๐”น๐• ๐• ๐•œ๐•จ๐• ๐•ฃ๐•ž๐•ค ๐Ÿ“š It's no ๐”น๐• ๐• ๐•œ๐•จ๐• ๐•ฃ๐•ž๐•ค ๐Ÿ“š

It's no secret that we love books over here, so I figured it was about time we hit up our local library instead of constantly adding to my Amazon cart. Planning on making this a new routine. I'm excited because
a) I know the  girls are going to love the library just as much as I did when I was a kid. Thank goodness our library has 50 book limit. ๐Ÿ˜‚
b) It's a great way for us to discover and "try out" new books before contemplating adding to our home library. 
c) Got my pin number for using the Libby app! 
d) Creative juices are flowing in regards to bookish content. Sharing more about that on my stories later today.

Now tell me, do you still visit the library, or is this a thing of the past?

#libraryvibes#atthelibrary
#librarybooks #librarylife #readaloudfamily #readaloudrevival #readaloud #readalouds #readaloudchallenge #readingismagic #readingmatters #readingtogether #readingtokids #childhoodunplugged #raisingwildflowers #readinggoals #motherhoodsimplified #slowchildhood #homeeducation #unschoolingmom #bookwormsofinstagram #bookwormbaby
๐•†๐•™ โ„๐•–๐•ช ๐•‹๐•™๐•–๐•ฃ๐•– ๐Ÿ›๐Ÿ˜ ๐•†๐•™ โ„๐•–๐•ช ๐•‹๐•™๐•–๐•ฃ๐•– ๐Ÿ›๐Ÿ˜!

Today's my 30th birthday ya'll! Graduating college at 20 and getting married and starting my career at 21, I have always felt closer to 30 than 20 anyways, but now that it's here, I'm not going to lie it's a little surreal. Like how did this happen so fast?! But ya'll I think your 30s is where it's at, and I'm super excited to see what this next decade has in store!

#30thbirthday
#thisis30 #turning30 #hikergirls #hikingmama #hikingmom #raisingwildflowers #outdoormama#outdoorsy #maxpatch
#supposedtobeonacruiserightnow
๐•‹๐•™๐•– โ„๐•–๐•’๐•• ๐”ธ๐•๐• ๐•ฆ๐•• ๐•‹๐•™๐•– โ„๐•–๐•’๐•• ๐”ธ๐•๐• ๐•ฆ๐•• โ„‚๐•™๐•’๐•๐•๐•–๐•Ÿ๐•˜๐•–

The more I read up on parenting, child development, homeschooling, unschooling, and everything in between, the more I am convinced of the importance of reading aloud. I continually am reminded of the 1985 Commission on Reading report Becoming a Nation of Readers that concluded, โ€œThe single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.โ€ And the many studies since that have similar conclusions.

And reading aloud doesnโ€™t only help your kids help with scholastic skills such as expanded vocabulary, phonetic awareness, reading, reading comprehension, and conveying knowledge on every subject imaginable. It is also fantastic for family bonding. The act of cuddling up together on a bed or sofa or comfy arm chair (or even on a picnic blanket outside) and being entirely present in those moments to read together is priceless!

For me it's a definite way to make sure I'm focusing on family time.

But I'm a list loving, Enneagram Type 1, so I decided to make myself a challenge to keep me motivated. And I'm inviting you to join me! My goal for us for 2021 is 10,000 minutes read aloud, which is about 27 minutes a day. I made a printable tracker to go with our 1,000 hours outside tracker. It's 1,000 books on a 10x10x10 bookshelf. I plan to color a book for every 10 minutes read aloud. But you could do every 5 minutes is that sounds more manageable. Or you could use it to track 1,000 books. It's up to you!

Sharing my favorite read aloud resources such as Sarah McKenzie from @thereadaloudrevival and a free copy of the tracker I made for us over on my blog!

https://samantharaisingwildflowers.com/2021/01/03/the-read-aloud-challenge/

#readaloudfamily #readaloudrevival #readaloud #readalouds #readaloudchallenge #readingismagic #readingmatters #readingtogether #readingtokids #childhoodunplugged #raisingwildflowers #readinggoals #motherhoodsimplified #slowchildhood #homeeducation #unschoolingmom
๐”พ๐• ๐• ๐••๐•“๐•ช๐•– ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿš๐Ÿ˜ Wow ๐”พ๐• ๐• ๐••๐•“๐•ช๐•– ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿš๐Ÿ˜

Wow what a year ya'll! I'm sure society as a whole is sighing some sort of collective sigh of relief as we move into 2021 and are hopeful for a better year. For all the craziness going on around us, our family was blessed and privileged with a year of togetherness and lots of fresh air and sunshine. 

