Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Learn How to Do a French Twist

by Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I know that many of you have super-long hair, so that doing a French Twist may be a little tricky. I found this fun tutorial, provided by Paula, our Lilla Rose consultant, to be super helpful!!

Here is a quick and easy video tutorial showing you how to do a French Twist in any length of hair, from medium to extra long. This is so simple that you can easily do it for every day to get your hair up and out of the way, yet look classy at the same time!

Click the image below to watch:

How to Do a French Twist

 

The Flexi Kathleen is wearing in this video is the beautiful Turquoise Tranquility…so pretty!

If you’d like to get more simple hairstyling tutorials like this, be sure to sign up for Paula’s 7 Days of Quick and Easy Hairstyles. Most can be done in a minute or less!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Books I Would Love for You to Love with Me

by 4 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

One of my favorite things is a fresh crispy salad with bacon, feta cheese, and thin homemade ranch with extra garlic. Mmmm. And also: books! My house is full of many kinds of books. Every year I purge stacks of them and yet my collection continues to grow. I’m going to share a few of my current favorites, listed in no particular order.

I’ve included the link to each. (Budget tip: Don’t buy them new! If you can wait a week or so, snag a used copy if available.) Keep scrolling to read my comments on each!

  1. The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith
  2. The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
  3. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
  4. Finding Your Purpose as a Mom: How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground by Donna Otto

Bonus Novels: Two Ways Home by Sonda Kraak (Sequel to the equally delightful One Plus One Equals Trouble in the Love That Counts Series) and our favorite cookbook of course.

The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith

Among all the books I own, I’ve never read one on interior design! Gifted to me by my sweet sister-in-law for Christmas, I have devoured it. While reading it, I became aware of how poorly I was speaking of my home:

“I hate having the laundry in the kitchen,”

“My bedroom on the main floor is annoying because the kids are so far away,”

“The toilet in the basement is so old, I can’t stand to use it,”

“This house is so big I can’t keep it clean!”

Myquillyn Smith says, “Don’t apologize for what you have. It makes guests feel uncomfortable, it encourages discontentment, and if you’re married and your husband hears you apologizing for what he’s provided, it could be hurtful.” That hit home for me and my list of things that were “wrong” with my house. She showed me how to begin loving my home, and how to use my “lovely limitations” (like the laundry in the kitchen) as springboards for creative action.

She gives step-by-step guides to making your house a home. No, she doesn’t tell you what colors to use or designers or type of furniture or decor. She goes a step deeper and gets you asking, what is the purpose of this home? This room? This couch? She is always reminding us that a home is there to serve people, not the other way around and it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

I’ll be the first to admit, interior design is not my strongest skill, but this book is SO MUCH MORE than a decorating book. It’s a confidence-building, take action, bloom where you’re planted, seize the day, kind of book that I will be returning to for years to come. She has another I haven’t read that I will get my hands on soon: Cozy Minimalist: More Style, Less Stuff

The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

I was not excited to read this when my Dad gifted it to me. “Yay… a book about prayer…” But, let me just say, “WOW.” The growth in my faith that I have today was watered by reading The Circle Maker. I have underlined passages in every chapter and filled margins with notes. Batterson uses his own personal experiences and biblical miracles to show God’s ever-present ever-listening qualities. He says, “Nothing honors God more than a big dream that is way beyond our ability to accomplish.” After reading this chapter, I fell on my knees and spilled out my dreams of paying down $20,000 of our debt in one year. This was June we weren’t even close to the $10,000 mark. I began circling that dream. By December we had paid back $29,000. Whaa?? God gets full glory for that one.

What it boils down to is believing that God is able and yet the answer will always be “No,” if we don’t ask. He encourages us that we “don’t worship the Great I-Used-To-Could.” We worship the Great I Am. If you want a book to energize, inspire, and fuse hope back into your relationship with God, this is a great choice.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Um, no, this book will not inspire you to be a better homemaker or teach you better ways to pray. But yes, really, really, it’s one of my favorites! When my baby girl was two days old I began reading aloud to her as something to do. I had a long and slow postpartum recovery, spending upwards of seven hours a day sitting and resting for months. This book was one of the few we owned that I had never read. Why would I want to read a book about dinosaurs?! Gag! But the husband insisted I give it a try.

Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. There is a lot of blood and some language, the dinosaurs and the gagging, remember? But the story is incredibly fascinating, the science is intriguing, and the characters are interesting. All around an exciting and thrilling read. I also love his sequel The Lost World. And we won’t talk about the movies. They’re fine. But the books are fantastic. If my daughter needs therapy someday because her mother read aloud Jurassic Park her first week of life… send me the bill.

