Rome with Kids

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July 28, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 2 Comments

We went to Rome for Christmas.

This was our family gift. We didn’t have presents under the tree. Experiences over stuff.

Then my son asked afterwards if we can stay home next year and do presents. Sigh.

We flew on Alitalia from Frankfurt to Rome Ciampino. I know Ryanair often has really cheap tickets, but I couldn’t find any when I was planning our trip, and honestly, it was so nice to fly and check bags and get free snacks.

A driver was waiting for us. It was so much easier than worrying about how to get to our apartment. Worth every penny. We asked for a return to the airport since we left early.

We stayed at Peter’s Nest in Vatican + St. Peter, about a block over from the entrance to the Vatican Museum.

We got fresh cornetti every morning from our hostess and she kept us stocked in fresh milk and juice too! A little Carrefour Express grocery store was right beside our building, so if I had known that, I wouldn’t have paid for the pastry delivery, but it was still nice.

The courtyard to the apartment building had a lovely floral fountain.

Day 1

After we got settled and freshened up, we walked over to St. Peter’s Square.

We loved seeing the huge lifesize nativity scene.

Then, we went through security to go into St. Peter’s Basilica.

And I got to see Michelangelo’s Pietà.

We walked down to Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II to see Castel Sant’Angelo.

We love the statues lining the bridge.

I highly recommend L’Isola della Pizza for incredible food. Glad we got there early for dinner – it was soon packed with locals!

The waiters brought out a medley of appetizers and salads and the kids all ordered pizza.

I love all the salads and breads and prosciutto. They brought arancini (fried rice balls) for the kids but Aaron and I loved it too! The fried artichokes were amazing.

It was too much food, but so amazingly delicious.

Day 2

We were at the Vatican Museum before they opened and we were ushered right on in.

I’m so glad I ordered basic tickets online. I had also ordered 4 audio guides for the kids and 2 adult audio guides for Aaron and me. The kids got great little scavenger hunt maps. We loved the guides!

We began in the Pinacoteca – the Picture Gallery.

It was completely empty.

We were following our audio guides and the kids’ scavenger hunts.

If I had known, we’d have scooted on down to view the Antiquities and Sistine Chapel and left the Picture Gallery for last.

We got to stare at Raphael’s tapestries and study paintings undisturbed.

I especially liked Leonardo’s St. Jerome in the Wilderness.

St Jerome in the Wilderness by Leonardo da Vinci

Then we went to the Egyptian and Etruscan Museums.

This was especially exciting for the kids since we didn’t get to experience anything or travel for those units.

Alex and Katie really loved seeing the mummy.

Love the colors here!

They save the best for last: The Sistine Chapel.

No pictures and they have guards to hush people.

But by that time, we were hot and almost exhausted. We stayed a while, getting a crick in our necks and trying to sneak pictures with our phones.

We got takeout pizza at Forno Feliziani for lunch.

The best gelato is at Old Bridge. We got some every single day. Super great prices and large portions.

We went to the Colosseum in the afternoon.

I ordered our tickets online and they were good on any day.

I don’t know that I’d recommend doing quite so much in one day, but we thought we could handle it. We realized our tickets included the Roman Forum and the tickets are only good for two days and we didn’t think we’d have time to go back down there the next day.

We got to look down upon Circus Maximus.

The Forum must’ve been very crowded. There was so much in such a small space!

It about did me in. We barely got through it before the loudspeaker announcement that they were closing. We rushed up the stairs.

I was about ready to collapse, so I begged to take a taxi back since we had no idea where the nearest subway was and I couldn’t walk anymore. The 6-seater taxi van from Piazza Venezia to St. Peter’s Square was only €8,00!

We got takeout pizza at Forno Feliziani (yes, again) for the kids for dinner. I love that place.

Aaron and I went to The Angry Pig for gorgeous sandwiches. Our contact recommended it and the eggplant pork tenderloin sandwich was divine.

Day 3

This was Christmas Eve.

We walked to the Galleria Borghese.

Again, I bought tickets online. I super recommend that.

On the way, we stopped by Santa Maria del Popolo.

We got kicked out because they were about to start Mass. But I got a picture of the Chigi Chapel first.

The Borghese Gardens are peaceful and lovely, even in winter.

We checked our backpack, used the toilets, got the audio guides and waited for our entrance time. The tour main entrance is outside and up the steps.

There wasn’t really any instructions for that, but I followed the crowds who seemed to know.

I was really there just to see the Bernini sculptures.

The Rape of Proserpina is amazing with its emotions and realism.

The detail of the finger impressions:

Apollo and Daphne

Bernini’s David in mid-action (and a self-portrait)

We walked to the Spanish Steps. They were closed for repair.

But we love this fun fountain by Bernini – The Ugly Boat.

We walked to the Trevi Fountain. Super crowded and noisy. We threw our coins in and went to find lunch.

Nowhere on my list was open for lunch. We finally walked back to this place that smelled good when we walked by.

We got gnocchi, salad, pizza, pasta (carbonara and Bolognese), fried cod, and broiled fish.

It was delicious.

Locanda Giulietta e Romeo on Via del Lavatore:

We walked to the Pantheon. Right at dusk. Super crowded. Lighting is terrible for photos.

We walked through Piazza Navona on the way back. We really weren’t that impressed.

More Bernini fountains though!

