Freezer cooking is a fantastic way to cut down dinner prep time during your busy week. It is a great way to save money, save time, and alleviate the need for fast food due to not having anything ready for dinner (again). By having meals ready to go in the freezer, you are ensuring that you can feed your family whole foods with ease. And as you know, there is nothing more important than time together with the family. The 6 tips below are going to show you ways to make freezer meal prep fun as you work together to get it done. 6 Ways to Make Freezer Cooking Fun 1. Have the Kids Make View Post
10 Thanksgiving Books Every Family Should Read Together
Reading together is one of our families favorite pass times. Some of the greatest memories that I (Carlie) have as a young girl are sitting in my Grandma Jean's lap as she would read book after book to me. Because my grandma was a teacher it seemed like she had countless books on every subject and every holiday. As an adult I've been able to pass on some of my favorite books and my children love them just as much as I do! Today I am sharing 10 of our family's favorite Thanksgiving books. We will definitely be sitting together and reading each of these books during the month of November and View Post
15 Homemade Advent Calendars
Homemade Advent calendars are something that we are always searching for. We just love finding new and exciting ways to celebrate the birth of our Savior (Jesus). Creating homemade Advent calendars are a great way to make sure you are getting some Christ-focused family time every day until Christmas. And it is always fun to create new and meaningful things together that will help grow you closer to one another. Advent calendars can also get really expensive when bought in a store. You can easily create your own advent calendar for less than half the cost! Here are 15 homemade Christmas View Post
40 Fun + Frugal Family Activities
Looking for some frugal family activities? You are in the right place. Our family loves nothing more than to be together and have fun. In addition to this, mom and dad are always on the lookout to save money. As a result we are constantly brainstorming ideas for frugal family activities. Below we are sharing 40 of our favorite frugal family activities that we've done over the years. The neat thing is that we've lived all over the United States and Europe and were able to do all of these things that we're sharing. We hope this list inspires you and your family to get out together and View Post
10 Fun Parent-Child Date Ideas
Being a parent is more than just providing the necessities, managing chores, teaching manners, and setting up consequences for rules that aren’t followed. In order to cultivate a close parent-child relationship, we must set aside intentional, one-on-one time with them. While this may be an adjustment for some, as you work towards putting some of these parent-child date ideas into place, you will see just how important it is to spend quality time with your child on a regular basis. 10 Fun Parent-Child Date Ideas Go out to Breakfast – hop on over to the local breakfast diner with your View Post
A Busy Mom’s Guide to Stress-Free Family Travel
A Busy Mom's Guide to Stress-Free Family Travel Stress-free family travel is something that we've worked hard to achieve. The truth is, when it comes to family travel, a little stress is to be expected. Unexpected detours or an ill timed stomach bug could send your stress-free trip into a panic. With a little bit of planning, and a few helpful tips, you can make everything go a lot smoother. We've used all of the tips below many times traveling the world as a military homeschooling family, so you can say they are tried and true. Here are 5 tips to help lead your family into stress-free family View Post
20 Fun Scavenger Hunt Ideas
We are always on the lookout for fun scavenger hunt ideas. Our family's love for scavenger hunts started when our oldest child was just 2-years-old (she 16 now, where did the time go?). I had made a fun scavenger hunt for Easter and we fell in love. She fell in love with going on the hunts, and I fell in love with watching her go on them. Add two wild and crazy (but totally fun and cute) boys to the mix, and this momma doesn't have the time she once did to come up with all of those fun scavenger hunt ideas she once did. Thankfully we can Google the ideas for our scavenger hunts now and let View Post
20 Scavenger Hunt Printables for Summer
Today we are sharing with you 20 scavenger hunt printables for summer that we've hand picked just for you. One thing we love about scavenger hunts is that they are fun for any age. School is almost out for the summer and one thing we are always searching for around our house are fun, low-cost family activities. These scavenger hunt printables are not only FREE but they are a ton of fun for the entire family! Let's get to it! 20 Scavenger Hunt Printables for Summer Camping Scavenger Hunt from Apron Strings & Other Things Hiking Scavenger Hunt from Make and Takes Playground Scavenger View Post
A Christmas Devotional for the Family
If your family is anything like ours, we LOVE all things Christmas and that includes Christmas carols! We jump at the chance to teach our children about this beloved holiday and are so excited to share with you today about a new Christmas devotional that is perfect to share with the family during meal-time and beyond. Stories Behind the Music gives you and your family something fun and meaningful to do together for 15 evenings leading up to Christmas, each night focusing on a new carol. The following devotionals and songs are included: O Come O Come Emmanuel O Little Town of View Post
7 Ways Baking Christmas Cookies Can Bring Your Family Closer Together
The lovely Christmas season is upon us, and our family couldn't be more thrilled! We are excited to share a little about a tradition that has been bringing families together for centuries! In today's world many traditions are being replaced with technology -- and we are being honest that is just plain sad. It’s nice to still have some old family traditions, such as baking Christmas cookies, to bring your family closer together. Today we are going to share with you 7 ways baking Christmas cookies can bring your family closer together! 7 Ways Baking Christmas Cookies Can Bring Your Family View Post