Finding Your Purpose as a Mom: How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground by Donna Otto

I own almost every one of Donna’s books. I stumbled upon her podcasts, Modern Homemakers, after searching, “Organization.” Apparently she was teaching about organizing before it was trendy! Though this book isn’t about your physical home as much as your role as a spiritual leader in your home. (The one she wrote about managing your physical house is called “How to Get More Done in Less Time.”)

Is your home peaceful? Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? Is home a place where everyone feels safe? She gently teaches you what to do when you’re overwhelmed and don’t know what to do.

While this is not a quick read, it is worth the energy. I find I do best reading a couple pages at a time and letting it sink in. It is packed full of wisdom. Finding Your Purpose would make a fantastic book for a bible study or book club. I have read through it twice in the past four years, each time feeling more empowered in my roles as a woman, wife, mother, and homemaker.

BONUS books:

Two Ways Home by Sonda Kraak and the rest of the Love That Counts Series.

Reading novels was my main hobby. At least a couple hours every day. Growing up, I read so much that I didn’t understand there were people who didn’t read. What sort of life would that be… I was such a reader all my life I didn’t know it was to be classified as a “hobby,” it’s just what I did.

Not surprisingly, I went to college and got a degree in English because… books.

In Middle School, I blasted through all the Janette Oke novels and fell in love with anything Historical Fiction with clean romantic tension, but also fantasy and dragons and epic adventures (and dinosaurs apparently). I tried to give up reading a few years ago when I had too many kids and not enough time or sleep. But recently, I started again. Bless my baby who doesn’t sleep through the night and the hours I spend awake when I should be sleeping. I bought Sonda Kraak’s novel on my phone’s Kindle app for free with my Amazon points and I read it in 1 minute, 3 minute, 5 minute, and 7 minute intervals while letting my baby work through his emotions, if you know what I mean. Also, I find I can read in night-mode without disturbing the baby while he nurses in the evenings.

So, bla bla bla… I love books. Let me tell you about Two Ways Home and how much I loved reading it. Girl meets Boy and … well, if you’ve read an inspirational romance book ever then you know the drill. EXCEPT, Kraak’s writing is topnotch. The characters are funny and witty and do silly things that make them realistic. The hero is swoon-worthy, yet has his own demons to slay. The heroin is strong, yet she learns the beauty of having someone love her and pray for her.

Your turn!

Outside tales of how Laura had to chase down her taco, what do you read? I’d love to hear about any great books you’ve stumbled upon. Are there stories that have just stuck with you? Non-Fiction you keep thumbing through and pick up again and again? We all know that your newest favorite cookbook is Simple Real Food Recipes (#sorrynotsorry) but is there anything else you’ve been reading lately? Let me know!

-Tasha

Tasha Hackett, friend of Laura, lives in the middle of Nebraska where God has blessed the earth with extreme versions of all four seasons. When she is not feeding her family of six, including her Middle School science teaching husband, three sons and a daughter, she can be found sewing, painting, sneaking Jalapeno Cheetos, dreaming of forests, staying out of debt, Instagramming for Laura at @heavenlyhomemaker and looking snazzy in a vintage tweed blazer while attempting to write a novel in 1 minute, 3 minute, 5 minute intervals.

 

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

That One Time I Had to Chase my Taco

by 3 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I figured you’d surely like to hear about that one time I had to chase my taco. Yes? Ok.

That One Time I Had to Chase My Taco

T’was the month of December, and every time I went to Walmart I inevitably filled my cart to the max. Sure, I was Christmas shopping, but also, there were nine of us living in our house at the time and the groceries required to feed nine people plus a frequent surge of college friends always results in a very full cart at Walmart.

(Asa has since moved away to enjoy his wonderful new job; Justus moved back to the dorm; so now there are “only” seven of us. Not to worry, my grocery cart still overflows.)

So there I was, alone at Walmart with a cart filled to the top. Mmmm, we shall pause a moment to reflect on the fact that I WAS ALONE. This is a miracle in and of itself because of the aforementioned nine people in our household. Ahh, Mama was shopping alone.

With my list almost fulfilled and then some, I decided that since I was alone I should consider what I needed for Brayden’s upcoming birthday party. We’d be feeding quite a crowd – tacos, one of Brayden’s favorite meals. And we needed some games and activities to keep the kids busy…aha. A pinata. That would be fun!

