My Husband Rocks!

Those of you who know me on Facebook are already familiar with me bragging on my husband and then ending with "My husband rocks!". Yesterday, I blogged about a great company, Union28, that celebrates marriage and communicates this message positively in fun and stylish ways (also where I got that catch-phrase).

And my husband does rock! To be perfectly honest, I think he is a better husband than I am a wife. Here are just a few of the rockin' things he does for me and our kids.

He works very hard to support me and the children so that I can be a stay at home mom.

He is also blessed to work as his own boss, so he is able to determine his own work hours and he has made it a priority to be home at a decent time so that we are able to eat dinner together as a family virtually every evening, despite our rather busy schedule.

He is always thinking of me and trying to do things to make life easier for me. He does 99% of our grocery shopping, as well as most of our trips to Costco and Walmart - and he always asks me which of the kids I want him to take with him, so I can have a break while he's gone. He virtually never goes anywhere without taking one or all 4 kids with him.

He makes breakfast for the kids every Sunday morning so I don't have to get up earlier in order to get ready for church on time. He also makes breakfast for the kids on the Saturdays that he's home so that I can sleep in.

He reads Bible stories to the kids and prays with them every evening. If he has hockey in the evening, he usually makes sure to still do this before he leaves.

Before bed, he often takes the time to just chat with the kids, or tease them, or tell them made up stories (they love this!).

He takes the kids out for one on one dates.

If he's not going to come home for lunch on a workday, he phones me to see how my day is going.

He compliments me on my looks.... a lot!

He makes it a priority for us to go on dates regularly.

He initiates us reading devotions and praying together before bed.

My husband rocks!

Friday Favourites - Union 28!

I think it was my friend Pam who first introduced me to the company Union28 and inspired me to purchase one of their products.

Union28 represents strong marriage and the pursuit thereof. They convey a positive image of marriage in a fun and stylish way.

I love their products and have purchased several of their t-shirts myself.

Directly from their website....

One of the great and wonderful mysteries of life is that loving each other in action--what we do and say--produces romance. Everything in our culture today teaches the opposite, that romance turns into love, but nothing could be further from the truth. Love is a choice and we decide how we're going to treat each other in the good and in the not-so-good times. What a hope-giving reality that a strong, loving, thriving relationship can be built, simply by changing how we interact with our spouse.

Marriage was created to be a blessing and a little kindness, selflessness, and respect goes a long way. Accept the fact that your spouse isn't perfect and then start taking notice of all the good things they bring to the table! Pretty soon you can train your mind to be grateful for who they are as opposed to feeling disappointed about who they are not. When you allow yourself to believe that your spouse rocks, you will free yourself from the downward spiral and temptation of self-pity, disappointment, and even despair. The fact is, your spouse is probably a greater blessing than you allow yourself to realize...so lay down your expectations and praise your spouse for his/her attributes. After all, the key is to change yourself! And you'll be surprised at the positive affect it has on the one you choose to love...and you!

Our Mission: It is our mission to encourage marriages and to honor the sacred covenant between a husband and his wife by communicating a positive image of marriage in a fun and stylish way. Formerly implementing the name From*me Tees, we wanted our company name to better reflect our passion - seeing marriages grow and thrive.

In order to grow and thrive, a marriage needs to be strong to compensate for the imperfect husband and wife involved. We wanted our new name to represent this idea of strong marriage and to be a visual reminder and encouragement of just that! So we took three aspects of a strong marriage and thus created Union28!
Union: Marriage is a sacred Union - two becoming one.
(Union - the act of uniting or an instance of being united in marriage; the state of matrimony; marriage: The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one; agreement and conjunction of mind, spirit, will, affections, or the like; harmony; concord.)
A man and a woman leave their single life, give up attachments to anyone else, and bind themselves to each other; the two now become one flesh as they join in physical union and commit to be on each other's team for life - loving, honoring, respecting, forgiving.
2: Marriage is an exclusive relationship between 2 - a husband and his wife.
The intimacy shared in marriage is holy and private. A husband and wife commit to offering the best of themselves (their time, emotional energy, affections, etc) to each other, not allowing any other earthly relationship, thought, or thing to come between them.

8: ("forever") Marriage is marked by covenant and steadfastness.
The marriage covenant is a binding promise, made between a husband and wife, to stick together and to remain through the good times and the not-so-good times.

(Life can be hard. Sometimes marriage feels even harder! Our mission at Union28 is not to judge or condemn; we know strong marriages don't just "happen" and sometimes people suffer from broken promises. Rather, we are about cheering on marriage, because we think marriage is worth it.)

