University Themed DIY Cornhole Game

This is a sponsored post by Homeright. All opinions are 100% my own.

This past year has been filled with a lot of excitement for our family. Our oldest son spent the year looking for and applying to universities and after a few visits and lots of prayers, he decided that Baylor University in Waco, Texas felt like home to him. After our visit to the Baylor campus, we did what any Fixer Upper fan would do and we hit the Magnolia Market and Silos {in case you want to go, here are 5 things you need to know before your Magnolia Market visit} and while the store was filled with eye candy, we ended up having the most fun, just hanging out playing cornhole on the lawn. 

I happened to mention to Aidan that if he decided to go to Baylor, I would make him a cornhole game for his graduation party, since cornhole seems to have not hit it's popularity out in our parts of the world just yet.

So a few weeks before his party, my husband and I got started on making a DIY cornhole game board for his graduation party complete with university logo and handmade university colored bean bags. I've got a few tips for you if you want to make your own cornhole game as well.

There are a lot of building plans for a cornhole game. My husband used these plans to create ours and I think they turned out great. He's a pretty handy guy, and it took him around three hours, start to finish to create the boards.

After the boards were complete, he removed the legs and I set up my Homeright Spray Shelter. In typical Pacific Northwest form, we had rain for days and while I could have painted them outside, I find that having this spray shelter is beyond helpful for all of my DIY needs because lets be honest, I can't rely on the weather when I have a project to complete. I have been caught in the rain and struggling to get a project that's drying out of the elements before it's ruined all of my hard work more times than I would like to count, so this spray shelter is almost always a lifesaver.

It sets up in minutes and all you have to do is throw a tarp on the floor to protect your work surface.

I started by spraying a light coat of green spray paint on the board. I needed two coats, so I let them dry between coats.

While they were drying, I went inside and worked on creating the logo on my Silhouette machine. I used gold foil vinyl and cut out the image.

When the boards were dry, I simply peeled the vinyl off the paper backing and added it to the cornhole game. If you want to learn how to use adhesive vinyl like a pro, you can check out this tutorial. The next time I make one of these games, I would actually paint a sealer underneath the area where my logo will go before I place the vinyl and then on top of it as well.  Vinyl likes to have a surface to stick to and it doesn't always stick well to wood.

I also used fabric in the school colors to create 6x6 bean bags filled with 1 pound of seed corn {I had the corn left over from this project}. The first few bean bags I made actually broke after throwing them only a few times. I went back and created new bean bags, this time I used a heavier fabric and I not only sewed the seams closed, I also used a zig zag stitch AND I used my serger. Probably over kill, but I wanted to make sure these would hold up for his party.

We actually didn't really know the official cornhole rules. Like I said, this game hasn't really made it's way out to our coast just yet, though I see it played at lots of tailgating parties and friends backyard BBQ's in the Midwest.  We had to google the rules to find out how to play cornhole.

Your boxes should be 27 feet from each other and each team gets 4 bean bags. You can play with 2 or 4 people.

Instead of trying to explain the rules, I thought I would copy and paste the official rules from CornHole How To.

SCORING AND WINNING:

Scoring is simple. After all bags have been thrown, a bag remaining on the board is worth 1 point. A bag that went in the hole is worth 3 points. Add up how many points you earned and compare them to your opponents. Equal points cancel each other out so that only one team can score per round. For example, if you scored 5 points and your opponent scored 3, you will add 2 points to your overall score and your team will throw first in the next round. If you scored 6 points and your opponent scored 6 as well, there will be no points awarded and whoever threw first in the last round will throw first again. A game is won when a team reaches 21 points with a lead of 2 or more points. The first team to win 2 games wins the match.

Of course, you can play with your own rules. For example, some play with the rule that you must reach 21 exactly. If you go over in points, your score is automatically reduced to 11 and play continues. Another variation is to count every point (no negation of equal points) and see who has the most points at the end of 13 rounds.

