Quiet Time Bins

A few years ago, my oldest stopped taking afternoon naps…and there were great sobs and gnashing of teeth…from me. Afternoon nap time is sacred around here, so I had to do something fast. Then, I saw an idea for quiet time bins.

Bam.

My life afternoons were saved.

At the time, my son was in preschool and I had become aware of some things that I totally didn’t teach him. For example, using scissors and learning how to cut (oops, I guess that’s important?!).  So, I figured the quiet time bins would also be a good time to introduce a few things, work on some fine motor skills, and still give him some time for imaginative play.

So, I went out and bought five plastic bins. I figured we would have a bin for Monday through Friday and then on the weekends he could choose whichever bin he wanted. I used mostly items that we already owned (but didn’t necessarily play with often) and then I bought a few things to fill in the sparser bins.

It was awesome. Just like that, nap time for me my other kids was restored to it’s former glory.

Fast forward a few years. My oldest is off to school and I have three little ones at home. Thankfully, they all still take afternoon naps…thank you Jesus. So now, I have changed the way I use the quiet time bins.

When the kids are each quietly reading chapter books in their corners, taking turns sewing their own sweaters, and on their knees dusting baseboards, I don’t need quiet time bins.

But, oh wait… that has NEVER happened.

More realistically,

When my kids have asked me 22 billion times for a snack, have argued for five minutes straight over who had the Paw Patrol toy first, and have turned the walkie talkies on max volume in order to drive their mother crazy press that button that makes the most annoying sound in the world…

THAT

Is when I bust out the quiet time bins.

One for each kid.

I send them to different rooms in the house.

And for a few minutes…it’s quiet-ish.

So, let me give you an idea of what I put in the bins. I included the Amazon links because if you are like me, you would probably give up your left kidney to continue another year of Prime. Just kidding…kinda.

Each bin has a few newer books and a few older books that have been out of our rotation for a while.

Here are some other things in our bins… (Note 3 out of 4 of my kids are boys, hence more boy ideas. However, once on Amazon, scroll down on each item for similar girl items)

–Wow Water Vehicles Coloring Book – My kids love these things. They are so simple and mess free! They are also really great for traveling on long road trips.

–Wood beads and a shoe lace. – I tie a knot on the end of the shoelace and they put the beads on one by one. So simple. So time consuming…in the best possible way!

-Kid Scissors (buy them anywhere) – My oldest LOVED cutting. I just drew shapes and different length lines on a scrap of paper and he would go to town! Literally, he would spend 15 minutes just cutting up a paper like this…

–Magnetic Fishing puzzle – All my kids have loved this puzzle/fishing game. There’s also a tow truck/cars puzzle that is similar.

–Dry Erase Activity Tablet – This is a pretty sweet book with mazes and other numbers and letters activities. Scroll down for more options once on Amazon.

–Dinosaur Stamp Set – All kids are super into stamps right now…

–Vehicles puzzles Set – My kids haven’t loved puzzles until I got this set. 

–Magnetic “Joey” Set – We had this for over a year and my kids never really played with it until I put it in a quiet time bin, now it’s a favorite. There is also a “Julia” and “Maggie” set.

–Lace and Trace Pets – Fine motor skills anyone?

–Jungle Animals – Any small figurines would work, pick some up at your local thrift store!

–Let’s Build – This is the magnetic book we have and they love it but click HERE for a bunch more

–Lego/Duplos set – I put this set in a zip lock bag so they can get to it easier. Obviously, there are a million sets our there.

So those are a few ideas and some things you probably already have! So do you want my opinion? Yes? Oh good.

I would NOT go and buy all of this stuff. If I were you, I would go though your existing toy bins, your existing puzzles, your existing craft supplies, your existing bookshelves, and see what will work. In fact, you don’t even have to run out and get bins. You could totally use plastic bags. Quiet Time Bags. Yes. That sounds great to me.

If after you have gone through all your stuff and you still feel like you need a few things, then put them on a list for your next kids birthday, or get one or two things. But most of us, Do Not Need To Bring More Stuff in our homes. Am I right? Yes, yes I am. 

Alright friends…Go and search for some quiet! Good luck and God speed!

 

(Quiet Time Bin picture created at snappa.io)

Quick Life Update

A few different people have asked me recently if I’m ever going to post on my blog again. To which I replied,

“Blog? What blog?”

I guess that digging myself out from under moving boxes and trying to homeschool the youngins, shoved me right off the ole’ blog train.

BUT…

I can tell in the last week or so that I might be ready to resurface…reply to a few emails and texts, have some people over for play dates, and write a blog post or two.

So, for all you wondering (and those who aren’t, but for some reason continue to read on…), I will give you a quick life update.

