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Big Family Food and Fun: August 31-September 6, 2025

September 7, 2025 by Laura 1 Comment

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: August 31-September 6, 2025 post!

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

Saturday, August 30

It was rainy that Saturday afternoon, so we had to find indoor activities to keep the kids occupied. Brayden and Kiya asked to see our wedding photos. So we all enjoyed taking a walk down memory lane, seeing so many family members’ pictures from 31 years ago, seeing Mommy in her pretty white dress, seeing Daddy looking like our now adult sons… :)

I pulled out a craft kit to enjoy at the living room table.

Elias and Malorie have a tradition of taking each birthday kid out for a “Special Adventure” to celebrate their birthday. That Saturday afternoon was a good opportunity for them to take Acacia out. They walked around the mall, then got her a special lemonade. She loved every minute of this special time!

Josie helped me make Baked Beans for our Sunday Lunch as we wrapped up our day and headed into our Sabbath evening.

For dinner that night, I used the last of some BBQ Pulled Pork I had in the fridge to make Sandwich Melts.

Big Family Food and Fun: August 31-September 6, 2025

On Sunday morning, we dug into a plate of Breakfast Cookie Bars.

We needed to be an hour early to church that day because Brayden had the honor of being on the Worship Team and they needed to do a run-through of the morning’s songs. Justus had arranged for a mother-daughter combo and a father-daughter combo to be on the team that day along with Brayden/Justus/Kelsey as a brother-brother-sister combo. I was glad we got there an hour early so I get get my happy tears out as I watched them worship. While Brayden struggles mightily with academics and social skills, THIS is a place where Brayden shines so confidently.

Back at home after church, we had 39 people gather for lunch. It was Acacia’s birthday and it was so much fun to have a houseful to celebrate with her!

We enjoyed Acacia’s lunch menu choices: Hotdogs and Cheddar Brats, Chips, Pickles, Grapes, and Carrots. For dessert we had Brownies and several batches of Homemade Ice Cream.

I tried to walk around to take pictures of groups gathered throughout the house, but I missed capturing everyone.

I love watching people enjoy a meal and fellowship. I am so thankful for this home God provided for us!

Because it was a three-day holiday weekend, Kelsey took full advantage of her time at home to get ahead in her kitchen. It was so fun to get texts and pictures from her throughout the weekend, sharing her tasty progress. Sunday evening: Stir-and-Pour Bread!

Meanwhile, I was tapped out and made Aldi Take-and-Bake Pizzas for Acacia’s birthday dinner.

We hadn’t had a chance yet that day to sing and blow out birthday candles or open gifts. So we gathered in the dining room after Pizza to enjoy this time with her.

Note that the boots Acacia was so excited to receive had been purchased on clearance at the end of last winter for an entire $1.00 and stashed away for such a time as this. Five-year-olds are easy to please and don’t need expensive presents. She LOVES these new sparkly boots!

Monday morning was rainy and dreary. We decided to take the kids to the Mall indoor play area to get some energy out since a park or the zoo was out of the question that day. I packed sandwiches, grapes, chips, almonds, and apples to get us through our outing.

The kids played until hunger took over, and we headed to the food court area to find a table.

And who did we discover along the way? Our friends, the Cases, and they had more friends, the Adcock girls, with them. Christina snapped this picture for us to send to the Adcock Mama to hopefully brighten her day.

Running into friends was a HUGE perk to our day and changed some grumpy attitudes around. We are so thankful for these friends!

Somehow we got everyone fed, then to the potty, then to the play area again before heading home for Auggie’s nap.

The Nabb family came over all afternoon so that Cindy and I could work on some paperwork together. The kids played school in the living room (it was still raining outside!), then we talked the Nabbs into staying for dinner! I made an Egg Casserole, Pancakes (from a box, ha – actually two boxes), Sausage Patties, and Fruit.

This was the best. We hadn’t made any Labor Day plans so I loved that this impromptu gathering happened.

Meanwhile, Kelsey had sent me pictures of a big Turkey she’d baked, Broth she made with the bones, and these Snickerdoodle Bites. You go, girl!

Tuesday morning, the teachers had a work day so the kids were home from school again. Somehow, most of the kids slept in and Anna was the only kiddo who joined me downstairs before 7:30. While we don’t get hours of one-on-one time with each of our kids, I find that God does provide small windows of opportunity to give undivided attention to them like this. During our time together, Anna helped me get Breakfast Cookie Bars, Spinach Cake, and Stick of Butter Rice into the oven.

It felt good to get ahead and to make good use of oven heat. (As in, since I had turned the oven on to bake a cake, I wanted to add more to the oven while it was hot to save energy.)

The kids have been very into sitting on skateboards and riding them down the driveway. The rain had stopped so we spent the entire morning outside, much of it on skateboards.

Justus dropped off Little Sweetheart for the day, and she proved herself to be one of the big kids outside walking around and riding the little scooter.

Mid-morning, Keith helped me make Cream Cheese Frosting for our cake.

I browned two pounds of hamburger meat and stirred it into the rice I’d baked earlier to make Taco Rice Dinner. I kept the corn and beans separate to accommodate pickiness. Then I covered it and put it into the fridge for Matt to rewarm at dinnertime.

At lunchtime, we used Sunday’s leftover hotdogs to make Beanie Weanies. Mealtimes seem to somehow turn our kids into screamers, phew. Several of our kids have food-related trauma, so it’s par for the course. Still, it makes me sad. How I long to simply make food, serve food, enjoy food, and then clean up after us. Instead, there’s yelling, fighting, food refusal, arguing, and a lot of “I hate this” even if they ate thirds of the same food last time. Anyway, this lunch time was especially challenging and loud. Parenting this time around is so different!

Note: My intent with sharing some of the challenges in our family isn’t to whine or complain. But I do feel that it’s important that I share the reality of our situation. Matt and I are constantly trying to figure out how to successfully train, discipline, and teach these babes. Mostly, we want them to know that they are loved and that they can trust us. Trust is tricky with kids who have lost so much. We’ll keep loving and being trustworthy, praying and supporting.

That afternoon, I took Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to serve at our weekly Food Distribution.

Matt had warmed the Taco Rice Dinner that I’d made earlier in the day and fed some of the littler ones. ABA therapy was in full force when we got home so the rest of us ate in shifts as the evening went on. Meanwhile, Elias and Malorie did some cooking to pre-make some work lunches to grab and take as they headed out early the rest of this week. Malachi was hanging/working/working out with his friend, Graham, and they ate dinner too. It was a full kitchen all evening long – my favorite!

Wednesday morning, Auggie had ABA therapy and Arrow came to hang out. Grandbaby time is incredibly precious to us.

After we got the girls on their preschool bus around noon, Matt got Auggie down for a nap and I headed out to grocery shop. This might last us for a short while?

I had put a bag of frozen meatballs into our crock pot with barbecue sauce for Meatball Subs for dinner. We had them with Raspberries and Salad.

