Heavenly Homemakers

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Come Get Your “What I Loved About Summer” Printable

August 8, 2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

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

Here’s something I’ll assign my youngest during the first week of school. It’s simple, but a good way to get his juices flowing and make him think about all he loved about summertime.

Free Printable Summer Writing Prompt

Want this and many more free printables?

We’ve been creating and collecting all sorts of printable learning activities for all ages. These are free for everyone and will connect you to our fun Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone.

Enter your email address here, then check your inbox for download instructions. Print one, print them all, use them in whatever ways work best for your family!

If you are already subscribed to Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone, you should have received an email yesterday giving you instant access to this freebie. Look in your inbox for the subject: FREE Summer Writing Prompt

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

Making Back to School Time FUN! Recipes, Tips, and Freebies!

July 31, 2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

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

I’ve been in denial. I chose to pretend that summer break could last forever. Now all of a sudden it’s August and reality has hit. Rude. 

It’s not actually school that I’m dreading. Learning is fun and all that. Yay for routines. It’s the fullness of all the school year brings with it that makes me take a deep breath and brace myself. The school year means music lessons, sports practices (and games and reffing and coaching), many church activities, many commitments – and yes – the actual school work.

Thank you God for the refreshment of summer. 

So here we are, gearing up for the 2016-17 school year. Our oldest moves back into the dorm mid-August when his soccer schedule begins. Classes begin the 24th, so we’ll begin our homeschool year that day too. This year still at home we have a high school junior (who is taking several college/dual credit classes), a high school freshman, and a sixth grader. It’s amazing to be at this point in our lives. What a good God we serve – a God who faithfully walks us through each season.

I’ve decided to choose to look forward to the launch of a new school year (because dreading it sure isn’t much fun). I’m focusing on words like fresh, new, bright. This is better than thinking about papers due, barely keeping up, Geometry lessons, and harried schedules – doncha think?

We might as well have us some fun with this Back-to-School thing!

Back to School Freebies, Tips, and Encouragement

There’s a lot of fun to be had when we think about this time of year. Really, there is. I’ve been coming up with some fun new recipe ideas that are great for helping us work back into a routine. I’m working to stock my freezer to make school days easier, and I have a lot of greatness to share with you!

Be on the lookout for timely giveaways too. :)

So that’s what we’ll be focusing on here during the month of August. Don’t have school aged kids? I bet you’ll still enjoy these recipes and tips. After all, everyone loves saving time and money, right?!

Want some great free printables?

Dozens of FREE School Printables

Everyone who is a part of our Learning Zone list has access to oodles of great school freebies! Plus, we continue to add more to the mix. It’s all free, so you’ll want to sign up to be a part of this!

Let’s kick off this Back-to-School series by sharing in the comments section:

What are some of your best “Back-to-School” Sanity Tips?

Posts coming up this week:

  • Back-to-School Breakfast Prep
  • Freezer Cooking for Back-to-School
Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Free New Summer Reading Challenge Printables For Your Family

May 10, 2016 by Laura 1 Comment

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

When my kids were little, we went to the library every week during the summer for the special Summer Reading Program they offered. This kept our boys excited about books and they loved the opportunity they had to win small prizes and meet challenges.

As most of our boys hit the upper grades and outgrew the library program, I saw that our younger two boys needed a little extra motivation to read during the weeks of summer they were home. (Our older two are welcome to participate also, but they tend to be gone more than they are home during June and July.) So we started creating our own Summer Reading Challenge here at home. I set up a simple reward system – tailor made to what I knew would motivate them! I wrote about this last year and offered some free printables. This year, I made more to share with you!

For you, Summer Reading Challenge Printables

Create Your Own Summer Reading Challenge

I’ll share how our family sets this up, then of course you can adapt it to meet your needs if the Summer Reading Challenge idea works for you!

1. Set up a system.

Decide how many minutes or hours your child needs to read before he/she earns a reward. Do the minutes/hours count if the child is being read to, or do they need to read on their own? How will you keep track of time spent reading? (I recommend using these charts!)

