Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a busy week, but we had a lot of fun. The girls came into work with me first thing in the morning for a little bit. They helped unlock the doors, turn on lights, and get set up for the day before spending time working on their summer workbooks for some time before I took them into camp. They did a Music & Technology camp in the morning and a Rube Goldberg creative experiments in the afternoon. It was super neat seeing what cool creations they developed over the course of the week.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful for an opportunity to spend some time chatting with the girls on the way to work and their help getting everything set up for the day.
Tuesday – Thankful to have an chance to see and hear all the neat things the girls are learning and creating in their week at Summer Camp.
Wednesday – Thankful for a dentist near home, that gets me in for an early appointment, and that I didn’t have any cavities or items that need to be done! Yay!
Thursday – Thankful for the girls curious and inquisitive minds. They are not afraid to ask questions so they can learn more from people in various areas.
Friday – Thankful for some quiet one-on-one time with Jake. It was nice to relax, catch up, chat, and spend some time together. Grateful for his thoughts and for being a sounding board regarding my crazy ideas. He brings peace, calm, and great insight to areas that am I trying to figure out.
Saturday – Thankful for an opportunity to spend time my family! We got a lot of accomplished, but also had fun together!
Sunday – Thankful for the freedom to attend church, learn, and grow. Grateful for a refreshing and much needed moments with my family.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.
School: Karlie’s 5th Grade Awards! Good Job KARLIE!
Karlie’s 5th Grade Awards!
Brina and Karlie had their 5th grade Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 27, 2016. There is something both unique and special about having twins because they challenge and encourage each other in many areas of their lives. Thankful for the girls love of learning. It is great seeing them grow up into amazing young ladies!
Jake and I knew the girls did really well this year, worked hard, and got decent grades, but we were still surprised at how well they did. Thankful for all their hardwork regarding school. It has obviously paid off and they have learned a lot throughout the year. They did fantastic this year. It was a tough year, but it was worth all their effort!
All there teachers were excellent and encouraged them to learn a lot while making learning fun for the students! Their Homeroom Teachers, Gifted & Talented Teacher, Reading Teacher, and STEM Club Coaches, Library Leader, Chorus Director, Safety Patrol Leader, Beta Club Leader, the Administration Leadership Team and more were all good about communicating with the parents which is always key in helping the kids be successful. Thankful for all the teachers and all energy they put into our kids this school year.
We are VERY PROUD of the hard work Karlie put forward this year and the amount she was able to accomplish throughout her 5th grade year! The girls have the biggest class in the school so it is a huge honor to get these awards. Way to go kiddo!!!
Karlie received the following 18 Award Certificates, 13 Award Medals, 3 Award Pins, 2 Trophies, & 4 Specialty Awards:
- 1 – Highest Math Achievement Awards (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Social Studies Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Reading Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Science Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Language Arts Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – “A” Honor Roll Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Jet Toy Challenge Competition Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – Brina’s Team went to Regional Competition)
- 1 – 5th Grade Elementary School Diploma (It’s official that she has graduated up to 6th grade – Middle School. Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, & 1 Stuffed Bear)
- 1 – Helping Hands & Beta Club Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – for doing Community Service Projects throughout the school year)
- 1 – Chorus Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – participated in Community Chorus Events & Activities throughout the year)
- 1 – Academic Excellence Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Library Assistant & Book Worm Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Adorable Book Worm)
- 1 – President’s Education Awards for Outstanding Academic Excellence (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – Safety Patrol Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – 1st Place Accelerated Reading Award & Trophy (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, & 1 Trophy – Karlie broke her schools record in highest AR Points!!!)
- 1 – Children’s Book Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – STEM Club Award (STEM Club Team – went to state) (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Pin, & STEM Organizer for next school year)
- 1 – Gift & Talented “GT” Gift Award (Received a Karlie’s Characteristic Gift Award from GT Teacher and Classmates
- 1 – All A’s All Years in Elementary School Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Trophy)
Karlie and Brina together received 34 Award Certificates + 25 Award Medals + 6 Award Pins + 3 Trophies + 1 Cash Prize + 7 Specialty Awards at their 5th Grade Awards Ceremony!
Love these girls! XOXO
School: Brina’s 5th Grade Awards! Way to GO BRINA!
Brina’s 5th Grade Awards!
Brina and Karlie had their 5th grade Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 27, 2016. Jake and I knew the girls did really well this year, worked hard, and got decent grades, but we were still surprised at how well they did. Thankful for all their hardwork regarding school. It has obviously paid off and they have learned a lot throughout the year. They both had awesome teachers which is always beneficial for the kids too.
We did not even save seats for the girls (we didn’t realize that they would need to sit with us after graduation), but it didn’t matter because they barely even sat down before they were called back up on stage to receive their next award. They did fantastic this year. It was a tough year, but it was worth all their effort!
All there teachers were excellent and encouraged them to learn a lot while making learning fun for the students! Their Homeroom Teachers, Gifted & Talented Teacher, Reading Teacher, and STEM Club Coaches, Library Leader, Chorus Director, Safety Patrol Leader, Beta Club Leader, the Administration Leadership Team and more were all good about communicating with the parents which is always key in helping the kids be successful. Thankful for all the teachers and all energy they put into our kids this school year.
