Family Activities

  • School Projects: Great Plains Native American Tepee Home

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    Great Plains Tepee Project

    Brina recently did a Social Studies project for school.  She was studying about the Native Americans and the different regions.  Brina picked the Great Plains Region and the tepee for her project.   She had to make a tepee and write a paragraph on how the lodging benefited them.  On this Social Studies project Brina did the Great Plains Region with Tepee housing and Karlie chose the Southwest Region with Pueblo housing.

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    Making her designs on the tepee!

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    She finished the Native American designs on her tepee!  Looks good!

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    Tepee Construction:

    • Cereal Box
    • Old White T-Shirt
    • Elmer’s Glue
    • Wooden Dowels
    • Hot Glue & Hot Glue Gun
    • Markers

    Cut a cereal box into a semi-circle.  Use Elmer’s Glue and attach the T-Shirt to the non-print side of the cardboard from the cereal box.  Once the glue dries use the markers to create your own special Native American designs on your tepee.   Cut out the door to your tepee.  Hot glue the wooden dowels to the inside of the tepee.  Once the glue dries stand the tepee up and hot glue it to the poster board.  To help your tepee maintain its shape you can use rubber bands around it as it dries in place.

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     Brina’s Great Plains Paragraph:  The Great Plains Native Americans used tepees because they were very transportable.  They used the tepees so they could follow the buffalo and other animals while hunting them.  Their main source of food was buffalo meat.  The tepees were light weight, transportable, could be folded up, and carried to the next spot.  they also used the tepee poles to carry buffalo meat.  The tepees were shelter during the nights for the families and transportable when they were trying to find food.  The tepees were a valuable tool used to help feed their families.

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    Brina’s social studies project ready to go!

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    She was so excited to hot glue her horse and a folded up tepee on her poster board!

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    Her tepee turned out well!

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    Brina was super excited about the fire because Jake used his 3D printer to make it for her project!

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    Awesome learning lesson about the Great Plains Native Americans and their transportable home – the tepee!  It was a great project!

  • Family Activities: Fall Pumpkin Carving Fun

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    The girls carved pumpkins glowing on the front porch!  Can you guess who designed which one?

    It has been a tradition for our family to carve pumpkins around Halloween.  A lot of times we carve the pumpkins the weekend before Halloween, but with everything going on this year it was a little later this year.  On Halloween afternoon our family went out to search for the perfect carving pumpkins.  After stopping at three stores we started to wonder if we were even going to find any pumpkins to carve.  Finally, we ended up at Publix and thankfully they still had a lot of pumpkins including some huge ones.  All the pumpkins, not matter what size were $5!  Of course the kids picked the biggest ones they could find.  We came home with one 25 pound and one 26 pound pumpkin!

    This year instead of dressing up and running around doing trick and treating the kids decided they would rather spend the evening as a family celebrating Halloween.  So thankful that the girls wanted to hang out and spend a relaxing evening with us.  We let each kid pick out their favorite bag of candy, a pumpkin to carve, some fun games, and family activities to do Halloween evening.   For Halloween dinner we picked up Chinese take out as a special treat.

    My brother and sister-in-law brought my nephews came by dressed up as the cutest little lion and minion!  It was the first year we had trick or treaters because usually we are never home for Halloween!  It was great getting to see them and spend some time hanging out with them on Halloween!

    Family Pumpkin Carving Fun

    The pumpkin is fresh, washed, and ready to be carved!

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    Cleaning out their pumpkins!  They did the majority of the cleaning, designing, and cutting on their own!

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    Brina saw a cat designed she liked online and used that as an example to draw one on her pumpkin!  We used wet erase marker to draw on the pumpkin before carving it out.

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    Karlie couldn’t find a design she liked online so she drew a rough draft of what she wanted on a piece of paper than drew it again on the pumpkin!  She really wanted a rocket, Saturn, and a star on her pumpkin so this is what she created!

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    Brina carving her cat pumpkin out!

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    Karlie carving her space pumpkin out!

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    We have a space and cat pumpkin glowing on our front porch!

    Family Pumpkin Carving Fun

    The girls chose more non-traditional pumpkin designs.  Brina got her cat idea from another pumpkin she saw.  Karlie designed her rocket, Saturn, star, and space one completely on her own (and fit her personality and interests perfectly)!

