inspiration for moms
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Inspiration for Moms… “You Are Enough” (she: Veronica)

Hi my friends! It’s Veronica, and I’m so excited to be back this month with some inspiration for moms (and kids)! Here in Tennessee, we have been back in school for two weeks now. So life has been pretty chaotic around here!

Over the past little while I’ve seen the saying “You Are Enough”. It seems to be all over Pinterest and the internet. After the past couple weeks I’ve had, I think I’m beginning to understand why! I’ve needed this great little reminder.

family mailbox
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Family Mailbox Fun! (she: Veronica)

Hello again! It’s Veronica from Nine A Plenty. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! It’s such a fun time for families, but I always can count on my kids getting stir-crazy. They do much better with routines and things they can count on. Lately, we’ve had a bunch of craziness, so I thought it was time for a fun activity that brought them closer together. Thus, the Family Mailbox has begun!
What is a Family Mailbox? Well, it really can be anything you would like it to be. That’s the best part. For us, we’ve been writing little notes to each other. These can express love, appreciation, something the other person does to make you happy, something you admire in them, etc. I’ve been surprised at how excited they were to do this for each other. Our mailbox has been full and it’s been fun to “deliver” the mail.

end of school wrap up
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End of School Wrap Up… a Questionnaire to Remember Their Year! (she: Veronica)

Helloooo! It’s Veronica and I’m so excited to be back! Here in the good ‘ol South, we are enjoying our last week of school. It FLEW by this year!! The kiddos and I are enjoying the craziness of field trips, field days, awards nights, different graduations, and the list goes on and on!

I love the idea of my kids answering questions that explain their life. It’s always fun to hear their thoughts and get a glimpse into their fantastic little minds. And because this is a crazy time of year for all of us, I love how simple this idea is.

Keep reading to see what I created for the END OF SCHOOL WRAP UP!

Mother's day gift idea

A Mother’s Day Gift Idea …TO your children! (she: Veronica)

Happy April everyone!! It’s Veronica with you again today, and I’m so happy to be back sharing a fun Mother’s Day gift idea with you. Hopefully everyone is recovering from their Easter feasts. 🙂 With Easter over, it’s on to Mother’s Day! I wanted to do a post on Mother’s Day, but wanted to do something a bit different. (If you don’t have children of your own…KEEP READING! There’s something in this for you as well). 🙂 For me, Mother’s Day always brings a whole mixture of feelings and emotions. But, the thing I love most about Mother’s Day is the reminder that I get to be a mom to some of the greatest kids EVER!

This year, I wanted to do something to celebrate THEM on Mother’s Day. Because, let’s face it…without them, I wouldn’t be a mom! This Mother’s Day gift idea is a little different, but I think you’ll like it.

celebrating children
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Celebrating children on a “HOORAY” kind of day (she: Veronica)

Hello friends! I hope everyone had a happy Valentine’s Day! In my home, when Valentine’s Day hits, I know that chaos is about to follow. Four out of eleven of our birthdays are in March, so it’s time to get ready. Celebrating children includes one of my favorite birthday traditions, which is linked to one of my favorite items. My sister Mallorie instructed me that I was to hang my banner, and pull out my plate for all those “HOORAY” moments that take place in our lives. Given the number of kids in our home, we have those moments all the time. Birthdays are my favorite. It always goes up and most of the time it stays up for the next day or so, just because I love the reminder of what the word “HOORAY” stands for.

Creepy Halloween Meal Tradition With Printables! (she: Veronica)

Creepy Halloween Meal Tradition With Printables! (she: Veronica)

One of my favorite holiday traditions is our Creepy Halloween Meal. Most of the time I make it for dinner, but it works great for breakfast as well! Look at that menu! Who wouldn’t want to eat that?! mmmmm…yummy!

