Holly M Nelson

April

- Without Spring there would be no butterflies -

April Fools Day

Since the kids were little I did a few little things to play tricks on them. The one most remembered is the frozen cereal in the morning. I made the cereal the night before with the spoon in it, put it in the freezer, then set it our for their laughs in the morning at breakfast. Check out a few other ideas on my April Fools page.

Kayaking

As I talked about on my March page, we love Spring. Spring showers mean the creeks rise. Read more details about our kayaking adventures on the MARCH page.

In years past we've been a part of Creek Week, organized by local Memphis whitewater boaters. Since that has dissolved, we have become members of the TSRA- Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association. We meet in April at a camp to go on trips with others who share the same love of kayaking. It's a way to get to know other boaters, and kayak the same levels. It's always best to kayak in a group for safety.

Not all of our kids kayak like their dad. Some have grown into other ventures. They all still tag along on some family floats. The experience of it is something that will last their lifetime of memories.

Camping

For me, it's always camping season, but Spring brings memories. I camped a lot in the Spring while going on kayaking trips. We look forward to this time of year and plan a trip or two this month. They are usually planned around boating. I actually love hiking, so I find some good areas where we can enjoy some hiking. We have made some great memories on our Spring camping trips. A little rain doesn't deter us. It just makes it more of an adventure. Read more about how I organize camping trips on my CAMPING page.

Gardening

We start our garden seeds in January, then we plant them April 15th or after. That is when I feel comfortable enough to plant without worrying about frost. Our first years garden was beautiful, full, abundant. We haven't had one like it since. A few years we haven't had one at all, due to busy summer schedules and traveling. Read more on my GARDENING page for tips.

Earth Day

I love nature and believe in enjoying all the natural wonders God has given us. Over the years I have done Earth Day arts and crafts activities. You can find some ideas on my Pinterest page.

We also enjoy an Earth Day festival at our local park, Shelby Farms. They celebrate all month long with a festival, campout, and 5K.

Faith

It's nearing the end of the school year and I see it coming. The burn out. I see it from everyone around me. Everyone is ready for school to end, they are loosing patience, and letting things go. One thing a marathon teaches us is that slow and steady wins the race.

Hebrews 12- 1 /and all...

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Do not grow weary and lose heart.

I've read these verses for years, but have still found myself weary this time of year. It's good to take care of yourself so you can take care of others. I give you permission. It's one of the most important things you can do for your family. They need a mom who is rested and strong.

When we are tired and just plain done, we let things slide. I am completely for simplicity. But, it has to be consistent. Kids need consistency. One of the most important things to keep consistent is teaching and living out our Faith. We do this by living it everyday.

Moms morning quiet time, morning devotions at breakfast with kids, christian music playing softly during the day, bedtime blessings, scripture memory- for church or at home- with little prizes.

I like to play dinner music and it is mostly soft christian.

This is also a great time to remind them of our family's values. We get tired and weary, yet we must always remember that our character and integrity matter.

We must strive to remain strong and not lose heart. The result will be a strong heart and soul.

Outside Play

The weather is nice enough to start playing more outside. I like to make our backyard comfortable and fun. We have a play set with swings, a tree swing called a Swurfer- best thing ever. Easy set up badminton, the kids will say - let's go whack some birds. Trampoline with a net. Basketball goal. Mountain bikes and dirt bikes to ride on our property. Bike ramps to amp up the fun. Horse Shoe set and a frisbee golf set for one on one fun. Kites for the windy days. And after a long day of play we have a bonfire area set up to relax. From the winter and winds we have lots of branches and limbs that have fallen. We will gather those to clean up the property and make a wood pile for our bonfires. Once the kids are provided with opportunities for creative play the possibilities of their imaginations are endless.

Patio Dinners

The weather starts to get warmer, the evening get longer. After long days of play, I will bring the dinner to our outside table. I light candles. A few kids help set the table and bring the food. I will play some dinner music, which mostly consists of christian music. Sometimes I like to find a station on Amazon music, Spotify, or Pandora for classics. Anything from Frank Sinatra, Elvis, R.E.M., Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Queen, U2, CCR, and B.B. King.

These dinners have been great for rousing conversations, laughter, and lingering time spent with each other.

Easter

Easter is very simple for our family. I've never made a big deal out of the Easter Bunny. We don't take pictures with him at the mall, and the kids have never even cared about it. I set out of Easter books on our special seasonal bookshelf in the family room. These books range from silly Easter jokes, cute Corduroy series, to Biblical based accounts of Easter. I like to enjoy all of it. We do several crafts this month. Then the week before, we do a special activity each day, like birds nest cookies, eggs and crosses watercolor, resurrections eggs, Easter cakes, etc... Easter basket have always been completely about the holiday. I don't buy gifts. The kids are actually confused why some of their friends receive big gifts for holidays like these. We are just the kind of family that like to keep things simple and not go overboard with materialistic gifts. The Easter baskets over the years have consisted if bibles, books, devotions along with some Easter candy and chocolate bunnies.

Birthdays

Our last baby's birthday is this month.

Because we have a larger family, we try to do something extra special for each child on their birthday. Dinner and something fun. We started this in recent years from ideas from other parent of large families. What I didn't consider was our family's lifestyle. I do believe children should be made to feel special on their birthdays. They are all a blessing and need to feel that from us. But, they don't need extra special outings and getaways to feel it.

So, for the last few years with each child we have taken them out to eat at a restaurant of their choice, gone to Chuck E Cheese to play, gone to Jumping World and Get Air, gone to the movies. These are all great, but not consistent to our family's life. We've had fun and will enjoy the memories. We are now going back to our simply ways. We have a traditional candle in a muffin for breakfast, play at home with the birthday present, and dinner of their choice with the entire family. We noticed that although they loved going out for their birthdays to have fun, they missed their brothers and would rather they all would have enjoyed it together.

We love to have birthday parties at our house where it is personal, not at a place that cost a small fortune and very impersonal. We love for the whole family to gather. And when we invite friends, their families are all welcome as well. I design simple parties yet personal to their tastes at the moment. Like, Jack just had a Power Ranger party. In the past we've had a camping party, monster truck, kayaking, and dirt bike parties. They have been the most fun. There have been simple games set up and we let them run free. As long as it is a very laid back style party then we can all enjoy it better.

You can see a few of my parties and cake ideas on my Let's PARTY page

Books

Quiet Bunny

Snuggle Bunny

Corduroys Easter

The Gruffalo

Peter Rabbit

Benjamin Bunny

Harry Potter series

Movies

- great for rainy days-

looney tunes