SRKindredSpirits

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 fo...

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 w...

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, ...

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...