It’s a new year and many of us are setting reading goals for 2024! Don’t forget to get your little readers in on the excitement!

My 7 year old is excited to set a yearly reading goal for the first time~ 90 books in 2024.

Here are some tips for encouraging your kids to set a reading goal:

1. Let Them Set Their Goal

Yes, you’ll want to encourage one that can actually be accomplished (I had to tell Eden 1000 books in a year might be a bit much lol), but let them set the bar for what they hope to achieve.

2. Track Reading in a Fun Way

There are so many ways to do this – Good reads, reading apps, printable reading trackers, etc. Find something that motivates your child. My daughter is an artist, and she loves visually seeing her goals being met. So a printable tracker works great for her to color in as she reads and see her progress!

*Here are some fun, free reading trackers: https://www.101planners.com/reading-log/

3. Let Them Choose What They Read

As gatekeepers, Sim and I carefully vet everything that comes into our home, but we try to have a broad variety of books for our children to choose from. Often, my daughter and I look through book lists from sources I trust, and she chooses her next reads.

*Booklists I trust:

https://readaloudrevival.com/recommends/

https://faithfulandflourishing.org/book-movie-lists/

https://goodbookmom.com/reviews/

4. Enjoy Audiobooks Together

Whether it’s during the afternoon while the little ones are napping, in the car, or during an evening laundry folding party, we love listening to audiobooks together!

*Hoopla is our favorite way to get audiobooks!

5. Be a Read-Aloud Family

Read through books together as a family. This might be my favorite way we spend time together. Nothing connects hearts like reading a good book together.

6. Visit the Library Often

Make it a weekly visit. Bonus points if your visit coincides with weekly storytime! This keeps a steady flow of fresh reading material in our home. We own MANY books, but budget doesn’t allow for endless book purchases. And if you’re looking for something your library doesn’t have, request it! Almost everytime we’ve done this, they’ve purchased the books we requested!

7. Set the Example

If you want your children to love to read, you must show them that you love to read. Model this for them. Let them see you reading. While audiobooks, kindles, and such are great tools, let your kids see you reading from physical books as well. Share your reading goals with your kids. Have some fun competition as you both try to work towards your goals throughout the year.

8. Celebrate Their Success

What happens if your child reaches their goal? How will you celebrate their accomplishment? And what if they don’t reach it, but they tried hard and came close? We all love to be rewarded for a job well done. Decide on a spcial way to celebrate all their hard work, and do it in a way that speaks to their personality and love language. I know my Eden. She would love if we celebrated with ice cream and a new book to kick of next year’s reading challenge!

What would you add to the list? Do your kids have a 2024 reading goal? How will you celebrate their success?

I’d love to hear in the comments!

Below, you will find several of our favorite breakfast recipes. You can also hear me share tips on how to simplify breakfast while keeping it filling and nutritious on this episode of the NHC podcast.

Episode 93: Tips for a Better Breakfast

Blueberry Breakfast Coffee Cake

Ingredients

[Muffins}                                                                                                 

2 cups flour (I use fresh ground soft wheat)                                      

1/2 cup sugar (I use sucanat)                                                                                

2 tsp baking powder                                                                                     

1 egg, lightly beaten 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup milk 3 Tbsp cold butter

1/4 cup butter, softened [Glaze-optional]

1 tsp grated lemon peel 1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 cups fresh blueberries 2 Tbsp milk

[Topping]

1/3 cup sugar (or sucanat)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350^o. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan. Whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder. Cut    butter into small pieces. Add egg, milk, butter and lemon peel; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. (batter will be thick) Fold in the blueberries. Spread into pan. For the topping, combine sugar, flour walnuts and cinnamon. Add butter and cut in with pastry blender to make crumbles. Sprinkle over batter. Bake 40-45 minutes. For glaze,  combine both ingredients and pour over warm cake.

*This is also delicious made as a banana nut coffee cake. Instead of the lemon peel and blueberries, add 2-3 mashed bananas, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 cup walnuts to muffin batter.

Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients

10 eggs (farm fresh are THE BEST!)

Salt and pepper to liking

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup Colby jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup sour cream

1 ham steak, cut into bite-sized pieces

Instructions

Scramble eggs with salt and pepper. Melt butter in hot pan. Add in egg mixture. Cook for a few minutes and add in sour cream and ham. Finish cooking until eggs are to liking. Stir in cheese and let melt.

*This recipe originally came from Sally Clarkson. I tweaked a few things to our liking.

