Frugal Summer Activities with Your Kids

Summer is quickly disappearing...In some ways it makes me sad and in some ways it makes me expectant about what is on the horizon.  This for me, is always that time of the Summer when my son starts getting a little antsy and really needs activity and even a change of pace.  We all want our kids to be entertained but two problems can usually creep in - the costs can add up and you want to make sure that they aren't just mindlessly glued to a tablet or phone to keep them busy,  so I thought a lot about how to battle that this summer.  I have gotten a ton of questions about our little summer project so I thought I would write here on the blog a little bit about what we have been up to.  It may be a great way for you to spend the next several weeks with your kids before school kicks back into gear.  I have also added a few other inexpensive and enriching ideas throughout the post too!   

Ok...so what have we been up to?  If you follow me on Instagram then you know (and if you don't you should go follow me!).  I wanted to come up with a way this summer for him to stay excited about reading and writing without pulling my hair out.



Recently we came across the NC Parks Passport and thought it was such a cool idea.  Essentially you receive a stamp in your passport every time you visit a state park by visiting the welcome center and for every 10 stamps you get prizes.  Bonus - this is also a great frugal and fun activity to do with your kids during the summer (or on weekends during the year).  We have discovered so many cool places and parks in our state that we would have never have seen otherwise. We have done everything from hiking up to amazing lookouts, simple nature walks, canoeing and visiting the beach for a day to see the dunes.  PS - there is also a National Parks Passport!

So that and our love for travel kind of sparked my idea for our summer project.



We took our love for travel and learning about other cultures and nations and made it into a daily learning activity.  First thing we needed to do was make a "passport" book.  This really could be anything, a spiral notebook would work fine.  I just had an old smashbook (is that still a thing?) that I had never used so we just used that.  I let him decorate the front however he wanted and we were set.




Here is the lowdown -

1. We pick a country we want to "travel" to each week.
2. Visit the Library on Monday and find every book we can about that country - also we find books about animals in that country because my son has a deep love for animals.
3. Spend time reading and researching through our books.



4. Create a page or pages in our "passport" book with facts and information we have learned.



Then depending on the week, we spend time doing different activities from below-

5. Try and eat one food from that country -either something we have made or bought.
6. We listen to traditional music from that country. (lots of the time that's during cooking or eating)
7. Do something crafty..for example we made paper giant hissing cockroaches when we studied Madagascar.
8. Draw a mural on our chalkboard door.
9. Decorate our house or his room with the countries flag colors or other fun holidays we learned about.
10. Watch a movie that reminds us of that country.  There are so many fun ways you can incorporate a movie into your summer.  It doesn't have to be something that just entertains them for a few hours.  Our son loves having a family movie night and for us to watch something he really enjoys.  I have seen people also project movies outside on a simple white sheet for a movie under the stars - so fun!  Also just a tip, sometimes its hard choosing a Christian or family friendly movie but Pure Flix has a great selection for the whole family...and you don't ever need to worry about if its appropriate for everyone or not.
11. Learn some different phrases in their language...we found some cool apps for that!
12. Learn about missionaries in that country and pray for them.
13. At the end of the "trip" we stamp our book with the date so we will remember when we visited :)



There really are endless ideas with this!  Mainly I just wanted it to be fun and I wanted him to keep his mind going this summer.

Honestly, I think I have learned just as much if not more this summer doing this with him.  I love how he gets excited to show other people his passport book and that its something he can hold onto for a while.  I read something earlier this summer about how few of these seasons we actually get with them. I pray I can cherish these moments and spend it with intention with him.  Full discloser - some days we derailed and we get nothing done! That's life and its never perfect.  But you give yourself grace on those days and keep going.

Let me know what you have been up to this summer!  Any other fun and frugal activities or ideas? Share with me!

Valentine's Day Gift Guide For Men

I am a big fan of giving gifts, its just something I enjoy doing. Let's be honest, its hard to shop for men sometimes. So today is just a fun little post with some ideas for gifts for the men in your life.  I had some help from Justin with this one.  These are either things he already has and loves, or things he has on his wish list.  We jokingly call this the "Justin starter kit". Also, I was informed I left out beard balm...so that's an idea too.

Ok, so there is some variety here...I have everything from wireless earbuds to a book on Theology.  Justin states that everyone should have a good theology book and the one we included is a good one to start with because of the easy way it reads.  Highlights - handmade leather wallet, stainless steel mugs (with lids for traveling) and the best men's belt ever.

