Prep for upcoming Family Adventure
    9. Finish and turn in the kids Science Fair Projects
    10. Prep for upcoming Summer Break

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – it was acting up last week, hoping to get caught up soon
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals – I blew it away on a couple of days and missed my target on a day or two, so probably if I average the week I hit close to my goal
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily – it doesn’t get written down every day, need to do better

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one daytook 2 days with the altered schedule this past week
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic) – it was cool and one of my daughters wanted to wear long sleeves last week so hoping to get it put up this week
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip) – almost done!
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Clean Off the Deck)the kids actually helped get this done
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Get Another Water Bucket set Out for the Goats)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – have a couple more to do
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Medical Bills – working on it (finished another one, now if we can just not go to the Dr again for a few months, ha)
    3. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt) – working on it
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Play a Game with the Kids
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Spring Events
    5. Spend time Monday –Friday helping the kids with Homework
    6. Attend After School Activities
    7. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    8. Prep for upcoming Family Adventure(s)
    9. Prep & Figure out Schedule for upcoming Summer Break
    10. Ride Bikes with the Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Keep up with my FitBit Goals
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
    5. Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily

    Home (Yard & Pets) 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. Clean House (Focus – All Winter Clothes Pulled out of Closets & Dressers and Put into the Attic)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from Atlanta trip)
    5. Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Re-Stain the Deck – weather permitting)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Give Skipper a Bath)
    7. Repairs – (Focus – Replace our HVAC Unit – it died a few weeks ago the joys of owning an older home)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Medical Bills
    3. Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt)
    4. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    5. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within 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.

    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.

  • Flashback Friday: Naps with Tigger

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    Brina sleeping soundly on her boppy with Tigger!

    Today’s Flashback Friday takes us back 10 years ago.  The girls were only a couple months old.  They were great nappers and would sleep pretty much anywhere (from their cribs, swings, boppies, pack-n-plays, and other random locations).  We usually rotated them to different spots to take naps so they got used to sleeping anywhere in the house.  At night we would always put them to bed in their cribs, but were more flexible with their napping locations.  Looking back on it they were awesome travelers because of this too.  They could sleep at anyone’s house or a hotel and it never bothered them the least bit. Probably their favorite place to sleep was their swings, they LOVED their swings!!!

    There is something so peaceful about a little one that is sleeping.  So thankful for these two little ones.  It doesn’t seem like that long ago they were rolling around on the floor, taking naps throughout the day, and playing with the little Tigger toys.  The years have went by quickly, but I am grateful for these precious moments.

    Karlie sleeping with her Tiger buddycKarlie on her boppy with Tigger on her tummy and her foot sticking out of her clothes.  She had a way of wiggling her toes out of the closed-toed outfits!

  • I Love You Too!

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    “I Love U” spelled out with their Magformers Set

    It is always a pleasant surprise when you walk into a room and find a nice saying or artwork waiting for you.   The other day I walked into the dining room and this is what was on the kitchen table.  An “I Love You” message and smiley face.

    Thankful for my kids.  Their creativeness and their little ways of reminding us that they truly do appreciate and love us as well.  They requested that I take a picture of their artwork so they could send a message to some people and let them know that they were thinking of them on this particular day.

    It’s the little things like this that make me smile.  Parenting can be tough some days, but it is also very rewarding too.  Grateful for these special moments when they demonstrate love, happiness, and the desire to brighten the days of others.

    P1360483cA Magformer smile waiting to be discovered on the table!

  • Insta-Snow Powder for Fun Indoor Snow Activities!

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    Super cool fake snow!

    Our friends Mike, Ashley, and Bradley gave the girls Insta-Snow Powder for their birthdays!  It is AMAZING!  The girls have spent hours playing with it.  Ok, I will admit it I have been playing with it too.  It’s just so cool to play with inside!

    It is super simple to make (just add water to a measured amount of powder).  The canister we have makes 2 gallons of snow.  We have only made a few batches and still have the snow we made from the last several weeks.  It lasts a really long time if you put it in a ziplock bag.  It is fascinating, not cold, and funky to play with.

    The girls were wanting to go somewhere with snow for their birthday so our friend sent “snow” to them.  They had the snow out almost immediately and within a couple of days of playing with the Insta-Snow we got real snow outside in SC.  The kids are convinced our friends are good luck because every time they played with the Insta-Snow they sent them it would snow again in SC (which means no school too).

    It is a fun activity for the kids.  If any of the snow particles do get on the counter or floors they are easy to wipe up or if you miss them they will dry back up into the powder which is easy to sweep or vacuum up off the floor.  We are gearing up to do a science project and the girls are convinced that whatever they decide to do they will need to add some of the Insta-Snow powder to give their science projects an extra WOW factor, ha!

    I think the next thing we are going to try is to dye the snow different colors to see how it handles that and what it looks like when you mix various ones together.  Thankful for thoughtful friends who know how to brighten the lives of the little ones (and big ones) in our home!  THANK YOU Ashley from Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life for providing hours of entertainment at our house!!!

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    They thought it was neat being able to write messages in the snow!

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    The Insta-Snow Powder came in this canister and it makes 2 gallons.  The snow expands rapidly to 100 times its original size.  It goes from being a dry granule to fluffy white snow-like substance in a matter of seconds.

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    Inside the canister there is a scoop for easy measuring!

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    First we measured the insta-snow powder into a red cup than poured the water into it.

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    Mixing up the snow and water.  It literally grew in her hands.  Super cool!

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    Playing with it!

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    So fascinating they wouldn’t even look up for the camera

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    Pile of fake snow to play with inside.

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    Felt really neat!

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    Loved looking at all the little pieces and playing with it.

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    Building a volcano!

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     Look it’s snowing inside!

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    You could play with it for hours with your bare hands because it is not cold like actually snow plus it doesn’t melt and it’s easy to clean up!

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    Brina playing with the snow!

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    Creating a replica of the Great Wall of China which we were just talking about the other day!

    If you are looking for a fun and indoor activity you can find Insta-Snow Powder and other Snow like items on Amazon.