She's a Pistol

Sometimes we just don't know what to do with our Ali. She is old enough to know not to chew on markers, but that doesn't matter. She continues to make choices that are either not smart or disobedient. The other night we were eating chili for supper and she finished her food early so she asked if she could color with her markers that were already set up on one corner of the table. So, we said yes and were happily eating and chatting. At the end of the meal, Jeremiah started singing his favorite song, Jesus Loves Me, and we all joined in. Daddy turned to Ali, trying to get her to join in on the song and that's when the song died on our lips as we saw, in horror, that Ali was now a blue-mouthed girl! She had bitten the tip off the blue marker and was chewing on it like gum!

As King Jo brushed her teeth a few times and made her swish lots and lots of water, I sighed and said, "Do you think we're going to live through this (meaning: raising Ali)?" He said, "Do you think SHE is going to live through it with the things she tries?" We both chuckled and we imagined what life might be like for her future husband.

It's been a rough week with Ali. There are moments when I love her death and think she is a beautiful and wonderful little girl and then there are moments when I have to fight the temptation to wallop her good. The marker thing wasn't a big deal but there have been times where she's shoved her little friends down as hard as she can onto the concrete in the presence of their shocked mothers or when she has pushed over Jeremiah's high chair, causing him to smack his face on the table on the way down, when he was only 7 months old. (See my blog archives for the horrible pics of a baby with a black eye). Her latest thing has been pinching Justus in his bassinet when I'm not looking. It doesn't happen every day but it is becoming a pattern. I wonder how it is that a girl who is plenty old enough to know better continues to do such naughty things. (Total depravity anyone?)

If I have to leave one kid with Justus when I go to the laundry room I would choose Jeremiah hands-down as he doesn't ever intentionally hurt Justus and he doesn't hover over Justus and bug him. I had this idea that with the age-gap being bigger that Ali would be a big helper and Justus' protector. After all, some kids her age are practically babysitting for their parents! But, that was not to be. She is still our biggest challenge and the biggest threat to Justus' well-being. Maybe by the time we have our fourth she will have learned.....

Ali's Naughty Huh?

Jeremiah has this thing where whenever his sister is being naughty, or has recently been disciplined, he says, "Ali's naughty, huh?" He shakes his head as he says in a funny little way that looks like he's all wise and exasperated. It's humorous, but I don't ever want to reinforce to him that she's the bad child and he's the good child so I often reply with, "Ali is being disobedient right now, but you are disobedient sometimes too" or "you are naughty too" or "Ali was naughty to do _____ but remember that you did _____ today that was naughty." Whenever I say this he replies with "I a good boy!"

The other day Ali was in time-out and I just happened to catch our little guy saying this favorite phrase on video.

Oh, to get at their hearts and to teach Alathia to exercise self-control and teach Jeremiah that he is not "good" in and of himself!

Interesting....

I bet there were a few people who wished I would have read this article back in college! But on the other hand I may not have met my husband if I had!

A Small Tribute to My Husband

I say this is a small tribute because I don't have the time or space to share all the wonderful things about my husband in this post but I will share a few.

I honestly believe that my Josiah is the most wonderful husband on the earth for me. (I had to add that "for me" in there because I know many of you feel your husbands are the best on earth too!) It's like God hand-crafted him to be exactly the man I need to lead me, care for me, and challenge me in my walk with God.

He knows everything about me and still loves me, even when I look like death warmed over in the morning after an all-nighter with a baby or have tried to hurt him in anger with my words. He lovingly cares for and supports me in everything, from fears and worries, to trials and temptations. He is always kind, always forgiving, never harsh, never controlling and never lording his authority over me. He truly loves me, as best as a sinful human being can, as Christ loves the church.

A note to single girls out there: When it comes to evaluating a guy for husband-material don't look at the flashy, popular guys who are into themselves and into money and having the best. Don't desire a guy just because he's the star quarterback or because he drips with charm. Many of those guys come to ruin, or at the very least, aren't fun to be married to. The best quality you can look for in a husband is a man who loves the Lord and walks closely with Him and has a teachable and repentant heart. Sometimes these guys are really shy and quiet and don't stand out in a crowd. They may not have the coolest cars, or be able to afford the biggest diamond but they will love you with all of their heart because they love Jesus and follow Him. It's infinitely worth it to have a wonderful husband and a wonderful marriage than to chase after the things of the world and pick out a spouse based on the world's values. Among Christians, I have heard many a single gal say: "I want to marry a pastor or a missionary." While it's wonderful if God leads you into ministry with your spouse someday or brings a pastor-to-be a' courtin', don't overlook the guys who aren't in the ministry vocationally because having that position doesn't guarantee that a man has character or that marriage will be wonderful. We spent a summer of our marriage in missions and let me say it was very hard because of the travel and the constant work and needs. The ministry can be rough on a marriage if the husband doesn't work continually to keep his priorities in place.

So, look for a man who loves Jesus and follows Him and you will find it easy to respect and follow such a man.
I thank our Sovereign God for giving me such a man.

You Been Hunting?

My darling King Jo surprised me tonight with some lovely pink flowers. I'm not sure what kind they are as I've never seen them before but they look like very skinny and long roses. As he waited in line at the floral area of the grocery store, a guy buying a large bouquet turned to him and said, "You must have gone hunting too?"