We rushed back to the Carrefour Express next to our apartment building to buy some food to prepare for Christmas Day. We knew everything would be closed for the holiday.

Then we got overly expensive takeout from the only open cafe a couple blocks over. It was just ok.

Day 4

Christmas Day.

We went to St. Peter’s Square to wait for the Pope’s Christmas address.

It didn’t seem so crowded, so I wanted to wander around inside the Basilica to look at the chapels again.

We got to witness the Pope’s Christmas morning mass.

Above the Chair are two angels bearing the tiara and keys and then a gorgeous window of Bohemian glass, divided into twelve sections as a tribute to the Twelve Apostles, and in the center, a brilliant dove.

On the left, Sts. Ambrose and Athanasius and on the right, Sts. John Chrysostom and Augustine.

St. Peter’s Chair and Canopy were both designed by Bernini.

I asked a guard if we could view the The Altar of the Crucifixion of St. Peter. He led us around the velvet ropes to a little side chapel.

Ancient tradition claims that St. Peter suffered martyrdom precisely where this altar stands. Part of the basilica is actually built on the site of Nero’s Circus.

Then we heard the Pope’s Christmas address.

We went back to the apartment for lunch.

We walked through the Jewish district and found Bernini’s Turtle Fountain. Tori loves turtles.

We kept noticing these little plaques in the street. Later, we learned about Stoplerstein.

We walked along the river, crossed over at the island, and just leisurely walked back.

Surprisingly, several restaurants were open, but we made the pasta and sauteed chicken we’d bought for dinner and it was great.

Day 5

St. Stephen’s Day. Most shops and restaurants are closed.

We visited some churches in the morning.

All the walking had been killing me, so we took the subway and it was great. Only €4,50 for our whole family one way.

Our first stop was the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano.

Papal Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran

Across the street is the Triclinium of Leo III, the apse mosaic of the former papal dining hall of remains of the old Lateran Palace.

The mosaics depicts Christ with the Apostles in the center, Christ with Constantine and Pope Sylvester I on the left, and St Peter, Pope Leo III, and Charlemagne on the right. Pope Leo III has a square nimbus, showing that he was alive when it was made. The mosaic has been dated to the year 800, when Charlemagne was crowned in Rome.

The Scala Santa are inside that building, but can only be viewed on guided tours.

We ate lunch at Hosteria La Vacca M’briaca.

We looked a couple more churches.

Aaron wanted to see the Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli.

We finally made it to the Musei Capitolino.

The museum is HUGE. The kids got audioguides and scavenger hunt papers. And they wanted to make sure they completed them.

There are many levels and courtyards with lots of sculptures and art.

Alex was THRILLED to finally see his wolf!

We also saw The Dying Gaul.

We stopped in at the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore. They’d already closed their Holy Door.

We loved going to Ai Balestrari on our last night. The pizza guy made our son a reindeer pizza as a gift after we watched him prepare pizzas.

We were exhausted and ready to go home. Rome is lovely – busy and crowded, yet so full of art, good food, and life.

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Summer Bible Studies

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July 26, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments

I always get super excited for Lent and Advent because it’s SO EASY to study the Bible with a plethora of choices during those times of the year.

It’s often difficult to find good Bible studies during the summer months when schedules so often go out the window.

The kids took a break from their Bible workbooks for the summer.

Summer is for slowing down and enjoying the outdoors, re-evaluating our homeschool and family priorities, having lazy late suppers and staying up late with the sunshine.

Churches often put Sunday school on hold since so many people are traveling and attendance is down and it saves on costs of materials.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t read or study any Bible at all.

Our summer Bible studies:

Each morning, the younger three kids read a chapter or section in Sword Fighting, What the Bible is All About, and Window on the World. These are their choices.

My middle girls are continuing with the History Lives series, reading Courage and Conviction.

I’ve been writing through scripture with FREE monthly plans from Sweet Blessings.

My teen and I just finished I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist and now we read a section of Manual of Christian Doctrine each day.

Every evening, we use the Pray Now app and read scripture, writings of church fathers, and a section from The Book of Concord. I like the format. My grandmother was Lutheran, but we don’t really adhere to a denomination.

We also have a morning basket with lots of resources on missionaries, martyrs, prayer, memorization, and different Bibles. We utilize these most mornings.

Other fun Bible studies we’ve done in our homeschool:

Grapevine Bible Studies
Apologia What We Believe series

We’re not into Bible journaling or Bible coloring books. I feel that these activities take away from reading, studying, and learning scripture.

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Ways to Eat and Stay Healthy While Living Abroad

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July 22, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

What are Some Ways to Eat and Stay Healthy While Living Abroad?

At first, the idea of living abroad sounds like an extended vacation—you look forward to having so much time to visit famous landmarks, soak in the culture, or eat exotic foods. What could possibly go wrong? Then the reality sets in, or in other words, the honeymoon is over. You realize that you’re not really on a vacation. You have to learn a new way of life in a country that’s going to be your home for several months or years.

Challenges of Staying Fit in a New Country

If you struggled with eating healthy when you lived in your home country, that issue is going to be magnified living abroad. While overseas, you may not have access to familiar foods and product brands. You’re also learning a new food culture as well as a new language. But maybe you had an established healthy routine before you moved abroad. It should be simple to transfer that to another country, right? However, it’s not that easy. It may be difficult to join a gym in a foreign country because of the language barrier, or you may not have the extra funds.

