Why we are waiting to show our kids the Marvel movies

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Why we are waiting to show our kids the Marvel movies

I have lost count of the number of times I have watched most of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). We have done complete marathons twice - once for Avengers: Infinity War and once for Avengers: Endgame. We went to a 2:00 am showing of Endgame because we didn’t want to risk getting spoiled as more and more people flocked to the theater.

All this to say - we love these movies. But our kids have never seen one.

Fair warning: This is our family’s choice. Ahead are the reasons we have decided to wait. If you and your family chooses a different path, kudos to you. I’m not judging you or talking about you behind your back. I’m simply sharing the journey we have gone on to make our decisions and what we feel is the best choice for the kids we have at this point in time.

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My Completely Honest Review of the 2019 Ultimate Homemaking Bundle

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My Completely Honest Review of the 2019 Ultimate Homemaking Bundle

Spring has sprung and with it our desire to whip our homes into shape after keeping them closed up all winter. Ultimate Bundles knows this and wants to help you make homemaking easier. Each spring they introduce a new Ultimate Homemaking Bundle and today is the day it is open for purchase!

This review is going to go over the nitty gritty of what the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle is and how it can help (or not help) you. I want this to be an honest review so I’ll be covering who this bundle is for, who shouldn’t buy it, my favorite products, and my final impressions.

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What I learned from decluttering our entire house

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What I learned from decluttering our entire house

Back in 2016 I realized we had a huge issue in our home. The problem wasn’t trying to make seven people fit in an 1800 square foot home. It was trying to fit seven people and way too much stuff in an 1800 square foot home. Our house could work, but only with significantly less stuff or less people. Getting rid of people clearly wasn’t an option, so the stuff had to go.

I created a challenge for myself (and the few readers I had at the time) to go through our homes at a pace that wasn’t overwhelming but would still show noticeable results. Over the 52 week challenge I learned quite a bit about the role clutter plays in our home and what can cause us to keep clutter around. Hopefully by sharing these with you I can inspire you to tackle the clutter in your own home and avoid issues that we have faced.

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10+ ways to build a strong family foundation

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10+ ways to build a strong family foundation

We sat down at the parent-teacher conference and expected to hear about our child’s progress since the last meeting. We are used to hearing that our child is helpful and kind, a good student, and a joy in class. What we didn’t expect to hear was how much the teacher loves hearing about all the family things we do. The teacher raved about our child explaining birthday traditions, visits from extended family, and chore systems.

What? That’s what it’s impressive about our family?

The teacher explained that many students these days don’t have such strong connections with their families. Everyone is so busy with their own schedules that time as a family unit gets ignored. And if they do get time together? It’s not really all that together. They exist in the same physical space but the connection aspect is missing.

Even a simple idea like choosing a birthday meal was foreign to some kids. These traditions that our family took for granted as normal life were creating bonds between us that will keep our relationships strong.

Now don’t think we have it all together. Heck, there are days I wonder if anyone likes anyone in this house! But then I step back and see one kid pat another on the back for doing a good job, or offer to help someone with a difficult task, and I realize that maybe we aren’t screwing everything up. My prayer is that the foundations we are laying down now with these intentional acts will continue to build on one another so our family can stick together in any storm that may come our way.

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Best Books to Gift for Mother's Day

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Best Books to Gift for Mother's Day

I vote for a new category in gifts for moms. Whether you need ideas to give your husband and kids, need ideas for your own mom, or want to get a gift for a special mom friend in your life, give a book.

Books have the opportunity to speak life into us. They open our eyes and ears to new ideas, perspectives, and people. We can discover new ways to approach a problem, hilarious stories, and how we aren’t not so alone in our experiences.

I vote we gift more books. Print books, eBooks, audiobooks, doesn’t matter. Toss them around like confetti and let them inspire the moms around you.

I’ve pulled together some of my favorite books for gifting to moms. These books cover a variety of topics but any of them could be perfect for a mom in your life. I wish I could wrap up a stack and gift them to all my favorite moms - but unfortunately I need to feed my family ;)

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Pepperoni Pizza Twists {recipe}

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Pepperoni Pizza Twists {recipe}

These Pepperoni Pizza Twists might be a kid-approved dinner, but parents will love how easy it is to customize to everyone’s tastes! Use homemade pizza dough or your favorite store bought brand in a pinch. Serve with warm pizza or marinara sauce and some veggies for a dinner everyone will love.

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