Merry Christmas

Christmas Around the House

Rewind: Thanksgiving

Christmas Mantle

 

No turning back now

Things are happening!

I’ll keep you updated! 

So Much to Be Thankful For

 

 

A husband that works hard

Cash’s imagination

Jagger’s enthusiasm to read

Health

Forgiveness

Beautiful views

Sisters

Awesome parents and inlaws

True Friends

 

Blessings to You on this Thanksgiving Day

How to Cook a Turkey

 

A new recipe courtesy of Jagger.

It’s sure to please even the pickiest of eaters this Thanksgiving.

1. Hy-Vee

2.  Take it Home

3. Go into House

4.  Cook Turkey

5.  Eat the Turkey

It doesn’t get much simpler than that.  Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Boy Stuff

Hunting.  Most people, when they hunt, wake up really early, travel to some remote land, and brave whatever terrible weather mother nature has given them that day.

This is how Grant hunted a few days ago:  Opening day, he wakes up at 6am, & immediately sees a buck out the bedroom window.  He fires one shot at said buck while standing in his boxers in his bedroom.  Said buck then runs TO the house, making Grant’s job that much easier. 

We’re so luxuriously redneck over here.

Meanwhile, Cash has just been awesome.  He’s moved on from being Spiderman everyday.  He’s now Batman. 

24/7

Dude loves him some superheroes. 

When we weren’t hunting out of our bedroom this weekend, we were cheering loud at soccer games. 

Jagger had his last tournament of the year, and it was so much fun.  I love cheering for seven year olds. The weather was ridiculously beautiful on Saturday.  They played great and made it to the championship game on Sunday night.  However, then, the weather was not so great.  Freezing rain, people.  Freezing rain.  We ended up getting silver, and that’s okay.  

I’m still fighting the urge to decorate for Christmas.  Will I make it ‘til after Thanksgiving???? That will be a record!

Chore Charts

In an effort to have the boys be a little more accountable, I whipped up these chore charts for the young-ins. 

I just used a simple PowerPoint chart and clip art, printed them out and stuck them behind in some fun frames I picked up at the Hob Lob. 

The Dry Erase Markers work perfect.  Right now, it is still thrilling for them to check stuff off.   

Hopefully, that thrill won’t fade fast.  Mama needs those boys to pull their weight.

I don’t require every single thing every single day (with the exception of making their bed.) And the rest is just kind of on an AS-NEEDED basis.  Right now, they each get a dollar a week, if they have done all that has been asked of them. But I am curious about you other families out there…. Do you pay your kids?  What’s the going rate?  Sometimes I feel like a dollar isn’t enough.  And sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t have to pay them at all.  And I know I don’t HAVE to.  But I like them to be able to manage their own money, and save, and all that jazz.  And even if they waste it on crap I would never buy, I still feel like they are learning in the process. I don’t know.

What kind of kid/money/chore situation has worked well for your family?