Overcoming Obstacles to Healthy Living Abroad

It’s easy to let your health fall to the wayside when you’re not in your element. You’re already dealing with a lot of change, so you may feel that you don’t want to add healthy eating as one more thing on your checklist. However, a healthy eating and exercise routine may be the medicine you need to manage the stress of adjusting to a new environment. You’re dealing with so much change, and keeping up your health is one of the best ways to cope. Here are some ideas of ways you can eat healthily and exercise while living abroad.

Set Up a Routine to Get Your Body Moving

When living abroad, you may think you could replicate the same exercise routine you had in your home country. However, you may not have access to the same resources you once had. So let’s say that when living in the United States, you usually went to the gym in the evenings. But when you live abroad, you may not be able to get a gym membership or have as much time to exercise in the evenings as you did before. You’ll have to accept you’re going to have to develop new routines while living abroad.

To get yourself back (or get started) on a healthy exercise routine, try working out in the mornings. Your exercise gets done even before anything else comes up. Also, try to look for ways to get more exercise throughout the day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator. While living abroad, you could join meetup groups with similar exercise goals—you meet other foreigners who are in the same position as you: feeling their way in a new country and culture.

Get to Know Local Health Trends

Shopping in a grocery store in a foreign country will be a culture shock itself. You’re more than dealing with a language barrier; you’re also dealing with a selection of foods that you’re not familiar with. Diet staples in the United States are not the same everywhere else, so your favorite foods may not even be stocked in stores. In some counties, your favorite fresh fruits and vegetables cost way more than expect, which prevents you from eating the same amount of raw foods that you had once before.

So when in Rome, do what Romans do. Try to get to know the local health trends. Just like how plant-based hamptoncreek products are gaining traction in the United States, other countries also have up-and-coming food products that promote a healthy lifestyle. Observe the whole foods are often part of a meal. For example, a typical breakfast in Japan includes a lean protein like grilled fish. That item isn’t part of a typical American breakfast. So, you could start a healthy routine by including grilled fish in your morning meals, and you get to experience local cuisine.
Here’s one more thing to note: food labels on foreign foods may list kilocalories per serving rather than listing calories per serving like in the United States. The two measurements mean the same thing; in the United States, the “kilo” is dropped.

Living abroad comes with many benefits, but don’t let it be at the expense of your health. These healthy eating and wellness tips can help you adjust to your new surroundings.

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Forest Berries

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July 21, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 18 Comments

We went foraging in our forest for wild berries.

The girls have been interested in wildflowers for a while, so we acquired some guidebooks to go exploring and identifying plants.

We have lots of trails in the woods near our house, meandering all through the Pfalzwald. We love the easy walks to look at the flowers and listen to the birds. There’s even a creek that runs through for us to play in and look for newts.

The blackberries are just now flowering and we haven’t seen any blueberries or raspberries.

The wild strawberries or forest berries (Waldbeeren in German!) are just now ripening along the trails.

We got quite a bit of ripe forest berries on our hike!

We brought our harvest back and added sour cherries to our kombucha and snacked on the wild strawberries.

The wild strawberries are super sweet and the kids prefer them to store-bought strawberries because the seeds aren’t so big and they’re so cute and tiny.

We also went on another walk later in the week and harvested sweet cherries to make into sauce.

Safety first! When foraging, you have to be 150% sure of correct identification. Books aren’t the most reliable ways to go foraging. It’s better to have an educated local guide to help differentiate between similar plants. We saw a plant that looked like a bilberry, but I was too nervous to try!

We made Blueberry Buckle for breakfast one morning, but with storebought berries.

Katie loves baking and is quite adept at breakfast cakes!

I really love the little pop of ginger in this blueberry buckle. It freshens the taste of the cake and berries.

Blueberry Buckle

Course Breakfast

Cuisine cake

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups flour AP works fine, but we like cake or pastry flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ginger ground is fine, but fresh grated adds kick!
2 T butter
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1 small package blueberries fresh or frozen (about 1.5 cups)

Topping

1/2 c sugar we used brown sugar for more depth
1/3 c flour
1/2 t nutmeg
2 T butter chilled works better

More recipes:Strawberry Pretzel Salad/Dessert | The Gifted GabberHealthy Frozen Raspberry and Yogurt Dessert {Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free} | Living Montessori NowLinking up: Crafty Moms Share, Ask Latisha, The Crazy Organized Blog, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Denise Designed, Saving 4 Six, Bloghetti, Life of Faith, Books and Giggles, What Joy is Mine, Marilyns Treats, Modest Mom, A Fresh Start on a Budget, Inspiration for Moms, Written Reality, Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Smart Moms Smart Ideas, Darling Downs Diaries, MaryAndering Creatively, Practical Mom, Curly Craft Mom, Holly Barrett, Cornerstone Confessions, VMG206, Sarah Celebrates, RCH Reviews, Simple Life of a Fire Wife, Sherry Wilson, ABC Creative Learning, Raising Homemakers, Jamiffer, Penny’s Passion, Adventures of Mel, Lamberts Lately, I Choose Joy, Frog’s Lilypad, Pat and Candy, Bloom Designs, Pocketful of Posies, A Little R&R, Live Laugh Rowe, Katherine’s Corner, The Natural Homeschool, Crystal and Comp, A Bountiful Love, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Feeding Big, Christian Montessori Network, Design Dining and Diapers, Sincerely Paula, OMHG, Create with Joy, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Life with Lorelai, Cooking on a Budget, Happy and Blessed Home, Sugar Spice and Family Life, Our Daily Craft, Being a Wordsmith,

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Michelangelo for Kids Book Review

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July 6, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

We are so thrilled to review the book Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities from Chicago Review Press by award-winning author Simonetta Carr.

