Vlog – At the Coast in Winter

My husband's family grew up at the coast, and even though some moved away others still live there. So, when we have a trip to visit family it is always a joy to be able to spend time at the coast with them. This last trip we went over New Year's Eve to New Year's Day. Darren's aunt owns a fabulous ice cream and sweets hope right at Devils Punch Bowl State Park. Rebecah and Dale are fabulous hosts and have some amazing views from their home. It is always fun to learn from them as well as Darrens parents about the coast. When we went this last time we got to experience a King Tide (super cool!), we found fossils, got to see nature and we especially enjoyed the SUNSHINE. We are always amazed how absolutely beautiful the coast can be during winter. Check out todays Vlog to see some of the beautiful creation we got to see and take a look at what a King Tide is. 

It is always such a joy to be in creation with my family. In addition, a special treat when we can be with our extended family as well. They have a wealth of knowledge we get to learn from. We were so grateful for our time together at the Oregon Coast in January.

 

Make sure to subscribe to our channel and here on RaisingRices so that you can get the latest vlogs and blogs. We pray we can be an encouragement to you and your family.

Vlog – Snow Shoeing with Kids

Snow Shoeing with Kids

 

As some of you who have been following along know that we are moving our family from Portland, Oregon to Idaho Falls, Idaho. There are many differences in the two areas BUT one of the MAJOR differences is their WINTER! Here in Oregon (where we live currently), we are lucky if we get a week of snow, well, in Idaho they will have snow from November to March. While snow is beautiful and will be a huge life adjustment, one of the recommendations many people have given us in order to enjoy the winter we should work hard to find a winter sport or family activity. 

We have many winter activities we want to try, and while we were camping this fall in Bend, Oregon we stopped by Costco, and they were having a sale on their snowshoes. We took this as an opportunity to try something new that could be a fun winter activity to do as a family. Check out our first time out wearing our snowshoes. 

 

Vlog – Baking With Kids

 

Baking with Kids

We love to bake with our kids. Now, when I say this, it doesn't mean that it is without hard or messy moments! In fact, sometimes it is hard to gain motivation to do a project like baking with them knowing that there will be lots of training opportunities and messes to collectively clean up: BUT every time we manage to make time for these special moments, we always leave them with joy filled hearts.

In our vlog we are excited to show and tell you some tips and tricks for baking with your kids! Enjoy!

Baking With Kids

100 Days Living In a Trailer

It has officially been over 100 days of living in our trailer.

When we decided to sell our home in September 2021, we knew we would be moving into our trailer. Excited to build on our 10 acres in Idaho but knowing that we would have to use the money from the sale of our city home as the down payment to build on our land we had already owned outright. The house sold the first weekend we listed (thanks to our amazing realtor and staging friends). It is funny even though we have accepted the offer it still takes another month to finalize.

So from the moment we move everything out of our house (around Sept. 20th) we knew we needed to be out of the house. With 5 children and 2 dogs, preparing our house to sell while living in it was going to be a chore, and since a few years earlier we were blessed to purchase a trailer, we thought there was no better option then to move our family into it. But the question was where do we park our trailer and family.

45 Minutes from our Troutdale home, headed up to Mt. Hood there is a RV park that had space available. The cost was 750.00 dollars per month which included water, sewer, electricity, garbage and access to their swimming pool and weight room. We started preparing to move there because we didn't know how long we would need to live in our trailer before we moved to our property in Idaho, and the RV location allowed only month to month rent.

We had friends who graciously offered to allow us to stay on their property in Damacus, 30 minutes closer to where we do life than up on the mountain. But, we were concerned that since we didn't know our time frame it would be too much of a commitment for them. So when I told my friend we were thinking of staying on the mountain, my dear friend kindly asked why, I explained I was worried that we could be at her place for a LONG time, and she said PERFECT COME LIVE WITH US! (Goodness, I love her! Their family has been such a blessing to us!)

So we did! We moved ourselves to their home. They have allowed us to not only stay in our trailer on their property but have given us access to full use of their 300 sq ft cottage which has a stand-up shower(!), a toilet(!), a stove, a refrigerator, and a sink! We are so blessed by the cottage space; we do all our living, school and eat in it, and we have stayed warm and dry all winter.

