anointedheels: family

5 things to keep in mind before the Black Panther premiere

By Lyne A 10:46:00 PM family, fun

Of all the present you can give..Be Present!

By Lyne A 10:12:00 PM Christmas, family, holidays

4 Ways to Save Money on your Family Vacation

By Lyne A 3:30:00 AM family, smart money, smartmoney, tmom, travel, traveling mom, vacation, vacation tips

Yay, you! You did it!
You manage to save enough money, set aside time to take your family on vacation.

Vacation shouldn't be a once in a blue moon thing, and it shouldn't cost you half year wage. There are ways you can stretch your dollars and still have a fun time with your family.

1.Road trip instead of flying

I can't believe I'm saying this! I used to loathe road trips! Being in the car for long period of time felt like punishment. If your family is four or more, you'll find that driving to your destination can considerably reduce your traveling cost.

I have a 12 hour limit on a road trip but on my last one, I did 17. The trick is to include the driving as part of the trip. For example, we made a fun game called state hop. Each state line we cross we stop take a picture with their welcome sign and eat something native to that state. The kids collect facts about the state, take pictures. It a blast! Because we're taking fun breaks the length of the trip is barely noticeable.

1. Cut down on eating out.

The most expensive part of vacation is the food. Especially for a family of four or more, even if you could score the cheapest food it will still be expensive, doing it three times a day multiply that by four or more people it adds up quickly.

When we go on vacation, you have to eat out. You just have to but one thing you can do is try to eliminate some meals throughout the day. During our DC trip, we did eat at a fancy restaurant, everybody was talking about Miss Shirley's so we went there and it didn't disappoint. Something to mark the trip but right after I was at Aldi, picking groceries for the rest of the week.

Not only I got to save money, I was also able to keep my family on our healthy eating track by picking out fresh fruits and vegetable at the grocery store. We couldn't keep eating Monkey bread, that chocolate sauce was delicious but I'm guessing not so nice on the hip!

When visiting a new place I believe you should taste their food. And when on vacation I also believe you should have at least one fancy dinner to remember.

When we went to Disney the first time, I made plans for a character dinner and cook in my room the rest of the time. My kids still talk about that night!

3. Pick hotel that serves at least one meal

That will help with number one!
You can't beat free! or free with purchase LOL.

We stayed at the Homewood Suites in Maryland, they serve a full on deck hot breakfast with a variety of fruits and yogurts. We were there for a whole week and didn't get bored with the food.

On top of that, they served an afternoon collation which can be enough for dinner if you had a big lunch.

4. Pick a hotel suite with kitchenette and fridge

Our Homewood Suites had two stove tops and a full-size fridge. I hit the nearest Aldi and we barely spend anything on Food. We went to a place that was recommended by the locals once, just because.

As much as I am against doing work on vacation, I'll advocate for this. I didn't dread making lunch not one bit. It was actually kinda fun.
I had a full fridge and two stove tops, I make tacos, spaghetti, one night we had crab cakes. My kids loved the crab cake we had at Miss Shirley's so much, I picked up some frozen ones at Aldi. I don't think they could tell the difference.

Enjoy the journey on the way to your promise and dreams.

By Lyne A 2:54:00 PM Faith, family, inspiration, Lifestyle, self care

3 ways to be more creative as a single mom

By Lyne A 3:28:00 PM family, Lifestyle, motherhood, single mom

First of all I'd like to say thank you for each and everyone of you who filled out the reader survey, I appreciate so very much. If you haven't done so already you still can!

One of the most popular comments I got from the survey was:

"Being more creative as a single mom."

There are so many ways you can be creative as a single mom... You can be creative with your money, food, fashion, kids activities etc.

I want to start with just a few ideas, but I will be back on the subject with more. If it was you who ask about the subject on the survey, please leave me a comment or shoot me an email, let me know exactly what you would like to see.

Again thank you!

One thing I learn since I became a single mom is to embrace the season, make the most of it, and live life to the fullest.

There is a grace for every season on life, no matter how difficult the season may appear to be. If you look closely you will find some beauty in it.

For instance, there are some things I am able to do with my kids now I probably wouldn't have done when I was married. Bloom where you're planted, create a beautiful life for yourself and your kids no matter where you are in life and no matter your relationship status.

Get creative with your kids activities

My kids always talk about going camping, I've never been camping and I don't intend to go camping with them anytime soon... for so many reason! I came up with an idea to camp at home, and they love it. We basically hang out on the patio as late as possible then sleep in the living room. We cook thing on a stick, make s'mores, tell stories and sleep on the floor.

This is one of their favorites things to do, in the summer we camp downstairs for almost a week.

As a single mom, I can do stuff like that. There's no husband waiting for me upstairs so I can sleep with my kids in my living room as much as I want and they love it.

It's a great time of bonding for us, I get to infuse all my love into them. They are more open to talk, and share. I can use this time to do some serious mothering still in a very fun and memorable way.

Best yet, this "camping" trip didn't cost any money.

Be spontaneous! Break the rules once in a while

I have a strict rule about eating out, we have an eating out budget and we stick to it. I won't even buy a drink on a whim, my kids are train to leave the house with snacks and bottle water in their little bags and so do I. As a single mom, you have to have these rules... (unless you're loaded and don't have to worry about your spending)

Last week, I took my girls to the office with me afterwards, instead of going home, we stopped by Publix grabbed a couple subs and drink, and we head to the beach.

