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Seeds Family Worship: The Music that Saved My Road Trip

Last month I embarked on a ten state road trip with my seven kids. Most of the trip I was the only adult in the car. 🙂 To say my children did well would be an understatement, they did awesome… except for the three hour span between Pensacola and Tallahassee, Florida. Cora decided at some point after Pensacola that she was finished with the road trip, the problem was our hotel was in Tallahassee. She proceeded to scream, and scream some more, and scream some more.

We tried everything, toys, dvd’s, funny faces, ignoring her, and nothing worked, until I slipped a Seed’s Family Worship CD into the car stereo. Within a few minutes she calmed down and fell asleep, until we reached Tallahassee. Now, as most moms know, if something is working – don’t change it! So we listened to this CD for about two hours. Now, at the end of the two hours we were all a little tired of the CD, but the cool thing about this music is that it is all Bible verses, set to music. The only words in each song are scripture, so while your kids sing along they are actually learning Bible verses.

By the time we reached Tallahassee I had learned several new verses and my kids did too. The nice thing about these CD’s that the music isn’t annoying. Adults do a lot of the singing, the music is upbeat, and the tunes are catchy. All of my children have ipods or radios in their rooms and I love that I can give them these CD’s and know that they are listening to good music with a great message.

I have always thought putting scripture to music was a great way to help your kids (and yourself) memorize Bible verses, and these CD’s are great for the whole family. I plan on incorporating them into our homeschool Bible lessons this year too.

You can listen to a few of the songs on their website.

The folks at Seeds Family Worship have given me a set of their CD’s to giveaway to one of my readers. This is such a great giveaway, I am really excited to be hosting it! To enter to win Seeds of Courage, Seeds of Faith, Seeds of Praise, and Seeds of Purpose leave a comment. Giveaway ends Monday, August 16th.

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BornFree Wants to Help You Celebrate!

Have you seen the new BornFree Twist and Pop Straw cup? Not only are these cups cute, they are spill proof and like everything BornFree makes they are BPA free.

Jill had a great idea to use these sippy cups as party favors for her son’s second birthday. You can check out her cute table set up using the cups on her website.

Since the Twist and Pop cups are a new product you might not be able to find them in your local store, but they are available on the BornFree website. I am really excited to try these with Cora, as she has had so many feeding issues. She prefers a straw to a sippy, but our current cups make a huge mess!

These cups would make a great birthday gift for the one year old in your family! BornFree wants to help you celebrate by giving away 5 Twist N’Pop Cups and 5 Trainer Cups to one of my readers. WOO HOO! I know how much you all love BornFree so I am excited to host this giveaway.

To be entered to win these 10 cups from BornFree leave me a comment. Giveaway ends Wednesday August 4, 2010.

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On the Road Again….

After traveling almost 7,000 miles we are headed home. We had a great month spending time with family and friends. My kids even had the pleasure of meeting some online friends turned “real life” friends when we spent time in Texas hanging out with my good friend Joy and her kiddos.

I also met someone who’s blog was one of the first sites I ever read. I’ll tell you more about that experience next week.

We are tired, but happy and look forward to getting back into our routine. My six year old told me that she didn’t remember what her room looked like, and for a moment I couldn’t remember either. We made many wonderful memories, but it’s time to go home.

Until next week….

The kids from The Happy Housewife, Five J’s and Mom’s Toolbox

by admin -

A Worthwhile Investment?

It is rare that I have an hour alone (with my eyes open) let alone four. But a recent airline flight afforded me the opportunity to have four hours alone; no phone, internet, or television, just me. (Well just me and my iPod, I don’t do silence)

It got me thinking about time and how it is a commodity just like money. Often we focus on the things in our life we can touch – money, food, cars, stuff. We think a lot about how to better manage our money, how to eat better, how to get better gas mileage, or how to organize the school books.

I think we don’t spend a lot of time considering how we invest our time. I know for me, many times I wake up and there is already a crisis in my house. Someone has wet the bed, thrown up, or dropped a gallon of milk on the kitchen floor. Sometimes it feels like you put on your armor and jump into battle every morning.

As I sat on the flight, alone, I realized I want to be more intentional with my time. What is most important to me? For me it is:

  • Faith
  • Husband
  • Kids
  • Family
  • Homeschool
  • Friends
  • Church

Do my days reflect my priorities? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I have found that if  my priorities get mixed up my days don’t go very well. Whenever I try to put something first that shouldn’t be the day falls apart.

Twenty years from now what time investments will have big returns? My portfolio needs an adjustment, how about yours?

by admin -

Traveling with Children

surviving a road trip with kids

Most of our family vacations involve driving south on I-95 to visit family in Florida. My children have spent many, many hours in the car going to Grandma’s house. Early Monday morning we head out to visit family in Texas. We haven’t made the Florida to Texas drive in many years, but I do remember that I-10 is long…..While not every trip has been a breeze, there are some things we do to help make those hours on the road a bit easier.

Plan Trips Around Your Best Driving Times

Are you a morning person or a night owl? Don’t try and start your trip at 4 am if you usually don’t wake until 9 am. And don’t plan on driving all night if you normally go to bed at 8pm. While we try to plan trips around our children’s schedule, the most important person is the driver.

Make a List/ Check it Twice

A few days before our trip I usually create a list of all the things we need to pack and all the things we need to load in the car. As we are loading the car I check the items off the list. The times I don’t make a list I always forget something.

