Category Archives: Family

Just Say No

Posted on by

The simple phrase “just say no” can have such deep meaning and change your stress level dramatically. It seems so easy to say, but yet it’s hardly ever used when it’s highly called for. I know it’s a huge struggle for us personally. We want to be everywhere at all the family gatherings, kids sports, kids camps, volunteering at church, going out with friends, helping the PTA but at what cost to our sanity? Does it really put our family first if we are so stressed out about or during the activity that we can’t even enjoy it?

Read these wise words from one of my favorite authors, Joyce Myers:

When It’s OK To Say “No” 

In Numbers 11, Moses gives us an example of what we can do when we’re under stress. Talk about pressure, he was leading the Israelites through the wilderness on what should have been an eleven-day trip and instead ended up taking forty years! 
The people were depressed and weeping over their situation. In verse 14, Moses tells God, “I am not able to carry all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.” 
Like Moses, it’s okay for us to say, “I’ve reached my limit.” Yes, scripture says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13 NKJV), but that’s really referring to times when we face various trials and situations that God will help us through. 
It doesn’t mean we should take on so many responsibilities that we completely burn out, like the woman who is raising five kids, works full-time, serves on the church board, etc.
Sometimes, it’s all just too much…and it’s okay to admit that. It’s also okay to say “no” to some things so you can really enjoy life the way God intended.
Here’s a newsflash: You and I don’t have to be like everyone else or keep up with anyone else. God created some people to handle large amounts of work, but many people aren’t made this way. 
Each of us needs to be who God created us to be, and we don’t have to apologize for it. We each need to individually find the balance of responsibility God has established for us to live in so we can enjoy our life, instead of making ourselves sick with an overload of stress and pressure. 
When you reach your limit, go to God, just like Moses did. He will help you find a saner, healthier lifestyle. 

Prayer Starter: God, sometimes it’s hard for me to slow down and say no to more responsibility. Help me to live with the balance of responsibility You created for me, so I can live with Your peace and enjoy life.

Summer Movies

Posted on by

Take advantage of Regal Cinemas $1 movie days for kids during the hot summer months!


All movies start at 10AM and are rated G or PG


Week 1 

Tue June 7 & Wed June 8

The Lego Movie

Max

***BOTH MOVIES PLAY ON BOTH DAYS***


Week 2 

Tue June 14 & Wed June 15

Goosebumps

Iron Giant: Signature Edition

***BOTH MOVIES PLAY ON BOTH DAYS***


Week 3 

Tue June 21 & Wed June 22

Pan

The Smurfs 2

***BOTH MOVIES PLAY ON BOTH DAYS***


Week 4 

Tue June 28 & Wed June 29

Despicable Me 2

Home

***BOTH MOVIES PLAY ON BOTH DAYS***


Week 5 

Tue July 5 & Wed July 6

Minions

The Peanuts Movie

***BOTH MOVIES PLAY ON BOTH DAYS***


Week 6 

Tue July 12 & Wed July 13

Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip

Curious George

***BOTH MOVIES PLAY ON BOTH DAYS***


Week 7 

Tue July 19 & Wed July 20

The Book of Life

Hotel Transylvania 2

***BOTH MOVIES PLAY ON BOTH DAYS***


Week 8 

Tue July 26 & Wed July 27

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2

Shaun The Sheep

***BOTH MOVIES PLAY ON BOTH DAYS***


Week 9 

Tue August 2 & Wed August 3

The Croods

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax

***BOTH MOVIES PLAY ON BOTH DAYS***

The Fort

Posted on by

IMG_6064Call it whatever you like, a fort, a hideout, a den, a cave, a secret place, it provides your child a space just for them. It’s a separate area for your child to make their own, fill with their own style and personality and take refuge from the world.

Forts were a huge part of my childhood. It was endless hours of entertainment. My dad built me a great one in my backyard even with a slide into our pool during the summer. Forts let you stretch your imagination. You can imagine anything from defending a castle or opening your very own cafe.

