Our Goodwin Journey

Birthday Girl and a Winner!

2012-01-27T09:51:00.000-05:00

Annalise had a great birthday. She really wanted to celebrate her birthday on her exact birthday. This year, her birthday fell on a Wednesday which is a very busy day for us. So, we had a birthday lunch instead of a birthday dinner.

Because we were having a birthday lunch, we needed to get started early!

Around 9am, I began making her birthday cake. She wanted chocolate cake with chocolate icing and sprinkles.

Still in her jammies, here she is with a messy, cake batter face!

We made a fun birthday poster...

and she wore her favorite purple dress because she wanted to look like Repunzel in Tangled.

Her cake was ready and waiting for after lunch. Annalise got up close to inspect it and practice her candled blowing skills.

Daddy came home and we had BBQ chicken sandwiches (her request :), chips, veggies and raspberry punch.

After lunch, she opened her presents.

We had cake together and enjoyed celebrating our little Lisi!

She got many phone calls from family and friends that day, which was really special for her.

Another year older!

And, before I go... Here is the Starbucks Card giveaway winner!

Chrissy said...: This made me laugh out loud and I needed it today!! Thanks for the laugh and a chance to win Starbucks...; January 25, 2012 10:26 PM

Yeah! Chrissy, please send me your address so I can get that right out to you!

Thanks for joining in my Starbucks fun.

Now, I'm off for Chuck E Cheese with the girls and then a class on the book of Corinthians in Columbus...

Have a great weekend!

Family Game Night

2012-01-26T09:35:00.002-05:00

Once and awhile, we pull out a game and have family game night.

This time, the girls chose Apples to Apples Jr. It is one of our favorite games because it gets some great discussion and funny sayings out of our girls.

It helps with their vocabulary and thinking skills and teaches them about words in a fun way.

Abby needs help reading her cards, but most of the time we tell her to just pick one and throw it down.

Once everyone's cards are down, Abby will say, "I wonder which one is mine!"

Annalise is very funny when she plays this game. She has such a funny way of thinking!

Elayna totally gets wrapped up in the competition going on between Mommy and Daddy.

We laugh and think and get all worked up over our cards.

Annalise kept choosing my cards. And her reasons were hilarious. Once on her turn, her green card was "painful" so I threw down "ice". As she read all the choices, she said, "I'm choosing ICE!"

To which I grinned because it was another card for me and to which Jeremy asked, "WHAT? Ice? Why?"

"Because it hurts when you put your tongue on it, of course!!" said Annalise.

Of course! Why didn't we think of that! We laughed so hard.

On Lisi's last turn, she again chose my card (which was fairies and I totally knew she would pick fairies) and I won the game.

Yes. I beat Jeremy at a game.

(insert choir singing)

I had to have a picture of the moment so I gave the camera to Jeremy so he could take a picture of me with my winning green cards.

When he handed the camera back, with a smirk on his face, this is what I saw.

He purposefully put me OUT of focus.

Stinker.

Annalise Moments

2012-01-25T08:03:00.000-05:00

Today is Annalise's 7th birthday.

My sweet middlest (her word for herself) daughter is 7! I can't believe it...

Oh, I love her!

For her birthday, I'm going to link to some of my favorite Annalise posts.

A REALLY Smart Nurse
How We Do Birthdays
Not Me - Labor Edition
Annalise - Part 1
Annalise - Part 2
Annalise and the Swing
Lisi Lou Turns 6
A Day with Annalise
Bubble Gum

I hope you have fun bouncing around and reading some very funny and silly and goofy things about our birthday girl! She will have you smiling for sure...

Happy Birthday, Annalise!

Top Ten Weight Loss Tips

2012-01-24T10:47:00.001-05:00

After I had Abby, I had about 30 lbs to loose. It took me about 8 months after having Abby to decide that it was time to do something about it.

Between this picture (2006)

and this picture (2011)

I did actually loose the baby weight. Even though, according to the actual weight charts, I am still at the top weight amount for my 5'6 height. I suppose I could loose more, but I really am okay where I'm at.

For me, it is a constant struggle to keep the weight off. Because I love to eat. And I love desserts. And chocolate. And high calorie coffee drinks. And Ice Cream. And, sometimes it is really easy to just not care about my weight and just eat whatever sounds good.

I have to say that being gluten free does help. This new way of eating made me loose the last little bit of baby weight, allowing me to fit into my wedding dress for our 10th anniversary. But, being gluten free is not just a diet fad, it is a healthier way of life for my body.

And that is the key to loosing weight, really... be healthy. Don't diet or starve. Just be healthy. Make healthy choices.

There are some great plans out there to help you. Weight Watchers was a huge help to me when I first started looking at portion sizes and changing my bad eating habits after having babies. My good friend Stacy, aka The Lazy Mom, is a part of Slim Fast's new Women of Wow program and it really sounds like a great way to loose some weight. (click her blog link real fast and go watch her Slim Fast announcement video. FUNNY.) I'm sure there are other wonderful plans out there, but once the plan is over, how do you keep the weight off?