As we were getting all seven kids down for the night, Keith and Auggie parked themselves in our “Reading Room” with the big bear. I couldn’t believe how long Auggie sat there looking at books. This is a big break-through for a little guy who has had to be taught how to play, sit, and focus. By the way, our “Reading Room” is a sun room just off of our girls’ bedroom. This room has evolved from an extra bedroom to a Lego Room to what is now our Reading Room. There’s a shelf behind the door that you can’t see if this photo, and that’s where the kids can grab their books to calm down with at night in their beds. This great big bear has been a perfect addition to this room (thanks, Burham family, for handing this off to us!).

Wednesday evening, I made yet another double batch of Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies because apparently we are obsessed with these now. They have become a very helpful go-to for snacks and lunches so I will keep making them until we get tired of them. I also made another big batch of Chewy Granola Bars for the same reason. We are eating through them very quickly and they provide a fast protein fix all throughout the day. On Thursday morning, I got them cut and packaged for easy grab-and-go options for everyone.

Kiya is always excited to help with projects like this.

Anna helped me scramble eggs to make French Toast.

We’d brought home a fun loaf of Cinnamon Swirl Bread from Food Distribution on Tuesday, and this makes the best French Toast! When I make it like this, I don’t serve it to the kids with maple syrup. It is sweet enough just as it is and I tell them that they can eat it like cookies. :)

Josie’s teacher sent me this fun photo that afternoon, stating that Josie had declared them to be twins that day with their flower dresses, messy buns, and sandals. :) :) :) She sure does love Ms. Kristine!

Little Sweetheart spent the day with us, and the kids are always so excited when she or Arrow join us for school drop off or pick up!

Dinner that night was the best. I had marinated and Smoked Chicken plus I had cut up 4-pounds of berries for Strawberry Parfaits. I steamed Green Beans, Sautéed Peppers and Onions, and Buttered/Toasted some Buns. We devoured this.

YOU GUYS. All of Auggie’s life we have tried to read books to him. But he would never let us, which was so sad both for snuggles and for his developmental needs. This day was the very first day he sat down and let me read a book to him. AMAZING. Brayden took a picture to document the milestone event. I made it through about a third of Bears on Wheels before Auggie was ready to move on. But wow did it feel good knowing the progress this baby boy has made!

Friday morning is a big morning for Acacia now. After we get Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and Anna off to school, we settle Auggie in with ABA therapy in our living room, and Josie gets one-on-one with Daddy while Acacia and I head off to Children’s Rehab for therapy. She starts with an hour of Speech Therapy.

Then we take a potty break and head in for an hour of Physical Therapy. This week we got home just as the preschool bus was arriving to take her and Josie to school. Phew!

Matt and I spend Friday afternoons together – not working but just being together. If we don’t block out time like this, we’d never have full conversations. :)

Dinner that night was Grilled Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup. Plus I cut up a huge Watermelon that we munched on all evening long.

Saturday morning, I made Cream Cheese Salsa Dip and Caramel Apple Dip in preparation for a big Chip/Veggie/Fruit Dip Buffet for Sunday’s lunch.

We loaded up snacks for the morning as we headed out to start with our first outing of the day. Our favorite Sensory-Friendly Library Story Time was starting back up for the fall!

This special library event is such a gift for our family and for several others who we see each time we go. Most of the guests are on the autism spectrum or have other disabilities – and it is such a safe, friendly environment. No one expects the kids to sit perfectly still. Ms. Diane offers lots of opportunities for the kids to move around, to participate or not participate in the simple songs and actions to go with songs/books, to be seen, to be cared for. There are special chairs and special weighted stuffed animals. It’s the most beautiful time and we are so thankful to be a part of this.

Malachi hopped in with us and played with the kids during the sensory toy time after story hour.

Then we loaded back up (ate snacks) and headed to Heartlands for a Color Run with our church’s Kids Ministry. Here’s a shot of everyone running the path getting sprayed with colorful chalk, while Matt and I stayed back with hesitant littles.

By the end, Josie had finally allowed herself to get a little bit “chalked” while Anna had decided to go all in and Kiya and Keith were very well covered. It was such a well-attended event and so much fun!

We went home and ate leftovers for lunch, then loaded back up to go to Keith’s soccer game. Did I pack more snacks, even though we’d snacked all day and just eaten lunch? Yes, snacks are a must. The kids ate their way through 2-pounds of strawberries and a bunch of animal crackers while Keith ran his heart out and even scored a goal.

Late afternoon was spent playing outside, cleaning, then moving into our time of Sabbath. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: January 14-20, 2024

January 21, 2024 by Laura 3 Comments

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: January 14-20, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: January 14-20, 2024

Last week was full of Snow Days, below zero temps, and a bit of going stir crazy while being cooped up day after day with so many littles. Church services on Sunday were canceled. By the day before, the roads were finally starting to be cleared out somewhat. So we decided to text some families to see who might be ready to venture out and make their way to our house for worship and fellowship.

Altogether, there were 28 of us gathered in our living room. It was so very beautiful to enjoy this time together. Kids played and were engaged at the same time. It was awesome.

I had made a roaster full of White Chicken Chili and Applesauce Muffins to share. Plus I put Saturday night’s leftover Spaghetti and baked it with cheese on top for an additional option for people to enjoy. I made 12 Sub Sandwiches with turkey, bacon, and cheese then toasted them and cut them in half. Friends who came brought Pigs in a Blanket, Cookies, Homemade Bread, Crackers, and we all had a wonderful feast!

Several families stuck around for a good part of the afternoon to visit and play games.

Monday the kids didn’t have school because of MLK Day. For breakfast, I baked several pans of bacon, fried leftover baked potatoes, and rewarmed leftover French Toast. I also made a blender full of these smoothies so our kids could be filled with veggies and fruit.

Mid-afternoon, Keith requested Breakfast Cookies. He was so excited to help me, and it was a great idea. So we made a double batch.

They turned out tasty, but for some reason all the cookies I’m making in this oven aren’t turning out pretty. I still feel like I’m getting used to my Castle oven. :)

Eva came over that morning to help with kids. Brayden and Kiya had fun playing games with her. And it was because she was there helping that Keith and I were able to make our Breakfast Cookies. :)

We warmed up leftover mac and cheese and Pizza Chicken Bake for lunch with sliced oranges and cucumbers.

That afternoon, Malachi finished packing and loading up all of his stuff. He and his cousin, Troy, have been making plans to rent an apartment together here in Lincoln. And Monday – cold as it was – was moving day. Snifffffff. I’m super happy for Malachi, just as I was when his three older boys left for college and got to venture out on their own. But I cried just the same, just as I did for his three older brothers. I just really, really like my kids. :)

And yes, he’s just moving across town so I’ll see him often. Which is why he chuckled at my tears.

Currently living at our house right now: Matt and me, Elias, Brayden, Kiya, Keith, Anna, Acacia, Josie, BabyBoy#11, plus three gals who rent our three third floor suites. We frequently have our adult kids coming and going plus lots of friends in and out. This Castle God gave us is such a blessing. :)

Back to our Food and Fun…

That afternoon, Justus and Kelsey came over and they, along with Eva, started doing some freezer cooking. By the end of the afternoon we’d made a huge bunch of Breakfast Sandwiches, Burritos, and four pans of Creamy Salsa Enchiladas.

For dinner that night, I baked our pan of Creamy Salsa Enchiladas and served it with canned fruit, fresh spinach, and buttered corn. We’d gotten a fun M&M Cookie Mix in a Jar for Christmas so we baked those for dessert.

