I want more free time with my family how about you? When I add up the school/work day and see how many hours I truly spend face to face with my kids I feel sad. Before school, I spend about an hour with them and after school about 4 hours which includes dinner, homework, preparing…
family learning
Make Road Trips with Kids More Fun with Free Podcasts ( you might just learn something too!)
Road trips with kids offer family learning and fun on the run. Add to this by including a fun discussion sparking kid’s podcast. Just yesterday, my youngest son and I learned (via podcast) that camels, those desert beasts of burden, are not uniquely fit for sand storms and harsh winds–no, that actually come from a…
Organize Your Holiday Schedule In 15 Minutes
Holiday schedule organization in as little as 15 minutes keeps a busy home from turning into chaos. You can use a simple wall calendar and 15 minutes at a family dinner to create a plan for attending holiday parties and performances. (This post does contain affiliate links to help you find items and support the…
How We Created a No Stress Christmas Day and You Can Too!
We saved our family Christmas Day by doing nothing. Six or seven Christmases ago we started doing “nothin’ ” for Christmas Day. It came as a revelation to my husband and I when the boys were really little. (Affiliate links provided so you can find products and we can support the blog-thank you so…
Triggers: How to Exchange Your Angry Reactions for Gentle Responses
Triggers are the little things that jump under your skin and cause reactions you did not intend. An explosion of anger when you only meant to correct your child gently can send you reeling. These reactions hurt you and your beloved child. You know how the teacher will appear when the student is ready. Well,…
Vacationing with Family: A Blast or A Drag
My husband and I worked at a smallish dude ranch in Northern Colorado for many years. Several times during our tenure, a family reunion booked the whole ranch for the entire week. Maybe Grandma and Grandpa were treating the family to a vacation or the whole family pulled together and decide instead of a cruise,…
5 Hacks for Leaving the House On Time (with or without kids)
I call it the SWAMP! I feel totally sucked in by all the things to do and left undone when I leave the house. Physically, it is like walking through water with weights on. I am pushing with my arms, my legs and my mind to just get out the door. Don’t ask me anything…
Before Buying A Vintage Travel Trailer As a Family Project
Sunset Magazine published an article a House Crush on Wheels with a 1968 Serro Scotty Vintage Travel Trailer in it. I was in love. I started searching online for one. What a big wake up call! $800-$1800 for just a shell! Shell means the trailer is striped inside of all appliances often all the wood…
What Two Days With A U-Haul Taught Me about God
A blown engine in Amarillo on a family road trip left the boys and I stranded for a few days. Triple A showed up quickly, assuring me a quick fix. The mechanic thought different. J. C. of Gene Messer Ford brainstormed solutions, called friends in the business trying to get us a rental truck, and finally…
Honey, I called a Tow Truck-Family Travel
Family Travel has its trying moments. With a heat index of over 100 degrees Amarillo Texas is no place to get stuck without AC. The boys an I decided to just tough it out until we got to my folks house in Tyler, Texas. The poor old truck had other ideas. A Warning Sign I…