Wholegrain Buttermilk Waffles

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1-2 Tbsp sugar or honey (I use sucanat)

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 3/4 cups flour (I use half fresh ground soft white wheat and hard white wheat)

Instructions

Mix all dry ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and oil. Add the dry ingredients. Let mixtures rest for about 5 minutes, so the batter can thicken as the flour absorbs the liquid. Pour batter into preheated waffle iron and cook 3-4 minutes or until done.

Toppings: Maple syrup, honey, fruit (berries, sliced bananas), whipped cream, peanut butter drizzle, chocolate chips

Lemon Blueberry Scones

Ingredients                                                                                                                                  

3 cups flour ( I use fresh ground soft white wheat or pastry flour)                                    

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar, divided (I use sucanat)                                                                     

1 Tbsp baking powder  2-3 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp milk

1 egg

1 Tbsp grated lemon zest

1 cup blueberries

[Glaze]

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400^o. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined. Use a pastry cutter to blend in the butter. Blend until mixture resembles a crumb mixture. Add milk, egg, and lemon zest. Add blueberries and combine just until mixed. Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead. Flatten into a circle and cut into 8 wedges. Put all wedges on the baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Make the glaze by combining all ingredients (starting with 2 Tbsp water, if too thick, add more). While scones are still warm, brush each with glaze.

Overnight Breakfast Enchiladas

Ingredients                                                                                                                                  

1 lb sausaged, browned

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

8 8in flour tortillas

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

3oz real bacon bits

1 cup ham pieces

Instructions

Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray. In a large bwl, stir together browned sausage, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and ham pieces. Divide mixture evenly onto tortillas. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. In a separate large bowl, beat eggs, milk, cream, flour, and salt. Pour over tortillas. You can cover the dish and place in the fridge overnight or bake immediately. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Uncover dish and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese and bacon bits onto tops of tortillas. Cover and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover dish and bake 10 minutes longer or until egg has set.

Strawberry Almond Oatmeal

Ingredients

Oats

Water

Dash of coriander

Dash of cinnamon

Honey

Strawberries

Almonds

Instructions

Combine oats and water to your desired consistency. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Mix in coriander, cinnamon, honey, and almonds to taste. Top with sliced strawberries.

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oats                                                                                                     

1 tsp cinnamon                                                                                                               

1tsp baking powder                                                                                                     

1/2 tsp sea salt                                                              

2 cups milk (I prefer unsweetened almond milk) 1 cup diced apple

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/4 cup honey

1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Spray and 8×8 dish with olive oil. Combine dry ingredients, then add in wet ingredients. Pour into prepared dish and bake for 40 minutes or until the center has set. Allow baked oatmeal to cool just a bit before serving.

Optional: Serve with a drizzle of peanut butter, honey or maple syrup.

Basic Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour (I use fresh ground soft white wheat or pastry flour)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup honey

1 cup buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400^o. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center. Set aside. In another bowl, combine egg, oil, vanilla, honey and buttermilk. Add all at once to flour mixture. Stir together just until  combined. Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Banana Muffins: Mash 3 bananas and add to batter. Optional– add in chocolate chips, walnuts, or peanut butter chips.

Blueberry Muffins: Add 1 cup of blueberries to batter.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins: Peel and dice 1-2 apples,

and add to batter. Add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg

We are in a season of life where date nights are essential, yet difficult to actually make happen. There are various reasons for that- lack of family nearby to watch our kids, the cost of babysitters, the cost of going out, etc! Simeon and I have sought to get creative in planning date nights. We know the important place this has in our marriage, and we decided to think outside-the-box to overcome some of the obstacles keeping it from something we skip entirely.

In this season, date night looks like us quietly sneaking out to the kitchen after putting to the kids to bed and playing games together. (oftentimes, pizza and/or cookies are included!)

Below, you’ll find some of our favorite 2 player games!

Carcassonne

Product description

In Carcassonne, players build the area surrounding this impressive city, one tile at a time. They then place a follower on fields, cities, roads or monasteries in order to score as many points as possible. These followers will become knights, monks, farmers and thieves, depending on where they are placed. No matter their function, the player who will most cleverly use their followers will win the game. Entirely redesigned and modernized, this edition includes two expansions: the river and the abbot.

Hive

Product description

Hive is a boardless game that builds strategy skills. Hive is a fun game to play, because of its simple rules, yet challenging for its depth. Each of the tactile resin (bakelite) tiles has a unique way of moving, similar to chess and resembles the movement of the insect depicted on the tile. Choose the best tactics to place the right piece wisely and be the first to block the queen bee in the hive. Hive enhances each player’s skills of strategic planning, tactical thinking and spatial vision. To win, you must play both the offense (surround your opponents bee) and the defence (to protect your queen bee).