I muscled my very full cart to the back of the store to search for pre-made pinatas. While en route, I had a conversation with my frugal-minded self: Couldn’t I just make a pinata myself for very little money? Great idea! But no. Seeing as there were nine in our home and two of them are babies and one of them was a busy 5 almost 6 year old – pinata-making would not fit into my day. Just fork it out, Laura. Just buy the pinata.

I found many pinatas hanging in the party section. Ooh, a Minion pinata. Brayden would love it! Ouch – I took a look at the price tag. $19. Ugh. Keep looking, keep looking…aha! A taco! It was a pinata in the shape of a taco, and who wouldn’t want to take a swing at a taco after eating a taco? I shook my head at myself for finding this to be so clever. The price was lower, but still a cool $14 for a flimsy chunk of cardboard with tissue paper stuck to it.

Still, it was a pinata and it was completed and I would not have to make it. Plus it was a TACO {chuckles quietly to herself as she ignores the price tag and puts the golden taco on the bottom of the cart}.

Somehow I made it through the checkout with my incredible load of loot. God bless the cashiers who draw the short straw resulting in their turn at scanning and bagging my trillions of items.

My cart was heaping full of bags so after paying my bill, I slid the taco back into the bottom of the cart – the only place it would fit.

Bad idea.

I took only three steps outside with my heavy cart, which placed me smack in the middle of the main drive for ALL THE CARS. And that’s when it happened.

My taco. It got caught by the wind, got whipped right out of the bottom of the cart, and began tumbling across the parking lot to the north. The wind in Nebraska is something to brag about, and somehow at Walmart it’s always worse. I know this, and yet I still failed to protect my taco. {hangs head}

Within the course of only three seconds, my taco had tumbled many yards away from me. I didn’t give my loaded cart a second thought, but abandoned it and began chasing my taco. I had just paid $14 for it so you better believe I wasn’t going to let it get away.

As typically happens when one is trying to chase something that is blowing away, each time I almost reached my taco, the wind whipped it farther from me. This happened at least four times, carrying it almost all the way to the wide-open field beyond the parking lot. “I WILL NOT LOSE MY TACO! I WILL NOT LOSE MY TACO!” is all I could think of as I ran after the flyaway pinata.

Finally, it bumped into a curb which slowed it down just long enough for me to pounce. I grabbed that taco and hugged it close – you know – so it wouldn’t blow away again.

Relieved and significantly winded, my mind snapped back to the reality that my loaded cart still sat far away from me in the middle of the main Walmart driving area. Clutching my taco, I ran (or did whatever verb fits the description of a woman in boots hurrying toward a cart while hugging a large taco). Wishing for an inhaler, I made it back to my cart and began looking around to see how many car accidents I had caused or at the very least who might have found the entire lady chasing taco show extremely entertaining.

No one. Nothing. Nada.

This, on a busy Saturday at Walmart during the month of December. Not one person had noticed, moved my cart out of the way, or cheered for me as I chased my taco toward the cornfield. Apparently people were too wrapped up in their own holiday preparations.

Or perhaps it’s more common than I realize that women chase their tacos through the Walmart parking lot. Hmm, I had no idea.

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Summer Activities for Kids: Make Ice Cream in 10 Minutes!

by 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Looking for some fun activities to do with your kids this summer? I’ve enjoyed 22 summers with kids (and counting!), so I certainly have a few ideas to share! Stay tuned during the next few weeks as we provide all kinds of suggestions for making your summer with your kids meaningful. (Subscribe here so you won’t miss out!) Today’s idea: Make Ice Cream in 10 Minutes!

Yum

As I was remembering this fun summer activity idea, I decided it would be much more fun to do if we invited friends over to join us! So we sent out the invitation, got our supplies ready, and had a little Ice Cream Making Party!

By the way, we are SO CLOSE to final adoption day for Bonus Boy that I almost waited to post this so that I could show you his precious face. Soon and very soon he will officially be a Coppinger and then all stickers come off!

This “make ice cream in a bag” idea is one of those we always WANT to do, but never seem to get around to ACTUALLY doing. Somehow inviting friends to do it with us made it much more doable, you know? Afterward, the kids played and the moms visited. Bliss! And also, there was ice cream to eat, so double win!

Make Ice Cream in 10 Minutes!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Summer Activities for Kids: Make Ice Cream in 10 Minutes!
 
