Simply Everything

Kids are resilient - a rant

2011-07-25T23:37:00.008-04:00

I picked up a book at the library a few weeks ago, upon the suggestion of someone on a message board. The book is called "Free from Lies" by Alice Miller. She outlines, in broad strokes, her theory that childhood trauma must be validated in order for the adult to have a healthy emotional life. She asserts that most people who suffer from adult depression do so because they have denied (and others have ignored or denied) the trauma or abuse that depressed adults suffered as children. Though I don't agree with every premise the author suggests, there are some points that she makes that are very insightful. First and most important, she challenges the idea that "kids are resilient."

I've always felt and understood, as a child of an abusive home myself, that children are NOT resilient. Children have no power in the world. Children do not CHOOSE to "deal" with the situation in which they live. Children have to cope, with the best (read:inadequate) mechanisms they have, with what adults subject them to. Children are not resilient. The definition here tells us that resilient means "recovering readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like." In situations of abuse, there is no "ready recovery." There is suppression and coping. Children do not have the capacity that many adults have, to emotionally process what's happening, to escape the situation that's causing stress, to compare a situation to a frame of reference and understand the abnormality of an event. Children are NOT resilient. They cope because they have no choice.

There are a few situations in which I see this happening - situations in which adults deny the trauma to which children are subjected:

1. Divorce. Do I really need to say this?! How is it that many of us don't understand that divorce emotionally devastates children? The very foundation of a child's life is the dependance he has on his parents. "Oh, they'll be fine. They'll cope. They'll get over it." Really? REALLY?! A child's entire world changes, is turned upside down, and we just expect them to get over it? How do we assume that children don't feel? That because they are young and little that their feelings are less than our own? As adults, we have the choice of whether or not we subject our children to suffer such a monstrous blow.

As a society, we frown on "staying together for the children." Why the hell shouldn't we try, with every, every, every effort that we have to keep marriages intact for our children? Are people really so selfish that they can't work like their own lives depend upon the success of their marriage? How about working on their marriage because their children are worth it? "Oh, I just fell out of love with my husband." Are. You. Serious? This isn't like falling off a ladder- you don't "fall out of love" with someone. The kind of love it takes to hold together a marriage is a love that has to be chosen. Every day. It's work sometimes. (Heck, some years it's even work a lot of the time.) But these are our children we're talking about.

2. Bullying. One of the main arguments I hear against homeschooling is that I'm not teaching my children how to handle bullies. And that's a valid argument, because I'm not teaching them about bullies. In the adult world, if someone at work harasses you, you take it up with HR. If some acquaintance physically assaults you, you call the police and press charges. In the kid world, those aren't options. In the kid world, you keep your mouth shut and your head down and you hope to God that adults don't get involved because then the bullying worsens and becomes more insidious. But as adults, we forget that. Frankly, I think that all the "bullying awareness" that we have now in schools sounds great on the surface (sounds great to adults), but is just another impotent attempt of adults to make an artificial environment (school, where everyone is segregated by age) operate as a cohesive society. Crazy talk, I tell you. Let's put a group of people who don't have a skill (socialization) together to teach each other that skill that they don't know. Blind leading the blind. Brilliant.

3. Alcoholism. As the child of two alcoholics, I became an expert at keeping The Secret. Any ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) knows what I mean. No one outside the family must ever, ever know what goes on behind closed doors. Problem? There's no problem! See? Good student! Involved in school activities! Has a part-time job, boyfriend, friends! Cheerful! Normal, normal, normal! But the problem comes later, when The Secret is out. When the adult (and less often, the child) stops hiding the truth and lets it free, there is a huge, huge tendency of others to deny the reality of what happened. "Oh, you're such a normal person - surely you're exaggerating! I've met your parents. They're great people." Yes, they're great actors. The whole family is. That's why you don't believe!

Back to the book - the author has some things to say about how we, as adults, validate the feelings of children. We should admit our own mistakes. We don't want to put the expectation of forgiveness on our children - that is a child's free will, a gift that they can choose or not choose to give, without coercion. But we must acknowledge the "wrongness" of a situation. "I yelled at you, and that was wrong. I'm sorry, and I'll try to do better." And also, we need to understand, truly internalize, that the feelings of children are just as valid as those of adults. Children are people - they feel, oftentimes more acutely, the same feelings we feel. We adults should keep that in mind when we expect children to be "resilient."

Holding myself accountable

2011-07-04T22:51:00.003-04:00

I'm having fun with my kids this summer, and soaking in Sam's babyhood. I love this picture.

Keeping in mind my vow to keep them away from the TV, we're finding more to do in the backyard. Bucket of soapy water and some stained t-shirts that I cut up along with a scrub brush and a backyard toy made for an hour of fun.

I realized again that I can't do it all. Now that my kids have more time (because the TV isn't eating all of it) they can help more. Good for them and good for me.

And this one is so painful to post, but I will be accountable! I must lose the last 25 pounds of baby weight. This was taken on July 3 - that's my belly in the yellow! OUCH! I will remember that my body is not a garbage disposal, and I will mind what I eat! I will NOT sit on the computer every evening. I will get out and WALK with the kids as soon as my husband fixes the gate so that I can get the stroller out.

Summer reading

2011-07-04T22:30:00.005-04:00

Upon reading the recommendation of another blogger, I picked this up at the library:

Yes! This is JUST what I needed to hear!

It's okay to cut the kids' TV time to near nothing.

It's okay to not study current events with my ten-year-old.

It's okay that our house is not overflowing with toys. (Really, in the interest of full disclosure, I've never felt the need to have lots of toys around the house. Small house, lots of people... too much stuff makes me feel claustrophobic.)

I really needed a kick in the pants. The last third of my pregnancy with Sam was physically taxing, moreso than with the other four. I relied entirely too much on the television and video games to entertain the kids. It's time to kick that habit to the curb! To that end, I found this website that gives me TONS of good ideas to engage the little ones. I intend to pass these little nuggets out occasionally for Gracie and Joey, when we're desperate. As for Luke (8) and Adam (10-almost-11), they are just fine finding their own entertainment, thankyouverymuch.

Lest I get on my soapbox (too late!), I feel that it's important to say that boredom is not the enemy of childhood! (It might be the enemy of an orderly kitchen, but if I really wanted a neat house I'd live alone.) If a child's every moment is filled with noise - not only the sounds of video games and TV and computers, but the visual clutter of a room packed to the gills with STUFF, and the spiritual and emotional crowding of having an entertainment committee (aka well-meaning parent who schedules every moment) - he cannot exercise creativity and imagination. And we all know what happens without exercise, right? Atrophy. So I'm going to let my kids be kids without the gadgets, bells, and whistles. Boredom is our friend. It forces them (and me) to exercise a little creativity and imagination.

Now someone remind me of that when I'm trying to get dinner on the table and they're all underfoot, okay?

Isn't this the coolest?

2011-07-04T22:24:00.004-04:00

Our neighbor, Mike, built a replica Model A from scratch. Like Hubby said, "He's like MacGyver and Mr. Wizard, all rolled into one!" Of course, all the kids (except Sam) took a ride. What a cool way to celebrate Independence Day!

Yep, she did it AGAIN!

2011-07-04T21:54:00.004-04:00

Another unauthorized haircut in our house. You remember this post? At least this time, Joey is off the hook.

Joey asked Hubby if he could have scissors to cut some paper.

Joey: "Dad, can I have the scissors to cut paper, please?"

Hubby: "Yes, but what do we cut with scissors?"

Joey: "Just paper."

Hubby: "Do we cut our clothes?"

Joey: "No."

Hubby: "Do we cut hair?"

Joey: "No."

Hubby: "Okay. You can have the scissors. TO. CUT. PAPER."

Hubby gave the scissors to Joey. Joey cut the paper he wanted to cut, put the scissors down, and left the room.

Enter Gracie, who has seen Tangled about a kajillion times.

Before

What you don't see is that her hair in the back is quite a bit longer - about halfway down her back.

After

You notice how lopsided it is in the second picture? What you don't see is the mounds of hair that I brushed off her shoulders, the huge pile of hair in the kitchen, and the rat-tail she'd left in the back. We took her out to get a professional haircut the next day to clean it up.

I think she looks a bit too pleased with herself.

And here it is, after the "fix." Cute? Yes. Easier? Yes. But I still miss the long hair!

Progress

2011-06-08T23:13:00.003-04:00

In keeping with my resolutions here, I've made an effort in the past couple of weeks to cut myself some slack. (And frankly, I think everyone else around here would be happier if I would just chill out and not be so. darn. anal. all the time.)

What I have learned by stepping back a little and changing my perspective:

Water is not that messy.

The smiles on their faces are worth the minute or two that it'll take me to wipe up a couple of overflows from preschool dish washing.

Sometimes I won't get the Perfect Shot of the baby because someone is yelling, "Take a picture of ME, Mom!" (Okay, like I EVER get the Perfect Shot, anyway!)

If you give a five-year-old boy the camera, he WILL take a picture of the toilet.

And that's okay.

Marsh Triple Coupons!

2011-05-30T14:44:00.003-04:00

Total spent = $20.59

Total saved = $66.30

I would've done better, but I had to get milk. Still, not bad!

Finding balance

2011-05-27T22:13:00.006-04:00

Life with a newborn is unpredictable.

Life with a newborn is unpredictable.

I'm hoping that if I keep saying that to myself, I'll cut myself a little slack. That somehow, I'll really and truly believe that the above applies to me.

There are going to be messes that I can't get to right away.

I won't always get uninterrupted time to work on lesson plans. I can't keep a spotless house all of the time. My to-do list will not always (or often, or usually) get done. I need to be flexible. I need to bend. I need to, temporarily at least, lower my standards. I am only one human being. I am not imperfect, or invincible.

I must, MUST keep my eyes (and my attention) on what is important. Making memories. Crafting a childhood for my children that is worth remembering. Communicating to them that they - not the housework, or the bill-paying, or the grocery shopping - are important.

It's such a struggle for me. Maybe it's my perfectionism. I like to be able to point to results and say, "I did that." It's easy to look at a clean kitchen floor, or a basket of folded laundry, or a perfectly balanced checkbook and feel that sense of satisfaction. There is a measurable end, a quantifiable result. Not so with the relationships that I'm trying to build with my children. That is more amorphous, less concrete. But so much more important.

I read so many blogs about women who rhapsodize about the afternoons they spend with their children: crafting, adventuring, creating memories. (I know, don't compare the inside of my life to the outside of someone else's. Yeah, yeah.) It seems those women are always bemoaning their lack of housekeeping skills. That they have all these unconquerable messes. Laundry is taking over the house, junk mail is piling up, the kitchen floor hasn't seen the business end of a mop in more than a month, etc. I envy them their ability to let go of their housekeeping expectations. That's never been my problem. I can keep house just fine, thanks. Sure, I get behind every once in a while, but for the most part, my house can be company-ready in five minutes or less. The facet of life I struggle with the most is being present.

I know that I need to slow down, to savor this time in my life, when my littles are are little, when I have a baby to snuggle. I know that I shouldn't beat myself up about the dust that's gathering on my windowsills, or the fingerprints on the TV screen, or the baseboards that desperately need to be painted in the living room. The most important thing is to soak this in. Soak in the sweet smell of a new baby, the enthusiasm of a new reader, the unending riddles of an eight-year-old. I should play princesses more often. I should read Go Dog Go and Old Hat New Hat. I should build forts and play Play-Doh.

should. should. should.

Stop, breathe deep.

Let the housework go.

Hug your kids.

Go outside.

Smile.

Be.

Random

2011-05-24T23:25:00.003-04:00

I've been putting off updating my blog for a bit, because I didn't have anything earth-shattering to say. So to break my writer's block, I'm just going to put a hodge-podge of pictures up here, and let you peek at what we've been up to.

First up: last day of school, breakfast of homemade crepes. Oh. My. Word. These are sooo good.

Joey "reading" to Gracie in her room, before bedtime:

This is what the kitchen table looks like when we color Easter eggs. Notice that Hubby is brilliant, because he gave the kids Easter coloring pages to work on while they waited for their eggs to finish dying.

Gracie played soccer this spring. This wet, muddy, cold spring. I missed watching a couple of games because it was too cold for me to sit at the field with Sam. (The new baby... we named him Samuel Patrick.)

Joey, with his t-ball medal. He was so proud! He's worn that medal around the house randomly for a couple of days.

Blessed...

2011-03-30T13:51:00.001-04:00

Battling cabin fever

2011-02-04T23:09:00.004-05:00

We have had some real weather this winter. More (and earlier) snow than usual, and now an amazing ice storm. My university actually cancelled classes! (I've had loads of free time this week, which has been wonderful.) I'm quite impressed with what Mother Nature has thrown our way.

But the weather has kept us indoors more than usual. Fortunately we hadn't yet decorated for Valentine's Day, so I was able to find some interesting projects for the kiddos to do, to keep them busy.

Nienie inspired me to try Crayon Hearts.

I regret to say that I enjoyed making them a lot more than the kids did. But they are pretty! (Not as pretty as Martha's, I guess, but I don't have a staff of people just to cut things out for me.)

Hubby cut out some paper heart mobiles that the kids decorated. That went over much better.