I've learned that it takes every day, real life changes. Changes you can keep for the rest of your life.

Here are my Top Ten things that I do to maintain my weight.

1. My least favorite thing - exercise. Do you see me with that bike up there? Sometimes Jeremy gets me out riding my bike kicking and screaming. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but I don't always go out willingly or with a good attitude. But, it is important. And we all know the reasons why it is important. We just have to make ourselves get out and do something.

2. Cut out extra calories. I realized one day, early on in my weight loss journey, that the orange juice I was having for breakfast was 120 calories a glass. Over 1 week, that was 840 calories. for JUICE. that I didn't need. Just cutting out that alone was going to be a big calorie savings over the long haul. And that is just juice! Think about candy, ice cream... yeah, lots of calories that can be cut out.

3. Brush your teeth after eating. The taste of toothpaste will keep me from wanting to eat anything. It really works.

4. Save dessert for weekends. This one is really hard for me because I could eat dessert every day, at every meal. But again, calories saved.

5. No Diet Pop. Really? Yes, really. Diet pop is not good for you, friends. And for me, I didn't want the extra calories of real pop, so I quit drinking pop almost completely. Which is a good thing. And, I drink more water now.

6. Read other weight loss journeys or fitness/health tips. It helps to motivate you and keep you going! This is a 40 day challenge blog set up specifically for fitness and weight loss written by a pastor friend of ours. You will find a lot of great information on his site!

7. Put a picture of you at your goal weight or another motivating picture in your kitchen. Literally seeing a picture of me in my wedding dress stopped me from snacking many times.

8. Follow the eating rules I have for the girls. If they are eating fruit and veggies, than I should be modeling that and eating it too. When I limit pop, candy, treats and other unhealthy things for them, I try my best to limit myself too. It is easy to say, "You already had one cookie today... no more." to my girls but VERY hard to tell that to myself.

9. If you are eating gluten free, don't replace every gluten thing you miss with the gluten free version. Gluten free is not calorie free! I save gluten free breads, cookies, brownies and other treats for special occasions and the rest of the time, I go without rolls, buns, breaded desserts, cakes... it does trim off a lot of calories! Even if you don't have to eat gluten free, cutting out most breads/baked goods will really help you loose weight.

10. Sleep. If I get enough sleep, I am more ready to exercise and more motivated to keep moving. Sleepy days are lazy days and lazy days mean very little calorie burning is going on in my body.

Oh, and one more...

11. Don't snack at night. This is almost as hard as exercising. I LOVE to snack at night. But cutting out snacks before bed is a great weight loss tip that helped me a lot on my journey of loosing weight.

I hope some of those things help you as much as they've helped me. I still struggle in many of these areas but having a concrete list of tips to go back to is a great resource to utilize when I'm having a hard time staying on track.

What are your best weight loss tips?

Oh, and before you go... make sure to enter my Starbucks gift card giveaway going on now! You know, so you can go get some black coffee with no cream or sugar or caramel sauce. *wink

I'll take a decaf skinny vanilla latte, please!

Not Me and A Starbucks Card

2012-01-23T09:03:00.002-05:00

Well... it's been awhile since I posted Not Me style...

are you ready for a Not Me post?

I have to start with this weather... we are not having the crazy winter ever!

I am not still praying for a good snow storm. Nope, not this sun-loving mommy. I would not love a cozy, snowed in day at home.

I did not get all excited that it was haircut day for my outdoorsman. I did not tweet out this on Saturday completely sure that his fuzzy face was going to be baby face once again.

I did not get his hair cut only to have him say, "Nope. I like it. Why would I shave it today?"

I did not concede that he does have 2 weeks left of hunting and wintery outdoorsy activities.

Because of my tweet, we both did not get a lot of hair cut type questions at church the next day. Nope, not us!

I did not, in the middle of a 21 day church fast, exclaim to my friend in a parking lot that I was coming back to this same parking lot next week for a Gluten Free Gigi's Cupcake, a hair trim and a Starbucks. Those are not three of my favorite places in one spot.

I did not, immediately after exclaiming such a thing, slip on black ice. I was not seriously close to falling on my backside.

And, in honor of my parking lot moment, I did not decide to giveaway a $10 Starbucks card on my blog this week. Nope, why would we all want to have fun like that?

Oh, you do want to have fun like that?

Just leave a comment to enter!

For some extra shots at the gift card, you can like our facebook page, follow our blog, find me on twitter, tweet or facebook the giveaway or find me on pinterest. Just leave a separate comment for each one that you do!

And, make sure you have a connected email so that I can contact the winner.

I'll draw a winner on Friday!

You know, so we can have some Not Me winter fun!

A Foundation

2012-01-22T14:11:00.003-05:00

Last night, at our mom's Girl's Night Out, we ended our fun with some talk time at Starbucks.

We talked and laughed about all kinds of things from Weight Watchers to books to kids.

But my friend, Julie, asked us a great question.

"What is your kid's bedtime routine?"