Save Print
Author:
Serves: 2 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3 droppers full of liquid stevia, or 3-4 Tablespoons real maple syrup, or 3-4 Tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup rock salt or coarse sea salt
  • Ice
  • quart and gallon sized freezer bags
Instructions
  1. Measure cream, sweetener, and vanilla into a quart-sized freezer bag and seal.
  2. Fill a gallon-sized freezer bag half-full of ice.
  3. Add ½ cup rock salt to the ice.
  4. Place the sealed quart-sized bag filled with ice cream ingredients into the bag of ice and salt. Seal.
  5. Toss the bag back and forth, shaking and tossing for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens to ice cream.
  6. Remove the quart-sized bag and rinse the salt off.
  7. Open the bag, scoop out the ice cream, and enjoy!

We moms found that the ice cream shakers needed a little bit of help to get the mixture shaken vigorously enough to turn into ice cream! Also: be sure to do this activity outside!! The bags tend to get drippy. :)

Here are some of our other Simple Ice Cream Recipes.

Use any of these with the above Freezer Bag Toss idea!

Here’s to a great summer of fun with our kids! Here are other ideas we’ve shared so far:

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Summer Activities with Kids: Plan and Host a Party

by 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Looking for some fun activities to do with your kids this summer? I’ve enjoyed 22 summers with kids (and counting!), so I certainly have a few ideas to share! Stay tuned during the next few weeks as we provide all kinds of suggestions for making your summer with your kids meaningful. (Subscribe here so you won’t miss out!) Today’s idea: Plan and Host a Party!

No need to wait for a birthday or other special occasion for an excuse to host a party! Why not host a party just for the fun of it?

But I’m NOT a Party Planner!!

Not a party planning kind of person? ME NEITHER!!!! For me, planning “parties” with my kids has been more about planning fun get-togethers with their friends. When you see the list of ideas we came up with below, I think you’ll get excited about wanting to plan a “party” too!

Today we’re talking about ways to host a party while keeping it super simple! Remember, this is about finding fun ways to spend time with your kids and love others this summer. You can work with your kids to plan a party, but if you do it right, it won’t cost much or be very difficult either!

Here’s an example of something our family did a few years ago:

When Malachi was younger, he LOVED everything Lego! So just for fun, one summer we worked together and hosted a Lego Party with his friends. (It is important to note that his birthday is in December and we hosted this party in July. Because it was just for fun! No gifts, no pressure – just good ol’ Lego fun!)

We spent some time on Pinterest together, looking for fun ideas others had already thought of. We spent just a few dollars to put together some small treats and activities…

We “went all out” and made a Lego-shaped pinata and guess what we filled it with? Well, Legos, of course! (In a ziplock, oy!) Once the pinata had busted open, the boys dumped them out on the living room floor and had fun building together. Cost for this fun party game? Um, practically nothing. We already had the Legos. We covered the box with construction paper. It was so simple!

Just for kicks, if you’d like to learn more about How we Hosted a Lego Party on the Cheap, here are the details!

Another time, our boys decided together to host a Nerf Gun Party. They planned the whole thing themselves, which ultimately meant that they called and invited their friends, then everyone came over and shot nerf bullets at each other. And because my boys were into making cakes back in those sweet days, after the gun war, they fed everyone cake. Ah, the love language of boys. :)

What about Teens?

I really wish I had pictures, but none of us can find them on our phones! Last summer though, Elias decided to have a very belated birthday party – even though he’d turned 16 earlier in January. He invited a bunch of friends and helped me plan what to do and what food to serve.

We got a fire going in our Fire Pit (we have this one – such a fantastic investment, by the way!). The kids made their own brats and smores, they played lawn games, they kicked a soccer ball around. It was a blast and WHY CAN’T I FIND PICTURES??? Ah, I guess the memories will live forever in our hearts.

Inexpensive Summer Party Ideas

What do your kids and their friends love to do? Just like Malachi loved Legos and planned and hosted a Lego Party, select what your kids love and go with it! No need to be fancy. No need to spend money. Just pick a theme, invite your friends, and have some fun!

Here are a few ideas to get you and your kids started on brainstorming for fun party plans!

  1. Water Games and Watermelon Party
  2. Sack Lunch on the Lawn Party (everyone can bring their own packed lunch!)
  3. Sidewalk Chalk Contest
  4. Badminton and Brownies Party
  5. Princess or Super Hero Dress Up Party
  6. Lego Party
  7. Popcorn and a Movie Party
  8. Smores Making Party
  9. Crafts and Snacks Party
  10. Cooking or Baking Party
  11. Cookie or Cupcake Decorating Party
  12. Swimming Party
  13. Book Swap Party
  14. Trampoline and Treats Party
  15. Popsicles and Play Party
  16. Board Game Bonanza
  17. Bike Trail Party (ride bikes together, ending in a special location for a treat!)
  18. Card Game Tournament
  19. Ice Cream Sundae Bar Party
  20. Lawn Games and Snacks Party

If you and your kids start brainstorming, there’s no end to the ideas you’ll come up with! See how easy? See how fun? See how inexpensive?

