Family
Roper Mountain Science Center – Animals and Activities
Wow! Look at all those tiny legs on this one!
Our girls love any trips we take to Roper Mountain Science Center! There is so much to see, learn, and explore. Whenever possible we try to go to their second Saturday events because they are a big hit with our kids. The second Saturday events have a theme and the kids can do anything from holding animals, crafts, participate in events, and much more. They have everything from animals, ocean life, space activities, farming, cultural events, and more! I have even learned a few new facts about history, animals, and space too. 🙂
Karlie holding a snake
Jake holding the snake. I am not a big fan of snakes so I was okay with not holding this snake, although I did touch it briefly…very briefly!
Look at this cool guy!
Yes, that is a huge spider that she is holding in both her hands! A tarantula actually!
Brina holding a box turtle
Karlie wanted to hold the box turtle too
Super soft……Chinchilla!
Is it a baby pig, baby squirrel, or baby chipmunk Brina is holding???? None of those, it is actually baby mouse (the mouse is only 1 day old)!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week I spent most of my time with one sweet little girl who was recovering from surgery. We played a lot of games, did crafts, read books, and while she napped I tried to get everything that I needed done in that hour (unfortunately, everything didn’t get done). I did make some headway this past week just most of it happened in the evenings or during nap time.
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Read Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls – still reading (almost through it)
Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before- D
aily School Activities & Homework Completed Attend After School ActivitiesPlan one special Activity with the FamilyTake care of the little one recovering from surgerythankful for my extra time with her and that she seems to be recovering wellWrite Thank You Notes- Finish going over our 2013 goals – working on it, Jake had to go out of town at the last minute for work so some things got postponed
Personal Goals
Exercise at least 5 days this week– I did it (this one is a challenge some days)!!!!Drink 8 glasses of water each day- Start with my new YouVersion plan(s) – enjoying listening to my new plans as I exercise and prep for the families breakfast
- Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – loving this book, but didn’t have a lot of extra time to read it this week
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned out for the weekPay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attentionComplete a current client work project
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchWrite and Send Out Community Group EmailEmail a meeting reminder to the Alms & Legs Ministry Team
Financial Goals
For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.- Payoff the Van – making progress
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – this one’s going a little slower, but at least we’re moving in the right direction
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
- Attend After School Activities
- Plan one special Activity with the Family
- Finish going over our 2013 goals
- Doctor Appointments
Personal Goals
- Exercise at least 5 days this week
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Start with my new YouVersion plan(s)
- Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- 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
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Write and Send Out Community Group Email
- Email a meeting notes from Alms & Legs Ministry Team meeting
Financial Goals
- For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
- Payoff the Van
- Emergency Fund – save 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.
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
I just finished reading Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls. I have an older version of the book (from when I was a kid), but the story is exactly the same. They have a picture every few pages that the girls enjoyed looking at as we read together. Brina and Karlie really enjoy these books and are always begging me to read…..just one more chapter. 🙂
Little House on the Prairie is the second book in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. We read Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder first. In this book the little girl, Laura, that we met in the first book traveled with her family out Midwest to the Kansas area. Her Pa found a place out in the wide open space of the prairie where they built their new home, barn, started farming, trapping, and explored the area. In this book Laura met Indians for the first time, saw a papoose, and experienced many new adventures.
Travel & Vacation: Parks Near Charleston We Love! (part 2)
Karlie is our water bug. She is having a blast!
One of the girls favorite places to visit is Charleston. We have enjoyed finding a lot of neat parks near Charleston. Several of the parks we found while others were recommended to us by friends and people we met along the way. It is always an adventure hanging out with the chickies at the parks. They have a blast and love getting a chance to play, splash around, and explore!
Playing in the water at the park
A soaked Brina on the run and heading straight for me!
Chatting while Brina holds back a fountain sprayer and Karlie relaxes for a few minutes on the fence
Two little monkeys climbing on the tube slide at the park
Brina loves spinning in these red cups! Makes me almost sick and dizzy just watching them!
Travel & Vacation: Parks Near Charleston We Love!
Hanging out at Mount Pleasant. Notice the huge bridge above them, the girls always enjoy coming to Waterfront Park.
Relaxing for a few minutes
Silly Sisters
If you are looking for a great spot to fish near Charleston you can go on the pier of Mt Pleasant next to Waterfront Park. The girls always enjoy seeing pictures of the fish then walking down the pier checking out all the fish the people have caught that day.
Swinging on the pier
Creative Kids: Invisible Writing
The girls love to do crafts and all kinds of fun activities…..(so do I)! 🙂 As I was getting ready to leave for a few hours the other day I left a “secret” note on the girls bar stools. They didn’t realize it was a note because it was invisible . The night before the girls had asked if they could paint again soon so I decided that since the paints were going to be out anyway I might as well leave an invisible note for them to discover the next morning.