It is written for kids ages 9 and up. My kids are 6, 9, and 10.

My 6-year-old son is obsessed with “his book” and I often come upon him looking through it. He likes to point out the pieces of art we’ve seen in our travels.

We’ve recently traveled to Rome and Florence and viewed Michelangelo’s works up close and personal. We love art and history.

This book review is perfect timing for our Renaissance studies.

The book begins with a note to parents, timeline about Michelangelo, and an introduction.

Eight chapters tell the history of Renaissance art and politics with Michelangelo’s biography. The book includes gorgeous full-color images of Michelangelo’s and others’ art with 21 coordinating learning activities – including learning the drawing technique of cross-hatching, poetry, fort-building, geometrical patterns, and even a recipe for garlic bread.

At the end is a glossary, list of important people, and extra resources for further study.

The book is more than an art and artist study. We really dive into the world of Michelangelo with its politics and world events.

We made our own paint from spices and herbs.

We quickly learned what a complex and time-consuming process it is to make paint! So much work for so little paint!

We have so much more respect for the painters now. What a tough job the artists and their assistants had to keep it all going.

We gathered some lovely scented and colorful spices and herbs and mixed them with water and egg yolk. The egg white can be used for varnishing the finished painting.

The kids read the project guide in the book:

I helped them mix the egg yolk, water, and spices to get a good consistency for painting.

We are very impressed by the vivid reds, greens, and blues we have seen in medieval and Renaissance art. They were rare and difficult to create.

The egg white varnish makes the paintings shine and the green and blue are a tiny bit more visible up close.

They drew mountains and earthy scenes once they realized how the colors turned out.

The finished projects!

Varnished Homemade Tempura Spice Paintings

We especially love the map of the Sistine Chapel ceiling in the book, showing each section with its subject.

We also plan to practice our carving skills on potatoes later!

Author Simonetta Carr is uniquely equipped to tell Michelangelo’s story: a former elementary school teacher turned homeschooler. She also has a background in Italian art. She is also the author of the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series, which includes John Calvin, Augustine of Hippo, and others.

Also, look for our Gandhi for Kids review next month! I really want the whole series!

Get your very own copy of Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities by Simonetta Carr for only $14.72 at Amazon.

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How to Budget

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June 30, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 21 Comments

Being examples and teaching our children how to budget is super important.

Making your money work for you is important.

We’ve spent most of our marriage struggling to climb out of debt while keeping up with too much stuff, wanting this and that – and more, more, more.

As a large military family living on one income, it’s often difficult to keep our heads above water.

We strive to teach our children the value of things and experiences. I want them prepared for real life with all its financial ups and downs.

We teach our children that a trip to Florence is more important than that new Lego set. We want them to realize that rent and food and utilities and insurance have to be paid, but sometimes we have to buy the hamburger instead of the steak to offset the expense of fixing the van. Internet and smart phones and TV are luxuries, even though we’ve come to see them as necessities, like utilities.

We have to be prepared for surprise financial setbacks with a savings account and budget in place.

Growing up as an only child, I was privy to how my parents ran our household and planned for the future. I am fortunate that I accompanied them on home and car purchases to learn how that works. They’re very organized with their investment portfolio. Since they are both retired government employees, they lived on fixed incomes, but with careful planning for many years, they live very comfortably.

Financial education is important.

Isn’t that the goal? We want to prepare for the future. We want to help jumpstart our kids into a financially successful adulthood. We want to live comfortably in retirement. We want to leave our children a legacy. We want to be able to bless others.

How do you set a budget?

Creating a budget or spending plan for the first time can be overwhelming.

A budget dictates to you what you can spend, where, and when; a spending plan allows you the control of your money every single month. It realizes that your purchases change and expenses vary from month to month and that a one-size-fits-all monthly budget doesn’t truly fit anything.
~Becoming Minimalist

What’s Your Income?

Know your income.

This should be a no-brainer, right?

Also, I know some couples who really don’t share this info with each other. That’s a warning sign and y’all should work that out.

So, know how frequently you get paid and how much.

Take into account any other income you receive and what you will use it for. Alimony, child support, investment dividends, tax returns, affiliate income, inheritance, etc. Don’t just blow that money. Have a plan for it.

I know not everyone has a set amount every pay period, with commissions or bonuses or hourly rates or whatnot…so you need to average that out to know what to expect. Then consider the lowest possibility and set your budget for that.

What are Your Bills?

Know what bills you have.

You should be organized with this, right?

We took the “no-paper option” so we get email notifications and most of our bills are automatically deducted from our accounts.

Bills are typically the ones that don’t change (or change very little) from month to month – like rent, insurance, car payments. Our utilities are in this category because they’re a set amount each month and we reconcile annually.

I also put any debt in this category. While ideally, credit cards shouldn’t be used at all or paid off monthly…we’re getting there. And I have set that payment high in order to pay it off sooner rather than later.

