Tag Archives: family

Mar29

Phone Time

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Phone Time

Things have been pretty busy around here lately, and I haven’t been able to spend the time writing that I would like to. I’m looking forward to having more time to blog once school is finished for this year–about 4 more weeks! With spring coming early around here, school is killing the kids more than it is Mom. All they can think about is getting outside!

Do you ever feel like you are wasting your time when you talk on the phone? Maybe that’s just me. I always feel guilty when I’m spending 30 minutes on the phone, and I know there are a hundred other things that need to be taken care of. But for me, I NEED that phone time during the week. Since I live so far away from my family, this is the only way I can keep in touch with Dad, Mom, and my sister.

So, I figured out a way to multi-task that works for me (trust me, I can not do two things at the same time or something goes completely wrong). I would never try to balance our budget while talking on the phone, because I would either completely ignore the person I am talking to, or I would mess up the numbers so much they could never be fixed! But simple jobs that I can do without thinking are perfect for phone time. As soon as I realize I’m going to be on the phone for a few minutes, I go get a rag and some cleaner and begin washing down walls and doors. This is a job that I have a hard time finding time for, and with kids, I ALWAYS have fingerprints or food smudges to clean off. Of course if I have the walls spotless, I can always walk around the house picking up clutter, or sit down to fold laundry. Sometimes, I surprise myself when I get off the phone and my house looks cleaner than before. :)

Are you a multi-tasker? What do you do while talking on the phone?

Mar26

Murph Snacks

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Murph Snacks

I wanted to share an easy snack that is a family tradition around here, but before I can tell you how they are made, I must first tell you the story of how they got their name.

My dad loves a good, clean, Western. Like the kind you have to go back a few decades to find. One of Dad’s favorite actors was Audie Murphy, a decorated soldier who became a successful actor after his service ended. He played the good guy in most of his movies, many of which were set in the “West”.

Sunday evenings, after our church service, we would sit down as a family and watch an old movie. Sometimes we would watch a Dean Martin movie, or maybe Kathryn Hepburn, but many times we would watch Audie Murphy on Sunday nights. Sunday nights also happened to be the time we would usually enjoy this little snack. Dad got into the habit of calling these “Murph Snacks”, named after the movie star.

The recipe for these little snacks is as easy as it looks! And it is very versatile.

You’ll need:

Crackers of some kind (my favorite is saltines, but we have used graham crackers, Ritz, or Nilla Wafers)

Peanut Butter

Marshmallow Cream (We’ve also used large marshmallows if we run out of cream. If you do, just pop them in the microwave after the snack is assembled, for about 10 seconds, till the marshmallow starts to expand and get gooey.)

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I’ve tried to use milk chocolate before and they are just too sweet for me.)

Spread peanut butter on the crackers, then top with marshmallow cream. Add chocolate chips. Sometimes, I prefer to leave the chocolate chips off altogether. You’re done!

The nice thing about Murph Snacks is that these are ingredients I always keep around. Once I buy a tub of marshmallow cream, it takes us quite a while to get through it, and I always have chocolate chips in case we get a craving for cookies! The not-so-nice thing about these is that they can be VERY messy, But they’re so good!

Do you have any simple snacks your family enjoys? Any sentimental stories to go along with your snack?

Feb16

5 Minute Learning, Email

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5 Minute Learning, Email

I’m not sure how many of you live apart from Grandparents and other relatives, but our closest relatives are 2 hours away. We don’t get the chance to see family every day, every week, or even every month. So one of my kids favorite things to do (besides color pictures and mail them) is to sit down at the computer and send them an email. Last week when Daddy was gone on his trip, they got a chance to email him too.

How is this educational? They are familiarizing themselves with the computer keyboard. Because they haven’t yet memorized where each letter is, they have to “hunt and peck” to find the next letter. Eventually they start to remember, “Oh yeah, letter E was top left.” It is beginning preparation for learning to type.

Also, I have found that it is good spelling and punctuation practice. I won’t allow them to send an email that I haven’t checked for errors. Once they are finished typing their message, I’ll read over and point out the words that are spelled incorrectly, or need a capital letter, and have them fix the errors.

I will open up gmail, insert the email address, and type “From Clare” in the subject line so the recipient knows right away that it is from the kids. Then I will leave them to type their email. When they are finished, or when I determine they have had enough time, I return to check it over before sending it. When they girls were a little younger, I always clicked the send button myself, but last time I allowed Miranda to do it while I was standing there. It takes them a long time just to type a few sentences, so the emails are never long. Just a short, fun note to say hi to family.

And you should see the smiles on their faces when the recipient emails them back! They usually ask me to read it to them several times in a row so they can digest it all. Even though they talk to them regularly on the phone, getting that “letter” electronically is just something special.

Do your kids email yet?

Jan27

Jetlag

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Jetlag

Well, not really jetlag, more like a 1 hour time difference. :)

I was planning to post tonight, but I got up this morning in Cincinnati at 6:15 (EST) and am sitting on my parents couch in Illinois at 11:15 (CST) after driving 7 hours. I cannot keep my eyes open, so I will wait until tomorrow to share my thoughts with you.

Trust me, when you are driving for 7 hours, your mind has plenty of time to think!

(My sister and I are very excited to be throwing my dad’s retirement party on Saturday. 39 years is a lot of time to devote to one job, at one place these days, so this retirement has been well-earned.)

