Trenches of Mommyhood

Good or Evil?

2012-01-25T08:52:00.003-06:00

Why does the Bible talk about money in both positive lights as well as negative? For example:

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

Proverbs 13:11
"He who gathers money little by little makes it grow."

Matthew 19:24
"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Proverbs 21:5
"Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty."

These verses seem to contradict each other, do they not? In one passage it seems to say money is bad and others it seems to say that money is good. Which is it?

Money is not evil, per sey, but rather how we spend our money. The rich in the world live in a fish bowl (celebrities, large CEOS, etc.) and we all can see how foolish they can be with their money. Fancy sports cars which they crash, lavish mansions which they tear down, shopping sprees totaling tens of thousands. Money gives people a sense that they are more important then others. Our whole society agrees, and caters to celebrities. A great example is Beyonce's recent birth...she rented out a hospital wing in order to have her child (at a reported expense of over 1 million dollars!), which in turn affected other parents in the maternity ward which were prevented from visiting their children in the nursery. How is she more important than a parent visiting his sick babies?! Matthew 19:30 "But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first."

With money comes responsibility, of which most people can not handle.
Luke 12:48
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

It is not just the ridiculously rich who must be careful of their wealth. We are all instructed to care for those less fortunate. Luke 3:11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same." We middle-class or lower-class Americans may think we are just scraping by to exist, but as my post showed last week, we are rich compared to most of the world. If you woke up in a warm bed, had breakfast this morning, or took a hot shower - you are blessed. See how rich you are. Our family calculated in the top 7.74 of the richest in the world!

I'm the 464,770,115 richest person on earth!

Discover how rich you are! >>

We are instructed to not be lovers of money, but rather lovers of people. We must love ALL people. If we suddenly feel as though we are better than someone, or deserve more than someone else, we have become that rich man that will have an easier time getting a camel through an eye of the needle then getting to heaven.

Yet, we are instructed to save money. We are instructed to be good stewards of what God has given to us. We are not to go into debt on foolish purchases. We are to work hard and use our money for good. Money can be a blessing, as long as you are blessing people with it. Are we blessing out children by giving them a stable home, or are we hurting them by going into debt for their fancy toys? Are we blessing ourselves with warm clothes and healthy food, or are we killing ourselves with credit card bills and greasy take out?

What is your take on the correlation between good and evil when it comes to money?

Health Or Beauty?

2012-01-24T22:24:00.006-06:00

While sorting and cleaning the cabinets in the bathroom the other day, I realized that I don't use a lot of what I had. Much of what I had was expired, dried up, or just something I no longer wanted, so I tossed it. I'm a simple gal when it comes to my health and beauty routine and I think that the less that we use, the better for our bodies.

The same went for under my sink - my main staple for cleaning is white vinegar and water, so I did not need a hundred bottles under my sink. I cleared out all the harmful chemicals which somehow worked their way into the house and rearranged the mainstays - Seventh Generation spray, vinegar, baking soda, and rags.

It's amazing how companies brainwash us into thinking that we need a separate product for every little thing: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face soap. Sink cleaner, stovetop cleaner, countertop spray, bathtub cleaner, toilet cleaner, window spray. It's overwhelming, hazardous to our health, and just plain expensive.

While I've set a lot of goals for myself this year, simplify was one of the main ones. I've been doing great with clearing out clutter (another garbage bag full of stuff went to Goodwill this past weekend!) and I wanted it to carry over to the stuff I use in the house, hence the purging of the chemicals and bathroom closets.

This evening I went on a shopping spree to stock up on items that I do need to replenish soon. It may seem silly to post simplify in one paragraph and shopping in another but hear me out. If one wants to replace their hazardous cleaning items with a gallon of white vinegar, one must go buy white vinegar. That one jug of vinegar will replace 5+ bottles of cleaning solutions under your sink. You are simplifying.

What did I purchase this evening? Thanks to the dear readers who signed up using my link on Vitacost.com I had enough credit to simplify my cabinets. Most of the products I purchased were items we already use, such as

and
Dr. Bronner's all-in-one liquid soap is a favorite of ours. It is completely natural and is the power house of clean. We use it for body wash, face wash and shampoo for the kids (unfortunately, hubby and I seem to be too greasy to be able to use this for our face or hair). I've used it for cleaning before, dishes, and laundry detergent in a pinch. It's been said that there are 30+ uses for it (some even brush their teeth with it!). This one bottle can really simplify your health and beauty routine.

I know lots of people who would love to use all natural and organic items for their family but feel it is too expensive. This is not true - look around your house - a bottle of shampoo, a bottle of conditioner, and soap or body wash all costs money and can be replaced with something as simple as one bottle of Dr. Bronner's. For a 32 oz. bottle on Vitacost it was $15.xx. That may sound like A LOT (believe me, I thought it was crazy expensive when I first heard about it) but it lasts forever. Seriously, one or two little drops gets you clean in the shower. I use a foaming pump dispenser and that makes it last even longer. We are still working on one 16 oz. bottle that we purchased last spring! The scents are amazing as well...peppermint is so refreshing for hot weather that it literally makes you want to put a sweater on after showering! Almond is delicious, lavender is relaxing, and the scent free is great for sensitive or baby skin.

My point is to not turn into an infomercial, but rather to point out that if you shop smartly and pair down you can simplify the ingredients that you use, the number of products that you use, and end up saving money.

And, again, while I don't want to sound like an infomercial, I do like to share with my readers brands and sites that get me excited. This was the third time that I have purchased from Vitacost.com and I have never been disappointed. First and foremost, it is frugal. The prices on items I already buy are cheaper than my local stores and even Amazon. There is often awesome sales, as well. The shipping is free over $50 and just $4.99 for an order under $50 (my last box was over 17 lbs. and shipped free!). You can go through Shop at Home for 5% cash back (if you are new to Shop At Home, click on this link and you'll get $5 for signing up).

The best part is the referral program, which is still going on. This is not a pyramid scheme or any trick, it's just a great promotion so they get more customers for this new website and you get to try their service...no strings attached. They give each new customer $10 when they sign up. You can place a small order of just $10 worth of items and only pay the $4.99 shipping (this is a great way to try their business) or you can place a larger order and get $10 off your order. But then, you can refer your friends and you will get $10 for each person who goes through your link. I was able to get $50 worth of items free due to 5 sweet people signing up under me - they were happy with their credit and I was happy with mine. This is an exceptional way to get natural and organic products inexpensively or even free!

I do plan to continue to purchase from Vitacost, whether I have a credit or not. The prices are lower then I've seen elsewhere, there is a huge selection, and I can shop from the comfort of my own home (which is a huge plus, since the natural foods store I shop at is 45 minutes away). Everything from steelcut oats and energy bars, to vitamins, to health and beauty supplies are available on this site.

If you aren't already a customer, sign up through this link and you'll get your $10 code. Place your order, and then share your referral code with your friends and family. It's awesome!

This post was not sponsored or endorsed by Vitacost.com. It is a site I enjoy and wanted to share. The links on this page are my own referral links and will net me a profit for the referral.

Sunday

2012-01-22T15:49:00.005-06:00

Today I finally got some time alone before anyone else in the house awoke. I swear, when I wake up in the mornings the kids seem to sense it and barrel down the stairs within minutes. Seriously, the other day I woke up two hours earlier then I usually do and five minutes later Becca was downstairs calling "Mom?!" How in the world does this happen?!

I cleaned out the bathroom cabinets. They were full of old health and beauty supplies, lonely q-tips, and all types of odds and ends. They are much emptier, and neater, now.

I was about to throw away some throw pillows that had rips and tears in them when I decided to repurpose them. I took an old comforter apart (which was about to become part of the rag bag) and used the fabric to make a cover for the pillow. Before:

After:
I made the cover "envelope style" (I don't even know if that's a term but that's what I'm calling it!). It closes with buttons and the pillow can be removed for easy cleaning. I have another one that needs to be done, which I will work on throughout this coming week. It's not a perfect sewing job but it's been years since I've sewn anything (other then mending) and it was all done by hand.

I'm off to make cabbage soup for supper and then off to exercise afterwards. I weighed in again this morning at the same weight as I have been the past three weeks but I expect next week to be down a pound or two after the better eating habits and exercising I have done this week.

YOU Are Rich

2012-01-19T13:05:00.004-06:00

As I was cleaning out my filing cabinet today I came across a box of old check registers. Before throwing them out I flipped through them to see our past financial history. What was interesting is that I forgot how hard I hard to juggle things previously. Just six years ago our family of, at that time, 4 lived off $285 a week.

That's $1,140 a month.

While it was hard, we made it. We had very little debt then (just a credit card for a lawn mower and dryer). I've had a checking account since I was 11 years old (that means 18 years now!) and even at our lowest I never once have bounced a check.

Six years later I don't have to juggle our finances as much. We have more leeway and freedom on what we need/want to buy. Even with that leeway, I'm careful not to overspend and not to spend every penny that comes in.

We've all heard the saying that "our spending adjusts to our income." Meaning, the more we make the more we typically spend. Unfortunately, it's too often true. If someone is barely able to scrape by at $2,000 a month, why is it when their income is at $2,500 they are still having the same struggles? At $3,000 they complain they don't have enough?

It reminds me of the Bible verse Ecclesiastes 5:10: "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income."

We Americans are spoiled. We complain about the mortgage in our Mcmansions while others live in a structure composed of cardboard walls and ceilings made of tarps. We complain about our grocery bills when others struggle to put one meal of rice on the table daily. We buy new wardrobes yearly while others wear rags.

I use the term "we" loosely. Even those of us who are on limited budgets in the US are still ricer than the majority of the world. Count yourself lucky if you have a warm shelter to live in, 3 meals a day, and clothing to protect us from the elements. Having those three things indeed makes you rich.

The point of this ramble is that we need to change our thinking when it comes to our finances. When is enough enough? What number would make you happy? If you are struggling, is it because you aren't making enough or is it because you are spending too much? I hope you'll ponder these questions, as they are the start to a financially comfortable future.

Chug It

2012-01-18T18:06:00.003-06:00

I started over again today. While my goal to lose weight was made 18 days ago, I didn't lose a single pound. There were days that I tried and then days that I didn't. Getting sick didn't help the matter.

Today I told myself that it was time to really stick to my guns and start getting myself slimmer. I went to the grocery store and picked up healthy meals and snacks (lots of fruit and vegetables!). For breakfast I had two bananas (I got up late and wasn't real hungry), for lunch I had a bowl of chili leftover from last night, for a snack I had an ice cream cone (I couldn't resist! And I don't feel you should deprive yourself of a yummy treat once in awhile). For supper we had homemade pizza and broccoli salad. I'm stuffed and feel as though I did pretty well.

Another thing I started today was drinking.

Water, that is. I'm not a huge water drinker, especially in the winter, so it's hard to force myself to drink throughout the day. I can easily (and joyfully) drink a mug or two of hot tea throughout the day but besides that I was lucky to get in a glass of milk and a few sips of water.

I dug this water bottle out of the cupboard. It holds 24 oz. so my goal is to drink two bottles a day (that, along with my cup of tea and glass of milk should meet my goal). I allowed myself to put one Crystal Light Pure lemon powder in my first bottle and that was easy to get down. The second bottle is pure water and since I'm keeping it handy I notice that it's easy to not forget to drink.

Whether it works for weight loss or not is something yet to be seen for me. But, I know getting enough water will improve my health, and that is the most important thing, right?

The Middle

2012-01-17T21:21:00.002-06:00

This week...

...I can't believe that it's the middle of January. Where have the days gone?!

...I spent the day at the hospital with Jacob, waiting for him to get some caps on his teeth due to numerous cavities. Considering that he never had cavities before and now has a mouthful after his treatments, I can't help but think that the treatments themselves had something to do with them. My brave boy gave me a hug and marched down the hall with the nurse to the operating room. He emerged two and a half hours later, sleepy, with some new silver caps.

...we can finally say it feels like winter. The white stuff has arrived and the temperatures also correspond with winter weather. A large snowman sits in the yard, sporting an army helmet and sword...attesting to the fact that winter may have been late but it's now here.

...I've stalled out with NO weight loss yet this year. My budget is getting in better shape though. My house is losing weight, with another garbage bag and a half filled for Goodwill. At least something is lighter in this house!

Keepin' It Real

2012-01-12T16:35:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago a reader commented that they would enjoy seeing a real glimpse into my house during the day. As a blog reader, and a blog writer, it is obvious that bloggers often only show the best of themselves. Which can sometimes leave readers feeling as though they are the only one with a messy house, a disorganized closet, days where they just want to stay in bed, anger at their husbands, etc. It's refreshing when a blogger posts something "really real".

I cringe to post the below photo. You all should feel honored because I never let anyone see my house like this! It was the type of day had someone knocked on the door I probably wouldn't have answered it. But it's real and I decided to post it to make you all feel better about your messy houses, because I doubt it's as bad as this! ;)

The photo is not staged. It looks that way, with all the weird random things strewn about. I often ask myself how a room can look like this within a matter of hours. I wonder why there is an army helmet under the table, pencils all over the floor, and all the other odds and ends that add up to one big mess. Mind you, my house doesn't always look like this. But with three small kids there are days where several rooms in the house can end up looking like this by the end of the day.
It was a fairly quick problem to solve. I then worked on the playroom, which was even worse (how is that even possible?! most of you probably think). I wish I had taken a photo of that before and after, but knowing my children it will be messy again by the weekend. Luckily, with one child at her grandparents and a hubby who arrived home early from work after going in early, I was able to really focus on the playroom and got one whole garbage bag of toys ready for donation and half a bag of trash (broken toys, pieces of paper, etc.). I'm really starting to get that less stuff means less stuff to pick up!

So be honest, was this something you've never seen in your home?! Were you surprised or are you used to it yourself in your homes some days?

I Give Up

2012-01-10T18:51:00.003-06:00

I couldn't do it...I couldn't complete the menu plan. I admit defeat.

The thing is, if a family spends a lot over $100 a week on groceries the plan would be a great one to follow to cut meal costs. For us, it ended up being more then we typically spend and much more labor intensive, which may be why I up and quit because a week of sickness and no energy is not a good week to spend much time in the kitchen.

I also felt there was way too much bread in the menu plan. We were already getting sick of beans (three bean dishes in one week with leftovers for lunch). And there was a lot more meat in the menu then we typically eat. In the end, it didn't fit us.

BUT, there were many things I did like about the menu which I will implement. We liked a lot of the recipes and I will be putting them to use in my own menu. I also liked the "make twice as much" amount rule to use the other half in recipes later the week. It's a rule I used to stick to but let drop so will try to get that going again. For example, one night I made rice to go with the salmon patties. I made enough to have leftovers for rice pancakes the next morning and the kids and I finished off the rest for lunch today, warmed with some milk and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. The one cooking time helped make three different dishes. So that is something that I am going to try to work on.

