Tips for camping with little ones(ie... those that can really make it difficult(;

Let's be honest, kids can make life wonderful, exciting, absolutely more fulfilling, but also...tricky.  Even in normal life they add wipes, diapers, pumps, strollers, car seats... This list is not exhaustive, but I am exhausted thinking about all the other contraptions that come along with these precious bundles.  So let's talk camping; It's messy, and away from modern conveniences so here are few jewels I have gathered on now my 9th year camping with littles.
1.  Let a little dirt happen.  If you are really going camping it's a dirt campsite, where there's a firepit.  Add to that sticky hands from s'mores and forget it.  Dirty is ok!  All will be set right at the end of the trip!  Reference below picture for the dirt ring around his face, and this is at a N'tl monument!  

2.  Find a campsite with showers and laundry!!!  This way you can pack light and at least you'll feel clean at the end of the day!  Also while you do laundry it's an excuse to leave said dirt campsite and read indoors for a bit(;

3.  Do short hikes, or if you choose to ignore that advice, take lots of snack/water breaks on those long hikes.  It just goes better!

4.  Baby wipes, nothing more to say, they are magical!

5.  Menu plan; it saves $  and restaurants are definitely not my favorite environment with kids.  We packed ahead on any dry goods we knew we needed; coffee, oatmeal, bread, pb, and then shopped as we went as well.  Campfires are fun and hot dogs and marshmallows for 1 week out of the year won't hurt anyone.  At least that's what I keep telling myself.   We did instant oatmeal in the mornings + lots of coffee for us, pb&j's and bananas for lunch and rice and beans for dinner.  Not every night, but those are staples.  This made the trip more affordable and not too complicated. Oh, and going to new ice cream shops often is a must!

6.  Research the area and have a plan of where you are going and staying.  This clears up the conversation of, 'Well I thought we were...'  Be on the same page.

7.  Audio books in the car that the entire family will enjoy.  We did 'The Jungle Book' and 'Treasure Island.'

7.   Enjoy everyone!  Cause someday they will be vacationing with someone else and you'll be clean with all the time in the world and you'll miss these days of sticky hands and pb&j's!

Back in the Saddle

How do I blog, where do I start?  That's kind of how I'm feeling about everything right now...We just came back from an amazing vacation, but God is also teaching me a lot right now. I'm in process as the saying goes and excited about the end result.  The process is slightly painful and necessary.  Andy's schedule this summer was more wearing than realized and I ended up resentful in spite of my best efforts to be the supportive, Christian wifey  that is expected.  We all know how the saying goes, 'If mama ain't happy...'  So being alone as a family, in the mountains for 2 weeks was just what the Dr. ordered.  Honestly I didn't have an oz. of desire to come back.  I said things like, 'We could live in the pop-up, all we need is love.'  Andy broke in with reality and now we are 'in process.'  Here are some thoughts/questions that I am sorting thru;

1.  How much is too much hospitality?  

2.  Always speak the truth, but do it in LOVE!!!

3.  A glad heart makes a happy face!

4.  A gentle answer deflects anger.  Approach, approach, approach!

5.  Boundaries are a beautiful thing and when our family(the 6 under this roof) is in a healthy place, everything flows from that!

6.  1 Corinthians 13~  No one else will fight for your family/marriage you have to be deliberate in all things.  I choose to be loyal, loving and kind...repeat....repeat...repeat(=

7.  Create in me a clean heart...  Not create in them a clean heart.  Change starts with me!

I promise the other posts from me this week will be light, but today I turn over a new calendar year and want to be an effective daughter of my Savior.  Oh yeah, and fall is here!!!!

The Kids of ScrappyLove

Anyone else have a hard time getting a good kids group shot?? These just make me laugh.

Fabric Scraps #2- Alphabet Letters

I made these way back when with the help of my in-laws and husband! This is a GREAT way to use up fabric scraps. They are pretty self explanatory I think. Cut out letters, stack a letter, then batting, then a letter, stitch, and then trim! It takes some time, but if you can get help it is a project we finished in 1 evening.

I finally pulled them out for my kids to play with! We have been working on learning the alphabet for a while now. Hopefully this helps!

Life Happens Part 1

It's not always pretty or crafty.  Sometimes it's sleeping in gas stations, saying goodbye to a car, and saying hello to a new blessing.   We were headed north when the check engine light came on and we started losing power fast.  We pulled over, attempted to start it again several times and the dreaded nothing happened.  All that to say we ended up sleeping at a gas station(in our van because our pop-up broke as well), and saying goodbye to an old friend.

R.I.P.

 The next morning one of our co-workers called asking us if we would want to borrow their motor home that had broken down a half hour away...  It had been fixed and we just needed to get to it! My Good Friend's extended family lives in that town and a cousin came and rescued us.  We were back on the road the next day and headed to this event.

Andy ended up missing the finals by one point.  I was so thankful that he was able to be a part of his favorite hobby in spite of everything that happened.

Notice the puffy eyes; between the stress and gas station sleep with four kids  there was a little wear and tear.

