Kathryn, Author at kathrynegly.com

0 In 2021/ Family/ Motherhood/ Raising boys

5 Tips to Start the School Year Strong!

This post was originally written for the Help Club for Moms group, but I thought I’d share it with you as well!

Starting the new school year can be a little crazy if you are a ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants’ or overly laid back person like me. Lots of rushing, perhaps some yelling, maybe tears, and forgetting important things (like lunch) have all been a part of our mornings because we had no systems or routines.

So, here are some changes I’m making this year to start the school year strong.

1. PRACTICE your Morning Routine.

If you want to prevent a super stressful first day of school, begin your ‘back-to-school’ routine a few days beforehand. Slowly start going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. In the morning, “play” like you are going to school. Work out the kinks and see how long it takes everyone to get ready. Mom tip: Take the kids to the park when everyone gets ready on time!

2. Prep the Night Before

Have your children get in the habit of prepping for school the night before:

Clothes laid out?
Ipads charging?
Backpacks and shoes by the door?

3. Get out the calendar

Whether you use a paper calendar (like me) or a digital one, take time to add activities right away – school breaks, conferences, parent-teacher night, and even testing dates. Put important dates on the calendar NOW, so you have time to plan ahead.

4. Email the teacher

As soon as you get the teacher’s email address – send him or her a short and quick note, letting them know how thankful you are that he/she will be investing in your child this year!

The benefit of this is two-fold:

– You establish a positive relationship from the beginning.

– The teacher’s email is now in your contacts, so when you need to email the teacher during the school year, you aren’t scrambling to find the paper that contains the email address.

5. Set the Tone

You set the tone for the attitudes in your home. If you keep a positive attitude, it’s more likely that your child will as well. Focus on the positive and share what you are excited about regarding the new school year. If your child is feeling stressed or anxious, listen to them and pray with them. Remind them that you are available, and God is always with them.

Hope those tips will help you this year! Praying this year is a great one for you and your children.

Click here for a Back-to-School Gratitude practice.

August 19, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Product Recommendations

Ten Summertime Favorites from Amazon

Here are a few of my favorite things for summer:

1. Quick Dry Beach Towel

This is one of my favorite products of the summer. It’s thin and dries fast. My son used it at the pool the other day, and let his friend use it afterwards because he forgot his – he said it didn’t even feel wet!

Look how small it folds up compared to the standard beach towel:

Standard beach towel on the left, Quick Dry towel on the right

2. Italian Ice

These are our favorite summertime treat. These popsicles stay soft and slushy and are so delicious!

3. Alba Face Wash

This is my favorite face wash of all time. I love the pump on top – it’s easy to use and not messy! It makes my face smell so good, and feel soft and moisturized.

4. Crystal Light Packets

I pour a packet into water bottles and my kids love it. It’s a great alternative to soda, and keeps your kids getting all the liquids they need during summer. There are yummy flavors like Raspberry Lemonade, Cherry Pomegranate – and more!

5. Doggy Waste Bags

I’d never thought I’d have an opinion on ‘poop bags,’ but now that I’m a dog owner, I suddenly care about these things. There’s only one kind of waste bags I like to buy – and it’s this one from Amazon! Not too thin, not too small, and easy to tie up!

6. Blank Books for Journaling

The teacher in me wants to keep my kids writing over the summer. I ask my boys to write or draw their favorite thing from the day, the trip, etc. These are fun to look back on from year to year, summer to summer!

7. Zees Zees Lemon Blueberry Bars

I have these on my “subscribe and save” list because I can only find them on Amazon and also because they are:

yummy!
Quick and easy!
Loved by my boys and me!

If you have to leave early and don’t have time for breakfast, or if you are going to be gone for several hours and need an easy snack – these are great!

8. Bluetooth Speaker

I bought this one for my husband for Father’s Day and it’s been great! It’s a much better price than some of the other wireless speakers, and works just as well. These come in handy if you are going to the pool, playing in the backyard, or sitting on the patio and want to listen to music or a podcast.