He replied, "No, I just have a wonderful wife who has been a blessing lately." (I wonder what the guy thought of that!)

Funny stuff!

Good Teaching

I'm fairly new to Mark Driscoll but I'm really enjoying his vidoe preaching series on The Song of Solomon (now that I have DSL) which is entitled The Peasant Princess. I strongly, strongly, strongly recommend that any of you out there who are married tune in to this series. I have heard sermons on SOS and have listened to the Tommy Nelson series on it at least once, but this is the best teaching I have ever heard on this book and I really learn a LOT and am left at the end of his teaching wanting to dig through my Bible and study even further.
Some of you may be shocked or surprised at Mark Driscoll's style of preaching but keep in mind he is a missionary to his city; the most unchurched city in our nation, and is a church-planter among non-Christians. He is about as different from John Piper as night and day when it comes to style and method but they are friends and John Piper endorses his theology; they are both Reformed. I had heard all kinds of negative comments floating around the internet about Mark Driscoll and was curious why people are so offended by him, so I started listening and was hooked!
Check it out.
Go to www.marshillchurch.org and click on the series entitled The Peasant Princess. I recommend you listen to them in order. So far there are 4 sermons, with more to come.

If you are single it wouldn't hurt to listen to this and learn what a Christian marriage is supposed to look like in preparation for that time of life.

Fun Pics

Jeremiah absolutely loves the new racecar slippers Grandpa Joel and Grandma Kathy sent him.

Making my Home a Haven Monday

Today's projects have been getting things done that I have been putting off. These things are what I refer to as emotional debt. I cleaned up some paper piles, got bills ready to mail, tackled some cleaning/de-cluttering, made homemade bread, and am hoping to get the dishes done and baby thank-you notes done. With all of the winter coats and snowpants out now and needing to hang to dry, I'm feeling like our small apartment is overly cluttered and messy. I need to figure out a solution for that, perhaps moving some furniture out and getting a bigger coat basket or putting some hooks up or something.
The snow makes me want to bake more and play games and snuggle up and read stories with the kids. There is something fun about the first big snow and it's delightful to see the kids playing in it!

Our Little Guy

The King Builds a Castle

My husband, King Jo, as he is referred to on my blog, decided to get into the fun of the 2 feet of wet snow we got this weekend and he built a little snow fort/cave which our kids and the neighbor kids all love! It's the little things like this that make me fall for him over and over again!

Frugal and Delicious

Here is a delicious meal I made using new recipes from my new Betty Crocker Whole Grains cookbook.

Chicken-Barley Stew

3 large carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

5-6 C. water

1 C. uncooked barley

2 t. chicken bouillon granules

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1-2 cans diced tomatoes, not drained

2 T. parsley

1 t. dried thyme leaves

Combine ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Remove chicken and dice up and then add back into the stew and cook for another 15 minutes.

If you want to, you can make this on the stovetop and let it simmer for just an hour if you don't want to go the slow-cooker route.

Delicious!

Best-Ever Oatmeal Brown Bread

1.5 C. whole wheat flour

1 C. all-purpose flour

2/3 C. packed dark brown sugar (I used organic sucanat)

1/2 C. old-fashioned oats

1/3 C. flaxseeds

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 2/3 C. buttermilk (make your own by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to milk)

Heat oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients but buttermilk. Add buttermilk just until mixed. Pour batter into pan and spring with 1 T. oats.

Bake 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

This bread is sooooo good I can't stop making it! My kids beg for it and call it "brownies" and will eat it for breakfast, for snack, and for supper!

More Natural Living

I have been growing in the areas of more natural living over the last year, as was my desire. However, I doubt I will ever be one of those people who makes their own shampoo out of coconut oil and refuses to touch anything that's not organic. Costs are just too high here and many whole foods aren't even available.


Here is a list I made about a year ago regarding my natural living goals. I've highlighted in blue the ones that we've accomplished thus far! It's amazing to me how far we've come in just a year!



*Make some cloth diapers and go back to using cloth during the day. I learned to make them and even taught others to make them! We are currently stocked up until Justus is about 6 months old with disposables from his baby shower but then we will be back to cloth.



*Drink herbal/green teas in place of or in addition to a cup of hot cocoa each day. I've been drinking more water and in an effort to lose baby weight have given up my beloved hot cocoa.

*Eat more quinoa/brown rice in place of white rice. Quinoa is yummy! We've switched from using a variety of rices to now using only brown or wild rice. We love quinoa too but it recently raised in price from $3 a pound to $6 a pound so when our stash runs out I doubt we'll be buying more until it goes down.

*Drink soy milk instead of cow's milk. (Tried it for a while before I got preggo with Justus. I like it but it's expensive and there are mixed reviews on whether it's really that good for you or not.)

*Learn how to make hummus and homemade pita bread. Need to try pita bread sometime.

*Take evening primrose oil capsules to see if it helps with PMS. Haven't done this yet since I've been pregnant for most of the last year but I did buy them right before I found out I was pregnant and plan to begin taking them soon!

*Buy some eco-bulbs to conserve on electricity. King Jo said no on this since our bad wiring in our building tends to blow lightbulbs every month. When we have our own place, but it would just be a waste of money here.

