Let us Love One Another

"Behold, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

John 4: 7-8

The annual Family Valentine's Day celebration is one of our favorite family traditions. We set the mood with candles, decorations, a pleasingly prepared dinner, a scrumptiously decadent dessert, and games/activities that increase relationships and get the LOOOOVE flowing. We try to make a big deal for Valentine's Day, for God is love; let's celebrate loving one another!

One of the few times we get out the fine china.

Ready to eat...close your mouth, buddy (blue shirt)!

The kids love making name tags and we have to have candy on the table. This is a great opportunity to teach them how to properly set a table.

Love those fun and free printables

Course #1

A certain sentimental soul got out the goblets from our wedding...

Love that these brothers love each other

Happy Valentines Day to my Valentine

I love taking pics with my kids. Note the Christmas cards still up in the background.

Love this crew! We enjoyed a meal of Swiss Steak!

Our son had his own idea for Valentine's Day - so he ditched out early...

...for a fun Valentine's Date. Love the Pink!

Texas Sheet Cake: Sam+Julie = N.A.O.B.S.B.J.A.

A sweet Valentine gift from my son!

Gotta have flowers for the day of LOVE!

Yes, you are sweet!

This event is not one where Mom does all the work. That doesn't fly at our house. One year the boys help to prepare and serve the meal and the girls help to prepare and serve the dessert. The next year we switch. It's a group effort so everyone feels a part of creating a tradition of love. 

I love my family so much...they are everything to me. Each Valentine's Day I give a special Valentine to my husband and children. It's become another tradition - one I started when our oldest was 6 or 7. I specifically list the qualities I love about them. I hope they are saving these Valentines and will be able to look to them for an assurance of the love their mother has for them. 

A few of the cards over the years...

I feel it important to tell your kids and spouse you love them every day. Don't be afraid to speak these words because they will ring in their hearts for years to come. However, I firmly believe it is vital to leave a written record of your feelings for those you love. It's something tangible they can look back on for their lifetime. These records are important family history documents as well. I cherish the "love letters" I've received from my parents and grandparents and hope my children will have the same experience. 

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Write-Downable of the Week: Who's Medusa?

Write-Downable (n) 

"A statement that is cute, funny, priceless, sensitive, loving, one-of-a-kind, sweet, or spiritual; a word, phrase, sentence, or story that touches the heart of another and is deemed worthy to write down, thus recorded forever and not forgotten."

Word Created By: The Bushman Family

Definition By: Julie Bushman

Write-Downable of the Week:

Our family was watching a movie this week and Medusa was mentioned...you know, the tweako in Greek Mythology that had hair of snakes, and if one were to look upon her, he would be turned to stone?  

My daughter turns to me and says, "Who's Medusa?"

14 year old son says, "It's that guy that lived to be like 924, right?"

WRONG! Sorry, honey. That was Methuselah...and he was 969 years old. We all had a good laugh!

But hey, I'd rather them know about Methuselah than Medusa!

MOSES...Not Methuselah, but close enough? (2010)

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Lessons I've Learned from Charles Ingalls

Charles, Carolyn, Mary, Laura, Carrie, Doc, Mr. Oleson, Nellie, Willy, Harriet, Miss Beadle, Mr. Edwards, Grace, Reverend, Mr. Hansen....The LHOP People

Our family is on a LHOP kick - Little House on the Prairie. We gather 3-4 times per week to watch an episode, or maybe two if we start early enough. The 10 seasons are on DVD, reasonably priced via Amazon. At $0.35 per episode, that's cheap entertainment. But not "cheap" entertainment, if you know what I mean. It's rich in morals, family values, lessons, fun, and humor. My older children ask every night if we are going to watch a LHOP. That tells you something. Nevertheless, I've discovered amazing parenting lessons from Charles Ingalls as I've watched this delightful series, and we're only in Season 2!

1.  Laura or Mary always seem to have some kind of drama. Nellie is nasty mean, the new teacher picks on Laura, they use the church money to buy bottles of medicine instead of a Bible for the Reverend, the new boy doesn't like Laura, Mary is doing poorly in school and needs glasses...the list goes on and on. Through each crisis, Charles doesn't shrug it off or act like it doesn't matter. He stops what he's doing and truly listens. He gives hugs and encouragement. He is right there to do whatever it takes to make his girls feel better. He gets involved if he needs to, but lets them fight their own battles if he feels that's best. 