9. Under eye gel pads

My mom and I love these collagen eye patches. They are so easy to use – just open the package and stick them under your eyes. The moisture from the patches and the flexibility helps them form and stick. There is an instant cooling effect that I feel which probably helps with any eye puffiness. (Putting them in the fridge before hand makes them even better)! They have a moisturizing effect that really plumps up my fine lines in only 15 minutes of wearing them. I like that they are indivdually packaged to maximize the moisture in each patch and reduce any contamination. The patches are large enough to cover my under eye are well. I think it provides better and longer-lasting results than eye cream.

10. Plants

I would have never considered getting a plant on Amazon until I asked my neighbor where they found this fabulous plant: “Amazon” they told me!

So those are my current ‘top ten’ favorites. Do you have any favorites? Leave me a comment!

Need a summertime book recommendation? Here are 5 suggestions for you:

The Sun Does Shine,
Where the Crawdads Sing,
God Smuggler,
The Gift of Being Yourself and
Front Desk are some of my favorites for summer!

Do you have a great summer read recommendation? Let me know!

Thanks for reading, enjoy the rest of your summer.

Each of these items are affiliate links which means if you purchase on, I may get a small commission. TIA!

August 7, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Family/ Minnesota/ Peek into our Week

Peek into our Weeks: 3 years of Minnesota living

If summers are for making memories, we made a TON OF THEM in July. Here are some highlights!

July started with a vacation:

A week in Indiana is better than a trip to Disney

**My mom and all of her grandchildren!**

A letter my grandmother received from her uncle during WW2.

We had a wonderful dinner and date night at Kelly Jae’s in honor of my sister (in pink) and brother-in-law’s 21st anniversary. My sister and her husband (in white) joined us, as well as childhood friends (on left).

I got to spend a morning with childhood friends. Only one still lives in town. The rest of us happened to all be there for the 4th of July!

My dad took us for a boat ride down memory lane. These homes on Lake Tippecanoe used to belong to my grandparents. My mom and dad lived in a small cottage behind these two homes, and it’s where I was brought home from the hospital. I grew up swimming, tubing, and learning to ski on this lake.

My grandparents sold this property when I was in high school, and this was the first time I’d been back!

Wrigley’s World

While we were in Indiana, some good friends took the BEST care of Wrigley.

Though the boys had a blast in Indiana, they were SO happy to see Wrigley when we got home.

My chauffeur:

I put Wrigley in the car and ran in to grab my phone. I came back out and found Wrigley ready to drive Miss ~~Daisy~~ Egly.

Pan-o-Prag – our local fair

I’m not sure how the fair in Lakeville got the name “Pan-o-Prag,” but that’s what the locals call it and we spent a hot afternoon enjoying it all – carnival games, rides, fried food, and a parade! To keep the cost from getting out of control, I told the kids they could ride two rides, play two games, and pick one snack.

A trip back to the Biggest Candy Store

Click here to read more about this place!

Three Years in Minnesota

July 2018 – our first day in our Minnesota home

We have a tradition of eating breakfast at Jensen’s on the anniversary of our move to Minnesota. The boys are thriving and happy. They love all the lakes and fishing. They also love our neighborhood and the many friends they’ve met.

Date Night Re-make

Three years ago Ted and I went out on our first Minnesota date night. We went back on the same night to celebrate!

A night away and all alone

For the first time since being a mom, and possibly the first time ever (?), I spent the night at a hotel all alone. After a busy summer, I was craving some peace and quiet, so I booked a night at a Bed and Breakfast in Stillwater, MN and had a glorious 24 hours to myself!

I explored, did a little shopping, a lot of walking and reading. I slept 10 straight hours and was awakened by a knock on my door with a tray of breakfast and hot coffee!!!!! What an absolute delight! I could have stayed in bed all day, but I had an 11am check-out. I asked for a later check-out and was awarded an extra FIFTEEN MINUTES! Woot. woot.

Thanks so much for reading about our busy July! What have you been up to? Leave a comment by clicking that little comment box next to the title.