In our home we try to stay away from gadget/screen time. We would rather our kids build their own worlds than get sucked into someone else’s idea of the world.

So we began constructing the fort back in June and it is now finally complete! The kids sat down and helped design it with all sorts of crazy ideas and a few practical ones here and there.

Forts don’t have to be huge or elaborate they just need the basics and the kids can run wild with it from there.

Respect The Flag

Posted on by

FlagDisplay1fbpostSo many people today have a complete lack of respect for symbols of our nation.  It’s sad they don’t even understand the freedom that allows/tolerates their disrespectful speeches, rants, and actions. At one time, American’s took pride in the American flag and treated it with the respect it deserved. They were taught flag etiquette and they practiced it.
In today’s liberal culture, flag etiquette is no longer taught and many Americans no longer treat the flag with respect.

Well we can’t control our entire nation, but we can control what is taught in our homes. It’s our job to teach our kids how to respect our flag and why.

Respect is showing regard for the worth of something or someone. The flag of our country is more than a something. The flag is a symbol of our living country and itself is considered a living thing. When you show respect for the flag, you are showing respect for all it represents.

Dear Lord, Thank you for our wonderful country, the servicemen and women who have guaranteed our freedom, and the flag, which is a symbol of both our country and our freedom. May we always be respectful of our flag and remember that respecting our flag honors those who have sacrificed so much so that we can enjoy the freedoms of our country.

If you want to educate your family on respecting our flag here is the United States Flag Code:

Flag Etiquette

STANDARDS of RESPECT

The Flag Code, which formalizes and unifies the traditional ways in which we give respect to the flag, also contains specific instructions on how the flag is not to be used. They are:

The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.

The flag should not be used as a drapery, or for covering a speakers desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes.

The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.

The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard

The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.

The flag should never have placed on it, or attached to it, any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind.

The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.

 

When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.

The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.

When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.

Note: Most American Legion Posts regularly conduct a dignified flag burning ceremony, often on Flag Day, June 14th. Many Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, and Girl Scout Troops retire flags regularly as well. Contact your local American Legion Hall or Scout Troop to inquire about the availability of this service.

 

Displaying the Flag Outdoors

When the flag is displayed from a staff projecting from a window, balcony, or a building, the union should be at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half staff.

When it is displayed from the same flagpole with another flag – of a state, community, society or Scout unit – the flag of the United States must always be at the top except that the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for Navy personnel when conducted by a Naval chaplain on a ship at sea.

When the flag is displayed over a street, it should be hung vertically, with the union to the north or east. If the flag is suspended over a sidewalk, the flag’s union should be farthest from the building.

When flown with flags of states, communities, or societies on separate flag poles which are of the same height and in a straight line, the flag of the United States is always placed in the position of honor – to its own right.
..The other flags may be smaller but none may be larger.
..No other flag ever should be placed above it.
..The flag of the United States is always the first flag raised and the last to be lowered.

When flown with the national banner of other countries, each flag must be displayed from a separate pole of the same height. Each flag should be the same size. They should be raised and lowered simultaneously. The flag of one nation may not be displayed above that of another nation.

 

Raising and Lowering the Flag

The flag should be raised briskly and lowered slowly and ceremoniously. Ordinarily it should be displayed only between sunrise and sunset. It should be illuminated if displayed at night.
The flag of the United States of America is saluted as it is hoisted and lowered. The salute is held until the flag is unsnapped from the halyard or through the last note of music, whichever is the longest.

Displaying the Flag Indoors

When on display, the flag is accorded the place of honor, always positioned to its own right. Place it to the right of the speaker or staging area or sanctuary. Other flags should be to the left.

The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of states, localities, or societies are grouped for display.

When one flag is used with the flag of the United States of America and the staffs are crossed, the flag of the United States is placed on its own right with its staff in front of the other flag.

