School is back in session; my parents have arrived for a month long visit as they try to avoid the cold and snow up north, and we are in our busiest church season.

With sleep deprivation, I now have a cold. So today, I am going to share a few of my favorite posts from the last month of parties.

Thank you for linking up your thoughtful posts. I hope you enjoy these posts!

1. How to Successfully Read Through the Bible in 2020 even if you’ve tried and failed in the past from Soul Survival
2. 7 Scriptures and Prayers to Protect Our American Troops from Unshakeable Joy
3. Living Life in the Midst of Waiting from A New Lens
4. Best Books of 2019 from Jennifer Lambert
5. 5 Unique Ways to Honor Family Members at Your Wedding Who Have Passed on from K’Mich Wedding Soiree Blog

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

1. Do NOT link up recipes, reviews, giveaways, diy, or crafts.
2. Link up to three posts that have not been linked up to this linky previously!
3. We would love it if you visited a couple other posts and left a comment or shared/pinned the post!
4. If you wish, please follow Creative K Kids by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on social media.

If you link up, we would love if you put this button somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, or party page) or provide a text link so that others can also find these great posts.

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If you would like to receive a weekly email reminder on Thursday parties about linking up to this party, please sign up HERE.

It’s another new year — a time when many people set goals. Many people set detailed, specific goals. Some people do a few big goals. Others may choose a word for the year that encompasses the big area of concentration for the following year.

I used to do all of it. I would do a monthly blog post and share how I was doing with my goals. I would also do a word of the year. As my children get bigger, my life has actually gotten busier. I no longer am home all day with the babies. I miss that time of my life. Sometimes, I feel that my main goal is survival. Did I get done what I needed to get done that day.

I also feel that many of my goals are made for me. I have to teach 4 days a week my 4 children and 5 other children. I have to get my Sunday School lesson ready. I have to get our dinner made, laundries done, and everything for school done. Those are things that are just part of my life. And those things leave little room for much of anything else.

Just the thought of making more goals seems overwhelming at this stage of my life. Does anyone else feel that way?

However, I know I am not doing some things well. I know I need to do better. I did not sit down and spend a lot of time thinking about my goals for the next year. I have just two basic ones for now:

• Do Inductive Bible studies 4 times a week. To do this means I want to go to bed by 10:30 p.m. so that I wake up at 6:30 a.m. four times a week.
  
  I use a subscription to Mama’s Refill for the Inductive Bible Studies, but Kay Arthur also has many inductive Bible studies (look for ones that say “The New Inductive Study Series”) and Pam Forster who writes the Bible studies for Mama’s Refill has many of the Bible studies in a book format that can be bought as well (look for “Bible Study for Busy Mamas). You can do an inductive Bible study without a book, but I like the direction these devotionals give me.

• I want to exercise 3-4 times a week. Right now, I am just walking. We have a new-to-us Jack Russell Rat Terrier. I take him for walks, but we are looking into joining a gym so that all of us can get exercise as well as do some weights. My husband is close to 50, I am almost 45, and we need to lose weight as well as get fit. My oldest children would like to be more physically fit as well.

Besides the activities that I have to do, these are the only two goals I am making this year. I want to have people over to my house. I am hoping that I will be able to do that, especially in the summer. However, I also know that I head up our VBS program in the summer, and I spend many hours preparing for the next school year. Those are things I do without setting goals.

I would like to make more homemade meals, have a cleaning schedule, and do many more things. But I also know that I only have 24 hours in a day. I have to take care of my five children’s needs, get one kid to work, get one child ready for college, take care of my husband, lead a Bible study, teach a Sunday School class. Those are my must-do’s.

Sometimes God sets the goals for our lives.

He gives us responsibilities we must do, and those take up all our time. That’s His will for our lives, and we should do those things with a good attitude, not wishing that we can live a different life by setting goals that we know we don’t have the time to accomplish. In those seasons of our life, let’s follow God’s path that He has set up for us.

Maybe the one goal we should have in those busy seasons of life is just to let God direct our path.

And of course, our ultimate goal should always be to know God better and to glorify Him in everything we do.

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

1. Do NOT link up recipes, reviews, giveaways, diy, or crafts.
2. Link up to three posts that have not been linked up to this linky previously!
3. We would love it if you visited a couple other posts and left a comment or shared/pinned the post!
4. If you wish, please follow Creative K Kids by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on social media.

If you link up, we would love if you put this button somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, or party page) or provide a text link so that others can also find these great posts.