What are Your Expenses?

These are the extra and perhaps flexible bills each month.

Utilities often fall into this category.

Luxury items are in this category. Cable or satellite TV, Netflix, Internet, cell phones are things most people have and they sometimes fluctuate based on services used. Remember, these are not necessities. They should be the first to go during financial emergency.

Groceries and gas for vehicles. This is the most flexible area for us. I can cut costs on groceries with careful meal planning.

Our car and renter’s insurance fluctuates just a tiny bit each month, but I usually keep those items in my bills category.

We pay for music lessons for our kids.

My husband and son get their hair cut every 8 weeks or so. I cut my own hair so that’s not an expense for us.

Be honest with yourself about expenses.

Do you get your nails done weekly? Do you regularly go to the hair salon? Do you go shopping for clothes frequently? Do you need a latte fix every day?

Evaluate those expenses and put them in your budget. Consider what you might need to limit or cut out of your life to make it work.

What are Your Priorities?

Everyone has different priorities.

Some people are perfectly content to live on rice and beans and buy the latest and greatest newest technology every time a new model is released.

Others don’t have Internet or cell phones at all but have an extensive garden of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Collectors and hobbyists spend time and money on their interests.

Many want to be able to give generously.

Our priorities:

We like to travel and eat well. We’re investing for our children’s educations and our retirement. And books. Always, more books.

Because of our financial priorities, we live a little differently than a lot of people we know.

We don’t have a car payment right now. Our furniture is thrift store-yard sale chic.

We don’t go shopping for entertainment and we seldom eat out.

We opt out of ads online to limit temptation! Since we don’t have a TV, we don’t see many commercials or advertisements except on Internet sidebars and some online games or apps.

How we save money:

I try to use the library first – before purchasing books for personal use or our homeschool. Often the Kindle versions of books are cheaper than the paper copies.

The kids wear hand-me-downs from cousins, each other, thrift stores, and yard sales. I seldom buy anything new that isn’t on sale.

We don’t have huge birthdays, Christmas, Easter, or other celebrations. We prefer experiences.

Do the Math.

This is easy to create on paper or on the computer.

I list all our bills and income in a column on the left and amounts in the right column. I have a column for X when they’ve cleared our bank. I use an Excel spreadsheet that does the calculations for me. I have a sheet labeled for each month and a sheet for our debt so I can see our progress.

Below is an example of my current Excel budget book. It’s more like a spending plan.

I’ve rounded the numbers and used generic names for our accounts.

I realize not everyone is in a position to invest.

I want to show you the reality.

I am not trying to brag about our income.

It’s public information anyone can look up about military service members. It’s a fixed income.

Yes, we receive some amazing benefits for being a military family: housing and utilities allowances, commissary and AAFES shopping privileges, dental and medical services at the base clinic, tax-reduced (but rationed) gasoline purchases on base. My husband’s state of residence is Illinois, so we don’t pay state taxes as a military family.

The offset is being far from home and family, missing those important holidays and events. Also, deployments, TDYs, training events, and late night or weekend exercises can be difficult on families. PCS (moving) often eats up our savings and is always stressful in many ways.

We currently have about $2500 in our savings account.

I’m fortunate to be able to stay home to educate our four children. We’re grateful for the opportunities military life offers us.

You can see we’re aggressively paying down our debt while not starving or eliminating our priority to travel. We’re still working this out with baby steps. We also have a pin and chip travel credit card that we over-used. It’s not shown in my Excel spreadsheet. We plan to attack that after these debts are paid within the year. We’re using every bit of extra income on paying that travel card (tax return, monetary gifts, and an IRA dividend we receive every autumn). We don’t plan to continue using that credit card since our new bank cards have the pin and chip now!

My Excel budget spreadsheet is color-coded.

The blue is income.

The green are investments, with amounts that seldom change.

The red is debt.

The fields left white are the flexible expenses. These amounts fluctuate from month to month.

I’m sure you noticed some gaping holes in my budget plan?

We have a separate bank account for our local expenses. Our rent, cell phones, and Internet are auto-deducted from our local account. We have a certain amount auto-deposited each pay period into the local account to cover those expenses. We use anything left over in that account each month to pay that travel credit card. We are at the mercy of the exchange rate from USD to Euro. (I love the idea of a separate account for housing expenses and I will carry that idea over when we move back to the States!)

We also have an auto deduction going directly to our church.

I have a separate account for my blogging “business.” Honestly, I don’t even sorta break even. I pour way more into this enterprise than I make every month. Some days, that’s very frustrating.

What’s Your WHY?

This goes a bit beyond just priorities.

When you get discouraged, when the van breaks down and you use your travel fund to fix it, when your child asks if you can have a “real Christmas” and you feel guilty, what will you do?

Leave room for emergencies and pray about big purchases. Obviously, a working vehicle is necessary for getting to and from work to make the money. While we cringed to fork over that $300+ for the new alternator and valves, we did so knowing that it had to be done and our trip could either be postponed or we could be more frugal somewhere else.

We remind ourselves what the big picture is: planning for our futures, teaching our children values, and leaving a legacy for our kids.

Sure, we splurge sometimes on gelato, a cute new shirt or shoes in sale when needed, flowers for the garden or dining table for a special occasion, or that Kylo Ren lightsaber.