Our kids were going a little bit nuts (Matt and I were fine though, hahaha) because of being copped up in the house for so many days. So we let the kids play in the bathtub until they got wrinkled that night, just because we needed some kind of indoor activity and change of pace. As we pulled them out and jammied them up for bed, Matt made popcorn for a bedtime snack.

Tuesday morning was guess what? Another snow day. We lazed around watching a show that morning, then ate some of the Breakfast Sandwiches that Justus had made the day before plus some of the Breakfast Cookies.

As a way to provide some structure and learning to our day after having SO MANY DAYS away from school, I decided that we would have a “Pretend Homeschool Day.” I pulled out activity books and put together Learning Packets for Brayden, Kiya, and Keith. They loved this!

They spent a full hour and a half on their packets, taking their jobs very seriously. I was thankful God had given me the inspiration to do this that morning.

While the “big kids” were doing their school work, Matt hung out with the littler ones. Magnatiles are the best.

Meanwhile, Kelsey had managed to slowly make the drive over to help us out, praise God. She had stopped at the store for us on her way, picking up much needed formula and milk – plus construction paper and balloons!

Just before lunch, I read a Magic School Bus book to the kids for a “science lesson.” After lunch, I found the episode that went along with this book on Netflix so they got to watch that and have fun learning more about the Human Body.

Lunch was leftovers, heated up by Kelsey. We all chose from Beanie Weanies, Taco Soup, and Ham and Potato Soup.

Keith helped me make dinner that night. He was so proud of how he poured the sauce on the chicken all by himself.

He also helped me make a double batch of Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins. These made a great snack that afternoon plus a great addition to our dinner that night.

The temps were still ridiculously cold, but Kelsey bundled up with the kids and went outside anyway. It had been days and days since they’d been outside and they were needing the fresh air. Most of the kids only lasted a short time, but Brayden hung in there for about an hour. Phew1

Dinner that night was Barbecue Chicken, Green Beans, 10-Minute Mac and Cheese, and Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins.

It was a loud and crazy mealtime (louder and crazier than normal) because several of the kids had refused naps that day and were cranky. Matt had to go to our church building to help with a frozen pipe flooding mess. <— This has turned into quite an ordeal as the building now has a lot of damage.

A friend had come by for dinner, so she got to help with babies, bless her. Our three housemates helped with babies. Kelsey stayed to help with babies and helped me get them all to bed. It was a pretty crazy evening.

Oh! Also, my brother, Kevin, had come to town from Kansas to help his son Troy move into the apartment he is sharing with Malachi.

It was all good but wow was I happy to see bedtime roll around that night. :)

Wednesday we sent Kevin off and were able to get the kids to school. They were excited to go back! Acacia wanted to help me fold laundry and she actually did it. She was very proud of her work, as she should be!

I knew that this would be the warmest day of the week so during naptime I headed to Walmart and Costco for groceries.

Is it just me, or do we go through a lot of food every week? I’m not sure why this astounds me every single time I fill the back of our huge van with food. :)

I picked up as many of our kids’ WIC items at Walmart that I could that day. But BabyBoy#11 has been put on a special Toddler Formula since he isn’t eating solids yet. I am having a hard time finding it and will have to keep looking around town.

I got home from the store just as Matt was getting home with Brayden and Kiya from school. So they got to help bring in all the groceries. I’m excited to see that while our kids still need so much focused care, some of them are also becoming big helpers. We’re getting there!

I made four pounds worth of Hamburgers plus a big bag of Fries for dinner that night. Plus I cut up a watermelon I’d found at Costco. Watermelon in January? I’ve never bought one in the winter before. But Kiya had been hungry for watermelon and I wanted to surprise her. She was so excited!

I cut it all off the rind and we ate almost all of it with our dinner. Just before bedtime I caught these three stinkers up at the counter stuffing more of it into their mouths and GIGGLING. Oh, the giggling. I swiped the tray of melon away because it was getting destroyed and making a sticky mess. But I also captured this photo because they were still in a fit of giggles. :)

Thursday morning the kids had fun playing dress-up during BabyBoy#11’s naptime.

Josie helped me make Brownies for Elias’ birthday.

Malachi came over to give Elias his birthday gift and to take him out for coffee. :)

That afternoon, it started to snow again. Matt parked our van on the side of our house after picking the kids up from school because he needed to shovel our driveway. The snow had continued to fall so by the time he was ready to move it back to the driveway, the van got stuck. Well. There “just so happened” to be a tow truck driving by. The driver turned around and pulled Matt out, refusing to let Matt pay him anything. Amazing!

We all watched this “show” from our play room windows. :)

It was Elias’ birthday and we’d invited all of our kids to join us for dinner. With the snow falling yet again, some decided just to stay in for the night. But Asa and Eva were able to make their way over after the snow stopped. We’ll have another “official birthday dinner” a different night. But this night we had Elias’ choice of Fish Tacos with the works.

He had requested Frosted Brownies for dessert, and I filled the pan with 22 candles to challenge him to blow them all out in one breath.

Can he do it?

Yes, he can.

Friday is a bit of a blur as I tried to get caught up on laundry (4 loads, woot!) and reset for the weekend. Usually I make some sort of fun dinner on Fridays, but this time I decided we just needed to clean out the fridge. So we rewarmed the last of our White Chicken Chili and 10-Minute Mac and Cheese and that was that.

Asa stopped by with a couple of his buddies that we hadn’t seen for a while, so that was awesome. Elias had some friends over to hang out for his birthday, and that was also awesome. We put all the littles to bed after a long week, and that was the most awesome of all, ha. :)

Saturday morning for breakfast I made sausage and Peanut Butter Honey Puffs (the childhood favorite recipe I mentioned here). I’ll share my adapted recipe for these in a post soon. These are so good and our kids love them like I used to!

After breakfast, we prepped to host House Church on Sunday. With the pipe bursting and the subsequent flooding at our building, our elders and ministry staff worked extra hard to organize a Live Stream option and encouraged people to meet in homes to worship together. I haven’t made communion bread for years, but found a recipe online and it came together quickly.

Please take a moment to appreciate how un-uniformly I cut the pieces. Good grief, Laura. :)

Next, I got the kids involved in helping me pack a picnic for after church. There had been a scheduled “Picnic with Pals” with our Kids Ministry Group inviting us all to stay after worship and enjoy together. But with the building being unusable, the new meet up spot became one of our malls in town. Knowing we’d need to leave right after online worship to make it on time, we got our food packed and put into the fridge to grab and take with us.

I was feeling a bit like I needed a kitchen break, so for lunch we had Chicken Nuggets, Spinach with Dip, and Oranges.

Dinner that night was Hotdogs and Peas. And that was our week!

