Things That Make Me Smile 5/8/20

Jake (14), Alyssa (12), Zac (10), Tyler (8), Nicholas (5)

Happy Friday! These Smiles took place back in May. We played games with friends through FaceTiming, we were blessed by God in many little ways, and Nicholas learned to ride his bike without training wheels. Leighton also went back to work after 6 weeks home with us. We loved having him home every day, but it was good to see people going back to work and quarantine coming to an end.     

1. Nicholas, after searching the whole house: "Mama, do you know where Dad is?"

Me: "He's at work."

Nicholas, sad: "Oh."

We enjoyed having Leighton home with us so much that even though he had been back to work for a week, the kids were still looking for him and missing him.

2. Me: "Did you know I love you?"

Nicholas: "Yeah, and Miss Megan."

Me: "Miss Megan loves you?"

Nicholas: "Yeah."

Me: "You're right, she does."

Nicholas: "Yeah, and God. God loves me the most."

3. I was teaching about firemen using the Focus on Fives kindergarten curriculum from BJU Press. I asked, "Do you know what to do if you're on fire, like if your clothes catch on fire?" (stop, drop, and roll.) Nicholas replied, "Call your daddy!"

4. Tyler, after climbing across a fallen tree at the park: "That was epic! I went from the bottom of the tree to the top!"

5. We spent the day exploring at the park.

6. Our friend: "What's your middle name?"

Nicholas: "You mean my in trouble name?"

7. Alyssa, my avid reader, after hearing that little free libraries encourage reading, shocked: "What! They need to encourage reading?!" 

8. Nicholas, because I got into Leighton's profile on the computer: "How did you know that?"

Me: "Because Daddy and I tell each other things."

Nicholas: "Like passwords and stuff?"

Me: "Yes. What else do you think we tell each other?"

Nicholas: "That you love each other!"

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 4/24/20

Jake (14), Alyssa (12), Zac (10), Tyler (8), Nicholas (5)

Happy Friday! This week we laughed a lot while practicing trick shots and recreating baby pictures, enjoyed our April Christmas Experience with a smorgasbord ice cream sundae bar at home, and Jake entered a coding contest with hundreds of kids and placed in the top few.


1. Documentary about the ocean: "Cuttlefish are very dangerous."
Tyler: "But . . . they cuddle!"

2. Alyssa, about a contest: "If I do win, I'm going to set aside my tithe and then use the rest of the money to buy fabric for a quilt."

3. Nicholas, circling T words on a worksheet, seeing a turkey: "Mmmmmeat. Mmm Mmmeat. Nope."

4.  Nicholas, about Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes: "I want to go back to the sandy desert."

5. Alyssa sewed a sock bunny.

6. Nicholas, about a  Pirates of the Caribbean Lego set: "Jake, you know your Pirates Carabiner guy?"

7. Nicholas: "Oh, no! I swallowed my gum!"
Me: "Well, that’s not good. You’re not supposed to do that."
Nicholas: " I didn’t! My throat did it. Sometimes it tries to get my gum and I have to save it. Sometimes I miss though."

8. Alyssa, laughing: "Mom warned me, but I didn't listen!"
Jake: "Do you know how many times that has applied to my life?"

9. Alyssa: "I used to think Siamese cats were connected, like people. That would be cool. Two cats for the price of one!"

10. Nicholas, putting his cheek to my face, like he was checking for a fever: "You have a cold."
Me, perfectly healthy: "Do I?"
Nicholas: "No, you have a warm."

11. Nicholas didn't want to clean up his Legos that were all over the living room floor, so I jokingly asked if he wanted to trade jobs and clean the kitchen for me instead. That excited him. I cleaned up the toys, fully expecting to finish off the kitchen afterward. But he washed the dishes, wiped down the table and counters, and even swept. All by himself! He was almost as proud of himself as I was.

12. Tyler, solving a riddle in his math book: "What is light as a feather, but you cannot hold? It's supposed to be your breath, but you can hold your breath."

13. Me, from the kitchen: "Tyler, don't be disgusting."
Tyler, laughing: "Who told you?"
Me: "No one. I'm a mom; I know things."
Tyler: "Ok, where am I?"
Me: "In the living room."
Tyler: "What am I sitting on?"
Me: "Your blanket."
Tyler: "Aah! Ok, what was the last word I said?"
Me: "Said."
Tyler: "Aah!! Man! You're good!"



What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 4/10/20

* This post may contain affiliate links.

Jake (14), Alyssa (12), Zac (10), Tyler (8), Nicholas (5)

Happy weekend! It's hard to believe these Smiles were from 4 months ago. Time goes by so fast! This week, we made many batches of granola, fermented sauerkraut for the first time, and played a fun new game for Game Schooling. Jake built an owl nesting box by himself, and the other kids completed some hands-on projects. I love seeing my kids use their talents!

