Making a Habit of Joking

One thing that was missing in my house growing up was laughter.  My mom commented to me about this two years ago.  She commented on it because it is present in our home now.  My kids love jokes.  Last year, I made an advent calendar with pockets for the month of December.  I put a joke inside each pocket.  The kids take turns telling one at dinner each night.  They love this tradition!

I regularly keep my eye out for joke books to keep their minds tumbling.  A

new one coming out is titled The Big Book of Laugh Out-loud Jokes for Kids by Rob Elliot.  It's a 3 in 1 collection that combines his 3 previous books into 1 collection.  I think this is great!  #1 it saves money (the three books separately would cost about $12.50 and the one book costs $9 on Amazon.  #2 it saves space--one book is much easier to travel with than 3!

This book is full of jokes that all my kids (5, 8, and 10 years old) can enjoy together!  They'll sit at lunch and read a few at a time.  My middle daughter suggested that they each read one and then trade the book.  But, then she loved telling one so much, she wouldn't pass it on!  As a mom, I'm glad that it's full of wholesome jokes and not potty humor. 

In any case, if you're looking for a fun joke book to share with your kids--look this one up!  

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Revell Publishing.

For Moms Who Have Time...

I wrote this post last night...

Okay, I'm feeling a bit tired and cynical tonight.  My day...  I got up at 6:30 a.m. then folded two loads of laundry, drank a cup of coffee, did dishes, got my husband's lunch ready for work, sent two emails, made french toast, went grocery shopping, made lunch, dropped by a friend's house for a minute, did school, made dinner, cleaned up, talked with my husband, got the kids to bed, ate a piece of chocolate.  There wasn't a lot of extra room in today.  I did get think aloud bookmarks laminated to help guide our conversations as we read The Cricket in Times Square.  I did get a birthday gift purchased for a party the girls are going to next week.  I did get a new shirt and pants purchased for my oldest daughter.  But, planning a holiday tradition or getting things together was not on my mind today.  Traditions and holidays take energy and time.

A friend of ours commented to me after Christmas that he and his wife were so tired after Christmas had passed. They realized that when they were kids they just got to enjoy Christmas.  But, now they are the adults and they get to do all the work that goes into Christmas!  I agreed with them.  It is a lot of work.  It's worth it, though.  We are making memories for our children that they will have when they are older.

On days like today, it's hard to imagine all the work that we put into holidays and traditions to make those memories.  But, we do it.  Because we enjoy the work and our families enjoy the fruits of our labors.

My goal is to find easy, simple ideas to make traditions and holidays fun and special for my family.  My kids know how much I love them and that I try.  I'm very transparent to them about my humanness--probably too transparent since I wear my heart on my sleeve.

In any case, I love to look for ideas.  So, books that are full of ideas are right up my alley...

A new one is coming out titled Everyday Confetti by Karen Ehman and Glynnis Whitwer.  These two

women are a part of Lysa Terkeurst's Proverbs 31 ministry (proverbs31.org).  Everyday Confetti walks you through the year with ideas for each holiday and a recipes along the way.  The book has a fun front cover that made me want to love this book.  I wanted to "want" to make the recipes in the book.  I wanted to find simple ideas in it that I looked forward to doing with my family.

But, I just didn't.  I didn't find any recipes I wanted to make. I kept flipping and hoping, but none of the recipes were ones that I would make.  I was a little bothered by the idea that Valentine's Day is known as "Singles Awareness Day".  But, I looked it up and found that indeed it is also now known as Singles Awareness Day.  Hmmm...

I kept reading and looking for ideas.  But, none of them clicked for me.  It doesn't fit with my life.  My time is taken up right now with school and teaching.  When I read, it's usually about how children learn.  I hadn't realized this before I picked up this book.

This book is filled with stories by moms.  They're written in the flowery, descriptive way that we talk with our friends (with more words rather than less).  They're great if you have time--to read them and implement them.  If you're going on a vacation and will be spending time as the passenger in a car, this is a book you could read.  If you're starting out with toddlers and big dreams of all the things you'll do with your family, then this book might be for you.

But, if you're coming down from the clouds, grappling with your life as a mom, trying to figure out how to make things enjoyable and simple for your family, then I'd pass on this book.  I know that may sound strange and like I said earlier--cynical, but that's where I'm at right now.  Sometimes this is the kind of book that's actually hard to read.  Because it can feel overwhelming or discouraging.  Sometimes you don't have a husband who's on board with cheesiness.

I do things to make my kids' lives special, but it looks a little different.  Making my kids' lives special means breakfast in the morning.  It means giving a hug whenever they want one.  It means listening to Adventures in Odyssey with them.  The time we have is what we savor.

This is probably a perfectly fine book.  It's just not where I'm at right now and after getting through the Winter holidays, I'm not ready yet to tackle anymore for a little while.  Right now, I'm keeping my head above water and putting one foot in front of another!

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Revell Books.

Post Script... please forgive me for my cynicism in this book review!

After Christmas Sales

You might laugh at this admission, but this Christmas I actually thought about making sure I had a little money to spend after Christmas at the sales that come up.  I've noticed that there's often some very good sales around this time of year.  

