Quest for the Simple Life

Too Much Stuff?

2012-01-17T18:25:00.004-05:00

I've been decluttering this past week. I like to declutter, organize, purge and donate. It is a cleansing and liberating feeling for me. I recently read an article and one line jumped out at me:

"Cap possessions by number (five pairs of jeans), size (one basketful of toiletries), or time (unread books will be donated after three months)."

Wow, okay I'm way beyond that. Do I declutter more? Food for thought. The areas listed in the quote are not areas I'm concentrating on.

I finally decluttered my pantry again! Looks nice, clean and organized again. I notice I write "again" and wonder why I can't create a system that works. I think I had one and life got in the way. Let's see if I can do better this year.

So where does my stuff go? I actually decluttered the pantry and linen closet. Linen closet? Yes, it's not too often that I declutter in there, but I stumbled upon it and found myself going through it.

1. I throw away things that are unusable, damaged or broken. Hopefully I'm not finding too many of those items in the house. I'm usually pretty good about them. I did have to put something out and call for a bulk pick up in my area. Check. Now what can I add to the pick up? He, he. =)

2. If I can find a new home for it, I do. I offer items on a loop of friends that live local to me. That's always my first pick. Or I offer the items to neighbors, other friends and church. I also use Freecycle and Goodwill.

3. Is it under warranty or can it be repaired? We do have one item - a Nerf gun - that continues to jam. I contacted Hasboro to see if this has been an issue. They helped me problem solve but to no avail. I learned something new. Hasboro offers a one year warranty on their Nerf guns! I had no idea. They offered to send me a postage paid label to return the item and then they will replace it. In decluttering, I actually found the original Nerf box too! Ha, ha! So unusual for me to keep a box, however we had an issue with Nerf gun in the past, so I kept the box.

Time for a Change

2011-12-12T03:07:00.005-05:00

It's been a here of change here and I am finishing the year by cutting off all of my hair! Silly, huh? It wasn't meant to be symbolic. I just got tired of the long hair, felt like I needed a change. I was unaware when I went to have it cut, however I was fortunately in that my hairdresser was very familiar with hair donation and the requirements. I ended up having 10 inches cut off, which she asssured was plenty to donate. She sent me to the http://www.pantene.com/ program which uses the hair to supply wigs through the American Cancer Society.
Later I was thinking that this change came at a good time for me. Maybe it is symbolic. I feel lighter, more positive, my hair has some bounce again. And I think I do too...it's a nice way to end the year.

Our Christmas Journey

2010-12-31T21:30:00.003-05:00

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! We had a "planes, trains and automobiles" Christmas. We traveled early on Dec 23rd expecting to arrive at our destination that evening, after a 14 hour drive. HOWEVER, a monkey wrench was thrown into our plans. We had our van in the shop for over a week before the holidays and everything was fixed. As we were traveling through North Carolina, it was dark and cold, the van began making an awful sound. We immediately pulled over. As we got off the exit, I noticed a Days Inn. As we pulled into the gas station, the van sputtered and stalled! Oh, no. As hubby tried to restart it, to no avail the first attempt, my heart sank. Fast forward....we got the van started, and prayed as we traveled the .3 mile to the Days Inn. We ended up being so blessed in our situation. We were able to secure warm lodging overnight at a reasonable rate. We noted there was an Autozone down the street, got the name of a mechanic and also located an Enterprise Rent a Car office locally. We were able to secure a rental that night on the phone with the 800# (we thought). There was not one complaint from the kids. They were on an adventure as they checked out the hotel room. They were pleased to find some Christmas cartoons on the TV. They easily settled in. As we snuggled in our warm bed that night, I reminded them of Mary and Joseph traveling and how they were unable to find a warm room in the inn. Instead they slept in the stable. How fortunate we are - imagine on this cold night if we were sleeping in a stable!We all fell asleep with grateful and peaceful hearts.
In the morning, we spoke to the mechanic, who was open and could take us, however let us know he couldn't work on it that day. The rental didn't quite turn out the way we expected. We were suppose to pick it up (call them at 8 am and ask them to pick us up), turns out the local office did not have a vehicle for us. *slight panic* After working on it, we were able to secure a vehicle from them 2 hours later. They picked hubby up (a nice perk especially when you have no vehicle). Now began the shuffling of all of our luggage and gifts from our van to a much smaller Sebring. We condensed and left some things behind in the van. Thanked AAA. Left a nice tip for our maid and the tow truck driver and were back off on the journey!Yes, it cost us some extra money for hotel and rental and the upcoming expense of another repair! *Our family rocked it!* Our attitudes were positive and amazing! There were no melt downs. =)My heart was grateful...is grateful. Experiences like these really show you what is important - attitude, teamwork, warm shelter and family. We were resourceful and met up with some kind strangers. It could have so easily gone a different way....we were not stranded on the side of the road. There are a lot of exits off of the main road that do not have anything there! It turned out we stayed at the only hotel in that town.....and we got a vehicle on Christmas Eve!
Hope you are having a wonderful week enjoying family, friends and the holidays. Remember how blessed you are!

Letting Go of Training Wheels....

2010-05-25T08:07:00.006-04:00

Last night, I was helping my son learn to ride his bike without training wheels. I love that moment when they have a good sense of balance and they grow more confident as they are pedaling. I am running next to the bike and I gently take my hand off his seat - he is riding on his own!

Of course he glances back quickly and starts to get nervous. How does he know I lifted my hand off the seat? It's like he has a sense of Mom's Intuition. In the past, he's gotten distracted and lost his balance. Tonight he continues his sense of balance and I cheer him on. "You can do it. Keep riding. You are doing it by yourself!" He is so excited, so confident.

His grandparents are here visiting. The whole family is out in the driveway and Grammy is filming this big event. We are all cheering him on and proud of his accomplishment.
I find myself exhilarated and proud. I find this comparable to graduating high school or the first time the kids could write their ABCs by themselves.

I have not graduated a child from high school, however in my mind's eye, I imagine I would have similar feelings to what I am feeling now.

Finding Balance

2010-04-06T05:17:00.006-04:00

I've haven't written in a while. I was struggling with work-life balance. I was able to reduce my work schedule. I'm at the point now where I have to make a choice to add more hours so I can have my benefits or reduce my hours and lose my benefits. I am struggling. I rarely feel this way - I want my cake and I want to eat it too. I want reduced hours and to keep my benefits.

Since January, I have reduced my hours - I am LOVING it! I work enough and I'm home more for my family.

Since I was making less money outside of the home, we worked on cutting our expenses. I am reaching towards creating a monthly meal list. I'd like to move from food shopping weekly to food shopping every other week and eventually a big food shopping trip once a month. I have a goal to reduce our food budget. I'm back to using coupons. I buy mostly no frills already, however I do find the coupons pertain to cleaning and personal supplies for me.

Some other little tips I am using:
Always remember perimeter shopping is best * Focus on whole foods.
Have a weekly shopping list and list of meals.
Make a list of the family’s favorite meals to create a monthy menu.
Create a reusable shopping/pantry list.
Create a recipe book of favorite recipes.
Cook more from scratch.
Once a week – crockpot meals.
Consider a salad and sandwich or soup night.
Grow a garden.
Here is a list of making our own mixes recipes. Add favorites to the recipe book.
http://www.recipesource.com/misc/mixes/indexall.html

Simplifying: Finding a Win-Win Solution

2009-10-15T08:48:00.004-04:00

I met with some other homeschool Moms the other night. Support and companionship is essential in the homeschool world. On this particular night, the topic of discussion was organization.

I realized in that exchange, doing the dishes and feeding the family is quite a job when you are home all day. At times, the hump of my day has been lunch. In the past, I've overcome it by occasionally buying paper plates to assist with the lunch clean up.

Suddenly a light bulb went on. My daughter likes to wash up the dishes. It's more of a play activity for her. Why have I not developed this interest into a solution?

For some reason I never think to ask her to help with the dishes. She's old enough. Yesterday, I asked her if she would like a new job - washing the dishes up after lunch! She readily agreed although she was a little disappointed that she just had to rinse them and put them in the dishwasher. She was hoping to handwash them all and spend a lot of time with the water. =)
Delegation is an important part of simplifying life. I just had not realized my children were old enough to take on that responsibility. Delegating the dishes from lunch clean up was a win-win solution for both of us. I think I heard her humming as she was rinsing!

Family Fun: Camping in the Backyard

2009-10-01T09:27:00.005-04:00

Last night we sat at the campsite we had created in the backyard. Hubby had recently set up our tent. Naturally a campfire was built and surrounded with camp chairs. Hubby, the kids and I were all gathered around. Feels so natural and comfortable. We've raised the kids this way. The fire was larger than I liked for us being so close. The kids roasted marshmellows and seemed very content. We sat by the campfire and shared stories and sang songs. I looked up in the night sky and pointed out the stars above. It's a good life.

Peace

2009-09-30T10:25:00.008-04:00

Our homeschool group was having a discussion yesterday about organization and feeling out of control. We offered one another support. We will be discussing organization at our next homeschool meeting. I'm excited to share some tools and learn something new.

It led me to this quote and a focus on peace:

"Lord, I'm overwhelmed...I often lose sight of You. Please rejuvenate my soul and help me look to You for stength and comfort when I need it most. Remind me that I can't control everything and that it's okay I'm not perfect. Amen."
From In the Kitchen with Mary and Martha: One Dish Wonders
(found in my 365 Moments of Peace for Moms)

Peace. Aren't we all looking for peace? I am. I am looking for peace in my heart and in my life. I usually relate peace with balance. When I have a balance in my life things seem to go smoothly, peacefully. I am someone that requires downtime. I do not always like to be on the go.

Seems so funny to me...when I look back, I think I was always busy as a teenager and as a young adult. It's really been since I've entered the motherhood stage, that I took a big pause...looked at my schedule, prioritized it and have been searching for peace, balance and mindful activities.

My sister is quite different, not only does she have a few more kids than I do, she is also still on the go. This comes to light when we take trips together. Our family likes some down time. We don't want to be on the go with a planned activity every day. Some days we want to spend in the pool or exploring...something simple.

As a child, I recall many moments of down time. I have always loved to read and write. I had plenty of time to do those activities as well as play with my siblings, neighborhood kids, take walks and explore. Just play...I remember having a lot of time to play...to use our imaginations. I think I've come full circle. I am trying to teach my own children now to find peace, balance and mindfulness.

Visit to the Dentist

2009-09-24T08:15:00.005-04:00

Our visit to the dentist was a success! I am so excited and relieved. For those of you reading my blog for the first time, my son had developed a fear of the dentist's office. Our last 6 month appointment was physically and emotionally draining, very stressful. Something upset him during that visit. I was with him at the time and did not know what it was. He informed me a few weeks ago, in preparing for our upcoming appointment, it was the tooth counter that he feared.
On Thursday, we had his appointment. My son looked nervous when he went back. He held onto his sister and his comfort item. We tried something different - I sat in the lobby and waited...and prayed. I prayed for courage and peace for him.
The staff was great. I shared with them his fear of the tooth counter. The dental hygienist actually came back twice with updates!
Not only was it a success, he completed all the parts of the dental visit - polishing of his teeth, counting of his teeth, xrays, meeting with the dentist and the flouride treatment. He shared with me that they used the tooth counter in his mouth three times!
Afterwards we met with the dentist and reviewed the xrays - no cavities! Everything looks good. If you need assistance with your child going to the dentist, please check out my tips.

Clutter Buster Project: Getting Rid of the Bunk Bed

2009-09-17T12:22:00.010-04:00

We took down my son's bunk bed. Clutter was multiplying on the top bunk! I felt a little sad. He loved that bunk bed. However, he had not been sleeping in it. That combined with the breeding of clutter on the top bunk, I was inspired to let it go. I found I would place some laundry up there to put away and he would throw all types of randon toys and clothes up there. I constantly had to stay on top of it. I was tired and realized we rarely use the top bunk for anyone to ever sleep in it anymore! We freecycled it yesterday. Finally I was okay with it. My son wasn't so sure.

This project was initially paint my son's room. My hubby and son went shopping for paint supplies. My son picked primary color blue for his walls. They painted. We had talked about the possibility of letting the bunk bed go. It wasn't until after I saw the room painted that we moved forward on it.

When the room was dry, we took down the bunk bed and removed everything from the room. Then we dusted and vacuumed. We brought the furniture back in and rearranged it. I love it! My son is very happy with his "new" room too. I'm not sure what our next step is with the bed. We are going to try a twin for now and see how that works. He also has the option of going to a full size bed. It feels clean, fresh and new in his room. Our next project: decorating it.

Parents: Need Help Handling Your Child's Fear of the Dentist?

2009-09-09T07:01:00.013-04:00

Lately we've been talking about the dentist in our home. My son has his semiannual dentist visit in 2 weeks. He is nervous - he does not like going to the dentist. He last visit was awful - emotionally draining for both of us. I am prepping him several weeks in advance for this visit.

Tips for Reducing Fear of the Dentist in Children:

1. Set expectations. Talk to your child and explain what will happen. For example, you have a dentist appointment today at 2 pm. We will go and sit in the waiting room until they call your name. You may play with the toys in the office until your name is called. Once your name is called, you will go back to see the dentist and I will go with you (or it may be that the child is going alone).

2. Knowledge. There are four key components to the dental office visit - cleaning, counting teeth, taking xrays or pictures of your teeth and meeting with the dentist and letting him check your teeth. A flouride treatment may or may not be included in the visit. My son's fear - the tooth counter. He finally shared this with me last week. The tooth counter is a small metal tool with a hook on the end. He tells me it scares him. It looks sharp.