*Eat more fruit in place of sweets. Did this during the summer but need to continue doing so now that baking and cooking season is upon us.



Far-fetched goals:

*Buy a juicer and make fresh juices. Didn't buy a juicer but I did start making a lot more fruit smoothies and yogurt/fruit smoothies this summer...that's a start!

*Buy most, if not all, organic produce and meats. Produce, nope! Not an option here where they have about 2 fruit options in the entire store that are organic and they are more than double the cost of regular. Thanks to my folk's we have had lots of elk, for free, which is the tastiest, most organic meat ever!

*Get my hubby and kids to like whole wheat spaghetti. Still working on this!

*Learn to make my own laundry detergent. Since I started this in Feb. I haven't stopped! I love homemade laundry detergent and it's sooooo easy. I just mix 1bar of grated ivory, 1 C. of borax, and 1 C. washing soda and use 2 T. per load. I've tried making the liquid form too but it's simpler to do the powder and works just as well!

*Learn how to make all-natural soaps. Thanks to my friend Heather's blog, I got a recipe for making your own hand soap out of castile soap and almond oil. Something I definitely want to try soon!

*Buy all our drinking water in recycled jugs instead of drinking chlorinated tap water. Instead of buying all of our water, we ended up with something even better! I got a Brita pitcher on a major clearance with a great internet coupon for $2. Since then, Walgreens has done three different months of free pitcher cartridges (and yes, they fit the Brita) so we've had delicious-tasting water for the last 6 months for only $2 total thus far!



For the future, when we have a house of our own:

*Dry my laundry outdoors, especially in the summer (but for now washer and dryer are free in our building)

*Have a large organic garden

*Use all-natural cleaners. I'm using Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds for most cleaning and vinegar in a spray bottle for the rest.

*Teach my kids to reduce, re-use, and recycle! We work on being frugal, using things up, and not wasting food, but I still have a lot to teach them in this area.

*Start a compost pile. My hippie neighbor started one for all of us to use here.


Other things I'm making an effort in:
Since reading a book on the 14 superfoods, I've started trying to incorporate more salmon, pumpkin, flax, and berries into our diet. I no longer buy Fruit Roll Ups or Fruit Snacks even if they are on a good sale (with the exception being for birthdays) and am trying to cut back my calories personally to get back in shape after baby.

A Friend of Gold

I have a glorious bunch of women friends. Many of you read my blog and have shared good times over Bible studies, craft nights, or long talks as roomies in college. I have friends of all shapes and sizes and personalities and each of you has contributed to my life and enriched it (yes, even those blogger friends I've never even met in real life!)
There have actually been friends whom I saw before I met and I just knew we would be friends. There have been many gals whom I wanted to get to know based on the fact that they were/are at the same stage of life as me or because we have a lot in common.
However, one of my dearest friendships took me completely by surprise.....

It all began when we finished our ministry internship and moved back to my hometown where my husband got a job working for my dad in carpentry. All of my high school friends had moved away and I was lonely. There were only about two young Christian couples our age in town that we knew of and one couple was moving away and the other was busy adjusting to life with newborn twins. (They are now dear friends of ours).

I'm not sure exactly how we became friends but somehow I was introduced to Amy at church and she invited me to go walking with her. She worked at the church and was well-known by all and had a son close to Ali's age. I was excited to have someone to do something with but I never imagined we would be close buddies or anything. After all, we're about as opposite as two people can get. She loathes pink and all things girly and I wear pink often. You might catch her in a dress once a year, at Easter, and I wear mostly dresses and long skirts. Her idea of a dream vacation is biking across the state of Wisconsin every summer (70 miles a day) where mine involves a lot more laying around and reading. She was the ultimate laid-back and relaxed parent and I was the hyper-overly-paranoid-and-protective first-time mom. She doesn't mind if the kids have sticky hands or eat ice-cream cones in the living room whereas I just can't handle sticky hands. She pushes herself to get up at 5 and lift weights at the gym and I am not too chipper in the morning. We are over a decade apart in age and our husbands have pretty much nothing in common. She's a pet person and I'm not. Though we haven't discussed much theology in the last couple of years I'm pretty sure we have very different viewpoints. We have different views/lifestyles when it comes to most of the "hot button" issues.

So, if anyone seemed like someone I WOULDN'T end up being good friends with, it was Amy. But we enjoyed our walks together and swapped mommy tips and recipes and enjoyed having our kids romp around together. Pretty soon we both got to thinking about Baby #2 and lo and behold, ended up having Arianna and Jeremiah exactly 2 months apart.

We've spent countless hours at the park, swimming on Friday mornings, going to the lake, couponing, having pool parties, garage-saling (whoo-hoo!) and swapping babysitting. One of the best things about Amy is that she is there. She is never too busy and is usually the one to check in with me, and our other friends, to see what our plans are for the day.

