Football Fever

My husband loves to find fun things to do with the kids that create memorable experiences. Our boys are almost 7 and 9 this year and pretty into playing ball. There’s usually not a day that goes by that they’re not outside with Dad playing catch of some kind, depending on the sports season. With Bengals season just around the corner, Darrin decided to take the boys to Georgetown for the Bengals training camp experience. An hour and a half from Cincinnati, the admission is free and you are just required to pay $15 per car for parking.

The guys were able to watch the Bengals players being run through a practice and then go to an autograph tent afterwards. They enjoyed discussing the specific plays and drills being done on the field and unlike a regular game at Paul Brown Stadium, they were able to get pretty close to the players. They even talked with my former college gymnastics strength and conditioning coach that is now on staff with Cincinnati football - which scored me some “cool points” since I don’t always follow their very detailed sports conversations.

Camp is usually held each year at the beginning of August – if you have football fans in your house you should definitely check it out!

Strength & Weakness

I believe that we are intentionally and intricately designed. That our given strengths and gifts can also play into our weaknesses – simply because we are human. In learning about myself and how I am created, I continue to uncover areas of vulnerability that I need to develop and strengthen as I grow. Guiding kids along this self-discovery can help them figure out a little more about who they are designed to be.

A certain strength has related weakness. For example, a child who is naturally compassionate has the strength of instinctively caring about others and being concerned for their well being but may struggle with making their own choices and could find themselves being persuaded to do things because they want people to be happy. Or a child with leadership gifts has the strength of being so visionary and motivated that he sometimes forgets to consider the feelings or opinions of others. Understanding this relationship allows us to celebrate our strengths and challenge our weaknesses. The very things that drive us crazy about our kids are really just undeveloped characteristics of their strengths. Our kids are who they are and it’s our job to help them discover and guide them in their journey of growth, however I was recently reminded that this discovery and guidance is not just up to us...

Road Rally Fun

 My sisters and I grew up in a family with parents who frequently planned activities for their friends that were just about fun. They had a close community of family friends that lasts to this day so it’s only natural that we’ve adopted a similar lifestyle and love to host events where the purpose is just enjoyment. One of my parents' made up events was something they called a Road Rally. This weekend we, along with my sister’s family, hosted our own first annual Rakestraw/Jung Road Rally. 

Similar to The Amazing Race, we created a course through Cincinnati that included 10 road blocks. Ten pages of rhyming clues led them through the race, finishing at a park shelter where we had a big family party. Cars were sent off 4 minutes apart from the starting line and scored according to time, mileage, and the completion of checkpoints. We wanted this to be a family event so clues included everything from 90’s movie references to Webkinz characters and sports and history trivia. Parents needed their kids and kids needed their parents...