My Word for 2014

As you know, I don't make resolutions for the New Year.

Yes, I make goals to reach (I am naturally a goal oriented person), but I don't resolve to do any specific thing that I am gung ho about for January, lose steam for in February, and completely forget about by March.

My word for this year is

ACTION

Whether that action be in moving to get in some exercise or seeing something that needs to be done and doing it immediately or going somewhere on a lazy Saturday instead of just hanging around the house.

Making things happen.

Getting down on the floor and crawling around with the kids instead of getting down on the floor and just sitting.

Doing things.

Going places.

Going on a new adventure.

That is what I want to accomplish this year.

How about you?

What is the one word you would like to focus on for this year?

Simplicity | Live Life | Morning Routine

5:45 a.m.

I wake up to the alarm on my cell phone.

I don't mind waking up this early. This is the only time of the day I get to take care of Suzette- not in a selfish way, but in a way that ensures that I am ready to take care of the rest of my troop for the rest of the day.

Because of everything that was taken care of the night before during the Evening Routine, my Morning Routine has been set up for success. Which is why waking up early isn't a bother.

The Morning Routine, as explained in the book One Bite at a Time, consists of five things that fuel you the most.

My Morning Routine consists of the following:

1. Bathroom time- I've mentioned in a previous post that this and my next item are constants in my schedule. Brushing my teeth and putting in my contact lenses are very important to me. For one, I like to see. End of story. Secondly, if Addie wakes up earlier than normal and finds me mid-routine, well...... I have this things about having my teeth brushed.
2. Quiet time- Reading the Bible and having prayer time is very important to me. If I do this when the kids are awake, my time isn't focused on what God is trying to teach me, it is distracted by what Ian might be discovering or answering one of Addie super-important questions. By having my quiet time before the house stirs, I am uninterrupted and can focus on my time with the Lord.
3. Vitamins- My friend Sherri was so happy when I told her I had added this to my morning routine! She has been trying to get me to take vitamins for years! (Side note: I always take my vitamins when I am pregnant because someone else is dependant on them. But for me, I wasn't so consistent.) Now I take my vitamins and lay out Addie and Brian's vitamins too.
4. Stretch- I've been doing crunches in the morning and then stretching out my back. It feels good to start out my day doing that. Yesterday, Addie woke up early and found me in the office doing my crunches. She looked at me and said, "Mom, are you exercising? It's the middle of the night!"
5. Get dressed- because my outfit has already been picked out, I just have to lotion up, put my clothes on, do my hair and make up, and I am ready to go. Nowhere in particular, but I am presentable for my husband before he leaves for work, and my children who have to look at me all day.

Addie is also learning to have her own morning routine, which helps me have one less thing that I have to check off of my list. He routine consists of:

1. Read the Bible- We have a wonderful children's picture Bible that we have gone through together several times called the "See With Me Bible". She is able to go through an account and tell herself the story without needing any help. This is teaching her how to make putting God first a habit in her life.
2. Get dressed- She is at an age where she is able to get herself fully dressed and take care of her own pajamas.
3. Brush her teeth- We do check her teeth to make sure they have been brushed well, but this is another item she is able to check off her list.

Once my morning routine is over, I kick it into high gear and become wife and mother. A CD goes on to pump up the family for the day ahead- last week it was Steven Curtis Chapman's Declaration and this week it is Rebecca St. James' Worship God. A load of laundry goes into the wash, Brian's lunch (from the night before) goes into his lunch cooler, Ian is rescued from his crib, changed, and put into his outfit for the day.

Having an established morning routine has had quite a few benefits for our family, the most important one being a family breakfast. Because Brian is totally on board with me, he has been getting up a little earlier, too. This enables our family to sit down to breakfast together before he heads off to work. We don't have elaborate breakfasts (cereal, oatmeal, oatmeal casserole, grilled cheese, hard boiled eggs have made the "menu" for us) but we have a time together that we did not have before.

And spending more time together, for me, is the greatest benefit of establishing routines.

Live Life | Week 3 | Meeting Sadie

This Sunday, we had the pleasure of meeting the newest member of the family.

 

Grandma and Pops adopted a new puppy- a 5 month old, beautiful black lab/border collie mix named Sadie.

 

She is very shy, so getting to know her took time, but Addie was so excited about Sadie that she waited as long as it took to win Sadie's heart.

 

She quietly followed Sadie and gently talked to her under Pop's gentle supervision. Bud followed, too, saying, "Gog-gy!" and pointing. Once, we even thought we heard him say "Sadie."