2. Talk to your child(ren) about what rewards would be fun motivation for them.

Our kids earn a prize after they have read for five hours. Typically our family’s prizes get a little bigger as they read more and more hours. Here are a few our kids came up with that they would enjoy:

  • Redbox movie rental
  • $1 ice cream cone from Runza
  • Choose something from the Dollar Store
  • Invite a friend for a sleep-over
  • $2 Happy Hour Big Pizza Slice at Pizza Hut
  • Drink from Captain Red Beard’s (our local coffee shop)
  • Still brainstorming :)

3. Put it all into a chart.

My oldest boys don’t care about a cutesy chart to log their hours, but Malachi (age 11) still enjoys one. (However, even the older boys need to at least log their hours in a notebook so they don’t lose track.) The rewards are usually listed on our fridge.

This year, Malachi will use the Pirate Chart I made. (For some reason he didn’t choose the Flowers and Butterflies Chart?!?)

Free Summer Reading Challenge Printable Charts

I’ve made these charts as generic as possible so that you can use them in whatever way your family prefers. The Pirate Chart and the Flowers and Butterflies Chart can be used a little differently than the others that are for writing lists and checking off goals. Consider writing prizes on each cut-out piece for your child to glue onto the chart once they’ve earned that particular prize.

Grab your free printables!

These are free for everyone and will connect you to our fun Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone. It’s free, of course.

Enter your email address here, then check your inbox for download instructions. Print one, print them all, use them in whatever ways work best for your family to enjoy reading this summer!

If you are already subscribed to Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone, you should have received an email yesterday giving you instant access to this freebie. Look in your inbox for the subject: FREE Summer Reading Challenge Charts!

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

Free Spring Activity Packets – Make Learning Fun!

March 22, 2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

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

I have an awful lot of fun putting together free activity packets for you, and it’s even more rewarding when I get emails like this one from Lindsay:

I wanted to say THANK YOU for the March activity packets that you put together. I have been a regular reader of yours for a couple of years, but have never looked into your Learning Zone until now. The Lord orchestrated it at just the right time too – I was needing a “boost” with my 1st grade daughter (6 yrs old). Homeschool has been like pulling teeth for a few months now – not sure why. I have been asking myself lately, “What can I do differently?”. And then I got your post/e-mail! Perfect! I printed out both packets and used the younger version for my 4-year-old son. We started them today and IT WAS FUN! Woo hoo!

Lindsay even sent pictures of her kids using the packets. I love this soooo much! She gave me permission to show off her kids to you here.

Fun Free March Activity Packets

March is about to go out like a lamb. (Or something like that. I think March got mixed up in Nebraska this year, but it’s still been a great one.) There’s still time to get your FREE March In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb Activity Packets. Click here to sign up and grab the freebies.

Now I have new Spring Activity Packets ready for you too!

Just like the March Packets, there is a Spring Activity Packet for both Pre-K and for K-5. You can download one or both. (I mean, they’re free, right?) They include fun springtime learning activities and a few coloring pages too. I like coloring pages for read-aloud time. I always found that my kids listened better when I was reading if they were doing something to occupy their hands! Plus, your kids can give away their colored pages to someone to offer them some springtime cheer!

Spring Activity Packet Pre-K FREEBIE!

Spring Activity Packet K-5 FREEBIE!

If you’re reading from the daily or weekly newsletter, the Learning Zone sign up form is likely not showing up. You can click here to sign up and grab the freebies!

I’m super excited to share that signing up for these freebies will connect you to our new Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone. It’s free, of course. You can unsubscribe at any time, your info will never be shared or sold, and being on this list means that you’ll be the first to know of the other fun (yes, FUN!) educational tools we’re putting together!

P.S. If you are already subscribed to Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone, you should have received an email yesterday giving you instant access to this freebie. Look in your inbox for the subject: New FREE Spring Activity Packets for You!

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

Free Summer Blessings Printables ~ Use These Free Printables to Be a Blessing!

June 19, 2015 by Laura Leave a Comment

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

What can you and your family do to be a blessing to someone during the next few days? I encourage you to pray with your family about this. Can you take someone some food? Visit a neighbor? How can you be a light and bless someone? To bless your efforts (blessings all around, right?!) – we’ve made some fun Summer Blessings printables for you. They are free. Help yourself! Print as many as you like.

Summer Blessings Printables

Download the Summer Blessings Printable
Cards and Gift Tags Here!

Suggestions for ways to use these Summer Blessings Printables:

  • Print a set of 6 or 8 of the Blessed and Hello note cards. Tie them up with a ribbon and give them as a gift. Be sure to include envelopes! (Like these.)
  • Print a few Blessed and Hello note cards. Spend some time writing encouraging notes in the cards to give or send.
  • Bake something yummy, package it up and attach one of the cards or gift tags. (Here are some baked good recipes to pick from.)

