June 2015

Mark and I have always loved games and it is so fun having children who are just the right ages to play too. Joining Jenna today to share five of our current favorites!

Qwirkle // A little bit like Scrabble and a little like a matching game, Qwirkle is really easy to learn. The instructions talk about keeping score, but we tend to skip that part. The older boys like the strategy angle, while the little ones just think it’s fun to match the shapes and colors. The box recommends ages 6 and up, but my four-year-old caught on fast.

Spot It Jr. // This is the newest addition to our collection and is quickly becoming a favorite! To play, you look for the one and only animal match between two cards. I love that you can play five different games with the same set of cards and they vary in difficulty. So I can play a simple matching game with Sophie, but add speed with the big kids. I also love that the games are quick.

Stratego // My two oldest, at 8 and 6, love playing this one with Mark. We’re a tad competitive in this family, so the battlefield strategy is fierce. It takes a lot of planning and deception and it’s fun to watch how their minds work.

Jenga // I think I love Jenga as much as the kids. Quick set-up and you can play a few games in 15 minutes. We also make crazy games like “Who can make the tallest tower?” because yeah, competitive.

Monopoly Jr. // Monopoly is big in this house in any form. It’s actually one of Mark’s favorites, but I dread it because it takes forever. Thank goodness the boys love it as much as their dad. We started with the Junior version and now the bigger boys have moved up to the original. We actually own the electronic banking version and it’s great for kids still learning about money in big amounts. The bank card is so much easier than trying to explain making change for $1 million.

What are your favorite board games?

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A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week. At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:

praying about our future and the decisions we may want/need to make in the next few years. On Monday, I wrote in my planner, “What would a calm, thriving life look like?” and I’ve been slowly jotting things down all week. Writing down everything from the big to the little.

watching TJ play by the windowsill. It’s his favorite place in the whole house, I think. We started calling him our puppy because of the way he excitedly stares at the neighbors outside.

inspired by a podcast on simplifying. I’ve been tackling the house with new determination, starting with the kids’ clothes. We have SO much and just the sheer volume of it overwhelms me. We’re definitely in the worse before it gets better stage, but I’m hoping to pare down to our favorites and give the rest to people who need it. We know of one young couple in our parish (pregnant with their first) and I’d really love to pass some things along to them.

lifting for Week Four of Livefit Trainer and feeling much more confident. This was a repeat of last week’s exercises and I’m taking full advantage before the routine gets switched again! It’s crazy to think that I was using 8 and 10-pound weights during Week One and I’ve already moved up to 15 and 20s.

working hard on Big White Farmhouse and starting to see itty bitty results! Sometimes it can be hard to put my heart and soul into something and hear crickets in return, but perseverance pays off! We’re still not wildly successful (yet!), but everyday is a baby step closer. (Other BWF noteables: we are now accepting Paypal as a purchasing option and we started an Instagram account!)

listening to the advice of Ginny and trying to give each child my attention when they have something to share with me. I am guilty of trying to multitask as they speak to me and it’s a habit I’d like to break. Trying to look in their eyes and really listen.

stitching, but not much! Anna and Elsa are up next (Sophie’s favorites!), so I’ve got some work to do. (linking up to Erica’s Summer Stitching Stash Blast #4!)

watching our birds and getting excited to see the little babies hatch in the next few days! We also love watching our tiny garden grow. Our lettuce is ready for picking, our pepper is finally starting to turn red, and we have tons of tomatoes popping up. I’m already planning for a much bigger garden next year.

trying to embrace my wavy/curly hair. My hair is way too long and it is way too hot to blow dry it straight everyday. I’m thinking about trying a technique I saw on a Youtube video.

learning new things, always. Did you know that early American needlepoint samplers did not include the letters J and U? I stumbled on this article and found it so interesting: “Many early samplers do not have the letters “J” and “U” in their alphabets because they were not part of the early Latin alphabet and so the letter “I” was used for “J” and the “V” for “U.” The letter “s” is often replaced with the printers “s” which looks like the modern f.”

