2020 Archives - kathrynegly.com

0 In 2020/ Faith/ Finding our place/ Inspiration/ Marriage/ Motherhood

Focus less on ‘WHAT’ and more on ‘HOW’

Most of the time when we think about our lives we think…

“WHAT does God want me to do with my life?”

“WHAT should I do for work?”

“WHAT are my talents?”

“What am I doing with my life?”

We usually think in terms of “What.”

Say…WHAT!?

However, SCRIPTURE suggests to us that the HOW is more important than the WHAT.

²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24

In other words…

God’s will is more about “HOW” we live than exactly WHAT it is we do.

What if we found out God’s big plan for our lives is that we wouldn’t spend so much time trying to figure out a big plan for our lives? Perhaps He just wants us to love Him and each other.
Bob Goff

This thought should recalibrate how you approach your day.

“HOW” you work has an impact on your:

attitude,
work ethic,
integrity,
reactions.

HOW you go about your day and HOW you do your work is MORE important than the specific job you are doing.

Maybe we will never get to what we are hoping for, until we learn how to have the right attitude about where we are right now.

Why would God get you to the where…if HOW isn’t working for you?

What if HOW you get your work done and HOW you interact with others were the most important things?

The HOW is critical in your marriage and parenting.

What if WHO you are married to is not as important as HOW you are married to that person?

Maybe if WHAT your kids are doing is less important than HOW you are responding to them.

You can love them well. You can serve them well.

Sometimes when we are not doing WHAT we want to be doing, we aren’t paying attention to HOW we are doing it. But, the HOW is more important than the WHAT.

I had a job I loved before becoming a mother. When my 3rd child was born, I became a full-time homemaker. I was no longer recognized or rewarded for the work I was doing. My kids never said “Good job mom! Thanks for waking up so early. Thanks for always doing the dishes, washing our clothes, playing with us, changing our diapers, making all that food and cleaning up our messes.” In spite of this, I asked God for strength and JOY in what I was doing. I wanted to enjoy my kids and my role in motherhood. I wanted to savor these years and keep a grateful heart and a good attitude. I knew God saw me.

I did wonder if I’d even have any marketable skills after taking care of babies for so long. And guess what, when I went back to work, I found that I hadn’t lost the skills I had before parenting. In fact, I was probably more efficient and a little more effective.

Wherever you are…whatever you are doing…approach it with gratitude and the right attitude.

Perhaps you are a full-time mom, wishing you could escape that roll some days. God has you there, ask Him for strength and allow Him to use you.

Perhaps you are a full-time employee, wishing you could quit. God has you there, ask Him for strength and allow Him to use you.

GOD WANTS TO GET INTO THE FABRIC OF OUR EVERYDAY, SOMETIMES BORING LIVES!

You may not be doing WHAT you want to do. But you still need to think about HOW you are approaching what you do.

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
I Peter 3:8

Let’s look at this verse:

For we are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

Maybe the questions we need to ask ourselves are:

HOW am I working well in my job?
HOW am I living well in my neighborhood?
HOW am I loving well in my marriage?
How am I modeling well in my motherhood?

Maybe for you, a simple exercise is writing down areas that you can improve, with God’s help:

Talk to your spouse about “how” to love or serve him better…
Get feedback from your neighbors, co-workers, or boss on “how” you can be of support to them…
Have your kids write down 3 or 4 things that you can do to help your relationship with them (reading a story, putting away your phone so you can stay engaged, listening better when they are talking about their day, or investing in areas that you see they are gifted in)

Looking at “how” you are living a significant life is a great exercise in self-reflection.

Remember, life is less about WHAT we are doing than HOW we are doing it!

This post was adapted from a sermon my husband gave many years ago when he was a teaching pastor. Thanks for reading!

March 14, 2021 By Kathryn

1 In 2020/ Funny/ Memories/ Minnesota

The Funniest Memes and some CraZy things I saw in 2020

One highlight of 2020 were the hilarious memes. Here are a few of my favorites! What was yours?

Here are some of the crazy things I saw:

My mother-in-law was behind this person in the check out line!

Face shield — This is how Minnesota teachers have to teach their students in 2021!

Which of these is your favorite? Leave a comment!

