Soul Pockets

Becoming

2012-01-09T13:50:00.002-05:00

I tool a little break from this blog, I'm happy to be back.

A few changes have happened to our family over the last several months.

Our children, the oldest three, have all gone back to school. Public school.

I lost sleep over that decision, but now that we are almost 4 months into the school year, all my fears are gone. My children are doing well, and are enjoying the new experiences they have been having.

The biggest change would have to be what my family and I are becoming. We are becoming Orthodox.

We have been attending a Western Rite Antiochian Church.

We are in the process of learning about the Orthodox way, it is quite different from any religious class I've ever took. There is more of an emphasis on our connection with God, prayer, etc... more so than all knowledge. That is one of the reasons I was drawn to Orthodoxy in the first place.

Don't get me wrong we do have to learn the faith. We do study and discuss topics with our priest. It's going very well and I'm learning a lot. I'm thankful that my spiritual relationship with God is the most important topic.

It is a big change. Not just the way things are done in the Mass or some of the beliefs, but a change in thinking, a change in me as a person.

That means discipline and a change of being. Those are tall orders.

Right now I feel as though I don't have a spiritual home. But I think it is a good thing, because I feel God is preparing me. And the anticipation that I feel about "becoming" is so joyful!

I look forward to the learning, friends, home, truth, love, mercy, and becoming.

"Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if He wants anything of you, He will lift you for the work and give you strength."

—Philip Neri

Lent and The Sacred Heart

2011-03-23T06:35:00.005-04:00

At the beginning of Lent I was determined and gung ho about everythig I was going to do and not do.

I was doing well until life set it and I got off track. At the end of the day when I would lay in bed I realized I was too busy and I did not pray that day, I fell short on my diet restrictions, and my mind and heart were not focused on Lent.

This lasted for about a week. My husband and I briefly talked about it this past Sunday and once again I was determined to give my all.

This past Sunday night my husband and I were relaxing and watching tv. We turned on EWTN and listened to Archbishop Timothy Dolan. He was talking about the exact thing I had been going through that week. He told a story of when he was in school and a nun, who was his teacher, gave some great advice which included The Sacred Heart. My ears perked up.

I have always had a special pull towards The Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart calms me, helps me in some way.

His teacher told him that we must try to do our best during lent when it comes to fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, but the least you can do is say these three prayers...

When you awake say, Sacred Heart of Jesus, all for you.

During the day when temptations, worry, and stress want to knock you off track say, Sacred Heart of Jesus, I put my trust in you.

Before going to sleep say, Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.

The Archbishop went on to explain that we are like Peter walking on the water to Jesus. If we focus on Him we will succeed. When we take our eyes away and concern ourselves with the waves of life, we will sink.

I felt this was a immediate answer to my prayer for help that Sunday night, and I am grateful for it.

I am going to try my best to move onward and to keep my eyes focused on The Sacred Heart.

I wish you all a blessed and meaningful Lent.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, all for you

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

2011-02-11T11:52:00.004-05:00

In My Life This Week...

This week has been a blur. I was not able to find the time to workout and that upset my mood. It has just been one of those weeks where I jump up and down because it's Friday! I'm feeling much better. Next week is going to go much better.

In Our Homeschool This Week...

I was the worst homeschooling mom this week. We didn't get much done. See above for reasons why. It seemed all motivation flew out the window. I am determined to leave this bad week behind and move on with a positive attitude.

Places We Are Going And People We Are Seeing...

This weekend is going to be busy. My best friend turns 36 today and tonight we are going out to celebrate her birthday. My son turned ten this week, double digits! And we are inviting family and friends over on Saturday to celebrate his birthday. I have a lot of celebrating to do!

My Favorite Thing This Week...

I would say my favorite thing this week is when I was really not feeling that great, I snuggled under the covers and fell asleep. My wonderful children behaved and let me take a little nap. Yes, a nap!!

What's Working/Not Working For Us...

I am ready to ditch our current curriculum. I'm sticking with it because the kids don't really seem to mind it. As I research what others are doing and what's out there I know we could be doing something so much more interesting. I'm debating on what I should do.

Homeschool Questions Thoughts I Have...

I though I was set on the curriculum I wanted to move on to, then a friend recommended Heart of Dakota. I had never heard of that curriculum before. I checked it out and it seems good. Has anyone tried this curriculum before? What do you think of it?

A Photo, Link, or Quote to Share...

Because I was having a rough week I was doing some extra praying. I read this blog, I Have to Sit Down. The post is called, What I Say to Mary:A Mother's Prayer. I thought it was so cute and funny. The post brought my spirits up.

May God bless you, your families, and your homeschool!

10 Day Homeschool Hop

2011-02-07T12:51:00.006-05:00

Thinking about homeschooling? If you are and you have been researching you already know that all the information available can be overwhelming! This is why I love the internet and blogs. It gives you a peek into what other homeschooling families are doing, gives you encouragement, and often times friendship.

I am not participating in the writing of the 10 Day Homeschool Hop, but I will be a faithful reader. Head over to Heart of the Matter, to read the blogs in the 10 Day Homeschool Hop. These are good reads for those thinking about homeschooling and those of us who already are.

Happy Reading!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

2011-02-04T12:45:00.000-05:00

In My Life This Week...

We had the supposedly big snow storm this week. I wrote about surviving the Snowpocalypse HERE. My husband didn't go to work on Wednesday because of the road conditions. (He works an hour away) We had a nice day of relaxing together as a family. I am on the 3rd week of the work out/diet challenge. I have been doing the best I can with that this week. I can't wait to find out the results at the end of the 5 weeks!

In Our Homeschool This Week...

We are continuing with our narration. We do oral narration with literature and the older kids have been writing their history narrations. They write so much more than what is asked of them in the review questions. I have also learned that the next day when I ask them to repeat what they learned the day before (without looking at their writing) they remember!

My first grader is all about learning to read. We are still working with Alpha-Phonics and reading beginner reading books. I think she is doing well. When she talks to me, she likes to spell words out. She will say, "Hi m-o-m I l-o-v-e y-o-u!" She spells out other words she knows while talking to us and I think that's cute. :)

Places We are Going and People We are Seeing...

On Saturday my family and I are going to a Game night at our Knights of Columbus hall. We aren't going to play games, we are going to eat game! The only game I have ever eaten is venison and buffalo, I love buffalo. It will be interesting to see what type of food they will have for us.

My Favorite Thing This Week...

My favorite thing this week is watching our homeschool fall into place. I have read so many things about making your homeschool fit your family. I finally feel I am letting go of what I think school should be and doing what works for us. I am not totally there yet, but I think I am going in the right direction.

What's Working/Not Working For Us...

School is working for us. There are changes I want to make but I am waiting. What is not working for me is cleaning the house! I manage to get the house in semi good order by the end of the day, but I'm talking about deep cleaning. I need to do the walls, floors, fans, windows etc... I have no idea when I can get this done. I followed The Fly Lady's advice before and it worked great, it was keeping up with it that was a challenge!

Homeschool Questions/Thoughts I Have...

I am going to go back to my cleaning dilemma. I was thinking of maybe hiring someone to help me with the big cleaning of the house. I'm not sure about it yet. How do you homeschool and do all the other things that you need to do and still find the time to throughly clean your house?

A Photo to Share...

Here is one of the reasons my house doesn't stay clean. I call him my walking tornado. I guess if I'm going to have a messy house it's good to have a very cute reason.

You can read more Homeschool Mother's Journals by visiting The Homeschool Chick

How to Have a Fun Snow Day: Surviving the Snowpocalypse

2011-02-02T12:50:00.008-05:00

We survived the snow storm that has been called the Snowpocalypse! Actually the snow fall wasn't as bad as a lot of people thought it was going to be. But I'm sure the people like my husband who are without a snow blower and have to manually shovel the snow think differently.

A lot of people are home from work and I believe all kids are home from school today. We still did school, and as you can imagine I heard many cries of, "That's not fair!"

With all the kids being home, here are some things they can do outside in the snow. The kids can have some fun, and mom and dad can have a little break. That is until 10 minutes later when one child (or all of them) will be pounding on the door saying they're cold and begging for hot chocolate.

Snowscape Stomp

Snow Snakes

Seven Snow Games from Family Fun

If your like me and don't enjoy being cold, or if it's too cold for the kids to go outside, here are some fun snow day crafts to do inside.

Snowstorm Art

Warm Fuzzy Snow

Danielle's Place

(There are many snowy crafts to be found here)

Make some snow day treats to go along with the hot chocolate.

Ice cream From Snow

(This is were you have to remember NOT to eat yellow snow.)

Maple Taffy on Snow

No Bake Snowball Cookies

Edible Snowflakes

Marshmallow Snowmen

When the snow day is over and the kids have had fun playing, making crafts, and eating their treats, it's time for mom and dad to make a snowy Winter treat for themselves. This recipe is from a friend, and I think it is a perfect treat for an adult snow day.

The Snow-tini

3oz Stoli Vanilla Vodka

1oz Creme de Cacao

1oz Godiva White Chocolate Liquor

Pour Stoli, Creme de Cacao, and the Godiva Liquor into a cocktail shaker half filled with crushed ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled Martini glass and enjoy!

If you have a lot of snow, stay warm and have fun!

Keeping Homeschool Simple

2011-01-31T13:36:00.003-05:00

As I was reading my daily blogs I stopped by Happy Hearts At Home and there was a link to a wonderful article called Helpful Advice For Homeschooling Elementary School Aged Children. The article is about keeping homeschooling simple and I was happy to read it.

There are so many things to think about when it comes to homeschooling. It's nice to have a reminder that simple homeschooling can benefit everyone.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

2011-01-28T12:30:00.001-05:00

In My Life This Week...

This week has gone very well. The kids are not sick anymore and they are running around as usual. The weather here is snow, snow and more snow. I am starting to feel trapped within the walls of my home. I find myself day dreaming about Spring when the kids and I can get outside!

In Our Homeschool This Week...

We have started narration with history. We worked on a chapter and instead of making the kids do the review questions I had them narrate what they just read. The kids informed me that they preferred this to answering boring questions. I was also surprised to see how much each child wrote. We are using the book Robin Hood for read aloud and narration practice for my 4th and 7th grader and The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh for my 1st grader and pre-schooler. (If he feels like jumping in)

Places We Are Going and People We Are Seeing...

We really need a field trip! All the snow makes it hard to get five kids anywhere. I think we will visit Grandma and Grandpa and that's about it.

My Favorite Thing This Week...

More of my Charlotte Mason books came in the mail this week, so I have been reading all week long!

What's Working/Not Working For Us...

Narration is definitely working. I may cross that over to Religion too. Not just the Bible, but also The Catechism. One thing at a time.

Homeschooling Questions/Thoughts I have...

As I said, my thoughts have been on Spring. I can't wait to have the kids start nature journaling. We live in the suburbs/city so I figured we could journal about our back yard garden. I am going to get a game called The Garden Game, and the kids will help me plant and take care of the garden while journaling. I would like to find some good living books about gardens, any suggestions are welcome.

A Photo to Share...

I have been praying for inner peace and a feeling of peace for my homeschool for a while. I finally feel like my prayers are being answered. The photo of the day is a peaceful place dedicated to the peace I am feeling.

To read more Homeschooling Mother's Journals visit The Homeschool Chick!

Narration

2011-01-26T09:42:00.005-05:00

"Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there, in every child's mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the result of any process of disciplinary education. A creative fiat calls it forth. 'Let him narrate'; and the child narrates, fluently, copiously, in ordered sequence, with fit and graphic details, with a just choice of words, without verbosity or tautology, so soon as he can speak with ease."
(Vol. 1 Part IX.--The Art of Narrating, p.231)

I have been reading everything I can about the Charlotte Mason method of Homeschooling and I am loving every word of it.

My children have been doing school at home, so I am easing this method into our homeschooling. Slowly taking "school" out of our homeschool.

I have started with narration. Right now my children use text books. They read something, do the review questions, and then I correct their mistakes.

I have started having them read from their text books and then narrate to me and each other what they have read. This is the homeschool I have been searching for. We have had great discussions, my 6 year old even discusses what my 7th grader is narrating. I have also noticed that when my husband gets home, the kids are eager to tell him what they learned that day. They want to narrate to him as well.

Last night as we said prayers my husband was discussing with the kids about how everyone makes mistakes. He got on the subject of Noah and Moses and how they also made mistakes. This sparked my children's attention. My Daughter suggested that my son read about Moses and she would read about Noah and then they could retell what they learned to us the next night.

I sat there quiet, smiling to myself thinking, I found it! This is how my children like to learn.

The next book I will be reading is Hearing and Reading, Telling and writing: A Charlotte Mason Language Arts Handbook

You can download a free sample of the handbook on narration.

As I said, we are going to be implementing the CM method slowly. I can already see an improvement by using a tiny bit of what the method suggests. I'm excited to learn right along with my kids!

This site has been very helpful to me, Simply Charlotte Mason. Another helpful place is the group on Facebook called, Hip Homeschool Moms. The people in that group are great and so helpful. It is a group for all homeschoolers not only those using Charlotte Mason.

I hope this journey keeps going well for us and I'm looking forward to the new things to come.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

2011-01-21T13:43:00.005-05:00

In my life this week

This week has been slow. Four out of five children have been sick. I have managed to keep up with workouts, dinner, and school, that's about it. I am excited for Saturday! Nana is coming over to watch the kids so my husband and I can get a very much needed date night!

In our homeschool this week

School is coming along. I am very excited that I switched my daughter's Science to Exploring Creation with General Science. I love it! We have done two experiments about atoms that were incredibly easy. (I like easy experiments)

Places we are going & people we are seeing

As I mentioned above my husband and I have a dinner date on Sat. Yay! On Sunday we will be attending the Cub Scout Pine wood Derby Race. My son is very excited and so are we!

My favorite thing this week

My favorite thing this week has got to be that all the sick little ones I have are starting to look and feel better!

What's working/Not working for us

I think I will be getting rid of most of the curriculum we are using now. The Science we are using that I mentioned above, is great! We will stay with Saxon Math and the religion we are using, but I think we will say good-bye to everything else. Our reading program, Alpha-Phonics is working quite well with my first grader. I'm happy I gave it a try.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have

I have been researching the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling and I think that is the direction we are going to go for next year. I ordered a few of her books to read. Right now our homeschool is school at home, very dry. I think CM may be a good fit for us.

A Photo to Share

Fun in the snow :)

You can read more Homeschool Mother's Journals by visiting The Homeschool Chick

Cloth Diapering : An Amateur's Experience

2011-01-18T13:36:00.001-05:00

I have been cloth diapering for a few months now and I really wish I would have started cloth diapering with my first child rather than my last.