List:

1. Leather Wallets

2. Wireless Earbuds

3. Stainless Mugs

4. Fossil Watch

5. Button Up

6. Coffee Sampler

7. Rhino Bookends

8. Mission Belt

9. A Theology For the Church

I'm so excited to mention True to Seam goods here...Sam who owns and makes every item by hand is a former student of ours.  We love his handiwork!  He has more than just wallets too- so go over and check out his online shop!!

Gifts don't always have to be things we buy either.  Sometimes the sweetest and most meaningful things are notes written to our loved ones or time spent together.  Cherish your loved ones and enjoy each moment you have.  That in itself is a beautiful gift from God.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Goodbye Summer

August is always the strangest time of year for us.  Its a transition.  Summer is leaving and all the newness of the upcoming year is quickly approaching.  So we feel almost caught in between of wanting to hold onto all of the awesome things we experienced together and through God over the past several months and also eagerly anticipating what God has in store for us.  Its not any less full, or crazy...our whole year must be planned this month, all the loose ends tied, things are being prepped and readied and Silas is starting his last year of preschool.  So we are still in full force with anticipation in our hearts.  

This summer has been cool.  We saw students come from death to life.  Students make radical decisions of faith.  Real change take place- and it was the best.  Silas grew, both taller and smarter.  He knows more dinosaur facts than I ever will and got to spend meaningfully time with his grandparents, us and our church.  He has recently decided that his favorite bible story is David and Goliath and its pretty great to hear him talk about it.  And we are praising God for every moment.

Its really crazy to sit back and reflect on everything that took place in just a few short months.  Its like we go into hyper-speed.  Our last big week of the summer we spent in the Dominican Republic serving with Score International.  There were so many great moments I can't even begin to describe but I do know that God was working and we did life together.  My heart filled with so much joy watching our students just love unconditionally and share Christ without fear.  There is really nothing better for a youth worker than that.  That week, I know, will forever be treasured in all of our hearts.

After a big, full summer like this I like to take time to really think about what God has been teaching me through it all.  I think I'm learning to rest in God - and not a physical rest but a spiritual rest.  With so much happening all at once and knowing how much lies ahead it can be overwhelming - at least for me.  But resting in the Lord alleviates all anxiety.  Remembering what he has done in the past and knowing He will provide in the future really changes your perspective on life. I have to continue to remember that He will equip me for every work..I just need to follow in obedience.  I'm walking out of this summer feeling rested and ready for the next thing, which is odd for me.  Usually I feel tired and overwhelmed.  

 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. Hewbrews 4:9-11

God's word is always providing.  Those verses come just before one of my favorite in all scripture (Hebrews 4:12) and its interesting that I have not really seemed to focus on them until now.  But I do know that God desires true rest for us - a confident peace from the striving of life.  It comes to us through Jesus, the perfecter of our faith and through His word which is alive and active.  Whatever lies ahead, God will equip us and each moment is already ordained.  So I can rest as I press on because I know the author and He has shown his love to me.

14 Years

Fourteen years ago today we said I do.  Looking back at my extremely young self I don't think I had any idea what God had in store for us back then.  The blessings we have been able to be a part of, the struggles we have walked through together and the joy found in every situation is something I always cherish in my heart.  I have a partner in life who loves Jesus with all of his heart and leads us through each step and that is something I do not take for granted or ever will.

We took the step towards full time ministry 12 years ago full of excitement and no fear.  We have served together every moment of the way and have found when our marriage is strong, our ministry is strong.  We have seen so much of this amazing world together and have been able to serve side by side...while teaching a village about God's love, providing clean water to those who are thirsty, held the hands of children with no parents, rejoiced over the one who was found, joyfully looked on as our students overcame fears and boldly followed God's lead, clung tight as we have been unsure of the next move and shared contentment when knowing we were right in the middle of where God wanted us to be.  We have laughed a lot with an amazing group of students and leaders, watched many students grow into wonderful leaders themselves, cried many tears of sadness of loss and tragedy alongside them.  I can't believe what God has done these last 14 years and I am so humbled to be able to be standing next to you and sharing those moments together.

Our life has now been invaded (for the better) by the most precious and loving 4 year old boy who loves and enjoys life more than any person we have ever met.  We look at him all of the time and can't believe God has given us this task of raising this awesome little boy into a man.  God has given us another ministry partner, someone who is ready for the adventure and I am so thankful he has a father to watch who fears and follows the Lord.  We may have thought 14 years ago we would have lots of little ones running around our home, but now we have seen that God has a different plan for our lives.  We have a son full of so much life and love and hundreds of other students who are running around our home.  What a blessing we didn't even know we would have when we said I do.

