Family Fun
Teaching Our Children: Book Bingo
I got the idea for “Book Bingo” from 2 Love Learning! The girls have been enjoying reading the books and getting BINGO’s! For every Bingo they get they receive a prize. When they fill the entire Bingo card they get a bonus dollar reward.
I started doing this for the girls almost a year ago and it has been a big hit for the kids.
If you are looking for a great way to encourage a kid to read this mixes reading, games, and incentives all in one place. The girls love seeing the cards fill up. We draw smiles on the square after a book has been read. You can find a blank bingo card here.
Family Activities: Bouncing Around
Karlie having a blast! Love her expression in this picture.
One of the activities the girls find as a special treat is spending time in a bouncy castle or slides. Sometimes for birthday parties or a get together with family or friends they get to bounce and slide to their hearts content. This activity is great exercise for kids whether it is the heat of summer or a snowy winter day. When they were babies they were terrified of the bouncy castle, now the higher the bounce the better!
Brina sliding so quickly down the slide I can’t keep up with her!
Karlie bouncing out all her extra energy
Brina pausing for a split second at the end of the slide for me
Travel & Vacation: King Fisher Airlines
Delayed! King Fisher Airlines – our flight from Hyderabad to Bangalore, India
We had the opportunity to visit Jake’s cousin and his family while we were over in India. They were staying in Bangalore so we booked our tickets in advance to fly out to see them. We were flying from Hyderabad to Bangalore and back.
Sometimes timing just isn’t right when it comes to flying! The week before we were suppose to fly to Bangalore Jake got a phone call from KingFisher Airlines saying our flight had been changed……we would now be flying out at a different time and arriving in another city in India (nowhere even near Bangalore). Thankfully we were able to get it worked out and they got us on a plane that was actually going to Bangalore. There was less than 20 people on the entire flight. KingFisher had all their bank accounts froze by the government for not paying their bills and they had consolidated all flights to conserve costs.
We ended up making it to Bangalore safely on KingFisher after several flights changes and delays but we decided it would be better to fly another airline back to Hyderabad since KingFisher wasn’t doing hardly anymore flights! Plus when we flew back we would have to arrive on time for a connecting flight back to home to USA. Good thing we changed airlines because when we flew back to Hyderabad a few days later all the flights with KingFisher were canceled. I felt bad for the employees and anyone with tickets with the airline, but what can you do when an airline goes bankrupt! The airline staff were really nice but from the reports we had heard they hadn’t been paid for several weeks due to the financial problems the airline was having.
On the way back we flew Indigo airlines and they were really great (no cancellations, delays, or problems at all). Considering Jake and I were in 12 airports throughout our travels to and from India and this was the only major hiccup we really can’t complain. Thankfully we were able to work out all the little hiccups and everything went pretty smoothly.
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!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
I was able to tackle a good bit of items on my list last week. Although this week is a little busier with activities outside of the house I still want to get a lot accomplished!
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every dayListen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every dayParticipate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the KidsGet to the 1/2 Goal Mark (1000 Hours) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading Hours)Go to the library with the kidsCelebrate July 4th with the Family- Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get – narrowing it down
Personal Goals
- Exercise – at least 5 days this week – got in a couple
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the weekWork on My Summer Organizational SchedulePay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group – didn’t get this done
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – still saving for it
- College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold until we get the car
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
- Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
- Get to the 3/4 Goal Mark (1500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
- Go to the library with the kids
- Take the girls to Horse Camp
- Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get
Personal Goals
- Exercise – at least 5 days this week
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
- Pack for upcoming family reunion
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
- Put in extra hours with clients while girls are at camp
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Prepare for the next Alms & Legs meeting
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
- College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
Recipe: Easy Mini Pizzas
Easy mini pizzas
When you need a quick lunch or dinner for the family this is an easy one. I used English Muffins for the crust, pizza sauce, shredded cheese, and toppings (we used bacon crumbs, pepperoni, and black olives for this lunch). Baked them in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melted and viola….mini pizzas. These are easy enough for the kids to make themselves now too! It isn’t a meal we make a lot in our house but in a quick pinch it is easy and one everyone enjoys.
Travel & Vacation: InOrbit Mall Hyderabad, India
Inorbit Mall in Hyderabad, India which had three main floors and additional ones with restaurants. It looks much like our malls back home but with a lot of different stores. Jake and I were touring the city and wanted a cool place to walk for a little bit so he took me to the mall. It was really neat seeing all the different stores, people, signs, and more!
The washer and dryers are much smaller in India (and these ones are even on pallets). You can’t do as many clothes per load but it’s better than doing them by hand.
Nestle Kit Kat’s in the store (with the old wrappers). The chocolate was pretty expensive in India but it was neat to see some familiar brands. When I came over to visit Jake that’s what I brought over for his team in India, a variety of chocolates to share. They were thrilled with all the chocolates and excited to take some home to share with their families.
One of the signs posted near the escalator in the mall…..some of them made us smile!
One of the signs “You are wearing bi-focal glasses, pause for a moment, focus on the steps before stepping on.” – Good point, I will have to let Brina and Karlie know the next time we go on an escalator!
While this sign probably is not as important in the USA, however, there are a lot of people in India who go barefoot. “Do not travel barefoot, be careful while using soft footwear.” I am not sure how they go barefoot on the hot hard ground and rocks makes my feet hurt looking them walking. They must have some tough callouses.