There was a lot of good in the menu but I think this was a bad week to test it out. Did anyone else end up trying this?

Sort It Out

2012-01-08T15:28:00.002-06:00

I've fallen off the wagon. Since Thursday evening I've shut down my menu plan and my weight loss plans. Today I'm back on track.

Wednesday evening I started coming down with a cold. I stayed on course on Thursday with the menu plan and rearranging our bedroom for the new mattress that we purchased which was set to arrive that day (yes, we finally upgraded to a new queen size mattress after 10 years on the same full size bed!). By the end of the day I was completely exhausted and my cold only continued to get worse.

Since Friday I've taken it easy and did the bare minimum. I did awake today feeling better and have gotten back on track with the laundry and general pick up of the house.

So how have my goals progressed this past week? I weighed in this morning and have not lost one single pound. I expected that though, as exercise as been out of the picture and the eating the past two days has been less then stellar. I will start over again this week and hope to see a bit of a difference.

The menu stalled out after a couple days. I did find that on Thursday when still at the beginning of the cold I was able to cook three meals that day on auto-pilot because of the menu plan, which was great. By Friday I had zero energy though so relied on frozen foods and quick meals. Today marks day 3 of the menu. So far we've enjoyed it and the only thing we weren't big fans of was the cornmeal much (Becca and Joe ate it...I ate my bowl but wouldn't have wanted seconds, and Jacob just turned his nose up completely). A reader suggested forming it in a loaf pan until cool, cutting it into slices, and frying in some butter. I'm going to try that next time.

We all enjoy the homemade bread and I love the ease of this...prepare the night before and bake the next day. Right now I have the garlic breadsticks in the oven for a snack for this afternoon - they smell delicious! One thing I would change about the menu is the dried milk...I won't be buying that again. After purchasing it I figured that I only saved about $1 and the kids don't like the taste unless it is mixed with their Ovaltine. I will be purchasing regular milk by the gallon now and will use up the rest of the powder with the bread recipe.

Despite feeling sick the past few days I was able to do some organizing. I managed to get my hubby to go through his dresser and closet with me and get rid of what he no longer wears. He still had a lot of what he wore before we were married - 10 years ago! A lot went into the rag bag and what was still nice went into a bag for Goodwill - we were able to fill one whole garbage bag of his clothes alone! A whole other bag of toys and plastic cups and bowls filled another bag and those were dropped off yesterday by hubby. It feels good to have two whole garbage bags worth of items out of the house this week and I'm already 1/4 through another bag! I'm attempting to work on the playroom today and tomorrow.

This and That

2012-01-04T23:37:00.004-06:00

One year ago this week (January 3rd, to be exact) Jacob started radiation and chemo. It is wonderful to be starting this year off completely different with our healthy little boy.

Today Jacob had his check-up with the Radiologist so since we were driving such a long way for such a short doctor visit (literally under 5 minutes) I decided to take the kids to a children's museum.

We spent close to three hours there and the kids had a blast. We will be going back again, for sure, but I think next time daddy will come along as well. All three kids wanted to spend the majority of the time in different areas and I felt like my head was going to spin off while trying to keep track of three kiddos going in opposite directions.
The first day of our new menu is going well. Great, in fact. The children enjoyed the new recipe for biscuits this morning along with their eggs and bacon. I prepared the meatloaf for supper this morning and stuck it in the fridge, knowing that we would be out late. I called hubby on the way home from the museum and ~~told~~ asked him to put it in. Once we arrived home I whipped up a batch of the plain muffins, made the mashed potatoes, and heated up the green beans. It was a very filling supper and because I knew exactly what we were having I was able to prepare some of it ahead of time which saved me a lot of time on a very hectic day. I typically would have just picked up something on the way home and am proud that I didn't today. The leftover meatloaf will be used for meatloaf sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.

I just put together the overnight bread, which I will bake tomorrow. Fresh bread with a bean dish will be excellent for supper!

So far so good on the menu plan. Breakfast tomorrow calls for cornmeal mush. I've never had it before and was a bit tempted to skip that, not knowing if the kids will like it or not, but since I don't know it means I should give it a go! Tomorrow shall be interesting as all three meals are different then we are used to, so it is a real test to see how the whole Hillybilly Housewife menu is going to turn out!

Has anyone else decided to give the menu a go?

It sounds like we are in store for a beautiful day weather wise tomorrow. We may reach 50 degrees. For the beginning of January that is amazing! We will make the most of it and spend our time outdoors. I hope your day turns out just as lovely!

Frugal Food Plan

2012-01-03T13:25:00.003-06:00

The USDA put a chart out estimating the cost of food for a family of four last January (2011). It was estimated that on the "thrifty" plan a family would spend $598. On the "low cost" it would be $779, "moderate plan" was $974 and "liberal plan" was $1184 (with children ages 6-11). Those amounts are staggering to me...even the "thrifty plan" is almost double what we, a family of 5, spends monthly on food.

Recently I have been in a bit of a rut with cooking. I haven't come up with great meal plans or grocery lists and I wanted some help with that, so decided to try the Hillbilly Housewife's $70 grocery plan which was put together in 2006. It was a complete menu with complete shopping list that would cost $70 for a week. She revised it in 2009 where it ended up costing $82.26. Because it has a complete menu (including snacks), complete shopping list, and a list of preparations to do and when I decided to give it a go. I wanted something easy for a no-brainer week.

It is not a low-fat or completely healthy menu, but it is pretty much from scratch. With me tweaking a few recipes and sticking to the portion control I think it will end up being healthy.

I was hoping to come in around that $82 price tag (even based on 2009 prices) because I didn't have to buy a lot of what was listed (flour, sugar, spices). Unfortunately, I came in at $96.xx

That ends up costing more than what I typically spend each week. Luckily, I don't think that's a final total as some of what I bought will last longer than a week (the corn meal, dry milk, Miracle Whip, etc.). Because I didn't feel there was enough fruit, I added the bananas and watermelon (though I did not count them in the total price).

I'm starting this menu tomorrow and am curious to see how my family likes it. For me, it's not as thrifty as my usual plan, but I thought I would mention it here for those who do spend more and would like to cut back for a week. If we like this menu I may pull it out once a month to have a no-brainer cooking week.

Resolution Odds & Ends

2012-01-02T06:45:00.000-06:00

Day 1 of my slim down went well, except for the handful of almond bark pretzels that I had at the end of the day. Everyone deserves a snack though and with that I still did good - instead of grabbing the two or three handfuls that I typically would have I stuck with the one. That's an improvement! Lunch was a salad with chicken pieces, sliced orange pepper, sunflower seeds, and a vinegar dressing. It was so good I'm craving another, but alas I am out of lettuce until Tuesday when the grocery store is open.

I didn't exercise though. I had intended to walk the dog, but with the 40 mph winds we've had all day and the grey, dreary skies I just wasn't motivated enough to go out in that weather. Tomorrow sounds better so I'll get back to exercising!

In part of saving more money this year I want to implement "no spend days". I'd like at least 10 days each month where we spend zip, zero, zilch. While most times there is only one big grocery shopping day of the week...there are often several times throughout the week that we will pick something up here or something up there. While they are items that we need by going out again and again we are bound to pick up several items each shopping trip that we don't need as well. So, by limiting our shopping days we will be saving money.

In order for this to work I have stuck a list of paper on the fridge and write down each thing that we need when we notice it. I'll take it to the store with me and that way I won't have to run back the next day for toilet paper, or the day after that for a pencil sharpener (seriously, in a house full of pencils we could not find one sharpened one last week after Joe broke our pencil sharpener! Kids and pens just don't work well together!), or the day after that for cheddar cheese which I desperately needed for a recipe. I've noticed the past several months that we have been running to the stores way too often and I want to nip that in the bud.

10 days each month are dedicated to no spending. Hopefully it will end up being more but I'm going to make a conscious effort not to go anywhere that money changes hands at least 10 days out of the month. Wish me luck!

I Did It

2012-01-01T12:13:00.003-06:00

I weighed myself this morning. There was no gasp of surprise - the number was actually what I thought it would be. No, I'm not brave enough to announce it to the world - yet.

My goal weight is about 15-20 lbs. less than I am now. I am setting a goal for a 1 lb. weight loss each month. If it's more, great, but if not 1 lb. is a very attainable goal. While it may not sound like a lot, those last 10 lbs. are always the hardest to lose...I think everyone can attest to that. If I'm 12 lbs. lighter by the end of the year I will be happy with that.

I will weigh in each Sunday and let you know the results. My scale only goes by pounds (not halves or fourths) so it may take some time to see results. Once I start to see a difference I'll share what works/doesn't work for me.

I'm not obsessed with losing weight. My main goal is to start portion control (I'm really bad with this!) and good food choices. It will be a more of a lifestyle change then a diet.

Otherwise, my goals is for my house to also lose some weight (organization starts NOW!) and my savings account to gain some weight. I'll let you follow along with the process as well! :)

Today is a new beginning...won't you join me?!

Edited to add: If you are on Facebook you may want to "like" my page as I will highlight some simple things on there about my eating, organizing, and budgeting.

Hello New Year!

2011-12-31T15:06:00.003-06:00

This was a hard year and I'm ready for it to end and a new one to start. To be honest, I feel like I "missed" this whole year. There are whole months that I can barely remember and you wouldn't believe how many times I went to write the date this year and started to write 2010...yep...I just wasn't present in 2011 much. I'm ready for new beginnings and pray that 2012 is a joyous year for us all.

As I ~~speak~~ write I am sitting on the bed after having just put 4 overflowing baskets of laundry away. While doing so I opened the window in the bedroom and enjoyed the breeze of fresh air wafting in the window. Even the cat enjoyed it as she climbed into the window sill. Call me crazy (I know you already do!) but 50 degrees on the last day of December here is something to celebrate - it's virtually unheard of! By now we would typically be covered with snow and frigid temperatures. Instead, we are enjoying an extremely mild winter thus far and I am loving it!

I swear it smells like spring in the bedroom now. It felt like Spring when I was out earlier cleaning and vacuuming out the van (yeah, I never did get that crossed off my to-do list the other day!) and watching over the kids as they played in the yard. If only every winter were like this I wouldn't mind this season one bit. Even though I know that we bound to get the ice, snow, sleet, way below zero temperatures, and long dreary days yet this year this gift of nice weather will make this season that much shorter.

While others prepare to go out for New Year's Eve we are taking it easy here at home. Putting away the Christmas decorations, cleaning out the van, putting away the laundry, and cleaning the dining room and living room was how we spent our day. This evening we will snuggle together while watching a movie and enjoying our tray of snacks - champagne for mommy and daddy and sparkling grape juice for the kids, cheese (and cheese ball), summer sausage, and crackers, little smokies with BBQ sauce, chicken wings, popcorn, and leftover Christmas cookies will be what's on the menu.

And we will ring in the New Year here at home - which is where we will find everything we have ever needed - love, laughter, and each other.

Happy New Year! Thanks for spending 2011 with me here!

Resolutions

2011-12-30T10:02:00.002-06:00

What are the top two New Year's Resolutions?

Loosing Weight

Saving Money

I feel comfortable where I am at with my budget. I do feel the need to tweak it just a bit in order to put more into savings.

I do hope to lose 10-15 pounds this year (I think 1 lb. a month is a very attainable goal!).

What does this have to do with my blog? The fact that I want to loose weight means that I need to make myself accountable. What is more accountable than posting it on a blog for the world to see? I'll post what works (or doesn't work) for me...starting after the new year.

Since I'm comfortable with our budget I want to help those of you who are not comfortable with yours get comfortable, if that is one of your new years resolutions. While I am not a money expert (though I've always considered college for majoring in financial planning) I may have some hints and tips that may help you. Looking to become a stay at home mom? Needing to save up for an expensive purchase? Want a retirement fund? Hoping to pay off debt this year? I think I can help you with ideas for that!

I will pepper my blog with posts on these topics throughout the coming weeks. If you have a specific question on either weight loss or money management, leave them in the comments and I will answer them in upcoming posts. Otherwise, I'll just fly by the seat of my pants!

If you have different new year's resolutions then the two above, what are you hoping to change this coming year?

Baby Steps

2011-12-29T10:21:00.002-06:00

A lot of New Year's Resolutions involve money (budgeting, saving). I've also seen people who resolve to become more "green". With this tip you can kill two birds with one stone.

A year and a half ago I decided to stop using paper plates. They were a daily part of our life and made for easy clean up of a quick snack or easy lunch. If I recall, the cheapest package was about $2.00 and we went through one to two packages a month. That was $2-$4 a month or $24-$48 a year. It may not sound like a lot, but that adds up and does take a bite out of the budget!

The thing is, I was so attached to my paper plates but within a week of giving them up I didn't miss them at all! The amount of dishes to wash was a bit more, but with a dishwasher it wasn't very noticeable.

The amount of garbage we throw out is also less because of it. Looking back it seems silly to have used disposable products when we had real plates in the cupboard. Even for large gatherings it is simpler and greener to use real place setting. Either ask each guess to bring their own, or pick up pretty plates and silver ware at thrift shops and garage sales to use for a larger crowd. Real place settings are so much prettier anyway. We specifically have a lot of mix matched sets in our cupboards...it makes for a festive table! :)

Around the same time we did away with paper towels. I, too, was dependent on those for wiping up spills and messes (with three kids and a puppy we were going through a lot!) and while cooking. After just a few weeks I no longer miss those either. We use rags for cleaning messes up now (old t-shirts, towels, and bed sheets make the best rags!). I just cut an old clothing up and place it into a "rag bag" underneath the kitchen sink. For easy spills we use our kitchen towels or dishcloth and throw into the wash. This, too, has helped cut down on our garbage waste and has saved us money. We were going through about 2 rolls of paper towels a month and the Bounty rolls were about $2 each, so that is another $24+ a year. I do still buy about two rolls a year, but only use them when we make homemade tacos...to absorb the grease from the shells. I'm thinking about using paper bags for that next time but don't have a stash of paper bags on hand usually.

I don't miss either of these paper products now that they are no longer a part of this household. In cutting these two little things from our lives we are doing our little part to save the planet and saving upwards of $75 or more a year. It's a very easy and simple step but makes a big difference!

This Week

2011-12-27T10:29:00.002-06:00

We enjoyed a slower paced Christmas.

We appreciated fully the fact that our family was together and not separated like last year when Jacob was in the hospital after surgery.

We spent the day out and about yesterday to celebrate hubby's birthday. One isn't in the mood for cake the day after Christmas but we ate the whole thing anyway!

I planned to stay in my pjs all day but I forgot that the children need to be fed and with little food in the house, no dish soap, and the very end of the toilet paper roll I think it means that I do have to venture out today.

I'm thinking about what my New Year's resolutions will be (lose weight? set a new budget? really speed up my de-cluttering? get to work on the things I've always wanted to learn/do?) and wondering if you'd like me to highlight them on this blog. What would you be most interested in seeing?