I was nervous to try cloth diapering because I thought it would be messy. I have found that it's no messier than dealing with any other type of diaper changing.

There are so many options out there for diapers, so many reviews, so much information it can get overwhelming. I am not a pro, I still consider myself a newbie at cloth diapering but I wanted to write this post for anyone considering it. It can be done, even if you have no clue what you are doing.

Here are my reasons for cloth diapering:

I was tired of buying diapers and spending all that money!

I did not like stinky disposables in my garbage. (I had two in diapers at the time I switched)

The enviorment

There is a lot of options to choose from when you use cloth diapers, here is a list of what I use and what is working for us.

You will need about 24 diapers. This amount keeps me from doing laundry every day. :)

I use bumGenius 3.0 and 4.0 These were recommended by friends and I love them.

I purchased mine through the sites Cotton Babies and Nell's Natural Baby. Cotton babies has diapers on clearance a lot, so always check. Find them on Facebook HERE and you will be notified when certain items are on clearance and you can post questions and you will get answers and info. Nell's Natural Baby is a great site too. They have awesome costumer service, and they have a three month lay-a-way plan if you can't get your diaper stash all at once.

I also use the Workhorse fitted diapers from Green Mountain Diapers, I love theses. You can find Green Mountain Diapers on Facebook HERE. These diapers need a diaper cover and there are many to choose from. I use the Econobum diaper cover, mainly because Cotton Babies had them on clearance for $4.95. They are cute, durable, and the price is good! I only need about 3-4 covers because they only need to be rinsed off after using them. (Unless they are very soiled)

I personally need a diaper sprayer that connects to the toilet. I received a bunch of cloth diapering items on ebay cheap, a diaper sprayer was included.

A diaper pail to put the dirty diapers. (I received a diaper pail in the ebay lot as well) a friend of mine uses a plastic tote container, another uses a plastic garbage can.

A diaper pail liner. I use a Planet Wise Pail Liner. It would be a good idea to get two, but I get by with one.

I also want to get a hanging wet bag for my bathroom.

A smaller wet bag for a diaper bag. (another item in the ebay lot)

I received cloth wipes in the ebay lot. I didn't think I would use them, but I realized it was easy to just use the cloth wipes and put them along with the diaper in the pail. I still use disposable wipes too.

Cloth Diaper detergent. I use Bumgenius detergent. All the sites I mentioned above have cloth diaper detergent for sale.

Solution for cloth wipes. You can by solution or make your own. There are a lot of recipes on the web for making cloth wipe solution. I put a little bit of baby soap in a squirt bottle and then fill it with water. I squirt the cloth wipe and then it's ready to clean.

You can get all kinds of doublers and stay dry inserts. I have not bought any of these because if I use two inserts in one bumGenius diaper my baby stays dry all night. Also I cut up a fleece blanket and lay that in the diaper. Fleece keeps wetness off baby and is a good barrier for when I need to use rash cream. (You can not use rash cream on bumGenius diapers.)

There are cheaper ways of cloth diapering then what I use, but this works for us so I'm sticking to it.

If anyone is thinking about cloth diapering, go a head and try it. It really isn't hard. My 12 year old daughter changes her baby brother all the time. Now my daughter will say she feels bad putting her baby brother in disposable diapers because they are not soft and nice like a cloth

diaper.

I think she will be a future cloth diaper user. By the time she has kids she will be a cloth diaper pro!

The Husband

2011-01-14T12:35:00.005-05:00

The New year has been off to a good start. I did get laid off from my job, but thank goodness the whole purpose of the job was for Christmas and extras. I do like the extras, but I must say, not waking up at 5am every morning has it's perks!

I have been taking my vitamins and eating right. The workout challenge I signed up for starts this Saturday and I'm excited to get that going!

Another step in the right direction is my relationship with my husband. We have a wonderful relationship, I would even use the words, "best friends" but as all married couples know, marriage takes work!

I have been working on seeing all the good in my husband and appreciating all he does to be the best husband and father that he can be. And you know, when I consciously look for a these things, I have found that my husband does do quite a bit!

Here are some links to articles and blogs that I have read to get some inspiration on how to be better wife to my husband, and in turn have a better husband. It's a win/win!

30 day Husband Encouragement Challenge For Wives

Homegrown Mom: Your Husband picked You

Homegrown Mom:15 Little Ways to Bless your Husband

I really like this blog. And she writes an article every Wednesday called Wifey Wednesday.

To Love, Honor and Vacuum:Why he won't meet your needs

To Love, Honor and Vacuum:Saying Hello

Even if I think I am the greatest wife ever created, and some days I do, it takes work to keep the greatness alive and growing. Husbands need their wife's love and respect, and on super busy days they at least needs some extra hugs and kisses! ;)

In With the New!

2010-12-30T14:36:00.011-05:00

The New Year is fast approaching and it's time to make those resolutions. You can also be the type of person who likes everything about how things are going and ease into the New Year without wanting to change a thing. I am always the resolution type of person.

Homeschooling-I will try to be more organized. Take more field trips! Have my first grader reading well.

God-I really wanted to get the kids and I to nightly Mass on Friday. This is a tad difficult, so we have all been trying to go as a family at 8am Mass with my husband. (We usually divide and conquer) I think it is important for a family to go to Mass together, but I also notice it is very hard for me to focus when I have all the children with me. My resolution is to still try to get us all to Mass at the same time, but I may include a couple Friday nights where I can go alone. :)

Trust God in all things!

Husband-I would love to spend more time with my husband, just the two of us. It can be hard with five kids. I would like to do at least a once a month date night for him and I. Also I will try to make sure he has clean socks every morning. Who am I kidding, this will never happen because he doesn't put his socks in the right spots to be washed. Oh yeah, and I will try not to vocalize his shortcomings. ;)

Money- I MUST pay my library fines. (That one is so embarrassing) Set up a Christmas club account. I don't want to deal with a wiped out bank account after Christmas again! Work on our debt. Take at least one vacation. The vacation doesn't have to be big, but a hotel must be included.

Dog-Get my crazy puppy in a training class!

Me-Take vitamins, I have already started this one. Workout, my friend and I are signing up for a weight loss challenge this new year. It is for 5 weeks and the team that losses the most weight wins a year membership. I really want to win! If we don't I will still be doing something for my health, getting some alone time, and spending some time with my best friend. It's a win/win situation! (I do really want to win the membership though)

Find the time to do more crafts. I don't know where I will fit this in, but I'm going to try.

Try to be the best person I can be everyday.

I think that's it. I'm looking forward to the new year. I'm looking forward to the changes and to the things that stay the same.

I hope the New Year brings you much love and joy!

Happy New Year!

God Bless This Mess!

2010-12-26T10:37:00.004-05:00

Christmas was fast and fun! The presents, gifts, food, family and friends, we had it all!

Now it's time for the clean up. I can hardly walk anywhere in my house and no one but me seems to mind!

It's still Christmas and things don't really have to be in order until January 6th right?

I will try to remember how Mary's Christmas was. Mary's Christmas was in a dusty barn filled with animals, dirt, and straw. I'm sure she didn't keep saying, "Why didn't you get me a cleaning service for Christmas!"

My family and I are on vacation and I'm going to make a path in all the toys, and enjoy this time with my family.

I hope your Christmas was wonderful. If your house is like mine, repeat these words often, "God bless this mess!"

29 Diapers 29 Days of Christmas Give Away! It's the Big One!

2010-12-24T09:55:00.003-05:00

Check out the BIG give away at 29 Diapers!

What a ride! It’s Christmas Eve, and that means we have come to the grand prize giveaway of the 29 Diapers’ 29 Days of Christmas giveaway event. One of you lucky ducks will be opening a very special email tomorrow, informing you that you have won the grand prize Christmas present from 29 Diapers to put under your tree: an autographed copy of my book Ecofrugal Baby: How To Save 70% Off Baby’s First Year, a 3-pack of Happy Heinys pocket diapers, a pack of Bummas cloth wipes, an Itzy Ritzy wet bag, Zoe Organics diaper balm, a gallon of Allen’s Naturally detergent from The Little Seedling boutique, a Weleda baby toiletries starter kit, Episencial wash, soothing cream, and face balm to pamper both mom and baby, AND 2 Thirsties Duo Wrap diaper covers with 4 Duo Hemp Prefolds–that’s a $285 value!

Visit 29 Diapers for your chance to win!!

Homemade Christmas Gifts and Decorations:Gumdrop Pops

2010-12-21T20:00:00.000-05:00

It's Craft time!

I was flipping through a Martha Stewart Magazine and I saw this craft, Gumdrop Pops. Thank you Martha for making cute easy crafts for the not so crafty.

I thought this would be perfect for the kids to make and bring as gifts to all the houses we will be visiting for Christmas. I made one for myself too. :)

7 Quick Takes Friday:The Phases of Christmas

2010-12-17T12:43:00.011-05:00

I go through phases during Christmas time, here they are...

1. Right after Halloween I start to get the excited feeling that Advent will be here soon, and Christmas is right around the corner. Yay!

2. After Thanksgiving it is time to decorate! I buzz around the house putting up doo dads and making the house look festive. I am in such a good mood I don't think twice about how I should have really washed the walls before I started all this.

3. The kids give me their Christmas lists. I stare at them wondering how in the world am I going to get this stuff. Money doesn't grow on trees! Their response is, Santa will bring it! I then think, why did I ever let them believe in Santa! Mom is getting stressed! So I make lots of cookies.

4. I start my shopping, wrapping, and cleaning. The creeping feeling that I wish Christmas was over is starting to come about. Then I am saved, because Sunday is Church, and Sundays we light our Advent wreath and remember just what we a celebrating.

5. The parties start. I attempt to keep 5 kids clean, nicely dressed, and under control. It never works out that way.

6. Parties, food, presents and more parties. Lots of fun, and I really don't mind all the hustle and bustle. I feel deep love for all my family and friends. It is a time of Joy!

7. The parties are over, the food is wrapped in tin foil in the fridge. The kids screamed in delight at all their gifts, even though they received less than half of what they asked for. I can still hear them saying, "This is the best Christmas ever!" just like they do every year.

I sit all alone by the lighted Christmas tree and thank God. I thank Him for His Son.

I sit back and close my eyes and think, I can't wait to do it all again next year.

Christmas Around the World

2010-12-16T22:00:00.001-05:00

We are done with school for Christmas break! The kids finished their Christmas Around the World project and they really enjoyed it.

If you search Christmas around the world on the Internet you will find many projects and unit studies. I liked at lot of them and couldn't decide which one to do, so I made up my own.

The kids picked a country they wanted to learn about, Miss picked Ireland and Lil D picked Poland. Each day they were to look up a Christmas tradition, prayer, food, custom, etc... that their specific country did.

They wrote the information in their notebook, then made an ornament about the information and glued the ornament to the Christmas tree they made.

The kids wrote a report on everything they found out about how their country celebrates Christmas.

Miss made her first cake, an Irish Christmas Cake.

Decorating it was her favorite part.

I found this project to be a lot of fun. I think the kids enjoyed teaching me about all the the things they found out. In Ireland they set a red candle in the window to light the way for Mary and Joseph, to let them know that there is room for them in the house. This tradition is also for letting the Priests know that the house is safe to have Mass when having Mass wasn't allowed.

In Poland, on Christmas Eve, the polish people have a 12 course dinner to represent the Twelve Apostles, and they always leave an empty seat at their table for the Holy Spirit. These are a couple of traditions we learned.

My husband was fond of what the Irish children leave out for Santa In Ireland instead of milk and cookies, Santa gets Guinness and cookies. (minced pie too, but my husband is a vegetarian) We may have to adopt that tradition. :)

May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch on your door, and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas!

Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia!

7 Quick Takes Friday

2010-12-10T13:30:00.008-05:00

Yay it's Friday! I thought I would join in on The 7 quick Takes Friday that is hosted by Jennifer at Conversion Diary.

1. Number one thing that is on my mind, but I'm not doing is Christmas shopping. I'm dreading all the plastic, but I love to see my kids happy. My Christmas shopping starts next week.

2. My husband has become a vegetarian...again. It's hard to find different recipes to make when there is only one veg head in the family. I was thinking that if I could make better vegetarian food I might become a vegetarian too, except at BBQs.

3. Speaking of veg heads my husband and I watched a good show last night called "The Veg Edge" on the Cooking Channel. I loved the show, and I found that I would really like to own my own food cart in Portland and sell vegetarian bowls of goodness. It looks like a lot of fun.

4. Homeschool is going good beside the fact that I want to change things up like I always do. I started a new reading program for Bug and I love it. We are trying to get all our tests in before Christmas break, and we are doing a Christmas Around the World project. The kids are still alive and seem to be learning, so I'm happy.

5. I am now a full force cloth diaper mama. I love it! I wish I would have done this with my first child instead of my last! Hmmmm homeschool, vegetarian, cloth diapers, sounds like I'm a granola kind of girl, but I'm not. (There is nothing wrong with granola mamas!) To tell you the truth I don't know what label I would give myself. I see what I like and do it I guess.

6.I now work at a deli part time. I work with my parents. It can be tiring but I love the hour of alone time I get in the morning and then the rest of the day having fun with my mom and dad. It's not a vegetarian cart in Portland, but it's fun. :)

7. Advent is going by so fast. This weekend will be my last relaxing one before Christmas. I plan to enjoy it!

To read more 7 Quick Takes head on over to Conversion Diary.

Ghosts of Christmas Past

2010-12-08T13:40:00.005-05:00

I think one of the most special things about Christmas are the memories that are made. I don't know about you, but whenever Christmas rolls around I take out the Christmas photo albums and look at the pictures. (Lately it's more like I sit on the computer and look at the pictures) I smile at how big the kids have gotten, the projects we did, and family all smiling for the camera. I shed some tears for the people who are no longer sharing in on our Earthly Christmas Joy. Memories that we made, what a wonderful gift.

I was looking back and reading some of the posts I wrote on this blog around Christmas time a few years back. They bring back great memories for me. I thought I would share some of my Christmas posts from the past.

Memories, a Cherished Christmas Gift

Oh, Christmas Tree

Update: We have now switched to a real tree, my children and father are now happy. Here we are this year.

Christmas All Year Long

An Advent Breather

Tis The Season to Be Overwhelmed!

2010-12-07T14:01:00.005-05:00

I LOVE Christmas! I love everything about it, the traditions, the smells, the lights, the prayers, family, I could go on and on. But every year I become so overwhelmed with all that needs to be done that I sometimes lose the joy Christmas is supposed to bring.

