SRKindredSpirits

I grew up as the middle kid out of seven. There are 6 yrs between my oldest sibling and me, and 9 yrs between my youngest sibling and me. There were 2 boys and 5 girls.  I have very fond memories when I was little.  I remember our family trips.... I loved playing the car game with Dad at night while everyone else was asleep..... it was my favorite part of traveling.  I loved going to the auction barn with dad -especially if we come home with a baby lamb or other animals. I loved the wintertime when Mom would read stories, with all of us kids piled up beside her on the sofa. We spent a lot of Sundays at G'pa Stumps house- playing games and eating popcorn and ice cream. I loved spending the night at my G'pa Fricks... G'pa had two nicknames for me... 'Goldilocks' and 'woodchuck'. I loved going to church, singing at the nursing home, and bible study- because it meant that I would spend time with my best friend- she was great. I love

We have taken a few family trips with our kids.... and I have found, if you have some fun things to keep kids occupied with, the trip will be much more enjoyable for everyone!  Here is a list of idea's that my kids love....  1. Camera - I give each kid (I started doing this when my youngest was 3 yrs old.) a camera. Make sure it is charged or has fresh batteries (take the charger along with your overnight bag and charge while your sleeping so it will be ready to go the following day.) I let my kids take pictures of anything that interest's them. When we get home, I delete the fuzzy or blurry pictures and use some of their good pictures, along with some of mine, to make a keepsake book for them to look through to remember the trip by.  2.  Silly Putty  - All kids, all ages love silly putty! You can also buy different colored silly putty. Just keep it off of clothing!  3.   Bingo Car Game  - this works great for middle school kids that know

When we are traveling - I like to take our snacks with us. It cuts down on stops and on the cost of buying snacks at convenience stores or gas stations. I try to pack a mixture of sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, healthy and not so healthy snacks..... I want snacks that are easy and that don't make a huge mess!  I try to get snacks that my kids don't have on a regular basis - it gives them something to look forward too and makes the trip more fun!  Here we go! Nuts - honey roasted peanuts, cashews, and roasted and salted almonds are our family favorites! Fruit Snacks or Fruit Roll Ups Shaklee Snack Bars  - choose from crunchy peanut butter, cherry and almond, chocolate and coconut, or toffee and chocolate crunch. Snack Crisps   - my personal favorite is the barbecue flavored ones. Beef Jerky Trail Mix Raisins - little individual boxes work great! Starburst Minis - my kids love these and there are no paper wrappers to deal with! Gr

Happy Valentines Day! Today, I want to celebrate my hubby! He makes me want to be a better person... He always does the right thing -even when it's the hard thing to do. He is a man of values and good moral. He is polite, not just around others, but here at home around me and the kids. He is a man of few words and uses his words wisely. I love hearing him talk. When he speaks, people stop and listen because they know he has something important to say. He always treats me with respect. I am his equal. He asks and values my opinion, He lets me choose where I want to eat. What I want to do. He always puts me first in the bedroom -enough said! He can tell when something’s important to me, and for the most part, he lets me run wild with my (crazy) ideas. He is a hard worker. He provides well for our family - we lack for nothing.   He is a successful mold maker by day. But he also works hard around our property. He can fix, remodel, and build anything..... and he is

Is your family getting all the protein that they need? If they are like the majority of Americans, they most likely aren't! My kids don't enjoy drinking protein shakes..... but they LOVE this Protein Snack! Even adults can't resist! ~ Recipe ~ 1 cup (dry) oatmeal or crispy rice cereal 1/2 cup Chocolate or Vanilla Shaklee Life Energizing Protein 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 1/2 cup peanut/almond butter 1/2 cup honey (You can also add other ingredients like flax seed, chia seed, raisins, nuts, etc.) Stir until everything is moist. Press into 8×8 pan or roll into bite sized balls. Keep in the refrigerator. Enjoy! Around the world, millions of people don’t get enough protein . Protein malnutrition leads to the condition known as kwashiorkor . Lack of protein can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system, and death. Protein is the single most important food we e

This year, I am choosing to take care of me ...... and that means I've been enjoying some time in the sun..... walks on the beach... watching the kids (and the hubby) play... laying at the pool... walking under the moss covered oak trees... exploring the island... seeing the beautiful views from our hotel balcony... listening to the waves crash... playing in the sand... watching the sun rise over the ocean... finding sand dollars and shells... watching the tide come and go... enjoying the warm breeze... spending time with my family... and simply enjoying life.....  ...... I think I could get used to this......

