Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

A Surrendered Heart: How Selfish is Your Prayer?

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Welcome to A Surrendered Heart: A Wife’s Journey to Love the Jesus Way. Click on the “Leave a Comment” button on each post to add your thoughts, experiences, and suggestions to the discussion. If you are a newsletter subscriber, please click through to this post on my website to add your comments to the discussion to be read by everyone. I look forward to hearing what you have to say! God be praised for the gift of marriage and for allowing us to grow in Him.

Read Lesson 1:  Why I Married This Guy
Read Lesson 2: So, What Does Your Husband Do?

Surrendered Heart Lesson 3

Straight up: It’s too easy to pray for God to change our husband to be what we want him to be instead of surrendering our  heart to seek God’s will in our marriage.

What do I mean by this? I mean that we wives often think we know what’s best. We may even be right every once in a while. The problem comes when we believe we’re right every time -when we think we have our husbands, our kids, our marriage, our schedules, our do’s and don’ts, our everything figured out. Then those are the requests that come through in our prayers. They are selfish, self-seeking, self-motivated. They are not a prayer whispered from a surrendered heart. (I know this. I’ve done this. I do this.)

This is what I’m learning: I don’t know what is best for myself and for my family much of the time. When I find myself in a state of “I’m not sure how to handle this,” I can begin to worry. When I begin to worry – well, do I even need to describe this? We all know the mind blowing chaos that occurs in the heart of a woman who is trying to find answers without the help of the Holy Spirit.

What if I recognized that letting God work out His plan in my husband will be absolutely for his good as well as mine? What if I surrendered my heart to the Spirit, recognizing my lack of power, my lack of wisdom, my lack of ability to make changes in the heart of my beloved?

Do you know the lightness one feels when one stops trying to figure things out and fix all the problems? Do you know the beauty of a woman who surrenders her heart to the One who truly has all power?

This changes everything. When we, as wives, stop trying to be God and accept that God alone is God? Incredible. My prayer focus shifts quickly when I find myself heading down a path of fretfulness – then let it go absolutely, surrendering my anxt to the Holy Spirit.

Today’s scripture focus is Luke 11:9-10. We’ve all heard it before, but consider this: if we ask, seek, knock, beg, plead, cry, and whine about anything that is not from a surrendered heart – we will continue to experience lack of peace.

If instead we confidently approach the Father in the name of Jesus, recognizing that He has the power to work all things for good in our lives and in the life of our husband –  we will be amazed at what we find, at what we receive, and at what might be behind that open door.

That’s because God knows best. He loves our surrendered heart so that He can finally reveal His goodness and wisdom to us. Then He hands us His perfect gift of peace – the frosting on top of the cake of blessing.

Luke 11910

Download Ask, Seek, Knock Printable Here.

As you fill out the following “My Prayer for Him” printable, be continually reminded that your prayer is to have a kingdom focus, not an earthly focus. Ask the Holy Spirit to keep you in check as you surrender your heart in prayer for your husband. Pray confidently, because as the above passage promises: everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door WILL BE OPENED. Learn to let the desires of your heart be in sync with God’s will for you and for your marriage.

My Prayer For Him

Download My Prayer for Him Printable Here.

Your open heart will bring you joy as you lay your concerns and desires down, allowing Jesus to take over in your marriage. Recognize that this is a continual process! We have to give ourselves up constantly, so don’t feel as though you failed when you find yourself in the midst of yet another struggle. God is there for each one, so as frequently as you must, simply take a deep breath and surrender.

Up For Discussion…Share With Us

  • Share your thoughts on this statement: “We all know the mind blowing chaos that occurs in the heart of a woman who is trying to find answers without the help of the Holy Spirit.” Been there, done that? Ugh, me tooooooo.
  • Describe what it looks like to surrender a struggle or concern to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.
  • What are some phrases you might try praying for your husband on a regular basis? What needs does he have that only the Father can meet?
  • When do you find that it is easiest to pray for your husband?
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Everyone Gets a FREE BeeSilk Stick (My Fav!)