Of course, don't feel like you have to follow the rules either. We set our own house rules and still had a great time!

This game is a ton of fun. It's great for all ability levels and all ages and really doesn't have a lot of restrictions for play. It's easy to make and perfect for your next outdoor party! Give it a try if you haven't already.

I know you are going to want to make your own. One of the most helpful parts of creating this game was being able to use the Homeright Spray Shelter. The good people at Homeright are letting me give one away to one of my readers.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. Thank you!

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How to Create a Family Year Book

In 2008 I created our first family yearbook. The cover was plain black with a frame where a picture should have been. I had left the space blank unintentionally and the book printed and was sent to me. It wasn't all a fail because through the years I have learned a few things. 

We love having a family yearbook. Quite often I will find a kid or two curled up on the couch flipping through the pages. They love to look at how much they have grown and changed over the years laying the books side by side. Sometimes we go back to reference when one of our family vacations was or when an event happened. It's like our own family time capsule.

I'm excited to be able to share with you how you can create your own family year book. If you are already making a family photo book, perhaps you can still learn a tip or two. I've made a few mistakes and learned a few things through the years!

Through the years I have used several different companies. My favorite books though, all have these black linen covers with a small cutout in them. Most recently I used York Photo and I loved the quality and the ease of ordering and creating. They were actually much more inexpensive than some of the other companies that I have used in the past and side by side, their books are nearly identical. I would most definitely use them again.

1. Be Flexible

While this is called a family yearbook, sometimes it's easier to not get caught up in the process of documenting a years worth of photos. It's been about five years since we had professional family pictures taken, so the most current family photo book is a collection of all of those images.  

I have found that sometimes when I create a photo book, I have a huge amount of pictures that I want to use from family vacations. It's OK to create a photo book with just those images from your family vacation in them. In fact, it's probably going to be much easier for you to have them all in one place rather than to have to narrow them down to fit on just a few pages.

2. Be prepared

Find a system that works for you to compile all of your photos that you want to use for your family yearbook.  We have an album in our shared pictures called current pictures. This is where we put pictures from the current year. Then, when I go to make a book, I just upload the whole year of pre-selected pictures. You can also sort out your images. If you find it easier to upload your images every month to your preferred photo site, do that.  

You and I both know that there are always photo book deals to be had. Being prepared enables you to jump on those great photo book deals when you see them. If you aren't in a rush to compile an album, make sure your images are upload to the site and perhaps even made into your album and then save it. Once that sale happens, hit buy and reap the savings.

3. Customize your layout

This is much more time consuming, but I find that in order to get all the images into my family yearbook that I want, sometimes I need to customize the layout to allow more images to be used. 

Don't get sucked into adding TOO many images to a page though. I have done this with some family pictures, particularly those from family vacations or events and in the end, I wish I had just given them their own book. It would have made looking at those images more enjoyable.

4. Autofill and adjust

Once you have all of your images, select auto fill. Some photo sites will automatically do this. I have never hit buy after an initial auto fill. I always go back and tweak my book to my needs and wants. Start at the beginning and work your way back.

5. Think beyond family photos

Just because you are creating a photo book, doesn't mean that it has to be just photos. Include letters, special newspaper clippings, pictures of the kids drawings or artwork. Include whatever is special to you and your family that year.

6. Keep it simple

While there are lots of layouts out there, my preferred layout is always black and white backgrounds without text. I have added text before and just find that detail cumbersome and it cuts into the space that is available for my images.

7. Don't get hung up on the details

There have been years where I obsessed over the exact dates of events. Your family yearbook is about your year as a family. The detail of Aunt Ruth's party happening before or after the beach trip won't matter. If you think of your book in terms of seasons that usually helps. I can almost always remember what season an event happened in rather than a date.

8. Give some events more space

It's OK to buy extra pages for your family yearbook. I don't pay extra for a lot of things in life, but I will almost always buy extra pages for our family books. I make sure that each child's birthday and their party or event has it's own page and Christmas or other seasonal events like our annual family Turkey Trot gets a few pages of their own as well.