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Christmas is less than a week away! It’s hard to believe! All of my shopping is done, except for maybe a couple of gift cards. With us going north to see family for Christmas, getting ready for a week away means a little extra work to do.

We have five kids, and we don’t go overboard with presents, but we do give gifts. Sometimes, that is the only time besides birthdays when we buy necessities like shoes and socks as well as some needed clothes.

I always like to buy some presents that make them think. Toys aren’t bad. My youngest will get a pair of roller blades for her birthday, which I like as well because it helps keep her physically active. Often, we have found that toys are expensive and are only played with for a short time. Crafts, STEAM activities, and books aren’t as expensive usually and keeps children’s brains active.

Here are some presents I have bought for my kids this Christmas:

Fun books that are also in spiritual in nature.

• My middle school daughter loves Chuck Black books. Since I had all of the ones previously released, I bought Nova which was just released for her.
• For my 5th grade son, I bought some more Imagination Station books. If your child hates reading, you could get them some CD’s of Adventures in Odyssey. We have the Club membership, so we get the magazine monthly as well as listening to unlimited stories on their app.
• For my highschool daughter, I am trying a books that Focus on the Family sells on their website. She loves history, so I thought she would like Life Behind the Wall: Candy Bombers, Beetle Bunker, and Smuggler’s Treasure. It’s 3 books in one and it is only 99 cents right now on Kindle. I bought her the real book though.
• Some 1st-3rd graders may enjoy Cul-de-Sac Kids by Beverly Lewis. My oldest daughters did.

Fun fiction books are good too!

• My 3rd grader doesn’t like to read like my other children do. My sister gave her the Mercy Watson books by Kate DiCamillo a couple of years ago, and she loved them. So I have bought all the easier books (about 48 pages) that Kate DiCamillo has written.
• Almost all of my kids love the Encyclopedia Brown books, and I have had almost all of the Beverly Cleary books, Little House books, and tons of other books as well. We are book people
• My middle school kids have loved the Percy Jackson books and Jennifer Nielson books, especially The Ascendance Trilogy.

Many kids will love STEAM books, educational, or craft books! Quarto Steam Club Picks for December are excellent choices to consider. You can sign up for free to be part of the club HERE and then you can always see what they think are excellent books and activities that make your kids think — and have fun.

The link above takes you to Amazon to see all of their picks, and then it says to go to QuartoKnows.com to learn more about their free club. I had to look around, but then I found the STEAM club HERE. Here is what you get for being part of their club:

• Quarto STEAM Club book and toy recommendations chosen by a panel of STEAM experts
• A discount coupon for 40% off the Quarto STEAM Club book picks on Quartoknows.com
• Free STEAM activity downloads
• Printable Quarto STEAM Club kid-member certificate
• STEAM activity videos
• Access to a dedicated private Facebook group for members to share tips and tricks

Here are the books and STEAM activites that I received in December from Quarto (no monetary compensation was received; this is my honest review).

• Spa Lab DIY bath bomb kit and Illustrated activity book — This kit offers hands-on explorations of basic science concepts, including acids and bases, carbonate reactions, measurement, proportions, and skin care
• Math Art and Drawing Games for Kids book — This book has an amazing collection of more than 40 hands-on art activities that make learning about math fun.
• Wonder Art Workshop book — 25 activities that let your child take the lead in developing their own sense of intrinsic motivation to imagine, experiment, and discover. All of these are hands-on, play-based learning activites.
• The Book of Big Science Ideas — looks at 15 brilliant science ideas and more than 50 ingenious thinkers who have helped shape our understanding of the world – whether they were right or wrong! Thinkers include, Wang Zhenyi, Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, James Joule, Rosalind Franklin, Charles Darwin, Aristotle, Edith Clarke, Isaac Newton, Grace Hopper, Alan Turing, Ada Lovelace and many, many more!
• Encyclopedia of Animals book — over 500 creatures are included in this book. Every one is looked at in detail by a natural history expert. There are great illustrations that accompany every entry.
• Supersize Cross Sections Inside Engines book — See inside a submarine, dive below the decks of a tall ship, take a tour inside a tank, explore a zeppelin and step on board a space station. Each spread features a different and exciting machine and gives you the inside story on these fantastic creations.

There are also online learning activities.

I just bought a subscription to Typesy to help my kids to learn to type correctly. Like it or not, almost all of our kids’ schooling will include computers somehow. My youngest two (3rd and 5th grade) love it!

You can also gift a sewing or a craft class or craft kit deliveries.

We have done Joann’s sewing classes and I have bought I Create Art kits for my youngest. I love that it includes art supplies that can be used for other crafts as well.

