Whelp, we're trying again to make a go with this whole Financial Peace thing. I think we have a better plan in place this time and more cooperation all around, so I'm really hoping it sticks....although the whole process tends to stress me out. One of the hardest things for us is the fact that both of us having fluctuating income. Because of that we've budgeted completely differently this time and I'm hoping that becomes part of the key to our success. We've budgeted bills, groceries, toiletries, gas, etc. off of our lowest average pay and then are trying to do some irregular income planning for our lump sum and needs and elective expenses (medical, school, gifts, car repair/tags, home repair, entertainment/eating out, etc.). In other words anything over and above our low pays will be allocated either by greatest need or percentage in order to fund those lump sum items. Most pay periods we will have more money than we've budgeted for, so hopefully this will all work out well in the long term providing we haven't left out any major expenses. We don't have a solid plan for quick debt payoff yet, but do have a plan to pay off our small card soon and roll that into the only other card that we have. If we weren't planning to do braces for both girls this year we could probably knock out both credit cards this year and then tackle the car payment next year, but for now those things are going to have to wait. We do pay a bit more each month than the minimum and rolling the smaller card payment into the bigger one will give us a start.
What all of that means is that we willing be living off of a tight grocery and gas budget each month. Occasionally when we have extra I'll use it to add some staples to the pantry and freezer to help on those months that we might be stretched thin. We will be attempting to spend $450 every 4 weeks on groceries, toiletries, vitamins/OTC meds, dog food, cleaning supplies, etc. Basically, that will need to cover anything that I purchase at Sams, Aldi and WalMart on a recurring basis. Here's how I plan to do it:
1) Cut back on paper towel use. We have plenty of extra towels and washcloths. I also bought some fabric a long time ago to make cloth napkins with. Maybe I'll make good on that...
2) Cut out as much canned goods as possible. I'll be cooking with dried beans, frozen and fresh vegetables as much as possible. I get most of the dried beans and frozen veggies at WalMart and most of our fresh at Aldi and Sams.
3) Cooking from scratch more often. I'm not much on convenience foods as it is, but I have LOTS of whole wheat and the supplies to go with it, so I need to cook up some breads and muffins to keep us from buying those things. I might try my hand at English Muffins, tortillas and bagels if I'm feeling adventurous anytime soon.
4) I'll be back to making my own detergents and forgoing fabric softener for a vinegar rinse instead. I'm considering making my own dryer balls and using a little essential oil on them to add a fresh scent to our laundry, since that's what I'll miss the most about softener.
5) We're using a good bit of essential oils already and have greatly decreased the amount of OTCs we're using and Dr. visits we're requiring. I'm hoping to learn more ways to use these and begin to make our own facial cleansers, toners and moisturizers as well. I'm fairly certain I can do that with things that I typically have on hand.
6) Cutting back on meat. We'll be having an occasional meal without meat. Probably a couple of times a week we'll skip it by having stir fried veggies over rice, baked potatoes or a veggie plate with cornbread. We all like these meals so it won't be a big deal and will make things a bit cheaper.
7) When we do have meat here's how we'll do it: We have a good bit of venison in the freezers so we won't be buying much, if any, red meat. I can usually get pork loin and boneless skinless chicken breast at Sams for $2ish a lb. We bring those home and slice them and freeze in meal sized portions or grill the chicken to have ready for salads and wraps. I'll also be buying whole chickens to boil (making my own broth) and shred. I can usually get at least 4 meals out of one chicken (things like soups, casseroles, dumplings...etc.)
8) Cooking for the freezer: When we opt for convenience foods or eating out it's usually because I didn't plan well or ran out of time. I'm hoping to get some dried beans cooked and frozen as well as some breads.
9) I'll shop every 2 weeks with a meal plan. I'm planning every meal including snacks. This way there is not much if any waste, we know what we have and we don't end up buying things we don't need. That'll mean that I need to inventory what I have each week before I make the menu plan and then the grocery list.
10) Plan, plan, plan....in case you didn't notice that seems to be the running theme here. I need to plan things well and try to forsee our needs, so I'm not splurging out of convenience. We'll be taking our lunch and eating in the van on co-op/errand days instead of indulging by eating out.
I'm certain that some tweaking will be in order. Good Ol' Dave Ramsey suggested that it may take 90 days before all the kinks are ironed out of our cash flow budget. I'll try to hop back in here from time to time to share what's working and what isn't. Please feel free to share your money saving tips with me.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Vitamins, Oils and Tonics. Oh My!
We've been working toward a healthier lifestyle for quite some time and we truly still have VERY far to go, but recently (since it became clear that our new affordable "health care" may not only make our insurance more expensive, but may make it more difficult to see the doc or afford that visit) we've realized the need for natural alternatives. I've tried some things that have worked quite well recently and wanted to share them.
This is the first year in quite some time that we have decided not to take the flu shot. We took it for years because I have a daughter with asthma, but we did notice that we had the flu (albeit fairly mild versions of it) almost yearly while taking the shots. I've never been one of those people that believed the shots caused the flu (and still really don't since we'd get it quite some time after the shot), but since we almost never got it prior to the shot and my daughter's asthma has settled down I just didn't have peace about taking the shot this year. In my quest to find out how to avoid it I've found that first and foremost are vitamins. Take a good multi-vitamin and supplement with additional vitamin C and D. I recommend doing your research to determine how much you'd like your family to take. Also, I could not stomach multi-vitamins for many years. I tried many different kinds and tried taking them at bedtime, or mealtime....you name it....I tried it. They made me feel awful. I just wanted to share that I have discovered that I can take almost any kind of gummy vitamin without any ill effects....including Omega 3 (fish oil). So, if you tend to have trouble with multi-vites you might consider trying a gummy version. We use Vita-Fusion.