9. Buy extras

I haven't done this yet, but as I prepare to launch a kid off to college I have started thinking more and more about who will get our family yearbooks when the kids move off and leave home. I don't want them to have to wait to inherit them. I want them to each have their own. So from now on, I'm going to start ordering four copies of each family year book. That way, each of my kids will have their own family photo book from that year and I will have a copy for our home.

Hopefully you got a tip or two and are inspired to start thinking about making your own family yearbooks. It's not too late to get started saving those memories!If you are local, we recently had family photographs done by the amazingly talented Rebecca Anne Photography. All photos seen in this post were taken by her. Thanks Rebecca!dislaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Holy Craft. This post is sponsored by York Photos. Thank you!

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Celebrate Summer with a Free Summer Bucket List Printable

Thank you Nestlé® Drumstick® for sponsoring this post. Visit your local retailer to pick up your own box of the NEW Nestlé® Drumstick® S’mores to get summer started today!

Time seems to fly by doesn't it? I know that summer hasn't technically started but I'm already anxiously anticipating it and before it seems to start it's over in a flash. There are just not enough long summer days between the end of school and the beginning of it and every year I promise to soak as much of it in as I can.  

Every summer though it's inevitable that when we are in it's final days, one kid or another says, but we didn't do this or we didn't do that. The days may be longer buy my memory is shorter, so I created a free printable summer bucket list that you can sit down with your kids and fill out before summer even starts. Your list will help you plan out your days so that you can make time for everything on your summer bucket list.

The older I get the more I appreciate lists. Lists help me keep everything straight. I have a lot of people who live here and they all expect me to remember everything that they say to me and for Pete's sake, everything I say to them!  So I've created a summer bucket list. I filled mine in and printed it up and thought that it might be super helpful, so I decided to offer up a free blank summer bucket list printable for you too. 

Get your free blank Summer Bucket List printable here.

We already got the first item crossed off the list because here in the Pacific Northwest if it's not raining and the sun is out then we consider it a win. We soak up the sun whenever it peeks out from behind the clouds. With the new Nestle® Drumstick® Smore's we can celebrate summer any day! Our favorite new Drumstick® flavor? Toasted Marshmallow with Fudge.

Don't let this summer pass you by! What's on your summer bucket list?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Cross stitch family portrait

This project has been on my to do list since before Christmas when I saw custom family embroidery creations all over the internet. I remember learning how to cross stitch when I was about 10. I was a child of the 80's after all and we cross stitched everything! I hadn't picked up a needle and embroidery floss in nearly 20 years but I remembered how to do it right away.

All three of my kids know that I make things. I create and I craft but rarely do they take the time to appreciate the things that I make. Usually I will get a grunt or a courtesy "that's nice mom" but this time, I got a much better reaction from this little cross stitch family. The kids loved it! All three of them at different times saw it and commented on how great it was. It's sort of like when you see yourself in a picture, you always look at yourself first before focusing on the other people or things in the image. The kids loved the glasses on my husband. They mentioned the long sleeve waffle shirt under his t-shirt {a staple my husband wears often}. They noticed the dog and their clothes. My oldest son loves to dress up so I put him in a suit. So very fitting. They just all around appreciated the work that I put into this project and I loved making it.

It was really easy to create. It did take some time. I worked on it a few minutes at a time here and there, but it was an easy mindless project I could work on while watching TV. I can't wait to show you how you can make your very own custom cross stitch family!

Supplies you will need to make your own cross stitch family portrait:
graph paper
embroidery floss in several different colors
scissors
needle
colored pencils
embroidery cloth

Martha Stewart was kind enough to offer some clip art patterns of people that you can use as a guide. I did just that, using it as a guide more than using them completely. I used some graph paper to draw my guide and used my colored pencils to fill in what color embroidery floss I would be using on each part. Keep in mind the various heights of the children, the size of their feet {my younger two kids had only two squares for their shoes, the rest of us had three}, and the eye spacing {there are four squares between the adults and three squares in the kids}.

