On Sunday evening, we have a tradition of gathering together to read and share stories. We pop popcorn and have either hot chocolate or juice. When the kids were littler we would gather on the “popcorn blanket” in the front room, but now we are more disposed to just sitting around the table. Each person […]
Speedy Granola
This recipe is a variation of “Golden Granola” found in a recipe book called Kids in the Kitchen by School Mate. We love to eat this for breakfast…and a few of my kids think they should also have it as an after school snack! Speedy Granola ½ cup margarine 4 cups regular oats ½ cup […]
The Power of Family Prayer
Years ago a tradition started in our home. When we were kneeling for family prayer, one of the kids would say, “Don’t let the fire out.” Everyone would scoot together until our knees touched so the “fire” couldn’t get out. I have thought on that a lot. Here we are kneeling to ask The Source […]
Silverware Swap!
Make dinner special and even a bit funny just by changing the place setting…here is how it works: Make dinner as usual except don’t put the utensils on the table. Get a box or a bin and fill it with all sorts of spoons, spatulas, measuring spoons, ice cream scoops ladles, tongs, etc. Let each […]
Job Search?
My kids got used to me assigning them certain tasks to do and, to my horror, it appeared that they couldn’t see what needed to done without direction. In an attempt to change, we started “Job Searches.” A job search is looking for something in the house or yard that needs to be cleaned or […]
Chicken Apple Bowtie
This recipe is a staple at our house. It is a family favorite from our seven year old to our seventeen year old! Our kids even love the leftovers. Chicken Apple Bowtie ½ to 1lb of chicken breast, cut into small bite sized pieces Garlic powder Red pepper Oil for frying Sauce: 1 large carrot, […]
Sausage Egg Roll Up
Sausage Egg Roll Up is recipe that can served as a main dish at dinner or as a hearty breakfast. 1 lb sausage 7 large eggs ¾ cup salsa Dough: 1 ¼ cups warm water 1 ½ tsp yeast 1 ½ tsp salt 1 ½ TBS sugar 3 TBS shortening 3 ¼ to 3 ½ […]
Step by Step Cleaning –motivating pictures
Let your child take a “before” picture and then clean for ten minutes. Take another picture. Look at the pictures together. What progress was made? Is there still work to be completed? Let them work on cleaning for another ten minutes and take another picture. Before, during, after…. Picture taking can be a fun incentive […]
Marshmallow Magic
Imagination flows as kids work to build their masterpiece—a marshmallow and toothpick sculpture. We always used to take a bag of colored marshmallows and a container of toothpicks with us on our trip to visit my husband’s grandparents. We could all sit around the table and visit while little hands were kept busy and out […]
Traveling Questions
On the road again….! There is a rule in our family when we travel: no screen time or reading until after we answer “the question.” Let me explain. We have a grab bag of questions in the console of our vehicle. One of the kids draws out a question and reads it to all […]