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T11:45:00.003-06:00

May you all enjoy a blessed holiday weekend and remember the real meaning of CHRISTmas.

Merry Christmas!

Elves Bakery

2011-12-22T16:24:00.006-06:00

This week has been spent in the kitchen preparing goodies. All that's left is decorating the sugar cookie cut outs, which we will do tomorrow.

My favorite sugar cookie recipe is one that my mom received at her bridal shower. It's the only one we used growing up and the only one I've used in my own home.

1 cup butter, softened

3 eggs

3 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. soda

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

Cream butter. Add sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each one.

Stir in vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and add gradually to creamed mixture. Chill 3-4 hours or overnight. Roll on floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Decorate!

My icing is just powdered sugar mixed with a tiny bit of milk, until desired consistency. Rolling out the dough isn't complete without the rolling pin that my grandma gave to me on the first Christmas that I was married...it was the same one that her Grandma used and I will forever treasure it!

Gingerbread men from a recipe that my friend gave to me. I love me some gingerbread but it's been years since I've made it. I love these and think they will become a yearly tradition.

My baby boy used his artistic talents to decorate his cookies.

Those are probably the best of all!

Think Outside the Box

2011-12-20T14:22:00.003-06:00

Remember the Plum District deal I told you about last month? The Kiwi Crate special which was a 3 month subscription for $27? I hesitated on the deal, never having heard of it and all, but since I had a credit on my Plum District account I decided to go ahead and purchase it as it sounded great for a homeschooling family.

I'm glad I did!

The kids received their first box in the mail yesterday. It included a little Christmas surprise which was a make it yourself calendar for 2012 and a neat multi-colored pencil. This will be one of Becca's school project...learning about months, days, and years all while having fun with a craft.

The box theme this month is space exploration. The projects are making a space mobile and a shooting rocket. It comes with everything you need (paint, paint brush, tape, and more!) and will be keeping the kids busy this week. The little leaflets that explain the craft also have questions and info for the kids about the theme.

What a neat idea! While I may not personally pay the full price for the kit ($19.95 a month), because you know me...I'm cheap!...I do love these little kits! I also think they would make a neat gift for your kids or grandkids.

Did anyone else grab this deal when I posted about it? If so, how do you like it?

This is not a sponsored or paid post...I just wanted to let you know how I like these kits!

Lack of Greetings

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

Six mail days left before Christmas. This is my haul of Christmas cards so far this year...

The amount seems to shrink each year. Not because my friends disown me and take me out of their address book, but rather because more and more people decide not to send cards every year. They blame it on the price of postage, lack of time, or more often then not, sites like Facebook that keep you in touch with family and friends all year long.

Christmas cards are falling to the wayside much like personal letters are. To me there are no replacements for either. There is nothing like a letter written to you by a friend and nothing like a stack of Christmas cards arriving in December with family photos, newlsetters, and notes. It is like the magic touch - holiday greetings and a warm hug wrapped up in one.

What is your take on Christmas cards? Do you send them? Do you like to receive them?

One Year

2011-12-16T10:49:00.003-06:00

Exactly one year ago today I found the lump on Jacob's abdomen while helping him get dressed. Exactly one year ago today we heard the words "cancer". Exactly one year ago today our lives changed forever.

One year later I am thankful beyond belief that our little man is still with us, healthy and doing well. While my sweet boy was laying in a hospital bed over Christmas last year after a major surgery which cut him from side to side, a chest tube hanging out of him, and a morphine pump by his side, I almost couldn't bear to look into the future to see what the next year would bring.

My brave boy fought a battle that most grown men would tremble at and he did it with hope, fearlessness, and trust. He is my hero and I fall to my knees with relief that he is here to celebrate (really, really celebrate) Christmas with - the day that the Lord came to earth to save us all.

It's a reminder that life can change in an instant. That one day...one hour...one minute can be the difference of "before" and "after". It's a reminder to not live in fear (A life lived in fear is one only half lived) but rather to live each moment to the fullest. Full of family, friends, and most of all love and no regrets.

Busy in the Workshop

2011-12-15T06:59:00.001-06:00

My family has suddenly morphed into busy little elves. The house has become a messy workshop and I am loving every one's creativity. Unfortunately, I can't show much of what we have been working on as it is for gifts. I'll post some photos after Christmas though!

My husband even got into the creative mood and built his first ever piece of furniture...a farmhouse toddler bed for Joe.

It's finished except for the top piece of the footboard (somehow we ended up one board short...but that will be an easy fix). I also have plans for painting it a fire engine red (though I am kind of digging the natural wood look) so I'll post photos when it's completely finished. The plans for this bed can be found at Ana White's awesome site. Next up I'm hoping for the queen size farmhouse bed!

I better get back to the workshop...there is only 10 days to Christmas, after all!

Dislike

2011-12-14T11:07:00.002-06:00

Right now I really dislike:

the creepy crud that is going around our house. Only one child threw up but most everyone else feels nauseous and just not right.

the in between stage of short and long hair. It's too short to do anything with and too long to leave down. Grrrr.

the feeling of being behind on holiday baking, school, and housework. A panicky feeling builds when on is not on top of anything.

the fact that Christmas break will now be used for catching up.

Found Treasure

2011-12-12T16:54:00.003-06:00

I've fallen out of the habit of stopping at thrift stores...until recently. Don't get me wrong, I've been dropping things off for donation for years but shopping at them was a rare habit of mine. Basically because of all the knick knacks around I found it impossible to shop with three bumbling children...and I'm always with my children.

Now that they are a bit older I've found that a quick run through the store is fairly feasible and so have found the love of thrift shopping again! Some recent finds at Goodwill and St. Vincent De Paul:

One of my favorite parts of second-hand shopping is giving something old a new home. I love to wash or clean the items and find the perfect place for them.

As long as I drop a bag or two off at Goodwill for donation I think I will give myself permission to go inside to see if I find a treasure or two!

It's That Time Again...

2011-12-10T12:44:00.002-06:00

...Baking time! I'm not doing huge amounts of sweets this year but we have our yearly favorites that we will be working on.

I realized yesterday that there is just a little over two weeks until Christmas; here I haven't made one Christmas goodie yet! Time to get cracking this week, so in preparation of that I worked at organizing my baking cupboard.

It may still seem like a mess but I now know exactly where everything is and what I need to pick up at the store yet. I've got more flour and sugar in the pantry, chocolate in the freezer, and ideas aplenty.

I better get busy...

What is your all-time favorite holiday goodie?

$10 Free!

2011-12-09T14:00:00.002-06:00

For those of you who have not done the VitaCost.com deal that I posted a few weeks ago...the deal is still on! If you are a new customer, sign up through this link and $10 will be added to your account. Disclaimer: By going through my referral link I will also get $10 when you sign up. I thank all those who previously went through my link as I was able to place a $60.14 order today and only pay 14 cents out of pocket...that was a tremendous help and I thank you for that!

I realized while searching the site today that their prices are spectacular even without having a coupon code; many of the items I regularly buy at the health food store are much cheaper here. If you want to just use the $10 code look for a few cheaper items (Bob's Red Mill items are all on sale!) to total $10 and just pay $4.99 shipping. When I did that I purchased several bags of the Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats and paid just shipping (when each bag used to cost me $3.25 each at the store!)

If you buy lots of health food items or supplements to begin with you may want to search the site to stock up - shipping is free after $50 and you can then get $10 worth of items free with this sign up bonus.

Some items which I purchased at a great deal are:
22 oz. Raw Organic Honey for $7.03
54 oz. Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats for $6.24
16 oz. Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Molasses for $5.29
TwinLab Women's Ultra Daily Vitamins for $8.99
Not to mention chia seed, maple syrup, and wheat germ.

If you are doing a large order, don't forget to go through your Shop At Home account for 5% cash back. Or, if you are new to Shop at Home, go through this link to receive $5 in your account for signing up (disclaimer, I also get $5 in my account when you sign up...thank you to the two people who have used my referral!). Shop At Home earns you cash back through companies that you already shop at online. Before buying from any store online, search Shop At Home to see if that company is offering cash back and buy through that link. It's a safe and secure site. I've earned over $40 in the past couple months by using Shop at Home for items I was going to buy anyway!

If you do this Vitacost.com $10 offer; once you are signed up get your own referral link and post to your Facebook or own blog in order to $10 whenever one of your own friends signs up. It's helping them get nutritional items for cheap and yourself as well!

Have you done this offer? What goodies did you find?

Curbside Shopping

2011-12-08T07:22:00.000-06:00

I have been searching for the perfect end tables for the living room for the longest time. I had two end tables that we purchased years ago (6 or 7 years ago?) but didn't like the feel of them any longer. All summer I scoured garage sales. I went so far as to look for some brand new but still couldn't find what I was looking for. I didn't exactly know what I was looking for but knew that I'd know when I saw it.

Then one day I loaded all three kids up in the van for their dentist appointment. As I drove down the street I saw an old sewing desk at the curb a block away. I was going to be late for the appointment though so excitedly called my mom and asked her to run down the street and grab it for me. It took her and my dad to lug it home...who knew wrought iron was so heavy?! :) I knew exactly what I was going to do with it!

I cleaned it up, put a tray over the hole where the sewing machine used to go, and replaced one of my previous side tables with it.

I love the character that it adds to the room...it's something original instead of a mass produced end table. The little drawers are neat for hiding treasure and I can swap out decorations as the seasons change. Please excuse my sad houseplant...she was shocked by having to come back inside after spending her days on the porch in the warm summer and fall sunshine.

This is a Singer sewing desk and the date on the iron is stamped 1887. Right around the time our house was built...so it's a perfect fit!

Counting Down

2011-12-06T11:17:00.004-06:00

We have three red and green chains hanging in our house.

Each child made one and claims it as their own.

And every day they tear one link off. Christmas morning their last link will come down.

It's been a tradition that I've carried over from my childhood and every December 1st the kids excitedly ask when we are going to make the chain.

What are some traditions that you have carried over into your own family?

:)

2011-12-02T15:40:00.002-06:00

I want to shout it from the rooftops - JACOB'S SCAN IS CLEAN!!!!

Thank you so much for the prayers; the comfort that comes from them is undeniable!

Today

2011-12-01T10:59:00.003-06:00

Today we had fun flipping the calender page over to December. Happy December 1st!

Today I enjoyed my usual breakfast of tea and steel cut oatmeal (with bananas, walnuts, chia seeds, and honey this time around). Although today it was more of a brunch since we had a terribly hectic morning.

Today the boys will have their usual twice weekly speech therapy appointment. Afterwards, grocery shopping and a trip to the library will be in order.

Today I try not to dwell on the scanxiety that I feel for tomorrow. Jacob has his 3 month CT scan tomorrow and I pray, pray, pray that it shows all clear. Will you please keep him in your prayers as well?

Homemade Christmas

2011-11-29T07:28:00.001-06:00

This year we are decorating our house with handmade items and enjoying the holiday spirit with homemade memories. I've become extremely tired (okay, fed up) with the commercialization materialization of Christmas. It never used to be like this...we are going back to what Christmas used to be about - the birth of Jesus, our Savior, and a time for family.

This past weekend we went searching in my Grandma's (now my younger brother's) woods.

We found pine cones which we heated in a warm oven to open. Today we painted and put glitter on them to make ornaments for the tree.

We found small pine branches for an upcoming craft.

We found grapes vines which we made into a wreath which still needs decorating.

We found a perfect stick for an idea which has been swirling around in my mind for quite some time. You see, for years I've never had the perfect spot for hanging our stockings. No open staircase, no fireplace mantel. So I decided to improvise and create a place to hang stockings.

I found a stick with little knots and branches. I had Ben spray paint it a metallic silver color. I then took two pieces of ribbon and glued loops on both ends and added red buttons for looks. We then hung the ribbon from the ceiling and slipped the branch into the ribbon. The stockings fit nicely on the little branches, though I tied a couple onto the stick with metallic string so they wouldn't slip off. I then wound some garland around the stick. It's pretty much completed, though one stocking is missing as I can't find Ben's anywhere. I'm sure it will turn up sooner or later!

What have you been working on recently?

Breakfast

2011-11-28T07:04:00.000-06:00

Last weekend breakfast was made by the kids.

Pumpkin spice muffins which are oh so easy and delicious to boot. Becca made these by using a boxed spice cake mix and adding in a can of pumpkin (we always add one egg as good measure since I can't remember if the inital recipe called for one or not!). They are that easy and everyone here loves them...a great way to get pumpkin into the diet.

Jacob placed all the muffin cups into the muffin pan.

Joe helped pour the milk.

What an easy and family filled breakfast it was!

Today

2011-11-26T22:11:00.005-06:00

Today we scavenged through my brother's woods to find natural beauty for upcoming crafts.

Today we put both Christmas trees up.

Today we made popcorn and cranberry garlands for the small tree upstairs.

Today we drank hot cocoa and tea.

Today we spent time as a family and got into the holiday spirit.

Bookworm Deal

2011-11-25T10:36:00.005-06:00

If your kids love to read as much as mine you may be interested in this great deal to stock your home library shelves. ShopTasteofHome is offering this 10 hardcover book bundle for $19.99 (down from $33.99!). Add code LST94 and you will also get a free Celebrations book, 30% off, and free shipping!
That means you will get it all for $13.99! Even better, go through your Shop at Home account to get 7% cash back. If you haven't signed up for Shop at Home yet, go through this link to sign up and get $5 for doing so, plus the 7% cash back on this deal. (Disclaimer, I also get $5 if you sign up with that link.)

I did order this bundle as $1.40 per book is a great deal! These would also make great donations for Toys for Tots, to your local Children's Hospital, or as gifts to any child in your life.

Thanks to Hip2Save.com where this deal was found.

Quick Frugal Tip

2011-11-25T09:56:00.003-06:00

Plum District is offering a $50 gift certificate to Ecomom for only $25 (they sell all natural, organic, earth friendly products). Better yet, you can use coupon code enjoy10 to get another $10 off, making this certificate only $15! This is an excellent deal as I saw several things that I would never spend $50 on but would gladly spend $15 on. If you aren't already a member of Plum District, go through this link to get $5 in your account for signing up!
Limited quantity available. Free shipping on all orders over $50. Limit 1 voucher use per order. May not be combined with other offers. Please wait 48 hours to redeem your offer. May not be applied to taxes & shipping. Limit 1 per person and 1 as a gift. Food, diapers, diaper accessories & gift certificates cannot be redeemed with this voucher. Some products excluded. Expires 05/25/12.

Thanks to Hip2Save.com where this deal was seen.

God's Blessings

2011-11-24T10:55:00.003-06:00

There is so much to be thankful for this year.

I'm thankful that I have three healthy children. I'm thankful for the medical advances which helped my little boy be healthy again.

I'm thankful for my husband of 10 years who does things God's way, instead of the world's way.

I'm thankful for all the family, friends, and complete strangers who loved us and supported us through the most difficult time of our life. Your love and prayers held us up this past year and made us see the good in everyone.