One of the questions we get asked a lot is: how is trailer life treated you? Honesty, as with everything there is ups and downs, but overall, it has worked for us! It has been over 100 days and along the way we have had to make many adjustments to help us be successful where we are. Here are a few things we have changed or adjusted:

  • Darren wakes up super early to work, and I have had a goal of waking up earlier to read my bible and work out, that if obviously hard inside a trailer, but thanks to the cottage we have created a system where while the kids are sleeping we head over to the cottage and do our morning time together, when the kids wake up they use Walkie Talkies to radio us to let us know they are awake, we give them instructions for getting ready and then they head over to the cottage. (The cottage is like 150 ft from the trailer.)
  • Sleeping all in the same small trailer has been the biggest issue the whole time and we have tried many things to make it go better (less talking and more sleeping.) But ultimately, the changes that has made the biggest difference is simply postponing the sleeping time a little later than we had in our home prior. Also, we have increased I read aloud time in the evening to be while they are in bed. This has helped them calm down and rest before sleeping. (But in full transparency, they still talk a lot at night.)
  • I, Marissa, by nature am always cold, and we have had some REALLY cold nights over December, so to combat this we got an electric blanket! This is a game changer for me! Darren is always hot, so he thinks trailer temperature is great!
  • Storage is an ISSUE! But truly it was an issue in our home as well, we frankly just have a lot of people in a limited space, so creativity is the name of the game. We have created bins that house books and games, as well as bins that store toys, we use a rotation system to only have a limited number of these things out at a time. Our bins are stored in our cargo trailer which lives 15 minutes down the road.
  • Mindset! Knowing that we are working toward our dream goal helps so much during this season of life. We are trying to find things that are new and different that perhaps we wouldn't have had the capacity to do in our city home, now that we are in a trailer. Things we have been able to do include  more camping trips (might as well since everything is already packed haha), volunteer at a horse rescue ranch, weekly ballet and karate, snowshoeing and hiking and more!
  • We have always been big into doing things as a family. And, I thought that before were together so much, but boy was I wrong, there are NOW so many more things we do together as a family, and I have to be honest: I sort of LOVE it! The siblings' relationships have grown so much more, and because we are literately always together (even us parents) it has helped our parenting and intentionality grow as well. We are seeing issues and addressing them in the moment, we are using the time we have to be purposeful and increased our teaching time.
  • Read aloud time is so life giving right now. We have used read louds as a way to help promote quiet time during the day. With 7 people in a 300 sq ft space there is a lot of noise as you could imagine, we have time set aside during the day where the kids do a quiet activity like coloring, Legos, building blocks etc. and I sit and read aloud to them. Not only is it part of our schooling but it allows some reprieve to the day.

As with everything I am sure there will be more changes that will be made. Adjustments are just part of the game of life. Am I ready for another 100 days?! We will see haha! We are hoping that the breaking of ground on our new home will take place soon and when it does, I know that will give us a renewed sense of purpose behind the lifestyle we are living.

Stay Tuned and Follow Along So You Can See What Is In Store!

We have Launched Our Vlog

We are so excited to finally let the cat out of the bag and tell you: WE MADE A VLOG!!! 

Here is our welcome vlog, that explains our heart behind our Ministry, and includes some explanation of our family team.  

 

Who Are the Rice’s?

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Homemade Artisan Bread Course LAUNCH!

We have been so excited to create our very first HOMEMADE ARTISAN BREAD COURSE! This course teaches our No- Knead – No Fail Artisan Bread. This bread is so versatile, and super tolerant to mistakes, which makes it the perfect bread to start to learn on!

 

We decided to put our Artisan Bread course on SALE for only $5.00 dollars! We want to encourage you to make homemade with ease! ENJOY!

Check out our course: HERE!

HERE is where you find out information on our No-Knead – No-Fail Artisan Bread!

Learn how to take .80 cents of ingredients and turn it into your very own BEAUTIFUL homemade artisan bread!