I do the same Christmas every year. I do all the shopping, the cooking, (if any) and the schedule. I make sure all 5 kids and I look presentable for at least a couple hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I have thought many times I should give some Christmas jobs to my husband, but the type of person that I am will not let me do that. I need Christmas to be done the same every year, the way I do it. So I can't blame my husband. (darn it!)

This weekend coming up is the last weekend of peace until I become a Christmas mad women. I was dreading it. I have been filled with anxiety about how perfect everything has to be. A friend posted a blog about the exact things I was feeling. The blog is called Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering and the post so perfectly titled, Ready for it to be over? Six tips to lower the expectations for Christmas.

A great read if you are like me and feel you need to make Christmas perfect to the point of exhaustion!

I will still shop and do all the things I do for Christmas, but I will make a point to check the joy in my heart every once in a while. If it seems low, I'm going to stop the madness and snuggle up with one of my children, help my 6 year old read the story of the birth of Christ, crank up the song "Go Tell it on the Mountain" and sing at the top of my lungs. I'm going to find that joy again, because for me, that's Christmas.

And I think I will give my husband a job, he can do all the wrapping, as long as he uses the right paper. ;)

The friend I mentioned above has her own blog, From the Field of Blue Children. Cathy has written a post called, 'tis a gift it is a beautiful description of what the Joy of Christmas means.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas that is bursting with joy!

29 Diapers 29 Days of Christmas Give Away!

2010-12-04T13:29:00.004-05:00

I have been cloth diapering for about a month now and I love it!

I am a bit obsessed with all the cloth diapers that are available and if it were up to me I would have all of them!

I was very excited to see that the blog 29 Diapers is having a 29 days of Christmas give away. 29 days with a different item to win each day!! Today they are giving away the cutest Nifty Nappy Peachy Keen Pocket Diaper

Check out the 29 Diapers 29 Days of Christmas Give Away and Good Luck!!

Farm Market

2010-09-27T12:21:00.009-04:00

The kids and I went to our first local Farm Market. Nothing makes you want to eat your veggies like going to the Farm Market. Everything looks so beautiful and fresh!

Besides the vegetables, the kids and I had homemade pizza rolls, apple tarts, homemade chips and Salsa, and Detroit's famous, Evie's Tamales.

When I saw the green tomatoes, I had to make Fried Green Tomatoes for dinner.

I bought a basket full, and used THIS RECIPE. Instead of using cornmeal or bread crumbs, I used jiffy corn muffin mix.

The Fried Green Tomatoes were yummy! The tart fresh tomatoes with the sweet corn bread crust had these little beauties eaten up quick!

I'm planning a trip to the Farm Market next week. I think I'm hooked!

Our Homeschooling Day

2010-09-21T17:04:00.009-04:00

We have been Homeschooling for over a week now and it has been going great. We are using the Seton curriculum. Our two oldest are enrolled and our 1st grader is not.

I read a lot about Seton and talked to a few homeschoolers about it. From what I gathered, you either love Seton or you think it's a bit harsh. I happen to love it. I was worried it would be to advanced but my children seem to be doing just fine. We are only on our 2nd week and haven't written any book reports yet, so I hope the good feelings continue.

I do think art appreciation is a good thing to have and my children do like looking at the art and learning about the artists but they need some more hands on fun art. I found this site I really like, The Incredible Art Department and the blog That Artist Woman, we will be doing the Fall Trees project.

Our days are going pretty much as planned. We have been starting school around 8:45am-9am. My first grader gets done around 12:30 (besides daily reading) my 4th grader gets done around 1:30-1:45 (besides reading and studying) and my 7th grader gets done around 2:30 (besides reading and studying)

Some people have been asking me if home schooling is hard and how do I do it with five children. I know people who do it with 10+ children. I am no hero!

Is it hard? No harder than any parent raising children and teaching them. You do need some discipline in place. The children need to know school is school and the are required to do what is asked of them. And I need discipline too. I need to get up and do it everyday and try to be cheerful about it. It's like anything, if you want to do something and enjoy it, it will be easy. I also feel Seton's curriculum makes it easy. There are a lot of ways to home school and many different curriculum. I like Seton because it spells it all out for me. Here is an example of Seton's daily lesson plans for 7th grade English.

How do I do it? My children have taken to homeschooling very well. Sure there are days that are not filled with sunshine and smiles, but that happens no matter if you're homeschooling or not. I count on my children to do what is required and they count on me to be an example of how the day should go. I guess I just do it. For me success has a lot to do with prayer. I pray for the confidence, patience, and grace to give my children what they need. No different than any other parent.

Watching my children learn and how they learn through home schooling is a big plus to me. My 7th grader was looking at art pictures in her History book. She wanted to know about the story that went with the painting of Judith beheading Holofernes. She also saw the painting at the art museum we went to. We found the story in the Bible (Which is in the Book of Judith 13) I believe my daughter said, "Judith is one bad lady." Bad meaning "tough" in tween language. :) We went from History to Art to Religion and Bible Study. I love that type of learning!

This has been our experience with homeschooling so far.

On to the new week, I can't wait to see what happens!

Staycation

2010-09-12T18:14:00.004-04:00

My family and I had a wonderful week Staycation.

It was wonderful to have my husband home and be able to do everything as a family. I am so happy we had this chance before we started school.

We took the kids to the art museum. None of them had ever been before,they really enjoyed it. The little ones liked it too. My two sons loved the Knight armor and all the weapons. They pretty much were into any weapon displays the museum had. My oldest daughter was a fan of the American art. The other two were happy with the echo sounds their voices made in the museum. :)

We also went to the cider mill. Cider and donuts makes anyone happy. This mill also has a winery, that is something that makes moms and dads happy.

The rest of the time was spent at home being together. A fantastic week! I think my husband will have to take his vacation time right before school every year!

School starts tomorrow! I'm excited! Everything is ready to go. I'm counting down the days to our next field trip. :)

Wish us luck!

Our First Field Trip ~ Sweetest Heart of Mary Polish Catholic Church.

2010-08-24T18:11:00.009-04:00

We had our first field trip of the year with a homeschool group to the Sweetest Heart of Mary Polish Catholic Church. We went to Mass, had a tour, and a picnic.

This Church is beautiful. Constructed in the 1800's many Polish immigrants made this church their home. Many Polish, and others, continue to make it their home today.

Everything about the trip was wonderful and informative. I especially like that I found out they have a Pierogi festival every year. We will be at the next one. Yum!

A blessing with the Holy wood of the Cross

Here Ya Go Kid

2010-08-23T15:25:00.004-04:00

I love when prayers are answered! God has consistently answered my prayers during my life and sometimes I don't know it until I reflect back and see them answered.

I do become excited when I ask God for something and he drops it right on my lap, like He is saying, "Here ya go kid."

My family and I attended my first Tridentine Mass this past Sunday. All I can say is wow! The first thought that came to mind was, and they changed this Mass why? I do love the Mass we have now and I can always go to a Latin Mass when I want to, but this style of Mass really reached me.

This is where the answering of prayers comes in. This may sound silly because there are more important things to be praying for and I do pray for those things too, but I wanted to get out and visit the old churches of Detroit, go to more Latin Masses, be apart of it all.

Yesterday I found out that a home school group is going to Mass and getting a tour at a beautiful old church downtown and the kids and I were invited! Yay, but I don't really drive and can get lost going around the block. So I prayed that I would have the courage to get out there and just do it. If I got lost, I got lost. Well, my brother tells me that he has a GPS laying around that I can have! God is good!

Like I said this may sound silly, but if you knew me, you would know that me driving downtown alone is a feat. Not only has an opportunity to visit the church come up, but I now have a device that will keep me from freaking out.

I have been praying about Home school as well. The usual, asking for strength and courage. I also threw in that it would be great if I could meet more Catholic families, for encouragement, friendship, and just to be able to talk to people with the same ideas. Lo and behold I was invited to a group at a local parish for young Catholic families. We had our first outing and many more are planned. I am doing a happy dance!

Now I am waiting on the strength and courage to home school I have a feeling that prayer will be answered as I go along. That one is not as simple as a GPS. That prayer will take some work on my part.

We will see how my ride Downtown goes. I don't think asking St. Christopher for help would hurt any.

Peace

A Post About Clothes

2010-07-28T15:38:00.017-04:00

August is almost here. Fall is my favorite season and when the end of Summer is near I like to think of Fall and Fall clothes!

This summer I was inspired by my friend Rachel to embrace the skirt. I usually wear shorts or capris in the summer time. I went with the summer dress and I loved it. I am not looking forward to putting my summer dresses away and wearing pants.

I know it's a little early, but I started looking on Etsy for some cute fall dresses, skirts, tunics etc...

Here are some of my favorite styles that I think fit the mark for what I am looking for this Fall.

Now all I need is a lot of money! :)

Seeking

2010-07-27T17:00:00.005-04:00

I have been reading the book The Fulfillment of All Desire by Ralph Martin. I recommend this book to everyone who is looking for a way to begin or keep on their spiritual journey.

This book has made me think a lot about all the petty things I think and worry about. A few times I wanted to stop reading the book because some of the instructions for a spiritual life are just too hard! But I kept reading and kept praying that I would at least finish the book.

There is so much good information in this book, but what I kept having trouble with is the parts where the Saints remind us that we must strive to not be of this world, to give up attachments to worldly things and of course sin.

The words, "Give up" are not on my favorite word list. But if I truly believe that my life on this Earth is only temporary, and I do, then why do I hold tight to things here that really mean nothing and embrace the things my soul will live with forever?

When God asks us to give things up He replaces what we have given up with graces we will need to live in paradise. This is difficult for me because I can see what is in the world, I can taste, feel, and hear it. Sometimes I can't understand God's Graces.

According to St.John of the Cross first we need a desire for God. To really seek Him out and to abandon all fears and give him all our trust. We will find Him, and He will never abandon us.

I am seeking

Come then, follow, seek him; do not let that unapproachable brightness and glory hold you back from seeking Him or make you despair from finding Him. "The lord is good to the soul who seeks Him" (Lam.3:18)

-St.Bernard

Panzer the Puppy

2010-07-15T13:35:00.005-04:00

Happiness is a warm puppy. ~Charles M. Schulz

We have added a new member to our family...a fur baby!

I celebrated my 35th birthday last month and on my birthday my wonderful husband told me he was getting me a surprise.

I had been hinting for months that I would love to add a German Shepherd to our family. Guess what, that was the surprise!

We received our little pup a week ago and I am in puppy love! He is cute, smart, and I can tell he is going to be a great companion for many years.

We named him Panzer.

Having a little puppy is kind of like having a newborn. The first few nights I didn't get much sleep, but now he is sleeping through the night and we are on to potty training.

Here is Panzer, the cutest puppy I have ever seen...

Traveling on The Homeschool Road

2010-07-06T12:31:00.007-04:00

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. ~Sydney J. Harris

After much thought and prayer my husband and I have decided to homeschool our children again

We homeschooled for one year and towards the end of that year I believe I was experiencing what other homeschoolers call "burn out." Along with the feeling of being burnt out came the feelings of being an inadequate teacher and every negative comment that was said by others pushed those inadequate feelings even further to the surface. I was also expecting my 5th child and the thought of dealing with a newborn, homeschool, and the feeling of no confidence was overwhelming.

I told my husband we were putting the kids back in Catholic school. The school they attended is very good so we were not that hesitant to put them back.

During the year they were back at school, I noticed that my children were at the same level, and above in some areas, as the peers in their grade. That gave me a little boost. I really did teach them something the year they were home! I also noticed my son did a lot better when he was home. His teacher recommended tutoring in math, but when I pulled out his math work from being homeschooled it showed something different. It showed A-B work, not the C-D work he was bringing home from school.

Whenever I would look at their work they brought home from school, I couldn't help but think, "Oh I can teach them this!"

People in my life usually ask the question why when I say I am going to homeschool. There are many different reasons that I can explain, and then there is the feeling of being drawn to it that I can't explain.

Another factor in our decision was when I asked my oldest daughter how she felt about homeschool, she responded in a positive way. She was all for it and ready to say goodbye to away school. A reaction like this coming from my daughter really made me think. What was missing for her that she would so readily leave her classmates and "social life" behind so quickly? Maybe I was good at homeschooling and she really enjoyed it!

A Catholic education is top priority in our family and in these economical times tuition for 5 children is not possible for our family. And knowing I can give my children that kind of education at home for a fraction of the cost is also appealing.

I think I am more prepared this time around. I have seen that my children did learn while being homeschooled. I look back and see that my children got along better, they weren't consumed with what they didn't have and what other kids did have, and we really did have a good time.

I have also noticed that when we said we were homeschooling again and I received blank stares or the whys, it didn't bother me in the slightest, that is a good sign. :)

We are going to do things a little different this time around. We are going to use Seton and enroll the oldest two. I think this will help me to be more organized and accountable. And the good thing about homeschool is if it doesn't fit we can change it.

The most important thing is that we grow as a family and that we give all we can to our children, right now for our family that involves homeschooling.

Prayers and encouragement are still very much needed and very much appreciated.

Happy Fat Tuesday, Lets get ready for Lent!

2010-02-16T12:09:00.005-05:00

I was thinking of something great to post on this fat Tuesday/Paczki day. I wanted to talk about our preparations for Lent and some good tips for bringing ourselves closer to God. Well a good friend beat me to it, Rachel from the blog Young Catholic Mom has written a great post about Paczki Day and more importantly Lent.

Thanks Rachel for writing such a great post, it frees up my time to eat more Paczki! :)

You can view Rachel's post HERE.

Flying High With Fly Lady

2010-02-10T13:53:00.005-05:00

Are you overwhelmed with cleaning? Are you like me and think of cleaning as walking through every room with a tub of baby wipes, wiping here and there and then calling it a day? Then the site Flylady.com may be for you.

I am cleaning challenged, I was in denial, and a neat room was a clean room to me. With 5 kids my house can get dirty fast and I chose to ignore it until I could not stand it anymore and then I would do one big clean. Then I would be in a foul mood because I knew within a week it would be back to the same old grime.

I decided to try the site Flylady.com and get my house in order, and most important, keep it that way.

My review on this site is that it is great! You are given permission to go S-L-O-W. You get a week to do heavy duty cleaning in one area. But every morning you must wipe down your bathroom and every night shine your sink. I am on week two and I will tell you my sink has gone from something you would see in a busy restaurant kitchen to sparkling white, everyday! My bathroom has also stayed clean for two weeks!

I am on week two, the kitchen...yuck! But I am only doing one wall of the kitchen each day, so it's really not so bad. I can not believe how dirty my house actually was! I did the wall with the refrigerator today, and I got so into it that I did the broom closet as well. I have never in all the time I have been living in this house cleaned the broom closet, that would be 6 years. Lets just say it took three buckets of soapy water to get that done, but it's done.