There is one other thing that we try to use somewhat regularly as a preventative and we take in larger doses at the first symptom of any illness. It's Olive Leaf Extract. We typically take two a day to prevent and 4 (or sometimes more) when we're sick or coming down with something. My former chiropractor (he moved far away...I'm still sad) told me about it. He used a brand called Olivir, but I needed a cheaper alternative, so we usually use Nature's Way.
Now I wanted to share a couple of things that we've found that help with symptoms.
Essential Oils:
I'm somewhat new to essential oils and am just learning what some of them can be used for. Here's what I have experience with so far:
Thieves Oil - You can search the name for the legend behind the blend, but basically it's a blend of essential oils that is believed to be strong enough to help prevent catching the plague....while I don't know much about the plague I do know that I've had relief from using thieves oil and we enjoy the scent. There are some popular blends under a few different names, but they can be very pricey. The least expensive that I've seen of what's called Therapeutic Grade is made by a company called Plant Therapy and their version is called Germ Fighter. I haven't used their product yet, but plan to order some of their oils very soon. I have been mixing my own for a couple of years. You can find several different recipe versions online, but the one that I use calls for equal parts lemon oil, rosemary oil, clove bud oil, eucalyptus oil and cinnamon oil. The brands that I have of those individual oils are Aura Cacia and NOW. In the winter I place a few drops in a pot of water on the stove to add some moisture to the air and I'll add it to a humidifier or vaporizer.
Eucalyptus Oil-
This works great as a decongestant. You can add it to vaporizers and humidifiers as well and also make your own vapor rub. (We've found that vapor rub on the bottom of your feet can help to quiet a cough.)
Peppermint Oil -
This can work as a decongestant as well, but we have found that our favorite use for it is to relieve headaches. We also found this weekend that if you smell it and rub it on your stomach with a carrier oil it will help relieve nausea. My husband used it three times last week for a headache and nausea (he actually asked for it once) and it worked every time. I also like to add a drop to my hot chocolate.
Last week I started coming down with something that would have ordinarily lasted a week or two and had me in the Drs. office getting a steroid shot within the first couple of days. I immediately started the Olive Leaf Extract 4 times a day and put thieves oil (mixed with olive oil as my carrier oil) on the bottoms of my feet, my chest and my neck and under my nose at least twice a day, but more often if I needed it to alleviate my coughing and congestion symptoms. I added a couple of drops of Eucalyptus to my chest, neck and under my nose to help as a decongestant. One day I had a headache that would not go away, so I got out the peppermint oil and put a little under my nose, on my forehead and on my temples (with olive oil) and it worked. Not only did my "illness" not even last a week, I did not have to take anything over the counter (other than Ibuprofen all week). It also kept me from really feeling sick. I had symptoms all week (congestion, sore throat, headache, coughing), but they were mild and I'd only have one or two at a time. Normally something like this would have me in bed for a couple of days, but short of a couple of naps and one evening of feeling pretty rough these things made it very manageable/tolerable.
Here are a couple of other things we've found to be very helpful:
Honey - A teaspoonful of Honey can help to quiet a cough and sooth a sore throat.
Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar - (My favorite brand is Braggs)
This has TONS of helpful properties....Google ACV remedies or benefits
Tart Apple Cider: For a sore throat or cough I like to mix 1 Tbsp. honey, 1 Tbsp. ACV and a dash of cinnamon to a coup of hot water. This tastes a bit like a tart cup of Hot Apple Cider. Adjust the amounts to your tastes. If you think it's gross you won't drink it, so add more honey or less ACV until you've found the combination that you enjoy. I think it's yummy this way, but have to add more honey for my son.
Homemade Cough Syrup: For a cough make a homemade cough syrup out of equal parts honey, ACV and lemon juice. No real side effects from this one so we take a teaspoon as needed.
My disclaimer: I'm no Dr. and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express. All of this info has either been gleaned from friends or my own Internet research. This is what has been working for myself and my family. Do your own research....check with your Dr. if medication interactions or other health issues are a concern.
Where to buy: I have found that Amazon and Swansons usually have very good prices, but you'll need to look through their products. I've provided links to some of these things. You should be able to tell which words to click on.
This is the first year in quite some time that we have decided not to take the flu shot. We took it for years because I have a daughter with asthma, but we did notice that we had the flu (albeit fairly mild versions of it) almost yearly while taking the shots. I've never been one of those people that believed the shots caused the flu (and still really don't since we'd get it quite some time after the shot), but since we almost never got it prior to the shot and my daughter's asthma has settled down I just didn't have peace about taking the shot this year. In my quest to find out how to avoid it I've found that first and foremost are vitamins. Take a good multi-vitamin and supplement with additional vitamin C and D. I recommend doing your research to determine how much you'd like your family to take. Also, I could not stomach multi-vitamins for many years. I tried many different kinds and tried taking them at bedtime, or mealtime....you name it....I tried it. They made me feel awful. I just wanted to share that I have discovered that I can take almost any kind of gummy vitamin without any ill effects....including Omega 3 (fish oil). So, if you tend to have trouble with multi-vites you might consider trying a gummy version. We use Vita-Fusion.
There is one other thing that we try to use somewhat regularly as a preventative and we take in larger doses at the first symptom of any illness. It's Olive Leaf Extract. We typically take two a day to prevent and 4 (or sometimes more) when we're sick or coming down with something. My former chiropractor (he moved far away...I'm still sad) told me about it. He used a brand called Olivir, but I needed a cheaper alternative, so we usually use Nature's Way.