Allow us to help make homemade with EASE!

ENJOY!

 

Healthy and Strong

Healthy and Strong

 

There has been so many seasons in my life where I have felt and looked healthy and strong, but sadly I am coming out of a season where having my physical body reflect my legacy goals was put aside. There were many amazing things that has transpired in the last 8 years of my life, and on the top of that list was growing, having and raising 5 beautiful kiddos! It was an amazing accomplishment, and I am so proud of my body and what it did (through the help of Jesus Christ). And now I find myself with the realization that I sadly didn’t prioritize my health throughout that season. Prior to kids I have been active, fit, healthy and strong, then while growing my babies and raising my other kids I sort of “relied” on the fact that I “was” strong and missed the obvious that without continuing to work my physical strength it would start to slowly fade.

So here I am, age 35 and starting over in a sort of way. I can no longer rely on my youthful habits. I need to start forming ones that will help my body prepare for the legacy I want to leave ahead. BUT, where do I go from here? My husband and I have created a strength building workout program I am super excited to share with you today! Here is the thing though, this workout program had to meet certain of my life needs right now:

  1. It has to be done in 30 minutes (OR LESS)
  2. It has to be able to adapt as I began and got stronger along the way
  3. It has to be able to be done in a trailer (yes, I said it, a trailer! Because that is where we are living right now while building)
  4. It has to last 3 months at least and not be boring. (I need variety)
  5. And lastly, it had to involve minimal equipment (or none at all)

So with that in mind we began researching and planning what we could do to accommodate those needs.  And here is what we came up with:

We have a MENS program and a WOMENS program.

 Full program DOWNLOAD HERE FIT – Men

WOMENS WORK PROGRAM

Full program DONWLOAD HERE Women’s Fit Calendar

I hope this is an encouragement and resource that you can benefit from! Join me and my husband as we try to stay accountable over on Instagram Stories. Excited for you to join us! YAY!

 

Displaced in Motherhood

Do you feel displaced? Or that you are unsure of where or how to serve?

As a mother of 5 littles I find myself with the desire to serve and share the gospel with others. Which are both Godly desires, BUT they can come at a cost to my mindset when I fell like because I am a stay at home mother I am failing at that calling. I can find myself fixated on finding “my place” or fulfilling my “Christian Responsibility” to the extent that I have misled myself into believing those tasks HAVE to happen outside of my family.

 

Literally, I am staring at my greatest mission field when I look into the eyes of my young ones, and somehow I have convinced myself that I am “needed” else where. And while there is truth to the need of my unique talent and skills else where I AM MISSING my greatest calling to my family when I let that “need” surpass my calling to raise my family! Can I do both, love my family and love others? ABSOLUTELY! But we must remember that when we devalue our role as a mother we can neglect our responsibility/role to teach the gospel to our children.

Psalm 127:3

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

I ask myself, “when did I let the world’s ideas of what is most important invade my mind?!” It has become apparent that in society today children do not rank high on the “list of important things.” In fact, we have decided it is more important to go to college than have children, the ability to travel is more important than having children, the opportunity to move up the corporate ladder is more important than having children. Society says, do you want to be able to go and do as you please: well, that is more important than having and raising children. The list goes on and on, we have as a society forgotten the reward and blessing that comes from having and raising children.  And because of this cultural influence we have created a mindset where being a mother (and especially at SAHM) is the ROCK BOTTOM job a woman can have.

Titus 2:1-15

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled …

 

Motherhood is not a hobby; it is a calling.  It is not something to do if you can squeeze in the time. You represent everything that our culture hates, because you are laying down your life for another and just like Jesus laid down His life for us, you fellow momma are laying down your life for your children WHICH represents the gospel. We are the walking gospel to our kids. We might be, through our parenting, preparing our kids hearts to see the greatest sacrifice of all: JESUS CHRIST!

