Homespun Harvest Farm

Assignment #22

2011-04-10T21:19:00.000-05:00

Rewards Programs

these can be tricky, but they can also be profitable. Most checking accounts have programs where you can earn cash back. I, for one, am a cash only kind of person but we have a debit for online purchases.

But if you are one who uses a debit card often this may be profitable. Depending on your bank there is a fee associated with such cards. For example, I was using Chase. The annual fee per card ( we had 2) that it came to $50 a year I think. I earned $70 in rewards. So I made a $20 profit.

These programs can be worth it and if you go over the fine print, you should turn a profit.

All in a Day: What if my children won’t complete their chores?

2011-04-06T10:34:00.002-05:00

All in a Day: What if my children won’t complete their chores?

I rarely have a problem with a child refusing to do chores. We do have some new issues with whining with a few of the children, a problem I am working to correct with motivational rewards. There has been alot of changes in our home in the past few months and we are all still adjusting.

Teaching obedience at an early age makes life alot easier. We begin to teach obedience and self discipline beginning with our toddlers. They are given chores and are praised when it is done. This teaches responsibility, self discipline and self esteem. You can see this when a small child comes to you excitedly to tell you he has picked up his toys all by himself.

When a parent tells a child to do something the child is required to be obedient. When it comes to chores there is no exception. If a child refuses to do what is asked of them there is no discussion or debate. There are no negotiations. If a child were to flat our refuse, they would miss their next meal. I rarely have complete refusal. I do not send children to bed for lack of obedience. If sitting in bed alone, quite, peaceful, were a punishment for disobedience, I would consider disobedience myself. They are to sit in the area of that chore until the chore is completed.

Our usual chore problem of late is not refusal but delay and procrastination. I recently posted a sign in our kitchen and school room that reads. "If you don't have time to do it right, you must have time to do it over." If a child chooses to spend an hour doing a 15 min chore, thats is their hour of time. We do chores 3 times a day with free time following. If they want time to draw, play, they need to have their chores done quickly and properly.

Check out the other All in a Day Bloggers...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Christi @ Where the Creek Meets the Lake

Elizabeth @ Yes They’re All Ours

Kathy @ Kathy Mom of Many

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen

Assignment #21

2011-04-06T08:39:00.001-05:00

How has everyone been doing on your assignments? IF you have an area you need help in let me know. For private messages there is an email link on the blog page. You can email me at theycallmemom at ldsliving dot com. The email address is written as such to prevent spam. No spaces, use the symbols :)

What is your monthly food budget? I was reading another large family blog and saw a post that peeked my interest. It was called the Food Stamp Budget Challenge, or something of that sort. this mother had 9 children, Her challenge was to live on the budget she would have if she had to live off food stamps. With close to 50% of Americans now on food stamps this is becoming a closer reality.

The calculations for this budget, according to her family size was a $1200 a month to spend on food. As we all know food stamps do not cover soap, shampoo, toilet paper, pet food, cleaning supplies etc. This would be in addition to the food stamp budget.

So while I commend her for this challenge, as its a great way to learn to save money, I wanted to pose a similar challenge to you. But I think $1200 is too generous. For a food subsidy I feel if you have to rely on this for food you put every effort to use as little as possible. If this means no Doritos, or steaks then so be it. Cut back where ever you can to spend as little as you can and still maintain a healthy diet.

My family of 10 people and 3 dogs spends about $600 a month on groceries. This is food, cleaning supplies, soaps, dog food etc. This works out to about $60 a month per person. Could you live off $60pp a month for groceries?

Lets take non food items out of the equation. For this assignment budget your meals and your money to spend $60pp for the next month on food to feed your family.

**Note I am working on our monthly food menu which will be posted May 1st. This will be a list of every meal we ate in April and the cost of each meal.

We will check in in May to see how you did :)

Assignment #20

2011-04-04T17:41:00.001-05:00

Health Insurance

I will try not to preach. This is a hot topic for me. My goal is to keep it short and to the point.

Health Insurance, any insurance, is designed to aid in the the case of a devastating event.

insurance

Definition

A promise of compensation for specific potential future losses in exchange for a periodic payment. Insurance is designed to protect the financial well-being of an individual,company or other entity in the case of unexpected loss.

Most people today see health insurance as a discount card. The use of insurance is this manner contributes greatly to the rising cost. Just imagine how much your car ins would be if you used your ins card to get new tires, have an oil change or tune up.

The first step to saving on health insurance is to downgrade your policy. A policy without all the bells and whistles will be alot cheaper. Then raise your deductible.

If you are a healthy person/family, you also may want to consider for going a traditional policy and having a catastrophic policy alone. These also have high deductibles. This makes a monthly policy quite affordable.

So now you ask, but what if I get sick?

Most ailments can be prevented with a healthy life style. If you do become ill, or even injured, most remedies can be done at home. Medical self reliance is something I urge everyone to research. Before a trip to the doc, spend a while on google. Read books on natural remedies and prevention.

If you do need a doctor appt, pay in cash. This gives you a wonderful advantage. Negotiating power. Find the doctor with the best price and service. Many of us are accustomed to seeing a MD, but also look into DO's. Doctors of Osteopathy. Many are less expensive and more open to holistic medicine. When I use the term holistic I think many have the wrong idea. The term is often misused and in turn many do not know the real meaning.

Holistic medicine is a system in which the whole body is considered when treating or preventing illness. Often our doctors treat a symptom and our bodies are still lacking in what caused the symptom, and the ailments return.

With the rising costs of health insurance, medical self reliance will be key. Learn about natural remedies, essential oils, and basic first aid. Not only will this save you money, but the benefits of independence will be worth it as well

How to make blogger user friendly

2011-04-04T13:15:00.004-05:00

There are several options to make using blogger easier.

If you do not have blogger, you can still comment on blogger, for most blogs.

Under the blog there are several options. First is the comment box. When you go to comment on a blog, each blogger has their own setting. Some require a captcha ( coded letters to prove you aren't spam), some require blog owner approval before a post is approved. Also it will ask how you want to comment -Comment As- This option also varies by blog owner. For my blogs you can use any blog account, gmail account, your name or website, or as anonymous. There is also an option to subscribe by email. This will send you an email of all new comments to this post. This option is very helpful in keeping up with what you posted and keeps the conversation going.

In the side bar of my blog there are other options to keep up with posts.

The Subscribe to, posts, comments will give you a notification of new posts or comments depending on what you subscribe to. This can be posted on your yahoo, google etc home page.

There is also an email option. This will give you email updates to new posts

Of course there is always the bookmark option, this varies by your browser.

If you like a particular blog post under each blog are share options . This is an easy way to click and share on facebook, twitter, email etc.

If you have your own blog you can add other ways to follow blogs. You can add a blog list of URLs of the blog you like to read. Most blogs have a follow option. This displays all the blogs you are following on your dashboard.

If you have any other questions or suggestions on making blogger easier to follow please post them!

A year gone by

2011-04-04T08:57:00.004-05:00

Where did it go. I can only see remnants of it in photographs. The speed of time must go faster the longer you are on the ride.

It was a year ago today I gave birth to Ezra. Its been a pretty crazy year for us and I wish I hadn't been so distracted. I am grateful that I was able to bring him to work with me and that we were able to, and still are, breastfeeding.

His Birth Day

(you can read his story here)

Day two

First smile

‎

One Month Old

Baby Blessing

8 weeks

3 mos old at work with mom

4 mos old

4 mos

6 mos

Telling pumpkin tales...

7 mos

8 mos

9 months

10 mos

11 mos

Ezra has such a great character. He is so happy. He loves to cuddle. He loves to learn and mimic. He growls when someone touches his food. He is such a blessing in our lives.

Happy Birthday Ezra!!