It was so very interesting to see the differences and similarities between the homes represented in our small circle.

I loved hearing from each one and getting a sneak peak into their homes during bedtime.

We had a great conversation about tucking the kids in, funny things the kids say or do, things they need to go to sleep, systems that help the whole ordeal run smoother, how long the routine takes, and the many discussions that take place at bedtime.

In our house, bedtime is one of my favorite times of the day.

Oh, I still have those nights that I dread the long routine and wish they could just put themselves to bed with no fuss or fights or problems.

But, I quickly remind myself that this routine is part of being a mom! I have to encourage myself to not wish it away... to cherish the special time with my girls each and every day. To thank God that I have the ability to put my girls to bed in a safe and warm home.

I push myself up the steps each night because this the bedtime craziness will last in my girls' childhood memories.

They will remember Daddy disrupting everything by singing loudly or messing up their blankets. They will remember Mommy asking Daddy to stop getting everyone all rowdy again. They will remember getting in trouble for getting out of bed... for the 5th time. They will look back on those snuggly nights with happiness and remember the feeling of being loved.

How do I know? Well, I remember my Mom and Dad putting me to bed. I can still hear my Mom saying, "Ben! Do not get those girls worked up again! Stop! It is bed time, not play time!"

And, I remembered that phrase because I caught myself saying the exact same thing to Jeremy not too long ago.

Bedtime is a vitally important part of our parenting. We have chosen to make it a priority in our home. Even on the nights that I am tempted to skip devotions because it is too late and the girls are tired, I choose to give God the last moments of the day.

You see, I know the girls will remember the silliness, the routine, the rush to get everyone cleaned, brushed, changed and tucked in before the hour gets too late.

But, I'm hoping that they will also remember the most important part of our routine.

The time that we take each night to focus on Christ. To read the word and to talk about it together. I see this as different from school Bible study because this is time that we take out of a very busy part of the day to focus on Jesus right before bed.

A moment of the day when my girls hearts are quiet and ready to hear from the Holy Spirit about their day.

Teaching them to not let the sun go down on their anger or reminding them to ask Jesus to show them areas to work on the next day. Holding them close and speaking Jesus' love into their minds each and every day. Building faithfulness to Bible Study and time spent in prayer before bed.

Anyway... all that was running through my mind last night as I got ready for bed.

Because I was out, I missed the routine... Daddy got to put the girls to bed last night.

I walked into the bathroom and saw this on the counter.

This was my book when I was a little girl. My Mom and Dad gave it to me on my 7th birthday.

It is a book that we pull out often... A book that is getting used 23 years later... with another generation of girls learning to read about God at bedtime.

I am so thankful for the foundation, the heritage that I have to build on as I go through the bedtime routine with my girls.

Even on the nights that I don't feel like getting into a big discussion about why Saul wanted to kill David or why we have to forgive our sister when she annoys us or how we know there won't be tears in heaven or why God heals some people but not other people or if there is electricity in heaven or what color Jesus' beard was or if Nicodemus had a mustache...

Even on those nights when I don't have answers and I want to just slip them quickly in bed, I remember that I'm using my foundation to build new foundations that will one day be drawn upon for my grandchildren.

A foundation that is lasting and true, giving me strength when I don't feel like following through or taking the time.

So, what is your bedtime routine and how do you incorporate God into your nightly crazy time? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Homeschool Days

2012-01-19T10:16:00.004-05:00

I've been wanting to put a post up about our homeschool days.

We've settled into a nice groove since coming off Christmas vacation and I like how things are going.

9:00 - Breakfast, JBQ and Bible at the dining room table

I love this time of the day. It is precious time to talk with my girls, to teach them about God and to learn His Word together

9:30 - Science, History and Geography

These three subjects really go together this year. Right now we are studying the continent of Africa. We are studying historical things that happened there, missionaries who worked in those countries, what the culture is like, languages of the people, animals, jungles, deserts, savannahs, grasslands... Yeah, it all goes together which is SO nice because all the girls are learning together.

10:00 - Break for the younger girls to color or do a puzzle. Elayna - Piano

10:15 - Math

10:45 - English/Spelling/Cursive for Elayna, Reading/Writing for Annalise and Sight Words/Reading/Writing for Abby. The older girls work independently while I help Abby.

Noon - Lunch and Break

1:00 - Book Time where the girls read library books and look at animal, geography and history books about the continent we are studying.

Around 2:00 the girls are free to play and enjoy the rest of their day!

I love when our schedule works out just like this but quite often, we are rushing from one thing to the next and our school work gets done in between the busyness.

I counted up our school days and we are currently on day 94 or week 19.

Elayna is reading everything in sight. She loves to read and can finish a small chapter book (like a Mandie book) very quickly. She loves the missionary books we have been reading and she devours information about animals and places. Math still is not her favorite, but she is working hard at it.

We have turned a corner with Annalise and she no longer throws a fit about school. Last fall, it was a daily battle but now, I'm not sure what happened other than she grew up a little, we don't have any fits! Well, ok, SOME fits about certain things but not every day and certainly not about every subject! I am so impressed with how well she is doing!