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Once upon a time (4.5 years ago), Renee from MadeOn sent me a BeeSilk Lotion Bar. At the time, my hands were red, dry, and cracking. I was skeptical of all lotions as most of them made my hands worse, not better – but I tried it anyway because the ingredients were pure and I thought maybe, just maybe this would help me.

I held the lotion bar in my hands to soften it, then rubbed it over my dry hands. Immediately my hands felt better. I was amazed that for the rest of the day – my hands felt great. I re-applied the lotion before bed. The next day they were as smooth as a baby’s…forehead. ;)

I use BeeSilk Lotion every day now, my family uses it every day, we never go without it, and our skin lives happily ever after. The end.

hands

Great story, huh? A true one, too. I super love BeeSilk Lotion.

Since the first time we tried MadeOn, we’ve also starting using their Bug Block and Lip Balm – loving those too. Beyond the fact that these products are super effective, they are also completely pure and healthy for the skin. (As in, the ingredients are safe enough to eat.) Plus, they are reasonably priced. So this is a win-win-win.

And now the best news of all. Through Saturday, we can all get a free BeeSilk Stick ($7.65 value)!

Free Bee Silk Stick!

Since I’ve been working with Renee from MadeOn for so many years now, I asked if she’d want to swing us a deal. She came back with a freebie because she loves Heavenly Homemakers readers almost as much as I do. Almost. ;)

Now through Saturday, May 9 we can each get a free BeeSilk Lotion Stick. These are just like the lotion bars, only they are in stick form – like a glue stick, only bigger. You can throw them in your purse to easily rub onto your skin or your child’s skin.

How To Get a Free BeeSilk Lotion Stick:

  1. Click here to get to the special “Free BeeSilk Lotion Stick for Heavenly Homemakers Readers” page.
  2. Enter your email address and then click the yellow button. (Yes, then you’ll be on the MadeOn mailing list which I find very beneficial – but if you prefer, you can unsubscribe from her newsletter at any time.)
  3. Place your order for a free BeeSilk Stick. You’ll need to pay a small shipping fee OR you can do what I did when I took advantage of this: I ordered enough products to get free shipping. We use these products constantly, and I really needed to stock up on Bug Block Sticks for my kids to take to camp this summer.

Don’t forget -this fun freebie deal ends May 9. Enjoy! You’ll find that these Lotion Sticks are great for dry, cracked heels too. I recommend stocking up on Bug Block while you’re there. It works VERY WELL and it absolutely safe. I love this!

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Gratituesday ~ Today and Every Day (Plus come see my pretty bathroom!)

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gratituesday[2]

Why yes. I did just invite you to go to the bathroom with me. That’s what girls do, right? They go to the bathroom in pairs?

I’m ever so grateful for your input and thoughts about my blogging schedule (or lack thereof). Gratituesday will remain. But if sometimes I post something else on Tuesdays instead, so be it. And if sometimes I post what I’m grateful for on a Friday, so be it. And if we can all focus on giving thanks to God every single day, especially when we are tempted to grumble – well then God be praised!

So back to my bathroom.

You guys!!!!!! My husband has worked so hard and has done a beautiful job transforming this room. It is finally almost completed. Just a few small-ish details (hang the mirror, etc.) left to call it “finished.”

Before I show you what it looks like, first let me remind you of the before pictures. It may not look “so bad” but trust me – this bathroom was 40,000 years old (or so) and had some – shall we say… issues. Issues, I’m telling you.

bathroom 1

So Matt gutted it and started from ground zero.

bathroom 2

Then he managed to get the shower installed before we had a houseful (and I do mean house FULL) of teenage boys for an entire weekend.

bathroom 3

Then slowly but surely, Matt continued to work for hours over the past months replacing the toilet, installing a fan, installing a light fixture, putting up drywall, tiling the walls and the floor, grouting, painting, and installing a new sink (with silly plumbing issues).

bathroom 8

And now LOOOOOOK!!!!!!

bathroom finished 1

I cannot tell you how fun it is to go pee in there, and that’s just the truth.

bathroom finished 2

The room is so pretty, and I just love it! I’m so thankful for my husband’s hard work, and I’m very grateful that it’s ready before we have a houseful of out-of-towners coming for graduation. Phew!