These invisible notes were a hit and super easy to do. Take a white piece of paper, write a message in white crayon, and have the kids paint over the letters to decode the message. Once the girls figured out it wasn’t just a plain white piece of paper on their bar stools they quickly decoded the message.
They decided it was pretty neat and the next spent hour writing invisible notes back and forth to each other. I love it when I start a fun activity and they run with it. Thankful that the girls get excited over the little stuff.
These would work really well for younger kids too. You could do a picture instead of a note as well.
Skipper Being a Good Sport
Skipper being a good sport after getting chased by the kids with the water bucket. Good thing she loves water!
Our guard dog…..although she has more bark than bite. She is great at hunting squirrels, protecting the house & yard, and playing with the kids. Skipper is always happy to see you and willing to nibble on a treat. It is nice having a dog around the yard. She has been known to chew a few papers, garden hoses, flipflops, and other random things, but otherwise she is on her best behavior.
Lounging on the driveway watching all the activity outside and ready to pounce on a squirrel in a moments notice.
Family Fun: Adventures With Our Cousins
Cousins hanging out at the park together!
We had an opportunity a few months ago to spend some time with Jake’s sister and her family. The girls were in school during their stay with us but we still found plenty of time to have fun. It was great having an opportunity to hang out with them and create new memories, especially since it will be quite awhile before we can get together again.
Oh MY…..your lips look different today…..Silly girls with silly mouths!
My cute little kitchen helper!
Noah helping with the “science” experiment! Loading up the ingredients into a Ziploc bag.
It’s going to blow!!!! We did an experiment with baking soda, water, and vinegar inside Ziploc bags. When we sealed the bags they bubbled up and they popped! The kids really enjoyed doing this one.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
I am getting back in the swing of things now that schedule is returning to the somewhat normal. One kid is in school and the other one is home recovering from surgery. Last week my goals were pretty basic. I did get a lot of items done and I am hoping to make some big headway this week (fingers-crossed).
Last week’s goals
Bring in the 2013 New Year – Celebrating with Family and FriendsSpend some one-on-one time with my manSpend Quality time with the girlsDaughter’s Surgery- Go over our goals for 2013 – started, but with a little one recovering from surgery and Jake having to work extra this weekend we were not able to get it completely done
There were a few more noteworthy ones on the list that I didn’t write out that I was able to do as well:
Finish reading Significant Work by Paul Rude– AWESOME book, you can see my review and enter to win a copy of it (you won’t be disappointed)!Spent time reading, playing games, crafts, riding bikes, and fun activities with my girls (and hubby)!
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Daily School Activities & Homework Completed
- Attend After School Activities
- Plan one special Activity with the Family
- Take care of the little one recovering from surgery
- Write Thank You Notes
- Finish going over our 2013 goals
Personal Goals
- Exercise at least 5 days this week
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Start with my new YouVersion plan(s)
- Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Finish Wrapping & Prepping for the Christmas Events
- 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
- Complete a current client work project
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Write and Send Out Community Group Email
- Email a meeting reminder to the Alms & Legs Ministry Team
Financial Goals
- For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
- Payoff the Van
- Emergency Fund – save 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.
Giveaway & Review: “Significant Work” by Paul Rude (5 WINNERS)
Deep down inside all of us we want to know what we are doing is significant. How do we know if our lives are making an positive impact on others? An eternal impact. As we go from day to day – working, doing laundry, household chores, and a myriad of other daily activities-living our regular everyday lives how do we know even these daily routines are significant in the whole scheme of life?
I am excited to introduce you to Paul Rude’s new book Significant Work! Paul has worked the full spectrum from Fortune 500 companies to mission fields of Alaska and is struck with the conviction that everyday of the Christian life is significant. This led him to to launch Everyday Significance, an organization dedicated to helping people connect Christ-centered faith to everyday life. Paul along with his wife, Misty, and his five kids live in beautiful rural Alaska. When he is not speaking, consulting, or writing, you might find Paul rafting whitewater rivers or climbing mountains.
My husband and I met Paul and Misty many years ago at our church. Paul was the head of our church’s Awana Outreach program in South Carolina. It has been really neat seeing God call his family to Alaska and the amazing journey he has led them on over the past few years. His book was refreshing to read and I know it will be a blessing to many people.
5 lucky readers will win a FREE copy of the Significant Work book by Paul Rude! ENTER NOW for a chance to win a copy of this great book (it only takes a couple seconds to leave a comment and be entered into the giveaway, please see all the giveaway details below)!