( more birthday photo's coming soon)

Assignment #19

2011-03-31T20:30:00.001-05:00

A Fast Food Fast

And no I do not mean faster. I mean a fast, to fast. However..

For the month of April, do not purchase any fast food. ( Free is ok, but still not as healthy). So if you have a gift card or coupon that you use or share with a friend, that would not be technically cheating, at least on the budget part. For example, I have a free side order from Zaxby's, no purchase necessary.

Online Organization

2011-03-31T12:48:00.001-05:00

When I get online I have my homepage set up to easily access the things I use to keep on track. I have some links in my bookmarks bar, but the ones I use most often are in my google bookmarks.

Just thought I'd share. I know it makes my online browsing much easier.

All in a Day: House Cleaning

2011-03-31T09:52:00.003-05:00

Keeping up with chores is a task I have had trouble with lately. I think it mostly has to do with being pregnant. Not that I am physically unable to keep up I am emotionally unable to cope with any kind of mess. Anything out of order will increase my stress level. Need I remind you I have 8 kids?

The ideal of chores would run as such, and most days it does.

The children are responsible for their beds/toys as they wake up, and before dinner. After breakfast we tackle our first 15 min chore time. We have a chore wheel and the 12 chores are divided up between 4 chore teams. Not all chores need to be done at this time, but they make sure their 3 jurisdictions are clean.

We break again after lunch for another 15 min chore clean up. We do our third run after dinner. If a jurisdiction needs attention outside of these times, the team in charge of it will tend to it. I am a standby. Meaning if a chore team needs help I jump in and help them along.

Our weekly deep cleaning is done as a large team. We all tackle a room as needed. We work as a team until the job is done.

12 chores on the chore wheel- rotated daily. each team does a chore for three days, but as the wheel turns they have one new chore each day

1. Kitchen- wash table, chairs counters sweep floor
2. Living Room- straighten couches, sweep floor, put items in proper place
3. Bathroom - wash counters, wipe toilet, pick up and sweep floor
4. Family Closet/Mudroom- make sure all clothes are picked up, sweep, straighten shoes
5. Meal Helper- prepares or helps prepare meals
6. Dishes- wash and put up dishes
7. Van- Cleans out our van
8. Porch- makes sure porch is tidy and free of debris and trash
9. Check Mail- everyone's favorite and it was usually an argument who got to do it so we put it on the chore list.
10. School Room- make sure books, papers supplies are in their proper place, sweep
11. Laundry- folds and puts up towels and blankets.
12. Trash takes out trash in school room, bathroom and kitchen. Goes to curb on Tues am

The children are responsible for their own clothes. We use the buddy system and that is also used for laundry. The older buddy helps the little buddy put up their laundry. We use the family closet system and color coded hangers.

Check out the other All in a Day Bloggers...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Christi @ Where the Creek Meets the Lake

Elizabeth @ Yes They’re All Ours

Kathy @ Kathy Mom of Many

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen

Naked

2011-03-30T14:43:00.000-05:00

How do you teach modesty in a home with children who refuse to wear clothes. My 3 & 4 years olds have an aversion to anything on their body. I shiver looking at their naked bodies run thru the home. I think maybe they should have been born to a family who lives near the equator. At times I feel like a bad mom, wearing a sweater and sweatpants as they streak thru the school room. But as soon as I dress them they are standing in front of me naked.

I was hoping there would be a benefit to this nakedness. Potty training, one would assume, would come easy. However, it does not. The three year old has a small towel he grabs to clean up his puddles. At least he does that much.

I long for summer when this behavior is a little more acceptable and comfortable to the mom who is always chilly. But as trends show in this home, the naked phase will probably be over by then.

My two Blue eyed boys

2011-03-28T18:03:00.000-05:00

"My Birth Day"

2011-03-27T02:46:00.005-05:00

me in the same christening gown

"I was 20 when Nicole Celeste was born in 1976. Being in the army, I

was stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood Mo. Now, Missouri has some of the

worst winters I've ever seen. And 1976 was no exception! Nicole was

due to be born the middle of March, and my grandma, (Ma-ma) had come

to spend some time with me. I'm glad she was there. She gave me a few

tips on babies, like anise tea when the baby had a tummy ache. Anyway,

Nicole apparently did not want to come into this world. I guess she

was too comfy. (Or stubborn.)

About 10 days after my EDD, I started

having back pains. Ma-ma said it was probably labor pains. When the

pain spread into my belly, we headed to the hospital. The weather

wasn't too bad, but there was snow on the ground. And it was COLD!

They admitted me, and kept an eye on things for the rest of the day.

By evening, the pains had lessened quite a bit, tho still there. The

dr. told me it was 'false' labor, to go home, and make an appt. for

the next week. I told the nurse I would be back in the morning. She

just smiled at me. (More like a sneer.)

The next morning the pains were so bad, I went back to the hospital.

By now there was a blizzard on! After I had been in labor a few hours, the nurse

came and told me to quiet down. There were others who were trying to sleep!

They finally gave me an epidural, which I later regretted. After 36 total hrs.,

Nicole finally made her debut,{on the 27th} with the help of forceps-yep, always been hard-headed! Lol. She was a chubby 8#s 3oz, and 100% cute! I couldn't wait to hold

her! I was able to nurse as soon as I got back to my room, which I got

to in a round about way. The nurse told me I had to WALK to my room,

but to get there, I had to go around the nurses desk! I was so glad to

get the rest they insisted on. After 2 days they let me go home. All I

wanted to do was sit and hold her and look at her. She was so

beautiful! My little poodle was sooo jealous at first, but immediately

protective of Nicole at the same time! The total cost of my experience

was around $8-the cost of my food."

mom in her christening gown

Assignment #18

2011-03-25T14:51:00.000-05:00

Brown Bag it...

Create meals that you can take to work. Pre pack them the night before to make time.

You can pack lunch for less than $1 a day. Got a few co workers? Maybe you can offer a lunch service. Pack them a lunch for $2 a day. :)

Finding Faith in Christ

2011-03-24T10:07:00.002-05:00

Spring Fever

2011-03-23T09:32:00.002-05:00

Spring Fever has set in. None of us can focus on school work. Its the last week of the lesson plans so I have decided to take it lax. The benefits of homeschooling!!

I LOVE my school room. The big windows we can open and let the fresh air in. The sunshine warms us up. I do foresee fans in both windows for summer lessons. AM lessons :)

We went out to run some errands yesterday afternoon. My husband has gotten use to the "STOP" when I see something worth getting a picture of. He now does the same and will pull over if he see's something neat.

well he saw this as we drove by. Very neat!!

as I was walking back to the van I spotted this.

Then a lady came out and asked me what I was doing. I told her I was taking pics of neat things I saw around town. She said I didn't have permission. I kindly told her I didn't need permission. She said this is private property. I said I was on public property and didn't need permission. I was very polite but to the point. I thought about taking a picture of her but decided against it. If it was a crime 90% of those celebrity photos would never have been taken or published. I try to be respectful when taking photos. I almost never take pics of other people unless its ok. I am cautious of identifying things such as licence plates and mail boxes.

Abigail is really working on her cooking skills. She made omelette's for breakfast. ( inspired by Bobby Flay) She did a great job!

Sunday Drive

2011-03-20T21:01:00.000-05:00

Seems like ages since we have gone on one. But we had to stop to make 30 min away so we made an afternoon of it. I took some pics of he kids while we waited for Dad at his meeting.

I LOVE this one. He is so silly

Abigail is so beautiful

This is the first church built in KY.

It was built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

and is still owned by the Church. It is no longer used for Church Services.

