Family Activities
Free Ebooks: Camping & Cooking, Creating Your Own Will & Power of Attorney, Mason Jar Prepper’s Pantry, Self Defense Guide For Beginners, How To Frugality Is Not Being Cheap, 64 DIY Natural Beauty Recipes, Frugal Living Secrets, and more!
The price to download these books is currently $0.00 (although the price may change at any time, please confirm prior to downloading). The ebooks are specifically for Kindles, however, you can click here and download the free application that allows you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.
Download a free copy of Camping and Cooking Beyond S’mores – Outdoors Cooking Guide and Cookbook for Beginner Campers by Beth McRoberts
Download a free copy of Guidance On Creating Your Own Will & Power of Attorney – Legal Self Help Guide by Sanket Mistry
Download a free copy of Mason Jar Prepper’s Pantry – How To Use Mason Jars to Store Meals & Prepare for Emergency Situations by Timothy S. Morris
Download a free copy of Self Defense – The Self Defense Guide For Beginners – The Most Effective Tips and Tricks You Need To Know For Self Defense And Stay Secure Anywhere by Life-Style
Download a free copy of How To – Frugality Is Not Being Cheap – How Small Tweaks Create Massive Changes by Nikko Villa
Download a free copy of 64 DIY Natural Beauty Recipes – How To Make Amazing Homemade Skin Care Recipes, Essential Oils, Body Care Products, and More by Jane Moore
Download a free copy of Frugal Living Secrets – Spend Less and Get More Through Frugality by Catherine Gregory
Download a free copy of Eucalyptus Essential Oil – Uses, Studies, Benefits, Applications, & Recipes – Wellness Research Series by George Shepherd
Download a free copy of Grow Fruit Indoors – The Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Indoors – Urban Gardening – Homesteading Survival – Grow Fruit – Square Foot Gardening – Mini Farming by Alex Gardner
Teaching Our Children: About Solar and Lunar Eclipses
Jake teaching the girls about eclipses!
Recently the girls were learning about eclipses for their science unit in school. Even though we had studied that section for a couple days they were not consistently getting the concept. Jake came up with a great visual tool to demonstrate the solar and lunar eclipses so that the girls to remember it more easily. Thankful for a husband who is creative and invests time in teaching our kids! Thanks Babe!
The orange is the moon and the balloon is the Earth. We used a flashlight for the sun!
For kids who are visual learners this is an easy way to help them grasp the differences between a solar and lunar eclipse!
We shut off the room lights so they could see how the sun (flashlight), moon (orange), and Earth (balloon) aligned to make a solar and lunar eclipse.
Solar Eclipse:
During a solar eclipse the Moon will cast a shadow on the Earth. When a solar eclipse happens the moon is in between the sun and the Earth. You can demonstrate this by placing the moon (orange) between the sun (flashlight) and the Earth (balloon). When the Moon is between the Earth and Sun it will block some of the sun from hitting the Earth and cast a shadow. Only the people directly in the shadow can see the entire eclipse of the Sun.
Lunar Eclipse:
During a lunar eclipse the Earth will cast a shadow on the Moon, therefore no light will be hitting the Moon. The Earth will cast a shadow on the Moon because it is between the Sun and the Moon. You can demonstrate this by placing the Earth (balloon) between the Sun (flashlight) and the Moon (orange). Since the Earth is bigger than the Moon the entire Moon will be in its shadow. Anyone on Earth that is on the night side can see the lunar eclipse.
If you really want to “show” the kids more about the Solar and Lunar Eclipse you may be able to catch the next one depending on where you are located and if the weather cooperates for you!
Next Lunar Eclipse: Saturday, April 4, 2015 – It will be a Total Lunar Eclipse and will be visible before dawn from the Pacific Ocean, Americas, Asia, and Australia.
Next Solar Eclipse: Friday, March 20, 2015 – It will be Total Solar Eclipse and will be visible from Iceland, Europe, North Africa, and Northern Asia (unfortunately, we will not be able to see it in North America). It looks like the next one we’ll see from the United States will be on August 21, 2017 which will be visible from North America and South America.
Free Ebooks: A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet, Soccer Skills Mastery, Blood Pressure Solution, The Unforgettable World Cup, 223 Amazing Science Facts, The Daily Walk Bible, Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming and Training, Rolling Thunder, Advance Test Prep, and more!
The price to download these books is currently $0.00 (although the price may change at any time, please confirm prior to downloading). The ebooks are specifically for Kindles, however, you can click here and download the free application that allows you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.