Here’s to one more house renovation (almost) in the books.

Now your turn! Leave a comment to share what you are thankful for this Gratituesday!

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What if I don’t want to blog on a schedule anymore?

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After a very full, very wonderful weekend – I’m finally finding a minute to sit down and type out a weekly menu to share with you. But here’s what I can’t stop thinking:

I don’t want to type out a menu to share.

It’s not because I don’t love menu plans and find them really helpful. It’s just that it takes quite a bit of time each week to type it all out and find the links for all the recipes. What if I just want to take a few minutes to scratch down my menu plan in my Menu Planning Notebook and throw it on my fridge?

And what if sometimes I have something on my heart to share for Gratituesday, but sometimes I think of something that fits this but it’s (believe it or not) a Friday? Do I save it for Gratituesday or share it on Friday and give you a recipe on Tuesday instead?

I don’t know, you guys. It’s weird and maybe it even seems silly, but even though I’m thankful for a million and a half things – sometimes “coming up with” a Gratituesday post each week feels like pressure to me. Just like typing out a menu plan has begun to feel like “work.”

Don’t misunderstand. I love what I do here. {insert lots of exclamation marks all over the place} I just wonder if I would maybe love it more if I stopped blogging so much on a schedule and simply…blogged.

You know what my best posts have been? They’ve been the posts God has put on my heart to write, then I’ve listened and obeyed. But keeping to a schedule has sometimes meant that I don’t have time to write some of what God has put on my heart. I can’t even tell you how many great lessons God has been teaching me lately. I want to fill books and posts and newsletters about it all! But then I too often run out of time because I’m taking the time to write a menu or whatever.

(All great writers end sentences with “or whatever.” It’s a great way to add meaning to a thought and all that stuff.)

I know many of you love reading my menu plans. The good news is that I’ve got two eBooks filled with them and about 1,000 menu plans for free in my archives that you can access at any time for inspiration. I will welcome the time this frees up for me to focus on other writing, so I won’t grieve this change much.

But not writing a Gratituesday post each week? Well that makes me tear up a little. That has been a weekly part of Heavenly Homemakers since this site was a newborn. I really want to hear from you on this! Stop Gratituesday as a feature or keep it? I promise that if it’s no longer a weekly feature, I will absolutely still share what I’m grateful for as I have something special to share. It just might not be on a Tuesday. Shoot. I don’t know. There’s something really special about Gratituesday. It’s hard to think about letting that go.

I would really appreciate your input. What do you love about HeavenlyHomemakers.com? What blesses you the most?

It takes hours each week to keep up with this site. These are hours I love, but I’m always behind on keeping up and I want my time to be spent in a way that is a blessing to you – my very dear and precious readers. Plus I want my content to be Spirit led, not schedule led.

So will you please share your thoughts with me? I’m praying over this and will pray over your comments as I consider them.

God has done amazing things with HeavenlyHomemakers.com. I can’t help but wonder what He has in mind next.

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Helping You Find Great Prices on Great Products (To Go With Great Recipes)

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I love sharing yummy real food recipes with you. But I also really love sharing ways I’ve found to save money on the real food ingredients it takes to make these recipes. Here are some of the latest and greatest, along with links to some of my favorite recipes using these ingredients:

Ben’s Sugar Shack Pure Maple Syrup is as low as $15.29/quart if you buy it with four other subscribe and save items. I prefer Grade B, Organic syrup, but I read the reviews on this and I feel good about serving it to my family. Plus the price is great!

bens sugar shackHow I’ll use this maple syrup:

What I make with coconut oil:

anthonys coconut flour

With this coconut flour I’ll make:

coconut_flour_cheddar_biscuits_2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This one isn’t an ingredient, but it is a very useful item I use with many of my favorite recipes…

pyrex bowls 2

My favorite summer recipes to store in these bowls are:

Notes:

If you really want to learn ways to save…

Join our Heavenly Homemaker’s Savings Club! 