Another favorite

I love Kentucky. Such a versatile countryside

Another week gone by

2011-03-20T08:11:00.000-05:00

He didnt like his legs touching the grass and leaves

Zachary learning to ride a bike

Lemons

but he loved them!

more signs of Spring

Supermoon.. Super bad photo :)

Urijah's new "bed" LOL

He has decided to sleep in this .. silly boy

New Look

2011-03-18T16:36:00.001-05:00

This is our new look. Trying to open up my world of blogging. I am still working on things, so bear with me :)

Assignment #17

2011-03-15T11:34:00.000-05:00

Energy usage

First track your meter readings and make sure they match up with your bill. Also look over your bill for "hidden costs". There may be a few fees you can avoid.

Then go thru your home. Things like a tv, computer should be on a surge protector. Make sure items you do not normally use are unplugged if possible. Try to see what things you can do to reduce your energy use.

With spring here, you can put a fan in your windows to keep the house cool. We do this thru the summer. Not only does it save us $ but we seem to be able to breath better. We buy two large powerful fans for about $40 each. $80 a summer is much cheaper than $300 a month elec bill.

A full fridge and freezer work more efficiently. If you dont have alot of food to store fill soda bottles with water and fill up your empty space. These also come in handy on those hot summer days :)

Turn the dryer off, and use the clothes line. Indoors or out doors hang as much as you can to dry.

Some people swear by CFL bulbs. I prefer incandescent for most uses. But we reduce to a 60 watt. When I need light, I need light and I have 100 watts on hand for those occasions ( like sewing).

Turn down your hot water tank, take shorter showers. Also if you can reuse bath water to water plants. ( I plug the tub and wash our cloth diapers while I shower.) Wash dishes by hand using a small bowl of soapy water in the sink instead of filling the sink with water. Rinse with cold water. Or only run the dishwasher when full.

There are many more ways to cut energy costs. What things have you done?

Peeps Sunflower Cake

2011-03-12T20:48:00.000-06:00

Abigail is my little baker. She loves to cook, esp treats.

We saw this and she had to make one

So she did, with just a little help from me.

What do you mean its Saturday!?!

2011-03-12T08:02:00.000-06:00

Where did my week go?

Ezra is getting better at standing up

Isaac lost a tooth

Nursing cover I made for a gift

and one for me

I will be making some to sell

Olivia and I went to a baby shower

Olivia and I playing a game

We had alot of fun

A few signs of spring

outside out windows

Assignment #16

2011-03-10T16:15:00.000-06:00

Do it yourself project can save you tons of money. But remember, do not try anything that can turn out to cost you more in the end. But many simple projects can be done by anyone. Minor plumbing repairs, automobile maintenance etc. I have learned how to do minor electrical repairs from working on my grooming equipment.

I do all the haircuts for my family. Every 4-6 weeks I spend about 2 hours cutting hair. At an estimated $10 a person this save me about $80. 8 times a year =$640

If you are crafty you can make many decorative items for your home, many from recycled products. These can also make great gifts!

Try a DIY project this month and share it with us!

Assignment #15

2011-03-07T12:06:00.000-06:00

Cooking from scratch

This is a very cost saving change. Prepackaged foods are not only usually more expensive, but not as healthy as what we can make from home. Better health means less sick days, less trips to the docs.

This weeks assignment is to learn two new from scratch recipes. Share them in the comments section :)

Family Update

2011-03-06T18:49:00.000-06:00

We have settled into our new home. I have just one tote to unpack and sort. After the journey of the past 7 mos, its nice to settle in a bit.

For those that aren't aware we closed the shop in January. We had a huge loss of business and then with the move the added commute was a burden. I am home with the children full time and I am currently seeking a few work at home ideas. I have some up my sleeve.. stay tuned :)

Joe is continuing his college classes. He is working part time for a local school. He is running an afterschool program for at risk teens. His dream job. Working with young men and women. He has also been hired on as management at Burger King. This means we aren't seeing him very much. He is either gone or studying.

The children are doing great. We have been fine tuning our curriculum. They are excited for the next several weeks of lessons.

Jacob has been ordained a Deacon. He is very proud of this. He is growing up so quickly. Quinten is really becoming quite the handyman. Abigail has been really displaying her artistic talents. She is currently working on an alphabet book, drawing the letters and coordinating pictures. Isaac is like a sponge. He really soaks everything in and is usually the last one doing school work. Not because he is slow but because he wants to do more. Zachary is extremely affectionate and attached to me. He loves anything he can do on the computer. He has several online school lessons but he really seems to like his typing one. Olivia is also excited for school lessons and letters. She is also very very very very mothering, and smothering to Ezra. I cant keep her off him. He enjoys it most days, but you can tell when he has had enough of her. Urijah is really picking up alot. He is communicating better and uses those skills most, to tattle. He has become quite adept at using scissors. A little too scissor happy as well. I have a large stack of papers for him to keep his hands busy. Ezra has decided not to crawl. He likes to scoot on his but and has attempted standing this week. He will be a year old in less than a month, oh how time flies.

There's a quick update :)

Assignment #14

2011-03-03T10:51:00.000-06:00

Sell, Sell, Sell

Simplicity is key to an inexpensive household. Go thru your clothes, jewelry, dishes etc and purge.

Set aside a reasonable amt for you to keep on hand. For me a tote of clothes on top of the 10 outfits we currently have set out is reasonable per person. Extra clothes means two things. Some never get worn or we spend 2X the amt of time doing laundry. That also costs $. Set aside one set of dishes for you to use and some for when you have company. Go thru your jewelry, CD's, DVD's etc and see what you can sell there. Not only can you make some extra $ but you can make things simpler. Simple lives are less stressful and less expensive.

Places to sell include consignments, online stores, Craigslist, Ebay, Amazon.

Clothing, Closets and Laundry

2011-03-01T15:14:00.000-06:00

This is the storage closet in boys room. Each tote is labeled. Green is boys pants, sorted by size- J&Q, I&Z, U&E. Red is sorted the same, boys shirts. Pink is girls pants and tops, Blue is coats and Jackets. Orange is pajama bottoms, tops and the grey one is the footie pj's. The brown one is shoes.

This is the kids side of the closet. Each child has 5 outfits,
except the little ones have a few extra, for obvious reasons.
We use color coded hangers.

The far left tower is Pajama's. The middle one is socks, far right is underwear.
The pink and white buckets are for bags, backpacks etc.

This is our side. (Joe's arent hung up yet, He likes to keep his on his chair)
I keep my extra clothes in a tote under my clothes-my socks. pj's,
Ezra's cloth diapers etc go in the dresser in my room

Jackets, sweaters, 2 each

Church closet. Each child gets 2 Sunday outfits and shoes go in the bucket on the floor.
The two totes here are one for baby boy, one for baby girl.

Abigail's talents, New School Table and School Fun

2011-02-26T08:35:00.000-06:00

Abigail making a cake

Climbing the chair

New School Table

Science

Skeleton Family
L-R in order of age, Last one is Urijah's, I helped him, everyone else did their own
( Abigail's is a ballerina ;) )

Abigail's Art- Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh

Assignment #13

2011-02-25T12:31:00.000-06:00

Easy Assignment.

Watch this video

♫ Shake Your Groove Thing ♫

2011-02-23T20:16:00.000-06:00

This is Urijah, Shaking his groove thing
These are all his own moves :)

Some new digiscraps

2011-02-21T20:42:00.000-06:00

I haven't done any in over a year I guess. I suppose I just didn't feel inspiration, nor did I really make time. Here are a few I did today

Assignment #12

2011-02-21T08:11:00.000-06:00

Paying down Debt
The Debt Snowball

Another great Dave Ramsey idea, the debt snowball ( click here)

First. Don't pay anything off. Build a $1000 cash reserve. If you can save $100 a month add that to your envelope budget system. Once you have that $1000, you can work towards paying down your debt.

Make a list of all your debt. Order them smallest to biggest. Once you have your $1000, take they money you were putting towards that and pay off the smallest debt. If you were already making payments on that debt add that payment to your "snowball".

