Saturday Afternoons

What do Saturday afternoons mean to me? I work Saturday mornings, but in the afternoon, well, that's fun time. 

Saturday afternoons are great for sitting outside on the front porch, doing nothing, or watching the kids and dogs play. 

Saturday afternoons are a good time to go for a milkshake or ice cream with my daughter.

Saturday afternoon is a great time for a nap on the sofa, which I have time to do because...

Saturday afternoons mean dinner at our house is "see-food"...you see it, you eat it. 

Saturday afternoon in the fall means time to watch my favorite team play football and yell at the television, no matter whether they are winning or losing. 

Saturday afternoons are great for a good book or catching up on those magazines on the coffee table.

Saturday afternoons are time for casual visits with good friends. 

Saturday afternoons are lazy and comfortable and make me feel warm and smiley.

What are Saturday afternoons for you?

Mama Time

Does your family make a point of spending time together? I mean to do you actually purposefully put down your phone, your computer, your remote control and spend time interacting with each other? We rarely did this... until recently. We homeschool so I thought I was spending plenty of time with her, but it isn't always fun time. In the evenings, I am often distracted by housework, blogging, etc. while she is on the computer, watching television, or on her phone. 

Now my daughter and I have made a commitment to each other. I will spend a minimum of 30 minutes of intentional time each day with her. I will put not text or answer the phone or check on my blog during that time. I will focus on her. Maybe we will sit on the porch and talk while the dogs play in the yard. Maybe we will play cards, which we both love to do. Maybe we will watch her favorite television show. The point is that I am making a point of spending time with her that is not shared with anyone else. 

She has made a commitment of her own. She will give me 15 minutes of intentional alone time each day. I will probably just do laundry or dishes, but she will find something else to do for at least 15 minutes without calling my name or following me from room to room. 

So far it's working really well! I get a break every day and she gets my undivided attention every day. I hope we continue to do this and do it well. 

Do you have intentional time with your kids? Or your spouse? What about breaks? Tell me about it! How often and what kinds of activities do you do?

"Last Ounce of Courage"

I got an email today from a friend about a movie that will be released September 14, 2012. Curious to see what this movie was about, I watched the trailer. I will be looking for it in one of our local theatres this weekend!

"Last Ounce of Courage" is a family-friendly movie about a family who lost a son/father in combat. As they learn how to move on with their lives, they realize that they have become complacent. This movie celebrates and defends values such as family, freedom, and faith.

Watch the trailer in its entirety and let me know what you think of this new film. Will you be looking to see it? Go to www.lastouncethemovie.com to see if and when it's playing near you.

Summer Blog Challenge: Day 7

Today's challenge: Post a photo of something that makes you happy.


That's an easy one! My family gives me more joy than anything else on earth! Here they are:

These are my two oldest kids, Alistair and Tera.

This is my youngest, Mayson.

This is me with my husband, Ray.

If you liked this post and others on Mama Making Changes, please clickhereto go to Circle of Moms and vote for me as one of the top eco-friendly mom blogs. Just click here, then click the thumb to vote. You can come back to vote every 24 hours. Thanks for the support!

Summer Blog Challenge: Day 5

Today's Challenge: What are your short term goals for this month and why those goals


My goals for this month are pretty simple, actually.

1. I want to make sure to set aside some quality time with my children each day now that school is out and they have so much free time. They don't always understand that my free time is more limited than theirs. I want to make sure they feel like they are a priority for me every day. 
2. I want to keep up with my garden, which is actually harder than it may sound. Having a bigger garden means more work and I haven't found more time.
3. I want to post on my blog every day. I don't want the summertime fun in the sun to distract me from my blog. It's my getaway, my "me time", and my accountability for my continued progress as a green mom. 
4. I want to continue losing weight. I am making great progress with my weight loss and I don't want ice cream and other temptations ruin it. I just have to remind myself that things like frozen watermelon balls are yummy summer treats, too. 
5. I want to eat out less. This is a part of getting greener that my family still needs to work on. I want to get into the habit of taking my lunch to work, packing a cooler of snacks for the car, and cooking dinner at home every day. We will eat healthier and save money, as well as knowing where our food comes from.

