Kid’s Dress Up Area

Most kids enjoy some sort of dress up and pretend play. My oldest used to transform into a princess or ballerina almost daily. As she’s grown up, her role has changed into the “momma” of the other kids, putting them to bed, making them meals in her kitchen and reading to them. One thing I’ve noticed is that my other children don’t dress up as much. I began to wonder if it’s because their clothes aren’t in a convenient spot. Are they like their mommy, out of sight, out of mind? My mind began to come up with a plan.

Where could I put a dress up area? Well, conveniently, a spot has opened up in our living room. After I recently moved all of our stuff back into our bedroom (due to mold it had to all come out), an area was available.

Hmm, what do dressing rooms have…curtains. So, I decided to hang up a shower curtain, use an empty plastic drawer unit to store clothes and voila, a dress up area was born. Oh, my daughter added a bathroom rug to dress it up a bit. Now with a stylist such as their big sister, the dressing up has begun.

Even their baby sister wants to be a part of all the fun!

Now, how have my non dress up kids responded? Well, almost everyday, either a sheriff, cowboy, pilot, princess, or pioneer girl has graced our home. They wake up asking if they can dress up!

What a delight to see them pretending with one another!

Linking up at:

Invite to a Mother’s Day Facebook Party!

Mother’s Day will be here in just a few days and preparations have begun. My daughter’s face sparkled with glitter from a secret surprise that she has hidden until Sunday. My son is pondering if he will get special breakfast or just Mommy and when is it Kid’s Day. Bernstain Bears’ Mama’s Day Surprise has been the number one choice for books to read. What a special time! I can’t wait to see the special cards that my children create just for me! Well, they make things all the time, but for Mother’s Day they put in that extra special touch. My father said it correctly today, it seems to be Mother’s Week and that it is.

So, why stop celebrating on Sunday? Why not come to a special Mother’s Day party on Monday? Lorrie Flem from Eternal Encouragement is hosting another Facebook Party on May 14th from 3 – 5 pm. It will be a motivating time for moms with doorprizes and a free gift to all. So, why not stop in and see what it’s about! You can either click on the button below or click here to attend. See you there!

Sibling Delight

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, so my goal is to start back with a few posts a week. Unfortunately, when there is so many things vying for my time, blogging takes a backseat.

Well, as I was going through some of my photos, I wanted to share a particular day that stood out to me. It was just an ordinary day on April 11th, but as I watched my children enjoy one another, it turned into a memorable morning. When you are managing sibling rivalry and the kids stop and just delight in one another, it’s special!

My 2-year-old was hamming it up before our walk began. Anything for the camera!

It was such a beautiful day outside, we ventured out for a walk. Or a run for my 2 oldest kids.Now, this is what warmed my heart. The hugs and I love yous that were being shared without me saying, “Now put your arms around each other for the picture.” They were just loving on one another for the entire walk.My little airplanes decided to just hold hands and run together. Our path usually crosses a nearby playground and if everything is going well, we stop for a bit. Since it wasn’t too hot, yet, we took a little break.Not quite playground wear, but this is what my little princess chose.She loved watching and pretty soon, she’ll be climbing up there with them!The monkey bars have been a favorite of my oldest.Her little brother thought he’d try them out and of course, he needed some mommy help.He was so delighted that he got to go all the way across.I attempted to have all 3 go down at once, but it didn’t end up very good.I remember when I had to help her across like her brother. She’s grown up so much. What a beautiful young lady she is!After we were home, my baby girl had fun hiding with her brother and sister.She looked so cute in her brother’s hat and with his butterfly catcher.What a delightful start to our day! Kids argue and whine at one another, but these moments of sibling delight remind me of God’s work within them.

Sun n Fun 2012

What could be better than spending a day enjoying airplanes with my family?  Well flying them of course   But, for now, I’ll browse the many taxiways and fields amassed with airplanes at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport!

I’m late with posting this, but since it’s something we look forward to every year, I thought I’d show you the highlights.  The day actually started on Friday, March 30th, with a roadtrip to Lakeland for the night-time airshow.  My dad met us there in his motorhome and we made it just in time for the amazing spectacle.  What a beautiful sight!  The kids enjoyed it as did the adults.  The evening went rather late and it was after 11 before everyone sank into their beds for the night.  The next morning began early with some snugglers around 5:45.  We packed up and headed over to the airfield for the day.We stopped for a little breakfast before heading out into the airfield.I guess I was feeding everyone like little birdies and we had someone come by and say how cute it was.  So, we had to capture the moment.Ice cream was a great refreshment for a hot day.She was relaxed in her carrier, but didn’t want to fall asleep.The area for viewing the planes is long and involves a lot of walking.  So, we treated the kids (and ourselves) to a ride to take us around instead.My oldest girl squealed with delight as the purple airplane came by.Time for the airshow and our little covering helped to protect from the sun.This B-29 (Fifi) is the only still flying.  It was a sight to see!Every year, we see Ben with Oregon Aero and every year we take a group photo.She finally gave in and took a little nap.Aerobatic flying is so much fun to watch!She’s a little tired which makes her go a little wild.Last year I missed the Thunderbirds.  How exciting it was to see them!Well, after the airshow we went back to our RV and the kids enjoyed watching the cows nearby.  They kept pointing out all of the manure piles.  Our RV was parked in a pasture and we had to avoid the piles near us, so they kept commenting on all of the poop around.  We showered up and then left to go home.  We had a great time at Sun n Fun and can’t wait for next year.  The kids were so exhausted that even our 2-year-old fell asleep before the next kid was put in their car seat.  They all fell asleep soon after.  Airplanes and the sun can wear you out!

