It's not summer for many, but for us it is officially summer break! I love to keep the kids reading even through the summer and I'm always up for a good summer reading program. I know some children love to read, others, not so much. For those with kids who find it's a struggle to get them to finish a book, here are a few of our favorite summer reading programs with great incentives that will hopefully help. Barnes and Noble Summer Reading for Kids This program begins in May and runs ...
6 Creative Ways to Remember a Foster Child Once They’ve Left Your Home
When a child leaves. It's that thing that keeps SO many from getting involved with foster care because "what if it's hard to let them go?" {which makes me sad, but that's a another day and another post}. Since reunification is always the goal of foster care, what can you do to remember that sweet child (whether young or old) that you've grown to love so much when it's time for them to leave? Handprint / Footprint Canvas This is something we have done since day one, even with the respite ...
10 Toys to Take Camping
We are headed out on our first camping trip of the season in just a few days and we cannot wait. Camping is one of our favorite things to do as a family. I love to pack only what we need and not the entire house. When it comes to toys, the boys want to bring it all. Our answer? "We don't have room for everything, so just choose a couple things to take, everything else must stay." So, how do you decide which toys to take camping? We have found that bringing too many things (especially toys) ...
Friday Favorites Starts with Spring Porch Style
It's been a couple months since I've shared a few Friday Favorites, so here I am. It's finally feeling like Spring around here (well sort of - one day it's 70, the next day is 50). As long as it isn't snowing and 30 degrees out, I'm good to say it is Spring-y in these parts. We also have 1 week left of school and we just cannot wait for our Summer break! This school year has seemed longer than most years, I'm not sure why, so we are ready for a break. We have lots planned and I can't wait to ...
Tennessee Safari Park {review}
For my son's 6th birthday, we took a short road trip to Alamo, Tennessee to the Tennessee Safari Park. He loves animals, so we figured this was just the right thing to do on his special day. We arrived at the gate and paid for our family + 12 buckets of feed. You do not have to purchase the feed, but we did and it was well worth it! Adults are $16, Kids (2-12 years old) are $12, and kids 1 and under are free. {they only accept cash at the gate, so make sure you have that ready when you pull ...
6 Spring Mantle Ideas
If you haven't done so already, it's time (or past time) to break out the Spring decorations. One of my favorite things to decorate is our mantle, especially the Spring mantle. I'm always changing it out for the different seasons {well, sometimes the different weeks even -- yes, it can be that bad sometimes}. Some of my favorite places to shop for home decor or items for your mantle are: Target Decor Steals Flourish Co. Antique Farmhouse Hobby ...