Example:

you pay $80 a month for credit card, balance, $800

you pay $120 a month for doctor bill, balance $1500

you pay $240 a month car pmt, balance $3,000

so you are paying $440 a month on debt.

you take the $100 you had budgeted for savings AND the $80 to pay the credit card. Once its payed off you take that $180 AND the $120 and pay off the doctor. Once that is payed off you take the $300 and the $240 and pay off your car.

Once your debt is clear you now have $540 a month you are use to paying in bills with. Keep budgeting that money but put it into your savings.

Assignment #11

2011-02-21T07:52:00.000-06:00

The Envelope Budget System

(internet photo)

Dave Ramsey has a great system for budgeting ( click here)

Make an envelope for all your monthly budgets.

Rent/Mortgage

Utilities

Phone

Cable

Gas

Groceries

Etc.

Then write down how much the budget is. If you budget $400 a month on groceries then write that on the envelope. Thats all you are to spend.

Dave and I both agree its better to be a cash person, but if you must use debit cards use play money in your envelope system. This helps you visually keep track of your money. And you become more conscious of your spending.

Our School Room

2011-02-19T15:51:00.000-06:00

This is our school room.

Closet #1

Closet #2

little table, big window, closet #2

toddler area

teacher desk and bookshelves

teacher desk, bookshelves and closet #1

correction- toddler and DOG area

bulletin boards, lesson plan clip boards

Happy Birthday Urijah!

2011-02-16T22:29:00.000-06:00

Urijah turned three today!!

Cutting paper

Zachary being silly

Cake, Quinten and Abigail baked it, Mommy and Urijah frosted it, Daddy decorated it

♪ Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday Dear Urijah ♪

Happy Birthday to you! ♪

From Isaac

From Zachary

Card from Olivia Car from Quinten)

from Abigail

From Jacob

Lots of cards

School bus too

another card :)

he was so excited for presents!

*Must stay awake to eat cake, must-stay-awake!

2011-02-16T10:03:00.000-06:00

I havent sorted thru photos in a little while.. here is some I missed of the past week or two ( maybe three).

Interesting choice for a napping spot

Urijah decided to give it a try

No one is too young to help with chores

She LOVES him. ALOT. He just wants to breathe

Abigail watches alot of Paula Deen. She has been getting creative with her food

Apple Blossom

Look Mom! ( he sees the older boys climb the door frames and wanted to try. He got a boost)

Lesson Plans

More snow

Its very pretty

big flakes

getting to lick the bowl

Olivia lives in this outfit. She is helping with dinner here.

I LOVE pancakes

Child birth is a blessing.

2011-02-14T13:54:00.000-06:00

Genesis 1:28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

We are commanded by God to bear children. Children are blessings. They are our eternal gifts from Him. How can we deny Him of these children?

Is the pain of childbirth the curse of Eve.

To understand this we must understand the scriptures themselves. Eve was not cursed. God cursed the serpent ( Satan). God cursed the ground. God did not curse Eve.

Genesis 3:16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Greatly multiply thy sorrow and they conception and in sorrow bring forth children. Many can relate to this with the pains of pregnancy and childbearing. If we read on,

Genesis 3:17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Sorrow is also used in reference to the work of Adam, ie: man. My belief is that the "Fall of Man" was a blessing, pre ordained by God. Adam and Eve were not an experiment. This plan was carefully designed. Adam and Eve could have lived out their lives in Eden. They would have never partaken of the fruit. They would have retained their innocence and never conceived. Eve would have never had the joys and pains of childbirth and motherhood. Because without one, we cannot have the other. the pains of labor, whether is a hard days work, or bearing children, are a blessing. They are a reminder of all that we have been given. Because without sorrow, we can never feel pure joy.

John 21A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

Pregnancy and childbirth is how everyone of us has come to be, including our savior, Jesus Christ. Therefor it stands to reason that it would be Satan's goal to make it as undesirable as possible.

Preparing for children.

Childbearing is not an illness. It is a normal process of life. Our current culture treats it as a medical issue. Many avoidable health issues and lifestyle choices, create childbirth emergencies later. We know from the scriptures that taking care of our bodies is very important to our temporal well being. If we keep our bodies in good physical health, we will have less complications later on in pregnancy. The Lord's law of health is a perfect outline for prenatal care. We should abstain from tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs and even medications that are not necessary. We should choose our diets carefully. Eat meats sparingly and salts and sugars in moderation. We should eat wholesome meals. Work, rest and exercise should be equally balanced. Too much sleep or not enough can make us unproductive and are necessary to a strong body. Exercise and physical activity is very important.

D&C 89 18And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; 19And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; 20And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. 21And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

Many of the complications of labor arise from not following these guidelines. It is our duty to care for our children. This care begins before birth. Disobedience to these guidelines give Satan an upper hand in his tactics to make childbirth fearful. Diabetes and high blood pressure are among the top reasons for inductions.

The Fear Factor

Every time I mention pregnancy I hear a comment about how dangerous childbirth is. I meet so many moms who were convinced the child was in danger to justify the medical intervention they had. In turn, many reject effective traditional child birth methods.

This is not to attack moms, many of whom were honestly scared for their child's life. But todays culture has made women into powerless creatures who have no ability to give birth on their own. In a time where the womens rights movement is at an all time high, I often wonder how we have let childbirth keep us so oppressed.

I think a large part of it is Satan's attack on the family. Satan knows how vital families are to God's Plan. In March of 1976, President Spencer W Kimball said that Satan garnishes evil to make it appear beautiful, pleasing, easy and even good. Satan is the father of lies. Some of the lies he tells us pertain to motherhood specifically. That we don't have to be burdened with children. He tells us that abortion is fine, you are in control of your body. He convinces us that we are doing the right thing by not embracing the idea of a large family due to monetary reasons. Many women feel justified in their decision to only have a small family or none at all so they can enjoy the "nice things". Satan has bribed women out of the blessings for children and traded it with the "blessings" of material items.

Matthew 6:19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Recently I have watched a few shows where they portray birth as a critical medical event. The mother is "overdue" or has a medical issue ( preventable one) that requires induction. Pitocin is given. Chemically induced contractions elevate pain more severe than natural contractions. Mother is discouraged from movement, mother begs for epidural, epidural slows down progress, baby does not receive epidural, feels intense chemically induced contractions, goes into distress, mother is either forced to push even tho her body is numb or mother rushed to surgery.

Is this really the perception of birth we have come to accept? No wonder women are fearful of birth. Not just fearful of the pain but fearful for their own safety and safety of the baby. We have taken our faith in God and put it into man.

Isaah 26:3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

God knows our bodies. He designed them!! He knows how a baby is supposed to be born. He has not only given the keys to us, but to the child as well. When we ignore the natural birth process, we tell God that his design is flawed, and have found a way to "fix" it.

The induction rates in the US range as high as 98%. Epidural rates are about 76%. Cesarean rates are about 32%. This is incredibly high, even by international standards. Most of these are done for convience.

Why this is a problem.

Lets start with the EDD. Estimated Due Date. We have this idea that this is the magical date in which the child must arrive. You may have heard the phrase, an estimated due date is not an expiration date. The average human gestation is 280 days from fertilization. AVERAGE. Very few us us know the date of fertilization. This process can occur up to 48 hours after intercourse and can also vary depending on your ovulation date. Again the AVERAGE woman ovulates on the 14th day after the start of your last cycle. So unless you have had IVF its nearly impossible to know the moment of fertilization. Especially if you are very active sexually. Whe can however narrow it down, hence why we use estimates. By

The EDD is given as a rough estimate. It it NORMAL for a baby to arrive at weeks 38-42 on the EDD calendar. It is not uncommon for a baby to arrive after the 42 weeks safely and naturally on its own. Babies have control over their birth. They release a protein from their lungs that initiates labor. The baby decides its birthday. When it has developed to the proper stage, it is ready to be born. Taking a child before this time, can lead to an array of problems for mother and child. Now lets revisit the 98% induction rates reported by the CDC. Think about that for a moment.