I'm thankful that even in the darkest times God shines His light and proves that we are never alone.

I'm thankful to have a roof over our heads, enough food to eat, and everything that we could ever possibly need.

I'm thankful to realize early in life that love is what makes a family rich.

Smells of the Holidays

2011-11-21T23:13:00.004-06:00

It's starting to smell like the holidays here at our house.
(A coupon fairy left a $1 off coupon on the shelf near this. What a refreshing tea!)

(A 50 cent garage sale find. Love the spicy scent!)

(15 cent to $2 garage sale finds. Our whole house smells yummy with these!)

What holiday scents have you been enjoying?

Not Me! Monday: A Dark Colorful Surprise

2011-11-21T07:00:00.001-06:00

I did not recently hear about a fun activity to do for the kids.

I did not fill the bath tub with bubbles and throw a few glow sticks in ( you can get a package of 15 glow sticks for $1 at Michael's).

I did not usher them into the bathroom and tell them to close their eyes while I shut off the lights. They did not open their eyes to have this site before them:

They did not shout with glee and race to see who could get in first.

I did not figure that it was $1 well spent. Nope, not me!

Special Delivery

2011-11-19T10:41:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago I ran across an excellent deal on Lands' End Canvas Jeans. I think after discounts and free shipping it was $12.50 for a $49 pair of jeans. Anyway, I was in desperate need of jeans so snatched up a pair. Yesterday I wore them for the first time and love the fit!

Imagine my surprise when I received an envelope in the mail yesterday in which the address was hand addressed. The return address was Land's End Canvas. I opened it up to find a Thank You card.

A hand written thank you note, to be exact. To thank me for my purchase.
This is amazing customer service. In a day in age where corporations are so big and busy, it is beyond astonishing when you get such great customer care. I can only count on one hand the companies which have treated me as a person and not just a customer. Lands' End Canvas now is added to that list.

When Crayons on the Wall are Okay

2011-11-18T07:10:00.001-06:00

I've been searching for pictures or artwork to hang in the kid's bedroom but it's been an impossible search since there are both boys and a girl in the room. Everything is either too girly or too macho. I then remembered a craft that I had seen months ago on Facebook and decided to try it out.

Just pick up a canvas and glue crayons to the top. You can group them together in color families but I liked the random look.

Lean it up on something (I used the inside of the oven door) and cover the floor with newspaper. Run a heat gun (I've heard a blow dryer on high works well too) back and forth letting the crayons melt and drip.
You can let them drip just slightly or let them run down the canvas. I decided to let the sides drip more than the middle.

Hang it up and you now have a work of art!

The kids love it and it fits nicely in their room. I plan to add more artwork to the same wall until it looks like an art gallery wall. :)

Box of Fun

2011-11-18T06:27:00.001-06:00

I don't know if you are tired of all the deals I've been posting (please tell me if you are!) but I figure that since we are getting closer to gift giving I would post some good deals when I ran across them.

Plum District is offering up a three month subscription to Kiwi Crate for $30. You can also use code fabulous or pdx10 to get 10% off.

I have no experience with these Kiwi Boxes but they look great for a homeschooling family. Each crate includes 2-3 projects ranging from art, science, crafts, and more. Each month the projects relate to a different theme. If you don't already have a Plum District account, go through this link to get $5 when you sign up (disclaimer: I also receive $5 with your sign up).

It says for ages 3-6 so I'm thinking this will be a fun surprise in the mail each month for the kids during the long winter days ahead.

Thanks to Hip2Save.com where this deal was seen first

Quick Thrifty Tip

2011-11-17T09:53:00.003-06:00

I've mentioned my love of steel cut oatmeal before and just have to share a good deal I found on it.

Vitacost.com is offering $10 off an order if you go through my referral link. After clicking through my link create your account. You should then receive a message saying "Thank you for creating your account. Your $10 will be e-mailed to you shortly. Click here to begin shopping." Click there and begin your shopping (be sure to check your e-mail before buying in order to get your $10 code). It seems flat shipping is $4.99. I bought 4 packages of Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats. This same bag sells for about $3.25 at our grocery store. For 4 bags, plus shipping, I paid just $5.51 after the $10 code.

There are several other Bob's Red Mill items for even cheaper...you could get wheat bran, flax seed cereal, whole wheat flour, or much more! Or search the site for whatever you may need...this is a free $10 to spend!
(Disclaimer, going through this link will also net me $10 to use on their site. You can also sign up for a referral link and let all your friends know about this offer! First seen on Hip2Save.com)

Swimmingly Good

2011-11-17T06:53:00.001-06:00

For years I've been wanting to cut down our red meat consumption. Personally, I'm not a fan of the conditions in which our meat is raised and the antibiotics and hormones which are used. Since I can't afford organic grassfed beef at this time I usually halve the beef I use in most recipes and make many meatless meals.

Chicken is an old standby (I know...I also have issues with how chicken is raised but one thing at a time!) but I've been wanting to consume more fish for the longest time. The problem? Besides fish sticks, tuna, and salmon patties I had no idea how to make and prepare fish. That was making me steer clear of the fillets in the store.

I recently became brave and tried a few recipes - and we like them! A favorite we found is the Blackened Fish from the book Miserly Meals by Jonni McCoy. It's an easy and quick recipe - I always have those spices in the cupboard and can keep a bag of fillets in the freezer so I can throw together this meal quickly.

Blackened Fish

1 T. paprika

1 tsp. onion powder

3/4 tsp. cayenne powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground thyme

1/2 tsp. ground oregano

1/4 tsp. cumin

water or milk

3 T. butter

2 lbs. fish fillets

Combine all of the spices onto a plate or pie pan. In another pie pan or shallow dish pour some water or milk for dipping the fish.

Melt the butter over high heat in a heavy metal or cast-iron skillet. Dip the fish into the milk or water, then dip it on both sides in the spices. Cook the fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side. They will look burnt, but they'll taste great. The high heat is turning the spices into a crust and sealing the moisture in the fish.

Be sure to open the windows or turn on the vent...this makes a lot of smoke!

This Week

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

This week we are learning about reptiles for Science and making turtles and lizards out of modeling clay.

This week we are on day 3 of potty training for Joe (he's started before but this is it!) and we've had two accident free days! Yay! For the past 8 years I've had at least one child in diapers so I can't wait to be a diaper free family!

This week we have been drinking lots of tea.

Hot Apple Cider and Spring Cherry from Republic of Tea are the favorites but we've also been enjoying chai and peppermint. Sleepytime tea is another good one! :)

This week we are continuing our decluttering and we managed to fill a box full of books from the bookshelves for donation. Books are the hardest things to part with and we managed to do a pretty good job. Now, if only we could get the kids to do the same with their stuffed animals!

This week I looked at the calendar and couldn't believe that it was the middle of November. It's crazy how time flies!

This week I hope you take some time to savor a few of the little things in life.

Hand Sewn Love

2011-11-15T10:45:00.003-06:00

From the beginning of quilted blankets I think it's been impossible not to feel the love as you snuggle beneath one. Just knowing that someone painstakingly pieced together a blanket which now keeps you warm and cozy makes you feel warm and cozy on the inside as well as the out.

My Grandma was a wonderful quilter. Using pieces of fabric from her worn out blouses, old sheets, and other scraps she pieced together masterpieces. They were extra special because they were pieces from throughout her life. I don't have a quilt that she made but each of my own children have a baby blanket that she made for them and I hope they stay treasured pieces as they get passed down in the family someday.

During Jacob's illness he received several blankets and quilts and he (and we) treasure them all. They kept him warm when the treatments made him skinny and cold, they kept him comforted when he lugged them to the hospital for a stay, they now keep him reminded of all the love and support he had. He has put his Toy Story comforter away and only uses the blankets and quilts that were given to him and made with love. He seems to always have one nearby...snuggling on the couch, having a picnic outside, building a tent over the furniture, or burrowing under one when going to bed. He feels the love in them and responds by loving those blankets and quilts.

I think we will all be able to stay warm this winter just with the warmth of love that made our handmade quilts so special!

Not Me! Monday

2011-11-14T10:11:00.003-06:00

On Saturday it was not I who decided upon waking up that it was the day to rip out the office carpet. I did not move everything out of the office room before my husband awoke only to have him come downstairs and ask what was going on. I did not stifle a giggle and tell him I decided to move out...only to have him look at me and demand to know what was really going on. I would never do that to my husband. Not me!

We did not proceed to pull the carpet and pad out, rip the tack strips out, pull up nails and staples, and clean the floor only to then head out 45 minutes away to buy a rug for the middle of the room and trim. It was not an all day project and we did not finally finish at 10pm after everything was moved back into the room.

I am not loving the no carpeting downstairs now! :)

While at Target after Halloween I did not run across these...
I had not heard how good they were and did not decide that at 50% off I may as well throw a bag in my cart. Oh my goodness...I did not find a new love! Over the next few days I did not hide them from my children who also did not find them to be delicious. I am not one bit sad that I can not find them anywhere else. If you are a pumpkin pie lover...do not try these!

Quick Thrifty Tip

2011-11-13T21:01:00.002-06:00

For those of you who need gifts for Christmas, you may want to click over to Bloomingdales and search for Melissa and Doug. They have several toys on sale right now and with code FANDF you get 20% off and FREESHIP11 will get you free shipping!

The food set pictured above is just $8.80 before discounts! There are several other sets that are even cheaper. I can attest to the quality of these wooden toys and think they would make fabulous gifts for any little boy or girl. My children have several Melissa and Doug toys which they love and play with all the time.

Plus, if you have a ShopAtHome account you can go through them to get an additional 6% back on your purchase! That makes for some amazingly cheap high quality toys! If you don't have a ShopAtHome account I highly recommend you sign up. It's free and easy to do so. Every time you shop online, check their site first to see if the store you are shopping at is offering any cash back rewards. Many stores offer 1% to 30% of your purchase if you go through ShopAtHome. When your account reaches $20 or more they send you a check! I recently signed up and through my regular purchases online, which I would have made anyway, I've earned almost $20 already! This could come in handy especially during the holiday season when many purchases are made online...you could get a nice size check in the mail! If you do not already have an account, by signing up through this link you will get $5 put in your account to begin with (disclaimer: I also earn $5 if you sign up through this link). I think it's a great thing for anyone who shops online as most stores I've bought from offer cash back through the site.

Happy Goodness

2011-11-11T10:37:00.003-06:00

I was getting ready to prepare a batch of peanut butter candy when I opened the peanut butter and saw that it was happy to be a part of this recipe. :)
Peanut Butter Candy is a favored treat in this house.

Peanut Butter Candy

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

Place in sauce pan and heat over medium high heat until it comes to a rolling boil. Boil for three minutes.

Add jar of marshmallow creme and 1 cup peanut butter. Stir well and pour into 8x8" greased dish (my small dish was already in use so I used a pie pan, which worked perfectly fine but if you are making this for something special you'll want to use a square dish for even pieces). Cool until firm and cut into squares. I often put mine in the fridge or even freezer to speed up the cooling process.

It has the consistency of soft fudge and would be good for those holiday goodie trays!

Warm Fuzzies

2011-11-09T15:27:00.004-06:00

It feels like winter outside...
may as well continue the trend indoors.

Pumpkin pie candle lit...

chili in the crockpot...

hot cocoa for the kids and hot apple cider tea for mama.

I really don't mind the first snowfall of the season.

Not at all.

Classroom Optional

2011-11-08T07:02:00.002-06:00

"I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." - Albert Einstein

I'll be one of the first to admit that I don't always enjoy homeschooling my children. It's hard enough being a mother and running a household; add teaching into the mix and it can be exhausting at times and sheer maddening at others.

And yet, it fits our family and our lifestyle. It has been our savior more than once - such as when Jacob was diagnosed with cancer. We were able to work around his schedule and through his treatments. Jacob also has a speech delay and can be very hard to understand at times. His speech therapy (through therapy services) is helping him through this and with time it will be a past memory but at the tender age of six it could greatly impact him to be around teasing or having to be put in a special education class because of his lack of vocal skills, when his intellectual skills are not affected.

"Try not to have a good time ... This is supposed to be educational." - Charles Schulz

What works for us is to view life as a learning process. There are no set times in which to learn things and no set rules. Last year when Becca was having trouble with reading and math we took a small break. We started back at the beginning this year and she has absorbed everything like a sponge. Studies show that the ideal time to grasp reading skills is age 7 so I did not despair when she "didn't get it" earlier. She wasn't ready. Jacob, on the other hand, was pushing to start reading and is sailing through the book - every child is different. Homeschooling allows me to tailor the learning style for each of my children.

"Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books." - John Lubbock

I believe that a child is naturally curious about the world around them and will naturally gravitate towards learning what they are interested in. While every child needs to know the basics I am happy to spend more time on math with one child and more time on science with another. Diversity is what makes the world go round and each person is just better and interested in different subjects. Jacob pours over history books with daddy and made a project for school about World War II, some of what he knew was more than I know about the war! Becca made a poster about breeds of dogs and their group and uses. She spent one summer outside nearly everyday with a bird guide book and would study the birds around our house and would fly around the yard pretending to be a bird. She was called "Nature Girl" by my family because whenever they saw her she was outside with the book in her hands. I let them focus on their interests and they learn much better in the process.

"We are shut up in schools and college recitation rooms for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a belly full of words and do not know a thing." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

So while I admit up above that I don't always enjoy the homeschooling aspect (just once in awhile it would be nice to send them away to have seven hours alone to myself and not have to be the mom, teacher, cook, PE instructor, music teacher, and principal!) I do love watching my children learn. Whether it is the excitement in their eyes as they pull their favorite book off the shelf, watching a child draw little maps for over an hour, seeing them search through each rock in the flower beds to find a fossil, helping them put pen to paper to write a letter, or seeing them read to their little brother on the couch - it is watching a love of learning blossom. We've all heard the expression "The world is your classroom"...I truly believe it.

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

My point is not that a child can not get a good education in the public or private school setting...because they can. My point is that learning doesn't require a classroom.

" I have never let my schooling interfere with my education". - Mark Twain

Not Me! Monday Sicko Edition

2011-11-07T09:45:00.002-06:00

I have not been sick for three weeks straight. It was not me who came down with a cold three days after arriving home from our vacation, only to have it linger for three weeks. I have not been tired, crabby, and totally not myself for the past three weeks. :(

While feeling so run down and sick I have not lightened my work load and taken it easier. There is no way that I got sucked into the show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and watched all the past episodes. Nope, not me at all!

My husband has not been prince charming throughout this all and has not let me have the evenings off and relax in bed with books or the tv. He has not brought me apple cider and tea in bed and run the household for an hour or two after working all day at work. I have not been feeling like the queen bee with all this lavish attention...nope, not me!

