"Be intentional as you raise your children. Treat them like a garden - planting, watering and weeding."
Sally Clarkson

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Lowes' Creative Ideas Magazine is full of fun and beautiful home decorating ideas!  It's a free subscription, or you can view their online content here.

We had 6 kiddos in the house this morning, all bustling with energy.  One of the 6 year olds came bounding up to me, saying "It's sunny outside, let's have a scavenger hunt!".  So I created a list for them, and they headed outside armed with binoculars and a pencil to check off items found.  I thought I'd share it with you, in case you wanted some ideas for creating your own simple scavenger hunt!

something to scoop with
something with bark
something that grows
something that sinks
something soft
something sticky
something hard
something that smells good
something animals eat
something that is loud
something red

My 4-year old came in a little while later, wanting to do her own scavenger hunt.  So I drew simple pictures of a leaf, a shovel, a flower, a rock and a bucket.  I wrote the words beside the pictures and we talked about what each picture represented.  Then off she went on her little hunt.

Such fun!

If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again, by Diane Loomans

"If I had my child to raise over again, I'd fingerpaint more and point the finger less. I'd do less correcting and more connecting. I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes. I would care to know less and know to care more. I'd take more hikes and fly more kites. I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play. I'd run through more fields and gaze at more stars. I'd do more hugging and less tugging. I would be firm less often, and affirm much more. I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later. I'd teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love."

- Diane Loomans