Double Portion Inspiration

Let's admit it. We all lead busy lives. We can often find it hard to spend quality time with family, especially our children. If we allow it, our community responsibilities, careers, and church activities can take away a large amount of our time. I thought it would be great to share some cool ideas to spend quality time with your children while navigating life. Games . Have them available close to your family room or kitchen area to make it quickly accessible. I keep Scrabble, Uno , and Puzzles in the family room because my youngest always wants to play a game right when I'm trying to cook. So that he feels momma's love, I play a quick game with him first and then return to cooking. Park . Being outdoors with your children is exhilarating. It also provides a great opportunity to get in some physical exercise so that you can skip the gym and make memories with your babies. Movies . There's nothing better than a great...

 Renee's old truck There’s a shifting in my life and I don’t know that I’m embracing the new season in the best way.   Recently we had to replace my 13 year old truck.   To say I loved my truck is an understatement.   It was my first “mommy” vehicle.   It dependably bought home two babies from the hospital and helped us move into three different homes over the years.   Unfortunately it quit working at the same time my husband’s car stopped working.     Two vehicles beyond repair = One unhappy girl . It was obvious that God was moving us into another season of vehicle ownership but a part of me wanted to hold onto the old and comfortable.   Maybe we could fix it (again)?   Maybe it could last another year even though it already had 221,000 miles?   In addition to the autos changing in my life, I’m soon to be the mother of a kindergartner.   I should be happy, right?   Not.   Here’s my confessi...

When Roslyn and I started our blog , our sole purpose was to motivate and inspire .  Whether it is nature, our kids, church, or work, we stay engaged in our lives to share our experiences and inspire our readers.  The other day, inspiration came from my 4 year old.  Jordan's "crinkled" dollar Recently during our family reunion, his grandmother gave him a dollar bill.  He was so excited to fold it up and put it in his pants pocket.  I was actually surprised that he held onto it the entire weekend.  Somehow the dollar became crinkled and he thought it was trash.  If I didn't catch him getting ready to throw it away, he would have succeeded in his quest to get rid of the "trash".  I yelled, "Jordan, no!  Don't throw that away."  He couldn't understand why we wouldn't throw it away like any other piece of crinkled paper.  He didn't know it's value .  In his eyes, it was just another pi...

Life is a journey.  From the moment you enter into this world, they are events taking place that are shaping your very existence.  You are the sum total of your experiences .  When you were a newborn, your fragile body could only handle milk.  Anything more and it would wreak havoc on your digestive system.  Whether you were breast fed or received formula, the diet for every newborn is pretty much the same.  As your body's system grows and develops, your parents slowly introduce solid foods.  It's normally an exciting time for parents when they are able to introduce something new to a diet that's been the same for about 4-6 months.  Fruits and vegetables are mashed and served so that the young recipient doesn't choke on food bits because their teeth are still emerging and their ability to chew is still evolving.  Before you know it,  the newborn who could only handle milk, is now a mature adult who can...

I have a little extra time on my hands these days so I decided to organize my kids artwork.  Whenever they bring home new art pieces, they are so excited and I love it!  I wanted to share some of my favorites, hoping they will bring you some joy before the weekend. Hannah brought this home last year.  She's always loved the color purple.  In this painting, she used several shades of purple to create a beautiful masterpiece. We loved this painting so much we had it matted for framing.  We find it's such a cost effective way to honor our children's artwork and lovingly display it in our home. I always LOVE my little man's hand or footprint on artwork.  It captures his growth in such a fun way! Here's another example of Jordan's "handy" work. We hope this post inspires you to celebrate and honor your kids this weekend.  They are so precious in God's kingdom.  Mark 10:13-16 shows us just how muc...

Just a few days ago, I was confined to the pediatric unit of a local hospital because of my son's health concerns.  What I believed would be a quick trip to the emergency room soon lead to a four day stay.  It was one of the hardest experiences for us because our son is only four years old and it's difficult to see your children (at any age) in pain or discomfort.  Sleeping in a chair, holding down my son for daily sticks to draw blood, and frequent nurse visits became the norm.  At times I would try to hide my tears because I didn't want him to see me upset.  It was his first time ever being in a hospital and at one point, all he could say was, "Mommy, I'm scared".  A part of me felt helpless because you must depend on the medical professionals to provide the care he desperately needs.  This time, a kiss on his "boo-boo" wasn't going to help. On the day we were released from the hospital, my sister asked me a simple ...

Having a young child is fun and challenging.  I'm the mother of a 3 year old and it doesn't take long to find out that they have an innate ability to make their desires known and won't stop until they get their way.  My son has shown us his determination to get his way numerous times especially when it comes to his sippy cup.  Even though my son is almost 4, he continued to find comfort in his sippy cup when drinking milk.  Each time we tried to convince him to consider another way to take down his milk, he wasn't having it.  I could have forced the issue but the need for peace overruled the moment.  It somewhat boggled my mind why there was such a connection to his cup.  Especially since he transitioned from the bottle to a sippy cup and from the sippy cup to a regular one with very little opposition.  Diapers to pull ups. Pull ups to underwear. Pacifier to none at all. Every other transition in his life was quick and...

Double Portion Inspiration is celebrating BIG this week.  Any ideas what we're celebrating?  Leave us a comment below with your guess.  Before we can celebrate, it's time for our Monday Morning Inspiration.  Being the mother of a toddler is awesome.  Even though there are times when my three year old can try every fiber of my being, the interaction between toddler and parent is fun!  Toddlers are exciting because they are finally learning to talk in a manner in which you can understand.  For so long they've used their own language and normally parents serve as translators for the grandparents or anyone else that will listen.  As they mature and their vocabulary grows, they can't wait to use every word they've heard you say. Be careful though, toddlers love to repeat what you say .  Not only will they repeat it, they will say it loud and normally at the worst time ever.  Like the other day, Jordan knew he...

I was home caring for my 3 year old when his actions revealed a wonderful life lesson. For about two days my son was unable to keep food down. He wanted to eat but when he did, it would come up. It was hard to watch because a child that is normally full of energy and all over the place, was laying on the couch without enough strength to play with his toy cars (his prized possession). For those that know him, shall we just say, he is all boy. He constantly runs, jumps and plays. The phrase "bouncing baby boy" is an understatement for him. A rapid heart beat, sweat running down his face, and at times, the beginning of a wheezing cough won't stop his desire to be energetic. You can only imagine how it felt to see him in such an exhausted and weakened state. He barely had enough strength to sit up on the couch, however in the midst of his anguish, he wanted to be in my presence . I snapped a picture of my son (above) after he gently whispered the words, "Mom, I want to ...