I have the first four shirts pictured on this blog (click on the pictures to go directly to that item on their site) and I love wearing them! I have gotten way more compliments on any of these shirts than I ever have on any of my other clothes put together. Strangers come up and talk to me about these shirts!

And they have more than just shirts (both fitted and non-fitted) - they have shorts, pants, dresses, hats, a bag and even underwear! They have products for husbands, wives, fiances, and children.

So, I'd like to encourage you to check out their website and consider supporting this company and their mission by purchasing something to share your thoughts on marriage and, in particular, your spouse!

What's your favourite item?

I think I'm going to get one of these next!

Summer Chore Charts

Here are the chore charts we used over the summer....





Not sure yet which one of these creative chore charts we're going to use next, but it should be fun! I think I'll do one for Jacob too - there were a couple really cute toddler ones in that list.

Chore Chart Bonanza!

I posted the other day about chores and allowance, and how we have decided not to link the two together. Anyway, I also promised to share with you some chore charts I found whilst scouring the internet.

So, time to deliver! I'm sure there are even more ideas out there, but surely this will be enough, just check it out....

In no particular order, I am posting pictures to various chore chart options, as well as links to the original blogs so you can see the instructions for putting it together yourself.

Simple chore cards by Wardeh








Kristi Lea has a very detailed post about her chore chart system which incorporates a dice game to decide which children do which chores. She also explains their reward system - some great ideas here!





As you can see, we are leaving simple behind us now. Kierste has two fabulous chore chart ideas. The one on the left is a dry erase chore chart and the one on the right is an adorable burlap chore chart.


Julie created this chore chart (aka anti-boredom device) for her five children using a cookie sheet and some magnets.











Katherine had a really cute idea, especially for moms with young kids.






MyLittleGems posted a great tutorial on how to make this crafty chore chart using a placemat, popsicle sticks, felt stars and paper clips.










Jennifer also had two great ideas - the one on the left is here and the tutorial for the one on the right is in two parts, here and here.


Pretty creative so far, right? Oh, we're just getting started baby!

For all y'all cowgirls out there, this one's for you and your Howdy Helpers!











Now these are some classy looking chore boards!







Another magnetic chore board - I'm not entirely sure how it's supposed to be organized, but it looks like a fun idea.






Monica made this beautiful chore chart, but it looks like they take up a lot of space, so if you have a lot of kids this probably is not the best option.










Melissa made this key chain chore system - simple and fun!












No tutorial for this one, you can buy it from Lil Luna on etsy, but it looks pretty easy to make. I'm assuming magnets again. Oh wait, I did a little more digging and found the tutorial after all - here it is!













Tiff's chore chart is colour coded by kid.










Amy created this cute framed magnetic rotating chore chart and has another post detailing their rewards points system and "home store".









Cami claims to have created the ultimate chore chart.












Amber's is similar to Cami's, but both of them would also take up a lot of space as you make one per child. Amber had another idea pictured on the right.




Michelle made a very creative, yet simple, chore chart with a clipboard, some scrapbooks supplies and clothespins.










Jolanthe has a chore chart for those that like lists!












Martha Stewart's magnetic job chart - not as impressed as I thought I'd be Martha.







If you're a little more ambitious, this is a really stylish and fun idea - if you're a diy handy-woman, this one's for you!









Liz made this cute wooden heart flip chore chart.








Erin made these dry erase chore charts - simple yet cute!












For you sewers out there, this chore ticket pocket system might be for you!









Mandy created a really cute chore chart for little kids with a Noah's ark theme.







Another magnetic chore chart idea.












Shabby Spot Boutique put a family spin on the chore chart - teamwork!








Jeanie created this chore chart - it uses a lot of velcro!








Jennifer uses a tag and folder system.








Paul and Ines created this random system - doesn't get much simpler than this!








There's also cool online chore charts like this one that you can do.

If you're looking for some age appropriate chores for your kids - here's a list I found that should help you out.

Another simple idea to involve the whole family is a Focused 15 (x4) minutes of cleaning "go time"!

Whew! That's it!!

I was going to include a picture of our girl's summer chore charts (just printed from a Word document), but something got really messed up with my file, so I may have to do that another day.

So, which one do you like the best?!

Lead Me

Fathers play an unbelievably huge role in the lives of their children and wives. God has commanded fathers to be the spiritual leaders in the home - to love their wives as Christ loved the church, to disciple their children as they grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord. I am very thankful for Nathan's servant leadership in our family - though he is not perfect, I know that is the desire of his heart.

I watched a video today of a beautiful song by Sanctus Real called "Lead Me" - if only more fathers today would be passionate about being led by Christ in order to lead their families.

Lead Me by Sanctus Real
I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Click here to see the story behind the song.