It’s summertime and time for vacations for many. I thought I’d share some helpful tips for traveling.

If it weren’t for having to pack a suitcase I think I’d look forward to vacations a whole lot more! I found some good tips to simplify what I pack and how to pack it. Check it out here.
Good ideas, huh?

How many times after you’ve loaded up the car and started on your way have you had the sinking feeling that you’ve left something behind? Here’s a checklist to help you remember the other items, aside from your clothes that you need to bring.

We dusted the house yesterday; enough grime has accumulated to write in it today.  We mopped the floor Saturday; today we have the Oregon trail down the hall.  We wiped the fingerprints off the windows and appliances after lunch; by bedtime it looks like a fog has descended.  It never ends, does it?  We can work and work to keep things clean at home.

Proverbs 23:5 says,  Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?  We try to grasp hold of things that are not lasting.  The verse goes on to say, that  riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Riches fly away.  A clean house is fleeting also.  Beautiful clothes wear out.  A thin body wastes away eventually.  A gorgeous home can be swept away in a moment.  All these things can be gone in a moment.  We need…

Okay, I feel old. I recently watched one of our “family videos.”  Yes. Video.  It was one of those that was taken long enough ago that everyone laughs at your hairstyle and clothing choices.  It was hilarious from a style standpoint, but thought-provoking from the reality standpoint.

I watched as these two fairly young parents (I was still in my 30’s) interacted with their daughters.  We were not on the streets of Disney World or on the deck of our cruise liner; we were in our own home doing very simple things, such as:

• Making glittered paper hearts
• Celebrating a birthday with homemade paper hats and homemade cake
• Listening to the rehearsed lines of a memorized poem that would be recited at a school competition the next day
• Curling the hair of the competitor so she would look pretty for the competition
• Making cookies on a snow day
• Giving homemade Valentine treats and handcrafted cards to…