EA and MC received “big girl” bikes for their birthday last week. Last weekend provided us with wonderful opportunities for them to try out their bike riding skills.

Unfortunately, it’s going to be a bit rainy this weekend, so we’ll just bask in the memories of last weekend’s warm, sunny days!

Curriculum Choices: Sonlight Explored by Simple Homeschool {They’re our curriculum of choice}

Your Child’s Heart: How do You Find the Time Part 1 by Raising Olives

Preschool Corner: Calendar Time by Homeschool Creations

20 Tips for Finding Your Routine with Kids by Simple Mom

When You Are Afraid of Silence by Holy Experience

Preschool at Home by The Homeschool Post

Me Time for Mom: The Dailies by A High and Noble Calling

Have a great weekend!

I have been on a desperate search this week to find a chore chart that will help us get into a better routine with the kids helping out with taking care of themselves and household responsibilities. They have been expected to do most of these things already, but it was becoming a battle to get it done.

Sometimes I am so afraid of adding another baby into our family because of the added responsibilities and I get overwhelmed. I had one of those moments yesterday morning.

I realized that life doesn’t have to be so stressful. Creating stress doesn’t help anyone out, especially not me.

Our children have such sweet hearts and they really want to help, but they often get distracted. It is part of my job as their Mommy to keep them on track, to gently lead them, and to set clear expectations for them that they can understand.

It is our goal to set our children up for success.

I just needed to find a way to do that.

Yesterday I wrote down all of the chores that the girls are responsible for and divided them up between the morning, afternoon, and night. Most of them are things that are teaching them to be responsible for taking care of themselves, such as getting dressed, brushing their hair and teeth. I also picked a few more age-appropriate chores for them to be responsible for each week. For now, the plan is to let the girls choose one of those chores to be responsible for. In the future I would like to increase that to two extra assigned chores a week.

I took those and put them on a chart in PDF format. You can click on the image or the link below to view and print it out for your own use if you would like.

chore chart

I’m still working on my plan as far as motivation is concerned. For now, the girls are happy to get a sticker on the chart for completing each chore.

I think that I may give them a prize each week for accomplishing a certain number of chores. I’m not sure what my goal will be yet.

We’re working it with the stickers for now and some plans for extra motivation will be put in place next week.

If you have any thoughts on motivation and rewards I would LOVE to hear them!!!

I’d also love to hear your thoughts on the chore chart that I created. I’m working on a potty training chart for Will as he is making some progress in that area…Yay!

Update: According to random generator, the winner of the $25 Kroger gift card is commenter #12, Jennifer. Congratulations, Jennifer, you should have received an e-mail from me.

And thank you to everyone who entered this great giveaway. I enjoyed reading your comments!

Since moving back to the states from Germany, I have enjoyed saving by using coupons and shopping at our local grocery store.

While I am thankful that military families have the commissary at their disposal, I have been able to save much more shopping at my favorite store, Kroger, than I have ever been able to with the commissary.

And I have found myself becoming more and more loyal to this store as each week I see the savings printed out on my receipt and I’m even able to drastically cut the price of gas. We even won tickets for my husband and I to go to a NASCAR race in a few weeks through shopping at Kroger (that is another story I’ll have to share soon).

I was recently contacted by Kroger to share about a great sale they have going on right now.

I’m not a deal blogger, nor do I often write about products, but I am a loyal shopper at our Kroger so this is one deal that I am eager to pass along to you.

Through March 14, Kroger is having a Cart Buster Savings Event where you can save on your favorite name-brand products. Some of the brands participating are Honey Nut Cheerios, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Tide, Charmin, Pampers, and Crest, and this is just to name a few!

Now here’s the good news….Kroger wants to give away a $25 gift card to one of you!

In order to enter to win the gift card, just leave a comment on this post by 8 pm (EST) tonight.

I would love it if you could let me know one way you would use your gift card.

Note: the gift card, information, and giveaway have all been provided by the Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills through MyBlogSpark. This post is also being linked to Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries.

Yesterday, in homeschool, we read a touching story from our book Stories from Africa about a little girl named Titi, who was able to sing in the midst of suffering because she gave her heart to Jesus.

Tears came to my eyes as I read this story while I’m also reading the stories written by bloggers on a trip to Kenya of orphans in Africa who are finding hope through the work of Compassion International.

In the end, this little girl’s faith helped others to discover their need for a relationship with Jesus and they also gave their hearts to Him.

When we finished reading the story yesterday, EA looked at me and in the most serious tone said, “Mommy, I don’t want to give my heart to Jesus…”

To say that this was not the reaction I would have hoped for at the end of such a compelling story of faith would be an understatement. I just looked at EA as she continued on with, “…because I want to keep my own heart“.

I can see how the thought of giving your heart away could be scary to a five-year old little girl who takes so many things so very literally.

And at the same time I see that there are many older people who haven’t given their heart to Jesus for the very same reason….they want to keep their own heart that is full of selfishness and sin.

I tried to gently explain to my daughter that giving your heart to Jesus doesn’t meant that you don’t actually have your heart anymore.

That when you give your heart to Jesus, he gives you a new, heart that is much better than your old one.

That He even comes to live inside your new heart and is with you always.

To be your friend.

MC piped in with, “No! Jesus is in heaven, Mommy!”

I answered, “Yes, He is in heaven, but his spirit also comes to live in your heart when you give it to Him.”

To further ease EA’s fear over giving her heart away, I told her that when Mommy was a girl, that I gave my heart to Jesus like the little girl in her story.

I didn’t do this to persuade her into making a decision that she isn’t ready for, but to simply ease a fear.

And she replied with, “Okay, Mommy, I can give my heart to Jesus just like you.”

It is my prayer that my children will follow Jesus, that they will love Him and grow in His love, that they will give their hearts to Him.

But I also never want to pressure into making that kind of decision before they are ready and before they understand what it means.

I told EA that it was wonderful that she would do that but she can wait until she is ready to giver her heart to Jesus. I told her that she would know when she was ready and she can let Mommy know when she’s ready to give her heart to Jesus like Mommy did and like Titi did in her story.

She said, “Okay Mommy, I’ll tell you. I don’t think I’m ready to give my heart to Jesus yet.”

And MC piped in with, “Well, I’m ready for a snack break!”

Do you ever feel completely insufficient and inadequate to answer the simple questions your children have about God?

I love being able to share God’s love with my children.

I love to watch their minds try to grasp an understanding of who God is, of His love, of His ways.

I love to watch them grow in their love for Him and His word.

It is my biggest prayer that I can be of use to God in sharing my love for Him and my faith in Him with my children, the children He has blessed me with so abundantly and who I love so dearly.

I read this passage this morning and was struck by the sheer unwavering faith of Habakkuk in his prayer. There is an unwillingness in his voice to do anything but rejoice in the Lord and be joyful in God.

No matter what comes.

No matter the hardships that he faces.

No matter the uncertainty of his days.

I want to be like that.

I want to know that no matter what, I will rejoice and I will be joyful.