We try to make sure there’s room in the budget for fun or it becomes drudgery.

UPDATE 8/25/16: We have PAID OFF TWO accounts! Only 3 to go. We plan to have those paid by May!

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Update August 2017: Only 1 account left to go!

Resources:

Debt-Proof Living: How to Get Out of Debt & Stay That Way by Mary Hunt
31 Days to Radically Reduce Your Expenses: Less Stress. More Savings by Kalyn Brooke
Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After by Cherie Lowe
31 Days of Living Well and Spending Zero: Freeze Your Spending. Change Your Life. by Ruth Soukup
Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, and Soul by Ruth Soukup
Clutter Free: Quick and Easy Steps to Simplifying Your Space by Kathi Lipp
The Spender’s Guide to Debt-Free Living: How a Spending Fast Helped Me Get from Broke to Badass in Record Time by Anna Newell Jones
The Year without a Purchase: One Family’s Quest to Stop Shopping and Start Connecting by Scott Dannemiller
The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders
Make Room for What You Love: Your Essential Guide to Organizing and Simplifying by Melissa Michaels

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Cool Fruit Ices

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June 28, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Our summers are short here in Germany.

It’s often rainy and cloudy and temperatures can drop suddenly. Our plans have to remain flexible.

When the sun shines and it’s warm, we rush to the pools, barefoot parks, and make fun, cool treats to enjoy!

My girls love simple fruit ices that combine real fruit into a delicious cool treat to beat the heat.

We don’t have air conditioner, so staying cool in summer can be a challenge.

This week, we combined fresh watermelon, lime juice, honey, and ice in the blender to cool off.

I sliced and chopped the juicey watermelon and added it to the blender.

Katie added ice and honey and lime juice.

She likes to push the “on” button.

These ices are super simple and not too sweet.

We also love making ices with berries. These are also fun to freeze in silicone tubes!

Cool real fruit treats are healthy in the summertime or anytime. Also great with additions of strawberries, pineapple, or mint!

Fruit Ices

Cuisine Beverage

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 4 cups

Ingredients

1/2 small watermelon seedless (If you can’t get seedless, you might need to blend and strain the watermelon first.)
1-2 T honey or agave
1-2 T lime or lemon juice
1 cup ice

Instructions

Cut the watermelon flesh from the rind. Cube the watermelon and add to the blender.
Add sweetener, juice, and ice to blender and blend until smooth and frothy.
Pour into pretty cups or jars with fun straws and ENJOY!

Check out the other cool treats!

Strawberry-Peach Ice Cream Float | The Gifted Gabber

Kids’ Kitchen: Berry Yummy and Healthy Protein-Rich Popsicles | Living Montessori Now

Strawberry Creamsicles | Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Simple Watermelon Popsicles | Royal Baloo

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag | Mess for Less

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Having THE TALK

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June 25, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 11 Comments

I remember my mom getting a stack of books from the library when I was about 8 and setting me down at the formal dining room table with them. I don’t remember her reading them to me or even being in the room. I looked through them and that was my introduction to sex ed. I don’t remember asking a lot of questions or feeling comfortable discussing anything with my parents.

In 5th grade, all the girls were ushered into a dark classroom with a film strip projector that showed uncomfortable old videos about the mechanics and science of creating a baby. It was still all quite a mystery, whispered and giggled about, while we were mostly more worried about when we could wear makeup and who was “going” with who.

Another memory is when I was about 12 and reading one of my moms’ Redbook magazines. I wasn’t sure what the article was even really about, but I looked up and innocently asked my dad, “What’s an orgasm?” He hollered, red-faced: “What the hell are you reading?” so I slunk away in shame to look it up in the dictionary. It wasn’t helpful at all.

Middle school was filled with many physical and social changes and I felt lost, confused, and anxious.

High school was even worse with its peer pressures…and fears of being caught alone in a dark hallway after school or in a corner of the gym by bad boys. There was the underlying knowledge that it would be all my fault if anything happened.

As a teen and young adult, I was left only with the admonition not to get pregnant. Which leaves a lot of room for sin, guilt, fear, and relationship problems. I wasn’t given advice about how to handle the hard conversations or how to extricate myself from difficult situations.

Then I got pregnant while still in college and my parents commanded me to end it so it didn’t ruin my life. And I listened to them. Even though I knew in my heart it was the wrong decision.

How would my life be different if I’d had been raised with a knowledge of God and healthy sexuality?

We still live in an antiquated patriarchal society.

Times haven’t changed much with the “boys will be boys” attitudes.

Rape culture that permeates too many conversations hidden as jokes.

Girls are often still taught to dress modestly for the wrong reasons, so as not to incite lust in males.

We see too many rapes and sexual assaults in the news. How many aren’t reported?

I see these perverse perspectives of sexuality too often, even in the homeschool and Christian communities.

A leader in our church spoke out against abstinence in Sunday school the other day. He said the idea of monogamy and purity until marriage is an archaic idea, based on a different time and culture with old-fashioned expectations. He argued that no one should be expected to remain a virgin well into adulthood, while they work on their education and build a career. He said couples should know each other, to consider if they are compatible in all ways before a marriage commitment. And he has a teen daughter and younger daughter! I wonder what they teach their daughters about sex?