I’ll keep you updated with all the latest deals!

This post contains affiliate links….and lots of fun recipes. :)

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So You Wanted a Low Sugar Chocolate Frosting for your Low Sugar Chocolate Cake?

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When I shared this Low Sugar Super Moist Chocolate Cake recipe and told you that I’d adapted it from a Texas Sheet Cake recipe, several asked if I could come up with a low sugar chocolate frosting to go with it. I mean, the Cream Cheese Frosting is great, but sometimes we just need some chocolate with our chocolate, yes?

Low Sugar Super Moist Chocolate Cake

Creating a chocolate frosting for this cake was a little bit tricky. See, low sugar chocolate can turn out quite bitter if you’re not a dark chocolate fan (um, or even if you are). Plus, powdered sugar is typically what gives frosting its bulk. That’s why I’ve been using cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese and whipped cream provided the bulk, then the stevia provided the sweetness and we were good to go. (More about stevia here.)

Here’s what I learned through this trial and error process: Making chocolate frosting with stevia is not so good. Spread on top of the cake it was so-so, but wow, the bitterness had too much of a bite, even for me – the one who loves dark-dark chocolate.

So here’s the solution I came up with: I used honey. This frosting is really more of a glaze, because there’s not much in it to make it thick and creamy. But a thin chocolate glaze on a chocolate cake like this? Just right.

Find the Super Moist Chocolate Cake recipe here.

Low Sugar Chocolate FrostingYum

1/2 cup butter
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons milk
2-4 Tablespoons honey (sweeten this to your taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan combine butter, cocoa, milk, and honey. Cook and stir over low heat until ingredients are well combined and mixture begins to thicken slightly. Removed from heat. Stir in vanilla. Spread over cooled cake.

Honey Sweetened Chocolate Frosting

We really liked this cake with whipped cream on top. I simply whipped the cream, then added a few drops of stevia.

Low Sugar Chocolate Cake with Honey Sweetened Frosting

I continue to be fascinated by the fact that we can take so much of the sugar out of recipes and still turn out a delicious treat.

And guess what??!! Coming up next week…Low Sugar Carrot Cake with Maple Frosting recipe. YES!! I played with a recipe and my family loved it! I’ll get it typed up to share with you soon.

Do you have any low sugar treat requests for me to play with? I won’t make any promises on being able to create what you want, but I bet I’ll have fun trying. :)

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A Surrendered Heart: So…What Does Your Husband Do?

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Welcome to A Surrendered Heart: A Wife’s Journey to Love the Jesus Way. I will be sharing my thoughts here each Thursday during this 6-week class, offering printable journal pages for you to pray through on your own time, and providing discussion questions for us to talk though together. How will this work? Simply click on the “Leave a Comment” button on each post to add your thoughts, experiences, and suggestions to the discussion. If you are a newsletter subscriber, please click through to this post on my website to add your comments to the discussion to be read by everyone. I look forward to hearing what you have to say! God be praised for the gift of marriage and for allowing us to grow in Him.

Read Lesson 1: Why I Married This Guy

Surrendered Heart Lesson 2

It’s too easy to park my brain and heart on all that my husband isn’t doing, forgets to do, doesn’t notice needs to be done, or hasn’t yet gotten around to. The list: it can become long. I’ve told him, I’ve encouraged him, I’ve made suggestions, and I’ve downright nagged. He still doesn’t do everything he needs to do.

I mean everything I need him to do.

I mean everything I want him to do.