When displaying the flag against a wall, vertically or horizontally, the flag’s union (stars) should be at the top, to the flag’s own right, and to the observer’s left.

 

Parading and Saluting the Flag

When carried in a procession, the flag should be to the right of the marchers. When other flags are carried, the flag of the United States may be centered in front of the others or carried to their right. When the flag passes in a procession, or when it is hoisted or lowered, all should face the flag and salute.

 

The Salute

To salute, all persons come to attention. Those in uniform give the appropriate formal salute. Citizens not in uniform salute by placing their right hand over the heart and men with head cover should remove it and hold it to left shoulder, hand over the heart. Members of organizations in formation salute upon command of the person in charge.

 

The Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem

The pledge of allegiance should be rendered by standing at attention, facing the flag, and saluting.
When the national anthem is played or sung, citizens should stand at attention and salute at the first note and hold the salute through the last note. The salute is directed to the flag, if displayed, otherwise to the music.

 

The Flag in Mourning

To place the flag at half staff, hoist it to the peak for an instant and lower it to a position half way between the top and bottom of the staff. The flag is to be raised again to the peak for a moment before it is lowered. On Memorial Day the flag is displayed at half staff until noon and at full staff from noon to sunset.

The flag is to be flown at half staff in mourning for designated, principal government leaders and upon presidential or gubernatorial order.

When used to cover a casket, the flag should be placed with the union at the head and over the left shoulder. It should not be lowered into the grave.

What Happens When Satan Steals Your Motherhood

Posted on by

Satan MotherhoodIt is there, and it creeps up like a silent killer. Maybe it is the wet underwear that you found floating in the hallway bathroom. Or the cat food that has been flung out on the floor like tiny marbles waiting to trip up a passerby. Or the loud thumping and yelling and tantruming as if we live in some sort of primal age where roaring and beating your chest were the only way to get other’s attention.

And all of that madness and anger? It wasn’t the kids. It was me. The mother. The one who left a pair of Superman undies in a bathroom we rarely use for days, fed the cat without my glasses after someone else forgot, and the loud, obnoxious, downright scary human being I can be when I have just had more than I can handle.

That’s the kind of thing that happens when you allow satan to steal your motherhood.

No, it’s not the mistakes. It’s not the forgetfulness. It is what happens on the inside that no one else sees. And he knows just how to get to you.

He admires you, you know. But only when you yell at your kids, complain about tasks that need to be done regardless of how many people are in your home. He loves it when you wish you were the mom with the skinny jeans and tall boots and shiny hair with the perfectly groomed kids at the mall play area. You look at her and think you are sub-par. Satan loves that.

Satan also loves it when you get scared because someone posted a random video online of how their four year old can read, so you freak out that YOUR four year old is more interested in roaming outdoors and playing with bobby pins and giving them names, so you panic because books are the last thing on her mind. Satan is clapping now.

Satan also adores you when you get on the phone and ignore your kids, when you hide your true feelings and dreams and frustrations with your husband with a weak “I’m fine”, and when you feel like this fun birthday party at the park for your children isn’t “the best” compared to someone else’s insanely expensive Pinterest celebration.

Satan wants you to fail. And to feel alone. And to feel inadequate to what Someone Else has CALLED you to do.

Because I might as well have left the front door unlocked and allowed a thief to come right in my home yesterday. I mean, why not? I let satan in. After all the fussing and nagging and utter bone tired exhaustion, I crawled into bed with my three year old for a moment. Just to apologize.

“I am so sorry today was so rough”

“I didn’t think it was rough. I thought it was fun!”

“Really? Which part was fun?”

“The part where we played on the couch like we were on a boat. Where we ‘fished’ with your belt as a fishing line, and used the couch pillows for life boats”.

Tears started rolling down my cheeks.

“Please pray for me. That I can be a better Mommy”.

“Oh, I did! Earlier today. When it was sunny. Right before we played the boat game”.

Today I’m locking the door tight to whatever evil enters my heart and home.