August 4, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Book Review

Four books I finished in July

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Rating: 10/10

Review: I read this many years ago, but decided to listen to it this time. Wow. Why have I waited so long to listen to this fantastic book?? It was written nearly 100 years ago, but applies to life today. The book covers topics such as:

dealing with difficult people,
navigating tough conversations,
making a positive impression,
speaking so others listen, etc.

This is a MUST READ for anyone age 15 and older. And if you are like me, and it’s been more than 5 years since you’ve read this book, I recommend you re-read it or listen to the audio edition!

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley

Rating: 7/10

Review: Ted’s had this book for years and I saw it on my hoopla app and decided to listen. The book shared myths about millionaires, and some insight into how some millionaires gain their wealth, which included:

Living below their means,
not purchasing items for ‘status’

The book also gave some investing and saving strategies, as well as career options for obtaining wealth.

Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot

Rating: 7/10

Review: I thought this was going to be a traditional ‘biography,’ but was actually made up of Jim Elliot‘s letters and journal entries he wrote over the course of about 10 years.

It was well written, but dragged on at times. I was impressed with the depth and detail that Jim put into his letters and journal entries. It has inspired me to write more letters! After finishing the book, I hand wrote TEN LETTERS, and hope to keep it up.

Share your stuff, I’ll go first by Laura Termaine

Rating: 8/10

Review: This book is very easy to read and pretty entertaining. Each chapter the author asks a question then ‘shares her stuff.’ She then encourages the reader to do the same. The questions Laura posed in this book really inspired me to write more stories about who’s impacted my life, what pivotal moments changed my life, magical moments that occurred in my life, and more.

A picture book I read with my boys that’s worth mentioning:

Honeybee by Candace Fleming

Rating: 10/10

Review: I have a whole new respect and appreciation for bees after reading this beautiful book:

What about you? What have you been reading? What do you want to read? I’d love to hear from you. Leave me a comment by clicking on the tiny ‘comment box’ next to the title of this post.

I’m “almost” finished reading Front Desk with one of my sons. We are absolutely loving and don’t want it to end – I’ll give you a full review next month. Please consider subscribing so you don’t miss that post.

July 31, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Faith/ Family/ Inspiration/ Joy/ Minnesota/ Raising boys

Our Focus Determines Our Feelings

Do you want to have a better day? Then let me ask you a question: What do you see when you look at this image?

Did you say a black dot?

You’d be right.

HOWEVER, do you notice anything else besides the black dot?

If you thought: “white space,” then you’d be right again! There is actually more WHITE space than black.

Very few people point out the WHITE space. It takes a little more effort to even notice it.

Let’s say this dark spot represents the problems in our world. The white space is the GOOD stuff happening. There is ALWAYS good stuff, we just tend to overlook it. The black dot GRABS out attention. It’s EASIER to notice, and it’s TALKED about more!

If you watch or read the news, the focus is almost exclusively on the ‘black dot.’

We need to PAY attention to what we are PAYING Attention to!

We can’t control the negativity in the world. We can’t prevent the ‘black dot.’ We CAN control what we watch, what we listen to, what we talk about, and what we FOCUS on!

What we FOCUS ON determines how we FEEL!!!!!

Let me say that again in a different way…

Our focus determines our feelings

A couple of months ago I told my boys we were going to the arboretum. In typical kid fashion, they were like

“The arboretum…to look at trees? Mom, that’s BORING!”

So I turned it into a game. I let them bring their school iPads and I said: “Whoever takes the best picture, gets $1.”

Suddenly, their attitudes changed. It was a competition! They had a goal. They had something to focus on.

Look at these incredible pictures and the beauty they found that day:

Paul was on the hunt for flowers and found some!

We got home and my boys proudly showed their dad the pictures they captured. My husband pointed out that our boys would have missed this beauty if they weren’t on the lookout for it.

They FOUND beauty because the LOOKED for it!

You FIND what you LOOK FOR!

Beauty and goodness aren’t hard to find, they are just overlooked.

What’s wrong is ALWAYS available, but so is what’s right. We find what we look for.

Change your FOCUS because: Your FOCUS determines your feelings!

