The January Jane is back for your free Fourth of July desktop download!
I think I’ll request a printed anchor for the boys room out of this. Good grief! So good! Hope you all enjoy the free download for your desktop, phone, or tech devices!
Instructions to download: Simply click the link of the wallpaper of choice to open image in a new window. Download to your desktop, and upload as a wallpaper for your device. To download to your phone, visit link, click on the three dots in upper right hand corner and “share.” This will allow you to SAVE IMAGE. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below!
In case you missed the rest of this week’s 4th of July fun:
There are a million and two products available for mothers these days, and I can get so easily overwhelmed by it all. I had to learn to slowly do my own research, ask my sisters or friends for recommendations, and just test things out on my own to find what is best for my family. That’s why I occasionally like to share what is working for us, in hopes it can help some of you also in the “overwhelmed” department!
Rocco has had the most sensitive skin of all of my babies, and I tried at least 5 different brands throughout the year to find one he wouldn’t react to. I settled on one that he didn’t break out with, but was not too happy knowing the materials could contain harmful products. I had used Seventh Generation for cleaning products already, but hadn’t heard of their diapers until more recently. We have had such a good experience with them, and I am eager to talk about them with friends and family now. We have been slowly converting over to chemical free items in home products, sunscreen and beauty, laundry care, etc. so I was so relieved to find disposable diapers that contained no fragrances, petroleum-based lotions, or chlorine processing.
It’s also important to me that they don’t leak easily. These Free & Clear diapers have been working overnight with Rocco as they combine high absorbency with a comfy fit around the legs. I wish we would have discovered these sooner!
As I have researched about what ingredients and products can be harmful to my little ones, it has made me want to go through everything that touches their skin and read the labels more carefully. So much can be absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream, and it only made sense to check my diapers and wipes! I hadn’t really considered it until recent years as these studies of safe ingredients have come to the front lines. My one complaint? I can never smell when Rocco has dirtied his diaper;) These diapers are odor eaters!
I have also switched our wipes over to the Seventh Generation Free & Clear wipes. They are thick, durable, and generously-sized, but are also hypoallergenic, free of fragrances, dyes, parabens, and phthalates.
I’m still in the learning phase of finding what products fit best in our family, but so happy to have at least the diaper and wipes department figured out! Have you all tried these before?
Gabe is sharing the easy way to make one of our favorite lawn games that you can bust out for the Fourth of July or all summer long!
Pole-ish Horseshoes (also known as Beers-bee) is the easiest lawn game to make and most inexpensive. You will find many different variations of the rules as well as PVC height and thickness. What I’ll be sharing with you is not anything official, simply the Liesemeyer house rules that my family and friends have used for years.
DIY Pole-ish Horseshoe Yard Game
Construction materials:
2 lengths of 10 ft PVC pipe (thickness should be no thinner than “Schedule 40”) with a 11/2 in. width. I prefer to use a 11/2 width pipe as it has more “play”, or give, in the pole while playing the game. Others prefer to go with the stiffer pole offered by using a 2in wide PVC.
2 – 36in dowel rods with a width of 3/4in or 1in (A 48in dowel will work as well.)
Electrical or duct tape
Saw (a cheap hacksaw works great) (Total cost will be between $15 and $20 for the materials above, and takes 5 min to make.)
175g frisbee
Glass bottles
To construct:
Cut both lengths of PVC to a height of roughly 6 feet. (We prefer our poles at 6’3”).
Next, make an angled cut that starts at the bottom of your PVC and ends roughly 11/2in above the bottom. (See picture for example.) Do this for both PVC pipes.
Wrap a thin piece of electrical tape or duct tape 11/2ft from the bottom of your pipe.
Sharpen the one end of both your dowel rods. (This does not need to be a fine point, but just enough to help you get it in the ground.)
Place some some duct tape on the top of each pole. (This helps the bottles rest properly on top of your PVC)
Set up:
Using a mallet drive one dowel rod firmly into the ground, and slide one PVC pole over it. Give the PVC a couple taps with your mallet to drive it slightly into the ground. (Some will drive the PVC directly into the ground without a stake inside. Using a stake helps to prevent the need for in game pole adjustment, helps to ensure that poles stay upright during play, and minimizes yard damage.)
Set up your second staked pole roughly 30ft from your first. (Some place them as much as 40ft. apart)
Place a glass bottle on top of each pole.
