Thank you Minnesota, for recognizing that June 10 is my birthday, and choosing to open all gyms, restaurants and pools. I’m honored!!
My day started at the gym. (Exercise prevents cake-eating guilt.) Next, I stopped by Starbucks for my favorite FREE birthday drink – Iced Cloud Caramel Macchiato.
Then I stopped by Caribou for my FREE birthday breakfast sandwich.
I came home and the boys were up and gave me hugs and wished me happy birthday.
I made them banana bread and we did a puzzle together.
Ted went to Target and I asked him what he was getting.
Ted: Well, I was buying you flowers. It was supposed to be a surprise, but since you’re asking – what kind would you like?
Me: I’d prefer a plant over a bouquet, it lasts longer.
George: Dad, just get her seeds – those last the longest!
——–
Ted brought home a cake, and after lunch the boys sang to me, and we had CAKE! I opened a couple of cards I’d received in the mail, plus a gift from my mom and mother-in-law. The boys gave me handmade cards. The card from Clark was the start of a scavenger hunt. He gave me one clue, that led to another clue, that led me all over the house. The last clue was to “go to the room where you sleep.” I opened my bedroom door and all the boys jumped out and yelled:
Surprise!! Happy Birthday!!
Oh … so …. sweet. The best gifts are the ones you can’t buy.
After lunch, Ted offered to let me sneak away to get a pedicure.
That evening, a super kind friend came to watch our boys so that Ted and I could go to dinner – our first time inside a restaurant in MONTHS!
We had a delicious dinner at COV – a beautiful restaurant right on Lake Minnetonka. We shared the best CRAB CAKE I’ve ever eaten… also salmon, sushi, brussel sprouts and then more CAKE! YUM!
After dinner, I took a walk with my boys and ended the night watching a few minutes of The Greatest Showman (we love this movie).
Thanks for birthday wishes. I felt LOVED and extravagantly blessed.
‘In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.’
Abraham Lincoln
Here are some birthday freebies I received and you can get them too:
Review: This book is a warm blanket and a gentle push in the right direction. It brought joy-filled tears to my eyes as I read each page.
The author is someone I worked with at New Life Church. He’s a great leader, pastor, and friend. I knew I’d like his book, I didn’t know how MUCH I’d like it.
This book answers the questions:
How do we become the kind of people who know how to handle whatever life throws at them?
Review: I cannot recommend the Biographies by Benge’s highly enough. They are so well written and always about the most fascinating people from history.
I watched the new movie “Harriet,” and wanted to know more about her life. I listened to this book on my Hoopla app and it was EXCELLENT. The book shares hard and fascinating stories about Harriet. I can’t believe one woman did so much in her life. She was a phenomenal woman!
Let me share one story from the book:
Harriet had freed many slaves, but had not been able to free her parents. Her parents were old, had lived hard lives as slaves, and could not “runaway” to freedom. Harriet had a dream that her father was in trouble, and she knew it was time to help. Harriet needed $20 to get them transfered safely North. She went to the Abolition office to ask for help. They had no money to give her. She went to the waiting room and decided she would not eat or drink until she had the money to free her parents. She fell asleep in the chair, and when she woke up, money was tucked inside her shawl. The lady at the front desk told her that people kept coming in, and when they saw Harriet, they gave whatever they could. The amount totaled $60! When Harriet arrived at her father’s shack, she discovered he would be arrested the next day and sent to jail. He was being falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. Often, slave owners would accuse their elderly slaves of a false crime, so the slave would be send to prison and the owner no longer had to house or feed them when they were too old to work. Harriet got both of her parents to freedom, and they lived in her home for the rest of their lives.
When I finished the book, I took a moment to thank God for how far we’ve come. Days later, George Floyd was killed and I realized we still have a long way to go. I’m incredibly grateful for women like Harriet Tubman and think we all need to hear her story!
Review: This is a memoir of a Patti Smith – who shares what life was like in New York City during the 70s as an artist. The writing was excellent, but the content is gritty.
