How we roll these days.

I have started a new laundry routine.

Our laundry room is in the basement of our house. 

I call it the deep dark dungeon. 

That means I am hauling laundry up and down two flights of stairs. 

It was time to enlist the help of the kids.

I did this for my own sanity, but also to help teach our kiddos.

I started separating the kids clothes into their own baskets once it was washed.

Then it is placed in their room, and they are responsible to fold it and put it away.

Mind you, I still hang everything that needs hanging.

I do that as soon as it comes out of the wash.

The kids have underwear, pajamas, pants and socks to fold.

I even taught this little one how to fold.

At first, I felt so guilty for asking them to help me.

Then I realized that was silly.  They wear these clothes. 

It is important for them to learn to be helpers.

Helping with a smile is such a good character trait.

It has helped me so much.

It only takes the kids 5 to 10 minutes.

It was taking me 1 hour or longer to fold all the laundry.

Like I always say, many hands make light work.

I appreciate the help of my little ones.

I am thankful that they are so helpful.

I love seeing this little one do it with a smile.

Helping others is how we roll.

Be the good FREE printable.

Last week, I shared a little bit about our families theme for the year. 

You can read more about it here.

I had several blogger friends ask if I would share the printable; and possibly in a few varieties of colors.

Today, I am doing just that.

Here is the printable that I made for our family:

This is what it looks like in our home:

I put it in a simple frame.

It is in a place that you can see right when you come in the door.

If you would like one for your home, I have made it in a few other colors:

red          coral

 

blue                brighter green

 

darker green           brown

 

gray           pink

purple

If you would like to download these for personal use, you will find all of them by going here.

This print will not have my watermark on it when you go to the download.

They are made to fit an 8x10 frame.

When printing printables, I have just used my home printer. 

However, I much prefer the prints that I took the time to print at a lab.  mpix.com is a great place for that.

Enjoy!!

Along with this little print in my home, I also made these fun pots for my front porch:

I made them out of #10 cans that I spray painted.  I picked up the trees after Christmas for around $2.00 a piece.

I added “be the good”, by using rub-on letters, for one more reminder when we walk through our door.

I know we can all use the reminder to “be the good.”

I love these little winter pots.

They go so well with my winter wreath.

Family Theme.

This year, we didn’t make any big resolutions.  I am on the fence with resolutions.  I think the resolve to change is good; but I also think it really is something we should work on daily.

With the start of 2013, we decided to pick a family theme.  I had seen a quote on pinterest months back that I could not stop thinking about.  I knew that had to be our theme.  I ran it by the handsome doctor, and he agreed.

This is what I originally saw on pinterest:

source

This is my own simple version that sits in a frame in our den.  I hope to make something as amazing as the above.  It will just take me some time.

I have personally struggled with all the awful things that I see going on around me.  Often times, I have become so consumed with it that I wonder how I could possibly raise righteous kids in this wicked world.

This quote was the answer for me.  I have to teach my children to believe there is good in the world; by being the good in the world.

We talked about how we can be the good:

father

mother

brother

sister

friend

student

doctor

neighbor

teacher

listener

etc…

I also shared these few scripture verses as a reminder of who we are to be.

Matthew 5: 14-16

14 Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Light your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

I then lit a candle of my own on a candlestick.  We talked about the light that each of us have inside.  We talked about how important it is to be the light for good.  Then….

I covered the candle with a box.  The kids were surprised when the light went out. 

It was a reminder to them that we can’t hide our light. 

Even when this world seems scary.

Even when we wonder what is happening, and watching the wickedness unfold before our eyes.

This is not the time to hide.

This is the time to share the light.

This is the time to be the good.