Christmas...

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We had a fun, normal, low key Christmas. Such an amazing blessing compared to the stress of last year. 

We were blessed by so many people over the holidays! A friend's family brought the kids all new shoes and pjs. They stayed for dinner and games. The kids were so happy for their new friends and their blessings! 

Lee made this star for me! The picture is rather crappy but I was very tickled with the star! He used scrap wood and small nails to create it off a pinterest image. 

This picture portrays our Christmas season. So much fun, so much down to earth, not really perfect but good, quality family time.


We did not focus so much on gifts this year, we did not take much time off school. We just hung out and had lots of fun over a lot of days. We did fun things with friends, we watched movies and made memories. Taking pictures was not on the top of my priority list! 

Homeschool Art

Several weeks ago, we decided to take a fun day off.  Shopping, lunch and art class was on our agenda~ 

First we headed to Target. Now I rarely shop in stores with all my kiddoes. It is just not easy and I really do not enjoy shopping. So target is a rare treat for my kids. I had some returns to make then we browsed for a bit. 

After Target we met up with a friend at a local Spanish restaurant to try out their empanadas! We had a quick lunch before heading to the homeschool art class just down the street. The big kids had a total blast. Bubbie was not impressed. He was tired and cranky. Sitting quietly was not happening! 

The kids really enjoyed their painting time!!
We finished off the day with treats from a yummy bakery!! We have been working hard on sticking to a budget so not much fun has been happening. But I showed the kids the benefit of saving, as we pulled out our "fun" envelope and splurged on a fun day with no guilt!! 

Serving Others..

 BEcause we have been blessed we pass on the blessings. God has been good to us in the past number of years. We live in a community where people are constantly looking for ways to serve others. As a single mom with lots of kids I can not ever express enough gratitude for all the things we are blessed with.

So we have decided to pass on the blessings. We found a local homeless shelter that welcomes young volunteers. Once a month we visit the shelter and cook lunch for the clients. These are single moms, young women and men who do NOT have support systems or have made choices that have burned bridges with their support systems.

My kids love to serve here. They help plan the menu, grocery shop and then cook and serve. Their favorite part is dishing out the food for the clients of the shelter.

The best part: We do not have to clean up!! 

Elizabeth is making biscuits..

I love teaching my kids how to prepare and serve food to large groups. We have been blessed with friends who join us and help serve.