Review: Another great book by the Benges. George Muller was a simple man who housed and fed HUNDREDS of orphans. He didn’t have much, but always prayed and trusted God to provide. Let me tell you a story from the book:
One morning, the cook let George know that there was not going to be enough breakfast to feed several hundred orphans. He calmly replied: God will provide. Tell the children to come and eat. As soon as the children prayed and sat down, a local baker knocked on the door and said: I couldn’t sleep last night. I had this feeling you all would need bread today, so I baked all night for you. A few minutes later, a local milk delivery man knocked on the door. He shared that his truck got stuck right outside the orphanage. He asked if they would please take all the milk he had, so that his truck would be light enough to get out of the hole.
That’s just one morning in the life of George Muller – the book is full of incredible stories like this as you follow his life through the book. This would be a great story to read or listen to (on the free Hoopla App) with kids ages 8 and up.
Review: I started reading this several months ago and finally finished. This is a book I would hear people mention, so I finally read it. It tells the story of a family growing up in Brooklyn, NY. The characters are well developed and believable. It’s a novel that loosely follows the life of the author.
Review: I’ve been reading a couple pages out of this book most mornings since January. It’s a Bible Study filled with practical wisdom and inspiration for moms of all ages.
Here’s an idea for you: Take your kids to the backyard and play a GAME together.
Playing with your kids lowers your stress level and strengthens the bond with your kids!
Here are 3 games to play:
Select one person to be Mr. or Mrs. Fox. This person will stand with his or her back to the rest of the players.
All other players line up on the other side of the yard/field. The players take turns asking Mr. Fox what time it is. The fox will then respond with a time, such as 3 o’clock. The players must then take the same number of steps forward (in this case, 3 steps). These steps may be as large or small as the players wish, no matter how close they get to the fox.
Whenever the fox decides, she or he may yell in response to the question, “It’s LUNCHTIME!” When this happens, the fox will turn around and begin chasing the players with the intent of tagging one.
The players should run back to the starting line where they are safe. Once the fox tags someone, that person becomes Mr. or Mrs. Fox.
Optional Twist: Similar to Sharks and Minnows, after each round, the person who gets tagged JOINS the first Mr. Fox. The number of foxes chasing players increases until there are no longer any players. Then it’s time to start the game with a new fox!
The first team agrees to call one player from the opposite team, and chants, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send (player’s name) on over!”
The person called runs to the other line and attempts to break the chain (formed by the linking of hands).
If the person called fails to break the chain, this player joins the team that called Red Rover. But, if the player successfully breaks the chain, he may capture either of the two players whose link was broken by the dash, and bring them back to his original team.
Teams take turns calling out Red Rover and challenging a player on the opposing team.
Alternately – if they break the chain, they join hands with that line. We played this version in the video below.
“It” holds the ball and all the other players circle around him.
“It” then throws the ball straight up in the air while calling out a name.
While the player is catching the ball, all other players scatter and get as far away as they can from the person catching the ball.
The player whose name was called must catch the ball and yell “SPUD!”
The players who are running away must then stop in their tracks when they hear the word SPUD.
The player with the ball takes 3 steps in the direction of any person, then tries to throw the ball and hit one of the other players.
If the player hits someone, then that player he hits becomes “It,” if he misses, he is “It.”
Variations:
If a player who’s name was called catches the ball without letting it bounce, they can then throw the ball in the air and call another name. Then that player must run back and try and catch the ball.
If the person takes 3 steps and misses someone, they can take 4 more steps and try and hit another player.
Here’s a video of all three games. Stay tunes for some silly scenes at the end!
The day started as usual … oh, you know, four, I mean, FIVE boys – hungry and asking for bacon.
The boys completed their homeschool (aka distance learning) – as fast as possible because they had ‘important’ things to do.
George and Clark wanted to make a “What’s in the Box?” video for their youtube channel. The idea behind this video is that each boy has to take turns being blindfolded, then reaching their hand into a box, and “guessing” what’s in the box.
George and Clark both wanted to surprise each other with something ALiVE in the box! They commissioned Paul (the animal whisperer) to catch some live animals for them.
First, Paul caught some frogs that were attached to each other. He brought it to our backyard and taught our 6-year-old, as well as the neighbor girl, that these frogs are “mating” and this is how baby frogs are born. (Let’s call this homeschool science) I told Paul that mating frogs like to be left alone and to go put them back where he found them.
