Joyfully Thriving

Grace-Filled Frugal Living

How to Find Cheap Audio Books for Children

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Love this idea for getting audio books for kids! Here's a great list of how to find cheap audio books for children.

Nathan and I love reading our chapter books together. After finishing up the long Farmer Boy, I decided to read some short chapter books next. We started reading some of the Magic Tree House books. They are short enough that we can read one book a day. Even so, my eyes were attempting to close during our reading time the other day.  I then remembered I had a couple Magic Tree House cds. Nathan happily finished the rest of his chapter book that day by listening to someone else read and I was reminded how much I love audio books. There are so many amazing audio books for children available! Why … Read More...

How to Make a Do a Dot Printables Book

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How to Make a Do a Dot Printables Book with Lots of Free Printables - It's a simple and fun idea for kids! Great for a traveling, too.

As a former preschool teacher and now a mom of preschoolers, I freely admit that I have a love of do a dot printables. Are you familiar with these? Do a dot pages are pictures created with special dot markers, or in my case, circle stickers. I love do a dot pages because they are a fun fine motor activity for kids. Whether you use markers or stickers, do a dots are a fun project that your kids are sure to enjoy. Nathan has loved making these pictures for years and Emma is now enjoying them as well. This post contains affiliate links. You can read more in my disclosure policy.  In … Read More...

Baby Gear You Don’t Need

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As we are going through our third time with an infant, I'm reminded that there is a lot of baby gear you don't need. There are lots of practical things to do and buy to get ready for baby, but there are things you can skip, too. I continue to simplify things more every time around and am here today to share my (updated) take on baby things you don't need to do or buy for your little one. I've revised my previous opinions on snaps and zippers. I still prefer zippers for newborns but then prefer snaps once they are a couple weeks old. Babies really don't need as much stuff as the baby … Read More...

Summer Bucket List for Families

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Summer is officially here! Andy is done with school and all his teacher meetings so we are ready to enjoy our summer. I've been making lists for weeks now of all I want to accomplish this summer. My summer bucket list includes working on our digital photo albums, blogging, organizing and (hopefully) unpacking. I made a list in my bullet journal for myself and made sure to include some fun things like a date night with Andy, a family ice cream outing and a game night with friends. Andy has his own list of projects he wants to accomplish at home and school. And of course, we are all looking … Read More...

When You Can’t See Your Calling Because of the Laundry Pile

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Let's do real life together, shall we? I love being a wife and mom. It was always my heart's desire. Now that I'm several years in (9 years married and 4 years with kids), the reality can be overwhelming. Because, let's be honest? Being a mom is hard. Being a wife is hard. Sometimes you spend the day tackling four loads of laundry...only to do more loads of laundry the next day when accidents happen overnight and the baby has another blow out. (This is the Instagram moment that started these musings.) This laundry? And all the other baskets waiting to get done? This laundry is … Read More...

Our Life Now with 3 Children

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It's hard to believe how quickly the past weeks have gone! It some ways, it seems like our sweet Lily Grace was just born, but yet it seems like Lily has always been part of our family. It's been a busy couple weeks but we are settling into our new life as a family of five so it's time for another family update! Lily is 7 weeks old today! You can read more about her birth story and first week at home here. Lily is a sweet baby who is growing up so quickly! She's more awake and alert every day. We've reached the stage of full smiles which we love to coax out of her. Lily loves to lay … Read More...

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