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How We Find Energy to Raise a Second Set of Kids

April 23, 2023 by Laura 5 Comments

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Long time reader asked these questions, and I assumed the rest of you might be wondering too! Here’s what Lissa said:

I’m always pretty astonished that your 4 sons are pretty much up and gone (and that a huge accomplishment) and now you’ve undertaken SIX more kiddos. Plus a new baby boy. I know God is giving you the wisdom and strength….but STILL….how do you find the energy? How old were you when you had Asa? We are close with 2 couples (now empty nesters) who each had 8 kids apiece and it was crazy for a long, long time. But they pale when I tell them about a couple who were so close to the finish line and then started all over. hahaha. A more serious question though, how do you and Matt find time to spend alone, to nourish your marriage etc? Have you ever slept in? :). If I lived nearby I would definitely wash the dishes and pick a few chickens for you

First of all, if you did live nearby, I would 100% allow you to wash dishes and pick chickens for me. :) And perhaps that is how I can begin to answer these questions – to share that God has provided so much glorious help for us!

The truth is: Matt and I are tired. Is it because we’re not-so-young anymore? I don’t think so. I feel healthier and stronger now compared to when I was in my 20’s. (Oh, and we were 23 when Asa was born. We are 49 now, and holding strong because we have a newborn and I refuse to admit that I’m almost 50, haha.)

We are tired because this job – this beautiful, amazing thing God asked us to do during this season in life – is hard. Our seven littlest children all have some level of special need, though none of them (so far) is severe. The trauma some of them faced before coming to live with us has created difficult behaviors and overwhelming emotions that we are not equipped to handle. Matt and I seek God’s wisdom and professional guidance quite constantly.

So let’s see. What did you ask, again, Lissa? :)

Do I ever sleep in?

No. Shucks, right now I’m just looking forward to sleeping through the night. :) EVENTUALLY, we will sleep through the night and maybe even sleep in. I do crave a full night’s sleep but even without it, I am constantly amazed at God’s provision of rest for us. I do feel tired, but not like one would expect. So many mornings, based on the hours of sleep I got (or didn’t get), I feel like I’m not sure how I can possibly make it through the day – and then I do – as if I’d gotten a full night’s sleep. THIS IS GOD. There’s no other reason we would feel this way.

How do I find the energy?

Seriously, it’s God. Well, and green smoothies, hahaha. I truly don’t want to sound cliche’ as I smile sweetly and say, “Oh, our dear Lord and Savior gives me strength to do this…” But seriously, people. We have baby on top of baby at our house, plus trauma behaviors and tantrums and so very much laundry, plus a ridiculous level of messiness all over our house. I could go on and on. Every time I hoist not one but TWO double strollers into the back of our van (while kids hang on my leg and scream in my ear), I recognize what is true: God is doing this. It feels supernatural.

People say to us when they see us trying to herd all of our precious little turtles: “I just don’t know how you do it.” But the truth is that we aren’t doing it. God is doing it. It makes me cry as I think about His goodness, His provision for us, and truly the incredible energy He gives us to do this hard job every day.

So we have the energy to do this – somehow. I fall into bed every night completely exhausted, but knowing that God will give me the strength to do it again tomorrow. Matt and I live by Psalm 23:3: “He renews my strength” knowing that He does and He will. On our weariest days, we quote this to each other, to remind each other that God is giving us everything we need.

But back to the help…

Oh, how much help God has provided for us.

We have a young couple who has been coming to our home EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT for almost two years. We feed them dinner (it’s the least we can do) and they do everything from diapers to playing outside with kids to sweeping to dishes to helping us get our kids to bed. They are amazing and they are a part of our family now.

We have a friend who comes two to three mornings every week to watch the kids so Matt and I can have some breathing space. The babies love her, we love her, and she is a delight to our home.

We have teenage girls who come every Wednesday afternoon to care for all seven littles so Matt and I can work without interruption. I’m writing this post on a Wednesday afternoon, and if it wasn’t for these girls, you’d never read another post from me again, ha.

We have a friend who brings us chicken. Hahaha, this one is both fun and sweet and while she thinks it’s no big deal, it is a very big deal. Most time when she goes to Costco, she picks up a couple of their rotisserie chickens, takes the meat off the bones, and brings it for us to enjoy. I get several meals out of this chicken and I haven’t had to do any work. This is such a gift to us!

Friends drop off diapers, wipes, and any variety of needed items that God has put on their heart to give to us. With this many little ones, I can’t tell you how many diapers we have gone through in the past four years. At one point, we had five kids in diapers. We have surely gone through tens of thousands of diapers in four years. But we’ve hardly had to buy any. Our people are generous, loving, and not only has this been a financial burden lifted, I love that I haven’t had to think about shopping for diapers. I just go to my room and get another box.

Our older boys – and their wives or girlfriends – are very much a part of this journey. Our daughters-in-law come as often as they can and my goodness am I thankful for how well our boys chose when they chose wives!! Elias and Malachi are living at home and grab babies or toddlers or preschoolers whenever they are able. Elias (21) and Keith (4) are pretty much best friends and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

God provides help in so many ways, I can’t recall them all and I probably don’t even recognize them all. He is so good.

How do you and Matt find time to spend alone, to nourish your marriage, etc?

Now, there’s a question. :)

One huge blessing about our situation in life right now is that both Matt and I are both self-employed and work-from-home parents. God knew what we would need 28-years into our marriage! So He did His work through these years to secure us with income streams that would allow us to both be full-time parents. We teamwork throughout our days and spend many hours together. This isn’t alone time, but it IS together time. We love this.

During the afternoons while the four littlest are napping, Matt does work to maintain our rental properties in town and other various odd jobs, and I fit in a little blogging work if I can.

Then at roughly 8:08 pm, all the littles are in bed!!!!!!!! Well, the baby hangs with us at that time, but he doesn’t talk yet so Matt and I count this as alone time. This is glorious, needed, and precious time. It’s also quiet, glory hallelujah!

Did this answer your questions, or did it just leave you with more? Leave a comment to ask, and I’ll try to write another post to answer!

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Why I Don’t Love Christian Homeschool Curriculum

June 6, 2021 by Tasha Hackett Leave a Comment

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Woah! Did Tasha just say what I think she just said? Tasha doesn’t love Christian homeschool curriculum? Ho, hum. Well, no. Yes. Kind of. Here’s the thing. I do. But I don’t. Clear enough for you?

Why I Don’t Love Christian Homeschool Curriculum

by Tasha Hackett

Without diving too deeply into all the arguments, the main reason is because I love reading the Bible with my kids. That’s it. I want to pick up the Bible and read it. I want to gather my four kids around and snuggle together on the couch and read. We also gather around the table and copy verses. Often I am stopped every few verses with ideas, opinions, connections, and questions. Either from one of the kids or myself.

In a nutshell, I’m too selfish to give up my own family Bible reading habits to make room for the other Bible reading required by Christian homeschool curriculum. Does that make sense? I tried a first grade curriculum a few years ago that included Bible stories for the reading lessons, Bible verses for handwriting, Bible text for ancient history… and by the time we added in Sunday and Wednesdays, I didn’t feel like adding extra devotionals for the family and I sorely missed that time. The time is precious when we just read the Bible with no expectations or questions to answer or papers to write. Just listening to God speak.

I do love curriculum written with a Christian worldview!