It's not me who is finally starting to feel better and now looks around at a house that needs A LOT of attention! I have not stripped all the beds, scrubbed down the bathroom, put loads of laundry away, cleaned out the bathroom shelves, totally organized the bedrooms since feeling better this weekend. I do not have a long list of what is yet to be done. Not Me!

It's Personal

2011-11-02T21:05:00.002-05:00

I never intended to have a blog about a sick child. I never intended to have a sick child. It's the sort of thing that a person doesn't think about until they have children; it's the nightmare of all parents.

I know of several blogs of families dealing with a sick child, whether it be cancer or another illness. My blog started out as just another typical mommy blog with a touch of frugal-ness thrown in, the past year it also became a blog of a family going through the trenches of childhood cancer. And yet, there was so much that I didn't show, so much that I didn't share.

Some of the blogs that I've read dealing with an illness show everything: the good and the bad. There are loads of pictures in the hospital, during procedures, an open book. That works for those families.

For me, there were things that I couldn't blog about and things that I would rather forget. I didn't want it out there for the public to read/see, I didn't want Jacob to look back and remember those parts of the journey. Not that it was terribly gruesome, or horribly terrifying...it's just personal.

I'm sure others noticed the lack of mention of God in many of my posts. I suppose looking back this past year is one where I mention God the least. Not because I gave up or became less faithful, but because this journey was so personal that I couldn't put it into words. This past year has been a test to my faith but I can without a doubt say that my relationship with God is stronger now than it ever has been. And different. I no longer feel the need to point out the errors of others or to shout my faith from the rooftops. I realize that the greatest testament to my faith is with my own actions. This quote from St. Francis Assasi is one close to my heart: "Preach the gospel always; If necessary use words."

It's been a heck of a year, one I pray to never repeat. But deep within the trenches, there are blessings to be found. So while a journey may be so personal you need to shut your mind down for awhile, never shut your eyes or you may miss those little blessings within.

Not Me! Monday Spooky Edition

2011-10-31T10:29:00.004-05:00

There is no way that I waited until today to throw together costumes for the kids for trick-or-treating. I'm not using the exact same costumes from last year when I know other mommy friends of mine plan months in advance to have coordinating costumes for their family.

I did not wait until today to shop for candy for handing out this evening, knowing that our family would not eat it if they found it it in the cupboards. I did not know that I had to save myself from the candy and thus wait just a few hours before trick-or-treating to buy it. I also do not know that there will be slim picking when I go to the store later today.

I do not hate carving pumpkins with the kids. It should be a fun activity but often mommy ends up doing it all as certain children don't want to stick their hands into a gooey mess. And yet, there is no a golden lining, as we do not all love, love, love roasted pumpkin seeds and look forward to that snack after pumpkin carving.

My daughter did not go to a haunted barn the other night with her aunts, uncles, and Grandpa. She did not clutch my sisters hand as they walked through it and scream "MOM!" as someone popped out to grab her. I did not find this extremely funny when she told me this later. I also did not laugh at the thought of my dad getting stuck in one of the tubes they had to crawl through when he tried to turn around in it! What kind of mom lets her 8 year old go to a haunted house?!

Clean Up in Aisle 6!

2011-10-28T06:30:00.000-05:00

There is a reason that comedies such as "The Middle" are wildly popular. The situations are so grossly exaggerated and yet sometimes they end up being exactly like real life.

Take shopping with children, for instance. Unless you have them all strapped down in a cart (even then there would be something to complain about) or have a cattle prod for the ones on ~~hoof~~ foot things just never go as planned.

Yesterday we awoke to gloomy skies. A week of being cooped up together due to a nasty cold had left us feeling crabby, confined, and sick of each other. Matters were not helped when I opened my closet to search for an outfit for the cooler weather only to find myself flipping through everything I owned and hating it all. A year filled with stress has helped to expand my waistline a ~~bit~~ lot, making what little I liked not look good anymore. Needless to say, opening my closet only helped to make me more depressed.

So spur of the moment I decided to pack the kids into the car and head off on an impromptu trip to go shopping! I had my happy face on and I was bound and determined to make this a fun trip, even if it killed us!

My first clue that the day wasn't about to go as planned should have been when it took an hour to get everyone ready just to head out. One unnamed child didn't want to wear socks, trying to make their already stinky sneakers twice as funky. Another child couldn't find their hat. One child was standing at the door raring to go and was getting angrier by the second that the rest of us were taking so long.

Our first stop was McDonald's where I purchased everyone a kid's meal to start our fun day off right. Nothing like feeding the kids some poison for a few moments peace on the way there. Actually, you won't hear me complain about the kids in the van...they are actually quite good travelers and it is typically relaxing driving with them (no, really!).

Anyhow, our first stop was Target, where I was mainly looking for some stylish boots and kitchen towels. We picked out the cart with the little twin caboose on the back so that both Jacob and Joe could ride together. The peace lasted for 39 seconds before Jacob started to need to stretch his legs out of the caboose and put his feet directly in my path as I pushed the cart. I repeatedly stepped and stumbled on his feet before demanding that he put them back in. By that time, Joe had decided he was finished with riding and wanted out. And Becca then wanted in, which then made Joe want back in. Then Jacob decided he wanted out, but Joe didn't want Becca to sit by him...and on and on it went. The worst part is I couldn't find neither the boots, nor the kitchen towels I was hoping to find. We left quickly, empty handed.

Next was PetSmart for dog food. Hoping to get in and out quickly I made a run for the dog food aisle and quickly scanned the clearance shelf to see if there was anything we needed. We got through the store fairly unscathed, except for the part when Jacob and Becca fought over "which dog was theirs". See, they have this game which they play whenever they see a dog (whether we are driving past one, one is walking past our house, or they see a cute picture of one). Whoever says "I get that dog!" first when they see a dog "gets the dog" (to do what with, I'm not sure!). But often times they fight over who said it first, or will try to trade their previous dogs for this new one. It gets old pretty fast. They started the game up again in the store and started to bicker over who got what...I was quickly able to divert their attention to the cages of hamsters and make a run for the counter in order to check out and get out!

Next stop was Kohls, where I was admittedly hoping to find some clothes that I liked. Immediately upon entering the store Jacob suddenly became freakishly super sensitive to touch and shrieked every time Becca "accidentally" brushed against him...which seemed to happen all too often for it to be an "accident". I scoured the clearance racks hoping to find something that I liked. I came up with several dresses for next summer (as if those will help me now!) that I wanted to try on.

I positioned the stroller outside the dressing room and told Becca and Jacob to stay put and brought Joe in along with me. Bringing an overactive child into a tiny dressing room is not the brightest idea as he instantly tried opening the door again and again. While slamming my purse with a bit more force than necessary on the purse hook I somehow managed to shave a large piece of my thumb off on the sharp metal. So now I'm bleeding in the dressing room with a child who continues to try to get the door open with background sounds of a shrieking child because his sister is touching him! I somehow managed to stop the bleeding, try the clothes on, and get out of the store alive (with two new dresses and a pair of cotton capris for next summer...all for $17 since the items were 80-90% off!...but which still won't help with my plight for WINTER clothing now!).

By this time I'm exhausted and about to just drive home but it was a 45 minute drive to "the city" and I couldn't give up yet. We made one more stop which was at Old Navy. Somehow within minutes Joe is out of the stroller and instead pushing Jacob up and down the aisles. Seeing as how the store was deserted and the children were behaving I let this continue, affording me a bit of browsing time. All was well until Joe rammed Jacob's knee into the edge of a shelf and he let out a wail. At this point I bought the shirt I was holding (again, on clearance, which was an additional 30% off so I only paid $4.50!) and called it a day.

Our very last stop was Panera Bread where I grabbed a bakers dozen of Cinnamon Crunch bagels (heat these in the microwave for 35 seconds and you will be in HEAVEN...thanks to Jacki for getting me hooked on these 11 years ago!). I'll be honest and say I ate three of these after arriving home (within a couple hours time, mind you, it's not like I'm a pig or anything!) and while that won't help my ever increasing waistline, it did make me feel better. It doesn't really matter, because I didn't buy a single thing to put in my closet for this winter, so I may just have to eventually fashion a mu mu out of a bedsheet.

When I imagine it on an episode of "The Middle" it's hilarious. When it happens to me, it's called my life. If only the writers on that show paid me a little for some of our real life experiences...

Children of the Corn

2011-10-27T09:59:00.004-05:00

Bliss

2011-10-26T07:23:00.000-05:00

For those days when you are craving something divine...this is delicious!

Cherry Bliss Brownies

Brownie mix & ingredients listed on box

8 oz. softened cream cheese

5 T. butter, softened

1/3 c sugar

2 eggs

2 T. all-purpose flour

1/4 t. vanilla

21 oz. can cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl prepare brownies mix according to package directions. Spread batter in a 9x13' greased pan. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar. Beat in eggs, flour, and vanilla. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture over brownie batter in pan. Use knife to gently cut through batters to create a marble pattern.

Spoon pie filling over the top. bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.

Not Me! Monday

2011-10-24T10:06:00.003-05:00

While on vacation I did not accidentally turn most of the towels at the villa blue when a blue beach towel slipped into the washer. This does not happen to us at home, much less while on vacation!

When showing the kids the beach for the first time in their life I did not get distracted by them running towards the water, so did not throw down the sunscreen bottle and dash out with them, forgetting about my back. I did return to the villa three hours later with a back on fire and have to rush out to Wal-mart to purchase a bottle of Aloe Vera. My husband did not also get a bad sunburn on his back and we did not go through half of a bottle of that stuff before we started to feel better.

Becca, Jacob, and I did not go on the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios thinking that it would be quite fun and just somewhat scary. We were not told by the lady ahead of us that it is a thrilling ride and not scary. So when we started going up, up, up towards the end of the ride I did not get a tight feeling in my chest knowing that there was a hill to go down. Our hearts did not almost stop as we started falling, falling, falling in complete darkness. I do not loathe drops like that at amusement parks and I did not feel like I just escaped death. Becca and Jacob were not speechless for several moments, ingesting what had just happened. And yet, when we were leaving later that day Becca did not say "I want to go on that ride again!"

My husband did not get stuck next to one of the crabbiest ladies on the planet on our flight back home and he did not spend $6 on a beer in flight just to get through his time with his seat mate. Nope, not us!

Fitting Find For Sunday

2011-10-23T16:25:00.004-05:00

The world...
is our classroom.

Everything in it...

is God's creation.

Which is always...

an interesting masterpiece.

Surf's Up

2011-10-21T21:09:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite parts of our trip was visiting the beach. I've been to the beach before (the same exact beach, as a matter of fact, Cocoa Beach) but this time I was able to see it through my children's eyes. The roaring waves, the hidden seashells, the peacefulness of it all.

Jacob and Becca loved the waves and continued to go further and further from shore until I called them back. Joe ran screaming from the waves but enjoyed digging in the shallow water and playing with sea shells. I wish I had better pictures but I didn't dig my camera out until after we had spent three hours in the water and on the sand and by that time the kids didn't present that many photo opportunities.

It's a day I will never forget and all I need to do is think about it in order to retrieve all the happy memories and mental snapshots. Hitting the waves, walking the beach, finding seashells, sitting in the surf and digging in the sand.

I'll gladly forget about the sunburn though! :)

Magical Week

2011-10-20T20:32:00.004-05:00

Horse...
Horse...

Rooster...

Horse...

Bunny...

All these animals made it a very magical week!

Give Kids the World

2011-10-18T21:17:00.006-05:00

Our wonderful vacation was made possible by the organization Make-A-Wish which helps give children with life-threatening illnesses the chance to make their wish come true. While many children (such as Jacob) choose to go to Disney World...the sky is the limit. A child may wish for something as simple as a puppy or as big as a fishing boat. Make-A-Wish works with generous donors and companies to make each wish come true.

It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and they make everything as smooth as possible. All expenses are paid, airline tickets are booked, car rental is pre-paid, and our trip is planned for us. The vacation planning was literally stress-free, which was something that we really needed.

Most children going through Make-A-Wish and choosing to go to Disney World stay at the Give Kids the World village for their week long stay. This village is amazing and is staffed with wonderful workers but mainly relies on volunteers for keeping the place running smoothly. This village could have kept us busy for the whole week we were there, and it was wonderfully relaxing and amazingly magical.

It is a gated village and as you pull past the gates you are greeted at the House of Hearts, which is where we checked in.
Each villa is whimsical and private. They have a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms (the kid's bathroom had a whirlpool tub, even!), and a two bedrooms. They were clean and we immediately felt at home there.

The Gingerbread House serves breakfast and supper. Lunch is also provided at another location and I can't help but say that one of my favorite aspects of the trip was not having to meal plan, grocery shop, or cook. I finally had a break! They make it fun for the kids by having child sized tables, a locomotive cart serving kids food, and a huge variety of food. Jacob loved the waffles for breakfast and several kids piled theirs high with strawberries and whipped topping. Everything at the village is free, which is an added blessing for families struggling to pay off medical bills; it makes it a truly stress free vacation.

The ice cream parlor was fantastic! Ice cream was served from 7:30am until 10pm. The kids enjoyed ice cream cones, sundaes, and milkshakes all week. I enjoyed a couple banana splits myself.

There was a giant Candyland park, horseback riding, model trains and a real train to ride, remote controlled boats to drive, putt-putt golf, a castle to explore, spa for the kids, and so much more! More pictures to come (the ones above are courtesy of Give the Kids the World). All I can say is that it is amazing and they literally did give the kids the world for a week. I will never stop singing their praises and will thank Make-A-Wish and Give the Kids the World for giving my boy his wish and giving him something magical.

As we draw closer to the holidays, a time when many donate to charities, I hope that you will consider making a donation to your local chapter of Make-A-Wish or to Give Kids the World Village in order to help make another child's wish come true. I know that they will be on our future donation list.

We're Back!!!

2011-10-17T13:41:00.003-05:00

We left this on Saturday:
to return to this a few hours later:

It's a real shock to go from 86 degrees to 50 degrees within a matter of hours. I'm still trying to get warm...except for my back, which is still hot from a bad sunburn (note to self: do not get distracted on the beach when only half way through applying sunscreen).

We are home and we are exhausted...which means that we had a week filled with fun! Jacob crashed on our bed at 8pm last night and didn't wake up until 9am this morning...that boy was tired! More to come about our vacation later; I'm too busy with errands, grocery shopping, unpacking, and, yes, potty training Joe. He decided today that he is a big boy and ready to wear underwear...6 hours into the day he has had one accident. Not the perfect day for another task, but when they are ready they're ready. We'll see how that goes.

Off to make some tea while I sort through the suitcases!

Sneak Peek

2011-10-11T18:32:00.004-05:00

We are all ~~tired~~ exhausted this evening after a long day at Disney. So we are spending the rest of the day in our villa, watching tv, and ordering food in. I'm also running loads of laundry after a sweaty day at the park today and a wet day at the pool last evening.

Here is your sneak peek at some of our fun.

Please ignore the amazingly happy guy in the back...creepy photo crasher!