3. Practice at home with pretend play. My sister found this dentist play set she purchased for my son to help him conquer his fear. He plays with it, sometimes we play together. I've asked him, what if you were the dentist and the dentist was the patient. He laughs at me...he thinks it's silly for me to say such a thing.

4. Real life application. I bring my son with me when I go to the dentist, so he can watch my experience and become familiar with the process. Read books about the dentist experience. I purchased Just Going to the Denist for my son - we are big Mercer Mayer fans. We read the book together. I would suggest previewing the books at a bookstore or a library first unless highly recommended by a friend.

5. Take a tour. My son has been to the dental office several times in the past. He only goes every 6 months, easy to forget what it looks like in 6 months. We scheduled a tour for review. It only took a few minutes and the dental office was very receptive. After the tour, while we were talking, was when he shared with me his fear of the tooth counter.

6. Answer any questions or address any fears the child may have. I am going to address the tooth counter with the staff, maybe they will let him hold it and get comfortable with it. If not, maybe they can use another object until he's more comfortable. I suggested a Q-tip to my son. He laughed and said they were nice and soft.

7. Educate. Teach your child the names of the dentist and the staff members.

8. Talk positively. We talk about the dentist in our home. He shared with us last visit some similar likes to my son. Both of them are "critter catchers" - they like to catch frogs, toads and lizards. So they have that in common. My daughter loves going to the dentist. It is not difficult for us to talk positively.

Offer Birthday Cake or Fruit Cake?

2009-09-02T20:08:00.004-04:00

In my challenge to stay on track with my lifestyle change of healthy eating, evitably I stumble on setbacks. Birthdays seem to attract setbacks. Most people prefer or expect cake to be served....sometimes even cake and ice cream. Double blow! Now, maybe I am just spending time with the wrong people. =)
I have dealt with these sugary treats in all different ways - sometimes declining, other times choosing a small portion of ice cream OR cake. Kids birthday parties are the worst! I have been guilty myself in the past. Welcome to a sugar festival - likely filled with pizza and sugary drinks, sometimes juice boxes, cake, ice cream and sometimes even pinatas filled with candy! Enough!!
Today I discovered a solution! A fruit cake! Now, I'm not talking about a cake with fruit baked in it, like you come across at the holidays. This fruit cake is layers of fresh fruit shaped to look like a cake, click here to check it out. It looks delicious and is simple to make. My friends who are also working toward a healthy lifestyle may embrace this new idea of a fruit cake. Wondering if the rest of my inner circle will accept it?

Exercise: Creating a Routine on Vacation

2009-08-25T08:42:00.008-04:00

I walk daily. I committed myself to this habit almost two years ago. It is challenging to maintain this routine while I'm on vacation. Our vacation has been busy, catching up with friends and family. I've learned the quickest thing to do is to create a routine for exercise as soon as possible.
We are avid campers, so we are staying at a campground. The first few days, we were so busy, I did not walk. I'm at the point with my walking where I feel uncomfortable with not exercising. I had no plan. We had not even explored the campground for me to discover a routine.
Later in the week, we finally encountered some time to investigate the campground. I found a great loop to walk daily. The next day I walked the loop twice. Just discovering a path, led me to a routine. Here are some other suggestions for incorporating an exercise routine on vacation. Staying at a hotel? Find the exercise room right away. Develop a plan and stick to it as best as you can. Try something new, if a treadmill is available, give it a try. Walk an hour a day? Find a path or beach, walk 30 minutes, then turn around and walk back. Is there a pool? Pools are frequently found in summer vacation destinations - swim laps for a change.
Explore, create a plan, develop a routine and commit to it daily.

Simple Pleasure: Swinging

2009-08-23T19:51:00.007-04:00

We took a family walk tonight and wrapped up our family time with a trip to the playground. Sitting nearby, quietly with my husband, I enjoyed watching the kids running and playing. They each learned a new skill at the playground tonight. It is exciting to watch them learn something new. They are growing and eager to show us what they have learned. We watch them thoroughly entertained and clap at their achievements. Later, I notice my daughter is swaying on a swing and I join her. Swinging is a simple pleasure - I don't feel too old to swing, although I am usually the only Mom on the playground doing so! My daughter and I are swinging side by side. It is exhilarating to lean back and stretch my feet high in the air. I have that familiar childhood feeling of my feet touching the tree tops. There is a blend of colors - green grass, green tree tops and the blue sky. I love the feeling of moving back and forth. My daughter is delighted beside me and tries to swing higher than me. It's a liberating experience of flying through the air - free. The wind is gently blowing. My daughter is smiling beside me. All feels right with the world. As I move higher, I quickly glance over at the cement anchors in the ground - they are firm and holding me. I feel safe. I am really high now. Finally, at the pinnacle of my simple pleasure, I get that "grown up" feeling of being too high and have butterflies in my stomach. I need to slow down. The vitalizing feeling is over. I slow down and eventually stop, refreshed from my simple pleasure. The kids relish in Mom swinging like a "big kid" and I feel invigorated having acted like one. =)

Homeschool Tools: Write-A-Mat

2009-08-22T08:54:00.008-04:00

I love to peruse book stores. I am a complete nerd when it comes to "back to school" supplies. I recently headed to our local teacher's store (an exiting combination for me) for some home school tools. I came across Write-A-Mat. I purchased two - learning cursive and the Presidents of the United States of America, updated with Barack Obama's picture and information. The Presidents Write-A-Mat sits daily at my son's place at the table. At every meal, he moves his plate over and learns about the presidents. He asks me all sorts of questions. He makes comments, like Steve Carell (only known to my son as Evan Baxter in Evan Almighty) looks like Abraham Lincoln.
I found this one tool very helpful in learning and thought some readers may also. Click here for a list of Write-A-Mats, some include: phonics, math (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions), the Planets, telling time, geography (the world map and the United States Map) and music symbols. I also found one for the periodic table. I could have really benefitted from the periodic table mat when in high school and in college!

Traveling and Camping: St. Augustine, Florida

2009-08-13T22:34:00.010-04:00

We ventured on a trip to St. Augustine, Florida. I usually do some research on activities, especially for the kids, prior to our trips. This trip planning I left entirely to my husband. We stayed at the North Beach Campground, conveniently located on A1A, right across from the beach. Our campsite was a pull through site, otherwise surrounded by a wooded area on both sides creating a very private and shady area for us.
We did not have a tow vechicle with us. We headed into Historic St. Augustine and not only located RV parking, it was also free! Bus and RV parking is conveniently located off of Orange Street, just below route 1. It was a hot day, luckily we were within walking distance to most of the main attractions, including the shops and restaurants along St. George Street. We entertained ourselves along St. George Street, first stopping for lunch and water replenishment. Along our journey, we visited the Oldest School House and the Spanish Colonial Quarter. As we wandered back to the camper, hot and tired, we stumbled upon a huge playground. Refueled with excitement, the kids begged for some time to stop and play on the playground.
We spent time on the beach, in the waves and walking along the beach searching for treasures. We ate at The Reef, a restaurant across the street from the campground with reasonable prices, good food and an ocean view. After spending some time in St. Augustine, we realized we could include a combination of the Alligator Farm, Lighthouse and beach into another trip.

Homeschooling Field Trip: Fire Museum

2009-08-11T05:20:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, we were back in North Charleston at the American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center. Upon entering my son saw an antique fire truck with 2 laterns on it. Excitedly, he shared, "Mom, look laterns - just like on Little House on the Prairie!" Then he took off running. Inside we found 18 restored, antique fire trucks. Each truck had a story to tell.
We read and learned about each truck, noticing the differences and upgrades. The kids could not wait to investigate the educational play area with stairs on one side and a firetruck ladder on the other side. Once you reach the top, you can either slide down the fire pole or head down the slide. All thoughout the museum are mini educational areas - 911 calls, fire prevention, what the inside of a home looks like after a fire and fire equipment, just to name a few.
In the back of the museum is a stage with a 7 minute presentation. On stage, there are different areas of a home. The show highlights those areas of the home and alerts the audience to potential hazards. For example one area is the stove, that area is highlighted and the stove starts smoking. The hazard is discussed as is prevention.
I'm saving the best for last. The kids were thrilled with the fire truck simulator. It's an actual fire truck. A visitor can sit in the front, passenger or back seats. Once inside, buckle up. The driver starts the simulator by touching a side screen twice. The simulator takes you on a real call to an accident scene. The driver drives the truck to the scene. As the driver, not only are you driving, you can also hit the floor button for the siren or hit the horn. Each of the kids did the simulator twice and kept asking to go again!
There is much to learn at the fire museum for adults and children. I did not realize the fire fighters had floor buttons in the fire truck. The passenger does as well. Upon exiting the fire museum, each child receives a plastic fire hat to continue the pretend play at home.
The cost is reasonable, $6 per person. Kids are free under the age of 13 with an accompanying adult! A day at the fire museum proved to be educational and fun!

Sharing Sunday Service With Friends

2009-08-10T03:05:00.000-04:00

Recently while out of town, I visited a friend's church. We were looking forward to meeting up with friends and seeing what there church had to offer. After initially entering, I was about to enter the sanctuary with my children in tow, when I was stopped by a church member. "Is this your first time here?" I was asked. I said it was. The gentleman suggested I take the kids to the "fabulous" Sunday school during the service. I advised him that they would attend the service with me. He in turn replied, "Well that's okay for today, it being your first time, but next time, the kids attend Sunday school." Oh, I was so rubbed the wrong way! What right does a church member have to tell me that the kids can not attend church service and must attend Sunday school instead? Isn't it our choice?Our home church offers Sunday school before service, then we attend service afterward. On this day, we were going just to service as we were visiting. I didn't feel comfortable just dropping the kids off in a classroom that was new to me with teachers I did not know. So the kids and I go in. Oh, we were also told to sit in the back, in case the kids get antsy. I did reassure this gentleman that the kids attend church regularly and were very familiar with a church service, that they would not be disruptive. On a side note, the kids were eager to check out the new church. One of my kids wondered with me, "I wonder if they'll be a children's sermon!" My other child added, "I wonder if there will be a gum lady!" We have a woman at our home church that gives the children gum after church....that is who my son refers to as the "gum lady." So they will excited to go and curious as to what would happen there. We found a seat in the back. Our friends joined us shortly thereafter. This was a community church and a new experience for me. Big screens were located at the front of the church. Many contempory Christian songs were sung. I did not see any hymnals or Bibles in the pews. I felt like I was being entertained. I would feel more comfortable with this set up on a Saturday night. I learned that the church didn't feel very kid friendly, that I don't like to be entertained at church and that I am more of a traditionalist at church. I like to open my hymnal and turn to the correct page and sing the hymn. I am more of a nuts and bolts person in regards to church. The hymnals and Bibles in the pews offer me comfort. I don't really care for the big screen at the front of the church. I like the comfort of familiar faces or new and friendly faces. People that welcome children into their world. I like the hymnals and the sermons. On the plus side I did enjoy the sermon. I do prefer a sermon that is practical and applicable to modern day times. The pastor seemed comfortable and passionate about his topic. After the sermon, another pastor spent a few minutes of spotlight on a church member. He interviewed a member of the church briefly. It was pre-planned. He asked this member why he choose this church, what he was involved in at the church and what he liked about the church. Something different, spotlighting a member and learning more about him. It was a good experience for me and I learned more about the things I prefer personally at church on Sunday mornings.

Homeschooling: Getting Started

2009-08-03T06:30:00.007-04:00

Interested in homeschooling this year? Not sure where to get started? An important resource for homeschoolers is the Homeschool Legal Defense Association. First find out what the homeschool laws are in your state. When I first started, I wanted support. I did not want to go on this journey alone. So I found my local support groups. You can do a web search, yahoo or google groups search or search here. Another wonderful resource is the library - borrow books for the kids or for homeschooling Moms and attend story hour. I am a lover of the library! Find out what is available at the local library.
When we were first getting started with homeschooling, I bought a magnetic board and magnetic letters. We practiced letters and sounds. We attended story time at the library and borrowed loads of books from the library. I eventually found the Leap Frog DVDs, which I highly recommend: Letter Factory, Talking Words, Talking Words 2 and later Learn to Read.
I attended used curriculum sales to get ideas and make some purchases. I ended up with too many workbooks! I started a wish list for books and educational toys in Microsoft Word for holidays and birthdays. We were learning every day all day long - many teachable moments from manners to letters to sounds to questions about God and nature.
For kindergarten, I purchased used What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know and Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. For writing we initially used lined paper, then I found lined dry erase boards. I found them in Walmart for just a few dollars. For Math, we had our own counters (pennies, M&Ms or buttons) and we added and subtracted with them. For Science we learned on our own about nature, hands on. We went out and studied it. When we come upon something, we look it up online or get books out of the library on the subject. For Art, we bought all sorts of supplies and the Draw Write Now Series.
We moved on to reading anything else in the house and some Abeka readers. For Read a louds, we read The Boxcar Children series, Magic Tree House Series and The Little House Series. We added the Explode the Code Series for reading and writing.
This year we have added the Story of the World for history. It has a workbook companion. I've also discovered Edhelper.com is another resource. Some information is free; it is $20 a year for a membership.
Homeschooling is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with your kids - quality time. Read, read and read to them! Tap into some resources (I've listed many above) and find tools that work for you and your children. You will be amazed at the teachable moments you encounter on a daily basis. Enjoy the journey!

Emergency Tree Frog Release

2009-07-31T08:49:00.006-04:00

If you've been following my posts, you are aware we have baby tree frogs! If you need to get up to speed, read about it here. This morning, we woke up and checked our tree frogs as we do every morning, we found one dead. =(

After this discovery, we sadly (for us) had an emergency tree frog release. I got one on my finger. He was smaller than my finger nail in size. He sat on there trustingly. I took him outside. Hubby and daughter accompanied me, each with one on their hands as well. The little tree frog was so cute! He continued to sit on my finger, then slowly walked up my hand with his sticky webbed feet. My son came over and let him crawl onto his hand. Then took him to a nearby tree and released him.