 

 

 

If he could have, he would have jumped right on Sadie, so Pops kept a close eye to make sure everyone stayed safe.

 

 

While Addie was working on winning over Sadie's heart, Ian was having his own adventure walking up and down the walkway as fast as those little legs would take him.

 

 

We were all sitting around the firepit area when we heard Addie talking quietly and sweetly, like she was having a conversation with another person. That was when we noticed them on the grass with Sadie allowing Addie to pet her.

 

 

Just before it was time to go in, Grandma let Addie brush Sadie. I'm not sure who loved it more.

 

 

I think everyone agreed, Sadie is a sweetheart! She is so calm and gentle and absolutely beautiful.

 

Yay, for Grandma! After four sons and owning almost all male pets, Grandma has a girl! Notice the pink collar. :)

 

And of course, let's not forget about Corky! Pop's faithful little buddy.

 

 

Don't worry, Corky. We still love you, too!

Live Life- Week 1

So, it is Friday and I am looking back to see how well I did this week on the idea of living life.

I am part of an online Bible Study/devotional group, but our session doesn't begin until next week so this week I decided to begin the So That's Why! Bible I was given by a good friend and use it during our "off" weeks. I haven't even gotten past the days of creation and I am already excited about something new that I learned about day 4 of creation! Totally amazing!

We began homeschooling on Wednesday again, and this time, Ian has his own little curriculum. Because he is 15 months old, I decided that he would get the same lesson all week long and then next week he will get a new lesson. I found a book at our Dollar Tree that was designed for one year olds. The page he is working on is a spider that he has to color purple. While we talk about the page, Addie works on her handwriting page. Then he is able to color his "assignment". It was all good until I turned to see him eating the purple crayon! He also gets to watch the Leap Frog: Letter Factory while Addie and I work on our other subjects.

I have always had this dream of growing my own herbs and vegetables. It always ends up as a nightmare! But, my mother-in-law believed in me enough to give me an herb terrarium for Christmas so I can grow herbs in my own kitchen or back porch! Addie and I put it together (one of her art curriculum projects was to grow her own garden, so this fit the bill perfectly!), and I cannot wait to see the first sprouts next week.

I am making a conscious effort to sit on the floor with my children and be totally immersed in their world. I have had more tea parties, dressed up more dolls, driven more trucks and cars, colored more pictures, and made more animal noises than I have since before Christmas. They love it, and I have loved every minute of it.









In the evening, when Brian and I sit down for a movie, I have added a crocheting project to my evening. I am making this cowl. (Brian almost laughed when he saw the picture and then caught himself. When I asked what was so funny he responded, "It looks like a thneed!" If you have seen the movie The Lorax, this will make perfect sense to you.)

I have gotten my normal routine jobs done, but I have felt really good about this week. Today the kids and I are meeting my Aunt Elsa at a craft store that we have never been too. I am totally excited about that!

Living life one day at a time!

My Focus Word for 2013

Deuteronomy 31:19 "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life......."

Well, maybe it isn't an actual word but a phrase.

Live Life! Choose Life!

I can already hear some of you saying, "What does that mean? That makes no sense!"

Oh, but it makes so much sense to me, and it means so much to me, too.

I have been making lists of things that I want to do with my family since the summer and it has caused us to be very actively involved in living life to its fullest. The seasons have not slipped by us. Weekends do not come and go without having had a purpose.

I have always been a list, Plan A, goal oriented person, but sometimes it is so easy to get in a rut of writing out the same goals day-to-day- "clean the kitchen, do a load of laundry, clean one room, in the house, home school Addie, etc."

That is not living life. That is going through the motions and waking up the next day to do it all over again.

Yes, those things must get done, but I want to really live life in between all of the "to-dos".

Take the kids out.
Leave the house as a family.
Have an adventure with the kids or as a family.

In the New Year, I want to be able to look back at the end of each day and say, "I lived this day to its fullest."

I do not want to look back at a day and think, "I wish I had...."

I do not intend to make our schedule so packed that we are reeling at the end of each day, but I do intend to live purposely each day.

With God's help, I want 2013 to be a year of action for us as a family.

I want our family to actively live life in 2013.

I want to live life this year.

Memories | And I Quote

If you have little ones or kids of any age, they are garunteed to leave you with quotes that are hilarious and unforgetable.  Be sure to jot them down in some way- a notebook, scrapbook, text message, email, blog, or some other way that works for you.  Having these quotes to look back on will be priceless in the years to come, and you will not run the risk of forgetting those little quotes.