I have informed my husband that while I am getting the house in order with the major cleaning he is going to have to overlook the rooms that I am not doing that week. And being an awesome and loving man, he is overlooking them. To be honest he has overlooked our dirty home for the past six years.

I have one more wall in the kitchen to do and then it's done! I believe the bathroom and one extra room is next week. When I am done with the major cleaning it will be on to keeping up with it. Giving myself a couple of chores a day and nothing else and saving the big jobs for once a month.

I am really liking a clean house. I will be happy when the major cleaning is over and I can establish a routine to keep up with it all.

You can check out the site at Flylady.com. The key is to go slow, follow the routine, and make it fit your life. One of the her suggestions is to get up shower, do your hair and make-up. I do think that is a great idea for a normal daily cleaning. I tried that the first couple of days with this major cleaning and I found that I needed a shower and new clothes when I was done, so now I shower and get "pretty" when the major cleaning is done.

This site has helped me so much and I give it two thumbs up. If you are struggling with a messy and dirty house it might just help you out too.

Distributism-Family First

2010-02-03T13:47:00.007-05:00

"You can't have the family farm without the family." - Tales of the Long Bow

With Spring coming up and all the Gardening and planting that comes with it, my mind has been going over things I can do to help my family be more efficient and in turn help society.

All this thinking got started when I got the idea that we needed to add some chickens to our backyard and create a city farm for our family.

Thinking about chickens and our garden got me thinking about Distributism.

Awhile back I wrote a post about an article and ways we can bring Practical Distributism into our family life. This article lists 102 ways to bring this concept into our lives.

Go HERE to view the post, the article, and the list.

P.S. I will keep you posted about those chickens. :)

Go Fishing! Good and Easy After School or Any Time Snack

2010-02-03T12:35:00.009-05:00

Here is a snack for the kids that is healthy and fun. It is also easy on mom.

What you will need is cream cheese, celery, and fish crackers.

Smear some cream cheese on the middle of a plate. Then place the fish crackers around the cream cheese. The celery is the fishing pole.

The snacker uses the celery to dip in the cream cheese and then catches some tasty fish!

Yummy, healthy and fun!

Thanks to Family Fun

Some of My Favorites on Etsy.com

2010-01-29T08:42:00.000-05:00

Etsy.com has to be one of my favorite Internet sites. The homemade items that the merchants sell on this site are incredible. I was going to do a post about some of my favorite things on the site but I realized there would be way to many favorites to put in one post.

As I was looking through all the goodies on Etsy.com I came across this art work by TummyMountain. I love this art work. It is so cute and just reminds me of my little ones so much. Take a look at some of these prints.

The Thinking Tree.

Walking With Sticks

When Friends Drop In

Are these adorable or what?

How to Raise Good Catholic Kids

2010-01-27T17:14:00.008-05:00

I love this painting. This is what I want, to take my children by the hand and lead them straight to God.

Sometimes it's easier said than done. I use the site ehow.com for lots of things, like how to make a skirt, or how to fix the noise my washing machine is making. Who knew the site would have simple tips everyone could do to make a start at raising good Catholic children.

I love the side bar that tells you what you will need. The list includes- perseverance, Bible, and Rosaries.

Take a look at the four steps it takes to get your children on their way to becoming good Catholics HERE.

You can always look at How to Avoid Grizzly Bears While Hiking later.

Trouble In Mind

2010-01-27T09:08:00.004-05:00

Trouble in mind, I'm blue,

but I won"t be blue always.

Child that wind's gonna come and blow my blues away!

-Trouble in Mind-Janis Joplin

We all have our troubles and we all get blue, but it is very important not to dwell on all the bad things that come our way. In my experience the best way to fight the blues or troubles is to forgive. It seems all things that hold me back or keep me angry stem from incidents that I have not let forgiveness heal. Whether it is forgiving someone else or the hardest type of forgiveness, forgiving myself.

I have done many things that need to be forgiven, I have asked the Lord for his forgiveness and believing in His Grace I know I have received that gift. But forgiving myself is another story.

Not forgiving myself for shameful and hurtful things I have done or have allowed to happen to me is a drag. Basically I am living day to day with a person who is angry, resentful, and hurt. Imagine living with someone for your whole life who will not forgive you for anything you have done. After a while you will see yourself as those hurtful actions, that is who you will eventually become. If that is who you are you will most likely continue to do more hurtful and shameful things.

Forgiving others is a little tricky for me. I forgive easily but tend to hold a grudge, that is not forgiveness and it hurts the other person and me. It is easy to forgive someone you love, especially if that person tries on a daily basis to be a good person and tries not to do the offence that was forgiven again.

How do you forgive someone who continually does the same offence over and over again? The Lord says we must forgive for the sake of others and ourselves. How do you do this when the person will not stop hurting or offending you?

A wise man told me something about marriage. He said a marriage contains three rings, her ring, his ring, and suffering. The suffering is do to the forgiveness a marriage must have to survive. I am lucky that my husband is a person who strives everyday to be a good person. But what if your spouse will not correct their ways and you must forgive them for the same acts over and over again? What about a friend or a family member who will not correct their offences?

There is suffering in life, that suffering holds many Graces for us, but there are times when you must forgive a person, love and pray for them from far away. Some people are detrimental to our soul, but that does not mean we leave them and hold hatred for them, that is damaging to the soul as well. Some people think that when someone forgives them it means what they did was alright. Those types of people don't know what forgiveness is, or how precious to the soul someones forgiveness can be.

Some people including myself at times, see true forgiveness as a sign of weakness. How can that be when it takes so much strength to do so?

Lent is coming up and I have been thinking about what I can do this year. What I can "give up"

I have given up a lot of physical things already. This year for Lent I am going to give up holding grudges. I am going to feel what it's really like to forgive, the way the Lord wants me too. Even if it means forgiving people in my life, past or present, and loving them from far away.

This year I am going to try not to let grudges, for myself, or anyone else trouble me. I am going to let the wind of forgiveness blow my blues away.

Cha Cha Cha Changes

2010-01-26T16:00:00.005-05:00

There are a lot of changes going on with me at the moment. One, and a very big one, is that I quit smoking. I am not over the hump just yet, but I am slowly getting there. Some people don't think of smoking as a drug and that it does nothing to effect your personality. Those who think that are wrong.

I have realized when I smoked I was in constant withdrawal from one cigarette to the next. Aways irritable waiting until I could go outside and have my fix. I am irritable now but it is becoming less and less and my mood stays pretty level whether I am happy, sad, or whatever.

Another change has been in my eating and weight loss. I knew that if I gained a lot of weight by not smoking there was no way I would succeed. I started eating right and exercising and I am actually losing weight! Granted the weight is coming off slower than before, but I am not gaining the dreadful pounds everyone says you will gain when you quit smoking.

There are other changes that will be coming up for me that I don't really know how I feel about them just yet. I am having surgery this Friday to correct a medical problem. By correcting this problem will most likely result in me not being able to have anymore children.

I can hear people screaming WHAT!! already. I know I already have five children and I am not getting any younger. I know that I need to concentrate and be grateful for the children I have, but I can't help to feel selfish and a tad upset that there will be no more children in my future. I tell myself to thank God for what I have, but my heart does break a little bit every time my youngest, Ben, reaches and passes a mile stone. This will be the very last time a child of mine will smile for the first time, roll over, sit etc...

Change can be hard especially when we don't know what the outcome will be. But for me, trusting in the Lord makes the move toward change much more pleasant.

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. ~Anatole France

Deals Of The Day

2009-12-16T10:04:00.023-05:00

Walmart will have Zhu Zhu Pets in stock starting 12/21-12/23 at 7:00 AM. They will issue tickets on a first come first serve basis. Each store will have between 20-60 each – per store, per day. Each customer is limited to 1 and the price will only be $8.

Go HERE to check it out!

Macy’s has 3 different printable coupons available. They are: $15 off $50, $25 off $100 or $50 off $200.

GO HERE to print. These expire Dec. 23. There are some exclusions so read the fine print.

OLD NAVY COZY SOCKS $1.00!!

This Saturday, December 19th, all Old Navy stores will be offering $1 Cozy Socks (limit 5)

Right now at Toys R Us you can get Free Shipping on orders over $49 or $20 off a $75 purchase when you use Paypal at check out. This is a one or the other deal, you cannot do both.

Go through Ebates and you can get and additional 3% cash back. If this is your first purchase through Ebates, you will also get a $5 bonus!

JCPENNY COUPON

Go HERE to print your $10 0ff $50 or more at JCPenny!

This coupon expires January 12, 2010

Bath & Body Works is running a great promotion right now. When you buy 3 of any body care product, you can get 2 free! Or, buy 2 get 1 free.

Go HERE to check it out!

GO HERE to snag 2 FREE issues of Family Circle magazine.

Print a coupon HERE for $1/4 Del Monte products. These are on sale for $0.50 per can at Target this week so they'd only be $0.25 each after the coupon.

Free Subscription to Baby Talk Magazine. Go HERE to get it.

Print a coupon here for $1 off any Medium or Large Mocha at Caribou Coffee. This coupon expires December 31, 2009.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2009-12-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

I was looking through my older posts and came across this post where I announced my 5th pregnancy. I can't believe it has been over a year since I announced I was pregnant with baby number five. I asked for prayers for the health of our baby and for the strength to be a mother of five children. I thank all of you who prayed and I thank God because those prayers were answered. Benjamin is a healthy baby boy and I am a cool, calm, and collected mom. Ok I may be exaggerating the last part.

It does seem with every child we are blessed with the easier it is. The baby is always more relaxed and calm, it may be because mom and dad are more relaxed and calm.

Benjamin has brought so much joy to our family in the four short months he has been with us. My five year old is constantly telling us how glad she is that we had another baby, even if he is a boy. She says she would like us to have another baby only if it's a girl. I tell her she will have to settle for our dog and bird who are both girls for right now.

As I looked back on the posts before my pregnancy announcement I came across a poem I posted. I am not sure if I knew I was pregnant when I posted it, but I know I didn't know Little Ben was going to be a boy.

This poem will forever be Ben's Christmas poem, to him from me.

The Mothers Song
Eskimo poem translated by Peter Freuchen

It is so still in the house
There is a calm in the house,
The snowstorm wails out there,
And the dogs are rolled up with snouts under tails.
My little boy is sleeping on the ledge,
On his back he lies, breathing through his open mouth.
His little stomach bulging round-
Is it strange if I start to cry with joy?

An Advent Breather

2009-12-15T12:06:00.008-05:00

I have been running around like a mad woman trying to get Christmas together for the big day. Since I do most of my shopping online I have really been running around like a mad women in my head. I have been staying up at night fretting over what presents I should buy, who did I forget, am I spending too much money, you know the usual.

Today I took a breather, I just let it be Advent today and wow did it feel good. The whole family woke up bright and early to get ready for the 8:30 am Liturgy my son's third grade class was doing. We got everyone ready in the nick of time. Well two of our children were late for school but we made it to Mass on time!

I sat in the pew with my husband and my two younger children and just felt a sigh of relief. No shopping, no dead lines, no worrying if the sweater I bought for Aunt Betty was the right color, none of that. It was just Advent and it was beautiful.

I love Christmas, I love to celebrate the birth of our Lord. I love Santa and being with lots of family, but I think I would get lost in all the shuffle if it wasn't for Advent.

I work every year to be more in tune with the preparing for Christ's birth we Catholics call Advent. This year I am doing better than the last. I seem to find little nooks where there is nothing but Advent, like today at the third grade Liturgy or like the other day when I opened my front door and heard the Church bells playing the song Noel.

I find that each year I get better at not being too busy to catch these beautiful glimpses of Advent.

May the rest of your Advent be blessed with joy and beautiful glimpses.

Legitimate And Easy Ways to Make Money on the Internet.

2009-12-02T08:30:00.007-05:00

I am a stay at home mom to five children, so taking a family vacation can be difficult. It seems whenever we are in need of a little R&R the funds just aren't there to take a vacation. I was searching blogs and came across moms like me who make money using the Internet and save it up to take vacations or buy something special.

I trust these blogs but I was hesitant at first to try the sites these ladies were suggesting. There is so much spam and scams on the web you never know what you are getting into.

Because I trust these blogs so I decided to give some of these sites a try, and guess what, I am making money.

Here is a list of sites I use to make money on the Internet. These are sites that I use and they are not scams in my opinion because I have been paid by each one.

Here are some tips. Make a new e-mail address used only for these sites and money making purposes. On some of the survey sites I am about to list there are profile surveys, it takes a little time but I suggest you fill them all out. This way they will send you more surveys that you qualify for. You will not get rich doing any of these things, but you will make easy money that can be saved. I plan to put all of the money I make into a savings account let it grow until I have enough to take our family vacation next summer.

Lightspeed Consumer Panel-This is a site that is strictly surveys. You sign up, fill out the profile surveys, and lightspeed will send you surveys that you may qualify for. When you complete a survey you will get points. When you have enough points you can redeem them for gift cards. Since I want cash, I redeem my points for PayPal money. Lightspeed will send the money right into your PayPal account. This site gives me the most surveys that I qualify for, and I have already been paid by them. You can go HERE to sigh up.

Opinion Outpost- This is another strictly survey site. Same type of deal. You sign up, fill out the profile surveys, and they will send you surveys that you may qualify for points. You can redeem your points in Amazon gift cards or request that a check be sent to you. Go HERE to sign up.

Opinion Place-This is also a strictly survey site. This site is with AOL. This site will give you one survey a week. I have been able to qualify for every survey and have been paid between $1.50 t0 $3.00 depending on the length. Payment is put right into my PayPal account or you can request a check. Go HERE to sign up.

Inbox dollars- This site has surveys, games and offers you can buy. All these things will earn you money on this site. I only do the surveys. They also send out emails. When you get the e-mails all you do is click on the links they send to earn points. You don't have to buy anything. You can buy their offers if it is something you really want. All I have done is the surveys and the e-mails. Once you get $30 worth of points you can request a check be sent to you.You can go HERE to sign up.

My Points-This site gives you points for shopping through them. If you want to buy something from an online store check and see how many points you can get from My Points by going to the on line store through them. They also have offers, games and e-mails that will give you points. You can redeem your points for gift cards or PayPal cash. Go HERE to sign up.

Ebates- I love Ebates! Ebates is a site that will give you a % of your money back when you shop online. Example-I want to by something from Old Navy. I go to Ebates and go to Old Navy's site through Ebates. Whatever I purchase from Old Navy Ebates will give me a % back in my account. During this holiday season I am making quite a bit of money from Ebates. Most of the time they even give you coupons or free shipping for the store you are shopping at. Go HERE to sign up.