Two homeschool teens in our tiny community recently began a sexual relationship. It’s common knowledge within our group and the parents scoff that they can’t control them since they are “of age.” The acceptance of this and the parents’ excuses are disturbing to me. I’m more concerned that all my kids know about their relationship and I don’t know how to navigate explanations and questions.

It makes me feel sad and a little scared for my children to find spouses and have a healthy relationship after being in the Christian and/or homeschool community.

I raise my kids differently.

THE TALK should start very early.

We can’t wait to have The Talk until our kids’ bodies begin changing – when sex seems like it’s EVERYWHERE – quite blatant innuendos in kids’ TV shows and movies, porn popups and ads online, explicit images in magazines and billboards…and the often deviant and perverse ideas and conversations of peers and even role models.

Do we want our kids learning about sex from the media and their peers?

I should hope not.

So, we as parents need tools to teach our kids about sex the right way. We need biblical sex education.

Luke and Trisha Gilkerson have created Having The Talk Biblical Sex Ed Training for Parents Video Course.

I have read and taught their sex ed books The Talk and Changes and Relationships.

I have taught my children from a very early age about sex from a biblical perspective with these books, and now this video course makes this task so much easier!

Having the Talk Biblical Sex Ed Video Course

What’s included in the Having The Talk video course?

In addition to the 8 video lessons and 3 bonus lessons, parents will also receive a digital download eBook of The Talk.

How long will I be able to access the video course?

You’ll have one full year to access the course! You can download The Talk book and maintain access to it forever.

Get 3 FREE lessons to preview the course.

Course Topics:

Lesson 1: Too much too soon?
How to know when to begin talking to your kids about sex.
Lesson 2: Created Male and Female.
Talking to kids about the differences in male and female anatomy.
Lesson 3: Be Fruitful and Multiply.
How to communicate the function and purpose of sex with your kids.
Lesson 4: Celebrating Life.
A lesson on the beginning of human development.
Lesson 5: The Intimacy of Sex.
Communicating the importance of sex within a marital relationship.
Lesson 6: The Theft of Love.
How to talk to your kids about adultery and sexual sin.
Lesson 7: Sexual Abuse and Your Child.
Talking to kids about sexual abuse.
Lesson 8: Your Body Belongs to the Lord.
Communicating with your children the importance of honoring God with our bodies.

Bonus Lessons!
Bonus lessons covering how to talk to your children about homosexuality and masturbation in age-appropriate ways as well as a lesson on guarding your children from pornography.

Free Digital Copy of The Talk: 7 Lessons to Introduce Your Child to Biblical Sexuality.

Use this book with your child after going through the course.

I feel it’s so, so, SO important for us as Christian parents to begin very early to educate our children about sex in a healthy way. If we don’t step up and teach our kids, then the world will. Worldly sex information is more enticing, bolder, louder, and permeating almost every aspect of our everyday culture. We can counter the world’s lessons about sex by teaching it to our families.

If your kids are older, you can always re-teach these sex ed lessons, over and over again if you have to. It’s so important to keep an open conversation with your children. Pray for guidance and help from God to give you the right words, tone of voice, and attitude to teach your children well about being counter-cultural with sexuality, with no shame. It’s not the popular path and it can be very difficult.

I feel so blessed that my teen daughter and I can have the hard conversations. We discuss movies and books and articles we read online. We discuss real examples of her friends who have sexual relationships. I think that my personal history allows me to have the uncomfortable talks honestly and guide my kids away from sin I knew all too well.

Why you’ll love this video course:

The videos aren’t just bland instructional how-tos about how to scientifically make a baby. Luke and Trisha discuss intimacy, adultery, and abuse. They address the all-too-common societal issues of divorce and children born out of wedlock with grace.
3 bonus videos on the very controversial topics of masturbation, pornography, and homosexuality, offering advice on how to discuss these concepts with our children using science, statistics, and the Bible.
All sex ed topics are taught with grace, scientific knowledge, statistics, history, and biblical references.

Sign up for Having The Talk Biblical Sex Ed Training for Parents Video Course!

Linking up: Squishable Baby, Curly Crafty Mom, Blogghetti, Life of Faith, Practical Mom, Written Reality, The Crazy Organized Blog, Modest Mom, Marilyn’s Treats, Inspiration for Moms, A Proverbs 31 Wife, What Joy is Mine, Donna Reidland, Darling Downs Diaries, Raising Samuels, Mary-Andering Creatively, Mom’s the Word, Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth, Smart Moms Smart Ideas, Blooming Homestead, Pam’s Party and Practical Tips, Juggling Real Food and Real Life, Missional Women, Saving 4 Six, Simple Life of a Fire Wife, A Fresh Start on a Budget, Desperate Homeschoolers, Janis Cox, Spiritual Sundays, My Snippets of Inspiration, A Little R&R, Wholehearted Home, Pat and Candy, Sarah Celebrates, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Currently Kelsie, Pocketful of Posies, The Cookie Puzzle, VMG206, Play & Learn Everyday, Snap Creativity, Classical Homemaking, 3D Lessons 4Life, WtoW Ministries, Holly Gerth, Jamie Wiebel, I Choose Joy, Bloom Designs, Live Laugh Rowe, Katherine’s Corner, Pinay Homeschooler, A Bountiful Love, Lamberts Lately, Coffeeshop Conversations, xoxo Rebecca, Juggling Real Food and Real Life, Sincerely Paula, Create with Joy, The Crazy Organized Blog, RCH Reviews, Momfessionals, Sept Farm, The Diary of a Real Housewife, Happy and Blessed Home, Life with Lorelai, Simply Sweet Home, Counting My Blessings, Missional Women,

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10 Ways to Have a Sandlot Summer

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June 24, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 11 Comments

We have a weekly family movie night, with homemade pizza.