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    The pumpkins!  I am pleased with how well the girls pumpkins turned out and they really did most of the work on them!

  • Recipes: Worcestershire Flavored Pumpkin Seeds

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    Our kids love getting their pumpkins every Fall before Halloween so we can carve them and roast the pumpkin seeds.  Due to traveling and other activities that have taken up our time we were a little later getting our pumpkins.  Finally, on Halloween we got the girls pumpkins, after going to three other stores we found pumpkins at Publix!  After cleaning out their pumpkins we had enough seeds to make two big patches of roasted pumpkins seeds, another favorite tradition of our family.

    Every year we used at least one of our favorite pumpkin seed recipes and try to experiment with a new one.  Some years the new pumpkin seed recipes are amazing and they become a new favorite while others are a flop.  This year we made the Cinnamon Apple Cider Pumpkin Seeds and I tried a new pumpkin seed recipe using a touch of worcestershire sauce.  The worcestershire flavored pumpkin seed recipe was a big hit with all my family members.  They agreed it was one we could add to our collection of favorite pumpkin seeds recipes.

     Worcestershire Pumpkin Seed Recipe

    Worcestershire Flavored Pumpkin Seeds

    • 2 cups fresh Pumpkin Seeds
    • 2 tablespoons Butter or Margarine
    • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1/8 teaspoon liquid Wood Smoke
    • 1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Salt

    Rinse the fresh pumpkin seeds.  Saute pumpkin seeds in the butter for about 5 minutes (until they start to turn brown).  Add the worcestershire sauce and liquid wood smoke to the mix of pumpkin seeds.  Saute and stir continually for about 2 minutes.  Sprinkle the seasoned and garlic salt onto the pumpkin seeds and mix until evenly coated.  Spread seeds into a shallow baking pan and baked at 250 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until crispy.  Stirring every 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool, and put in a dish to serve.

    In our house if the pumpkin seed recipe is good about half the pumpkin seeds have disappeared before they have completely cooled and been put into the bowl to serve.  The kids especially like to come by the stove as they are cooling and “taste test” the new recipe and provide their feedback!   Some of the pumpkin seed recipes we have made are sweet while others are salty.  The worchestershire flavored pumpkin seed recipe fits into the salty range.  You can adjust the amount of seasoning based on your specific tastes.  Enjoy!

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was busy week full of many extra appointments that were added into the schedule, some of them last minute, like doctor’s appointments.  The hot water heater decided to pick this week to stop working too.  Thankfully, it stopped on an evening when Jake was home, not traveling for work.  Jake and my brother Lee were able to get a new one back up and working in one evening!

    I was finally able to get an MRI and figure out specifically what is going on to cause all the pain and numbness.  It has been over three weeks since I have been able to sleep in my own bed, the recliner has been the only comfortable spot to sleep lately!  The doctors have found out that I have a severely herniated disc in my neck which is also clamping down on nerves causing the shooting pains down my neck, back, arm, and causing numbness in my fingers.  The doctors are going to try and do a steroid shot directly into that specific disc this week and if that does not work than they want to do surgery.  Praying that the shot will work because the surgery is much more evasive and permanent.  Surgery would require a hospital stay not to mention recovery and effects on my future with mobility, movement, and other issues (obviously not my first choice).

    It is getting old not sleeping well, taking medicines that me feel foggy and not myself, the pain is at times very intense and has limited me in a lot of areas, and numbness in my fingers can eventually lead to permanent damage if we don’t get that fixed as well.  It hurts getting older!  I am ready to be back to my normal self soon.  Praying that they can fix it with the simple solution and without surgery.  There are some areas I did okay with this week on my goals and others not so well.  Either way I plan on proceeding forward with all my goals, activities, and tasks as much as possible!