Love how unaffected babies are!

Wait til you see the vehicle we have now and hear the story behind it.  God is never surprised by events.  

Our homeschooling schedule

It was in the 90's a week ago and the 60's this week... Welcome to the Midwest!  I immediately went crazy planning school, making a fall house project list, and baked some muffins.  So this week I'll share with you what some of those things look like around here!  

Ever wonder what a 4th grade homeschooling schedule looks like?  Well look no further(=  Here's how we roll in our house.  Lily does Sonlight Curriculum (which I LOVE).  We throw in A beka Spelling, Singapore Math, kid's choir at church and Awana for Bible memorization.  She will be playing volleyball, skiing with dad and soccer for sports this year at a local, Christian school.  Believe it or not we are starting school today due to some long trips we have planned.  Love the flexibility homeschool offers!  Claire is in 1st and I don't print out schedules until 3rd when I feel they like a bit more ownership.  Claire will be doing Bob Jones curriculum 100%.  If you have questions on how we do             .  I would love to talk with you! Claire and River join in many things Lily is learning simply by default.  It's a beautiful thing!  

Subject	Day One	Day Two	Day Three	Day Four
Devos	John 1:1-18	John 1: 19-42	John 1:43-51	John 2:1-11
Awanas	15 min on memory 3x a week	15 min on memory 3x a week	15 min on memory 3x a week	15 min on memory 3x a week
Spelling / Vocab/poetry	practice test from the  A beka spelling/ poetry book list 1	study	study	Test
Geography	South America pgs 1-3 Wee Sing America, lear the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ this week!	4&7	5-6	8&9
Reader	By the Great Horn Spoon! Ch. 1	By the Great Horn Spoon!  Ch. ch 2-3	By the Great Horn Spoon!  ch 4-5	By the Great Horn Spoon! ch 6-pg 76
Read-Aloud	Moccasin Trail Ch.  1	Moccasin Trail  ch 2	Moccasin Trail  ch 3	Moccasin Trail  ch 4
Poetry	Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children’s Poems pg 8	Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children’s Poems  pg 9	Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children’s Poems	Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children’s Poems
Language Arts	Activity sheets wk one...

 

Writing	By the Great Horn Spoon’ pg 3  Dictation	discuss and write a  couple sentences in Personification	Short story  from the perspective  of the gold nugget	Short story  from the perspective  of the gold nugget cont'd
Science	Diary of an Early American Boy Author’s note, ch 1-2	pp 12-19	19-24
Math	Textbook pgs 6-8 wkbk exercise 1	Textbook pgs 9 wkbk excercise 2	Textbook pgs10-11 wkbk excercise 3,4	Textbook pgs 12-14 wkbk excercise 5

And don't worry, summer is still very much alive here.  We are just going to squeeze school in early mornings and quiet afternoons.

Tips for Flying with Twins (toddler age)

There is a lot out there for tips on flying with toddlers but not as much for flying with twins, so I thought I would share on here some tips I came up with after I flew (by myself) for the first time with my almost 2 year old twins. I also asked around to my friends that have flown with little children for advice before I left so some of these tips are a thanks to them!!

These tips would apply to those who might be flying with a toddler and a baby and some for even just flying with 1 child.

1. Instead of bringing your large double stroller, use a small umbrella stroller and a baby carrier of some sort. We use an ergo because it can hold a toddler! The reason for this is it would be stressful to have to manage a large stroller (opening and closing to get through security check and at the end of the gate) especially while other people are waiting around you. If you have the small umbrella stroller you can open and close that easily and it is so light. You have to remember (if you are flying by yourself with your twins/toddlers, as in no other adult is with you) that you only have 2 hands which will probably be occupied with your twins and keeping them from running off.

2. Snacks!!! Having snacks around is a great way to distract your twins and to keep them occupied. It's better to be prepared and have them on hand then to have to buy them when you get there. You DON'T want to have to go into the convenience store area unless it's an emergency! Just think of ALL the things your kiddos could pull off the shelves in there! :)

3. Pack a few new toys/books. This is also a great way to occupy your kids attention. You can just pick up a few things at the Dollar store to throw in your carry on

4. Hide a few of their very favorite small toys and books the week leading up to your trip and then pull them out while you are on the plane or waiting in the airport. This one worked great for us. You know they like it already so you can pretty much count on it to help you out.

5. Ipad or no Ipad? A lot of tips I got was to bring that along (if you have it) and download games and podcasts to help keep their attention. I didn't like having it with me. I pulled it out on our first flight and never took it out again (3 more flights total). In my case ,with the age kids I have, it just caused them to fight over who held it, they couldn't hear it b/c of how loud the plane is, and they didn't get how to do the games yet (too young). I think with older kids it would be great and probably if you just had 1 toddler with you, but NOT with 2! :)

6. Don't over pack! That saying where less is more, really is true in most situations. I over packed my carry on with snacks, toys, sweatshirts, blankets, ipad, extra diapers/wipes, etc. on the way to my parents house and didn't even want to get into my bag b/c it was packed so full I had to take so much stuff out just to get to the thing I wanted. For my flights home, I put half the stuff I had in my checked bag and it made all the difference. I do think it's a good idea to have their sippy cup and also if they have a blankie or stuffed animal that helps to calm them down.