We are entering our third week of One Fun Thing a Day and already, I think it has been so fruitful for us as a family. As you’ll see below, the activities are super simple, don’t require a lot of money, and often are completed within 15-20 minutes. While the kids always love a good surprise, I think the real reason they are continually excited is because it’s a full family experience. I’m not just the teacher, directing the show and standing to the side. I’m right in there with them (and Daddy too on the weekends): flying my airplane, eating my lunch on the picnic blanket, and pushing them on the swings at the park. One Fun Thing a Day is another lesson in what really matters most: time.

Day 01 // Cooking School: English Muffin Pizzas. The boys have been asking to learn how to make food on their own, so we started with an easy culinary favorite. I set out all of the ingredients and we all went to town. Their favorite part was “decorating” with mini pepperonis.

Day 02 // Paper Airplanes. After trying a Youtube video for a complicated design and getting super confused, we scrapped that idea and I taught them how to fold a classic paper airplane. They colored and decorated and then we had a throwing challenge (this was my inspiration).

Day 03 // Indoor Picnic and a Movie. It was a rainy day, so instead of a picnic at the park, we had a picnic and a movie inside. I made them each a paper bag lunch, complete with a juice box and cookies. It was a big hit.

Day 04 // Cooking School: Chocolate Covered Strawberries. It was another rainy day, so we had cooking class again. We melted milk chocolate chips in a homemade double broiler and then the kids each had five strawberries to dip as they pleased. I saved mine for Mark.

Day 05 // National Doughnut Day! Thank goodness for social media. After hearing that this was a “thing”, the day practically wrote itself. We always love a good doughnut!

Day 06 // Decorating Plates using a MakIt Kit. The kids are so excited about this project. We completed step one of the kit, which was drawing designs on special paper. The finish products totally fit their personalities. Now to get them in the mail to be turned into plates.

Day 07 // Homemade Shooting Range. Mark recently went to the shooting range and the boys thought it sounded so cool. We made them their own with cardboard boxes and tissue paper. It was a great opportunity to talk about responsibility and safety and it was fun for all of us too!

Day 08 // Sumo Wrestling. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. If you were a fly on the wall, you have seen three boys with pillows stuffed into their daddy’s t-shirts, a mama who tried to do the same (let’s just say there was a little less room, ahem…) and Sophie and a baby looking at us like we’d lost our minds.

Day 09 // Rubberband Powered Lego Cars. After about 20 minutes of digging through Lego bins to find the right pieces, I thought this may be our first dud. (I think I was more frustrated than they were, hah). Fortunately, their perseverance paid off, we found what we needed and it even worked! We used this tutorial.

Day 10 // Fan fort. With this picture as inspiration, we made a fort using a big fan and a queen sized fitted sheet. All four were able to squeeze in (I could only fit with two of them) and they loved it. They even requested snacks!

Day 11 // Discover a new playground. We set out bright and early on our adventure to find a new playground. We stayed over an hour and when they were sufficiently exhausted and sweaty, we found the nearest Chick-Fil-A for lemonades.

Day 12 // DIY Slushies. It was over 90 degrees, so the obvious choice was to make something cool and refreshing. We tried this recipe and it worked like a charm! The kids loved it, but since I’ve been reducing all forms of sugar in my diet, I couldn’t drink more than a sip or two. I found it sicky sweet, but the kids didn’t have a problem.

Day 13 // Lowes Build & Grow Clinic. This was the first time we’ve taken advantage of this clinic (it’s FREE!) and it was great! Mark took the three oldest and they really enjoyed it. The summer series is all about super heroes and they made Ironman and his Avenjet (“and I even got to use a hammer, mama!”). They can’t wait to go again.

Day 14 // New Lego Set. We surprised the kids with a new Lego set of just different colored pieces and we used our imaginations to build something new. (Namely, anything other than Star Wars and super heroes…)

Day 15 // Tissue Paper Suncatchers. We were long overdue for a craft! This was an easy one that used items we already had at home (you just need contact paper and different colored tissue paper). I love the end result!

