A House of Learning

My home is my favorite place on earth. 

It's my comfort zone, my safety net, and it's filled with the people I love.

I love to fluff and decorate my home (which is obvious if you're a regular reader on this blog).
But I've been thinking and pondering on the true purpose of a home lately.

...most of these things I've always known.
But for some reason, I think I've needed to be reminded of them again.

Here's some of my recent thoughts:

The true purpose of a home is so much more than curb appeal, pretty decor, or square footage.
The true purpose of a home is to learn and mold ourselves and our families in to who God wants us to be.

A home is a house of learning.

In our house of learning...

The toilets may not be perfectly clean, because we are still teaching our eight year old how to clean them and it takes practice to get it right.

In our house you may occasionally hear someone yelling because we are still learning to be more patient with each other.

In our house, we lose our keys, our wallets, and sometimes our most favorite toys.  So we learn to pray for help from a loving Heavenly Father who always listens.  And then when we find our lost keys or wallet or our favorite toy, we re-learn again and again how much God loves us and desires to bless us in even the smallest of ways ...through the simplest of prayers. 

In our house we learn to forgive each other every day because we often make mistakes or say or do things that we shouldn't.

In our house the stairs aren't always swept to perfection because sweeping is a skill that some of our kiddos are still trying to get the hang of.

In our house we are learning to criticize less and praise more.

In our house we are teaching our children to try to exemplify the Savior.  At all times.  In all places.  And in all things.  ...Even though we, as the parents of this household, still fall short of this very thing many times ourselves.  But we're trying.

In our house we weed and mow and plant stuff in the backyard to learn how to work together as a team.

In our house, we play catch and croquet on the back lawn.  We practice good sportsmanship - how to be a good loser and a good winner.

In our house we laugh and play and spend time together too and we learn to enjoy each others' company.

At first glance, our home may look older and imperfect.

We don't exemplify the "perfect" family in all that we do.

But that's okay.

Because we're learning.

And that's why family's and homes were created. 

Display Quotes That Inspire

I love inspiring quotes.  Quotes that make you want to be a better person.  Quotes that make you think.  Especially easy short ones that are easy to memorize so that they easily stick in your mind.  I have two large chalkboards in the main living areas of our home.  One is on the pantry door in our kitchen, and the other one is made out of a large board that leans into a corner in our dining room.  Over the last six months or so, I've been writing down inspirational quotes on these boards.  Some of the quotes we have worked as a family to memorize.  And some we don't repeat together at all.  They are just there to be read on their own.  I want the things on the walls in my home to matter, to make a difference in our family's life, to inspire.  I have always hoped that by writing down meaningful words for my family to see, that hopefully someday these words would sink in to their minds and they would be of use to them.  

Last week, as I was tucking my oldest (now ten year old!) into bed, we were talking about something (I can't remember what now), and I told her, "Just try..."  As soon as I said the word try, the words that I have written on the chalkboard in the picture above, came into her mind and she said, " ...a little harder to be a little better!"  And I said, "Hey!  You've been reading that quote I have on the board in the dining room!"  I was so happy and pleased that those words were now in her mind and that she was putting them into practice as we were talking about something that she needed to try harder to be.  Someday I hope to have a whole gallery wall, maybe in our basement family room, full of quotes that inspire our family to be better, to be Christ-like, to be the best kind of people we can be.  

I love adding to my collection of quotes on my "Quotes" pinterest board.  (Found here.)  If I ever get that gallery wall full of inspiring quotes made, I'll be sure to share it here.

Do you have any quotes that inspire you or your family?  If you do, please share!

Uh Oh and Good Job

 

I am blessed with some really great kids.

I think, for the most part, they just came that way.  

But at times, they can use a little extra training.

A couple of weeks ago I found the idea of THIS "uh-oh" jar on pinterest posted by Hilary at Happiness Is...

Basically, if a rule is broken, or someone is whining too much, they get an "uh-oh", which is an extra chore to do.

I didn't have any extra cute jars laying around my house, but I did have some extra pails that I got from Target's dollar section last year.  

So I paired the pails with  some alphabet vinyl I bought at Target last week (found by the poster boards in the stationary dept.), and put my own "Uh-Oh" system into place.

Now when one of my children disobeys, I have to ask them to do something more than once, or they treat someone unkindly, etc., they pick a slip of paper out of the Uh-oh pail.

Some of these chores include:

Vacuuming the living room.

Wiping down baseboards.

Wiping down cabinets in the kitchen.

Dusting a room in the house.

Pulling a bag of weeds from the backyard.

Cleaning a toilet.

Cleaning mirrors.

Etc.

The system is working great so far!  It's gotten to the point where all I have to say is, "Do you need an 'Uh-Oh'?"  And nine times out of ten they start doing what they are supposed to.