Plan the Seating Arrangements Before You Get on the Road

If you have two children who don’t get along inside the house, chances are they will not get along during a 12 hour road trip. If you have a choice, seat children with a buddy. In our house that almost always means older kids sit with a younger one.

Pack Goodie Bags for the Kids

Hit the Dollar Store before your trip and make goodie bags for each of your children. We bring things like stickers, notebooks, pencils, books, small toys and treats. Target sells travel versions of classic games, so if your children are older this might be a fun option too.

Bring Chargers and Extra Batteries

iPods, Gameboys, Leapsters, and other electronic toys are much more effective if they work! Pack spare batteries and make sure you have all the chargers in the car before you leave.

Make Music and Movies a Family Decision

We have a portable DVD player we bring on long trips. Each child helps select the movies. During the trip they take turns picking the movies to watch. This reduces arguments and keeps everyone happy on the road.

Use Coupons and Stock Up on all Those Prepackaged Items You Normally Wouldn’t Buy

Snack packs and juice boxes are great for the road. My kids think they are getting a treat and it is less expensive than buying them a Happy Meal on the road.

Make the Most of Your Stops

For many years we would stop at restaurants for lunch and then wonder why our children suddenly couldn’t behave at a restaurant. After sitting in the car for several hours the last thing my children wanted to do was sit still at a restaurant!

We now bring almost all our food with us in the car and stop at rest areas along the way. I pack a frisbee or soccer ball and they run around for 30 or 40 minutes while mom and dad eat lunch at the picnic tables. Once they are tired and worn out we put them back in the car and they eat their lunch on the road.

Invest in Some Travel Luxuries

Two things I never travel without are the electric cooler and power inverter. While there was an initial investment it has made our road trips so much easier. My electric cooler has its own inverter so we can take it from car to hotel room on the extra long trips.

Don’t Forget the Classics

Remember the days before iPods, portable DVD players, and hand held video games? Audio books are a great way to pass the time and are something the whole family can enjoy. My kids love the Jonathan Park series and the Jim Weiss Audio Books. These CDs are interesting enough to keep mom and dad’s attention too. There are also the classic road trip games such as License-Plate Bingo, I Spy, or The Alphabet Game.

Enjoy the Road

For most families the road trip is a means to an end. It isn’t about enjoying your time in the car, it is about getting to your destination as fast as possible! If you can, enjoy your journey. Point out landmarks, stop along the way. Have a conversation with your kids. Sing songs, tell jokes, and remember to laugh. Some our best road trip memories were made because we took the extra time to stop and enjoy the road.

A Few Travel Resources

How to Prepare for Your Next Vacation: A day by day guide to help you get ready for your next trip.

Car Travel Activities for Kids: You can never have too many ideas for activities in the car. If you don’t use them on this trip, save them for next year.

by admin -

Bible in 90 Days Giveaway

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, there is another Bible in 90 Days group starting July 5, 2010. This program is hosted by my sister-in-law, Amy who blogs at Mom’s Toolbox. If you want to participate in the summer group, sign up on her website.

There are two ways you can read through the Bible in 90 Days. You can follow the reading plan using your own bible, or you can purchase the Bible in 90 Days bible. I prefer the 90 Days bible because it is easier to read and has large print. 🙂

The folks at The Bible in 90 Days have given me one 90 Day Bible to give to one of my readers who would like to participate in the summer reading group.

To enter to win the bible please leave a comment. Giveaway ends June 23, 2010.

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Cleaning Kid’s Dirty Fingernails

If your kids are like mine, they come in from playing outside and their hands are filthy! I don’t mind them getting dirty, but I do mind dirty hand prints on my walls and furniture. My kids do a pretty good job of washing their hands but they don’t do a great job of getting all the dirt out from under their fingernails.

I keep a cheap scrub brush next to the sink so the kids can scrub their little fingers when they come inside. This scrubber works great for adults too. When we had our garden I would use the scrubber to get all the dirt off my hands and fingernails as well. I think they cost less than a dollar and they last forever.

by admin -

Six Impossible Things and an Alice in Wonderland Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Mandy!

It has been many years since I read the book Alice in Wonderland, but I remember the story being full of talking animals, crazy queens, and a shrinking girl. As I child I loved the story of Alice and was curious to see Tim Burton’s take on the story.

The new movie Alice in Wonderland finds Alice, now 19, back in Wonderland. There is much debate by the characters in Wonderland if Alice is the real “Alice” and even Alice herself doesn’t seem to remember being there before. Once in Wonderland, Alice needs to rescue a myriad of characters from the Red Queen and keep herself from losing her own head.

My older children loved this movie as it was packed with action and adventure and is visually amazing. There are numerous scary scenes so I would not recommend it for young children unless you have previewed it first.

At one point Alice says, “Sometimes I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” I smiled when she said that line, as I tend to wake up believing each day will be a great day, even if that seems impossible!  I believe there will be no fighting between siblings,  no scraped knees or stubbed toes, everyone will remember to share, pick up their toys, and finish their school with a cheerful attitude. Some days we achieve the impossible, others we miss the mark, but I have faith for each day we are given.

Alice in Wonderland was released on DVD and Blu-ray June 1, 2010. Disney has given me an Alice In Wonderland Combo Pack, which includes the film on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Download to giveaway to one of my readers. To be entered to win leave a comment letting me know an impossible thing you believe before breakfast. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents and ends June 9, 2010.