I mean everything that would make my ideal world of idealism completely ideal. If he could maybe just work within my time table. Perhaps he could be a little bit more like the perfect guy I envision.

Yes. That’s what I want. A perfect guy. Like the ones in the books and movies (written by women). {bonks self on head}

I know I’m being unreasonable. But sometimes my heart doesn’t care. I want what I want when I want it and if I try even just a little bit, I can turn those wants into absolute needs – and then suddenly all I can think about is all that my husband isn’t doing. All he hasn’t gotten around to. All he forgot was on his my urgent to-do list. These are real things – the work we need our husbands to do for us – just like the work he needs us to do for him. I’m not discounting the list – I’m gently squeezing the heart. What seeps out? Joy or dispair?

I’ve heard it suggested that wives would benefit from thinking about and appreciating everything her husband does do – instead of focusing on all that he doesn’t. I mean really, if we were making lists, how many bullet points could I write about all I need to do but don’t get around to in a day? Goodness – the list would be long. If my husband read my “didn’t get done” list to me night after night – ignoring and not appreciating everything I did do in a day? I’d curl up in a ball and cry.

My husband is tougher than that. But how many times have I read him the “I need you to do” list without even acknowledging and appreciating all of the “thank you so much for doing” list? It’s okay to have requests. It’s okay to need him to get work done around the house. It’s even okay to want some emotional needs to be met by your guy. It’s just not okay to be unappreciative and to focus our hearts on our husband’s imperfections so that we become discontent and disrespectful.

So. What does my husband do?

I’m so glad you asked. But before I tell you, I want you to remember something. My guy is mine. Your guy is yours. Don’t let what my husband does add more to your list of what your husband doesn’t do. Your husband is good at doing some things that never crosses my husband’s mind and vice versa. One of the quickest ways a wife can become discontent with her husband is to compare him to someone else and think, “Why can’t my husband be more like that?” That’s messed up and we both know it.

Now me first, then you. What does my husband do?

  • He reads the Bible to our family at breakfast
  • He does our taxes (I barf just reading that word)
  • He coaches our sons’ soccer teams
  • He leads our family in scripture memory time and discusses the scriptures so they reach both head and heart
  • He does dozens of repairs around our home

The rest of that list I am writing on my own for my own heart (see printable below). That’s the point. My own heart needs to be constantly reminded of all my husband does because when my heart dwells there, the “all he doesn’t do” focus fizzles away just like all other unhealthy thoughts fizzle away when Christ takes over.

Scripture to Consider

I’ve included two verses for us to focus on today, and I encourage you to read them within their contexts as you listen to what God has to teach you. Consider what your eyes are seeing when you look at your husband and think about what he does. Are your eyes fixed on Jesus, filling you with light (which makes you radiant)? Or are you instead focusing on the temporary, which is full of this life’s frustrations?

Luke 1134
Download the Fix our Eyes Printable Here

Print the following “What He Does” page to add to your Surrender Your Heart journal. Ask God to reveal truth to you. What does your husband do? Spend time reflecting, then fill the page. Next time you’re tempted to dwell on what your husband doesn’t do – have a heart check. Surrender your heart to let God win the battle of the mind!

What He Does 450

 Download the What He Does Printable Here

God will reveal to you what is important enough to ask of your husband. Pray. Surrender. Listen. Obey.

My experience has been vividly clear when practicing this. When I’m focused on what my husband doesn’t do I find myself frustrated, discontent, and ugly-hearted. When I instead look with appreciation at all he is doing, well…let the beaming begin. (You have been beaming, right?)

Up For Discussion…Share With Us

  • What does your husband do? (Go on, brag a little.)
  • What do you notice each time you “fix your eyes on Jesus” compared to the times you are focused on earthly desires?
  • How can you stop yourself from heading down a path of discontentment when your husband fails to live up to your expectations?
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Don’t Forget the Tuna

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This is probably the most exciting blog post you will ever read. Never mind all the insightful, scripture-filled, life-changing inspiration you might find online. I’m here to talk to you about tuna.