We are not sure what happened to the tree frog that didn't survive. Hubby and I both did some more reading on creating a habitats for them. We made some changes. We hope to have healthy tree frogs that continue to thrive!

Visit to Charleston, South Carolina

2009-07-30T07:46:00.006-04:00

Recently we traveled to Charleston, South Carolina. Prior to going, I came across an online list of activities to do with kids. We parked at the Visitor's Center and went inside for a city map -always a helpful tool to have. The kids each wanted maps too - every kids needs a map for an adventure! We headed around the corner on Ann Street to the Children's Museum. The kids were thrilled, played inside and each made a new friend. The Children's Museum included sections on gravity with balls, water and boats races, pirate boat complete with a jail and shackles, food market which included a cash register, art area and a castle area with a back staircase. The kids had fun exploring and pretending, putting those imaginations to work.

Hungry after some hearty play time, we headed over to the Buccaneer restaurant on Faber Street. When coming in through the doors there are swords, muskets and daggers on display. We enjoyed the food and atmosphere. There was a large circular fish tank in the middle of the restaurant. The kids enjoyed taking a look while waiting for the food. The food came quickly and was delicious. Reasonably priced. After dinner, we walked down to the pier. Along the pier, were tables and benches to visit and look across the water or visit with others. There were also some large family swings - big enough for four of us to sit comfortably across. Sitting there, rocking gently, looking out at the water, the wind blowing softly was a nice treat. After a while of visiting and rocking, we walked along the water. It was a nice night.

Our Summer Science Projects: Tadpoles, Tree Frogs and a Mud Turtle

2009-07-20T20:09:00.020-04:00

Our science projects have expanded this summer. We started out with a tadpole rescue, you can read more here. My husband rescued them from a ditch with evaporating water. It has been a great learning experience and summer project! It's been fun to watch them grow and check them every morning to see who has grown one set of legs, then two sets and then lungs. So far, they have all grown into itty bitty toads, about the size of a large house fly. We've let them go when their lungs have developed and their tails are gone.

On Saturday morning, much to our excitement, we realized 2 of our tadpoles are tree frogs!!! We are very excited here and considering keeping them a while longer. I'm doing some research. We're going to need another aquarium! Here's what I've found so far: frogs, raising tadpoles, mud turtle care & mud turtles as pets. Surprisingly, tree frogs and mud turtles are both listed as recommended pets. Tree frogs are nocturnal and make a loud "chirping" noise at night. Ours haven't done so yet. I wonder when they develop that ability?

So where does the mud turtle come in? We have a mud turtle that is staying with us. We will release him back to nature shortly. One of the issues is the mud turtle eats tadpoles! So we have to keep them separated.

In regards to obtaining another aquarium, I posted on Freecycle initially, then looked on Craig's List. I didn't see anything. We ended up going to Petsmart and picking up one of these lightweight aquariums. We already have one. They are great for catching critters and studying them. A habitat can be made in these aquariums for a land critter or water critter. They have a top, so creatures can not escape, especially in the house! The aquariums are versatile and served our purpose. We have 2 of them now in the large size.

I highly recommend raising tadpoles as a future summer project for any of you considering it!

An Afternoon Spent Back in Time

2009-07-13T14:25:00.007-04:00

As I type this, my children are dressed in their prairie attire - some of it creative play. My son is wearing jeans and a shirt with a denium apron around it. (He couldn't find his overalls). My daughter is wearing a shirt and shorts with an actual prairie bonnet and prairie apron. The kids are playing "Little House on the Prairie." They were creating their own covered wagon. They asked me for some assistance on the canvas. =) So we found a big comforter to fill that need. The wagon is all set up now and they are off now playing. There have announced they are taking a wagon ride back to Walnut Grove. I love sitting close by and hearing them play.

My daughter has some real prairie clothes as I just mentioned. She had a birthday recently and received them from Our Grandmom's Closet. After hearing them play today, I decided to surprise my son and order him a pair of kid's suspenders. Thank goodness for Google or I would not know if they even made suspenders for kids, let alone where to buy them! I ordered the carpenter suspenders from the Suspender Store. When there is a break in their play, I am going to pick up The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder and join them for some reading time.

Today's Lesson: Alligators

2009-06-25T03:57:00.008-04:00

We made it to Gatorland. We had a great experience. It started at the customer service line - who can say that? I brought my $2.50 coupon (you can obtain from the website). The cashier asked us if anyone was military. My Dad is a Vietnam Veteran. He got in free! Not only that but she really made a big fuss over my Dad. I think he really enjoyed it. When he came home from Vietnam, people were not very thankful, not at all like today. So many people were opposing the war - you still have to be supportive of your soldiers though. He still does not like peace signs today as they remind him of the protesters from his time. Aaaahhh, I digress.

It was very cool that they offered him free admission. Along with that, they also offered the family a 25% off discount. We were off to a great start!

We got to see big alligators, wow, some really HUGE alligators. We've seen big ones before, but others there were just massive. Then some teenage ones that were hanging out with some turtles. We watched a jumping contest between the alligators. They were feeding the alligators from above the water, it was impressive to see how far they would jump up to reach the food.

We saw a porcupine, a lot of turtles and a lot of snakes. It was a HOT day. There was a boardwalk which stretched all along a lake. At one point on the boardwalk, there was a tower. Very similiar to Okeefenokee Swamp. Okeefenokee is a National Wildlife Refuge. This is a feeding area for the allligators, you had the opportunity to see more here at Gatorland.

There were also an amazing amount of birds - all different types in the trees in the trees all along the lake. Some had new additions to their families and you could spot the Moms feeding the new babies. Fortunately I actually had our binoculars with us. I never remember to bring them with us on any of our cool nature adventures! This time, they were actually with us accidently and I remembered! So we pulled out both sets of binoculars.

Sometime later, we were walking along one of the paths and 2 employees of the park came by to feed the alligators. You can actually pay and feed the alligators 3 chickens. Now we were pretty darn close, we watched a couple feed the alligators. It was amazing to watch. Unbelievable how close the employees and the trusting people got to the alligators!

We finished up our afternoon at the splash area located inside the park. The kids had a blast and we all cooled down. We noted a pizza place when pulling out of the parking lot to leave. We pulled in and were treated to some delicious pizza right across the street from Gatorland.

Learning about Tadpoles

2009-06-23T04:14:00.003-04:00

We are away this week on vacation. Today, we spent most of the day in the pool, as we are experiencing some extreme heat. Occasionally a duck would fly in and join us. We all enjoyed this excitement. The plan is for rest, relaxation and some family time together. We are fortunate to be celebrating the week with my parents. We are hoping to go to Gatorland tomorrow. The kids love animals and zoos. We currently have some toad tadpoles we are watching develop. Click here for more information on the life cycle of a frog/toad. They grow fast! Ours have a head and a long tail. No legs yet. We are waiting patiently. They do grow fast! I found an interesting site where you can learn more, click here. Now how did we come to have toad tadpoles? Most of our habitat projects come along accidently. Last week, my husband noticed the tadpoles in a drainage ditch. There had been quite a bit of rain and the ditch had filled up. The water was draining quickly and he noticed the tadpoles. Always interested in nature, he had to save the tadpoles! Our course the kids were thrilled and this quickly turned into a nature learning project for our family.

Look Out: Hubby is Declutterring!

2009-06-17T06:24:00.007-04:00

Out of the blue, my hubby went through all of his beloved VCR tapes. Woohoo! He doesn't mind clutter and he doesn't like going through his things to eliminate anything. So I was quite surprised at this new development. He started locating the DVD version of his favorite movies. I do not know what brought this on. He made it through all of the tapes. I'm thrilled to be left with a huge pile of VCR tapes for which to find new homes. I pulled out some family friendly ones to go to a local hospital.

I'm not sure what to do with the rest. Any ideas or feedback? I posted them on Craig's List for sale $1 each or make an offer on the entire lot. If there are no replies, I will most likely take them to Goodwill or offer them on Freecycle.

Camping: Spending a lot of Quality Time with the Family

2009-05-27T16:19:00.002-04:00

We just spent the last few days camping. As always on these trips, I am drawn to spend more time....thinking about how to make this time last longer. In that way, it's similar to the holidays....everyone is happy, spending time together and enjoying the outdoors.
There are families that full time on the road. You can learn more about them here.
We just upgraded to a motorhome from our travel trailer. Whenever, I go camping, I realize I have everything that is important with me - my family, shelter, food, clothes and lots of love! What more do I need? What is sitting in that house that I *need?* Although I enjoy having the house to spread out, have some more room and entertain, am I really lacking anything that I don't have here?
I try to reduce the items I think I need. I have too many clothes. I can always continue to reduce them. We have too many books - kids and adults, which we do use often. The kids have so many toys. I continue to reduce the amount of toys we have - give them away when the kids outgrow them and switch them out at times.
What else do we really have or need? I would love to pack the camper for a month and see how we do. I'd love to challenge us. I get so inspired thinking in these terms - what do we really need?

What I learned this week....

2009-05-14T16:30:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week, our truck broke down. Unfortunately we were out in it at the time. We do have AAA. The truck overheated so we just let it cool down. We made our way back home; we were about 5 miles away. It took us almost an hour to get back home....pulling over every few minutes to let the truck cool down. Ooooh, the kids were annoyed and had little patience with this.
I learned that when you do not have a vehicle, you can save money! At least we did. There was no where to go to spend it. We still had a good time. We like to be home and spend time together.
We organized, cleaned, got the house in order. Sometimes when you are busy spending time outside the home, you neglect to take care of your home. That has happened recently to us. I'm not sure that we were spending so much time outside of the home. We were just busy and not taking the time to care for the house. Having this extra time of being still, gave us the time to give our home some love.
We didn't exactly clean it the Flylady way. The kids and I started with the coffee table, a place where they often do their studies and activities. We cleaned off the clutter and put things back in their spots. I realized the coffee table is their "kitchen sink." We organized. Then hubby and I split the chores of vacuuming and mopping. He has been working from home the past few months. While on a break, I asked him which he would prefer - to vacuum or mop. He responded that he would vacuum. That's how it is done! =)
He vacuumed and I mopped. We decided he would vacuum the bedrooms tomorrow and I will mop the bathrooms then. It is so nice to work together as a team.
Now that I had given some thought to the kids' kitchen sink - the coffee table, I let them know this would be there daily project - to put the things away on the coffee table every day and keep it neat and clean.
We wrapped up the day by baking cookies and watching the Little House on the Prairie pilot. We shared a nice day together. House is clean and we all worked together as a team.

A Homeschool Mom's Dilemna

2009-05-09T03:22:00.004-04:00

My 6 year old asks me yesterday:

"what is more important Mom that I learn to read so I can read to my kids one day or that I clean up my mess?"

Hmmm, challenging one. He's opting to complete his bookwork over the doldrum of cleaning up after himself. I like how he worded it to me. What is a homeschooling Mom to choose??

He can do both of course. He likes learning and working through his Explode the Code workbook. He likes to play, build things and use his imagination. He does not like to clean up the mess he leaves after times of play.

Making Changes: Auto Insurance

2009-04-16T04:10:00.004-04:00

I was on a quest to review our current insurances and save money. I have been a loyal customer with one auto carrier for 20 years. That's not to say I've never shopped around. I frequent shop around to save money. After being with one company for such a long time, I haven't been able to get a better rate. My friend had mentioned that she gets a better rate with another company. So I've been looking into it. I got some good online quotes from them. Although I did have to put some information into their website, I was pleased with the results. It also provided the opportunity for me to change some of the coverages to see what the differences would be in cost. Something I've never had a chance to do before.
I obtained these quotes a few months ago and I was pleased so I followed up by phone to get a quote with the same company for homeowner's insurance. Well after giving them all of this great information, I was put on hold waiting for a quote.....the associate came back on and said she could not offer me a quote as I was too close to the water! Hmmm, a little bummed about that. I left the insurance idea alone for a bit.
My quest resurfaced as our auto policy came do. I did the quotes again for auto and took them with my current policy into my agent. We talked for quite some time and went over several figures. He expressed gratitude to me for coming in and addressing this with me, then seemed determined to get me a lower rate. Well, it turns out, he couldn't get me a better rate.
A week later, I got a bill in the mail for a $20 increase!
So that was it, I called the other insurer, finished my quote and got a new policy! Free after 20 years! I am going to save $146.30 every 6 months. Hubby figured that out to be 39% savings. We are happy and we'll have the same coverage.

Monthly Meal Planning

2009-03-05T17:16:00.004-05:00

After reviewing our monthly expenses, I'm determined to save money on food. I figured planning monthly meals will help. It will give us a plan for the entire month and will save us money at the grocery store. I'm a little nervous to shop at the grocery store for a month's worth of groceries. Minus an extra trip or two fto replenish our milk and fresh veggies.
Family fun offers this calendar for monthly meals. In addition to having a list of meals for a month, you also can click on each meal and it brings up the recipe. I like the idea of themes for each day of the week. Plus it may also give you some ideas of new things to try.
I also stumbled upon this site in my search - e-mealz. There is a small monthly fee of $5. It includes a list of meals, list of ingredients and cost depending on where you shop. While I hesitate to spend any money on something I can do myself, this option does look interesting. If I am able to stick to a plan, $5 a month is nothing compared to the amount of money I would be saving.
I believe Leeanne Ely, Flylady's friend, has her own site, Saving Dinner and Menu Mailer program for a fee as well.