I actually bought some embroidery fabric at the Goodwill Outlet {remember, you pay by the pound, so it ended up not being very expensive} and I had some embroidery floss on hand. I only had to buy four new colors of floss that I didn't have in my stash, so overall this was a really inexpensive craft for me.

I decided to frame it in a chunky wood frame and set it on our mantel.

Isn't it so much fun to have our own cross stitch family portrait?

You should make your own. It's such a fun project. And now I'm wondering, what else I should cross stitch because I'm back on the wagon!

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How to plan the perfect college visit for your high school student

My oldest son is a senior in high school this year and while it feels like just yesterday I was holding his hand walking him into pre-school, it won't be long before I'm packing him up and saying goodbye for months at a time.

Let's not talk about that part though. Let's talk about the fun part where we get to travel and spend time together and make memories and plan futures. That part is fun and not as scary.

If you are in this phase of life with a junior or a senior in high school and college looks like it's in their future, this guide will help you plan the perfect college visit.

1. Start local

My son knows that he's not interested in attending school locally. And by locally, I mean anywhere in our great state of Washington. That hasn't stopped me from  a) trying to convince him {heck, in state tuition is so much more reasonable!} and b) taking college tours at local schools.

Most kids don't know what they like and what they don't like about a college campus. They may not even know what they should like or be looking for. Going to some local universities for a tour gives them the barometer they need to start comparing one school with another, and it may just help them narrow down where they want to apply when the time comes.

Does your son or daughter want a big school or do they prefer a smaller university? Do they want a rural campus or do they prefer something more urban? Hitting up a local college or university is a great way to get an idea of what type of school that your child is interested in and give them an idea of what a campus tour is like, what kinds of questions they have and gives them an opportunity to find out what's most important to them in a college.

2. Schedule your visit

Once you have your list of schools that you want to visit, go to their website. Most will have a tab that has more information on planning and scheduling your visit. I have found that you really need to give a college visit at least four hours. 

In my experience, starting your campus visit is best if you start it with a guided college tour. The college tour guide is usually a current student not much older than your son or daughter but they can answer questions about college life and point out the highlights of the campus.

If touring a residence hall is important, make sure you schedule a tour of them. There is so much information on-line now that many websites provide virtual tours of dorms and living spaces. 

3. Make time to sit in on a class

Many universities have an open door policy for perspective students. While I haven't had my son sit in on a class at every college we have toured, I do think it's important that he's had that opportunity. At nearly every college you will visit you will hear the mention of class size. Just knowing what your son or daughter is comfortable with in terms of class size is important. 

Have them sit in on a class with 100+ students if they plan on attending a large university where that is the norm. Let them get a feel for what that is like. On the flip side, have them also sit in on a smaller class. Your college visit is all about being able to compare and contrast and use their findings to narrow down the best fit for their future education.

4. Make an academic appointment

While your college bound student may not know exactly what degree they want to pursue just yet, have them meet an advisor {or two} in the college department that they seem to be interested in. Most college applications will make you narrow down what department you want to apply to, so now is a great time to get a feel for what it is that your son or daughter may be most interested in. 

When my son has had these appointments, I have sat in on them but it's important to let your child take the lead on asking the questions and steering the conversation.  If you need to, role play with your child ahead of time so that they are comfortable engaging in conversation.

If you know ahead of time the advisor or professor that you are meeting, it's probably not a bad idea to take a second to google their name.  Read some of their published works, get to know what their interests and specialties are. Just taking this time will make your child seem more prepared and will give them a talking point that will probably take the heat off of them in a conversation. 

5. Meet with the admissions advisor

Not all schools require an interview, but if your child has strong interpersonal skills, the opportunity to meet with an admissions advisor while you are on campus may be very beneficial during the application process.  

The few schools that we visited my son's junior year all made notes of the interactions he had either through information sessions, college fairs and most importantly the time spent face to face with the admissions advisor.  These interactions gave him opportunities to apply early decision, sometimes without fees.