Swag Bucks- I have posted about Swag bucks before you can go HERE and HERE to read about this site. All you do is use there site to search and you win Swag Bucks. You can redeem your bucks for gift cards, but I use mine for PayPal cash. Go HERE to sign up.

These are all the sites that I have found to be a good source of making a little extra cash. The more you sign up for the more money you make.

You will not get rich doing this but you will get some money to save up for a vacation or something you have been wanting. The gift cards you can get are good as well.

Remember you do not have to buy anything from these sites to get paid. You can if you want to but I haven't and still manage to rack up points for cash.

I usually set some time aside in the morning and at night to do the surveys. The longest survey I did was about 20min. It will be nice to take my family on a little vacation with money I earned.

Swag Bucks Gift Card Blow Out!

2009-11-20T13:16:00.005-05:00

Swag Bucks Is having a gift card blow out! Starting on Black Friday Nov.27th until Jan 1st the swag store will have a gift card a day at very low Swag Bucks!

If you don't know what Swag Bucks is you can go HERE to find out.

I posted about the $5 Alice.com gift card I received for only 12 Swag Bucks! Go HERE to check that out. The items arrived at my house in two days, pretty impressive.

At Alice.com I bought 3 rolls of Bounty paper Towel, a bag of Bic disposable razors, and 3 Kotex products, all that cost 4.53 with no shipping. All of that FREE for searching Swag Bucks!

If you would like to try Swag Bucks click on the picture link below and start!

Swag Bucks and Alice.com Gift Card

2009-11-16T08:13:00.006-05:00

I posted about Swag Bucks HERE when I first started using them as a search engine. I have been using Swag Bucks for less than a month and already received a $5 gift card for Alice.com.

You may think $5 is a small amount but Alice.com has everything you need for your household at the best prices. They also have discount items that are a little over $1.00 to under a $1.00 plus free shipping!

What is even better is you only need 12 Swag Bucks to get a $5 gift card to Alice.com!!

Sign up at Alice.com, it's free and check out all the deals they have.

If you haven't signed up for Swag Bucks click on the picture below. If you have 12 Swag Bucks go snag your Alice.com gift card!!

Deals Of The Day

2009-11-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

Bath and Body Works-$10/$30
Go HERE to get your coupon for $10 off $30!

Honey Baked Ham-$10 off coupon!
Go HERE to get a coupon for $10 off a 8lb or larger ham.

Home Depot-Trade in old Christmas lights and get $3 off LED Lights.

Save 30% on your entire purchasese at Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Gap. Go HERE to print the coupon. Offer is good Nov. 12th-15th.

Here is a 20% off coupon for the Disney Store! Go HERE to print the coupon. Coupon is good for in store only from 11/11-11/15.

Free sample HERE of Jennifer Lopez new perfume My Glow.

Go HERE to print your $5 off $25 for Build a Bear!

Go HERE to get your free personalized letter from Santa!

DVDS for $9.98 at Walmart.com w/free shipping. Get Harry Potter, Disney's Snow Buddies and more! Go HERE to order.

I saw a great deal at the blog Coupon Cravings. Toys R Us has teamed up with Hasbro and is going to offer $69.00 in mail in rebates on games!
Go HERE to see how you can get in on this deal!!

Get a tub of Target baby wipes for .27 cents! Go HERE to get a $1/1 Target printable coupon. The wipes may be $1.62 in some areas but a tub of wipes for .62 cents is a great deal too!

The Disney Store has their Character Pajamas for $5!!! Go HERE to order!

Swagbucks~Earn Gift Cards When You Search Online

2009-11-07T17:23:00.010-05:00

Yesterday I read about Swagbucks.com. an online search engine. You sign up and start searching through them. Every time you search you get points good toward gift cards.

I am a fan of Google but I thought I would try swagbucks out to see how many gift cards I can earn. Registration takes about a minute. You don't give any credit card info, address or a phone number. It is completely free and no spam!

Another way to earn is to tell your friends who search online. All they have to do is sign up at Swagbucks.com, use it as a search engine and not only will they earn points you will earn from them too.

I don't have time for spam, or clicking around websites to get a prize. That is why I was happy that this site is so straight forward. Sign up, search, earn points,get gift cards, and tell your friends and family, that's it

If you would like sign up or check it out click on the link below and start getting those gift cards!

Deals Of The Day

2009-11-04T10:13:00.032-05:00

140 Custom Holiday labels for $3 shipping and 100 postcards for $6 shipping!!

(From Money Saving Mom)

CVS-$5 off $30 printable coupon

Take a quiz on Medicare to get this coupon

$1.50 off printable coupon for 2lbs or more of any cheese. You can print the coupon twice HERE.

More cheese!!

$1/2 Kraft cheese coupon! Coupons can be printed twice HERE and HERE.

Sign up for two FREE issues of Family Circle HERE.

Print a coupon HERE for a free bottle of Steaz Zero Calorie Tea.

Free Jewelery, just pay the shipping!

This site has free jewelery! Right now they have the blue stone sterling silver earrings pictured above. Go HERE, click on the words free jewelery in the upper right corner, sign up and you can get these earrings for $5.95 shipping cost!

FREE Flu Pack

If you are heading out to do some Christmas shoppingg stop HERE first to view the

printable retail coupons!

Kmart is having a family and friends event Sunday Nov 8th. Go HEREto print a coupon to save up to 20%!

Old Navy will be having a sale on Sat Nov 7th, all scarfs for $1.00! Limit 5 per person. This sale is not being advertised so call your local Old Navy to see if they are participating.

Target Toy Coupons!!!

WoW!! Go HERE to print out coupons for toys at Target!! 15 PAGES of toy coupons!!!

Pre-order the DVD Merry Madagascar at Walmart.com and get the movie for $5 with free shipping!! Due to ship 11/18/2009. Go HERE to Pre-order!

Another great DVD deal at Walmart.com. A Tad of Christmas cheer for $3.86 + shipping. Go HERE to order. Great stocking stuffer.

Go HERE to get a $5 off $25 at Toys R Us/ Babies R Us. You will also find coupons for diapers and formula. Coupon expires 11/6/2009

Webkinz Frog for $2.67 at Amazon.com! You can get this little guy as low as .99cents there too! Go HERE to get the frog!

American Plastics Homestyle Kitchen on sale at Walmart for 35.00! Go HERE to order,

Make Your Own Baby Toys

2009-10-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

My little Benjamin will be 4mo old this Christmas and there is really not to much he can play with at that age. Also baby toys are a bit on the pricey side. I am lucky to have a second hand shop close to me where I can purchase the expensive baby toys for about $1 or so.

Like the adults who enjoy receiving homemade goodies, children enjoy it too. There is something about homemade toys that make you feel loved. If you have children you probably have a mountain of plastic toys in your home. If you threw some away your children probably wouldn't miss them. But then you have the special toys, in my children's case the wooden toys grandpa makes, the dolls grandma made, all those toys are loved in a different way and would be missed if something happened to them.

I am not a toy maker in any way but I came across these very cute and very easy toys that a person with no experience can make.

These toys will save you money and I am sure will be cherished for years to come.

Stuffed Bunny

I made this bunny and it turns out very cute. If you already have the sewing supplies all you need is an old T-shirt. For the stuffing you could use the stuffing inside an old stuffed animal you have or get a stuffed animal at the thrift store and use that stuffing.

Elf Doll

This is adorable for Christmas or any time.

Soft Ball

Here is an easy pattern to make a soft ball for baby to play with.

Lit tle Chick

I love this one. The chick is so cute and colorful not to mention easy to make.

Baby Blocks

Terry cat

Make a cute little kitty out of a towel.

These are just a few of the homemade toys I have come across. Go HERE and HERE to see more homemade toys and how to make them.

Freebies and Coupons

2009-10-15T08:00:00.002-04:00

Freebies

Free sample of Hussana Halal shamp oo, conditioner, or body wash.

Free 8X8 photo book from Shutterfly (+ shipping)

Another great freebie on Facebook. Go HERE to see how to get you FREE photo book!

FREE PRVCY bracelet for Cancer awareness.

Free Photo Collage from SEARS, plus no sitting fee.

Offer expires 10/31/09

FREE Kingston 1GB SD car d

Free Breast Cancer awareness sticker

FREE Herbal Essence shampoo or conditioner

Coupons

Things Remembered

Go HERE to print out an in store $5 coupon or go online and use the code DK42 to receive $5 off at checkout.

7-11

Go HERE to print out a coupon for a FREE 12oz coffee, cappuccino, hot chocolate, or tea.

Coupon good until 10/31

Denny's

Go HERE to print out a coupon for BOGO FREE hamburger and french fries when you buy a hamburger and fries with two drinks.

Honey Baked Ham

Print out your $10 off coupon for a Honey Baked Ham 8lbs or larger HERE.

This is a great coupon for the holidays and doesn't expire until 12/31/09!

Einsteins Bros. Bagel

Go HERE to print out a BOGO FREE Stuffed Saladwich W/ Chicken.

Coupon valid until 10/20/09

JoAnn Fabrics

%40 off printable coupon HERE, good for any regular priced item.

Valid until 10/24/09

Michaels

%45 off printable coupon HERE for any regular priced item.

valid until 10/31/09

Venom Energy Drink

Go HERE to print a $1/1 Venom Energy Drink.

Victoria Secret

Free Pink Panty plus &10 off any bra! Go HERE to get your coupon!

Amazon-Yoga Journal subscription $5

1 year subscription for $5!

Glade

Buy any Glade scented oi l oil candle holder get a free refill

Borders

Go HERE to get a %30 off printable coupon from Borders. Expires 10/19/09

Frugal Homemade Christmas Gifts-Apple Butter and Apple Bread

2009-10-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Christmas is right around the corner and for me this time of the year is a challenge when you are trying to be frugal.

I went to a baby shower recently and all the gifts were homemade by the mom-to-be's family. The guests went ga-ga over these homemade gifts. People like homemade gifts from the heart.

I was thinking homemade would be the way to go this holiday season. I need to watch my pennies and at the same time give a little something to my friends and family.

Everyone likes to eat, and I thought a jar of homemade apple butter and apple bread or muffins would be perfect.

I can start right now and by the time Christmas rolls around all my gifts will be ready to go.

Another plus is apples are in season right now and VERY cheap at the fruit markets and orchards.

Homemade apple butter does not have to be hard, go HERE to read how making apple butter in the crock pot is super easy.

If you don't know how to can you can go HERE to get instructions and tips on canning.

Now for the apple bread or muffins. I made THIS RECIPE and it was delicious!

Canned apple butter will last a long time and when you bake your bread you can put it in the freezer.

When the gift giving season comes around, thaw the bread, grab your jars of apple butter, and you're ready to put a smile on someones face for Christmas!

Beans and Rice, Rice and Beans

2009-10-13T12:22:00.006-04:00

If you are familiar with Dave Ramsey you know his saying "Beans and Rice, Rice and Beans" if your not, Dave uses this saying when he is helping people get out of debt and get control of their money situation. Basically he tells people to do whatever you can to decrease your debt, save money and build a financial future, even if it means you will have to eat "Rice and Beans" while you are doing it.

My family is following the Dave Ramsey plan but we have yet had to go in the rice and beans direction. I was thinking that we do like beans and we do like rice so it would not be too hard to literally eat rice and beans.

Here are two blog post that I came across which take the saying "rice and beans" and make it a reality, and these ladies make it sound good!

Whether you want or need to eat rice and beans for a week, or you are looking for frugal meals, or if gosh darn it you just like rice and beans these posts are for you.

You can go to How to Eat Rice and Beans For a Week, by Money Saving Mom and this post HERE by But First,We Have Coffee.

Freebies and Coupons

2009-10-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

Freebies

Oust Freshen your home gift pack.
First 10,000* to respond will receive one free retail-size can of Oust® Air Sanitizer II.

10 FREE Ovulation and pregnancy tests.

Get a FREE Betty Crocker potatoes sample when you sign up for Dinner Made Easy newsletter.

Coupons

$20.35 in BettyCrocker.com Coupons this month.

Borders Books coupon for 40% off any one book.
40% off promotion code for Borders .com is BSA1671X

$3.50 off any Fragrance collection by Glade.

Buy Tombstone pizza and get money off your electric bill.

$20 Rebate when you purchase any Olay

Regenerist Anti-Aging eye roller and any Pantene shampoo

Offer good until 10/25 Must be post marked by 11/08

CVS-$3 off $15 purchase, go HERE and turn to page 31 to print the coupon.

Print a coupon here for $10 off any $25 order at RainForest cafe. This coupon expires December 31, 2009.

(money saving mom)

Frugal Recipie- Pork Shoulder Tacos and Taco Soup

2009-10-08T09:00:00.001-04:00

These are favorite recipes for my family. They are my favorite because my husband does all the cooking in one day and the rest of the week I only need to heat it up, plus they are delicious!

Eating leftovers is a key way to save money on your groceries and if a recipe tastes great there should be no problem eating it again the next day. You can always spice up leftovers with added ingredients and different side dishes.

I have a family of seven and the Pork shoulder Tacos and Soup could last us all week if we wanted or needed it to.

Pork Shoulder Tacos

One Pork Shoulder (I buy one for about $12, this size gives a huge amount of meat)

Two sliced onions

Two diced jalapenos

Three garlic cloves

Half a pack of bacon

Two Limes

Spice Mixture (We don't measure the spices, we put how much we like, but we come out with a full cup of the spice mixture)

Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cayenne pepper
Salt
Black pepper
Paprika
Chili powder
Little cinnamon

Cut the shoulder into three equal pieces.

Put the pieces of the pork shoulder in a large pot and cover it with water.

Add half of spice mix

Boil it for two and a half hours

Once the meat easily breaks apart, pull it out of the water
remove the fatty parts and shred the rest with two forks.

(Keep the liquid in the pot you boiled the shoulder in, this will be for the soup)

In another pot, cook the half pack of bacon.

When the bacon is done, remove it and add two sliced onions, two diced jalapenos and three garlic cloves to the bacon grease and cook until the onions are soft.

Add the shredded meat to the pot with the onions. Add the remaining spice mixture and the crumbled cooked bacon. Mix it up and cook it for about 5 minutes

Squeeze Lime Juice on the taco meat before serving.

Put The pork shoulder Taco meant on your tortillas and add any fixings you would like.

(You will need to save some of the shredded Taco meat for the soup, but trust me you will have plenty.)