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Pick another book to read to the kidsI picked out Double Fudge by Judy Blume to read to the girls
    2. Jake finish reading Last of the Mohicans to the kids
    3. Plan one special activity with the family
    4. Prepare for Upcoming Fall Events & Trips
    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. Ride Bikes with the kids – I was not able to ride bikes this week due to my neck, back, and arm issues
    9. Go for a Walk with the Kids – we did not go on walks this week because I was limited in extra moving around on top of my normal activities
    10. Play a Game with the Kidsplayed Halloween Bingo
    11. Attend School Board MeetingJake attended for me because I was not able to go due to health issues
    12. Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items – was not able to get to this one
    13. Plan Family Halloween Dinner & Celebrationenjoyed a relaxing Halloween evening and weekend with my family
    14. Orthodontic Appointment for Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Exercise at least 5 times this week – doctor did not want me doing any additional exercises at this time
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – I got it done, but it took more than one day due to me moving slower and needing help carrying items
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1″ Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later)
    4. Clean out & Organize Refrigerator & Freezer – didn’t get it done
    5. Clean House (Focus – Basement Floors) – didn’t get the basement floors clean, but I did a more “deep” clean of the laundry room due to hot water heater dying on us this week!
    6. Organize Chaos (Focus – Storage Room) – was not able to get this done
    7. Put Spring/Summer Clothes in the Attic – need help to get these in the attic so was unable to finish it
    8. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pool taken down and put away) – thanks to my brother letting us borrow his mower Jake was able to get the yard mowed, but we still need to get the pool put away
    9. Pet Care (Focus – Refill Goat Food Bin & Make Homemade Treats with the kids for Skipper) – we made homemade treats for the dog, but still need to refill the goat food bin

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – still have some that need my attention and a response
    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
    2. Prep for our Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child boxes – got started on it

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt) – working on it
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Make an extra payment on Outstanding Debtwe were able to make an extra payment this week which helps us inch forward in the right direction!
    5. Earn some Creative Cash – I wasn’t able to get any extra creative cash completed this week
    6. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – I did go grocery shopping for the first time in THREE weeks, but I did go to more than one store and I went a little over our budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read the book Double Fudge by Judy Blume to read to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Fall Events & Trips
    4. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8. Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items
    9. ENT and Eye Appointments for Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    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. Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1″ Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later)
    4. Clean out & Organize Refrigerator & Freezer
    5. Clean House (Focus – Basement Floors)
    6. Organize Chaos (Focus – Storage Room)
    7. Put Spring/Summer Clothes in the Attic
    8. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pool taken down and put away)
    9. Pet Care (Focus – Refill Goat Food Bin)

    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
    2. Prep for our Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child boxes

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Make an extra payment on Outstanding Debt
    5. Earn some Creative Cash
    6. 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.

  • Relaxing and Reading

    Reading and Tepee Social Studies Project

    Relaxing and reading!

    One of the best parts of having a relaxing Saturday morning is having extra time to read.   This is what I saw recently when walked into Brina’s room!   Brina was catching up on a pile of Berestain Bears books.  Jake and Karlie were checking something out in the World Book Encyclopedia.  The girls love books.  It makes my heart happy to walk into the room and see the kids reading.

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    Brina enjoying her book!

  • Sweet Treats for a Spooktacular Halloween!

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    3 Easy Seasoned Pumpkin Seed Recipes

    Wishing your family a Happy Halloween!  I have been away for work the past couple of weeks so we decided to celebrate this Halloween by staying home and enjoying a family night.  It is great to be back home and to see my handsome man and sweet kids!   The only thing that the girls specifically requested for the our family Halloween celebration was some pumpkins for carving and something good to eat.  I also picked up some caramel for making caramel apples!

    Here are some of our favorite Halloween and delicious pumpkin recipes!

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    Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins (4 Ingredients)

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    Carmel Apple Dip

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    Pumpkin Dip

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    Halloween Rice Krispie Treats

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    Super Easy Halloween Punch

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    It was a crazy week.  I spent some time in Kansas with my family helping Fall Harvest last week, however, I continued to have difficulties and pain with my back, neck, arm, and numbness in my hand so I came back home earlier than expected.  Jake picked me up from the airport and took me directly to the doctor.  After a couple more doctors visits they “think” it is a bulging, dislocated, or chipped disc in my neck along with strained/pulled muscles in my shoulder, and a pinched nerve.  They are hoping I will feel better with the current treatment soon otherwise the next step is a MRI and possible surgery.

    While away I did learn a lot.  My time in the Midwest made me appreciate my parents and many of my extended family members who are in the farming industry even more for all the hard work they do on the farm.  During Fall Harvest the days are long, very busy, and a lot of activities are going on simultaneously (harvest, drilling, hauling, prepping fields and meals, and so much more).   It takes a lot of coordination, communication, and skill to keep everything and everybody moving forward smoothly.  Plus, you have the weather that effects your days and activities too.

