Teaching kids about money

Recently we started having the kids each pick three chores to do each week and if they do them consistently we will pay them at the end of the week. They have both been working hard at their jobs and are really getting into it. I am so proud of them for the work they are doing.
I have been listen to Dave Ramsey and His Daughter Rachel talk about their book Smart Money Smart Kids and I am really excited to read it. I am waiting to get it from the library and let me just say I not the only one excited about reading it since the wait list is long for this one. Something I love that they have talked about is that there is a character quality that goes with each lesson , when they talk about saving money the character quality is patience – you can buy the book or  you can take the class with videos etc. _ check it out here to learn more :https://www.smartmoneysmartkids.com/?snid=classes.smsk-a . I am excited to start working on more things with my kids so that they can learn to be responsible with money and make smart choices when they are older. It is so important  to”raise them to win with money” as it says on the smart money smart kids page. I will be back with a review and what I have learn once I get the book.  I would also love to take the class and really learn more about how I can raise money smart kids.If you have read it let me know what you think!
For more information you can go to the Smart money smart kids page with the link about or check out we.DaveRamsey.com There are tons of great resources there to help you and your kids

Early Blossoms

The weather has been so nice the Cherry Blossoms around us are blooming and they normally don’t until the end of March. Last week we went for walk to see if the cherry trees near us were blooming. Sure enough they were and I had to take some pictures.


It was fun to look at the delicate little pink blossoms. We were excited to find this beautiful tree that the kids could reach the blossoms and smell them.

She loved holding them and smelling the blossoms. We are really excited to go down to the UW to see the trees there. It is always a fun trip to take pictures by the trees.

Close up of the pretty blossom, I love the colors.

Look at the beautiful blue sky! We are loving the warm sunshine and being able to take walks and play outside.

   I love this one with the moon peeking through the branches. Do you see the moon?

Look at those flip flop out in March! Love living on the West Coast – sorry East coast people but I am happy we live here. Excited for more sunshine this weekend. Happy Friday!

Fun in the February sun

The past week or so the weather has been spring like and so beautiful. We have spent a lot of time drawing with sidewalk chalk , riding bikes, and spending time outside enjoying the sun and getting some Vitamin D. The other day we went to go get Kevin some new shoes at Uvillage After he found some shoes we had lunch and got  ice cream with the kids sort of a day after valentines celebration since they didn’t get to do anything with us on Valentines day.

We enjoyed the cows who Payton and Logan named Rosie ( the mommy) and Milk ( the baby)

 

After we had a nice lunch at Pallino’s before they are gone. We were telling the kids that we used to come eat lunch at Pallino’s when we were first married and I worked at Uvillage. It is sad that it won’t be there anymore.

Next we headed to Molly Moon Ice Cream the kids choice for a treat. It was busy but we all enjoyed our ice cream.

When we got home the kids decided they wanted to  play outside. I thought it was a great idea since it is normally not this warm in February so we should take advantage of it while it is here to enjoy.

Reset

This week has been crazy , I feel like I have learned a lot from the Superbowl and the Seahawk players and coaches. I think the Patriots have been poor winners and I have had to talk multiple times with my kids about how they are acting isn’t right , my daughter thinks they are bully's and in a way it is true, I would be ashamed if they were my team. I am happy to say we have tried to only watch things about the Seahawks and how positive they are even though they lost. I love Pete Carroll and how he is standing strong and staying positive with all that is happening.  The interview that Matt Lauer did was really good.
If you have not read the book Love Does by Bob Goff you should it is amazing and he has the same positive attitude. Love always wins and really should we choose love. My kids know love wins because God is Love.He loves us win or lose and he created us to love others. Part of why I love being a teacher is that I get to love the kids I teach. Some of those kids are really hurting or are in situations that are hard. Every day before I head out or sometimes in the car I pray for the school and pray for the class I am teaching. I want them to see God’s love through me even though I can’t talk about God doesn’t mean I can’t be a good example and love them or pray for them. I get to be the light in the darkness and I love it.
This weekend I listened to some of the sessions from the IF:Gathering and I loved how they talked about God is always the same and he is Always Good! I think this is something we just need to keep in our minds, because no matter what we are going through we just need to trust him and keep going. Life is never going to be easy and things may not be handed to us but I believe that God has a plan that is better than anything we could ever dream. So if the Seahawks didn’t win the Superbowl there are greater things for them. They will work hard and try again next year and I believe they can do it.  I love how they have said they will not let one play or game define them and that is true in life to we can’t let one mistake or bad day define who we are or what we do.
Earlier this week I was reading something that Russell Wilson wrote about how he visualizes hitting the reset button and after this week I definitely love this idea. I love how everyday we wake up with a new day , a new start. We could have had a horrible day the day before but we can choose to make things better by hitting that reset button. As a mom there are those days where you are running late getting them to school or they seem to fight over everything and you can barely find a minute to your self thankfully we can reset , refocus our minds and set new goals for the next day.
So if you are having a bad day or bad week like me hit that reset button and ask God to guide you this week  because he’s got our backs and will give us what we need. Trying to focus more on him
As for the Seahawks we will be there cheering them on and learning from them. We are proud of them and how they are handling things . On to Next Season .. I will leave you will this poem Russell Wilson shared on Facebook. The author is unknown but I love it.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Lesson we learned from the Seahawks