Now I wanted to share a couple of things that we've found that help with symptoms.
Essential Oils:
I'm somewhat new to essential oils and am just learning what some of them can be used for. Here's what I have experience with so far:
Thieves Oil - You can search the name for the legend behind the blend, but basically it's a blend of essential oils that is believed to be strong enough to help prevent catching the plague....while I don't know much about the plague I do know that I've had relief from using thieves oil and we enjoy the scent. There are some popular blends under a few different names, but they can be very pricey. The least expensive that I've seen of what's called Therapeutic Grade is made by a company called Plant Therapy and their version is called Germ Fighter. I haven't used their product yet, but plan to order some of their oils very soon. I have been mixing my own for a couple of years. You can find several different recipe versions online, but the one that I use calls for equal parts lemon oil, rosemary oil, clove bud oil, eucalyptus oil and cinnamon oil. The brands that I have of those individual oils are Aura Cacia and NOW. In the winter I place a few drops in a pot of water on the stove to add some moisture to the air and I'll add it to a humidifier or vaporizer.
Eucalyptus Oil-
This works great as a decongestant. You can add it to vaporizers and humidifiers as well and also make your own vapor rub. (We've found that vapor rub on the bottom of your feet can help to quiet a cough.)
Peppermint Oil -
This can work as a decongestant as well, but we have found that our favorite use for it is to relieve headaches. We also found this weekend that if you smell it and rub it on your stomach with a carrier oil it will help relieve nausea. My husband used it three times last week for a headache and nausea (he actually asked for it once) and it worked every time. I also like to add a drop to my hot chocolate.
Last week I started coming down with something that would have ordinarily lasted a week or two and had me in the Drs. office getting a steroid shot within the first couple of days. I immediately started the Olive Leaf Extract 4 times a day and put thieves oil (mixed with olive oil as my carrier oil) on the bottoms of my feet, my chest and my neck and under my nose at least twice a day, but more often if I needed it to alleviate my coughing and congestion symptoms. I added a couple of drops of Eucalyptus to my chest, neck and under my nose to help as a decongestant. One day I had a headache that would not go away, so I got out the peppermint oil and put a little under my nose, on my forehead and on my temples (with olive oil) and it worked. Not only did my "illness" not even last a week, I did not have to take anything over the counter (other than Ibuprofen all week). It also kept me from really feeling sick. I had symptoms all week (congestion, sore throat, headache, coughing), but they were mild and I'd only have one or two at a time. Normally something like this would have me in bed for a couple of days, but short of a couple of naps and one evening of feeling pretty rough these things made it very manageable/tolerable.
Here are a couple of other things we've found to be very helpful:
Honey - A teaspoonful of Honey can help to quiet a cough and sooth a sore throat.
Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar - (My favorite brand is Braggs)
This has TONS of helpful properties....Google ACV remedies or benefits
Tart Apple Cider: For a sore throat or cough I like to mix 1 Tbsp. honey, 1 Tbsp. ACV and a dash of cinnamon to a coup of hot water. This tastes a bit like a tart cup of Hot Apple Cider. Adjust the amounts to your tastes. If you think it's gross you won't drink it, so add more honey or less ACV until you've found the combination that you enjoy. I think it's yummy this way, but have to add more honey for my son.
Homemade Cough Syrup: For a cough make a homemade cough syrup out of equal parts honey, ACV and lemon juice. No real side effects from this one so we take a teaspoon as needed.
My disclaimer: I'm no Dr. and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express. All of this info has either been gleaned from friends or my own Internet research. This is what has been working for myself and my family. Do your own research....check with your Dr. if medication interactions or other health issues are a concern.
Where to buy: I have found that Amazon and Swansons usually have very good prices, but you'll need to look through their products. I've provided links to some of these things. You should be able to tell which words to click on.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Tis the Season. To Be......BUSY!
One of the most frustrating parts of this time of year is how very busy it tends to be. We've been invited to two Christmas parties by my husband's employer, 5 events through our homeschool covering or with our homeschool friends, 5 events/parties with our church family (and some practices that go along with one of those events) and a couple of other miscellaneious Christmas related events....and none of that counts any of the traditional family/friend holiday gatherings, work, homeschooling, shopping, holiday traditions (parades, craft shows, etc.) or regularly scheduled church events. Seriously....If we let it the schedule for the month of December could get COMPLETELY out of hand. While I strive to find the joy in each of the events we attend and chalk the fellowship up to part of the celebration of Christmas, I have learned that I just have to say no sometimes. Sadly, this is often not popular and people sometimes just don't understand. I actually have considered planning some things in my home and inviting friends and family and have just decided that I will not contribute to the scheduling craziness, so I will purpose to do those after the holidays. We all really need to make a point to spend time with each other throughout the year and not feel so obligated to plan so many holiday gatherings. It's honestly (to me) not the decor or the gift giving or the jolly ol' man that take our eyes off of the reason for the season. Our chaotic schedules tend to do that for us. Just something to think about.....and please know that if you invite us to something this month and we say no, it isn't because we don't love you or even that we don't want to come....it's just that we want to get through the holidays with our sanity intact and keep our eyes firmly focused on Jesus.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Ready or Not...