Any tips for pulling off a successful retirement party??? (Yes, I know it is a little late to be asking, but any help is appreciated!)

Jan12

Get Everybody Talking!

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Get Everybody Talking!

I wrote earlier in the week about our creative story time, and I thought I’d take a post and share where we originally got the idea.

A month or two ago, I ran across this post that provided an entire file of “conversation starters”. I printed them off and we began using them every night at dinner. Most of these conversation starters are questions. Some are serious, thought provoking questions. Others are light-hearted, “what if” questions. And there are “Story Starters” similar to the one I wrote about. Each of them are great at getting the kids and adults talking. Even if you don’t usually have a problem getting conversation going, this can guide the topic a little and help you get to know each other better.

Because we had been enjoying ours so much, I made a couple of these as gifts this Christmas. You should really go print a copy for yourself. I promise you’ll have a blast!

 

Dec6

Heirlooms, Part 2

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Heirlooms, Part 2

Last week, I posted about the treasures I have in my home that were handmade by my dad.  Today I wanted to show you a little more of his talent, and tell you a story. First, the pictures.

Mantle Clock

A cutting board that I can't bear to use. Dad makes fun of me every time he visits. He says, "A cutting board was made to be used!" But it looks too pretty hanging on my kitchen wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jewelry Boxes (The two rectangular ones play music.)

Baby Doll Stroller

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growth Charts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok. That’s enough. Now to tell that story.

My dad took a carpentry class in high school many, many, many years ago. Maybe this is what gave him his interest in wood working. I don’t know exactly. As long as I can remember, Dad has loved to make things. He would spend hours out in the “shop” working on various projects, and those hours would increase near Christmas time. I can remember sitting on the floor of his shop with a 2 x 4, a hammer, and some nails and beating that board to pieces! I also remember building some real projects together. But as long as he worked a full time job, he had little time to devote to the shop. Then a few years ago, he was temporarily off work for a year and was able to devote lots of time to his wood working. The problem this time, was that this break from work was unpaid. It was difficult for him to make projects in the shop because the wood was too expensive to purchase on his “unemployment” salary. And now, as I mentioned in a separate post last week, he is working 12 hour days, making it impossible for him to get any shop time in.

I found it ironic that after I showed you all his work last week, I got a phone call. Dad had some very exciting news–As of December 31st, he will be a retired man! I have been waiting for this day for a long time, because I know that his heart desires to spend hours on end in that shop. I know that is one of the things that makes him truly happy.

The thing about Dad is that he still likes to have kids on the floor of his shop. When we go home for a visit, Dad tries to come up with some simple craft ideas to get the grandkids involved in. I like that he is not only providing tangible heirlooms for the kids, but also giving them memories with Grandpa to remember for the rest of their lives.

Anyway, Dad decided a couple of years back to turn his love for woodworking into a small business called Blessed Hope Chests. He actually draws from tradition itself for the name of his business–you can read about it in his About Us page. And now I’ll leave you with one final picture–a hope chest given to Miranda last year for Christmas. (He plans to give one each year to the next oldest granddaughter.)

Miranda's hope chest stays in the basement (hence the clutter all around it in the picture), to keep it safe. When the girls are mature enough not to nick and scratch it, we'll put it in their room.

Nov15

For YOUR Christmas List

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For YOUR Christmas List

Once I find a good book, I get so excited about it that I want everyone to read it. So I have a handful of favorites that I thought I would recommend for those of you who like to read. And right now there is still time for you to pass these along to those asking for your Christmas list. Feel free to leave a comment with your suggestions too!

The first book I am suggesting is very fitting for the season.

We have many traditions associated with the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. How are we using those rituals to impart the knowledge of God to our children? If you think about it, most of the reason we do the same things year after year with our families is to make memories that we will remember, and also that our children will remember for many years. Sometimes we also hope that our children will carry on the same traditions with the next generation. Wouldn’t it be great if, while they remember fond times with our family, they also have learned how to treasure God Himself through those memories?

Here is the list of chapter titles:

1. Heirlooms

2. What Is Tradition?

3. What Makes Tradition Important?

4. How Do Traditions teach?

5. “Everyday” and the Ultimate

6. “Everyday” Traditions, the Family, and the World

7. “Especially” Traditions

8. Especially Christmas

9. Especially Easter

10. What Now?

This is a great book to have on hand, because if you are like me, some things take several readings to sink in. I am actually going to start reading this one again, because there’s a great section on pointing children/families to Christ during Christmas. It is too easy for me to become wrapped up in the commercialization of the holidays. I learned so much from her Christ-centered focus the first time, that I  want to refresh my memory again. (After reading this book a couple of years ago, I put away all my blue, silver, and white snowman decorations for the tree, and bought red and gold ribbons to match the “nativity” style ornaments I found. Not saying that everyone has to do this–I’m just saying that the book had such an impact on my thought process that I wanted to pass that impact along to my kids. Now each year when we decorate the tree, I talk through those ornaments as the kids put them on the tree. Just a way to draw their attention to Christ rather than the pretty decorations.)

Anyway, the great thing is that if you want to get started reading right now, you can read the entire copy for free online at DesiringGod.org (many of their resources are like this). Go to this link, and download the pdf file. You can read it straight from your computer, or if you have a bunch of free paper lying around, you could print all 119 pages!

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll put a couple more suggestions out there for ya. And don’t forget to leave a comment with your favorite reading selections!