Thanks for reading and please consider subscribing.

Click here to see more pictures and read about our day at the Arboretum.

Here’s the YouTube version of what I wrote above:

Please share this post with whomever might benefit from it.

July 22, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Family/ Minnesota/ Peek into our Week/ Things to do in Minnesota

Peek into our Weeks – Queen for a day, Road trippin’ and more!

Sayanora School Year

George finished 7th grade!

Clark is out of Elementary and into Middle school next year!

What a year…but we made it!

(Here’s a post I wrote midyear – when I felt like I was drowning)

Our twenty year “engagement” anniversary

“Queen” for a day

How do become Queen? You put on your plastic crown and declare it! (Thanks, Ted, for the crown!)

The boys and I celebrated my birthday with a great breakfast at Hope Kitchen. Instead of a cake, we ate some delicious Crumbl Cookies.

What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man

Ted asked us to do a hill hike with him on Father’s Day, so we lured the boys to the top with Dunkin’ Donuts.

America Ninja Warriors

A local gym was running a special for a month-long membership so I signed my boys up. They had so much fun and burned LOTS of energy!

A quick trip through Illinois

On our way to Indiana, we had one full day in Illinois. We got to eat at our favorite restaurant with some of our best friends.

**Makayla Beebe’s been babysitting the boys since they were tiny. And I was her children’s pastor when SHE was tiny!**

On the way to Indiana, we stopped at Portillos.

What I’m loving

I love this Alba face wash! The scent, the way it makes my skin feel, and the easy pump!

This quick dry towel. It’s super thin, so it doesn’t take much space in our swim bag.

What are you up to and what are you loving? Leave me a comment!

Thanks for reading!

July 13, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Food/ Product Recommendations

Costco Favorites – A few things you’ve got to try!

I posted some of my favorite things in my instagram and Facebook stories recently, and had lots of feedback and questions – so I thought I’d share a post about some of things we love to buy at Costco:

Our favorite hamburgers:

You can cook these in the oven, on the stove, or on the grill. They are best served with a toasted and buttered bun.

Our favorite dip:

This dip is great with chips, crackers or celery.

Other great dips:

I like the TASTE of this dip, more than the NAME of the dip. It’s made from ALMONDS and is a delicious dip for crackers or vegetables.

This dip is amazing! It’s good with tortilla chips, corn chips, on a salad, or with celery. It’s good warm or cold.

Celery sticks

How do you eat more veggies? Make them easily accessible. These are washed and ready to eat right out of the bag. Great for the dips listed above.

My favorite crackers

Best Chips

For a not-as-healthy options for those dips, these chips are SOO good! Also great with salsa, queso, guacamole and the corn dip (pictured above). They are also good straight out of the bag.

Pre-cooked bacon

Buy the pre-cooked bacon to warm and eat or use in recipes.

I like to wrap one piece of bacon around 3 pieces of asparagus and bake.

You could also wrap it around cheese stuffed dates and bake!

Great salad topping

Popcorn heaven

Organic eggs and milk

Good price on these if you use a lot of milk or eggs in your home.

Rotisserie chicken

We like to get Costco’s rotisserie chicken. Easy dinner! Boil the bones for great chicken broth.

Great steak!!

Eat it in sandwiches for lunch, chopped up on salads, or AS IS for dinner. It’s so good and so easy.

De-lish FISH!

This is a great dish to bake for company. It looks and tastes so fancy, but requires no work!

Tip: Put a little of the pickle ranch dip (pictured above) on the side! YUM!

The world’s best frozen chicken nuggets. They taste like Chick-Fil-A!

I like to cook them in the air fryer.

Best Salad:

I can’t leave Costco without purchasing the large 1-pound containers of Organic Spring Mix. This salad mix is not soft like spinach, it has a nice crunch like romaine. It’s easier to eat healthy when this is in your fridge.

Meat Sticks – my boys LOVE these!

They were on sale recently, so I brought a bag home. Ted, our boys, and their friends, finished the bag in a few days. I went back and stocked up before the sale ended. They are high in protein and low in sugar.

