Nature Box

Our Nature Box came in today...

Full of Packages! 20 is what comes in a box 5 snacks 4pkgs each of those snacks=20 but they threw in a bonus snack so we got 21 pkgs this time! 

 These are Bananas that taste like potato chips but are way better for you and I felt like when I ate them they filled me up so fast. This was our Bonus snack.

 These they call Firecrackers have not tried them yet. You can check out their website to see all descriptions of any snack www.naturebox.com

 Cherry Berry Bonanza have not tried these yet either but Jayden loves crazins and cherries dried so I think this may be the snack for him.

 Italian Bistro Pretzels yum! is all I can think of but you know I have not tried these yet either but they sound delicious! 

 Lemon Pucker Pistachios if your kiddos are like mine they love sour and all my kids love pistachios so what a great combination.  I did try these I loved them Ben didn't care for them and can't get Jentry to quit eating them! 

 Cinnamon Spiced Almonds delicious sweet snack there is a little sugar on these but most of the sweet comes from the cinnamon and honey on them. Loved them! 

I really enjoyed getting this delivered to my door and love the snacks and that they are fast, healthy, grab and eat on the go snacks.  I plan to bring these to ball games and on the road any where to keep us from buying other things when we are away from home that probably are not as healthy and will add up with all the mouths we have to feed so hoping to save some money too. 

How it works you go to the nature box website and sign up, choose your snacks 5 different snacks you will get 4 packages of each 5 snacks for a total of 20 packages of snacks.  And each month you go to the website and choose what you want for snacks that month so you can change your snacks every month.  There are different size packages you can get I chose the biggest one due to the numbers of people who live here. Then they deliver your package to your door through the USPS. 

If you are interested in getting your own nature box delivered right to your door go to naturebox.com/refer and sign up you can get $10 off your first box just by telling them I referred you to them.

Getting it all set up.

Got the bed set up for a new kiddo. Now we wait. So very excited. 

Craft show in the house today!

Jentry and I picked up some craft supplies yesterday while we were in town.  So yesterday the kids wanted to do a few crafts. Here are a few:

 Hayes Puppy Sun catcher

 Jentry's Unicorn Sun catcher

 Jentry with her new necklace on she made. 

Not Pictured Pace's bumble bee he made out of pipe cleaners someone (Jentry) used it in her craft show and the head fell off. 

This morning first thing Jentry start's scattering all the craft supplies around the house saying she is making a craft show. This cracked me up cause I have no idea where she even heard of a craft show? Anyways as you can see she had a lot of crafts to pick up after her craft show. 

                                     

 Jentry's craft show this morning

Anxiously Preparing and Waiting

We are anxiously preparing for a new kiddo in this house.  Jentry and I went yesterday to gather new items that a child might need. Items like a toothbrush, brush, etc. and something as a small gift like a toy car for a boy and bracelets for a girl.  I found bedding at the local thrift store for a girl, I did have extra bedding on hand for a boy.  We will get new mattresses Saturday.

As I wait I can't help but think about the children that I soon will feel like are mine, I do pray each day for the children that will come to our home.

Mark 9: 36-37
He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them,  "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

Rise and Shine/Chores/ and some Legos

Woke up before the chickens this morning okay maybe not that early but 7am I woke up the kids trying to get us slowly back to the school sleeping hours.  I think this may be harder on me lol. We will do 7 all this week and then 6 next week oh my! Summer definitely has gone by way too fast.

I also have been pondering a chore chart or something like that to get us organized on chores in this house I used to just delegate chores by you go do this and you do that and I was very repetitive it drove me nuts with 4 kids to keep nagging on about doing their chores.  And adding a new kiddo to it all I knew something was gonna have to give. I have put a new chore organizing system into place today.  We will see how this works....I am hopeful! 

 This is my idea for chores....just a shoe organizer that Jentry had tore the bottom up so I cut off that part and had saved the top.  Each of the kiddos have their name on a to do card and a done card.  Each morning I put the daily chores in and they put them in done at the end of the day if they indeed have done all their chores that I put in their "to do" then they get a dollar a day.  Pay day is Sunday! I know there are other parents that think you don't need to pay your kiddos for chores but my thought is if you don't start teaching them now how to manage a few dollars now when they are older and have to make a budget to take care of them self...then what?  Also I think they feel a little independence having their own money and getting to buy that candy bar or save up for that toy they have wanted.  Also it motivates them too.  Jayden my 13 yr. old may think this is too childish for him but he is a good sport so the other kiddos will participate and hey he gets paid for what he would have to do anyways!

 Side view 

Had to share this pic Pace built a cool ship this morning with his legos 

A new journey

We are going on a new journey as a family following God's lead.  We are in the process and almost through being licensed to be foster parents that is foster to adopt. We as a family are very excited to start this new journey and a little nervous too but with God's confirmation through this all we know this is the journey we need to take. Others of course have their doubts but that is expected. Just wanted to share with you all that we are close to starting this journey and could use prayers for these special kiddos that will come into our lives that we can help them through their troubles and maybe shine some sunshine on their life.  You never know we might even get to adopt one and add another special one to our family.

The Year of the Gourd

I planted cumbers, zucchini, squash, peas, even potatoes, okra, tomatoes, cantaloupe and on and on and on.... but new things popped up as I would go out and pull weeds so with the kids helping me plant as usual I thought hmmm wonder what they planted here and would leave it to grow hoping to reap what ever they sowed.  Welp I did..as everything started coming up guess what it was??

 Looks like it could be anything huh?...... so that is what I thought. 

 Take a closer look! 

Yep all (I mean all) of it is pumpkins and gourds.  The only thing I can figure out is the pig pens were over our garden last winter and we did feed them pumpkins and gourds after we were done with them from the fall. So we will have a great fall harvest of fall decorations. But next year when a foreign plant pops up I am pulling that sucker up! This is the year of the Gourd.

Now we do have beautiful sunflowers this year. And some pretty good tomato and jalapeno pepper plants but besides that it's all gourds.