D: Lowe’s Build & Grow and Designing Plates J: Fan fort and English Muffin Pizzas

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week. At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:

loving Sophia’s latest. Everything is “A bit more, mama?”

launching a brand new section of Big White Farmhouse! It’s called “Celebrations” and the hope is that it will encourage customers to celebrate even the smallest occasions. So far, we have banners made from eucalyptus wood (“Oh Happy Day” is my favorite), single serve confetti packets, beeswax candles, gift tags in six colors and even a DIY confetti balloon kit. I am so pleased with everything and can’t wait to expand the line even further…soon.

listening to Sophie’s nonstop singing and dancing! It’s a new addition to the household and generally super cute, except in Mass when’s it’s not so cute.

calling our hanging basket “the condo” and watching our new bird residents. The kids and I actually had a serious discussion this week about names and have agreed on Penelope (nickname: Penny) and Steve (nickname: Milkshake…this one wasn’t my idea). There are two new eggs in the nest and we have “hatching day” marked on the calendar. I think I’ve reached a new level of bird lady crazy.

enjoying the first week of conversation in the Inspired Reader’s Book Club. Many of the ladies have already been very honest and vulnerable and I am so inspired by them. Can’t wait to dive even deeper with next week’s topics.

finishing up Week 3 of Livefit Trainer and woo, this week was hard! I’m still pretty weak in my triceps and still do assisted pushups and pullups. I tried triceps dips for the first time and almost fell off by set #3! But there are a few positives: I was able to move up in weight and am currently using mostly 10-15 pound dumbbells. Back&bicep days are my favorite, followed by legs. Like everything, I keep having to remind myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day…baby steps forward.

finding a rhythm with our summer days. I’ve added in focused work time during afternoon quiet time and it’s working great. TJ is usually napping and I can knock out a lot of that day’s to-do list in the one hour period. I don’t get everything done most days, but am feeling thankful for the time I have. I’ve also tried devoting a little time at night after the kids are in bed, but remembering to have devoted time with Mark too. It’s all a balance.

creating rubberband powered Lego cars with the boys as part of One Fun Thing a Day. We’ve had a really fun week of activities and I’ve actually been keeping up with documenting it all on Instagram! I hope I can remember all summer…I’d really like to create a photo book keepsake at the end.

praying for an old friend from high school’s wife who was diagnosed with cancer this week. She is a mother of four young children and I can’t help but be shaken by the news. Her story definitely puts life in perspective for me…am I leading a life of what truly matters most?

It’s been a few months since my last ten on ten, so I thought it would be fun to document our typical summer routine! It was just an ordinary time at home, which they always seem to be. One of these days, I’ll pick a month where we’re out and about and doing exciting things! Until then, here’s a peek at our beautifully average day.

sharing meals around the table coaches who are good mentors and examples for my boys an empty laundry basket (if only for a few hours!) new opportunities to try again the example of my grandmothers and how they have touched my life waking up to hot coffee in the pot brothers and their belly laughs “You can do this. Decide that you can.” -Lara Casey Sophie’s stick family drawings ice cold drinks in a mason jar the peace that comes with not making the to-do list an idol watching movies on the couch with Mark fans to cool us during hot, sticky summer days bird watching with the kids dreaming big dreams for the future of Big White Farmhouse falling into bed exhausted, but ready to do it all again tomorrow

Introducing a new series!

I’m just getting a taste of this with my five. Good long-term perspective: Don’t Blink
Humility for Bloggers was good food for thought.
Jennifer at Little Silly Goose was laid off and has recently embarked on a different career path! If you live in the Orange County area (specifically, North and Central Orange County and Southern LA County), be sure to check out her laundry services (or spread the word…I’m sure she’d appreciate the marketing help!)
Loved this list of 15 Most Beloved Children’s Books…I always appreciate recommendations!
Just discovered this wonderful community for single ladies discerning their vocation: the Not Alone Series
Embracing the Season: “I know that in a couple of decades from now, my house will probably look a little less Fisher Price and a little more Pottery Barn, but that’s not the season of life we’re in now.”
An older post, but always a good reminder about kindness: Negativity Online

What great things have you read lately? Share ’em in the comments!

