Children's Book Week + Giveaway

There is not much more our family loves to do together than read books. I did a quick scan this weekend and our book count is over 200 these days and that's just the ones that we've kept! In honor of Children's Book Week, I am partnering with Dr. Smith's to share five of our family's favorite books to read together. Dr. Smith's diaper rash products saved my kids from so many tears when they were in diapers, and we've been loyal fans of the brand ever since. They were awesome enough to sponsor a giveaway in honor of Children's Book Week, so keep on reading for your chance to win!

Toddler Years... 

For us, books have to be fun, especially when the kiddos were small. There was only so many times I could read Go Dog, Go. You can't go wrong with Sandra Boynton - our favorite by far is Barnyard Dance.  This one always got the kids on their feet, dancing and singing along!

And this book. Don't let the cover fool you. Yes, it may have no pictures but what it does have is non-stop giggles from everyone from the 3 year old to the daddy. 

Early Readers

I love the early years of kids learning to read. We really try to encourage the kids to read on their own as much as they can and these two series are perfect for that.

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park is hysterical. I LOVE reading them with Emersyn. They start when she is in kindergarten and continue through first grade. 

Now, while there is an order, Emersyn is my free spirit kid. She doesn't care a bit which order we read them in as long as we read them and we are always guaranteed a smile. 

When Radley was in first grade, he discovered the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. These are also in order, and he strictly followed that order. He made it to book 42 but I think they go all the way up to 70+. We love that these books are full of adventure but also educational!

If you need more proof that these books are well loved and adored in our house - check out the kids picks for their annual book character parade. Left to right: Jack from Magic Tree House, The Book with No Pictures, Harry Potter (more in a second) and Junie B. Jones. 

Intermediate - Advanced Reader

I got it in my head that when each kid hits second grade we would start a series together. I also decided in college that I was going to wait to read Harry Potter until I had kids of my own. Best crazy planning thing I have ever done because the last two years of reading together with Radley has been one of my most precious memories to date. 

Besides just loving the story, the time we have spent together lost in these pages is irreplaceable! He has taken this time to ask me hard questions and I have used this time to help teach some hard lessons. 

We are halfway through book 7 (so no spoilers, please!) and I have loved every single page. (And we are nearing 4000!!!) Emmy starts a series next year and I wouldn't be one bit disappointed if she decided she wanted to read this series, too. 

JK. Rowling recently released these exquisite illustrated editions of The Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets so we gifted them to Radley for Christmas.

I may have to gift them to myself next!

Links to our five favorite books:

Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton

The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park

Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

And today is your lucky day because ALL of the books pictured above + a $50 Amazon gift card AND some amazing life-changing diaper rash products could be YOURS courtesy of Dr. Smith's in celebration of Children's Book Week. You may enter through May 7, 2017 below!

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This post was sponsored by Dr. Smith's diaper rash products but all opinions are my own. 

Friday Favorites: Giving Thanks and Giveaways

PRAISE THE LORD, it's Friday. Whew.

Something about these past two weeks has just been exhausting. This week poor Emersyn has been down for the count. Out of nowhere on Monday night she got hit with an awful virus and ended up in our room early Tuesday morning. She didn't really have a fever but she was super congested and her throat was sore so we stayed home. By Wednesday she wasn't much better so off to the doctor we went and he tested her for strep and pneumonia. Thankfully both came back negative, but we were sent home with some breathing treatments and steroids and orders to stay at home the rest of the week.

Yeah, she's super sad about that. ;)

Besides being Friday, it's also NOVEMBER and I think it may be in my top three favorite months of the year. Mostly because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday - all of the comfort of Christmas and less of the high expectations/build-up. This is the season of thanks and in the hustle and bustle and busyness of our mess - I love that we all kind of take a breath in November and give thanks.

So today, I'm going to share my three (super simple) favorite ways of saying thank you .....

Write a note - This one is a no-brainer. Who doesn't love a good thank you note? My favorite notes are from Dayspring because they always have a scripture that accompanies the message. 

I get lost in this section of Hobby Lobby every single time. I have a stack of cards I've collected that I've just loved but haven't needed at the moment - maybe this week I will put pen to paper and follow my own advice. 

Words of affirmation are such a meaningful way to show appreciation - so if you don't have time to write a card, post a message on their Facebook wall or update your status with a quick, "Couldn't have made it without @Enternamehere today!"... just take the time to say it. 