 I have three kids. There is a  9 year age difference between the oldest and youngest. Most of the kids books have been passed down over the years, and many  have been torn, colored in, or dog-eared, pages ripped, etc. Some of them were getting so rough, it was time to toss them, so I am trying to find my six year old, books to add to her collection. Here are two of the latest kids books I received to review. Same Kind of A Different Me –by Ron Hall & Denver Moore This book wasn’t near as good as I thought it would be. I liked that it had some depth to the wording, so it is better suited for grade school kids.  Although the story line was good, the illustrations were lacking and seemed more for toddlers. The story seemed to be missing a link, tying it all together.  I do love the  saying on the last page,  “Nobody can help everybody, but everybody can help somebody,” and I definitely want to instill that into my kids’ minds, but, overall, this book didn'

Today's guest post is by Emma Hamilton on keeping your home clutter free! Maintaining a neat, cozy and well-organized living environment is one of the first steps towards a stress-free, healthier lifestyle. According to Dr. Charisse Ward, clutter is among the top-five culprits causing stress, which has a negative impact on one's mindset and greatly reduces their creativity and productivity. Many people share the common misconception clutter is just physical stuff. This couldn't be further from the truth. Clutter represents all those old ideas, intentions, bad habits and relationships, we find it difficult to let go of. Follow our advice and take some measures to de-clutter your living space right away. Here are a few helpful tips to get you started.  Learn to Let Go This is the first step towards a clutter-free lifestyle . We all have items in our lives that we feel emotionally attached to, despite the fact they no longer serve their purpose. The truth of t

THE LORD'S PRAYER by: Rick Warren 3 Stars I loved the front cover of this book. I also like the fact that the author takes the time to explain what the Lords prayer means so that kids can understand it. I think too often people are to quick to disregard the KJV because they simply do not understand it. This book will encourage your kids to not only learn this portion of Scripture but to also apply it in all situations. My 6 yr. old was excited to add this book to her collection. This book is a great resource to add to your home school library. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through BookLookBloggers, book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

I've never been one for New Years Resolutions....i t always seemed kinda silly to me.... So many people make a resolution to change, but so few actually see it through. However, I do like to pick on word or thought to be a reminder to me throughout the year. The last few years, my thought has been to Choose Joy . We can all stand to have a little more joy and happiness in our lives.... but this year, I was ready for a new thought.... so, for 2017 - I choose to take care of me! Over the years as a wife and mom, I often get distracted with the busyness of life and have let myself go. When you have a mini farm, animals , grow and preserve your own produce , home school, run a home business , volunteer, have a special needs son, and in my case have cancer , chronic stress, and multiple autoimmune diseases..... taking care of myself is often the last thing I think of. So, this year, I am choosing to take care of me...... I'm having a relaxing soak in the bub

To my son whom I did not raise.... You were my little boy. You followed me around the house and called me "Mommy".  You loved helping me in the kitchen - making daddy a cake was your favorite; you loved licking the spatula.  You loved going to the park and feeding the ducks.  You loved smashing ants on the sidewalk with your plastic hammer.  You loved the attention that your Uncle Marlan, Aunt Marla, and Aunt Rachel gave you... and wanted them to carry you everywhere!  You loved going fishing with daddy, and had your very own fishing pole. You loved wearing daddy's hat.  You loved your baby sister, and would call her "baby face" because you could not pronounce her name (Faith). You loved to play the keyboard; I have a picture of you when you fell asleep while playing it. You would watch me get ready in the mornings and would say "You pretty, Mommy".  You loved making forts with pillows and blankets in

16 years ago, today in the basement of a courthouse in Athens, Georgia, I married my first husband, Jim - and I loved him . Circumstances beyond my control made our life together difficult, and 4 years later, we got a dissolution. I will always think of my ex husband as my friend, and part of my family . I care about him, pray for him, and want the best for him. Sometimes, out of the blue a memory of him or us together, will come to mind and make me smile. (There are sad memories too, our life together wasn't very easy, but the good memories are what I choose to remember.) Now before you get all worked up over the fact that me, a married wife, would write such a thing, never mind the fact that that is how I truly feel.... let me tell you something else.  I am deeply in love with my husband, Stephen . I love him with a passion that I never knew could exist between two people. He is my happiness . I'd lay down my life for him. I trust him with my

Enjoy: Finding the Freedom to Delight Daily in God's Good Gifts  by: Trillia Newbell 2 Stars I enjoy reading books and am privileged to review books for Tyndale , Book Look Bloggers and Blogging For Books . I have found some really great and interesting books to add to my bookshelf . Some of them, I will read over and over again... they're just that good! But sometimes, I get a book to review and honestly - it's just not for me..... and that's how I felt about this book .  There's really not one certain thing that I didn't like, but it just didn't do anything for me. I guess you could say I was kinda board... it didn't hold my attention, and not to be conceded, but I pretty much already know everything the author talked about in the book. This is one of the books that will be donated, and hopefully someone, somewhere, sometime, will pick it up and find it useful to them. *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this

Happy New Year! Here's to starting the new year off right! So many people make a new years resolution to loose weight, but quit after only a few days or weeks. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you owe it to yourself to try Shaklee's 180 program! We know losing weight can be as simple as it is difficult. That’s why Shaklee scientists, who are thankfully also human, designed the Shaklee 180 program to help you break the yo-yo dieting cycle to get healthier and fit for life. This customizable two-meals-a-day kit contains all you need for your first 2 weeks of the program including: * Two canisters of delicious Life Energizing Shakes packed with protein to curb hunger and increase energy. (16 grams of proprietary, ultra-pure, plant-based non-GMO protein. Added leucine to help preserve lean muscle and keep metabolism strong. A powerful patent-pending combination of prebiotics andone billion CFU of patented probiotics, and Omega-3 ALA to suppor