1. Tyler, playing a game: "A giraffe mixed with an elephant? That would be horrifying!"

2. Alyssa: "He wasn't born yet?"

Jake, confused: "He was in Borneo?"

3. Tyler: "Mom, why do we have only two?"

Me: "Two what?"

Tyler: "Bathrooms."

Me: "How many do we need?"

Tyler: "I don't know! Fifteen?"

4. Zac: "Mom, geodes are so cool. They look kinda ugly on the outside, but you break them open and they're beautiful on the inside. It's like people; you can't judge them by what they look like."

5. Me, explaining a picture from a couple years ago to Nicholas: "We were getting ready to go to church."

Alyssa: "Ah, getting ready to go to church. I miss it."

6. Nicky studying Algebra II.

7. Nicholas calling Cragger from Lego Chima Cracker.

8. Jake, feigning surprise after I told him he couldn't do something he knew he wouldn't be allowed to: "But you said I could!"

Me, laughing: "Because I knew Dad would overrule me."

Alyssa, playfully: "He can't do that!"

Me: "Of course he can. Who's in charge of this family?"
Alyssa: "Technically, you two are one."

Me: "That's true. But when there's a dispute, who gets the final say?"

Jake, raising his hand: "Ooh, pick me! Pick me!"

Zac: "Who do you pick?"

Me: "Dad!"

Zac: "Then who?"

Me: "Me."

Zac: "Which one of us do you pick to be in charge?"

Me: "Hmm . . . Nicky."

Nicholas, laughing maniacally, pointing to Jake: "Mop the floor!!"

Jake gets up, flips Nicholas upside down, and "mops" the floor with his hair.

9. Alyssa dried flowers from our yard, laminated them, and made bookmarks and then braided bracelets. She sent the goodies to her friends to let them know she missed them.

10. Nicholas, climbing all over Jake: "You smell like . . . nothing!"

11. Zac, reading facts about polar bears and fennec foxes: "It's pretty amazing how God made every animal to have exactly what they need to survive."

12. Nicholas, watching me wash a mirror: "It's a miracle! That's perfect!"

13. Nicholas, in the middle of the night: "Daddy, will you shorten the light?"

Me: "Daddy's sleeping, sweetie pie. What do you need?"

Nicholas: "Will you shorten the light?"

Me: "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

Nicholas: "I need to go potty and the light is too bright."

Me: "Oh! You want me to dim the light!"

What made you Smile this week?


* Some of the links in the content above are affiliate links. If you click on a link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I recommend products or services that I have used personally and all the text and opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 225.

Things That Make Me Smile 4/3/20

Jake (14), Alyssa (12), Zac (10), Tyler (8), Nicholas (5)

This lists covers two very busy weeks of Smiles. We celebrated two birthdays (Alyssa turning 12 and Tyler turning 8), played games, assembled puzzles, had our pizza and movie marathon as part of our Experience Christmas, got some yard work done, completed a family quarantine bingo challenge with our church youth group, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire, built a fort in the living room, went on family walks, performed science experiments, baked muffins, read books, and created more memories. I love this family of mine!

1. Nicholas: "It's a good day to play outside. It's shiny and stuff!"

2. Tyler, chewing gum: "I haven't had this in so long. I love it so much that I want to chew my teeth off!"

3.

4. Nicholas: "I smell pink."

Me: "And what exactly does pink smell like?"

Nicholas: "Bubblegum!"

5. Tyler, about the arm-knitted blanket on my bed: "Did Alyssa make this?"

Me: "Yes."

Tyler: "Wow! How did she get that kind of skill?!"

6. Alyssa was excited to receive a quill and ink for her birthday.

7. Nicholas, because he didn't want to see something: "I'm just going to plug my eyes."

8. I walked into the kitchen first thing in the morning to find Jake at the cutting board with an apple. His hand was wrapped in a blood-saturated paper towel A bloody knife was sitting on the counter. "What did you do?!" I asked. And then he smile. That's when I remembered it was April Fool's Day.

9. Tyler had a mint Oreo ice cream cake (with trick candles, ha) for his birthday.

10. Nicholas, telling me about his dream: "And then I said, 'Don't patro-nose me."

Me: "Patronize? Did you just use patronize?"

Nicholas: "Yeah, patron-eyes."

11. Nicholas, looking at the number 69: "Look. It's the two 6s. The up one and the down one."

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 3/20/20

Jake (14), Alyssa (11 1/2), Zac (10), Tyler (7 1/2), Nicholas (5)

Happy Friday! This week we made triple berry muffins, assembled a couple puzzles, did some deep cleaning around the house, and enjoyed being together as a family.