Download a free copy of A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet – Southern Stories of Faith, Family, and Fifteen Pounds of Bacon by Sophie Hudson
Download a free copy of Soccer Skills Mastery – Improve Your Skills, Skyrocket Your Performance, and Get Noticed by Mirsad Hasic
Download a free copy of Blood Pressure Solution – How To Prevent And Manage High Blood Pressure Using Natural Remedies Without Medication by Kasia Roberts RN
Download a free copy of The Unforgettable World Cup – 31 Days of Triumph and Heartbreak in Brazil by The Wall Street Journal
Download a free copy of 223 Amazing Science Facts, Tidbits, and Quotes by Tasnim Essack
Download a free copy of The Daily Walk Bible NLT – 31 Days with Jesus by Walk Thru the Bible
Download a free copy of Rolling Thunder – An Historical Novel of War and Politics (Wings of War Book 1) by Mark Berent
Download a free copy of The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming and Training – Discover How To Quickly And Easily Swim Faster and More Efficiently, Overcome Your Fears, and Have Your Best Triathlon Yet by Kevin Koskella
Download a free copy of Advanced Reading, Writing, and Grammar for Test Prep by LIKE Test Prep Books
Download a free copy of Alaska Traveler – Dispatches from America’s Last Frontier by Dana Stabenow
Gift Giving: Amazon Wedding Registry
In 2015 we have several family members and friends who have set the big wedding date! WooHoo! So excited for these amazing people and for their upcoming weddings. Thankful that they have found that special someone to share their life with and look forward to seeing the awesome memories they will create over their years together.
There is a lot of excitement and planning that goes into a wedding. Even though several of these events are still months away they are already in full planning mode! One of the fun activities is picking out the various items for their new home. Creating a Wedding Registry is a wonderful adventure for the couple.
One great place to set up a registry is Amazon’s Wedding Registry! It is easy to set up and adjust as you figure out what you want and/or need for your new home. Also, the new couple may have many family and friends who are spread out all over the world who will want to get them a gift for their Bridal Shower and the Wedding. Amazon’s Wedding Registry makes it easy for the new couple as they prepare for the big day as well as for those wanting to get them a gift. The gift can be sent directly to the couple which helps save on shipping costs too!
Here are some great benefits to having an Amazon’s Wedding Registry:
- 10% Discount on Select Items Remaining on your Amazon’s Wedding Registry
- LARGE Selection of Items
- Universal – anyone that is anywhere with internet connection to access the Wedding Registry (convenient when you have family and friends spread out all over the world)!
- Returns are FREE for 90 days
- Add anything from any Online Store to the Amazon’s Wedding Registry
- Easily Find & Track Items You Need for Your New Home
- Browse the most popular wedding registry gifts
- Find lists of top-rated wedding and household products
- Gifts can be shipped to your designated Amazon’s Wedding Registry Address
- Created and Updated from the convenience of your own home
It only takes a few minutes to set up an Amazon’s Wedding Registry and you can add items as you need to. Select from a large variety of household items (kitchen, dining, bedroom, bathroom, living room, decorative, organizational, gift certificates, and many more)! Congratulations!!! Wishing you many wonderful blessings as you prepare for new life together as a married couple!
My Sweet Cleaning Crew
Mopping the kitchen floor!
Every day I am reminded of how blessed I am. The other day one of the kids made a mess on the floor and I asked them to vacuum it up. The next thing I knew both girls were vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, and cleaning the house. They started with cleaning up their little mess, but continued on into the kitchen sweeping and mopping the floor. Next they went on to clean the bathrooms.
I cannot tell you how it makes my heart happy to see the kids willingly cleaning up not only their mess, but cleaning up other areas of the house. While this happens more often now that they are getting older it is not always the case. Sometimes when I ask them to pick up an item that they got out or clean up a mess they made you would think I asked them to move Mt. Everest with all the grumbling…..
When they do get into the cleaning zone it is amazing how much they can accomplish in just an hour or two. Thankful for my sweet cleaning crew and their willingness to pitch in to keep the house in a more livable condition. My husband is wonderful about pitching in to cook, clean, or fix items around the house too. I am blessed!
Scrubbing the floor!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
I had high expectations to get so much more done this past week. The good news is I was able to spend a full fun Monday with the girls since they did not have school for Martin Luther King Jr Holiday. It was wonderful soaking in those precious extra moments together!