Addie is a storehouse of funny quotes, quips, remarks, and observances.  I am amazed at things she picks up (at this point, I think I should stop being amazed because it happens so often) and how she puts things together in ways that make sense to her and also make sense to us.

The other day I cut up some strawberries for her, but a leaf snuck its way into her bowl. She found the leaf and said, "Mommy, I don't eat leaves.  Only dinosaurs eat leaves."  Ummmm, okay.  We don't need to go into their complete diet yet. 

On Wednesday, Titi Elsie (Lala) came for a visit.  Addie had gone down for a nap but was not asleep when Lala arrived.  I decided to just let Addie stay up and enjoy Lala's company.  She looked out the window, saw Lala walking up the sidewalk, and started jumping up and down shouting "Lala's here!"  When Titi Elsie walked in the door, Addie shouted, "Oh, Mommy!   I'm so happy and excited!  Lala's here!"  How do you tell her to lie down after that?

On Tuesday, Addie came up to me and said, "Mommy, I don't feel so good.  I think I have gas."  What! Where did that come from?  But you know what?  She was right.

Later that day, I told Addie that Mommy needed her help.  I needed her to take the dinner plates outside to the back porch since we were eating outside for dinner.  She looked at me, and said in her most sympathetic voice, "Oh, the poor little mommy needs help." Brian and I died laughing.

We have been going on line and seeing the baby's growth progress (the size of a peach this week).  Addie loves looking at "the baby".  She usually starts talking to the baby in "baby talk", pretends to take it off the screen in her hands, and carefully walks it to the playroom to look at the toys.

Yesterday morning, when Addie woke up, she told me, "Mommy, I missed you and Daddy all night!"  What is there to say?  I have a sweetie pie wrapped around my heart.

Memories | Some of Ours

These are some of the photos from our Project Life album.  This project has really made me focus on things I would not otherwise think about.  I am appreciating little moments, little things, the seemingly insignificant as being the foundation to what makes us a family and the way we are all growing in that role.

This is a daily scene outside our dining room window.  Some days the entire clothes line is filled and other days it looks like this.  I love that time in the morning when we go outside to hang the laundry.  Addie especially likes when I have something long hanging down that she can run through.

This was the picture I took of Addie with Lala at the doctor's office.  We tried to get her to look at the camera, but this picture is more realistic of our time there than if she had posed and smiled.

Our pride and joy right now.  We worked so hard on ripping up the old landscaping and putting in new plants and replacing the tree bark mulch with red mulch.  This was literally an eight hour job for us, but we love the result. Every day, we look outside to see which plants are flowering and which ones are growing.  Addie gets into the action, too, by checking out the window and calling to us that we have flowers.  Next project... paint our shutters and front door... and maybe add some window boxes.

Addie has been playing with her dolls so well (I'm feeling better about how she will treat little Squishy).  She alternates daily which doll she will "baby", but her daily companion lately has been her beanie dog named Taffy that Lala gave her for Christmas.  She puts this little dog into a basket bed, reads the "Bible" to him, kisses him "Good night", and then asks me to "talk quietly because Taffy is sleeping."  I love watching her play Mommy.  It is also very eye opening for me because it is the best way I have of watching myself, since she is imitating what she sees me do.

One of the pleasures of having a little girl is getting to doll her up.  Last Friday was the first time Addie got to wear nail polish.  She saw me putting it on my toe nails and wanted some on hers. I told her that she had to go ask Daddy and whatever he said we would do.  Daddy, of course, said yes. He is a staunch supporter of little girls doing girly things. Addie was careful to stay still until they dried.  And did she show them off!  It was really a lot of fun and a special moment for us to share.

We have been taking advantage of our passes to Busch Gardens.  Addie has a plan of what she wants to see and where she wants to go when we get there.  We definitely prefer going during the week as opposed to weekends.  It was so much more crowded, and people were so rude.  We were just glad that Addie had a great time.  That is why we went, after all.

Fathers definitely become more lenient when they become grandfathers!  The things this girl gets away with is beyond my comprhension!   He always comes bearing gifts of some kind.  This week it was a package of crayons and a Dora coloring book.  He gets down on the floor in playroom to play and read stories (yep, it's a grandfather thing) and literally has his toes stepped on umpteen times during his visits, but he always comes back for more.  Sometimes, when I am trying to deal with something that she has just done, he'll laugh and say, "You used to do that, too! It's payback!"

