• Gateway to Girl Time

    ByKristin Rachel, road trips, spring

    My husband and teenage son planned a golfing trip for the last part of Spring Break, so a girls’ weekend with my 10-year-old daughter seemed like a good plan. I ended up taking her to St. Louis because we’ve been there several times when our oldest two were around her age, and I knew there were things she’d enjoy. Circling back around to been-there-done-that activities are part of parenting an age gap like our kids’.

    Day 1

    Hello, girls’ weekend with my youngest while the boys are golfing in Arkansas and the college girl is working on her assignments and already had Spring Break. I’m not used to this splitting up the family for vacation, but it is what worked this time. 

    We drove to St. Louis in the morning and met up with our friends who were also in town at the zoo. Such a beautiful, fun day! The St. Louis Zoo is free, but, of course, there are plenty of opportunities to pay for extras, like the carousel, stingray exhibit, train, and face painting. Let’s just say, my girl talked me into three of those four examples. 

    After some downtime at the hotel, Rachel and I walked next door to Mac’s Local Eats, where I may have had the best burger of my life. Gooey Garlic. Yum. The fries were good too. And we shared a lemon blackberry milkshake that was amazing! 

    We ended the evening with a trip to Trader Joe’s and Target that shared a parking lot not too far away. We got a few treats for this weekend and home! 

    Hotel booking tips

    I like to earn cash back when I travel, so I either book on Expedia (where I earn points and get cash back with Rakuten) or through my Capital One Venture card. Regardless, I pay with my Capital One Venture card because I love the rewards that let me erase travel purchases. This time, we stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites at Forest Park. It was an idea location for our itinerary, and I felt safe there traveling alone with my daughter. 

    Day 2

    We slept in before heading down the street to the science center. We spent a few hours there exploring all the exhibits and watching a Serengeti OmniIMAX movie. Rachel’s favorite sections in the science center were about outer space and gaming. 

    We lunched at Fitz’s, where we shared fish and chips and a dirty soda called “At the Beach,” which was pineapple soda, coconut cream, and mango syrup. We also bought some fruity sodas and took a picture of the dirty soda menu so we can create the deliciousness. 

    We spent the afternoon and evening with our friends, who stayed just west of us in Chesterfield. The kids swam, and then we all went to Top Golf for entertainment and dinner. 

    Day 3

    We slept in again, and then headed downtown. 

    Our first stop was Soulard Market, where we bought some baked goods, an aloe plant, popcorn, and a few other random things. Rachel didn’t want to go, and then didn’t want to leave. That’s been a recurring lesson this weekend: Mom’s ideas aren’t so bad! 

    Then we headed to the Gateway Arch National Park, where we attempted selfies and marveled at the size. We explored the museum and got some snacks for lunch, including toasted ravioli. 

    We came back to the hotel for some rest and swim time. I’m really into the book I treated myself to the other night when we were at Target: “The Night We Met” by Abby Jimenez. Dinner was back at Mac’s Local Eats next door, and we ordered the exact same deliciousness as the first night. 

    Our night ended with a Third Day reunion concert. Zach Williams opened, and the whole night was really wonderful. You know how after you make a reservation or talk about a trip, Facebook starts showing ads about that place? Well, for once, I’m thankful for that because not long after I booked our hotel for St. Louis, I saw an ad that Third Day was bringing its reunion tour to Chaifetz Arena on St. Louis University’s campus. I bumped our reservations a day, so Rachel and I could go. 

    And I’m so glad we did! Third Day was a soundtrack to the early days of me following Christ. The songs propelled me to know God and His word better as a new believer. 

    Last night I realized I became a Christian the same year (1996) they started Third Day. So at the band’s tour celebrating 30 years of music, I reflected on 30 years of faith. I’ve come so far, by God’s grace alone. I’ve learned so much but ultimately know Emmanuel, God is truly with us.  

    So many words came back to the forefront of my mind as I sang along. And so many memories reminded me that this life of faith is truly a journey. Praising the Guide for all the days, and this trip! The one-on-one time both Greg and I had with two kids this week was a gift I didn’t know we all needed.

    *****

    I love to share about our travels, so be sure to check out this list of some of my favorite travel accessories. And check out all my pictures from this trip on Facebook.

    God authors the stories on our porches – in every season, wherever we are. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to  #PorchStories emails to receive them about every other week.