Jacob wanted to go on this ride the most and loved it, though he says that his favorite ride was Peter Pan. More later, time to rest now!

We're Off...

2011-10-09T15:30:00.000-05:00

Jacob received a fun visit last weekend...a visit from his Make A Wish friends!

They brought him surprises, balloons, and all his plans for our Disney World trip! As you read this, we will be in sunny Florida enjoying our time! Highlights of our trip will be posted all week long...if I happen to have time to log on!

It's amazing how tiring it can be getting ready for a trip. I was cleaning, washing load after load of laundry, paying bills ahead of time, and packing all of last week. My sister is holding down the fort at home and taking care of our animals.

And us, well, we will just be having the time of our life! :) More to come later!

Post From the Past

2011-10-07T21:16:00.002-05:00

It's been hectic here this week. I've been exhausted. I have writer's block. To correct this, I am reprinting a post from exactly one year ago for Frugal Friday. And I will get back to regular blogging next week!

I personally find frugal challenges fun, for the most part. Seeing how much I can get at the grocery store for so little is an adventure. Clothing my children in nice clothing for a very small fraction of what they originally cost is a game...selling them at the end of the season for more than what I paid means I won that game! The list can go on and on.

It sounds like a but is coming, right? Correct! BUT, sometimes being frugal just for the sake of being frugal can be stressful and not so fun at times. I get that some people have no choice in the matter and have to do everything in their power to cut every single penny. They have to deal with those stresses whether they want to or not, and I feel for them.

For others, such as myself, there are certain frugal measures that are a given and then there are frugal measures that are a choice. We drive used cars paid for outright with cash because we can't afford a $200+ monthly payment on a car (while we do drop a load of cash at once when buying a vehicle we have it paid off right then and there. We do not want to carry a car loan because even if we could afford the payments when we bought the car there is always a chance that we couldn't afford it down the road. Not. A. Good. Situation.) We live in a smaller, older house because we can't afford a McMansion. We keep the thermostats turned down in the winter because we can't afford a hefty gas bill each month. Those are all measures that we take because we have to.

Other issues, not so much. I don't have to buy the majority of our clothing used, but choose to because I see no point in spending 90% more for the same exact thing. Used clothing may have a little wear...but they will get that way whether you bought them new or used in the first place. Eating out less is a choice. And so on.

Which brings me to my struggle the last two weeks. We have had beautiful fall weather. Perfect weather...an Indian Summer. I've also been up to my eyeballs in places to go, people to see, things that need to be done. Where am I going with this? This is the type of weather that a frugal person, such as myself, takes advantage of and gets all their laundry caught up with and hung on the line. BUT, I have been bogged down with stuff that needs doing that I really don't want to take the extra time to hang the clothing up and then remember to take it down before dark.

It was a stress that was adding to my plateful of stress. A small mole hill (my laundry) because a mountain...in more sense than one. Feeling as though I could only do laundry if I would hang it out (because mama never uses the dryer on a sunny fall day, right?!) made me put off doing laundry on the rainy days, which made the pile of laundry grow, which made me feel like I would never catch up. Add into that factor that many days I had appointments in the mornings, playgroups for lunch, and errands to run and I just wasn't at home to hang the laundry out.

It dawned on me that when being frugal for the sake of being frugal is adding such a huge burden to your life that something has to give. I've realized this in other aspects of my frugal life. For example, I know that baking your own bread can be done more cheaply (and healthy!) than buying it at the store, but I didn't want to add that stress to my daily life so compromised and buy bread at the bread outlet for a reduced price. It saves me time, and a bit of money.

When it comes to laundry I have been a holdout. I love hanging clothes on the line. I love the smell of the crisp sheets and crunchy towels. These past few weeks it hasn't been a pleasure to hang clothing out and I realize that when push comes to shove, it is worth it to me to pay a little to use a dryer if it means that my laundry is getting done and my stress is lowered. *Light bulb moment*

And that, my friends, is the point of this long drawn out post. If you have the money and are able to do something a bit faster or a bit easier it isn't always best (for your own sanity!) to keep doing things the hard way just because you *should*. Some days the hard ways are just too hard, and other days the easy ways are too easy. Compromise works.

I've been hanging my laundry out on the line when I have a little extra time but have not been feeling guilty using the dryer, even on a wonderful sunny day. Last week I loved watching my sheets and blankets dance in the breeze outside and this week I enjoyed popping the kid's sheets into the dryer and having them done lightening quick so that I was able to make their beds up in no time and get things in order faster. Some days are just like that.

Really, my point is to be aware of your frugal ways but to not get stuck in them.

Eight Years Ago...

2011-10-04T16:29:00.005-05:00

...I became a mother when I gave birth to a 7 lb. 15 oz. beautiful little girl.

Eight years later I am the mother of a beautiful BIG girl.

Happy Birthday Becca!

Not Me! Monday

2011-10-03T09:48:00.004-05:00

Last week we did not seem to misplace the kid's reading lesson book. We did not search the house for two days looking for it. I did not about give up and give in to ordering another when we found it on top of the kid's wooden kitchen set. We did not spend that evening catching up on reading lessons!

I did not have a totally different post planned for this morning, only to not be able to find my camera anywhere. Since my post was planned around pictures it is not me who has to postpone that post until the camera is found.

I did not sort through our shoes in order to put the summer ones away, only to find several lone shoes with no partner. This has not been an ongoing problem in our house and I have not come to believe that not only is their a sock monster in my dryer but also a shoe monster somewhere in the house.

I did not come to realize that we lose a lot of things in this house and that it may be more productive to have our own Lost And Found box in the house. Because, it does not seem, that we loose a lot but rarely find those items. We may or may not have a black hole in our midst!

Randomness

2011-09-29T12:54:00.005-05:00

In the past week and a half we have had one day with sun. We made the most of that day by walking to the library and stopping at a park.
The rest of the days are reminiscent of winter days and a bit unsettling. For someone who despises the long cold days of winter I live in an unlikely place...one where winter can last 6 months! We've been spending a lot of our time on school work and arts and crafts. My table is full of painted acorns at the moment.
We are getting ready for Jacob's Make A Wish trip to Disney World which is coming up very soon. The one and only time I have flown was in 2000 so I'm researching all the TSA rules to make sure we pack correctly. Most of us are excited about flying but we have one holdout in the family who is a bit hesitant. The vacation itself just gets more and more exciting - the resort itself now sounds as much fun as Disney World...horseback riding, putt putt golf, and our own villa! The kids are thrilled and I love their excitement!
I've finally finished switching over the kid's wardrobe to fall/winter and packed away their summer stuff, except for their outgrown items which I listed on ThredUp (sorry, my boxes have already been picked but by clicking on the link above and signing up with a new account you will get $5 to spend on your first box!). Switching over clothing takes me such a long time so I asked on the Trenches Of Mommyhood Facebook page how you all organize and received some good tips from you all!

I'm already shopping for Christmas and have a lot already hidden away. Christmas will be different this year, but more about that later. I've mainly been shopping on Amazon and using all the Swagbucks that I've earned to get free $5 Amazon cards. I've looked through my history and in the past two years I've earned over $300 in Amazon giftcards through Swagbucks, which is incredible considering that I only earn them by doing the regular internet searches that I always did. If you haven't signed up yet, do so now through 10/3 and get 100 Swagbucks just for signing up by entering the code BIGTIMEBUCKS. There are all types of rewards but I go for the $5 Amazon cards, which are 450 swagbucks. I can easily earn at least one $5 card a month by using the search engine, though I typically earn more. All I do is instead of using my browser to get to a site I use the search engine - it takes no more time and I often win several times a day this way.

A friend recently shared with me a website that is an excellent resource for families looking for family friendly movies. Check out the Movieguide here. (Thanks, Amy!)

Now I'm off to make the kids some apple cider and myself some raspberry leaf tea. It's chilly and the wind is howling outside so it really is the type of weather that calls for a ~~stiff~~ hot drink.

Tolerance for All...

2011-09-28T10:32:00.003-05:00

Politically Correct. Live and let live. Coexist. It all sounds fine and dandy. Until you realize that it's tolerance for all...except Christian beliefs.
Many who spout live and let live have no tolerance for those who have religious beliefs that differ from their views. The main point of tolerance is that you accept the fact that people are different and have views other than your own. It's funny how that rarely actually comes into play.

Christians are accused of being judgmental, close-minded, even stupid and ignorant...just because they have differing views. The worst thing that Christians are now called is hateful. Society now tells us that you must be politically correct in order to be a loving person.

An example is homosexuality. It's "politically correct" to accept marriage of same-sex couples. It's hateful to admit that you do not agree with homosexuality. And no matter how much a Christian could explain their beliefs they will be deemed hateful and ignorant. Those types of beliefs won't be tolerated...kind of ironic, isn't it?

I agree, there are groups that call themselves "Christian" that are horribly mean and hateful. The group that gathers outside of soldiers funerals to protest, the ones who tout hatred against homosexuals. It's horrid and makes Christians look horrid...but those groups are NOT Christian. No Christian group will promote hate.

With that said, being against something does not necessarily mean hate. I'm against pre-marital sex but that doesn't mean if one of my children does this that I will love them less. I'm against abortion but that doesn't mean that I hate the women who have had one. I'm against homosexuality but that doesn't mean that if a same sex couple moved in next door that I wouldn't welcome them into the neighborhood any less than any other couple. Because it's truly possible to not agree with a lifestyle and yet to still love the person with that lifestyle. This seems to go beyond most people's reasoning, and that is why we Christians are still considered ignorant. It seems you must accept a lifestyle in order to love people.

And yet, any parent, can tell you that no matter what their child does, they will always love their child. A teenager may go out partying or run away...but a parent won't stop loving that child for that. The parent may not agree with what their child is doing, but they love their child nonetheless. Why is it easy to comprehend this but not realize that the love and understanding can be had for everyone around them? I may not agree with everyone's choices, but I have no hate for anyone.

What do you think? Is our society more or less tolerant now that everything is politically correct? Are Christian views intolerant?

Edited to add: The above examples of what I don't agree with are just a few of the examples I could come up with. I am not proclaiming that they are the worst and that I am sitting in judgment on my high-horse. I also don't agree with lying, swearing, judging others, self-entitlement, and so on...and of course I have been guilty of all that at one time or another. That doesn't mean that I agree it's right. Since we all sin...my point was that it IS possible to love the sinner and yet not the sin.

That's What Brothers are For...

2011-09-27T15:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, when Becca returned home from getting her haircut, Jacob met her at the door and remarked "Becca, you're beautiful!"
What a sweetheart he is!

Not Me! Monday

2011-09-26T07:00:00.003-05:00

We live in a small town where our grocery store has "baggers". They bag your groceries, follow you to your car, and load the groceries in your vehicle. Typically they are teenage males. So it was not I who was in the middle of a conversation about the weather (they seem to have a one track mind; all their conversations are about the weather) when I commented that the trunk must be stuck on our car. I did not repeatably click the key fob trying to get the trunk open, as the bags in the bag boys arms seemed to get heavier, then loudly remark that the battery in the key fob must be dead.

I did not suddenly have the revelation that this wasn't my car and turn wildly around to see my car parked in a completely different area of the parking lot. I didn't stumble over my words as I announced that "Gee, this is the wrong car" as I backed slowly away from the almost identical car (why did I not notice that the car I was trying to steal had a spoiler on the back when ours doesn't?!) only to have a lady laugh at me across the parking lot and yell "At least I'm not the only one who does that!" drawing several stares my way.

On the long trek to my car I did not mumble to the bag boy that I didn't typically drive my husband's car to the store and that I did typically park in the area that the other car was in, trying to make him understand only to have him give me quizzical side way looks.

When I reached my car I did not pop the trunk and loudly proclaim that "You have to admit that the cars look similar." I did not stop and stare at him until he admitted that they did. I was not totally relieved when he finished loading my groceries and hightailed it ~~away from the crazy lady~~ back into the store so that I could slide behind the wheel of the car to hide my red face.

It wasn't later that week that I was at our local Wal-Mart, wondering what the smell was throughout the store. I did not, of course, realize at the end of the shopping that it was me. There is no way that I walked around smelling dog poo that was on my shoe! Nope, not me!!

Savings

2011-09-23T07:21:00.000-05:00

A money question I received from one of my readers is:

I stay at home with the kids, and my husband was out of work for a long time, but is now working again (hooray!) so we still have some catching up to do, but I really want to try to set aside a certain percentage of his pay to tuck away. And I figure now is a good time to start doing it because this is income we haven't had in a long time so we shouldn't miss the percentage since we haven't had it. What do you think is a good percent to save?

It's a very good question because many people have some "catching up" to do but focus their attempts on that, and only that, instead of also focusing on putting some money into savings. The reason that setting some money aside, even while paying back debt, is that if you don't have something to fall back on you will have a vicious circle of debt. There are always going to be times when you will need a little extra (car repairs, a broken washing machine, etc.). If you are so focused on paying back debt that you forgo setting aside any money, you will need to use those credit cards once again to pay for an unexpected expense; meaning that it will be very difficult to get ahead.

Continue to do the good work of paying back your debts but "pay yourself" a little each month as well. A good rule of thumb for someone who is just getting back on their feet, or one who has very little extra month, is to start small. Even if it is as small as 1-2% of each paycheck. It sounds like such a small amount...so small in fact that you very well may think that it is pointless...but it adds up over time and it is better than nothing. For example, someone bringing home $1,000 bi-weekly will put $10 in savings bi-weekly (or $20 monthly) if doing 1%. By the end of the year they will have $240 in a savings account. Not a lot, but a whole lot better than no savings at all! So I urge everyone, even those that think there is no room to save, to put the very minimum of 1% of their pay in savings each month.

For those who think they can save a little more, I would strive for 3-5% to begin with. Someone making $1,000 bi-weekly would then be putting $30-$50 in savings bi-weekly ($60-$100 monthly). This is a reasonable goal and your savings will begin to add up. If you notice within a few months that you think you can up the savings, go up from there.

Saving the percentage of your paycheck is not the hard part. The hard part is not touching your savings except for an emergency. This is the part that gets tricky. Many people will do great with saving for a month or two but then dip into it for something that is not a necessity and get bummed out with an empty savings account and stop saving altogether (it's similar to being on a diet and being gung-ho at first, only to binge and gain the weight back and stop dieting because of that). Savings must not be thought of as "money" but rather as an "emergency fund".

Savings from an emergency fund should only be used for emergencies or unexpected expenses. Not for dipping into for a night out on the town, a new pair of shoes, a trip, or anything that is a "choice" and not a must. I have often remarked "We don't have money for that this week" to my husband or a friend. It doesn't actually mean that we don't have money, because we do keep a certain amount in savings...but it means that we don't have money in our checking account for that and if it isn't a necessity I'm not going to take out from savings for it...in my mind if it isn't in our checking account that week we don't have money for it. I'm going to contradict myself a bit now when I say that it doesn't mean that we never use our savings for a little fun money. Because we do. The thing is though, that in our minds we have a set number that our savings should always be at for an emergency. If our funds tend to get a little above that we have no qualms taking a little out for a fun birthday gift for the kids or a fun little day trip. But we only do so if our savings funds is already at our goal, if it's below our goal we don't touch it for fun at all. Savings just won't work if you use it as a flexible account.