My in-laws have the best lawn in the entire world!  It is the only grass that I ever walk through barefoot.  It is so thick, green, and feels so good on my feet.  Sometimes, I even take Addie shoes off and let her run through the grass barefooted.  It is an experience every child needs.... depending on the grass.

Memories | Special Little Things

All of our memories do not need to revolve around the entire family.  There are some memories that should be made exclusively for you and your husband.  After all, when the children grow up and leave us, we want to have a storehouse of memories that we have built with our husbands- we do not want to find ourselves with a total stranger or, worse yet, unable to build memories without our children being present. 

Yes, a getaway vacation for just the two of you will definitely make a memory, but we need to make year long memories around our simple times as well.

When we first were married we lived about a mile from my parents.  One evening we got the "wonderful" idea to ride our bicycles to their house and surprise them.  They were surprised... and so were we! A mile on a bike going up hill was much harder than we thought it would be!  My dad drove us home that evening, and our bikes stayed in their garage for months.  We still laugh about that memory and our newlywed ambition.

Brian has dedicated Tuesdays in our home as "No TV Tuesday" (I totally love that!).  We spend our time playing outside, reading, playing games with Addie, coloring, and hanging out in the playroom- all things we do every day but without the interruption of the TV.  After Addie goes to bed, we read together, talk (this week we brainstormed about boy names since we have the girl's name covered), and play card games.  I also bought a 2 serving chocolate cake for us this week. Unfortunately, we shared it on Monday night instead of Tuesday night.  Next week, I won't be telling Brian what I picked up until Tuesday so we can share our special dessert on Tuesday night :) 

We are currently reading the book Love Life for Every Married Couple by Ed Wheat, M.D. and Gloria Okes Perkins.  I would highly recommend this book (no marriage wants to ever find itself in a rut, a "comfortable" place, or at a status quo- we always want our marriages to become better and more beautiful over time)... however, for obvious reasons I will not be doing a book club on it :)

We also played Skip-Bo, one of our all-time favorite games.  This was one game we played countless times before Addie came along.  Brian always won... but Tuesday night was my turn to shine!  Oh, may I gloat for just one minute! It was awesome!  Okay, moving on....

I am Hispanic.  Brian is a mix of many European nationalities.  I have no idea if there is any Irish in him, but there is definitely none in me.  Did that stop me from celebrating St. Patrick's Day or making a memory for us?  No way!  Addie and I dressed in green, for dinner I made Reuben Casserole (one of Brian's favorites which can be found here), and I bought one slice of St. Patty's Day decorated cheesecake for him and me to split.  (Edited note: We all ended up enjoying it. A little person heard me mention "cake" earlier in the evening and was all excited about it.  How could I say "no" after that. Somehow I have got to figure out how to make my special desserts work out for the two of us- keeping them to myself until the time is right is probably the solution. Just goes to show what a growing and learning process this really is!).

Even something as simple as writing a note on a napkin and slipping it into his lunch box is guaranteed to make him feel special.  Brian has a box where he has kept all of the cards and notes I have sent with him to work. 

Simple memories can be made with you and your husband on any day of the week, no special reason is necessary.  So go on, have fun coming up with ideas, and make a memory for just you and him.

Memories | Our 3 Year Appointment

Yesterday was Addie's 3 year appointment.

I had been preparing her for the upcoming appointment by telling her that the doctor was so nice and was going to check her ears to see if he could find Mickey Mouse, check her mouth to see if he could find Goofy, and check how tall she is.  By the time we were done talking, Addie couldn't wait to go to the doctor's office.  In fact, she woke up yesterday morning saying, "I want to see the doctor!"

Well, all of that preparation was quickly lost when the nurse tried to measure Addie's length.  Because the nurses at our doctor's office are the ones who administer the shots, that is all Addie remembered.  She began crying and made it rather difficult for her measurements to be taken.  (Sounds very much like her own mother when she was a little girl! In fact, my pediatrician nicknamed me "the little tiger!") 

However, we did get her weight (29.6 pounds) and her height (37 inches) and her head size was just over 19 inches.  She is in the 50% range in her growth which is fine with me. 

The doctor came in and Addie immediately covered her ears!  There was no way that she was going to let the doctor look for Mickey Mouse!  Unfortunately for her, Mommy and Lala (Titi Elsie) put together are stronger than she is, and we were able to hold her down so the doctor could carry on with his exam. 

After giving her a clean bill of health, he warned us that her 4 year appointment would have at least 3 shots.  He recommended that we bring Daddy or Uncle Johnny along because we would need someone very strong to hold her down for her shots since she will be a year stronger by then. 