Pork Shoulder Taco Soup

One large can of Chicken broth

Six Roma tomatoes

Two onions

Four garlic cloves

Salt and pepper to taste

Add Chicken broth to the water you boiled the pork shoulder in. We use equal amounts water to broth, which makes a full stock pot, (about one large can of chicken broth.)

In a blender blend...
Six roma tomatoes
Two onions
Four garlic cloves

Take the blended ingredients and add to the broth.

Add the shredded pork (As much or as little as you want)

Heat for about 10 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

The soup is delicious on it's own but you can add tortilla chips, cheese, noodles or whatever you would like.

Enjoy!

Freebies and Coupons

2009-10-07T08:00:00.007-04:00

Buy one cheese burger at White Castle, get one free.

Free Woman's Health 2010 Calendar.

Free Charmin Toilet Paper Roll Extender.

Free educational software from Owl and Mouse

LeapFrog.com- Free Shipping on orders over $50. Promo code FSAFF99

Sign up for an account at the CVS Photo Center and receive 50 FREE prints.

Free samples and coupons at L'Oreal.com

COUPONS

$1.00 off and baby Orajel Teething Product

Get $20 off a $100 Purchase of Laugh and Learn and Go Baby Go toys.

$1.00 off coupon for Desitin Diaper cream.

$1.00 off Luvs diaper e-coupons at Diapers .com

Print this Coupon to get $10 off Disney's Sleeping Beauty DVD!
Hasbro Toy printable coupons $10.00 off a sit and spin and more!

These are great coupons!

Walgreens- Glade Candles for $0.49 cents. Go Here and sign up for a $3.50 off any Glade Fragrance Collection product (excludes 2 oz. candles). Walgreens has the 4.5 oz. candles on sale for $3.99 this week making them $0.49 cents. Buy three of these candles and get a $5.00 rebate.

CVS Beauty Bag Offer from Glamour! Be one of the first 1,000 readers to mail in your original CVS/pharmacy or CVS.com receipt from a purchase of any product you see listed below between October 6, 2009, and November 9, 2009, and we'll send you this superchic, limited-edition bag bursting with beauty goodies to put you in the spotlight (worth over $70). While supplies last.

Curél® Itch Defense^TM Moisture Lotion
Essence of Beauty® Pomegranate Apple Body Collection
Essence of Beauty® Flawless Pedicure Kit
Essence of Beauty® Plush Cosmetic Brushes
Jergens® Ultra Healing® Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer
John Frieda® Luxurious Volume Collection
John Frieda® Sheer Blonde® go blonder shampoo or conditioner

Send your original receipt to: Glamour & CVS/pharmacy® Promotion, 4 Times Square, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10036. No P.O. Box numbers. Offer available from 10/6/09 through 11/4/09. U.S. residents only. While supplies last. Limit one per household. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Sponsors are not responsible for lost or misplaced receipts.

Target-Skippy Peanut Butter on sale at Target for $1.79, use a $1/1 Target coupon and a $0.75/1 coupon found in the 10/4 Red Plum Circular in the Sunday paper. After coupons it will be $0.4

Target-Snuggle Fabric Softener or Dryer Sheets $3.99, use the $3/1 coupon in the 10/4 Red Plum Circular after coupon cost will be $0.99

Target-Johnson's Buddies Soap $0.97, use the $1/1 coupon in the 9/13 Smart Source Sunday circular. With the coupon the cost is FREE!

Babies R Us/Toys R Us-Sat.10/10-Mon. 10/12 Buy ant two Pampers Diaper Boxes (92 ct or higher) and get a $15 gift card. In store only.

Coupons For Troops

2009-10-06T09:50:00.003-04:00

You can help out the Troops by sending them your expired coupons.

Go HERE and HERE to find out how to send these families your expired coupons.

You can also go HERE to adopt a base. This website gives clear instructions on how to send the coupons.

Friday's Freebies and Coupons

2009-09-28T08:35:00.021-04:00

Freebies

Get a free sample pack from positivelyproud.com.

This pack has cute things to make you child's day a little brighter, positive notes, conversation starters, and a lot more!

Bath and Body Works- free home fragrance diffuser with any $15 purchase.
Expires 10-13-09

Free sample of Kerasal Exfoliating Foot Ointment plus a coupon.

For just $3 you will get 3 full sized boxes of Gevalia coffee in any combination of flavors you want an d a free mug!

Get a free potty training kit from Pampers.

Coupons

Print this coupon good for $1.00 off a fried bologna biscuit combo at Hardees.

$75.00 worth of high value coupons for Hasbro Toys.

$5 dollar off Neutrogena complete acne system

$10 off coupon for Eukanuba puppy food.

30% off Babies R Us Coupon for clothing and shoes.

Coupon is valid until Oct 4th

Freebies and Coupons

2009-09-26T09:56:00.001-04:00

We all like to save money, and the best way I have found is to use coupons. There are many resources on the Internet to find great coupons and when you pair those coupons with store sales you can save a significant amount of money.

I started saving on groceries and household products by using Couponmom.com. I saw her on the Dave Ramsey show and have been hooked ever since. Sign up at the Couponmom.com site and you will get easy instructions on how to save tons by using the Sunday paper coupons.The key is to SAVE every coupon circular that comes in the Sunday paper.
Internet coupons are great and fun to find as well.

I will continually post Freebies and Coupon Posts throughout the weeks. When I find the deals it's fun to share.

Freebies

Sign up here to get a free sample of a AVEENO^® NOURISH+ Hair Care Collection, offer expires 10/31/2009

You can get one nursing cover at uddercovers.com (regular price $32) free.
You just pay the shipping. The code is "babies".

Once you get to the site click on "Shop Now" it will ask you for the promotional code. Type in babies and it will pull up the ones available. You can use the code more than once -you just
have to open a new browser/window to do so.

Lacoste Essential for men fragrance sample

Visit Lord & Taylor Clarins counter from October 22nd to October 24th and receive a complimentary skin time facial treatment.

Sign up for Sutters Creek Gifts e-catalog and receive a fee gift.

Coupons

Lots of printable coupons from Pillsbury. Sign up at Pillsbury.com and you will be able to print $26.90 worth of coupons!

Purex 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets $1/1

I was able to print two coupons.

Take a Flu IQ test at CVS.com and get a coupon for $5 off a $25.

$1.00 off coupon for a Cappuccino Blast at Baskin-Robbins

Join Victoria Secrets Pink Nation HERE to receive your coupon for 10 pink panties for $25.
Offer ends Monday Sept. 28th

$10 off any two Olay professional Pro-X products. Go HERE, request coupon and fill out the form. The coupon will be mailed to you.

Pull-Ups Flushable Wipes $2/2

I went to Wal-mart and picked up the Trial size Pull-Ups flushable wipes for $1.64.
With this coupon I got these for .64 cents each! I also was able to print the coupon twice.

You can find additional coupons for the Pull-Ups flushable wipes in the 7/19 Smart source circular for $3/2 and in the 8/16 Smart Source Circular for $2/2. This is a great deal!

Target: Go Here and print the coupon to receive $4 off Hungry Hungry Hippo travel game. With the coupon the cost will be .99 cents!

$4 off Tag Leap frog books

These books are on sale at Target this week. Use this coupon and get the books for $6.00.

$5 off Leapster Learning Game

$10 off Leapster learning Game System

Bath and Body Works, Free soap with any purchase.

Hurry this one ends 9/27!

Here are some great deals you can get at your local stores using your Sunday paper coupons.

Wal-mart- Hartz Crunch N Clean Cat Treats 3 oz (cpn expires 10/11) a $2.00 off coupon can be found in the 8/30 Smart Sours circular. After the coupon the item is Free! Wal-mart-Purina Friskies Natural Sensations Cat Treats 2.1 oz (cpn shown is for 1 Free) the coupon is in the 9/27 circular.

Wal-Mart-Reeses Candy single pk (cpn expires 10/31) The .55 cents off coupon can be found in the 8/23 S (smart source) Circular. With coupon this item will be .10 cents!

Wal-mart-Scotch Tape 3 pk (cpn expires 9/30) You can find this $1.00 off coupon in the 7/12 RedPlum circular.

I purchased this yesterday at my local Wal-mart. The price for the three pack was $1.88. With the coupon it came to .88 cents!

Friday's Freebies and Coupons

2009-09-24T11:27:00.019-04:00

Freebies

Kashi Cereal

Aveda Sample Pack

Three piece sample pack of Aveda smooth infusion shampoo, conditioner, and prep smoother.
Print the coupon and take it to the participating locations in your area for your free sample pack.

Kitchen Kids Cookbook

Honey Nut Cheerio Sample and $1.00 coupon

GeoTrax DVD Steamer & Samuel Save the Day!

I ordered this DVD. There is no shipping and no credit card information needed.

Weavefield Mills Inc Free hand Towel Sample

Coupons

Suave hair products $1/2

Glade coupons

Spray starter kits are usually $4.29 at Wal-mart. You will get yours for .29 cents!
Sarah Lee Deli Meat $3/1

Become a fan of Sarah Lee Deli Meat on Facebook, click on the coupon tab and this printable coupon will be e-mailed to you. I did this twice and I received two coupons.

Johnson and Johnson Baby care coupons

Click on the coupons to print.

Biore $2.00 off printable coupon.

You should be able to print two of these.

Go here and sign up for Downy newsletter and receive $10.00 worth of coupons for Fabreze, Downy, Dreft, Dryel,Bounce and Tide.

I was able to print the $10 worth of coupons when I signed up. Then I checked my e-mail and the option to print the coupons again was offered. $20.00 worth of coupons!

Free Samples of Aquafresh Toothpaste plus $12 in coupons

Weighty Matters

2009-09-09T09:43:00.005-04:00

Baby Ben will be one month old tomorrow. Time sure does fly by.

Now is the time for me to get back in shape and loose the baby weight. I am going to use Weight Watchers to slim back down. I love this way of eating because it keeps me accountable for everything I put into my mouth. I have joined Weight Watchers before in between pregnancies and I lost weight in a short amount of time and I felt healthy while doing it.

I found a great Weight Watchers Blog that shares recipes and valuable tips. You can view the blog here.

I won't know my weight until my Doctors appointment later this month. (I got rid of my home scale) I am not going to obsess over the numbers, I am going to judge my success by the way I feel.

Wish me luck!

Say Hello to Baby Benjamin!

2009-08-24T16:26:00.003-04:00

Here he is! He was born Aug 10th and today he is two weeks old!

God has blessed me with the calmest most wonderful newborn.

He has stolen my heart just like my other children. I am madly in love!

He is doing great and I am recovering well. The delivery was uneventful, thank God. It was a quick and easy surgery.

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes.

Peace and Love

One Month

2009-07-09T19:54:00.002-04:00

I have one month to go before I see my beautiful son. I have been doing some complaining these last couple of months, the swelling, weight gain, not being able to lay down when I want to. Having to go to the Doctors twice a week for non-stress tests is not fun, especially when I have to take the kids with me.

Now that the end is near I found myself thinking, what was I complaining about? This pregnancy wasn't so bad. It actually went by fast and was uneventful.

I don't know how things will go, if this will be the last time I am ever pregnant again. I really do not like being pregnant, but the thought of NEVER being pregnant again makes me feel a little sad.

Pregnancy and giving birth is a miraculous thing. There are sacrifices, pain, and worry, but then to think about the life that is created wipes everything bad away. God is so good and generous with His gifts. Even the ones that are wrapped in swollen ankles and stretch marks.

NameThat Baby!

2009-06-07T18:58:00.003-04:00

I am having a hard time naming this new little guy we are about to have. My husband is pretty much going with anything I am coming up with. I just can't make up my mind.

So far my favorites are Gabriel and Damien. What do you in blog land think of these names?

All my other children have three syllable first names and I would like to keep the trend going. We love Catholic names. Our last name is Italian, that doesn't really matter but I don't think a name like Bob would go well with our last name. :)

If you have any suggestions for a boy's name I would love to hear them.

Double Trouble...Do I Need a Double Stroller?

2009-05-25T19:29:00.005-04:00

I am a stroller fanatic. I love to buy strollers, used of course. I had a double stroller with my first two children and I used it all the time, now I am kind of over the double stroller thing.

I have a sit and stand that I want to sell because I can't push the darn thing and I almost cut my leg off trying to fold it up and get it into my van!

One of my recent favorite finds was a Peg Perego single stroller that I found at my local thrift store for $9.00! It is in excellent condition and it can be a front facing stroller or a carriage type that we all know is just the cutest. I love this stroller and really don't want to give it up for a big heavy double.

When the baby is born Oney will almost be three years old. I could put Oney in the single stroller and get a Moby Wrap for the baby. We will only be going for neighborhood walks anyway.

What do you think, do I need a double stroller?

Catching Up

2009-05-19T09:23:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I only have 90 days until the new baby arrives! Actually I will be going into the hospital on Aug. 10th to have this little angel. Time went by so fast. I am doing good, I feel incredibly heavy and get worn out fast, but that's to be expected.

My baby brother is getting married and our family is so excited! My mother is in her glory planning and getting things ready. She loves this kind of thing. Everyday she has something new planned or an idea she wants to share. I love to see everyone so happy.

I have been on the site Facebook quite a bit. It is great to get in touch with people from school, family, and current friends.

I have been reading Dante's Divine Comedy. I like the book but without the notes after each chapter I would be lost.

It is a blessing that things are quiet and a tad boring around here. In a few months it will be full force action with the new arrival, summer vacation, and the busy weekends. So for now I am going to enjoy these lazy boring days.

God Bless

The Good and The Bad

2009-04-14T11:28:00.002-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter. Lots of food, fun with the family, and candy as far as the eyes can see.

I think I did well during Lent. We stayed on our tight budget sacrificing every way we could. I slowed down during prayer and made it a point to pray more. Now that lent is over and Easter has come and gone it is important to continue what I started during Lent.

I would like to work on my attitude. My life is so blessed and I could not think of any other way I would rather live, so why do I find myself in a bad mood with a bad attitude more often than I would like to be? Maybe it is because I am not the person I really want to be and the only way to become that person is to surrender to God.

When I was in Church during the Easter season I looked around and I saw the statues and the crucifix covered in black drapes, no flowers, and things were really somber. I felt scared as I thought this is how life would be with out our Lord in it, dark and draped in blackness. I thanked God for being in my life and I could not wait for Easter morning when the Church would be full of life again.

As I pondered my attitude it came to me that I am at my worst when I drape a black cloth over our Lord and try to take control myself. It is the times when I shut Him out, not intentionally, but it is when I let myself belong to the world and my desires more than belonging to Him.

I want to feel like Easter morning. I know this can't be possible all the time, but it is worth a try to make it happen most of the time.