Why I love this book:
Paul’s book hit home in many areas. As a child of a loving God, wife, Mom, homemaker, blogger and all the many other roles the days can seem a little crazy. Some days it’s all I can do to find the floor when I am standing in front of a pile of dirty laundry and have trail of toys and books scattered throughout the house it is hard not to wonder……is it worth it? How does all the day-to-day picking up, meal planning, cleaning, working, and everything else leave an eternal imprint? Does it really matter?
So often we believe the lie…..the lie that those directly in ministry fields are the ones who have a direct connection with God, that they are the ones making the biggest impact on the lives of others for eternity. As I look around me I see many people that I interact with regularly – my husband, kids, family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. While all the little never-ending activities can seem mundane with little significance when my heart is all-in I will slowly see pieces of eternity shaping not only in my heart and life but in the lives of those who I interact with regularly.
Many of us work in the everyday marketplace from truck drivers, waitresses, pilots, accountants, and more. Our work is a gift from God. We want to do work that matters to God, but the everyday demands of life constantly pull us in the opposite direction.* Life is a balancing act. Each of us wants to know that what we do every day counts. We’re busy measuring externals, but all the while, God is looking directly at our hearts.
We burn more time and energy at work than anything else we do in life by far. Our jobs, along with the daily grind of errands and household chores, will consume the majority of the waking hours in our adult lives. The hours consumed are not our second rate hours-our highest energy, peak creativity, and sharpest intellect. Once all the necessary activities are done for the day there isn’t much time or energy left for doing work for eternity. Sure we may have an opportunity to volunteer at church, go on a mission trip, or some other great activity but the majority of our days are filled with work and other obligations. Can the normal everyday tasks be my way of making an impact on eternity?
…..God usually chooses not to tell us the specific game plan for our lives. He doesn’t swoop down in a fiery cloud and explicitly tell us what to do in life’s pivotal decisions. How do we know we are doing God’s will for our lives? Some people seem to know exactly what they are suppose to be doing while others struggle with knowing what they should be doing. God does not play cruel little games, taunting us with his plan while holding it just out of reach….If he wants us to know something we will know it – absolutely and without any doubt.
While many people work outside of the home some people have the opportunity to stay home with their children. Many moms feel guilty, because they don’t have the time or energy to volunteer more hours at church-hours that impact souls and make a lasting difference……How does washing a load of laundry change eternity? …….The truth, however, is stunning. God uses our regular, daily, earthly work to forge the very shape of eternity. I am so thankful that the time and energy we invest in our family really does have an eternal significance. God can work in our hearts whether we are folding clothes at home or overseas on a mission trip. Isn’t it awesome how he can use even the simple stuff to help shape eternity!
No matter how obscure our lives may seem today, we will one day radiate the glory of God before redeemed humankind and all the mighty hosts of heaven. No one will be forgotten, ignored, or belittled as insignificant to God. The work you do today matters!
God is forging his masterpiece with our random-arrow lives. He’s given each of us an unique life to live – a particular place to strike the white-hot ingot of eternity. We each have our very own place in his story. Like master to apprentice, he entrusts the hammer to our hands. He says, “Strike it. Strike it right here. This is your place. This is where I want you to shape eternity. Live the life I gave you to live.” In stammering awe, we take up the hammer. We live our regular, everyday lives. The hammer falls. Sparks fly, and the Master, our Father, is delighted.
*Information that is in bold and italics are quotes from Paul Rude’s book.
After reading Significant Work I think it will help inspire and encourage you as well. I really like how Paul is upfront and honest with his readers. I know many of you will enjoy this book!
Giveaway Details
As a way to say thank you to my readers and to share Paul Rude’s book I am hosting a giveaway! 5 WINNERS will receive a free copy of Significant Work book by Paul Rude!
Enter the Giveaway (up to 4 entries per person)!
- 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. Put a separate comment for each way you follow Blessings Multiplied (Email, Twitter, or Facebook) plus an extra entry for your bonus answer! Each comment counts as an entry into the giveaway.
- Sign up to receive Blessings Multiplied via email
- Follow on Twitter – @BlessMultiplied
- Like us on Facebook – BlessingsMultiplied
- BONUS – you can get a bonus entry into the drawing if you leave a separate comment below sharing an activity that you do that makes a positive impact on the lives of others.
All comments must be made by January 31, 2013 at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing. Good Luck!
I encourage you to check out more information about Significant Work by Paul Rude if you are interested in reading it. This book book may give you the just right dose of motivation to get you on the road more eternal significance! What are you waiting for…….get a copy and start reading today!
More information about Significant Work by Paul Rude can be found:
- Significant Work by Paul Rude
- Blog – Everyday Significance
- Facebook – Everyday Significance