To play: Pole-ish Horseshoes is a game that requires two 2 person teams. One team stands together at one pole, with their opponents standing together at the opposite pole. The object of the game is to score 21 points before your opponent. The game is played by standing next to (or behind) your pole and throwing the frisbee at your opponents’ pole/bottle in an attempt knock the bottle to the ground. Your opponent’s goal while on defence is to prevent both the bottle and frisbee from hitting the ground without blocking the pole or interfering/catching the frisbee in front of the pole. If interference is called, 3 points will be awarded to the throwing team. If the bottle falls as a result of a frisbee throw and is not caught by a defender before hitting the ground, the throwing team is awarded 3 points. If the frisbee hits the ground after striking the bottle or the pole, or from a defender failing to catch a catchable throw, the throwing team is awarded 1 point. (A word of advice, establish what a “catchable” throw is with all players before playing.) If the frisbee is thrown and strikes the pole below the tape line, the throw is considered a miss and no points are awarded, even if the bottle and (or) frisbee hit the ground.
After your team throws, the opposing team will throw, giving your team the role of defending your pole. Be sure to follow the same order of throwers, for example: you, your opponent, your partner, your opponent’s partner, repeat. Last but not least, Liesemeyer House Rules stipulate that you must have a beverage in one hand at all times (said beverage does not need to be alcoholic). The reason for this is it adds an extra layer of fun as it requires all people to play one handed. In addition, the spillage of any beverage during play (even a small splash out of the container) results in a penalty of two points being awarded to the other team.
We hope you get a chance to give this a try and enjoy this holiday!
In college I never turned down a good theme party, so you can imagine how I welcome the chance to get festive for the 4th with open arms. It’s the easiest way to salute the flag loud and proud! These are 3 casual looks to celebrate Independence Day, that you can repeat throughout the summer. I’m all about versatility and building a smarter closet:)
Considering lawn games, fireworks, and cookouts are usually in the line up, casual ideas just make more sense. I can’t get over how extremely soft this dress is (non maternity but works for both!), and in the Atlanta heat, the only thing I want to wear these days are cotton dresses or expandable waistlines.
Do you get festive from for the fourth? It might take minor restraint for me not to dress up my little ones like the star spangled banner. Hold me back!
Fourth of July Iced Tea Floats….Exclamation point, exclamation point.
I use this punctuation sparingly, but almost always when involving really good food. 😉
These were accidentally discovered this week when Gabe and I were discussing good 4th of July drink/dessert options. He had just made a batch of his hibiscus iced tea that I demanded he make for his pregnant wife 😉 and I was about to dive into my 5th popsicle of the day. It just made sense to make it the ice cube and sweeten it with a good dollop of ice cream. Below is the full recipe.
I am all about a good throw down for friends and family’s birthdays, but would usually rather avoid my own. We could probably go into that topic for a good minute, but we’ll skip. 😉 However this year, I decided it was time to just get over it, and really CELEBRATE! To celebrate the many milestones this year has brought, the life lessons I have learned, and every single day I was given to LIVE.
So I put on that yellow number, and after a really good day with my children, Gabe surprised me with a backyard hammock (eek!) and an evening out doing some of our favorite things. He’s a good egg. My best birthday gift though? A handmade card from my son Gabriel which said, “My favorite thing about my mom is that she likes to spend time with me.” Well…..heart puddle. A whole year of pouring yourself out for these little ones, and it all comes together in just one line.
Looking forward to the year ahead with much hope that there to what will be lived and learned.
I make goals on my birthday every year June 22nd. It’s a good half way mark on the calendar that usually has me itching for change in one way or another. This year my goal didn’t come to mind till yesterday.
For so long I have waited for time to show up for me.
Waiting for the chance to read a book from cover to cover in less than a year.
Waiting to print those pictures from three years ago.
Waiting for just the right mix of circumstances to take that trip to Spain.
Waiting for the day I can spend an uninterrupted week with my children without having to worry about my inbox.
Waiting to have that extra ten minutes to pray.
Waiting for more time to be a better friend and make that phone call I know might take an hour.
Waiting to make that visit to the relative who lives many states away.
Why do we believe when time is scarce, that suddenly it will show up for us and be sitting on our laps? For the first time yesterday, I was reading my daily devotional in the morning and got struck hard with one single line.
“Learn to master time, or it will be your master.”
There it was. My birthday resolution. Suddenly I was writing down so many ways in which I waste time, am a slave to time, and what I allow to eat up my time. I want to back the reigns and choose where I plant my time this year. If anything, I have learned as my babies grow before my eyes that it surely won’t be slowing down any time soon. It will continue to steal the most important moments of my life and the greatest opportunities if I don’t take the lead. I think God is the giver of time and the one who holds the past, present, and future. He gives us the potential of time to our own hands if I so choose it.
This summer, Max has eagerly woken me up every morning to announce the sun is up, and it is morning time. It’s an immediate invitation to welcome the day instead of my natural inclination to pull over the covers and ask for more sleep. I am so thankful for these little light bearers that continually invite me to be more selfless and more focused with my life, so that I can in turn do the same for them. I’m looking forward to this year more than ever before. So much life to live!
*Signed Veronica up for her first ballet camp, and she has been wearing her little tutu every morning in preparation. Gabe took this picture of her and I this morning:)
