1) New Coloring Books
I’m loving these new coloring books (thanks to Swagbucks for the Amazon credit to make fun purchases like this!)!
The girls are coloring one hymn per week during our read aloud time and we’re singing/learning that hymn that week, too. It’s such a great way to teach my kids some of my favorite hymns, plus, I love the encouragement I’m receiving from meditating on these rich words!
{By the way, these Prismacolor pencils are the best thing ever. If you missed my post and video on them, you can see it here.}
2) Family Game Night
After years of being told how amazing the game Ticket to Ride is, we finally broke down and got the game.
Our kids learned how to play it earlier this week (thanks, YouTube!) and they taught Jesse and me how to play it tonight.
Honestly, I’m not sure that there’s enough strategy and speed for it to be my kind of game, but our kids love it (I like games that are either really, really fast-moving, or have layer upon layer upon layer of strategy). Plus, it’s great for helping Silas learn more U.S. Geography!
And I just loved getting to have a Family Game Night — that’s something I want to do more often!
3) Baked Oatmeal
Have you tried Baked Oatmeal before? We love, love, love it!
Best of all, I love that it can be made the night before and then just popped in the oven the next morning. Or, you can make a big batch and freeze it!
4) Fun Pictures of my book, Money-Making Mom
People have been sending me pictures of my book this past week and I’ve just been loving it. It’s been spotted at bookstores, at airports, and even in a deer stand!
After spending so much time writing and editing a book, it means the world when others are so excited with you at its release!
Have you gotten your copy of Money-Making Mom yet? If not, you can grab it here. Or, if you’re not sure if it’s for you, you can read the first chapter here.
5) These Ladies
These are some of the ladies of our beloved Monday Group. We called ourselves the Girl Tribe and we just love being a part of each other’s lives. It was Tam’s birthday this week so we celebrated together and took a number of hilarious pictures.
We are all very different from each other in so many ways and yet we celebrate those differences and it brings so much beauty and depth to our relationship.
We laugh together. We pray together. We have heart-to-heart talks. We are open about our struggles. We have mad group texting skills. And they have even tried to teach me to karaoke… we’re still working on that one. 😉
We are committed to showing up and being involved in each other’s lives. Coming together at least once a week to sit around a table, share food, and share our hearts and burdens and victories together is truly a gift.
And here’s a shot of some of our kids playing together yesterday. Is this not the most precious thing ever??
Bonus: This Knit Top
Cents of Style sent me this knit top recently and I’ve fallen in love with it. It’s SO comfy, so versatile, and you can dress it up or dress it down.
It feels like the perfect mix between sweater and sweatshirt! {Psst! You can get it for just $14.95 shipped through Monday when you use coupon code MSMTUNIC at checkout.}
Speaking of shirts, I also got brave and got a flannel shirt recently. I think it is the first. time. ever. that I’ve worn flannel!
What are YOU loving this week? Tell us in the comments!
Beth says
I am so thankful for the donations my son has gathered for our local food pantry this month. With my help he has organized a cookie exchange with a giving twist. Anyone that donates a essential baking ingredient for us to give to the pantry, gets a fresh baked dozen cookies from us! I am very proud of him and thankful for all our finds and family that have donated thus far! He has a kind heart and a giving hand.
Megan Gerken says
I just really love following your blog, especially as I get started on my own venture. I get so many great book recommendations and other tips from your website. Thanks for doing what you do. Now, what made me comment today is I was so excited to see that you enjoy strategy games. My husband and I love strategy games and have started to teach our daughter who is 6 how to play. In case you haven’t played these here are some more suggestions: Settlers of Catan (and they have a junior version), Carcassone (also has many variations), Zooloretto (good for younger kids), 5 tribes…when I forgot how to play my daughter retaught me.
We always watch to see what wins Spiel des Jahres game of the year and usually we are very happy with those choices. I love the family time when we play and I’m impressed with how much my daughter learns just by playing.
Crystal Paine says
Thank you so much for the recommendations! I really appreciate it!
Uma @ Centsible Indian says
It’s a GOD’s gift to have great friends in our lives. I’m one of the blessed ones like you 🙂
Sarah@TheOrthodoxMama says
Thanks for the coupon code for the tunic. It looks great! I just ordered it.
Victoria says
I confess I eat oatmeal a few days a week but I don’t think I have tried baked oatmeal. Does it reheat well? Just my daughter and I like oatmeal the 2 boys and their dad—not so much.
5 Things I am Loving This Week
1. Lots of work got done on our new renovation/rental home. My husband had a 4 day weekend so he and the 3 kids have been there every day but Sunday. (bonus I get a quiet home to work in–my renovation work doesn’t start until they have it all prepped for painting).
2. An awesome sunny afternoon yesterday to take a long walk. (listened to you on Brilliant Business Moms while I was out walking)
3. Taking an entire SUV load of stuff out of my attic and dropping it off at the local thrift store.
4. BOGO Starbucks sale, it made a normally boring errand into a fun afternoon with my two youngest children.
5. Maty’s all natural vapor rub–I seem to have caught a mild cold and with the medications I take almost all cold medicine is off limits (found that out the hard way one night years ago –not pretty) But I can use Maty’s vapor rub and it really works to clear my head.
Ellen says
We have Ticket to Ride and Ticket to Ride Europe (amongst 1000 other games it seems!)…it has plenty of strategy and cut-throat kind too…just wait until your kids are older. The game becomes much more challenging then. 🙂
Crystal Paine says
I think it needs to go faster and have about 4 more levels of strategy — like people have to buy trains, buy routes, more types of routes, more types of trains worth differing points and that require different things when you lay down certain trains on certain tracks, more methods for blocking or knocking people out or something, etc. to make it more my type of game. They were pretty cut-throat about blocking routes, pretending to be going one place when they are going another, etc. but it still felt slow and not really much of a layered strategy game like I like. But my kids love it, so I’m happy to play with them. 🙂
Denise says
I am loving EVERYTHING you post! I read them all, watch you on Periscope, and I just bought your new book and Make Over Your Mornings course! I am a seasoned blogger who is taking my blog to the next level and you blog and products are really helping me with personal development! Thank you so much for all that you do :-)!
Crystal Paine says
Aw, thank you SO much for your kind encouragement! I’m so grateful!!
Elizabeth says
It looks like you got the US Ticket to Ride version which was their first version–it doesn’t have as much strategy as the the newer versions. I highly recommend getting Ticket To Ride Europe. It’s much better and my husband and I are really into strategy and competitive games.
April says
Check out Pit for a fast paced game… It’s just cards and a bell so also nice and small for traveling! Learned from my nieces and nephew when they were right around your kids ages, so I think t would be perfect.
Chris says
Ticket to Ride is a strategic game. My husband is big into strategy games and it has some of the most strategy of any game he has played except chess.
Chris says
I think it’s really neat that your kids taught you! 🙂
stacey says
But Ticket to Ride has tons of strategy! We like it a lot too =]
Bethany says
I confess to having Monday Group envy and would love to be part of something like it. I’m curious how the group was formed. How were the families chosen? Is there any formal structure to the group at all or do things of substance just naturally occur when you get together on Mondays?