2009-01-21T09:08:00.002-05:00

I know exercise is a priority in my life. For Christmas I asked for a reflective safety vest, a flashlight and a sparkpeople exercise set! I was fortunate to receive the vest and exercise set. I love them both. I did buy the flashlight for myself and feel so much safer walking in the dark. It's gotten colder now, temps are dropping especially in the mornings. Challenged again! I considered joining the Y for the winter months. After much deliberation, hubby suggested we purchase a gently used treadmill. Wow, I was surprised. I did some research and we found one we really liked for a good price. This is a great site for Treadmill and Elliptical reviews. The bonus was I got some things organized to make room for the treadmill and hubby helped. =)
Now I just get up in the mornings and get on the treadmill. I am really enjoying this purchase. There is no drive to the gym, no waiting for exercise equipment, and I can even walk in my Pajama pants if I want! I did today. I am always challenged fitting exercise into my schedule as I have 2 children....I didn't want to rush to the gym and rush back. I had very limited time available. Now those are no longer concerns. This may not work for others but I am very pleased with the results! I think it really helped as I already had a walking plan for this entire last year. So it wasn't much trouble to get up and get on the treadmill in the mornings. The kids have enjoyed watching what I am doing too. It's good for them to see Mom making exercise and fitness a priority. My own Dad did that for me. I hope I will be a positive fitness role model for my children as well.

"Playing" Church

2008-11-13T08:48:00.004-05:00

My kids are playing creatively this morning....using their imaginations and playing well together. I love watching and listening to them during these times. I try to stay in the background and just observe quietly. I do not like to interrupt this special time they have together. Usually we do our chores in the morning, then work on reading and writing skills. I will not interrupt this creative play on these special mornings though. Today they are "playing" church. They went and got dressed in their "dressy" clothes. My son is in dress pants, a button down white dress shirt and a vest. One of them did the children's sermon and now they are working on a craft together. I love being a quiet observer in their play.

How We Simplified Our Candy..............

2008-11-06T09:02:00.002-05:00

We did it! I had a plan for our candy and we did it! This post is a follow up to Simlifying Candy. I offered the kids each to choose 10 pieces of candy from their loot and we put the rest away. The 10 pieces of their choosing went into a small brown lunch bag and they placed their names on it. The bags got tucked in the pantry for safe keeping....and it helped keep the candy out of sight and hopefully off their minds. I offered each child $10 to spend at Target in exchange for their candy. We also particpated in a candy buy back program sponsored by a local orthodontist. I talked to the kids about it before hand. For every pound of candy received, the orthodontist gives the child a dollar. Then he sends the candy overseas to the soldiers. It is really a win-win situation for everyone. We went on Monday to the candy buy back. It was the first day. He had his office all set up nicely for this event. There was a separate table over to the side in the office. It was set up with a scale and petty cash box next to it and a huge plastic tub to pour the candy in underneath the table. The kids actually seemed excited about it. When we arrived there was another little boy my son knows just ahead of us. After we were in line, there was someone already coming in behind us. We had just under 4 lbs and they rounded up to 4 and gave us $4. The kids split the money $2 each in addition to their $10. They realized they each had $12 now to spend at Target. We went specifically for that purpose, just for them. They took their time, looked at all of the items and prices. They asked me questions about taxes. They each did a wonderful job. They were both able to choose a larger item and a smaller item. We went to the register and they each rung up separately, paid with their own money and received the change, receipt and bag. They were excited and proud! Amazingly they were both able to stay under the $12 and got a few cents change. I was so happy! I have lost weight this year and gotten my body back in shape. I did not want to be tempted by all of this Halloween candy. I was thrilled to release it and let it all go.....and to a good cause. What do you do with your Halloween candy?

"Little House" - A Heartwarming Book Series about Simplicity and Family

2008-11-06T08:24:00.006-05:00

We are reading the Little House series currently. We just finished "On the Banks of Plum Creek" this morning. The kids and I really enjoyed it. I grew up watching the "Little House on the Prairie" series. So it was an important moment when the kids met Nellie Olsen in the book. My children and I were most touched by the loss of Charlotte in this book. Poor Charlotte, Laura's doll. It was so sad when Laura found her frozen in the ice and torn up. Both my daughter and I had tears streaming down our cheeks.
We are reading the books in sequence, so after reading "Farmer Boy," we spent some time talking about the different families - Almonzo's and Laura's. It seemed to take a bit longer to get through "Farmer Boy." I was surprised when the kids pointed out that Almonzo's family had 2 boys to help their Pa with the chores, whereas Laura's family had none. Laura's Pa did all of that work on his own.
Of course I have a fondness for this series as I grew up watching it. I love the simplicity of life in the books. I love that families are close and they work hard to help one another and help the family. I can hear that when I am reading....I get a good sense of it and so do my children. They do go off to school in this book but they also spend a lot of time at home studying (secondary to the weather), home with family, and helping Mom with the chores. My daugther couldn't believe it when in each of these books, the children were left alone to mind the house and sometimes a younger sibling, while the parents took a long walk to town or went away overnight. One such incidence Mary was nearly 9 and Laura nearly 8. I had trouble accepting it myself! My daughter and I spent some time talking about it....if she felt she could manage the house. She did not. I also love the simplicity of their play. They had a few precious things to play with....I wouldn't even call them toys - some paper dolls and rag dolls and a corn cob doll. They played games using their imaginations and played outside all day when the weather was warm. There weren't so many "things" and the things they did have held a special value to them. I feel it when I read to my children and they feel it too. It's heartwarming and a special series to read together as a family and discuss.

Project: Save the Lizard

2008-11-03T12:45:00.004-05:00

This morning, we had all been up a few hours and hubby was off at work. The kids started getting excited about something. Well, it turns out the excitement was a small lizard in our fireplace! I figure it crawled down the fireplace? We have the black chain netting in front of the fireplace and the lizard was on it. There is no glass or doors on the fireplace. HOW am I going to get a lizard out from there?!? My son is a lizard, toad and pretty much all creatures lover! I asked him, if he thought he could get it himself. "No, Mom," he replied. "Those little lizards are fast. Only Dad can get them." Great! Kids chimed in, "call Dad, call Dad!" I call Dad to bother him at work with our big house emergency. He said to tell my son, "He (the lizard) got himself in this situation, he can get himself out." That's my husband's survival of the fittest thinking. I worried. I worried about us running our errands later today and coming home and finding the lizard running around the house. Or worse, not being able to find the lizard when we returned home. My children were thrilled with a homeschool project so early in the morning. How can we rescue the lizard? Problem solving hats on, they scurried out to the garage to make a plan and gather their tools! They came back in the house after a few minutes with their ideas, plans and tools. They explained each plan to me and we determined the best plan of action. We put plan 1 into place....when I approached the lizard from behind, he didn't move. So we modified that plan then and I approached him again from behind with a small net. When you are a creature lover, you have all sorts of different size nets! I got him! He must have been in shock about the whole situation as he didn't object or really try to get away. I gently guided him into the net, then we got him into a small critter container. My son took him right outside, let him go, and said, "this must be the happiest day of that lizard's life!" My daughter added, "the lizard rushed off to his natural habitat." We all high fived and shared our excitement that we helped rescue the lizard and return him to his habitat. I love being a homeschool Mom and the adventures we find......

Simplifying Candy

2008-10-28T05:50:00.004-04:00

I'm handling Halloween differently this year. This applies even if you don't celebrate Halloween but attend the Fall Festivals. This is about candy everywhere! It's tough to have all of that candy in the house! It's has no nutritional value...it's not good for me, the kids or hubby. I've come too far on my journey of heathy eating this year! I'm fighting back! This year I am making a plan. I told each child they could pick 10 candies to save from their loot. I am getting rid of the rest! Instead I will replace their candy with $10 and take them each to Target to choose a special gift instead. I believe one of our local dentists is also offering a similar incentive for the kids so I will explore that option as well. My message to the kids will reinforce moderation. This is the first time we are trying this, so wish me luck!

An Unscheduled Afternoon

2008-10-22T22:07:00.006-04:00

We had such a simple day today. We finished our studies this morning...I was considering taking the kids to the local playground for a while to run around this afternoon with some friends. In the meantime, we had just finished lunch and we were going to take a walk. The kids ran to get their socks....and did not return. They got distracted and ending up playing for the next 3 hours together. What a relaxing afternoon! The kids played together, communicated well and shared ideas, and used their imaginations all afternoon long! We haven't had one of these types of days in a while. I was so glad I didn't "schedule" a playground date for us.

Work & Life Balance

2008-10-07T17:25:00.004-04:00

Where have I been?? Do you think I simplified so much....that I've turned off the computer completely? =) Believe me, I've thought about it from time to time. I love keeping up to date with friends and family too much, especially those far away. I also love being able to research information quickly. So no, even though I may have thought of it at times, my computer is still on.
I have taken some time off blogging. I have been striving for a simpler life and things have been going really well. Over the summer, hubby and I had been talking about the possibility of me working some hours outside the home. Actually the idea of the two of us splitting some time - him working less hours and spending more time with the kids and me picking up some hours. A work & life balance was our goal. We found it. So these past few months have just been working together on that focus. What we found offered me many more working hours than I was originally searching for. The position was very interesting and not something you find every day. We decided to accept the challenge. My hubby cut back his work hours to 4 eight hour days and I picked up 3 days to work. He is now spending a lot more time with the kids and participating in homeschooling. Yay! So it really worked out for us.

A Simple Day Discovering Nature

2008-07-31T07:06:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, we spent the day at the nature center and the beach. Relaxing and spending time in nature. My Mom also spent the day with us...that made it even more special. We toured our hands on nature center and visited the new creatures there. The kids love the sea turtle...now there is a baby hatchling there too! Also a baby puffer fish we got a kick out of. Our alligator has grown by leaps and bounds! Turning 2 years old in September, we started out with the alligator being so small and the staff having to find him and get him out to show us. Now he is almost aggressive. It's interesting having been able to watch him grow the past 2 years. The staff informed me he is getting too big and he will be transferred to a bigger facility. Then our nature center will again receive another baby alligator.

After the nature center, we headed down to the beach. It was a hot day. The ocean was calm, almost no waves, some swells. It made for a great day. My son is so anxious to find a treasure at the beach!! We started digging in the sand. It's been a while since I was digging on the beach....the kids usually do that with friends. I was committed to my son's goal - to find something today! So we all sat around a hole we made digging in the sand. No luck. We finally got hot and went into the water. Since there were no waves we easily slid our hands along the ocean floor and by the day's end found sand dollars, a hermit crab, and a few unidentified sea creatures....we believe they are some type of snail. We put them in a bucket with some ocean water and studied them. The kids (and adults) were fascinated! They just loved watching our new found friends. The day ended and we sent our friends back home to the ocean. I love days like this.....great company, surroundings, weather and treasures! A day of spending time together discovering nature.

Day Camps

2008-06-22T15:42:00.004-04:00

My kids each spent this past week at a day camp. That's something new for us. We always attend Vacation Bible School every year. My kids attend and I assist. That is where my son and I were this past week. This year though, my daughter expressed an interest in Camp Invention. We agreed to let her try it this year. It was a big leap though as it is all day....until 3 pm. She did really well, loved the camp. I could see those long days were tiring her out. The camp ideas spilled over to home. Friday night, the kids spent an hour and a half at the kitchen table with Dad. They were each taking apart hard drives and checking out all of the cool things inside. There are some powerful magnets in there! There was a downside to this investigating, my son somehow got away from our group with a screwdriver. Later, I found several of his Hess trucks with the wheels off and screws laying on the floor. =)

Traveling, Sickness, Birthdays, Baptism & Dance Recital....some weeks just aren't simple!

2008-06-04T05:58:00.005-04:00

Traveling, sickness, birthdays, baptism & dance recital.....that about sums up this past week in our lives. We traveled to see family and attend our niece's baptism. The week we visited turned out to be a highly celebrated birthday week in the family. We arrived safely....it was really a "planes, trains & automobiles" adventure. I drove with the kids a few days earlier. Hubby flew up a few days later. We picked him up at the airport and headed over to the Italian Market in Philadelpia. We visited there. Picked up some fresh produce, then headed over to Washington Avenue for some fresh Philadelpia soft pretzels. Yum! We celebrated a different family birthday on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Why not just one big celebration, you ask? First, that would be too simple (just what I would like!). The birthdays were in different families. One was a cake one night after dinner for my father-in-law. The second was on the other side of the family for my sister. We had all of the cousins together too for that one. The third was back on the other side of the family. Following a reception for the baptism. It was her brother and both sides of that family were together for a much welcomed change. Thank goodness I didn't indulge in cake every day! Yikes, I'd be in trouble!
The day after we arrived my daughter complained of a sore throat, which lead to a fever for 2 days. Poor girl. She's rarely sick. It seems when she does get sick, it takes her down. I took her to the doctor's a few days later when she started with ear pain. Diagnosis: Ear Infection.
We traveled 850 miles to family for a short visit and a baptism. Then we all returned home together. After driving 1700 miles round trip, then another 100 miles to the airport to pick up hubby's truck we arrived safely at home. Later that afternoon, I took my daughter to her dance recital rehearsal in town. On the way, about 6 miles from home, we got a flat tire!
It was an eventful week. The recital was last night. The van now has a spare on it. I will be getting two new tires this week. We got our fill of family, visiting and birthdays. Now we can sit back and relax...back to living more simply......