Next, Paul found a “non-mating” frog for George. George put the frog in an ENCLOSED container, and hid it in his room until he was ready for the ‘what’s in the box’ video.
Clark asked Paul to find a turtle for him and then hid it in his room – in a SHALLOW dish, with NO COVER.
When he went to get the turtle for the video…
…the TURTLE was GONE!
I was in the kitchen and overheard Clark saying:
Oh no, Oh no!!
Paul…I need your help!
I need some help in here!
– #clarkwayne
I came to check on Clark and he let me know the turtle was GONE and he couldn’t find it.
He showed me the shallow dish. No lid. No turtle.
We started looking around the room and COULD not find it.
We got Paul – Paul can catch any animal. Paul COULD NOT find it.
Ted came and looked – Ted COULD NOT find the turtle.
The door to Clark’s room was open when the turtle escaped. I started looking around the house. I could not find the turtle.
About 90 minutes later, Clark FINALLY found him…under a toy, under his bed.
Thank God it just a turtle this time.
Once the turtle was found, the boys were able to finish their video. Then, they took the animals immediately back to the pond.
Next, the boys had a water gun fight.
When it was time to come in for dinner, Luke said, “Mom, I’m not going to need a bath tonight, I had a water gun fight with my brothers.” (He DID take a bath)
This was just a regular Tuesday. A glimpse in the life of a #boymom! Never boring, always fun. Usually messy. Wouldn’t trade it.
For the record, this turtle was the 3rd creature that my boys have found, and then lost, and then found. Luke once brought a frog home, and accidentally dropped it in my kitchen. The frog jumped under the stove and it took us a LONG time to get him out. The first incident though, was when Clark lost a SNAKE in my car – to read about that adventure: Click HERE.
While raising four busy boys, I’ve spent countless hours finding activities to get them busy. We’ve lived through lots of LONG, COLD winters with nothing to do but be inside together.
Pictures from one very long, extremely cold winter. Every day felt like Groundhog Day!
I’ve learned the hard way, that when our little ones get bored, or when left un-attended for even a few minutes, they find trouble and created messes!
I left him un-attended for a few minutes, and he created “SNOW” with packing peanuts
I’ve searched the internet, and gathered my favorite ideas for keeping your toddlers busy!
Do you need a birthday gift idea? Many of the items below would make GREAT gifts. I’ve only included things that are pre-approved by my four children.
Each link I’ve included is an affiliate link, so that means if you click on it and decide to purchase the item, I will earn a small profit. Thanks for your support!
.
1. Stacking cereal
Stack fruit loops or Cherries on Spaghetti noodles stuck in play dough!
My oldest son received the Plasma Car for his first birthday – and each of my boys have been riding it ever since. This “bike” is almost 12 years old, and still one of their favorite toys.
All children love a simple balloon – just bounce it back and forth!
Step it up a notch with the Balloon Rockets. Kids enjoy watching balloons soar around the room! We purchased our Balloon Rocket set about 8 years ago and my boys still have fun with this! I recently bought replacement balloons to keep them entertained during quarantine.
Let your kids bang away. (Put in earbuds to keep it from driving you crazy!)
Another parent mentioned this idea: Giving your toddler pots and pans to bang on is a classic parent move, but here is a less noisy idea. Sit your toddler down with a pumpkin, melon, or squash and let them pound the vegetable to their heart’s content with a toy hammer. Most toddlers aren’t strong enough to do real harm with their hammer, so you can still make soup with your butternut squash once they’ve had their fun. She also says this works if you swap the hammer for stickers.
I loved this as a kid and perhaps your kids will too?
.
29. Sing together
Singing to and with your child builds a unique bond with them. And just like reading to your child, singing songs with them helps to boost their vocabulary and language skills.
This bag has brought hours of entertainment for my kiddos!
.
37. Have fun with ice!
Make ice in different colors with food coloring and add to their drinks.
Freeze their toys and allow them to ‘excavate’ with a toy hammer.
.
38. Memorize a verse together
It’s the SWEETEST thing to hear your little ones quoting Scripture!