This week has included a couple of meetings that have sent us slightly reeling in a new direction that none of us were quite ready for. A couple of years ago I attended a meeting to learn about high school transcripts and what kind of courses I needed to make sure were on them in order for those transcripts to benefit my children when it comes to college admissions. I was cool with that. Didn't seem too hard and didn't really make things seem like a short time table. However, this week we attended two college prep meetings and those meetings have our minds swirling in many different directions and left us all wishing we could SLOW life down. I'm SO not ready for my girls to be grown. I cannot even fathom what life looks like after they've graduated from high school and I am honestly scared that I'm not going to handle it well. So, if you see me in public and I walk past you with a glazed look in my eyes and without speaking, just know that I have thoughts of PLAN, PSAT, SAT, ACTs, scholarship applications, transcripts, aptitude tests, career decisions, college choices, but espcially my little girls growing up flooding my mind. Lord, help me!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Jehovah Jireh
Lately when it comes to finances my head is swimming, sometimes I want to scream and the enemy is trying for all he's worth to make me panic. You see we'd been living like brats. Not really paying attention to what was coming in verses what was going out, living to some degree out of our savings without even realizing it. We'd become very complacent. Not that we were being big spenders, just not living out of a budget, eating out too much. Not staying aware of how much we were spending, etc. Well, I don't even really know how it happened, but I got a wake up call and when I did I realized most of our savings was gone and that because my husband wasn't getting any overtime and changes in tax witholdings his check was not enough to cover all of the expenses every month and that along with waaaayyyy too many trips eating out and extras at the grocery store was the reason that we'd run through our savings.
This is where we see God in the midst of things, though. I have been doing some side work for several months now and with the exception of a used digital piano for our girls and a few small expenses here and there (i.e. the occasional pedicure) I had spent very little of my money. Since this realization we've had over $300 in medical expenses and have so far spent $462.50 towards this homeschool year (and still have around $125 of curriculum to purchase along with some yearly supplies and will have some more co-op fees, though I don't expect those to be too high) and $50 on my husband's birthday. After all of these expenses we will have a little left in saving (we do still have a separate emergency fund per Mr. Dave Ramsey)and my small income will be enough to cover the gap in our monthly expenses.
Things are tight and we're having to be very careful and we are very hopeful that this is short term, but it's still hard, frustrating, unpleasant, stressful at times. I know that our finances really aren't anyone else's business and I haven't said all of this to garner any pity, but wanted to share some truths that I cling to in times like this. You see, just this morning Satan tried to lure me away from tithing. Reminding me that if we stopped tithing there'd be a bigger cushion in the account and things would not be quite so tough, but that will not work with me. We believe what God's Word says about tithing and we believe that since we have been faithful tithers He has been faithful in meeting our needs. That doesn't mean things are always easy, but since we began to tithe the bills are always paid and so are the necessities and many times we've been able to afford wants and even some luxuries. You see, I thought I'd just taken a little side job to help a friend and to have a little extra spending $ here and there, but I wasn't really using the $. God knew ahead that I would need it and I believe he prompted me not to spend it. Without that $ this season of preparing for the homeschool year and my husband having surgery could have felt disastrous, but instead we have seen God's hand of provision and not a single need has gone unmet.
Just wanted to remind you all that God is faithful. He is Jehovah Jireh the Lord Who Provides and He shall supply all of your needs according to His riches!
Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. Psalm 37:25
This is where we see God in the midst of things, though. I have been doing some side work for several months now and with the exception of a used digital piano for our girls and a few small expenses here and there (i.e. the occasional pedicure) I had spent very little of my money. Since this realization we've had over $300 in medical expenses and have so far spent $462.50 towards this homeschool year (and still have around $125 of curriculum to purchase along with some yearly supplies and will have some more co-op fees, though I don't expect those to be too high) and $50 on my husband's birthday. After all of these expenses we will have a little left in saving (we do still have a separate emergency fund per Mr. Dave Ramsey)and my small income will be enough to cover the gap in our monthly expenses.
Things are tight and we're having to be very careful and we are very hopeful that this is short term, but it's still hard, frustrating, unpleasant, stressful at times. I know that our finances really aren't anyone else's business and I haven't said all of this to garner any pity, but wanted to share some truths that I cling to in times like this. You see, just this morning Satan tried to lure me away from tithing. Reminding me that if we stopped tithing there'd be a bigger cushion in the account and things would not be quite so tough, but that will not work with me. We believe what God's Word says about tithing and we believe that since we have been faithful tithers He has been faithful in meeting our needs. That doesn't mean things are always easy, but since we began to tithe the bills are always paid and so are the necessities and many times we've been able to afford wants and even some luxuries. You see, I thought I'd just taken a little side job to help a friend and to have a little extra spending $ here and there, but I wasn't really using the $. God knew ahead that I would need it and I believe he prompted me not to spend it. Without that $ this season of preparing for the homeschool year and my husband having surgery could have felt disastrous, but instead we have seen God's hand of provision and not a single need has gone unmet.
Just wanted to remind you all that God is faithful. He is Jehovah Jireh the Lord Who Provides and He shall supply all of your needs according to His riches!
Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. Psalm 37:25
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Jesus Will Meet You There
I happened upon this one while I was looking for one of the other ones and loved it too.
Just a Little Talk With Jesus
Whenever I hear old country hymns I think of my Grandaddy...I've been thinking of him a lot lately and missing him so. Just last night my girls and I were singing "Have a little talk with Jesus" in the car on the way home. My Grandaddy loved that song and I can still hear him singing the base part. I guess I feel like I've just had a little talk with Jesus and my Grandaddy is talking with Him for eternity.
I'll Meet You in the Morning
Another tidbit of info about myself: My musical taste is VERY eclectic. I can thank my parents for that.