Our Temporary Pet

2008-05-25T15:16:00.004-04:00

Last night, my husband rescued a box turtle from the side of the road (on the white line, to be exact). We were all in the van and excited about our new friend. We took her home, kids named her "Boxy." We made a nice habitat for her. This morning we were gathering information about her. She seemed delighted that we fed her a strawberry! It was really interesting to see her eat up close and personal, too be able to watch her stretch her neck to eat her strawberry. The kids were thrilled to wake up this morning and remember they have a "temporary" pet. Later they found some empty laundry baskets and put them on their own backs to use as a turtle shell. So they could "play" turtle. They are really enjoying this time and learning about our turtle.
We learned that she has a great homing instinct and needs to go back where we found her. We took her back there across the street where she was headed. Sent her back out into the woods. Her home.
The kids were blessed with an educational experience and a temporary pet. So were Mom and Dad.

Pray for Me?

2008-05-19T22:41:00.005-04:00

This is a short and sweet post. While we were driving today, my two children were in the backseat. I heard my son ask my daughter to pray for him. He had gotten a bad cut on his finger and it was bothering him. He has had a band-aid on it yesterday and today. Well this afternoon he asked my daughter to pray for his boo-boo to heal. I think my heart actually swelled! Feeling good. =) I have to count my blessings today.

Sneakers & Other Simple Pleasures

2008-05-11T19:20:00.004-04:00

Yesterday for Mother's Day, I joyously received a new pair of sneakers! We also went out to lunch and stopped at the health food store to replenish my vitamins. Sounds mundane to some of you? I really needed and wanted a new pair of sneakers. Can you tell that one of my top 5 values this year is health? As I have been focusing on my health this year, I feel really good - healthy and energetic. I have lost weight. I have been exercising and planning my meals.
Speaking of meals.....check out May's month of meals. Maybe you need to spice up your meals, need a filler or just want to try something new. There are a lot of ideas there. My new goal is to experiment with beans and make some meals with beans in them.
Other pleasures I got to enjoy on Mother's Day:
take a walk*enjoy a prepared, leisurely breakfast with my family*go to church*listen to a rainstorm*enjoy lunch out*indulge in a treat*new sneakers*spend time with my family*read a book for me (not to be confused with reading a children's book to my children, which I also enjoy)*lots of kisses and hugs*taking a bath*getting in my pajamas much too early*snuggling with the kids in bed*quiet time with my hubby*going to bed early, especially on a Sunday night as we prepare for the week ahead!

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T16:49:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! If you haven't seen this short video yet, I had to share. Of course I hope your life is at a much slower pace than this. =) See how many of these phrases you may recognize from your own childhood.

Simple Pleasures

2008-05-11T16:36:00.004-04:00

Do these things happen at your house too?? We have some wildberries that grow in our backyard. The kids like to go out and collect them. My son has been especially fascinated with collecting them lately. Earlier this week, he went outside in shorts and a t-shirt, with big yellow rain boots that come up to his knees. Can you picture this? I have this image of him captured in my mind's eye. He came back in and asked for some gloves (we are talking winter mittens here) to wear so the thorns didn't bother him. So I gave him his gloves. Then I opened the sliding glass door again and gave him a container to put the wildberries in. When I did, something fell inside the house. It ended being a tree frog! It was a large one too. He hopped all around, then finally made it to the sliding glass door. Well that was exciting trying to catch him! They really hop! We got him....my son finally caught him in his bug catching net (which the tree frog really couldn't hop in) and took him back outside. We would have put him in our aquarium to study for a bit before sending back to nature, but there was already a big spider in there. Not sure who would have eaten who and I didn't want to find out. So we sent him back to nature.
Later that same night, it was beautiful here. After an exciting afternoon, we went out front at about 5pm waiting for my hubby and didn't end up coming back in until 7:50pm! All of the neighbors in our court came out and all of the kids as well. We have new neighbors next door and they have a son, about 6 months younger than my son. They were thrilled to have found one another! They played really nicely together. My son showed him the snake skin we found in our backyard. Then he draped it around his neck! We just let the kids run around and play. We ate a quick dinner then got them in bed. The fellowhip with the neighbors was great too.
There were so many simple pleasures in our day. Being at home with the kids. Watching them explore. The picture I now have in my mind of my son out in the backyard in his shorts, t-shirt, big yellow rain boots & winter mittens picking blackberries. The tree frog hopping around the house. My children and I running after it, trying to catch it! The excitement and chaos of the situation. Waiting for Dad to come home. A beautiful night. Fellowship with friendly & kind neighbors; sharing stories, experiences and learning more about one another. Having nothing scheduled so we can enjoy these moments.....

Bedtimes and Stories

2008-04-30T08:32:00.004-04:00

The other day I spoke with 2 different groups of Moms. In both groups, the subject of kids and bedtime was discussed. We were talking about some of the challenges of getting the kids in bed and asleep....from the point of getting them prepped for bed until they were actually asleep. Our children go to bed early. They have always been early risers. Even when I let them stay up a little later, they still rise early, so we've continued to have early bedtimes for them. I feel pretty firm about their bedtime. After they are in bed and asleep, I finish up my daily chores, then spend some time with my husband and/or a book. It is our only time together alone during the day and I cherish it. So yes, I am firm on the bedtime and protective of my alone time with my husband.
Sometimes at bedtime, I'll cuddle in bed with the kids. We cuddle up together and talk about our day. My son is very creative and likes to make up stories. He asks me sometimes to do this at bedtime. We've honored his request at times, but I find he gets too excited! So I try to take some time out during the day for snuggles and quiet time to talk with each of my children. I also try to take some time out during the day for telling stories. This isn't reading. Rather we build some type of fort or tent, then get inside and snuggle together and use of imaginations to make up stories. My son really enjoys this. I still remember a time several years ago, when we received a large box in the mail. The kids hung onto the box and the next day it rained. In the afternoon, we made a fort with our box, got some blankets then snuggled inside and told stories. Thinking of it now, I will consider buying more blankets and pillows for the house over toys!

Life Unsimplified

2008-04-24T16:46:00.006-04:00

My life has become unsimplified. Life got in the way. The last few weeks here have been hectic. The good news is I try to keep my life relatively simple, so when life gets in the way, I can work with it.
I love being home and having a flexible schedule. Two weeks ago that enabled me to take a trip to visit a sick friend on hospice care. I was able to give her a hug, sit and visit with her one last time. That was priceless.
We quickly went out of town on this trip. I packed us each a bag and the kids each packed a back pack of "their stuff" - toys and books. I traveled on this 14 hour trip solo with the kids. We did well on our travels. Packing up to return home was pretty easy as we hadn't brought much with us.
As sometimes is God's timing, we also experienced a blessing on this trip. Another dear friend of ours had her first baby. I was able to visit with her and the baby twice while on our trip. What a "circle of life" visit it turned out to be.
My flexible schedule has also allowed me the opportunity to answer a call to help another. I was asked by a mutual friend to help babysit her children for 2 days. Her husband was out of town. It was so nice to sit for the kids. I brought my own kids along as well. Her youngest is 18 months old. It was nice to have someone always need me again, always reaching for my hand and climbing in my lap. It was a strange reminder when I went to do the dishes, to bring her highchair over by the sink, so I could keep an eye on her and do some work. I gave her a piece of paper and a crayon to draw while she was in the highchair. I talked to her as I washed the dishes. It was a different experience living in someone else's shoes for a day. My children enjoyed having a little one around for the day. They were busy helping to entertain her and help her with things she needs. It was fun to watch them in action, helping a little one.
I'm so grateful for my simpler life and flexible schedule. It allowed me the opportunity to take advantage of things that really matter in life and help out when someone really needed me. I just had to move 2 appointments and pack our bags. Now, back to trying to keep life simple again.

Introducing the Record Player to My Children

2008-04-14T23:29:00.004-04:00

We've been listening to records all weekend long. Yes, I said records, as in the vinyl kind that you place on the record player. My children had an introduction to the record player this weekend. We purchased one of those multi player music systems as a gift for my Mom. Her record player was no longer working. It's a compact unit that has a radio, CD player, record player and cassette tape player. I was quite surprised to find one with a record player!
My Mom is enjoying the gift as well as the rest of the family. The old records came out - adults and children's records. The kids are enjoying listening to and learning about their parents' music as well as their grandparents' music! We were all singing and dancing around the house, having fun. Many memories were shared. Wow, there was a price tag on one of the 45s. It was a $1.99 for a 45 in the 1980s. It has one song on the front side and another on the back.
We purchased the gift to simplify our parent's entertainment area and replace their record player. It turned out to offer so much more. It was a weekend of having fun and sharing memories.

Simplifying and Working Together: Concept of the Green Triangle

2008-04-11T07:57:00.007-04:00

I've been busy visiting with family recently, which is why I haven't posted recently. We also all went camping together. That is always a lot of fun! To catch you up to speed, I'm still following Ultrametabolism and walking daily.
I am reading the book, Choosing Simplicity. It's an interesting read. It's a compilation of stories of people who have chosen to live simpler lives. It includes, in these real life stories: how they came to this decision and what steps they took to pursue it. It also describes what mistakes they made or wrong turns they took, their adjustments and what worked out well for them. It's a personal decision and journey. I like how the author, Linda Breen Pierce, takes a look with each individual and/or family at what has worked for them and what hasn't.
I also wanted to share this with you from Choosing Simplicity:
"Author Ernest Callenbach talks about the "green triangle." Imagine a triangle with health, money, and the earth as the three points. If you do anything to improve one of the points, the other two points will likely benefit. So, for example, if you do something to save money (like walking instead of driving a car), your health and the earth will benefit. Or, if you reduce or eliminate the meat in your diet to preserve the earth's resources, your health and your budget will also benefit." pages 208-209, Choosing Simplicity by Linda Breen Pierce.
I had never heard of this concept of the "green triangle," but it made a lot of sense to me. I wanted to share it with anyone else trying to simplify their life.

Tricks for Kid's Treats

2008-03-19T12:57:00.004-04:00

I found a simple trick. I am trying to wean my children from sugar. =) Wish me luck. I did it myself finally. So I feel strongly about weaning them if possible. Or at least reducing it significantly. We have been puchasing one bag of the smaller cookies. For example, the Nutter Butters. I recently noticed 1 bag of those is lasting 2 weeks! I thought that was pretty good!

Please post me a comment on my blog if you've been able to reduce your childrens' sugar intake. Or if you have any suggestions or tips!

America's Cheapest Family

2008-03-17T07:08:00.009-04:00

I just finished reading America's Cheapest Family. I stumbled on it in the library and picked it up. The book came out last year and the family had some publicity during that time. All I remember seeing or hearing was that they went food shopping together and had walkie-talkies. Sounds a little over the top, huh? Well it was a good, quick read. There were good ideas in there. It turns out they are actually a homeschooling family! They only go food shopping once a month and spend $350! They go together and eventually her hubby got the walkie-talkies so they could chat in the store when they found a good deal. =)
Well, I'd gladly do that, especially if:
1. Hubby and I would go food shopping together
2. I only had to go ONCE a month
3. I only spent $350!!!
That's wonderful! The family follows Larry Burkett's advice (who Dave Ramsey has also mentioned many times). They only pay cash for purchases as well.
I am inspired to go back to food shopping once every 2 weeks! I used to do that before I took the kids with me. It got to be too much for me with the kids.
I'm also inspired to spend less!!! The kids are older now. I am much better organized and plan my meals. If I can do that for one week, I should be able to do it for two!
This is going to be my first challenge - food shopping for 2 weeks with my meal plan for 2 weeks.

Simple Pleasure - A Warm Bath

2008-03-17T06:59:00.003-04:00

Good morning! I'm back on schedule! I walked all weekend. I also reconnected with a simple pleasure - a warm bath! I've decided that's a nice way to treat myself to some relaxation and wrap up the weekend. I hope to continue my warm baths on Sunday evenings and get in bed early. What a treat! I fell right to sleep and slept very well throughout the night. This morning I was awake before 6 am and out walking shortly afterwards!

Time change: Did it disrupt your schedule?

2008-03-15T05:27:00.001-04:00

I hit a snag this past week. Was it the time change? I've been feeling great on the plan I am following. Sleeping better. Jumping right out of bed in the morning and taking my walk at 6:30 am.
The weather wasn't so great the end of last week. I missed a day of walking. I did walk in the light rain 2 days, which I probably wouldn't have done before! Just put on a light jacket with a hood and did it!
Then we had the time change. Hmmm, what happened! It's pitch black out now at 6:30 am and I am no longer jumping out of bed. I have more flexibility with the time I walk on the weekends. I will be walking Saturday & Sunday and hopefully be back on my schedule on Monday.

Exercise: Keep it Simple

2008-03-12T10:35:00.003-04:00

Exercise. Don't make it complicated. I have several friends that attend a gym. I also attended one in the past. I have decided not to do so now for several reasons.

1. The gym is out of my way. It's not close by.
2. I'd prefer not to spend the money on a gym membership at this point in time.
3. My son does not like to stay in the child care area. I don't want him to be miserable or for me to worry while I trying to improve my health! =) Defeats the purpose.

So I gave it a lot of thought. I was trying to come up with something I could do at home and still be motivated and follow through. For the past 7 seven weeks, this is what I have been doing. I committed myself to an exercise video at home 3 times a week, then to a walk on Saturday and Sunday. I have been able to maintain this for 7 weeks.

I want to share that you can think outside the box on the exercise program. I just needed to get my body moving 5 days a week. No excuses! In addition to the exercise video, you can also play with your kids or follow an exercise program at home. In playing with your kids, play tag or have races. If they are big enough, walk together, ride bikes together or run together. You'll also get some nice quality time spent together as well. Keep it simple. Just get moving!

Simply Water

2008-03-10T21:04:00.003-04:00

What is your drink of choice? Mine has recently become water. My dentist has recommended WATER ONLY for years.

Why water?
1. It's free, therefore you'll save money at the grocery store or at a restaurant if eating out.
2. It's thirst quenching.
3. It can be found almost anymore - water fountain, from the tap, bottled water or water cooler.
4. It's good for you.
5. It helps with digestion.
6. It has no calories.
7. It is physician and dentist recommended.