My goal has always been to do something fun, but it also needed to be something that my kids would actually eat. Nothing against an eyeball made out of a radish and a sliced olive, but personally, my kids wouldn’t touch it. 🙂 My other goal was to not spend $100 on a million different little items to create a fun meal. I would much rather put the money towards something my kids really need. So, I decided to just use one of their favorite meals and “creepify” it. And that’s how our Creepy Halloween Meal began.

family hug
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Sending a Family Hug to Loved Ones (she: Veronica)

Having nine children in our family is crazy fun. But, as those little buggers grow up, they leave us! SO RUDE! 🙂 We have two in college and one who just recently left for a two year mission for our church in Salt Lake City. So, even though we have 6 kiddos left, it’s feeling very empty. (I know…it sounds crazy, but it’s true).

I decided that it was time to start sharing some fun ideas on care packages. Everyone has someone they know who would love to get a fun little treat in the mail. With technology being so advanced, it doesn’t seem to happen as often as it use to. So today, I thought I’d share a fun idea I first saw here. But, with having so many kids, I thought I’d make a few changes. We decided to send our son Israel a family hug from home.

‘Sweet Treat Hunt”, Fun Way to Cheer Up Kids ~ Giveaway Too! (she: Veronica)
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‘Sweet Treat Hunt”, Fun Way to Cheer Up Kids ~ Giveaway Too! (she: Veronica)

Hello my friends!! Many of you are getting ready to start school, but here in Tennessee, school has been in session for two weeks. I know – CRAZY! So for us, the fun has begun. I think starting school is a mixed bag for most kids. It never seems to be the easiest transition for everyone. Some of my kids have not had the best beginning and have struggled for different reasons. Not everything has been school related. Some of it is just normal icky things that life throws your way. But a struggle is still a struggle. Needless to say, it’s been a tough couple of weeks. Watching them struggle has reminded me of the challenge of being a mom.

One of the hardest things about being a mom is knowing that we can’t fix EVERYTHING. We have to watch our kids face challenges, we see them struggle to make sense of things, we see their heartaches, and there’s only so much we can do. But, the key is that there ARE some things we can do.

Portrait Drawing Activity for Kids (she: Veronica)

Portrait Drawing Activity for Kids (she: Veronica)

We are nearing the end of summer here in Tennessee, so my kids have been especially antsy. On a big “I’m SO Bored I’m Going to DIE” day, I came up with a fun drawing activity for kids. I asked each of my kids to draw three different pictures.

1. A picture of me.

2. A picture of Dad and Mom.

3. A picture of our family.

And they quickly went to work. My house became very quiet. They all found their own spaces and disappeared. After a while they all started emerging to show off their creations. They took time to point out little details, like the braid I sometimes wear in my hair, the brown spot I have in my eye, and details about each family member.

Favorite Things Party for Kids! (she: Veronica)

Favorite Things Party for Kids! (she: Veronica)

If you have kids like mine, they are fresh out of school and already BORED. So, we thought it would be fun to throw a “Favorite Things” party…for KIDS! If you’ve never heard of a Favorite Things party, you are missing out!! They are my FAVORITE parties. Typically they are thrown for adults, but I thought it would be fun to do for kids. If you love it, maybe you’ll be brave enough to throw one for you and YOUR friends. I’m going to share the basic instructions for a “Favorite Things” party and you can adjust it for adults or kids.

What is a Favorite Things Party? In a nutshell, you and your guests bring some of their favorite things, you exchange gifts in a fun way, and everyone goes home with some new favorite things. YIPPEEE!

The Humble Chair ~ Building Kid’s Self-Esteem (she: Veronica)
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The Humble Chair ~ Building Kid’s Self-Esteem (she: Veronica)

Recently, we’ve had some kids struggle with a few different things. They haven’t been major things, but to THEM, they have felt HUGE. I’ve watched as these struggles have worn away at their self worth. I started looking at each of my children and realized that there are many things that tend to whittle away at their feelings of worth and value. So, I decided it was time to do “The Humble Chair”.

WHAT is the “Humble Chair”?

It’s a simple activity that allows you to focus on building someone up.