Recently I've been reflecting on how much I have been blessed by her friendship. It has been so good for me to be around Amy and I have learned a lot from her wisdom. I don't have the corner on truth and it's been great for judgemental old me to have a flesh-and-blood friend who is so different to keep me balanced. Because of Amy, I have learned to be a more relaxed parent. I have been inspired by her example in the fact that she refrains from gossip and criticizing others. I have been blessed by the time she gives me because even though she works, she lives like a stay-at-home mom. She is always the first to visit someone in need or share what she has and never complains about how much work she has to do or that she isn't able to stay home like the rest of her friends. She ALWAYS remembers to brings snacks to the park and shares them with my kids and she is CONSTANTLY bringing over goodies that she baked or homemade salsa or meals when I was hugely pregnant. She volunteers in so many ministries at church and takes turns teaching my daughter's Sunday School class. I have witnessed her example of how to discipline in a calm and godly manner. I'll never forget the day she kept putting her son in time-out and mentioned she wouldn't be spanking that day. When I asked why she said that she knew she couldn't spank in love due to her irritation with her son so she was sticking with time-outs at the moment. She doesn't criticize her husband even if she doesn't always agree with his decisions.

I have learned how to be a better friend, a better mom, and a better wife from Amy's kind example. She is one of the most humble people I have ever met. Also, I'd be a lot chubbier without her always motivating me to go on walks with her. You should have seen how many miles we put on those strollers with our huge pregnant bellies!

There are few friends who I will let come in my house when it looks like a toy and clothes bomb exploded in it, but Amy is one of them! There are few friends whom I would confess my sins to, but Amy is one of them. There are few friends whom I would feel comfortable calling in the middle of the night, but Amy is one of them. There are few friends who understand the challenges of raising a highly energetic and stubborn child, but Amy does. There are few friends I call to babysit for fear of imposing on them, but I know I can call Amy if I really need a last-minute babysitter, even though her schedule is twice as packed as mine. There are few people I don't get offended at if they reprimand my kids. But if Amy corrects my children, I am grateful. There are few friends I can talk about anything with, but Amy is one of them. There are few friends who will allow you to run your errands when you're walking together (one memorable moment was when Ali shoved Elijah into the video racks at the video store and about 100 video cases came tumbling down....) There are few friends who have seen my mommy panic or seen me screaming at my kid (Ali and Elijah have this thing for riding bikes in the middle of the street when a car is coming while we are on walks.....). How many friends would cheerfully go to the swimming pool with me on foot when we had 7 kids age 4 and under between us (she was babysitting our friends' twins)? There are not very many friends whom I feel comfortable going into their house to drop something off when they are gone, but I have no fears about that with Amy. There are hardly any people on earth that don't try to win you to their way of thinking on a certain topic, but Amy never does. She keeps her arms wide open to people and doesn't pry or try to convince me out of my own convictions. She is brave, smart, energetic and friendly and a good listener.

Amy loves God with all of her heart and seeks to serve Him and serve others at all times. I praise the Lord for her and her friendship! I always thought the best friends were made in college when you had more time to talk and get to know each other. However, I have found that over time, even the fragmented conversations amidst burping the babies and disciplining the toddlers can forge a treasured friendship.

I wrote this to encourage all of you not to be scared to develop friendships with people God brings into your path who don't seem like your type. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy my friends in long skirts who homeschool, don't have TV, and love pink! But I also enjoy my friendships with gals who are different than myself!

*One more thing: Amy introduced me to the best cookie on earth (I call them Double Chocolate Oaties) and she often brings some over when she bakes them!

Pumpkin Patch

Preschoolers and pumpkins!
Ali with best friends, Kennedy and Carsen.

Ali's first-ever ride on a schoolbus! Exciting! Here she is at the school just before leaving with Grammy Cindy.


The kids decide they are tired of carrying their pumpkins and dump them on Mama. Good thing I have an Ergo now so my hands were free! WHAAAAAAAAH! Why did I have to get the tiniest pumpkin!

Bean Disaster

Trying to avoid the mess that comes with the kids playing in their box of beans, I decided to lay out my neat sheet (which is like a cloth picnic table) and have them play with the beans on that. I assumed clean-up would be much easier as I would carefully fold up the neat sheet and dump any stray beans back into the box.

I was happily cooking supper with two content children playing behind me when I heard a dreadful noise. The kind of noise that can only mean that your kids have made an enormous mess.

Apparently Ali didn't like the neat sheet being messy and decided to shake it off.......

It's been two weeks and I'm still finding beans.

COUPONING PAYS OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are some skeptics out there who don't think couponing is worth it. Perhaps it isn't worth it to them in terms of time or energy, but one can't deny that it yields awesome returns financially!!!
I finally got with the times and started doing my Walgreens rebate stuff online. It takes just a few minutes and saves a stamp! In doing so, I noticed that they had my whole history of rebates listed. I began couponing in Sep. of 2007. So.....here is the grand total folks............... (drumroll....).............

From Sep of 2007-Sep of 2008 we have gotten $228.15 worth of FREE STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Our total was $258.15 but I subtracted the inital $30 I spent on rebate stuff to get the ball rolling).

This is only including the free-after-rebate items! Keep in mind also that there were a couple of months I didn't get any FAB stuff because the deals weren't that good or we couldn't use the items!
I am guessing that we have gotten at least $200 worth of freebies in the last year through register rewards deals too! Then there are the times we used coupons on rebate items or register reward items and GOT PAID to buy stuff. Then there are the things that I have gotten free or for pennies that were clearance items I used coupons on! Then there are the $5 off coupons they routinely give out on the internet. Then there are the amazing sales they have where diapers are about $2 a package......
....Ahhh. So many deals at Walgreens.

