Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~August 31, 2012
Outside my window... HOT!  Back to the 90's, but this weekend hold the promise of cooler weather.  I am SO ready for fall!
I am thinking...about the class I'm teaching for our homeschool co~op.  I'd like to have the first month planned out before we start in two weeks.
From the learning room...We've not yet started with homeschooling.  I must admit that we don't have all our books in yet!
I am thankful for...our health, and I'm reminded not to take it for granted. 
From the kitchen...generally it would be pizza and movie nite, but we are going to a potluck at church tonight! 
I am wearing...jean skirt and yellow tank top
I am creating...a new quilt for Spud's bed. 
I am going...to try and be more organized this school year.  Since we are officially schooling 3 of our kids at home, it is a must that I be on top of things!
I am reading... Bible and the book "What Jesus Demands From The World" by John Piper
I am praying...for our dear neighbor who was just diagnosed with cancer, and for guidance for hubby and I as we are making decisions
I am hearing...little ones playing together.  What a wonderful sound!
Around the house...couple of loads of laundry, cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen must be done
One of my favorite things...the promise of fall after a long, hot summer!
A few plans for the rest of the week...well...since it's the end of the week, our only plan for the weekend is some sprucing up around the outside of the house.  We're hoping the weather cooperates for some outdoor time this long Labor day weekend as well.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Thanks for stopping by!  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Have a great week!

Blessings,

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
1 Corinthians 10:31

Getting Honest With Your Kids About Finances



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"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender" Proverbs 22:7

When our first few kids were smaller, we were living the American dream.  You know, the one where you own lots of "stuff" all paid for on credit.  When our kids wanted a new toy, we pulled out the credit card.  New clothes, same thing.  Something wonderful we just couldn't live without....yep you guessed it!

Fast forward a child or two, and I now stay home full time with our kiddo's.  That's right...only one income.  We had a huge credit card bill and a house full of stuff we really didn't need or use.   It really hurt when we realized that we were still paying for the $15.99 shirt we bought 16 months ago!  It was ridiculous!

We got smarter about our finances when we attended Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. We got rid of our credit cards and started a budget.  We tried to remember if we don't have the money on hand we don't need it right now.  We were committed to get rid of debt and live within our means.

Our oldest children were not quite as committed.  They were used to the "old" way of buying things and didn't always like that we wouldn't just run out and buy something for them.  We realized how our mistakes in spending left an imprint on them.

Our younger children will not grow with the same thinking about money.  They are very familiar with the words "it's just not in our budget right now".  We are teaching them about self control and living frugally.  They are seeing the "new" parents who really don't want to leave a legacy of debt for our children.

So how did we start implementing these changes in our household?  Really, it was as Dave Ramsey says, baby steps.  First we got honest with our kids about our finances.  While I don't think kids need to know exactly how much money is coming in and going out, I think it is good for them to know about the area's we are struggling in.  It takes the entire family to keep finances in order.  You can't save money on groceries for instance, if someone always wants to order pizza delivery.  We also implemented tithing, saving, and spending with the money our kids make.

Of course, all of this has been bathed in prayer as well.  If you are struggling in finances, pray that God will show you the area's that need to be changed and be willing to change them.  Learn all you can about budgeting and stick to it.  We do sometimes get off budget, but we now see the importance of having one.  Finances can be an area of great delight or great frustration.  I don't want to be frustrated anymore!

Blessings,

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"

1 Corinthians 10:31

Large Family Living~Grocery Shopping

While I can't say I enjoy grocery shopping, it is something that must be done.  Shopping for a larger family while sticking to a budget can be tricky sometimes.  Over the past couple of years, I've tried many different techniques for grocery shopping.


We live in a town with 2 grocery stores.  There is an Aldi's about 15 miles away, and Costco is 70 miles away.  Our budget is tight for groceries, and hubby gets paid every 2 weeks.  I tried once~a~month shopping for several months.  It was nice to only have to go to the grocery store once during the month (with the exception of milk~I know the Economides family does it by freezing their milk, but I don't have enough room in my freezer for the 20 gallons we go through a month), but it was a pain getting that many groceries at once.  Then we still had to put away all those groceries yet too!  I have also done weekly shopping, but it seemed like I was spending more money on groceries.  Lately I've been shopping every 2 weeks and right now it is working well.

I start by scanning the ad's from our 2 local grocery stores.  Then I make a meal list for two weeks trying to use what is on sale at the stores.  I go through my coupons trying to match the sales for even greater savings, then off to the store(s) I go.  Since I live in a small town, it isn't difficult shopping at 2 different stores, but most of the time I try to get everything at the store with the greater savings.

I also get to Aldi's once a month to stock up on staples.  They have great savings on things like flour, sugar, eggs, cheese, canned items, cereals and produce.  I stock up on enough to get us through the month on these items to save even more money.  My little ones love to go there because you need to put a quarter in the cart (which you get back when you return the cart) in order to use one. 

While there are many different ways you can approach grocery shopping, I say find something that works and go with it.  And remember, just because it works now, doesn't mean it will work during a different season in your life!

Blessings,

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
1 Corinthians 10:31

Frugal Living~~Friday Night Family Night

In our house, Friday nights are also known as movie and pizza night.  I usually make homemade pizza, we eat downstairs in our family room, and watch a movie together.  Everyone looks forward to this night~~even our teenagers!  We try to let the kids take turns picking out the movie.  The only rule is that there can be no complaining from anyone about the movie choice (which I admit is hard when our 6 year old wants to pick yet another  princess movie!).