Do something -  Notice I didn't say "offer" to do something. We all have the greatest of intentions when we say "let me know how I can repay you" instead - just do it! Drop off a gift on their porch. Bring them dinner. Kidnap their kids and send them out to dinner (okay, maybe avoid the kidnapping). Saying thanks is clearly great, but SHOWING thanks is an awesome way to share gratitude. 

I loved these simple ideas from Crazy Little Projects. 

Journal - Sometimes the attitude of gratitude doesn't have to be for anyone but yourself. When I'm in a funk or pity party mode and walking around all "whoa is me" - all I really need to do is just sit and pause and reflect on every tiny miracle hidden among the mess. WRITE IT DOWN. I have a journal of thanks that I use to document the things I'm most thankful for. Challenge yourself to see if you can write something down every day this month. (Feel free to back log). You could also use these as prompts for the "30 Days of Thanks" on Facebook... 

Two words. Three ways. One impact. Being thankful is so dang easy y'all.  And to celebrate this season of thanks, Shelly, Holly and I are teaming up for a fun giveaway because we are so thankful for each of you, dear readers!!!

We are giving away this darling pillow cover from my cousin's Etsy shop.

AND if that wasn't enough - we're going to throw in an additional cover for you to share with someone YOU are thankful for!! I KNOW - so much fun!

We all three just adore this blog world and the time we "spend" with so many of you so thank YOU for reading every day. This space began as a way to document all of our family memories and has given me such dear friends and wonderful connections and I'm just thankful for each of you. YOU are my favorite.

So, happy Friday!! 

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February Goals + A Giveaway

I'm not really sure how February happened so fast, but it's here and that's just crazy. It's also super fun because my birthday is in February and well, clearly that is awesome news. I'm going to try something new and make monthly goals - nothing crazy or out of this world, because ain't nobody got time for that. BUT, I do think it's important to write things down to hold yourself accountable and I think it's fun to read about what other people are doing/working on. Plus, if you see it, then I feel more obligated to actually follow through.

#peerpressure

I'm also a sucker for alliteration, so here are my February Goals in: Faith, Family, Friends and Fun!

I LOVED working through the Seamless bible study this summer. It enriched my life in so many more ways than I would have imagined. I strengthened friendships, gained new ones and of course felt more connected in His word. I've had a study based on friendship for almost 5 years that I haven't even cracked open. This month, I'm going to set aside time each week to immerse myself in His word and let it lead me where ever I should go.  

I also want to work on my prayer life WITH Ryan. We pray nightly with the kids and have prayer lives as individuals, but we need honestly need to work on praying together. Any tips you have? What do you and your spouse do for your prayer life? 

The spring semester is CER-AA-ZEEE for me. Weekends in March and April are basically booked with programs, so while I have the time, I want to focus on spending time as We5Kings with no agenda. Yeah, weird, right? We seem to have the most fun on unplanned events, weekends working in the yard, exploring the park, riding our bikes and just being together. (I think it has something to do with lowered expectations, go figure). Making the most of the every day, every day. 

 

With the hustle+bustle of this semester added to the weeks of single parenting, this momma gets tired. I really want to work on the guilt factor of leaving the kids at home every now and then to just enjoy a night (or an hour) with friends. Coffee, wine, a late night movie - time to just decompress and fill up with the blessings of friends. I also want to be as available as I can to just listen, pray for, pray with and relish the blessings of friends.

And fun - mostly here in this space. At the end of last year I got so stressed that I didn't post enough, or it isn't meaningful enough or I'm not doing enough for people that stop by. That's just silly. I'm totally outgoing and the worlds biggest extrovert - there isn't a stranger that I haven't become besties with but I get all shy in the blog world. I started this blog to remember moments as our family grew, but through that I've made some great friendships and have loved connecting with other bloggers. I'd love to find that balance of blogging with purpose but making sure it stays fun. So - what do you want to read? What do you want to chat about? What are your favorite posts that I've written? How do I make this space fun for you? 

A good way to start is with a fantastic giveaway with my friends Holly and Shelly! We are giving away a Hug in a Mug that includes a fabulous gift card to Starbucks so you can share some hugs (because let's be honest, coffee is basically a giant hug) with someone you love! 

Enter here!

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Meg from the Life of Meg

and the ladies from 100 Happy Days
Kate, Alison, Linzee, Elizabeth, Valerie, and Tiffany