Blank

2009-04-07T08:36:00.002-04:00

I have been neglecting this blog. Things are going well with my family. My Mom's test came back negative, thank God. My pregnancy is going well and everyone is doing good.

I just finished reading Gone With The Wind. My grandmother was always reading this book and watching the movie and I thought it was probably boring and never had any interest. I was wrong. I loved the book and I can't wait to watch the movie.

During these last few days of Holy week I will not be posting on this blog. I will be back after Easter, hopefully with interesting things to write about.

May the Lords blessings be with all of you though the Easter season and always.
Have a happy Easter!

Can You Turn Off The Sun?

2009-03-30T10:11:00.004-04:00

Bug and Oney were playing in their bedroom. The only light was coming from the sun shining through the window. Bug asked me if I could turn off all the lights, I told her they were off. She pointed to the window and I said that is the Sun. She then told me to go ahead and turn off the Sun.

It is funny how kids view their mom. In their eyes moms can do anything, even turn off the Sun. Mom will always be there, nothing bad can happen to mom.

I thought the same thing as a child. I saw my mom as someone who did not need rest, who did not need her own time, who was in all senses a super woman. Of course as I got older and became a mother myself I grew to know my mom as a women and a friend.

Feeling that I had a mature relationship with my mom I was surprised at my feelings of the news she gave me last week. During a doctor exam a lump was found. My mom, being the woman that she is was not going to tell me, but she needed a shoulder and I am so glad she came to me. I took her to the doctor and I was able to be with her while she had surgery. We will know the results this week.

I was surprised at my feelings because the first thing I thought was this could not be anything bad because nothing bad could happen to my mom. She is a strong super women and bad things just can not happen to her.

I had a lot of time to think about my mom and mothers in general and how the love they share with their children is indescribable. It scared me to think what the world would be like not to have my mom in it.

I thought about a mothers love and I realized that a mothers love is like a warm blanket wrapped around their children. No matter how old you get, if mom is near to you or far away, if you think about her you feel the ever present love around you. Would this blanket go away when mom left the world? Would I be left shivering in the cold? I am sure it would feel like that for a while but I firmly believe that mothers were put on this Earth to give us a tiny imperfect taste of God's love.

God is love, and the blanket I felt around me was His, even though he used my mother and her calling to help me to understand, it belongs to Him. And when the day comes that God calls my mom home I will not be in the cold because God's love is like a mothers but perfect in every way.

Things concerning my mom's health seem to be optimistic and she is doing well. Even though she is an imperfect human being and can not turn off the Sun, I will forever be grateful to her for answering the call to become a mother and to help me see the little glimpse of love God has for me and all his children.

Please pray for my mom's health and all mothers who do their best to let God shine through.

We Are Having a Boy!

2009-03-18T09:09:00.004-04:00

We found out yesterday that the sweet little baby that is on it's way will be a boy!

I took the kids to view the ultrasound and we were all in anticipation to find out if this little one would be a boy or a girl.

My oldest son Lil D was being his witty self and then my maturity level went down to that of an eight year old boy. Lil D was making me laugh and I had to tell the woman doing the ultrasound more than once that I was sorry for laughing. We had fun.

Lil D had a lot of comments as he watched the baby on the monitor, one being that he was glad he is not a woman, and I think he said, this is disgusting a couple of times. Miss my oldest daughter's comeback was, "You don't know what natural beauty is."

When we finally knew it was a boy I looked at bug and saw the tears starting to roll down her cheeks. She was not as happy as everyone else. She stopped crying when Miss told her having a baby brother meant that Miss and her could share a room with bunk beds, that made Bug feel better. Lil D's response to his little sister was, "Don't cry Mama can make you a baby sister."

It was a very interesting doctors appointment.

I could not be more excited to have another little man in my life. It is a wonderful gift.

7 Things I Love About My Parish (A Meme)

2009-03-16T12:16:00.004-04:00

Tabula Cerata has tagged everyone who reads his post 7 things I Love About My Parish.

1. The Parishioners

I absolutely love the parishioners of my parish. They are so welcoming and care so much about our parish. They will give as much of themselves as they can to keep it going. When Oney was in the hospital my family was given a big statue of the Blessed Mother to keep at at our home. We were also given healing oil and many prayers. They are always full of smiles and always complement my children even if they weren't behaving that well on Sunday.

2. Our Priest

Our priest is young and full of life. He is witty and funny. He is very smart and just got us out of a debt that was over a million dollars! He is good with children and knows how to keep them interested in their faith.

3. Our Deacons

Our deacons are about the sweetest bunch of men I know. One in particular gives homilies that make me cry every time. Their hearts and their words show how much they love the Lord and how much they care about the people of our parish.

4. Our Music director

Our music directer is awesome. She plays and sings beautifully. It does not matter if she is playing traditional songs or contemporary, she does a wonderful job. During lent she has some prayers sung in Latin. I have no idea how to say them but I love it. She is great.

5. Generosity

The generosity of my parish is unbelievable. As I mentioned before we just got ourselves out of a debt that was over a million dollars! We were able to do that because we have a driven priest and a parish full of giving people. When it comes to gifts and food for the poor, people in my parish give with abundance. It is wonderful to have such a giving parish.

6. Children

The kids are involved in our parish. We have a children's Mass, Stations of the cross that is performed by the kids, and of course the Christmas pageant. Children are encouraged to give food to the poor each week, and we now have a cool youth group that is full of great ideas for the younger people in our parish.

7. Reverence

My parish and the way Mass is done there is so beautiful and reverent. I feel so close to our Lord and I can feel that the real presence of Jesus Christ is there.

I can go on and on about how much I love my parish and what it means to my family and me.

If you are reading this you have been tagged. Let us know the 7 things you love about your parish.

Frugal Friday: Corn, Bacon,and Potato Chowder

2009-03-13T08:58:00.002-04:00

1/2 pound of bacon
1 small onion, diced
3 Tbs flour
1 quart milk
1/2 pound frozen corn
4 or 5 potatoes (about a pound), peeled, cubed, and simmered until tender
salt and pepper to taste
a few sprigs of parsley
paprika for garnish if you like

Cook the bacon in a large pot. If you cook a few slices of bacon just for this, drain all but 3 Tbs of the grease from the pan. Set the bacon aside and chop it.

Cook the onion in the bacon grease 5 minutes or so, until softened. Sprinkle the flour in and stir. Cook over medium-low heat 2-3 minutes, stirring almost constantly. Stir in the milk slowly. Turn the heat up to medium and bring to a boil, stirring almost constantly. Turn the heat down but make sure it's still simmering and cook a minute to thicken the base of your soup.

Add the corn, potatoes, bacon, salt and pepper. Heat through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley.

Enjoy!

What's Happening?

2009-03-11T09:34:00.006-04:00

Life has been going pretty well for us. The changes we are making seem to be positive and making all of us comfortable and happy.

I posted before about how Big D and I are doing the Dave Ramsey plan to be debt-free. This plan really works! Before when Big D would announce he was going to do the bills you could feel the tension in the air. Since we have been on this plan every time he does the bills he has said, "This is awesome!" You can't beat that kind of reaction.

Being disciplined about money and living below our means, and we are living way below our means, has not been as hard as I thought it would be. Thinking about a debt-free future keeps me focused. The hardest part of this whole thing is saying no to the kids and to other people.

It gets complicated when others ask you to do things that we don't want to spend money on and we have to explain what we are doing and why. Some people say, "Good for you." others give us a weird look and change the subject. We will continue to push on.

We had one good day of weather. It was sixty degrees and sunny. My mood on that day changed instantly. I don't know if it was the sunshine or if it was because the kids played out side most of the day.

I put on some Lime Coolada lotion, relaxed with my front door open and made believe it was summer. Can you tell I am really ready for some nice weather!

Then it went back to being cold and now it has been non stop rain. Oh well I know spring is coming and soon my spirits will be lifted.

My little niece was baptized at the beginning of the month and Big D was given the honor of being Godfather. He is very proud of this honor given to him and he wrote a beautiful post about Baptism. The post is titled The Applause From Heaven.

School is going. I guess it is going well, we are getting the work done and I am trying to make it as fun as I can, but I have been so tired and not motivated at all. I am doing the best I can and the kids are learning, I guess that is what matters.

The time change has me all messed up. Since the time change we have all been waking up at 9am. That is late for us. It seems the day goes by so quickly now. But I love how it stays light out longer into the night. I think it is around 5pm and when I glance at the clock it is 7:30 at night.
It is taking me awhile to get used to this change.

My pregnancy is going well. All my tests have come back normal. We will be able to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl on St. Patrick's Day. I can't wait, I hope the baby cooperates!

I am grateful for my life and how drama free it is. I am grateful that the biggest news I have is about the time change and the weather. Some may say it is boring but I say it is blessed!

That's all folks, have a blessed day!

Interview With a Four Year Old

2009-03-10T10:28:00.007-04:00

Four year old children are wonderful little people. They have such an innocent view on life and the people they share their life with.

Here is an interview I did with my four year old daughter Bug. It was interesting and funny to see how she thinks of me.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
You love me.

2. What makes mom happy?
When I give you a hug.

3. What makes mom sad?
Monsters

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
You make funny faces.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
You wanted a book.

6. How old is your mom?
Five

7. How tall is your mom?
This big (She reached as high as her little arm could go)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Cook dinner

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
You and Daddy play games together.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Princesses would dance with you. (Maybe she means Dancing With the Stars, or maybe I will have a role in the movie Princess barbie?)

11. What is your mom really good at?
Your good at drawing.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Your not good at making a monkey.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
You get suckers.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Tomatoes with cheese on it. (?)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
You give me my books and you make my bed.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Dora!

17. What do you and your mom do together?
We like to play Dora games.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We love each other.

19. How are you and your mom different?
We have different color eyes.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
You show me pictures, you help me do my ABC's.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Church

Frugal Friday: Clam Spaghetti

2009-03-06T08:51:00.005-05:00

Clam Spaghetti

This Recipe serves 8

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spaghetti

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams with juice

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
2.	Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the garlic 1 minute, until tender. Mix in the clams and juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup.
3.	In a large bowl, toss the spaghetti with the sauteed clams, chopped parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Garnish with parsley sprigs to serve. ENJOY!

Update

2009-03-02T08:32:00.002-05:00

Thank you for all your prayers. My Aunt had her surgery and is now recovering. The cancer did not spread.

We are hoping for a speedy recovery and praying that she has the strength to make it through her chemo.

Thanks again to everyone!

Frugal Friday:Mom's Rice and Bean Vegetarian Enchiladas (Lent Friendly)

2009-02-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

My family loves these enchiladas. It is my own recipe so there is no measuring. You can add as much or as little ingredients that will fit your family size.

The recipe below gives me two 9x13 dishes of enchiladas. I freeze the second batch for a quick dinner.

Ingredients:

Large flour tortillas

One large can or two small cans of red enchilada sauce

One box of Spanish rice

One large can or two small cans of re fried beans (If I am making this for lent I use the vegetarian re fried beans)

One can of whole kernel corn

Shredded cheddar cheese (I like sharp cheddar) Directions:

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

Cook Spanish rice according to package directions. When the rice is done add the can of corn, some cheese and some of the enchilada sauce to moisten.

Spread out the tortillas. Spread the re fried beans on the tortilla then spread the rice mixture on top of the re fried beans. Fold each end of the tortilla inwards and roll into an enchilada.

Pour some of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Place your rolled enchiladas into the baking dish, pour the rest of the sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top.

Bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy

Prayers needed!

2009-02-26T15:58:00.003-05:00

I just found out that my aunt, the youngest of my mom's sisters has cancer. It is in her pancreas.

This woman has been through so much in her life. She lost her husband to cancer, lost her 15 year old daughter in a car accident, and she has also lost two infant twin sons.

When will her suffering end? I want to yell to God, "Give her a break already!"

I know everything happens for a reason and I can't pretend to know Gods plan. I hold on to Him for strength and I pray that my aunt does too.

If the cancer is only in her pancreas she will have surgery tomorrow to remove it. If the cancer has spread to her stomach there will be no surgery, she will have to go through chemo.

Please pray that the cancer has not spread. Please also pray that my aunt finds comfort in the Lord no matter what conclusions the doctors come to.

Thank you very much.

Martha or Mary?

2009-02-26T10:06:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite bloggers Cathy at From the field of Blue Children has given me some thoughts about Lent.

Cathy's post Thanks is all about how little things like giving thanks to the Lord can mean so much.

After reading this post I started thinking about Jesus and when he went to the house of Mary and Martha. Martha kept busy cleaning, preparing food, and making the house perfect for her Lord. Mary sat at Jesus' feet and just wanted to be with him.

I am a lot like Martha. My family says Grace before every meal. Everyone sits at the table hands folded and gives thanks. I on the other hand am running around getting drinks, cleaning up messes, dishing out food while I am saying Grace.

While at Church or praying at home I always have my next task in the back of my mind. What do I have to do next, what do the kids need, what did my husband ask me to do?

I believe that Martha was doing what she thought was best to show Jesus how important he was. I think I can do that as well in my daily tasks but sometimes it is good to be Mary,to forget everything and put all of our attention on the Lord. Even if that means a quick little thank you to God or to others as Cathy mentioned in her post.

To be honest I think I will always be more like Martha, thinking about and praising God while my hands are busy, but I hope to let the quiet actions of Mary in as well.

Give It Up

2009-02-25T07:50:00.004-05:00

Being pregnant I am not required to fast this Lent. I will refrain from eating things like the two paczki I devoured last night.

What will I give up this Lent? I am going to continue to give up my materialistic ways. I want to turn to God when I need a boost rather than a cute pair of flats that I think will make me happy. Turning my thoughts away from all the "stuff" I want will help me turn my thoughts to God,only He can give me the "stuff" I need.

As I was thinking about Lent and what I can add or give up I read a post from Jennifer at her blog "Et tu?" The post is titled Why My Life Is Better Since Becoming Open To Life.

Reading this post gave me ideas on how I will reflect during Lent, by embracing my vocation and not gritting my teeth wondering when my time will come. This is my time and I want to make the most of it.

I will be giving up some things, like being a slave to consumerism and I will be adding some things, like loving my call to being a wife and mother.

Who knows, maybe after all is said and done I might find a cute pair of flats in my Easter basket.

Have a blessed Lent

Congratulations to My Husband!

2009-02-24T11:42:00.004-05:00

Monday was a special day at my house. My husband, after four years of full time college took his last class. He is now a college graduate!

Four years of full time school and full time work has been a sacrifice for my husband and for are whole family. I am so proud that he kept to it and did what he set out to do, get a degree, and now he has one.