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week. At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:

enjoying rainy, cool days. Most of the week has been in the 60’s and I am taking full advantage. It’s only a matter of time before we’re back into the 80’s and 90’s! And big bonus: with all of this rain, my little bitty garden is thriving!

starting our first week of One Fun Thing a Day and it’s been a hit! It’s just a small addition to our wide open summer days, but one that brings us all together. I think the kids are loving having me right in the middle too.

making progress on Sophie’s princess cross-stitch. She calls them “my girls” and wants to see an update every morning. Two and a half ladies done, ten to go! (a late Summer Stitching Stash Bash update #2!)

eating a steady stream of chips and guacamole, or “guac-ee-mole” as Sophie calls it. Not the healthiest snack choice, but I’m trying to give up most sugar again, so…baby steps.

watching the boys’ creativity: they worked together to make ninja turtle masks from computer paper and tape. They went through prototype after prototype trying to get the design right. I suggested a headband on the forehead combo (a la Star Trek’s Geordi La Forge) but they nixed that idea!

ordering more new products for Big White Farmhouse. I’ve also been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work, making the site more user-friendly. I have a list a mile long of business to-dos, but it feels good to get even a little bit accomplished.

reading Make it Happen and getting so excited for Monday’s first discussions in our book club‘s Facebook group.

lifting weights and feeling good. These new workouts are SO hard, but I feel like a rockstar afterwards! My least favorite exercise, by far, are burpees, which my husband graciously added to the end of leg day…I may or may not be praying that I don’t puke by the end. I hope to add running back into the schedule soon.

laughing at J’s deadpan responses: “J, you are an excellent artist, did you know that?” “Yep.”

excited to discover new residents in our hanging basket again! We’re calling this mama Penelope.

feeling all the feelings as I watched my baby this week. His two top teeth have finally come through, giving him the most adorable buck-toothed grin. He started crawling this week much to the excitement of his siblings. He has this hilarious new growl/yell that I think is his attempt to keep up with the craziness of the rest of the household. He is so, so loved.

As the Creative Director for Big White Farmhouse, I am constantly searching for new products. Our company is passionate about supporting the “little guys”, the ones who are working tirelessly to create a life doing what they love. I love that entrepreneurial spirit and I hope you do too! Since I can’t carry all of the cool products I find, I thought I’d pop in every so often to share some of my discoveries with you! Volume 05 is inspired by the humble beginnings of our container garden. We are loving watching our vegetables grow! Enjoy. Yours Is the Earth Burlap Tote by HomespunATL Vegetable Cloth Dinner Napkins by The High Fiber From the Garden Canvas Chart by Little Low Herb Tea Towel by redcruiser Tomato Seeded Letterpress Card by Ruff House Art

It’s summertime and I have one goal for the next few months: Have fun and make memories as a family.

Homeschooling has been very rewarding for us this year, but I’m ready to put down my teacher hat for awhile and just be mom. Sure, I still deal with daily discipline, but I’m so ready to simply enjoy my kids. So inspired by Little Bit Funky, we are starting One Fun Thing a Day. The rules are simple: the kids are responsible for getting their morning chores completed without a fuss (getting dressed, brushing teeth, making their bed, helping clean up breakfast) and then they can participate in the activity. Every day, we’ll do something new and I want to join in too!

Now please don’t misunderstand me. This isn’t one of those projects to over-schedule and micro-manage every minute of my children’s day. I don’t have lots of money to spend and nothing will really be mind-blowing in terms of excitement. Some days, we may be finished in 10 minutes! I just want us to spend time together. My hope is that, ten years down the line, they will look back at this summer (and the summers to come) with fondness. Not because anything was out-of-this-world spectacular (no trips to Disney or Hawaii are in our near future!), but because we made memories together with lots of laughs and probably a few messes.

Here are a few of the ideas I’ve jotted down:

Cooking Class: make English Muffin pizzas
Paper airplanes
Take a picnic lunch to the park
Design your own plate with a MakIt kit
Cooking Class: make chocolate covered strawberries
Sweet Frog visit
Build a huge fort with blankets: try a fan fort?
Find a new playground
Cooking Class: make chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches
Lowe’s Build & Grow Clinic
DIY Slurpees
Visit Daddy at his office and take him out to lunch
Build rubber band powered Lego cars
Chopped Challenge: Daddy team vs. Mamma team
New water guns
Attend a kids program at the library
Cooking Class: make a Fourth of July flag cake
Make marbled paper with shaving cream
Take the kids to 5 Below and let them pick anything in the store
Tie-dye T-shirts
Water balloon fight
$1 movie at the theater

I plan to do another post (maybe monthly?) sharing what we did, but you can also follow our hashtag on Instagram, #bwfonefunthingaday2015, for daily updates too!