    I am thankful that I was able to pitch in a small way and learn a few new things as well.  I did manage to drive the tractor and grain cart a little bit and the track tractor for a few hours which is something I have never done before.  Thankfully, I managed to make some progress forward and didn’t break anything (when operating such big equipment like the tractors, trucks, combines, vehicles, and equipment during harvest it is one of my fears that I will break something which could be costly in time and finances).  I was super excited about helping my family with Fall Harvest, my biggest disappointment was that I had to come home early due to my health.  For some reason God wants me home during this time, but I continue to pray for safety for all my family members still working the long hours out in the fields, prepping meals, and traveling to deliver the crops during this very busy time.  I love my family dearly and truly wanted to be a blessing to them during this time.

    Praying that I heal quickly because after over two weeks of sleeping restlessly in a recliner, being in pain, and having the side effects from the medicines I am ready to be myself again (I think my family would really like that too).  With all that being said I have made adjustments with my schedule and hope to still accomplish many of my goals this week, but I want to be realistic as well with everything that is going on right now.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Mail at least one note to Jake and the girls – I took cards and stamps, but with the busy days, pain, and coming home early it didn’t get done
    2. Speak to my husband and kids at least once a day
    3. Send at least one Text, Picture, Instant Message, or Email a day to let them know I am thinking about themmy phone was not cooperating in KS, but I managed to IM at least once or twice a day
    4. Have Hangout chat with the entire family at least once this weekI did do one short video hangout chat with Jake and the girls one evening
    5. Prepare for Upcoming Fall Events & Trips
    6. Spend time with extended familyworked with them and went to the Country Harvest Pumpkin Patch with my parents, brother, and nephews on Sunday near Hastings, Nebraska

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – didn’t do so well keeping up with my water (one day I left my water in the pickup while I was in the tractor for several hours)
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)I was ahead with my plan before heading to KS so I remained caught up
    3. Exercise at least 5 times this week – ummmmm….no this one didn’t get done, I was moving around, but really only out of necessity not for exercise because moving was at times pretty painful

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. Keep up with my laundry
    2. Update Evernote with any home / yard / pets activities for Jake and the girls

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – there were some activities I let slide this past week, hoping to get caught back up soon
    3. Work completed for clients – still have a couple items that need my attention

    Ministry Goals

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

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt (microwave and refrigerator) – working on it

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Pick another book to read to the kids (Jake is currently reading Last of the Mohicans to them)
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Fall Events & Trips
    4. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    7. Ride Bikes with the kids
    8. Go for a Walk with the Kids
    9. Play a Game with the Kids
    10. Attend School Board Meeting
    11. Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items
    12. Plan Family Halloween Dinner & Celebration
    13. Orthodontic Appointment for Kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Exercise at least 5 times this week
    4. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    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. Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1” Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later)
    4. Clean out & Organize Refrigerator & Freezer
    5. Clean House (Focus – Basement Floors)
    6. Organize Chaos (Focus – Storage Room)
    7. Put Spring/Summer Clothes in the Attic
    8. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pool taken down and put away)
    9. Pet Care (Focus – Refill Goat Food Bin & Make Homemade Treats with the kids for Skipper)
    10. Make 1 – Freeze 1 Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat and one to freeze for later)

    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
    2. Prep for our Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child boxes

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Make an extra payment on Outstanding Debt
    5. Earn some Creative Cash
    6. 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.

  • Barnes & Noble Kids Event: Click, Clack, Boo! Halloween Storytime on Saturday, October 25th

    Barnes & Noble Storytime Children’s Event Details and Participating Locations:

    Barnes and Noble locations will be hosting a Kids Storytime Special Event featuring the new title Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat by Doreen Cronin on Saturday, October 25, 2014.

    Head over to your local Barnes & Noble for this Halloween Storytime with fun giveaways and activities. Trick-or-treat?  Be sure to wear your costume for trick-or-treating throughout the store.   ​Check for times and locations near you.

    Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat

  • Charleston: The Charleston Explorer Program

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    Charleston Explorer Goodies

    Since we go to Charleston a few times every year we signed the kids up for their Charleston Explorers Club a little over a year ago.  It was a great way to explore the Charleston area, learn pieces of history or science and more plus earn a few prizes along the way.  We have always enjoy our trips to Charleston and every time we try to go to a new place which made the Charleston Explorers a great program for our kids.