Are you making New Years resolutions for 2021? I've decided I'm not. I've decided instead of the pressure of big changes, I am going for 'refinement' and enacting little changes over time as a see fit. Honestly, I just want to continue soaking up kid snuggles and laughter and not taking this extra time for granted. I want to continue to refine our daily rhythms to promote savoring family time, outdoor time, and read alouds. And I will continue working my butt off towards some big goals/dreams I have like owning our own homestead one day.

What are your goals, hopes, dreams, plans, word, or resolutions for 2021?

PS I making this my new profile picture for 2021 because I love it so much. ๐Ÿ˜Š

#goodbye2020
#newyearssentiments
#newyears #hello2021 #newyearsresolutions #mamahood #mamalifestyle #raisingwildflowers #endoftheyear #childhoodunplugged #beautyofchildhood #mamasthoughts #momthoughts #motherhoodsimplified #knoxvillemoms
It's Christmas Week and Winter Solstice week Ya'll It's Christmas Week and Winter Solstice week Ya'll, and I'm dropping in to offer you a last minute stocking stuffer idea for all you outdoor loving families! [Ad] These EverBrite rechargeable headlamps are the bomb! We love having these headlamps, especially for the shortest days of the year. There are 7 different lighting modes including red and green lights, which are great for when you are out in the woods. And the best part is they are rechargeable, so one less thing needing batteries Christmas morning ๐Ÿ™Œ! Check my stories or link in bio, to get yours ordered and delivered before Santa visits your house. @everbrite_lighting 

PS: Who all had managed to see the Jupiter and Saturn Christmas star?We're going to try and see tonight ๐Ÿคž
#headlamp #illuminateyourfocus #illuminateyourlife #everbritepartner #everybritelighting #1000hoursoutside #wintersolstice
Yโ€™all look at these darling dolls ๐Ÿฅฐ I love th Yโ€™all look at these darling dolls ๐Ÿฅฐ
I love them so! Such a special time of year for us as we celebrate birthdays and Christmas! Weโ€™re just a few days away from having 4 year olds ๐Ÿคฏ
So thankful for the private Santa encounter to keep some sort of semblance this holiday season. And yโ€™all Santa Eric and Mrs Claus are the best! The girls asked Santa for bikes this year. That and new underwear is all they want! ๐Ÿ˜‚
Swipe right to see how much theyโ€™ve changed in a year! 
#raisingwildflowers #raisingdaughters #mamatodaughters #girlmama #blessedmama #santaphotos #santapictures #christmastimeishere #twinsplusone
๐•ธ๐–ž ๐–๐–†๐–“๐–‰๐–˜ ๐–†๐–—๐–Š ๐–“๐–” ๐–œ๐–๐–Š๐–—๐–Š ๐–“๐–Š๐–†๐–— ๐–†๐–˜ ๐–‹๐–š๐–‘๐–‘ ๐–†๐–˜ ๐–’๐–ž ๐–๐–Š๐–†๐–—๐–™๐Ÿ’•

#ad But for real, a few extra hands wouldn't hurt ๐Ÿ˜‚ That's why I love my Everbrite Rechargeable Headlamp! As you know, we spend a lot of time outdoors and the shorter winter days are cramping our style. But thanks to our @everbrite_lighting headlamp, outside time has been extended to after dark. We really enjoyed our nightly walks on the beach, and mama also loved having all my hands free for holding tiny hands. I also love that the headlamp is rechargeable so no going through batteries ๐Ÿ™Œ

#headlamp #illuminateyourfocus #illuminateyourlife #everbritepartner #everbritelighting #1000hoursoutside #raisingwildflowers #fullhandsfullheart #fullhandsfullerheart
๐•ด๐–™'๐–˜ ๐–‡๐–Š๐–Œ๐–Ž๐–“๐–“๐–Ž๐–“๐–Œ ๐•ด๐–™'๐–˜ ๐–‡๐–Š๐–Œ๐–Ž๐–“๐–“๐–Ž๐–“๐–Œ ๐–™๐–” ๐–‘๐–”๐–”๐– ๐–† ๐–‘๐–”๐–™ ๐–‘๐–Ž๐–๐–Š ๐•ฎ๐–๐–—๐–Ž๐–˜๐–™๐–’๐–†๐–˜

Woah December, how did the get here so fast? I'm pretty sure the months this year went something like January, February, March-May took a year, then blink and it's December.  Anyone else feel like this? 

