Benefits, Bonding, and Behavior

The VanEvera Family July 15 - 22

This week was a low-key stay at home fun family week! With our eat in challenge still in place (12 days in) , we cooked our dinner meal together and went outside or had Wii tournaments inside. It has been lots of fun plus as a family we have lost a total of 10 pounds since we began our challenge!!  What a great benefit of eating in :) We try to eat healthy every night but I will confess sometimes we eat hot dogs :) or pasta :) but for the most part stick to a healthy meat, a fruit, and a veggie, and sometimes a carb. This has really been great for the kids to not have an unhealthy or fried or cheesy dish from a restaurant.

I am so proud of the girls for not whining and asking to go out and eat. I think they realize when we eat at home, we have more time to play and they LOVE it. Ian at two years old is getting pretty good at a few of the games we play and he is also learning to pedal his bike. We put the training wheels back on the girls' bikes so that they can enjoy riding them down the block or around the park. I could really get used our nightly family walk/bike rides. I will admit we didn't go every night because it has been really hot, even late in the evenings on those nights we had our inside dance contests or tag. With all of our family bonding I have also noticed a nice balance in the kids behavior.

They are kids and still have their moments where they fuss and fight and choose to disobey but overall they have all three been listening, obeying, and getting along better! I don't know if it is because we have been eating better, getting out and being active more, a combo, or just something weird going on in the air but I could really get used to it. It has been really nice to see the kids getting along fairly well and enjoying playing with each other, even though they still fight but it is not nearly as much as it was in weeks past.

The girls got the chance to sing with their church choir for a group of ladies known as The Roses Among the Thorns. It is a group of women who have, or had or are close to a woman with cancer. It was such a treat for them but for my girls as well. The theme was a tea party, which A and A love and it was no boys allowed! It was really sweet of them to be invited and not only did it bless the ladies in the group but mommy and the girls as well. They love to perform and make people smile. They now want to know when they can sing with Pawpaw and his group.

This week Paul and I will be celebrating 11 years of marriage, as well as getting together with old friends for some good food and catching up. I can't wait!