7. Don't be cheap and check your bag. This just helps since you don't have an extra pair of hands.

8. Accept help if someone offers or just ask for help (obviously, use your discretion) Most people really do want to help if they can when they see you have your hands full. I asked a lady to buckle my strap on my ergo b/c I couldn't get to it. She was more than happy to.

9. Flights with layovers, good or bad? I think it is good if the layover isn't too long. On my flight, I had a layover there and back. I liked having a break from the plane and having 2 short flights to entertain kids then 1 longer one. This is just my opinion. It is a little tricky getting them off and on the planes, but I personally liked it.

10. Learn from your experience. I thought flying with my twins had really stressful moments (once almost in tears), but overall it was great! I'll take it over a 13 hr car drive to visit family! I learned what to change and what to keep the same. Try to relax and go with the flow as much as possible. Kids can be hard to travel with but it can be fun if you are prepared!

When older people stop you and say, 'it goes so fast,'

believe them!

Feeling blessed!  Thankful that on July 23rd, 9 years ago Andy and I started our greatest adventure!  

*photos courtesy of the great Cindi Schubert

Link fun!

My camera is on the fritz, and we are trying to figure out what's going on there... So I thought it would be fun to share links of things we enjoy around here.  If Martha intimidates you (the eyes, the shoulders, the monotone voice) look no further!  I love Katie Brown!   She makes things fun simply!  How about a fun math computer game for elementary kids?  This is our favorite around here!  I can get overwhelmed with big questions about life and God.  When that happens  I head here.  Summer has been so fun this year!  3 out of 4 kids are biking, swimming and potty trained-life is good! 

River enjoying some Firework ice cream from Stewart's up in NY.

That face and that sky!

Water Tables

If you don't have one and you have kids, you should get one for the summer. It provides hours of endless fun!

 

  And then, if you let your son control the water hose (almost always a bad idea), then he can spray his sister and then there is even more fun! (for him, not for her)

  

Until he gets talked to about not spraying other people or he will get sprayed himself to see how it feels (never fun)

 

Hope summer is going good for you all!

A simple touch

To me the tree house just needed something and I couldn't figure out what! We repainted it the blue color after I tried to mimic a picture I saw in a magazine, but it still wasn't doing it for me. We had replaced the stairs and railings to make it sturdier/safer for the kids and then there was the wood for the coop. It seemed to me like there was too much going on with old/new/painted/unpainted wood.

Then I got the idea to add a banner, and it seemed to fix all my problems! I kinda really love it now!

I would still take any suggestions on painting though if you have any. Like should I paint the new wood white? change the tree house color? change the trim color? paint the coop the same color as the tree house or a different one?????

2, 2 Year Olds

My babies turned 2 this past weekend! I'll admit, I had a moment of panic when I feared how this year would go down trying to parent 2, 2 year olds as my usually very compliant and content little girl started throwing fits. But then I was reminded to not fear (Philippians 4:6) but to pray!  Thankful for scripture to speak to the heart.

So onto their birthday party. My brother and sister in law came into town so I decided to keep it low key and just get to spend quality time with them and a few close friends. My goal was to have good food, good fellowship, and balloons (since my kids go crazy over balloons).

Menu
Appetizers- guacamole and spring rolls with peanut sauce
Grilled romaine hearts with herb dressing
Yummy bread (from my brothers restaurant)
Grilled pork chops with peach salsa
Dessert- Key Lime Pie

The day went exactly as I had hoped. It was so fun celebrating the twins and getting to see them interact with family and friends. I loved celebrating their lives and bringing us back to the time they were born. I'll admit, I got a little emotional if I thought about it too much. I pretty much love being their mom and getting to be with them everyday. Don't get me wrong, many many many times during the days are very hard, but overall it is a blessing that God has given us these two to help grow and point them to Him. I can't wait for the rest of their lives!

Let's go down memory lane!

34 Weeks and about to give birth

Meeting Mae for the first time

Little Luke in the hallway

Everyone is tired

Sleeping buddies

Fall time in VA

Don't look so surprised!

Hanging out at the River

Learning to walk

Playing with Dad 

In my opinion, 2 really cute 2 year olds!

Readers are leaders

Do you have catch phrases you use in your house to inspire greatness?  This is one we use often.  Sometimes we just have to throw a party and it makes things so much more appealing.  So a friend and I joined forces to have a youth book club.  We have sugar, activities, and a little class like fancy drinks and such.  It's all very appealing(;  This month's read is ' The Lemonade War'.  I guess there's even some economics thrown in!  We are re-convening in mid-July to share thoughts and have a super-successful lemonade stand.  We are brainstorming charities that we could give some of the profits to as well.  So lots of learning, but lots of fun too!

Naturally some lemonade!

Pink lemonade cookies

Oatmeal chocolate chip muffins

Reading the first chapter to kick things off!