January 27, 2021 By Kathryn

0 In 2020/ Raising boys

2020 was full of FIRSTS for my LAST

2020 was full of firsts for all of us. We survived our first pandemic. Many of us home schooled for the first time. 2020 was the first year we went shopping for face masks.

My baby boy had so many big “FIRSTS” this year. I’m documenting them so I don’t forget!

First time snow skiing!

(March 2020)

He had SOO much fun and skied for six straight hours! That night, he couldn’t figure out why his legs hurt so bad. 🙂

First time riding a bike with no training wheels!

(June 2020)

Now that we have Four boys on bikes, Ted and I need to get bikes!

First lost tooth!

(July 2020)

He lost a tooth on the same day one of his best friends lost her first tooth.

First time going to Elementary school!

(September 2020)

His first day of Kindergarten was also the first time we had a teenager in the home. September 14 was first day of school and George’s birthday.

First time playing a team sport!

(September 2020)

He joined a soccer team and didn’t love it. He said he got kicked too much!

First time Ice Skating on his own!

(December 2020)

Firsts are a little bittersweet when it comes to your baby! However, I’m so grateful for this last little Egly and for many ‘firsts’ still to come.

January 16, 2021 By Kathryn

2 In 2020/ Motherhood/ Raising boys

I was drowning in distance learning… and then I found a life vest

I’m a full-time mom with a teaching degree. When COVID-19 forced my four sons to do full-time home school (aka: distance learning), I thought: ‘No Problem, I can handle this!’

I WAS WRONG.

It was so …very … hard!

Our first week of full-time distance learning was a train wreck.

If you would have peeked into our home, you would have (unfortunately) seen:

Yelling,
fighting,
frustration,
anxiety,
confusion,
crying, and
an iPad being thrown to the ground by an overwhelmed child and hitting another child who was seated on the ground.

By the end of the week I was so exhausted I thought I had the Coronavirus! I went to bed with a pounding head and an aching body.

SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE!

No…

EVERYTHING had to change.

CHANGE had to start with ME.

My husband reminded me that STRESS is often due to not feeling like we have control and/or navigating a lot of change. Yep. That described us! He went on to share what we DO have control over is our: attitude, outlook, and the the actions we take.

I took the weekend to rest, reflect, and re-assess. I needed a higher perspective on home schooling my children. I had to remember that CHANGE is hard. Navigating this brand NEW learning environment and having to immediately perform was causing us to all feel stressed.

I am a person who loves to get things DONE. I like efficiency, and I enjoy checking off boxes. My preferences were NOT aligning with home schooling, and children are not efficient.

My GOAL to KEEP UP! and GET IT DONE! was wrecking our relationships. Very little actual learning occurred and we were all unhappy.

When the goal is to “Get it DONE” there isn’t time to absorb, discuss, reflect and learn.

Here were my new goals and actions:

1. Distinguish between controllable and uncontrollable.

I can’t control the fact that we are in a new learning situation, I CAN control how I act, as well as my level of preparation and time management.

2. I will prioritize my relationships with my kids over the assignments.

I will pause and think before I react to something my kids say or do.

3. Apologize.

I told my children I was sorry for being upset, frenzied, and impatient.

4. Realize we are all learning something new!

Remind the kids we are ALL new to this, and we were going to work on being patient and kind to each other. We would give each other grace.

5. Familiarize myself with their technology, passwords, and schedules.

6. Get more organized and prepared.

We kept their school stuff in one area.

7. Communicate with the teachers.

Remember the son who was so overwhelmed he threw his iPad? I told the teacher that our goal is no longer going to be to get everything done. We were going to slow down so he had time to absorb the information, reflect, and learn. She was okay with the fact that he may not get every assignment done.

8. Get more sleep.

The kids will be in bed before 9 and will wake up by 8 AM.

9. Come prepared and ready to work by 9 AM.

iPads are charged, everyone is fed, pencils are sharpened, and we’ve looked over the plan for the day.

10. Re-prioritize:

Focus 100% on their learning from morning until lunch. I will try not to get distracted by housework or my phone.
Switch my desire from ‘checking all the boxes’ to slowing down and really learning.
Choose quantity over quantity.
Less focus on grades, stronger focus on growing.