Last August I started the Early American History collection with my kids and we loved it. The course provided a good amount of books that were interesting to all three of my listeners (currently 9, 6, and 4). The baby didn’t care. This isn’t a “complete” curriculum. I still added a reading course for the Kindergartener, I needed Math and Language for the 3rd Grader, Handwriting for both, but our focus was American History guided by the books and characters provided in the kit. Currently, the 9-year-old is studying and memorizing the Declaration of Independence. Yes, you heard me right. We are memorizing it. He and I can practically recite the first two paragraphs already by memory and boy do we feel smart! We plan to have it ready to recite confidently by July 4th. (Even if it’s not memorized, reading it well is a challenge!)

Okay, so I do like Christian curriculum.

But I don’t prefer curriculum that uses the Bible as its main history text because my kids already read it with me, and they will continue to read it for the remainder of their lives. Therefore, I’d like to study other things for our school time. Laura has mentioned a few times that we do school, but we don’t “do Bible” and I agree. She’s emphasized the importance of Bible and God being more than school. Reading the Bible isn’t something I want my kids to forget about once they check it off their school to-do list and think that it doesn’t carry through the summer and adulthood.

That being said, if you love curriculum with the Bible stories included, go for it! But it’s not for me.

I’m already itching for NEW BOOKS.

Does this happen to anyone else? We’ve barely finished and I’m looking for what we’re going to read next. Ha! So I have to share with you the news. We’ve decided to study world history with Around the World with Picture Books I and II from Beautiful Feet Books to guide us. I’ll use that and supplement with either the History of Science or History of the Horse for my 4th grader. We’re charging forward with Saxon Math for 4th grade, and we’re trying out Writer’s in Residence for him. Curriculum can break the budget, but I’ve been saving and I’m ready for it. There are many more affordable options—namely the library and free books online. Did you know you can print math worksheets for free and watch YouTube videos on just about anything… #truth. But for me, I do prefer to own the books and then I don’t feel rushed.

What about you? How do you integrate the Bible into the school day?

Tasha Hackett is Laura’s friend, fellow homeschooling mom, and author of Bluebird on the Prairie. She eats a good amount of homemade chocolate and all agree that she dances too much on Instagram (@hackettacademy), but she spends most of her time with four chatty children and an incredibly supportive husband. Learn more about her at www.TashaHackett.com.

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Why I Go ALL OUT For Christmas (and Feel Good About It!)

December 1, 2019 by Laura 8 Comments

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With many talking about how to save money at Christmas time, how to have a minimalist Christmas, and how to do less for Christmas, I’d like to share today about why I go ALL OUT for Christmas. And why I don’t feel bad about this.

I’m not normally a stuff buyer or a gift-giver. Every other month of the year I am a cleaner-outer – a girl who feels that less-is-more. But at Christmas time? GIVE ME ALL THE CHRISTMAS!!!! And let there be lots of presents!!!

Allow me to explain…

Why I Go ALL OUT For Christmas (and Feel Good About It!)

Part of me can’t explain my “why” except for the fact that I really, really love Christmas. I look forward to it, make big plans for it, am super creative with it, and do everything I can to give my family the best day ever. This, in turn, makes it the best day ever for me, because I get to watch my favorite people having tons of fun on my favorite day.

Wow, this picture was many years and fewer boys ago.

So because I love Christmas so much, and I love watching my kids (young and old) have fun with this day of celebration, I tend to go ALL OUT making the day fun and festive. Can you believe this…

Last year I made our Christmas morning last from 8am until 2pm.

Yes I did, thank you very much. We sat in the living room (and/or at the breakfast table) Christmasing together for six beautiful hours. Then we cleaned up some of the mess and had a late Christmas dinner together: Lasagna, because it can be made ahead of time and bake while we are Christmasing. It’s become our family’s Christmas dinner tradition!

What does our very long Christmas morning look like? Keep reading if you dare. :)

Well, first I should backtrack and say that instead of drawing names, all of our boys buy a gift for all of their brothers. (With our growing family, this in and of itself turns into a lot of presents under the tree because 5 boys times 1 gift each to all of the others, plus a gift from each for Dad and a gift from each for Mom…I can’t even do the math. And this year there are 7 boys, plus Mom and Dad, so we’ll have to figure out how we’re going to include the babies in this since they’ll obviously care more about ribbon and boxes than anything else.)

Why do all the boys get a gift for all the other boys? Because everyone loves it!

Everyone makes a wish list and it includes things like a new phone case, soccer socks, dress shirts for work, windshield wipers for their car, and all sorts of other fun and practical requests. This is obviously an example of the “big boy” list. The little boys’ lists are easy, and I make those based on what they need. :)

Once everyone has made a list, the boys take turns shopping with me for their brothers and Dad. It is truly special seeing them pick out gifts for their brothers as they say things like, “Oh, he’ll love that!” (Dad takes the boys shopping for me separately.)

Most of our gifts to each other are practical. This is the main reason we can buy a lot of gifts at Christmastime. When our boys need something – new soccer cleats or shin guards, work clothes, school clothes, something for their car – they put it on their wish list. Some think this is boring, but we think it is fun. IT IS FUN TO OPEN A BIG PILE OF PRESENTS!!!! Or at least we all think so – even if the gifts include socks and tools.

So there are many presents under the tree because everyone buys something for everyone. Phew.

But wait. There’s more.

This is the part where I go crazy and probably sound crazy, but boy do I have fun!

Matt and I do something unique for our gifts to our boys (and by “Matt and I” I really mean I, while Matt ~~smiles~~ shrugs and ~~nods~~ shakes his head and lets me have my crazy fun). Besides all the presents under the tree from one another, this is what the boys wake up to on Christmas morning

Piles.

Many piles of gifts. That must be opened in order. AFTER THEY HAVE SOLVED A RIDDLE TOGETHER to determine what is in each pile.

I know, I’m nuts. Thankfully the boys love it and look forward to it and have now come to expect it. So for instance…

Pile #4 last year was a stack of gifts that included new York College beanie caps. They needed new beanies, everyone got a different one, we get an employee discount at YC, and they are great quality hats. Here’s the riddle the boys had to solve together before opening this pile of gifts:

What, you’re still cold? It’s ok, we are on it
This is much better than a cap or a bonnet
They’re special, don’t lose them, they cost a bit more
Thank goodness Dad gets a discount for doing his chore

They take turns reading the riddles, work together to solve, then take turns opening their gifts to reveal who got what beanie. (Trading is allowed.) For the record, we got Brayden (5) a fun beanie from Walmart that he loved just as much but cost a little less. :)

Another riddle gift we got last year included everything we needed for a Family Movie Night:

Another throwback, you say? Don’t mind if I do
We’ll enjoy this along with something to drink and to chew
You’ll remember the VHS variety, and it’s time to improve
These gifts make for a fun night as the sweeps make their move

Can you guess? It was a Mary Poppins DVD, which was a favorite when our first set of boys was little. Since we’ve got young ones again and Mary Poppins brings back such good memories for all of us, we thought getting the DVD was a perfect family gift. So for this pile of gifts, one person opened the package with the movie, and everyone else opened a present that included a snack item we’d enjoy while watching together.

Other piles from last year included gifts like:

Slippers – see how practical? But if we need them anyway…
Board Games – last year they included Candy Land and Hi Ho Cherry-O since we had landed back in a place with littles (and ha, little did we know that God would bring us more babies this year!)
Socks – with this riddle to go with it:

Nothing special here, but it’s something else to unwrap
They are fancy and fun, not a shirt or a cap
Keep what’s in your sack or feel free to trade
These can replace those in your drawer that are starting to fade

But wait. There’s still more.

