Fun City -- Fun For Kids of All Ages

This winter has seemed to drag on for so long. The bitter cold has kept us inside more than usual and the kids REALLY needed to burn off some energy. We had some gift cards for FunCity in Burlington, IA. Great idea!!

FunCity has replaced their indoor waterpark with Ballocity. It provides so many opportunities for running, climbing, jumping, sliding and discovering -- and without any consequences. It was perfect for mid-winter doldrums. We all played and played until we were worn out. Matthew and Emily did the high-ropes course, and Megan did the low-ropes course. 

The kids loved the go-karts. I think they would have ridden all night. The girls are tall enough to drive their own go-karts (although they don't go very fast), and Eli rode with me and Matthew. We played arcade games and ate very unhealthy deep fat fried food and stayed up late. 

Unfortunately I didn't take many photos because -- well, it is really hard to climb through this toy with a camera hanging from your neck. So, few photos, but many memories!

Post-Valentine's Dinner

Love was in the air -- after Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day was filled with fun, laughter and lots of extra little ones. It couldn't have been farther from a quiet, intimate dinner at home. So, the next night we surprised Matthew with a candlelit dinner! 

The girls had a lot of fun putting the tablecloth and candles on the table. They wanted it to be perfect when Matthew came in from work.

We served water, sparkling grape juice, salad, lasagna, bread sticks and ice cream! Eli, who has a habit of eating and jumping down from the table quickly, sat until all the ice cream was finished!! Maybe we'll eat in the dark more often!

It was a lot of fun! Thanks to the girls for helping me scheme and plan to surprise Daddy!

A Valentine's Day FULL of Love!!

I try to make special memories with our family, as most parents do. I know the time is too short, and soon they will start flying out of the nest and I don't want to regret any missed opportunities. So, I tend to celebrate -- even in the smallest ways -- special days. 

We have celebrated National Ice Cream Day, and National Ice Cream Month, National Pizza Day, April Fool's Day, and Purim among many others. And, of course, I try to make calendar holidays special.

So, to start out this Valentine's Day, we had heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast. We had school. Then we decorated!

To make the day more exciting (definitely more exciting) and special, we planned a Valentine's party for friends. I thought it would be nice, since Valentine's Day fell on a Friday, to have a party, and allow parents a chance to go to dinner if they wanted to. 

We welcomed 13 friends over for dinner, games and crafts. We had baked spaghetti, corn, jello jigglers, a fruit platter and a heart-shaped rice krispie treat. We played Hot Potato, had a bean bag toss, and had a scavenger hunt (the favorite!!) We guessed how many m&ms were in a jar, stacked candy hearts, and even got out finger paints and made cards!!! Some of the children played hide-and-go-seek. Some got out Legos. And some watched a movie.

It was loud. It was active. It was fun.

A HUGE thank you goes out to Kathy, for coming over and being a HUGE help with the babies. And for Matthew, who is always a HUGE help and a good sport about being drug into my ideas!!! I love you both and can't thank you enough!

Playing Hot Potato.

Results from our "Guess How Many Valentine-Colored M&Ms Are In The Jar" contest. Way to go, Ellie! 

Eli's a Hoot!

Loving the chocolate owl his Sunday school teacher gave him. Thankfully, he shared with his sisters! That's a lot of chocolate!

Ag Mech Show

Our family had the joy of welcoming two wonderful little girls into our home overnight this past weekend. Paige and Ava were a great pleasure to have around. They were a blast and our girls and Eli had so much fun with them.

One thing we did with them was go to the Ag Mech Show on the WIU campus in Macomb. Initially, some of the kids wanted to stay home, but once we started walking around they realized how much fun they were having! There were a variety of booths, each with a basket or bowl of candy, which especially appealed to Emily's sweet tooth. The McDonough County Farm Bureau had a scavenger hunt for children, and we walked around searching for answers to ag-related trivia questions. Farm King brought live bunnies to advertise their upcoming bunny sale. One booth had a bulldog that the girls loved petting. There was one booth serving up cotton candy and one booth with a fresh popcorn bar. One booth was baking fresh chocolate chip cookies, and another handed out helium balloons.

We spent two hours mingling with people and completing the scavenger hunt. Meanwhile, Eli and Matthew spent most of that time climbing on farm equipment. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to cruise upstairs to the craft show or the toy show, and didn't have time to wait in line for face painting. But I think everyone had a blast! 

Thanks to the Blankenship girls for sharing this fun afternoon with us!

I Had a Date -- But Not With Matthew!!!

If I were to be completely honest, one of the biggest challenges for me in this parenting adventure is finding one-on-one time. It is important. Rarely can a conversation take place that isn't interrupted. There is a lot going on and at the end of the day, sometimes I feel like most of our conversations have been during our school day! I have been frustrated trying to remedy this little problem.

So, Matthew and I are going to start scheduling one-on-one time with the girls. It seems silly, but if we don't have a visual reminder, a month or two will go by unnoticed. This month the girls each received a coupon for a date with one of us. And they were THRILLED!

Emily got a date with me, and we had the best time! We didn't get home until 10 p.m., and her siblings were fast asleep. So -- bonus -- she got to stay up later than her brother and sister as well as go out for an evening of fun!

The next morning, Matthew and Megan took off for breakfast. So cute. Megan wanted to wear a dress to get doughnuts at the Amish bakery! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Matthew for bringing us extra doughnuts! What a treat!