We have been talking a lot this week about the Seahawks and what we have learned from watching this year and the Superbowl loss. There are many lessons we can learn from them and things that my kids are taking away being little 12’s. Earlier last week my daughter said" I am so glad Pete Carroll is our coach because he is smiling and likes to have fun that other guy isn’t smiling and doesn’t look happy.”  We have talked about how he loves what he does and it shows and that is important. I asked my kids what they noticed about the Seahawks and they said they work together and that makes a difference. It’s true they play for each other and they support each other, which makes working together easy.

They were sad the Seahawks lots but they learned through some unfortunate “mean “ comments  that sometimes how you win or lose says something and that we need to give credit where it is due – Butler made an amazing catch and helped his team win. I love the way the Seahawks showed how to be gracious and how they are not letting it get them down or define them. We have talked a lot about how winning isn’t everything, sometimes losing is better because you learn from it. Those things that hurt or are hard to get through teach us how to power through, make us stronger and help us grow. This is what makes some one a success, coming out of a loss is harder and not everyone can get past it. I was listening to an interview with Pete Carroll and he talked about how he always knows something good is coming and I love that. It is something as a parent I want to remember and teach my kids. There is always something good around the corner we just have to keep our heads up and look for it.

As a teacher and mom I am always looking for positive influences for my kids. There are so many negative things kids have to deal with, like bullying  or scary things on TV or in the world  - I love the positive approach Pete Carroll take on coaching . I love hearing from the players that they well be back, we are going to be even better and on to greater things. Life is hard and we can’t let it get us down we need to focus on the good in our lives.

We love being 12’s because we love our team and feel like we are part of something important. We support our team and are proud of them. Thank you Seahawks for a great year! We can’t wait to see what happens next year. 

Pumpkin patch fun

This year we were lucky enough to have both grandparents and aunt Kelly come to the pumpkin patch with us. We started out taking a few pictures on the tractor and then heading over to the pumpkin patch to start looking for our pumpkins. This year the also had pumpkins in bins you could pick from. Lots of different types to chose from so we looked at those first before heading to the field.

Logan made pile  of pumpkins again and Payton looked around picking up a few then choosing the one she wanted, Kevin picked a HUGE pumpkin and I chose one that had stripes
.
After that we went to see the animals , there was a small petting zoo this year with piggy's and goats and bunnies and the kids loved it but they were sad they couldn’t hold the kittens because they were to young.

Then we went and explored more of the farm and found a little area in the back where you can fish and I think they use that area for weddings.The kids liked watching people fish and walking over the bridge.

Melissa and Doug's Terrific 25 giveaway

Melissa and Doug toys have been a favorite in our house for over six years. My daughter loves the play food, the shopping basket and dress up dolls. My son loves his airplane, garbage truck and Truck and I often find then in a parade going around our house. I love that Melissa and Doug toys are educational and sturdy. They have been played with a lot and have held up better than most toys in our house. This Christmas My daughter is getting the pantry play set.

If you love their toys like I do go check out their Terrific 25 giveaway their Facebook and twitter pages featuring the top 25 new toys for this Holiday season. Every day for 25 days they will be giving away one item there Terrific 25 gift list. So go now and Check out these great toys! Good Luck

Follow this link to enter the contest and get all the details! Melissa and Doug's Facebook page

Disclaimer: I was not paid by Melissa and Doug to write this post, As a blogger I am entered to win one of three prize packages.