I have no idea how much money we've made off of Walgreens but I do know that shopping there has majorly paid off for our family!

*Due to the fact that I was new to couponing and rebate stuff, I had a couple of times where I made blunders, such as forgetting to turn my rebate in on time (thus having to pay $3 total for a package of gel pens and a box of washable markers instead of getting them totally free) or submitting the receipt wrong and not getting a rebate. But in spite of those blunders, I still got the product I paid for (just didn't get it free) and it was only a couple of times this happened to me. I know I didn't lose more than $20 this whole year doing couponing. Yes, it can be slightly risky to coupon, but a $20 loss to $400 worth of free stuff is worth it!

Letters of Love

Who says the romance has to die just because we have lots of small children?

My hubby always leaves me fun messages with the bath letters!

Deals of the Week

All of the above at Walgreens this week for $11 and that's WITHOUT using any manufacter's coupons because I didn't buy the newspaper during Sept.

4 large Dove bars
4 large Softsoap body washes
3 bottles of Children's Tylenol
1 package of L'Oreal Cleanser wipes
2 Lypsyl Beeswax chapsticks
2 packages tissues
1 Crossaction toothbrush

I love Walgreens! It would have cost me $11 alone for 2 bottles of Children's Tylenol here in town!

I haven't been posting many of my Safeway deals recently but lately I've been getting some freebies by using catalinas that print off every time I pay. For example, I often get Mom to Mom catalinas for $2 off a Mom to Mom product, making a pack of wipes FREE! This week we got a pasta sauce catalina that should give us a jar of Classico sauce free, or almost free.

At the other local grocery store there aren't nearly as many sales or good deals but they are having a case lot sale with some pretty cheap canned goods and baking supplies so I stocked up a bit. They also are doing some grocery give-aways and one time when I went through the line a timer dinged and I got to pick a free item off the table. I was in the mood for hot cocoa and there was a box on the table, but I forced myself to pick the healthiest thing, which was also the priciest thing (making it the best deal too): a container of old-fashioned oats. They also have the Turkey Card starting up where if you spend so much money in the next two months at their store you can get turkeys for 35 cents (or as low as 15 cents) a pound. Last year I combined my mom's card and mine and we got a couple of turkeys for hardly anything!

Cool Baby Gift

I had to show one of the neatest gifts Justus received. My friend Laura had this wooden block (about 3 inches high) made for him with all the statistics of his birth, initials, etc.

I blocked out the last name for security reasons.

Delicious Zucchinni Brownies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 eggs

Frosting:
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract



DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil,eggs, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Frugal Food for Others

Sometimes it can be challenging to know what to give another family when you are taking them a meal. It can also be pretty spendy too! At the beginning of the week I wanted to take a new friend a meal as she is struggling with morning sickness and has 3 small children, one of whom she has started homeschooling this year. I knew we couldn't afford to spend a bundle but I wanted to take a variety of food to bless them. So, this is what I ended up taking:

Vegetable Barley Soup with Hamburger in it-Made from stuff I had in the pantry and frozen veggies I had stocked up and cooked hamburger I had frozen before the baby came

Cost Estimate--$2 for a large bowl

Best-Ever Oatmeal Brown Bread-A new recipe from my Whole Grains cookbook that my family loves. It's quick and easy to make and very nutritious. The recipe will be featured soon on my blog.

Cost Estimate--$1-$1.50

Jello with Pineapple

Cost Estimate--$0.75

Green Leaf Lettuce (washed and bagged)

$1

New Bottle of Wishbone Dressing

Free thanks to couponing at Safeway!

Plate of Double Chocolate Oatie Cookies

$1

Small ziploc bag of oyster crackers

$0.12 thanks to a clearance mark-down

So, for approximately $6.50, the cost of an icky meal at Cholesterol Factory (aka fast food) I was able to make a meal for a family of 5 that probably lasted them through a lunch or two as well!

Hospitality and generosity can truly be frugal!

*Note* Cost estimates are based on the amount of food I gave the family. The soup's ingredients, even bought on a sale and stocked in my pantry, may have cost $5 total but I had so much soup that I gave my parents a meal, and we had a large bowl which lasted us at least 2 meals as well. So, though the jello cost $1.50 total to make, we kept half of it for our family, which is why I listed the cost as 75 cents.

Uuuuugggghhhh!

This is just one-third of the destruction...

Has anyone else had neighbor's who make them want to scream? I assure you, I really am trying to love them and can't do it in my own strength. I did make them a photo book yesterday with Bible verses in Spanish, one of my goals on the 30 Things list. However, today I discovered that they had taken a permanent marker and wrote the ABCs all over the wood fences (15 feet worth of permanent writing) in the back yard and drew on our backyard swing and some of my kid's toys. Of course it's all over the fences behind OUR apartment, so today I will have to spend time contacting the managers and letting them know about it so that WE don't end up losing our deposit because of it. They sliced open our other neighbor's screen with a knife too. Kids 5 and 6 years old ought to know better!!!
My spirited child (who has been consistently trained) looks like the sweetest, most obedient little girl ever next to our neighbor girls! Isn't there a verse somewhere about how if you don't discipline your kids it's a digrace to you or brings shame to the mother?

Trying to make it 27 more days.......

Will. I. Survive?
Stay tuned to see.