I have to say that I'm getting a bit stir-crazy, and more snow is expected this weekend. (For those of you who don't live in the Midwest, snow on top of ice is BAD NEWS.) I have started nesting (6-ish weeks to go until baby!) and I wish I could get down to a good spring cleaning. However, I don't think I'll be opening any windows any time soon. I'll just have to settle for washing cute baby clothes and purging things we don't need.

Frugal Cloth Wipes

2011-01-09T12:54:00.005-05:00

I know you've heard me wax poetic about cloth diapers in the past. I love my cloth diapers: frugal, earth-friendly, and so much prettier than nasty plastic diapers. To keep with the theme, I also use cloth wipes. It makes no sense to pay out money for the equivalent of chemical-laden paper towels, and it's just not practical to throw a diaper in the pail and a wipe in the trash. (Not to mention, they can get pricey.)

I knew that I needed to replenish my stock of cloth wipes - the ones I have are threadbare after being washed, over and over, for years. This time, instead of shelling out $5/dozen for some WAHM-made wipes, I decided to make my own. I kept my eyes peeled in the paper for a good sale/coupon at JoAnn Fabrics, so I could make my wipes as cheaply as possible.

And then, guess what I found on Craigslist? A dozen flannel receiving blankets for $5! Just what I needed: cheap flannel! I pounced on those blankets, you can bet! Two of them turned out to be made of something other than flannel, but no worries.

Originally, I tried to cut my wipes 8x8 inches, and only zig-zag the raw edges of two squares together. That didn't work - too much fraying. So then I cobbled this method together:

1. Cut wipes to desired size. (In my case, that's 8 inches x 8 inches.)

2. Enlist the help of a five-year-old to do my seam ripping. (Not that I make any mistakes, mind you!)

3. Sew squares right-sides together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Leave an opening to turn wipes right-side-out.

4. Snip the corners to reduce bulk.

5. Turn wipes right-side out, and sew as close to the edge as possible, all the way around.

6. Enjoy the finished product: 38 wipes for $5. (Quite a savings!)

Gracie's birthday

2011-01-03T13:42:00.006-05:00

Gracie's birthday is a few days after Christmas, and a few days before New Year's. Making the day stand out on its own is challenging, but I give it my best shot.

Behold, the princess cake. Eat your heart out, Martha Stewart!

Here's the Birthday Girl, being sung to. Notice the big smile on her face? LOVED the attention. That's the difference between being the first child and the fourth, I guess.

No activity at our house would be complete without LEGOs in there, somewhere. We have an embarrassingly large collection of LEGOs. Now, we've even got a LEGO game.

It's called Creationary, and the boys got it for Christmas. They love it. Me? I'm just not very good at building. So I keep score. Uncle Jeff and Shannon graciously offered to play with the kids so I wouldn't have to embarrass myself.

Christmas Catch-Up

2011-01-03T13:35:00.002-05:00

Here is a little snapshot of our Christmas baking frenzy. We like to do it all in one day. So much fun for the kids to measure, mix, and bake. (Okay, and I like it, too!)

These are the legendary homemade marshmallows. LOVE THEM.

Finals week

2010-12-09T20:32:00.003-05:00

I have my anatomy final tomorrow, and I don't feel at all prepared. I've been studying like a madwoman, but I think my gray matter has reached maximum capacity. Pray for me!

CCCs

2010-11-29T22:23:00.006-05:00

Before I had children, I had a picture in my mind of what kind of mother I wanted to be. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to teach my children, and how I wanted the atmosphere of our home to feel. I knew that I wanted to raise them to be good Catholics, to be kind, to know that they were loved, and to feel that their home was a refuge. There were all kinds of little vignettes in my head about different situations, both extraordinary and mundane, that I would experience with them or provide for them. One of these was a little snippet in my imagination of my kids coming home from school to milk and hot chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven, just waiting on the table. Something about a mom who takes the time to make a treat, warm, fragrant, gooey & sweet, called to me.

When Adam was a toddler, we baked together. As each child followed, they learned to pull up a chair to the counter, to cream butter and sugar, to dump in the chips. My kids love to bake, especially cookies. Most especially, they love to bake chocolate chip cookies. It's a tradition that grew on its own, considering that my kids have never gotten off the school bus, plopped down a book bag, and sighed about their long day of school.

The last few weeks have seen all of us come down with a bad case of negativity. We've all been short with each other, not used the kind words that we know are there. Tonight, I had a paper to write for my psychology class. Instead of writing a paper, I decided to contribute to the mental health of everyone and whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

It was a good decision. Something about stirring the sugars and vanilla, measuring the flour, breaking the eggs, something there is therapeutic. CCCs are good for the soul. (At least mine are, because frankly, mine are the best I've ever tasted.) (No, you can't have the recipe. Half the fun is figuring out what works!)

And it worked. Like magic, everyone loosened up. We all stopped taking everything so. darn. seriously. Everyone liked each other again. When Adam yelled, "TASTE TEST!" and ran for the spoons, Gracie and the other boys cheered. Smiles all around. We each had a spoonful of batter. We licked our spoons clean. And I put a batch in the oven, anticipating the homey fragrance that would seal the deal, that would make the good mood stick, that would put us back on track.

Well, hello, Beautiful.

And that is the sight of happy kids. Never underestimate the power of chocolate to make everything better.

The Lovely Bones

2010-11-26T13:35:00.004-05:00

If you're a vegetarian, you'll want to skip this post.

It was a good Thanksgiving. As one of my Facebook friends said, the dessert to main dish ratio was just right. (We had 8 desserts for 15 people.)

Yes, I stocked up on turkeys when they were on sale for 57 cents a pound. Not as good as last year's 44 cents a pound, but I'll take it.

Now that the feast is over, I have picked the bones clean. Literally. After the feast was done yesterday afternoon, I took the turkey carcass (isn't that just a lovely word, carcass? "What are you eating, dear?" "Carcass! It's delicious!") and stuffed half of it into the crock pot with some unpeeled carrots, unpeeled but halved onions, and some celery stalks. It made a lovely broth that will flavor rice and help with casseroles in the coming month. This morning, I took the second half of the carcass (again! That word!) and repeated yesterday's crock pot adventure. For tonight's dinner, we'll have turkey noodle soup, made from the bone broth/stock I made today. YUMMO!

For those of you who are stock-illiterate, let me break down the process:

1. Strip every piece of usable meat from the bones of your leftover turkey.

2. Put said bones in a big stockpot or crock pot, set on low. (If you had a big turkey like we did, you may have to do 2 batches.)

3. Wash some celery and carrots, chop 'em in halves or thirds, and throw them in. Chop a couple of smallish or just one large-ish onion in half, throw it in. (Don't worry about peeling. Really.) Pour in water to cover.

4. Let simmer for a few hours. At least 3, but 6 is better.

5. Put a nice big bowl in your sink with a sieve (or colander lined with cheesecloth) on top. Pour the pot's contents into the bowl, letting the sieve filter out all the solids.

6. Allow your stock to cool. Taste it - you'll need salt! Don't be shy. Like Ina Garten says, "The difference between dishwater and good stock is salt!"

7. Cover and refrigerate. In a few hours (or the next morning) skim off the fat. Some people like to cook with turkey fat. I sometimes give it to the dog on her food. It's too greasy for me, and I'm not afraid of fat!

8. Using a ladle, portion the broth into Ball canning jars and store it in the freezer, with the date on the lid. (I put my jars in the sink while I ladle. Less mess.) Leave an inch/an inch and a half headspace to account for expansion during freezing.

Simple & frugal. All those trace minerals from the turkey bones are in the broth. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-17T22:33:00.000-05:00

At the Children's Museum:

What they don't get

2010-11-12T20:31:00.007-05:00

Please forgive my lack of pictures for this post. I'm writing on the PC laptop, and my Mac has the photo library.

This evening, I had a fun phone call with my mother-in-law. Our conversations are usually peppered with funny jokes and sarcastic comments, stories about the kids and embarrassing things that have happened to us during the week. We share news and stories, laughs and acerbic observations. During the conversation, she shared the comments that several people made to her when she told them that we were expecting, you know, again. I have a pretty thick skin when it comes to peoples' opinions about my life. More often than not, I roll my eyes and mentally sigh about what people fail to grasp about my motives and thought processes. Homeschooling, extending breastfeeding, cosleeping, keeping my boys intact, living a thrifty life, and not using artificial birth control. Those things are puzzling to so many people. When they find out any of those things, I often get, "Oh! I could never do that!" Okay, fine. You're missing out, but do what you want.

But the comments that always leave me scratching my head are the ones about having children. They just don't make sense to me. I really, really don't get what people are getting at.

"They're doing that AGAIN?"

"They're having ANOTHER one?"

"This is FIVE kids? How do they afford that?"

"I just couldn't do it. I don't have the patience."

"Oh, I was so glad to stop breastfeeding... stop carrying a diaper bag... go on a real vacation... send my kids to school... couldn't wait for them to move out..."

Really? I don't get it. How do any of those things - any of those things - compare with having another person in your family? How? Yes, pregnancy is hard. I don't like being pregnant. I don't like the physical limitations it puts on me. I'm vain, embarrassingly so, about my weight. I hate being uncomfortable. But it's what? 10 months long? (Yes, 4 weeks per month makes a 40 week pregnancy = 10 months. Don't get me started on THAT.) Ten short months, compared to a lifetime of having another person in your family. I. Don't. Get. It.

Yes, kids can be expensive. But really and truly, kids don't require much. Parents who indulge every whim do their children a disservice - wanting is a good thing. (I'm not talking about necessities here. Food, clothes, shelter, a stable environment, love - those are needs.) Wanting teaches our kids patience (and who couldn't use more of that?) That's a good thing. My kids have wants, plenty of them. Their needs are met and then some, and many of their wants, too. But who could compare spoiling your child with things to having a brother or sister? How many adults say, "Gosh, I wish my parents wouldn't have had my sister Sally. Then I would have been able to have a Barbie Dream House at Christmas." Huh?

And let's not forget the adult wants: vacations, sending our other kids to college (yes, that's a want), having adult cars and adult houses (you know - Southern Living Catalog, no sign that anyone lives there!), sleeping in, whole days off - all that stuff. But you know what?

It's not about ME, but about US. It's not about this laundry list of things that might be nice to have. It's about love. Pure and simple. How can I look at any one of my children and think, "Gosh, if I didn't have him, we would have been able to take everyone on vacation to Disney last Christmas." Because isn't that the thought process we're following here? That if we have more money and more time to ourselves, we will somehow fill up this well inside ourselves, and be perpetually happy?

As if happiness can be bought with money.

As if money could compare with love.

These children are my investment. They are my happiness. I can't imagine my life without any one of them. When Hubby & I were discerning if it was time to expand our family again (oh, there's a Catholic rabbit trail about being open to life...) the thought that brought us both up short was, "Think about the children we have. Wouldn't you do anything, anything, to have that person in your life?" How can I say no to that? How can I close that door, and actually mean that I would rather have a bigger house/smaller car/more presents at Christmas/nicer vacation/smaller purse instead of a child? How do we come to that place? Tell me, because it's a place I never want to see!

Looking at my children when they sleep, little rosebud lips and flushed cheeks; watching them play together and look out for one another; seeing silly faces at the breakfast table; listening to whispered conversations between brothers after lights out; smelling the sweet smell of a new baby; being squished by bodies on the couch when we read books; how can I give up any of that for a king's ransom in new clothes, pretty shoes and purses, European vacations, afternoons sipping lattes and reading novels?

We cannot fulfill ourselves with things, spending time and money on ourselves, pursuing our own selfish whims constantly. It is only through loving others that we find happiness. I am selfish in this: I want to fill my cup to the brim. I want as much love as I can squeeze into this family. If the cost is mountains of laundry and diapers and sippy cups and Legos, years of potty training and diaper bags, the stretching of my patience and the doubting of my sanity - bring it on! What a small pittance to pay for such a life of love.

My children love the expectation of a new baby. They understand that this is a gift. There is never an impatient, "Again, Mom?" It's always a very wide-eyed, "Really? Cool!" I am so very, very lucky, so incredibly blessed. Thank You, God, for giving me a husband who understands this wonderful mess of children. Thank You, God, for making me able to have children. Thank You so much for sticky faces and dirty socks and gum in my dryer and dishes to wash. Thank You for letting me be a mother, again!

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-30T22:58:00.003-04:00

"Daaad! Joey stuck his hand all the way down there and lost the spoon!"

All hands on deck!

"You wanna touch the pumpkin seeds?"

"NO THANKS!"

All done!

The Decline of Western Civilization (or, The Lost Art of Bedmaking)

2010-10-30T22:02:00.010-04:00

I know it won't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me well, but I like things a certain way. There are multiple tasks, procedures, and methods of which I am absolutely certain that the world would come to a screeching end if there were no one on Earth to do them properly. Folding towels, hanging clothes, and making beds are my top 3.

I cringe when I hear a wife/mother say with a giggle, "Oh, I am a terrible housekeeper. I just can't keep up, so we live with the disorder and chaos!" Would we find it so funny if she were talking about a paying job? As if any profession that paid money could be as pivotal as being a SAHM. Children need order. Our husbands deserve a tidy, well-ordered home. I know that I function better when the house is picked-up. We bless ourselves and our families when we learn how to do our job properly. It isn't helpful to anyone when there are no matching socks in the drawer, or the beds are so untidy and dirty that they're not a comfort at the end of the day. I wholeheartedly believe that keeping house is pivotal to being civilized. It's as necessary as table manners and Great Books.