We are VERY PROUD of the hard work Brina put forward this year and the amount she was able to accomplish throughout her 5th grade year! The girls have the biggest class in the school so it is a huge honor to get these awards. Way to go chickie-a-dee!!!
Brina received the following 16 Award Certificates, 12 Award Medals, 3 Award Pins, 1 Trophy, 1 Cash Prize, & 3 Specialty Awards:
- 1 – Highest Math Achievement Awards (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Social Studies Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Reading Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Highest Language Arts Achievement Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – “A” Honor Roll Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Jet Toy Challenge Competition Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – Brina’s Team went to Regional Competition)
- 1 – School Science Fair Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Regional Science Fair 1st Place Grand Prize SCPC Winner (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, 1 Grand Prize Trophy, & a Cash Prize)
- 1 – 5th Grade Elementary School Diploma (It’s official that she has graduated up to 6th grade – Middle School. Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Medal, & 1 Stuffed Bear)
- 1 – Helping Hands & Beta Club Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – for doing Community Service Projects throughout the school year)
- 1 – Chorus Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal – participated in Community Chorus Events & Activities throughout the year)
- 1 – Academic Excellence Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Medal)
- 1 – Library Assistant & Book Worm Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Adorable Book Worm)
- 1 – President’s Education Awards for Outstanding Academic Achievement (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – Safety Patrol Award (Received 1 Award Certificate & 1 Award Pin)
- 1 – STEM Club Award (STEM Club Team – went to state) (Received 1 Award Certificate, 1 Award Pin, & STEM Organizer for next school year)
Brina and Karlie together received 34 Award Certificates + 25 Award Medals + 6 Award Pins + 3 Trophies + 1 Cash Prize + 7 Specialty Awards at their 5th Grade Awards Ceremony!
Love these girls! XOXO
Brina & Karlie’s Awards Ceremony! Congratulations Girls!
Brina and Karlie with Ms. Osbey. They loved spending time in the library as Library Assistants helping her!
Proud of these two girls!
Karlie receiving her Accelerated Reading Trophy! 🙂 She broke the school record in AR points! Loves her books! Way to go KARLIE!!!
Fifth Grade Awards Ceremony!
Hanging out with friends between Graduation and the Awards Ceremony
Safety Patrol!
Brina’s fantastic Homeroom Teacher this year Mrs. Husso! She was an amazing teacher and Brina learned a ton in her class!
Brina’s reading teacher for the past several years Mrs. Whitmire! She is AWESOME and has helped Brina so much with improving her reading skills! Wish we could take us with Brina to Middle School!!!
Karlie & Brina – 5th Grade 2016 Class Graduation & Awards Ceremony! Proud of these girls!
Both Karlie & Brina were the Highest Student in Social Studies for their home class!
Karlie & Brina were the highest student in READING for their home class! WooHoo Brina, she has learned so much over the past few years even with handling dyslexia. Proud of both of our girls!
Karlie highest student in Science for her home class!
Jet Toy Competition! Both Karlie and Brina’s individual teams went on to compete in the Regional Jet Toy Competition this year!
Brina won her class Science Fair and went on to win 1st Place Grand Prize in our Regional Science Fair competition! Very proud of Brina and all her hardwork! We calculated that she made over 400 cupcakes throughout her Science experiment! Way to go BRINA!!!
Award for Academic Excellence!
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a week packed full of a lot of emotions. With the girls wrapping up at a school they have been attending the past 7 years it has been quite a stepping stone for us. We are grateful to all the teachers and administration at Crosswell Elementary for the amount of time, energy, and attention they have invested in our girls education. They have made a positive and lasting impression on our kids. Wish we could take some of the amazing teachers with us to Middle school. We are excited to see what Middle School will bring and know that the kids will probably adjust quicker and better than at least their Mom because with them moving up a school their growing up seems more real. Love my girls and very proud of what they have accomplished over the past year! There was so much to be thankful for last week.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week. Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful to have the laundry room renovation started and that we were still able to get the laundry done so none of us have to run around wearing dirty clothes!
Tuesday – Thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with the girls after school that didn’t include doing a bunch of homework. We even had a few extra minutes to do a rapid quick clean up around the house and read some more of our books together. LOVE catching both of the girls reading independently on their own during free time (for those who know our family you know that for one of our kids this is a really big deal)!
Wednesday – Thankful for time after work to spend with other Mom’s at school prepping for the kids 5th grade Graduation Celebration Party. We were able to get a lot accomplished and organized during our time together.
Thursday – Thankful for Brina’s hard work on her “Cupcakes on the Rise” Science Fair Project because we were able to see her accept a 1st Place Trophy, Medals, Certificate, and Cash Prize (we had no idea there was a cash prize as well) for the Regional Science Fair! Very proud of our Brina Bee!
