No Camping Mountian Pies

I know I am on break but I had to share this one!!!

Here's a fun summer snack we made using my Foreman Grill that I don't use for anything other then grilling the occasional hot dog when we don't want to start up the big grill. I got the grill for a Christmas gift years ago and just found this fun snack to make with it. We love eating mountain pies when we go camping and now we can make them right in our kitchen without waiting for the next camping trip. Here's how...

Gather your ingredients: Pie filling, bread, butter & confectioners
sugar.

Take that Foreman Grill out and dust it off.

Butter your bread and fill with favorite pie filling.
Lower the lid and let it cook for less than a minute.
It's that quick!

Viola!! Mountain Pie...umm good!

Don't take my word for it just look at these faces.
I'm thinking pretty satisfied customers.

DK Turns 7 Today!!!

My little one is not so little any more...sniff, sniff. I now have a 7 year old/ 1st grader. Boy, has time flown bye. Today we are throwing him a last minute Pirate party. We thought everyone was agreed to celebrate DK's birthday Sat. but when I woke up to a sobbing little boy who thought we were going to surprise him this morning with his birthday plans got changed.

So I am off to get this party ready.

DK, I love you and you bring such joy to mommy & daddy and you brothers. We all love you. Happy 7th Birthday my love!

Worlds End

What we did this past weekend!

Explored!

Climbed Rocks!

Experienced a clean spring fed stream!

Fished!

Widdled!

Made Smoke Signals!

Looked for rocks, minerals & fossils!

Played in the creek!

Climbed a mountain!

We have been to nearly 10 different State Parks throughout PA. This is one of our favorites. The creek that was only 20 feet from the camp ground was so clean and pure. We actually saw fish that are rare not stocked by the Fish & Game Commission of Pa. It was a great weekend. More Pictures and stories to come...

My Loves!!

My three handsome men!! We are headed out this Friday for some fun family time deep in the Pennsylvania wilderness. I thought I would leave you with these faces. They are what keep me keeping on some days. Their eyes are reflections of their Fathers (earthly & heavenly). Their smiles remind me of all the good things in life. Most of all they are my sons! So we are off rain or shine to have fun in our tents & cooking over camp fires. I am so excited and ready for a small retreat. Hope you all have an amazing weekend. See you on the other side!

Are We Building Trust or Eroding It

Trust is one of those foundational keys to living a healthy life with your spouse, friends, peers, co-workers or just about anyone. It is essential on so many levels. So is it important enough to teach to our kids?

When my boys were little we disciplined them for the basic aspects of their life. We focused on sharing, not lashing out in anger towards others when they didn't get their way and how to honor authority. We taught them not to stick their fingers in electrical outlets and run with scissors. Now we are in a whole new season playing a whole different ball game. We as parents need to impart wisdom to our children so they may not just know what to do but be able to decide themselves between what is right and wrong.

A guest speaker came to our church years ago when the boys were all just toddlers. She was speaking at a women's conference and she made the statement "Rules are made to be broken but no one wants to break someones trust." My kids were way to young to really grasp the full meaning of that statement but I tucked it away in my spirit for later application. With in the last 3 years the Lord has been stirring that truth back up. We have been really applying that revelation to how we deal with the boys. We so focus now on trust and not a bunch of rules in our house. Granted, we do have some laws of the land type of things in our home but not an exhaustive list of rules.

My Knight and I have been very devoted to building trust with the boys. I will frequently say to them "Are you building up my trust with that behavior or are you taring it down?" We have seen some really big breakthroughs with their attitudes and behaviors. It is easier for them to break a rule then to willingly break my trust. In our discipline we will let them know how much that affected our ability to trust them in a certain area. Instead of just counting down the days until the are not grounded any more they constantly ask how they can regain our trust. They seek us out looking for ways to build the trust back up. It has been amazing to watch. They still receive some type of punishment for their actions because we want them to know their actions have consequences. But more then that we constantly impress upon them the importance of trust. Many times I know of something they would like to do and I ask them if their behavior builds trust in me to allow them to do that. I ask them "If I can't trust you to do this do you think I can trust you to do that?" They are always very quick to realize that they need me to be able to trust them.

We also build them up in positive ways and not always wait for discipline opportunities. If we go out and they have great attitudes and behaviors we affirm the trust they built up that night. Any time we have a situation where they met or exceeded our trust we make a point to affirm them in that. You should see how they glow when they receive that affirmation. It's better then Christmas morning.

I guess I share this to encourage others that may be struggling with discipline with older kids. Ask the Lord how you can start building trust or teaching trust in your home. We explain to the boys that this concept is foundational with all relationships. We have shared how it works in our own marriage and friendships my Knight and I have. It honestly has brought more peace into my life as a mother because I can see they are truly thinking about their behavior and attitudes. I can see it isn't just tantrums or fits but they are trying to grasp and understand the larger picture of life. It has also helped my Knight and I by stopping us from being so self focused and more aware of how our actions affect others, are we building trust in one another or taring it down? Just thought I would share that. We have many bumps in the road as parents but I am just so glad God is there giving us His wisdom and love for our children.

Spiderman Spotted in Central Pa!!!

The rumors are true! Spiderman has officially retired from

fighting crime bosses and king pins in NYC and moved to

a smaller not-so-metropolis little town in Central Pa.

Being a part of our towns poperotsi I was able to get

a few shots of this reluctant Super Hero as he ventures into

the low key life of defending Shiremanstown.

Just take a look.

Here he is! I actually got one of him on the run with his mask off.

I'm thinking he looks an awful lot like the kid Peter Parker or our very

own DK. I might have to send this photo to the FBI so they can

enhance the picture for identification. We might just know

the real identity of Spiderman!

Oh No! Apparently the entire Spider-family lives here

too and I ran into Spidermans mama. She wasn't so happy

with my pictures. Got to go!

It's Almost Over!!!

The end of school is coming and we can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The week after our last day begins the summer music program for the boys. Shaggy is playing trumpet and Rocker is learning to play the string bass. That thing is huge!!! I guess I was planning on it being a Cello but nope it sure is humongous.

Anyway, things are winding down. I am finishing up traveling into Mechancisburg twice a day. We had a bad bus situation so I just resolved to this running back and forth for the sake of the kids. They are happier and I feel better knowing they are not being bullied and having to hear the "F" word 100 times a day.

Their last day is June 5th. We will head out that weekend for a 4 day camping trip up North. I am soooooo looking forward to it. Sleeping out in the woods, camp fires at night, hiking during the day it just doesn't get any better for me. Granted, one day I would like to make it to Disney World or go on a cruise but I sure do like camping. The best part is just being able to get away as a family. No cell phones, computers or modern conveniences. It works well with three boys. I love the peace about it and that as a family it brings us closer together.

So, I am looking forward to this summer. I have lots of art plans for the boys and I and some adventurous activities planned. I know some of you have already begun your summer fun but what's on everyones to do list this summer? Got any great ideas? Yay for summer break!!