Water may get boring. I have chosen a special water goblet to drink my water out of daily. It may sound silly but I am enjoying using my "for special occasions" water goblet! I do prefer to have it chilled or with ice if out of the tap. If you do choose to make water your drink of choice, you'll also be a good role model to your children.

March's Month of Meals: Planning & Consistency

2008-03-04T08:15:00.005-05:00

For March's month of meals, click here. I like how Family Fun has different theme nights, some used weekly and others once or twice a month. Every so often we switch things up and have breakfast for dinner as they have also chosen to do. We also have a regular Mexican night on Monday nights as we have a commitment on late Monday afternoons. We get home a little later and tacos are fast and easy to make.

I also the idea of having an "easy" night of meals - soup and salad. I have done this before, but not regularly. I have been experimenting with different recipes lately and different food. It's always good to try new things. I'd like to use my crockpot more regularly - once a week or once every two weeks.

I'm noticing as I am typing this out, our weekly schedule of activites is pretty regular. However, it's not so with my meals. Hmm.....this is something I'd like to work on more this week. Make it more consistent....a crockpot day or night, soup and salad night, Mexican (or taco) night. Planning would be so much easier!

Still Walking Even With Assistance!

2008-03-03T22:23:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, I was taking a brisk walk in my neighborhood. I saw and waved hello to an older gentleman out for a stroll. He was pushing a wheeled walker. Wow, that is dedication I thought. It's good to see him out here. Following not to far behind him was a woman, I perceived to be his wife. She was also walking with her quad cane (a straight cane with four prongs on the bottom). What a couple! I don't think I've ever come upon a couple so dedicated to getting out and exercising.

There I was out taking a walk. I've lost 9 lbs so far. Yay! How could I ever have an excuse for not walking or exercising again after seeing that couple? I hope I have their motivation and determination when I am their age.

Easier for Children to Shop and Pay in Mom & Pop Shop?

2008-02-29T20:12:00.004-05:00

Today we were in the store. My daughter had brought some money with her - $2. She wanted to buy a special treat. She tucked it in her little purse and even asked me if she would have enough to make her purchase plus pay sales tax. We grocery shopped and she carefully scanned the aisles for her special purchase. She selected something and asked her brother if he would also like a special treat. So she planned on purchasing two items and checked with me to make sure she would have enough plus tax. After completing our grocery shopping, we arrived at the register to pay. I let her pay for her items first. Aaah, she was so proud to put those items up there on the conveyor belt and pay with her own money! The cashier was real nice and friendly. She and her brother sat on a bench at the end of the register and waited patiently for me as I finished bagging and paying for my purchases. I thanked the cashier for being so kind and reminisced with her. I remember bringing my own money and paying for purchases often as a child. It seems our world is so fast today that there aren't as many opportunities to do so. Is that the case? Or is it just in the big stores?

I've Kicked Chocolate Out of My Life!

2008-02-20T20:09:00.004-05:00

I am feeling GREAT!!! Just wanted to share. I finished reading Ultrametabolism by Dr. Mark Hyman. I have been applying his principles. Wow! He suggests using his book as a guideline and making the changes with which you are comfortable. He encourages eliminating sugar, hydrogenated fats and high fructose corn syrup as well as white flour. He suggests eating foods in their natural state.

I've kicked chocolate out of my life!!! Who knew I could do it! I made sure my hubby knew that I gave it up for Lent and not to buy me any for Valentine's Day. God Bless him, he did not. I can actually say, I don't even miss chocolate now.

I feel motivated and healthy. I've made quite a few changes. His book made sense to me and I was ready for a change. I want to live a long and healthy life, grow old with my husband and see my great grandchildren! Plus I want to be a really good role model for my children.

In regards to exercise, I was feeling challenged. I don't belong to a gym for many reasons, but my son won't stay in the nursery/child area anyway. I was hitting some road blocks with exercise. I finally decided I will do an exercise video 3 times a week and walk on the weekends when hubby is home and can watch the kids. An unexpected bonus, I have more energy and I've been playing tag with the kids. My daughter runs fast, so it gives me an extra workout! I was able to squeeze a walk in tonight and afterward played some soccer with my son. Don't get stuck on the healthy living or the exercise. Find something that works for you. Think outside the box if you need to. Try hanging out with your kids and keeping up with them!

Beware Deodorants - Check Your Labels

2008-02-09T09:17:00.000-05:00

Currently I am reading UltraMetabolism. It's a really good read. The author, Dr. Mark Hyman mentions that aluminum is a toxin and that it may be found in deodorants. I did not know aluminum could be found in deodorants! I stopped reading and went to check both hubby's deodorant and my deodorant. Hubby's was fine, no aluminum. I checked mine, which is new to me - Dove, I usually use Secret. The Dove came with a razor I purchased recently, so I'm using that. I checked the Dove - it contains aluminum. That's the main ingredient and only ingredient listed. It's full name on the deodorant is Aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex GLY. Hmmm, I am going to throw that out. I'll check my usual brand in the store - Secret for it's ingredients.

In doing some more reseach, I found "Though aluminium has been identified as a neurotoxin[1], several studies suggest that aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly is not absorbed through the skin as readily as other aluminium compounds such as aluminium chloride. This finding would suggest a significantly lower chance of toxic effects associated with aluminium, though still unproven. " Click here for the website that provided this info.

Click here for a list of deodorants that contain this ingredient.

Update: I went to my local health food store and found an asortment of deodorants that do NOT contain aluminum. I happily purchased one for me and my hubby to try out.

Tax Rebate Update - Approved

2008-02-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

The tax rebate was approved. For the most up to date information on the tax rebate, click here. Make a plan for your money. If you do not have a plan, please click here to learn more.

Is Cooking a Chore at Times?

2008-02-07T20:29:00.000-05:00

Does anyone find cooking to be a chore at times? I really find sitting down once a week, writing out my weekly meal plan and food shopping list is a tremendous help. Need some help with meal planning? Family fun has their monthly meals for February listed here. I just took a peek at it. I noticed Sheperd's Pie is listed on there and we haven't had that in a while. So I'm adding it to this week's meal plan! I like getting some different ideas. Every little bit helps!

Also I took out my crockpot last week and used it to make a pork roast. It turned out really well. Hubby was very happy! It got me wondering - why haven't I used this thing in a while? I was discussing this with my sister yesterday. She didn't see the value of the crockpot. I love having dinner prepared and cooking early in the morning. It's one less thing to worry about later in the day. My dinners turn out really well in it - nice and tender. Then I'm left with one pot to clean (the crockpot) after dinner. Can't beat that!

No Sew Project - Thank You Stitch Witchery!

2008-02-07T20:01:00.000-05:00

I just finished working on a project - a valance. I found some really nice material that I liked so I set out to make a valance with it. A very nice salesperson recommended Stitch Witchery to me. I had heard of it before, but other than that was not familiar with the product. I purchased it with my fabric and completed my project that evening! Wow, that stuff really works well! Just thought I would post it here for you all. It is a bonding material. You just place it between your fabric, place a damp cloth on top of it and then, iron! I will add, that if your cloth dries up, it's really important to dampen it again. Towards the end of my project, the cloth was dry and the stitch witchery seemed to no longer be working. I finally dampened my cloth again and my project was completed. If you are not familiar with this product, you may want to check it out. I'd love to hear any comments from anyone that has used this product.

Recycling Plastic Bags

2008-02-02T20:16:00.000-05:00

Well I completed my pantry project and I'm happy with the way it turned out. During this project, I stumbled upon many plastic bags! Most of them are from grocery shopping. Now, I do not believe the particular store in which I shop has a bin to recycle plastic bags. That is my next project - to talk to the manager and find out on my next shopping trip. I have never seen one outside the store.

I sent an email to a local Mom's group I am apart of, asking for help in recycling these plastic bags. Someone quickly responded that a local supermarket (that I do not shop at) has several of these plastic bag recycling bins outside of the store! I was all too happy to drive over there the next day and take my plethora of plastic bags for drop off! I kept about 10 bags at home in the pantry and I put 5 in my van...some to use in the future for wet clothes (we visit the beach often) and others to use as a trash bag for the van. All of the others I put in the bin. Wow, that made a lot of extra space in my pantry too!

I am continuing my search for recycling the plastic bags. I was in another supermarket today very close to my home and asked if they had a recycling bin for the plastic bags. The cashier did not know. It is a friendly place and she happily asked another employee. It turned out the answer was "yes." So I also found another location for recycling the bags.

This brings me to my next question: should I purchase and use fabric bags? If anyone does this, I'd love to hear from you! I just found this site about reusable bags and helping the environment. So I will be exploring it some more.

Reducing Mail Clutter & Helping the Environment: Catalogs

2008-01-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

I previously posted about bringing less into our homes...through the mail. Click here to read my previous post. If there is less mail in the mailbox that means less comes inside. This give me more time in my day as I spend less time going through the mail and ripping it up or shredding it. My thinking is if I have less in the mailbox, then there is less waste coming into the house. Thereby saving me time and helping the environment with less paper being sent out.

Here is an interesting article with some suggestions on eliminating catalog waste. To read the full article, click here. The article gives you two options to minimize the catalogs that arrive in your mailbox. How many catalogs do you receive a month? Do you find you receive too many catalogs? If so, can you reduce some of your catalog waste?

How Will You Use Your Tax Rebate?

2008-01-24T21:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday a potential Tax Rebate was announced. If you are unfamiliar with the announcement, click here. Make a plan for your money. If you do not have a plan, here's a suggestion - follow Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps to Financial Freedom. They are:

Step 1: $1,000 In An Emergency Fund
Step 2: Pay Off All Debt With The Debt Snowball
Step 3: 3 To 6 Months Expenses In Savings
Step 4: Invest 15% Of Income Into Roth IRAs And Pre-Tax Retirement Plans
Step 5: College Funding
Step 6: Pay Off Your Home Early
Step 7: Build Wealth And Give!

This is a nice simple plan for financial freedom. To learn more about his program, click here.

Try Reinventing!

2008-01-22T22:05:00.000-05:00

I decluttered my pantry and rearranged it this afternoon. Then went out and purchased 3 fabric drawers. I used these drawers on the bottom row of wire shelving. I am very pleased with the results!

What tips do you have to keep your pantry organized?

Rather than run out to the store to buy something, I always look around to see if I already have something in the house that may work instead. It may be a similar item - a basket, let's say or something that I can reinvent. One that has a specific function or purpose that I was able to find another use for that item. That's always my first choice - trying to reinvent an item.

Today was easier to make a purchase as I already had the fabric drawers in the house for the Closetmaid cubicles. I just picked one up and tried it in the pantry on the wire shelving. I was already very pleased with this item and knew it was on sale in a local store.

Before you run out to the store next time you need an item, try reinventing!

Project: Organize Pantry

2008-01-22T11:43:00.000-05:00

I have a nice size walk in pantry with wire shelving. I am so grateful for this space! Yet it looks disorganized. Hmmm, I've been thinking about this space for the past few days and how to organize it. Of course, declutter first, before even thinking about organizing it. So I started decluttering it out. Then I mulled over this space thinking of some ideas. My children have a Closetmaid storage area for their toys. I really like the fabric drawers they have for them plus they can fit a lot in those drawers. Hmmm, could this be a solution? I pulled out one of the drawers, emptied it and tried it out. It fit nicely!

When I looked online at Closetmaid, I found this pantry. This is similar to mine, but I don't consider that organized. I just want to have a nicer space. I rearranged the pantry. Now I'm off to the store to purchase a few more of these fabric drawers!

Follow Up on Road Trip: Pack Lightly!

2008-01-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

Just some follow up on my previous post about our road trip. I can really see the results of my quest for a simple life with this road trip. When I packed to leave on our trip, I packed 6 outfits and underclothes and 2 sets of pajamas for each of us. It was pretty easy to pack for once I picked a goal of how much to bring. I did several sets of laundry while away. It was so nice to have less stuff - less clothes to manage!

When it was time to leave, what a nice feeling! I didn't feel overwhelmed with all of the packing to do. I easily packed up our clothes. Then set out to pack the toys and books the kids received as gifts. I packed the van the day before. I had enough extra time that I even vacuumed the van out before packing! Got a full tank of gas and charged my phone ahead of time. So we had a nice, relaxing night to visit with family before we left to return home.

Plan ahead. Think of a measurable number of clothes to bring with you - 6 outfits worked for us this trip. I ended up easily packing up to go and return home and had time to vacuum as well as relax with family on the last night.

Organization: Children's Clothes

2008-01-13T18:29:00.000-05:00

We have visited this topic in my blog before. Click here to read the previous entry. I'd like to expand on this topic a bit. When organizing your children's clothes, do you organize by pants and shirts or do you organize by outfits? Since my children are younger, I usually try to organize by outfits. However, I inevitably end up with a stack of T-shirts and then some jeans leftover. I put those in a separate drawer.

It is a matter of preference. Just wondering how other parents handle their children's clothes?

Also another idea in regards to clothes....as I noticed this week, my children seem to have a lot of clothes! I'm still keeping up with the weekly laundry for the kids' laundry. See my previous post. Meaning I still have one day of the week that I do all of the kids's laundry. I've been doing this since I posted about it and it's been working out really well. Anyway, it seems no matter how much I simplify the children's clothes, it seems the clothes continue to multiply. I was thinking about this earlier this week and decided, at my Mom's suggestion, that I would take an outfit out for each of them and just leave it in a canvas bag in the bag of my van. A "just in case" bag of clothes. Inevitably just as their clothes seem to multiply all on their own, there also seems to be a tendency at times to be in need of an extra pair of clothes! Usually it's a visit to the beach, where we don't plan to go in the water (read: we are not in bathing suits) and the kids end up in the water and soaked! An extra outfit in the van would come in handy at these times. Last week, it was during our visit to the zoo. My son went down the slide at the picnic area and there was a puddle at the bottom! We could have used an extra outfit then too.