It wasn't lost on me that God was meeting me in the morning (12:30 and 4:30 AM) and this song kept going over and over again in my mind.
It wasn't lost on me that God was meeting me in the morning (12:30 and 4:30 AM) and this song kept going over and over again in my mind.
The Friend of a Wounded Heart
This one is pretty old. I think I may have actually had the tract to this one when I was a teenager, but the words kept playing over and over again in my head and they speak so clearly to what I've been going through and what I'm feeling this morning.
He Will Meet You In the Morning/Mourning
Last night or really very early this morning (and honestly for many nights for some time) I went to bed pleading with the Lord for and about some things, literally begging Him for answers, for His presence, for Him to rebuild some things in me that Satan has torn down over the last year and a half or so. As I prayed I pulled up the Bible App on my phone and began to read my Bible reading plan. At first it was just reading. There were several chapters from Isaiah. Then I got to Isaiah 40, which on the app is entitled "Comfort for God's People". In this chapter He began to speak to me right where I am. Isaiah 40:4-5 "Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed...." then Isaiah 40:29-31 "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Those verses I prayed and clung to for Josh after he was injured, but now the Lord was showing me that I must believe them for myself. Then my last chapter for that reading was Isaiah 41, where he led me back to some verses He's been bringing to mind lately and added some that I'd overlooked. Isaiah 41:10, 13-20 "So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, you worm of Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you," declares the Lord, YOUR REDEEMER the Holy One of Israel. "See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel. The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on the barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it." So, I was finally able to go to sleep around 12:30 with some peace that He was answering me. Then I woke up at 4:00. Not a good thing since I had to be up by 6:30 and have a very busy day, but I decided to make the most of it and get up and get some things done, but first I decided to go ahead and do my Bible Study for the day while it was quiet in the house. I've just begun a Bible Study Book in the "A Woman After God's Own Heart" Series by Elizabeth George entitled Walking In God's Promises. It's a character study of Sarah. I began to read lesson 2. Most of this lesson was a reminder of Sarah's lack (bareness) and God's promises to her and Abraham. In the middle of the lesson it asked that you identify the lack, sorrow or missing element in your own life. Then at the end of the chapter it asked that you revisit whatever you'd identified, read verses of promise and apply them to your situation. It is here that I knew He was meeting me....reminding me of promises that I'd let go of or had become distant to me. I wept as I read them and wrote my applications. Psalm 23:1, Psalm 34:8-10 and Psalm 84:11 all reminded me that He WILL meet my needs. Then came the verses that I will be clinging to and reminding myself of as He walks me through this process of healing and growing: Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminded me that He WILL make EVERYTHING beautiful in HIS TIME and He WILL put eternity in my heart. Philippians 4:13 I can do ALL things through Christ who STRENGTHENS me...(even walk through this process in His timing) and 1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has OVERTAKEN you, except what is common to man, but God IS faithful, who WILL NOT allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation WILL also make a way OUT (the way of escape) that you may be able to bear it." Which reminded me that even though I have felt consumed and defeated at times, it's not true because He will not allow me to be overtaken.
Honestly, I know I still have a long way to go. I am a work in progress and this is part of my process, but I was reminded that He will answer me, it may not be when I want it, but it will come in His time and my friend, He will do the same for you.
(P.S. If you know me well, then you know that He often speaks to me through music and oftentimes words trigger the memory of songs. I thought of several as I posted this, so I'll post those lyrics or youtube videos in seperate posts.)
Honestly, I know I still have a long way to go. I am a work in progress and this is part of my process, but I was reminded that He will answer me, it may not be when I want it, but it will come in His time and my friend, He will do the same for you.
(P.S. If you know me well, then you know that He often speaks to me through music and oftentimes words trigger the memory of songs. I thought of several as I posted this, so I'll post those lyrics or youtube videos in seperate posts.)
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Long Time No Blog.....and a HUGE Sigh of Relief
I've been such a blogging slacker for so very long now and honestly so much has happened since I blogged last that I can't even imagine where to start now. However, I will restart....I had too big a scare not to. You see some way, some how, Google all of a sudden thought I'd submitted a birthday that showed I was too young to have a blog. That's completely baffling to me considering the fact that I've had a blog for YEARS and am not exactly close to being underage.....AAAANNNDDDD......the only ways to verify my age to them were by giving them my credit card number or a copy of my drivers license. I wasn't comfortable with either of those options and meant to check into, but I forgot. Soooooo......they deleted my account and I was notified that it was not recoverable. Which means I lost my blog! I was sick and in tears because I'd never backed it up or saved the info elsewhere (with the exception of a few posts on FB and the posts over at the blog that started it all www.homeschoolblogger.com/pretzelfamily ). I tried everything to get in touch with them to no avail....or so I thought. Today.....weeks after it initally happened....I received notification that if I would verify my age they would reactivate my google account. I have definitely spent some time rejoicing and will soon spend some time backing it all up........
Monday, October 3, 2011
Messages for Mamas
I posted this on my Facebook status, but wanted to elaborate here.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24
I think we all (including myself) occasionally need this reminder. When I am serving my family, I'm serving the Lord and I need to walk through every task throughout every day, not as if it's a burden, but as if it is a privilege to serve my Lord through serving my family. When I first learned this lesson as a young Mom, there would be days that I would repeat to myself over and over (usually while doing the much dreaded task of laundry) that "When I'm serving my family, I'm serving the Lord." I think that often the attitude in which we serve our family is very indicative of the attitude we also have while serving the Lord. Especially when He asks of us things that we don't necessarily want to do.
"Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless." Philippians 2:14-16
Some translations use the word grumbling in place of complaining. I think it's easy to get frustrated with changing diapers, washing clothes, cleaning a room for the 2nd and 3rd time in a day, taking care of meals, paying bills....the list could go on and on. It's a LOT of work to be a Mama. What we have to remember, though, is that just like any other ministries (and maybe even more important than others), the ministry of motherhood, is one that He has called us to. Being a Mama and wife is a calling. When we walk through life grumbling and complaining about the tasks that are involved as a wife and mother, we are complaining about the very thing that God has called us to.
"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right." 1 Samuel 12:23
While the previous verse is speaking about praying, it also serves as a reminder that when we sin against others it's as if we are directly sinning against God. That means that when you've snapped at your children or your husband, you've snapped (yelled, etc.) at the Lord.
By the same token, Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Which also means that all of the good things we do for our family, we do unto the Lord. When we serve our family with gladness, we serve the Lord with gladness. I heard a definition several years ago that really stuck with me. It was that Obedience is doing what you're told, when you're told with a right heart attitude. I believe I read that in relation to parenting, but I've learned over the years that often I need the very lessons that I'm trying to teach to my children. If I raise my children with a rotten attitude, have I truly been obedient to the Lord. Is that really what He was asking of me?
The Word of God also tells us to "Choose you this day, whom you will serve..." Joshua 24:15
We must die to our flesh (our selfish selves) daily and with our attitudes we make a choice who we will serve each day. Who will you serve today?
P.S. If you ever get a lesson that proves to you that you're doing things wrong, handling things in the wrong way, it is soooooo important to remember that Conviction comes from the Lord to lovingly teach us to walk in His ways. Grab those lessons and learn from them. However, if those lessons make you feel guilty, like you're not good enough or make you feel like a failure, remember that guilt is not from the Lord and it can often be bondage that keeps you from being able to move forward. Take on the lesson, learn from it, ask the Lord to forgive you and work your way to walking out what you've learned. Remember that we don't learn everything overnight. We don't expect our children just to hop up and walk one day, it takes practice and little by little you will get there.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24
I think we all (including myself) occasionally need this reminder. When I am serving my family, I'm serving the Lord and I need to walk through every task throughout every day, not as if it's a burden, but as if it is a privilege to serve my Lord through serving my family. When I first learned this lesson as a young Mom, there would be days that I would repeat to myself over and over (usually while doing the much dreaded task of laundry) that "When I'm serving my family, I'm serving the Lord." I think that often the attitude in which we serve our family is very indicative of the attitude we also have while serving the Lord. Especially when He asks of us things that we don't necessarily want to do.
"Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless." Philippians 2:14-16
Some translations use the word grumbling in place of complaining. I think it's easy to get frustrated with changing diapers, washing clothes, cleaning a room for the 2nd and 3rd time in a day, taking care of meals, paying bills....the list could go on and on. It's a LOT of work to be a Mama. What we have to remember, though, is that just like any other ministries (and maybe even more important than others), the ministry of motherhood, is one that He has called us to. Being a Mama and wife is a calling. When we walk through life grumbling and complaining about the tasks that are involved as a wife and mother, we are complaining about the very thing that God has called us to.
"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right." 1 Samuel 12:23
While the previous verse is speaking about praying, it also serves as a reminder that when we sin against others it's as if we are directly sinning against God. That means that when you've snapped at your children or your husband, you've snapped (yelled, etc.) at the Lord.
By the same token, Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Which also means that all of the good things we do for our family, we do unto the Lord. When we serve our family with gladness, we serve the Lord with gladness. I heard a definition several years ago that really stuck with me. It was that Obedience is doing what you're told, when you're told with a right heart attitude. I believe I read that in relation to parenting, but I've learned over the years that often I need the very lessons that I'm trying to teach to my children. If I raise my children with a rotten attitude, have I truly been obedient to the Lord. Is that really what He was asking of me?
The Word of God also tells us to "Choose you this day, whom you will serve..." Joshua 24:15
We must die to our flesh (our selfish selves) daily and with our attitudes we make a choice who we will serve each day. Who will you serve today?
P.S. If you ever get a lesson that proves to you that you're doing things wrong, handling things in the wrong way, it is soooooo important to remember that Conviction comes from the Lord to lovingly teach us to walk in His ways. Grab those lessons and learn from them. However, if those lessons make you feel guilty, like you're not good enough or make you feel like a failure, remember that guilt is not from the Lord and it can often be bondage that keeps you from being able to move forward. Take on the lesson, learn from it, ask the Lord to forgive you and work your way to walking out what you've learned. Remember that we don't learn everything overnight. We don't expect our children just to hop up and walk one day, it takes practice and little by little you will get there.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
We Need Each Other
I learned a long time ago how much we Moms need each other. We need each other to be honest about how hard this job is. We need each other to bounce ideas off of and to hear what has and hasn't worked for you. We need to sharpen each other (Proverbs 27:17). We need to hear what everyone is cooking. How you're saving money. We need to know that we're not alone. 7 years ago the Lord showed me that my primary ministry would be to other women. He's provided small ways here and there for me to walk that out. Within the last year I have longed to walk in the purpose in a more tangible way. A friend and I sort of resurrected a group within our homeschool covering to minister to and gather with other homeschool Moms of elementary aged (and below) children. Yet I have still longed for a deeper way to fulfill that call within my own church body. I'm so thankful that God has asked us to serve Him and our church as the directors over the early childhood department (K5 and below) at our church. We love working with the children, working alongside each other and very often he opens doors for me to encourage another Mom or to introduce them to a new friend, etc. We have enjoyed this season so much and have been so blessed by the opportunity to serve. I am so excited to share with you, that the door has opened for me to step further into ministering to women, especially Moms. Our church will be starting a Mom's Group. Our official kickoff will be in November. We'll meet once in November and once in December and then pray about whether or not we will expand it to be more often after the first of the year. I will more or less be there to facilitate and plan. We may have a devotion or discuss a certain topic or have a guest speaker, but our plan biggest goal is to provide an atmosphere that will allow the Moms of our church to get a little break while getting to know other Moms. Just wanted to share with you all how excited I am about this next step and also ask you to commit it to prayer. I don't want to walk through anything that He's not right in the middle of. (Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.. Psalm 127:1) So, please pray that I will walk out His will and that He will send the women that need this and that they will be blessed and strengthened by it.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Doing Some Scheduling
I've been revamping our schedule a bit. I do this at the beginning of every new school year. I don't quite have a full schedule in place, but I do have a new chore system in place and a new laundry schedule. The chore schedule is going to take a longer post, but I wanted to go ahead and share how we're changing our laundry system.