The first verses my mom had me learn were Psalm 91:1 and Ephesians 6:. The first verse I had my kids learn was 1 Timothy 4:12.
Scripture memory is something that will benefit your children throughout their ENTIRE lives!
.
39. Clean together
Smaller things kids can do – wiping baseboards, lower cabinets, all door handles, pulling weeds, folding and putting away laundry, bathroom, bedroom, their closet, putting toys away and unloading dishwasher.
I offered my kids a quarter to whoever could wipe down the baseboards and bring me back the dirtiest wet wipe.
*I am an Amazon Affiliate, so I make a small percentage off of Amazon links I share if you click through and purchase. Thank you for your support in this way!
My two oldest sons wanted to provide some “clean” and funny entertainment for your family during this quarantine season.
Everyone needs a little “FUNNY” right now!
They are writing, producing and editing their own videos. This gives them a creative outlet and a fun way to add a little humor to your home.
They would love it if you would check out their videos and subscribe to their channel.
Here are a few they’ve done so far:
Quarantine Life vs Normal Life:
https://youtu.be/H5i5T7QwTEE
Hot Sauce Challenge!
https://youtu.be/OVJzG1pAY_U
Try Not to Laugh:
https://youtu.be/xtgHbEd40iw
What do you think?
Leave a comment, and I will pass the message on to them. Because their youtube channel is for kids, comments are not allowed under their videos.
Please share their videos with your family and friends! Also – you can subscribe by clicking on the logo/faces in the top left corner of each video. It should give you the option to “subscribe.”
This has been a unique season for all of us! I usually read about 5 books each month, however, I only finished 5 books in March and Aprils. My reading rate has been cut in half over the last two months. There are several reasons I haven’t been reading as much.
I have very little “downtime” with everyone home all day, every day.
Review: It took me a LONG time to read this book. I started it in JANUARY! The book is packed with stories and research – almost too much for me to consume. Finally, on the first Saturday after this quarantine began, I left Ted in charge, “quarantined” myself to the bedroom, laid in bed, and finished this book. The book builds the case that success comes with being a GIVER, not a TAKER.
Here are some key points I pulled from the book: 1. Admitting your weakness makes you appear human and approachable. 2. When selling, ask questions. People enjoy talking. By listening, you will learn about the person and how to sell to them based on their interests. Change your mindset from selling, to helping! Givers outsell takers. 3. People who maintain an equilibrium between benefiting themselves and others achieve significant increase in happiness and life satisfaction. 4. This book has lots of good stuff on the value in volunteering! For instance, those who volunteer 2 hours a week find that their happiness, satisfaction and self-esteem go up within one year. Those who volunteer see a drop in depression. Elderly adults who volunteer live longer. (I personally loved his chapter on volunteering. I wrote an entire post about the value in volunteering here.) 5. Decide to be a giver. Focus on making a difference and success might follow!
“By shifting ever so slightly in the giver direction, we might find our waking hours marked by greater success, richer meaning, and more lasting impact.”
I started reading this book with George in February. As I began reading, the lifestyle of the Ingalls family seemed SO foreign to me. I couldn’t imagine living back then, and was honestly glad that I didn’t. Let me describe a little bit of their lives to you:
Ma spends most of her days cooking and doing laundry.
The kids don’t go anywhere. They have no one to play with, except each other. They would create games to entertain themselves. They could play outside – but had to stay close by their home.
Pa works from home and only goes to the store to get “essentials.”
By the time we finished the book at the end of March, I realized we were living the “Little House” life!!!
What seemed so foreign at the beginning, felt suddenly, VERY familiar. However, I realized this slow-placed life really isn’t so bad. I’ve been wanting time to SLOW DOWN and finally got my wish. I’m thankful for this time with my family and feel like it’s given us an opportunity to grow closer. And just like the Ingalls family, we are all finding joy in the SIMPLE things!!!
Shauna Niequist recommended this book, and because I’m living in Minnesota, I checked it out from the library. (Our library is allowing us to do curbside pickup!!)
This book was an entertaining novel. I enjoyed that the book was set in Minnesota, and how the author refers to towns all around me. The novel follows the lives of a few women as they enter the ‘lager/beer craft industry.’ The ‘characters’ in this story are believable and endearing.