Plan ahead, if you can relate to my experiences, just pack an extra outfit for each child in a bag and leave it in the back of the van or car. It won't take up much space.

Road Trip

2008-01-13T17:42:00.000-05:00

We are back home from our extended visit with family and friends. We had a fabulous time. The trade off was I would have to drive home by myself with the kids. Hmmm......the trip is usually 14 hours during the day! Yikes! I was intimidated, but wanted to spend the extra time with family, so I took the plunge.

It well amazingly well! I was able to make it in 13 hours with only 2 stops! Unbelieveable! The kids were so well behaved! That's what really makes or breaks the trip. Their bellies were filled with a nice breakfast before we left. I had a good supply of snacks in the car as well as water bottles. I prefer the small ones for the kids - the 8 ounce ones. It seems to satisfy their thirst yet they don't seem to guzzle it, so fewer potty breaks. =)

They received a new DVD from the holidays, which I saved to watch on the trip home. They also received a new book each just for the trip home from their Grandmom. She gave them to the kids as they were getting in the van. That helped to keep them occupied.

Other suggestions for road trips:
* Consider buying a few small gifts (books, workbooks, etc) for the ride and giving them our intermittently during the trip.
* Make sure kids are fed before trip and have gone to the bathroom.
* Bring goodies (food and drink) for the road trip. I try to keep it healthy - water, apples and granola bars; these are some of my kids' favorites anyway. This trip Grandmom also made us some yummy chocolate chip cookies for the way home. The cookies are another one of my kids' favorites and a big treat for all of us. =)
* Pre-plan as much as you can, but remain flexible. I planned to drive to a certain exit for my first stop. Kids did so well that I was actually able to go further than I planned - an unexpected bonus.
* Since we traveled this distance previously, we have some exits we like to stop. Keep a little notebook in the glove box. I write down some of the exits we stopped before that I liked and why I liked them. For example, we usually will stop for a meal and I plan for Chic-fil-a if I can. My son loves chicken and it gives them a place to stretch their legs and move around in the play area.
* This is a great opportunity to learn while you travel. Bring some books or maps, workbooks or worksheets about the states you are traveling through. My kids really enjoy this.
* Bring some music your kids enjoy and you also.
* Try an audio book from the library. Something the whole family can enjoy. Another idea is to rent an audio book from Cracker Barrel. You can rent from one location and return it to another location on your trip.

Relax, enjoy your family and the trip. Pre-plan your route, have adequate supplies and be flexible!

Take a Look Back

2008-01-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

How did you do with your holiday spending this year? Did you make a list of people to give gifts to? Did you have a spending plan? Did you pay cash? =)

Take a quick look back. Go over your receipts. Write it down and see how much you actually spent. One of the holiday items on my spending plan is photos and/or cards that I send out. I include them in my spending plan, however I usually forget to include the cost of stamps!

Write down your spending plan and the amount actually spent. Tuck it away in a Christmas or Holiday folder or even better, create a manilla folder labeled "Christmas" or "Holidays" and put it with your bills. So you'll be prepared for next year.

Also look at your spending plan. How much did you spend? According to The Buffalo News, the average cost of holiday spending is $923.36. Let's use that an an example. If you spent $923.36 for the holidays, divide it by 12 months in a year. That's $76.95 a month. Is that affordable for you? Is that what you'd like to spend? Whatever the cost of your holiday spending was, divide it by 12 and save that amount per month. That way you'll be ahead for next year with your spending plan and your money already saved, so you can pay cash and enjoy spending time with family.

Set a Goal to Simplify Your Life

2008-01-02T20:51:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! How do you want to simplify your life this year? What steps can you take this month? Give it some thought. Can you come up with a goal this month? Follow up with a few steps you could take toward that goal. Let's call them action steps. Write them down and get to work!

Reflection of 2007: Finding Your Blessings

2007-12-28T05:25:00.000-05:00

At this time of year, the end of 2007, our family is happily traveling and visiting friends and family. The kids are spending time with their cousins and just enjoying their time together. We exchanged gifts....the adults a pollyanna, which was planned ahead of time. We live further from family now, so the gifts of time, fellowship and friendship are much richer and more important to us.

For those unfamiliar with a pollyanna, we put the names of each adult in a hat and each adult picks a name - not their own =). Then he or she buys a gift for that person. It's a tradition we've been doing for years now. It's simplified the gift giving process and we all enjoy it. We each make up a gift list for ideas if needed and sometimes there is a theme with a set of gifts. We keep it "secret" who our pollyanna is until it's time for the exchange.

This is also the time of year when we reflect back on the year 2007 and recognize the blessings we have received this year. I have really enjoyed writing! Thank you for reading my blog. =)

Be thankful, celebrate & appreciate this time.

May you have had a year full of blessings!

Monthly Meals for December

2007-12-17T19:44:00.000-05:00

In following Flylady's suggestion, I have a menu planning day and a food shopping day (not to mention a "clean out the refrigerator" day. I clean out my refrigerator the night before our town's trash pick up. I do the menu planning the day before food shopping.

Now in following Dave Ramsey's advice, I have a monthly budget for food as well. I go food shopping on Mondays with my menu, my food shopping list and my cash! It has worked out really well for me. I love the idea of monthly meal planning and just stumbled on this site. It's Disney's Family Fun site. They offer a month of meals for December! If you click on the item, say fajitas, it will even give you the recipe!

Hope it simplifies you meal planning for you!

Virtual Clutter

2007-12-16T21:02:00.000-05:00

Does your email inbox have a lot of emails just sitting in it? Mine does. Why? There are 400 messages in there right now. It's really gotten the best of me lately and I've been giving some thought as to WHY. I've read these email, now why are they still in the inbox? One good reason is the email system I am using does not have folder system. I am not pleased with that. I consulted my husband and now I have gone from a web based email system to a mail client system. What does that mean? My email is now being downloaded into Outlook Express. I am really pleased with it! I can create a lot of folders with it if I want. I organized it and flung out all of the trash.

I took it a step further. This is my personal email system. Remember I just recently read David Bach's Smart Couples Finish Rich? If you haven't read that post, click here to read it. Now David Bach asks each couple to determine what 5 values are important to each of them....ones that they want to work on over the next 12 months. Well, I completed that task. I have my 5 values and I applied them to my email system as well! It's another reminder of what is important to me and what my values are. It's much easier to determine what to do with an email if it doesn't fit in ANY of my categories! So I have 5 mail folders and some sub folders. One of my values is marriage & family. I finally have a subfolder under there that is labeled - Pictures! I've never had a folder for them before and they are important to me. I'd have to search through all of my emails to find a picture I was looking for! Now they are all safely in one organized location. Another sub folder under marriage & family is Christmas 2007. I've never had this folder before either. I love it! All of the Christmas lists for family members are now in our location too! No more searching through all of the emails to go shopping!

If you already have a system in place that you are using, kudos to you! Consider adopting the values system to your folders. =)

Ideas for Kid's Gifts

2007-12-03T07:53:00.000-05:00

When considering gifts for families, think outside the box. We enjoy an annual family membership to our local zoo that we would love to receive as a gift! Memberships are available to zoos, museums and aquariums. Consider water parks or amusement parks, many of them have annual passes. These are great gifts that many families can enjoy all year long.

Another idea is a project you can work on together. I just found this - Illustory. I haven't purchased it yet myself, but am considering it as a gift for my nephew. It's something different the two of you can work on together - writing and illustrating a story. It will always be a memory and a big accomplishment for the child.

Some other ideas are books. Find out if the family or child is reading a series, such as The Boxcar Children. Purchase a book in the series as a gift. Another idea is a child's magazine subscription. We love My Big Backyard and Ranger Rick. Remember how much kids love to receive mail. It is also a gift they will receive all year long.

Another book idea, for someone that already has an annual pass or membership. For example, let's use the zoo. Find out what the child's favorite animal is purchase a book on that animal, for example, let's say squirrel monkeys. A child might really appreciate learning more about his or her favorite animal. Plus you've taken an interest in what they are doing or learning.

If the child spents a lot of time traveling, some traveling games might be a good idea. We will be traveling after the holiday on a long trip, had I thought of it earlier, I may have asked each family member if they would buy a small gift that I could take with me for the trip home. That way when the kids get restless, they could open one of the gifts.

Determine Your Values, So You Can Find Your Path in Life

2007-11-28T18:58:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading David Bach's Smart Couples Finish Rich. It's actually the second time I've read it. He talks early on about defining the 5 values that you want to work on for the next 12 months, then developing a goal or a few goals for each value. I really like his thinking on the values. Most financial books or financial planners do not work around your values. Isn't that really where you need to start?

In his book you'll find:
Step One: Learn the Facts and Myths about Couples and Money
Step Two: Determine the True Purpose of Money in Your Life
Step Three: Plan Together...Win Together
Step Four: The Couples' Latte Factor
Step Five: Build Your Retirement Basket
Step Six: Build Your Security Basket
Step Seven: Build Your Dream Basket
Step Eight: Learn to Avoid the Ten Biggest Financial Mistakes Couples Make
Step Nine: Increase Your Income by 10 Percent in Nine Weeks

In his book, he also focuses on working together as a couple on your values, then goals, to have the life you've dreamed of together. When my hubby and I began this journey - our quest for a simple life, we used tools like David Bach's book. Take the time to read, sit and talk about what your really want in life, what is important to each of you, your values and your goals, then find a path together to reach these goals! You can do it. My hubby and I became so much closer emotionally when we determined where we wanted to be in life and we took action and started a path on our quest. If this in an intention for you, I highly recommend his book. Read the book, complete the steps, then take action!

The gap in our economy is between what we have and what we think we ought to have - and that is a moral problem, not an economic one. ~Paul Heyne

Gifts for Kids: Educational, Creative & Encourage Exercise

2007-11-27T05:07:00.000-05:00

Do you have your spending plan in hand for the holidays? What about your list of gifts to buy? Or supplies you need to make your gifts?

My favorite type of gifts for the holidays for kids are those that promote:
1. education
2. creativity (building, use of imagination)
3. exercise

Some items I like this year are:
Kids Knex
Lincoln Logs
Nature books
Reading books, especially a series

Some we are enjoying now are The Boxcar Children series, the Magic Tree House series as well as VeggieTales. We've also enjoyed the Little House on the Prairie series. My children also enjoyed watching the DVD of Little House on the Prairie after reading the books. Imagination comes alive!

If you've been reading my blog, you know I like Dave Ramsey. He also has a group of children's books available, particularly Financial Peace Junior. It is a book designed to teach kids about money. I do plan on purchasing some of them this year as well.

Keep in mind while shopping or better yet, while planning your shopping list, what values are you promoting when purchasing your children's gifts?

Holiday Shopping - Planning Ahead by Decluttering Now!

2007-11-26T08:36:00.000-05:00

One of the things I like to do in early December is declutter the kids current toys. I go through their toys to determine which they no longer play with anymore or they've outgrown. I take them either to Goodwill or offer them to a friend. After all, where are you going to put the new things? Make room for them ahead of time. This also gives you an opportunity to declutter. You can also apply this to the kid's clothes if you haven't already gone through them with the change of seasons.

I go through the kids' clothes with each change of seasons. That way I know what they may need for holiday shopping. Then I add those items to a list of potential gifts.

For our family, in keeping these simple, we have choosen to give 3 gifts to each child. It really does keep things simple. We have done this since the beginning so that is what they know. =) When they ask for a lot of things, I ask is this item one of their 3 gifts? I find they are really able to prioritize! What a great skill to teach them now!

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ~Confucius

Thankfulness

2007-11-19T22:53:00.001-05:00

My blog has been quiet this week as I've been sick. It got me thinking of how important it is to:
1. have a place for each of our things
2. have routines
3. return our things back in their places after each use

This week, I've been able to stay on top of things here at the house by following those 3 guidelines. It has really helped me maintain some order while not feeling well. If you can just do the minimal and keep those things going, everything will be okay when you are down with an illness. Then when you are back on your feet, just jump back in.

Now looking ahead to the week that celebrates thankfulness! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!

"For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ready for the Holidays?

2007-11-11T07:23:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week I was shopping at a really big retail store that offers food shopping as well as all household products. I entered the store and there was a BIG Christmas tree staring at me! I can see quickly that things have been moved around, out with Halloween stuff. Those things were hidden in an aisle with 75% off on them. In front of the store, next to the Christmas tree, was a big assortment of gift cards with a big sign on them – only 52 days left until Christmas!

Now as Dave Ramsey says Christmas (Hanukkah or Kwanza) all come EVERY year, once a year about the same time. Are you ready? This is something we should have in our yearly spending plan.

I thought I would take a moment to get organized. Are you shopping this year? Do you have a list of gifts to purchase and do you have a spending plan? I really encourage you to pay cash if you can for your gifts. You may want to consider making gifts as well! Some are very simple and fun!

Just Passing Through

2007-11-10T06:35:00.000-05:00

I have just heard this story....of the American tourist traveling through Israel who encountered a rabbi living in a simple room. A bed, table, and chair comprised his furnishings. The tourist was shocked at the rabbi's lifestyle, and asked how he could live with so little. The rabbi in turn asked the American how he could live with only the luggage he brought on his trip. "But I'm just passing through," the tourist protested. The rabbi smiled and replied, "So am I." So are we all.

This is What It is All About!