If you liked this post and others on Mama Making Changes, please clickhere to go to Circle of Moms and vote for me as one of the top eco-friendly mom blogs. Just click here, then click the thumb to vote. You can come back to vote every 24 hours. Thanks for the support!

Summer Blog Challenge: Day 4

Today's Challenge: Explain the meaning behind your blog's name.

I can do that! Woohoo!

When I started this blog I was very frustrated with the way my family and I were living. We had succumbed to the life of the proverbial Jones'. We were so busy trying to do what everyone around us was doing that we lost track of who we are and what we believe. I was sick of it. So my husband and I made a decision to change our lifestyles and get back to the way we used to live, back when we lived by our own standards and to heck with the Jones'. Even better, we wanted to do more than we had ever done before. We wanted to slowly but surely convert our lifestyle to the one we both dreamed of.

And Mama started Making some Changes around here.

Today, just a few months into our changes, we are recycling nearly everything that can't be composted. Our garbage is only a fraction of what it was pre-blog. We are driving one car instead of two and hoping to trade it sometime in the near future for something more fuel efficient. We have our biggest garden ever and plans to expand it until our front yard is a grassy lawn no more. The kids are on board and my daughter has planted her own herbs and sunflowers. We have learned to eat healthier and eat whole foods. We've embraced local sustainable agriculture and businesses, and we've gotten more active.

And don't worry. Mama ain't done Making Changes yet.

If you liked this post and others on Mama Making Changes, please clickhere to go to Circle of Moms and vote for me as one of the top eco-friendly mom blogs. Just click here, then click the thumb to vote. You can come back to vote every 24 hours. Thanks for the support!

Wordless Wednesday: Our Day In Pictures (Sorta)

Did that "sorta" get your attention? Well today's post isn't completely wordless. I felt some of the pictures begged a little explanation in order to express how truly wonderful our day really was.

All of our weekdays start out with schoolwork. Today we knew that we had a lot to do away from home, so we gathered everything we needed, including the lesson planner, and took it all with us. One of the many wonderful advantages of home schooling is the flexibility!



First stop...Weight Watcher's Meeting #3. I lost 2 more pounds in the last week! Yay me!

Next, my daughter had a doctor's appointment, closely followed by dentist appointments for both of us.

Look ma, no cavities!

Of course, in between each stop and in each waiting room we worked on today's lessons. 

Next stop...History field trip! We have been studying archaeology, so where better to see actual archaeological finds than a museum? This local museum is really great and most of the artifacts are local. The  thousands of artifacts in the museum are accompanied by photos, letters, models, manequins and more. 

We bought a South Carolina state flag in the gift shop on the way out and with it received a lesson from one of the curators on what each element of the flag was intended to portray. Even I learned something new! Then the proud owner of the flag took some time to have a bounce on the jostling board that sits on the museum's front porch. I even joined her for a few bounces!

Nope it didn't end there! We headed off to the organic farmer's market that is held each Wednesday downtown. The first stop is always the booth with the homemade whole wheat organic cookies. She never minds spending her own money on these! Today, my daughter also bought a basil plant to put outside beside her lemon balm and sunflowers.

Of course, I had to stop to grab a few tomatoes. The ones in our garden are mostly green still. And we went by to see our CSA farmers who had squash, kale, russian kale, arugula, and mustard greens for us this week.

The market even had live entertainment this week! The duo seen on the left here was the most amazing of the ones we heard. They were really good and so entertaining!







After the market, we needed to eat dinner in a hurry because it was almost time for my women's group from church to meet. We headed over to a locally owned restaurant where everything is made from scratch and tastes just like it came from your own kitchen. How do you like the name?

My daughter babysits all of the little ones while the ladies meet on Wednesday nights. 

Tonight was extra special because we had a new addition. 

Baby Jaxson, only 1 week old,  was watched over closely by his big sister Kailyn!

We wrapped up our day with a relaxing game of cards when we got home. I won! Yay me again!

If only everyday could be so much fun! 

How was your Wednesday?

Wordless Wednesday: Our Day in Pictures