Since it’s summertime and you might not want to turn on the oven, how about some No-Bake treats you can make to share?

  • Mudballs
  • No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Bites
  • No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookie Bites
  • No-Bake Snickerdoodle Bites
  • Homemade Tootsie Rolls

Other summer friendly ideas include:

  • A basket of fresh fruit with a jar of Homemade Fruit Dip
  • A plate of fresh cut veggies with Easy Veggie Dip

What else? Leave a comment to share ideas of ways we can use these fun new printables!

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

Feeling Weary?

March 26, 2015 by Laura 14 Comments

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

Ugh, the weariness. Even in the midst of good times, weariness can set in – in parenting, in marriage, in ministries, in the daily grind.

Today I tip my hat to you, in gratitude for all you do to keep life moving for those you love. Thank you for packing lunches, changing diapers, rinsing dishes, tossing a salad, or paying the bills. Thank you for sweeping the porch, writing a note, disciplining the child, wiping the snot, or driving to the appointment. Thank you for countless hours of work you do – in all its forms – for the love of your family.

Your work is not in vain. You serve a great purpose as you love those around you. Be encouraged! Be blessed!

Galatians69color

I posted this several months ago, but seeing as it is one of my favorite verses, I decided to pull it up again to share with you. Know someone who is weary right now? Pass this on to them for encouragement. I love how scripture speaks and offers true peace for us all.

Download Galatians 6:9 in Blue and Black here.

Download Galatians 6:9 in Gray and Black here.

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

Free Scripture Encouragement Cards for Heavenly Homemaker’s Subscribers!

February 14, 2015 by Laura 5 Comments

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

If you are a subscriber, you should have received the link to these free downloadable scripture encouragement cards in your inbox three days ago. If not, let me know and I’ll send you the file.

Not a subscriber? It’s free and it’s fun because not only do my posts come to your inbox each day, occasionally you get an exclusive freebie like this one. :)  Subscribe here and you, too, will be able to download these pretty encouragement cards. Once you confirm your subscription, you’ll be redirected to a page with the download links.

Free Scripture Encouragement Cards

These are some of my favorite Truths from scripture! Hope you enjoy these as a blessing to you and as a way to bless others!

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

Planning Next Week’s Menu? Here’s Some Guidance, Plus Fun Free Printables!

September 19, 2014 by Laura 9 Comments

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

I always spend time over the weekend planning our meals for the upcoming week. I write down most of the specifics from main dish, to fruits and veggies. But I almost never stick with the menu plan completely. In fact, just last week there was a day I fed my family grapes even though I had planned to feed them blueberries. I bet you didn’t know I had that kind of crazy in me. Oh honey, you have no idea.

Once, I forgot to thaw chicken, so we had tuna. I was going to make Fruit Pizza on Monday, but in fact, I didn’t make it happen until…wait for it….

Tuesday.

So hi. Let’s all learn to have some sort of plan so we save money and time. But unless serving Wednesday’s Pasta Salad Bar on Saturday totally messes with you, ditch the idea that you have to follow your menu plan perfectly. It really is okay to pull out leftovers on Thursday if you don’t feel like making the planned Taco Corn Fritters. I have done this and lived to tell about it.

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

Are you hitting the restart button with us this fall? If so, you might want to try your hand at planning some simple, real food menus. You’ll find that it will help you stay on track with putting nourishing food on the table more often.

Want some ideas?

I post my menu plan every single week. Look through all my menu planning archives here.

Want menu planning resources in your hands?

Grab our 40 Real Food Menu Plans Downloadable Packet here. You might also like the mix and match approach of our 1-2-3 Menu Planning eBook. (That one is actually still free if you subscribe to our daily newsletter. I wasn’t planning to offer it for free this many weeks, but I haven’t had time to take it down, so hurry, grab it up!)

Additional articles you may find helpful:

  • How to Stretch a Meal When Extra Company Comes
  • Need a last minute meal idea? Try these Black Bean Chicken Tacos
  • Cooking Healthy Meals When the Menu Plan Fails
  • Want to Eat Right? Plan Ahead!

Have ingredients you’re not sure how to use?

