Squishy Squashy

Even with the spring-like days we've had recently, there is only so much time that can be spent outdoors when the yard and toys are still covered in a heavy, wet, slowly melting snow. Which means that the children still have boundless energy.

I saw on a friend's Facebook page that she made homemade playdough. She used food coloring and essential oils, both things which I do not have on hand. I decided to google a recipe that is similar to the one my mom used to use when we were kids and found one with ingredients that were already in my cupboard!

The kids sat quietly playing while I prepared lunch and are still playing with each other at the table after finishing their lunch.

1 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

3 t. cream of tartar

1 pkg. Kool-Aid

1 c. water

1 T. cooking oil

Add dry ingredients in a saucepan. Mix water and oil and pour into dry ingredients. Turn stove top to medium heat and stir ingredients until it thickens into a ball. Let ball cool on counter, then knead a few times. Now it's ready to use!
Store in a covered container (I used a glass canning jar but even a ziplock bag would work) in the refrigerator; it should keep for several weeks.

Shine On

My tea kettle had turned disgusting. It is a stainless steel kettle with a copper bottom. Over the years it had become tarnished, rusted, and since it has been a permanent fixture on the stovetop (I love me some tea) it had become crusted with grease splatters. I clean it, of course, but I never worked at getting it shiny.
I mixed up my typical scrub, which is baking soda and dish soap. It helped, but not enough. So I added table salt to the scrub and then got to work scrubbing. It worked!!
Adding the salt gives it much more abrasive qualities. Be careful using this on something which may scratch, but otherwise it is a great booster to this cleanser. It also works great for tea and coffee stains inside cups!

Good or Evil?

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?

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

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

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

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?