Anyways I am super excited for December  with birthdays (the girls turn 4 ๐Ÿคฏ) and Christmas around the corner. The girls are so excited about everything. I love seeing the world through their lens! It can me the littlest thing, but Blakely will exclaim, "This is so exciting! This is the perfect day!"And we are currently in a southern snow globe making it all feel even more magical! โ„๏ธ

What are you looking forward to this month?

#hellodecember #hellodecember2020 #mostwonderfultimeoftheyear #itsbeginningtolookalotlikechristmas #christmasmood #holidayseason #raisingwildflowers #twinsofinsta #twins
Wanted to share this holiday gift idea ๐ŸŽwith yo Wanted to share this holiday gift idea ๐ŸŽwith you while they are having their small business Saturday deals (up to 40% off and an additional 25% sitewide)! We love our #gifted @slumberkins! They are the cutest and softest lovies, and they are lovies with a purpose! Each "kin" (or snuggler) comes with a book (a huge hit with the girls) and affirmation card, and their story promotes different types of emotional well-being. Brooklyn is holding Lynx whose story promotes self-expression. Blakely is holding Honey Bear whose story promotes gratitude. We also have unicorn (authenticity) and Bigfoot (self-esteem)!
.
.
.
.
.
#slumberkins #slumberkinsnuggles #slumberkinlynx #slumberkinhoneybear #shopsmall #smallbusinesssaturday #holidayseason #holidaygiftideasforkids #holidaygiftideas #presentideas #christmasgiftsideas #christmasshopping #supportsmallbusiness #twins
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Samantha Raising Wildflowers

A Blog on all Things Motherhood

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· March 27, 2018

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Welcome to my blog on all things motherhood!

I'm Samantha from @samantharaisingwildflowers on Instagram.

I am blessed to be raising three "wildflowers" after years of infertility. Sharing and connecting on all things mamahood and mom life has become my passion. I am constantly learning, growing, and evolving on this journey of parenthood. One this is certain; I am determined to give my girls a slow, carefree childhood. We love Jesus, family, nature, travel, books, and laughing. We are not afraid to be different.

โ€œ[A wildflower is] a free spirit. Uncultivated by the mainstream. Independent thinker. Bravely growing wild and free in a world plagued by conformity.โ€ โ€“ Urban Dictionary

โ€œThere are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other wings.โ€ โ€“ Author Unknown

We would love to connect with you and have you along for the journey!

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๐”น๐• ๐• ๐•œ๐•จ๐• ๐•ฃ๐•ž๐•ค ๐Ÿ“š It's no ๐”น๐• ๐• ๐•œ๐•จ๐• ๐•ฃ๐•ž๐•ค ๐Ÿ“š

It's no secret that we love books over here, so I figured it was about time we hit up our local library instead of constantly adding to my Amazon cart. Planning on making this a new routine. I'm excited because
a) I know the  girls are going to love the library just as much as I did when I was a kid. Thank goodness our library has 50 book limit. ๐Ÿ˜‚
b) It's a great way for us to discover and "try out" new books before contemplating adding to our home library. 
c) Got my pin number for using the Libby app! 
d) Creative juices are flowing in regards to bookish content. Sharing more about that on my stories later today.

Now tell me, do you still visit the library, or is this a thing of the past?

#libraryvibes#atthelibrary
#librarybooks #librarylife #readaloudfamily #readaloudrevival #readaloud #readalouds #readaloudchallenge #readingismagic #readingmatters #readingtogether #readingtokids #childhoodunplugged #raisingwildflowers #readinggoals #motherhoodsimplified #slowchildhood #homeeducation #unschoolingmom #bookwormsofinstagram #bookwormbaby
๐•†๐•™ โ„๐•–๐•ช ๐•‹๐•™๐•–๐•ฃ๐•– ๐Ÿ›๐Ÿ˜ ๐•†๐•™ โ„๐•–๐•ช ๐•‹๐•™๐•–๐•ฃ๐•– ๐Ÿ›๐Ÿ˜!

Today's my 30th birthday ya'll! Graduating college at 20 and getting married and starting my career at 21, I have always felt closer to 30 than 20 anyways, but now that it's here, I'm not going to lie it's a little surreal. Like how did this happen so fast?! But ya'll I think your 30s is where it's at, and I'm super excited to see what this next decade has in store!