  • Eight Things I Learned in March

    ByKristin motherhood, spring, Things I Learned


    Oh, March, where did you go? You went by so fast. Before you’re completely gone, I do want to document what you taught me.

    1. “The West Wing” characters have Twitter accounts. And they’re funny and relevant.

    I happened upon President Bartlet’s Twitter account when someone else I follow retweeted one of this tweets about March Madness. When I clicked on it, I discovered Josh Lyman, Sam Seaborn, and Donna Moss. And I’m really glad about that for several reasons – most importantly because I already miss them even though Greg and I just finished binge watching the show earlier this week.

    You’re welcome.

    2. Picking out paint colors makes me indecisive, and I’m usually decisive. 

    But I managed to pick out colors for the kitchen, living spaces and hallways, and three bedrooms in the house we bought last week. We aren’t moving right away because we are doing some cosmetic improvements and having a fourth bedroom added on.

    (Also, could Joanna Gaines please come to Kentucky? Speaking of her, my daughter and I are in love with “Fixer Upper.” Yes, I’m a little late to the bandwagon, I know.)

    3. We’re moving to the country. Well, you know, 10 minutes from town, where we live now.

    So we bought a new house that sits on 33 acres. Living on some land has been a long-time dream for Greg and I’ve slowly gotten on board. This house and land fit us and we’re excited for our next adventure there.

    (Read more about that – and how I learned dreams can change.)

    4. When changes are on the horizon, I hesitate and then embrace change in multiple areas of my life at once.

    Moving is the change theme right now. In addition to moving our family to a different house, I’m also working with a professional to move my blog to WordPress and redesign my online space too. Plus I got a haircut this month.

    5. I can cheer for Austin Peay State University.

    The background on this one is we’re hardcore Murray State fans and APSU is our rival. It’s also the school where my sister went on a soccer scholarship and ended up meeting her husband, who played basketball there. We always rooted for them, and it’s easier to do in soccer than basketball. But we still always preferred Murray State to do better.

    Well, Murray State had a rough year, at least by its usual standards, and was eliminated earlier than we liked in the conference tournament. Meanwhile, Austin Peay barely made the tournament and then ended up winning four games in four days to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

    Yes, we cheered for the Governors. (They ended up losing to overall No. 1 Kansas.)

    6. Murray State’s two previous coaches made it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen – and that’s why I love March Madness.

    If you’re a college basketball fan, you probably saw Steve Prohm dance – literally – after his Iowa State team advanced and then heard about Billy Kennedy’s Aggies erase a double-digit lead in less than a minute. With Murray State and Kentucky out, these have been my teams.

    These two coaches are perfect examples of why I love sports. They’re the good guys. Kennedy gave the glory to God after Texas A&M stunned Northern Iowa. He’s living with Parkinson’s disease, but believes in building a team and leading men.

    (And here’s another article about Coach Billy Kennedy from a local writer.)

    And, yes, I wish these two teams were still playing because I feel like I don’t have any rooting interest.

    7. Sometimes the kids who have been arguing just need to put on their bathing suits and do a science experiment in the bathtub. 

     A friend let us borrow “Bathtub Science” and I earned some cool points by letting them put on their bathing suits and make colors with food coloring and water in the bathtub. And all the mamas said, “Whatever works!”

    8. I was excited to caucus at the beginning of the month and now get stressed out thinking about the presidential election.  

     Kentucky Republicans had a caucus (Thanks, Rand Paul!) for the first time ever. I went in with high hopes for Marco Rubio, but that all quickly went down hill. Now I’m keeping up with the presidential primaries from a distance and hoping what seems to be happening isn’t actually happening.

    How was your March?

    _____________________

    I’m linking up with Emily Freeman, like I do at the end of every month. 

     My April newsletter is going out tomorrow! In it will be a fun giveaway opportunity just for subscribers, so subscribe now. Plus I’ll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable. 

  • 10 Things I Learned While Camping {April 2015}

    ByKristin Ben, books, community, family, food, friends, motherhood, spring, Things I Learned
    9 Comments


     We went camping with our best friends the second weekend of Spring Break. It’s funny, really, because I used to say I didn’t like to camp and now I’m finding myself thinking about when we’re going again. {See Facebook conversation for more thoughts on my preparations and opinions of camping.} But before next time happens, I want to document this time … with a list, of course!