Review: This book was written by a parent and psychologist. It’s a practical and helpful parenting book. Topics include respect, chores, homework, helping your child deal with a ‘bad day,’ and building ‘faith practices’ in your home.
While some parenting books have left me feeling overwhelmed, that was NOT the case with this book. It was inspiring and useful. It’s a book I’ll go back to again and again.
Review: The “Who Was/Is” series are GREAT biographies to read with kids. The books are short, easy-to-read, and filled with the most interesting facts. I love that the books give me a ‘refresh’ on important historical figures.
This is a fantastic book and perfect if you want to know a little more behind the “Hamilton” phenonenom!
Have you read anything interesting lately? Leave me a comment!
Without warning, we are in a BRAND NEW phase of marriage and parenting. We are stuck together all day every day, juggling a job (or the loss of a job). The kids are now home, so we are also trying to figure out how to home school, keep up with house work, cook for kids that are always hungry, and there are endless opportunities to drive each other crazy!!
This is a season where setting a couple hours apart to re-connect with your spouse is more important than ever.
Institutionalizing “date night” is not only fun, it can protect your marriage from deterioration and it can keep you and your spouse more healthy, happy and able to manage your life stressors.
Jame C Williamson, PhD
.
How date night helps:
I love being a mom, and one thing that helps me love it so much, is taking little breaks from my kids. I also love being married, and date night helps Ted and I reconnect and remember why we got married.
Taking a little time APART from the kids and WITH your spouse strengthens both your parenting AND your marriage!
My relationship with Ted started before we had children. I want it to remain strong during this challenging phase of parenthood, and keep thriving AFTER our children are grown!
Regular date nights build resilience to carry your marriage relationship during the challenging times.
Get dressed up! (Taking a shower, putting on some makeup and doing my hair suddenly feels LUXURIOUS! When you look good, you feel good.)
Order take out. (If you are on a tight budget, cook together.)
One spouse picks up food, while the other feeds the kids.
Put the kids to bed or set the kids up in another room to watch a pre-approved movie.
Enjoy a delicious dinner and conversation. Add some candles and music to really make it special.
Date night doesn’t have to be extravagant to make a significant positive impact on your marriage. Don’t let the tyranny of the urgent crowd out nurturing your relationship. It’s well worth the investment.
My post on 55 Summertime Activities for Kids has been a big hit with parents, so I wrote another post to give you MORE ideas for keeping your quarantined kids busy.
The Sports Action Figures inspire kids in creative, open-ended play of their favorite sport (while stuck inside). The sets can also be used for parents to teach their kids the rules of the game and introduce their kids to the sports they love. The sets can also be used as centerpieces for sports-themed birthday parties – or to decorate cakes and cupcakes! Coaches use the GUYS to go over positioning and strategy with their players!
The sets by KaskeyKids.com include: Football, Baseball, Hockey, Soccer and Basketball.
Kids don’t automatically know what it means to “Mind Your Manners.” Summer time is the perfect time to teach them! At the dinner table, talk about table etiquette. After dinner, practice how to meet new people, and how to make a great first impression. We WILL be getting back to normal soon. We WILL be shaking hands again one day.
Practice with your kids NOW so they can impress people with their top-notch manners LATER!
A gratitude list or journal is EXTREMELY valuable in uncertain times. Thinking about our blessings and what we are grateful for is extremely helpful in building resiliency! I researched journals a few months ago and decided to purchase this simple one for George. I’ve loved watching him open this up (without prompting), and write what he’s grateful for!
.
13. Self Portrait
Have your kids look in the mirror and do a self portrait! Be sure to have them write their name and age. It will be fun to look back on this when they are older. You could have them repeat this every year around their birthday to see how their drawings improve!
Have your kids PAINT their coloring books instead of coloring – or – give them a blank sheet of paper to paint!
.
15. Friendship bracelets
Making friendship bracelets kept me busy for HOURS when I was young. Perhaps it will entertain your kids too! Purchase embroidery floss, then search youtube for instructions.
*I am an Amazon Affiliate, so I make a small percentage off of Amazon links I share if you click through and purchase. Thank you for your support in this way!
