Life with the Family O

Author: thefamilyo

  • Having a Bad Day?

    Lamentations 4

  • A New Scripture Printable

    One of my favorite verses.  It is clear and simple.  Rejoice in Him who loves us!

  • Summertime Organization

    Organizing always “sounds good” but when does anybody really have time for that? So I am taking this Summer to get organized, again! This time I decided to start over, put everything together in one place. I took everything out of drawers and off of shelves, threw it in a huge pile and then sorted.  Putting everything back in a perfect spot has taken some time.  This is one of the first ‘AFTER’ areas…

    I finally have all the homeschool teaching materials in one spot.  Also the bookshelf on the right is holding non-fiction books for the kids.  I have another half bookshelf with kids fiction and then 1 more full size full of grown-up books on apologetics, missions and theology.  I also love looking at what is on people’s bookshelves so I decided to share 1 of my shelves with you in this post.

    Since all the books are put away library style the kids don’t venture into them as much as I would like.  That is why I love the book basket idea from AMFW.  Here are the boys book baskets with selections for each reader.  I refreshed their baskets in my overhaul.

    book_baskets

     

    Now for the before pictures of the bookshelf wall.  It was a hodgepodge of things I didn’t know where to put… I really hate looking at now, so I’m glad it’s gone.

    BeforeAfter

    Will be doing so much more, can’t wait to post and I can’t wait to have everything in almost perfect order!

  • A Happy Father’s Day

    We love celebrating Daddy in our house, so Father’s Day is just another opportunity to show him how much he means to us.

    This Father’s Day we got him something that the boys have been asking for and so has Daddy.  A good old-fashioned BB Gun.  I didn’t just get any gun either, I bought him a Classic Daisy Red Rider BB Gun! I was excited just buying it.  Of course we could have chosen from any number of semi-automatics, ones with scopes but I just had to get the classic.  Plus I did read how it is unbeatable for kids just learning, since I knew our 8 year would be using it a lot.  It sure is pretty.

    red_rider

    red rider bb gunI went to Amazon, which I love.  They were selling a fun kit that included targets, bb’s and safety glasses.  It arrived 2 days later, then the next day we gave it to Daddy.  He had the biggest grin.  They all went out and shot for 2 hours!  I think they used about 400 bb’s.

    My goal, is to have my boys learn safety above all.  Of course we all know that if you have a BB gun “you’ll shoot your eye”, hee hee.  Here’s to being safe!

     

  • Learning All About Adjectives

    This year we started exploring adjectives and of course, I headed straight to Pinterest for some inspiration.  I came across this poster, I really liked it, I made one right away.  It originally came from this blog post.

    She has other super great ideas on teaching adjectives.  I have since explored this blog and I absolutely love it!  It is called Step Into Second Grade.  It is full of inspiration, this teacher is incredibly creative and helpful!

    So here it is, my adjectives poster:

    Adjectives Poster

    I made some others too, one for verbs and one for capital letters.  I keep them in a huge spiral bound flip chart.  Comes in handy, saves space and the kids even stop to look it from time to time when they’re sitting at the desk where it hangs.

  • Organizing School and Office Supplies

    This Summer I am revamping everything I have organized since we moved in.  We have a super small place and I want another fresh start.  I am going to get rid of so much stuff, I can’t wait!

    I started going through all the paperwork we have, I was surprised to get rid of so much.  We had a lot we didn’t really need.  That felt great and was a good start to total organization.  Next I am working on organizing and storing school supplies and office supplies.

    Here is my 3rd graders desk :

    Prestons Desk

    Prestons Desk Drawer

    After I organized the kids items, each in their own desk, I started on my cabinet.  I keep all the standards in white Sterlite drawers, which I love.

     

    Teachers Cabinet

    our Centers cabinet

    This is just the beginning.  Next, the hundreds of books and workbooks. My goal is to organize by subject and reading level.   Then on to puzzles, games and toysStay tuned…

     

  • Abortion Stops a Beating Heart

  • A Taste of Summer

    Oliver at the Lake

    4 Days at the Lake – that is what we did this past weekend.  The boys ran, explored, fished, and played at the beach.  They loved every minute.  Preston says his favorite part was the s’mores, lol.  There is really nothing like the taste of a perfectly browned marshmallow.  We ate delicious food like hot dogs, cheeseburgers, cherries, grapes, cheese and of course, s’mores.

    Fishing

    We learned that Preston is a natural fisherman.

    Lakefront CabinWe stayed in a cabin by the lake.