1. We spent the day building a giant Rube Goldberg machine throughout the living room.

2. Nicholas: "A long time ago, when I was 4 . . . "

3. Alyssa: "I find it funny that Mom and Dad are putting together the puzzle that they got us for Christmas."

Me: "Why do you think we bought it?"

4. Tyler playing with our Brain Blox.

5. Jake: "If I had billions of dollars, I'd buy you a new house. Actually, if I had billions of dollars, I know what I'd do first. You know how the church wants to build that like $9 billion building? I'd just give them the whole amount. And then because $9 billion looks messy, I'd just give an even 10. Then I'd buy you a new house."

6. Zac, assembling a puzzle about the US presidents: "What's a Whig?"

Nicholas: "I know what a wig is. You wear it on your head."

7. Since everyone is supposed to stay at home right now, our church building has been empty, but our pastor is streaming the services live.

Pastor: "The greatest thing you can do for your family right now is not to stock up on staples, but . . ."

Kids, looking around confused: "Staples? Why would you need staples?"

8. Nicholas, singing the Alphabet song: "A-B-C-B-L-E Yes, that's the book for me. Wait-- {laughs} I was singing the Bible." 

9. Tyler, playing Continent Race and reading the Kyrgyzstan card: "I found Crazy-stan!"

10. Nicholas was watching Alyssa complete her drawing lesson for the day and asked, "Why are you doing dot-to-dot?"

11. Jake: "Mickey, Donald, and Goofy get thrown into the fiery furnace, and the guy getting ready to throw them in says, "Mmm, roast duck."

12. Alyssa, watching a hockey game: "What happens if they tie? Do they cast lots?"

13. Tyler, sitting on his bed because he had gotten in trouble: "Dad, can I get up?"

Leighton: "Yes, but stop bickering."

Tyler, from the other room: "What did you say?"

Leighton: "Stop bickering."

Tyler: "I can't hear you."

Nicholas: "He said stop pickling!"

14. Nicholas, pointing to the presidents: "That's George Washington. That's George W. Bush. And that's Donald Trumpet."

What made you Smile today?

Things That Make Me Smile 3/6/20

Jake (14), Alyssa 11 1/2), Za (10), Tyler (7 1/2), Nick (5)

Happy weekend! This week we helped sort food for hungry families at Gleaner Food Bank, celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday, attended a surprise birthday party for a dear friend, performed many science experiments and started a new family read aloud. Leighton and Zac were also able to go to a Red Wings hockey game provided by his company. It's been a busy week with many reasons to Smile!

1. Alyssa, holding her library card: "This dinky thing here is acceptance into the Land of Knowledge."

2. Alyssa: "How old is she turning?"

Me: "Twenty-seven."

Nick: "Seven? I thought she was higher than that!"

3. Alyssa: "Is it just me or are my ears buzzing?"

4.

5. When we were at the store, there was a newborn baby that was fussing and I chuckled and commented on how adorable it was. 

Jake: "I think it's really weird that you find humor in the discomfort of babies."

6. Nicholas, seeing just the top of a pine tree over the church building: "Whoa! How did a tree grow up there?!"

7. Alyssa: "Can I watch something?"

Me: "Yes, but you're not going to watch all night long."

Alyssa: "Ok, I was just going to pick The Sound of Music."

Me: "The Sound of Music? Ok."

Jake, laughing: "You don't want to be watching all night long, but you pick The Sound of Music?"

Me: "Well, yeah, it's The Sound of Music!"

8. Tyler, showing me a creation he made: "This means that you love Daddy and you will never leave him. You're connected to him."

9. Me: "Tyler and Nicholas, you need to clean up the living room."

Nick: "Serendipitous!"

Zac: "That was unexpected but enjoyable?"

10. Relating the personalities of our family to Dr. Seuss books. 

11. Jake: "I'm going to make my own gun and call it a doodle-doo."

Me, laughing: "A doodle-doo?"

Jake: "Yeah. Then I can cock a doodle-doo."

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 12/28/18

Jake (13), Alyssa (10 1/2), Zac (9), Tyler (6 1/2), Nicholas (4)

Happy Friday! I am finishing up my Smiles for 2018. These took place the second half of December. This is my favorite time of year, filled with family and fun! 

1. Nicholas, singing along with the dreidel song: "Oh, turtle, turtle, turtle! I made it out of clay, and when it's dry and ready, the turtle I will play!"

2. Nicholas: "Dad's going to fix that later. He's the master."

3.

4. Nicholas, because I had a charcoal facial mask on: "Mama, with that on your face, you should put pickles on your eyes." (cucumbers)

5. Nicholas calling truffles troubles.

6. Me: "When you wake up, you're not going to be my favorite 3-year-old anymore."

Nicholas: "Why not?"

Me: "Because you're not going to be 3."

Nicholas, smiling: "Oh, yeah, 5!"

Me: "Not 5. How old are you going to be?"