These 2 things helped:

1. Prayer and Scripture

I ask God for help ALL DAY LONG reading my Bible fills my spirit and renews my strength.

2. Getting input from others:

Discussing better practices with my husband
Asking others what their best practices were and what was working for them (NOTE: talk to people who are more effective or more experienced)
Reading books or listening to podcasts that re-focus my attention to the big picture.

“Teaching from Rest” is an excellent book that walks you through how to teach with peace rather than frenzy! The author asks the question: If you knew your child was guaranteed to get into Harvard, but your relationship would be wrecked in the process, would you agree to that?

Are the days EASY now? NO!

It’s still a day-by-day, hour-by-hour challenge.

Do I feel more peaceful and prepared? Yes!

I’ve learned that most change can be bad in the beginning, messy in the middle, and extraordinary in the end.

A few SMALL changes made a BIG impact!

How about you? What are you learning? How are you staying sane? What’s helped you? Leave a comment and thanks for reading!

January 12, 2021 By Kathryn

12 In 2020/ Book Review/ Giveaway

Best Books of 2020

My last post included the 50+ titles I read in 2020, here’s a list of my absolute favorites. These are the top ten (plus some honorable mentions). If you haven’t read these – I recommend you add them to your “to read” list in 2021!

Read this post to the end to see how to win two of my favorite books of the year. Giveaway has ended.

1. Chasing Wisdom by Daniel Grothe

This book is a warm blanket on a cold day. It’s a gentle push in the right direction. The author is someone I worked with at New Life Church. He’s a great leader, pastor, and friend.

This book answers the questions:

How do we become the kind of people who know how to handle whatever life throws at us?
How do we become wise?

I HIGHLY Recommend this book!

2. Help Club for Moms Book by Deb Weakly and others

Being a mom can wear your down, this book will BUILD YOU UP! I know as moms that we don’t have a lot of time to read, but this book is WORTH your TIME!! Each chapter is SHORT and easy to read. This book gives you a ‘boost’ of inspiration for the day. Perfect for any mom with young children.

3. Good Grief by Granger Westburg

A super short, easy-to-read book that I could recommend to every person in this world. Whether you are grieving something simple like canceled plans, or something much larger – like divorce or loss of a loved one – this book is a MUST READ!

4. Indescribable by Louie Giglio

I think every family should own a copy of this book! The short devotionals teach something about science and how it connects us with God. This is one of those books where kids AND parents enjoy reading and learning together. We found each page fascinating.

5. The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel

This book was written by a parent and psychologist. I found it practical, extremely helpful, and even inspiring. It’s a book I’ll go back to again and again.

6. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

They say that truth is better than fiction, and this book is the PERFECT example of that. The author had me hooked from the very first page. She does an excellent job of recreating her childhood so the reader feels like they were there. I could feel her pain, joy, and disappointment. It’s an incredible story of survival, perseverance and resilience by four children being raised in the midst of poverty. Her story surprised me constantly – from how smart her parents were in some aspects, to absolutely dysfunctional in other areas. What an interesting story!

7. The Gift of Being Yourself by David Benner

This is such a wonderful, powerful book. I listened to it on my free Hoopla app, but this year I’m going to buy and read my own hard copy. This book is full of good truths about the enormous love God has for each one of us – just as we are. This book would make a great gift. Thanks to my sister, Krista, for the recommendation!

8. Janet Benge biographies

Janet’s biographies are so easy-to-read and incredibly engaging! They are great books to read aloud with your children. If you are a home school parent – her books are a great resource for history. If your children need to read chapter books for school, I recommend these!

I read 6 of her biographies this year, and the ones I enjoyed most were:

Harriet Tubman!!! This book shares hard and fascinating stories about Harriet Tubman. I can’t believe one woman did so much in her life. She was a phenomenal woman! This book is a must read!

George Washington – My son George and I were so in awe of our first president after reading this book together. George said he wished I would have named him George Washington Egly.

Theodore Roosevelt by Janet Benge – An intriguing summary of Theodore Roosevelt’s life.

Abraham Lincoln by Janet Benge – The author summarizes Abraham Lincoln’s life so well!