I was excited to see The Sandlot streaming last week and introduced my kids to it. It was an instant hit, especially with my 6-year-old son who played T-ball this season.

I thought about how summers were different then, and even when I was younger – in the 80s. I was given free reins of the neighborhood. I didn’t come home except for dinner and when the streetlights came on.

There were no extra summer school lessons, special tutoring for testing, summer reading programs, scheduled play dates, classes, camps, or anything to occupy our time. We played outside until school started up again.

We were seldom bored.

We created our own games. We made our own fun. We learned about ourselves and each other. We worked together to build relationships, along with ramps, tree forts, bridges. We discovered and experimented. We got hurt, inside and out.

We grew.

Too many of today’s kids are sheltered, over-scheduled, shuttled around to lessons, classes, tutoring…in a never-ending rat race towards success. And they’re extremely unhappy. They don’t know how to play, how to be children. They’ve never been allowed the freedom to be.

Why does summer have to be stressful – for parents and kids?

I encourage my children to run free and explore.

I’m thankful we live in Europe, where this is safer and even expected for my kids to roam the village and nearby wooded trails.

The world is a lot smaller to us now than it was even 20-30 years ago.

But to kids? The neighborhood park is their world:

A piece of paradise a half block wide and a whole summer long.

10 Ways to Have a Sandlot Summer

1. Get outside.

Don’t stay cooped up indoors during summer!
Limit screentime and set limits on how much indoor time there can be. The sun and fresh air are good for growing kids. We have our homemade bug spray and sunscreen. They pack some sandwiches and spend the day at the village park or walking in the woods. Go camping!

Mom: Run around, scrape your knees, get dirty.
Climb trees, hop fences.
Get into trouble, for crying out loud.
Not too much, but some. You have my permission.
How many mothers do you know who say something like that to their sons?

2. Be includers.

Don’t be a bully…and don’t stand by and watch as others are bullied or excluded. Be kind and help others. Teach them how to play your games. Work together. Learn together. You just might make a lifetime friend.

The Babe: Everybody gets one chance to do something great. Most people never take the chance, either because they’re too scared, or they don’t recognize it when it spits on their shoes.

3. Play for the fun of it.

There doesn’t have to be a test or competition for everything. Play just for fun. We’ve forgotten what playing should be by making everything work.

Benny: Man, this is baseball. You’d better stop thinking. Just have fun. I mean, if you were having fun, you would’ve caught that ball.

4. Learn something new.

We’ve been playing ping pong on the tables at the park. It’s fun and we’re often doubled over with giggles and miss the ball. Learn something. It doesn’t have to cost a thing. Practice cartwheels or master the monkey bars. Ask the elderly neighbor for a story about when he was younger. We homeschool year-round, but we take frequent breaks and take advantage of travel and nice weather to play. We’re learning languages and history and art all the time. Never stop learning.

Smalls: He taught me to play baseball,and he became my best friend.

5. Break the rules.

It’s ok to get into mischief. It’s how we learn. If the boys had never lost their ball over the fence, they would have missed out on amazing experiences of meeting the real Hercules and Mr. Mertle. Don’t harm yourself or others. I’m not suggesting to fake drowning to get a kiss from the lifeguard! Weigh the consequences and be ready to accept it.

Smalls: And we did the dumbest thing anyone of us could ever have imagined.

6. Practice responsibility.

If you make a mistake, own up to it. Be responsible for your words and actions. Take the consequences. Learn from it. Don’t blame others.

Smalls: Even though Bill loved the Murderer’s Row ball, he was still plenty mad about me having swiped his Babe Ruth autographed ball and ruining it. So I didn’t feel too bad when he grounded me for a week…instead of the rest of my life.

7. Create something.

Go beyond the cutesy worthless Pinterest arts and crafts. Build something. Sew doll clothes or pajama shorts or a pillowcase. Build a tree fort or bridge over the creek. Get a model of a boat or airplane.

Smalls: I collected every piece of erector set I had,and it finally became…science against nature.

8. Help others.

If you know someone in need, don’t turn away. Help them however you can. Maintain relationships and work together. Practice kindness.

Smalls: You don’t have to do this.
Benny: Yeah, I do, Smalls. I have to do this.

9. Learn the truth.

Don’t rely on rumors. Get to the heart of the matter and learn the truth. Mr. Mertle and Hercules were mysterious and frightening, but ended up being the greatest.

Mr. Mertle: You guys come by once a week and talk baseball with me, we’ll call it an even trade.

10. Keep in touch.

Don’t lose track of your friends. With today’s technology, there’s no excuse. Drop a message or email to tell your friends you still think of them. Share a funny memory or story. Tell your kids to remember these are the best days of their lives.

Smalls: We all lived in the neighborhood for a couple of more years-mostly through junior high school-and every summer was great. But none of them ever came close to that first one. When one guy would move away, we never replaced him on the team with anyone else. We just kept the game going like he was still there…I kept in touch with those guys over the years.