#30thbirthday
#thisis30 #turning30 #hikergirls #hikingmama #hikingmom #raisingwildflowers #outdoormama#outdoorsy #maxpatch
#supposedtobeonacruiserightnow
๐•‹๐•™๐•– โ„๐•–๐•’๐•• ๐”ธ๐•๐• ๐•ฆ๐•• ๐•‹๐•™๐•– โ„๐•–๐•’๐•• ๐”ธ๐•๐• ๐•ฆ๐•• โ„‚๐•™๐•’๐•๐•๐•–๐•Ÿ๐•˜๐•–

The more I read up on parenting, child development, homeschooling, unschooling, and everything in between, the more I am convinced of the importance of reading aloud. I continually am reminded of the 1985 Commission on Reading report Becoming a Nation of Readers that concluded, โ€œThe single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.โ€ And the many studies since that have similar conclusions.

And reading aloud doesnโ€™t only help your kids help with scholastic skills such as expanded vocabulary, phonetic awareness, reading, reading comprehension, and conveying knowledge on every subject imaginable. It is also fantastic for family bonding. The act of cuddling up together on a bed or sofa or comfy arm chair (or even on a picnic blanket outside) and being entirely present in those moments to read together is priceless!

For me it's a definite way to make sure I'm focusing on family time.

But I'm a list loving, Enneagram Type 1, so I decided to make myself a challenge to keep me motivated. And I'm inviting you to join me! My goal for us for 2021 is 10,000 minutes read aloud, which is about 27 minutes a day. I made a printable tracker to go with our 1,000 hours outside tracker. It's 1,000 books on a 10x10x10 bookshelf. I plan to color a book for every 10 minutes read aloud. But you could do every 5 minutes is that sounds more manageable. Or you could use it to track 1,000 books. It's up to you!

Sharing my favorite read aloud resources such as Sarah McKenzie from @thereadaloudrevival and a free copy of the tracker I made for us over on my blog!

https://samantharaisingwildflowers.com/2021/01/03/the-read-aloud-challenge/

#readaloudfamily #readaloudrevival #readaloud #readalouds #readaloudchallenge #readingismagic #readingmatters #readingtogether #readingtokids #childhoodunplugged #raisingwildflowers #readinggoals #motherhoodsimplified #slowchildhood #homeeducation #unschoolingmom
๐”พ๐• ๐• ๐••๐•“๐•ช๐•– ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿš๐Ÿ˜ Wow ๐”พ๐• ๐• ๐••๐•“๐•ช๐•– ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿš๐Ÿ˜

Wow what a year ya'll! I'm sure society as a whole is sighing some sort of collective sigh of relief as we move into 2021 and are hopeful for a better year. For all the craziness going on around us, our family was blessed and privileged with a year of togetherness and lots of fresh air and sunshine. 

Are you making New Years resolutions for 2021? I've decided I'm not. I've decided instead of the pressure of big changes, I am going for 'refinement' and enacting little changes over time as a see fit. Honestly, I just want to continue soaking up kid snuggles and laughter and not taking this extra time for granted. I want to continue to refine our daily rhythms to promote savoring family time, outdoor time, and read alouds. And I will continue working my butt off towards some big goals/dreams I have like owning our own homestead one day.

What are your goals, hopes, dreams, plans, word, or resolutions for 2021?

PS I making this my new profile picture for 2021 because I love it so much. ๐Ÿ˜Š

#goodbye2020
#newyearssentiments
#newyears #hello2021 #newyearsresolutions #mamahood #mamalifestyle #raisingwildflowers #endoftheyear #childhoodunplugged #beautyofchildhood #mamasthoughts #momthoughts #motherhoodsimplified #knoxvillemoms
It's Christmas Week and Winter Solstice week Ya'll It's Christmas Week and Winter Solstice week Ya'll, and I'm dropping in to offer you a last minute stocking stuffer idea for all you outdoor loving families! [Ad] These EverBrite rechargeable headlamps are the bomb! We love having these headlamps, especially for the shortest days of the year. There are 7 different lighting modes including red and green lights, which are great for when you are out in the woods. And the best part is they are rechargeable, so one less thing needing batteries Christmas morning ๐Ÿ™Œ! Check my stories or link in bio, to get yours ordered and delivered before Santa visits your house. @everbrite_lighting 