When I look back at all that God has done in 14 years it strengthens my faith and gives me the perseverance I need to keep running the race to which we have been given.  Some days we doubt God's call in our life, feel inadequate or ill-equipped.  But, God always gives us the encouragement we need through each other.  One of us is always there to pick the other up.  God is always providing.  I can't wait to see what happens the next 14 years.

I love you seems too simple of a statement sometimes but -I do.  Love comes from Jesus and He has poured it out for us to share with others.  There really is nothing greater than that Love.  We have a sure and solid foundation and together we get to cherish that every day.  God, bless our love.

Utility Vest, Arctic Edition

What do you wear when its freezing?  And why is it so amazingly cold in NC?  I need answers!  This week's style challenge from Putting Me Together is to wear something from your closet that you haven't worn in 6 months.  I knew I wanted to wear this utility vest but as the temperatures have plummeted I wasn't sure how I could and be actually warm.  This vest is something I picked up last Spring at a great price and was really excited to wear it.  But for some reason I have struggled with what to wear it with and since I haven't been comfortable with it, it has just sat.  No more! 

I have never thought about putting each of these things together but its crazy when you force yourself to be a little creative with your closet what possibilities you can come up with.  Green on green - yes.  Leopard print scarf - absolutely.  Black and cognac - everyday.  

To make this vest really work in the winter I actually doubled it up.  Earlier this season I lost my coat and had to search out a new one.  The one I found was on sale like crazy (buying a coat after Christmas is where its at) and it had a removable vest inside for extra warmth (that is fleece lined).  So to make my utility vest wearing dreams come true, I removed the vest from my coat and layered it underneath the utility vest.  So warm.  This was great for 30s.  Today its in the teens so I'm sure I will need even more layers!

We go kind of crazy here when it snows or get any kind of wintry precipitation. This was mostly ice but, that did not stop us from building a snowman and running around outside like kids.

We've had our three days of winter and I think we are all good now.  We wouldn't be too sad if it became Spring.  

Linking Up Here:

A glimpse of 2013

Its always crazy when another year has come and gone and truly humbling to take a moment to look back at the last year and remember the great moments, milestones and memories the past year holds.  There were so many things I wanted to include here and it was so difficult to narrow each month down to one glimpse.  We have had so many great opportunities and moments together as a family and friends this year and some awesome moments in student ministry.  Taking a look back definitely puts things in perspective and fuels the fire to move forward and run towards the goal even more.  I can't wait to see what 2014 holds and so thankful for each day 2013 has given.

I also had fun going back and remembering some of my favorite blog projects of the last year.  Here are a few that I enjoyed..

1. Easy Herringbone Table
2. DIY Fabric Ottoman - I was chosen for the Pinterest Challenge and blown away!
3. Making fun crafts with Silas
4. Finally posting about our finished Exterior Paint Job
5. Building our Patio
6. Getting Organized
7. Making wreaths
8. Easy Deer Silhouette
9. Our Christmas Home Tour

Thank you so much for joining me on the blog this year.  I'm so thankful for all of you!  Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas!

Glorious now behold Him arise,
King and God and Sacrifice.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Sounds through the earth and skies.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Merry Christmas to you all!  

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Ok, I think I'm going to give starting the blog back up another go.  Its something I love and I really miss.  Just like anything, once you get out of doing something for a while its really hard to get back into the groove again.  The last time it ended for me I got overwhelmed.  And it really bothered me that I became overwhelmed, especially with something like a blog.  It began as an outlet for me and I think it began turning into something I needed to be perfect.  I am not perfect and neither will this blog be.  So for me this time, this place is just imperfect and I'm ok with that.  It has to be authentic, whether its making a craft, working on the house, sharing what is on my heart or part of my family....its relaxed, real, imperfect and just a small part of me.  

So here are just a few of the moments I have been thankful for over the past several months....

This kid loves a pile of leaves...but what kid doesn't?

Exploring the many great museums in downtown for Silas' birthday.

Silas loved the state fair this year, if you know him you know that him passing out like that is evident of a good time.

Mario - this may be my favorite photo of all time.

Our little Silas turned 3 in October, do we favor at all?  Just kidding, he looks like my twin in this photo.  His one birthday request was doughnuts, and also presents.  Luckily we just so happen to live  close to the original Krispy Kreme - we had many doughnuts that week.

I love my family so much and its something I'm truly thankful for every day of the year.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Thanks for visiting today!

We're Back!