Don't Forget the Tuna and other deep thoughts

Yum

It’s an important topic and that’s all there is to it.

See, here’s the thing. You and I have busy schedules. Some of us love to spend time in the kitchen making nice meals for our families. Some of us don’t. Either way – we all want to be healthy and there are many days each week we need something quick to throw out on the table. For me, this need is most prevalent at lunchtime during our homeschool days. Shoot, right now it’s also very important at dinnertime when we’re running out the door to soccer games. You know what? I need simple meals three times a day, seven days a week. I just do. I’m sure you can relate.

I think this little convenience food can be overlooked as an easy meal option. So don’t forget the tuna. Remember the tuna.

Long live the tuna.

And now, the most frequently asked questions about this oft forgotten meat choice. Seriously, they are asked frequently. Like all the time. My email inbox is flooded with tuna talk. You have no idea.

How do you make your tuna salad?

I add Hain Safflower mayonnaise and homemade pickle relish. Usually I shake in a little salt. How much of each, you ask? Probably 2 Tablespoons of mayo and 2 teaspoons of relish per can of tuna.

How many cans do you go through in one meal?

Do you really want to know? This is the Coppinger family we’re talking about here. Our boys eat at least one can each. It’s alottatuna. (When I wrote that just now, I said it in an Arnold Schwarzenegger voice. Try it: It’s alottatuna. See? Is it just me, or can you just totally hear him say that? I am so weird.)

Where do you get your tuna?

There has been some tuna controversy through the years. Doesn’t tuna have too much mercury? Is it hurting the dolphins? Salted or unsalted? In oil or in water?

I’ve researched it. We don’t eat it every day, but I do feel okay eating and serving it every couple of weeks. I order cases of Yellow Fin Tuna from Natural Value. My understanding is that this variety has the lowest amount of mercury.

How do you serve your tuna salad?

I usually have my boys mix up a big bowl (yay for kids who can do this kind of work so that I can sit around talking like Arnold Schwarzenegger). Then we have it with crackers and whatever fruits and veggies we have in the fridge. It’s also great served on a bed of lettuce and a tomato slice. I like scooping tuna into a big bowl of mixed greens, chopped cucumbers, and diced tomatoes.

Or, if we’re really feeling creative (brace yourself for this one), we’ll spread some tuna salad on a slice of bread. We call them sandwiches. Incredible invention.

Don’t forget this wonderful idea: Tuna Melts on Spinach

Tuna Melts on Spinach

And also the ever wonderful real-food Tuna Casserole that makes for a very easy and fast meal:

Are you a tuna lover? What’s your favorite way to eat tuna? Join in the tuna talk!

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Gratituesday: Survival and Sunshine

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gratituesday[2]

April showers bring May flowers. This is good! Very good.

But silly me. April showers have also brought on dreary days with no sunshine, and I just don’t like that very much. This time of year becomes a little harder for me as the winter has seemed to go on forever, and the sun is still having a hard time shining consistently. I need sunshine!!!! {insert crazy Laura face here} {on second thought, don’t. no one wants to see that.}

So yay for rain, and in particular the rain that came so fast and hard that it rained out soccer games on Saturday so that I could stay home and get much needed work done!! Rain is good for so many reasons, and I’m grateful for it.

I’m just thankful that today the sun decided to shine. It is a breath of fresh air (literally) for me when I step outside. The flowers are blooming everywhere. There is a gentle breeze. THE SUN IS SHINING!!!! {insert Laura’s happy face here.} {except that she doesn’t have time to stop and take a picture of it because she’s breathing in the brightness and the fresh air.}

In other news related to Laura’s crazy face and the absolute need for sunshine – we’re down to just about 11 soccer games remaining in the season (no wonder I can’t get anything done around here), we got Asa’s graduation announcements almost all ready to send out, the bathroom we are remodeling is this close to being finished, and this is our last week of school. Asa is actually taking all college-level courses this year (love getting dual high school and college credits, but phew!) so he will complete his course work and finals the middle of next week. What a huge relief!

asa grad announcement

The plans for Asa’s graduation reception are well under way. Then we will be welcoming guests into our home who are coming from out of state to celebrate with us. There is much to be grateful for, and today, I’m thankful that the sun is shining on all there is to do so that we can not only survive the next few weeks of extremely full schedules – we can love every minute of the ride!