Crystal Light Drink Mixes

The drink mix (pictured below) was purchased on amazon (click here to see), but then I spotted it at Costco this week. These little Crystal Light packets are a great way to keep your kids getting fluids all summer! They come in a variety pack of flavors, and my kids like them all. You can pour a packet into a water bottle, and it turns the water into lemonade or fruit punch. It’s a GREAT alternative to Soda!

Easy and Delicious Dinner – Street Tacos

This kit comes with seasoned chicken, cheese, tortillas, shredded lettuce/cabbage, and two sauces. It can feed up to 6 people. It’s a yummy and cost-effective dinner to keep on hand and prevent you from going through the drive-thru when you don’t feel like cooking.

Marvelous Macarons

I believe these are seasonal, but they were amazing!

What do you love from Costco? Leave me a comment!

CLICK HERE for the top 10 best things to buy from The Dollar Store.

Click here to read the best things to buy from ALDI.

Thanks for reading and please consider subscribing.

July 10, 2021 By Kathryn

2 In 2021/ My Journey

Why you gotta be so rude? Dealing with difficult people.

Have you had anyone be unexpectedly rude to you? Maybe a brash comment at the grocery store, a mean email, or an unkind text.

It happened to me recently and it HURT.

Someone sent me the most unkind email, filled with accusations and name calling. I was SHOCKED!

My emotions flared and I wanted to respond in anger. I had a few choice words I typed up and REALLY wanted to send. Instead, I hit delete.

I chose to NOT reply with an email, but instead, to talk to this person face-to-face.

I really thought we could talk, work things out, and come to an understanding.

Unfortunately, this person was very unkind to my face as well.

You’ve probably been in a situation like this. If not, you may be in the future. Even if you usually get along with everyone, occasionally there will be RUDE people who will shock you with how they talk to/treat you.

It’s a good idea to decide how to respond NOW, before you are in the heat of the moment.
.

After this happened to me, I thought it would be worthwhile to write about some of the best and worst ways to handle a situation or difficult person like this.

Here are recommendations for what to do and what NOT to do.

What NOT to do:

1. Don’t respond to unkind words with unkind words

This is hard. When I received the rude email, I wanted to respond with equally unkind words. I had to force myself to delete them. It feels good to write something equally unkind, but it DOES NOT HELP the situation.

2. Do not gossip about the person with other people

This is also hard. I wanted to share this person’s unkindness with everyone. I wanted to get others on MY TEAM. I wanted to justify myself.

Unfortunately, that only fuels the fire and gets people involved that do not need to be involved. It can make things a BIGGER issue than necessary.

Plus, being known as a person who talks negatively makes you lose respect with those with whom you are speaking. People begin to wonder if you are talking about THEM behind THEIR back.

If you MUST talk to someone, talk to a TRUSTED friend who is UNRELATED to the situation. I talked to my husband and he gave me a hug, validated my feelings, then helped me have compassion toward this person.

3. Do not try to get even or get revenge

After this person treated me so poorly, ideas of how I could get revenge raced through my head. (I’m human!!) Again, I took a deep breath and asked myself:

Will acting on this negative emotion help the situation? Will it move us toward a BETTER place?
.

What you should do:

1. Have compassion

When a person is mean, we must decide to respond with compassion. We have no idea how their day, their year, or their life has been, or what is causing them to act this way. Repeat the word, “compassion” to yourself (or in your head) as your emotions start to flare.

There is not an easy way to become more compassionate. We become more compassionate as we walk through the fire and practice extending compassion to people who have been rude or hurtful. Fluent compassion comes one decision at a time.

2. Try to connect with the person face-to-face. If that’s not possible, pick up the phone and make a call.

When you receive an unkind comment, text or email, it’s easy to want to respond with unkind words. HOWEVER, choose the high road, even if it causes elevation sickness.

3. Take a deep breath

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.”
Victor Frakl

When you are angry and wanting to say or do something unkind, take a deep breath to give yourself a moment to think/pray/pause. Taking a deep breath allows us to get out of fight-or-flight mode.