With that said, what is a reasonable savings goal for a typical family? Most financial experts stress that a good savings amount is two to six months worth of income. That's a lofty goal and we tend to fall on the smaller side of that amount. It's a nest egg that give you a little breathing room if you are injured and out of work, if your car breaks down and needs a major overhaul, if the roof on your house needs redone, the furnace needs replacing, etc.). It can seem a daunting task at first but you must pace yourself. It can take years to reach your goal but even a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. If an emergency does arise and you spend much of the savings that you accumulated, you start again and add to it until it reaches your goal once again (or rises above your goal!). It's a never ending battle but it's the only way that you can grow (and keep!) a savings account.

Rockin' Craft

2011-09-22T17:25:00.003-05:00

Auntie's Famous Rolls

2011-09-21T06:59:00.000-05:00

I don't recall if I've posted this recipe already or not, I have a vague recollection of doing so but can't find it here. It's such an easy and delicious recipe that it won't hurt to post it again, even if I have already done so.

These are my Auntie Jane's famous rolls. She used to bring them to family gathering and everyone raved about them. I can't get enough of them and make them quite often. I plan to try this recipe when making my pepperoni rolls next time.

3 T. butter (no substitutes), melted
1 1/4 c. warm water
Combine and add two t. dry yeast. Stir and add 3 T. sugar, then 1 t. salt. Add 3 c. flour, stir, add more flour if needed. Knead for five minutes. Place in bowl and let rise. Punch down and shape into nine rolls. Put on lightly greased baking sheet, let rise again. Bake @ 350 degrees for around 20 minutes.

Not Me! Monday

2011-09-19T07:44:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I did not get annoyed by three whiny kids and decide to run away and go shopping without them. It wasn't me who called my sister and told her we were going to ~~escape~~ have a fun afternoon shopping.

I did not demand that my husband take the kids somewhere fun on Saturday to relieve my guilt at having left everyone on a family day in order to ~~get away from them~~ get out of the house. While being highly annoyed with every antic that every. single. person. in my house displayed I did not still have mommy guilt in needing a few quiet hours alone. That would be a first sign of insanity, wouldn't it?!

I did not enjoy my shopping trip immensely (though besides the usual groceries the only extras I ended up buying was a pair of sunglasses and several books at Half Price Books). I did not top off the night with a Pumpkin Spice Frappacino from Starbucks after hearing another blogger rave about them. I certainly have never not had a frappacino before...and I surely never not knew what a frappacino was before ordering only to find a cold drink (*fanning all the coffee addicts out of their deep faint*). And it wasn't me who could count on one hand (and only get half way) how many times I have ordered at Starbucks.

With a week of cold temperatures I have not become tempted to turn the heat on once or twice. Doing so in September doesn't seem the least bit early.
I have not been a bit depressed knowing that the long dark cold months will be upon us soon. I have especially not been a bit sentimental when looking through my photos and finding all the bright cheerful warm photos reminding me of happy summer days. Nope, not me at all!

Shopaholic on a Budget

2011-09-16T07:03:00.000-05:00

I've been having fun shopping this week. I bought new furniture, new shoes and clothes for the kids, and a new purse for myself. New to us, anyway.

I won't lie - I love to shop. I do get a thrill when I find that thing that I never knew I needed. Have I mentioned before that I have an addiction to kids clothing? Oh, I have?! That's right...it's no secret!

There is no fault in liking nice things or enjoying that thrill of the hunt - as long as it's not breaking the bank, that is. As much as I get new (to us) items, I'm surprised that my husband doesn't complain about his wife being a shopaholic. Oh, that's right, I forgot that while I shop a lot I spend only a very small part of our budget on the actual purchase.

I'm a bargain shopper and often pay much less than 90% of what an item cost originally, mainly because I do my shopping second hand, though I'm not above shopping off clearance racks and actually getting something new at a steep discount. I just can't (and won't!) pay full price when I know a week, month, or year down the road I can find it for 90% cheaper. I almost always find what I am looking for if I just wait a bit for it.

That shopping I did this week? Garage sale shopping! Here are some of my finds from yesterday:
Two Mini Boden shirts for Joe for $2 each, Keen sandals for Joe for $3, and Birckenstocks for Becca for $1

This buffet type table for $20. The finish looks splotchy in this photo but it is not like that in real life. Ignore the missing drawer pull...it just got knocked off during hauling and is sitting on the counter to be put back on! This is one heavy piece but well made, it also has a lot more storage space than the hall table that we had there; storage space is a plus in this tiny house with very limited closet space.

This is either a good find or a spectacular find. It's either a really well made knock off of a Chanel purse, or the real deal. I'm having trouble finding out which one it is but it doesn't matter, as it will be for my personal use. At $5, it was a steal as some of the good knock offs sell for a couple hundred dollars and the real deal can be a thousand or more. Crazy to think that people spend that much on purses, I only picked it up because it was the size I like my purses to be. It feels like real leather, both inside and out. Maybe one of my readers is a purse person and can tell me more.

I also picked up a child's bike seat for the back of an adult bike for $5, which I was about ready to spend $35-$50 on Amazon for as it's been on our wish list for awhile, a few other kids clothes (including size 6 boys jeans which are almost impossible to find used!).

So, it is possible to be a shopaholic and a penny pincher at the same time!

Jacob's Port Removal

2011-09-15T23:44:00.003-05:00

Jacob's port removal went exactly as planned yesterday. It was a relatively quick operation and his recovery has been smooth; Tylenol has kept the pain away and he has been active and playing since we arrived home at lunch time yesterday.

It is great to be at this point in our journey where we can say goodbye to almost all the medications he was on and say goodbye to the artificial device inside of him! He doesn't need to go back to see the oncologist until the beginning of December. Awesome!!

Thank you to everyone who has kept him in your prayers and will continue to do so. We are starting to feel somewhat of a sense of normalcy now.

Summer Isn't Over Yet

2011-09-14T08:20:00.000-05:00

Summer is quickly fading and yet we feel like it's just getting started, now that all three kiddos have abundant energy once again.
With a lovely weekend in store we headed off to the local fish hatchery. One of their favorite activities is to feed the fish.

Mama always gets nervous as they lean far over the walls to drop the food in.

But they ony laugh and giggle as the fish jump and splash as they gather for food.

We took a walk to the nearby stream where the kids climbed all over the rocks...

and learned to skip rocks with their daddy.

So while the summer fun is ending for many...it's just beginning for others!

Surgery Tomorrow

2011-09-13T17:42:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to post a quick reminder that Jacob is having surgery tomorrow for his port removal. It should be a fairly quick and straight forward surgery but I ask for your prayers for him and the surgeon regardless. We need to be there tomorrow at 6:15am so it looks like we will be up extra early tomorrow.

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!

2011-09-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm following the blog carnival over at Airing My Laundry, One Sock At a Time. She got the idea from Glamour magazine where they have a section titled Hey, It's Okay where they list a bunch of things to be okay about.

To love cooked tomatoes but gag on plain fresh ones. To tell your kids that they are yummy anyway...and be a bit surprised when they take to them like candy.

To get sick of all the vaugebooking on Facebook. Something horrible happened or you are the saddest you've ever been?! Yet you can't mention what it is because it's super secret?! Don't mention it in the first place! And it's kind of odd that four minutes later you are eating a Kit Kat and rockin out to music...must not have been so bad after all.

To take a nap two days in a row. Having a cold gives a mama that right. And yet...the guilt remains.

To hate naps in the first place. You wake up feeling worse than before. And the after-nap guilt of wasting an hour of the day sleeping remains.

To not feel guilty after a nap. I'm working on it!

To be excited for the next season of Desperate Housewives to start.

To be sad that it's the last season of Desperate Housewives. :(

To admit that you watch Desperate Housewives.

Not Me! Monday is Back!!

2011-09-12T13:14:00.003-05:00

I did not wait more than a week to balance my checkbook...only to see a big "whoops" where we overspent. Granted, it was a busy week and we spent a little money on the fly, but now we need to be extremely careful this week.

It wasn't I who forgot that there was no school today in the district, until the kids were finished with their schoolwork. It's days like these that I am not even more thrilled with the concept of homeschooling...it sure would have been embarrassing to show up at school this morning!

I would never wait two weeks after the oven started acting funny to call a repairman. Because that would mean that the busy repairman would then tell you that this week is bad for him and that it will be a week or so until your oven can be looked at. Which would also mean that you would be oven-less for that amount of time. Nope, not me!

I am not totally thrilled that Not Me! Monday is back! :) Are you, or aren't you?!

Lacto-fermented Salsa

2011-09-12T07:14:00.000-05:00

Have you ordered "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon yet? This book has continued to keep me entertained the past week, in my brain and in the kitchen. While I don't agree with everything in the book and can't stomach some of the recommendations, such as eating organ meats like brain or eating raw meat, I do agree with a lot of what is in this book. Not only is it a cookbook but it is also a resource for dietary habits. It is, after all, over 600 pages and is full of interesting information. I don't think anyone can dispute the fact that the American diet is a far cry from what our ancestors ate and it only makes sense that the increase in disease and health issues may be directly linked to the change in diet.

One of the first recipes that I wanted to try was Lacto-fermented salsa. I do have a hot water bath canner but almost never pull it out as it 1. requires a large amount of produce in order to put up a big batch and 2. it is a lot of work to sterilize and get everything ready for canning. Lacto-fermenting can be done in small batches and does not require any special preparation.

Lacto-fermenting is how our ancestors preserved foods and there are several health benefits to it. I'm sure you've all heard the health benefits of sauerkraut and pickles, which were once lacto-fermented. Because of the new canning process, which undergoes pasteurization, those products now do not hold the health benefits they once did, when store bought.

Similar to the fermentation of dairy products (yogurt, cheese, whey, keifer), lacto-fermentation not only preserves a product (lactic acid is a natural preservative) but also has many health benefits. It produces good bacteria, similar to the awesome bacteria found in yogurt. These organisms produce helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anticarcinogenic substances ("Nourishing Traditions", pg. 89)

Keeping these prepared recipes at room temperature for 2 to 4 days will ensure a lactic-acid fermentation. You can then move the product to "cold storage"...which often was a root cellar or cave but a wine cellar or small refrigerator turned to the "warm" setting will do. Or the top shelf of your refrigerator is fine, which is what I do. The flavor will increase with time but the recipe is can be eaten immediately after the initial fermentation. The lacto-fermented vegetables will keep for several months in cold storage.

My husband's co-worker gave him a bag of homegrown tomatoes at the perfect time so I was able to try out a batch of the salsa right away! We love salsa in this house, but lacto-fermented vegetables are meant to use as more of a condiment and not eaten in large quantities. This salsa is wonderful with eggs, to top tacos, or as a side to many dishes. This is by far the freshest and yummiest tasting salsa that I have ever tasted and everyone in the family agrees!

Salsa ("Nourishing Traditions", pg. 103) Makes 1 quart

4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

2 small onions, finely chopped

3/4 c. chopped chile pepper, hot or mild

6-8 coves garlic, peeled and finely chopped (optional)

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 t. dried oregano

juice of 2 lemons

1 T. sea salt

4 T. whey (more about this in the future) or - which is what I used- an additional 1 T. sea salt

1/4 c. filtered water

Mix all ingredients and place in mason jars. Press down lightly with a spoon, adding more water if necessary to cover the vegetables. The top of the vegetables should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 2 days before transferring to cold storage.

This should keep for several months in the fridge, though it won't last that long in this house!

Gone for Good

2011-09-09T22:24:00.003-05:00

I am exhausted after two days of lifting boxes, setting up items for a garage sale, waiting on customers while also keeping control (or trying to, anyhow) of my children at the same time. This all happens at my parent's house down the street so there is lots of help but everyone is still exhausted at the end of the day.

My previous post states that I hauled 11 boxes, three garbage bags, a large cooler on wheels, a floor lamp, double stroller, and pictures to the sale. The weather was perfect and the sale went wonderful. At the end of today I took some of what was left and put it in at the curb - which we then post on FreeCycle and it never fails that someone comes to pick the whole pile of stuff up. I then returned with one small bin of clothing which I immediately posted on ThredUp and within minutes three of the four boxes were already chosen. I posted two books on PaperBack Swap and those were also chosen within the hour. I have them all boxed up and ready to mail as I want every last thing out of here! The amazing thing is that once I mail the packages tomorrow every last thing that I priced for the garage sale will be gone from this house forever! It feels good to get rid of that much.

I made $156 in this two day sale. That's a lot considering that most of what I priced was at 25 cents to 50 cents and the highest priced item was the double stroller at just $8. The kids also made a little spending cash and got rid of some toys at the same time. This week has been a success for clearing out clutter - yet there is still more to go. Baby steps, I keep reminding myself.

Out With It!

2011-09-08T06:24:00.000-05:00

I have not stopped the clutter challenge that I set for myself this past summer, I've just stopped blogging about it for the most part. The past few months have found me sorting through boxes, drawers, closets, toy bins, the basement, and the garage in order to prepare for a fall garage sale at my parent's house. Today and tomorrow we will be busy with that sale. This is what my van looked like last night after loading it up:
The front seat is filled with things too. In total, there are 11 boxes and one large garbage bag in the van. That does not count the items that I already brought to my parent's house: a double stroller, cooler on wheels, floor lamp, and two garbage bags filled with free things. Everything is marked cheaply in order to move it and anything not sold will go to the donation center. It feels freeing to be getting a whole van load of stuff out of the house (and hopefully make a little money at the same time).

I'll be posting photos of the sale later on and hope to give you a grand total tomorrow evening.

Jacob Update

2011-09-06T11:42:00.002-05:00

It's time for another update on Jacob, post treatment! It's been 2 1/2 weeks since Jacob has received any chemo! He has much more energy now and the house is more noisy than it has been for quite some time. He does not need to get twice weekly lab draws any longer, his color is improving, and we see tiny hairs sprouting on his head!

(This photo was taken in June during Jacob's Dance Marathon trip to an amusement park.)

Next Wednesday, the 14th, Jacob will have surgery to take the port out. It will be about an hour long procedure, though we will be at the hospital awhile after he wakes up and returns to normal. It should not be an overnight stay and I'm hoping this is his last surgery ever for him. It will be good to get the port out as we will no longer need to be worried about a line infection or obsessed about and admitted for fevers.

Jacob is working on 1st grade work. Jacob is excited about his upcoming trip to Disney World. Jacob is loving the cooler weather and is spending lots of his time outdoors now. Jacob is once again wrestling and roughhousing with Joe. Jacob is feeling wonderful - though he gets tired out more quickly and still takes naps - he is enjoying just being a kid again.