The next issue is fetal size. We often hear the baby was to big, or baby got stuck. Our bodies are specifically designed to give birth. They move, they stretch, they do things during pregnancy and labor that enables us to give birth. Babies have this same ability. They twist and turn and wiggle their way out, with the help of mom. Its a wonderful team effort. If the mother restricts her body and does not allow for certain motions, the baby can get stuck. We must allow mothers to move as her body needs to to allow the child to birth safely. The most ineffective position for birth is lithotomy, ( on our backs) ironically that is the method most commonly used in hospital births. Studies show allow a mom to just move about decreases the chances of intervention drastically.

Exodus 1:15And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 16And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. 17But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 18And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? 19And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. 20Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. 22And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

This is a great story for the concept of childbirth for those who have faith in God. The Hebrew women were strong, spiritually and physically. They were healthy and lively. They often gave birth before the midwife arrived. They birthed upon stools, akin to various birth positions. The Egyptian women were accustomed to more pampered life and suffered thru childbrith. They also lacked faith in God. They took a less active, more passive role in labor.

Job 39:13Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? 14Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, 15And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. 16She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear; 17Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.

“To mothers, daughters, and women everywhere, let me stress the fact that because of your great potential and influence for good in the lives of all of us, Satan is determined to destroy you. You cannot compromise with him. You must have the courage, the strength, the desire, and the determination to live as the Lord would have you live—good clean lives.…“Girls, prepare yourselves to assume the roles of mothers by gaining knowledge and wisdom through a good education. We teach that the glory of God is intelligence, and so we must all be aware of what is going on around us and be prepared to thwart Satan in his attempts to divert us from our divine destiny. With knowledge, wisdom, determination, and the Spirit of the Lord to help us we can succeed” (N. Eldon Tanner, in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, 126, 127; or Ensign, Jan. 1974, 8, 10).

Just as we as mothers do not want to see harm done to our children, Heavenly Father wants the same for us. He knows our capabilities and wants us to do the best we can. He has given us a task. A mighty task of rearing children. He knows its a hard task. He gives us the ability to conquer it. He knows we cant do it alone and we must seek His help and guidance. We must decide what is best for our children and ourselves. Not what is easiest, but what we must do to ensure the mental, spiritual and physical well being of our families. Once you have done this you have made the best childbirth choice.

Ephesians 6:10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Assignment #10

2011-02-14T10:43:00.000-06:00

Menus

Menus can help us trim our food budget. They also save time. This is a system that pairs a menu with a grocery list. You can modify it to fit your needs but the way it works is you make a menu for a week and the coordinating shopping list. print out your list and cross off what you have in your pantry. Take the list to the store and buy what you need to fill that list. Hopefully you have a pretty good food storage and only need to purchase fresh items and weekly food storage deals.

Take a sheet of paper and make three lists. Meals you typically eat for breakfasts lunches and dinners. You want to make them practical stuff and balanced. Try to have 14 of each. Also make a column for snacks and desserts.

On a second sheet of paper make 2 one week menus or one two week menus, depending on your shopping cycle. You can also expand to a 4 week menu rotation but we will just start with 2 for this lesson.

On another sheet of paper make several categories, produce, dairy, frozen foods, canned goods. etc. Go thru each meal and write down everything you would need to make that meal. For example if you are having tacos, you need shells, meat or beans, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream. Also write down staple items you mau use in other meals such as salt, dressing, butter etc. If you are doing a one week menu you want two lists. If you are doing a two week menu make one list..etc

When you make your list keep it as orderly as you can. Double check it. If you need 8 oz shredded cheese for tacos on Tuesday and 8 oz for pizza on Friday. Write down 16 oz of cheese on your list. Also go thru and write down staple items such as toothpaste and shampoo.

One your menu's and lists are completed you can type them up and save them. Label them ex: week one list and week one menu. This way you can pull them up as needed. When its time to go shopping all you need to do is print your list and menu. Post the menu on your fridge and edit your shopping list and head to the store. If you are doing the coupons look for items in sales flyers and coupons to match.

Also make note of your stockpile purchases. These will be in addition to your weekly purchases. At first it will be a full list and then the cost of the stockpile goods. But once you get a system your main purchases will be stockpile foods with a few weekly fillers

I hope this isnt' confusing. If so ask questions!

Testimonies..

2011-02-13T21:47:00.000-06:00

In our Church once a month we take the time to bear our testimonies. Everyone is at a different place in life, so you get such amazing testimonies on a variety of subjects. They are usually very moving. I cry at least once or twice.

Usually these testimonies motivate me in some way. But none have impacted me the way the one I didn't even get to hear did.

I usually don't allow the kids to use the restroom during sacrament meeting. Its just one hour a week. But Urijah just couldn't hold it and I made an exception. I left with he and Zachary.

When I got back Joe asked me if I heard. "Heard what?" I said. "The testimony about your page". I was confused.

About 2 months ago I created a Facebook page for our Branch. I have been trying for 2 months to get it moving. I post photos, branch, stake and church news. I also post LDS videos and scriptures. For the most part its just me posting and I feel like its a ghost town facebook page.

Last week with all the other frustrations of life, this page was adding fuel. I was upset and frustrated that this page I have been working on has been ignored. I was considering deleting it. Something stopped me tho. I just wasn't convinced to give up yet.

Today a woman from our branch got up and testified she has been following the page. She hadn't been to church in sometime, but all the links, scriptures, photos and such have made her feel a part of the branch she had been absent from. So much so that it brought her back to church and motivated her to bear her testimony.

I know I am not alone in saying that there are often times we feel our work is not recognized. That no one notices or cares. It can make us saddened, hurt, angry, frustrated. I was humbled today. It made me realize that we have our gifts not for our own glory but for His.

We all have gifts and/or talents. We are told to maximize and share them. I will try to remember this daily but especially when I feel discouraged. If in all my life I only inspire one person to be closer to God, then its all been worth it.

They Call Me..... Mom

2011-02-12T15:38:00.000-06:00

Whats in a name..

I was watching Ron White one evening with the hubby, when I heard one of the funniest comedy bits. ( Click Here to hear it)

I dont recall the process, but at some point thought, I have an alias too.. Since 1998, They Call Me... Mom. So then and there the code name was born.

A short while after that I found this image online. I had it altered with my "name". Also if you look closely the Superman S is not there. No Super anything. It has been replaced with a CTR. For non Mormons, its a symbol that means "Choose The Right".

So thats my secret identity. ;) A superhero that goes by "Mom".. I by no means think I am a supermom.. We all know from the comic books.. The superheros are usually your average person in real life. There is no exception here. My superpowers are similar to most women. I grow people and make milk.

Is it Thursday or Friday?

2011-02-10T13:41:00.000-06:00

Until about an hour ago I thought it was Friday. My days are blurred.

Settling into Glasgow. Getting lots of snow. Every time I want to venture to the library for an activity, its closed. We got nearly 3in this past week.

I have the house mostly unpacked. A few totes to sort thru, papers and odd stuff. I need more shelves and such to organize. My dream house will have a library/reading room with floor to ceiling shelving.

The boys have been busy preparing ducks. I don't know if its the being pregnant thing or what. I cant eat it. It triggers my gag reflexes something fierce. The kids love it tho.

I want spaghetti for dinner. With a a big salad.