Last week, I was writing in my prayer journal and I flipped to a page from February of 2015. I had the following prayer requests written down… (ignore my kindergarten handwriting)

We were still living in Tulsa at the time, and My Hubs was finishing up his last few months of residency. All we knew at the time, was that he was going to work at a health clinic in a low-income neighborhood, and we felt like the Lord wanted us to live in that same neighborhood.

Looking back now, the timing of everything definitely didn’t go as I initially thought it would. Instead of a “yes” or “no” the Lord seemed to be saying, “Wait, wait, wait.” for quite awhile. But then, all the sudden in the last couple months, I’ve seen all these prayers answered, and each one above and beyond what I hoped they would be!

First, our house. When we looked and looked and looked for a house in Franklinton last year and couldn’t find much, we decided to wait for 9 months to rent a house based on some pictures we had seen. We literally had never set foot inside the house, we just hoped the pictures were semi-accurate and semi-recent! We also signed a two year lease on this unseen house!

So it wasn’t until the day we showed up to get the keys that we got to actually see whether the house looked anything like the pictures (which it does!) and what was behind all those doors in the pictures we had looked at for nine months (closets, they are all closets!).

The house is pretty neat and our kids are loving it. We all have our favorite things about the house, but here are a few of my favorites…

The Fridge.

Since we’ve been married, I have been taller than all of the refrigerators we’ve had in our apartments/houses. Not a big deal, but I’m LOVING the extra space in this bad boy. Also, ever since I was in elementary school I’ve always wanted a fridge with a water dispenser (I know, I know, big dreams over here) and now I have one…and it’s awesome!

Also, I’m kinda in love with the mudroom…

A place for shoes, and backpacks, and sunscreen, and umbrellas, and gloves, and hats, and just all that crazy stuff that 6 people bring into a house??!!??

Um. Yes please.

(note: clearly this is before we junkified it)

Second, I was praying for our oldest kiddo and school. We really wanted him to go to the local public school if possible. However, once we got here we found out that A) the elementary school we thought he would go to closed down and was combined with the middle school and B) the new combined school is considered by the state to be a failing school and has been failing for long enough that the state offers either bussing transportation to charter schools and/or financial assistance for private schools. So after talking to different people, as well as, just knowing our kiddo, we decided that it just wasn’t the best for him (at this point), to send him to the local public school.

After calling many schools and finding many classes were already full for next year, we were able to find a spot for him in a school about 15 minutes away. We are excited about it and feel like it will be a really great fit for him. Also, his brochacho will go to preschool across the hall from him, which they are both pretty stoked about.

Third, and if you read my note in my journal, you can see that I thought finding friends in the neighborhood, with a heart for the neighborhood would be really hard to find.

However, I was dead wrong. First of all, we have already met so many amazing people here. But one family in particular, who just so happens to have four kiddos the exact same ages as ours, have overlooked how weird we are, and have befriended us. We are so abundantly thankful for them and the wealth of information they have passed our way. Apparently, not as “outlandish” as I thought it would be.

Sooooo, that’s the big stuff with us. We are finally here. We aren’t sure what the Lord has for us yet, but luckily He is in charge of the details and we will just try and say, “yes” to what He brings along.

Oh, and there’s also a pretty strong Christian presence in the neighborhood, which as I’ve mentioned before, is great because we are all about serving and ministering to people as a TEAM. Honestly, we are kinda lame by ourselves.

Anyway, I know so so so many of you have prayed with us and for us, over the last year and a half, and we want to say thank you! We have definitely seen the Lord work and move in and around us.

One last thing, we are just three minutes off of I-70 if any of you want to come visit. (hint, hint)

Moving: The Final Countdown

 

Well folks, I can hardly believe it but after 9 months we are finally moving to Columbus this next week! We get the keys tomorrow, we have a truck ready to go for Saturday, and then later next week we will officially be sleeping in our new house (well, new to us)!

I’m. so. excited.

When we packed our boxes and loaded our truck last July, we only expected to be living with my in-laws for a few weeks, maybe a month or two. We were also in a pretty big hurry when we were packing, so we weren’t super thoughtful about where, um, we put everything.

All that to say, there’s A LOT of our stuff that I haven’t seen since last July. Whenever we can’t find something we just say, “Oh well, it’s in a box…somewhere!”

I’ve gotten along pretty well, but I decided this last week that there are three specific things that I can’t wait to find in our boxes.

Numero uno – I can’t wait to find my socks. When we moved last July, it was 95+ degrees every single day in Tulsa. I was NOT thinking about winter socks. I threw 5 or 6 pairs of athletic ankle socks in my suitcase to bring out to Ohio, and besides three longer pairs that I bought on sale, that’s what I wore all winter…and it was lame. Should I have just gone out and bought more socks when late December rolled around? Probably. But I did not. And thus I had cold ankles and lower legs all winter.