Weekend Project

2011-09-05T10:09:00.003-05:00

This morning I feel as though I was run over by a Mack truck. Or any other type of truck, for that matter. Why? Because I spent the weekend working on a spur of the moment home improvement project.

Upon waking up this weekend, I told myself that I hated the carpet in the living room and that it must go. Today. When we bought this house five years ago that carpet was old but in good shape. Or so I thought. Apparently, the padding underneath was fairly dirty since even a spilled glass of water that was immediately cleaned up would make a dark stain magically appear. We also have children and pets and those do not bode very well for a house filled with carpeting. Carpet in the bedrooms is lovely, carpet in the high traffic areas is a recipe for disaster. I was tired of a stained stinky carpet that even my deep clean carpet cleaner couldn't save.

Ben and I set to work tearing out the carpet and I spent three hours pulling nails and staples and cleaning the floor while he took the kids away for awhile. The thing about this house, and several houses on this street, is that the floors are in pretty good shape for being so old, but no one finished the middle of the floor. We found this in the dining room and again in the living room; there is a huge square in the middle that was never finished. That, my friends, is what a large area rug is for. :)
It's a drastic difference to get rid of the carpeting and throw a rug down. It's a very inexpensive project as well. All I need now are some new throw pillows, a few wicker baskets, and a nice throw for the couch and my room project will be complete. You know me though, I'll be waiting until I find those on sale.

If only I could say that my work is complete, but we have to do this all over again in the adjoining office room to complete the look. Makes me tired just thinking about it!

Keep Connected

2011-09-03T21:40:00.005-05:00

For those of you on Twitter or Facebook, Trenches Of Mommyhood is also linked up to both of those sites. Keep updated with recent blog posts, as well as updates on Jacob, fun little tidbits from our life, and updates to our daily happenings. :) Just thought I'd share in case you are interested. You can find both links to follow in the right hand column ---------------> (just scroll down a bit!)

Crockpot Yogurt

2011-09-02T09:28:00.004-05:00

We eat a lot of yogurt in this house. I've been wanting to try my hand at making my own yogurt but it was intimidating to me and I kept putting it off. Finally, I heard about making it in the crockpot; it sounded simple enough that I was no longer scared to try it.

We made it yesterday and we love it! If you're used to traditional store bought yogurt it is different - a bit more runny and has the tart taste but it didn't even take us some getting used to - we loved it at first bite.
It's easy too, though there are several steps to follow so you'll want to do this on a day when you are around the house.

Put 8 cups of milk in the crockpot. Non-homogenized is best, as is whole milk. Put lid on. Turn to low and cook for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug crockpot and leave lid on, let sit for 3 hours.

Scoop out 2 c. still warm milk and whisk in 1/2 c. of store bought plain yogurt. This is the starter which will introduce all the beneficial bacteria to your batch. Once this batch is complete you can reserve 1/2 a c. from your homemade yogurt to make your next batch. Dump the 2 c. mixture back into the crockpot and stir.
Wrap a thick bath towel around the crockpot and let it sit for 8 hours.

That's it! I started mine later in the day and by 11:30pm, when I was ready for bed, the yogurt mixture had only been sitting for 6 hours but I put it away in the fridge anyway, and it had still thickened to a perfect texture. I think this recipe is pretty fail-proof.
I enjoyed mine with granola and a sprinkle of chia seeds. You can also add fresh fruit or even a tablespoon of jam to make it your choice of fruit flavored. Honey would be good or maple syrup for a sweet taste. The possibilities are endless. Joe, the pickiest of the bunch, even enjoyed this plain on top of granola. He told me it was "Yummy like a hamburger" which means the yummy factor is up there at the top of the list with his favorite food.

A whole crockpot full of yogurt ended up being about $2.25 and the price will go down next time as I won't need to buy store bought yogurt for the starter, so it should be closer to $1.90 (the price of half a gallon of non-homogenized milk). This is by far healthier and much cheaper than any store bought yogurt...it's a keeper!

Energy Balls

2011-09-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

These are a fast fun raw snack that the kids love to help make and eat! This recipe is from FoodDoodles.

1/2 C nut butter(almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut or seed butter. Anything will work here)

1/3 C honey(I believe brown rice syrup would also work. I’m not sure of thinner sweeteners such as maple syrup and agave though as they may not hold together as well)
1 C old fashioned rolled oats(you can toast for a nuttier flavor at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes)
1 C shredded unsweetened coconut(you can substitute any dry ingredients for this, wheat bran or germ, oat bran, some ground flax seed(I wouldn’t recommending using an entire cup!), any kind of ground nuts or seeds. For a cookie dough type bite try adding a few tablespoon of your favorite whole grain flour)
1-2 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt if using a natural nut butter with no added salt
1-2 tsp your favorite spices or spice combinations (optional)
1/2 C other addins (any kind of whole or roughly chopped nuts or seeds, dried fruit, good quality chocolate chips, etc)

In a large bowl add the nut butter, honey or other sweetener, vanilla and salt if needed. Use less vanilla if yours is very strong or more if you really enjoy the vanilla flavor and don’t buy an alcohol based kind. Once this is combined add the remaining ingredients.

Once it’s all combined place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Then remove from the fridge, scoop out some dough and roll into a ball. I find it’s much easier, and works better to squeeze the handful together to compact it and then roll it into a ball.

If yours are too sticky you can considering adding more dry ingredients into them or rolling them in something like ground nuts, coconut, etc so they aren’t as sticky. Place the balls in an airtight container either in the fridge or freezer for quick and easy snacks.

This!!

2011-08-31T17:20:00.003-05:00

This, this, THIS is the cookbook that I have been looking for in our life!

I remember my aunt showing this to me years ago and I read through it but must not have been in the mindset to let things sink in. I was smart enough to put this book on my wanted list at:

That was over three years ago and I finally became #1 on the list (out of 800 people waiting for it!) and received it in the mail today. I have been reading it all day and know that this is going to help change our diet and eating habits! Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon is "The cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats". I wanted to put it out there because so far this is by far the most interesting cookbook that I have run across and has the neatest information on what to eat, how to prepare it, and why we should eat it. Just a heads up for those of you who may want to purchase the book yourself and follow along with me, as I plan to highlight many of the recipes in the upcoming months. This is a cookbook that you have to have!

Artfully Done

2011-08-31T06:35:00.000-05:00

Art: their favorite subject in school.

Feeding a Family of 5 for $75 Weekly

2011-08-30T06:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's post asked you to leave any questions about my budget or your own. I'm answering one today and will continue to answer the others throughout the month of September, so feel free to continue to add your own questions to the list.

Anonymous said:

How on earth do you only spend $300 a month on groceries for a family of 5? I'm impressed!

My grocery budget is roughly $75 a week. Sometimes I go over and sometimes I go under, which means that it does average out to about $300 a month. While the price of groceries does depend on the area where you live, the type of food that you eat, and the meals that your family likes - it is the best area in your budget to save some money. Just cutting your food budget by $25 weekly will save you $100 a month!

First and foremost: make a menu and a detailed shopping list. You have to know what you are buying before you walk into the store in order to stick to your budget.

Stock up on great sale prices. When something is a loss leader, on clearance, or just a spectacular sale which you know you won't see for quite some time, stock up! These are the weeks that I spend a bit more on groceries but it evens out in the long run when I can pull these items out in later weeks to use for meals. One recent example is Hebrew National hot dogs. I'm not a huge fan of hot dogs but since my kids like them I compromise and buy the "higher quality" hot dogs. Super Target one day had the 24 packs of Hebrew National hot dogs on sale for $4.99, typically $9.99. I stocked up on a couple packages and stuck them in the freezer. If it's something you typically buy and it's at a price you've never seen it at before...buy as much as you think you will use before the expiration date.

Use coupons. I've fallen off the coupon wagon as I no longer purchase a newspaper so have no source for coupon inserts. Yet, company Facebook promotions are everywhere and it is so simple to sign up for free coupons. I keep track of where to sign up at Hip2Save and get many free food and beauty coupons or samples this way.

For an example of my shopping, I am giving you a picture of this week's grocery trip and my menu. Be aware that my menu is paired down to my easy and quick meals this week as I am preparing for a garage sale at the end of the week and therefore chose things that would be quick to prepare once home from the long sale day, or something that my husband can cook. I only plan out our suppers. Breakfast is always something simple such as cereal, toast, oatmeal, pancakes, cocoa wheats, or even just a yogurt parfait. Lunches are leftovers, sandwiches, pasta, cheese and crackers, and other easy and simple foods. I don't feel the need to plan these and fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to breakfast and lunch. Lately it's been a lot of tomato sandwiches, sliced peppers, sliced cucumbers, and mixed fruit.

Menu for the week:

Roast chicken, potatoes, and vegetable

Hot dogs, potato salad

Pepperoni rolls, salad

hamburgers, corn, baked beans

Tuna on toast, vegetables

Beef Stroganoff, homemade rolls

spaghetti, garlic bread, vegetable

The vegetables listed are frozen, canned, or most recently - fresh from our garden. Fresh or canned fruit is added to our meals, along with a glass of milk. We often have popcorn later in the evening for a snack.

With this menu in mind, I went to the store and bought:

(The orange juice, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, and Dannon drinkable yogurt was all free with coupons.) I spent $64.45. This includes ingredients to make several desserts, kitty litter, and dishwasher detergent. That leaves me with $10 left for the week to buy milk, which I get at a different store in town which sells non-homogenized milk.

That is how I feed a family of five for $75 a week. Any questions?

Cutting Back

2011-08-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

This year I haven't had much time to think about saving money. My grocery store trips haven't always been well planned, laziness (or is it tiredness?) has made me more apt to use the dryer, get take out, or buy something new rather than wait and look for it used. I knew it was more imperative to my own mental sanity to let some things go and not focus on frugality as I had much more important things to focus on. Besides, I wasn't going into debt because of these new habits so it wasn't hurting us.

Just this month our phone bill went up, I've noticed prices at the grocery stores continuing to rise, and even clothing prices have been steadily increasing. Then Ben got word from work that due to cut backs he will not be on call every other weekend any longer. That was an extra $100 each month for us, and while that may not sound like a lot, it equals out to $1,200 yearly, or roughly 4 months worth of groceries for us. Yes, that $100 a month will be felt. With rising prices of everything around us, and a lowering of income, things will need to be changed.

It won't be the end of the world but it will be a necessity that I cut back that $100 from the budget. It's true that we are already down to somewhat of the bare minimum...no cable, pre-paid cellphones with no contract, no cable, no car loans, no credit cards but there is always room to improve.

Which means my Frugal Friday posts will be back with some more helpful hints and I'm thinking of bringing back my Budget Challenge. And I'll gladly answer any questions about my budget, or ways for you to cut your budget, if you want to leave your question in the comment section or e-mail it to me. Because with the economy in trouble and the country in enormous debt, the only thing we can take control of is our own financial issues. And that time to start is now!

Happy Day

2011-08-26T18:59:00.005-05:00

We had a long day of tests, doctor appointments, and lots of waiting. Grandma and Grandpa watched Joe and Becca so Ben was able to go along with Jacob and I; moral support is HUGE when waiting for test results.

The test results show a clear scan!!! Praise the Lord - Jacob has reached the end of his treatment with scans coming back clean. We are thrilled!!!!! We spoke with a surgeon and he will be getting his port out within the next couple weeks.

I'll be honest, while it's the end of the treatment, it's not the end of the worry. Jacob will have scans every three months for the first two years and then every six months up to the five year mark. Thinking positive is the only way to go though and Jacob is so strong that I just know he beat this cancer. Cancer should fear us!

God has been so good to use throughout this trial and truly has shown us that when we aren't able to walk He will carry us. Our faith has strengthened because of this ordeal and while I can say that cancer is a curse, within it can be found blessings. No matter what, always look for the blessings which God bestows upon you! This is a happy day!

Family Fun

2011-08-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

While I share photos of the fun
we had at a church festival
this past weekend,
I just wanted to ask again
for you to keep Jacob (and us) in your prayers
today as he goes for his end of treatment scans and tests.

I'll update later!

Don't Forget!

2011-08-24T07:22:00.000-05:00

If you are a homeschooling family with grades in K-6th, don't forget to sign up for the Pizza Hut Book-It program! You have until September 1st to do so.

While my kids enjoy reading and don't need an incentive...it is nice to have a little reward once in awhile. It also means a meal that mommy doesn't have to cook! :)

Sunny Schooltime

2011-08-23T13:14:00.002-05:00

I remember one of the worst things about starting back to school was being cooped up in a building on those beautiful end of summer days. And we've had plenty of those types of days recently.

One of the pros of homeschooling is being able to adjust our day to the things around us. Snow days? Never heard of them! Vacation to Disney coming up? Double up on work the week before so you don't fall behind! Beautiful weather? Take your classes outside.
We took our science books outside yesterday; what better place to learn about science than in the beautiful outdoors?! We have been seeing (and hearing) Cicadas a lot recently so we learned about them. We also learned about two of the five senses: smelling and tasting. Science has always been one of my favorite subjects so I love making the subject interesting and learning new things along with the kids.
We will be heading back to the library today to get this weeks Science books. The rain just stopped and the skies are clearing, so we just may be having another outdoor lesson today!

Beary Tired

2011-08-22T15:04:00.005-05:00

Joe gave up taking regular daily naps a long time ago. Even he knows when he has reached his limit though, and there are days when he is tired enough that he will succumb to a nap.

This summer he has gotten into the habit of wanting to wear his bear suit (from Halloween last year) when feeling tired. He brings the suit to me to dress him in, then finds the oddest places to fall asleep. Sometimes it's in the playroom, other times it is at the bottom of the steps. One day it was laying near the front door and today it happened to be underneath the table near the door.
Imagine my surprise when I saw a headless bear body sticking out from underneath the table. Kids are funny and strange. I'll take what I can get; a nap is a nap, after all.

Update, Update, Update!!!

2011-08-20T19:28:00.002-05:00

Jacob had his very last chemo yesterday. He also had another blood transfusion, as his hemoglobin was down to 7.3. But from here on out I hope to watch his little body get stronger and stronger every day. He should be able to stop the G-CSF shots soon. His hair will be starting to grow back, along with his eyebrows and eyelashes. His color should be returning. I can't wait to see that healthy boy emerge once again!

Next Friday (the 26th) Jacob has an ECHO and CT scan. If all looks good (please pray for that!) than he will meet with the surgeons about getting his port out. Then he will have check-ups every three months for the first two years.

We just found out on Thursday that Jacob's wish has been granted through Make-A-Wish, which means we will be heading to Disney World in October! The kids have never been on an airplane or on a week long vacation, or anywhere near as fun as Disney so I am looking forward to them just being able to enjoy life and be kids again - all together after a nine month roller coaster ride.

This is where we are at now. It feels good.