That brings me to the heart of my post - How To Make a Bed Properly. This is the way civilized people do it. ; )

First, we start with a fitted sheet, with the elastic snug UNDER all four corners, and all four sides pulled down, under the four sides of the mattress.

Next, we put on the flat sheet. The deepest hem goes at the head of the bed. The sides of the sheet that are hanging down on each side of the mattress are equal in length - no lopsided sheets! (A little trick for that: if, when you store your sheets, your first fold is lengthways in half, you'll have a fold-line right down the middle of the flat sheet to guide you when you put your sheets on the bed.) You'll notice that the print on the flat sheet faces the mattress, NOT the ceiling! There's a good reason for that!

Because when you fold your top sheet down over your blankets/comforter/quilt, or you like to turn down the bed to warm the sheets before getting into bed, the attractive side is visible. Also, this is usually the side on which the nap is on a flannel sheet. You'll be warmer this way.

Now that we have the head of the bed tidy, let's look at the foot of the bed. (You've smoothed out all the wrinkles in your sheet, right? Everything's pretty?) At the foot of the bed, you will tuck in your sheet. I don't care if you like to put your feet out at the end of the bed! We are civilized human beings! We tuck in the sheet at the bottom! Stick your feet out the side, if you must, but keep that sheet tucked. We are not bachelors living in squalor. We are the mistresses of households! We are the keepers of civilization!

Now, you'll notice in the picture below, the corner isn't exactly perfect. We can fix that, easy-peasy. I've always called it a hospital corner, the fold I'm about to show you. You call it whatever you like, as long as you do it.

From the foot of the bed, eyeball about a foot or so toward the head of the bed. Grasp the bottom of the sheet there, and ...

flip it up to the top of the bed. Tuck in whatever still hangs below the bottom of the mattress. (Pay no attention to all the bedding on the floor. It was wash-day for linens, and it all ended up in the laundry. I had to take pictures before I was interrupted, so I didn't have time to make things pretty for my pictures. Such is life.)

Now, flip that bit of sheet back down, smooth your sheet again, and do the other corner.

I'm guessing that you don't need me to show you how to put on your top blankets. Just pull the quilt up to right below the top hem of the flat sheet, with both sides of the quilt or blanket hanging down equally on each side of the bed. Tuck in middle-layer blankets, hospital corners and all. No need to tuck in the bottom of a quilt, as it will pull the stitches of the quilt. Besides, we want to see all of the quilt. It's made to be enjoyed for its beauty. (Don't tuck comforters, either, unless you like bending your mattress and sleeping with your feet elevated.) At the head of the bed, fold that deep hem of the top sheet over the edge of the quilt at the head of your bed. It protects the edge of the quilt, and lets you show off your pretty sheets. (And since you put them on the right way, we can see the print, if there is one!) Fluff your pillows, pile them on, and you're done.

A word on daily bed making: I firmly believe in the need to let the bed "air" before making the bed for the day. Some people feel just as firmly that a bed should be made as soon as it's vacant. I like to, weather permitting, open the windows in the bedroom, leaving the bed unmade, while I feed the hordes and take my shower. When I come back to my bedroom (about an hour after I wake), I make the bed. That means I do ONE LAYER AT A TIME. Pull up the sheet, then the blanket, then the quilt. We do not do all the layers at the same time - blankets and sheets shift overnight. Husbands steal bedding and untuck sheets! (True. I've seen it.) It takes me about 3 minutes to make my bed every morning. But I enjoy getting into a made bed at night - smooth, unwrinkled sheets, with flat, pretty blankets. If I just pulled all the covers up together, in about 2 days I'd have a mess that would need more than 3 minutes of attention. If my sons (ages 10, 7, and 5) can make a bed properly, (and they can, because I taught them to) so can you!

There you are. My bed-making manifesto. I feel so much better having gotten that off my chest.

The apple orchard

2010-10-23T23:17:00.004-04:00

It's autumn. FINALLY! Anyone who suffered through this hot, humid-yet-rainless 2010 Midwest summer is rejoicing. To celebrate, Hubby took the kids to our favorite orchard to pick apples. I love picking apples. Love smelling apples. Love baking with apples. I love, love fresh apples.

But there were no apples to pick. BOO, HISS! Apparently, the apple harvest was early this year because of the unusually hot weather. Hubby did bring home a bag of apples from the orchard, but I'm sure they'd been refrigerated a while. They weren't fresh from the tree. But that's okay. The kids still got to wander around the corn maze...

No, that's not an apple. That's corn. THE crop of the Midwest. (Is Adam doing the chicken dance in the background?)

The kids and hubby drowned their sorrows in cider slushies. I was jealous. I stayed home, slaving over my anatomy book, and they didn't even bring me home a slushie! (To be fair, it probably would have melted before they got home.)

They'll need a bigger sign, next year! : )

What I did with my summer vacation

2010-10-23T23:08:00.002-04:00

Hosted a visitor in our backyard tree.

Hung onions from the garden to dry on the rafters of the back porch. I won't be growing onions again. Ugh.

Dissected a sheep's brain for summer school.

Ate lots of sweet corn.

Celebrated the Fourth of July.

So much to say, so much to say, so much to say

2010-10-23T22:43:00.003-04:00

I know I've been gone a while. Sorry. Having four kids, being pregnant, and trying to get into nursing school keeps me hoppin'!

Wait, didn't I bring everyone up to speed? Lemme start again:

1. I've gone back to school. Since a BS in Education won't get me anywhere, I'm working toward an ASN. Hopefully, I'll graduate in May of 2013, pass my NCLEX and become an RN. Pray for me.

Okay, yeah, I know I said a few posts back that one cannot work 40 hours a week and still run a household and parent effectively. I still stand by that, 100%. So Hubby or I will be part-time. (Hopefully, it'll be me. We'll see.) My decision to go back to school was based on a lot of factors. Can we make it on one income? Yes. Do I want to continue to juggle as we have been, since the recession hit? No. We're doing just fine, but I need a little more security, a little more certainty. One of us needs to have a recession-proof job. And one of us needs to work while the other goes to school. It just makes sense that the person going back to school would be me - Hubby has a job (while I would have to look for one, and being with child doesn't exactly endear one to potential employers), and since I have one degree already, my getting a second degree is faster than Hubby going back and starting from scratch.

So, why nursing? I wanted a worthwhile job, one that is more than punching a time-clock. I want to serve. (Coming from an education background, I felt a strong need to contribute.) I want job security for my family. I want a job that makes me think. Nursing offers me all that. It's a technical field, I'll constantly be challenged, be learning, be thinking. It's not a job in which I can rest on my laurels. I need that constant mental stimulus. Nursing is obvious.

2. I'm pregnant with #5. And if I hear one more person ask, "You mean, ON PURPOSE?!" I think I just may scream. Good heavens, people - I have four children already! I know how this happens! (What is it Janet Smith says? "If you don't want to go to New York, don't get on the train!") What ever happened to "Congratulations!" I think the assumption is, since Hubby lost his job in 2008, we are somehow destitute. Not the case, thanks. He's making just about what he was then. We have insurance. Anyone notice that we're frugal? We don't throw money around. It's wasteful. So thanks for your concern, but we're doing just fine. Yes, we live in a 3 bedroom with soon-to-be five children. Babies don't take up much room, I've noticed. We have plans to move, but not until I'm out of school (either by flunking out - KIDDING! - or by graduating.) So the problem will be solved in a couple of years. I like my very small house payment. I know only one other family that pays three digits, besides us. It helps us live below our means.

Well, that sounded rather rant-y, for an update. I'll be back as time allows. Hopefully next time I'll have pictures!

Wordless Wednesday, first day of school

2010-08-11T12:24:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-20T17:52:00.003-04:00

Cheapo homeschool solutions

2010-07-16T16:34:00.005-04:00

As any homeschooling mom will tell you, cheap solutions are often the best solutions. (Tell that to some of my teacher friends. The lists parents get at back to school time make my frugal hair curl! But that's a soapbox for another time.)

First up is the way we track our subjects every day. We had the problem that halfway (or less) through a day's lessons, the boys would ask me how much work they had left to do. My response would either be a patient litany of how much we still had to accomplish, or (more often) the response, "We have left what we have left." I had to come up with a better solution. I thought about making a way to keep track during the morning of what had been done and what still remained. I brainstormed magnets for the fridge that could be moved from one side to the other, a white-board that could be checked off, a list on the chalkboard that could be erased... but those all required me to either purchase something or do some kind of set up every day. I wasn't willing to add another task, no matter how small, to our day.

Then I came up with this solution:

Simple and cheap. They're just index cards, with the subjects of the day listed, one on each card. Each boy has his own color (which goes along with me color-coding my kids, but that's for another post) so it's clear who has done what. They each have a pile at the beginning of the morning, and as they complete subjects, they put the corresponding card away. When they have no more cards left, they have no more work! (It's a great time-saver for me, too. I don't have to keep a running tally in my head of what we have & haven't done.) I did get fancy-shmancy prepping for this year, since I "laminated" them between two sheets of clear contact paper for durability.

I can't remember where I picked up my next idea - it was a homeschooling blog. If you know where, let me know. I'd like to give this woman some credit! (Edited to add: Lindsay found it for me! This idea is from Kimberlee at Pondered in My Heart. Thanks, Lindsay!)

The idea was this: use milk jug lids for spelling practice! Write a letter on each lid, and let the kids practice spelling by switching the lids around. This is PERFECT for my boys, who avoid writing like it's the Black Death.

I store my lids in an old shoebox in the homeschool cabinet. I've since refined my lids so that all the vowels are blue, and all the consonants are orange.

If you look closely at the picture, you can see piles of subject cards, too. And a spoon. Hmm. So there you go! Cheap and cheerful!

This frugal idea has been linked to Frugal Friday over at Life As Mom.

Just like I've been sayin'!

2010-07-08T19:13:00.003-04:00

This article articulates what I, as a mother of boys, see every day. It's one of the reasons we chose to homeschool. I remember talking about this very phenomenon in one of my Methods classes in college: we talked about how boys in elementary school are dis-served, because schools are set up in a way that is better for (quieter, less active, less impulsive) girls.

Because I promised - here's my storage solution

2010-07-02T23:02:00.005-04:00

Because I promised more than a month ago, and then FORGOT! (gasp!) I am now posting these pictures of our storage solution for the boys' room.

Here is where we started. One little bookcase, not nearly big enough to hold all of their books. There were also three small baskets that went on the middle shelf between the book shelves, to hold toys. In addition, there was a shelf on the wall above the bookcase, which we used to display trophies. We took it down when we painted. Sorry that you don't get to see it, but you're really not missing much.

One day at Target, I spotted a little storage unit, made of cubicles. It looked something like this. I thought, "Oh, yeah, right. I need about 20 of those for my kids' stuff." And then it dawned on me, "I need 20 of those for my kids stuff!" I went to Hubby with my idea. He told me that those cubes would be a snap to build, and so we (*cough* he) worked out dimensions, priced the wood and materials (screws, paint, and sandpaper), and built them!

We purchased some fabric bins from Target, because I knew I'd need someplace for the boys to corral their action figures, toy cars, and miscellaneous gear. Hubby measured the dimensions of the fabric bins, getting an idea of how big the cubes should be. He also had the stroke of genius to make the lower 1/3 of the cube wall less enclosed, thus getting the clothes hamper, Lego bin, and Plan Toys garage sorted away, too.

So there you have it! Doesn't it look great? You'll notice in the lower right, he built that shelf up off the floor just a bit, to allow for air flow from the vent. And it works perfectly. Now the boys have so much more room to play, since the new beds & storage unit are in. Perfect!

Two unrelated thoughts

2010-06-02T23:49:00.004-04:00

Adam has decided that he doesn't want to be an altar server any more. My poor Catholic mama heart is breaking. Doesn't he look just perfect in his cassock and surplice? After he fainted at the altar on Christmas Day (yes, really), he's been afraid to serve. So I got one last picture to remember his serving days. He's not completely off the hook, though. I told him that he still has to serve for family weddings, funerals, and homeschool Masses.

I'm going to miss seeing him in his vestments. (Are they vestments, when he's just an altar server?)

Now, for the unrelated bit. I don't know why this didn't occur to me earlier! Hubby & I like our morning (decaf) coffee, as I've said before. However, we often have leftover coffee. Being a coffee snob (who is so grateful to have an almost sister-in-law who works for Starbucks), I don't like it reheated. When in North Carolina this past weekend, I watched my friends reheat their coffee from the previous day's brewing and shuddered at the thought! I've debated pouring leftover java on the plants, but I don't want to harm them with too much nitrogen. I use the grounds in our compost, after having reused them at least once. But what to do with the leftover joe?

Put it in ice cube trays, and save it for iced coffee!

Why didn't I think of that sooner?! I freeze all kinds of things in ice cube trays - chicken broth, tomato paste (I can never use a full can, and hate to throw any away), homemade baby food; why not coffee?