6. Stay local

When you are visiting a college, try to stay local. If you need to spend the night, try to stay on campus or on the outskirts. Walk around campus at night, eat dinner at a local hot spot. If you can, have lunch at a dorm or in the student union. This gives you the opportunity to see what college life on the campus is really like.  

Don't be afraid to strike up conversations with the students. Ask them what they think of the college and why they selected it. My son is interested in being a part of the greek system. We happened to be at lunch and saw a group of students with fraternity and sorority shirts on. We struck up a conversation with them and got the inside scoop on greek life at this particular university. My son even made a connection with one of the fraternity members and has his number should he attend the school in the fall. 

These conversations are usually the most honest conversations that you will have. The campus tour guide, the college admissions advisor, the visitors staff are all doing their best to sell you on the university. You will only ever hear the positives. Candid conversations with students on campus usually gives you a different perspective into college life that you might not have gotten otherwise from those people you have come in contact with so far since they are trying to sell you on their university. Don't be afraid to stop college kids. It may be the most insightful conversation you have on your whole tour.

7. Make a list

We visited 3 universities in 5 days, they all started to blend together. Have your child keep a list of the pros and cons of each school. Use the time after your visit to talk together about what they liked and what they didn't like.  This chance to debrief after your visit is the best time to find out what's really important to your child in a college or university.

8. Follow up

Make sure that your child follows up with the college staff that he or she has met. Most of the academic advisors and admissions officers are quick with their business cards, but if they aren't make sure that your child made a note on their list {see #6} of the person who they spoke to.  This follow up is a great way to prepare your child for future job interviews.

This is an exciting time! Make the most of the opportunity and enjoy the preparation. If you have anything to add, I would love to hear it! Simply comment below or send me a message rachelholycraft@gmail.com

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Gift ideas for those that are hard to shop for plus a giveaway!

We all fall into the trap of having someone near and dear to us on our Christmas gift list that we just aren't sure what to buy for them. Instead of getting sucked into the trap of just buying something to buy for them, I've rounded up a few gift ideas for those hard to shop for friends and family.

For the kids

My kids love Lego's. One of my son's favorite gifts last year was a 6 month Pley subscription.  It was not only a gift for him, but a gift for me too!  He would get his pley package in the mail with a new fun Lego creation and would be busy for hours working away. When he was done, we bagged the set up and dropped it off in the mail and a few days later another Lego set would show up at our doorstep. It was the best ever! The best part was that we didn't end up having a ton of new toys taking up space.  You can select a monthly subscription, 3 month subscription, or 6 month subscription.  

My 10 year old loves his Tinker Crate subscription! Talk about kids learning and not even knowing it! He made so many awesome creations and everything was already in the box, which I love because he can open the box and get right to work using the instructions to create whatever fun creation Tinker Crate has in store for him that month!

My creative daughter loves getting the Doodle Crate! She made her own rubber stamps, created a sculpture and had all kinds of cool supplies to use that we wouldn't have picked up at a craft store otherwise.




From now until the 30th, if you have never used Tinker Crate or Doodle Crate or any of it's affiliates before, you can try them for 60% off!

Today only {BLACK FRIDAY!} you can get 50% off even if you have ordered from any of the Kiwi Crate's before. Such a great deal! Don't think that I'm not ordering a few for gifts myself!

I also compiled this list of creative gift ideas for kids. Not a single thing cost over $20!  Every single item will inspire creativity and keep your kids creating for hours!

For her

In case you missed the list of gift ideas for creative people, you can find it here. You may not be crafty or creative, but someone you are buying for is. This list will be a no fail buying guide for you. Not a single item is over $20!

Buying and giving handmade gifts is one of my favorite things, but I don't always have to be the one hand making all of them.