Along with the "Uh-Oh" pail, we also have a "Good Job" pail because I think it's very important to recognize good behavior too.  If I catch one of my children doing something kind for someone in our family or being extra thoughtful to try and help me out around the house, we let them pick a slip of paper from the "Good Job" pail.

Some of the things in here include:

A Quarter (they are all working hard to save for a special toy right now).

A piece of gum/candy.

A small little toy (i.e. a bouncy ball).

They get to stay up at night 15 minutes later than the other kids.

They get their back tickled for 10 minutes.

Etc.

So far this system for good and bad behavior is working fantastic!  

We've had a lot less melt downs and disobedience.

All three of my children are constantly looking for ways to serve each other and are trying to be a little kinder. 

AND, it's been such an easy thing for my husband and I to implement here in our home.

I'm SO grateful to have found this little idea.  I (((big heart))) pinterest for all the mounds of inspiration I find on there.

First Day

I walked two anxious and excited kiddos to school today.

Oh man, those grade levels pass so quickly.  It feels like just yesterday I was sending my middle man to kindergarten!

 This one is sooo excited to have me all to herself.

We've decided to do preschool from home this year.

There's plenty of ideas on pinterest these days, so why not?

We had our first lessons today and it went great!!!

I can hardly wait to listen to all the first day chatter when my bigger kids get home from 

school this afternoon!

Of course that chatter will be much more fun over chocolate chip cookies and milk.

I made these cookies today using Danyelle's recipe HERE.

They are divine.

Seriously.  Try them.

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Do Something For You

I love my job as a mother. 

I love that being a mother stretches me and my abilities to serve others. 

Particularly my family. 

I wouldn't be as patient as I am today if it wasn't for my family. 

I wouldn't be as selfless today if it wasn't for my family. 

I wouldn't be as good of a listener as I am today if it wasn't for my family. 

I wouldn't be as compassionate as I am today if it wasn't for my family. 

I wouldn't be as forgiving as I am today if it wasn't for my family. 

I wouldn't be many things that I am today if it wasn't for my family. 

While I am not by any means perfect in any of these areas, I am better in all of these areas today because of my family. 

That being said...

Sometimes I need to do something just for me to rejuvenate my soul so that I feel refreshed.

Ready to conquer whatever life as a busy mom may throw at me.

And be able to do it with a smile still on my face. {wink, wink}

Soooo....

Last week I met up in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania with my lovely sister in-laws/mother in-law for some all girl fun + girl-talk.

We did all the things girls typically do when they get together.

We went and saw a movie, we went out to eat, we went shopping, and most nights we stayed up way too late talking.

But we also got together for a purpose.  That purpose was to discuss, amongst our little group, and with a group of other ladies, how beautiful we are as women.

We discussed how we believe that we are all daughters of God.  And that that in and of itself makes each of us beautiful and special.

We discussed how we all are born looking different and that we should love our appearance no matter what it may look like. But that we should also strive to take care of our bodies the best we can too.

None of us are the same and that's also what makes us beautiful.
We also discussed that keeping ourselves balanced physically, spiritually, and emotionally, helps us feel more beautiful and helps us live a more beautiful life.

I think when you know who you are and you know what a truly beautiful woman you are, you are able to live a more happy life.

You. Are. Happy.

And as many have said before, when mama is happy, everyone is happy.

And even if you're not a mother, if you are happy, people all around you are happy.

{You have a great effect on those around you.}

So taking care of ourselves is important for our families and those around us.

If painting your nails, dying your hair, or getting a facial makes you feel pretty and good about yourself, you should do it.

I really think feeling good about yourself helps you be a better mom, wife, woman, etc.

Also, making some time each week to do something you love rejuvenates your spirit and makes you happier and in turn more beautiful.

It could be exercising, reading a good book, going out for ice cream with some girl friends, sewing, crafting, gardening, or even blogging.  Whatever it may be, do something.  It will make you happy and in turn will make your family and those around you more happy.

After all our "talks" last week on finding beauty in ourselves, we each took turns having our picture taken on my sister in-laws gorgeous property in PA.  I felt kind of dorky posing for a picture by myself. 

But in the end, it was really fun.

And now that I'm home and I've just gotten back from a wonderful, rejuvenating week with "the girls"

I feel like I can say,

I am beautiful.

And I am happy.

And...

when I feel good about myself,

I'm a better mother to my children,

a better wife to my husband,

a better sister and a better friend.

So don't ever hesitate

to take care of yourself and

to do something that you love each week.

It will bless those around you.

{Some of the inspiration from our girls week came from here:  http://mybeautycampaign.com/}

It's Great to be Eight

My oldest daughter turned eight this past weekend!

We had a special birthday party to celebrate this new year, with lots of food, family, and friends.

The most special part of that day though, happened before the party, when her daddy baptized her.

It was amazing.  Full of lots of "happy" tears.