At one store instead of manican heads they used a flower bouquet and a round bush (interesting way to improvise)
View of the playground at the mall and the city of Hyderabad from the top floor of the mall. Those little black spots in the distance are cows trying to find some water or grass.
Fun City arcade with a bowling alley, bumper cars, rides, and fun games in the mall
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!
Happy July 4th!
Fireworks display taken from our family trip to Disney!
Wishing you a very Happy July 4th!
Hope your day is full of fun with family and friends!
In celebration of Independence Day the girls drew a United States Flag on the sidewalk!
Travel & Vacation: Food & Fun in Hyderabad, India
Loved the dishes and food at Tadka! I snapped this picture as they were putting the items onto the plate, rice and curry went into the middle. Jake and I stopped here after several hours of touring the city (with a lot of walking in 100 plus weather) so it was nice to sit down and relax together. They asked Jake how he was doing and he made the comment that he was glad to be in the “cool” restaurant after seeing the sights in the city. After a few minutes we noticed the restaurant was getting really cold (they had turned the temperature down for us, it was freezing even for us).
The food was amazing and they literally would not stop serving us. Every time our drinks got to the halfway mark they would refill the cup and if our plates had space on them they would scoop some more food onto it. Someone was literally standing a few feet away the entire meal to make sure we had drinks, food, and to help in anyway. We counted seven waiters for this one meal (which was not uncommon).
At the end of each meal they almost always ask you to do a survey. The main waiter picked up the survey with the bill and his face went from serious to a beaming smile. He immediately went over to his manager to show off his glowing survey results. We were thrilled to add some extra sunshine into his day! Below are some more fun food adventures and other fun stuff while we were in Hyderabad:
Thankful for the opportunity to hang out for a few days with my man!
Delicious chicken curry dish at the Tadka restaurant
Huge bowl of water and red rose petals at the entrance of the restaurant!
Doorman at the Ohri’s restaurant
This is one of the pictures hanging up in one of the restaurants that we visited, hilarious! It says “The Good, The Bad, and the Idlis” Does it remind you of something? Maybe “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!”
My handsome man trying to figure out what to order! They have very colorful decor in the restaurants, notice the green chair to the left of Jake.
Tasty treat – two types of rice, naan, and curry
Yummy breakfast
Hot Coffee and juice for breakfast……every morning they brought us coffee. The waiter asked me the first day if I wanted coffee and I said yes since I had been traveling the past two days and needed to stay awake. Every day after that he brought me coffee as soon as he saw me enter the room, excellent service! A couple interesting things about the coffee – the coffee was much stronger than what I make and I never received a full cup (for some reason they deliver half cups of coffee no matter where you go).
Browsing the aisles of Hyper Savers (the local small version of “Walmart”) in Hyderabad. Their food was sold by rs per kilogram. Some of the food in the store I had never seen before.
The girls REALLY wanted us to bring back a suitcase full of coconuts, ha! We told them the you could find coconuts literally everywhere, even on the ground! For one whole coconut it is 15 RS (rupee) which is like us paying about 30 cents (great price for a coconut)!
The soda of choice! At least in Hyderabad the Pepsi products were more popular. The flavor was not the same, but Jake didn’t seem to mind too much.
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!
Giveaway: “More Than Enough” by Dave Ramsey
I am thrilled to announce a new giveaway on Blessings Multiplied! The winner of this giveaway will receive the More Than Enough book by Dave Ramsey! I have read and listened to several of Dave Ramsey’s books including this one in the giveaway. This book discusses topics such as discipline, goal setting, accountability, patience, and generosity (both with your time and resources). To read more about what this book is about check out my earlier post on it. Here’s how to enter the giveaway:
- Sign up to follow my blog (if you haven’t done so already) and leave a comment below telling us how you follow Blessings Multiplied. Sign up to receive Blessings Multiplied via email or like on Facebook.
- You can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing your best tip money saving tip.
All comments must be made by July 31st at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was busy with Vacation Bible School for the girls, work, looking for a new vehicle and a bunch of fun summer activities. The girls have been doing a great job reading everyday and completed a chunk of their goal. It has been fun being able to enjoy some extra time with them and participate it the fun summer activities. I was able to tackle quite a bit of my list for last week!
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day– I read over 20 library books, a chapter book, and about 20 books from our bookshelves to the girls this past week, they soaking in our reading time together.Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every dayParticipate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the KidsTake the girls to Vacation Bible School – VBS– they had a blast!Get to the 1/4 Goal Mark (500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)– they blew past 500 hours and getting close to our 1/2 markGo to the library with the kidsGo on a Date Night with Jake
Personal Goals
- Exercise – at least 5 days this week
Finish reading More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the weekStart My Summer Organizational SchedulePay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group – been a little more relaxed with this since we haven’t been meeting regularly throughout the summer months
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – went over on this one
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – on hold until we get the money set aside for the vehicle
- Save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – moving forward with it
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold until we get the new vehicle
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
- Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
- Get to the 1/2 Goal Mark (1000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
- Go to the library with the kids
- Celebrate July 4th with the Family
- Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get
Personal Goals
- Exercise – at least 5 days this week
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
- College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