There are so many gifts that encourage your kids to think and that don’t include devices. These are just a few. What are your favorite gifts that you like to give kids?

There will be no party next week. Have a great Christmas!

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

1. Do NOT link up recipes, reviews, giveaways, diy, or crafts.
2. Link up to three posts that have not been linked up to this linky previously!
3. We would love it if you visited a couple other posts and left a comment or shared/pinned the post!
4. If you wish, please follow Creative K Kids by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on social media.

If you link up, we would love if you put this button somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, or party page) or provide a text link so that others can also find these great posts.

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If you would like to receive a weekly email reminder on Thursday parties about linking up to this party, please sign up HERE.

Today’s linky party will be different from normal. It will be a Thanksgiving linky party!

Normally, I write a very thoughtful post, and let you link up your thoughtful posts. Today, I would like you to share what you are thankful for. If you have written a post about what you are thankful for, then you can include the link to that post. However, a link to a post does not need to be included in today’s linky party.

I also did not include the regular link up as the post could not save with two separate inlinkz scripts. Next week, we will go back to our regular Thoughtful Thursdays party. Please share below a couple praises that you have from this year! I would love to praise God with you.

Thanks for sharing with us this week! Have a great Thanksgiving Day– and may the spirit of Thanksgiving continue all year long!

Here’s what’s new on Creative K Kids:

• This week on Tasty Tuesdays, I shared 17 Soup Recipes for Winter.  You can link up to the Tasty Tuesday’s linky party HERE.
• On this week’s Thoughtful Thursdays, I shared thoughts on the name of God, Jehovah Nissi, The Lord My Banner. You can go see that post HERE and link up any thoughtful posts you have written.

Thank you for participating in The Ultimate Pinterest Party!

There will be no party next week! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF FAVORITE PINS FROM THIS PARTY:

• Lighted Fabric Garland for Christmas from She’s Crafty had 5 re-pins from last week’s party.
• Diy: Salt Dough Ornaments from Thinking Outside the Pot had 19 re-pins last week — this pin was pinned in the 121st party — over 150 parties (or over 3 years) ago!

HERE ARE THE FEATURED PINS FROM LAST WEEK’S PARTY:

• Cranberry White Chocolate Bark with Sea Salt from Our Good Life
• Dipped Pretzel Candy Canes from Home Crafts by Ali
• Quick And Easy Personalized Guess Who Game The Perfect Personalized Gift from The Keele Deal

RULES:

• Rule #1: Link up only 2 PINS (not blog posts. Pins that are duplicates from a previous week will not be repinned.)
• Rule #2: Do NOT re-pin from the linky below.
• Rule #3: You must commit to re-pinning from WEEK 275, THE ULTIMATE PINTEREST PARTY on SATURDAY or SUNDAY. (Re-pin from the pins that say “The Ultimate Party, Week 275 pins.”)
• Rule #4: Please only link up your own original pins that contain your images to this party. Do not link up pictures of other bloggers that you may have included in a round-up. Your collage of pictures for a round-up would be fine.
• Rule #5: Please do not link up sale posts from your blog or sale posts that go to Etsy or Ebay –only pins that go to actual blog posts on your blog. Thank you.

Details to Observe:

• Before you link up the pin, click on the pin and make sure it takes you to your post, not your home page.
• Linking up to this party gives the hosts permission to use a picture and a link to your post if they feature your post on their blogs or social media.
• Creative K Kids is not responsible for stolen images or the mis-use by others who have found your image through CreativeKKids.com.

Thanks for making this party such a success!!

PLEASE SHARE! You can share on all the social medias (facebook, google+, etc.) but here is a Twitter button to make it easy!

Tweet

NOW LET’S GET TO OUR PARTY!

• Follow your hosts on Pinterest. (Click “Follow All” and then go back and unfollow individual boards if you don’t want to see some of our pins):

Tammy from Creative K Kids — Click HERE to follow on Pinterest.

Ali from Home Crafts by Ali — Click HERE to follow on Pinterest.

• We will have all the pins pinned by 8 am Eastern time Saturday morning.
• Please re-pin sometime on Saturday or Sunday. If you know that you do not have the time to re-pin pins, then DO NOT LINK UP!
• I can decide to not pin a pin if it goes against my beliefs or against the rules of this party.
• Please grab the button to help bring awareness to this party. Put on your party page, sidebar, or post!

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PLEASE LINK UP ONLY 2 PINS! (THAT ARE NON-ALCOHOLIC!)