PS: Who all had managed to see the Jupiter and Saturn Christmas star?We're going to try and see tonight ๐Ÿคž
#headlamp #illuminateyourfocus #illuminateyourlife #everbritepartner #everybritelighting #1000hoursoutside #wintersolstice
Yโ€™all look at these darling dolls ๐Ÿฅฐ I love th Yโ€™all look at these darling dolls ๐Ÿฅฐ
I love them so! Such a special time of year for us as we celebrate birthdays and Christmas! Weโ€™re just a few days away from having 4 year olds ๐Ÿคฏ
So thankful for the private Santa encounter to keep some sort of semblance this holiday season. And yโ€™all Santa Eric and Mrs Claus are the best! The girls asked Santa for bikes this year. That and new underwear is all they want! ๐Ÿ˜‚
Swipe right to see how much theyโ€™ve changed in a year! 
#raisingwildflowers #raisingdaughters #mamatodaughters #girlmama #blessedmama #santaphotos #santapictures #christmastimeishere #twinsplusone
๐•ธ๐–ž ๐–๐–†๐–“๐–‰๐–˜ ๐–†๐–—๐–Š ๐–“๐–” ๐–œ๐–๐–Š๐–—๐–Š ๐–“๐–Š๐–†๐–— ๐–†๐–˜ ๐–‹๐–š๐–‘๐–‘ ๐–†๐–˜ ๐–’๐–ž ๐–๐–Š๐–†๐–—๐–™๐Ÿ’•

#ad But for real, a few extra hands wouldn't hurt ๐Ÿ˜‚ That's why I love my Everbrite Rechargeable Headlamp! As you know, we spend a lot of time outdoors and the shorter winter days are cramping our style. But thanks to our @everbrite_lighting headlamp, outside time has been extended to after dark. We really enjoyed our nightly walks on the beach, and mama also loved having all my hands free for holding tiny hands. I also love that the headlamp is rechargeable so no going through batteries ๐Ÿ™Œ

#headlamp #illuminateyourfocus #illuminateyourlife #everbritepartner #everbritelighting #1000hoursoutside #raisingwildflowers #fullhandsfullheart #fullhandsfullerheart
๐•ด๐–™'๐–˜ ๐–‡๐–Š๐–Œ๐–Ž๐–“๐–“๐–Ž๐–“๐–Œ ๐•ด๐–™'๐–˜ ๐–‡๐–Š๐–Œ๐–Ž๐–“๐–“๐–Ž๐–“๐–Œ ๐–™๐–” ๐–‘๐–”๐–”๐– ๐–† ๐–‘๐–”๐–™ ๐–‘๐–Ž๐–๐–Š ๐•ฎ๐–๐–—๐–Ž๐–˜๐–™๐–’๐–†๐–˜

Woah December, how did the get here so fast? I'm pretty sure the months this year went something like January, February, March-May took a year, then blink and it's December.  Anyone else feel like this? 

Anyways I am super excited for December  with birthdays (the girls turn 4 ๐Ÿคฏ) and Christmas around the corner. The girls are so excited about everything. I love seeing the world through their lens! It can me the littlest thing, but Blakely will exclaim, "This is so exciting! This is the perfect day!"And we are currently in a southern snow globe making it all feel even more magical! โ„๏ธ

What are you looking forward to this month?

#hellodecember #hellodecember2020 #mostwonderfultimeoftheyear #itsbeginningtolookalotlikechristmas #christmasmood #holidayseason #raisingwildflowers #twinsofinsta #twins
Wanted to share this holiday gift idea ๐ŸŽwith yo Wanted to share this holiday gift idea ๐ŸŽwith you while they are having their small business Saturday deals (up to 40% off and an additional 25% sitewide)! We love our #gifted @slumberkins! They are the cutest and softest lovies, and they are lovies with a purpose! Each "kin" (or snuggler) comes with a book (a huge hit with the girls) and affirmation card, and their story promotes different types of emotional well-being. Brooklyn is holding Lynx whose story promotes self-expression. Blakely is holding Honey Bear whose story promotes gratitude. We also have unicorn (authenticity) and Bigfoot (self-esteem)!
.
.
.
.
.
#slumberkins #slumberkinsnuggles #slumberkinlynx #slumberkinhoneybear #shopsmall #smallbusinesssaturday #holidayseason #holidaygiftideasforkids #holidaygiftideas #presentideas #christmasgiftsideas #christmasshopping #supportsmallbusiness #twins
Happy Thanksgiving from the Hicks Family! ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚ Happy Thanksgiving from the Hicks Family! ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‚๐Ÿ๐Ÿ

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