    Rib Eye, Hot Dogs and CornDinner:  Rib-Eye, Hot Dogs and Corn 

    Roasting Marshmallows Oliver roasting marshmallows

    Boys on the BoatThe boys enjoying a ride on the lake with my cousin and his totally cool boat.

    Oliver

    Coloring CampsideCousins creating art with markers and paper, the perfect afternoon break activity.

    Running to the beach

    Sam at the Horsetooth Cabin

    Preston fishing at Horsetooth

  • The Best Marriage Proposal Ever!

    The title says it all! This is so fantastically awesome!!

  • Summertime: Freshen Your Home and Garden

    Freshen your house

    Who doesn’t love Spring and Summer?  The outside becomes our playground, the clean, fresh air is a welcome change from being indoors all winter.  I love to open all the windows and let the air flow through our house.  This time of year, like most people, is my preferred time to clean out my home, car and garden.  I like to start clean and fresh with everything!  Like spring, all these are new, or a least like new!

    The Cars

    I always start with our cars.  We take this opportunity to completely empty the car and trunk, including console and glove compartment.  I am amazed at the amount of stuff that accumulates in our car during the winter months.  Hats, gloves, clothes, socks, toys, books, paperwork, trash, yuck!  After, we take it all out, we vacuum and shampoo the carpet, wipe down the seats, dash, doors, console, and vents.  The windows are washed inside and out, then we finish with a wash and wax.  The kids think its a special treat when we wash the cars at home, they love helping out!  To keep it fresh, I keep some dryer sheets under the seats and in the pockets of the seats.  I love to the put the good old fashioned air freshener trees, my favorite is cherry.

    Outside Your Home

    gardeningThis year we moved into a house so we spent a couple of weekends cleaning up the yard and gardens.  Raking, pulling weeds, laying down grass seed, cutting back the gardens.  I love being outdoors in the Spring and Summer seasons.  It is important to keep your yard fresh and clean, so you can truly enjoy it.  It is not fun to sit around clutter and weeds.  Our back patio got really dirty from snow and rain.  We cleared everything and power washed it, made it like new.  Now we will just need an outdoor shop broom to keep it clean.  We washed down all the patio furniture.  We also brought out the kids summer toys, bucket, shovels and balls.  We washed it all and organized it in a set of outdoor drawers.  I keep a container in our shed for outdoor cleaning.  I stock it with scrub brushes, all purpose cleaner, window cleaner, paper towels and cleaning erasers.  It is a perfect “go to” when I need to freshen up the patio.

    Kitchen, Bath and Closets

    Moving to the biggest task:  the house.  We have wood floors so we pull all the rugs out, shake em, hang em outside to air out.  I sweep everywhere, then polish the wood.  This is when I move the big furniture and sweep it all out.  This summer we are getting the vents cleaned out, I will be so happy to know that they are clean!  I wipe down everything in the kitchen, this includes our washer and dryer.  I like to clean them inside and out.  If  you are feeling really ambitious you can take off the door of your dryer and clean out the lint that can build up inside. I use a vinegar water mix to clean the microwave and dishwasher.  For the microwave:  in a microwave safe container add 1 part water, 1 part vinegar and microwave for 3 minutes.  Wipe down with ease.

    CottonelleThe bathroom always needs refreshing constantly, through out the year, especially with little boys.  We are always wiping everything down in there, using super strength cleaner.  To keep the air fresh we stash a baking soda in the cabinet along with spice filled pouches for a natural air freshener.  Another must have is the unbeatable combination for freshness, Cottonelle tissue paper and Cottonelle Flushable Wipes.  In our house, they are a staple.

    I finish off with the closets, everything comes out, only 75% is allowed back in.  I look to purge and getting of stuff is wonderful!  I also put dryer sheets and baking soda on the top shelves of each closet, ensure freshness all Summer long.

    So there you have it, now go, get fresh!

    Do you love Cottonelle as much as I do?  You can enter to win a years supply!

    To qualify for the year’s supply of Cottonelle Ultra Comfort Care and Cottonelle Fresh Care, entrants must create a name through The Customizer on Cottonelle Brand’s Facebook Page between June 12, 2012, and February 28, 2013. Winners will be selected in a random drawing on a weekly basis. There is a limit of one prize per person. See full terms and conditions on Cottonelle Brand’s Facebook Page or Cottonelle.com.

    People can also participate by following @Cottonelle on Twitter for exclusive opportunities to win #NameIt prizes and check out the Book of Names on Cottonelle.com to see what others have named their routine and get fun bathroom trivia.

    Cottonelle Try it & Name it

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    “I was compensated for this post. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.”