Tag: Kids

Keep Showing Up

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog3 Comments

I’m so tired this morning and I want to go back to bed. I stayed up later than usual trying to finish up my first perpetual menu plan. I drank too much coffee too close to bedtime and then I couldn’t sleep.

The morning came way too early and I’m still not feeling 100% myself so I was very tempted to lay in bed today. I had to do a lot of self talk motivation to get myself out from under the blankets but I did it.

I was thankful that I have been taking the time to prep the big coffee pot in the evenings. All I have to do is turn the warmer on and add water. My coffee brews as I change my clothes and it sends its lovely aroma to greet me… and then my unusually loud kids remind me that I really do need to be up and at ‘em.

We all have these mornings, days, weeks when we just don’t want to get up, we don’t want to do anything but lay in bed and binge watch our favorite YouTube channel or TV series. That’s ok but we can’t let ourselves get stuck in those habits.

I even forgot all about my new meal plan and was going to have one of the kids pull something from the freezer for a ‘mystery meal’ but they were too excited about the menu plan to let me do that so I’ll be placing a grocery order in a little bit.

I can think of 100 valid excuses for not getting out of bed every day as it truly is a struggle for me most days because of chronic pain. When you throw any illness on top or the fatigue from over doing it the day before that is a recipe for disaster.

I know I published about the Opposite of the Proverbs 31 woman a few days ago and this is still lingering in my head and my heart. I know I have eyes watching me heart’s depending on me to lead them the right way. Even if I didn’t have a houseful of kiddos there would be others watching behind the scenes.

I want to be a good role model and I strive to live as God would want me to live so that motivates me to keep showing up every morning. I know I’m not perfect and I have to ask Him for help every single day because I can’t do anything without Him. Even when things seem bleak and dreary I know He has a plan and I just have to keep trudging on.

If you are feeling down and weary please don’t give up trying. I know how tiring it can be to do the same thing again and again and again especially when it feels like you don’t make a difference but please know that someone is watching.

I am praying for each and every person reading this that they will find the strength to endure whatever trial they are going through and that they will have the courage to face any challenges that come before them. I am praying that they will feel loved and appreciated for who they are and that they can show this love to others. I pray that they can feel the strength of God in their lives and the joy that only He can bring. I am also praying for renewed health and strength and for God to bless you more abundantly than you could ever hope for.

Amen!

Have a blessed day!

Life Updates – October 2023

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog4 Comments

I think it’s been a little while since we’ve posted any life updates and quite a bit has happened over the past few months so I thought I’d give a quick summary of what we’ve been up to.

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Eggs, Milk, and Coffee (Update pics!)

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

What do eggs, milk, and coffee have in common? Well, they can all be used for a variety of things and we often have them on our grocery list but right now they are also on my morning chores list. (Hopefully, 2 of the 3 will soon be off the grocery list.)

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Clutter scavenger hunt for kids

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

I’ve been trying to get the kids involved in helping to declutter the house so I have to get creative sometimes.

Lately, we’ve been playing this little game in the morning before we start our schooling. It’s pretty simple although you do need to provide a little supervision so that the little guys don’t throw away anything important.

I’ve been having each kiddo participate and I give them a number of items and a task to complete with those items. One day I might say I need 5 items to throw away, or another day might be I need 3 items to donate, or 4 items to put away, etc. I might even have them bring me one item per year of their age… I try to change it up to keep it interesting.

They bring the items to the kitchen island and deposit them. Then we complete the task of throwing them in the garbage, putting in the donation bin/bag, or putting them away in their proper places.

This doesn’t take very long to complete but it does make quite a difference… plus if the kids are complaining they are bored I can use this as a way to get them motivated to find something to keep themselves entertained.

You could even offer a ‘reward’ for the first kiddo to bring you the items… or offer them all a reward or snack when they complete their task. When we have 10-12 hands versus just my 2 hands picking up items we are able to clean/declutter a little bit faster… most of the time.

When we make the not-so-fun tasks a little bit more fun then they seem to get completed quicker. Who knows, maybe I could even come up with a Clutter Bingo?

Favorite Gifts from 2022

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I had to laugh because I found this post in my ‘DRAFTS’ and I don’t think I ever published it or if I did I guess it didn’t go through… these have been some of our favorites throughout the year and may give you some gift ideas for this year.

It’s been a few weeks since Christmas and I thought I’d ask everyone about what their favorite gifts from Christmas were… this can help give me a better idea for future gifts and also let me know which things they may not have cared for at all. This past Christmas we were able to scale back quite a bit… the increased prices on everything helped with that as well!

We found that by putting together a Wish List on Amazon we were able to help get the items they have been asking for and it helped others buy what the kiddos really wanted… this truly made the gift buying a little easier. We have decided that all of our family members should create a wish list of some sort so we can access it for birthdays, anniversaries, special holidays, Christmas, or ‘just because’ gifts… the lists help to narrow down what everyone really wants or needs so that we aren’t just throwing money away on something they can’t or won’t use.

Here are a few of the answers I received:

  • Life ** The kids had been relentless in asking for this game
  • Lego Klutz sets ** What is there not to love about Legos? — maybe stepping on them but other than that they are always a hit with everyone
  • Clue Jr and the Clue Disney Villains ** We got the Clue Jr for our home and big sister got the Villains but we played while she was here
  • Battleship ** The older kids loved this game and they bought it for their younger siblings who now love it just as much!
  • Cash Flow Game ** One of the older kids bought this and it has been a bit tricky to learn but everyone loves it — the junior version may be easier to start with and there is an online version as well
  • Ticket to Ride ** We have seen this on several different videos and the kids really wanted to try it out, it was one that was a little tricky to learn but it does have expansion packs but we haven’t quite figured out how they work yet

Can you tell that they really love board games? Some of these were games that we had never heard of so the learning curve has been a bit hectic but they love playing them all!

Everyone also loved their new blanket throws that they got from Granny!

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