Summertime is busy, especially with kids home all day!
For me the toughest part of summertime is the FOOD! I have to fix more meals more times everyday to feed the masses.
Here are three simple tricks I use to keep our mealtimes easy, fast, and uncomplicated.
It’s summertime! Lazy days, warm afternoons, swimming, and sun!
Summer is also the season when kids are home and can help around the house a little bit more. I generally don’t pay my kids for household chores, but during the summer we change things up and add some fun with MAMA MONEY!
Mama Money is earned through a variety of jobs and activities, and can be saved up for fun shopping sprees throughout the summer.
Watch here to learn more…
The school year is over…and kids have PILES OF PAPERS they LOVE!
Here’s how our family declutters and organizes our favorite mementos from school.
(Hint: Part One of School Stuff was published last fall. This is the second half of what to do with all those papers! Check out my first video in the comments.)
Summertime is all about READING! Stacks of books, hours of free-time, long hot days with nothing to do…except read!
Join me today in our family SCHOOLROOM (my favorite place…) for the TOP TEN BOOKS on our reading list this summer.
During the school year my kids read whatever their teachers recommend, or whatever they find at the library. But in the summertime I give them a list from our family bookshelf. These are tried and true old-fashioned books I read as a child. I don’t want my kids to miss out on these stories, even if they are from a different era. Most of our copies are from the second hand store, and I love the dog-eared pages and stamps from school libraries of long ago.
This summer, to add to the fun, we’re having a family BOOK BATTLE! My kids love doing book battles with their school librarian. This year we’ve made our own family list of books to read…and we’ll battle it out in August.
P.S. Stay tuned at the end for 3 bonus books…
Last year I took a class on “Becoming a FRESH AIR FAMILY.” I was intrigued, mostly because I worry about the amount of digital screens in the lives of our children today.
The class gave three simple tips to getting kids – and families – outdoors on a regular basis. These are simple, fun, and easy to remember.
Thanks to my sister, Mamie, for joining me on this week’s episode of Nettie’s Notes.
And enjoy these beautiful views of the Land of Enchantment!
People shared lots of advice with my husband and me before we were married.
Many of those helpful ideas were similar: NEVER GO TO BED UPSET!
Well, over 20 years later, here’s the BEST MARRIAGE ADVICE my husband and I NEVER took.
Mealtimes can be Magical… *IF* …we can ever all sit down together!
Here are THREE TABLE TIPS that are SIMPLE and PRACTICAL, and may make your family eating times a little bit brighter and smoother.
Wanna know a secret? One of our favorite family summer outings is BYU-Idaho Education Week in Rexburg, Idaho.
Why?
It’s affordable. It’s for all ages. It’s three days of classes and activities for the whole family.
We’ve gone for two years and our kids LOVE it! They love the counselors, they love the easy schedule, they love meeting and mingling with other great kids.
What’s my favorite part? My kids are busy while I’m attending classes with my hubby. And our evenings are free for family fun: family dancing, bowling, planetarium, swimming, a concert and the ropes course!
BYU-Idaho Education Week is a well-kept secret. The registration fee is affordable and it’s a great place to meet good families from across the nation. Check out their official website here: http://www.byui.edu/education-week
More info on my Two-Minute Tip this Tuesday!
MOVING people is one of the MOST DIFFICULT tasks of motherhood! UP in the morning, DOWN the stairs, to the TABLE, or KNEELING for prayer.
Yes, TRANSITION TIMES are definitely TRICKY!
BUT, Instead of using my voice to yell, or call, or nag, or remind…I’ve found that SINGING is an effective way to MOVE children. Here are three times our family uses MUSIC for transitions.
The most constant element of motherhood is EXHAUSTION! It doesn’t matter if you have one child or ten children, parenthood is demanding.
Strings that are ALWAYS taut eventually lose their ability to bounce back, and mothers are no different.
I recommend taking a break AT LEAST twice a year! Spend time with your hubby, by yourself, and as a couple. AND, rejuvenate your whole self: spiritually, physically, mentally, and socially.
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