9. The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton

The book is the true story of a man who spends many years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. After he works through the anger of being wrongfully imprisoned, he realizes they’ve stolen his life but they can‘t steal his joy. He chooses to make a positive difference right there on death row. He brought light and life to a very dark place. He gets to know each prisoner. This story shares an excellent example of CHOOSING JOY in ANY situation, as well as the difference that ONE PERSON can make.

10. Master Your Goals by Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar is so inspiring and easy to listen to. Pick ANY of his books to kick start your year!

5 Honorable Mentions:

God Smuggler by Brother Andrew – I wanted to add this to my top ten of 2020, but it was on the list LAST year (Click here to read that list), so I wanted to make room for other titles. This story is so incredibly inspiring. I could read it over and over. The book shares stories of Andrew bringing Bibles behind the Iron Curtain and the impact that had on people and churches. This book had one miraculous story after another. I read this book in 2019 and loved it so much that I re-read it with Clark in 2020. He enjoyed it too!

Where’d You Go, Bernadette: A Novel by Maria Semple – a story I loved so much that I read it twice. The book and the movie are both excellent.

Catch Me if You Can by Frank Abagnale – Can’t believe these things actually happened! What a life! The book is better than the movie. This book would be a great one to listen to, but not good for young ears to hear.

The Dance of Connection by Harriet Lerner – a helpful and interesting non-fiction about how to understand and relate to others!

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – a captivating autobiography of a slave who became a free man!

Here’s a video with my son Luke as I share my favorite books of 2020:

GIVEAWAY:

Congratulations to Melissa for winning a copy of Chasing Wisdom and Amy for winning a copy of Help Club for Moms.

If you’d like to win one of these books:

Subscribe to this blog.
Leave a comment, noting the book you want to win. (You can leave a comment by clicking on the tiny comment box to the right of the TITLE of this post)
Want to win both? Leave separate comments for separate books.
Want extra entries? Leave a comment on my Facebook and/or Instagram posts!
Share and/or tag friends for extra entries!
US ONLY
Winner drawn on Saturday, January 9, 2020.

Thanks for reading!

Click here to read my top ten books of 2019.

Click here to read my favorite books of 2018.

Their are affiliate links in this post. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission. I will probably use it to buy books to giveaway here!

January 4, 2021 By Kathryn

3 In 2020/ Book Review

Books I read in 2020

2020 was a GREAT year to get LOST in a book!

Sometimes people ask how I read so much. Here’s what I share about that:

I LOVE reading! You find time for things you love. Some people craft or build in their free time. Some like electronics or movies. I read.
I keep books in several places. One by my bed. An audiobook on my phone. A book by the couch. Another in the kitchen. One in the car. I always have a book nearby to read if I have a few minutes to spare.
On most days: I take 10-30 minutes to read in the morning. I take 10-20 minutes in the afternoon to read. In the evening, I’d usually rather read than watch TV, though occasionally a show wins my time. Currently it’s The Crown!
If I have to wait for my kids at a practice or an appointment, I’ll read.
I read WITH my kids. I pick a book and read one-on-one, or read SHORT segments with all of them.
The free HOOPLA app allows me to download excellent books for no cost, so I will listen to books while doing household chores or exercising.
Also #MinnesotaWinter means I’m indoors more through the winter and have some time to read.

Follow me on GoodReads for all my latest ratings and reviews!

Here are the books I read in 2020:

January

Good Grief by Granger Westburg
Master your Goals by Zig Ziglar
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
Full Circle by Andrea Barber
Where’d you go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

Click here for reviews and links to the books I read in January.

February

6. The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall

7. The Algebra of Happiness by Scott Galloway

8. The Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger

9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

10. John Wesley by Janet Benge

11. Indescribable by Louie Giglio

Click here for full reviews and links to the books I read in February.

March and April

12. Give and Take by Adam Grant

13. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

13. Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal

14. The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogall

15. Who was Alexander Hamilton?

Click here for full reviews and links to the books I read in March and April.