Making My Home a Haven---Diswhwashing Woes

Even though it seems Crystal has discontinued her Making Your Home a Haven carnival on Mondays, I plan to post on this wonderful subject as the mood strikes me. My home has been anything but haven-like in recent weeks as I've struggled to get basic chores done. I used to vacuum at least 5 times a week and now I'm lucky to get it done once a week since I have to try to do it when baby isn't nearby.
I'm finding it nearly impossible to get dishes done every day because Justus seems to want to be held a LOT and even if he's in his sling, I can't bend over him and do dishes comfortably. Then there is chasing the other two. It's hard to supervise their play while doing dishes. I often try to do 10 or 15 minutes worth while they wrestle with Daddy after supper or Ali washes along with me while Jer is napping in the morning but there just seems to be TOO MANY and I always get interrupted by someone or something before they are even close to finished. On Saturday, after a few days of not getting many dishes done and yet cooking a lot and making a ton of dirty dishes, I was so frustrated and sick of my kitchen feeling dirty that I was determined to do them at any cost! Funny thing is King Jo didn't have to work on Saturday morning this week and so he made me homemade waffles (breakfast in bed) which was a wonderful surprise. Then he started doing dishes. I felt bad that he would be doing "my" chore on his day off so when he refused to quit, I joined in and did them with him (the baby was miraculously sleeping) and we got MOST of them done and the kitchen looked so much better and I felt so much better. Don't you just feel like your whole house is dirty when the kitchen is dirty and piled high with dishes to wash? I'm no perfectionist, but it does bug me when I can't keep the house even remotely clean!

Life with 3 small ones would be so much easier if we had a dish washer, a washer and dryer in our home, and did not have cream-colored living room carpet or white linoleum in the kitchen but enough whining...

All I can say is we're in a survival mode of focusing on the main things like keeping baby fed and not worrying about perfection right now. Eventually, when Justus is older (or when he's riding around in his new Ergo) the house will look a lot cleaner. I have to remember that my attitude and what I'm training my kids is more important than polished floors, and nary a crumb in sight.

And on that note: I visited a new friend this week and was so delighted to see toys everywhere, books all around, and dirty dishes all over the counter. She's at a busy stage of life too and didn't feel the need to fix up or be perfect for my visit, which was so refreshing to me! It takes a lot of guts to be that vulnerable, but it blessed me!

Apple Days

Jeremiah and Arianna collect apples that we have shaken down from the trees

Mom's nifty machine

Last Friday was a beautiful fall day. My friend Amy and all of our kids loaded into our van to go apple picking at the free orchard outside of town. We had an enjoyable time and each got a couple of buckets of apples!

So, this weekend was spent making applesauce, apple butter, dried apples, and fruit leather. My fruit leather, however did NOT turn out even though I made it thicker the second time and only put it in for half the time the second time. A dehydrator would probably do a much better job on the fruit leather but I don't have one so I was using the recipe from http://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/ I think my oven just tends to be hotter than it says!



My mom loaned me a really nifty machine she has that makes it very easy to make applesauce. You just chop the apples up and cook them until they are tender and then put them into the machine and twist the crank. The peels and cores and seeds come out one end into a discard bowl and the applesauce comes down the little slide into your applesauce bowl. Then you can cook it on the stove, adding cinnamon and sugar as needed. My mom makes hers by adding a bag of red hots to the bowl, which makes for some pretty pink and yummy tasting applesauce!

30 Day Countdown

When we first met them Ali was still pretty tiny! They all crawled into her crib one day and started sucking on her pacis, pretending to be babies.

I had originally planned to write this post on Oct. 1st but since I was so sick I couldn't even eat or check e-mail, I didn't get it posted until today. There are 30 days left with our difficult neighbors! Yeah Hurray! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't overjoyed. Especially since we discovered several new scratches on our new minivan that look like the work of Fernanda and Frida.





But, I'd also be lying if I said I won't miss them a bit. I have truly enjoyed much of the friendship our families have shared over the past couple of years. When Lupe and I first met neither of us had many friends so we spent many hours chatting in Spanish and swapping recipes and teaching each other to cook our country's foods. I've always known that if I need help or am in trouble I can go to them and they've obviously proven that they feel the same about us! They are very social and lively and we've enjoyed their wild pinata parties at every birthday and the big neighborhood pool parties every summer.





Even though we are glad that our kids won't be around them anymore because of their influence (last night even their mom said she couldn't stand them and going to work everyday is a vacation to get away from their screaming and fighting....) we will miss them and I want our friendship to end on a really good note. So, I've decided to think of 30 things I can do to bless them during the last 30 days with them.