Ezra's daily life

2011-02-08T12:18:00.000-06:00

Sleeping

listening to music on moms phone ( yes with his mouth LOL)

First day of school

hmm, these are neat

and funny...

cookies are better tho

naptime, where ever he may be

helping make potato chips

sleeping again

tired, but not too tired to play

These were all taken over the past week

Why I will never watch the Superbowl again

2011-02-07T17:32:00.000-06:00

First, I am REALLY bored by football. Second, the half time shows are terrible. At least give us a reprieve for watching the boring football. Its pretty sad when the half time show leaves us [non football fans] begging for the game to resume. But most of all, its the commercials. I remember when they had really cool, funny commercials.. On a normal sports event day the commercials are beer and sex. (One reason we stopped watching with the kids). But the Super Bowl had this higher expectation of commercial quality. In recent years I have seen it decline. Maybe it hasn't. Maybe as a maturing adult and mother I just see things differently. But I know I am not alone.

One of the commericals that got axed was this one

Fox said the commercial was rejected for Fox said the commercial was rejected for “advancing particular beliefs or practices.” And that, apparently, is against company policy. They however did feel it was appropriate and acceptable to air the sleazy Go Daddy ads. the Skechers, and the TeleFlora commercial. Let me add the "favorite" among American views was an adorable Volkswagon commercial. The top 10, were all pretty decent all together.

In regards to the axed commercials. Advancing particular beliefs or practices? I am not statistician, but I am willing to bet that more Superbowl viewers are less offended by a scripture reference, then they are by the terrible "entertainment" they call a pre-game and half time show.

Next year I think I may plan a Non-Super Bowl Party. Complete with fully dressed women, intelligible music and food that doesn't permanently stain your fingers.

Freebie Friday

2011-02-05T09:33:00.000-06:00

Free Pot Holder

Valentine Craft E Book

Cheezitz sample

Free Post its ( today only)

Free Red Baron Pizza after rebate coupon here 2/6 is end purchase date

Free Smithsonain Magazine subscription

Free Baby Wash

Large Family Q&A

2011-02-04T23:15:00.000-06:00

Do you ever feel you don't get enough individual time with each child?

a few years ago Joe came up with an idea to have each child have a special night. 5 nights a week we rotate for one child to stay up after the others. We have a snack, and they can just have their own time.. we may play a game or they may do a project etc. I also try to take an older child to work with me. We will also run errands etc. I take every opportunity to be one on one.
How do you keep everything organized and easily found like sneakers, coats, especially wintertime?
I have "systems". For example clothes: we have a family closet and all laundry goes in there. Each child has 7 outfits for weekly wear and 2 Sunday outfits. We have those stacking plastic storage drawers for socks/undies/pj's.they each have their own for pj's. Socks are sorted by age, ex girls socks in one, 2 older boys on one, middle boys in another. Each week one older child and their partner are put in charge of that room.. it is their job to make sure it stays neat. Being responsible helps them understand the importance of keeping it tidy. We have a coat rack and we put gloves and hats in a milk crate. Shoes go on an over the door shoe rack.

How do you keep up with laundry? And putting it away!

I do 2 loads a day. One for clothes and one for towels and blankets. I start one in the am as I am starting breakfast. I do the second load as it it needed. Once its dry I put it on the couch and everyone grabs their and their partners clothes and put them away. I put up towels and blankets etc. I try not to get too far behind. When we have to do the laundromat thing laundry is harder as we have to put up several loads at once.
How did you come to the decision to have a large family? Is it a conscious decision? Or do you simply let God bless you when He will?

I used to dream of a large family as a child. My mom grew up in a family of 10. I just thought that would be amazing. I never had a realistic ideal of a number tho as an adult. Jacob was the first after 2 m/c. I was just grateful to have 1. When people asked Joe would say 7. I always say one at a time. We dont plan or prevent.
How do you keep them from mutiny!? Because, as you know, they far out number you. lol
When there were less of them and they were little it was easier. But we implemented rules and discipline early and we were both in agreement. As they got older we did realize they needed more than just "because mom and dad said so". So we accepted God into our lives. So now we have "because mom and dad said so" with Heavenly Father's plan to back us up. Its working so far!

How do large families make it on only 1 income?
I always tell people, "Children aren't expensive, lifestyles are expensive." We shop deals, I use coupons and find the cheapest foods I can, we eat what's on sale. We buy used most everything second hand. Most of our furniture and clothes is from donations, freecycle, craigslist etc. We just live as simply as we can.

There are also alot of expenses that stay stagnant, regardless of family size. For example we live in a 3 bedroom house. Whether we have a family of 10 or 4, we use the same sq footage.. same rent. The elec bill isn't much more. same heat is used, same appliances. It doesn't cost more for a fridge to run if a large family is using it. Phone and internet costs the same.. It not that much more of an increase in expenses.

We do activities but we find ones that are affordable. The annual zoo pass for us is about $100. We just find things that are cheap. We like going for drives thru the country. So we pack a lunch and spend $30 for gas and go. Its fun for everyone and not that costly.

What are your beliefs on birth control?
I think children are a blessing and should be welcomed. I feel that there is a breakdown in the importance of having children and families and society is more accepting of abortion than large families. I am not opposed to most types of birth control. I do not feel that any "after the fact" type of birth control is appropriate. Personally I will not use any chemical type ie the pills, shots etc. We agreed long ago that we would never consider surgical options for myself. We considered that option for Joe years ago but have decided that is no longer an option. We prefer natural methods such as charting, if we are to choose any at all.

Abigail

2011-02-02T21:19:00.000-06:00

Abigail is such a wonderful daughter. She is very talented and loves art and cooking. She recently got interested watching Paula Dean video clips. I enjoy how unique and girly she is. In a house of boys and non girly girls ( Olivia and myself) she holds on to that feminine side of pink and bows and sparkly stuff. She has a big heart.

Painting

Jesus

cooking ground beef

adding BBQ Sauce

mixing it in

dinner prepared by Abigail :)

Assignment #9

2011-02-01T07:37:00.002-06:00

Well its the 1st of February. We need to finish up our 1st two assignments. One was to track your monthly spending. Write the figures down and put them in a safe place. I will continue to track, but you don't have to. We will do another "check up" in a few mos. The second was to make a list of your keep on hand items.

Todays assignment is to make a spreadsheet for your list. You can use a microsoft program or a sheet of paper.

You will need 5 columns

Item How much you use How many you have on hand How many you need What the average price is

Try to keep this copy in your coupon binder or wherever you can have it handy. This will help you at the store when you find a deal.

Starting to build a food storage

For example, if you use 1 bottle of dish soap a week then you want to fill your storage to have 52 bottles. If you use 1 bottle of laundry soap a month, you need 12. If you use 3 cans of veggies a week you need 156 cans. This doesn't mean go out an buy them today. You wait till the price is right. Most canned veggies are .50¢-.79¢ a can. If they are on sale for say 3/$1 thats a good deal. if you need 156 cans at .50 each thats $78. If you buy them 3/$1 thats $51. A savings of about $27.

You can also start smaller.. a 3 mos storage, or a 6 mos storage. The goal is a year.

To some people the idea of food storage is absurd. Last spring I bought about $80 worth of canned veggies. We had been using some but we try to eat fresh in the summer. This past 2 months or so our grocery budget has almost ceased to exist. Those canned veggies ( along with other food storage items) have helped make many many meals. Had we not prepared for days like this, we many not have been able to eat. We never know what lies ahead in life, but we must do all we can to be prepared.

Assignment #9

2011-02-01T07:37:00.001-06:00

Todays assignment is to make a spreadsheet for your list. You can use a microsoft program or a sheet of paper.

You will need 5 columns

Item How much you use How many you have on hand How many you need What the average price is

Try to keep this copy in your coupon binder or wherever you can have it handy. This will help you at the store when you find a deal.

Starting to build a food storage

You can also start smaller.. a 3 mos storage, or a 6 mos storage. The goal is a year.