Abby makes me laugh. She is very smart but, how do I say it... she wants to learn but she doesn't want to work to learn. She is seriously funny when it comes to school. She floats from topic to topic and thought to thought. She cares about what she is wearing to school and if she put on chapstick but could care less if she remembered her sight words for the day. She wants me to read to her but doesn't want to read herself. She has a ditsy, baby voice that she pulls out when she doesn't know something she should know. She will color like crazy, do a full word search (an adult one!) or picture find puzzle on her own time but doesn't have any interest sitting for her schoolwork. Do any of you have a student like this at home?

I'll end this homeschool update with a few pictures of Annalise and Abby with their dolls and matching outfits. This was the same day as our shoe-tying races. Aren't they cute?

And thanks to all of you who have stopped by our facebook page! It has been fun to interact with many of you there!

Enjoy your Thursday!

Ten Things I Miss

2012-01-17T09:34:00.002-05:00

Since going gluten free in October 2010, I have adjusted pretty well to my new health and diet restrictions.

But, just being real here... gluten free things can't always replace the things I miss.

I used to be a bread girl.

A REAL bread girl.

Although I am incredibly thankful for all the wonderful gluten free things out there, Pamela's and Udi's being some of my favorites, there are certain things that I still miss about the world of gluten.

I think I miss it the most when I'm eating out because I can't eat many of my favorites.

This list is just a few of the things I miss...

1. Papa John's Pizza Crust. I miss all real pizza but Papa Johns tops the list.

2. Cinnamon Rolls. from anywhere. seriously.

3. Biscuits/Rolls. I love having bread with a meal. Butter and honey on a biscuit or piece of hot bread. Mmmm... I miss being able to eat the bread that is put on your table at a restaurant. I always feel like I'm missing something when I can't eat the yummy goodness of a yeasty roll.

4. Chick-fil-a Chicken sandwich and chicken nuggets. They have the best breading on their chicken and sometimes it is so hard not to eat one! (I did see that they are coming out with grilled nuggets!!!! But, again, I'll miss the breading, I'm sure.)

5. Mcgriddles. I know, I know... you didn't know I used to eat all that stuff did you? I did. I love McDonald's breakfast sandwiches.

6. Panera bagels, cookies, bread bowls... Panera just isn't the same when you have to eat gluten free.

7. Hamburgers. I miss being able to sit down and order a burger and fries. Not having to worry about the bun or if the fries were fried with something else or if the sauce on the burger is ok or not.

8. Soft shell tacos. I love soft, flour shells. Especially from Chipotle. Now, I get a burrito bowl but I do miss that delicious shell!

9. Chinese buffets. I haven't eaten at a chinese buffet since I went gluten free because I have no idea how to tell if things are gluten free or not and all of my favorite things (sweet and sour chicken, crab rangoons...) are not gluten free.

10. Desserts. Cheesecake, brownies and ice cream, apple pie... not available anymore.

There are more things that I miss but as I look at this list, I know I am SO MUCH better off NOT eating these things. The calories saved are enormous. But, I still miss being able to eat them once in awhile. Eating out just isn't as much fun as it used to be when I could eat gluten.

I do replace these things with gluten free options when I'm at home. Also, I've found some wonderful restaurants that do offer gluten free menus, for which I am very thankful.

I am healthier for being gluten free, but that doesn't always make it easier.

Sometimes, I just miss gluten!

*linking up with Amanda for Top Ten Tuesday

How We Tie Shoes

2012-01-16T13:18:00.001-05:00

It has been a long standing joke between Jeremy and I that I can't tie shoes.

Well, I CAN tie shoes, but I don't tie shoes with the normal "around the tree" kind of way.

I am almost 30 and I still tie my shoes with bunny ears.

Really. I do. And, I'm totally fine with that.

Jeremy laughs his head off at me because I do it the little-kid way.

Oh well.

So, this morning, when I heard, "Daddy, will you tie my doll's ice skates for me?", I knew that we were in for another shoe-tying discussion.

"Annalise, don't you know how to tie shoes?"

"Yes, I can!" Annalise said.

I yelled down the stairs. "She needs help because the laces are really small and hard to do on those skates."

Whew. In the clear... discussion averted.

Then Abby pipes up. "I don't know how to tie shoes, Daddy."

Uh oh. Here we go.

"Okay, Abs, go get some shoes."

Annalise did it first to show Abby and Daddy that she could do it.

Elayna sat beside Jeremy with another shoe.

"Elayna, do you tie shoes like your mom?" Jeremy asked. "That is not how you tie shoes."

To which I said, "Elayna, stand tall and proud. There is no reason we can't use bunny ears."

Jeremy laughs and said, "Well, Abby, you are learning the right way."

So, Abby did!

They worked and worked, all while Elayna and I kept up our side of the shoe tying debate.

Then Jeremy said, "Well, my way is faster. Want to race?"