We almost always get our movies from the library.  YEAH for free entertainment!  Our local library is part of a group of libraries in the state, so we can place a hold on things through the computer, and if another library in the system has it, they will transfer it to our library for pick up. 

The most difficult thing for hubby and I as parents is letting the kids pick out movies that were family friendly.  We knew there had to be good movies out there, but didn't know where to look.    We would watch the trailers for other movies, but we still didn't get a lot of good ones.  Then this spring we borrowed a movie from the library that was distributed by Bridgestone Multimedia Group (BMG).  They had a few trailers that looked great.  So we placed them on hold at the library and had several great movie and pizza nights.  I found their website and have been finding so many great looking movies, we may be set for the rest of the year!  Unfortunately, our library system doesn't have all the movies that look good to us, but we've been able to see a handful already and am thankful for that.    We have a list of movies we are interested in purchasing since their prices are reasonable.  I'm so thankful that there are companies out there willing to produce Godly entertainment.  It is so unfortunate that most movies have to add cursing, nudity, violence, and many other unGodly things to movies, all in the name of money.  I do not want to sit with my children, cringing at certain words or scenes.  We want to sit with them, watch a great movie, and maybe even get to have a character lesson about it.

Free entertainment, yummy pizza, and my family cozied up together.  Sounds like a great way to start the weekend to me! 

Blessings,

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
1 Corinthians 10:31

Grandma's Casserole Dish

The dish was my grandma's.  Her casserole dish is nothing special, but it holds a special place in my heart.   

It reminds me of her each time I use it.   What was the last thing she made in this dish?  Was it something for our family gatherings, something for another family, or maybe a church potluck since the dish still has a piece of tape on the lid so it could identified as her's.  How many times had she used it, carried it from oven to table?  What tasty meals were created in it?  The memories of her wash over me and bring a welcome warmth.

She loved to open her home and bless others.  She loved a house full of love and laughter.  My husband used to joke that she would make up a holiday just so her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren would come over for dinner (she was especially proud to have great grandkids!).  I learned so much from this warm woman and I'm thankful for her example in my life. 

This fall is 10 years since she left us for her eternal home.  Left in body only as her spirit lives on through us.  But, oh,  how I miss her sometimes.

Blessings,

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
1 Corinthians 10:31

I'm linking up with....



           

Homemade Taco Salad Shells

In our house, taco's are almost considered a staple.  We have it several times a month, and all the kids love it. 

I like to make extra taco meat for taco salads.  It is a quick and easy lunch for the day after.  I've seen infomercials for a taco salad shell maker, but it just seemed like a lot of money for yet another thing to sit in my cabinets.  So most times, we just ate our taco salads without a "taco bowl".  I saw these salad shells on a friend's facebook page, and loved the idea.  I knew I had to make them for our next taco salad lunch. 

All you need are a package of soft taco shells and a muffin tin. 

Place the muffin tin upside down and place a soft shell between the muffin cups.  Press it down to get your shape.

What it should look like after you press it down.

Place as many as you can on your muffin tray and place in the oven.  I had the oven on 350 degrees and had them in for only a few minutes.  Adjust to whatever crispness you like.

Let them cool and fill with your favorite salad fixins.  I used the taco sized soft shells so they were the perfect size for our kiddo's salads.  If you like bigger shells, you may want to use the larger sized shells.  Enjoy!

Have a great day!

Blessings,

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
1 Corinthians 10:31

This post is linked up with Amy at Raising Arrows.

A New Perspective

You may have noticed a stillness around here.  This has been an intentional quiet for me.  I have been enjoying the summer with our children, but also praying about the direction of this blog.  I've been praying about what I want it to be, where I want to go with it, what do I really have to share with you, and do you even want to read about it?

There are so many blogs out there that I enjoy reading, and I thought I should make my blog like those in order to get readers (we all want readers for our blogs, right?).  But I was having a hard time with it because the blog wasn't really me.  I was thinking about ending it, but I really do enjoy keeping one.  So what should I do?

I lifted the burden up in prayer.  I realized that I needed a purpose for my blog in order to maintain what I really want to do with it.  I want my heart to come through to readers.  I want to share with others what I've learned as a wife, mother, and homemaker.  I want to enjoy my blog and I hope you will too!

So...here is my "purpose" in running my blog.  I am a woman who loves her husband and her children.  I desire to live my life as scriptures clearly state a woman should.  I believe that a woman (and young women, girls, etc) should dress as a woman with modesty and I try to live that out in my own life before my daughters by wearing skirts almost exclusively.  I believe that women should be home with their children and would like to help more mothers desire to be happily at home by sharing frugal tips and ways to save money.  I would like to show others the joy in homemaking, even though society may degrade and demean this extremely valuable position.  I have a passion for sharing these things with others.  I did not have an "older woman" (Titus 2) to share homemaking, loving my husband and children, taking care of a home, parenting, and so many other skills necessary in this field.  While I don't want to call myself an "older woman"  (especially since I still glean advice whenever I can get it) I desire to help other younger women by sharing what I have learned in my journey as I know there are women out there who also do not have a Titus 2 mentor.  We have an autistic child who also has a physical disability, so parenting a special needs child and the challenges and blessings that go with that is also a big part of my life.  I want to share the life of our (large~ish) family and also homeschooling since that is now a big part of our life.  These a just a few of the things on my heart, and I pray that as God places more things on my heart to share, I would be bold to follow where He leads, and not fear what others may think.

I've changed the setting of my blog to something I found that is just more "me"!  I hope you like it, and I pray that you will be blessed by my blog!  Let me know what you think!


Have a great day!

Blessings,

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"
1 Corinthians 10:31