2. Charles Ingalls is not afraid to make his girls tow the line. He expects them to do their chores and to do their best in school. If they have done something wrong, there is a consequence. However, he's not afraid to change his mind. Parents have that right - to change their mind if they have given an unfair punishment or threat. When the girls use the church money to try and double their money to get the Reverend a "better Bible", he doesn't let them pretend to be sick at home. He gets them out of bed and tells them they have to own up to what they've done. He's always looking for the opportunity to teach a lesson.

3. Charles spends time with his girls. He takes them on a camping trip, takes them on some of his trips to Mancato, plays with them at picnics, plays the violin for them at night, goes fishing with them, teaches them skills, talks to them while he's working, helps with their homework, and rope swings into the pond.

4. Pa Ingalls looks for opportunities that will help his girls grow and learn. He allows Mary to assist the seamstress and make her own money to buy Christmas presents, he lets Laura raise her own horse and then decide if she wants to sell it or not, he lets go of his pride and accepts money from the school board to allow Mary to travel to Minneapolis to participate in the state math exam, he gives them the chance to take care of the puppies that almost drowned in the river, and he allows Laura to become an expert fisherman to provide fish for the family. 

5. Pa teaches by example. He is a friend to everyone. He looks for opportunities to serve and help, even when it's not convenient. He is loyal to his friends and the townspeople of Walnut Grove. However, he will not be taken advantage of. When Mrs. Oleson treats his family unfairly, he tells it to her. Yet, he is forgiving of Harriet and always gives her another chance. He has a delightful wit, and isn't so high and mighty that he won't laugh or make fun of once in a while. He's real and he's good. He keeps his promises and his word is true. His children see this in him and want to emulate that.

6. Charles treats his wife with love and respect, an equal partner in raising their family together. He cares about her opinion and expects the children to obey her and respect her. He wants her to be an individual, to have experiences of her own that make her better and help her to grow. He supports her in those things (like teaching school when Miss Beadles gets injured in the buggy accident) and is excited for her success. They work together as a team in raising the children and supporting the family.

7. Pa isn't afraid of work, nor teaching his girls to do the same. They each have tasks that they must complete before "fun" ensues. He takes his job of providing very seriously and even leaves home for a while to work at a granite mine to make a living for his family. He takes on extra jobs to make ends meet. When they finally pay off their debts, he says they will pay cash only, no debt. Each member of the family worked to provide for the family. Because of his example, his children gained a strong work ethic and a desire to do their part.

8. In a time where it was do or die, hard work was necessary to survive, life on the prairie was extreme and intense, self-reliance was the name of the game, reality was brutal, and all members of the family were needed to make it, Charles is still soft and loving. He has a love for his family that you can see in his eyes and in his smile and in his actions. He doesn't let the hard prairie life make him hard. Quite the opposite. The oppositions he face help him turn to his family and love them even more.

If I could pick any movie series to help mold my family, this is it. It references and teaches faith in God, true Christian morals, responsibility in the family, a strong work ethic, love of family and friends, good works and charity, consequences (good or bad), delayed gratification (not instant like modern times), and a stick-to-it concept in all aspects of life. These are true principles that are seldom displayed in the entertainment industry. Thanks to Michael Landon (Charles Ingalls) and a host of others, they've left a beautiful legacy for families to enjoy and learn from. Thanks, Charles. You really do stick-to-it!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

The 10 Minute Game

A Game a Day Keeps the Grumps Away...

As long as it's a 10 Minute Game!

I love playing games, I really do. However, games that last a long time, require a lot of setup, or lots of instruction, are just not my type. I like simple and fun games that are quick to setup, fast to explain, simple to catch on to, and where play time is ten minutes or less. It is tough for me to justify playing Monopoly or Settlers of Catan on a whim. I do have ten minutes to get out a quick one and have a little fun.

Christmas brought us two, new "ten minute" games. The whole family has already mastered them and we have deemed them as "Keepers". 

Tenzi
This was a gift from my sister's family. It is the BEST! This is a one minute game or possibly 30 seconds (depending on how many rounds you play). Each person (up to 4 players), receives ten dice of the same color. However, each player's dice are a different color. I may have blue...she may have red...he may have pink, etc. Everyone rolls their dice at the same time and the object of the game is to roll your own dice until they are all one number. 
Example: I roll my dice and three of them are fives, the rest are random. I set aside my fives and roll the other seven until they are all fives. I yell "Tenzi" when all ten dice are the same. There are may variations that make it fun and fast-paced. Tenzi is the perfect game to play with younger children, too. We have played it at least 50 times, and we tend to play at least 20 rounds each time the game is brought out. Everyone wants to play so I got us another set so 8 people can play at once. BEST GAME EVER!!!!! 