They raced and surprise, surprise... Jeremy won. He always wins.

"Now, Mommy and I are going to race. Jen, come on!"

So, we sat down and raced.

Of course, he won again, but by a split, teeny second, mind you.

After all that, Abby did learn to tie her shoes. Daddy's way.

Right now we have 3 "around the tree" tyers and 2 "bunny ears" tyers.

That's how we tie shoes.

A Quick Post with Links!

2012-01-12T08:50:00.000-05:00

Ok...

A few quick things today with links!

I am blogging over at Seeds of Faith today... come say hello!
I have a giveaway going on at my book review page for The Uncommon Life devotional... just comment to enter. Giveaway ends on Friday!
My mom is getting ready to launch her Etsy shop "Sew Fun Design" in February. Do you remember the cute aprons my girls and their dolls were wearing at Christmas? Adorable. Her shop will have all kinds of fun things for women and for girls and for 18 inch dolls. You can find her now on facebook and twitter. Her blog/website is in the works and I can't wait to see it! Will you go give her some like/follow love?
The Lazy Mom has a great giveaway right now for a SurfShelf. Ever seen one? Go check it out!
I'm a new writer over at The Homeschool Village... how fun!

I think that is it.

For now.

For links anyway...

A Little Wednesday's Walk

2012-01-11T08:48:00.002-05:00

In the past, I've done a weekly Wednesday's Walk...

How I love getting old things posted here on the blog so that they will always be saved in this bloggy scrapbook.

These two pictures are on our fridge...

They are two of my favorite pictures ever.

A new family of 5.

September 2006 - Elayna 3, Annalise 1, Abby 6 weeks

Elayna is clutching her bird book that her Daddy made for her. It was filled with printed pictures of birds so that she could identify them and learn their names. It is a book we have added to over the years and she still loves it!

Jeremy as a dad to three girls. Dodge, our dog, sitting patiently while I snapped a quick picture before the sun set that fall day.

Do you have an old picture you could pull out and post today?

If you do, let me know in the comments and I'll be sure to come by for your walk down memory lane!

Ten Things I'm Loving About This Weather

2012-01-10T16:08:00.000-05:00

This is one weird winter.

And, I love snow. I'm dying for a good snow storm. Like getting snowed in kind of storm.

Still hoping for one before the winter is over.

But, it is hard to imagine with the mild weather we've been having...

Snow storm aside, there are some things I'm loving about the warm temps!

1. low heating bills. enough said.
2. easy out the door - no major snow stuff needed like boots, hats, warm gloves
3. no slippery walk. our front sidewalk is fully shaded by a big pine tree and it is super icy most winters.
4. no scraping my windows. this house didn't come with the luxury of a drive in garage. not fun.
5. no wet snow being drug in the house on the floors
6. flip flops can still be slipped on to run to the neighbors house or to take out the trash
7. I can bike ride to the post office. yes that is me, my cute shoes and my Schwinn!

8. my driver's side window isn't frozen up. it is unusable when it gets below freezing. weird.
9. sunshine in the windows. the sunshine has been stupendous (yes, I just said stupendous.)
10. popsicles are still a great snack. really. in January. amazing.

What have you been up to this warm, warm winter?

*linking up with Amanda for Top Ten Tuesday!

Time Away...

2012-01-09T21:53:00.000-05:00

Time away...

to rest. to think. to pray. to write. to dig deep. to evaluate. to prioritize.

to think over the past and look to the future.

to be still.

to experience silence.

no schedule. no plans. no busyness.

just me. my Bible. a pen. a notebook. some music.

And, God.

January is the perfect month for some time away. I'm so thankful to have had that time...

It is priceless.

The Christmas Disclaimer

2012-01-07T22:21:00.001-05:00

My friend Christina @ Get Joy just posted a Christmas Memories post.

And I loved it.

Why?

Well, although her family is super cute and fun and it looks like they had a wonderful Christmas, that is not necessarily why I loved her post.

I loved it because I LOVE the disclaimer that she put at the bottom of her memories post.

She says, "Disclaimer: Now before you all think my life is perfect, or any blogger's Christmas post for that matter, very few people write about all the things that go wrong during the holidays. You don’t want to hear about my grumpy, fighting, tired kids (yeah, I am talking about those adorable children in the pictures above). You don’t want to hear about my short temper when things get stressed. We all deal with that stuff. Keep in mind when reading these types of blogs that the purpose is to focus on all the Good that God is and how He sustains us when things are difficult. Because let me tell you, I had some whining kids…and He kept me sane. hehehehehehe"

Can I just second that?

From our Tennessee vacation at Thanksgiving to our Christmas vacation in Michigan, there were some total disclaimer moments.

Even if the pictures didn't say so.

Even if you couldn't tell by our happy, vacation faces.

Things happened.

Disclaimer moments.

Jeremy's leaking truck window that got the girls toys and blankets all wet.

Realizing that the tour company that we booked through was very much less than honest and it was going to cost us.

