{Rainyday activity} Homemade butter.

I've been wanting to try this for awhile now. It really is oh so easy. Full instructions here. But basically...

just fill a glass jar with heavy whipping cream. I added a marble to help it mix well. 

 Put the lid on tight and...

 shake shake shake!!

  shake shake shake

 everyone takes a turn!

first peek: look and taste and touch!

tasted like whipped cream without sugar. definitely getting creamy though!

it didn't take long for results!

 shake some more!

 

second peek. getting thicker.

look, poke, taste again.

 

 

 add some salt. shake a lil more. 

and done!

 We had bread n butter with our dinner tonight! It tasted good! I'm thrilled!! 

We just might be doing this again!!!

Well on our way!

We've filled out almost 2 of these sheets of books that we've read and once complete, we get to host an ice cream party for our friends!

(the starred titles indicate the ones Eli has read on his own. After starting, I realized getting to 100 books wasn't going to be all that much of a challenge, so the rule quickly became 100 different books)

Monday Meanderings -- Jun 11

Bible Study... I feel like I'm going through a lot of different things right now. It's a little overwhelming but there's much I want to read. Still doing Psalms. Also going back to my Bible reading plan and currently in Numbers.  And I also got a study about Experiencing the Holy Spirit.

Memory Verse... Hebrews 12:14

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."

Husband Encouragement...
♥ I've been talking with a friend of mine lately about the 5 love languages. I've spent years just having no clue really what Kevin is, but it's suddenly becoming clear to me that he responds to acts of service -- having the house tidy, nice meals, treats, etc. So I'm going to make more effort to tackle those piles, those boxes, make some desserts, fix some fabulous breakfasts these next days he's off. I got started this weekend and I'm on a roll...

Train Them Up...

* We've been following a dinner clean-up routine and it's going well. Hannah helps me load the dishwasher and Eli helps clear off the table and put things in the fridge (condiments or leftovers) or cupboards (hot pads).  They have also been working hard after coins lately. It's exciting to see Hannah getting into it too now!

* Over the weekend I finally moved Carter out of the pack n play and to the boys' bunk bed with Eli. He's doing pretty well but it still take a little training.

* This week I want the kids to make mail for some various friends and family (local, Grandma and Grandpa, and faraway friends) because soon we are going to get a little personal tour of the post office and they will get to see where those different letters go! I'm pretty geekily excited! =)
* Speaking of mail, I recently came across this on Pinterest, Ann Voskamp's 15 Happy Way to Teach Kids to be Grateful. Loved it. This weekend when I was letting the kids each pick a treasure at Target dollar bin, I spied some summer sticky notes. And when we got home we started making thankful notes and posting them up on our dining room window. I hope to continue this. I also got a small basket at Pamida's closing sale and I pulled out some cute thank-you notes from my card stash, and it will serve as a daily invitation to thank someone for something. Or even just a send a note of thoughtfulness.

* We have done less by way of learning time but tons of exciting things, like trips to the pond, playdates, biking, swimming, fishing, and lots of reading. Reading at the library for storytime, reading with friends, afternoon reading on the trampoline, and reading before bed or naps. There are some things we need to continue practicing though.

* While Kevin is off I want to try to take Eli for one-on-one time. He requested it and it has been awhile!

Personal Goals...

* Schedule a hair appointment.

New Habit of the Month...  {june}
* chores in the morning, THEN we can play!

MUST Do... 

* figure out music for Sunday?

* Father's Day plans?

* schedule car appointment

Zone(s)... organize and pack away the kids outgrown clothes. This is such a process! Hopefully this will get easier since they're not changing sizes so quickly anymore!

Menu - TBD -- I just know I need to do more grilling, cold salads, or crockpot, cuz I hate cooking in the summer!

M - sloppy joes, roasted zucchini

T -

W - lemon butter shrimp over angel hair pasta

Th - crockpot BBQ chicken, corn, rolls

F -

S - 

Su - Father's Day

FUN THINGS!

* the kids start swim lessons for the next 2 weeks! I'm not thrilled it's taking up our morning every day, but that alone will be fun for the kids!

* play date at the park Monday morning

* car wash day with friends Tuesday afternoon. library storytime Tuesday late afternoon, then possibly going to Madagascar movie Tuesday night. Not sure we can do ALL of that, even I admit that's a lot!

* Couple's Bible study Thursday night, we're hosting this time

* Father's Day festival Sunday evening

3 things I'm thankful for today...

1. we got some RAIN!!! It's been over a month since we've had anything! I'm sure the farmers are happy!

2.  a fun weekend with the kiddos. excited for Kevin's days off!