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When I first started blogging, I really worked it. I was a stay-at-home mom with my five kids who ranged in age from toddler to elementary age. I also babysat a couple of my friends’ children.

Even though I was busy, I had nap time and other times that I could blog — especially in the wintertime when we were all cooped up inside.

Now my kids are age 8 through almost 17 (this Sunday!) Crazy, I know! We moved 1,000 miles, the kids have gone from going to a large Christian school to a small Christian school where I went back to work full-time as a Kindergarten teacher to a tiny school of 9 children where I am the teacher this year. The past 3 years, I just helped part-time.

Someone told me I should blog about being a stay-at-home mom to going back to entering the work force. I don’t know if that is what would interest people or not, but I did it in in a very unconventional way.

The first year I went back to work was a very hard year. I was planning on homeschooling, and two weeks before the school year started, I went back to work as we knew God wanted us to leave the ministry we were at. My husband was offered a job as a teacher in this small school, but it was was about one-third of his previous salary. So when the school said they could hire me too and give my kids a free education, I took it as we could all be together and it was enough to pay the bills, even though our salaries together were only about two-thirds of his old salary.

Even though that year was an extremely hard year in many ways, it was also a very good year for us in many ways. When school ended in May, we packed a truck and drove 1,000 miles to Florida where my husband had been asked to be a pastor.

For the next three years, I was able to help in our children’s small church school, but I also was able to have the afternoons off to do housework, go shopping, relax, and many other things. Then this year, there was no one available to teach our school, so I became the teacher.

I am enjoying it — but I do miss my free afternoons. However, it is so much better than that one year that I taught in a regular school setting. We do 5 days of work in 4 days so I have Fridays off. We also live on the church property, so my kids can walk home at 3 p.m., relax, get a snack, and enjoy their afternoon while I finish up at school.

There is so much I could share about what I have learned about working after being a stay-at-home mom. Maybe I will share more insights through the weeks. One thing I know for sure — I can’t do it all. One thing that has slipped is my blogging. I do not spend the time I used to spend on it.

I don’t do much on social media. I am not making a lot of recipe posts. I am not trying to drum up co-hosts on Thoughtful Thursdays like I used to do. I do not visit every post that has linked up to my parties. There just is not enough time in a day to do it all. So I do what I can. I still do these few posts hoping they are a help to some.

And I do try to go visit posts to see some of the great posts that you have written. I first started Thoughtful Thursdays as I wanted a linky party for posts that really matter. That is what I still want. The other linky parties are not bad, but in the light of eternity, food recipes aren’t going to be important.

Here are some great posts linked up in just the past couple of weeks:

• Better than GPS from A New Lens talks about how we should follow our Heavenly Father in the path He wants us to take.
• Heidi Naturally has some free Christmas printables that you can use with your family in looking at the familiar Christmas story: Christmas Bible Verses Color Coded – Free Printable
• Incorruptible Love from Sunny & 80 talks about loving our tweens. It’s not easy sometimes.
• If you want to prevent or care for colds or flu using essential oils, go read Heavenly Bodies’ Essential Oils for Cold/Flu Intervention post.
• A Mother’s Résumé from Jennifer Lambert shows how much a mom is worth — be proud of being a mom, ladies! It’s our highest calling.
• A Homemaker’s Attitude from Redeeming Home is another post that celebrates the awesome truth that we moms get to shepherd our children. I know I am not home like I used to be — even though I did not look to go back to work; it is something that I must do. However, I am still with my four youngest every day all day long. I am so thankful I get to do this, and that I can teach them. I know not everyone can, but if you can, it is a gift.
• 7 Praying Scriptures about Child Safety from Unshakeable Joy was a good read. Having my children taken is my worst nightmare. We need to pray for their protection from evil and from wrong choices that could also take away their hearts and minds.

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

* homemaking * homeschooling * devotional or Biblical posts * Christian in nature * family/marriage * inspirational *

1. Do NOT link up recipes, reviews, giveaways, diy, or crafts.
2. Link up to three posts that have not been linked up to this linky previously!
3. We would love it if you visited a couple other posts and left a comment or shared/pinned the post!
4. If you wish, please follow Creative K Kids by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on social media.

If you link up, we would love if you put this button somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, or party page) or provide a text link so that others can also find these great posts.

<div align=”center”><a href=”https://creativekkids.com” title=”Creative K Kids”><img src=”https://creativekkids.com/Thoughtful Thursdays 150.jpg” alt=”Creative K Kids” style=”border:none;” /></a></div>

If you would like to receive a weekly email reminder on Thursday parties about linking up to this party, please sign up HERE.