North Carolina

2010-06-01T10:39:00.003-04:00

Over Memorial Day weekend, the kids and I, sans Hubby, visited with some friends in North Carolina. Long drive, but well worth it. It was so nice to visit with our friends who we hadn't seen in nearly a year.

One of the fun activities they planned for us was a visit to Lazy 5 Ranch. It's a drive-through petting zoo with bison, giraffes, long-horn steer, zebras, emus and ostriches, llamas, pigs, water buffalo... well, you get the idea. Visitors can purchase buckets of food to feed the animals along the way.

Here is a picture of our standoff with a long-horn. This is right before he clunked the hood of my van with his horns, because he had to reach down to scratch his leg. I still haven't checked to see if I have a dent in my hood.

Here is Joey, feeding a llama. We were lucky - in the car ahead of us, our friends' son was spit upon by the llama they fed. Nothing better than llama spit, especially right after said llama has eaten. They rolled up the windows and refused to feed the llamas after that. LOL!

Here is Adam stretching out of the sunroof to feed a giraffe.

And Luke, taking his turn with the giraffe.

This last picture shows a bison eating from our friends' van. Can you see how HUGE the bison is? I'm sure that if I stood next to it, it would be taller than me. Imagine facing that as you're sitting on a horse, armed with nothing more than a bow and arrow! The boys said that the bison's tongue was very long, and multi-colored. Now there's something you don't see every day!

Short cut!

2010-05-27T21:58:00.003-04:00

As organized as I like to think I am, sometimes life throws a curve ball. Soccer practice, an unexpected Play-Doh tragedy, sick kids - life happens, and dinner gets pushed back. In response, I'm trying to be a bit more proactive. Thus, this post about beans.

I love black beans, and I refuse to pay for canned beans. Dry beans are so much cheaper and (I think) tastier. The trouble is that I have to think ahead when I want to serve beans. I have to remember to soak them the night before. That doesn't always happen. What's a mom to do?

I cheated.

I cooked two pounds of beans in my crock pot, drained them and allowed them to (mostly) cool.

Then I pulled out some sandwich bags and a big freezer bag, and divided my cooked beans into serving-sized portions. And - this is important - I labeled my freezer bag before I filled it!

See how organized I am? (Actually, I'm just forgetful, so I labeled the outside of the freezer bag with my portion sizes.) I divided each cup of beans into a sandwich bag (cheaper than freezer bags), and then put all my sandwich bags into the big freezer bag. And I tried to get as much air out of each bag as possible to decrease the chance of freezer burn.

So now I have a head-start on dinner on those nights I run late! Next up for the freezer is pre-cooked taco meat!

What frugal looks like

2010-04-17T17:26:00.003-04:00

Drying cloth diapers and clothes on the clothesline:

Filling a planter 2/3 with recycled styrofoam peanuts, before topping them with potting soil, to grow your own cooking herbs:

Upcycling an ice cream container for a compost bucket, because your children broke your pretty one:

And using that compost in your garden, to reduce your summer grocery bill:

When you give a 7 year old the camera...

2010-04-17T13:41:00.002-04:00

Boys' bedroom renovation

2010-03-23T22:35:00.004-04:00

The boys' room has been in need of attention for more than a year, now. We're finally getting to it, thanks to our tax refund. Here is a before photo of Adam & Luke's bed. Notice that the walls are blue - an ugly, cheap shade of blue that I HATED.

Poor Joey started out in this toddler bed, squished into the opposite corner of the room. (Please forgive the fuzzy picture. It was the only one I could dig out that had this toddler bed pictured.)

Cory eventually made that toddler bed into a trundle, so that it slid under the bunks, giving the boys more floor space. The disadvantage was that Joey had no bed to call his own during the day - no place to keep his special things just to himself. Oh, and eventually one of the casters fell off, so Joey's bed had to be propped up in one corner with books lest he roll out toward the lopsided corner!

You'll also notice, in the above pics, that the boys (ahem, LUKE) had started to peel the ugly blue paint off the wall. Did I mention that I HATED that blue? Hated it. Really.

Hubby and I started talking renovation of the boys' room last fall. Since we've had so much time to plan and talk about it, we came up with a few solutions.

The first solution was a better color for those darn walls! They're khaki-colored, now, except for one wall (not pictured) which is a smart, navy blue. I love it. The second solution was for Hubby to build triple bunk beds. Boy, these suckers are STURDY.

You'll notice that the ladder does not extend away from the bed as it did from the previous bunks, so the footprint of the bunks is smaller. We've lost the storage space under the bunks, though, because the lowest bunk is only a couple of inches above the floor. We have plans to build a wall of cubes to house books, toys, and trophies. I hope to post more pictures when the room is finally complete.

Have I mentioned how happy I am to have gotten rid of the UGLY blue paint?

Homeschooling & Standardized Tests

2010-02-11T22:42:00.011-05:00

I've been homeschooling (formally) for 5 years. I've grown a pretty thick skin about most of the incredulous "harrumphing" that most folks send my way about our decision to keep the kids home and educate them (notice I did not say "school them") ourselves. I don't think most people realize how insulting it is to a homeschooler to say, "Oh, I couldn't do THAT!" while in a discussion about homeschooling. I try not to take it personally when I get the "I don't want my kids to be disadvantaged because I couldn't give them everything that schools can!" It does take a monumental effort not to roll my eyes when the "S word" comes up. (Do those people actually know what socialization means?) But the one question that sends me over the edge, with heart racing and teeth bared, ready for a fight to the intellectual death, is the testing question.

"Well, don't they require homeschoolers to pass some kind of requirements? Don't they have to be, like, tested?"

Ooh, blood boiling just typing it out!

Let's get a few little idears straight in our pointy little heads, mmkay punkin?

Part I

1. Standardized testing is a load of horse manure, and any educator (that would be a university-trained and state-certified teacher, not a politician nor an administrator) worth her salt will tell you that. Standardized testing doesn't measure what a child knows. Let me repeat that, and I'll even put it centered and in boldface so that we can be crystal on this point:

Standardized testing doesn't measure what a child knows.

It only measures how well a student has absorbed and regurgitated a finite amount of narrow information stuffed into his noggin. Knowledge infers that a student has gained mastery of a body of ideas and concepts. Knowledge is demonstrated when a person can discuss intelligently, or demonstrate via physical method, a theory or event or historical trend or what-have-you. What a standardized test measures is (notice my subtle irony in format, here)

a. how well a student "tests"

b. memorization of a limited number of facts

c. whether or not said student can sit still for an extended period of time without becoming mind-numbingly bored

d. how effective his teacher was in stuffing his head full of trivia

e. all of the above

2. Standardized tests are time-wasters in the classroom.

And that's because...

3. Standardized tests strip classroom teachers of professional dignity.

As a society, we send young people to universities and put them through the mind-numbing hell that comprise modern Methods classes. We expose them to a multitude of educational philosophies, beat them with educational psychology, flog them with pedagogical nonsense about evaluation methods and the benefits of group work versus independent work, chasten them with Horace Mann and John Dewey, barrage their brains with theories about learning styles and gender differences in the classroom and the effect of economic class on reading proficiency, and spit them out the other side as certified teachers. (And, in my state, laughably, force them to pass a standardized test for licensure after spending 4+ years extolling the evils of said tests!)

After all that "schooling," we don't even trust them to teach our children. We constantly look over their shoulders via standardized tests to see what they're doing. Via the testing medium, we tell them what to teach and when, and how! Right now, you're probably shuddering in horror, thinking that I'm advocating some kind of educational free-for-all, where crazy liberal teachers get free rein to teach about the history of Scotch tape in literature class, but stick with me for a sec.

Standardized tests tell teachers what to teach, and when to teach it, and what facts are most important. Do we really need a professional for such drivel? Really?!

Think about it - a young teacher graduates from university, gets her first job, and has all these wonderful ideas bouncing around in her head about the fantastic world that she can open to the students in her class. There is a feast of knowledge out there - a FEAST! - but her job hinges on the performance of her students on a standardized test. Out goes the fire, in comes the rote memorization of dry facts, facts that will let Ms. I Just Graduated With Student Loan Debt and Need To Pay The Rent and Feed My Cat keep her job, if only the children will fill in the right bubbles on the Scantron form.

Have you gotten the point, yet? Those tests aren't about what children KNOW. They're about SCHOOL FUNDING. They're about MONEY, not knowledge or - saints preserve us! - EDUCATION! They're about $$$$! (No Child Left Behind - schools lose their funding if they don't perform. Sound like a good idea? School is failing, so let's give them even LESS money to fix the problem! Can't buy the testing prep materials or pay for professional development for your teachers? Take THAT! Muhahaha! We showed you! Now you can't even update the textbooks! So there! Teach those kids NOW! Hahaha! Twirl mustache evilly, exit stage left!)

Part II

Exempting homeschoolers from standardized testing is a no-brainer. The reason I homeschool (okay, one of the twenty reasons I homeschool) is to enjoy the freedom of chasing rabbit-trails. If the boys are interested in the Civil War, we dive in. Right now, we're on a solar system kick. We're talking about planets and comets and orbits and light years, and it's lighting a fire under them to learn MORE. There is no pressure to "finish the book" by the end of the year. I don't need some educrat telling me that fourth grade is for state history, and the Civil War will be covered again in eighth grade. Strike while the iron is hot, that's what I say. I am the parent, and I have a vested interest in helping my children succeed - and that is best served by teaching them how to get to the information they want and getting out of their gosh darn way! They can learn loads better when I'm not acting as the gatekeeper of information, doling out morsels as it's convenient for me. My job is to point to the feast and help them find a fork.

So, yeah, there's that other question you're going to ask me, right? The one about those parents who took their kids out of school just to hide them from CPS, or the couple that are too scatterbrained to pull together any kind of education for their children. And you know what? That's part of living in a free society. I am not volunteering my children to be punished for the mistakes (or willful negligence) of someone else. If we follow that line of reasoning that tells us that we have to check up on everyone so that no child falls between the cracks, then is it really that far of a stretch to say that we should all submit to DNA testing for the police to keep on file, in case anyone commits a crime? Or that we should just get rid of that pesky little idea of a search warrant - after all, why would any innocent person have anything to hide, right? So let's just test ALL the homeschoolers, because we need to "make sure," y'know, that they're "learning."

I am the parent of these children. It is my God-given duty to educate them. Again, I have a vested interest. My children are mine, not the government's, to raise. With my values - and that includes educational theories and religious beliefs and thoughts about the solar system and the Civil War.

Lastly, there is this thought:

Q: what happens to school children who fail standardized tests?

A: They go right back for MORE schooling! Duh!

Does that strike anyone else as mind-numbingly, well, stupid? The school failed to "teach" the student, so the student goes back for MORE? (What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.) So, in the thought process of the person asking me the "don't your kids have to be tested?" question, if my children failed a standardized test, why would I send them to a traditional school? Shouldn't I just lose some of my government funding (oh, wait, I don't get any) and then continue on as usual?

Makes sense to me.

Repurposing what I repurposed...

2010-01-28T22:19:00.005-05:00

Okay, forgive the bad, grainy pictures. It was a cloudy day, and I did the best I could with light.

I needed a pot holder for my cast iron skillet. I hate realizing that I need to pour something out of the skillet before it burns, and then having to hunt (quickly!) for the pot holder that I'd just used and set down somewhere...

I wanted one of those handy-dandy ones that fit over the handle, but I really wasn't willing to pay $5.99+ for it. I mean, it's basically a padded sock, right? So I rummaged around in my scraps, and found a block that I had made for this quilt, but hadn't used. It was the "odd man out" and didn't fit into the dimensions of the quilt I made. So I traced around the handle of my cast iron skillet, and made a pot holder using that tracing as a pattern for this:

See? Fits perfectly! It's denim on the outside, lined with flannel on the inside. Durable, and keeps me from burning my hand.

Second, Adam was complaining that his legs were cold. (It just so happens that the chair he sits in for schooling is in the coldest spot in the house.) He wanted some leg-warmers like I wear. I grabbed a pair of knee high socks of mine that had holes in the heels and were headed for the rag bag. I found a tutorial online, and repurposed those holey socks from this:

To this:

So I managed to solve two problems in our house for $0. Yay for me!

For more frugal tips, check out Frugal Fridays, at Life As Mom.

Hmmm... Feminism

2010-01-17T12:56:00.007-05:00

Now that I'm no longer working the insane hours of retail at Christmas (did I mention I had to be at work at 4am?! OUCH!), my brain has started functioning again. As a consequence, I've been throwing around an idea in my head, a little internal argument that I can't solve on my own. Here's the question:

Has modern feminism gone too far? Has it not gone far enough? Has it gone in the wrong direction?

To the last question, I can answer a resounding "YES!" The other two... well, I'm still working on those.

Are we, as women of Western culture, better off because of feminism? Yes and no. I'm glad that I'm not (usually) talked down to because I'm a woman. I'm glad that I can earn a decent wage, that I'm seen as an intelligent, competent person. I'm not anyone's property, I can vote, I can run for office, and I can have and defend my own opinion. Those are all great things. But I think we'd all agree that something has been lost.

First, I think that feminism, in its way, devalues the contributions to society that are (primarily) made by women. So many feminists that I've encountered want to be seen as the same as men. Gosh, I don't. I want to be a woman, but with the same rights as a man. Can I have it both ways?

