"We're having so many friends!"

Said Lily when she heard we were having yet another group of kids come over to the house this weekend.

We finally cleaned up the basement of the house we are renting to make room for some cold-weather fun. We set up the air hockey table we had in storage for 3 years and used painter’s tape to mark out a four-square court on the floor.

I should have taken a before and after picture of the basement. Prior to decluttering, I could not guarantee that a child wouldn’t get lost or trapped under stacked furniture or crushed by precariously piled boxes.

The extra space allowed us to flip the sign on the door that might as well have said “closed for large groups of kids due to risk of serious bodily harm” to “open for play!”

We love trading off kids with friends for date nights. This weekend it was our turn to have all the kiddos.

These kids are card sharks. This game of UNO was fierce.

I was dying listening to this conversation between Zach and a very bright kindergartner on the structural integrity of building a home versus buying a home.

Saturday Gracie had a 10th birthday overnight with two of her besties who also provided the necessary moral support for getting her ears pierced.

We went to Kingdom Ink Tatoo here in Lititz, and they were wonderful. I had a couple of you message me on Instagram when you saw the story. It cost $40 for double ear piercing which also included the piercing studs that your child can pick out there. You call the phone number to make an appointment. They were very professional and quick.

The big “1-0” as Gracie called it is looking good.

The girls spent most of the day making slime.

A LOT of slime.

Need a fun idea to entertain kids? Line your table with pages from a coloring book and set out a bunch of colored pencils on the table. They also act as placemats for food and crafts.

This picture is a perfect example of the difference between Gracie’s playtime with friends and Caleb’s.

These boys basically spent 3 hours wrestling each other.

3 boys and Lily, that is.

It is hard to believe this year marked our 9th football banquet.

Caleb and Lily were only a twinkle in our . . . eyes . . . at our first football banquet.

9 years later they are twinkling over everything and somehow we are still standing after each football season.

On the podcast this week, I chatted with strength coach Rob Tracz. Founder of TAPS Training, a proprietary 12-week strength training program, Rob spills his favorite fitness secrets including the top 2 things you need to start doing today to shed fat and build muscle.

I also posted the best chocolate fondue recipe – so creamy and rich! Use the included list of dippers to host your own chocolate fondue party!

Let’s check out more inspiration from this week’s Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop!

Assembled with just 5 simple ingredients and the convenience of packaged puff pastry, this Kahlua Baked Brie is super quick and easy to make.

While the holidays are a time of relaxation and fun, they can also be very stressful. This list of ways to create wellness in your home is so helpful for combating some of that overwhelm and anxiety.