My purchases this year were...
Some tissue paper (50cents for 24 sheets) at Walgreens.
An light triggered switch for our lights with two plugs to replace the one we had been using ($5) at Target. 
A gift for my mother in law down the road for $4 at ShopRite (Grocery Stores often have great deals!)
Treat bags for cookies next Christmas for 50cents at ShopRite as well...  

And about it.  My husband made the point to me that we have a lot coming up and that sometimes buying ahead isn't always the wisest thing to do.  I agree.  If I'm shopping for an event very far off, I might forget that I've purchased something or purchase something else additionally because I didn't remember!

But, today, I found one deal to purchase for my girls this winter for sick in bed days and too cold to go outside days...  On CBD.com, Seasons 1, 2, and 3 or Road to Avonlea are $9.99 each.  And there's a free shipping code available through Jan. 3rd if you purchase more than $35.  If you go to Retailmenot, they have a code you can copy and paste.  Normally, it's always between $45 and $60 a season.  I've never actually seen it go on sale and I've been watching because my girls really enjoy it.  I love it too and watched all 7 seasons when we used to have a Netflix subscription.  It's hard to find shows I feel really comfortable with them watching and this is one of the good ones!

Anyways, just wanted to pass that along...

Recovering from Christmas

Christmas Day was just a few days ago.  It feels like it was just yesterday.  I'm tired.  Being a mom never gives breaks.  But.  That's okay.  I had an interesting conversation today with a family friend.  Their Christmas this year was hard.  I felt bad for he and his wife.  

Christmas seems like it would and should be fun and easy to navigate.  But, it often isn't!  There's so many expectations that get wrapped up in Christmas.  Expectations about gifts, family traditions, what's going to happen when and who's going to come...  It's hard to navigate.

Back in November, I was a part of a conversation where two moms I know were sharing about how their own families don't have any Christmas traditions.  Each Christmas Eve and Day are held at their in-laws according to their in-laws' traditions.  As I listened, I felt a pang of sadness.  Did these in-laws realize what they were taking from these families?  When we grow up and start our own families, part of Christmas is forming a new set of traditions--partially taken from the wife's family and partially from the husband's and partially new to both.  These are traditions that our children will remember and associate are very special.  

The conversation really made me think.  The in-laws were also being selfish about wanting everything to stay the same and not changing.  I don't know these families personally and I say this from the outside listening in.  I also say this because I saw the same thing in my own heart.

Two years ago, my mom, mother in law, and youngest brother in law moved to where we live.  My husband and I had formed our own set of family Christmas traditions over the previous ten years.  My mom had been there each Christmas because that was her annual visit to our home for a week.  But, my mother in law and brother in law hadn't.  

Listening made me reflect on my own selfishness.  Have I been extending myself to my in-laws when it comes to my family traditions?  Am I holding on and not changing because I don't want to?  Am I including all in the discussion?  I perceived them as joining our family.  They perceived us as a part of theirs.  Perhaps neither is correct actually.  Perhaps, it is actually all our family and thus we all need to sit down and discuss, delegate, share, and rotate responsibilities.  If one person wants to always take the same holiday, that's okay--if it's okay with everyone.  But, I've realized it's good for everyone to get to host if they want to.  I realized that it's okay to let go.  It's okay to decide together.  And it's even okay to change.  I realized from listening that I needed to communicate with all my family why I want to do certain traditions and which family each one comes from, too.  

I also realized that I can do other traditions in my home that still make the holiday unique for my children and special just to us.  Christmas morning it's just us and our kids.  Everyone else comes around 1 p.m.  We open presents one by one and savor that time.  We enjoy it like a long meal instead of gorging ourselves the way I picture Animal from the muppets would probably open presents.  It's the way we like to do things.  Then, we get together with our family and enjoy the rest of the day together and one another's company. 

This Christmas was one of my better Christmases.  I was thankful that everyone enjoyed the gifts we'd picked out.  I was thankful that my kids were just starting to get colds, so they weren't too sick to enjoy all of it.  I was thankful that we all enjoyed being together.  A lot of work went into it and there were some bumps a long the way, but as a friend told me today---when you become an adult, you become responsible for the work that goes into Christmas!  

I am thankful for the love the Lord has blessed us with.  I am thankful for the children He has entrusted to us.  I am thankful to Him.  It was a rough year, but God is faithful and it is good to savor times of joy.

Adding spice to our diet

I realized that our family menu had gotten very repetitive of late, so I tried two new recipes this weekend.  One was America's Test Kitchen's Skillet Tamale Pie.  It has a great flavor!  I found the recipe online HERE.  I didn't use the topping from this recipe.  I actually used the corn muffin recipe from ATK Family Cookbook Here.  The only issue I had was that I didn't halve the cornbread.  It was too much.  I probably would even make a third next time as the topping to make the ratio better.  It was really good. 

