apps.

Confession.  I have too many apps on my iPhone.  I occasionally go through and get rid of apps I don't use and re-arrange my folders.  I love discovering new apps that help me get organized, keep me (and my kids) occupied during wait times, and streamline my workflow.  The best way to learn about a great app is word-of-mouth.  You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine!  Here is a snippet of some of my recent favorites:

Goby.  http://www.goby.com/iphone  We found this app last weekend while looking for something to do as a family.  I'm sure this isn't new to the app world but, it was new for me and I am going to be using this A LOT this summer.  I am sure I haven't even discovered all of its capabilities.  This app simply helps you find fun things to do!

Open Caching by Garmin. http://www.opencaching.com/en  We did this last weekend with the kids and it was soooo FUN.  They loved it!  We found 4 locations and discovered 3 treasures.  We will be exploring new places and searching for hidden treasure with this app.

Return Guru. http://www.returnguru.com  I am not a big "returner".  I can't keep track of all my receipts and coordinate them with my items to be returned.  I have lost a lot of money from not being able to return things.  Goodwill loves me for this but, my checkbook does not.  This is a very practical and easy to use app.  All you need to do is take a picture of your receipt with your phone.  Return Guru does the rest!  It processes the image and adds it to my personal list of receipts.  I used the app yesterday to return a sweatshirt and it was easy peasy!  No more clutter from saving all those receipts!

Instagram. http://instagram.com  This is a great app for sharing pictures with friends.  I love taking pictures of my everyday life.  Its fun to see what my friends are up to during their day. As well as discover new places and friends across the globe.  The app allows me to share with other media platforms (like facebook & twitter) and it has some great filters.

Phototreats. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/phototreats/id389084011?mt=8  This is currently my favorite app for adding fun filters to my photos.

YouVersion Bible. http://www.youversion.com/bible  This app has opened a whole new world for my quiet times.  I use this app on Sundays and for daily studies.  I love having different versions at my fingertips and an endless library of studies to choose from.  It also allows sharing on social media, bookmarks, note taking capabilities, and highlighting are just a few of the options.  Great Bible app!

Logos Quiz. http://aticod.com/portfolio/logosQuiz  I love this game!  A friend of mine shared it with me the other day and I was instantly hooked.  It is amazing how many logos are in our minds...try it, you'll see what I mean!  So, that is just a few of my favorites. Tell me the apps you must have on your device or have made your life simpler...

Milk Bubble Flower

I find such joy in the most simple details. God knows this about me. The other day I was drinking my milk, taking my vitamins when all of the sudden, I see this milk bubble flower.  I was instantly filled with joy.  Look at how perfectly the bubbles are sized and arranged!  I simply adore flowers.

I knew in that moment, it was a special delivery from the Lover of my Soul.  He's spinning the world but, He took time to deliver this perfectly simple, milk bubble flower.  It makes me giggle at the thought of Him reaching down to place it in my glass, knowing it would make my morning special.

Listen Ladies, we were created to be cherished. God is completely head-over-heels, in love with us!  You are beautiful and He adores you.

May your day be full of simple blessings.

Chore Charts

Raise your hand if you use chore charts.  We do and we love them!  They are a great tool for motivating, teaching responsibility, and helping kids learn basic household tasks.  Over the years we have gone through a variety of charts and lists, each one helping our kids learn at different stages.

These charts have also been a great way for us to teach our kids about financial responsibilities.  We choose to call their rewards "commission" instead of an "allowance".  The real world does not give you a paycheck just for showing up to work, you need to earn it.  We learned some very good tips from Dave Ramsey in his Financial Peace University program about raising financially responsible kids.  In the end, teaching our kids household tasks and responsibility is a win-win, wouldn't you agree?

I sat down today to work on our "Summer Responsibility Charts" and decided to share our most recent Responsibility Charts with my blog readers.

This is our current "after school responsibility chart".  This worked so well!  The kids knew what was expected of them each day after school.  Once they completed their responsibilities, they were able to have free-time until dinner.  Adding in the "extra chore" choice was to give them a little more control over their tasks.  This made the dinnertime/bedtime scramble a lot less chaotic.  It left us with more family time at night for reading together or playing games.

I printed it out and stuck it on the fridge.  Everyone knew where it was and checked it everyday (until they had it memorized!)  Another idea is to put it in an 8x10 frame and use a dry erase marker to cross off the tasks as they are completed.  Then you can see which chores are being done and wipe it clean for the next week!

The following  will be our chart for this summer.  This is completely flexible, it IS summer after all!  If we are gone for the day, then the responsibilities don't get done, plain and simple.  This at least gives us a tiny bit of structure during the break and keeps their brains learning (workbook, reading, etc).  It will also make the transition back into the Fall schedule much easier.

I hope these charts have been helpful and inspiring!  I have many other versions that we have tried in our family and that I have made for other families.  If you are interested in me developing a chore chart for your family, please feel free to contact me through ink & mouse!  Comment in this post and let me know if you use a chart system in your house and what has worked well for you.

Ducklings.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
Matthew 6:26

I witnessed a construction worker running through traffic, risking his life, trying to save 3 tiny ducklings.  He was chasing them around a car, shooshing them onto the sidewalk where Mama duck was watching with tense concern.

It reminded me of how God "stops traffic" for me on a daily basis.  I am like those baby ducklings, running around from place to place, trying to find my way through the day.  And all the while, I can picture God following me around, protecting me from things that want to harm me.

God protected those precious ducklings from the tires of cars because He loves His creatures great and small.  What an amazing truth to know that He loves us so much more and is always watching over us.  I needed this reminder today and God chose to show me in such a simple, sweet way.

I am loved and protected.  I hope you feel the same.

Heroes For Hope

I. Love. My. Job.

One of the many reasons I enjoy what I do is because I get to use the talents God has blessed me with and apply them to help people like this: www.heroesforhoperace.org

Heroes For Hope is a marathon event being established in Vancouver, Washington.  Their desire is to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and raise awareness for this awful, heart shattering disease.  Did you know that every 4 hours a child will lose their battle with cancer?  That means 6 children lost their fight today and six families had to say goodbye to their precious Babies.  That fact feels like... a huge punch in the gut.

There are so many organizations, charities, foundations, and people like Heroes For Hope that make it their mission to raise funds to support those that can find a cure.  I am so glad to be a teeny-tiny part of helping to erase pediatric cancer.

This project was quick!  They already had an idea in their minds of what they wanted, they just needed someone to make it digital.

[enter stage right: ink & mouse]

I was sent a few sketches of the design they were hoping for and I went from there!  You can see the logo on their newly launched website and on t-shirts coming soon.  If you are in the Vancouver area, check out more information on the race to help raise funds for pediatric cancer.