We have a good sized laundry room and we've always just taken all of the clothes there, sorted them and washed when we washed. Some system, huh... Well, we are soon to be remodeling that laundry room and moving all of my sewing and embroidery down there. This is what necessitated the change, along with the fact that the aforementioned lack of a system was not working. From now on everyone will have a hamper in there rooms and there will also be one in the bathroom. So, here's the schedule:
Monday - Kelsi and Keeli
Tuesday - Mom and Dad
Wednesday - Bathroom Hamper (Mainly towels and washcloths from the bathroom and kitchen)
Thursday - Mason
Friday - bedding
We've also been using Carbona Color-Catchers (we use Shout color-catchers sometimes, too, but prefer Carbona). They work great and are enabling us to sort less. We still bleach our whites and won't put a dark or red new item in with lighter ones. If it's my laundry day it's my responsibility to complete all of my laundry from start to finish (Wash, dry, fold and put away). Mason is 9 and for the most part is able to do his laundry alone. I will occasionally supervise, but for the most part he's on his own. Everyone will wash their own bedding on bedding days and on hamper day the girls will put the clothes in the washer, then move to the dryer. Mason will take them out of the dryer. I will fold and we'll all put away. I feel certain this is going to work beautifully. I have no idea why I didn't think of it before! What's your laundry system?
We have a good sized laundry room and we've always just taken all of the clothes there, sorted them and washed when we washed. Some system, huh... Well, we are soon to be remodeling that laundry room and moving all of my sewing and embroidery down there. This is what necessitated the change, along with the fact that the aforementioned lack of a system was not working. From now on everyone will have a hamper in there rooms and there will also be one in the bathroom. So, here's the schedule:
Monday - Kelsi and Keeli
Tuesday - Mom and Dad
Wednesday - Bathroom Hamper (Mainly towels and washcloths from the bathroom and kitchen)
Thursday - Mason
Friday - bedding
We've also been using Carbona Color-Catchers (we use Shout color-catchers sometimes, too, but prefer Carbona). They work great and are enabling us to sort less. We still bleach our whites and won't put a dark or red new item in with lighter ones. If it's my laundry day it's my responsibility to complete all of my laundry from start to finish (Wash, dry, fold and put away). Mason is 9 and for the most part is able to do his laundry alone. I will occasionally supervise, but for the most part he's on his own. Everyone will wash their own bedding on bedding days and on hamper day the girls will put the clothes in the washer, then move to the dryer. Mason will take them out of the dryer. I will fold and we'll all put away. I feel certain this is going to work beautifully. I have no idea why I didn't think of it before! What's your laundry system?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Homeschool Curriculum 2011-2012
It's late, so this will be a fairly quick post. First I'd like to just tell you a brief philosophy of our homeschool. I desire for my children to be prepared for whatever God calls them to do, so it is important to me that they get a good education, but I homeschool, primarily, for Spiritual reasons. I desire to spend as much time as I can using life lessons to teach my children to walk with the Lord. That being said we are not and probably will never be a family that "schools" all day long. I look for curriculum that has a lot of good information that can be used in a short amount of time. There is one primary exception to that this year and I'll explain that as I go.
Kelsi and Keeli's 8th grade curriculum
Teaching Textbooks Math (This is our exception. It takes my girls anywhere from 1-2 hours to do one lesson. However, it's a VERY thorough curriculum, takes all of the guesswork out of it and my girls really like it.)
Notgrass American History (We will be using this for Literature, History and Bible. However, we are pairing this with a presidential study and will be taking two years to go through this with that study.)
Apologia General Science
Wordsmith
Easy Grammar Ultimate
Vocabulit
Keeli is also still working through AVKO Sequential Spelling. She LOVES it and we have seen an AMAZING improvement in her spelling ability since we started. If you have a struggling speller, I highly recommend trying this.
The girls are taking a break from ballet this year. They LOVE ballet and are very sad to have to take a break, but the karate studio that housed their homeschool dance classes was flooded during the April 27th tornadoes. This caused the teacher to have to move her classes to a farther away town and move it to a day and time that was just impossible for us. We are hoping she will be able to move back next year. However, it's enabling us to spend some time doing things the girls have been wanting to do. They are going to be learning to cook more and bake more as well as do more sewing and crafting, so we're very excited for the extra time.