I'd love to hear how your family keeps up with one-on-one time. Once the parents are outnumbered by the short people in the house it becomes a challenge. I'd love to hear how your family keeps up with one-on-one time.

The Count Is On

We are an Olympic-loving family. Winter, summer . . . doesn't make a difference to us. We watch most of the televised events (as our schedule allows) and soak up the thrill of competition. We love to hear our national anthem played at podium ceremonies. We follow the medal count and cheer on our American athletes.

I love that the world comes together to play fair and show the world what incredible work ethic and determination can do! I love that these are ordinary people (with great athletic gifts and unimaginable hours of training) that are working jobs or going to school just like us!

I love to hear the stories behind the athletes -- of the family members or trainers who have cheered them on for 15 years. Or of the sacrifice that was required to get them to this incredible point in their lives. I love to watch clips of past events and see how sports progress.

So, we have begun our medal count on the refrigerator. This is a very simple chart that we fill out each morning to start our school day -- not because we need to work on color matching or fine motor skills or skip-counting by 4's. We just like the simple visual to represent a lot of blood, sweat and tears by our amazing athletes.

What am I doing here? I could be in the other room watching speed skating. Outta here!

GO TEAM USA!!!!

Show Me the Money!!!

A few weeks ago, Emily (our 10-year-old) asked if she could start receiving an allowance. I was surprised because we have offered an allowance to her in the past and she has always declined it, saying that she didn't need anything, so she didn't have a need for a weekly allowance. 

For the most part, she has never been very materialistic. She takes care of what she has, and doesn't want for things she doesn't have. And, each summer, she drains her piggy bank to donate to the VBS mission. Then she starts collection random amounts of money for the next year. But, rarely does she break into her piggy bank to purchase something for herself.

I know this is a great time to teach money responsibility. Before we know it, she will have a job and a drivers license, and at that time she may be less open to hearing what ol' Mom and Dad have to teach!

So, we are considering the best way to tackle this new parenting concept. How much weekly allowance should she be given? Should it be dependent on completing weekly responsibilities? Should it just be freely given -- no strings attached?

Emily already has daily chores (with the exception of Sunday) that she faithfully completes. She is a great student, works hard without complaint. She practices piano without being asked. The place that doesn't quite meet my standards is keeping her room neat, but I am not sure my standards are realistic for the average 10-year-old.

Looking on the Dave Ramsey website for suggestions I found these video clips. I appreciate Dave Ramsey's expertise in the financial field so I found these clips helpful.

http://www.daveramsey.com/show/videos/should-kids-get-allowance-1 http://www.daveramsey.com/show/videos/should-kids-get-allowance-2

Dave suggests that children should be taught that there is a strong correlation between work and money. Instead of an "allowance," Dave suggests enacting a "commission" system. He does account for the viewpoint that chores should be done without compensation simply for being part of a family. I love his viewpoint on that topic.

It is unrealistic to assume that when a child becomes independent that a switch turns and they gain the desire to work for their money instead of getting money handed to them -- no strings attached. I love this quote contrasting two opposite work ethics that are present today: "How little can I do to get by in this life? What extra can I do to add value?"

Dave's daughter, Rachel Cruze, adds another great quote reinforcing that fine balance that we achieve to find. "Too many rules is legalistic, but too much grace is enabling." 

Great ideas to keep in mind. I am looking forward to sitting down with Matthew and working out our commission plans for our children. 

Girl Time

A few weekends ago the girls had a sleepover with a few friends. The highlight of the evening was making goop. I cannot believe how long they played with it on Friday night, and then got up and played with it again Saturday morning. Just goes to show that it doesn't take much to keep kids entertained!

And Ellie and Emily decided to trim C.C.'s nails. C.C. must have loved the attention!

And, by the time our overnight was over the next afternoon, it just didn't seem long enough. We are so thankful for the special friends in our lives. Even though our girls don't see each other daily at school, they are such special friends!

A Child's 10 Commandments to Parents, by Kevin Leman

Kevin Leman is one of my favorite authors. I love his down-to-earth approach to parenting, marriage and life! I love this short article that he wrote. Great reminders to let kids be kids!

A Child's 10 Commandments To Parents

1. My hands are small;please don't expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture or throw a ball. My legs are short; please slow down so that I can keep up with you. 

2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; Please let me explore safely: don't restrict me unnecessarily. 

3. Housework will always be there. I'm only little for such a short time, please take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world, and do so willingly. 

4. My feelings are tender; please be sensitive to my needs; don't nag me all day long. (You wouldn't want to be nagged for your inquisitiveness.) Treat me as as you would like to be treated. 

5. I am a special gift from God; please treasure me as God intended you to do, holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by and disciplining me in a loving manner. 

6. I need your encouragement but not your praise, to grow. Please go easy on the criticism; remember you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me. 

7. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday I'll be prepared to make the decisions that life requires of me. 

8. Please don't do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel like my efforts didn't quite measure up to your expectations. I know it's hard but please don't compare me with my brother or sister.

9. Please don't be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need vacations from parents, just as parents need vacations from kids. Besides, it's a great way to show us kids that your marriage is very special. 

10. Please take me to Sunday school and church regularly, setting a good example for me to follow. I enjoy learning more about God.

Dr. Kevin Leman, copyright, 1979