Numero dos – I can’t wait to use my own mugs. If you drink coffee or tea every morning, you probably have a favorite mug or two. Whether it’s because the handle fits your hand just right, or it holds just the right amount, or it just looks awesome and brings you warm feelings or memories, it’s your fav and you use it over and over again. I have been using my mother-in-laws mugs for the last nine months. Her mugs say “tea” all over them and I’ve been using them to drink my coffee each morning. …I probably don’t have to tell you, but something about that just doesn’t feel right.

Numero tres – I can’t wait to use my own bed sheets. A couple years ago, we needed new sheets and My Hubs used his birthday money to get us these nice bamboo sheets. They. Are. Awesome. Since then, there have only been a handful of nights that we haven’t crawled into bed and discussed how crazy amazing those sheets feel. I can’t wait to bust them out when we move.

The kids are also super excited to unpack all their books and toys.

You know how when kids get something new for their birthday or Christmas and you get at least 4 to 5 days of an eerily quiet house because they are off playing with their new toys?

Yeah, I love that too.

So, I think I am going to take my time unpacking their toys and try to keep that magic going as long as possible!

I’m also really looking forward to this next phase for us. I’m so excited to see what God has for us in the poor neighborhood that we will be moving into.

At the same time, if I’m honest, I’m also a little nervous about some things…

-I’m a little nervous to have all four kiddos at home ALL day, while simultaneously trying to homeschool the rest of the school year with my oldest two…

-I’m a little nervous to see just how “rough” this neighborhood really is…

-I’m a little nervous to look for churches with four little kiddos who aren’t exactly the most outgoing…

But ya know what?

I can worry about what I don’t know OR I can choose to look back and remember the faithfulness of the Lord throughout all the different transitions we’ve had thus far. Because truthfully, I can look back at every single move or transition and see God all over the small details and the big decisions.

So, I have no doubt that He will help me with my time management with the kiddos, give me a love and excitement to serve our neighbors, and help our family find a church.

To My Fellow Winter Strugglers!

While I LOVED growing up in Colorado, I think sometimes all those sunny days ruined me for life. At the very least, it makes these long, cloudy, Midwest winters a little tough…okay really tough. And it messes with my head! Here’s a little taste of what I mean…

After three sunny days in a row (a rarity in these parts) my thinking goes something like this…

“I just love being a stay-at-home mom, these four children are such a sweet blessing! I just want to hug them, and kiss them, and love them, forever!”

And then after three cloudy days in a row my thinking changes to something like this…

“GET ME OUT OF THIS HOUSE! What in the world were we thinking…FOUR children?!? And if even one of those children tries to touch me again, my touch receptors are going to explode!”

Hmm, so you get the idea…winter is a strrrrruggle over here.

So when I read Psalms 19 this last week, it kinda felt like the Lord was shooting up flares, “Hey Candace, pay attention to this!”

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1-2)

Hmm, so while I am sitting around complaining about clouds in the sky, those very skies are declaring God’s Greatness!

And then verses 4-5 say,

“In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes it circuit to the other…”

There are no accidents here, God is the one who set the sun in its place and planned its course. Hasn’t He done the same for us, the crown of His creation?

The truth is that He has set me here and He has set my course.

He knows its winter here for me…on more than one level.

…And yet He hasn’t just changed the season over night for me.

Why Not?

I know that God can move mountains, calm storms, and bring the dead to life. Therefore, He is CERTAINLY able to provide an early spring and a few more sunny days!

So, what’s with this long, cold, dark, winter season?

Then, I was reminded of something I read a few weeks ago… (Nerd Alert-it’s about trees, I’m a huge lover of trees)

I read that, “A typical pattern for tree growth is for most the foliage growth to occur in the spring, following by trunk growth in the summer, and then root growth in the fall and winter.       (click here to read more super cool tree facts)

Interesting.

While a tree grows all year long, it’s most important growth comes in the fall and winter when it’s living in its most difficult conditions.

I LOVE when God uses the physical world to help me understand the spiritual world.

…so when I think about growth in that way, I’m pretty sure that while I’ve been asking God to change my external conditions, so that I will be happy. God is more concerned about changing my internal condition, so that I will be holy.

A.K.A. Duh Candace

A.K.A. My most important growth comes when life is not easy and I have to rely on God.

I know. That’s not some crazy epiphany. But nonetheless, sometimes that truth is hard to swallow.

But when I really think about it, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I wouldn’t trade 1,000 sunny days for the growth the Lord has done in my life during the winter.

So, my fellow winter strugglers! May we take a cue from the heavens and declare God’s Greatness and Graciousness! May we fix our eyes not on what is seen (piles of dirty snow), but what is unseen (Jesus teaching us to rely on Him when conditions are tough)! Because what is seen is just temporary (that snow will eventually melt) but what is unseen is eternal (growth on the root level)!

And may we not forget that God has greater things in mind for us than merely sun and warmth! Although let’s be honest, you will never catch me complaining about a surprise 60 degree day in February!

(all pictures created @ snappa.io)