I know. It’s crazy. BUT IT’S SO FUN!

After the boys solve the riddles and open the piles, there is one more Riddle Gift they have to work together to solve. This one includes a Day Out that’s become a tradition – so this gift is about an outing we enjoy together on December 26. See how the fun just keeps on keeping on, even after Christmas day??! (Then on the 27th I’m all done and ready to move on into well…summer.) :) :)

For this gift, Matt and I have chosen several fun things to do in Lincoln (45 minutes from our home), then I write riddles for the boys to figure out so they learn what our Day Out will include.

Two years ago, it looked something like this, though of course, the boys had to solve riddles to figure out all that we were doing:

Grab a coffee from Captain Red Beards on our way out of town (our local shop that we love but hardly frequent because we make coffee at home every day instead!).
Head out of town and go to Play It Again Sports where each of us got to choose a used tennis racket (they loved this so much!).
Go to the indoor tennis courts where we rented space for two hours and played 3-on-3 and made fun of ourselves because most of us were…unpracticed.
Go to lunch at Raising Canes, one of our favorites.
Walk the mall, choosing one inexpensive item each (after Christmas sales, whoop!)
Dinner at our friends’ house (extra special because we don’t get to see them often)

After all the riddle gifts – and I should mention that somewhere in there we’ve paused and eaten our Christmas breakfast – the boys open their gifts from each other and Matt and I open gifts from the boys and each other and there are boxes and paper everywhere!

It’s a lot of Christmasing, it costs some money, and it is actually kind of excessive (what with all the piles). But I love it and I feel no regret about this. After all, we are frugal all year long, rarely eat out or buy coffee from shops, almost never to go movies or splurge on anything that we can make or do ourselves at home. But one day each year, for Christmas, we go ALL OUT. It’s an absolute blast! (And yes, we still shop sales and see how we can save on all the gifts and outings!)

Where’s Jesus in all of this?

Oh trust me, He’s there. He’s in every bit of it as our family has spent the entire year striving to look outside of ourselves and serve selflessly. Jesus is in every moment of our days, so you can bet He’s a part of our Christmas, even while we go a little crazy with gifts and silliness.

Jesus is in our laughter and our time around the tree and our mealtimes. He’s in our Christmas Eve extra-long family prayer time while we sit at the tree with all the lights out except for the Christmas lights. He is the reason for the season and without a doubt, He makes our Christmas completely full of joy.

The days leading to Christmas, we help people in our community to be sure their holiday will be extra special too with plenty of food and special gifts. But we’ve decided it is important to hold December 25 as sacred for our family. Christmas day is the one day every year we close our door and focus inward toward our family unit.

This year, there will be 9 of us. Matt, me, our five boys and our two foster babes. I absolutely cannot wait!!

So now you know. Laura goes crazy at Christmas and has no regrets. It is the most fun and the family loves it!

I believe that there’s no one right way to “do Christmas” because Jesus can be in it when you choose to let Jesus be in it. Christmas is joy, God is love, and no matter if you’re big into gift-giving or choose to take a minimalist stance, Jesus can be at the helm.

I’d love to hear what your Christmases are like. Big, small, get up early, sleep in, wear jammies all day, dress up fancy, go all out, keep it simple…

Whatever you do, choose Jesus as your center. He’s in it all if our hearts are focused on His Truth.

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Coming up next: Ways We Save All Year Round So We Can Enjoy a Big Christmas!

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How to Serve With Your Family This Fall

September 19, 2019 by Laura 3 Comments

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There’s no better way to spend time with your family than to serve together. ( <— read that again.) Today we want to share encouragement and give you lots of resources and ideas of ways to serve with your family this fall. Ready?

Ways to Serve with Your Family this Fall

Ultimately, our biggest and best advice is to pray as a family for ways to love people in your community. God is faithful. He will show you what to do.

And if you need more ideas and instructions, we are ready to load you up!

See, we recently completed a brand new Fall Family Fun eBook. It’s full of ideas sharing ways you can spend time enjoying your family and serving others together. We really love this new book and want all of you to have it. So for motivation for you to purchase and enjoy it, we decided to do this:

Buy Fall Family Fun for $5…Get 5 more resources for FREE!

So suddenly, this has turned into a pay $5 get 6 resources offer. It’s too fun and it’s too much of a steal and it’s all kinds of warm and fuzzy. If that doesn’t scream fall, I don’t know what does! I mean, we wish we could always give everything away for free. But a pay $5 get 6 resources offer comes pretty close!

Here’s what you’ll get for just $5!

1. Fall Family Fun

Full of recipes, games, scripture memory activities, and ideas for ways to serve as a family this fall! 40 pages! It’s brand new and we want to get it into all of your hands this fall!

2. Fall Printables Pack

29 pages of recipe cards, scripture cards, menu planners, and sticker labels to use as you serve as a family.

3. Fall Craft Pack

Print, cut, paste, create! Color, encourage, love! 18 pages of fun fall printable craft ideas.

4. Do the Funky Kitchen

We’re throwing this in there for fun this fall! Get your kitchen cleaned out and organized with this simple, step-by-step guide. There’s no better time than right now!

5. Getting Ahead for the Holidays

In this packet, you’ll find simple planning pages to help you make lists and get organized. But the best page is the one full of links to help you get your holiday meals prepared ahead of time so you can enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas!

6. Gifts in a Jar

Starting to think about Christmas gifts for neighbors, the lonely, and people who could use a pick-me-up? This book is full of ideas you can make and put into jars. So much fun!

And THAT is what you’ll get for just $5!

Six resources, including our brand new Fall Family Fun eBook. We’re pretty excited to be offering this and hope as many of you as possible will jump aboard and grab these. Then start serving with your family this fall!

This special Pay $5 Get 6 Resources offer ends Friday, September 27.

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Summer Activities with Kids: Find Ways to Serve (20 Ideas!)

June 13, 2019 by Laura 1 Comment

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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: Find Ways to Serve!

Opportunities to love and help others are all around us, no matter where we live, the ages of our kids, or our physical limitations. We all have something to offer someone else! Even babies can serve. Allow me to share a special memory…

Even Babies Can Serve

When our oldest son was a baby, a man we went to church with was killed tragically in a farming accident. Two days after this awful event, Matt, baby Asa, and I went to visit the man’s widow and their kids.

As we stood in their kitchen, surrounded by others in our church family, I remember feeling that it was so important that I keep Asa quiet and in my arms so as not to disturb anyone! I wrestled with him as long as possible, shushing him and trying to distract him with anything I possibly could while people were coming in and out and hugging the family members.

Finally, I gave up and decided to let Asa get down and crawl around as he had so much been wanting to do. I cringed as he scurried immediately toward the crowd and then directly over to where the widow was sitting. Before I could catch up to him and pull him back, he had made it to her chair. And then it happened.

The widow found a smile. She reached down and picked up my curious baby. She cooed at him and hugged him close and told him what a sweet boy he was.

If we weren’t already all crying, we certainly all were then.