Nicholas, pouting: "4. I don't want to be that one."

7. Me: "Do you know how much I love you?"

Nicholas: "100! And 3, 4, 5!"

8. Every year my mom and I have a big baking day and make a bunch of goodies to pass out to family and friends.

9. Nicholas: "Mama, at church, I do not want to dive in that water." (baptistery)

10. Me: "Nicholas, you're going to have to wait a minute."

Nicholas: "Yes, sir, mother."

11. Nicholas, wanting to be excused for dinner: "Mama, may I be stuffed?"

12. Zac: "The wise men didn't show up until about 2 years after Jesus was born."

Alyssa: "But the wise women showed up right away, because they took a shortcut."

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 12/14/18

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Jake (13), Alyssa (10 1/2), Zac (9), Tyler (6 1/2), Nicholas (4)

Happy Monday! This list of Smiles covers the first half of December 2018. It's been fun looking back through all the fun of the holidays. So many reasons to stop, be thankful, and smile.


1, Nicholas, randomly and with no other explanation: "I watched two things at Gramma's: this and the other thing."

2. We celebrated Jake becoming a teenager! He requested a variation of our Boston cream pie. Instead of chocolate ganache, he chose a cooked caramel icing for the top.

3. Nicholas: "What can I eat?"
Me: "We're going to eat dinner when Daddy gets home."
Nicholas: "What's for dinner?"
Me: "Soup."
Nicholas, with a big smile: "I have a headache, Mom. Can I not eat soup?"

4. Decorating the house for Christmas with our annual traditions: a warm drink (this year was hot chocolate with fresh whipped cream), festive music, and homemade gingersnaps.

5. Zac: "You're the best mom ever!"
Me: "All because I let you have hot chocolate?"
Zac: "No, because of your baking and because of who you are."

6. Me: "Stop growing up."
Nicholas: "Yes, sir."

7. Nicholas didn't like my answer so he told me he was the mom and I was the boy. I got to play while he did chores. He was having too much fun washing dishes and doing laundry. He kept calling himself "Mama Nicky."

8. Tyler, eating a homemade cookie still warm from the oven: "Mom, I'm glad God made you!"

9. While playing Pictionary during our monthly Game Schooling Day, Zac drew a cross covered in flames. His word was crossfire.

10. Nicholas, trying to say rhino: "A hippopotamus is a wino."

11. Making and decorating sugar cookies as a family.

12. Me: "Is it almost your birthday?"
Nicholas: "Yes!"
Me: "How old are you going to be?"
Nicholas: "5."
Me: "What happened to 4? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5."
Nicholas: "I don't want to do it like that."

13. Nicholas, listening to Tyler explain something: "This is confusicating."

14. Nicholas turned 4 years old. He got a big boy LEGO set and a set of Brain Flakes.

What made you Smile this week?



* Some of the links in the content above are affiliate links. If you click on a link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I recommend products or services that I have used personally and all the text and opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 225.

Things That Make Me Smile 11/18

Jake (12 1/2), Alyssa (10 1/2), Zac (9), Tyler (6 1/2), Nicholas (3 1/2)

I am determined to get caught up on my Smiles once and for all! I've noticed that I haven't been recording things my kids say much at all anymore because I am so far behind. We can't have that! So here is all of our Smiles from November of last year (or at least the ones I made sure to record).  

1. Nicholas, looking at a shark: "Aww, that's cute."

Tyler: "Never say a shark is cute unless it's a baby shark."

2. Zac: "That was the best dinner I've had since yesterday!"

3. We celebrated Zac's 9th birthday. I took him out for his special day the week before and then showed him our love on his birthday with pancakes with chocolate gravy for breakfast, a new LEGO set, and a homemade peanut butter cup cake.

4. Nicholas, calling to me as I was walking away: "Wait for me, fweetheart!"

5. Alyssa, listening to "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy" when it said down in my heart to stay: "I used to think it was down in my heart Tuesday."

6. Nicholas, holding the straps of his snow pants: "Now I can be a farmer!"

7. We also celebrated Leighton's birthday with LEGO presents and a homemade strawberries & cream cake.

8. Nicholas, to Alyssa, sweetly: "Hi, darling."

9. Jake: "Do you like hard or soft tacos?"

Nicholas: "Fuzzy."

10. We walked down to the school and voted in the election as a family.

11. We celebrated Thanksgiving with our family and made pumpkin, eggnog cream, and dutch apple pies.

12. Nicholas, about our monthly science class: "Somebody had robots there."

Me: "That was Miss Rachel."

Nicholas: "Yes, Miss Rachel! I love that name."

13. Leighton: "They're driving on the shoulder."

Tyler, confused: "How do you drive with your shoulder?"

13. Thankful for my blessings.

What made you Smile?