Motherhood is a calling, it is a privilege, and while it may look different for each of us due to our personal convictions and situations, what we MUST remember is God has given us this calling not to be viewed at as less than, rock bottom or unimportant! Child training is a mission field! Motherhood is a beautiful area to serve and teach the Gospel. When the culture says the role of Motherhood is second choice to real life, we need to stare culture back in the face and tell it: I do this for the eternal lives of my littles! You are not displaced, you are not left out, you are where God has placed you in a role that is of the utmost importance!

 

Fellow momma you are doing the LORDS work!

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Activities

With Thanksgiving being this week, I can’t be the only parent who waited until the last minute to find a cute thanksgiving activity. Or maybe you are hosting this year and would like some activities for your kiddos guest to do while at your house? Well have no fear I have complied over 30 activities for you. They are simple printable activities that you can choose which ones best fit your family! Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Click HERE to download. Thanksgiving Worksheet

And make sure to subscribe to our blog. And if you feel so inclined we would love a follow over at Instagram and Facebook!

ALSO! Did you see the adorable Harvest shirts we have in our SHOP?

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

LOVE,

RaisingRices

To Put Courage Into

Encourage – to put courage into.

If you have been following along you may have noticed that we have had a LOT of decisions to make as a family lately. From selling our house, to moving churches, and standing against the vaccine mandates in our area. With each decision we of course were met with opposition. Those that oppose our decisions are plentiful and can be found in many community groups we have been involved in. Yet, those that support us, both then and now, are also in abundance, and have been transformational during these hard times. As these key moments in our life unfolded, as a wife I had two options:

I could complain, be reactive, or assert myself as the leader

OR

I could put COURAGE into my husband to lead

The choice seems obvious, does it not? YET, how often do we find ourselves putting down our husbands due to our need to control the situation. (Insiders Information: I know this because I have battled this need for control and continue to work to submit to my husband daily.)

As believers, we know the call to be submissive to our husbands. However, at some point we let the culture confuse us to thinking submission is passive. What I have found on my road to learning to biblically submit is that submission at its core is FAR FROM PASSIVE, it takes active strength, and unwavering courage to be able to encourage our husband into righteousness.

Equally, when we CHOOSE to be encouragers to our husband’s role as the leader we gain so much. We don’t have to carry the weight of decisions on our shoulders, and praise God for that! Our husbands, working within the role that God has created them for have been made to lead in that way, and we were created to inspire, submit, encourage, and start a fire of leadership. This all brings freedom to us as wives!  In doing this it allows our husbands to FULLY submit to Christ, see both wives and husbands are called to submit. We are not talking about rank of importance because we are all called to submit, and all co-heirs with Christ.

Submission is about loving our husbands well, and husbands are also called to love their wives. We both called to love, and both to model Christs’ sacrificial love. The meaning of the word submission comes from an army rank idea, where there is a clear order of responsibilities. For example, lets say there are 2 top leaders and they are both calling the shots; one says to charge, and one says to retreat. If you were under their leadership which one would you listen to? How do you choose? Remember, you are in a battle and any confusion can lead to the death of others and yourself. While that may seem like an extreme example when we are talking about marriage and submission, I use it as an illustration for show the WHY behind having a clear rank of roles. It is for the benefit of everyone. Similarly, you could use the same illustration above and say we are in a battle and both of the commanders are expecting the other one to make the decision so they sit back and wait, and their army becomes sitting ducks for the enemy to pick off. We are in roles that benefit us all! When their are clear ranks of roles the main commander looks to his support system to give him intel, support, and courage. Same in an army as in a marriage, our roles on the team must not be passive or inactive, for we all depend on each other for the success of the team.

Remember that marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church, and in all things we are at war not against flesh and blood but against the powers of this world. We are in a spiritual battle together and as wife and husband we must be working together according to how God intended in order to successfully bring glory to God through our marriage.

It is time to armor up and prepare for battle WITH your spouse! Putting on the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The war is here and now; we must be active NOT passive.

How to prepare for war:

PRAY!

READ GODS WORD!

SUBMIT to GOD first and your husband second.

ACT in OBEDIENCE!

 

**Submission does NOT apply to abuse, and if you find yourself in that situation or wonder if you are please reach out to a pastor, biblical friend, and or please email us at Marissa@rasingrices.com