Spot it
I first noticed this game at a lunch date with a friend. She had her five year old with her, and to provide some entertainment, she took this game out of her purse and this cutie went to town with matching fun. The cards are circular, filled with random items such as a four leaf clover or a paint splat or a lightning bolt. Sometimes the items are big, sometimes they are small. Each player is given one card to begin with. The remaining cards are in a deck with one card turned over. The first person to spot a match between their card and the top of the deck (by shouting out the item) gets the deck card. The next card in the deck is turned over and the matching adventure is on again. Sounds easy? Well, it is harder than you think. Sometimes it takes me 15 seconds or more to discover that I actually have a match, because each card has 10 or so items on it and the object is not always the same size as a previous card. My youngest child received Spot it for Christmas. This is another fun one that takes only five minutes to get through, is fast paced, and addictive. However, since you are competing against other people, some tears of frustration may be shed. 
Tip: If you're playing with younger ones, keep the older kids out. They tend to take over and the little people get upset. A four and six year old play well together, but when the fourteen year old is in, he'll find all the matches and then you'll wish the game was never pulled out in the first place. 

A quick, 10 Minute Game is a great motivator...

"Get all ready for bed and we'll have time to play a 10 Minute Game"
"Go tidy your room and we can play a 10 Minute Game"
"Want to play a game after dinner? East your veggies!"
"Get dressed for the day and we can play a game!" (My 4 year old loves to live in her PJs)
"No more grumps! Cheer up and we'll play a game!"
"Get ready for church by 10:15 and we'll play a 10 Minute Game."
"Let's have a 30 minute quiet time and then we'll enjoy a game together." LOVE THIS ONE

...You get the picture.

I'm developing a 10 Minute Game bucket. When it's time for a quick game, get out the bucket and pick one. Or, have two games going - younger kids on one, older children on the other. 

Stay tuned for more ten minute game ideas. February is our Media Fast Month so we'll be doing a lot more game playing for the next 24 days.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Our Joyful and Jovial January

January

Cold, Snowy, White

New Year, Post Christmas Relief, Daughter's Birthday

Cocoa, Popcorn, Movies

January

This was our month - at least what got recorded via iPhone... 

January Randomness:

Wedding Dress Shopping!

Hangin' with Tank

The Body Project

Early Morning Winter Temple Day

Cupcakes for a School Celebration. Love Coconut on Buttercream Frosting!!

My Soon-to-Be Missionary Son brought this home for me!

Her first Date - Girl's Choice Dance!

Lunch with AMAZING friends! ~ Dear Lizzie

Daughter's New Digs :) :( :) :(

Birthday:

The 9th Birthday Celebration consisted of the school preparations and party the day before her birthday, the birthday breakfast, and family party.

One of our favorite treats - Coconut Chex Mix (See Recipe, Below)

Put it in plastic cups - it looks like more and is less messy to eat from.

 

My helper

Valentine decorations work with a  late January birthday, right?

Ready for school!

The Birthday Girl with her Spoils!

Best Friends!!

 

Ahhhhh, Friends!

Birthday Breakfast (Note other children passed out in background)

Birthday Present: SNOW!!

Love this Girl!

So sweet with Sibs!

Grandma's serving (cutting circles for wedding prep)

Sad Sis

Cool Dad

Make a Wish!

One year older and wiser, too!

I love this sweet, thoughtful, loving, funny, witty, joyful, caring, and darling daughter! Thanks for being my cooking buddy and for constantly doing things to make people happy. You have a beautiful heart!



Coconut Chex Mix

3 cups Corn Chex
3 cups Rice Chex
1/2 cup nuts (cashews, peanuts and/or almonds)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
M&M's - if desired

Combine Chex, nuts, and coconut in a large bowl. Set aside. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the corn syrup, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off heat, and pour over the Chex mix and stir until evenly coated. Spread out onto cookie sheet and let set for a few minutes. Enjoy! Store leftovers in baggies in a cool, dry place.

NOTE: We make 2-3 batches of this at a time so the cookie sheet thing doesn't work for us. Just line the TABLE with wax paper, then pour, cool, and EAT.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!