Use our handy “Search By Ingredient” Tool on the sidebar. You type in the ingredients you want to use, our search box will pull up recipes from our site that might work for you. It’s fun to see what comes up!

Be inspired with our new, free, downloadable Fall Menu Planners:

A piece of scratch paper, a document on the computer, a dry erase board – those all work just fine for writing down your menu plan. But if you want something a little more cheerful and fun, we’re excited to offer you three new printable menu planners that are perfect for this fall!

Take as many as you want, or if you want to just print once and reuse? Print a planner onto cardstock and laminate it. You can attach a magnet, place it on your fridge, then use a dry erase marker so you can clean it off at the end of the week and use it again next week!

Click on the links or images below to download.

Download Fall Butterflies Menu Planner

Fall Menu Planner 1

 Download Good Eatin’ Fall Menu Planner

Fall Menu Planner 2

 Download Fun Fall Menu Planner

Fall Menu Planner 3

Do you typically plan your menus? What works best for you as you make plans?

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

23 Great Muffin Recipes + Free Printable Zoo Animals Muffin Toppers

April 30, 2014 by Laura 5 Comments

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

Now that spring is here, you’ve likely got outings at the park, school parties, trips to the zoo, feel like you live in the zoo. It’s a fun time of year. These printables can be downloaded (for free!), and used however you like.

Attach a toothpick and poke them down into a muffin or cupcake for a fun snack decoration. Attach a popsicle stick and let your kids use them as puppets. If your kids are old enough, let them do a little research on each animal, or on an animal of their choice. Use these as gift tags. What else can you think of to use these for?

Jungle-Animal-Toppers-prev

Yum

Download Zoo Animal Snack Toppers Here

Have fun with these, spread the word, and check out more free printables here. :)

Want some yummy muffin recipes to go with your printables? I added them up and found that I have no less than 23 muffin recipes here at Heavenly Homemakers. I love how versatile just a few ingredients can be!

23 Kid Friendly Muffin Recipes

All of these recipes are kid friendly, and they are made with wholesome ingredients.

  • Almond Flour Muffins (gluten free/dairy free)
  • Bacon Cheese Muffins
  • Banana Muffins
  • Blueberry Streusel Muffins
  • Breakfast Cake Muffins
  • Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Chocolate Swirl Muffins
  • Coconut Flour Muffins (gluten free/dairy free)
  • Coconut Flour Banana Muffins (gluten free/dairy free)
  • Cornbread and Cornbread Muffins
  • Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
  • Eggnog Muffins
  • Honey Cinnamon Muffins
  • Orange Muffins
  • Pancake and Sausage Muffins
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Snickerdoodle Muffins
  • Strawberry Cream Muffins
  • Sweet Potato Streusel Muffins
  • Vanilla Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping
  • Whole Wheat and Honey Zucchini Muffins

What are your favorite muffin recipes? I know the end of the school year is quite hectic for many. How’s yours going so far?

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

101 Pre-School Projects – Free Download!

March 12, 2014 by Laura 3 Comments

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

It’s warm, it’s cold, it’s windy, it’s raining, it’s cloudy…yes indeed:  It’s March.

I’ve had fun this week pulling out some project ideas that have been buried throughout my website. Did you make some Homemade Bubble Bath? That’s a super simple idea your kids can have fun making with you.

In an effort to shed some sunshine upon all of us struggling with a touch of spring fever, I opened up a freebie I had put together a few years ago, tweaked a few things, and redesigned the cover to make it available to you again. If you and your kids are going stir-crazy, I believe you’ll find an activity or twelve to do together in this free eBook.

Yep, there are over 100 ideas, recipes, games, and activities for you to read through and pick from. Kids older than pre-school age are sure to have fun with these ideas too. These ideas came from moms and grandmothers – all Heavenly Homemaker Readers. All of you are so creative, which is what makes this eBook so much fun!

You’ll be able to use this eBook year round, as it has fun ideas for outdoors too. Help yourself to this fun, free eBook. Spread the word to your friends so that they can come get their free eBook too! Together, we will survive this crazy weather!

101 Preschool Projects Free Download

Grab this FREE 101 Pre-School Projects book here!

I’m excited to share that signing up for these freebies will connect you to our new Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone. It’s free, of course. You can unsubscribe at any time, your info will never be shared or sold, and being on this list means that you’ll be the first to know of the other fun (yes, FUN!) educational tools we’re putting together!

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