{We had to explain to my little three year old what "happy" tears were. 

She kept asking why people were sad. LOL!!!}

Now, this week I'm off and running with plans for my son's birthday party.

He asked for a jungle theme because, these days, he's crazy in love with animals.

Hopefully I'll be able to share some of my fun frugal jungle themed party ideas with you later on this week.

..........................................

On a completely different note, my feet are totally ready for some spring gardening.

{New polka dot rain boots make for some easy clean up when the day's outside jobs are done :-)}

Happy Spring!

Let the Good Times Roll...

Life never stops moving, that's for sure. 

Just when I start to think I can relax, something happens. 

 Something that causes me to grow. 

It may be something that stretches my faith, my talents, my ability to juggle multiple responsibilities or sometimes all of the above!!! HA!

But despite any uncomfortable growing pains that occur when life gets hectic for me or for those I see around me, there is always something good that can be found in each situation...even if the only good thing to come out of it is that we learned something new!

This is a super exciting week for my family.

My daughter Meegan turns eight this Saturday and she is getting baptized in our church that same day!

{Find out more HERE.}

My to-do list in preparation for this big day, along with the regular day to day things I have to do can sometimes drive me a little crazy.  My brain feels like a big 'ol blender, aka I have blender brain, trying to juggle everything.

(the hard part).

But my daughter is getting baptized and that is sooo awesome!

(the good part...REALLY good part!)

My son and my husband also have birthdays in the next couple of weeks that need planning.  More blender brain for me. (the hard part)

My son and my husband are having birthdays!  We get to have parties!  We get to have fun and celebrate! (the good part!)

I have had multiple Dr.'s appointments lately. (the hard part)

My Dr.'s finally figured out what's wrong with me! (the good part!)

My husband has been struggling with his health a lot lately, has had to miss a couple of days of work, and has multiple Dr. appointments ahead of him, multiple tests are going to be run on him, and none of them are enjoyable. (hard part)

We have really good insurance to cover nearly every Dr. bill! (the good part!)

TWO of my sisters are having hard pregnancies that require bed rest (one is actually on bed rest in the hospital) and both sisters are going to have to have c-sections.  I know this is a difficult experience for each of them and their families. (the hard part)

Both of my sisters will soon welcome precious new born babes into their families. (the good part!)

We all have hard things we have to endure.

And I'm not sharing any of these things with you for any other reason except to show that every hard thing we go through has something good that can come from it.

Whether we endure trials or circumstances in this life time that are a little hard or astronomically hard, I'm sure if we look for it, we can find something good that can or will come from it.

Anyway...I know this is a little deeper than I tend to go on this blog.

But it's all stuff that's been on my mind a lot lately and I just had to put it out there.

So no matter what's happening in your lives, look for the good in all things, and let the good times roll!

~Robin

I am grateful for...

{source:  aedriel.bigcartel.com}

A couple of months ago, our family started a new tradition.

Each evening we prepare a homemade meal,

someone takes a turn setting the table,

we all sit down,

someone else says a prayer over the meal,

and then before we begin eating,

we go around the table and each take a turn naming two things we are grateful for that day.

I LOVE this new tradition.

Taking a moment each night to think about all the good things in our life 

helps us realize how truly blessed we are.

It helps us put our wants into perspective.

We have a lot of blessings.

I think we're happier when we realize what all of them are.

And...it's so fun to hear what the rest of the family is grateful for!

My heart melts when I hear things like

{...I'm grateful for my mom and dad.}

{...I'm grateful for my fork.}

{...I'm grateful for our dogs.}

{...I'm grateful for my wife.}

{...I'm grateful for my teacher.}

{...I'm grateful for our table.}

{...I'm grateful that Grandma and Grandpa could come visit.}

{...I'm grateful I got to go play at so-and-so's house.}

{...I'm grateful I didn't have to get a shot at the Dr.'s.}

{...I'm grateful that tonight is movie night.}

{...I'm grateful that our cars work well.}

{...I'm grateful for Jesus.}

So sweet.

I hope our family can keep this tradition going for a really long time.

I also hope that no matter what kind of day we've had, we can find something in it to be grateful for.

Dinner Time - Let's Talk!

So I didn't get around to sharing the rest of our family's Christmas traditions like I had wanted to.

This was one of the busiest December's our family has ever had...but that didn't keep us from still enjoying this most wonderful time of the year with our friends and family.

We still...

made gingerbread man cookies for Santa

+

got all dressed up, used our Christmas China and shared a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner with some close friends

+

our kiddos opened one present on Christmas Eve {pj's}

+

we watched the dvd Joy To The World as a family before we went to bed Christmas Eve night

+

Christmas morning, my husband, other officers in the area, and the Big Guy {a.k.a. Santa} were able to visit some children who unfortunately had to spend Christmas in the hospital.