Play Update #1

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We did 30 Days of Playing in June! I had been planning to post a few updates along the way, not just for accountability, but for inspiration, as well, because it's always fun learning new ways to connect with our kids.

But here we are, weeks passed June, and I'm just posting the first list. I guess we've just been having too much fun playing to stop and sit at a computer!

Here is what we played the beginning of the month. Maybe you can find a new toy or game to play with your family. Feel free to share what you've played last month, too!

1. Frisbee -- This ring frisbee is a fun variation of the classic and much easier for little ones to catch.

2. Rummikub -- This is our current favorite game! It's a rummy-style game played with tiles for 2-4 players. Alyssa (11 yr) loves this one because you manipulate the tiles to do what you want. It's a great strategy game for the older ones, but also a good game to reinforce numbers and matches for our 4-year-old. 

3. Football -- This is my favorite football! It's small enough that it fits perfectly in my hand and is a much better fit for the younger kids. It's softer than a regular football, too. Easy to catch, easy to throw. Perfect. The kids and I spent many hours tossing it around. 

4. Water Balloons -- Who doesn't love water balloons on a hot, summer day?! We grabbed a pack of 100 from the dollar store and filled them all. Many were thrown in a typical water balloon fight, others were reserved for tossing back and forth, and some were used for slow-motion videos. We had a lot of fun throwing the balloons on the ground or hitting them with a baseball bat and watching the replays in slo-mo.  

5. Melissa & Doug Castle Puzzle -- A few months ago we started putting together regular puzzles as a family. After many years of babies and toddlers in the house, we're at a point where we don't have to worry about a little one pulling pieces off a table or putting them in their mouth. We've mostly done 1,000-piece puzzles, but I had gotten this 200-piece castle one a couple years ago and never opened it. It's since been discontinued, but it was a fun and super quick build. I have my eye on this colorful doors puzzle next!

6. Football -- We spent another full day tossing, throwing, playing, and tackling.

7. White Mountain Candy Wrappers Puzzle -- Another puzzle! I had just purchased this one because the price had dropped and even though I hadn't been planning to assemble it right away, the kids asked. We finished it up that evening when Leighton came home from work. The White Mountain puzzles are our favorites. They are well-made and have fun designs. This candy one was a fun puzzle for everybody!

8. Painting and Shopping -- No, those things aren't really playing. I know. Leighton had pulled up the carpet in our living room and had just refinished the hardwood floor. Since the room was empty, I thought it was the perfect time to paint--the living room, the entryway, and the hallway. It took the whole day to get it done. Even though there was no time to stop and play, I let the older kids paint for a bit (they thought it was like playing!) and then took them with me grocery shopping after the first coat of paint. We laughed and joked a lot and still spent quality time together even though we didn't play a game.

9. Yes and No -- We've been playing this game for so many years that I don't remember how it started.  It's like Twenty Questions, except the number of questions doesn't matter. Everything has to be a yes or no question and it has to be something everyone knows. Even toddlers like this one, even if they don't fully understand. We play mostly during dinner, but car rides are fun, too. Whoever guesses correctly gets to pick the next round.

10. Pirate Maze Book -- This is such a fun puzzle book from Usborne! It has over 60 pages of pirate-themed mazes. It is filled with cute details and tons of sailor, undersea, and treasure references--perfect for pirates and landlubbers alike. My younger boys love this book and have spent hours poring through the pages. There is so much going on in the book that we always find something new to enjoy when we do it.

That's only some of the fun we had during our 30 Days of Playing challenge! The fun hasn't ended just because the month did though, so feel free to list some of your family's favorite games and toys! 

And be watching for more ways that we played in the month of June.

* Some of the links in the content above are affiliate links. If you click on a link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless,
I recommend products or services that I have used personally and all the text and opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the
Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 225.

30 Days of Playing

I participated in a challenge years ago to play with my kids every day in the month of June. Since I just shared that my Word of the Year for 2019 is play, I knew that revisiting this challenge would be perfect! 

I explained that even though my kids are with me all the time, I don't always participate in their playtime. Even with our experiments and activities, I'm always right there snapping pictures and relishing in their joy, but I don't always join in on the fun myself.

This year I'm working to change that!

I've been making quality playtime with my kids a priority this year, but the month of June I'm making it a daily fundamental.   

I'm challenging myself to dedicate time daily to playing with them. Not just watching them. Not just being near them. Not just taking pictures to remember the excitement. I pledge to actively participate in the fun!

Last time. the challenge was to play for 30 minutes a day for 30 days. I'm not focused so much on the length each day, as hitting that half-hour mark is easy to do. I certainly don't want to be distracted by keeping tabs on the countdown. And, honestly, kids will notice that dedication to daily playing even if it is just 15 minutes. 