Freebie Friday

2011-01-29T19:09:00.001-06:00

Free Bosco Pizza Pencil

Alaskan Vacation Planner

Free Organizer from Home Made Simple

Free Chocolate Sample white on white font.. highlight to check spelling

Freebie Friday

2011-01-29T19:09:00.000-06:00

Free Bosco Pizza Pencil

Alaskan Vacation Planner

Free Organizer from Home Made Simple

Free Chocolate Sample white on white font.. highlight to check spelling

Naugler #9

2011-01-27T20:43:00.000-06:00

Me 1/25/11

21 weeks 3 days pregnant

Estimated Due Date: June 4 2011

Food Lion 1/26-2/1

2011-01-27T16:30:00.002-06:00

Mueller's Pasta 16 oz - 4/$4.00 1/2 SS IPC

Bisquick Baking Mix 20 Ounce- 2/$3.00 12/5 GM

Large Slicing Tomatoes - $1.29 Lb

Gala Apples 3# bag- $2.99

White Potatoes 5 lb bag - Buy One Get One Free

Food Lion 1/26-2/1

2011-01-27T16:30:00.001-06:00

Mueller's Pasta 16 oz - 4/$4.00 1/2 SS IPC

Bisquick Baking Mix 20 Ounce- 2/$3.00 12/5 GM

Large Slicing Tomatoes - $1.29 Lb

Gala Apples 3# bag- $2.99

White Potatoes 5 lb bag - Buy One Get One Free

Beautiful snowy day

2011-01-26T19:03:00.000-06:00

Grocery Shopping - An Idiot's Guide

2011-01-26T09:55:00.001-06:00

Guest Post :)

This is a great little blog on couponing, via a scientific mans view, Enjoy

http://www.storinguptreasures.com/2011/01/grocery-shopping-idiots-guide.html

Grocery Shopping - An Idiot's Guide

2011-01-26T09:55:00.000-06:00

Guest Post :)

This is a great little blog on couponing, via a scientific mans view, Enjoy

http://www.storinguptreasures.com/2011/01/grocery-shopping-idiots-guide.html

Isaac makes Dinner, Jacob preps for breakfast..

2011-01-24T17:01:00.000-06:00

Isaac prepares dinner

Chicken & Rice casserole Rice .20, Chicken $2.50, Cream of Mushroom soup $1.60, = .43 per serving

Dinner was THAT good ;)

Kneading Dough

Rolling it out

Jelly Rolls

7 of them total

Breakfast -Jelly Rolls- flour, oil, milk, water, .50 Jelly $1 = .15¢ per serving

Freebie Friday , on Monday ;)

2011-01-24T11:00:00.001-06:00

seems to be a pattern here ;)

Plastic flower pot samples

Carmex Sample

Mighty Book Jr enter the coupon code learntoread single subscription

Vaseline Lotion Sample

You T Sample

Free Digi Lake Pencil

EAS Sample

Free Soup Sample

Freebie Friday , on Monday ;)

2011-01-24T11:00:00.000-06:00

Exodus Chapter 1

2011-01-23T21:29:00.000-06:00

The children of Israel multiply—They are placed in bondage by the Egyptians—Pharaoh seeks to destroy the sons born to Hebrew women.

Today was a Special Stake Conference. I did not make it but my husband and two oldest sons did. We sustained a new Stake Presidency.

Assignment #8

2011-01-23T09:40:00.001-06:00

DeClutter

I am a recovering pack rat. I still try to keep stuff that I feel we need, but not as much as I use to. I am also more organized about it.

Your project this week is to go thru one room. Make 3 piles

1. Trash

2. Donate/Sell

3. Move to another room ( just make sure it goes where it goes!)

How can this save me money?

For one, you know what you need when you need it. If you have an iron and cant find it, well you wasted the $ you spent on the iron. Two, if you really need one now you have to buy a new one.

You may also be able to sell or trade your items. Ebay, Paperback swap, Freecycle, Craigslist are just a few places you can sell, trade or donate you good stuff that you no longer need.

A clean, organized room will also save you time.. and time is money!

Assignment #8

2011-01-23T09:40:00.000-06:00

DeClutter

I am a recovering pack rat. I still try to keep stuff that I feel we need, but not as much as I use to. I am also more organized about it.

Your project this week is to go thru one room. Make 3 piles

1. Trash

2. Donate/Sell

3. Move to another room ( just make sure it goes where it goes!)

How can this save me money?

For one, you know what you need when you need it. If you have an iron and cant find it, well you wasted the $ you spent on the iron. Two, if you really need one now you have to buy a new one.

You may also be able to sell or trade your items. Ebay, Paperback swap, Freecycle, Craigslist are just a few places you can sell, trade or donate you good stuff that you no longer need.

A clean, organized room will also save you time.. and time is money!

Kroger 1/23-29

2011-01-23T08:24:00.001-06:00

Red or White Seedless Grapes $1.28lb
Kroger shredded or block cheese 6-8 oz 2/$3 :)

4 Day Sale Wed-Sat
Kroger whole Chicken .79¢lb
1/2 gal choc milk .99
5# Potatoes $1.97

$5 off 10 items Prices listed after $5 off
Del Monte Veggies .50¢
Heinz Ketchup 40 oz $1.49
Ro Tel Tomatoes .50 1/23 SS
Motts Apple Juice 64 oz $1.79
Hormel Chili .79¢

Kroger 1/23-29

2011-01-23T08:24:00.000-06:00

Walgreens 1/23-29

2011-01-23T08:10:00.001-06:00

Walgreens Big Roll Toilet Paper .39¢ limit 6 ~AWESOME DEAL!

Campbells Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup .49¢

Kleenex .89¢ 12/5 SS 1/2 SS

Keebler Cookies 2/$5- $2 in store coupon IPC

Old El Paso Taco Shells .99¢

Walgreens Apple Juice 64 oz 2/$3

Hersheys Candy Bars .49

Walgreens Bagged Valentine Candy ( Sweethearts) .79¢

Nivea for men Shave gel or after shave $3.99 get $3 RR

Colgate Pro Clinical Toothpaste $3.59 get $2.50 RR

Walgreens 1/23-29

2011-01-23T08:10:00.000-06:00

Walgreens Big Roll Toilet Paper .39¢ limit 6 ~AWESOME DEAL!

Campbells Chicken Noodle or Tomato Soup .49¢

Kleenex .89¢ 12/5 SS 1/2 SS

Keebler Cookies 2/$5- $2 in store coupon IPC

Old El Paso Taco Shells .99¢

Walgreens Apple Juice 64 oz 2/$3

Hersheys Candy Bars .49

Walgreens Bagged Valentine Candy ( Sweethearts) .79¢

Nivea for men Shave gel or after shave $3.99 get $3 RR

Colgate Pro Clinical Toothpaste $3.59 get $2.50 RR

Assignment #7

2011-01-23T07:44:00.001-06:00

Savings:

Starting with your next paycheck, take a $5, $10 or $20 bill, depending on your budget abilities , and put it into a secret envelope. Each payday do the same. Put the envelope in a safe, but memorable place. This is your emergency cash stash.

38 Years Ago

2011-01-22T18:07:00.000-06:00

38 years ago, just over 3 years before my own birth, because of a woman Norma L. McCorvey, aka Jane Roe, and her legal team, The US Supreme Court decided that a womans right to have an abortion falls under the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.

1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

And the 9th Amendment

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

They decided that there would be no restriction in the earlier months, with restriction in the latter months. This was based on their definition if viability of the fetus. Before Roe V. Wade, abortion was outlawed in most states and allowed, but restricted in others. This is allowed by the 10th Amendment. The States have a right to write such laws.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

But the Supreme Court did not see it that way.
What it boiled down to is the US Supreme court felt it was a violation of a womans privacy and that the laws regarding an abortion were not "equal rights". The state of Texas at the time of Roe v. Wade, allowed for abortion in cases of rape and incest, but not for any other cause. Ms. McCorvey was pregnant with an unwanted child and desperately sough out an abortion, only to be denied. Her daughter was in fact born and given up for adoption.

