A few weeks ago, I returned from a life-changing trip to the Dominican Republic. I went with an organization called One Child Matters and had the opportunity to see firsthand the work this amazing organization does on a daily basis. My eyes were open to extreme poverty, social injustice, human trafficking, and so much more. I've been on trips around the world and have witnessed extreme poverty before, but this trip just broke my heart. Seeing these sweet kids and loving on them for a short … [Read more...]
How Play Impacts Children
It's alarming to see children spending less time playing each day. While researching for my new book, I read numerous articles about how play impacts children. Children's freedom to play and explore on their own has declined immensely in recent decades. With busy schedules and the overuse of screens, children are left with less time to simply play. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. See my disclosure for details. This is so sad to me! Even though we do a lot of play … [Read more...]
Friday Favorites
It's Friday already! That week seemed to just fly by. Did it for you, too? This week wasn't too eventful, but I still enjoy writing about our favorite moments from the week! I loved this moment from the week...jumping on the trampoline and enjoying the beautiful weather at my parent's house. We also traveled down to my in-law's to play at their farm! Lincoln enjoyed his 1st 4-wheeler ride. It almost put him to sleep! This little boy is definitely becoming more of a toddler. He's … [Read more...]
Friday Favorites – We Love Books!
Happy Friday! The weekend is here! Here's a recap of our week... We started out our week with our first baby book club! A sweet friend of mine is hosting a monthly baby book club for 1-year-olds. It's so fun! We all read the book, do a craft, have a snack, and play! This week we read the book Orange, Apple, Pear, Bear. It's so, so cute! We also had fun stamping with apples, oranges, and pears! The only thing that would have made it better is if the bees would have stayed away from us! The … [Read more...]
Friday Favorites – First Days of Fall!
Fall is here and we are happy about it! Although I love summer, I realllly love fall! The only thing I dislike about it is how short the season is. It seems like winter sneaks up so fast! Anyway, we've been having fun with homeschooling and fall activities. Here's what we've been up to... We went to visit our favorite apple orchard/pumpkin patch! Troy was at school that morning, but we went with some of our close friends. Every year we take a picture with this pumpkin cut-out. It's a favorite … [Read more...]
Friday Favorites – Our Labor Day Weekend
I can't believe it's already Friday! With the holiday weekend, this week flew by! :) We had the best Labor Day weekend with our friends in Minnesota. I have 2 best friends from high school that live in MN and I try to visit them at least once a year. We now have a combined total of 8 kids, which is crazy! I started our 4 hour drive with the best way possible...drinking a Pumpkin Spice Latte from our local coffee shop. It is the BEST and totally beats Starbuck's version. The trip … [Read more...]
Friday Favorites – 1st Week of Homeschooling
Happy Friday to you! It definitely feels like a Friday to us! We had our first full week of homeschooling and it was great, but tiring! We are a little untraditional when it comes to schooling. My oldest is going to Kindergarten at school, but we're homeschooling in the afternoons. I'm also doing home preschool with my 4 year old. This week for home preschool we focused on an 'All About Me' and 'The 5 Senses' themes. I used a new All About Me Theme Package from The Measured Mom that we loved. … [Read more...]
Friday Favorites – 1st Week of School!
Happy Friday Everyone! Whew! We made it through the first 2 days of Kindergarten with our oldest. He is going to school in the mornings and we are homeschooling in the afternoons. Troy had the best first few days of school! He was so excited to go and can't wait to go back! I'm so thankful for a caring, loving teacher and a welcoming classroom. It's gonna be a great year! Can you tell my printer is running out of color ink? LOL! I love these pictures of him...he is SO happy! We … [Read more...]
Friday Favorites – 2 Birthday Boys!
It's been a while since I've done a Friday Favorites post! I love recapping what we've been up to and I hope you like reading about it! :) Lincoln turned 1 last week. That was the fastest year ever! I love being Lincoln's mom. He brings us so much joy! Here's my favorite little 1 year old "eating" a birthday cupcake! Well, he really enjoyed playing with it. Wesley turns 4 on Tuesday! He has been counting down the days for many, many weeks. Birthdays are a big deal when you turn 4! … [Read more...]
Friday Favorites – End of June
How is it already the end of June?! This month just flew by! I am a huge fan of summer and I wish it would last longer. We live in the Midwest, so it's very cold and snowy for a good part of the year. When spring and summer get here, we are always outdoors. The kids love doing anything outside! Here are some of my favorite moments from the past two weeks... Dating my husband is one of my FAVORITES. He is my rock and my best friend. We haven't been going on too many dates since Lincoln … [Read more...]