4. Speak and act kindly toward them

Once again – HARD! It’s easier to walk away or respond in anger. However, a smile and kind, calm words are often what is needed.

I find that asking God to love THROUGH me helps when I feel no love for a particular person. I ask for His help and His words when dealing with a difficult person or difficult situation.

5. Find something you can ALL agree on

When your emotional responses take the high road and line up with your best self, you kick off a virtuous cycle where your thoughtful responses to difficult people, in aggravating situations, actually make things BETTER!
-Tommy Newberry

When I tried to respond kindly, the other person continued to be mean. Ted came to the rescue and I watched/listened in fascination. He brought the conversation up above the current dilemma and found something we could ALL agree on…and coupled it with an assumptive close. The intent was to help us rise above the fight-or-flight mode, and find common ground. He said:

“I think we would all agree that we want a positive and friendly relationship going forward.”
.

Thankfully, we could all agree to that…and it brought some peace in this difficult conversation.

6. Pray for them

Every time I feel anger toward this person, I try to say a prayer for them. I’m not sure why this person was mean, but I will assume they’ve been hurt or are hurting, and could benefit from a prayer.

7. Find a mediator

Occasionally, the ‘unkind person’ is someone with whom you have an ongoing relationship. This is the time to find a mediator. Ask the person if they’d be willing to meet with you at a neutral place, where you could discuss the situation with a mediator. This outside person/mediator can help you understand each other and come to a resolution. You can find a mediator at your local church or counseling center.

8. Don’t let their unhappiness steal YOUR joy

If it comes down to experiencing JOY or experiencing the negative emotions we believe we deserve, what’s it going to be?
Tommy Newberry

This person’s rudeness completely stole my joy and made me cry. However, I didn’t stay mad. I felt the hurt, then I moved on. I did not hold on to those negative thoughts and emotions. The other person can choose to live with anger, but I will choose to live with joy.

I am CHOOSING not to dwell on the mean words, or take it personally, so that I can preserve MY joy.

Thanks for reading! Save this post and refer back to it as needed. Though I wrote these words, I’ve had to re-read them to remind myself how to continue to take the high road.

Is there something that helps you deal with rude people? Especially when it’s directed at YOU?! Leave a comment!

Thank you for reading, please consider subscribing.

An EXCELLENT resource in dealing with difficult people is “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. This is a book I could read or listen to every year. I feel like every person should have a copy in their library. Listen to it in the car:

Want more? Read 7 tips for more Joy.

Click here to read the story of a time when my son was getting bullied, and how the situation changed with one conversation.

July 7, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Book Review/ Product Recommendations/ Review

3 Great Books I read in June: Reviews and Recommendations

Here are 3 great books I read in June:

Get Your Life Back by John Eldridge

Rating: 10/10

Review: Listening to this wonderful book was like going to therapy. The author’s voice and his encouragement were calming and helpful. He shared useful tips for healing from hurts, remembering the good, and enjoying life. The author shares how to re-orient yourself away from the noise, and toward a place of peace, calm and joy.

One thing he recommends is the one minute PAUSE. Here’s a summary:

Close your eyes,
Breathe deeply in and out,
As you exhale – release the stress,
As you inhale – receive God’s love and peace.

Click here to check out the FREE One Minute pause app!

This is a must read for anyone feeling burned out and needing some space for your soul.

Here are two beautiful reminders from the book:

Love Centered Parenting by Crystal Paine

Rating: 9/10

Review: I follow this author on MoneySavingMom.com, and when I saw her book was available for free on my Hoopla app, I decided to download it. It’s easy to listen to, and gives tons of practical advice and encouragement to parents. She shares the story of one of her teens becoming suicidal, and how they got there, and what she’s learned from this experience. I think this book is a great one for any parent with kids ages 5-15.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Rating: 9/10

Review: Ted encouraged me to read this book and I really enjoyed it! If you find yourself stretched too thin (MOTHERHOOD!), overworked or busy but not productive, this would be a great book for you!