Three girls riding together in the one seat of an extended cab Ford F150. for hours. You can imagine the whining and fussing that went with that, I'm sure.

Spouse miscommunications. Yes. They happen. Often.

Loosing vital pieces to fixing Abby's broken DS.

And not finding them anywhere.

Having to buy new pieces.

Having the DS break for good.

Getting a new-to-us DS with Christmas money.

Tired cousins. Throwing up babies. Tired sisters (young and old).

Two granddaughters who played with two bars of soap in Grandma's tub. Decorative soap. Super soapy water.

15 people sharing 2 bathrooms.

Kids forgetting to flush. and wash hands.

Toys all over the floor.

A lost dress.

Shattered Christmas ball ornaments on the hardwood floor during Christmas dinner.

A gazillion dirty dishes to wash.

Tearful yelling moment between my girls on the day we were heading home.

Tearful apologies made to those who had to witness it.

Laundry, messy house, misplaced presents, broken toys, dumped suitcases.

Opinions. Misunderstandings. Moods. Stolen quiet moments...

No... we don't take pictures of those things.

But they happen. To all of us.

That is a part of family. of people. of learning to live together in peace.

Don't forget that "disclaimer" as you browse through everyone's gorgeous Christmas posts.

Think of the stories behind the pictures and remember we are all real people blogging real lives.

Ups and downs. Good and bad.

It is all there. Behind the lens.

Party Time!

2012-01-06T21:59:00.000-05:00

Over our Christmas vacation, we had some fun parties with the cousins.

Little Sloan didn't always understand what was going on but we sure had fun taking pictures of her and watching her play!

Annalise, Abby and Elizabeth got creative one night and decorated Grandma's lamps and kitchen cabinets with ornaments.

The girls were rewarded with super glittery hands.

One afternoon, we had a tea party with sugar cookies, cheese and salami, grapes and cider.

And then, at the very end of our time in Michigan, we had an early birthday party for Annalise so she could celebrate with family.

She was excited to have a party one month early... can you tell?

My mom did a great job planning fun things for the girls to do... Thanks, Mom!

(And I hope your kitchen cabinets aren't scratched. They looked adorable with bells on.)

Did you do any fun, special parties this holiday?

Christmas Memories

2012-01-04T08:58:00.001-05:00

I have so many pictures from Christmas.

Do you?

I hope I'm not the only one who snaps like crazy during the holidays or family events.

Playing with my camera was sure fun and my mom's house has a ton of natural light which makes picture taking indoors very easy.

Today, I'm sharing just a few of our 2011 Christmas memories.

The girls made sugar cookies and decorated them...

My mom's house was decorated and beautiful...

The girls adore their new dolls and doll clothes and matching aprons...

We went to church as a family and took some great family pictures...

My parents with their 5 granddaughters (we found out over Christmas that my younger sister is having another girl they are naming Myla Claire... that will be 6 granddaughters in next year's photo!) and the kids took part in a Christmas nativity play.

I sang with my older sister (you can hear it here "Mary Did You Know") and we took a new "Haynes' Sisters" picture which I love.

We had a fun afternoon on Christmas day opening presents, laughing and playing.

Do you see the title of that little green book Jeremy is holding?

Jeremy also got "Fifty Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do" from my younger sister, Holly.

Now Holly...

Did this guy really need that?

As if he needs a book...

And do you know what he said when he opened it?

"Jen! It even has a field journal with each one so we can take notes!"

This is going to be interesting.

I'll have more Christmas memories coming...

I also wanted to let you know that the new Best of Life E-Magazine is available. This really is a great magazine full of wonderful articles, helpful stories, crafts, recipes... it is something you could share with family and friends! Just click on the volume title that you would like to read! You can find me on page 20 of the new magazine.

Now, I'm off to go hide that dangerous book of Jeremy's...

Just Kidding.

Maybe.

A Christmas Eve Snow

2012-01-03T09:36:00.001-05:00

I wanted snow for Christmas.

A lot of snow. Like a snow storm.

Michigan was letting me down. No snow was in the forecast. It wasn't going to happen.

Insert sad me here.

Well, late on December 23rd, we were all sitting and watching TV when Annalise yelled, "Look! It is SNOWING!"

Uhm. She had to be seeing things. It wasn't supposed to snow anything other than maybe a few flurries. Plus it was dark outside so she couldn't have seen anything.

But, as I stared hard at the glass in my mom's sunroom... sure enough... it WAS snowing!

A good snow! I ran to the door and opened it to see for myself. Annalise was right. She sure did see some snow through the window!

It finally felt like Christmas.

So, the next morning, the girls got ready and went outside to play in the 1-2 inches of snow on the ground.

Not much, but enough to have some fun.

Four excited girls, well, five if you count me, playing in the cold.

Outside, burning off some energy... running and skipping and playing and climbing.

All on a surprise snowy Christmas Eve!

Did you get any snow this Christmas?

Technology Fun

2012-01-01T21:29:00.000-05:00

Family fun has changed over the past few years...