Need some fun Lawn Game Ideas?

  1. Ultimate Disc Game
  2. Kubb
  3. Lawn Bowling
  4. Yard Dice
  5. Ladder Ball 
  6. Molkky 
  7. Washer Toss
  8. Ring Toss
  9. Frisbee Golf (Disc Golf) Set
  10. Floating Pong

Need some fun Board Game and Card Game Ideas?

Need some fun Party Food Ideas?

Ready to Plan and Host a Party with your kids this summer?

What food, game, and theme ideas do you have?

Here’s to a great summer of fun with our kids! Here are other ideas we’ve shared so far:

Stay tuned for more fun Summer Kid Activity ideas!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Summer Activities for Kids: Make Smoothies, Milkshakes, and Popsicles!

by Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Looking for some fun activities to do with your kids this summer? I’ve enjoyed 22 summers with kids (and counting!), so I certainly have a few ideas to share! Stay tuned during the next few weeks as we provide all kinds of suggestions for making your summer with your kids meaningful. (Subscribe here so you won’t miss out!) Today’s idea: Make Smoothies, Milkshakes, and Popsicles!

There are many glorious reasons to make smoothies, milkshakes, and popsicles with your kids. What are these reasons, you ask? Oh, I am more than happy to share:

  1. Smoothies, milkshakes, and popsicles are obviously perfect to enjoy on a hot day because they are so refreshing and cool.
  2. When you make food WITH your kids, they are much more likely to want to eat it.
  3. You can sneak all kinds of nourishing foods into smoothies, milkshakes, and popsicles – so basically, you are making treats that are very healthy!
  4. Making smoothies, milkshakes, and popsicles are a super simple way to get all your kids – from tiny to big – into the kitchen to learn some kitchen skills!

When our 5-year old Bonus Boy first moved in with us, one of the first fun activities we did together was to make “milkshakes.” (They are really considered smoothies, but he “doesn’t like smoothies – he only likes milkshakes.” Call them whatever you want! We load them with fresh greens, frozen strawberries and bananas, farm fresh whole milk, and sometimes even an avocado. He drinks these “milkshakes” right up! And he loves to help us make them, so we aren’t sneaking the healthy stuff in. He puts it all into the blender himself!

Below are 13 of our favorite smoothie, milkshake, and popsicle recipes. Take note that you can make a smoothie and then freeze it into a popsicle – a double good treat! Or look there at #13 – make homemade wholesome pudding, then freeze it into Pudding Pops! Creamsicles anyone? Yep! There’s a recipe for those too!

Make Smoothies, Milkshakes, and Popsicles!

  1. Pineapple Mango Smoothies
  2. Pineapple-Orange Slushies
  3. Creamy Orange Cooler
  4. Strawberry Peach Slushies
  5. Icy Cold Milkshake Treats
  6. Green Machine Milkshakes
  7. Easy Peppermint Milkshakes
  8. Fresh Peach Milkshakes
  9. Strawberry Milkshakes
  10. Strawberry Creamsicles
  11. Mock Frozen Yogurt
  12. Orange Creamsicles
  13. Homemade Pudding Pops

Sky’s the limit on the variety of milkshakes you can make with different fruits and fun combinations. The same is true for smoothies! Use whatever you have in your freezer or fridge. Use up odds and ends of leftover fruit that is starting to go bad. Use milk, cream, kefir, yogurt – whatever you have. There’s hardly a way to go wrong with these ideas!

HINT!

Do you think your kids would enjoy the taste of these milkshakes and smoothies? But they are turned off by the color of these goodies when you add greens to your blender? Yep, I hear ya. We’ve learned to pour the mixture into a solid cup so that it isn’t see-through. We top it with a lid and let the kids choose a fun straw. Ta-da! Problem solved. The kids can’t see the funny-looking mixture – they just know the contents inside their cups are delish!

Looking for the perfect blender?

Any ol’ blender will do. But nothing is amazing as a Blendtec or Vitamix if you want a perfectly smooth smoothie. Your family is much more likely to guzzle down their smoothies and shakes if they are seedless and chunk-less. :) Here are more details on why I love my Blendtec.

Looking for great homemade popsicle makers?

I just invested in the double-set of these. They are fantastic! Why the double-set? Well, because 6 popsicles just isn’t enough. Making 12 popsicles at once is much better, don’t you think!?