I recently went to a sale with various crafters in the area and even though all of the items were all mixed together, I still gravitated towards everything that Jillian from JillianMade makes.  If you follow me on Instagram, you will remember how excited I was to order this super awesome cowl scarf. I've also got my eye on a plaid clutch too.  

Personalized gifts are always a hit. I love everything Lisa Leonard does. There are other great shops on Etsy filled with personalized items. 

For him

Games are tons of fun and a good way to get to know your friends and family better.  Bezzerwizer is a fun one for those trivia lovers. Snow lover? A new pair of gloves. Golf fan? A box of balls. Coffee lover? Pick up their favorite roasted beans.

Books are always a great choice.  Why not select one of your favorites.  My husband has really enjoyed Unbroken, The Martian, The Wright Brothers, and The Big Short.

We have several local brewery's and specialty distilleries. Think about treating them to a night out of tasting and then the chance to pick out their favorite growler.

For anyone

Perhaps you have a favorite photo of a friend or family member you could put on a canvas and give them for Christmas. I used Canvas Factory to create this canvas from a recent trip to Africa and lucky for you, they are offering a free 16x20 canvas with free delivery for one of my readers.  Simply comment below on the favorite gift you ever received. I will select one of the comments below randomly on December 5 and will announce the winner on my Facebook page. Make sure you are following or you will miss the announcement.

Sometimes, hard to shop for people are hard to shop for because they really just don't want or need anything. Don't feel obligated to buy them anything! 

Instead of getting your dad another tie he probably doesn't want {or need} maybe you could write him a note about how much you appreciate him or about a special memory that you have had with him and set a date to take him out to coffee.  Maybe your mom isn't very computer savvy but would like to put all of her recent pictures from her trip to Hawaii into a photo book.  You can offer to create a photo book for her. Or print off those pictures from her recent visit with the kids and put them into an album for her.  Here's 50 free prints that can get you started!

I don't know too many people who wouldn't love a Netflix subscription.  This is the perfect gift even if they already have a subscription because it will just add on to the one that they already have and allow them to enjoy streaming their shows and movies without any interruption. 

Consider gifting experiences rather than things. A young family might appreciate a zoo or children's museum membership, a family with older kids might enjoy movie passes and a treat out for ice cream. Last year my brother in law gifted my 16 year old son a trip to go go kart racing and out to lunch. They had a great time together and will remember those experiences far more than whatever widget you struggled to find at the last minute because you couldn't' think of anything!

If you have a friend or family member who is passionate about animals, consider making a donation to a local animal shelter.  Give the gift of time and offer to volunteer for a few hours where they volunteer.  For only $50 you can give the gift of clean water for life for someone in sub Saharan Africa who doesn't have access to clean water. Or consider giving a goat or a chicken to a family in need. Making a donation in a friends name is a great way to support something that is near and dear to their hearts.

Sometimes just giving your time and offering to help with something that is on their to do list, is the best gift of all!  So I want to hear it, what's the best gift you have ever received? Leave a comment below and be entered to win a free 16x20 canvas from The Canvas Factory.

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Put the screen down: How to unplug your plugged in family

This post has been rattling around in my mind for the better part of a year. I have felt convicted and then felt judgey.  I have felt all the feels and so I always went back to just not writing it, but here I am again, revisiting this because a Facebook friend inspired me with this post she wrote on her personal page this morning.

"We showed up early for an appointment yesterday. Another family was in the same room. The boy, about 8, on his DS. Each parent on their phones. To kill time, I taught the Ewok how to make a "cootie catcher" and we spent 20 minutes counting, spelling, reading "you get to vacuum your room!", "You are smart!", "You are a good friend" etc. Mainly we laughed. He kept looking over at the other family, trying to catch their eyes and engage them. None of them looked up, at him or each other.

I wanted to tell them to come out here with us. Be curious. Engage. Have fun. But I also know that if we had a kid that could have screens, we could've been them, at that moment."

This. It was this. I will say that I tend to fall in the camp of the more conservative when it comes to screen time. I have a background in child development and I truly believe that children learn what they live.

It's why when the kids were younger we were always on the go. Not every day, but most days we would head out to explore our world. Our world that day could have been the aisles of the grocery store or Target or the park down the street. I saw great value in my children learning from their surroundings. Find the yellow box on the grocery store shelf, count how many bananas are in the bunch, lets watch the bird build it's nest or the ant on the sidewalk.

It's why now at ages 17, 13 and 10, I think that they slow down to look. My oldest son loves to capture the beauty of the world in pictures. He's snapping sunsets and sunrises and everything in between. My daughter creates beauty with her hands {she's 100 times more crafty than I ever could hope to be!} and my youngest son and I will stop on our walk to school and look at the spiderweb covered in dew or take note of the changing leaves.

I won't tell you that every errand that we made when they were younger was like a trip with Mary Poppins, but we made up games in those aisles, we spent time together, we giggled and we held hands and now that my kids are older I don't regret taking the time to do those things with them because now I see the value in that time.

My husband and I decided early on to be intentional parents. To not just say we were doing the best that we could do with what we had, but to intentionally do the best that we could do.  To not just parent by the seat of our pants, but to plan and be prepared. 

As I mentioned, I walk to school with my son and as I meander back through the parent drop off line, I see car after car with parent in the front seat mindlessly scrolling through their phone while their kids look out the window behind them. No engagement, no conversation. This makes my heart hurt. These parents are dropping off their kids for six hours of separation from them and while I don't want to pretend to know what those parents are dealing with {perhaps they are making pick up arrangement for the afternoon, or supporting a friend in need}, but I tend to think that those five minutes of time while they wait for drop off is such an important time to connect with their kids and they are missing it.  

While I can't assume I know what's happening with the parent, I also can't assume that I know what's happening with the kid, Perhaps they are anxious for the day ahead. Maybe there is a kid who isn't being kind to them at recess or they have been having a hard time understanding math and they aren't feeling smart and they are mentally beating themselves up.

What about a having a picture book in the front seat to read together, or playing a game of I spy?

Like I said, I've thought about this post a lot. So I have vacillated in what my opinions are on this. As a parent, there is enough judgement out there without adding to it, but like I said, I've felt convicted of this. I spent some time thinking. If our kids are looking to us to be their example what example are we setting when we pick up a tablet or our phone and start scrolling anytime we get bored?  Are they learning that when they get bored they grab a screen to occupy them?

Boredom in the 21st century looks like being unengaged.

I love this little experiment that this mom did.  She sat down across from her kids when they were playing and instead of checking her phone, she kept a tally of how many times her kids looked up to her for approval or to show her their tricks {28}. Times she would have otherwise missed because she was busy and looking down herself. 

Friends, our kids are looking up to us for how to behave. They are learning how to adult from us. They are learning how to navigate the scary waters of life from us. Are we teaching them well? 

Are we teaching them to fold into themselves and sit behind a screen or are we teaching them to engage? Are we making our kids compete with our iphones for attention? Are we being the parents that we want to be or are we falling into default parenting mode because we are too distracted with our own screens?

I'm challenging us to be intentional. I've fallen into the trap myself. Let's not use screens as the easy way out. 

Being bored isn't a bad thing. I find that if I allow my kids the chance to be bored they usually come up with something creative to do not too long after. Don't take away the chance for them to be creative. And parents, the same goes for you.

Instead of reaching for your phone to read through your Facebook feed, reach for a book instead. Be the example you want your kids to follow. I would much rather see my kids getting into the habit of grabbing a book and snuggling up on the couch than seeing them grab a tablet and scrolling mindlessly.

Teach your kids games that you played when you were younger. MASH, cootie catchers, and paper folding stars are great places to start. Consider having a day without any electronics. Play board games, bake in the kitchen, make memories. Ask your kids questions, write a story together, read a book out loud.

It's worth investing the time. It's worth changing our behavior. Our kids are worth it. Let's unplug, just for a bit so that we can plug back into the things that really matter.

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