The blog is back, life is full and I can't wait to connect here with you all again!  You guys, to say these past several months have been awesome seems like such a weak assessment.  We have been all over the place, meeting new people, sharing God's love, serving with our students and loving life with our son.  It has also been difficult at times -just learning how to balance family time, staying on top of everything while going in a million different directions and keeping meaningful connections with the people we love in our life while feeling spread thin at times.  With every step God takes us, we are learning and growing and with every breath He is leading us.  Every opportunity is a blessing and we want to take full advantage of that time together as a family.  So, what exactly have we been up to and what is coming up on the blog?  Glad you asked!...Here is a super duper brief (well, actually it turned into a kind of long) recap of what we have been doing...

First up back in the beginning of June we hosted our annual VBA (vacation bible awesomeness) at church.  We always think of this event as a summer kick off for our student ministry and love it so much.  This year we changed things up a bit and enjoyed doing something different.

Our last night we totally turned things around and had an interactive type of worship night.  I really want to do a full post on this one,  we had so much going on at one time and yet it all worked together and turned into this awesome time of worship together.  We are always searching for ideas and new things for youth group so I would love to share what we came up with and maybe it will spark some ideas for others.  It was definitely a labor of love, but worth every minute spent putting it together.

The very next week we headed off to our favorite place ever - Fort Caswell for our summer camp.  Our theme for the week was Speak Up, Step Up, Stand Up.  It was a great challenge for us and we now have a goal as a youth group- #30 people.  There is just something special about this place and its always a sweet time together.

Next we were off to NJ for our mission trip.  We helped with some hurricane Sandy relief, hosted vbs for kids, painted houses, prayed with people and talked about Jesus to those we were serving.  We also had this impromptu whirlwind of a trip to NYC.  I think its definitely something none of us will forget.  Such a fun few hours to spend together.  We pretty much ran through times square, snapped a few photos and were out.

We had so many great trips this summer, but there was something really special about our Panama trip. I love going with our students on foreign mission trips.  They break out of their comfort zones, they serve with full abandon and grow so much during that week.  They see God work and get so excited. 

While in Panama we met our twins.  David and Marianella.  They were the missionaries we worked with and we connected almost immediately.  Our sons are the same age and I can't tell you how much I missed Silas on this trip.  I don't know if they realized how much they encouraged me that week.  I know God put Marianella in my life that week for that purpose, to help bring encouragement to a tired mom.  I prayed that I could do the same for her that week as well.  I think we looked at each other and immediately knew - I know how you feel!  What a great and unexpected blessing God provided that week.  

We are pumped because we are getting another chance to go pack to Panama next year.  I can't even begin to explain the excitement.

While there we just fell in love with these people, these children and women and families.  The people in Panama are so open and eager to hear God's word.  The work that David and Marianella are doing is so awesome.  They are reaching so many villages and schools and have made so many great connections in the three years they have been there.  It was humbling and a blessing to just be a tiny part of what is going on in Panama for God's kingdom.

After Justin took another NY trip with our college students we enjoyed one of the funnest vacations ever in Disney World!

Seriously, this was simply just down right fun.  I had not been to Disney since I was 16 and Justin had never been so we decided to go for it.  This was actually kind of a last minute decision for us.  We knew we were going to Florida, but Disney just kind of came out of nowhere about 3 weeks out.  

To only have 3 weeks to plan everything, it actually came together really easily.  We researched and saved money on our tickets, got a great price on a great condo and figured out the best way to do our meals for maximum savings.  I'm really kind of thinking of writing a Disney post because I feel like I learned a lot.  And, we would totally do it all over again.  It was just so much fun, I can't say that enough.

And, yes I was the first one in line for Mary Poppins.  She is totally the best.

Ok, so now that this post is easily becoming the longest post in history let me continue on by sharing what is on my mind for things to come on the blog.  For one, I have missed it- so I can't wait to get going again.  And for two, Justin has declared that he is only motivated to work on house things when the blog is rolling so that was all the motivation I needed to start back again.  I have a bunch of blog house cleaning type things I need to do, like update the project page and such but those things are really not number one on the list of things to do right now.  I have a lot of other post ideas running through my mind, which I'm happy to have an outlet for.  

So to kick things back into gear let's start with the most obvious of things - a completed patio post.  I totally left everyone hanging this summer on that one.  In case anyone is wondering, our patio was finished way back in the Spring and has been enjoyed over and over again by us (and others) this summer (when we were here).  It is probably our most favorite thing we have done at our house - so check back in tomorrow for the patio in all of its glorious completeness.  

Hope everyone has a wonderful week and thank you so much for stopping by!