By the way, while the above 13 recipes are beyond great and extra full of nourishment, it is worth a mention that I often pour 100% juice into our popsicle molds to make simple fruit juice popsicles. Incredibly easy and a super money saver!

Looking for more help as you pull your kids into the kitchen with you?

And if you really want to go all in and teach your kids to cook this summer, I encourage you to invest in Katie Kimball’s Kids Cook Real Food eCourse. I used this course with Malachi and plan to use it with Brayden too. It is FANTASTIC!!! Get the details here.

Psst! Did you see our other Summer Kid Activity ideas so far?

Stay tuned for more fun Summer Kid Activity ideas!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Summer Activities for Kids: Have a Reading Party!

by 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Looking for some fun activities to do with your kids this summer? I’ve enjoyed 22 summers with kids (and counting!), so I certainly have a few ideas to share! Stay tuned during the next few weeks as we provide all kinds of suggestions for making your summer with your kids meaningful. (Subscribe here so you won’t miss out!) Today’s idea: Have a Reading Party!

This idea will last you all summer long! Ready to get started? (We’ve got a packet of free printables for you – see below!)

At our house, we’ve just hung up, put away, and close the door on all of our “assigned reading” for the school year. Who cares that we actually loved almost every book we read this year? Summer is coming and that means we can read…

Just For Fun.

Why does it feel different to read in the summer compared to reading during the school year? I have no idea. There’s just something about the freedom of it all, with its “I can read whatever I want and walk leisurely down all the library aisles while inhaling all the air-conditioned book smells…”