So, what do you say? Do you want to join me in this challenge of playing with your kids? You don't have to be a slave to their favorite toy day after day. Take the initiative and ask them to play with you! Teach them a game from your childhood or learn a new one together.

Let's make June an opportunity to invest quality times of fun with our kids!

  

Word of the Year: 2019

Choosing a Word of the Year is always an exciting time for me. That one little word becomes my goal for the next 365 days as I strive to weave its importance into my life. It might be something that is specifically directed towards myself like with purge, something that focuses on our family as a whole like with teach, or even something that is based on others like last year's give.  

Along with that excitement though comes a tinge of apprehension. This single word is a reminder of what I need in my life. While there is the thrill of a new challenge, there is also some embarrassment that accompanies it. Just like looking into a mirror shows you all your physical flaws, my word for each year is a reflection of my life. I don't choose this word casually, but instead pray about it for weeks and allow God to show me where He wants me to change.    

The word for this year came as no surprise to me.

Play.

play, verb

1. to use any exercise for pleasure or recreation
2. to do something not as a task or for profit, but for amusement

When it comes to the story of Mary and Martha in the end of Luke chapter 10, I relate to Martha. That drive to work, to accomplish a task, to serve your family--that speaks to me. I want my kids to have a strong work ethic and understand that work comes before play.

But far too often, I let the constant work of caring for a family overshadow the importance of my personal recreation. Managing a home, nurturing a handful of children, and home educating along with church involvements and other responsibilities fill my days. Clutter is a stress trigger for me. If I'm not careful, I am prone to let my duties keep me from truly playing with my children.

When my first couple kids were born, I spent countless hours playing with them daily. Then another was born. We started homeschooling. Days were filled with teaching and training, Make It Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Theory Thursday, Smiles on Fridays. And then another baby. Now that we have 5 children, they each have plenty of playmates to keep them interested.

And I have much to keep me busy. Blogging, my hobby and record-keeping of sorts, has taken a very distant backseat to my other responsibilities. My days are based around serving, not leisure. I tend to justify my lack of playing because my kids are with me nearly every second of every day. They help while I'm cooking, they're playing next to me while I'm folding laundry, they do school with me, they read with me. We eat meals together always. We go on family outings often. They have my attention all day.

But I need to be intentional in playing with them.

Oh, it's not that I never play with them. It's that I need to make it more of a priority. It's finding the balance of determining which chores need to be done now and which can wait 30 minutes so I can play a game with my kids. It's teaching my children that responsibilities are important and work needs to be completed, but that they also need to make time for quality recreation.

We are halfway through this year, and though I am just now finishing up this post that I started many months ago, I have been applying this word to my actions. In fact, I've tried multiple times to type this but stopped because a child asked me to help him build with Lego or play a game.

I've never liked the saying "It will be there tomorrow" referring to dirty dishes in a sink or a pile of laundry on the couch implying that playing with your kids is of utmost importance. Yes, those dishes will still be there--along with many others. God doesn't want us to ignore responsibility. But he also doesn't want us to be "cumbered about much serving" or "troubled about many things."

The last 6 months I've been more intentional in saying yes to playing.

I've been more deliberate to be like Mary, but instead of sitting at the feet of Jesus, I'm sitting on the floor with my kids. I'm taking more time, not for task or profit, but enjoyment and pleasure.

Play. That's my "good part" and my focus this year.




I initiated a challenge in the month of June to play with my kids! You can read all about it and join in the fun of 30 Days of Playing.

Things That Make Me Smile 10/5/18

Jake (12 1/2), Alyssa (10 1/2), Zac (8 1/2), Tyler (6 1/2), Nicholas (3 1/2)

This week, we had game schooling, science class with our city, and baked some yummy fall treats.

1. Zac: "Mom, I want to name all my kids names from the Bible. Unless I have 5 kids--4 boys and a girl. Then I want to name them after the Nexo Knights." (LEGO)

2. Tyler, after eating breakfast: "I'm stuffed. May I have water with no ice, please?"

Me: "No ice?"

Tyler: "Because water with ice just makes me stuffed-er. Water with no ice makes more room in my tummy. Somehow."

3. Alyssa: "Why do you think the Bible is true?"

Zac: "Because I was taught that and who would make up such cool stories?"

4.

5. Jake: "Can we hang this poster in our room, please? If you say no, that would be so cruel."

Me: "Cruel is my middle name."

Jake: "Mom Cruel Leaf."

Me: "Yep, that's it. Though I didn't realize Mom was my first name."

Jake: "It is now that you have kids."

6. Nicholas, watching Alyssa draw: "Very impressive."

7. Jake: "Hey, Mom, don't you like my giant ribs? I worked hard to get them to stick out like this."

Me: "You worked hard at not eating?"

Jake: "Trust me, with your cooking, that is hard!"