    You could pick up a Charleston Explorer passport at any of the Charleston Area Visitors Centers.  It was free for any kid under 18 to sign up for the club.  When the kids enrolled they each received a passport, prize, a list of more than 30 participating locations, and information about how the program worked.  Each time the kids visited one of the locations they would get a stamp specific to that location and enter the “stamp code” into their online profile and rate the place they visited.  Every 5 stamps they would earn a prize that was mailed directly to our house.  We never knew what the prizes would be and the kids were always very happy with the neat items that came in the mail.

    Some of the places where you got the stamps were free while others required paid admission.  Several of the places you could buy discounted tickets if you bundled them together.  The program started back in April 2011 and recently ended.  It is probably one of the best travel programs we have participated in, it was ran well, the prizes were amazing, and we had a blast doing the Charleston Explorers with the kids.  We would love to see them do another program for the kids in the future!

    I would encourage you to check out any of these types of explorers programs in your local area or another area where you visit frequently.  These are programs can provide great learning opportunities for your kids.  It was a wonderful experience for our whole family.   I wish more places had kids programs like this one.

    Some of the items we received:

    • Charleston Explorers Water Bottles
    • Charleston Explorers Magnetic Keychains with Flashlights
    • Charleston Explorers Binoculars
    • Charleston Explorers Pens
    • Charleston Explorers Stickers
    • Charleston Explorers Bag
    • Charleston Explorers Clips
    • $25 Wonder Works Toy Store Gift Cards
    • iPod Touch

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    The highlighted places on our brochure are the ones we have visited since we started the Charleston Explorers program!  Great places to visit and wonderful times exploring with the kids!

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    The girls passport books!  Here is what two of their pages look like with the Fort Sumter, Patriots Point, Heyward Washington House, Nathaniel Russell House, Edmonston Alston House, and Aiken Rhett House stamps on these two pages.  We filled their passport books up.  The girls loved getting their stamps at the end of their tours.

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    One of the prizes they earned was a $25 Gift Card each from Wonder Works a Toy Store in Charleston.  The girls can’t wait for our next trip to Charleston so they can use their gift cards!

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    The girls were so excited when FedEx dropped off a package at our “Google only” household! Guess, we now need to include another platform…. Their final Charleston Explorers prize was an iPod Touch!  They were so very EXCITED to receive the iPod! Wow!!! Thanks Charleston for making our trips so enjoyable and for the amazing prizes! It has been a awesome exploring with the family and we look forward to our next visit!  We still have several more locations we want to see on our list!

  • Mom & Daughter Date Night at Hearts of Clay

    Date Night at Hearts of Clay Pottery

    Brina working on her new plate!

    Earlier this year I took the girls to Hearts of Clay to make their first pottery creations.  We were super excited when we got the call from Hearts of Clay saying that the items were ready to pick up, however, one of the pieces had broken (Brina’s big flower plate).  They were very sweet and offered to let her create another plate if she wanted to come in and do it.  Although, she was sad about the broken plate that she had worked so hard on she was a good sport and felt a lot better knowing she could create another one.  We made it into a Mom-Daughter Date Night and had a great time being creative together.  Thankful for Hearts of Clay and their kindness in letting her come make a new plate.  We had a wonderful time and look forward to another fun activity at Hearts of Clay in the future.

    Mom Daughter Date Night at Hearts of Clay Pottery

    Brina’s new plate!  She made the plate beautiful, but simple this time around.  Instead of a flower she chose a square shape.  Her colors are very similar to the last one she created.

    We also picked up the pieces that were done from the previous visit to Hearts of Clay!  They turned out really well!  Glad the girls enjoyed this fun adventure!

    Hearts of Clay Pottery

    All the pieces that survived the first fun creative evening at Hearts of Clay.  Karlie’s is the rocket plate and the goat!  Brina’s is the purple heart, black lab, giraffe, and cat (whose tail fell off).

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    Karlie was so thrilled “Oreo” the goat came out well.

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    Karlie loves space so her rocket, stars, and planet plate was a perfect display of something she enjoys!  She was pleased with how it turned out!

    We are looking forward to seeing how this Brina’s recent plate turned out along with her other little creations she made with the extra clay.  We met up with Jake and Karlie after finishing up at Hearts of Clay and the four of us went out to dinner together.  It was nice to spend a little one-on-one time with Brina as well as a relaxing rest of the evening with the family.