Our Easter Celebration

How do you celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection?  Through the last few years my thoughts of this special day have changed.  I’ve been uneasy with the Easter bunny and egg hunts.  Not that I think others shouldn’t participate in those things, but for our family I wanted something different.  With young children, traditions are important and I wanted to find something that would make this day stand out, make it a God honoring celebration.  While searching through other blogs, I came across Catholic Icing’s blog that had some fantastic printables and ideas.  I decided to make use of her ideas and they turned out great.

I printed out this set, colored it, covered it with contact paper, cut them out and taped them around toilet paper rolls.  The kids enjoyed reenacting Good Friday and Jesus’ Resurrection.  Lacy over at Catholic Icing even had a printout with what to say to your kids while they play.
Then I found this Easter story wreath over at Wee Little Miracles.  Again, I printed out all of the pieces, colored them and cut them out.  Then I traced a dinner plate and a salad plate on a sheet of paper for a wreath template.  After cutting that out, I pasted the colored pieces on it and covered it with Contact paper.  What special gift could we give our little ones?  My thought was something Christ centered and a little treat.  They didn’t need all of the candy, but just a little something.  So, they each received a book, an activity book and a brownie pop from a local company, Chunky Chocolate Brownie Lollipops (they are delicious).Now, what would our Sunday be without our weekly special breakfast?  With such a busy day, how could I make it special?  Well, with a chocolate graham cracker, green dyed coconut, a few jelly beans, half a donut, and an oreo cookie, each person could have their own empty tomb.  Another great idea from Catholic Icing.  Maybe it was a little too much sugar, but it was special!Finally, this looked so good, I made a larger version for our dessert later in the day.  I made a lemon bundt cake and followed the above idea.  Delicious!After all of this craftiness, it was time to just celebrate with my family.  Our 2-year-old woke up, gave us kisses and went to the sofa for a little quiet reading alone.It wasn’t long before big sister and brother came out and couldn’t wait to eat their tombs (sounds strange doesn’t it).After breakfast, our first guests arrived – my mother-in-law and sister-in-law (Bubbie and Aunt D).Don’t they look so cute!  We couldn’t pass up taking a few photos.The next two photos make me laugh.  My little man kept sneaking into the photos.Aunt D brought a few of her books to share with the kids and of course our kids love to read!Grammy and Pop Pop arrived around lunchtime and enjoyed playing with the kids.The kids were given bubbles and, after nap, they went outside to use them.  They found blowing them over the air handler achieved better results.What a great day, celebrating our Savior’s Resurrection!  Did our kids miss the eggs and the bunny?  Nope, they went throughout the house saying Jesus died and rose again!  It was a marvelous day!  He is risen!Linking up at: Raising Homemakers, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Living Well Wednesdays

Hospitality Despite the Chaos {Review}

One of the daily highlights in our home is checking the mail.  My children hop on their bikes or scooters, travel down the street (they take the long way) and arrive at the little black box in front of our home.  Curiosity overtakes them as they rummage through the mail, hoping for something with their name on it .  The day I received my Eternal Encouragement Magazine was my turn to be excited about the daily delivery.  I had been anticipating its arrival and couldn’t wait to relax and browse the articles within.

At a glance, a few of my favorite features of this magazine is its size and weight.  It’s smaller and lighter than other magazines, so it fits perfectly into my purse without weighing it down.  Don’t let the size and weight fool you because it is packed with helpful (and timely) information!

This month’s theme was on chaos and hospitality.  What perfect timing for a person whose home has been in chaos for quite some time, yet longs to open her home to others!  Even when we weren’t having to fix problems around our home, having 4 small kids have tested my attempt at organization.  Although I read up on organizational books and try different ideas, the clutter remains and seems to overtake us at times.  As a result, we put off inviting people into our home until we can get things put in order.  If we continue to wait for that to happen, we’ll be waiting for a long time!

What I loved about this magazine was the encouragement to invite despite the chaos.  Yes, it’s important to clean and de-clutter, but if you wait for that to be done before you make the invite, it will never happen.  In our home, our biggest motivator is the thought of company coming.  My best tools are the plastic bin and Clorox wipes!  Grab a bin, dump the clutter and wipe down counters and tables.  Quick cleaning at its finest!  Then, go through the clutter at a later time (the next day preferably).  I want the environment in my home to be welcoming.  We are alive, so there will be messes.  I can’t wait for them to always be cleaned up, but I can do my best to welcome others with friendship, food and fun.

Don’t let chaos keep you from one of God’s callings, opening your home and inviting people inside.  Your guests will enjoy the company and your hospitality will stick in their mind.  What great articles to encourage me to step up and begin inviting!

Every time I receive this magazine it seems to be pertinent to what is going on in my life.  I enjoy gaining insight from the different authors and can’t wait to put their ideas into practice.  What are you waiting for?  Go to Eternal Encouragement and subscribe to their quarterly magazine available in print or digital format.  When you subscribe, you can, also, sign up on their website to receive EE Etc., their online magazine published 8 times a year.  It is for those of us who can’t wait until the next print version to arrive.  Subscribe and you will be blessed!

I am reviewing the Eternal Encouragement Magazine as part of The Gabby Moms  program and did not receive compensation for this post.

Linking Up At: Raising Homemakers, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Living Well Wednesdays

Problems with Blog

I woke up this morning hoping to write on by blog, but I am having some problems posting.  Please excuse this mess or any problems with it until I can find out what’s going on.  Thank you for your patience!