I did not make as much progress as I had hoped on some of the other items on my list, but for the most part I am moving forward which is better than no movement at all. It is amazing how activities which appear to be easy or simple can actually take longer and eat into any extra time I had. Trying to stay positive especially on those tasks that seem to never get completed (or take a long time)! This week I have a lot of my list so hopefully it will be a more productive week. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids – getting closer (the busy weeks have slowed us down)
Plan one special activity with the familyPlay a Game with the KidsPrepare for Upcoming Winter EventsSpend time Tuesday – Friday helping the kids with Homework– they did not have school on MondayAttend After School ActivitiesLunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each dayContinue my YouVersion plan(s)Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – still taking me 2 days, hoping to get back to normal schedule soon!
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week – I planned it out, but had to alter it a little more than I anticipated this week
Use up food items in our pantry and freezer- Clean House (Focus – Master Bedroom & Master Bathroom) – got our new bed put into the room, just have some more organizing to do before I can cross it off
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Kitchen) – got the pantry cleaned out, but have some more items I want to get done in the kitchen
- Yard Cleanup (Focus – Leaves) – although I did some raking with the girls this week hoping for a dry week soon so we can get the side yard blown and raked
Pet Care (Focus – Fix the Goat Fence)– my sweet husband got this fixed
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – have a few pending projects
Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention- Work completed for clients – I have 2 projects I need to complete soon
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car – working on it
Sale Some Items No Longer Using on Facebook / Craigslist- Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt) – working on it
Pay Bills & File Paperwork- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – went to 2 stores and was $20 over budget
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
- Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
- Attend After School Activities
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Plan a Fun Birthday Activity for the Kids
- Confirm my parents plans for their upcoming visit
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
- Clean House (Focus – Master Bedroom & Master Bathroom)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Kitchen)
- Yard Cleanup (Focus – Leaves)
- Pet Care (Focus – Refill All Pet Containers)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car
- Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, medical, and other debt)
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- 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.
Free Ebooks: When God Whispers Loudly, War and Peace, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Alexander the Great, Unbelievably Ketogenic Crock-Pot, The Magic Question, Jump Start Your Gluten-Free Diet, 50 Best Tips EVER for Running Fitter, Faster, and Forever, and more!
The price to download these books is currently $0.00 (although the price may change at any time, please confirm prior to downloading). The ebooks are specifically for Kindles, however, you can click here and download the free application that allows you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.
Download a free copy of When God Whispers Loudly by Chris M. Hibbard
Download a free copy of War and Peace – With Bonus Material From Give War and Peace a Chance by Andrew D. Kaufman, Leo Tolstoy
Download a free copy of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Download a free copy of Alexander the Great – The Macedonian Who Conquered the World by Sean Patrick
Download a free copy of 8 Types of Natural Light That Will Add Drama To Your Photographs by Anne McKinnell
Download a free copy of The Unbelievably Ketogenic Crock-Pot – 50 EPIC Slow Cooker Ketogenic Recipes for Rapid Weight Loss by Ankit Pandey
Download a free copy of The Magic Question – How To Get What You Want in Half The Time by Bart A. Baggett
Download a free copy of Jump Start Your Gluten-Free Diet! Living with Celiac / Coeliac Disease & Gluten Intolerance by Kim Koeller, Stefano Guandalini MD, and Carol Shilson
Download a free copy of The Wonders Of Baking Soda – How To Clean, Rejuvenate Your Skin, and DIY Baking Soda Recipes by BJ Knights
Download a free copy of The 50 Best Tips EVER for Running Fitter, Faster, and Forever (Instructional Videos and Running Plans Included) by Scott Welle
Free Ebooks: Organic Gardening, Improving Your Child’s Calculation Skills, For the Love of the Horse, How to Safely Dry and Store Food, Strategic Planning That Actually Works, Exercise For the Brain, and more!
The price to download these books is currently $0.00 (although the price may change at any time, please confirm prior to downloading). The ebooks are specifically for Kindles, however, you can click here and download the free application that allows you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.
Download a free copy of Gardening Book Package – Organic Gardening & The Vegetable Container Gardening Guide by Martin Anderson and Michelle Anderson
Download a free copy of Parenting – Improving Your Child’s Calculation Skills by Wale Olowode
Download a free copy of Homesteading Handbook Volume 2 – Growing An Organic Vegetable Garden by Michelle Grande
Download a free copy of For the Love of the Horse – Volume III – A Selection of True Horse Stories by Ann Jamieson
Download a free copy of Food Drying – How to Safely Dry and Store Food – Food Preservation by Rachel Jones
Download a free copy of Strategic Planning That Actually Works – A Step-By-Step Guide to Get It Done Faster, Cheaper, and Better Than Ever by Sarai Johnson
Download a free copy of Exercise For the Brain – 70 Neurobic Exercises To Increase Mental Fitness & Prevent Memory Loss (with Crossword Puzzles) by Jason Scotts
Download a free copy of Motivation – Discover the Magic of Motivation Now – Discover How to Be Motivated, Stay Motivated, and Start Everyday with A Positive Attitude by Frank Mullani
Download a free copy of Step-By-Step Stupidly Easy Course On How to Make Six Figures Through Amazon Kindle Publishing Exposed by Muhammad N. Sikandar
Soda Pop Top Ribbon Bracelets
Two of the “Soda Pop Top Ribbon Bracelets” we made!