Product description

This Musee card scenes game, you collect impossibly valuable works of art and put them on display in your own personal art museum, the Musée. The only problem is that your opponents are doing the very same thing. Each gallery must be organized properly by exhibit number, but to succeed you must balance your passion for order with the need for public acclaim. Impress visitors by tastefully positioning works of art side-by-side showing similar themes. Make sure you do not get too greedy for applause, though in doing so might disorganize your collection and keep you from displaying any more paintings. Includes sixty unique fine art images from artists ranging from the fifteenth to the early twentieth centuries.

Parks

Product description

Parks is a celebration of the US National Parks featuring illustrious art from Fifty-Nine Parks. In Parks, players will take on the role of two hikers as they trek through different trails across four seasons of the year. While on the trail, these hikers will take actions and collect memories of the places your hikers visit. These memories are represented by various resource tokens like mountains and forests. Collecting these memories in sets will allow players to trade them in to visit a National Park at the end of each hike. Each trail represents one season of the year, and each season, the trails will change and grow steadily longer. The trails, represented by tiles, get shuffled in between each season and laid out anew for the next round. Resources can be tough to come by especially when someone is at the place you’re trying to reach! Campfires allow you to share a space and time with other hikers. Canteens and Gear can also be used to improve your access to resources through the game. It’ll be tough to manage building up your engine versus spending resources on parks, but we bet you’re up to the challenge. Players : 1–5, Playing Time : 30–60 Minutes, Suitable for age above : 10 Years.

The Crew

Product description

In the co-operative trick-taking game The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, the players set out as astronauts on an uncertain space adventure. What about the rumors about the unknown planet about? The eventful journey through space extends over 50 exciting missions. But this game can only be defeated by meeting common individual tasks of each player. In order to meet the varied challenges, communication is essential in the team. But this is more difficult than expected in space. With each mission, the game becomes more difficult. After each mission, the game can be paused and continued later. During each mission, it is not the amount of tricks, but the right tricks at the right time that count. The team wins only if every single player is successful in fulfilling their tasks.

Forbidden Island

Product Description

Dare to discover forbidden island join a team of fearless adventurers on a do-or-die mission to capture four sacred treasures from the ruins of this perilous paradise. Your team will have to work together and make some pulse-pounding maneuvers, as the island will sink beneath every step race to collect the treasures and make a triumphant escape before you are swallowed into the watery abyss the latest creation by cooperative game master, matt Leacock who created the best seller pandemic.

Pandemic

Product Description

Four diseases have broken out in the world and it is up to a team of specialists in various fields to find cures for these diseases before mankind is wiped out. Players must work together playing to their characters’ strengths and planning their strategy of eradication before the diseases overwhelm the world with ever-increasing outbreaks. For example the Operation Specialist can build research stations which are needed to find cures for the diseases. The Scientist needs only 4 cards of a particular disease to cure it instead of the normal 5. But the diseases are out breaking fast and time is running out: the team must try to stem the tide of infection in diseased areas while also towards cures. A truly cooperative game where you all win or you all lose.

Ticket to Ride

Product description

With elegantly simple gameplay, Ticket to Ride can be learned in under 15 minutes, while providing players with intense strategic and tactical decisions every turn. Players collect cards of various types of train cars they then use to claim railway routes in North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who fulfill Destination Tickets goal cards that connect distant cities; and to the player who builds the longest continuous route. “The rules are simple enough to write on a train ticket each turn you either draw more cards, claim a route, or get additional Destination Tickets,” says Ticket to Ride author, Alan R. Moon. “The tension comes from being forced to balance greed adding more cards to your hand, and fear losing a critical route to a competitor.” Ticket to Ride continues in the tradition of Days of Wonder’s big format board games featuring high-quality illustrations and components including: an oversize board map of North America, 225 custom-molded train cars, 144 illustrated cards, and wooden scoring markers. Since its introduction and numerous subsequent awards, Ticket to Ride has become the BoardGameGeek epitome of a “gateway game” — simple enough to be taught in a few minutes, and with enough action and tension to keep new players involved and in the game for the duration.

Lost Cities

Product description

Who will discover the ancient civilizations. Two explorers embark on research journeys to remote corners of the world: the Himalayan mountains, the Central American rainforest, the Egyptian desert, a mysterious volcano, and the bottom of the sea. As the cards are played, the expedition routes take shape and the explorers earn points. The most daring adventurers make bets on the success of their expeditions. The explorer with the highest score after three rounds of expeditions wins. The rules of the game are simple, but beware: The lost cities hold many unseen mysteries..

*Product descriptions taken from the Amazon game listings.

*Amazon links are afflilate links. As an Amazon influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!!