You guys! My brother-in-law and his family has done it again! Unless you were hiding under a rock, you probably saw their adorable Easter video.
The Blessings of Adoption
Family Fun
Top 6 Hiking Trails in Northwest Arkansas
Growing up in rural Arkansas, I spent a good amount of time hiking through the woods around my home with my Dad. He taught me to respect the land and how to read the various signs of nature. He taught me to recognize different plants, trees, and animals. When I moved to Northwest Arkansas, I got sucked into enjoying the commercial amenities that this more urban setting offered.
As my kids came along, it became very apparent how little their knowledge of nature was. They were afraid of all insects! So my husband and I made an intentional effort to combat this by taking regular nature hikes as a family. Some are day long planned events while others are impromptu diversions meant to burn off some energy.
Six Tips for Establishing Christmas Traditions
Last week I had the opportunity to speak at my old MOPS group. It has been a year and a half since I was involved with this group. It warmed my heart to see so many new faces. Many of the women whom I was in MOPS with have transitioned to a new season of life like I have. To see the group strong and growing is so wonderful!
Announcing Interactive Day Trip Map
Just about every weekend someone e-mails me asking about tips for local day trips. So I decided to start blogging about those ideas. I have been working all summer to blog about just a few of the attractions we have available in Northwest Arkansas. As the blog grows, I will continue to add to this category to help you explore NWA to the fullest.
I wanted to create a way for you to be able to access these great ideas in a user friendly way.
I am so excited to announce the new Interactive Day Trip Map.
Rogers Historical Museum: NWA Day Trip
A few weeks ago, I needed a free activity to keep my kids busy for an hour or so between errands. We dropped-in at the Rogers Historical Museum. This museum is fantastic for historians of all ages.
My kids had so much fun with all the hands-on activities. A room called “The Attic” was set up as a turn of the century home. The kids got to play house. They explored kitchen appliances and common household tools. It was entertaining for me to watch them infer the uses of these tools.
Rediscovering a Local Treasure: The Jones Center
A few weeks ago, I told you about our day trip to Har-Ber Village and the amazing American Dream story of Harvey and Bernice Jones. The short version is that Mr. Jones started a delivery business at the age of 18 with a wagon and a mule team. Over the course of a lifetime, he built the largest trucking company in the country, The Jones Truck Line. (You can read more of that story here.)
The Joneses loved Northwest Arkansas and sought ways to give back to their community. Their lives’ work was to “to serve families, strengthen community and glorify God.”
One of their most generous gifts was The Jones Center for Families.
Don’t Complicate Summer: 3 Tips to Get into a Summer Routine
A lot of stay-at-home-moms get stressed as they see summer approaching. All they see is a blank calendar and panic thinking, “How in the world am I going to entertain my children for three months?!?” Then they do their best to fill that calendar up.
The number one mistake I believe we make is thinking we must entertain our children. We are doing a severe disservice to our children by constantly trying to placate their boredom.
Currently {Issue 3} Summer on Coffee With Jen
“To everything there is a season…” Ecclesiastes 3:1a
One thing that I know to be true about myself, is that I enjoy the changing of the seasons. I also believe in honoring the season I am in. Summer is a time to rest, study, and PLAY. This summer I will be doing a lot of each of those!
So here is what I am currently up to:
NWA Day Trip Spring Break 2014
We took an impromptu day trip to Eureka Springs last weekend. It is our number one day trip destination. I remember the first time my husband and I decided to drive over together. I remember the exact place we were sitting that night when I realized that I was in love with him. We got married there a few months later.
Every trip we take to Eureka is different and we stop in different places on the way. This trip had two phases.
Hop, Skip, and a Jump to Tulsa
Northwest Arkansas has so many great attractions and new ones are on the horizon, but we don’t have a zoo. We do have a couple exotic animal habitats that my family frequent and will be featured on here at some point. Some of my friends who relocated here from other parts of the country have mentioned to me that they really miss having a zoo handy. The closest zoo is in Tulsa, OK which is only two hours away. That is just a hop, skip, and a jump away!