This quote sums up the book fairly well:

“When we don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus our energies and time, other people—our bosses, our colleagues, our clients, and even our families—will choose for us, and before long we’ll have lost sight of everything that is meaningful and important.”
Greg McKeown

This quote made me smile and is one of the reasons I value having FUN with my kids:

“It’s hard to be successful at anything without having some fun while doing it.
Greg McKeown

I love this about the importance of playing:

“As we get older, PLAY seems like a waste of time. It seems unnecessary and childish. However, play has the power to significantly improve everything from personal health to relationships to eduction to organization to ability. Play leads to brain plasticity, adaptability, and creativity. Nothing fires up the brain like play. The value of play can’t be overstated.”

Want some PLAY ideas? Click here!

Thanks for reading this post and for subscribing! Hope you get lost in a good book soon…

July 5, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2021/ Peek into our Week

Peek into our last few weeks: May 2021

How is it JUNE already? Last year time stood still. This year is doing double time.

Here’s what we were up to in May:

Luke turns SEVEN!

Eat the Rainbow: Strawberries and Raspberries, Carrots and Peppers, Banana slices, Sugar Snap Peas and Kiwi fruit, Blueberries and Grapes. A mandarin orange is the sun.

Eating the rainbow!

I’m having a hard time believing my baby is 7, but he promises me it’s true. We had an old-school backyard birthday. We invited the neighbors over for pizza, cake, and backyard games. It was so much fun. Click here to read about some of the games we played.

Wrigley’s World

Just like Luke, Wrigley is growing FAST!

He wants to play fetch, all day every day! He also LOVES the water – getting wet and muddy is his hobby – which is not annoying at all.

We took him to the dog park for the first time. We enjoyed watching all the dogs play!

Mother’s Day Memories

Ted gave me flowers, all the boys made me a picture, and we took them to their first ever brunch. They loved it as much as I did.

Brunch highlights:

Luke was full for the first time in his life. I mean, he usually says he’s full, but that’s because he doesn’t want to finish his dinner. This time he could choose everything he wanted to eat and LOVED it.
Paul asked if the server writes down everything he takes from the bunch to charge us at the end.
Clark ate til he was full, then came back with a full plate and asked the server for a to-go box. She gave him one and he was SO excited to get to take some yummy food home with him.
The boys asked if we could do this on every Mother’s Day, and on my birthday too. 🙂

George’s Creation

George made some artwork for his room. He picked the background, the verse, and put them together and made this:

Four boys in Five Sports

George is in Track
Clark is in soccer and taking a football clinic
Paul is in soccer and taking a football clinic
Luke is in T-Ball

Other highlights:

At the park, a man who earned a full football scholarship to Rutgers, spent a few minutes working with Paul and Clark. I’m grateful for other adults who invest in my kids.

You know you’ve been married a long time when you start to dress alike without planning it.:

Paul and his buddy on the hunt for Morel Mushrooms:

Luke at school, reading and chatting with a friend:

We spent lots of time on the pond behind our house:

What we watched:

We watched TWO excellent family-friendly movies on Netflix: The Mitchell’s Vs. Machines and Blue Miracle

What I’m loving:

These popsicles from the Dollar Tree are SO good on a hot day!

Anyone else use a silk pillowcase? It’s supposed to better for your skin and is so nice to sleep on. I love mine!

What I’ve been listening to:

Click here to listen to a great episode of the Happy Hour with Louie Giglio.

Click here to listen to an amazing podcast with John Eldridge and Annie F. Downs about how the pandemic affected men and women differently, and how we can come out of the pandemic in a healthy way! I loved it!

A peek back into history

My grandfather Hobart earning his doctoral degree. My mom is the littlest girl in this picture – she’s wearing a purple dress and has glasses.

My grandma June and my mom. Mom was pregnant with my older sister Kara here. Kara had a birthday in May! Happy birthday Kara!

My grandfather loved photography and captured this picture of my grandma, aunts and mom. My mom is the little one and looks just like my niece Evelynn.

For a review of the books I read in May, click here.

Thanks for reading and I’d love for you to subscribe!

June 8, 2021 By Kathryn

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