Today I am going to remember the One who GIVES LIFE and knows I am a mess and LOVES ME ANYWAY.

I washed the undies. The cat took care of the food. That four year old is now six and can read like a champ. But she still names random things. And it’s cool that my hair is “shiny” because it is unwashed and I can’t wear tall boots because they make me taller than the guy that loves me to the moon and back.

Roll those cars down a ramp, read one more princess story, forget how “busy” you think you are and what the world thinks you should accomplish in a 24 hour period and for heaven’s sake, LOG OFF OF PINTEREST.

Take your kids and an old, worn blanket, reheat that coffee and hold them tight and just rest at the feet of Jesus for a moment.

Today? It is going to be okay. Take back your motherhood. It is a gift. Listen to the life-giver, NOT the liar.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. {John 10:10}

This post originally appeared at Letters From The Nest

Living the Clean Life

Posted on by

EASY STEPS TO CLEAN LIVINGWe choose clean living for us not because it’s trendy or easy, but because it honestly makes us feel better. We want to encourage others to live their best life possible. So here we are posting a simple starter guide to help you move in a healthier, happier direction.

The rise of organic, natural, and slow foods has accomplished more than just changing the way we all think about food. It has also sparked a culinary movement known as “clean eating.” Putting a spotlight on whole, natural foods and regular physical activity, this eating plan boasts a nutritionally sound diet that promotes balance, variety, and moderation while building a stronger, leaner, healthier you! NEWS FLASH, it has built-in flexibility, so it can easily be tailored to meet almost anyone’s needs. At a time when many consumers are leery about eating processed, preprepared foods and concerns about food safety are rising, this approach to healthy eating is right on target and extremely well worth understanding.

Clean Eating Basics

We focus on choosing whole fruits and vegetables in their natural state; lean meat, fish, and poultry; beans and legumes; low-fat dairy products; and whole grains from a variety of food sources. Meals are high in fiber and low in fat, calories, sugar, and sodium.

As a general rule, clean eaters strive to eliminate all prepared frozen meals, desserts, and side dishes along with convenience, boxed, and canned foods. Off-limit ingredients include highly processed high fructose corn syrup; man-made ingredients such as artificial sweeteners; margarines; trans fats; artificial colors and flavors; unnecessary food additives such as excess salt, sugar, and corn syrup; and chemical preservatives such as butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene (or BHA and BHT, respectively). Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules, as many people who follow this regime opt to include a few low-sodium canned or boxed items such as tomato sauces, chicken or vegetable stock, beans, and salsa, as well as frozen fruits and vegetables without added salt or sugar. But, for the most part, followers get the majority of their food from whole, fresh sources.

Clean Home Basics

We’ve taken a stance against potentially harmful ingredients: no Ethoxylates, no PEGS, SLS, Phthalates, and no Parabens. Add about 750 more for a total of about 3000 other nasty ingredients we avoid. We try to pay close attention to what we allow into our home. We check ingredients on everything…laundry detergents, shampoo, bodywash, toothpaste, vitamins, lotions,  disinfectants, etc.

We use air purifiers with HEPA filters, and have safe indoor house plants for added air purification. We also avoid the use of certain types of plastic that can release dangerous chemicals into the air or into your food or drinks. We would avoid plastic food and drink-ware all together but let’s face it we have 3 kids under 8…it’s just not completely practical to do that yet.

How To Get Started

Some people take a huge drastic approach and go dump out everything in their house (which we DO NOT recommend) or you can slowly ease your way into the lifestyle. Start with working towards making your meals 85% organic veggies and fruits. Then after you’ve gotten away from 70% processed foods start a healthy detox.

1. Support the liver

The liver is the main organ responsible for detoxifying your entire body. Supplements like alpha-lipoic acid and milk thistle can help support the liver as it rids your body of toxins. Antioxidants like omega-3 fatty acids, glutathione, resveratrol, and n-acetyl-cysteine can all help support the liver as it clears toxins and unwanted chemicals from your body.