Did I lose you back in that last paragraph? Feminism devaluing women? Yeppers. Happens all the time. How many times have you heard someone say, "Does your wife work, or does she stay at home with the children?" (Let one of those blockheads stay home with my brood for a day, and they'll see WORK!) or "Girls can be anything at all when they grow up. They can be pilots, or Senators, or mechanics, or doctors." Umm... where is MOTHER in that laundry list? Well, okay, sometimes it gets tacked on those sentences. Usually like this, "Girls can be anything at all when they grow up. They can be pilots, or Senators, or mechanics, or doctors. Or even mothers." Gee, thanks. Even mothers, huh? Wow. What a wonderfully glowing accolade for the job on the planet that keeps the human race alive. You're welcome, by the way.

Oftentimes, feminists discourage femininity. It is implied to be equal with weakness. Subservience. Timidity. How many times do you think of a strong, modern woman, with intelligence and strength - and then picture a woman with a child on her lap, reading a story? Or sewing? Or knitting? Or cooking a meal for her family? Intelligence? Strength? Child-rearing? KNITTING? Oh, the horror of being a feminine feminist!

Shallow-minded feminism (which is the most common kind, I'm afraid) tells women that to be valued, we must be like men. Not "equal to" men. Not "have the same opportunities" as men. But we must be as men.

And how, pray tell, is that feminism?

It's just the same tired devaluing of women, in new clothes. Now women aren't seen as stupid or without ambition, unless they choose to stay home and raise children. Please don't misunderstand my motive, here. I'm not bitter. Not in the least. Just callin' it like I see it.

I feel a bit cheated by feminism. The illusion of "having it all." It's just not possible. I'm not trying to fight another skirmish in the Mommy Wars by pointing this out, but working 40 hours outside the home, raising children, and trying to keep a house (and make it into a home) is not something that can be done well. By anyone. Something has to give. Eventually, that house of cards comes down, either in a big crash, or a slow slide. But come down it does.

There is a widespread idea that feminism created a perceived need for two incomes. As more women started working outside the home, prices rose as a reaction to households having more disposable income. As a consequence, when some families kept to the one-wage-earning-parent model*, it becomes challenging to "keep up," further entrenching each side of the debate of wealth versus family. (Keeping up is another post.)

And we don't even need to talk about reproductive "freedom." How many women have been coerced into abortions? How many women are taking harmful pills or injections that override their bodies' natural functions, in the name of "freedom?" How many women are raising children on their own, because they tried to be like men and see intimacy as no big deal, and just a physical act? (Please understand that I know all men don't think this way, but this is the way society conditions us to see a man's point of view.) How many men and women are living together, with children and without marriage, because marriage is seen as something outdated, only needed by insecure, grasping people who need a piece of paper to seal a commitment?

I'm grateful for feminism. I'm grateful for the opportunities bought for me by the sacrifice and insistent voices of so many women. And I think it's gotten off track. Or maybe it was wrong at its start: I can't tell you, I hadn't been born yet. But I can say, with honesty, that mainstream feminism is broken, and entirely too man-centric. It focuses on making women like men. And I think that subverts what should be the bedrock of feminism: women are valuable as women. Not because we wear dresses or perfume or makeup (though those are very nice perks) but because we are strong, we make unpopular choices (like giving up a career bought by years of education to kiss sticky faces and get stains out of laundry), and we are unique. And we are not men. (Let's face it girls, the men are better men than we'll ever be. Thank God.)

*see, the feminist in me won't even allow that this sentence would be better served by coming out and saying the father works outside the home!

Busy busy busy!

2009-12-14T12:14:00.002-05:00

I really haven't been ignoring my blog. Really. I just got a part-time gig to see us through the holidays. I'm working at a major big box store for the holidays, which requires me to be up at 3am and at work by 4am. That doesn't leave me much time for blogging out my thoughts. But I'll be back!

You look maaahvelous!

2009-10-07T23:01:00.002-04:00

She found my mascara. Thank goodness it wasn't waterproof.

Look at all the LEGOs!

2009-10-07T22:44:00.002-04:00

We got an odd telephone call from our pediatrician's office a few days ago. It went like this:

Caller: Hi, this is Cindy from Dr. V--'s office. I'm not calling about an appointment or anything.

Me: Um, okay...

Caller: Actually, Dr. V-- asked me to call. You see, she's got some LEGOs that she needs to get rid of, and she didn't want to throw them away. She asked me, "Who is that family with all those boys and one girl?' (At this point I'm thinking, "All those boys? There are only three!" but I digress...) so, here I am, calling you. Would you like the LEGOs?

Me: SURE! Can we pick them up on Monday?

Caller: Absolutely. I'll pass the word to Dr. V-- to bring them in.

Hubby went with me to pick up the LEGOs. Can I just say, "WOW!" It took two nurses to carry the box!

The boys were thrilled - thrilled! - at all the new LEGOs. Lots of minifigures, base plates, and motorized kits. Aren't we lucky? (And you can bet that Adam's language arts assignment the next day was writing a nice thank-you note to his doctor!)

Wags trip, week of 9/27-10/3

2009-09-27T23:21:00.002-04:00

Out of pocket = $29.49 + tax

Saved = $205.97

I shopped at three different stores, so I didn't clean any one store out - because that's just rude. So here's what we got:

18 Chapstick *

18 Halls cough drops *

9 Herbal Essence mousse *

4 Herbal Essence shampoo *

4 Herbal Essence conditioner *

2 Fusion razors **

2 packages of Emergen-C *

2 Vaseline lotions **

1 package Dentek floss picks

Fillers (to bring transactions positive - Wags doesn't give back overages):

2 combs

5 Bazooka gum

2 Kit-Kats

1 package yogurt-covered raisins

3 Halloween plastic cups

1 Mentos

3 Trident (expensive way to keep kids busy while ringing up 20+ transactions)

19 pencils

* = free after Register Rewards + coupons

** = money maker

The stockpile is replenished, not that it was really wanting. : D

Now I'm on the hunt for free deodorant. We're down to about 9 in the stockpile.

They grow up so fast...

2009-09-09T22:15:00.002-04:00

They grow up so fast. *sigh*

Adam and Luke mastered riding without training wheels this week. (Adam was finally motivated by watching his brother do it. Now he loves his bike, instead of having to be dragged outdoors to have fun.)

Trio of tips

2009-08-27T22:06:00.004-04:00

See the frugality in the above picture? No? Well, look closer:

1. Unplug appliances when not in use! You can see the "unplugged" plug of my kitchen radio/CD player. Do I really need it to be plugged in all the time? Of course not. Why not pull the plug, so that I'm not paying for the digital clock to be on? (After all, I have multiple clocks in my kitchen already. Who needs one more?)

2. As a mom, I love portable snacks. But buying individual sized everything gets expensive. One of my solutions is to buy ONE package of individual servings, and refill the containers. In this case, raisins. I reuse my little boxes, refilling them from the big container. This reduces my per-ounce cost, but I still get the advantage of portability.

3. Canning - okay, sure, not rocket science there. But I preserve my own garden produce (in this picture, yummy salsa), and I got my canning jars for free by asking around. Put the word out when you're on the hunt for something. You never know when someone will be glad to pass their junk (your treasure) on to you!

Check out more thrifty tips at Life as Mom.

Blood Money

2009-08-26T23:14:00.009-04:00

The Haircut

2009-08-15T23:12:00.002-04:00

Preschooler + scissors + sister with pigtails = very angry mommy

Joey thought it would be a good idea to cut Grace's hair. I was not pleased.

Neither was Gracie, when I took her to the kiddie salon for the "fix."

No, not even the balloon made her happy.

Now she has a funky (and not in a good way) looking shag 'do. I guess I should be thankful that it's not Christmas or Easter picture time.

Say hello...

2009-08-07T22:03:00.003-04:00

To my little friend! This praying mantis has been hanging out on my clothesline for about 3 days. Hubby got a picture of him, perched on a clothespin. (The mantis was perched. Not Hubby.)

I have put him down in the garden several times - mantises (mantii?) are supposed to be helpful insects, eating the "bad" garden bugs. But my little friend won't stay put. He likes the clothesline. Who am I to argue? Maybe some nasty little bugs are trying to make off with my capri pants...

Taste of pioneer life

2009-08-05T22:11:00.003-04:00

This picture was taken yesterday, when we lost power due to some wicked thunderstorms. I feel like I should read Little House on the Prairie to the kids, now. We needed the camping lantern just to see our lunch! (We had just gotten home from the library, so the kids were gathered around the lantern reading books and eating peanuts while I made our no-cook lunch.)

Walgreens & CVS this week

2009-08-05T16:53:00.002-04:00

Total spent = $8.61

Total saved = $63.68

Before & After

2009-07-30T21:24:00.005-04:00

Stockpile, before:

And after:

Tomatos, before:

And after:

The garden, before:

And after:

Bread, before:

And after: (see? They are dark!)

So even though I am on an endless gerbil wheel of laundry, dishes, housekeeping, and child-herding, I am making progress.

You win some, and you lose some

2009-07-29T22:53:00.006-04:00

I bought some yummy Starbucks frappuccinos at Walgreens this past week, courtesy of a sale + coupons. After I drank my first frap, I noticed how pretty the bottle is. See?

It looks like a miniature old-fashioned milk jug. I wanted to keep it, because it's pretty. But I wanted to USE it, not just keep it around, taking up space. I tried putting pens in it, but the mouth is too narrow, and the glass is too tall. Jelly jars work better for pen storage. Then I tried using it as a vase for a couple of flowers:

Fuzzy picture and my poor photographic skills notwithstanding, that didn't work, either. So I have three of these little bottles hanging out in my stockpile space, waiting for a use. Ideas?

Joey's shoes

2009-07-29T17:10:00.003-04:00

Just here to post some pictures of Joey's shoes. They're ugly. And he loves them.

Waste not, want not

2009-07-26T21:40:00.004-04:00

My children will not eat the heels of a loaf of bread. Occasionally I get creative when making PB&J, and I face the heel inward, tricking the little monsters into eating their sandwiches. But those little people are crafty, and I'm afraid they'll catch on to my scheme, so I have taken to collecting bread heels in my freezer. I can't bear to throw perfectly good food away. (And because I know you're going to ask, I don't eat sandwiches at lunch, I eat leftovers. No heels for me, either.)

Eventually, all this saving leads me here (and keep in mind this is about half of what I had in the freezer):

What to do? Hubby gave me the idea of making croutons! (Forgive the picture below. I was holding a wiggly toddler.) I stacked my heels about 2 or 3 high on a cutting board, and sliced through them with a pizza cutter, making crouton-sized squares. Then I spread out the croutons on a wire rack and let them get a little hard & stale. (That's an important step, if you like crunchy croutons!) I had to wait a couple of hours.

Next, I put the stale bread cubes in a bowl, poured some free (after sale & coupons) dressing on them, lidded the bowl, and shook like mad! (The kids got a kick out of that!)

After putting my cubes on a cookie sheet, I baked them in the oven at 350 for about 10-12 minutes, opening the oven a couple of times to turn the cubes, preventing burning. After letting them cool, I stored them in an airtight (garage sale find) container. Now I have "free" croutons to go with my garden cukes and tomatos that are coming in right now. I confess that I was a little puzzled about the color of my croutons - they're darker than the store-bought kind. But then I slapped my forehead - aha! - we only eat whole wheat bread! Of course my croutons are darker!

Below, you can see Joey holding the freezer bag full of bread crumbs we made from the other half of the heels. I just threw the rest of my bread in a food processor and gave it a quick buzz. "Free" breading for recipes!

At the park

2009-07-14T22:05:00.002-04:00

A new point of view

2009-07-06T22:46:00.004-04:00

I wanted to share a picture that Adam took on Banana Bread Morning. It's of a tiny shelf above our kitchen sink, that holds a statue of the Blessed Virgin and a couple of holy cards. You never know what your children notice in your household... things that you may take for granted. Things you may see so often that you don't really notice anymore.

It's a little reminder to me to guard my thoughts lest they become words that I'd rather my children didn't hear. If I want to cultivate good virtues in my children, I must first master them in myself. Patience, kindness, meekness, humility.

Once upon a time...

2009-07-06T22:22:00.004-04:00

Once upon a time there was a thrifty mom who thought, instead of composting or throwing away her over-ripe bananas, it would be a good idea to make banana bread out of them. Since it was a nice day outside, and there was no need for air conditioning, she thought it was a splendid undertaking, and set out, immediately, to, well, undertake it!

As she pulled out ingredients for her yummy treat, her children, being the bloodhounds that they are, discovered what fun their mother was about to have in the kitchen, and decided that they, too must be a part! So their mother, having nothing but warm and loving feelings for her children, and knowing that they were culinary geniuses who never make kitchen messes, welcomed their help without reservation.

And then I woke up.

It is a struggle for me to watch a mess being made. Don't get me wrong - I have no trouble cooking or baking with one child. That's (pun intended) a piece of cake. But when all four help at the same time - I really have to turn my patience on to full. But I take a deep breath and remind myself that we're creating more than banana bread - we're creating memories. Whew. Okay. I can do this!

Look at the pride on Luke's face as he helps teach his sister how to stir! How could I squash that? His pride is much more important to me than a little spilled flour.

Look at Gracie being a "big girl" and getting the bread pan for Mommy! (No, safety police, the oven and stovetop are NOT on. Good grief, give me some credit, would ya?)

I won't tell you how many times the little stirring hands dropped the spoon in the batter, or how many times I fished it out.

I had to find jobs for everyone, of course. Joey mashed bananas and used the butter wrappers to grease the baking pans.

And Adam took the pictures. I think he did a pretty good job. At least as good as I would have done! (No, we don't always bake shirtless.)

Voila! Two ready-to-bake loaves of banana bread. I would love to show you the finished product, but if I had paused to take a picture before slicing, my children would have eaten my arm.

I scream, you scream...

2009-06-24T22:26:00.003-04:00

Sweetie, your Daddy may be able to fix anything, but you'll need a stain stick for that shirt.

Camping

2009-06-24T22:09:00.004-04:00

We braved the very wet weather (which, this week, turned to very hot weather) to go camping. Cheap vacation!

Here is Hubby setting up the tent that we call The Habitrail. We got it a few years ago, and it's been a great investment. It consists of one, large central tent connected by tubes to two smaller auxiliary tents. The boys sleep in one small tent, we stow our gear in one small tent, and Hubby, Gracie, and I sleep in the big tent on an air mattress.

This is the only hike we took over the weekend. I should mention here that the state park in which we camped only had one hiking trail. Boo, hiss! But isn't the covered bridge cool?

Here is Adam, during one of the few times he wasn't whining during the weekend. Notice in the background the Rubbermaid totes into which our "neighbors" had packed all of their camping gear. Can you see the labels on the totes? Be still my heart! Hubby spent the weekend coveting their speedboat, and I spent the weekend coveting their Rubbermaid totes!

Garage sale scores!

2009-06-13T23:06:00.004-04:00

Today I hit a great neighborhood garage sale and scored! I'm sorry that I have no pictures to share, but I had to put all the clothes away before the kids scattered them all, and of course, the toys are now strewn about the boys' room.

I took $20 from the ATM this morning, and came home with $3. Here is a list of what I bought with my $17:

6 long-sleeved shirts for Luke
2 short-sleeved tees for Adam
1 long-sleeved tee for Adam
1 pair of shorts for Adam
2 heavy sweatshirts for Adam
1 stocking cap (winter) for Luke
1 sweater for me
1 shirt for me
2 Rescue Hero action figures
a bucket of Magnetix action figures
a tub of Legos
6 bangle bracelets for Gracie
2 play sheilds
2 play swords
3 books for Adam
2 Transformer action figures
1 wire basket for my bathroom
1 winter coat for Adam
1 Bullseye and Woody toy for Luke
1 big Magna-Doodle

I think I did pretty well, don't you? I still wish I would've picked up that Easy Bake oven for $2, though...

Summer's here

2009-06-12T22:17:00.003-04:00

Summer is here, but has been so darn RAINY that we haven't gotten to do much outside. But we're making the best of things.

We signed up for the summer reading program at our library.

Peaches are in season (ie, cheap) and I picked some up at the grocery. See the yummy peach cobbler?

And we finally got the garden in the ground. (See how wet it is? I need an ark!)

I <3 Coupons!

2009-06-04T21:54:00.002-04:00

So this week at Meijer, I have two good deals cooking!

1. Buy 4 Crystal Light On The Go packs

use 2 $2/2 internet printables (here and here)

use 4 $1/1 Mealbox coupons (here)

get 4 Crystal Lights and 2 packs of water for less than $4.

2. Ritz (sale 2/$5)

use $1 Mealbox coupon (here), $1/1 internet printable (here)

AND the manufacturer coupon from the 5/17 Smart Source for free Wheat Thins when you buy any Ritz

AND the manufacturer coupon from the 3/15 Smart Source for BOGO Artisan Wheat Thins

get 3 boxes of crackers for $0.50

Thanks to the ladies at HCW for these!

A couple of pictures

2009-05-27T23:00:00.002-04:00

Just a couple of pictures that I wanted to share.

Adam, playing soccer:

Luke, playing soccer:

Argh! There be pirates in my living room!

Repurposing a milk jug

2009-05-26T22:50:00.007-04:00

There are a million ways to repurpose a milk jug. If you are so inclined, you can peruse the two-page spread in The Tightwad Gazette that outlines a couple dozen of those ways. But here is my favorite:

I cut part of the handle off, and slice diagonally across the top.

And then I fill it with clothespins. I can use the modified handle to slip the jug over my clothesline, or I can put the handle in my pocket (very handy!) so that I don't have to chase my clothespin container as it slides down the clothesline.

Now I still use my pretty clothespin holder that you can see in this post, but I think my milk-jug holder is more practical. I really like that I can hook it on my pocket or the clothesline. I can make more holders easily, and best of all, I'm reusing something I already have. I've always used several milk jug holders downstairs on my basement lines, but now that I have multiple lines outside, my little hillbilly -er, ah... thrifty secret is out for everyone to see.

Summer=clothesline

2009-05-26T22:30:00.006-04:00

It's summer, and I don't have my garden in, yet. But I have been hitting the clothesline pretty hard. See?

I've been trying to keep from turning on the a/c, and I'm winning the battle so far. For someone who hates, hates to be hot, I have managed to keep the a/c off, even though my indoor temps have topped 85 degrees. For me, that's HUGE. Part of my a/c battle involves keeping the oven and clothes dryer off.

I forgot, over the long winter, how quickly clothes dry on an outdoor line. I am loving that I can dry several loads in a few hours (as opposed to 24-plus on my indoor winter lines), and I love the new umbrella clothesline that my mom got me!

I can hang two-and-a-half loads on my umbrella line! I can put a load on my regular line, start it drying, put a load or two on my umbrella line, and by the time I'm on load 3, my first load is dry. This is GREAT!

See how much room I've got on my umbrella line? I am in looooove. I think I'm going to need more clothespins. Still cheaper than the dryer, right?

Keeping inventory

2009-05-12T22:22:00.009-04:00

This is a picture that I took just after Thanksgiving, but a comment from my friend Liz made me remember I wanted to post about it!

On the right is our little white board that Hubby & I use to write little messages to each other. We were both so excited to have Thanksgiving leftovers! I LOVE Thanksgiving leftovers, and so does Hubby. The kids love them, too, because they LOVE turkey, and pumpkin pie. But that's not the point of this post.

Next to our white board you'll see the freezer inventory. We have a chest freezer in the basement, and I (of course) use it when I stock up on good deals. (In fact, I have a couple of hams in there that I bought for a steal during Holy Week.)

The freezer inventory works like this: I make a list of what's in the freezer, with a slash mark next to the item, indicating how many of the item I have. (If I have three boxes of stick butter, it gets three slashes.) When I remove an item from the freezer, I make an "X" out of my slash. I lifted this idea from The Tightwad Gazette, when the author writes about keeping track of her garden produce.

The inventory helps me plan meals, and it keeps me from being wasteful. If I see a good deal coming up on an item, I can check my list to see if it's time to replenish my supply of said item, or wait for the next sale.

I'm not perfect at remembering to cross off items, and I do make a new inventory list every four to six months (my old one gets messy and inaccurate.) But it does help!

Darth Vader, Fashionista

2009-04-24T22:05:00.005-04:00

Since it's now above 75 degrees in our neck of the woods, I pulled out some summer PJs for Joey today, from the garage. I thought he'd like these Darth Vader jammies - but he LOVES them.

After getting dressed for bed, he realized that he didn't have socks on - he wore sandals all day, but determined that it was just not acceptable to go to bed without socks. I figured that this wasn't the hill I wanted to die on, so I pointed him in the direction of his sock drawer, telling him to pick out a pair.

There was much wailing and knashing of teeth, as he despaired that he had no BLACK socks. Being the practical mom that I am, I suggested that he wear white socks to bed.

That was the wrong thing to do apparently. I was informed, via a loud three-year-old wail,

"Darth Vader wears black socks!"

(Thankfully, he settled for white socks with navy toes and heels. Whew.)

Ashes to ashes

2009-04-23T22:11:00.005-04:00

Remember this post from last fall? When we had a little campfire in the backyard, and toasted marshmallows? Wellllll... Joey and Luke found the ashes in the firepit and smeared them all over their faces, hands, and legs. They said it gave them, "magical powers."

Unfortunately, I had to make all of their magical powers disappear in the bathtub before every doorknob, cabinet face, and piece of furniture in my house got to share the magic.

I'm sure someday this will be very funny.

Easter Pics

2009-04-16T22:37:00.004-04:00

Joey is always so cheerful for family pictures.

The chocolate crash after coming home from Grandma's...

And I included this one, just because he's so stinkin' cute!

A Green Easter

2009-04-11T21:32:00.005-04:00

Now don't go and think that everything that we did for the kids' Easter baskets was eco-friendly, but we did do a couple of things that were friendly to the Earth and our budget.

First, we reused the baskets from last year. I just stack them on a shelf in the basement after every Easter, and they wait to be used annually. It always amazes me how many people are too bothered to just put something on a shelf! (Here's the math: 4 kids, 18 years each, conservatively estimating $2.99 per basket = $215.28. Yep, I can find the shelf space.)

Secondly, instead of Easter grass, we used shredded paper to fill the baskets. I shred the pre-approved credit card offers I get in the mail anyway, so why not put them to good use? (A side benefit to this is that I'm not vacuuming up that darn Easter grass for six months. I hate Easter grass!) The kids think it's cool to shred the paper and leave the baskets out for the Easter Bunny to fill.

Third, I shop at Goodwill for some of the kids "filler" items. I can pick up paperback books at a steal. My kids love to read!

Lastly, and this isn't as eco-friendly as wallet-friendly, I put a few useful things in their baskets. Pencils, crayons, hair bands for Grace (I should branch out to cool toothbrushes next year!), items that aren't junk. (Really, how much play does a child get out of a wind-up plastic Easter bunny that hops? And how long does that item spend in a landfill after that 3 minutes of play?)

Yes, they still get candy. Yes, they get dyed eggs. I use Russell-Stover chocolate crosses instead of chocolate bunnies - I like to keep Jesus front & center. We reuse our plastic "filler" eggs every year. Hubby insists upon jelly beans every year. In other words, there is no horrid suffering and depravation taking place because we've chosen to be crunchy and thrifty.

Struggling

2009-04-09T22:20:00.003-04:00

I need to clone myself.

I do this to myself every spring. After being cooped up all winter with nothing to do, after purposefully sequestering myself in my home, hunkering down with my peeps, I go a little nutty with the volunteering come spring. This year has hit me especially hard.

Here's my list for the next two weeks:

Adam and Luke are both in soccer this year. Practices and games on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
I've volunteered to take a meal to a mom with a new baby. This is her seventh child.
I'll be attending my cousin's baby shower next Saturday. (oops! Soccer game! Oh, and I have to shop for a gift...)
Cub Scouts is winding down its year, but I have six weeks of meetings, alternating Mondays and Thursdays. I still have Adam's health form to fill out for camp, which includes finding his vax record. (FTR, I don't vax my kids anymore - so finding his vax record is a process in itself. It'll involve looking up his ped that I left... four years ago?)
I'm in charge of our homeschool group's Mom's Night Out.
I'm working on a spreadsheet for a local pro-life group. I help them organize their data. I have January and February of this year to compile.
Did I mention I homeschool?
And that Hubby started a new job, and works Monday - Friday, from about 9am to about 7:30pm, and Saturday mornings? Oh, and still waits tables on Saturday nights?
and my dad wants me to help a friend of his file a complicated amendment on his taxes.

I'm still trying to be frugal with our meals, and hang my laundry to dry (I've really gotten off the wagon, there.) Couponing is still going strong. I think I'm going to have to give up sleeping soon, if someone doesn't stop me from opening my big mouth to say, "Yes! I'll do that!"

So when I say that I'm going to bring a meal to a mom in our playgroup who's recently been put on bedrest, someone slap me, okay? There's only so much one woman can do! But for some reason, I seem to think that I can change the world, singlehandedly. "Entropy, beware! I have arrived to save us all! I have come to prevent the decline of Western Civilization in my hyper-domesticity!"

I'm being a nag

2009-04-05T21:17:00.003-04:00

The surest way for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.

Edmund Burke

This is really a no-brainer. If you value the freedom of any person to follow his conscience, if you believe that a person should be allowed to refuse to act in a way that directly contradicts his own deeply-held religious beliefs, then say so. Don't depend on "someone else" to protect the freedoms that we all hold dear. Stand up and be heard. Heck, you don't even have to stand up. Just click your mouse a few times.

Here's your chance.

#1 Laundry Mom

2009-04-04T22:48:00.004-04:00

Sorry about the poor picture, but it's hard to take a good picture of aluminum foil!

A few days ago, I was buried in laundry. I had sheets and towels to wash, diapers to send through, and the normal, clothing laundry to keep up on. Seven loads later, I had again conquered the laundry mountain. I joked with Hubby, "Someone should make me a medal. That was an Olympic event!"

So he did. : D I love my Someone!

The stockpile, again

2009-04-04T22:34:00.006-04:00

Here's an updated picture of the stockpile. It's still growing, mostly with freebies, of course. Most of my stockpile is toiletries: deodorant, soap, shampoo, styling products, toothpaste, toothbrushes.

Below is a better picture of (most of) the soap and shampoo. I think I have enough to last us the year. I hit a killer deal at Walgreens this week on Softsoap, and ended up paying only tax - that's 28 cents a bottle. So I drove around to several stores (because I didn't want to clear the shelves of any one particular store - that's just rude!) and stocked up. I have 35 bottles. I will, of course, be sharing with our parish food pantry.

Hubby has promised to move some more shelving into the little basement room that houses my stockpile. That will give me more room, and allow me to organize a bit better. I'm excited - it's like having my own little drug store! I have to admit, too, that it's the best-smelling room in the house!

Family Planning Associates Plane Crash

2009-03-29T10:51:00.003-04:00

I read this article at the blog of a friend, and thought I should pass it along. I hope this is a wakeup call for Bud Feldcamp. We should pray for his family, and those that died in the crash.

Odds & Ends

2009-03-28T07:48:00.004-04:00

Just some odds and ends of the past couple weeks.

We made a fort on a cold, rainy, spring day. We used couch cushions, kitchen chairs, blankets, playsilks, and clothespins.

And here's what it looked like inside.

This is for my friend Dani. This is a picture of 18 ounces of natural peanut butter. : )

This is what I look at for the first half hour of my day - a toddler with bed head hanging on to my leg while I fix breakfast, brush my teeth, brush my hair...

And this is a picture taken by our friend Ron with his ga-zillion dollar camera. I'm so envious!

Freedom of Conscience

2009-03-26T22:56:00.002-04:00

President Obama wants to end the freedom of healthcare workers to act according to their own consciences, requiring them to provide abortions or dispense birth control, even if it conflicts with their own personal beliefs. Does this sound like freedom of choice to you? (Of course it is, as long as you choose what the government tells you to!)

Frankly, it sounds a bit Orwellian to me.

Don't like it? There's a petition here. Go sign it! NOW!

Fluffy and pretty!

2009-03-20T22:35:00.007-04:00

It was time to order some new cloth diapers. The last time I had replaced my medium Fuzzi Bunz, Luke was in diapers. That meant that my medium diapers had been in near-constant use since... 2004? With this year's tax return, I ordered a few new FBs from Natural Babies.

They came in the mail, and OH! They are so soft and pretty! Since this was my first opportunity to order girly-colored Fuzzi Bunz, I took full advantage. (TBH, I also ordered orange and red, but they didn't look as good with the others in the photos, so just imagine them, okay?)

Why, why, why do people insist on using crinkly, smelly, chemical-laden paper diapers? These are so lovely to the touch. Would you wear paper underwear? Me either! So why make your child wear a trash bag on her bottom all day?

I admit, I was a bit intimidated by the choices out there on the internet - so many cloth diapers to choose from. So I ordered one. Just one. It was a red Fuzzi Bunz. And I tried it on Luke, who was a year old at the time. And I was hooked.

I was so concerned about the extra laundry, and washing poop in my washing machine, and all the horror stories (from middle-aged women) about cloth diapers - none of which are accurate about today's cloth diapers, I can tell you! These aren't your momma's plastic pants! These are pretty, and they smell good, and they're EASY!

I do not keep a pail full of bleach-water in my house
I do not dunk dirty diapers in the toilet, and carry them, dripping and nasty to the pail
I do not touch poop when changing a diaper or taking them to the washing machine
I have not had to buy a million pieces of special paraphernalia
I save money by not throwing away my diapers after every use
I save the environment by not discarding my diapers, not using a newly manufactured diaper for every diaper change, not buying more trash bags for my diaper-filled trash cans, not wasting gas transporting diapers from factory to warehouse to store to my home and then to the landfill. Yes, I use water and energy to wash my diapers. But how much water and energy does it take to manufacture and transport single-use diapers? And how much room do they take up in the landfill? YUCK!

And can we just talk about poop for a minute? If you're a parent, poop happens. It's a fact of life, and you get used to it pretty quickly. Once your baby starts solids, poop takes on a life of its own. It needs to be dumped in the toilet after a diaper change - whether you're using cloth or paper diapers. Yep - go check the instructions on the side of your sposie diaper package. You're supposed to be flushing that poo before your sposie hits the trash! If you're not, well, then you're creating a big problem for our groundwater. (Especially if you also vax your kids. Which is an ENTIRELY different post.) So don't use the poop issue as an excuse for using your chemical-laden, crunchy (and not in a good way) diapers. Stop being a weenie and go to cloth.

One last thought about cloth: I hear a lot of people whine about the upfront cost of cloth. Look at it this way - buying cloth diapers versus using sposies is a lot like buying a car versus renting one week-to-week. Sure, the upfront cost is off-putting, but which is cheaper in the long run? DUH!

A thing of beauty...

2009-03-20T22:09:00.008-04:00

is a joy at the grocery store! After months of struggling along with my previous coupon organization system, I finally broke down and bought a Mead Five-Star binder, upon the recs of some nice ladies at HCW. I have died and gone to coupon heaven!

I had resisted buying a binder and accessories for quite a while. My previous accordion file was free, and being the tightwad that I am, I didn't want to spend money on a new system. But I realized last weekend at Meijer that my accordion-file system just wasn't working. Imagine having fistfuls of coupons, sifting through them in the aisle just because you found something on sale and darn it! You knew you had clipped that coupon! Now where is it?! (Now imagine that with a toddler in tow, who is melting down because you won't let her open the Goldfish crackers. Not pretty.)

Yeah, I was frustrated. So I bought a new binder. I stocked it with two calculators (one for figuring per-unit prices, the other to keep a running total), a pen, paper, paper clips, kid scissors, and plenty of clear sleeves used to store baseball cards. And it zips closed, so if I drop it, I don't have a coupon avalanche! (Right, Hubby?) See? Look!

In the above photo, you can see the front of my binder. It has a mesh pocket that zips closed. I keep my calculators here, and any coupons that I'm using during the shopping trip that I'm on.

In this photo (above) you can see the inside cover of my binder. On the left, there are several accordion folders, in which I keep lists, uncut inserts, and store ads. On the right, you can see a small zippered pouch that holds my scissors, paper clips, and spare note paper.

And here is the best part- the COUPONS! Oh, they are so organized, and bring a leap of joy to my little thrifty, hyper-organized heart. I purchased some dividers along with the binder, and so I have divided my coupons by my store's layout. Health & beauty comes first, frozen food and bread comes last, with everything else in the middle. I broke out my label maker and labeled all my little tabs, and I am in LOOOOOVE.

Did I mention that this sucker is HEAVY? Yeppers, it's a bit of a chore to haul her around, but I think it's worth it. I can find everything now, just by flipping pages. Hubby thinks I'm nuts, but that's okay, because I've already saved enough to pay for my new binder. : )

Chalkboard pantry

2009-03-10T00:12:00.004-04:00

Not a great picture, I know, because it's a tight spot. But we painted our pantry door with chalkboard paint, and we LOVE it! I can write our weekly menu on the door, and the kids (Hubby) like to draw all kinds of pictures on it! And now, I have somewhere to write all those great, inspiring quotes I find that I want to remember. (I have to memorize them fast, though, because the kids LOVE to erase the chalkboard.)

Walgreens, revisited

2009-03-10T00:08:00.002-04:00

Today at Walgreens, I bought all this shampoo, conditioner, and hair gel, plus a pack of gum. I paid $3.77. (Of that $3.77, $2.60 was tax. Woot!)

Just thought you should know!

What a great kid!

2009-02-27T21:55:00.003-05:00

Just stopping in a minute to brag about Adam, my oldest. Here's a picture of him, kneading dough for homemade bagels. We counted that for science & math that day. They turned out so yummy!

And here he is, with his sister. He dotes on her, plays with her, carries her around the house, reads to her. She adores him. I hope they'll always be so close.

You know you're the mom of boys...

2009-02-26T22:07:00.003-05:00

When you give your son a picture of the pope to color, and he adds a light sabre and axe.

The memo

2009-02-23T21:38:00.003-05:00

Here's a lovely little document generated by the VP of Planned Parenthood in 1969. It's a memo proposing methods of limiting the population growth of the United States. Downright creepy how many of those methods have managed to sneak in, isn't it? Anyone feeling like they're living in China, or under the watchful eye of Big Brother?

Swagbucks

2009-02-18T22:31:00.004-05:00

A while back, I was cruising around the internet, reading blogs of other frugalites, hoping to make a new frugal discovery. And I hit paydirt! It's a little search engine, called Swagbucks. If you use their search engine (searching just like you normally would), you earn points. The points can be redeemed for gift cards to places like Starbucks and Amazon. So I signed up, and started earning points.

So what's the catch?

Well, so far, I can't find one.

Every now & then I'll happen along a Swagcode on the internet. I go to the Swagbucks homepage, enter the code, and earn a couple more points. Yay for me!

So if you'd like to participate, just click on the link ("Search and Win") on my sidebar. I'll earn some referral points, and you can start earning gift cards, too. Yay for you! (By the way, you can download a toolbar from Swagbucks to make searching with Swagbucks easier.)

Big Props to Hubby!

2009-02-10T23:24:00.001-05:00

Because he painted his hair, and the bedroom. Whoo hoo!

More thrifty tips

2009-02-09T21:15:00.009-05:00

Time for more thrifty tips! I know you're waiting on the edge of your seat. : )

As you know, I love, love my clothesline. However, it does have one teeeensey drawback. Let me elaborate: in the winter, because I keep our thermostat low, we wear layers. Hubby's favorite pullovers are fleece. When I dry his fleece sweaters on the clothesline, they don't get rid of their lint, as they would in a dryer. And if I do fluff them in the dryer, his fleece items come out SO static-y. I didn't want to get dryer sheets - I'd done that before, and though I cut them into halves or thirds, I knew there had to be a better (more frugal) way. I decided to try a little tip I picked up somewhere (and don't ask me where, because I can't remember the source.) (Edited to add: I found it! Frugal Upstate!)

I filled a disposable food container with a mixture of 1/3 liquid fabric softener and 2/3 water. Then, I took a couple of large sponges, cut them into cubes, and put them in the liquid. I throw one cube in with any laundry that needs a toss in the dryer, and needs to be static-free. I keep a lid on them usually (except for blog pictures) because I don't want to lose any of my concoction to evaporation! I also used the store brand, generic, unscented fabric softener. After going without scents in my laundry for so long, those artificial smells REEK of chemicals to me. So this is a nice little compromise.

And since I'm writing about keeping frugal despite winter's curveballs, here's another tip.

As I've mentioned before, we drink our fair share of (decaf) coffee in the winter. Keeping the warm drinks coming helps me keep the thermostat low. In the interest of getting rid of as many paper products as we can, Hubby and I switched some time ago to a reusable coffee filter. Here's what it looks like:

I found the filter at my grocery store. Keep in mind that if you purchase one, it may be labeled a "gold filter." I know there are some that have gold in the filter (it's supposed to work better), but mine is just... some kind of black metal. It was cheaper (and NOT labeled a "gold filter.") I think I purchased mine for $4.99. How much does a package of disposable filters cost, anyway? And if you want unbleached filters, they're even more! By using my reusable filter, I never have anything to throw away after making coffee. (Because I put my used grounds in my compost bin, of course.)

Last tip: to further reduce my coffee costs, I reuse my grounds. When I first read about this tip in The Tightwad Gazette, I thought it sounded a bit questionable. I'm glad I tried it! After I make a pot of coffee, I pour myself a cup, put the rest in my thermos, unplug the pot, but I don't compost my grounds yet! The next time I make coffee, I put half of the first recipe's amount back in the filter, on top of the used grounds. So if I used 4 scoops for my first pot of coffee, I reuse those grounds, just adding 2 more scoops. I use the same amount of water as I used in the first batch. The result is that I get another pot of coffee using half the grounds, and it tastes exactly the same.

So there you go! Go forth and be thrifty!

A little drawing from Luke

2009-01-31T22:49:00.004-05:00

Luke and Adam love to draw. Their favorite subjects are Lego mini figures and Star Wars characters. Here is Luke's latest creation:

Do you get who it is? He spelled the first name on his own, and asked my help for the last name. What an artiste!

Finally! Real snow!

2009-01-29T23:45:00.003-05:00

I am just GIDDY about this snow! Sure, I can't get my car out of the garage, but the snow is just beautiful. Here are some pics of the kids enjoying themselves. We've been making a lot of snow angels (okay, not really, because the snow is a bit too deep for that), and drinking our fair share of hot chocolate. Enjoy the pictures!

Trio of (frugal) tips

2009-01-18T22:10:00.004-05:00

Why do people buy chip clips at the grocery store? At my store, I can buy three chip clips for $2. Or I can buy a bag of 50 clothespins for $2. Sure, I have to actually fold my bag down twice before putting a clothespin on my bag to close it, but I think the savings is worth it.

This is a little bread tab, that keeps bread fresh. I save many of mine. Recently, Hubby reconfigured all the wires behind our entertainment center, and he used our tabs to label the cords (DVD, TV, etc.) It made it much easier to keep tabs (pun intended) on what each cord was for!

I saw the cutest little bath toy holder at Target last year: it's a frog, made of plastic. When cleaning up after a bath, a parent can just scoop with this big frog and pick up all the bath toys, where they can drip-dry until needed next time. Personally, I don't need a $30 frog just to hold some squirty ducks and a few cups and squirt bottles. I just used a mesh bag from a bag of oranges. (Ahem. You'll note the free shampoos & conditioner in the photo. Can you believe people actually pay for shampoo?! I love coupons!)

So, what little frugal tips do you have for me?

Two little things...

2009-01-16T22:20:00.004-05:00

This is something I never did with my first child. But hey, it was her birthday, and I needed to do the dishes. I didn't have time to pick out matching pants, so she's wearing yellow with pink. By the time you're on your fourth child, you kinda chill out about your kids being in perfectly matched clothes all the time. (You thought I was talking about the frosting, didn't you?)

Yes, that's a hospital bracelet on Joey's wrist. He went to bed, like normal, at about 8:30. At 10:30, he was awake and SCREAMING; his belly was distended, he couldn't sit or bend. Hubby and I tried to console him, but to no avail. We called our ped's after-hours line, and they advised us to take Joey to the ER, based on his abdominal distention. By midnight, we were in triage, and by the time we saw a doctor at 2am, Joey was fine, all on his own. He just needed to pass a little (a lot of) gas.

The moral of my story? Kids will humble you. Just when you think you have all the answers and you've got a pretty good bead on things, they throw you a curve ball.

Pride goeth before the flu...

2009-01-06T22:21:00.004-05:00

Remember in my clothesline post, when I said I rarely get truly behind on laundry? Well, I've been playing catch-up, because a nasty stomach bug is making its way through my house. I've been washing a LOT of bedding, pajamas, and towels. (Oh, and kitchen rugs. Yuck.) Luke had it, then Joey, now Adam has it. (I suspect Gracie has a touch of it, but she's not had quite the same symptoms as the boys. I'll spare you the details.)

This is really NOT the best week for this to happen, as we're just getting back into school after Christmas Break, and Hubby is interviewing for jobs, studying for his networking certification, and working part-time waiting tables. (Is there ever really a good week for flu?) I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, and I just want our days to settle into a predictable pattern again. Oh well - at least the pantry is stocked from all my recent uber-couponing.

Normally, our days have a routine. The boys and I are comfortable with it, and it helps keep things running smoothly. The older two boys have their chores, I have mine, we know generally how the day is going to progress. For myself, I have a schedule in my head of what housework gets done on what day, so I'm not running around trying to clean the entire house in one day. It works like this: Monday - kitchen, Tuesday - bathroom, Wednesday - living room, Thursday - bathroom, Friday - bedrooms, Saturday - bathroom. Yes, I clean my ONE bathroom three times a week. I have three boys, remember?

Laundry is done every day. Luke throws it downstairs, and I sort it into baskets. I know the size of my "sorting" baskets: each basket is equal to one load of laundry. When a basket is full, its contents get thrown in the wash. As per my frugal nature, I only wash full loads. I usually do 2 or 3 loads a day, which is about all my clotheslines can handle. Each load is hung, and when clothes dry, they are folded and put into a basket, dependent on which room they're going in. When the clean-clothes basket is full, I put that basket (room) of laundry away. (So I don't put laundry away every day.) Luke's other chore is folding napkins and kitchen towels, and putting them away.

Adam vacuums every day. Our house is mostly hardwoods, but we do have area rugs and a German Shepherd. So vacuuming our little space is important. I also bring all our socks to Adam to match and put away. Holey socks go to the rag box, which is used to clean up unmentionable messes (we've used a lot of those this week); unmatched socks go to the mismatch box, where they await their long lost mates! About once every two weeks, we take out the mismatch box and match up socks that have turned up. It's a system that works for us.

That's a little peek into our housekeeping routine around here. It keeps things running smoothly in our little space. I just wish this stomach bug would pass so that I can get back to my routine! Bleh!

Novena to St. Joseph

2009-01-05T20:08:00.006-05:00

I found this novena over at Catholic Fire. If you'd like to join me, I'll be starting tomorrow.

Prayer to St. Joseph for Workers

Joseph, by the work of your hands and the sweat of your brow, you supported Jesus and Mary, and had the Son of God as your fellow worker. Teach me to work as you did, with patience and perseverance, for God and for those whom God has given me to support. Teach me to see in my fellow workers the Christ who desires to be in them, that I may always be charitable and forbearing towards all. Grant me to look upon work with the eyes of faith, so that I shall recognize in it my share in God's own creative activity and in Christ's work of our redemption, and so take pride in it. When it is pleasant and productive, remind me to give thanks to God for it. And when it is burdensome, teach me to offer it to God, in reparation for my sins and the sins of the world.

O good father Joseph! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to obtain for me what I ask: for profitable, steady work for Loni's husband, so that he can support his family and provide for their needs.

Obtain for all those who have asked for my prayers, everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Be near to me in my last moments, that I may eternally sing the praises of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Amen.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)

A rainy Sunday

2009-01-04T23:11:00.003-05:00

And here's what we did with our afternoon. The boys (Hubby included) got out the Legos and built a starship. We *heart* Legos!

My Walgreens score

2009-01-04T23:00:00.006-05:00

Here's what I got today at Walgreens:

3 Garnier Fructis shampoos

3 Garnier Fructis conditioners

2 boxes Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil

2 Christmas potholders

3 packages gift tags

1 package ornament hooks

1 package toothbrush travel cases

1 barrette

1 bottle of Softsoap handsoap

1 bottle Palmolive dishwashing liquid

3 packages of pencil erasers

Total purchases, before coupons = $52.09

Total purchases, after coupons = $2.96

Do you really need me to convince you to start couponing?

The lesson I'm learning

2009-01-02T22:53:00.004-05:00

Hubby's still without the perfect job: the one that has affordable benefits for all of us, the one that has predictable hours and a predictable paycheck. It's been nearly 6 months. And it's been hard.

I keep telling myself that there's a lesson to be learned here, and that I'm missing it. Maybe it's my own need to do something that makes me feel like I need to be learning a lesson. It's been hard for me to not be in control, or at least have some sense of control, of our economic future. Yes, we still have an income; yes, we're making ends meet; yes, I'm exercising every frugal muscle I have (even if I have made a few stupid mistakes here & there.) But it's the lack of security that's wearing on me. It's the "not knowing" that wakes me up at 2am. Sorry, I'm rambling.

The lessons that I am learning are not easy, at least for me. I'm learning to trust. God has provided for us. Our pantry is stocked. The bills are paid. We're not behind (yet) on anything. Who was it that said that fear is the opposite of love? That phrase seems to be popping up everywhere in front of me these days. (That was for You, God. You can cut it out, now.) So I'm trying, trying, to trust. And for a super-mega-ultra control freak like me, that's unbelievably hard. But I'm trying.

I've learned to accept help. Again, that's hard. Meals, money, job leads, a car to use, an shoulder to cry on (thanks Fr. Pondo!)- all hard for me to accept. I'm a very guarded person. I don't like to be vulnerable in any way. I am very comfortable in my emotional armor, and I like being an island unto myself. So for me to accept help from people is monumental. (And for those of you who have helped, please know how much I appreciate your kindness! I am so thankful for all of you!)

So there you have it. My heart on my sleeve. Send up a prayer or two for me if you can spare them. Hubby has a couple of job leads for positions that would start at the end of January (yes, God, it's hilarious that you're trying to teach me patience now, too!) so I think that I'll be starting a novena to St. Joseph the Worker, soon. Maybe I'll post it, and if you want to join in, you can.

Clothesline instructions

2008-12-30T21:46:00.010-05:00

Today was an unseasonably warm day (low to mid 40's), so I took the opportunity to catch up on some laundry by hanging some on my outdoor clothesline.

Here I am, in my postage-stamp of a backyard, hanging laundry in my slippers. You'll see that Joey is playing on Adam's skateboard, pulling himself along on his tummy. We take advantage of warm(ish) weather when it comes! My poor garden looks so barren.

So here's a load of laundry on the line. In a future post, I promise to share my laundry routine. I rarely get truly behind on laundry. (This week being the exception: Christmas means that I've been away from the washing machine, and wet weather means things aren't drying as quickly as they usually do.) Anyway, I want to point out a couple of things in the above picture. The laundry is graduated in size, with clothes first, smallest to largest, and then linens, smallest to largest. I do this for two reasons: 1. It looks nice outside and 2. The dog's path is right in front of the garden, in the foreground of the picture. If I hang pants there, she walks under them and gets dog hair on my clean clothes. So I have to hang things in that spot that are small, so they don't drag on her back as she walks by.
So let's get to the nitty-gritty of instruction, shall we? First things first: before you hang, give your clothes a good shake. Next, hang them on the line. I like to hang pants right-side up, with the clothespins holding the waistband on the line. I hang shirts upside-down to avoid pointy shoulders. When you hang shirts upside-down, don't stretch them! Hang them from the bottom, but bring the clothespins close enough together that the shirt sags in the middle. Otherwise you have bell-shaped shirts when they're dry!

If you're like me and have to use every inch of clothesline space, get inventive! I hang baby socks in the "sag" of upside-down shirts. You'll notice that my socks are paired, and I hang them right-side up with one clothespin holding both on the line. On the basement line, I just pair any old socks together (doesn't matter if they match), and let Adam match & put them away after they're dry.

And here's my handy clothespin bag. It hangs on the line, and I slide it along as I hang clothes, so my pins are always handy. Yes, I made it. No, I didn't have a pattern. It was a lot of guess work. But it turned out, so I can't complain!

Odds & Ends

2008-12-29T21:44:00.004-05:00

Here are some snapshots out of our life from the past couple weeks.

That's Luke, putting together one of the Lego sets he got for Christmas. You'll also notice the Magic Cabin crown on his head. He's such a ham!

And here's Adam, putting together one of his Lego sets. It's HUGE. He just finished it (with some help from Hubby) this afternoon. That's the homeschool cabinet in the background, in case you're wondering why we keep books at the kitchen table.

Every year, I get together with a friend from high school to make Christmas cookies. We get our kids together and make a big mess. The kids decorate a few cookies (and eat a lot of dough) and I get a playdate with one of my favorite people. I love our little tradition! I wish I could find a link to the book I take my Christmas cookie recipe from: it's the best!

Another annual family tradition is to go to the local children's museum at Christmastime. This is a picture of Gracie at lunch during our visit. Right now, this picture is also the wallpaper on my Mac. Every time I sit down at the computer with Gracie on my lap, she squeals with laughter looking at her own picture. She's growing up SO FAST!

Another pair of the baby shoes I've made. I have a purple pair made from just the purple fabric you see in these shoes, and I have another pair in progress, with denim toe pieces and that dot fabric for the heels. Too cute!

Grocery shopping

2008-12-27T23:54:00.004-05:00

Is anyone getting tired of reading about my grocery store ramblings? Here is another post about my all-consuming quest to lower our grocery bill. My apologies if you're bored. ; )

This week, I was talking to a friend about couponing, and it dawned on me that most people don't get the idea behind the coupon/stockpile strategy, and how it saves money. So I'm going to try to do a better job explaining. This is Bargain Grocery Shopping 101.

1. Set a budget for the month. For us, that budget is $550.

2. In any budget, there is wiggle room, the amount between necessary and discretionary spending. Some budgets will have more wiggle room than others. If your wiggle room is only $5, so be it. But use this wiggle room to your advantage. Use it to start your stockpile, and stock up on a good deal!

3. Use the strategies I've outlined here and here to give yourself a little more wiggle room in your budget. Then start snowballing; use your savings to generate more savings. I know that when I go to the store that I don't need 14 bottles of shampoo this month. But I do know that right now, they're at a good price, and I will eventually use those 14 bottles. If I'm only paying 25 cents per bottle, then I'm saving future grocery money. That enables me to buy 30 buddy bars, to stock up on 5 bottles of laundry detergent, to stockpile toothbrushes.

And it gets me to my goal of lowering my grocery budget. Over time, the savings start rolling in. I am able to lower the cost per item of the items I regularly buy. By practicing stockpiling, I have managed to lower my grocery bill by $50 over the last 3 months. Not too shabby, considering how low it was to start with.

And just to give you some inspiration, today I bought 3 bags of Hershey's Kisses for 39 cents - total. I also got some frozen pizza, our only convenience food, for $2/pizza, and 16 ounce tubs of sour cream for 25 cents each.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T22:29:00.002-05:00

For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulders dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:5

May you have a wonderful, joy-filled Christmas.

I've been crafting again

2008-12-14T10:19:00.003-05:00

And I have some baby shoes to show you, but Blogger won't let me upload the pictures. I also made some cute bows for Grace, but you'll have to wait to see those, too!

So here's a teaser post, and I'll post pictures as soon as Blogger lets me!

***UPDATE***

Here are the pictures, as promised. Please remember that I am NOT a good photographer, and the only time I get to create & take pictures of my creations are after 9pm.

I got the pattern for the shoes here. It's hard to tell in my picture, but the shoes are chocolate brown with baby blue flowers. So sweet! I have three more pairs in progress right now. My dear friend Dani sent me some suede skirts over the summer that she found at a thrift store, and I've been making good use of them as soles for baby shoes. (She knew my intentions prior to sending the skirts, btw.) Pair those with my little quilting fabric stash and a couple of fat quarters I've scored on sale, and Gracie has a shoe fetish in the making. ; )