May

16. Chasing Wisdom by Daniel Grothe

17. Harriet Tubman by Janet Benge

18. Just Kids by Patti Smith

19. George Muller by Janet and Geoff Benge

20. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

21. The Wise Woman Loves by Deb Weakly

Click here for full reviews and links to the books I read in May

June

22. The Gift of Being Yourself by David Benner

23. Blackwater Ben by William Durbin

24. Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

25. Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

26. Your Beautiful Purpose by Susie Larson

Click here for full reviews and links to the books I read in June

July

27. Theodore Roosevelt by Janet Benge

28. Becoming by Michelle Obama

29. Open Book by Jessica Simpson

30. Who is Jackie Chan? by Jody Shaffer

Click here for full reviews and links to the books I read in July

August

31. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

32. Intelligent Conversationalist By Imogen Lloyd Webber

33. Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor

34. BoyMom by Monica Swanson

Click here for full reviews, ratings and links to the books I read in August.

September

35. The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt

36. Who Was Julia Child? by Jeff Edgers

37. Who Were the Wright Brothers? by James Buckly Jr

38. God Smuggler by Brother Andrew

Click here for full reviews, ratings and links to the books I read in September.

October

39. Rising Strong by Brene Brown

40. The Dance of Connection by Harriet Lerner

41. Motherhood without all the Rules by Maggie Combs

42. Hudson Taylor by Janet Benge

43. Abraham Lincoln by Janet Benge

Click here for full reviews, ratings, and links to the books I read in October.

November

44. Catch me if you Can by Frank Abagnale Jr.

45. Be the Bridge by LaTasha Morrison

46. George Washington by Janet Benge

47. Positivity by Barbara Frederickson

48. Dad’s Eye View: 52 Adventures in the Twin Cities by Michael Hartfort

49. I Never Had It Made by Jackie Robinson

Click here for full reviews and links to the books I read in November.

December

50. Help Club for Moms by Deb Weakly and others

51. Help Club for Moms Study Guide by Deb Weakly and team

52. Who was Dr. Martin Luther King? by Bonnie Bader

53. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas

Click here to read reviews of each of the books I read in December.

A book I read THROUGHOUT the year:

54. My Bible

What I’m currently reading:

Prevail by Susie Larson

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead

Click here and follow me on Goodreads!

Don’t miss the GIVEAWAY in my next post. I’ll share my top ten favorite books of 2020, and give two of them away!

January 2, 2021 By Kathryn

3 In 2020/ Book Review

4 Books I finished in December

Help Club for Moms

Rating: 10/10

Review: This book is a must read for every mom with children under 15. It’s full of practical tips and inspiration for raising young children!

Being a mom can wear your down, this book will BUILD YOU UP! I know as moms that we don’t have a lot of time to read, but this book is WORTH your TIME!! Reading just one page a day can give you a little ‘boost’ of inspiration for the day.

Help Club for Moms Companion Guide

Rating: 8/10

Review: This is a simple guide that allows you to think deeper and reflect on each chapter of the Help Club for Moms book.

Who was Martin Luther King, Jr?

Rating: 8/10

Review: A simple, yet good overview of Dr. Martin Luther King’s life.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas

Rating: 10/10

Review: I listened to this autobiography of Frederick Douglas on my free Hoopla app.

Frederick Douglas shares stories from his early life in this book. He tells how he was separated from his mother before he turned one. Older slave women, who can no longer work in the fields, would take care of the young children until they can work. He said he never had any pants, shoes, or socks for the first 7 years of his life and remembers being SO cold through the Maryland winters.

When Frederick was around 7 (he’s not sure exactly of his age), he was sold to assist a woman and her son. Frederick was her first slave. He said at first, the woman was kind like a mother, but being a slave owner “changed” her. She became hard and mean. He noticed this over and over, how owning slaves changed people.

He shares how when he escaped to freedom, he expected to see poverty in the north, since Northerners did not own slaves. But the OPPOSITE was true! The North had class, wealth, and was full of people who worked hard without oppression.

Though many of the stories he shares about his life as a slave were hard to read, the book is excellent and I highly recommend it.

My next post will include a summary of all the books I read in 2020, followed by my FAVORITE books of the year!

Thanks for reading!

December 31, 2020 By Kathryn

0 In 2020/ Christmas/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys

Peek into our Christmas week

Christmas Eve:

It was a cold day with LOTS of snow. All four boys shoveled two of our neighbors driveways.

We played with our dog, completed a Christmas puzzle, then watched White Christmas (one of my FAVORITE Christmas movies).