In 1995 Norma L. McCorvey became a member of the pro life movement.

Abortion is argued in two ways. As a rights issue and as a moral issue. For me they are the same. As a woman who has had 12 fetus', 3 who did not remain viable and died in the early weeks, grow in my womb, I can testify to you that this is life. This is a life that is not only part of me, but part of another human who also has rights. When we talk about individual rights, abortion involves 3 people- the mother, the father and the child. How can we declare Roe v. Wade is about the 9th amendment when it clearly effects the rights of several people. In every case it violates the rights of the unborn.

I know abortions are performed for many reasons. The most compelling is rape and birth defects. While I have not personally experienced either, I know in my heart those lives are no less important than any others. I don't see how a child who is conceived of rape, or one that may not even live, is better off dying at the hands of its own mother. Nothing, nothing, could ever convince me to take my child's life. NOTHING.

Eight weeks after conception — the baby is able to feel pain and may be starting to suck her thumb. Most abortions occur at this time.

I also know that 38 years ago, viability wasn't what it is today. Babies are surviving younger and younger outside the womb. How does that effect the decisions. Roe v. Wade did address late term abortions. The slider on "late term" has been creeping closer to time of conception since the passing of this decision.

If abortion is about a womans right, and her choice to her body, how can we pass laws saying that abortion at 8 weeks is acceptable but at 38 weeks it is not. At what point does she lose her choice over her body? Who decided this? Who do we trust with the power to decide which lives are worthy of protection and which ones are not. Where does this language take us? How does this effect other issues such as assisted suicide where an adult decides on their own accord they no longer want to live. They want a doctor to end their life. Abortion doctors are protected by the Supreme Court and the Dr. Kevorkains go to jail.

And since we are discussing rights, without going too much off topic, I think its important to note other laws in effect. We currently have laws that tell us what drugs we can and cannot take, what foods we can and cannot eat. We are told what to read, what to watch. Our lives are micromanaged in every way possible, but when it comes to the unborn, and the decision to end their life, thats when choice kicks in?

20 weeks. 4.3% of abortions are performed at this age.

When a child is conceived, they are given a life. Whether it was perfect or not thats what God gave them. He didn't do that so it could be extinguished before it was their time. I know without a doubt I would not make the decision to end it. I have made that decision before I even made the choice to have children, I made the choice that I would accept them unconditionally. If thats not a choice you can make, please reconsider your child rearing options before embarking in childrearing activities.

We have a working oven!

2011-01-21T21:19:00.000-06:00

We have not had our own working oven in 5 months.

In honor, Olivia and I made gingerbread cookies.

Jacob goofing off during school time

Dinner: 2lbs elbow mac $1.40, 4 Roma tomatoes $1.65, 1/2 cucumber .50, 1/2 celery stalk $1, 1 can tuna .50, 1 bottle salad dressing .19¢= .54 per serving

Assignment #6

2011-01-21T14:18:00.000-06:00

Sunday paper coupons.

Right now I buy 3-5 papers. If I need more I can buy from Ebay. Also ask around. You may have friends and neighbors who get the paper and toss the coupons. If you have a choice of papers, look for the ones who have the best coupons. And make sure each paper has them in before you buy it. For those in the Louisville Area, the coupons here are better than the local town papers, ie Glasgow Daily, News Enterprise etc.

A day with my family- A Photo Journal

2011-01-21T09:48:00.000-06:00

This is my day

Wake up time!! 6 am

make the beds

Can you see the excitement?!

Keep the baby busy

Start our chores

Kids put away their own laundry

Breakfast!

Breakfast: Eggs 2 each .22 Toast 1 slice .05 2 sausage links .20 = .47 per serving

Get Dressed

School time ( Notice this one did not get dressed)

Little Mama

Lunch Time

Lunch: Misc packets of pasta and rice mixes from leftover food storage.. Cost unknown, est cost .25 per serving

Snow!!

More school time for the older ones

Typing his story

2tbs popcorn kernals, put in paper bag and fold top( small brown sacks work good too) pop in microwave 2+- minutes.

Still Snowing

Reading time

Play time

Nope, not snowball snow :(

Olivia fell trying to keep up

But that doesn't stop her! Off to hike in the woods!

Mom makes dinner in the nice warm house :)
Dinner: Chicken $2.41- Potatoes $1- gravy FREE- corn $1.33 - Beets .66= .54 per serving

Watching a movie with Dad

Isaac and Mom finish up chores

Back where we started... Bedtime!!

Not sure what to blog about?

2011-01-20T20:52:00.000-06:00

Blogging can be alot of fun once you get the hang of it.. I know, I run 4 right now!

So you know you want to blog but dont know what to blog about. Some people a blog dedicated to a specific idea. For example a Home School Blog or a Cooking Blog. Others have themes such as Wordless Wednesdays ( just post a pic) and Thankful Thursdays ( post about something you are thankful for). Others are like mine and are just random posts. I also have a blog dedicated solely to my 365 photos and one for our homeschool and another to my frugal posts.

Have you ever gotten carried away with a facebook post? Take it and run with it. Post a blog! If you are needing topic ideas just think about your life. Here is a short list of ideas

*How you met your SO.
*How you got into your career
*Your favorite recipe
*Your hobby
*Plans for the future
*Homemaking tips
*Funny Family Stories
*Collection of photos

The list is endless.. I mean I am writing a blog about blogging!!

I post what ever is on my mind. I try to post more as I want this to also serve as some sort of personal journal. Have you ever gotten carried away with a facebook post? take it and run with it. Post a blog!

So I hope this inspires you. If so I hope to see a new blog post from you soon!

Cloth Diapering

2011-01-18T16:23:00.000-06:00

I first used cloth in 1998 when Jacob was born. I used the Gerber prefolds and their rubber pants. I did that thru all my kids untill Olivia was born in 2007. By the time she was born I had worn thru all of what we had. I did not have a budget for more. For baby gifts we were given several large packages of sposies ( disposable diapers). I kept saying I would go back to cloth, but never did. We went on and had another child who wore sposies. When I found out I was expecting again I was adamant about going cloth again. When Ezra was born (2010) I had about 30 Gerber prefolds. I had 2 used Baby Softwrap Covers and I bought 3 Thirsties Size 1 covers. My 9 mos old is just now growing out of these. Since then I bought one size 2 Thristies cover and plan to buy more here soon to replace the size ones. Some of the Gerber prefolds have worn out on the edges and I use them for added protection at night.

Thirsties Diaper Cover Click to see site

I prefer snaps over velcro. They seem to hold better. You can look online for used ones. I have also contemplated sewing some. But then I realize due to lack of skills, Its easier to buy them :)

Baby Soft Wraps Cover Click to see site

Gerber Cloth Diapers Prefold with inserts Click to see site

There are several types of covers, inserts etc. I prefer this system. Its very easy and cost effective. I have some friends who spend hundred of dollars in cloth diaper. While they do have a good resale value of you keep them clean, the initial investment isn't right for this frugal mama :)

Cleaning isn't hard at all. If I need to I do a quick "swish out" in the toilet. Other wise I launder as normal. Do not use bleach. My thinking is, if you cant handle poop, you might want to reconsider the whole kid thing.. Its only gonna get worse from here! LOL

So how do you put one of these things on?

You will need a baby, diaper, cover

fold diaper into thirds and place over cover matching the ends

place under baby and fold extra diaper over

bring cover over diaper

snap into place

and you have a diapered baby.!

Here is a video