1. Print off that bread recipe Lupe wanted.


2. Let the girls have a tea party with Ali with fancy dishes.


3. Have the girls over for one more dancing-in-ballerina-outfits-to-classical-music fest.


4. Print off my cookie recipe for Lupe.


5. Start compiling a scrapbook of photos of our kids having fun together.


6. Work on the scrapbook.


7. Add Bible verses in Spanish in the scrapbook.


8. Finish the scrapbook.


9. Wrap the scrapbook up nicely with all of my favorite recipes for Lupe.


10. Spend time just chatting with Lupe.


11. Take them one of the American foods they have enjoyed that I make.


12. Make them some cinnamon/chocolate cookies before they leave.


13. Have Ali help me buy/make them a little travel activity that the girls can play with on the long drive to Mexico.


14. Get their address/e-mail address and save it.


15. Purchase one of the bikes they want to get rid of (a friend of mine can use it for her son)


16. Highlight some verses in the Spanish/English Bible that have to do with salvation.


17. Wrap up and give them the gift Bible.


18. Let the girls use paints at our kitchen table.


19. Share a cup of Mexican cocoa and conversation with Lupe.


20. Transfer their laundry from the washer to the dryer for about the millionth time!


21. Surprise them one day by folding their laundry.


22. Buy some postcards of Wyoming and stick them in their scrapbook.


23. Sit out in the yard and chat with them like old times.


24. Let Lupe have her fill of holding the baby and cuddling him.


25. Have Ali draw the girls some special pictures as a reminder of their friendship.


26. Have a sing-along with the girls and review all the Bible songs we've taught them.


27. Go over the wordless book with Fernie and Frida.


28. Offer to watch the girls while their mom runs a quick errand


29. Invite them to do something fun with us (park or swimming or a walk, etc.)


30. Give them lots of hugs.





Someday we may just go visit them in Mexico! They'd be thrilled and it would be a fun vacation. God truly answered my prayer a couple of years ago when I asked Him to put us in a place where we could be a witness and a light to our neighbors. I had no idea how hard it would be or how much it would stretch me, but I think I have gained a lot from the experience. Maybe God is preparing us for overseas ministry someday! Whatever the case, I hope with all of my heart that our neighbors come to Christ and were pointed to Him through our friendship.

Three 3 and Under---Hope for the Hard Days

Those of you mom with 3 or more kids knew it was only a matter of time until I experienced a really tough day with all of them! Well, now I have! Justus has been our best sleeper, sleeping a 4 hour and 3 hour chunk at night and I had my easiest delivery and recovery. There have only been a couple of nights in the last 6 weeks where he was gassy and kept me up most of the entire night and I've been so, so, so thankful for that. However, this weekend he was really fussy and gassy and my patience and energy were wearing thin. Thankfully my hubby was home to help those days. However, this morning I woke up feeling like a train had literally run over my body. The older 2 had cried a lot in the night last night, interrupting our sleep (not sure why) but I normally don't feel that horrible even when I've gotten hardly any sleep. It didn't take me too long to discover that I must have had a clogged milk duct. I've had these 4 or 5 times before with my other kids (and even once during Justus' pregnancy when I wasn't even nursing!) They are horrible! Every inch of your body aches and you feel like you can barely move, let alone get off of the floor. You get chills and fever and feel incredibly tired and every muscle in your back hurts. Nursing feels like someone is stabbing you repeatedly with hot pokers but the key to recovery is to nurse as much as you can on the clogged side so that the clog/infection goes away.

I knew it was going to be a tough day since getting rest and taking care of 3 kids 3 and under definitely don't mesh. I let the kids spread out all of their blankets on the floor and declared it a movie day. We have never had to do that before, but I was desperate and too sick to even read to them! The kids' attention waned after around an hour of movies and Justus was a major fussypants but we made it (barely) until lunch when Daddy came home and he fed and cleaned up the kids and changed an icky diaper. I really didn't want him to leave again but I knew he needed to work and I knew naptime was coming, thank the Lord! So, the boys napped, I rested, and Ali played in her bedroom fairly quietly for a couple of hours. I started feeling much better (as in I could handle walking to the bathroom) in the late afternoon but I continued to rest and let the kids watch another movie and King Jo came home around 5 and picked up Dominos pizza since we had a gift card from Justus' shower.

I am no expert on how to deal with really tough days with 3 little ones, but here's what I did today:

*Pray (it really does help!)

*If you are ill or dealing with 3 screaming kids, forget all housework and focus on just attending to the basic needs (diapers, drinks, food, and not letting the kids kill each other).

*Teach your kids patience. If Justus is screaming and Ali is begging for a drink of milk and Jer is hollering that he is hungry I will try to calmly tell them that when the baby is done drinking I will then get them something. It's good for kids to have siblings to teach them that the universe doesn't revolve around them.

*Ask your oldest to be Mommy's helper. I was proud of the way Ali fetched things for me constantly today. Even Jer-Bear helped out where he could. It was sweet to see them kissing me, trying to give me a foot massage, and praying for me all day.

*Keep the kids on a short tether. While it was a pretty day and they would have loved to play outside, I could barely move, let alone watch them outdoors. So, even though our apartment is very small and not a great place to burn off energy, I made them stay indoors and encouraged their playing where I could see them so I could referee fighting with my weak voice.

*Get take-out for supper!

I try to keep these awful days in perspective. They are tough, but I am so glad to have 3 little blessings and most days with them are a lot easier. It's totally worth having 3, even if occasionally all 3 of them are screaming at once!

What do our veteran moms of 3 or more suggest for the tough days?

Too Cute!

Giving an Ergo a Try

I've heard so many of my favorite bloggers raving about the Ergo baby carrier that I decided to give it a try with Justus. He loves the sling, unlike my other kids, and is outgrowing the Snugli carrier and my homemade sling. And I just can't figure out how to comfortably carry my kids in the Guatamalan sling even though the Guatamalan women seem to have no trouble lugging around their preschoolers in it! I have tried a large variety of slings in the past few years and have not found one that is very comfortable both for myself and the baby.