Well, it is always changing but it seems like technology has really become a huge part of family fun, especially in our family.

We play the Wii together...

is Abby not adorable watching Daddy play the Wii?

*linking this picture up with Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious for Daddy and Me

Our android tablet has become a great family toy.

Jeremy and the girls played a fun and competitive game of monopoly using our tablet! It was incredible. No paper money flying around, no missing pieces and no frustrating banker! Just the push of a button and you had animated monopoly!

The tablet does. it. all. for. you.

amazing.

The girls had so much fun!

Here are my girls and my niece playing a game with Jeremy on the tablet.

A glimpse of the future for sure... where all games are headed.

My grandma got an ipad for Christmas. She had a great time playing games on it. And Abby, at 5 years old, was the perfect person to help her play them!

Now, technology shouldn't be all of your family time...

oh no... we bike so that we can get outside the house and away from technology!

But it sure can be a great way to connect your family together!

How do you use technology to bring your family together for some fun time?

A Gluten Free Christmas

2012-01-01T20:58:00.001-05:00

At Christmas time, delicious goodies of all kinds are available everywhere you turn.

Yummy plates brimming with sugar and peanut butter and peppermint and chocolate.

Some of my mom's special cookies that we only get at Christmas are now off-limits for me.

But this year, we had lots of gluten free goodies too.

My mom has newly realized that she may have a wheat sensitivity and so between the two of us, we made sure we had some gluten free dessert and treats.

She made Chocolate Eclair dessert (her own version of this recipe) with gluten free graham crackers.

Heaven...

I made Chocolate Chip Cookies using Pamela's baking mix... my favorite gluten free baking mix by far.

Using that same mix, my mom made pancakes and crepes. Perfection.

I made some very moist and super good banana bread, also using that baking mix.

My sister made a wonderful sweet potato casserole using gluten free flour in the topping.

My other sister made fresh cheesy potatoes so that they would be gluten free.

So many things were very easily made gluten free for my mom and I.

It was fantastic.

But...

My most favorite gluten free moment from the holidays was when my mom made chicken noodle soup with dumplings.

My favorite soup ever and she made me a batch with gluten free dumplings.

Pure delight.

It was fun making some of our favorite foods and being able to eat them together.

Another great gluten free moment was when I opened this present that my niece made for me.

Yes, this is the Gluten Free Me!

I can't wait to use my new apron.

If you have gluten issues or another allergy, how do you make your Christmas special?

It isn't easy, but it can be done!

Another year... A Precious Promise

2011-12-30T14:13:00.001-05:00

I am amazed...

another year has flown by...

My girls are 8, almost 7 and 5.

We have been married for 10 years...

We are half way through our 3rd homeschooling year.

We all got new Schwinn bikes and started family biking.

I created a blog facebook page for Our Goodwin Journey and have had so much fun connecting with many of you there!

We traveled through Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Tennessee and took you along with us via twitter.

We made new friends, saw new places and experienced new things.

Camping, traveling, biking, playing... spending days at Grandma's beach, going to the top of the Willis Tower and seeing Jeremy's sister get married.

Lots of life happened in 2011. So much fun... so many memories.

Church is going well, our families are doing well... things are good.

I got a new DSLR camera, a wonderful lens and an android tablet. Fun, unexpected blogging toys.

I held a blog party and met some new blog faces. A very fun blog party... just because!

Jeremy got a deal and made us a Wii family with hunting games galore.

God has been faithful in so many incredible ways through this past year.

We are thankful, humbled and excited for the future.

As I look back over 2011, I am thrilled at where God has taken us and looking forward to see His hand at work as we step into 2012.

A new year is a time of new beginnings, new places, new situations and new life experiences.

A new year brings second chances, fresh starts, and good changes.

But a new year can also be uncertain, filled with unknowns and big questions.

Will the next season in life be good or bad? easy or hard? full of joy or heartache?

Whatever the answer...

we can be sure

that although we don't know what the future holds...

we do know Who holds the future.

My life is in His very capable hands.

A promise I will cling to as we walk through the new year.

As you think about your next year, what promise are you clinging to?

My Favorite Posts from 2011

2011-12-28T09:17:00.001-05:00

We have been having a wonderful Christmas vacation...

Our Christmas this year was a little bit different because of Christmas falling on a Sunday.

The girls opened a few gifts on Saturday...

My mom got the girls 18 inch dolls and made them doll clothes, doll hair bands and matching aprons.

She is planning to open an Etsy shop soon! I'll post more about that later...

Anyway, on Sunday, we had Christmas lunch after church and then opened presents.

Then on Monday, we had our normal Christmas breakfast and let the girls open their stockings.

Talk about extended Christmas traditions, but it was fun to celebrate in a different way this year.

Because of that though, I don't even know what day it is... being on vacation will do that to you.

I missed Top Ten Tuesday but I want to post a list today anyway!

A list of my Favorite posts from 2011...