At least I now have a full year to prepare her for our next doctor's visit!

Memories | Being Outside

Here in Florida, being outside is not always a pleasant experience.  We are the Sunshine State, but our sunshine usually comes with a heavy dose of humidity.  Needless to say, spring and autumn are our favorite times to be outside... no humidity!

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here lately, so I took a bucket of soapy water outside, and Addie grabbed her bubbles.  I washed down the clothes line while Addie was blowing bubbles and watering the "flowers" (weeds).  Then we came back inside to grab my freshly washed load of laundry so they could hang on the line.  

The weather was perfect and the atmosphere delightful.  A nice, cool breeze blowing, a bird or two flying by here and there, and the sounds of cows and chickens from the neighbor's farm were coming through our woods.  

It was so nice outside that I made a portable lunch for us, and we ate on the back porch.  

We had such a nice time on Wednesday, that yesterday, our morning began the same way except that the clothes line did not need to be washed.  I had my freshly washed  load of laundry, and Addie had her bubbles. 

After hanging the clothes, I still wasn't quite ready to go inside.  So I grabbed a rake and began cleaning up the fallen leaves in one corner of our property (I did not overwork myself. I fully intend to be just as mobile and full of energy during this pregnancy as I was for Addie's.  The sick feeling has gone away.  My prayer has always been during my pregnancies that God would make me strong like the Hebrew women in Exodus.).  Addie was so excited to "help"!  She would grab a handful of leaves from the ground and throw them onto my pile.  This continued for a while... until I started a new pile.  Then she began taking leaves from my new pile and transfering them to the old pile.  A few times she ran right thru one of my piles and she even took a handful of leaves and tossed them into the air! 

But you know what?  I didn't care!  We were having such a good time outside. She was making up little songs, squealing, and had such a look of joy and happiness on her face. She did get dirty, but I was okay with that.  She had dirt smudges on her face, and I smiled.  She was having a grand time in the dirt and leaves like children are supposed to and have for centuries.  And it wasn't anything a bath could not fix- which we did promptly after going inside. 

I am improving!

Memories | An Assignment

Here is a trigger for recording a memory for your family.  With Valentines fresh on our minds, how about remembering with and for your family a Valentine's Day of times gone by?  Maybe a special Valentine's Day when your children weren't even around to know what happened?  Some of my favorite memories that my mother shared with me are of times when I wasn't around, when my parents were young, carefree, and starting out.

My memory would be of the Valentine's Day in 2004 just before we were married.  Brian showed up to my house with three bouquets of a dozen roses.  One for Mom , one for Faye, and, of course, one for me.  Then we took another dozen to his mom, and another dozen to his grandma.  After delivering the flowers, we headed off to look at wedding invitations and then dinner.  His sweetness at remembering all of the women in his life at that time really stuck out to me and the time we spent together was just wonderful.  We also got to hug each other that day, a huge deal for us!  After dinner, we went back to my parent's house for a small, family gift exchange and dessert.

Do you have pictures of that Valentine's Day?  If so you may want to write down the story and attach your picture as a scrapbook layout. Or even just leave it somewhere your sweetheart will see the picture and then you can travel down memory lane together. 

Happy remembering!

Memories | Additions

Yes!  We are expecting!  And as you can imagine, this has been a pretty big memory maker around here with phone calls and emails and making doctor appointments.  Brian and I are thrilled to pieces! This was definitely an answer to prayer and the result of much planning.  Sometimes, it doesn't seems real, but, ladies, we know what the best part of pregnancy is (wink, wink), and that is what reminds me that this is real! 

As excited as we are, we really wanted to make sure that Addie got in on the excitement, too. The above photo was how we announced to family and friends by email and Face Book the good news. 

We keep telling her that God is giving us a baby as a present to Mommy, Daddy, and Addie.  We also tell her that she is going to be a wonderful big sister.  When we told her that the baby was in Mommy's belly, she lifted my shirt, rubbed my belly, and said in her best talking-to-a-baby voice, "Oh, the baby is so cute!"  Many times she will just rub my belly and say hello to the baby.  Tonight at dinner, she pretended to feed the baby her baked ziti!

When I was expecting Addie, I was still teaching. One thing I did with my students that I am doing with her is showing her with objects the growth of the baby.  This past week, according to the website I'm registered on, "Squishy" is the size of a sweet pea- we have to call the baby something :)   Since I didn't have any peas in the house (we are not huge fans of them), I took a piece of paper and rolled it to the size of a pea.  Our picture of the day on Wednesday was Addie holding our "baby".  She talked to it, spoke in baby-ese to it, and then tossed it on the floor and moved on to other things.

