This morning, I was planning on getting up about 6:15 and about 2 minutes before then I heard Asa yelling for me upstairs. He usually calls my husband in the morning, so this was unusual (and early!). I ran upstairs and he said, “I threw up!” Sure enough, his bed and pajamas were covered in it!

I cleaned him up, changed his sheets while he sat in his little chair next to the bed. When I was finished he crawled back into the bed and went to sleep. It’s been an hour and he’s still there. So, I’m not sure if I should be concerned or happy!

After I thoroughly washed my hands I had a few minutes to read my Bible and catch up on Praying the Scriptures for Your Children. I’ve been reading a chapter every day and sharing snippets of the book and the prayers on our Facebook page. It’s a fabulous book and I love the author’s insight on why we pray certain Scriptures or prayers for our kids.

Praying those scriptures today seemed Providential as we started We Choose Virtues program three weeks ago and the first virtue we studied was diligence! And this week is perseverance! They flow right into the conversations we’ve been having (and have had) about self-control. I can even see the dots connecting in Lydia’s heart and mind. Almost as if she’s realizing–”hey, self-control is a big deal, this is something God wants from me!”

I told you I’d give you a full review of We Choose Virtues after I did it a few weeks and here it is: I am loving We Choose Virtues so far. We use it as “morning devotion” on our school days, but I think it would be a perfect round-the-dinner table devotion or even as a bedtime devotion.  Basically, you get these big cards with the virtue displayed (in the form of “I am…”, not “I need/should be…”) and a quotable definition coupled with a sentence of antonyms (“I am NOT…”), some smaller flashcards, posters and a sticker chart.

Then we read the front once or twice when and then I hung it up on our bulletin board (isn’t it lovely? I got that purple pocket thingy at Target for $1!). We read it a few more times that day–nothing big, just whenever I’d remember it. Then we took the little flashcard version downstairs and put it on our giant clothespin (this was a gift from church!) so we could say it during dinner to Daddy.

By the third day, Asa could say every bit of the virtue’s declaration! And we had really used it several times during the week–naturally used it! For example, I had the kids dust the dining room before my parents came over for dinner and I’ll even admit, it’s a tough job. So, Asa walked into where I was and said, “Mommy, I don’t want to dust the dining room anymore!” I said, “What does it mean to be diligent?” He replied, “I am diligent. I start fast, work hard and finish strong. I am not slow to get started or lazy and I don’t finish early.” I said, “Do you want to be diligent?” And he went back to dusting!

SCORE!

So far, three weeks in, I totally recommend We Choose Virtues. Honestly, it’s been good for me, too. It makes me evaluate my attitudes and actions. Am I really being an example of diligence? Perseverance? Am I really showing these virtues to my kids? The system is so easy to use–it can be a 5 minute activity or a 30 minute lesson. They even have a free memory verse and Bible story addendum, too!

I bought the We Choose Virtues homeschool kit ($98) which includes some posters, the big teaching cards (called the Parent Cards), the small flashcards, a rules chart (which the kids actually really like) and a sticker chart, plus some free downloads (like the fabulous teacher’s handbook).

If you want to do it just as a family devotion-type thing, you could get the Family Kit ($69) which has the big teaching cards and a couple of posters. Or just buy the main Parent Cards ($34) individually and the Teacher/Parent Handbook ($4).

Ooh! This month We Choose Virtues is giving 20% off the Parenting cards with code: CARDS20 or take 15% off your whole card with code VIRTUE15!

This is not a sponsored post. I bought WCV on my own and loved it so much I decided to become an affiliate. Affiliate links are included.

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***

Today we ate lunch on the floor. When I said, “Why don’t we eat on the rug today?”, the kids were squealing with delight. I didn’t offer this because I was trying to be a super fun mom. I did it because the kitchen table was littered with craft supplies. I just didn’t want to clean it up before we ate!

As we lay on the floor talking, the kids asked about Fifi and Fluffy. Fifi and Fluffy are a fictitious dog and cat I made up when my daughter was potty training. In order to keep her sitting on the potty, I’d tell her stories about Fifi and Fluffy. Basically, the animal duo would just do what my daughter had done that day, but told from their perspective, she thought it was riveting! (And in turn, stayed on the potty!)

Today, I told the kids a story about how Fifi and Fluffy built a clubhouse and had a picnic inside it (my kids have a fascination with clubhouses). After my story, my son told one about two frogs. Then my daughter told one about her cousins. There weren’t the most interesting stories, but it was so fun watching them show off their story-telling skills in front of each other.

Now, I don’t know for sure, but I think when they have their own kids, they are going to be telling Fifi and Fluffy stories. It’s just one of those things that our family does. We tell stories. About made up dog and cat best friends.

{Read my full post at Family Your Way…there are some FABULOUS ideas for fun family times and traditions! I’d love for you to add yours.}

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***

Rock City is a giant…I don’t know, rock park! You get to walk through a lush garden with mountains all around you.

We went to the top of Lover’s Leap,

and even looked out to see 7 states at once!

{See what fun things I could talk about if I was a tour guide?!}

Back at Rock City, they were celebrating their 80th birthday and hosting a Southern Flower Festival. One special activity was to make recyclable newspaper flower pots! The kids made one and I thought I’d share it with you, too.

All you need is a strip of newspaper and the bottom of an old water bottle.

Wrap the newspaper tightly around the bottle.

Then tape to keep in place. (Or a sticker, whatever!)

Slide out the bottle.

Fold down one opening to make the bottom of your planter.

Turn over, fill with dirt, plant a seed or two!

(They watered it with a water bottle so it wouldn’t soak the paper!)

Isn’t that fun? I love visiting attractions during special events because there is always extra fun to be had! And I love mini-vacations because they are just as fun as big ones–but you’re not as tired! We had such a fun time being together–lots of laughs, good conversation and memories made.

When was the last time you took a mini vacation?

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***