It wasn't planned, and it was a HUGE deal to my girls. I spend less than twenty bucks but it was something out of the ordinary. We ate at the beach then swim for the rest of the day.

My kids were so excited and happy, you would have thought I took them to Paris on a private jet. Unplanned fun are usually the best fun! Break the rules, do something out of the ordinary.

Cook something you could only order in a restaurant

My girls and I made sushi last Sunday, I shared about it here on the blog you can check it out. I bought a sushi kit on amazon a while back and out of the blue we decided to put it to good use. I didn't plan on making sushi that day, I only use item I already had and wing it, it was pretty bare but we had a blast and it was delicious! Since then we've made it twice and I think it might be becoming one of our staples.

Sushi is not the only out of the box meal you could make... You can cook Hotdogs on a stick, make pizza... Anything you wouldn't normally do, the kids will get a kick out of it.

What other creative ideas do you for single mom? or mom in general?

Chime in the comments!

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4 ways to encourage your kids to read more this summer

By Lyne A 7:00:00 AM family, kids, Lifestyle, reading, summer

1. Show them the money

I started a fun little game with my kids this summer. For every book they read and write a report/summary of, they get $2. My kids don't get a lot of opportunities to earn money because I don't pay for chores or anything done around the house, I don't give allowance either.

Since I am teaching them finances also this summer, it would work better if they were earning real money.

This trick kills two birds. I get them to read and I teach them the principle of earning and spending. The value of a dollar, banking transactions, and whatnots!

After I paid my oldest a ten dollar check for the 5 books she read, I took her to the bank where she went through the process of depositing her money. Then we went to the dollar tree for some craft items... Usually going to the dollar is filled with mommy can I have this or that? it's only a dollar!

But when homegirl was the one swiping her very own debit card, she was real careful to pick only the things she really needed because she knew she only had $10 and didn't want the account to go to zero.

This is one of my favorites! win-win!

2.Get them books related to a story they already know

My kids are really excited about the new Disney Descendant movie coming out, I got them the Isle of the Lost series. They are really enjoying finding all deets before the movie comes out.

They feel super special, knowing things ahead of times.

They did the same for the Diary of a wimpy kid the long Haul movie.

3.Ask them to read something out loud for you because you're busy

I started this whole thing because one of my kids is just not a fan of reading, she won't be devouring a book cover to cover like her sister. I make sure she gets some reading done first thing in the morning.

Every morning I have her read my devotional to me. I tell her my eyes haven't adjusted yet, or I'm running outta time. Always works!
It makes them feel important and needed. my little one loves to help!

I get her to read recipes out loud, read things to me while I'm driving. As long as she feels like she helping she doesn't mind.

4.Keep books in the car and encourage them to read when waiting

I keep a stack of books in the car, while I'm driving instead of playing games on my phone I encourage them to read a book.

We even have a game, if they ask to play on my phone they gotta read a page if they say I'm bored they gotta read.

And better yet it's a perfect time to finish a book to collect their money!

How are you encouraging your kids to read this summer?

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PureFlix Summer Family Movie Nights

By Lyne A 7:10:00 AM family, kids, Lifestyle, summer, Summer break

Camp at Home: Fun un-school activities for kids to do in the Summer

By Lyne A 10:00:00 PM easy cheap fun, family, Family fun, fun activity, kids, summer, Summer break

Marriage and Divorce - The fight we keep losing

By Lyne A 7:30:00 AM divorce, family, Lifestyle, motherhood, single mom

DC Trip - A Tour Of The Capitol

By Lyne A 12:47:00 PM family, Lifestyle, summer, Summer break, summer vacation, tmom, travel, traveling mom

DC is like a 3D/4D history book. Everything you ever learned is right there and alive.

I have to admit, I already want to come back when the weather is cooler to enjoy even more sightseeing and learning, cause right now is it Hotter than hell.

Regardless... we had a blast! Good things we came with friends madeWe walked miles up and down Pensylvania Ave until we made it to the actual tour.

I'm a library nerd, I love libraries, I go to libraries for fun. You know I was fangirling at the mother of all libraries. So much so we almost got run over by a herd of blue suits, until later we passed them we realized it was the house speaker Paul Ryan and his secret service.
We had so much fun speculating why they were in such a rush... LOL yeah we watch too much Spy movies.

We got to hang out wiAuntietie Rosa Parks at the Capitol no biggie.

So much history here... Of course I can't help feeling a little sad at how thin the black history collection is, but we did learn a fun little tidbit abt this statue that did warm the heart. This Rosa Parks monument is placed in the exact spot where Robert E Lee used to be and her chin is tilted in the direction of Jefferson Davis with major Side Eye face.

Made my day LOL

If you didn't know why this little tidbit is significant, here a history recap for you: Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States and Robert Edward Lee was an American general known for commanding the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War.

This is the shot my kids were trying to do LOL and they couldn't figure it out. I kept telling them to back off but they want to be all up in the camera LOL

We did museums and buildings until we couldn't feel our feet and head back.
In hindsight I probably should have done a paid tour, considering how hot it is. What is your summer looking like?

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5 things to keep in mind before the Black Panther premiere

Of all the present you can give..Be Present!