2. Eliminate toxins

Once the liver is able to filter toxins out of the blood, it sends them off to be eliminated from the body in a few different ways. The body is able to get rid of toxins through urine, feces, and sweat.

3. Stay hydrated

In order to properly eliminate toxins, it’s best to stay very well-hydrated and drink water throughout the day. Even though it may seem inconvenient to use the restroom so frequently, you’ll be helping your body eliminate toxins and supporting your immune system.

4. Have at least one bowel movement a day.

This ensures that unwanted toxins are removed from your body. If you aren’t having one bowel movement per day, this is a sign from your gut that something is not functioning properly. If constipation has become a chronic problem for you, I’d highly recommend taking magnesium citrate, vitamin C, and fiber, or purchasing our Bowel Care package with all of these supplements in one place.

5. Sweat

Sweating is another natural way your body rids itself of impurities and toxins. You can get a good sweat from an exercise routine, or use a sauna (for only 10-15min a day).

Resources

Check our site frequently we are always adding new recipes, and product reviews on things we love that help out in our clean living goal.

TGIF

Posted on by

 T.G.I.F. usually stands for Thank God It’s Friday, but we also use it as Today God Is First. Everyday we strive to put God first in our lives, but we all face the challenge of becoming too busy and focused on putting the kids first. We use T.G.I.F. as a reminder that if we put God first we are also putting our kids first. When they witness us turning to God first in our days they are learning to do the same. When we put God first as a family we can accomplish so much more.

We have scheduled devotional time as a family, either early mornings or right before bed time. Sometime things happen after all we aren’t perfect people: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 and we miss our devotional times or get caught up in what we think we HAVE to get done. That’s why T.G.I.F. is such an important reminder for us. No matter what we have going on we can always turn it around back to God.

As a couple we try to make sure on Fridays we take the time to do our own devotionals to refuel ourselves so we can better lead our family. After pouring so much into the kids all week long we can feel rather drained by the end of the week. Here’s a few of our favorite devotionals… We are a big fan of the YouVersion devotional plans because you can take them with you anywhere on your smart phone or tablet. We often find ourselves needing some encouragement during the day and it’s great to just be able to pull it up while your waiting to pick up or drop off the kids etc.

Women/Moms: Really love the CHOSEN devotional available on YouVersion – Check It Out Here

Men/Dads: Wonderful devotional that helps you in your day-to-day life to show your children what it truly means to be a role model and follower of Christ in every sense. Also available on YouVersion – Check It Out Here

Family/Kids: Courageous Kids devotional offered by YouVersion. This plan includes some kid-friendly videos of some Bible greats and takes us through their stories of courage while also exploring other verses and passages that challenge us to live with courage in our everyday walk with Christ. – Check It Out Here

God Is My Father devotional offered by YouVersion. Some kids know their earthly dad. Some don’t. But we can all get to know the best Dad…God, our heavenly Father! Read about God’s love, His promises, being adopted by Him, and how you can look like His kid! – Check It Out Here (This one was especially great for our family since we have adopted all of our kids. It’s perfect for anyone really because it reminds us we are all his children and where true fatherly love comes from.)

If you have some favorite Bible Devotional plans feel free to share them with us! Comment below or e-mail them to us via our contact page.

Oh, No! Schools Out…oops I mean…Yay?

Posted on by

 If you have school aged kids you are probably feeling similar to what our photo is expressing AND yes we do have the days counted till school begins again. For us it’s 82 days till our three are back in school. Last year our summer was rather unpleasant… You know filled with bickering siblings, crying, whining…the constant use of the phrase “I’m bored”. That went on for about half of summer vacation till we put our foot down and said “No More”. They wanted to do sports, camps, swimming lessons, parties, & more… That’s great but those things cost money and x3 it adds up fast. So we set the rule if you want it you have to pay for it yourself. Our kids whined for a few minutes, but then quickly got to brainstorming on ways to earn money. Here’s what they came up with:

