05/24
07:18am

traveling with children

filed in: children, guest post, vacation

And that’s the wonderful thing about family travel;
it provides you with experiences that will remain
locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind.
~Dave Barry

Venice, Italy – 2006
Taylor :: 11
Piper :: 4
Wynter :: 2 1/2
Hunter :: 3 months

Paris, France – 2008
Taylor :: 13
Piper :: 6
Wynter :: 4
Hunter :: 2

As you may have figured out by now … I don’t shy away from travel!  Nor do I shy away from traveling with my family … no matter their age.  I don’t know what I’d do without the memories we’ve created while traveling.

The girls have all had passports since infancy and the earliest flight I remember one of them on was Wynter at 11 days old.

We’ve taken a 3 month old to the Galapagos Islands, a 16 month old to the outer regions of Australia, and a 4 month old to the Canary Islands … just to name a few.

I’m guest posting at Unforgettable Childhood today sharing my experiences and advice when traveling with children.  I encourage you to join me over there …

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04/22
05:42am

tooth fairy goodness

filed in: children, creative, shopping

I found this on my favorite new-to-me blog, My Life My Loves and had to share it!

It’s a Tooth Fairy door!  A door. for the Tooth Fairy!  It measures about 10 inches tall and 6 inches wide.  And it’s customizable with colors and framing.  LOVE!

Another genius Tooth Fairy goodie … the world’s smallest letter!  My friend Tiffany sent me one of these beauties not too long ago … just a note of thanks and friendship.  But they can also send a letter from the Tooth Fairy.  Comes complete with a little magnifying glass and everything.  Too cute!

I think what’s next should be some sort of iPhone app with a loud alarm/reminder … so that darn fairy remembers to show up on time! ;)

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03/15
05:13am

donation idea :: kid style

filed in: charity, children, creative, photography

The private school our kids attend, holds an important fundraiser every year.  Close to half the children attending are there on scholarships, so this auction is pretty important to many.

One of the things I love most is the “kid art.”  And boy, have we gotten ourselves a few pieces over the years!  The things that are created are actually pretty cool though.

Case-in-point … this “alphabet art.”  Hunter’s in the letters C, H, J, Q, and W.

So yeah … this is Hunter’s class.  This is the third year doing this project and it’s been a big seller!  I’ve never taken the photos for it before, but this year the woman who usually takes them wasn’t able to and suggested me.  Lucky me! ;)

I took these of Hunter’s class and also the other Early School class.

We bid on this art piece {and won} the first year it was offered … with Wynter’s class.  We’ve also got a class quilt, a large wooden playhouse, a ceramic tea set {complete with ceramic treats}, a drawing of the world with each classmate drawn at the edge of the world … and I’m sure various other things I’m just not recalling at the moment.

Anyway … I wanted to post this because I think it’s a great idea for a school that’s looking for an easy fundraiser idea.  So easy to do, little investment, but yields big results {ahem, $$}.  :)

06/09
06:02am

get your children journaling

filed in: children, craft, creative

Did you see this in Real Simple?  I thought it was genius!

What a fabulous way to get your children journaling.  How?  Simple!

  1. keep a small notebook close by with colored pencils or crayons
  2. each evening ask, “what color was your day?”
  3. let your child choose a color and get to work
  4. finish by asking a simple question about their ‘color’
  5. jot their answer down on a label

I’m definitely going to add this to my ‘post-bwp‘ goals … love it!  Anyone know where I can get a good journal?  ;)

children's journal idea

06/05
14:36pm

melancholy peace

filed in: children, family thoughts, field trip, parenting, taylor

Is that an oxymoron?

Cuz that’s what I felt this morning … peace, tinged with melancholy.

Peace that my baby girl, um … I mean miss teenager, was on her way home.

Peace that I wasn’t working and could be there for her arrival.

Peace that I could stand outside with Piper during field day and not worry about: getting somewhere, doing something, and the hundred other things I use to worry about.

And when I saw the image below, it was almost too surreal for me … I wanted to capture it and ‘journal’ my thoughts.

060509-children

{taken via iphone}

Taylor was scheduled back from her class trip {to Washington DC} this morning.  She was suppose to be in at 8, but we got a call they’d be a little later … 9:30.  So I dropped the girls off at school this morning, got some gas, went grocery shopping and then back to school to get Taylor.

I was a little early and today happens to be the Primary School Field Day {they look forward to this all year}.  I was sitting in my car, then thought I’d venture out to see if I could find Piper and her class.  I did and she was so excited to see me.

It’s a gorgeous day and I loved the absolute feeling of peace and serenity I was feeling deep inside me.  Joy at the thought of seeing Taylor any minute, and so happy I could be there with Piper.

I saw Taylor’s buses pulling in, so said good-bye to Piper and headed over to the buses.

As I was walking across the school yard and parking lot, I saw Wynter’s bus pulling out for their picnic field trip at a nearby playground.  As her bus was pulling away, I started waving.

Still feeling this complete serenity inside … I look up just at the moment of Wynter’s bus passing Taylor’s bus {well, technically Tay would be in the first bus, but you get my jist}, and the kids outside for Field Day {and technically, Piper’s on the other side of the school yard, but you get my jist}.

I quickly grabbed my phone and took a picture of it.  I’m not sure why, but this one image holds a lot of feeling for me.

It could just be the ‘place’ I’m at right now.  I’ll post on it soon {I know you’re dying to hear! ;) }, but I’m so excited about my future, my new goals, my new life with my family.  It could be all of that.  It could be the verge of summer break that we’re facing …

Or it could be that there’s a real possiblity all my girls won’t be together next year.  I’ve mentioned many times how much I love knowing all my girls are in one spot.  And next year, Hunter starts at the girls school too.  All four girls in one spot.  I love that thought … it fills me with joy.

Problem is, Taylor may not be going back to the same school.  She’s gone through a pretty rough year at school and we’ve finally given her the option of not returning.  She’s in the process of thinking about what she’d like to do and we don’t have a strong answer yet.  Obviously, it’s not one we made lightly … or continue to make lightly.  With her going to another school, it’ll pretty much wreak havoc on our family.  The potential school is a half hour from the house in the complete opposite direction, with school hours very different from the current school.

Taylor’s done with school now {the little girls still have a few days next week}, and maybe that’s the reason this image is so melancholy for me?  It may be the last time I’ll have all my girls at one school …

We’ve prayed far and wide for direction on this one.  And I rest knowing it’s in God’s hands.


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