• These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

    I finished reading These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls recently.  They have really enjoyed reading this series together; These Happy Golden Years is the eighth book in the series.  The only thing they are disappointed about is that we only have one book left and it is a short one.

    In this book Laura Ingalls gets her first teaching job, at the age of fifteen, in a school twelve miles away from home.  Since it is winter time she will not be able to live at home while she is teaching.  She wants to work to help pay for her sister Mary’s tuition at the college for the blind, but the place she is boarding while teaching is unpleasant and she is very homesick.  The time spent in another family’s home makes Laura appreciate her Pa, Ma, and sisters even more.  Laura begins to look forward to hearing Almanzo Wilder’s sleigh bells ringing as he arrives to pick her up from school on Fridays and take her home so she can spend time with her family.  While Laura was not teaching she was spending time with family and friends, studying, taking singing lessons, and going for rides in Almanzo’s new buggy.  It is in this book Laura’s friendship with Almanzo blossoms into love.

    I am so excited that the girls have loved this series as much as I did as a kid.  It has been a lot of fun reading through these books (and others) with them.  They look forward everyday to reading the next chapter.  Thankful for some time to spend enjoying the simple things in life with my girls.

  • Giveaway: $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Card

    I am excited to announce a new giveaway on Blessings Multiplied!   The winner of this giveaway will receive a $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Card!  The best part about this card is you can use it for books, educational items, games, puzzles, and much more.  Summer is quickly approaching and you may want to get a book for an upcoming family vacation!  We love to read in our house so any trips to a book store are considered fun and relaxing for all of us.  Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

    Enter the Giveaway (up to 5 entries per person)!

    1. 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 what type of items you enjoy picking up at Barnes & Noble.
    • EXTRA BONUS – My husband recently built a book shelf for the kids birthday!  The kids love having their own book shelf in their room and can be found reading quietly next to the shelf several times throughout the week!  You can get extra bonus entry by making a guess on how many books we have on the kids book shelf (picture below).  The person who gets closest to the actual number of books on the shelf will get an additional 5 entries into the drawing!  🙂

    All comments must be made by May 31, 2013 at 10:00 PM EST to be entered into the drawing.  Good Luck!

    The actual gift card may or may not be identical to the one pictured above.

  • Little Town On The Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

    A couple weeks ago I finished reading Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls.  It is the seventh book in the Little House series.  It is hard to believe we are flying through this series and before long we’ll be done.  The girls loved these books so much I am already thinking about if I should do another series or something similar next.

    Now that the long winter of blizzards is over the Ingalls family is heading back out to the homestead to work the land.  Laura got a new job, attended some fun parties in town, and began to spend time with Almanzo Wilder.  She continues to study hard for the teacher’s test so she can help Pa and Ma keep Mary in school.  Mary is going to college for the blind.  Even though Laura is fifteen years old she past the test and receives her teaching certificate early.

  • Learning About Manners Picnic Basket Game by Noodleboro

    The girls have had the Learning About Manners Picnic Basket Game by Noodleboro (Playskool) for several years now.  They love it!  It is a unique game with a picnic blanket board, a picnic basket, games pieces, a story they can read, and a cd to listen too.  Many times as we are setting up the game someone will read the story and after playing the game the girls like to listen to the cd. It is a cute game about using your manners, being kind, and polite.

    • Colorful with neat game pieces (how many games come with a cool picnic basket)
    • Book  to read during story time with fun character who are learning their manners
    • Audio CD with more about the story and songs regarding using manners
    • Easy to play (recommended for ages 4 and up)
    • 2 to 4 Players
    • Object of the game – use your manners and be the first to collect all the items you need at your picnic!
    • Learning Benefits – social skills (say “please” and “thank you”), taking turns, listening, reading, and more

    We love games!   We have found that playing games is beneficial for many reasons.  It gives us quality time together as a family.  The kids learn that they will not always win (which is not always an easy lesson to learn), but the game can still be fun even if you are not the victor in every game.  It provides opportunities for us to talk and create memories together.  Games teach and help our kids practice a variety of useful skills like following directions, reading, writing, counting, taking turns, and more.

  • The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

    Recently I finished reading The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls.  The Long Winter is book sixth book in the Little House series.  The girls LOVE reading these books.  I try to read at least a chapter to them every night and they always want me to keep on reading! Glad the girls are enjoying this series as much as I did as a little girl.  This was probably one of the hardest ones to read because the Ingalls family went through a lot of tough things during this winter season (from near starvation, freezing, and more).  The book teaches a lot about being creative with the resources around you, helping others, and working together to get through the rough season.

    Laura Ingalls and her family continue their adventures in the town of De Smet, South Dakota.  They got their homestead, but didn’t have time to winterize the little shanty before winter so they moved into the town of De Smet to live in the building that Pa had built last year.  Thankfully they had a place to stay in town because blizzard after blizzard hit the little town and cut off all the supplies for several months, including anything that was suppose to be arriving on the train.  Pa, Ma, Laura, Mary, Carrie, and baby Grace did their best to enjoy each day.