The girls have been collecting Soda Pop Tops from my husbands aluminum soda pop cans for the last few months. The other day we got all the soda pop tops out and made a bunch of cool bracelets. It was a lot of fun! We came up with some neat bracelets that we made out of the recycled soda pop tops!
These are super simple to make even for the kids to do themselves. There are so many variations you can make with these bracelets. Attached are pictures of four different types of bracelets we made that day. The kids also made decorative belts for themselves and a matching belt for their baby doll out of the recycled soda pop tops too!
You can use any ribbon you want! For this simple Soda Pop Top Ribbon Bracelet we choose white with red hearts. This would be a great Valentine’s Day goody your kids can make to share with their friends at school.
The bracelets were adjustable – wrap it around your wrist and weave the leftover strand of ribbon into the next one or two soda pop tops to lock it in place. It was very easy to take it on or off. With the ribbons we used the bracelet stayed on really well, we didn’t have any problems with them slipping off. If you have a thinner more flexible ribbon you can tie the two ends together in the back instead of weaving it through the pop tops.
Here’s another example of the Soda Pop Top Ribbon Bracelet with the simple weave as well,but with gold ribbon. The gold color really popped out against the silver pop tops!
This one was fun too! We used the same ribbon, but on this one we overlapped the pop tops and only weaved the bottom row which gave this bracelet a more 3D look which was super cute!
This Soda Pop Top Ribbon Bracelet turned out really well. We weaved the ribbon through a double layer of overlapping pop tops. The bracelet was thicker, but still comfortable and fun to wear.
The blue double layer soda pop top bracelet! They kids has a blast putting together all kinds of cool bracelets in various colors and styles. It was fun to see them use their creativity. They have worn these bracelets several times already and get a lot of compliments. These bracelets are simple and unique which make them fun to wear.
First Lego League: Robotics STEM Competition – Solar SySTEM!
Very excited! Their team won a 1st place Trophy and a Gold Ticket to the SC State Robotics Competition!
The girls Solar SySTEM Lego Robotics STEM Club team went to the regional competitions this past weekend! It was a long and busy Saturday day. We left the house before sun up so we could be in Seneca by 7:20 am and didn’t get home until after 6 pm that night. The girls team had several rounds at the competition. They were scored in multiple areas and did well!
Three rounds of their robot completing tasks on the map which they scored pretty high on. Another part of the competition was their core values which is their team spirit and how they interact with the other teams. They have to give a presentation on this piece as well in front of the judges. Another piece of the competition was their research, project, and presentation which the kids presented in front of the judges on their own. They won the first place trophy in this category (on their research, project, and presentation).
The work is done by the students from the logo design, research, development, presentations, and so much more! The team worked so well together and put in a lot of hours working on their research, development, robotics, and project. They do the majority of their work in front of the judges with no coaches or parents in the room (we can’t even watch, but thankfully they had it video taped). The only piece the parents and coaches can watch is the one when they do their robotic map missions otherwise they are on their own once in the room and in front of the judges.
The team pick a solar system theme. They named their team the Solar SySTEM and the catch phrase is “Stay in Orbit”! The research project they decided to do was to build a computer game that would help kids learn more about the solar system. They named their robot, SpaceBot!
It was a super busy and long day for the kids, but they were awesome. There were 21 teams competing that day so it was a real honor to win a trophy and get the opportunity to move forward. Their hard work really paid off with the trophy and qualifying for the SC Competition! WooHoo! Very proud of the girls and their team!
Playing a hangman game before competition starts!
Karlie all smiles after the first robotic map round when they scored all 100 points!
Their robot going through the tasks on the map!
Brina hanging up their spirit posters.
Their team going through the tasks on the robot map!
Watching carefully to make sure the robot goes through all its tasks!
Gathering some of the props for their presentation!
Karlie ready to go speak!
Coming back after their presentation! They rocked it and got the 1st place trophy!!!
Getting their trophy!
Karlie with Mrs. Johnson one of their coaches who also teaches STEM Lab and her GT class!
Solar SySTEM team and coaches! They did AWESOME!!!