We have found her talking to her toys about a baby brother (it is too early to know yet), and today she even told me that there were two babies (Lord, help me!).  I think our excitement is rubbing off on her. 

Memories | Planning Them

In our information age, there are so many ways of finding events and opportunities to plan memories with our families. Here are a few ideas.

• Word of mouth- this is a good way to find out about an event if you have friends and family who readily offer information about things they are planning to attend.  It is also a great way to plan a collective event with others. We did this for the January 1 hockey game where my dad was the brains behind the operation of getting the tickets and inviting everyone. 
• Internet- Okay, maybe this is the best way to find out about anything going on in your area.  Most local papers have an entertainment section that is posted online.  These event calendars also have ways to narrow your search (distance, child friendly, festival, theatre, etc.). In December when My aunt and uncle came up, this was my method of research for activities to do.
• Facebook/ Twitter- Many companies now have their own Facebook and Twitter accounts and usually post events that are happening within their business.  For instance, I "liked" our local Chik-Fil-A, and now events, specials, and activities are updated and posted on my "wall".
• Keeping your eyes and ears open- Quite a few times, we have stumbled on an activity because we overheard someone talking (I know it isn't polite to eavesdrop) or saw a billboard or banner as we were driving around. This year, I had it in the back of my mind that we might do the Civil War reenactment again.  As we were driving home from watching my brother-in-law and sister-in-law race their quads, I saw a banner for the event which reminded us of the day and time.  Unfortunately, Addie came down with a cold so we opted to stay home that day.
• Check out what is going on in your church- Our church is a very community oriented church.  Events are always being planned for the children, couples, ladies, men, and families.  There are even special days that are designed to reach out to our community. This year, Addie will be old enough to participate in VBS!   
• Going to family sporting events- I'm sure you know of a child or teen in your family who is involved in sports of some kind.  Maybe your husband plays on a team (mine does).  Maybe someone you know is involved in racing or other type of event.  Go! These are not only ways of making memories for your family unit, but you are also building memories with those in your extended family and your presence will be very much appreciated.  It also gives you something to do when you might otherwise stay home.  Many times, these types of events are local but you feel like you were able to get out (we moms who are home all day really appreciate getting out for more than grocery shopping).  You can even get involved yourself.  My friend Kathy is training for a 5k race that she is going to do with her niece.  That is definitely going to build a memory (and some muscle, too)!
• Plan a get together at your own home- Pick up the phone, write a snail mail note, shoot an email, send a Facebook message, any way that it takes, send someone a message letting them know that you want them to visit.  Plan games, food, snacks (the simpler the better) and make a memory.  We have done this with my cousin and her family many times.  Pizza, soda, chips, and some board games are all we need.  The older kids play the games with us, Addie and the twins play in her room, and we all have a great time.
• Take advantage of "Resident Deals"- Here in Florida- the Sunshine State!, Vacation Capital of the World- theme parks send out special offers for state residents.  We plan on taking advantage of one these park deals next month.  The park we chose has a "Pay for a day, come back all year" promotion- which is literally good thru December 31, 2011.  Since we have decided that birthdays would be family fun/getaway times, we plan on using these passes on our birthdays and any other time we feel like getting out and doing something.

I hope I have given you some ideas on ways to plan for some of the "bigger" memories for your family.  But remember that a no matter the size of the event, it is the building of the memory that matters the most.  Each memory is a little brick that you are laying in the foundation of your family's life.  The more "little" memories that we lay down, the more support they are able to give the "bigger" memories.  Happy building!

Word to Live By: Memories

We had an awesome opportunity to make a memory last Saturday.  Our memory included my parents-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and nephew.  It was a new memory, not a remake of an old memory.

Brian's brother and his family race 4 wheelers as a hobby.  Every year they have a huge race in our county.  Brian as managed to go once before, but I was never able to make it.  This year, we all went.  All I can say is WOW! It was amazing!

It was held in a huge cow pasture (yep, we needed to watch our step) that had a track hewn into it.  The course was so big, that there were times that we couldn't hear or see the racers.  The wind was blowing, it was kind of cool (but in the grand scheme of things, it was nothing as bad as what our northern friends have experienced this week.), it was loud (imagine between 50 and 60 4 wheelers all reving their engines), it was fun.

* Us- before the race.