And although I wasn't able to document through photographs all that happened this Christmas season, that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Our family created some great memories and we continued doing some of our most favorite holiday traditions.

.

.

.

On another note...

Who loves dinner time???

I do, I do!

Dinner time = food + family + time together

However, in our family, sometimes good conversation at the dinner table is lacking.

In real life our dinner time conversation goes something like this:

We start talking a little bit about what went on in the day.

.

.

.

Then one of the kids will complain about what we are eating {...if it's not pizza}

.

.

.

then another kid will burp REALLY loud

and then my husband spends the rest of the meal lecturing all the kids on having good table manners and tells them that no one will ever want to take them on a date when they are older if they have bad manners like that.

Dinner time is a great place to teach/learn/practice good manners {thanks honey!}...

but it is also a great place to get to know each other better.

So recently, I got onto Microsoft Word and typed out some questions that we could take turns talking about while we eat.

I printed the questions onto card stock, cut them out, and placed them in a bowl.

This bowl will be brought out every night when we sit down to eat dinner together, one question will be drawn and we will take turns answering it.

I'm looking forward to some fun conversations...

If you would like some free dinnertime conversation printables of your own, click on the links below.

Thanks Lindsay!

{p..s. - There are 18 questions in all.}

Just click...

{Here}

+

{Here}

+

{Here}

Linked to: Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Chic Cottage

Christmas Tradition # 1

During the month of December, I'm going to share with you some of our family's favorite Christmas traditions...

the things we do that really make

this time of year special for us.

Our very first Christmas tradition every year is to go out and buy a real Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.

My husband and I started this tradition the first Christmas that we were married.

I'm not a morning person, but during the month of December I sort of become one because I LOVE waking up to the smell of our Christmas Tree.

It smells so fresh + happy!

Feel free to share any of your family's Christmas traditions in the comments section.

During this month, I'd love to hear what you do to make this time of year really special for you and your loved ones!

The First Snow

...of the season fell last night while we were sleeping.

My to do list for today:

Costco

Bank

Take kids to the park

Laundry

Vacuum inside of mom mobile

workout at the gym

My kiddos are out of school for the whole week due to parent/teacher conferences and Thanksgiving Break so...

I think the weather is trying to tell us to slow down a bit.

New to do list for today:

Play in the snow

Drink lots of hot chocolate

Bake Bread

Watch movies

Fold Laundry

Play memory

.

.

.

with the kiddos.

{What's the weather in your neck of the woods trying to tell you???}

Halloween Weekend

I had a crazy, busy, wonderful Halloween weekend with my little family.

We went trunk or treating at our church,

had a close friend take our family pictures {and she charged us practically nothing just cause she's that kind of friend},

my husband and I squeezed in a simple date night at Home Depot,

we went to church on Sunday

had an "orange" dinner at a friends house,

and finally ended Sunday night by finally getting around to carving some pumpkins.

{There's no way our kids were going to let us get away with not doing that before the month of October officially ended!!!}

I roasted pumpkin seeds that night too.

So yummy!

I didn't measure out the ingredients exactly, but after thoroughly rinsing the seeds, I coated them in olive oil and garlic salt and baked them at 275 degrees for 1 hour.

I dyed my hair this weekend too!!!

I did it the night before our family pictures.

Stupid.

I was kind of freaking out right after because I thought it turned out WAY too dark.

But if you ask my husband, I was TOTALLY freaking out.

I shampooed my hair three times that night to try and get it to fade a bit.

It helped a little and I'm slowly getting used to it.

Anyway, hope everyone had a good safe weekend!

Stop by later this week to enter a fun little giveaway!

You won't want to miss it!

~Robin

Fall wreath

Making a wreath from scratch is something that has always been soooo intimidating to me.

{I know that's such a silly fear to have.}

Last night I decided to conquer this tiny little wreath making fear of mine.

And guess what?

It wasn't so bad!

I started with a twiggy round wreath and two packages of fall leaves.

{The leaves were gifted to me by a very lovely neighbor of mine who knows I like to create things.}

I put a small dab of hot glue on each leaf and just kept layering them.

It was crazy easy!  Nothing to be afraid of.

So if you have homemade wreath fear like I did, conquer your fear and just make one!

You'll be surprised what you're really capable of!!!

On another note, I had a fabulous weekend this last week.

My husband and I dropped our three kiddos off at my parents house for most of the weekend and took off for our FIRST ever overnight weekend without the kids.

Our FIRST!

I have a degree in marriage and family and I so know better than this!

We should have taken one of these trips a loooong time ago.

In fact, we should have taken at least eight of them by now.

{Cause we've been married almost nine years!  It has been suggested that married couples should have at least one overnight trip without any kids at least once a year to keep the relationship strong.}

We had such a fun time!

I'm so glad I am married to my best friend.