3.  new discoveries, new routines, and tackling projects

{Summer activity} Park Clean-Up

I LOVE planning things and organizing events (probably to a fault at times, right dear??). I LOVE going places and getting out. I LOVE being with friends. I do also LOVE spontaneity and adventure and being able to decide on a whim that we're going to do something new or drive all gravel somewhere just so we can discover the backcountry. I rarely decide to just hang around the house. I feel restless and would rather call a friend over and invite them over for a playdate than just BE home, though we DO have some of those days too. 

Anyway, I already have several things in mind for the summer, some we've already done, so I thought I'd start sharing, in you case you wanna do it too!

A couple weeks ago the kids and I were visiting a "new" park in a nearby teeny tiny town that seems pretty dead. No businesses, school or anything really. The park is actually impressive but I noticed it really needed cleaned up. There were weeds all over the sand volleyball court so the kids and I started pulling them. But time ran out and there was still just so much more to do. And what bothered me most was shards of pop cans all over, and I know those would be so sharp for little bare feet to step on! So I decided to come back again with supplies--rakes and trash bags--and invite our friends and turn it into a little event!  

It suddenly hit me that service projects like that are a great thing to add into our summer plans! So the next week, here we are... The kids did great! They weren't thrilled of course, but I figured even if it was mostly us moms working (which it really wasn't!), it would still be a good example to the kids and maybe open their eyes to what's around them and the idea that THEY can help whenever they see trash laying somewhere. Such a fun afternoon project!

I had promised a cold treat afterward!

 And then the kids played!

Just might do this one again!

Even better.

Today the kids and I had plans to go watch the Warrior Dash up by Omaha. We were so excited. On the way there we were talking about which obstacles we were most excited to see. Eli wanted to see the fire. Hannah and I wanted to see the teeter totters. And Carter, was just along for the ride. =)

But when we got there, it quickly became apparent that actually watching the race wasn't really an option! They had a party area set up where the start and finish is with a big stage and band playing in the middle. We could see the last three obstacles but that was it. It was really neat but we were disappointed.

So we decided to continue on to Omaha for our own fun!

 And we rediscovered the joy of a simple point-and-shoot camera. 

The kids took turns taking pictures.

 And we ate our picnic lunches. There's little a picnic can't help fix. Any time of day.

 Especially in the company of such sweet faces...

 Even the messy ones.

 I simply love my kids. And doing things with them.

We still had the bikes in the car from our ride at the pond the other day so we got 'em out for a ride on the bike path.

Carter and I walked/jogged behind!

We took breaks when needed...

 

And then stopped by the fountain for some more picture fun

We finished our city trip with a stop at Target dollar bin, where the kids each picked a treasure. Hannah a crown, Eli a frisbee, and Carter a fishy tatoo pack. Another GREAT summer day!!

So much more than what I had originally hoped for!

Extra curriculars

I have not yet taken the plunge into signing any of the kids up for extra curricular activities. We do AWANA at our church during the school year but that's it so far. No athletics. I fear it taking over our week and that once we start we can't stop. We can't just say the next year "Oh no, you can't play ball this year." I love having a somewhat free schedule, and being able to choose our activities as a family. There is soo much we love to do (see last post!)

But I'm beginning to wonder if it's approaching time. In fact as I'm typing this I'm remembering another post about this and games on the Sabbath.

I was thinking soccer for Eli and gymnastics for Hannah.

And then I had another thought about that...

Is there danger is putting kids in sports where weight could be a controlling issue later down the road?? Gymnastics and wrestling are two specific sports that come to mind. You have to fall into a certain weight bracket in order to compete at that level, and it leads to unhealthy eating habits and damages your perspective on body image. Should I avoid this area altogether??

Thoughts...???

{summertime}

We've had such a grand time these first three weeks of summer, really living life to the full and enjoying every single moment. No bored days here, and no lazing around doing nothing!  We've been...

exploring at the zoo

discovering new parks

checking out new books at the library

garage saling

reliving history

reading books out on the trampoline

catching lightning bugs

sitting by the campfire

(in our own back yard)

watching the stars come out

splashing in the sprinkler

swimming at the pool
fishing at the pond

cleaning up trash at the park

(with friends)

picking sweet treats from the bakery

and eating it at the pond

for breakfast

riding bikes

going for family walks

picnicking

dripping with sticky popsicles

hosting our own kids storytime with friends

painting new treasures

going to ball games

just for fun

staying up late

just for fun

attending library storytime

in our teeny tiny town

BBQing

There's so much more we want to do! I can already feel summer FLYING by!!  So if ya don't see me for awhile, know that I'm off living and cherishing my time with my precious kiddos!!