    1. I don’t like mice, but tent camping is okay. Yes, they’re related.

    The plan was for Jaclyn and I to sleep in the RV bed while our three girls slept on the sofa bed in the RV and our husbands and boys slept in tents. And then Friday evening I saw a mouse run beside the bed.

    We’d seen evidence of a mouse – mice? – but I was choosing to be in denial it – they? – were still in the RV with us. But then I couldn’t un-see the mouse.

    So I shared an air mattress bed with my husband. Yes, being outside trumped being inside with a mouse – even when the air mattress deflated. I spent the second night in the tent again – and this time the air mattress stayed inflated.

    2. Having a massage appointment scheduled the day after arriving home from tent camping two nights is a good idea. Okay, so I didn’t plan it. But it worked out well, especially for my lower back.

    Each month, I go to these massage appointments and Hannah the masseuse asks me if anything new is bothering me. I usually say, “No. Same tight neck and shoulders.”

    But on this particular Monday my response was different: “Yeah, my lower back is killing me. I tent camped two nights.” She’d seen the tent camping part of the story on Facebook, so I’m guessing she wasn’t surprised. Apparently that air mattress – whether deflated or not – messed up my back and requires a follow-up appointment.

    And here I was excited my sometimes nagging shoulder wasn’t bothering me after sleeping on the ground.

    3. A Kindle makes for good nighttime reading – and doubles as a flashlight.

    Well, yes, there was daytime reading too. 

    I finished reading “Nobody’s Cuter than You: A Memoir About the Beauty of Friendship” by Melanie Shankle, read “Footsteps” by Diann Mills and “Target” by Lisa Phillips, and started “Bait” also by Phillips. The two Lisa Phillips’ books are part of a fictional suspense series that had a little romance too.

    4. Parenting one almost 8-year-old girl who is a people-pleasing rule-follower is a like a vacation. But I missed my 5-year-old second-born who likes to push every boundary and requires a constant, watchful eye, especially near the lake.

    {Yes, this is part of how I did so much reading. See #9 for another reason.}

    Ben was with Gran-Gran – aka The Best Mother-in-Law Ever – the first night of camping because he had been diagnosed with strep throat {yes, again … fifth time since Dec. 26} earlier that same day. The diagnosis came the day after we had been at the ENT scheduling his tonsillectomy for April 28. So he needed to be on an antibiotic until he hung out with other kids.

    Gran-Gran and Ben had a splendid time that apparently involved flying a kite, eating ice cream, and watching a movie. Then she brought him out to our campsite by lunch time Saturday so he didn’t miss out on the camping fun.

    5. I can text really long messages. And 25 years of friendship can happen across the miles.

    Camping came on the heels of a Spring Break that gave me time to overanalyze and internalize too much. That led me wanting to chat and laugh and cry with Katie, whom I’d thankfully gotten to spend some time with the previous weekend when we were in Louisville. We had played phone tag and exchanged some texts, but we both apparently finally had time to converse Friday night. I didn’t have a strong or consistent-enough cell signal to talk to her, but texts were going through.

    So that’s what we did. Sometimes that’s how life happens.

    6. Bacon, sausage, pancakes, kabobs, burgers, and red potatoes are especially good cooked on the fire. And the husbands like to cook. Perhaps I should set up a campfire in the back yard. Enough said.

    7. You can get sunburned in April. And, obviously, we didn’t think to pack sunscreen.

    8. Camping requires so much preparation, but it’s like a retreat once I’m out there. I used to think I didn’t like to camp. And until Friday I thought I didn’t tent camp. I’m glad I’ve accepted that I like to camp and I’m becoming better with the preparations.

    9. Kids belong outdoors. Well, okay, maybe not forever and always, but when they’re out there, they play and then sleep so well. This past weekend, they played tag and washers, fished, read, talked with their friends and other campers, and explored.

    10. Having family friends really is the best. Yes, I got to spend the weekend with Jaclyn and most of Saturday with Sarah, but my kids and husbands got to hang out with some of their best friends too. Turns out camping is a fabulous way to make memories together.

    Your turn! Tell me about your camping experiences.

    ________________

    I’m linking up with Emily Freeman’s Chatting at the Sky. 

     Here are previous Things I Learned posts :: {From 2013} June. July. August. September. October. November. {From 2014} January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. September. October. November. December. {From 2015} January. February. March. 

     Want more insights? “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family” is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’, or subscribe to receive “Insights in Your Inbox.”

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