UPDATE: Check out the details for Days 1-15 here!

May Goals

1. Have M take his standardized testing and mail back to Seton.
Done. We received his results last week and he did great! So glad to have that checked off the list. On to third grade!

2. Finish my training strong in preparation for my half marathon mid-month.
Done. I did miss two runs at the end, but still felt like I was as prepared as I could have been. Recap of my first half-marathon here.

3. Support my blogger friends in a more active way.
Done. Always a work in progress, but I think I’ve made a solid start. I wrote about my five favorite ways to really support bloggers in this post.

4. Start up Big White Farmhouse‘s newsletter again.
Didn’t get to this one. My biggest hang-up was trying to think of something interesting to share! Instead, I worked a lot behind the scenes: brainstorming a new series for the shop blog, purchasing new products and making a few marketing attempts.

5. Buy a new welcome mat.
Didn’t complete this one, because I haven’t found one exactly right! In my head, I’m looking for a simple one that says “hello” or “welcome” in a script/cursive font. Still on the search!

1. Finalize curriculum choices for next year and make a plan for purchasing throughout the summer. 2. Get recent family photos printed. 4. Work hard toward my fitness goals (decrease body fat, increase weight lifting PRs, reduce most sugar consumption). 5. Slow down and make memories as a family.

What are your goals for June?

Happy Monday!

Did you get a chance to read my “Top Five Favorite Ways to Support Bloggers” post I wrote last week? I’ve been so pleased with the response and the conversation it has started. Sometimes I fear that the blog world has been overtaken with the desire to make money. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, I’m sad that the beautiful relationships that could be created have taken the back burner. The friendships I’ve made through this space have been invaluable to me and what keep me writing year after year.

I’m on a mission to bring community back!

All that to say, I’d like to introduce you to two great ladies that I have met through blogging: Tabitha and Shelly. Although we live in different corners of the country and have never met (yet!), I consider them both friends. Our common thread is our desire for living full, intentional lives. And while that desire manifests itself differently in each of us, I am no less inspired by them. So…I’m so excited to tell you that the three of us decided to start a book club!

Here are the details:

Our first book is going to be Make It Happen by Lara Casey. We thought it was the perfect choice to start with since intentional living is what brought us together in the first place! We will be reading and discussing this book for eight weeks, which takes us through June and July. We think this is the perfect pace for the summer and it should be easy to fit the chapters in during all of your summer fun!

The reading schedule is as follows:
Week 1 (starting today!): Introduction to the Book Club, “Welcome to your Start”
Week 2 (June 8): Chapters 1-3
Week 3 (June 15): Chapters 4-6
Week 4 (June 22): Chapters 7-9
Week 5 (June 29): Chapters 10-12
Week 6 (July 6): Steps #1 & #2
Week 7 (July 13): Step #3
Week 8 (July 20): Step #4 & #5

We’ve started a private Facebook group (join us here!) and every Monday will post a few questions to get the conversation going. Feel free to pop in when you can to add your thoughts! This book club is not meant to be stressful or add another commitment to your already full plate. Our intention with this book club is to read a wide range of books while creating community. We want our book club to be fun and something you look forward to!

Please don’t worry if you fall behind. We’re hoping the conversations in the Facebook group will still be fruitful and helpful to you. So don’t get discouraged! Do the best you can and show up anyway!

Shelly, Tabitha and I are all mothers of little ones, but this book club is not limited to just moms. I firmly believe that we all have so much to teach other!

Our hope is that this book club will be a fun activity where you will be challenged to learn something new and leave inspired. We want to bounce ideas around, laugh and engage in honest, meaningful discussion. Most importantly, we hope to create a thriving, supportive community! We would love to have you!

Are you in? See you over in the Facebook group!