Friday – Thankful for an opportunity to watch the girls Graduation and Awards Ceremony! They did fantastic and both kids received numerous awards, medals, pins, certificates, trophies and other cool awards for all that they had accomplished throughout this year. Also, Karlie received a trophy for getting all A’s her entire Elementary School years. Super proud of these kids and the effort they put into their learning. Praying they continue to have the love of learning as they get older!
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
Flashback Friday: It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
Karlie and Brina
The girls were super thrilled with all the neat Christmas items around the house to play with. We were constantly putting Christmas ornaments back on the trees and various decorations back in their place. Their curiosity was peaked and they loved exploring all the cool stuff. The most interesting place we found a Christmas decoration during their first Christmas Holiday was in a diaper. We went to change Karlie one time and she some how managed to get a good chunk of an ornament that she pulled off the tree down her diaper. We think she was chewing on it, dropped it and it fell down in her dress only to re-appear at her next diaper change. We were pretty surprised, but it didn’t seem to bother her at all.
Flashback Friday: Ready for Snow!
Brina and Karlie
Ready for a winter snow now! The girls are all ready to try out their sled. They were so excited with all the fun festivities going on during this time of year. It was a fun experience going through the Holiday season for the first time with the girls.
Volunteering at School
Crazy day volunteering at school, watching both girls speak in front of their classmates, teachers, and parents – they did awesome! After running errands, sharing a surprise with someone who has been a blessing to our family, and various other activities I was able to finally sit down, eat a late lunch, and soak in the beautiful sunny Fall view from our back deck. Thankful for the colorful landscape!Organized Chaos: Picnic & Travel Supplies
Our Picnic and Travel Supplies Organized
Our family loves to be outside and travel! We keep some of the travel supplies we use regularly on hand for these occasions so that we are prepared. We don’t always need all these items for each trip or when we go outside, but when it is necessary it is easy to locate so we can use them.
These small containers with lids that we used for the picnic and travel supplies, you can find for a $1 at Dollar Tree, have been useful in helping our family get and stay organized! Once the items are placed in containers, we put the lid on, and labeled them. We picked up the shelving a long time ago at Sam’s Club, but you can find it at a number of stores including Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and more.
Picnic & Travel Supply label ideas to get you started:
- Sunblock
- Bug Repellent Bands
- Hand Sanitizer / Wet Wipes
- Disposable Forks
- Disposable Spoons
- Disposable Knives
- Disposable Utensil Sets
- Decorative Tape
- Candy Gifts
Most of these items probably make sense to you, except maybe the Decorative Tape and the Candy Gifts. Well, let me explain why those are in this section as well and on the shelf with the other travel items. The decorative tape is used usually before we travel to make or decorate a special surprise for the kids (especially if it is a long trip). Sometimes we have actually brought a roll with us as we travel for various fun activities during the travel. We do use the decorative tape for other occasions as well, but for the most part it used before traveling adventures. The candy gifts are in the travel section because when we go on long road trips, usually 5 hours or longer, we try to pack special treats for the kids to enjoy along the way. This helps break up the trip for them. I usually get the treats a various times throughout the year as I find great deals and put them into the container. As we prepare to leave for an upcoming trip I pull out a couple items and we are good to go.
Disposable utensils, decorative tape, and candy gifts! Ready for the next road trip adventure!
The Picnic & Travel Supplies are organized on the middle shelf in this picture!
Organized Chaos: Organizing Our Arts & Crafts Supplies
General Craft Supplies
Our kids love to do crafts! In the summer months, on the weekends, or evenings when the kids have some extra free time they like to do crafts. Throughout the school year they have to do various projects for school so our art and craft supplies come in handy for those tasks as well.
The general arts and crafts supplies are stored in our storage closet on one of our shelves in individual containers labeled with what is inside each one. Whenever the kids want to do a craft or need something specific all they have to do is get the container out, use whatever item they need, and put the container back once they are finished. If they use up all of one particular item they write that item on the grocery / shopping list (or tell us if we are nearby so we can add it).
When the kids were younger we had a lot more containers of art and crafts supplies. Now we have narrowed it down to the supplies they use the most and will fit on one shelf in the storage room. We still have a couple drawers and other containers on the very bottom shelf for specialty or specific items that do not fit into these categories, but they are easy to access when they need them as well. Also, the girls have crafts that were give to them in their own rooms, Organized Chaos: Kids Crafts & Activities.
These small containers with lids that we used for the arts and crafts supplies, you can find for a $1 at Dollar Tree, have been very useful in helping our family get organized! Once the items are placed in containers, we put the lid on, and label them. We picked up the shelving a long time ago at Sam’s Club, but you can find it at a number of stores including Walmart, KMart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and more.
Here are some of the container labels we used for our arts and crafts supplies to get you started:
- Stencils
- Small Crafts
- Glitter
- Craft Sticks
- Modeling Clay
- Crayons
- Google Eyes
- Beads & Necklaces
- Fuzzy Sticks (pipe cleaners)
- Water Color Paint / Paint Brushes
- Finger Paints
- Stamps
- Pom Poms
Our organized storage room – the top shelf in this picture is where the arts & crafts supplies are located!