8. Nicholas, going potty: "Mama, I am killing the bubbles!"

9. Jake: "Mom, I'm going to tape Nicholas up."

Nicholas: "Yeah, like my mouf! So I can't talk!"

Me: "And you're excited about this?"

Nicholas: "Yeah!"


What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 9/28/18

Jake (12 1/2), Alyssa (10 1/2), Zac (8 1/2), Tyler (6 1/2), Nicholas (3 1/2)

This week Leighton and Jake went deer hunting, we practiced being cold case detectives, played a rousing game of hide-n-seek, made some crafts, and just enjoyed the benefits of homeschooling. 

1. Zac: "I love making dinner. I never thought cooking would be this much fun."

2. Jake: "Want to hear my joke? A knight is preparing his horse for battle. He gives him a long speech about his importance and then asks, 'Are you ready to carry me into battle?' The horse says, 'Neigh,' and walks away." (nay)

3. Me: "How much do you love Mama?"

Nicholas: "All of them and a half!"

4.

5. Nicholas: "Mama, was dis Tyyer's cup when he was a baby?"

Me: "Actually, this mug was mine when I was little."

Tyler: "Whoa! That's old! I'm surprised it's not broken."

6. Tyler's drawing.

7. Alyssa, cleaning up her craft area: "I'm going to try to keep my desk clean from now on."

Me: "Good idea."

Alyssa: "It's not an idea; it's common sense."

8. Zac, walking up to me: "I want to tell you something . . . I love you."

9. Zac: "Whoever created pizza, I'd like to shake their hand and talk to them for hours. And sit and eat pizza with them for hours."

10. Nicholas really got into making his personal pizza.

11. Tyler: "I can survive one whole hour without eating."

Me: "Wow, a whole hour, huh?"

Tyler: "Yeah, one time I went from 2 o'clock to 3 o'clock without eating."

12. The problem with raising readers . . . 

Me: "Please do not run through the parking lot."

Jake: "Can we hasten through the parking lot? Ooh, maybe we should canter through it. Walk briskly?"

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 9/21/18

Jake (12 1/2), Alyssa (10), Zac (8 1/2), Tyler (6), Nicholas (3 1/2)

I don't know about you, but I could use a Smile today. Here are a few of mine from September.

1. Tyler, confused, reading labeled pictures: "There's no F in the phone."

Me: :No, isn't that silly? PH makes the F sound, too."

Tyler: "Whaaaat! That's not right."

2. Leighton, about an elderly man: "What do you think his name is?"

Nicholas: "Mr. Grandpa, maybe."

3. Nicholas: "We really have a big house."

4. Zac wanted to make special bread creations for each person in the family on his turn for Kids Cook Monday. He made the dough, and then he and Alyssa formed the designs.

5. Me, about an old picture of Leighton and me: "Who is that?"

Nicholas: "Not Daddy."

Me: "No? Then who is it?"

Nicholas: "No one. No one at all. Just Mama."

6. Nicholas: "Can I have a jelly sandwich?"

Me: "Yes. No peanut butter?"

Nicholas: "No peanut butter. And no bread."

Me: "No bread? So you want just jelly?"

Nicholas: {nods}

7. Me: "Ugh! I stepped in the ground beef container and it splashed raw beef juice on my foot!"

Jake: "Now you can't lick your foot."

Me: {blank stare}

8. Zac: "You should take a picture and put it on RaisingLeafs.com."

Tyler: "Crazy what .com?"

Me: "That's actually pretty accurate."

9. Jake made a new friend.

10. Nicholas: "Mama, are we gonna go to jail?"

Me: "Go to jail? No."

Nicholas: "But the police officers are going to come because we're wasting all the candy."

11. Nicholas: "Under your legs they are squishy."

Me: "They are? Thanks."

Nicholas: {smacks my thighs} "Yeah, these smacking things are wiggly."

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 9/14/18

Jake (12 1/2), Alyssa (10), Zac (8 1/2), Tyler (6), Nicholas (3 1/2)

This list covers 2 weeks worth of Smiles. During this time, we went on a vacation to northern Michigan. We took a ferry to Mackinac Island, climbed the sand at Sleeping Bear Dunes, toured the forts and other sites of the Mackinac State Historic Parks, searched for Petoskey stones in Lake Michigan, played at the beach, went geocaching, and so much more. 

Days after we returned home, I was able to go with my mom to an overnight ladies' retreat with our church and spend quality time with her. The beginning of September with a special time filled with many memories. 

1. Nicholas, about a coconut doughnut: "Mom! Dat doughnut has white 'prinkles all over it! It's so yummy!"

2. Nicholas: "Mom, can you make grape juice yesterday later?"

3. Our first day of school for this year.

4. 

5. Me: "We need to get ready to go buh-bye."

Nicholas: "Where are we going?"

Me: "Mackinaw City."