We always check out huge stacks. We can sit in the sun and read. Or we can sit in the air conditioning and read. We might lay on the trampoline and read. I will definitely sip iced coffee and read. The kids can drink sweet tea and read. Ahhhh, summer reading, how I love you.

~~~ Ooooh! I must pause a moment and share some wonderful Iced Coffee and Sweet Tea recipes
for these wonderful sipping and reading occasions! ~~~~~

Summer Perfect Coffee Treats 

Sweet Tea anyone?

Here are some super simple fruity tea options!

Tell me about this Summer Reading Party!

Well, you can make this whatever you want for your family, but to get you motivated…

First, we have a huge packet of free printables for every family who signs up for our Summer Reading Party. Use these however you wish – for incentives for your kids, for activities for your kids, for a challenge for everyone in your family – however you want. They are free for you and you can use them in whatever ways you like!

previewweb2

Sign up here to join our Summer Reading Party and to get the free packet of printables!

My Favorite Party Favor

Included in this printables packet is a suggested Bible reading check-list for you to use with your family. Read these passages with your family during breakfast. Or read them at night before bed. Or read them at whatever time of the day works best for you. Because reading the Bible with your family is more important than any other reading you can do.

summer bible reading

This Summer Bible Reading Guide is included in the Summer Reading Printables Packet. Get yours here.

Read as a Family

A few summers ago, after our oldest boys headed to counsel at church camp, I picked All of a Kind Family off our shelf and read through it with Malachi during the hottest parts of the day. We finished that one and ran to the library to get the next in the series. We loved the books so much we read every book in the series and cried at the end because the series had ended. (To be fair, Malachi didn’t actually cry. I did though, because I always cry at the end of a good book. You already know this about me.)

Soon, I’ll get to read that series to our Bonus Boy! Ah, the love of books just keeps on keeping on!

Here’s another favorite series:

ralph moody
I definitely cried at the end of this one.
Then we plowed through the entire series.
It’s a favorite for sure!

How about a HUGE list of great book ideas for everyone in the family?

We can’t very well encourage you to read without giving you suggestions of books to check out! Here’s a list my friend Kim help me put together. It’s fantastic!

Books for Infants and Toddlers

Books for Preschoolers

Books for Early Elementary Kids

Books for Later Elementary Kids

Books for Middle School/High Schoolers

Books that make great family read-alouds

Any of the above books are great for reading aloud as well. In addition, I’ve found that if my kids have a hard time getting into a book or a series, I start out reading it to them and they take it from there!

Join our Summer Reading Party!

We want to encourage the beauty of family reading this summer!

Malachi and I look back on the summer of reading All of a Kind Family series as if it was the summer of perfection. All my boys and I can look back with joy on summers of reading together back in the days they were littler (and actually home). On the days they are home this summer, we will definitely spend time reading. I just got a few books delivered a few days ago that the boys had requested. Perfect timing!

Let’s all do this together and make great memories with our families!

Get your FREE Reading Party Printables here!

Psst! Did you see our other Summer Kid Activity idea? Make Donuts! Get the details here. :)

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Pumpkin Pie. For Breakfast. In March.

by 5 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

This idea doesn’t seem normal. However, have you ever known me to actually be normal? Therefore, nothing I post or suggest here should shock you. A little outside-the-box thinking could do us all some good, don’t you think? Today, it’s pumpkin pie for breakfast. Tomorrow, perhaps we’ll turn on the Christmas music. Happy Easter, everyone.

So first of all, I truly love that pumpkins are nutritious. For me, that instantly turns a Pumpkin Pie into a semi-health food. Agreed? Second, if a boxed poptart or a store-bought donut can be considered “breakfast food,” I can’t imagine why pie and cake can’t also be eaten for breakfast.

Now, you know me. I always stress that we should eat nourishing foods so we can stay healthy. I cut the sugar down in recipes because ain’t nobody need as much sugar as most recipes call for.

But when I was cleaning out the freezer recently and discovered a pumpkin pie stashed in the back, baked and frozen way back in November? Well, I pulled it out and surprised my family with it for breakfast. Coffee and pumpkin pie? In March? It was truly something to be thankful for.

I wonder if there’s any Cornbread Stuffing stashed in my house somewhere?

Need my Pumpkin Pie recipe? Apparently I feel that I should share it today. Be warned that I am continuing to clean out my freezer. You never know what tip I might post tomorrow.

Need some actual breakfast recipes?

Get 31 free great ideas here!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Traveling With Kids? 65+ Free and Inexpensive Ideas to Make the Trip Easier and Fun!

by Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Forget the parts about babies screaming in their car seats, siblings getting in each other’s space in the back seat, and ineffectively trying to get restless children to actually sleep in a hotel bed.

Traveling is fun!

Well, parts of it anyway.

65 Free and Inexpensive Road Trip Ideas

If you’re hitting the road this summer with your family, we pray you make more great memories than bad ones (though I speak from experience when I say that even most of the bad ones turn into good ones eventually). We pray for wonderful experiences and fantastic adventures. We pray that even Mom and Dad have a good time and get to relax! Is this too much to ask?

Free and Inexpensive Road Trip Ideas and Activities

To make a road trip fun for the kids and hopefully more relaxing for the parents, we’ve put together a fantastic list of ideas and activities, as well as a huge packet of free printables for you. A huge thanks to my friend, Kim, for once again helping me compile this list of ideas. Wait till you see!

First the free printable pack!

Free Summer Travel Printables

You will want this packet of printables to go along with many of the ideas listed below! Print the pages that work well for each of your kids and put together a binder for them to take along on the trip. With these printables your kids can:

  • Journal with pictures or words throughout the trip
  • Play “I Spy” with Letters, Numbers, Shapes, Colors, and State License Plates
  • Spot road signs and different kinds of vehicles – challenging themselves to see how many they can find
  • More (details to come!)

Sign up to receive this FREE Printables Pack here. Once you’ve signed up, watch for an email, confirm your subscription, and your printables packet will be in your inbox soon!

More Travel Ideas that Are Free

vintage toy truck isolated in white background with clipping path.

