Once again this week I asked some friends to share their favorites…fun to see what they have “discovered.”  Again I couldn’t resist sharing some of my favorites from this week too…but I’ll save them for the end of the post.

1. No Scheduled Activities–Carrie

Sometimes the best activity is freedom to play. My dear friend Carrie is a great boy mom. She has learned the art of letting boys be boys! Here are her thoughts:

“Both of my sons (Garrison 2 in May and Mason 5 in June) have a ton of energy and like to be independent.  Therefore programs usually add more stress on me and them.  They just want to be free and run: pretending they are dogs, catching rain with their tongues, and jumping on the couch making silly noises.

If it is not a pre-school day then you can find us at home in the backyard…..where we LIVE!  We bug hunt, dig in the dirt, swim in our hot tub, and swing on the swing set.

The season of daily school is approaching. Honestly, I am not looking forward to every morning having a time schedule to keep!  So for now, the ‘create our own schedule’ is what we are soaking up.”

2. La Croix Grapefruit–Misty

I shared my new love of Coconut La Croix with my good friend Misty (know her from church & our sons are in the same Kindergarten class!). She responded with, “Have you tried the Grapefruit? That’s my favorite.” I must admit she is 100% correct! Grapefruit is amazing. Really refreshing. I typically drink one grapefruit and one coconut La Croix a day (my sons say I’m “addicted”…an addiction to carbonated water is okay by me).

3. “Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Parents” by Kara Durbin–Misty 

This week my friend Misty invited our family to join them on a trip to the zoo. While we enjoyed the animals and kept track of my wandering 2 1/2-year-old, we found some time to talk. She shared with me a book that was recommended to her by a couple that started the school our boys attend. The book is called: “Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Parents” by Kara Durbin. A new addition was just published April 1, 2012.

Here is the book summary:

“This effective guide helps teach children how to think and apply God’s Word in their daily lives.

The 101 alphabetically arranged two-page topics address behavior, attitude, emotions, and actions. Examples include Forgiveness, Humility, Anger, and Procrastination. Each topic is comprised of Scripture passages, discussion questions, action items, and parenting tips. This revised edition of Parenting with Scripture adds detailed help for parents to quickly identify teachable moments and know what to do when they appear.”

4. Find My Friends App–Holly

I had the wonderful opportunity to hang out and catch up with my dear friend Holly. Her oldest daughter was born the day after my oldest. Since the days of screaming newborns, we have walked this parenting road together. Here is the description of one of her favorites:

“The Find My Friends app is a GPS for your phone that you can set up for anyone with their permission.  My husband and I use it with each other.  No more wondering if he’s remembered to leave work early so I can get to Bible Study.  He doesn’t have to wonder if I’m “still” at choir or if I stopped at the store on the way home.  I use it as an easy way to determine how close he is to home before we’ll all need to hop in the car to go out for dinner.

We’ve also used it to find each other at the mall, the state fair, or simply know “where” each other are working on any given day.  We’ve even linked up with friends when we’re on the way to a new restaurant to make sure we all find it.  I like the safety aspect of knowing he can see where I’m at all the time.”

5. Absolute Modern Worship for Kids CD-Holly

Holly serves on our worship team Sunday mornings. She recommended this great CD for kids (her favorite is actually the ORANGE album). 

“This series of CDs features children with quality voices singing CURRENT adult-type worship songs. Songs we actually sing in church (instead of “Who Built the Ark”).  I wanted my kids learning the words to the songs we sing in church so we can worship together.”

My Favorites from this week:

–A 2 Month Old: 

This past weekend I began to “see the light”. My husband took care of the boys most of Saturday so I could enjoy a baby shower and a dinner. He and I were able to go on a date Friday night. We all went to the park Sunday. While the boys ran around, Bruce and I played an equally matched game of tennis. =) Sunday was also Knox’s 2 month “birthday”…I took some pics:

–Camel Ride:

My two middle boys decided to spend their Easter money from my parents on an “experience” instead of a toy. They both chose to ride the camel at the zoo. Love it:

–New CD…Old favorites redone