Asa, before the age of one, was already a minister. He brought joy in the midst of grief, just by being him.

I share this to let you know a very important truth about serving others with our kids:

The enemy wants us to use our kids as an excuse NOT to serve. God wants us to serve right alongside our kids!

Obviously, if our kids are older, we can serve with them in ways that we can’t do when our kids are tiny. But oh the ways we can serve, no matter the ages of our kids!

Pray and Listen!

I’m going to share some service ideas with you today, but what is much more important than reading my ideas is that you and your family pray together to become open to what God has for you to do. Open your hearts. Let God open your eyes to see the needs around you. He will show you how to serve. (He’ll also tell you when to say, “no.”) Listen and see!

My husband, kids, and I have been serving side by side for almost 25 years. As I look back, I see how our service has changed and evolved! When the kids were little, our service included having people in our home for meals, taking small gifts of food to people, making and sending cards, and the like.

Now that we have adult-sized kids, our service can include work like helping elderly people move heavy furniture, taking loads of people’s discarded items to the dump, and painting people’s houses.

No act of service is big or small. All areas of service are full of purpose and good! So don’t put limitations on what you and your family have to offer. Don’t feel like you have nothing to offer. Don’t compare yourself with anyone else. Most certainly, don’t feel like you are “too busy” to look beyond your own lives to serve.

Pray, open your eyes, and listen. God will help you see needs and show you what to do!

Here is a small list of ideas for ways you might serve with your kids:

Ways to Serve with Your Kids

Feed people who have a need! Make and deliver a meal, some muffins or quick bread, cookies, or a pie. See our huge list of recipes below for fun ideas!
Visit someone who is lonely or hurting.
Help someone fix something around their home that they are unable to fix on their own.
Babysit for someone will little children so they can have a refreshing break.
Give someone a ride to the store or to run errands if they are unable to drive themselves.
Clean out toys and clothes to give to someone who needs them more than you.
Have a garage sale and give the earnings to a special cause.
Make and send cards to people.
Call people on their birthdays and sing to them.
Plant flowers for someone.
Surprise someone who is out of town with a Sidewalk Chalk message welcoming them home.
Mow someone’s lawn.
Take someone out for ice cream.
Invite someone over for a meal, for dessert, or for a game of cards.
Visit someone in the hospital or nursing home.
Buy and deliver a coloring book and new crayons for a sick child.
Pray for people!
Clean someone’s house.
Ask a tired new mom how you can help her.
Purchase and deliver groceries to help stretch a family’s budget.

What would you add to this list?

The possibilities are endless, especially when you pray together and listen to God’s call for you and your family!

Here is a big list of recipe links that might give you some nice ideas if you are considering making food for someone…

Recipes to Consider Making for Others

Muffins

Cookies

Easy Meals

I’d love to hear ways you and your family serve together!

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!

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An Update on our School Year (Our Schedule, Curriculum, Homeschool, Public School, College, oh my!)

October 15, 2017 by Laura 12 Comments

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Way back in August when I shared this very delicious Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe, I mentioned a bit about our school year and our family Bible time. Several asked for more information, so here I am, a month and a half later, finally getting around to writing a few details about our schedule and curriculum.

schedule and curriculum

The good news: So far, this year isn’t as difficult as the past three years have been. Thank you, God. Our high school aged sons had some tougher classes during those years that threatened to push both student and mother over the edge of sanity. Everything in comparison seems easier this year, even though it’s still hard work. So here we are, not losing our sanity. Mostly.

This year we have:

Asa ~ age 20, a college junior

Of course he’s not still homeschooling or even living at home, but I thought you might like an update on him anyway. :) Asa lives on the York College campus across town, so we still get to see him from time to time! He’s in the thick of his Business Communications degree plan, is known as “the video guy” on campus, and is well on his way to making a career of videography and photography. He’s paying his way through school with his camera, by studying hard so he can keep his academic scholarship (he has to maintain a 3.75 gpa or higher, phew!), plus he’s got a soccer and a choir scholarship. Somehow he keeps up with all of this, along with heavy involvement on campus, without ever sleeping. Also, he has an adorable girlfriend. Be still my heart.

Justus ~ age 17.5, a high school senior

He is all but finished with his high school graduation requirements, so he is focusing now on getting more college credits under his belt. (We heart dual credits!) He’s taking World Literature on the York College campus, and Intro To Business at the public high school for college credit.

Big News! Nebraska changed their requirements this year for homeschoolers. In order to participate in extracurricular activities at the public school, homeschoolers only have to take two classes (which is much more doable for our family compared to previous state requirements). So Justus and Elias are taking two classes each at our local high school so that they can play soccer with the team in the spring. So exciting!

Justus is taking piano and voice lessons each week, choir at the public school, and produces music on software at home each week too. Perhaps it goes without saying that he is planning to be a music major in college next year.

Elias ~ age 15.5, a high school sophomore

elias2sm

This kid is hitting his high school basics hard this semester so that he can begin dual credits next semester (or next year…we’re still working out some of the specifics). He’s taking Choir and Weight Lifting at the public high school for his two required classes which will make him eligible to play soccer with the team. We chose those because there’s no homework involved, seeing as his homeschool academic plate is very full this year (details below).

Elias takes voice lessons each week and has no idea what he wants to do as a career in the future. It will be fun to watch God reveal that to him in the coming years!

Malachi, age 12.5, a 7th grader

malachi3sm

This guy is so full of ideas I can’t keep up. He’d rather ignore all school work and instead develop his ideas all day (mostly with LEGOs and YouTube, both of which he’d like to turn into businesses). Unfortunately, he has mean parents who still make him do his Pre-Algebra. So, he works hard to get his school work done by lunch, if possible, so that he can go with ALL THE IDEAS all afternoon.

He is on both a city team and a club team for soccer this fall and is busy writing two scripts for a church middle school event in the spring.

All three of our boys who still live at home will play for our homeschool basketball team this winter (Malachi’s first year!). They also all referee soccer for our city rec league, and some for club teams too, which has been great money for them through the years. They all work with Matt here and there doing various handy man or lawn care jobs, which is great for their work ethic, skills training, and savings accounts!

beginschoolyear092sm

What does our school year schedule look like?

6:30ish I get up and have quiet time with God before the household gets up. The boys wake up to their alarm clocks so they can be ready and at the table at 8:00.

8:00 Our family enjoys breakfast and Bible time together (I explained more about our family Bible time here).

8:40 Justus and Elias leave for Choir at the public school. Elias has Weight Lifting right after that, so Justus hangs out in the library and does school work during that period.

Meanwhile, Malachi and I read World History together (Sonlight curriculum) at home. Then he heads to a computer to work on Pre-Algebra (Teaching Textbooks) in the hopes that he’ll be done with that computer before Elias gets home. I answer emails and do other small blogging jobs while staying nearby to answer any math questions Malachi has.

10:30 Justus and Elias get home from public school. Justus practices his piano, guitar, and does any college class homework that needs to be done.

Elias starts on Geometry (Teaching Textbooks), then moves on to English, Zoology, and Economics (all guided by Sonlight curriculum suggestions, but adapted by Matt and me to fit his needs/learning style/state requirements). He finishes his day with Spanish (DuoLingo) usually around 2:00. We’re trying to squeeze in some ACT practice right now as well.