Having a degree is such a great accomplishment and I am so happy that my husband was able to do this even though he got a late start on a college education.

Congratulations Dear, your hard work paid off and I am so proud of you!

Frugal Friday: Mom’s Homemade Chicken Soup

2009-02-20T08:22:00.004-05:00

Mom’s Homemade Chicken Soup

Last Friday I posted a roasted chicken recipe. If you are being frugal I would hope you saved the chicken carcass to make soup. If not that’s ok you can make this soup without it.

This is my own recipe so there is no measuring, here we go, Mom’s Homemade Chicken Soup.

Ingredients:

One Chicken Carcass (left over from dinner) if you don’t have this or you would like more chicken in your soup then I use a four-piece package of chicken thighs-Bone in.

Carrots

Onion

Celery

Potatoes (optional)

Chicken Bullion (optional) I have learned that if you make the soup with chicken on the bone and you use enough salt you really don’t need bullion.

Salt

Pepper

Egg noodles (or any type of soup noodle you may like)

Directions:

Cut up all vegetables and put them in a large pot. How many vegetables is up to you. Put in the Chicken carcass, chicken thighs or both. Fill the pot almost to the top with water and set it on the stove to boil.

If I am not using bullion I like to boil the soup until it reduces a bit that way it becomes more concentrated with chicken goodness. Use salt and pepper to your taste.

Take out carcass and pick all the meat off of it that you missed at your last dinner and throw it back into the pot.

If you are using Chicken thighs take them out and do the same as I stated above.

Cook soup until vegetables are tender. I boil my noodles in a separate pot and dish out the noodles and the soup separate, that way if I have soup left over I can freeze it without having mushy noodles in it.

Enjoy

Going Back

2009-02-18T13:32:00.002-05:00

I registered the kids for school today.

The oldest three are going back to our parish school next year.
This was a tough decision for me but after a lot of thinking and praying I feel this is the best for our family.

The first thought that came to my mind was am I giving up? This is not some project I am working on, these are my children and doing what I think is best is not giving up in my opinion.

I think this year has been great for the kids and me. We have become closer, I have learned patience, and I have seen what my children are capable of academically. My favorite part is no homework, which will be missed.

I am so grateful to have met such wonderful families who are so supportive. I consider them my friends and I know we will continue to be even though we won’t be homeschooling anymore.

Our decision came down to what am I capable of. I have learned that I do not hold up to my own standards when it comes to teaching, and I don’t have the desire to do so. That may sound harsh but it is the truth.

I just want to be mom again. Teach my children the things that I am good at teaching and leave the rest to the professionals.

Another big part of this decision is the arrival of the new baby. Oney will be three and I will have a newborn. I look forward to just having babies in the house while the older kids are at school. It is the time where I can focus all my attention on the littlest ones.

I trust our parish school and the teachers, that made the decision a lot easier. My children have always been happy there. I do not look forward to the homework, but I think this year of homeschooling has taught me how my children learn and I think I am better equipped to have the patience and understanding it will take to get them through.

I have so much admiration for families who homeschool, it is not for everyone, but those who do it and do it well are very special people in my book.

I will treasure the last moths of homeschooling my children. I will also treasure the traditional school days my children have in their future. We have learned so much and met people who we will always cherish. This is a bittersweet change for me but I am confidant things will be alright.

Can't Buy Me Love

2009-02-16T09:13:00.001-05:00

I posted about our new family budget. The first holiday, Valentines Day, came and I did not have the money to get Big D a card or a bottle of wine. I had some spending money left over and went to the drug store and purchased .99 cent candy for the kids, Big D got some fruit twizzlers, and I bought myself a box of chocolates, handed them to Big D when I got home to hand back to me.

Big D put on some Tony Bennett and made his famous spaghetti, good and cheap.
We ate dinner together as a family while the crooners crooned in the background. We then watched some T.V. said the rosary as a family and called it a night.

Our first budget holiday was wonderful. The kids got a treat; we ate a good meal, spent time together, and I was able to have my chocolate when everyone went to bed.

It was a nice Valentines day, love was in the air and money was still in the bank.

Frugal Friday Lemon-Pepper Roasted Chicken Recipe

2009-02-12T15:35:00.005-05:00

Most of us are looking for ways to save money. A good way to save money and keep within a budget is to cut back on the grocery bill.

I am going to post a frugal meal recipe every Friday. These recipes are some that I cook often, have tried, or will be trying in the future.

Enjoy

Lemon-Pepper Roasted Chicken

From Good Housekeeping

INGREDIENTS
1 whole 31/2 lb Chicken
1tablespoon olive oil or butter
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
¼ teaspoon of pepper
¾ teaspoon of salt
½ cup water
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Remove bag with giblets and neck from chicken cavity; discard or reserve for another use.
2. In cup, mix olive oil, lemon peel, and pepper. With fingertips, gently separate skin from meat on chicken breast. Rub lemon-pepper mixture on meat under skin. Tie legs together with string. Rub chicken all over with salt.
3. Place chicken, breast side up, on rack in small roasting pan (13" by 9"). Pour 1/4 cup water into roasting pan. Roast chicken 1 hour or until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with tip of knife and temperature on meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reaches 175 degrees F.
4. When chicken is done, lift from roasting pan and tilt slightly to allow juices inside cavity to run into pan. Place chicken on platter. Let chicken stand 10 minutes to allow juices to set for easier carving.
5. Remove rack from roasting pan. Skim and discard fat from pan juices. Add remaining 1/4 cup water to pan juices; cook 1 minute on medium, stirring constantly. Serve chicken with pan juices.

The B Word

2009-02-10T10:21:00.002-05:00

Budget

This can be a bad word for some people. I know it has been a cause of worry for Big D and I. We have done budgets before and what we have done in the past is budget all our Bills and let the little things we buy in-between fly with the wind. These budgets don’t work well for us.

In the future I would like to see Big D retire comfortably, help our kids with collage, cars, homes etc…the only way to do this is to seriously budget. Big D and I are not money savvy in anyway and budgeting our money is always in the back of our heads, so when the forth person mentioned Dave Ramsey’s plan to me and how well it is working for them I decided this must be a sign and Big D and I got on board.

We did our budget last night. It was stressful because we had to account for every single dime we made per month, from haircuts to toilet paper we had to find room in the budget. When we completed the first draft we noticed we spent way more a month then Big D makes, imagine that. So we had to cut certain things down and that is where the sacrifice came in. We did it, we budgeted for everything we could think of and I believe we had .43 cents left over.

We are using the baby Steps Dave Ramsey suggests in getting rid of debt and saving money.

Everything Dave Ramsey says is easy common sense but it is hard to do especially if you are like me and like to have “things” when you want them. The hardest part of this plan is the dreaded D word, Discipline.

We have a budget for everything under the sun now and it feels good, but I know it is going to be hard when the kids want things or when other people want us to do things that are not in our budget and we have to say no. It will be hard at first but the goal is to think long term and what we want for our family’s future.

One of Dave Ramsey’s ideas is to have money so you can give it away. Sounds crazy but dear friends of ours have told us the same thing. For some reason the more money you give away the more you will have. I don’t know how this works but it does.

I look forward to be financially comfortable so I can help out my friends and family who need it, give more to the Church who does so much for us and those who are in need. This is a major goal of ours as well.

With Lent around the corner and since I cannot fast I was thinking of something I could do. One would be to pray more and the other is to acquire discipline to make this plan work, not only for my family but eventually to help people and my community. It may take a while to get there but I am happy to have started the journey.

One last thing about this plan is you can go to Dave Ramsey’s website and buy the materials he suggests, or you can do everything for free. You can down load the budget; view the baby steps, and get his books from the library like I did. You can do all this for free if it is something you would like to try.

I pray that the dreaded D and B word will not be dreaded anymore, and that in doing this my family can focus on God and each other rather than money and Stuff.

Happy Birthday Lil D!

2009-02-06T08:20:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe my little man is eight years old! Time flew by. My chunky monkey baby is now my handsome funny man.

Lil D is the sunshine of my life. He is my loving wise guy who will crack me up any chance he can get.

He is all boy but also very loving and affectionate. He is not afraid to give mom a hug or put his head on my shoulder even if his friends are around. I hope that never changes.

He knows more about Star Wars than any other human I know, and he is pretty good at the Bible too.

He has my heart always and forever.

Happy Birthday Lil D, may God bless you and may the force be with you!

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

2009-02-05T10:47:00.004-05:00

I believe I have posted before about our experience with RSV or Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Our youngest, Oney, developed RSV when he was less than a month old. He was hospitalized for a week and was in critical condition. Thanks to Children’s Hospital he recovered.

Our experience with Oney was the first time I had ever paid attention to RSV; I had not known any children who had contracted this.

I am hearing of more children getting RSV. My niece has it right now; she is on breathing treatments but is still wheezing. She is 7mo old so hopefully a hospital visit won’t be necessary. I just talked to a friend who’s youngest daughter has RSV, she is two and now this friend has just informed me that her 6mo old niece has just developed pneumonia from it, very scary stuff.

The season for RSV is from November to April and can differ from region to region. I am so scared of this new baby getting RSV and I am going to be very careful.

The new baby will only be 4mo old at Christmas time and my family does a lot of traveling to see different family members. I don’t think the new baby will be traveling next Christmas. This is when Oney contracted RSV. Big D and I will have to split up while one of us stays home with the baby and the other takes the older kids to do the Christmas rounds.

I am going to be a stickler for sanitation (something that annoyed me before) No sick people allowed around baby, not even if they have a sniffle, lots of hand sanitizer, and spray for doorknobs and such.

I have never been this type of person with the other kids, but what we went through with Oney and hearing about all these other cases really scares me. I may be going over board and all our efforts may not stop the new baby from getting sick but I would rather be safe than sorry.

Please keep these sick little ones in your prayers.

Marriage Preparation

2009-02-03T07:51:00.000-05:00

Very good friends of Big D and I have been in charge of the Marriage Preparation classes at our parish. I believe they have been doing the marriage prep for over 20 years.

They have decided it was time to pass the torch along to Big D and Me. We have been facilitating the classes for about four years now and it has been a little overwhelming trying to take full control over this program.

Although it is overwhelming, these classes are important to me. We get a chance to help couples begin their life together in love and in faith for the rest of their lives.
It is special to me that I can be a part of this time in their lives and hopefully help them achieve the life long Sacrament of marriage.

When Big D and I went to our marriage prep class we were not active in Church, our class was more of a lecture and I really can’t remember what was said to us.

The reason why I love our marriage prep class is because it is all about the couples, they are the ones who talk about the issues, teaching the couples around them and Big D and I always learn something too.

Some couples come to the class knowing how the Catholic Church views marriage and some don’t. For those that do they bring much knowledge and insight to the group and for those who are just getting married in the Church because it is “family tradition” it is wonderful to help them understand how much more this Sacrament is. How God wants them to succeed and by inviting Him into the marriage it will succeed.

God saved my marriage seven years ago, including Him into the bond Big D and I shared is the big secret we have for our lasting marriage. If it was not for His presence we might have fallen into the selfish traps so many marriages fall into these days. At the time I did not fully believe “letting go and letting God” would do anything to fix what was broken in our marriage, but it did and in little time.

What we are hoping to accomplish in these marriage prep classes is to get the couples to see the spiritual Sacrament of marriage, to keep God involved right in the beginning, that if they build their marriage with God as their foundation, nothing can tear it down.

I hope we are successful in helping these couples, I hope we can do half the job our friends have done.

Tinkerbell or Bust

2009-01-26T17:13:00.004-05:00

We are going to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. I am more into getting things ready rather than being surprised, and I find knowing the gender of the baby helps with the planning.

I did not know how serious the gender of this baby was going to be until Bug and I had our brother/sister talk. It went something like this…

Me- Are you excited to have a new baby brother or sister?

Bug- Yes, if it is a girl I am going to call her Tinkerbell and if it is a boy I am going to punch it in the face.

Me- (shocked into silence)

So Bug and I had a talk about how newborns need lots of love and care from big sisters no matter if they are a boy or a girl. We also talked about how completely unacceptable punching a baby in the face is.

I have been quizzing her on the brother and sister thing in order for me to understand that she understands she may not hit a baby brother. Now when I ask her if she is excited about her new baby brother or sister she says…

Bug- I want the baby to be a girl, but if it is a boy I will not punch it in the face because that is mean and babies need love.

I am happy with that answer, but I will still be keeping an eye on little Bug.

Pregnancy Workout

2009-01-20T09:08:00.003-05:00

During all of my pregnancies I tend to gain a lot of weight, fifty to sixty pounds to be exact. By the time I am in the end of the third trimester I am pretty much miserable.

This time I have decided to try to change that and exercise during this pregnancy. I made myself do my workout today and I am happy that I did.

I am not trying to lose weight or even maintain my weight, what I am hoping for is a normal amount of pregnancy weight gain. I am also hoping that working out will ease tension and keep my body loose. I just have to stick with it.

The pregnancy workout that I use is called The Perfect Pregnancy Workout. The instructor is Karyne Steben who is a world-class acrobat formerly with Cirque du Soleil.

She is in her third trimester in the video and looks awesome!

What I like about this video is you can do beginner exercises or the advanced. There is no cheesy remarks or music, the person who narrates talks in a calm and quiet voice. The exercises will get your heart pumping and you can feel the burn in your muscles.

I also like that the instructor is in such great shape, it makes me think twice about having three peanut putter and jelly sandwiches before bedtime.

If you are looking for a good workout to do through your pregnancy (with your doctors ok of course) I recommend The Perfect Pregnancy workout.

Now lets see if I can keep this up.

You Got A Friend

2009-01-19T08:22:00.001-05:00

I have had the opportunity to meet wonderful people who I consider friends. People I have things in common with, can spend time with, and care about. Friendship is an important part of life.

When I make new friends it is an exciting experience, but I don’t think anything beats the feeling of old friends. A good thing is that new friends will turn into old friends and that is the beauty of it.

I have two friends who have been through the good, the bad, and the ugly with me, and I thank God they have still decided to stick around.

We have been through the awkward adolescence, the crazy teen years, and the more settled adult life together. We know each other inside and out. There is something special about having people in your life who know every single thing about you.

As we got older, the marriages and children came. New jobs, school and other responsibilities come up that take away time spent with my friends. We may not see each other for weeks, but when we do get together it is like putting on your favorite pair of shoes that you have had for a lifetime, comfortable and familiar.

We are a silly bunch of ladies and can get each other through most any situation with a good talk and a lot of laughs.

There is nothing in this world more important than my husband and children, but sometimes no one can understand you better than the women who have been through it all with you. I am blessed to have the best of both worlds.

You’re never too old to be a BFF. :)