Are you ready for this? We’ve got over 65 great ideas to help make traveling with kids fun and easy. Here we go with ideas that cost absolutely nothing!

  • Toy Swap! Borrow toys and books from a friend to take along on the trip. This will seem like “new toys” to your kids but will cost nothing!
  • Take along library books, audio books, and movies.
  • Coupon Fun! Use the printable coupons in the packet above to provide your kids with fun incentives and treats to look forward to. (For example: “This coupon entitles you to sit by Mom. …to choose the movie. …to have a special drink.)
  • Borrow fun music CDs from friends that will be new to your family.

Super Inexpensive Travel Activity Ideas

  • Hit garage sales and thrift stores to pick up “new” toys and books inexpensively. Pull them out one at a time on the trip!
  • If your kids are old enough, aluminum foil is great for making origami shapes or molding/scrunching into various shapes. It can be used over and over!
  • Take stickers and a spiral notebook or scratch paper: Little ones enjoy the fun of peeling off the stickers and putting them on paper at random. Bigger kids can make scenes with them, then use crayons or colored pencils to make a bigger scene. (Consider including this in a binder in put together for your kids which includes the above Travel Packet Printables!) Here’s an awesome sticker pack that is a great value.

Inexpensive Travel Activity Ideas

finger puppets

Arts and Crafts on the Road

melissa and doug water paint

Travel Items Worth the Investing In

playbee

Audio Book Suggestions

adventures in odyssey

Borrow these from the library or invest in them to keep in your car for all your road trips!

Rest Stop Activities

sidewalk chalk

Hotel Activities

jungle puzzle

Travel Games

hungry hippos

Fun Travel Snacks and Drinks

stretch_island

*TIP* Purchase a gallon of water to keep in the car. Refill individual water bottles as needed. Sometimes it’s fun to surprise the kids with a new water bottle for a big trip! These choices are great for bigger kids. Here’s a great sippy cup for littles. Grown-ups and teens might like this one.

Recipes for the Road

Peanut Butter Cookie Bites - No Bake!

I am so in love with all these ideas! Thank you, Kim, for lending your expertise and creativity!

Everyone please pitch in to share your ideas too. And be sure to sign up to receive this FREE Printables Pack here. I love the fun of this packet to make traveling more enjoyable!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

A Mom’s Musings on Fidget Spinners, Dabbing, and Other Fabulous Fads

by 12 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

If I never hear or see another bottle being flipped in an effort to “land it” or “cap it,” that will be soon enough for me, so help my frazzled nerves. The bottle flipping craze lasted for 37 long days at my house, resulting in partially full bottles being left in various corners and under beds all over our house, and a mom who constantly said, “If you’re going to do that, you need to please go far away from me so I don’t have to hear it.”

As hobbies and fads go, bottle flipping was the least expensive ever known to man, as there was no purchase necessary so long as one held onto bottles previous purchased and consumed the contents therein. Score one for bottle flipping. Free entertainment for children everywhere.

Also, bottle flipping was harmless entertainment (though not according to my friend’s son who acquired a black eye from an unfortunate bottle flipping incident). Overall, if one had to select a trend for kids to become crazy over, bottle flipping wouldn’t be the worst choice. Sure I found it loud, nerve wracking, and obnoxious. Yet, I took a few turns and landed my share of flipped bottles, because if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.

fidget spinner

Then overnight I realized it’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a bottle poking out from under a bed or heard one being flipped as kids everywhere are spinning and fidgeting and fidgeting and spinning. The infamous fidget spinners are the latest craze, at least as of 12:57 pm, CST, May 27, 2017. Said spinners were created to help students with ADHD, but according to all moms, teachers, and child care providers – Fidget Spinners have now taken over the world.

Our youngest played with one at a friends house a few weeks ago, then talked of nothing else for 159 hours, reminding us of how hard he had been working lately to earn and save money so surely spending $4 of his hard earned dollars on this absolute necessity wasn’t too much to ask. Of course there were none to be found in our small town, so four trips to every store later, we ordered some online and had to wait impatiently for their arrival.

Even if all four of my sons is using one at the same time, the noise of these spinners is nothing compared to the jolt of a landed bottle flip – in my opinion and experience. Granted, I am not a teacher in a classroom so I have not had to deal with what some educators are facing with the spinners, God bless you one and all.

A Mom's Musings on Fabulous Fads

Regarding all things that fit into the fad category whether it’s fidget spinning, bottle flipping, dabbing, or whatever will become “the thing” five minutes after I publish this post – I have a few words to say to parents:

This too shall pass.

Therefore…

  • Pick your battles.
  • Help your children choose wisely.

I didn’t love (understatement) bottles being flipped over and over and over right under my face while I was trying to concentrate on writing articles or help a kid with an assignment. But unless I had instructed otherwise, there was no harm done by bottle flipping – so long it was done far away in another room so I didn’t have to listen to it. My kids actually made some pretty fun competitions with them, and praise be, it was active and didn’t involve a screen.

Fidget spinners? They personally make me dizzy, but all four of my kids say they actually concentrate better while fidgeting, so spin away, my children. (But put them away while you’re at church or in Bible class so you aren’t distracting others or slowly killing your teachers.)

Dabbing? We’re already looking back at that one as a thing we all did back in 2016.

And can you believe overalls and high waist jeans have made a come back, even though I undoubtedly did my part to kill off these trends back in 1988?

What have we learned from these motherhood musings over fidget spinners and the like?

We’ve learned that all parents everywhere need to remember that some things are worth fighting over and some are not. If it’s not causing harm and it’s not sinful, we can probably chill out about it – though we can ask our kids to take the “fun” to another room so we will still remember how to smile.

We’ve learned that fads come and go as quickly as purple kool-aid hair. Therefore, it’s wise to guide our children in using discernment when making a purchase of the latest thing or tatooing it forever onto their left cheek.

We’ve learned that Laura landed a bottle flip a time or two, which makes us all impressed and proud.

And we’ve learned that dabbing mostly is out and overalls are actually back, at least for today.

Share with me your love/hate relationship with whatever is the latest trend at your house…

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!