Luke and Paul were excited to go to bed that night because they could hardly wait for it to be Christmas morning!

After the two littles fell asleep, George and Clark helped me put presents under the tree, then George created a scavenger hunt from the “elves.”

Clark set up some games around the house for everyone to play on Christmas Day.

Christmas Day:

Scavenger hunt for the littles:

George created a scavenger hunt from our ‘elves.’ He wrote a clue, that led to another clue, that led to another … all around our house. The final clue led to a gift from “Santa.” The gift was a game called “Ticket to Ride.” I’d read good reviews of this game so I thought my boys would like it.

I made the mistake of trying to play it with them right away, without having ever played before. I didn’t realize how many details were involved. I tried to read the instructions and play at the same time. This was a FAIL! I didn’t understand how to play, let alone how to teach all four boys what to do. We all got frustrated and quit.

Afterwards, I watched a YouTube video on how to play. I finally understood and asked my boys if they wanted to try again. The boys said no, they just wanted to open their other presents.

Opening presents:

Our big Christmas gift to the boys was a dog (Read that story here) …but other family members had gifts for them to open Christmas morning.

I filled their stockings with some fun treats, hid the stockings in my closet, tied a long string around them, and wrapped that string all around the house. I gave the boys the end of the string, and they had to follow it to find their stockings.

The boys also did a “Secret Santa” gift exchange with each other. After Thanksgiving, I put the names of the boys in a bowl and they each drew a name. They have a $15 budget and get to pick out a gift for each other.

Luke drew George’s name and got him a puzzle (see below).
Paul drew Clark’s name and bought him football cards.
Clark drew Luke’s name and got him a remote control car.
George drew Paul and bought him some Pokemon cards.

Christmas Day Scavenger Hunt for the Parents:

As a Christmas gift for me and Ted, Clark created a super fun obstacle course for us to complete. We had targets to hit with a nerf gun, matchbox cars that had to get past a certain line, a box to tear open to find a clue and a quarter, basketballs to get in the net, then a word to complete in a “Wheel of Fortune” type game. When we completed all our ‘challenges,’ we had to race to put our “quarter” on the winning circle to win a prize (see picture above). I won “Wheel of Fortune” and the matchbox car game, but Ted is way better with a nerf gun and basketball. He won and got a big chocolate bar. I was second and Clark gave me chocolate coins.

Christmas Day Walk:

It was COLD outside (7 degrees), but Ted encouraged us to bundle up and get outside with him, and I’m glad we did!

Christmas Dinner:

Steak, Brussel Sprouts, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and …. French Fries. (I forgot to take a picture)

We Watched:

A Christmas Story – Ted and George love this movie. Since they watch “White Christmas” with me, I watch this movie with them.

We read:

The Christmas Lizard: this is a cute story of the Lizard climbing up the tree and hearing the different reasons Christmas is celebrated. The Nutcracker says “tradition,” the elves say “parties,” etc. When he gets to the very top of the tree he finds the Angel and the angel points to the manger and tells the lizard that the reason we celebrate Christmas is Jesus.

We played:

What do you Meme? … Uno and…

After Luke and Paul went to bed, I was able to talk George into giving Ticket to Ride another try. We both really enjoyed playing! I would only recommend it for ages 10 and up!

The Day After Christmas:

Luke got George’s name as his “Secret Santa” gift exchange. I helped him create a puzzle as a gift for George.

We put it together and it turned out so cool!

We also went ice skating with friends.

One friend lifted his hockey stick to hit a puck, and accidentally smacked Clark in the eye. It hurt bad at first (and looks really bad), but Clark was playing again in ten minutes.

We took another walk and had a snowball fight:

My boys received this “snowball maker” toy last year – it makes these perfect, round snowballs and saves your hands from freezing or your gloves from getting soaked:

Hope you had a Merry Christmas friends! Sending love from our family to yours!

Here’s a peek into our fall and winter. I love how my iPhone can take pictures and videos and turn them into this:

December 28, 2020 By Kathryn

2 In 2020/ Christmas/ Joy/ Memories/ Raising boys

The Story of Wrigley: Our Goldendoodle!

Hello Friends! Meet Wrigley, our first dog!

