Living Hale

Oh, boy! Our kids must hate us. The words came out of my mouth at the beginning of the year. “Hey kids, we’re going to start doing chores and paying you for the chores.” Yeah, Mom and Dad, thanks.             Actually, our kids have been very agreeable about doing the chores. In the past, we have done chores, but we have done them inconsistently. This year, we have decided that we need to be much more intentional about the chores. We set up the plan that we would have the kids do chores and get paid weekly for those chores. Once a month, they will be able to change chores. Also, we all agree to the chores. Our kids have a say in what chores they will choose for the month, subject to parental approval.             We also have set up a understandable payment schedule. The kids have five chores a week. Some of the chores are once a week tasks and some are daily tasks....

This year has started with complete changes for us. I had to leave my job (which formed the basis for everything we have done for the past five years) and I am now looking for a new job (which may mean a new career path). My wife’s company was sold, and that has brought changes to her work, with more potential changes on the way. So, as we have started this new year, we have been evaluating and re-evaluating every thing we do.             Before the new year began, I started listing some goals I have for the new year. These were divided into a few categories, including health, mental well-being, and spiritual categories. However, as we have started to walk through this new year, my wife said that she wanted a year in which things were more simple. That idea has really taken hold with us, and so simplicity has become our objective for this year.             What does...

School is back in session. I think our kids are receiving a decent education. But there is one area in which I want them to get more help. Unfortunately, our school district has adopted a reading program which, while it is great at teaching kids the basics of reading, falls short in the area of giving our kids great literature to read. I want my children to hear Aesop’s fables, or read a classic like The Velveteen Rabbit . Unfortunately, there seems to be little time available in the classroom for this. So, I researched and found a solution that is working for my family. I pass it on as a resource for your family.             Last Winter, I searched for reading material that would engage our son. He does not like the prescribed reading material used at school. Also, he enjoys non-fiction, science, and history. So, I searched for reading resources. I stumbled upon Ambleside Online and it changed our reading life. You can see...

Summer is rolling along. We are keeping busy. The kids have been enjoying a week at art camp. And we are getting through our summer adventure list. Additionally, we have found some new things to obsess over this summer. Here are three of our new-found obsessions.             Postcrossing             I found this idea online. Postcrossing is an international website that allows you to send and receive postcards from around the world. We signed up over a month ago, and went to work sending out postcards. We have used this as an opportunity to teach the kids about geography and some different cultures. We have sent postcards to Germany, Russia, Belarus, China, Taiwan, Netherlands, and Finland. Once your postcard is received and registered, you get placed on the list to get a postcard sent to your address.           ...

            Some of my friends are already aware that over the past few weeks I have been asking them to post words of thanks on their Facebook or Twitter accounts. I have called it Thankful Thursday. I am not the first person to post Thankful Thursday messages. But, I think it is an important tradition to start. It is a good reminder that at least once a week, I need to stop and express my gratitude for all I have been blessed with.             I have been encouraged as many of my friends also have posted messages of gratitude on Thankful Thursday. I think it is so important that as a community, we express thanks for family, jobs, relaxation, friends, and so many other things. There are so many negative words passed along on social media sites. There are days when it becomes depressing to look at these sites, as I watch friends argue over politics, religion, cultural mores, and everything els...

              I am so very proud of our daughter. She has learned a great lesson in patience and hard work.              Several months ago, she asked us to get a Frozen castle. Yes, we have a little girl in love with all things Frozen (the most recent Disney animated film). She lives and breathes Frozen. We have the movie and the soundtrack (and yes, we all know all the lyrics to all the songs. Don’t judge). She loves the character of Elsa, as it seems do all little girls around the world.              Two or three months ago, she asked us if we would buy her the toy castle. Actually, it is two castles in one, with one half representing the castle of Arendelle, and the other half representing Elsa’s ice castle. But there was one problem. The toy castle was pricey. So, we told her that she would have to save her money to get the castle. We told her we would have a yard sa...

We have made a list of summer activities for our family. Each family member chose five activities for us to do over the summer. Here is the list. 1) Make Your Own Pottery 2) Go to the local Water Park 3) Go to a university sporting game 4) Go horseback riding 5) Have a yard sale (so that we can pay for all of these activities!) 6) Go to the rodeo 7) See the movie Planes: Fire and Rescue 8) Go ice skating 9) Go to the shooting range 10) Go to a play 11) Take a ride on the Heavenly Gondola 12) Watch the 4th of July fireworks 13) Go to a Reno Aces baseball game 14) Go to Chuck E Cheeses and Toys 'R' Us (they are conveniently located next to each other) 15) Go to Build A Bear workshop 16) Write a letter/send a care package to a soldier 17) Go to the Planetarium 18) Build a volcano 19) Take a trip to Cowboy Town (That's our name for Virginia City) 20) Take a trip to the pool We have already crossed one activity off of this list. We...