The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

February 21, 2012

{giving} Read a Book, Give a Book

My kids love to read. LOVE. And while we have a pretty nice selection at home, they really like to discover books for the first time. Thank goodness for the library and this great website: We Give Books!

Here is how the website works: “We Give Books is a free website that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don’t have them, simply by reading online. Simply choose the charity you want to read for and then select the books you want to read. For each book you read online, we donate a book to a leading literacy group on your behalf. The more you read, the more we give.”

I love that while my children are reading, we are helping others to read as well. So Mammas, get started! Here are a few we are hoping to read this week:

February 20, 2012

{family} A Snowy Day

We’ve had quite the mild winter this year. Temps in the 60s in February? So strange. But yesterday, my boys’ wishes finally came true: a snow day! They were so excited to play outside. Activities included making a snowman and an impressive fortress for a snow battle with Daddy. I loved their pink cheeks and pure joy. This Mamma’s heart was full.

February 15, 2012

{i want to remember} – 2/15/12

Sometimes life gets so busy that I forget to notice and appreciate the little things. Here are some of the things I am loving this week:

I WANT TO REMEMBER… our silly dance parties in the living room. We put Pandora on and at the boys’ request, spread blankets on the floor for “stages”.

I WANT TO REMEMBER… how wonderful it is to have only one in diapers! Less than one week and D is fully potty trained! Although he’s definitely a late bloomer in this area, I learned my lesson with M and waited until he was ready. And gosh, is he adorable with his new Super Hero underwear!

I WANT TO REMEMBER… J’s new word: “UH OH”. Quite appropriate since he is into everything lately! His new trick is climbing onto the kitchen table. He may be my hardest yet!

I WANT TO REMEMBER… our date nights lately that consist of watching episodes of Burn Notice on Netflix. As usual, we are seasons behind, but it makes for great marathon watching! Our favorite way to unwind together after a long day.

February 14, 2012

{recording life} My Take on Project Life

If you’ve read my blog from the beginning, you know that I am a big fan of Project Life. 2012 marks my third year using this “scrapbook system” and like anything, it has changed and molded to fit our life. Want a peek?

When I first started PL in 2010, I did a 365/Picture a Day approach. In 2011, I found that that method didn’t work for us anymore. Some days I took tons of photos, some days the camera stayed on the counter. So I moved to a weekly approach and so far, it’s working wonderfully!

I’m sure you’re confused, so here’s an example:

These two page protectors represent one week in our lives (last week). In theory, you can consider each 4×6 opening one day (Sun-Mon) and the smaller pockets places for journaling. For my weekly approach, I simply see them as a place to put pictures and pieces of our life for this week.

Here is a close up of the left side. I took lots of pictures this week, so I cut a few down to fit the smaller pockets. I also included the wrapper from these cool flavoring straws that my aunt sent the boys. They were a BIG hit, so I wanted to add it in.

Right side. All of the photos on this page were taken the same day. Also included is a cute drawing made by D and Garfield taken from a coloring page M did this week. Lots of journaling about our week too.

The reason I love this type of “scrapbooking” is because I am quite sentimental about paper things. I keep letters, birthday cards, and don’t get me started on the kids’ artwork! With Project Life, I can keep the most important items and have peace about throwing the rest away. Here’s an example:

This week, M sketched out a figure on construction paper and wanted to know how to spell ninja. I loved his little handwriting so into the PL binder it went. I keep a bunch of 8×11″ page protectors (the kind you can get at the office supply store or the paper aisle at Target) onhand for this.

Another fun idea is one that I learned from Jenny (the same Jenny from the Life List series!). She writes weekly notes to her kids and includes them in her album. I don’t do this every week, but I am always grateful when I do. I just punched holes right into the card. (I got the coffee card in Target’s Dollar section!)

So that’s my intro to Project Life, the Big White Farmhouse way. A fun and easy way to hold your pictures and your family’s memories. The great thing about PL is that it can be anything you want it to be. Don’t have enough “stuff” for a week? Do a monthly approach! It’s totally up to you.

Here are a few links to get you started if you’re interested: