Coupons

I am all about saving money. I live within my means and try to save where I can. But this whole coupon thing that a bunch of frugal blogs are talking about just isn't going to work for me. The idea of getting to the checkout and paying just cents for dollars worth of products is very exciting. The concept of finding bargains and coupons is almost an adventure, kinda like a treasure hunt! First of all, we keep a kosher home and have a couple of major allergies which limits the availability of products. Since we are so many, we don't eat a lot of prepared foods. I buy a lot of bulk items and make things from scratch. It is almost always cheaper to make your own. I'm also concerned about eating healthy foods. Most of what I find coupons for or receive Catalina's for are what I would consider junk food. I get all my cleaning and personal care products from a company that pays me based on the amount of product that I use or sell. So no coupons there. Then there is the whole thing of running from store to store getting this or that deal. With a bunch of kids in tow, because we do almost everything as a team, that is not my idea of fun and it seems that I am spending all my savings on gas for the giant suv I drive. So instead, I do things a little differently. I never let my pantry get to low on anything. I don't want to pay full price for items just because I ran out. I buy a lot my groceries in bulk when they are on sale. The basics I get at a restaurant store. For fresh veggies and fruits and most of our meat, I found a store that sell things cheaper in if you buy 10 lbs. or more. A few freezer bags and this is pretty easy to do. I try to do a big shopping trip twice a month, one to the veggie store, one to the restaurant store and then only go to pick up milk or a forgotten item at the local grocery. This really helps with the impulse buying. We eat healthier and we save money. Not nearly as exciting as coupon shopping or adventurous as bargain hunting, but it works for us.

My house is a homeschooling house. I realized last night that we have been homeschooling for 15 years now. Wow! I must admit, I didn't always think I was going to make it this long. I can remember the first three years right around Christmas time thinking that if I didn't send this kid to school, I'm gonna kill him! In all honesty, it wasn't the poor kids fault. I was stuck in my teacher mindset, trying to do school at home. Things sure have changed in 15 years.

There are way more people home schooling now. I don't know if that is good or bad. In the old days..^.^... people who home schooled did it for very distinct reasons. Now people do it because it is the thing to do. They "try" it like they do a new pair of shoes and stop if it gets to uncomfortable. I started because we moved to a school district that had some pretty scary kids in it. As we became more fundamental in our religious beliefs and political views, we had to keep them out. The worst thing I ever did was to put the oldest into private school for his high school years. I regret it to this day. I know I won't ever put any of my other kids into school settings.

The curriculum choices are huge now. In the old days...^.^... there was Abeka, Bob Jones and Lifepacs. Booorrrriiinnnggg. Now there are almost to many choices. We have loosened way up on curriculum and don't do nearly as much book work as we used to. We don't use any one curriculum, but we do have favorites. I love Saxon math and Apologia Science. There is a series of Scholastic workbooks that teach the basics well that we use throughout the fifth grade. After that it really depends on the child and their interests and their learning styles. I have artistic children who have varying interests and we pursue different avenues as we come to them.

I have to say that I really love the way my children are coming out. They are sweet, smart, articulate people. Their favorite things are all wholesome. Their friends are all nice. They love God and have a heart to do His will. They are super funny, every last one of them. They think beyond themselves and their own needs and desires. This is so amazing to me.

We still have crazy days. They are brothers and sisters and can fight like cats and dogs and hardly a day goes by that someone isn't mad at someone else and tattling and breaking something. But when I look at the big picture, I am glad we are a home schooling family.

Money doesn't make you happy. Really? If someone you know handed you three crisp $100 bills, you wouldn't be happy? The number of lottery tickets sold would make me believe that someone thinks money could make them happy. Please don't quote Bible at me telling me that money is the root of all evil. It's actually "the love of" money that is that root. Tell me who thinks more about money, the man living pay check to pay check or the man who has plenty? The other Bible verse I hear is that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle....I'll get back to that one later.

Money is neither good or bad, it is just money. One man can do good, the other evil with the same dollar. If you have been one of those who have been out of work, I bet you would rather have it than not. If for some reason (God forbid) the main bread winner in your family had an injury or died, how long would you be able to go before money would make you happy. Our economy is not stable, what will you do if there is another "bump"? If the market drops again, who is going to take care of your parents when their retirement plans go spinning down the drain?

Yes, I know, God will provide. Have you ever thought that He is providing now ? He is giving you opportunities to lay the foundation for future challenges? As Americans, we often act like very spoiled children. We work for others, expecting them (or the government) to give us what we think is fair. We have gone from a country built on free enterprise and pulling your self up by your own boot straps to having jobs and demanding "benefits". As Americans, we want what we want when we want it, even if that means putting ourselves in so much debt that most will never dig out. Talk about un-Biblical! Look up the word debtor in the Bible and you will see that it is not a good thing. We have a status problem in our country that is destroying us from the inside. My favorite definition of status is buying things you can't afford to impress the people you don't even like.

Don't get me wrong, I like stuff, especially really nice expensive stuff. So my answer is to make lots and lots of money. First, we work hard to get out of debt and stay out of debt. We live below our means. And we work to help others to make dollars so that we can make pennies. The more people we help, the more pennies we get. Think of it as the 2% back that Costco gives the members who buy the right membership, but with no cap. It is our way of pursuing happiness.

Money. It can buy peace of mind. I would rather have it than not. It helps give a sense of security knowing that my life isn't run by my checkbook. It buys me time. If I can help someone by paying them to do the things I don't like doing, I have time to do the things that are important to me. What would you do if you had the hours you or your spouse spent at work back, with no money worries. My husband and I have the goal of helping our local hospital maintain its charity house that is connected to the NICU. We spent 99 days there after the birth of our twins and saw many families in crisis not just because of their baby, but also because of the money stress. We have many ministries that we would be able to support more. The money we sent to Haiti could have been significantly more if we had significantly more. We have a large family and I want to be able to give them opportunities. Exploring their potentials can be very expensive. I have extended family that I would love to be able to support, grandparents, uncles, cousins, brothers, parents, who's lives I could make a little easier if we had significantly more. And there is always me.^.^ If I had the time and money, I could take better care of myself and not put my needs on the back burner, like so many moms do. But as long as we trade hours for dollars, none of this will be really possible. There just aren't enough hours.

So back to the Bible verse that talks about the eye of the needle. Jesus reflects on how hard it often is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. The riches are a distraction and hard to share if one is too attached to them. The disciples' incredulity is that if even the rich cannot be saved, who can? But the verdict is that even the rich, not only the rich, will find it impossible to save themselves – but with God all things are possible. The man with only one shirt can be just attached to his things as the man with the Ferrari. Our family knows what it is like to be broke. I mean really, really broke not knowing where the next meal was coming from or how we were going to be able to make the rent. It is easy to be on your face in front of God during the tough times. I think it is harder to be there when all is good. But not impossible. As a family, we have chosen to always remember who it all comes from and to worship that source. God is our provider, through His Son we have salvation. He has given us talents and expects us to use them wisely. When we live a life pleasing to Him, all things are possible.

Money doesn't make you happy, this is true. It is neither good or bad. If you made a pile of all the troubles in your life and throw a pile of money at it, the things left would be easier to work at with the time that you would acquire from not worrying about money. Money doesn't make you happy, but blessing others with it and what it can do, does. Money doesn't make you happy, so make lots, don't be selfish and give away what you don't need to those who do need it. Money doesn't make you happy, so does being broke make you happy? My theory is if when I get significantly wealthier, and it makes me unhappy, I know how to become broke again.

Accept or reject. The greatest fear of man is the fear of change.

Organic Batter Blaster

Just to prove my point that I am a city girl, and that I don't really like the domestic part of parenting, I thought I would share with you what I found at the grocery store. PANCAKES IN A CAN!!!!! What a great idea! This stuff is awesome. It is in a can and comes out like canned whip cream. The can says organic on it and kosher and the ingredients look normal. Now my kido's can have pancakes whenever they like, only need to make as many as we need and then put the can back. AND since it comes out in a stream, fun shapes!!!! With little trouble we have fun pancakes, not just plain old circles or mice ^.^ I got them at Safeway on sale!! for 2.99 a can, I'll let you know how many we get out of it. So far 8 and the can is still over half full. Now the wheat free kids can have theirs from the box from Trader Joes and my others can have theirs from the can, and all I have to really clean up is the syrup from all over the table. I really love this stuff!

Homestead Blessings: A DVD Review

After a particularly long day with my wonderful family, I love to sit and watch the video series Homestead Blessings. They are dvds that teach you how to do everything from making candles to making butter. The West ladies are sweet homespun ladies in long skirts, aprons, long hair and huge smiles and they have such a peaceful demeanor. Their activities always look so fun and easy. We have actually attempted some! Even my motor child will sit for an hour and watch these peaceful ladies explain how to dip candles and make soap molds. Their beautiful southern drawls and colloquialisms are sweet and make me smile. They are so very different from who I am and to be honest, who I want to be, and still very refreshing. My princess daughter said that she would like to be a homesteader for a week. Then she made butter. Now she just wants to watch the videos. I love my daughter. She is so much like me^.^! These videos are just enough of what homesteading life must be like to make me appreciate my modern city life. My adventures into homestead homemaking are for fun, not for necessity and for that I am grateful. If I needed to, I could make my own soap, grow potatoes, make beeswax candles, concoct my own herbal remedies, make my own pizza crust, can sauerkraut, make a pot roast, and milk a cow. Thank you to Franklin Springs Family Media for bring these delightful ladies into our home. Thank you especially to Vicki West for raising such wonderful daughters and for reminding me what a blessing the little things in life are. This dvd series is "such a blessin'!"

Haiti

Oh my tender heart!!! It is breaking with all the terror and horror the poor people of Haiti are experiencing. The stories are never ending and heartache is everywhere. I pray to You HaShem, that You bring hope to the hopeless and courage to the weak. Lord put Your hand on these people and bring them relief. Strengthen all that are there to help so they have the fortitude to deal with the devastation all around. Lord move the people of the world to help in anyway they can. Keep peace in the communities so that help can be more efficient. Bring more people closer to You through this tragedy. Bless the families all over the world that have been touched tragically by this disaster with the knowledge of Your love. In the name of Your Son, Yeshua I pray, Amen

Recipes

I love cookbooks. My family seems to go from cuisine to cuisine finding a certain type of food that they like. So I go to the library and get every cookbook from that style of food. (We are stuck on Mediterranean right now.) Then I read recipe after recipe looking for something this allergy ridden family will like. I try not to make multiple meals to suit everyone. To much work, unless it is sweets, that is never to much work. Usually, I can figure out what the basic spices and combinations are to make reasonable facsimiles of the dishes in the book. Here is my confession, I hate following recipes! With a passion!!!! It is part of my nonconformity issue. I confess I have control issues. There I said it, it is out in the open. So even a recipe is too structured for me. I still love cookbooks though. I love to look at the pictures of beautifully plated food, often wanting the plates almost as much as the food. I love figuring out the puzzle that makes each type of food unique. As I look through the blog sites of the wonderful women who enjoy the art of frugal living, I see a ton of recipes that interest me. I may even try a couple. Or, I may just look at the wonderful pictures, figure out the basics and try my own version ^.^

2lbs!

Went to the gym on a Sunday morning and there was no one in the room, perfect time to weigh! Oh what an ugly number, must remove shoes. Don't want to see ugly number again. Weigh shoes, they really do weigh 2lbs! I wonder if my clothes really weigh a pound? Not going to find out ^.^ I'm just going to say yes and make the ugly number a little less ugly!

Preparation

I am the wife of a NutnFancy guy. I lose him about once a week to a youtube extravaganza of weapons, tools and how to videos for those just in case scenarios. It used to really annoy me. "Where's daddy?" "Stuck on that stupid computer!!!" Now, not so much. Without getting to much into my political views (much to complicated) I can see that our country is on some pretty shaky ground. I don't think that it is a hopeless cause, but unless the average Joe wakes up, it could be. My sweetheart who is always the protector, for which I praise God, is just being prepared. He isn't sticking his head in the sand and saying "God will provide" although He does. It is like the story with the guy sitting on the roof asking for God to save him from the flood, three people come by in boats as the water is rising and each ask the guy if they can help him and the guy says, "I'm waiting on the Lord". So the flood overtakes the house the guy drowns and when he gets to heaven he asks God why He didn't save him and God says "I sent 3 boats, what else do you want?" I think sometimes what God wants us to do is act with what He has provided for us. God has been very good to us and has provided a lot of resources to prepare for hard times. I pray to the God Almighty that the knowledge and preparations our family has acquired is never needed, but if we do, I am glad my sweetheart has prepared himself, my home and my family for what may come. If it doesn't, my house is well stocked and my kids have a lot of memories of "playing" with daddy and learning how to set goals. Gotta love that man.

Comfort Food

We have a house full of boogies and coughing. Such a lovely picture ^.^ So to help everyone feel better, we made cinnamon rolls. Oh, the yummy goodness was just what we needed. I do have to say that I miss the days of going to the store, picking up a package of rolls and warming them and instant happiness. But in these days of our lives there are way too many allergies, so they were home made. We used our Challa recipe and left out the eggs so my egg free people could have some. We adapted a Gluten free recipe so that our wheat free people could have some ( I do have to say theirs came out REALLY beautiful and tasty) and made some with fake butter so my lactose intolerant could have some. Well everyone was happy. Except the lactose guy who had the real butter filled bun when we weren't looking, but trust me, we found out later *.* I know sugar is bad, especially when you are sick, but there is something healing about comfort food when you don't feel good.

where's my flying car?

I am sitting here watching the Transformers cartoon!! It must have been one from my oldest, because it has all old 80's music and the animation is pretty dated. It is still keeping the kido's occupied though. But my squirrelly brain got to wondering where is my flying car and rocket boosted skateboard? This movie was about the far out future of 2005! I think I got jipped.

I remember watching the Jetson's and thinking..wouldn't that be cool!!! Well some of it has happened but, I really could use a Rosie and a microwave that spits out a ready cooked meal. And still there is no flying car!

I remember when I was a kid thinking how old I would be in the 2000's. Even older than my parents were then which was already pretty old. And now I think I am still pretty young here in my 40's. Although my children recently looked amazed that I was younger (only by a year) than a dear friend who just celebrated her birthday. "YOU are younger than her!!" as if only Methuselah should be older than me. And I would be angry if she didn't look so amazing! My oldest says it is because she always has a mischievous smile on. Oh, well guess I better slap on another layer of night cream while I wait for my flying car.

There he was, no lie walking down the aisle with a shirt on pronouncing that he was a XXXL!!! Right on the front!!!! Now there is a difference between men and women!

ps. don't put xxxl in the search bar without shirt behind it....not good!

Homemaking?

There is a giant pile of laundry sitting on my sofa. I guess I should mention that it is clean ^.^ and just needs folding. But I just don't want to. Which made my squirrelly brain go down a trail on what is a good homemaker. My first thoughts are of Mrs. Cleaver in her high heels, apron and pearls. Definitely not me! I wear inserts in my shoes, so no high heels, I do wear an apron on occasion, but it is heavy duty, not white and frilly and pearls....no.
I am a bad housekeeper. I don't like to clean and clutter doesn't bother me. Now the house isn't "dirty" in the unsanitary way. But the pile of laundry is not uncommon. And dirty dishes can be found piled neatly on the counter waiting for the whim to strike me. My children do have chores and can all do their own laundry and can do the mad clean when it is time. (Like when the plumber is coming) But I don't like to clean! It is not fun! I've tried making it a game and the doing the Flylady thing, and to be honest, it isn't as bad as it has been in the past, but it is NO FUN!
But as a homemaker, there is more to it than just keeping a clean house. There is the a lot more. Basically I keep it moving around here. I make sure the children are healthy and growing mentally, spiritually and physically. That means making appointments and getting to those appointments. That includes meal planning and budgeting. It means for me, homeschooling and making as many moments as possible teaching moments. That overlaps in the spiritual care. I want my children to have a personal relationship with God that is visible and active in their everyday life. And because I am who I am, I want my children to have fun.
My home is full of laughter and fun and creativity. There is a lot of love going on here too. I want my children to have positive relationships with each other for the rest of their lives. I work hard on that. I want my kids to be respectful of others and have serving attitudes, thinking of others needs. That is hard work too. I want my kids to develop their natural abilities. Discovering those abilities and figuring out how to best grow them isn't easy either, but so important too.

The most important part of what I think homemaking is, is having an environment that my sweetheart wants to come home to every night. He is the most important thing on earth to me. God commanded me to love him and he really does make it quite easy. So I teach the children to honor and obey him. I do my best to be the wife he needs me to be. So I clean everyday. Not because I like to clean but because he can relax better when he can actually walk through the house. I wonder how much a housekeeper would cost?