Nicholas: "No, we are going to Gramma's house."

6. Zac finished reading The Hobbit.

7. Me, while we were waiting in the van while Leighton ran into a store: "Here comes Daddy! Daddy is our favorite."

Nicholas: "No he not."

Me: "He's not? Well then, who is our favorite?"

Nicholas: "You."

8. Zac, eating a blueberry muffin I had just pulled out of the oven: "Mmm, that crumble tastes like sugar cookies. It's sugar cookie on top of goodness."

9.

10. Every night, as the kids are going to bed, we say, "Good night. Sweet dreams. I love you." Nicholas must not have completely understood us, because one night, he hugged me and said, "Good night, green beans. I love you." We've been saying that every night since. 

11. Nicholas: "Daddy, pwease?"

Leighton: "No, not tonight."

Nicholas, whining: "Mama, pwease, can I?"

Me: "If Daddy says no, Mama says no."

Nicholas: "Pwease can Daddy say yes?"

12. Tyler, sincerely: "If you go the wrong way into a car wash, do you come out dirty?"

13. Tyler: "Gramma is a girl."

Nicholas: {gasps} "No, her not! Her is a mom!"

14.

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 8/24/18

Jake (12 1/2), Alyssa (10), Zac (8 1/2), Tyler (6), Nicholas (3 1/2)

Happy weekend! This week, we did more canning, went geocaching, had a family water balloon fight, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire, and enjoyed being together. 

1. Alyssa: "When I grow up, I'm going to come to your house for dinner often."

2. Nicholas: "Can I have toast with tuna on it?" (meant Nutella: 'tella, tuna)

3. Nicholas, pointing to the clock: "Mama, look. It's 30 o'clock."

4. Nicholas, about the dough attachment for the KitchenAid: "Mom! I found a grappling hook! It's for pirates."

5. Nicholas, in the basement hearing Tyler upstairs through the heat vent: "Ty? Ty, I hear you! I am Nicholas! I am talking to you!"

6. Alyssa: "If I have kids--and I hope I do--I hope they're like Nicky."

7. Zac: "Mom, can you give me your recipe for (strawberry) compote? That way my wife can make it someday."

8. Alyssa: "Nick, did you take a bite of my cookie?"

Nicholas, making a confused face: "I thought it was Tyyer's cookie."

9. A portion of our canning for the week.

10. Nicholas: "Mama, Tyyer won't let me play wif his camera. And Zachy won't, and Jacob won't."

Me: "Then you'll have to find something else to play with."

Nicholas: "I know! Lyssa's!"

11. Me: "Do you want Netflix or Amazon Prime:"

Nicholas: "Hmm . . . Amazon Slime."

What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 8/17/18

Jake (12 1/2), Alyssa (10), Zac (8 1/2), Tyler (6), Nicholas (3 1/2)

Happy New Year! I think my New Year's resolution should be to get caught up on Smile posts, ha! Maybe my Word of the Year for 2019 should be progress or consistency or finish in order to get up to date, but alas, I have chosen another goal that I will share soon. My plan is to blog more frequently again though.

These Smile are way back from the summer months, when the weather was warm and our days were filled with fun in the sun.


1. Nicholas calling his calf his "leg cheek."

2. We canned dozens of quarts and pints of veggies from both my parents' and grandparents' gardens, including sweet relish, crushed tomatoes, bread & butter pickles, pickled banana peppers, pickled jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, and green beans.

3. Leighton and Jake built a bean bag toss game for our carnival night to match the shipwrecked theme of Vacation Bible School.

4. Nicholas refuses to believe any pictures of Leighton with hair is his daddy, no matter how much I try to convince him. I have an older picture of him as the lock screen on my phone. 

Nicholas: "Can you show me the other daddy on your phone?" 

5. Me: ". . . and I think we should get some chocolate ice cream."

Alyssa: "Ooh! Wait, you did say chocolate, right?"

Me: "Yes."
Alyssa: "Those are my two favorite words together."

6. The surprise I found in the refrigerator. 

7. Me, to Leighton: "Hey, these kids are smart. You can't trick them."

Alyssa: "You taught us."

8. One of the days of VBS was crazy hat night. When Alyssa found out, she immediately knew she wanted to wear a fez. The next morning, she drew her own pattern on felt, cut it out, sewed it together, and added a tassel.

9. Junior High Girl (JHG): "Did you graduate yet?"

Me: "Graduate what?"

JHG: "High school."

Me, chuckling: "Yes, I graduated high school, and I graduated from college many years ago."

JHG: "How many years?"

Me: "18. I'm 36 years old."

JHG: "Wow. My mom is 35. You look young."

10. Alyssa: "I have common sense, I just choose to ignore it."

Me: "Why?"

Alyssa: "Everyone does nowadays."

What made you Smile this week?