It was a long journey to get here … our oldest three boys started asking for a dog since, well, they could say the word “DOG!”

I was NOT excited about having a dog. I had a hard enough time keeping up with our boys, I didn’t want another thing to take care of!

However, this quote resonated with me….

“Every boy should have two things: a dog and a mother who lets him have one.”
― Robert Benchley

In 2013, we told George and Clark that when Paul was potty-trained, we’d get a dog! They were overjoyed. However…

Just as Paul was potty-trained, I found out I was pregnant. So, they boys got a BROTHER instead of a dog. Thankfully, they were okay with that … for a while.

Every subsequent Christmas and birthday – the number one requested item was: A DOG.

In 2020…we finally decided it was time. And you all know why. This year we were all stuck at home with plenty of time on our hands!

We got serious about looking for a Goldendoodle. However, I didn’t realize how expensive they could be. I was NOT going to pay what most people were asking.

I told the boys that if we were going to get a dog, we would have to find the right one, for the right price.

So the boys started praying. They asked God for a golden doodle dog for a ‘good price.’

I also saw Clark googling:

“Goldendoodles for less than one thousand dollars.”

For several months, we couldn’t find one. But then…we went for a visit to Tulsa.

Randomly at dinner, I told a friend that we were searching for a golden doodle, but could not find one for a decent price. This friend gave me the number of a local breeder who sells them for a very reasonable price.

There was MORE great news:

I knew the breeder’s family! I had worked with her brother-in-law in Colorado Springs!
I had friends with her dogs.
She had a litter recently born and they’d be available the same week that my in-laws would be visiting us in Minnesota!

Where did we find her?

RJB Doodles in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Ted and I SECRETLY went to meet the puppies and of course, we fell in love. It’s hard to meet a puppy and not BUY a puppy!

This was finally the right breeder, the right dog, at the right time and the right price!!!

We bought one.

However…it was a secret. We would surprise the boys the week before Christmas!

When the puppy was ready, Papa and Nana picked him up and and drove him from Tulsa all the way to our home in Minnesota.

The Big Puppy Surprise:

When they were just a few minutes away, I took the boys upstairs. I told them we had to hang out in my room for a little while because dad had to work on something for Christmas.

While we were upstairs, Ted greeted Nana and Papa at the door and let them in. They put the crate in front of the Christmas tree, they put the puppy in the crate, and a blanket over the crate. Nana and Papa stood in front of the crate, blocking it from view.

Then…Ted came upstairs, knocked on my door, told the boys he was ready…and they came downstairs.

The boys were SOO excited to see their Nana and Papa.

Then, Nana and Papa moved to show the crate. They removed the blanket and showed them the REAL surprise – their PUPPY!

They exclaimed this as the BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!

The Best Christmas ever!

The best dog ever!

The best parents ever!

The best nana and papa ever!

They were thrilled and oh, what a memory!

Why the name?

All the men in our family have a “W” in their middle names…so we wanted our dog’s name to start with a W.

We chose “Wrigley” because the boys were born in the Chicago area and we are Cubs fans. The Cubs play in ‘Wrigley’ field.

Welcome to our family Wrigley!

Here’s the video of the boys surprised with a new dog:

Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas everyone!

December 21, 2020 By Kathryn

3 In 2020/ Christmas/ DIY/ Making money/ Motherhood/ Raising boys/ Recipe

Simple Salt Dough Snowman Ornaments: DIY Christmas Gifts

Here’s a fun and simple activity to do with your kids: Salt dough ornaments.

My boys aren’t always into crafty things – but when they heard their cousins made and SOLD some of their ornaments, my boys were all in! They always love a way to earn money – right now they are saving up to buy a DOG! (This was their idea, not mine)

The salt dough recipe is simple:

2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 cup of water

Mix with a wisk, and then your hands.
Flour a surface, then roll out the dough until it’s about a quarter inch thick

Cut into shapes

Use a drinking straw to poke a hole at the top of the ornament for the string to go through

To make the Snowman Ornament:

Use a cup to make circles
Take a little piece of the dough and form it into the shape of a carrot
Press the nose on top of the circle
Press divots in the dough for the eyes and mouth. I used the bottom of a paint brush.