    It was a hard winter for the family with low food supplies and the cold from the  blizzards.  The book introduces many new characters into the series from their interactions with people in town during the winter months.  Almanzo Wilder and Cap Garland made a dangerous journey to find wheat so the families in town would not starve.  Even though it was a tough season many good friendships were established during these months.   The Ingalls family was creative with their cooking, heating the home, and finding ways to stay entertained while they were stuck inside during the blizzards.

  • Heart Reflections: How do they do it?

    How do kids wear their clothes on backwards and not even notice it?  As an adult I would be so uncomfortable…..if I accidentally put my shirt on backwards it drives me nuts until was fixed.  When the girls were younger they would go an entire day at school with their shirt or pants on backwards and it didn’t bother them (even after several requests from me to correct the clothing). They didn’t have the extra motivation to switch it around because they really didn’t mind it being backwards.  It was rather hilarious seeing slipper slide marks and grass stains when they were going through the wash since they had worn them backwards all day.

    Recently I re-read a book that I had read many years ago.  When I read it years ago I loved the book.  I still enjoyed the book but there were pieces that stood out to me much more this time around, not necessarily because I missed it the first time around but because of the journey my life has taken the emotions the people in the book feel more real.

    I noticed those one or two sentences in the book where someone expressed sadness because they could not have children.  Read my  Loosening My Grip: Why Can’t I Get Pregnant series if you want to learn about our story.  I was disappointed and even sad when the characters in the book faced other hardships similar to those trials that I have gone through.  Many years ago when I first read this book it didn’t bother me because I didn’t have such a personal connection to what the people were going through.

    Now after all these years and many trials later it is more emotional to read the story.  Much like the girls when they were younger wearing their clothes inside out, it really didn’t bother them too much because they really didn’t know what it was suppose to feel like.  Over time they learned that wearing clothes backwards was uncomfortable much like those trials we go through that much us uncomfortable.

    Maybe….just….maybe God has us go through certain situations that make us uncomfortable so later when we encounter another person going through a similar trial we can be an encouragement to them.  We can cheer them on, share our story, and be a blessing to them during a hard time.  Isn’t that what life’s about anyway?  Using our gifts, talents, and what we have learned to make a positive impact on the lives of people around us.  Is there someone in your life that you can be an encouragement to today?

  • Imagination Station – Voyage with the Vikings by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 1)

    One afternoon earlier this month I had to take one of the girls to the doctor for a blood test so as we spent time waiting in the doctors office we started reading Imagination Station – Voyage with the Vikings by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 1).  Later that same evening when we were back home I finished reading the last couple chapters to the girls.  If you are looking for a simple, quick, and entertaining book to read out loud to your kids this is a good one.  Your kid(s) may also enjoy reading this one independently on their own too.  This is book one of Focus on the Family’s Adventures in Odyssey series.

    One day when the cousins, Patrick and Beth, were exploring Mr. Whittaker’s place they came across his Imagination Station.  Before long they were being transported back in time on an adventure together to Greenland where they met Viking Erik the Red, Viking Leif, and more interesting people.  Your kids will be captivated by the adventures on the boat, searching for the sunstone, winning a prized sword, and watching for flying spears while learning a little bit about Vikings, Greenland, and more.

  • Free Audio Book: “Choose Joy” by Kay Warren

    For the month of March Christian Audio is offering a free download of an audio book .  This month the audio book is Choose Joy by Kay Warren.

    Ever wonder why some people seem to experience joy in their daily lives–even in the tough times–and others can’t seem to find it no matter how hard they search? Is a joy-filled life really possible? The answer is yes! And it’s possible for every woman, no matter what her circumstances may be.  (information from Christian Audio)

    If you have been wanting to a book to listen to throughout the day or while driving then this is a great opportunity to get a book for free when you download it from Christian Audio in December.   Make sure to submit your order by March 30,  2013  to get your free audio book.  Thanks Christian Audio!

  • On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

    Last week I finished reading On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls.  This is the fourth book of the Little House series.  In this book Laura and her family start their time in Minnesota on Plum Creek in a little sod house.  Later Pa builds a new house with manufactured boards, glass windows and a hinged door.

    The wild game at Plum Creek was more scarce because it was a more settled area but they did find plenty of fish in the creek.  They were close enough to town that the family could attend church on Sundays and Laura and Mary could go to school.  The land was good and the wheat crop looked great until the grasshoppers came which meant Pa had to look for work elsewhere.

    It has been a lot of fun reading about Laura’s adventures with the girls.  I am reading the same books to the girls that I read as a little girl.  They are always eager to have me read the next chapter to them.

  • Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

    I started reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume to the girls while we were on the cruise.  The girls loved hearing about Peter, Fudge, and their adventures so much that they begged me to continue reading it.  I finished reading this book to the girls earlier this week.  They thought the book was hilarious and wanted to know if there were any more books.

    The book is about a fourth grader Peter Hatcher and his little brother Fudge.  Fudge was always getting into Peter’s things, messing up his school work, playing with his turtle, and many other things to embarrass Peter.  Every chapter contains the daily interactions and adventures of the Hatcher family.    The story is fun and silly which captivates the young listeners attention.  We have the older version of this book from when I was a kid.  The girls love that they are reading books that I read as a kid too.