By the way, if you’ve emailed recently and I haven’t responded – just know that I’ll work at getting back to you the end of May when the rest of life settles down a little bit and I wake up from a nap.

Share with us! What are you grateful for this week? How is God working in your life? Isn’t it wonderful to see God’s hand in every bit of our lives?

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6 (Dozen) Ways I’m Going to Keep My Kids Busy This Summer

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We usually begin our school year the first week of August and finish the final week of April. Do you know what this means? This means our family has only one week of school left for this year! Summer break, here we come!

schools out

Raise your hand if you feel like I do: Summer break is really for mothers and teachers. The kids think it’s for them. They have no idea. #lovehomeschooling #needabreather

Our older boys have big plans for several weeks this summer to go on a state-side mission trip and then to attend several weeks of church camp. We’ll go swimming as much as possible (hello, sunshine, I love you so much ~ xoxoxo). We have a family reunion around the 4th of July. We have friends visiting from out of state part of June/July. How is there any time free to do anything other than be on the run (and in the sun ~ xoxoxo)?

Oh trust me. There’s time. See, it’s my 10 year old and my 13 year old that have more downtime than the others. They spend time with friends and help out around the house, but I find it beneficial to…shall we say…put a little routine and creativity into their downtime. Otherwise my 13 year old who shall remain nameless would either:

  • find ways to torture his 10 year old brother which will thus torture me or
  • try to get away with sitting in a chair with his iPod playing games all the live long day.

The summer break rule is: No electronics until after 3pm and then there is a time limit (which varies depending on the day). What’s to keep the boys from getting on each other’s nerves? Oh just look at the ways…

6 Dozen Ways I Plan to Keep My Kids Busy This Summer

1. Summer Reading Challenge

We did this last summer and the boys loved it. Prizes for reading? What’s not to love? I’m working on another blog post to share all the (very inexpensive) details of this fun challenge. Stay tuned.

2. Service Challenge

With school work set aside, there are more opportunities to look outward. The boys will be serving at church camp with us later this summer, but while we’re home I plan to have them jot ideas and be on the look-out for ways they can help others. Will there be prizes for this like in our Reading Challenge? No. But sometimes “coming up with and executing as many ideas as we can” is incentive enough for my competitive boys. Hey, whatever helps them learn to see other people’s needs.

3. Host Friends

I love that the boys are old enough to make plans with friends and execute the plans without much help from me. They can come up with activities like Movie Nights, Cook Outs, Flag Football, Watermelon Feed, Blow Up a Bunch of Money in our Yard (otherwise known as come over after church on Wednesday night during 4th of July week and bring whatever fireworks you want to shoot off) – the ideas are endless. We love it when the boys invite their friends over. The more, the merrier. Just keep the door closed so the mosquitoes won’t come in.

4. Get Creative in the Kitchen

I have found that summer break is the perfect time to let my boys tinker around with fun recipe ideas. It’s not always food, either. Sometimes they make non-edibles like homemade modeling clay or flubber. Or they make funky popsicles. Or they do something weird with chocolate bars or cheese sticks. Whatever gets them creative and keeps them busy.

5. Board Games

Our family loves games and has shelves full of them. During the school year, it’s hard to find time to play. I cannot wait to pull out our favorites and make up for lost time.

game6

As you can see, the ideas within each of the ideas are limitless. And if boredom still creeps in, there are always windows to wash and gardens to hoe.

How are you planning to keep your kids busy and productive this summer?

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