Mason's 4th Grade Curriculum
If you didn't already know, I'll be transparent for a moment, ALL of my children read late. I read a book in my early years of homeschooling entitled "Better Late than Early" and boy am I thankful I did. I tried to teach them to read at the "normal" time and it just seemed that I hit brick wall after brick wall, but then there would be a random light bulb moment and suddenly they would be interested and everything would just click. For Kelsi it was the middle of 2nd grade, for Keeli it was much later, due to her dyslexia and auditory processing issues and thank you Jesus, Mason has FINALLY decided that it's time. He's having major revelation every single day! Just wanted you to understand why he has some of the curriculum that he has.
Explode the Code workbooks (Last year we did the online version and he enjoyed it, but it advances you based on what it considers the students readiness. That decision is based on accuracy and speed. Mason was very accurate, but slow and could not get past book 2, so this year we are back to the workbooks and he's flying through them.)
Spectrum Sight Word Workbooks
A Reason For Hanwriting
Modern Curriculum Press Math
Modern Curriculum Press Plaid Phonics
MCP Spelling Workout
He will be joining the girls for History and will be doing Unit Studies for Science.
I don't have our schedule finished yet, but I'm thinking this schedule should take Mason 2-3 hours per day and the girls 3-4 hours.
Kelsi and Keeli's 8th grade curriculum
Teaching Textbooks Math (This is our exception. It takes my girls anywhere from 1-2 hours to do one lesson. However, it's a VERY thorough curriculum, takes all of the guesswork out of it and my girls really like it.)
Notgrass American History (We will be using this for Literature, History and Bible. However, we are pairing this with a presidential study and will be taking two years to go through this with that study.)
Apologia General Science
Wordsmith
Easy Grammar Ultimate
Vocabulit
Keeli is also still working through AVKO Sequential Spelling. She LOVES it and we have seen an AMAZING improvement in her spelling ability since we started. If you have a struggling speller, I highly recommend trying this.
The girls are taking a break from ballet this year. They LOVE ballet and are very sad to have to take a break, but the karate studio that housed their homeschool dance classes was flooded during the April 27th tornadoes. This caused the teacher to have to move her classes to a farther away town and move it to a day and time that was just impossible for us. We are hoping she will be able to move back next year. However, it's enabling us to spend some time doing things the girls have been wanting to do. They are going to be learning to cook more and bake more as well as do more sewing and crafting, so we're very excited for the extra time.
Mason's 4th Grade Curriculum
If you didn't already know, I'll be transparent for a moment, ALL of my children read late. I read a book in my early years of homeschooling entitled "Better Late than Early" and boy am I thankful I did. I tried to teach them to read at the "normal" time and it just seemed that I hit brick wall after brick wall, but then there would be a random light bulb moment and suddenly they would be interested and everything would just click. For Kelsi it was the middle of 2nd grade, for Keeli it was much later, due to her dyslexia and auditory processing issues and thank you Jesus, Mason has FINALLY decided that it's time. He's having major revelation every single day! Just wanted you to understand why he has some of the curriculum that he has.
Explode the Code workbooks (Last year we did the online version and he enjoyed it, but it advances you based on what it considers the students readiness. That decision is based on accuracy and speed. Mason was very accurate, but slow and could not get past book 2, so this year we are back to the workbooks and he's flying through them.)
Spectrum Sight Word Workbooks
A Reason For Hanwriting
Modern Curriculum Press Math
Modern Curriculum Press Plaid Phonics
MCP Spelling Workout
He will be joining the girls for History and will be doing Unit Studies for Science.
I don't have our schedule finished yet, but I'm thinking this schedule should take Mason 2-3 hours per day and the girls 3-4 hours.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Lack Of Posting
My life has been busy, busy, busy and of course I've been posting more of it on Facebook than here. I'll try to do better. Look for a post about my newest adventure and our homeschool year very soon!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Newly Tested Designs
I recently had the priviledge of testing a few designs for www.theitch2stitch.com . They turned out really cute. She's making a small adjustment and they will be offered on her site very soon. Excuse the quality of my pictures. I took them right as the sun was setting, so they have a sunset glow....LOL 
Monday, April 11, 2011
Blog Design
I have spent waaaayyyy too much time this morning trying to change the background on my blog. I really like this one, but I cannot figure out how to get the hazy foreground to go away! The background should be black and hot pink, but looks gray. I would appreciate any input on how I might fix this. Thanks so much! UPDATE : I FINALLY got it figured out. What a pain! I'm still not sure I completey love it, but I'll live with it for a while and see. I've been being super crafty lately. Doing lots of sewing and embroidery and wanted to start sharing more about that on my blog, so I was trying to make my blog reflect that just a bit more, but boy, oh boy....I had no idea what an undertaking that would be today. Why does blogger keep changing things?!?!?!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Couponing Sites
We also shared some basic how-tos and the benefits of couponing. Here is some info we shared on helpful Couponing Websites. http://www.couponing101.com/ Getting Started Section – Teaches the ins and outs of couponing as well as how to coupon at the drug stores. Store deals including Wal-Mart Directs you to printable coupons http://www.iheartpublix.com/ FAQ section Forum Basics of Couponing Lots of other info! http://www.southernsavers.com/ Has a list for Kroger, Publix, Target, CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens. Section on Learning to Coupon Section to direct you to printable coupons Others section includes online bargains and deals at Wal-Mart http://www.fiddledeedeemom.com/ Store deals include Dollar General Restaurant Deals Section on Freebies and Samples Other couponing sites: http://www.iheartthemart.com/ http://www.totallytarget.com/ http://www.iheartsavingmoney.com/ http://www.iheartkroger.com/
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