Blogreader KC commented recently on my blog that I should get an Ergo. After researching on it all weekend I decided that she was right and ordered one from a nice homeschooling family she recommended that has an online business: www.thehomegrownfamily.com They processed my order immediately and I can't wait to get it and try it out.

They are pricey, but apparently worth it, and since Justus is my third kid and wants to be held 24/7, I kind of need my hands free to cook, clean, or care for the other kids and need to find a sling that works and works well! The Ergo is supposed to be wonderful for the mother's spine and baby's spine too. It was developed by a mom in 2003 and has started exploding in popularity. You can use it on your hip, on your front, or on your back. We received some money from some family and some friends for baby gifts so that will go toward the Ergo!

Want to see what one looks like? Check out the official site here. Another great site to visit where you can watch an online video on the Ergo is www.myfavoritebabycarrier.com

If you want to give one a try, I would recommend ordering one from the family's website I linked to above since it's the same price as anywhere else on the web, has free shipping, and a 90-Day guarantee. I figure if my baby doesn't like it or I don't use it as much as I had hoped I can return it within a few months and get a FULL refund!

For those of you with gassy/clingy babies, it might be an important purchase for your sanity.
I will let you all know how I like it after I've tested it out for a while. It is supposed to carry kids up to 40 pounds so I can see how it works with all of my kids.

Who are my favorite bloggers who LOVE their Ergos? Tammy, from www.tammysrecipes.com, Crystal, from www.biblicalwomanhood.com/blog and Lindsay, from www.passionatehomemaking.com

Tithing

Last week I mentioned the phishing scam we were victims of. Blogreader Jennifer wrote this comment:

"My blessed sister in Christ, I have one question. Are you a tither? If you are then you have NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT."

Malachi 3 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

Malachi 3: 11
I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.

Thank you for reminding me of these verses Jennifer!

This comment reminded me that I never got around to finishing my last post in my Living Debt Free blog series I did this summer. Tithing is really the most important part of our budget and yet I never got around to compiling my post on the issue due to my pregnancy fatigue.

So, though my time is limited, I want to share with my blog readers that I was trained to tithe as a child, have always tithed, and sincerely believe that tithing is absolutely important in the life of a follower of Jesus. I don't believe that it is a ticket to Heaven or that you should give just to see what you can "get" out of it. I don't believe churches should guilt people into or force tithes and that we should give as the Lord leads us. I do believe, as commenter Jennifer does, that God will prove Himself faithful if we are faithful to tithe. I do agree with the words of Billy Graham on tithing, "Most Christians find that 90% goes a lot further than 100%."

I am saddened to see how few American Christians give and how very few give sacrificially. Some people declare that they would tithe if they had more money. Because how we handle our money is an overflow from the heart, how much money you have isn't the issue. Priorities are. People tend to spend what they make (or more). Why do Americans seem to think they can't give when we are the richest folks in the world? Remember the widow's mite? Or the widow who gave her last flour and oil to Elisha? Why do Christians want to rob themselves of blessings by not giving to the Lord?

If you believe that all you have is God's anyway, then that 10% (or whatever you believe is God's will for you to tithe) isn't yours to begin with and isn't yours to spend. The government takes 10-15% of our income and we manage to survive. Shouldn't we revere God more than the IRS? There are many Christians out there buying a daily mocha or spending $50 a month on a gym they never visit who won't give to their church but once or twice a year. I have been in missions and we have two siblings in missions right now and we have come to find that sometimes it is the poorest of people who give the most.

Is it always easy to give? Not always. Often you feel wonderful about giving and excited to help with a ministry you really believe in. But there are also times, like when I was in college and only making $100 a month, where I could have used that $10 for Ramen instead of tithing. But God ALWAYS provided my needs and gave me above and beyond what I needed. He continues to do so and we continue to tithe and to give above our normal tithe as He blesses us with unexpected income from overtime hours or unexpected refunds. Because both my husband and I were taught as children to tithe, it is generally easy for us as there is no doubt in either of our minds that tithing is the best thing we can do for our budget! Of course the world doesn't understand this AT ALL! How can you build wealth/security by giving money away? How foolish to give money to "an idea of a deity" who may or may not exist, they say. All I can say is, "If you are not a believer, than you won't be able to understand the spiritual wisdom of tithing. If you are a believer and you don't tithe, you are robbing yourself of incredible blessing." I found this article interesting.

If I felt that I couldn't possibly tithe because my budget was so tight I would find a way to live on less or make more money. How I spend my money is a reflection of my heart. If my heart is passionate about the things of God, then I will use my resources to fund the spread of the Gospel, support my church body and help the needy.

2 Cor. 9:6-8
"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."

You've heard on my blog how God provided our mini-van though it looked like an impossibly big amount just a half a year ago. I could share countless stories of how God has provided exactly what we need at just the right time. But I'd rather hear YOUR stories. How has God proven Himself faithful to you in conjunction with your obedience to tithe?

Only in Wyo

On the way to pick Ali up from pre-school I noticed a guy riding his horse down Main Street. Only in Wyoming!

(Yes, I was taking pics while driving. Don't try that at home...)