  1. Lemonade Stand
  2. Collect Recycling from friends, neighbors, & family to cash in
  3. Sell fruit from our tress in our yard

We were impressed that (at the time our 3, 4, 7 year old) kids came up with these on their own. Next we sat down as a family and priced out all the activities each of them wanted to do. After everyone had their totals they made little goal posters so they could keep track of their earnings visually. Next we gathered supplies we would need for each money making activity…table, cups, lemonade, wagons, baskets, etc. We set a day and time for our Lemonade Stand and passed out flyers, plus posted it on social media. We really didn’t expect the Lemonade Stand to make big bucks, but the kids raised over half their goal. We were really amazed how hard they worked and actually worked together. Each kid had a job; our youngest scooped ice, middle took money, oldest poured and handed lemonades out.

A couple days later we got our wagon and walked with the kids door to door collecting recycling from neighbors. Also had a drop off day for our friends and family to bring by their recycling donations. Cars would pull up, kids would go out with their wagon and bring them up the driveway to sort into our collection cans.  The next day we took our whole collection down to the recycling center. Each kid made about $10.00, not too bad for a days work.

For our fruit sale we posted online to our friends and family to pre-order how many plums they’d like to buy. We then had the kids bag up the right amount of fruit and write the family’s name and the cost on the bag (ex: Smith – $5.00). We set a pick up time and they would drive up, kids go out with bags and came back with money. The kids got a lot of tips for their road side service.

After completing all 3 “jobs” they each had enough money to do their activities. Next we helped them sign up for their activities and they proudly paid for it with their own money.

The structure of problem solving helped get our summer going in the right direction. The kids were involved in so many things of their own choosing they were mostly too tired to bother fighting with each other, which made our summer much more peaceful.

This summer we decided to do a repeat of last year and let the kids come up with money making ideas and go to work earning their activity fees. This summer our activity goals consist of cheerleading, swim lessons, fitness fun camp, and basketball camp.  So here’s to screamin` & shoutin` for all the right reasons this summer!

Laundry Pods by Modere Review

Posted on by

laundryIf you have any children chances are you have several of these baskets just like this at least once a week if not more.

Then once the pile is sorted you notice all of the hundreds of stains and you find yourself wondering…”now how did they get THAT, There?”

If you have more than two kids you have probably given up on the whole “pre-treat/pre-soaking” idea, because honestly who has the time.

We grew tired of all these stains and at one point considered throwing it all out and starting over, but then we of course came to our senses. It was time to find a better detergent. Our kids are extremely sensitive to certain soaps, perfumes, detergents etc. so we couldn’t just run out and buy anything that looked good. We began researching clean, safe brands. A friend shared Modere with us and told us they were all about cutting out the gross nasty chemicals that aren’t good for anyone. We looked up their laundry pods and immediately we saw “Free of: phosphates, dyes, chlorine, and NPE“… we were thinking…hey that’s a good start. So we decided this would be the one we try out.

Do you really need harsh chemicals to keep your clothes germ-free? In wanting to get my house chemical free I was in the search for laundry soap that would do the job of cleaning our clothes but didn’t put harsh chemicals on our skin or in our environment.

Check out our review:

★★★★

Pros:

  • Smell absolutely amazing with the fresh scent of vanilla and lavender. I love lavender! It’s calming and one of those most relaxing essential oils out there.
  • I love that they come in a pack of 32 pods come in a small canister, so it can fit in even the smallest of laundry rooms.
  • I love how clean and sleek the design is of Modere products, it definitely caught this graphic designer’s eye. 
  • Laundry Pods make laundry a breeze. These convenient, pre-measured pods are easy to pop in the wash and clean all our clothes.
  • It can be used in hot or cold water (I normally use cold water).
  • I have an HE machine and it can also be used in standard washing machines too.

Cons:

  • Did not completely remove heavy stains unless I added some extra Lemon essential oil to the load.