*We each had our own seats... and Addie had hers.  And she loved her snack of pretzels.  She had a system- eat the Christmas tree pretzels first.

*Mom and Pops

* My brother-in-law came in first in his division!

* My nephew came in 3rd in his division.

*My sister-in-law came in 2nd in her division.

It was a good day for making memories!

Word to Live By: Memories

As I was thinking of how to begin this new series with you, I was flooded with ideas (thank you, Lord!).

This week, let's look at the kind of memories we make with our families without even realizing it.

Routines

Routines are things that we do on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis that help us create patterns in how we go about our lives. And yet, while we are going about "things as usual" we are creating memories for our loved ones.  

When I was younger, one of the many routines that we had was Family Night.  It happened every Friday night.  Mom would make a special dinner and buy a special dessert.  Dad would read to us from a book (the one that stands out to me the most was about a family that went to South America to be missionaries to an idigenous tribe), and we would play a game or watch a special movie as a family.

I began thinking about some of the routines that we have here in our home (not all are listed) and how each of these would make a great picture of the day for my Project Life album.

Daily

• Devotions in the morning- I have mine before everyone wakes up, and Brian does his with Addie.  Although it is geared for an adult (Our Daily Bread), she looks forward to their time and even misses it on days when Brian has to be out the door before Addie wakes up.
• School time- Although this time can be anywhere from 30-45 min in the morning, Addie looks forward to her school time.  
• Setting the Table- As you know from past posts, this is one of Addie's jobs.  And since we eat dinner on a daily basis, she sets the table on a daily basis (and then she gets a magnet on her chore chart- thanks Cathy!).
• The Beeper- When I was a teacher, I used a timer to teach my students time management.  After a lesson in one of our subjects, I would set the timer and tell them they had so many minutes to work on their assignment from that subject.  The timer was also used for snack time, game time, and study hall.  Once the timer went off, they knew that they needed to move into action and prepare for the next part of the day.  This same method has worked for Addie.  At naptime and bedtime, I set the time for 30 minutes and let her know that when it beeps it's time for bed.  As soon as the timer goes off, regardless of what she is doing, she jumps up, says, "It's time for bed!", and goes running into her room.  It is a routine that really works for us.
• Reading devotions at night- My friend, Kathy M, sent us a wonderful Veggie Tales devotional for girls that we absolutely love!  Since we have gotten it, we have used it in the evenings as a bedtime devotional.  I love the layout of each devotion, and Addie sits and listens so respectfully.  After I read the day's devotion, Brian says a final prayer and Addie goes to sleep.
• Wii Competitions- In the evening, after Addie goes to bed, Brian and I compete on the Wii.  We play tennis (Brian wins), golf (I win), bowling (Brian wins), and baseball (Brian wins).  We have a great time together and we are getting some exercise in at the same time.

Weekly

• Church
• Grocery shopping trips with Grandma
• Grandpa's weekly visit
• Library time   

What are the routines that you have in your family?  These routines are a key piece of how you make memories with your family. 

How are you recording these memories?  First and foremost, make sure you are taking pictures!  A picture says a thousand words, right?  But sometimes you need to do a bit more than take a picture.  You need to record what memory the picture holds.

There are so many ways to record your memories.

1. Photo albums- If you prefer not to get involved in another hobby, why not just take pictures of the routines that you have in your home and slip them in a photo album.  Many albums now come with a little spot on the page itself to jot down some notes.  Write down what the routine is that you are recording so one day your kids can look back and say, "Oh, yeah!  I remember doing that!"
2. Scrapbooks- Some of you are newcomers at scrapbooking and some of you are veterans.  Why not take the time to make a layout about some of the routines that you have.  It doesn't have to be elaborate or magazine worthy.  It has to be something that is going to be meanigful to your family.
3. Project Life- For me, this year, Project Life is how I am redefining my scrapbooking.  I have been taking several photos a day and narrowing down my choice to one photo to represent the day and jotting down them memory or words that help me best express the memory.  When two stories happen on one day (as was the case on Wednesday), then I take the opportunity to make a scrapbook layout to tell the other story, slip it into a page protector, and insert it into my album. I am also keeping my layouts very simple to keep myself from getting overwhelmed.
4. Photo websites-  My sister is recording her memories on a photo website.  She has created tabs for different categories of memories (dating, wedding, honeymoon, special events, etc.), writes a paragraph about the event, uploads her photos, and moves on.  She doesn't have to worry about ordering photos, not using the photos that she orders, or feeling like she can't relax until she does something with these photos.  There are many photo websites that are available for this type of recording- Shutterfly and Flikr are just two of the ones that I use.  