1. When Was The Last Time - a post about flirting and marriage

2. 29 Years with a follow up post explaining #6

3. 10 Things I Want my Girls to Know

4. 10 Things I'm Dreaming of... and how God answered a few of those dreams this year!

5. Unconventional Toys - with a really funny video about a fly

6. Bike Ride Tips and a post about a bike ride with a cute video of Abby

7. My Nature Boy at Camp and a silly trick

8. My favorite post of the whole year... A Fairy Tale Day

9. The day my Oreck came in the mail

10. Going on a Big Bike Ride with Jeremy and our new Schwinn Bikes

11. 10 Attempts at Getting a Family Picture

12. Our Family Christmas and my girls Christmas pictures by the tree for the past 8 years

And those are my favorite posts from 2011...

I so enjoyed going back through my blog and reading about our year.

What a wonderful year it has been! It makes me excited for what 2012 will bring for the Goodwin family.

What are your favorite posts from 2011?

If you do a post like this, stop by and let me know so I can visit!

Happy New Year!

White as Snow

2011-12-24T14:47:00.000-05:00

I love snow.

Especially around Christmas.

and, we haven't had any snow. none. even in Michigan.

Until last night...

We were sitting in my mom's sunroom and Annalise yelled, "Look! It is snowing!"

No one could believe it. The weather channel said only a 30% chance of flurries.

But it was snowing lots of big fluffy flakes.

Soft and white and slow...

There was a precious layer of Christmas snow on the ground that made my heart happy.

Just an hour later, I was putting the girls to bed and for devotions I asked the girls a question.

"What does the snow remind you of?"

Abby answered first. "It reminds me of Jesus' birthday when he came as a baby!"

"Good, Abby... Elayna?"

"Well, I think about how Jesus is pure like snow. He has no sin."

I loved her answer.

"Annalise, what do you think?"

"Snow reminds me that Jesus washes us white as snow!"

Another perfect answer...

Jesus, who is pure as snow, came as a baby to wash us white as snow.

Three amazing reasons to love snow, to be reminded anew of why Jesus came to this earth.

A Home to be Proud of...

2011-12-23T11:19:00.002-05:00

We recently spent some time with our good friends, the Lazy Family.

We were overnight guests at their house.

They returned a family camp gag gift...

And the Lazy Mom blessed me with an Our Goodwin Journey Blume bracelet...

Before we arrived though, I got word through twitter, texts and Lazy Dad that the Lazy Mom was stressing a teensy bit about having us as overnight guests.

Now, don't we know we ALL do that.

When guests are coming, we want things to be nice, to be clean and decorated and have everything in its place.

Around the holidays, there is the extra pressure of having the Christmas tree looking perfect and dusting the extra Christmas clutter.

It is extra hard when you don't feel like your house is "show" worthy.

I have no paint on my walls, very little in the gorgeous decorations department and not much to "show" anyone.

Our house is not big and spacious and wonderful.

It's a house. a small house.

But, it is OUR house.

When I heard that the Lazy Mom was stressing, I felt for her. I truly did. Because I do the same thing to myself.

And you know what Stacey? There is NO need to stress!

Why?

Well, our houses might be small and not necessarily "show" worthy (you totally beat me in the cute decorating area), they are homes.

Our houses are homes.

Homes filled with laughter, fun, family, love, excitement, play, food, fellowship and good times.

Homes to be proud of... homes that are completely "show" worthy.

Homes that we should be blessed to welcome others in to anytime of the day.

Homes that we love. Homes filled with love.

So Lazy Mom, thanks for sharing your HOME with us!

We had a wonderful time... we felt welcome, loved and blessed to be there.

Thank you.

And remember...

If you are stressing this holiday season, remember that your house is a HOME and a home is to be shared with others.

Our homes are places to be proud of...

Don't worry about the things that don't really matter in the long run.

Give yourself a break and enjoy your home this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Bokeh

2011-12-19T09:18:00.001-05:00

I Heart Faces is having a Holiday Bokeh (that beautiful blur in the background) challenge so I thought I'd post one that I took with my new Canon EF 50mm 1.8 lens.

Elayna was in the school room at her desk. I snapped this picture of her angled so the Christmas tree was in the background.

There are a lot more fun bokeh pictures over at I Heart Faces today!

Do you have a holiday bokeh picture?

Miss Jenilee

2011-12-18T22:34:00.000-05:00

Along with being Mom to my girls, I get the opportunity to be the Pastor's wife, or Miss Jenilee, to a lot of kids.

I love it.

And, because Jeremy, or Pastor Jay as they call him, is always being the fun guy, so often I'm the "mom" in the room.

I give them "mom" looks and they hear my "mom" voice. But I also get to give them "mom" hugs and pray "mom" prayers for them.

I get to be a part of their lives... teaching them and helping them grow in Jesus.

This weekend, as we've gone caroling to raise money for missions and put on a children's program for families in our community, I remember again what a blessing it is to be called to serve in full-time ministry.

Being a part of these kids lives is such a wonderful thing.

Whether they call me Mom or Miss Jenilee, I love them all!

*linking up with Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious