Harvest Lane Cottage

113 Things to Do With Kids Without Electronics by Laura Lane Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash Are you running out of ideas to keep the kids busy and happy while they are home? I thought about some of the things we did when I was young long ago. I also included some of the things my four kids did with an abundance of time, no video games or tv, and limited videos. My daughters, Emily and Amy, then added their ideas as well. All in all, we came up with 113 things to do without electronics ! Here we go! Blow bubbles  Catch fireflies  Make homemade ice cream  Read a book together Play in the sprinkler  Ride bikes   Play with balls Play dolls Kickball Play with cars and trucks Learn to play jacks or marbles  Have a pillow fight Water balloons Science experiments ie. cola and Mentos Picnic under the stars, under a shady tree or under the kitchen table with sheets over it Sidewalk chalk Whittle sticks Playing outside Dig in the ...

Photo by  Rod Long  on  Unsplash "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled  and do not be afraid." John 14:27 Dear friends,  They are all looking at you—looking at me. They're watching to see what we do, what we say, whether we are stressed or whether we are peaceful. Many people are watching to see if this Jesus thing is real to us. Family, friends, strangers, co-workers are all watching. So, is this Jesus thing real to you?  When you face a crisis of any kind, first words matter. Are your words of hope? Of fear? Of thankfulness and praise to God? Of despair? Only you can control what comes out first and what comes out most often. Others will use your reaction to judge Christianity and God. Make sure that your first words and all words are life, hope, peace, and joy.  When we are pressed, we are not crushed. We have a father God wh...

Hello ladies, Here are a few things I've done lately to save money. But first.... Thank you Dianna for your hospitality recently! It was so nice to get away and spend some time at the lake. ~smile~ Here I am sampling lake life at Dianna's.  Now onto the thrifty things. ~ I used some apples that were past their prime to make apple crisp . I've been using the same recipe since I was in college. The lay I lived with for awhile was a wonderful Christian wife, cook, and homemaker. I learned so much from her in the few months that I lived with her and her husband. ~ I made a batch of quick laundry detergent . ~I made ant poison . I'm going to have to make another batch. The critters came back. ~I listened to the New Testament on Bible.com. I'm in Acts right now. ~I've been reading and listening to a couple of books on Scribd. I received a month free because someone used my referral code. She got two free months. It's only $8.99 after tha...

Reading is one of my cherished ways to relax or learn. I am fond of losing myself in a book or pondering as I read non-fiction. I make time daily to read or listen to good books. There's nothing that can make housework go quicker for me than listening to the Bible or a marvelous book. I especially like to use the  the text-to-speech feature on my  Kindle Fire 8 Tablet  or listen to some audio books on Scribd*  while I work or  knit . Reading a lot of books is as simple as using every free moment. Even when I had small children I read a lot. Many of those books were educational kids' or teens' books. ~smile~ I've included affiliate Amazon links for your convenience. I listen to many books on Scribd for a single fee of $8.99 a month. Details are below. It's a long list, but I've already started some of these books. Ambitious lists help me to read and listen more while I'm doing other things. Have you made your list yet? Here's wha...