Here's to the memories we plan to make and record with our families this year!

The New Year: A New Word to Live By

As we begin to look towards a new year, I have begun thinking about what my new word to live by is going to be.  The word "MEMORIES" keeps coming back to me as the word I want to focus on this year.

Memories.  Making them.  Keeping them.  Documenting them.  Enjoying them.

The reason I chose this word was the Face Book post of a friend at the end of the summer.  Her post said, "Last day of August. What a summer it was.  MEMORIES.  I'll miss you summer of 2010." 

That really made me think.  I have wonderful memories throughout my life, but I want a year to look back on and say, "Thanks for the memories."

Memories don't always just happen (although sometimes they do).  They take planning, preparation, and forethought.

So how do I plan on going about this year of Memories?

I plan on scheduling at least one planned activity each week for our family to enjoy together. 

I plan on recording these memories as soon as possible either on a scrapbook layout or on the blog.

I plan on recording past memories using the triggers of old photos to help document memories from other times.

I plan on doing Project 365 (will elaborate more on this tomorrow) so that I can enjoy more of these memories without feeling that I have to photograph every moment or scrapbook every picture.

I plan on giving you ideas of ways to make, record, document, and enjoy a year of wonderful memories with your family.  Let's make 2011 a year of MEMORIES.

Simplicity in Decorating: A Homemade Ornament

Here is an idea of a simple ornament that you can make for yourself and your children. In this day of digital pictures, it is easy to go back several years in order to "make up" the pictures for this project. 

Get a picture of each child alone (preferably) near your tree or other Christmas traditional item in your home (for us it is the tree and snowman) where you can measure their growth.  In your picture editing program or with stickers after having them printed, add the year at the bottom of each photo (in Adobe Photoshop Elements 8, I changed the opacity to 65% to soften the look of the numbers on the photo). 

Print out 2 pictures of each child (this will give you a set of two ornaments).   Adhere a pretty Christmas patterned paper.  Use a corner rounder to soften the edges.  Make a hole and insert an eyelet.  Thread with a ribbon and hang. 

By making two ornaments you can have one for your tree and save one to give to your child when he/she grows up and moves into their own home.  What a gift for them to receive a set of homemade ornaments documenting their growth each year!

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Don't forget to come over here and leave a comment in order to be entered in the drawing for Joyce Meyer's devotional The Confident Woman.

Simplicity in Decorating

This year, I have really taken a conscious approach to keeping our decorating simple. I have done this in several ways.

• Before Christmas ever came around, I had Brian bring down everything from the attic (Thank you, Dear. I know  how heavy those boxes were.).  I then went through each box and decided what I was going to use and what was no longer needed, necessary, or wanted.  That left me with fewer boxes to go through when I started decorating.  The things I decided not to keep, I sold in a garage sale (Christmas money!).
• I spread my decorating over several days.  Let's face it, it doesn't all have to get done in one day!

• The first room I did was Addie's. Usually the main tree in the living room is done first, but this year because Addie is very much aware of lights and Christmas trees, I wanted to do something for her to get her excited.  I had a small Christmas tree that I used in my classroom for ten years.  That little tree with a few simple ornaments and one string of lights now has a new home in Addie's room and one very happy (and proud) little owner.

• The next day, I did tackle our tree.  For the last 6 years I have used the ornaments that we bought during the "after Christmas" sales the Christmas before we were married.  Last year, I saw that the tree looked rather dark (my ornaments were rustic country looking).  I decided last year that I wanted to change the scheme to red and white.  After Christmas, I picked up two boxes of red and white balls and the bow at the top.  Dad brought me the rest of the ornaments and I love my new tree!

• On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I set up the rest of the decorations (wreaths, table decor, our kissing ball-which works quite well!).  What I did not use, I have decided to save for next year's garage sale.  

• I have also decided what I need to look for during the after Christmas sales (I never buy decorations before Christmas).  I am thinking that next year, I want to put a wreath on every door in our home.  I am also going to look for ready made bows for each wreath.  Mom was a master bow maker, and I cannot tell you how many times she tried to teach me how to make them.  I always told her, "Oh, Mom, if I need a bow I'll just have you make it for me."  Now, I'm trying to remember the steps she used to say when making a bow. 

Make your decorating a simple process for yourself so you can enjoy more of the season.  I am all done decorating (have been for almost a week now), and I am ready for a month of celebrating and making memories.