Malachi does his English, Science, and Reading (all Sonlight curriculum), then moves on to Spanish (DuoLingo). If he’s diligent, he can be finished with his work by noon.

12:00 Justus heads out to his Intro to Business class at the public school.

1:00 Everyone (and by this, I mean everyone but Asa, of course) is home and we eat lunch together, if possible.

1:45 On Tuesday/Thursday, Justus heads to the York College campus for his World Lit class. Elias and Malachi finish any work they have left. This is the point I can usually get a little bit of uninterrupted blogging work done, maybe, sort of. (Not that it matters, but it is 3:47 right now and I have been interrupted no less than 13 times in the past 30 minutes. Working from home is so relaxing and productive.)

The rest of the day and evening involves soccer games, church activities, or ministry opportunities. Often we don’t eat dinner together until around 8:00 pm during the fall. However, our boys’ homeschool basketball season is about to begin, which will mean that they need to eat and leave by 6:30 on Tues/Thurs evenings.

Our School Year - Homeschool, Public, and College

Through each full day, God always provides for our spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. My dirty kitchen though? Well, I’ll get that clean after all the kids graduate.

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How We Developed a Morning Bible Reading Time With Our Family

October 3, 2017 by Laura 3 Comments

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It might surprise you to know that what originally started our morning Bible reading time with our family was a bit of selfish need on the part of this mama.

breakfastsm

What selfish need was my motivation? Oh, just a little something I like to call peace and quiet. The silly little desire for my four small boy children to actually stay in their chairs during a meal and not throw scrambled eggs toward the window or poke each other with forks. The desperate attempt to find some sort of order for our mornings when we were staring down a 7-year old, a 5-year old, a 3-year old, and a 6-month old.

four boys pilgrim

Now truly, motivation for beginning our Bible reading time was the fact that we felt like good Christian parents should probably actually read the Bible to their kids. Funny that I didn’t at first equate Christ-like character and heart training with Bible reading. Good Christians just read the Bible, right?

I could interrupt myself here and ask what I even thought it meant to be a “good Christian” because what? Like there’s such thing as a “bad Christian?” Either you’re a Christ follower or you aren’t. But I digress.

So we wanted to be good Christian parents, and that surely must mean that we should read the Bible to our kids. And we wanted all the eggs and muffins to stay on plates and then get eaten, so it started to make sense to us that if we read the Bible to our kids while they were sitting at the table eating their food, we could get a two-for-one. The kids would sit and eat. The “good Christian parents” could read the Bible. Everyone brushes their teeth and moves on with the day.

Thankfully, before we got much farther into our parenting journey, God convicted us that shaping our kids’ hearts and character meant much more than simply “reading the Bible” to them. Of course, reading the Bible is a fabulous and necessary part of the journey, but it’s so much more than just reading words and moving on. We started talking with our kids frequently about God’s work in our lives. We started using scripture as a part of their training in ways that were fun and meaningful.

We learned that we needed to make Jesus’ life and and love a part of every aspect of our lives so that we, too, could live a life of love.

As parents, we learned along with our kids. There’s no magic formula for perfect parenting, but there is a Holy Spirit, the perfect guide. The more we listen to His leading and direction, the more we know what to say, how to love, and how to guide our kids.

As for our morning family Bible reading time at breakfast, it’s become a practice and tradition that we all hold dear. It’s much more than words in a book. It’s the Words from the Book. It’s Truth. It’s Life.

Reading to our kids during a meal began as a way to keep them focused on both food and words. It worked for us then, and works for us now as it brings our busy family of teenagers together for conversation and Biblical truth before we hit the ground running.

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Keeping their hands busy any time I read to them when they were little
was a necessity if I wanted them to actually hear the words I was reading.

No matter how you choose to fill your kids with Truth from the Word, do find the ways that work for you. During meals, in the car, at bedtime – any or all of the above, as the Spirit leads you. Change your times and practices through the years as needed.

Don’t limit scripture training to be something your kids learn on Sunday mornings. Make it a part of every day of your lives, as parents, as individuals, and as a family.

And if you read the Bible at the breakfast table with your little ones, enjoy the added benefit that the eggs will be thrown at the window less frequently and forks will be poked at siblings less often.

How We Developed a Morning Bible Reading Time with our Family

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Make Your Family Time Count (Win $50 to spend at Red Rock Traditions!)

June 21, 2017 by Laura 37 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

As one by one my boys are graduating and leaving home, it has become glaringly clear to me that while most days are crazy and hectic and loud and busy – there are really only a few things in life that actually matter.

The problem? Sometimes the crazy and hectic and loud and busy take over, and all the things we “hope to do with our family some day” never happen. We think we’ll get around to it “when life settles down” or “after I get through this one thing.”

Life doesn’t slow down, there will never be more time, and what we all need to realize is this: If we want good for our family, we need to prioritize it, pray for clarity, and take the next step toward it.

Family prayer time? It doesn’t happen if we don’t schedule it in. Time to read our Bible as a family (or as an individual)? It doesn’t happen if we aren’t intentional. Serving together as a family? It gets tossed by the wayside if you don’t make a plan and execute it. Choosing good in any form? It’s too easy to let the schedule dictate the hours of our day.

I encourage you today (not tomorrow…today) to write down goals you have for your family. What does God want for your tribe? How can you make that happen? The truth is that if God wants it for you, He will provide the time and energy for you to make it happen. It’s as simple as that.

Regarding all things good for our family – and this looks different for each of us! – it can be as simple as sitting around the living room on pillows and bean bags talking about God’s goodness and praying together. But sometimes having something tangible in your home can make a huge difference in helping us carry out a plan or achieve a goal.

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Red Rock Traditions is a company that has created many fantastic items for families who want to be intentional about character training and time together. I pulled out a few of my favorites to show you, but I really encourage you to look through the catalog and see what fits your family’s needs best!

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My very favorite is this Thankful Hearts/Loving Hearts Guest Book! You can use it to fill with things your family is thankful for, but we got one and we’re going to use it for hospitality! Each time we have a guest, they will sign a wooden heart and slide it into the frame. It will hang on our wall as a loving reminder of all who have blessed our home. We will see their names and pray for them. This will soon be filled with great memories!

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I’d love to hear some of the ways your family has chosen to be intentional about your time together. Do you block out family prayer time? Do you set aside time to read the Bible together? What provides you with the best conversation time? How do you schedule this in with busy schedules?

A Blessing for Your Family

Johanna, a Direct Sales Leader with Red Rock Traditions, is giving away a $50 gift certificate for one of you to spend on these fantastic family items! Here’s how this will work:

Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win.
Look through the Red Rock Traditions catalog and leave a comment here sharing a favorite product you found for your family. This will get you a second entry in the giveaway!
Anyone who places an order before the end of June will receive Red Rock Bucks!

For every $25 purchase you will get $5 Red Rock Bucks for your next purchase. For every $75 purchase, you will get $10 Red Rock Bucks for your next purchase. And for every purchase over $150 you will get $20 Red Rock Bucks for your next purchase.

I’ll select a random winner for the $50 gift card on Tuesday, June 27.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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