2007-11-02T20:31:00.000-04:00

We just had the most amazing night! Earlier this week, we decided our family is going to head to the beach on Friday evenings. We’d all have a heavier lunch on Fridays, then meet with Dad and have a quick dinner of granola and fruit. Tonight was our first night. We met at the beach as planned. We went out to look at the pier. There were dolphins swimming in the water! We watched them for about 20 minutes. The kids loved it. We could see their spouts, top fins and the tail. They were about 20 feet in front of us. WOW! We also saw some pelicans fly by. There were shrimp boats in the water and small planes occasionally flying overhead. We walked along the pier and saw everyone’s catches. One man and his two sons were pulling a crab trap out of the water. There were 2 crabs in it – a Blue Claw Crab and a Stone Crab. We stopped to watch. The Blue Claw Crab was too small. The man let the crabs out of his trap. The kids got to watch them walk sideways! It’s always interesting to see them do this “live and in person”. The fisherman’s 5 year old son gently pressed his shoe on the back on the crab’s shell and got a hold of his pinchers so he could throw him back in the water. We were all fascinated. Afterward we took a walk along a wooded trail. On the way back, we passed some bicyclists who asked us if we saw the deer. We had not so we kept an eye out for it when suddenly it was running right towards us!!!! It was running right along the bike path. It was AMAZING to watch! It got scared and run back into the woods, but WHAT a sight!!!

We then headed along the beach. There was a group of people “beach sanding.” They had the big 100 foot nets and got in the water to net up some fish, shrimp and crabs. We caught up with them right when they were coming up, so we were able to see what they caught. The kids are just amazed at all of this!

There was also an INCREDIBLE sunset tonight. Just lit up the sky like a big fireball! Beautiful!

We were out for about 2 hours tonight and all of these events occurred within a mile of one another. What a great night! How much we all got to experience!!!! It’s nice to have simplified our lives to be able to concentrate and spend time on the things that really matter, like tonight. We will definitely continue our Friday nights at the beach as this one was a huge success.

How Much Do You Need?

2007-11-01T20:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday a friend of mine shared that her microwave was no longer working. They used it often so they felt it was a loss. That reminded me of a time when I stopped using our microwave, not because it was broken. It just took up too much space on our counter. I was challenging myself to go without it. We did go without it for over a year. I was fine at first; I didn’t think I used it that often. Suddenly something would come up where I felt I “needed” it. I didn’t need it though. It was the convenience I enjoyed having. I did without and it was fine. It just took a few minutes longer to make our meals and I had some extra pots to clean. =(
Everyone has their own needs and wants. Every family operates differently. We moved and we chose an over the counter microwave. I challenge you to look around your home and see if there are things you do not need.

Challenge - Organize the Hall Closet

2007-10-26T20:39:00.000-04:00

I found this picture of a hall coat closet in an old edition of Country Home dated Jan/Feb 2005. It got me thinking that my coat closet could use some work! So I'm taking on the challenge.

I like the idea of the 5 shelf bag. It never occurred to me to put one there. Great for winter gear, especially with kids. I also like the hooks on the door. That got me thinking that I don't necessarily need hooks on my coat closet door but could definitely use them on my bedroom closet door. We somehow ended up acquiring several more umbrellas....guess that happens with kids. We have about 6 now. We could really use an umbrella stand. Thinking creatively on that one. I also like the cleanliness of the shoe rack, but we don't keep our shoes in the hall closet so not sure if that is necessary. I like the look of it though.

I've got the closet decluttered now. Removed about 10 coats that will not fit the kids this upcoming season, so they are off to friends. If you need more information on decluttering clothes, click here.

Inspiration: Eliminate 40% of the Housework!

2007-10-23T22:36:00.000-04:00

I have to add this quote from Jean Chatzky’s book Make Money Not Excuses.

"Getting rid of excess clutter could eliminate 40 percent of the housework in the average American household."

Now that is reason enough to motivate me to declutter and organize! I'd love the extra time to spend with my family! Her book, got me into action mode (anything that inspires me into action is a wonderful thing). I wrote a recent entry about organizing my paperwork after reading her book. After I completed decluttering my paperwork and revamping my system as well as reorganizing it, I reread her book to see what I missed! =) I noticed the above quote at the second reading and wanted to share with you.

Be Creative, Less Trips to the Store!

2007-10-19T02:58:00.000-04:00

In my quest for a simple life, I've started only going to the store, once a week. We go to a store for food shopping that offers most other items we may need there as well. Every once in a while, I find I want or need something before my next trip. The great thing is now I have to get creative. What do I have at house, that I can use instead? Most often I find I have SOMETHING I can use and it works out really well. I’ve saved myself the trip, the time and the money. I’ve also found a purpose for another item not being used. I’m amazed at the creativity I find when this occurs. It’s rare that I can’t find something to fill that need. So here's the challenge - only go to the store once a week (or once every 2 weeks if you can!) and be creative for the things that come up in between!

Organizing Paper

2007-10-15T22:26:00.000-04:00

I love to read. I just finished Jean Chatzky’s book Make Money Not Excuses. I added it to my bookstore under finances. While reading it, it put me in to action mode! That’s exciting. I realized I needed to revamp my paperwork system. We experienced a lot of changes in the past year and a half and my paperwork system did not reflect those changes. It didn’t take me long either.

The kids and I spent the day at home on Friday. I started going through my old system and tossing, basically decluttering my current system. I like the system she had in her book. I also like how she put a time limit on how long to keep certain papers. I sometimes get a little lost with that, so having a time limit is great!

First you need a system in place. You may like Jean’s, if not, find one you do like. You need a file folder box, hanging file folders and manilla folders. Break down the different categories where you spend money. Remember to also include areas you invest in as well. Start going through the paperwork you have. Make a "keep and file" area & "take action" folder and bring a trashcan and shedder to your party! Start going through your paperwork and place it in the right category in “keep and file area” and file it away! I did it. I updated my paperwork system in 2 days!

After you get a system in place, you need to create a quick way to maintain that system. Once you have that, make it a routine and add it to your weekly routines list! I will pay my bills as they come in. I use to keep my incoming bills in a basket – BIG MISTAKE! That basket grew and grew…..it was breeding clutter! That was another accomplishment for me this weekend. I completely emptied and filed the items in the basket as well as shredded and threw away the rest of it. The basket is completely empty and I am washing the liner that was inside of it. I WILL NOT put any more paperwork in that basket. I will find a new use for that basket! =)

I was also able to differeniate the "bills to be paid" folder and "take action" folder. Now I have a folder for bills to be paid. I throw away as much paperwork as possible when it comes in the house. I immediately go though the mail and shred and toss the junk. I will now also have a “take action” folder. These are things that come in the mail that may not necessarily be bills…they always ended up in my basket. No longer. I have a separate folder for them. Once the bill is paid, it will be filed. Once the action has been taken and resolved, I will file and shred. I will also allot 15 minutes of time on Fridays as part of my Friday routine to look in the bill folder and take action folder and declutter and file as needed to maintain my system.

Take action! Develop a system - declutter, organize & simplify. Then develop a maintenance program. Add that program to weekly list of routines.

Simplicity of Canning Jars

2007-10-13T07:16:00.000-04:00

I love canning jars. We bought a quite a few several years ago when we were making our own Soy milk. I started using them for everything! They are great! We had these older white canisters for flour and sugar. I got rid of them and replaced them with canning jars. I buy a much smaller amount of sugar now and place it in a few canning jars. I like it’s natural look at you can see it through the clear jar.

I also use them to store leftovers in, especially gravy. They make great containers to store gravy in. I place them in the refrigerator and I can easily spot it when I’m ready to use it again.

They are so many possible uses for them. Beyond storage for food, I also started using them as banks for the kids. The kids never knew how much money they had in their banks. I finally got rid of the small banks they had on their dressers and replaced them with canning jars. They can easily spot their money and take down the jars and count how much they have.

I love the simplicity of the canning jars. The natural state of say the sugar in the jars. You can dress them up or decorate them if you like or just leave them plain. I also love that they are multipurpose storage containers.

Paper Plates

2007-10-08T07:05:00.000-04:00

Aaah, one of my favorite simple tips: using paper plates! I am home all day, often making 3 meals and cleaning up after 3 plus meals and snacks per day. Every once in a while, I give myself a rare treat - I buy a stack of paper plates! Not because we are having a gathering. I use them for lunches! It’s one less meal I have to clean up after eating! Just throw the paper plates away, rinse the utensils and place them in the dishwasher. Sounds simple right? That’s what I am in search of! Simple ways to make my life a little easier!

Places and Spaces for Our Things

2007-10-07T00:13:00.000-04:00

Just as we have routines, we also need places for each of our things. This is the trick to keeping on top of any NEW clutter.

After you declutter, you need to organize what you are keeping. In order to organize, make a space for each item that you are keeping! That way when you are cleaning up you know where each item belongs. It will be much quicker to put things away, when you know where it belongs. It will also be much easier to stay on top of "clutter control."

Another idea when you make a purchase, if you are replacing an item, throw the old item out, bless someone else with it or give it to Goodwill.

Look around your home or office, the things that are piling up....do they have a place where they belong? Or is that part of the problem? They need a designated spot.

Keep it Simple

2007-10-01T07:04:00.000-04:00

Take the time to make a routine for you and your family. Set up a calendar and keep it consistent. Don’t make it complicated.

I sit down and write all of the activities we do during the week and put them on the calendar. Then I write down all of my jobs for the week. One of them is trash day. Trash day tells me, yes the obvious, put the trash out. It also tells me the day before we are emptying the little trash cans around the house. One of the kids' jobs is to empty those trash cans. I make that part of my routine and put it on the calendar. Also the day before trash day is the day I clean out the refridgerator! So that also goes in the routine and on the calendar. Next I add all of the other weekly things and write down the day I do them. The day I go downtown to the library is also the day I run errands as many of my errands are located there. Keep it simple. No matter how simple it is, write it down.

More Jobs for Kids!

2007-09-30T15:01:00.000-04:00

I give my children jobs. It started when they were arguing over who is going to say the blessing at meals!?!? So we made up a schedule (a simple schedule – every other day). So one says the blessing for meals all day and the other is the leader of the day. The leader gets the mail that day. It works out well and less arguing. Also if something comes up and there is arguing, I simply ask, “who’s day is it to be the leader?” That person does the job. It is simply solved, no more arguments. We keep track, with our easy system, and we are consistent. We do this daily. Thus the kids “know the rules” and do well with this system!

Got Kids? Get Them Involved!

2007-09-26T08:39:00.000-04:00

Do you have children? If so, get them involved in your process of simplifying. Yesterday, I was doing the kids’ laundry. Now this just worked out for me. I do laundry on most days. Today though, I did all of the kids laundry. After each load, I gathered the kids around with me and we all folded. First they sorted the laundry into piles - socks, underwear, shorts, pants and shirts. Then we each chose a sorted pile to fold. Now, my son did the underwear and socks. Daughter did shorts and pants. I folded the shirts. =)

It worked out really well! At the time, I noted to myself to add this to my blog and definitely add this to weekly list of chores! Yay! 10 points for Mom! =)

Take Action - Declutter!

2007-09-21T21:10:00.000-04:00

Here is another article on action based principles for decluttering your home! Thought you might enjoy it!

click here

I like combining the 1st and 2nd ideas - assessing each room as IF you were moving. If you were moving, what would you get rid of? For example Sally is 3 years old now, she's outgrown her baby toys. Can they be given to someone else or Good Will, sold at a yard sale or on ebay?

What are some other things that you would not take with you.....if you have more than several of one item....things that you don't use, or have NEVER used....bless others with those items or sell them!

Simplifying Children's Clothes

2007-09-20T06:12:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again...for changing seasons which means changing clothes. Packing up some of the summer and bringing out some heavier clothing items. This is the time of year, I sort through my children's clothes. How many clothes do our children actually need? They each have about 7-10 outfits, many of those outfits are mix and match. My daughter also has a few skorts that she really likes to wear and several dresses. Of course we also have several sets of pajamas too. She announced she doesn't like jeans! Yikes!!! Jeans go with everything! She loves denium skorts and skirts, but no jeans. Okay, black and taupe pants are still good for mixing and matching.

My son's drawers are sooo deep. He can keep sooo many clothes in there! That was a big clean out. I try to do the same for him 7-10 outfits. Of course I usually end up with an extra "stack" of t-shirts too for both kids. I packed up all of their clothes that no longer fit and send them the boy's pile to my friend and girl's pile to my sister. Whew, I feel organized and simplified!

Handling hand-me-downs. I love hand-me-downs. When I first started receiving them for my son, I was sooo overwhelmed! I received sooo many and kept most of them! Yikes! So here is my strategy.

1. Go through all hand me downs. Pull out the ones that are stained, throw away.

2. Make matches (pants/shorts and shirt) out of what is left. No match then make a pile for Good Will. Most likely you won't use it if there isn't a match.

3. Out of the matching outfits, take out what you don't like. You will not put these clothes on your child if you don't like them and no sense putting them in the drawer if that's the case. Put them in Good Will pile.

4. Out of the remaining matching outfits, pick about 7-10 that you really like to keep for your child.

5. Donate the remaining clothes to Good Will, to a friend or give to a church collecting clothes.

Are You Content?

2007-09-16T07:30:00.000-04:00

In my Quest for the Simple Life, I always come back to this question. Am I content?

Am I content with what I have? Am I content with my relationships? Am I content with my place in life? This isn't to say that we shouldn't have goals and improve our lives. It's just to bring the point home - STOP & REFLECT.....at this very moment, are you content with your life?

I was thinking about this yesterday and even right at this moment. I am VERY content with my life. I am grateful for all that I have, for all that I have been blessed. I don't take enough time to sit quietly and reflect on what I have and be thankful. Life's moving too fast. My children and I talk often about having a grateful heart and being thankful.

Are you content?