The second recipe I made was Chicken Tikka Masala, but I couldn't find the exact recipe that I used online.  It was from America's Test Kitchen's Quick Family Cookbook.  I have to be honest, this cookbook has sat on my shelf for a while.  I have the ATK's Family Cookbook, Healthy Family Cookbook, and the Quick Family Cookbook.  This Chicken Tikka Masala recipe was unusual, but so good!  My family all thought it was as good as what we ate last time at the nearby Indian restaurant.  

So, if you have this cookbook, here's the changes I'd suggest for this recipe...  only use 1/8 tsp cayenne and mix the spices into the yogurt before coating the chicken.  Don't rub the chicken with the spices and then in the yogurt.  Definitely pound the chicken thin and then slice into pieces.  Also, add 1/4 cup chopped raisins to the sauce.  My husband loves it spicy, so he added cayenne to his dish when it was served on his plate.  But, my kids and me... well we need mild food.  So, this dish worked well for us!  

Tonight I made a Chicken broccoli stirfry for dinner.  I used the Asian Wing sauce (with half the honey) as my teriyaki sauce from the ATK Family Cookbook.  These really are my go to cookbooks.  

It's felt good the past few days making something completely new.  It's something I want to keep up this year!

Christmas Shopping

Musings...

I heard a story of a couple spending hours shopping for a purchase recently.  It reminded me of a frustration my husband and I frequently experience around Christmastime.  You want to find the "perfect" or "right" gift. So, you start looking (if you're like me) and sometimes you find it quickly and sometimes you don't!  

I think the thing I often forget is that the extra time I take shopping takes time away from other things I should or could be doing.  And it makes an interesting comment about what I value.  Specifically, the value I put on "things" and pleasing others.  

Yesterday morning, I had one last gift to purchase for my mom for Christmas.  It's actually her only gift because it's a big gift.  I looked for about fifteen minutes and then went to check with my husband about whether what I'd found was okay.  He had a suggestion about what might be a better choice, so I went back to the drawing board and started looking around at three other websites.  I found about ten options and started narrowing them down.  After about thirty minutes, I settled on my choice and picked it.  I picked one that was guaranteed to arrive by Christmas (with free shipping) at a store that had a better and easier to deal with return policy in case she doesn't like it.

I'm thankful for internet shopping because of my kids.  It's easier to shop online for a few minutes than get in and out of the store (which I did six times with my kids yesterday in the span of three hours) for a single gift especially when I'm trying to think about it and don't know exactly what I'm getting.  But, I do hate how the time adds up!  

I think it all comes down to something a friend of ours said--that with more choices comes more unhappiness.  If you have a lot of choices, it's harder to choose because you think you might be happier with something else--even after you've chosen.  I think that unhappiness is a potential consequence whether you're purchasing something for yourself or someone else.  

I think my Christmas shopping is almost done.  I have one gift that I need to buy on Friday without my children, one gift card to mail, and one more gift for a family member.  Yay!  

Pad Thai from Scratch

One of my favorite dishes is Pad Thai.  I have tried to make it at home before, but the smell of the fish sauce just overwhelms me.  In our new home, we actually have a vent fan that vents out to the roof (not one that just spits the steam back into the room).  So, I thought I'd try again with the help of a new cookbook.

Enter Everyday Thai Cooking by Katie Chin.  This is a fun cookbook to look through and it has many of

the standards you'll find on the menu of most Thai restaurants.  There are many ingredients in this cookbook that are hard to find where I live.  But, that's where David Joachin's Food Substitution Bible comes in handy.  There was one thing that I most wanted from this cookbook--a good Pad Thai that I could make.  And I found one.

One night a few weeks ago, I gathered the ingredients and started with fixing the noodles.  This was the area where I made my one mistake.  Rice noodles get mushy if you leave them in the hot, boiling water too long.  I forgot to set a timer and remove them from the water after ten minutes.  I won't forget to do this next time.  I also had to substitute lime juice for the tamarind concentrate.  (I had to substitute after looking in three local grocery stores for this ingredient.) I was concerned that this would make a big difference, but it worked out quite well.  The pad thai was recieved well by my husband and oldest daughter, the most experimental eater of my three children.  I will be making this recipe again.  

As for the rest of the cookbook, it is formatted well.  The directions are easy to follow.  I liked that the ingredients were in a different color ink than the directions.  But, neither color was hard to look at.  I've read some cookbooks over the years printed with light colored ink that were very difficult to read!  For every recipe, there was a beautiful color picture.  Being a visual person, I love pictures.  The photographs were very well composed and the focus was on the subject.  I find the more I get into photography, the more I pay attention to photos and their composition.  

If you're looking for an engaging and fun thai cookbook to try, take a look at this one.  But, be prepared to look for a few substitutions unless you live near an asian market.  The closest big asian supermarket to where we live is 45 minutes to an hour away.  So, I'll plan on making a list from this cookbook and picking up a few ingredients the next time I'm in that area!  

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this cookbook for review from the publisher.

Gift for parents of 1s and 2s (and 3s and 4s)

The other day a good friend of mine came by with her 1 1/2 year old and the baby she's visiting.  Her little boy so wanted to go up to the tree and touch the ornaments.  She stopped him and redirected him.  As I watched him, the memories came flooding back of when my kids were that age and how they wanted to touch everything.  It was a bit stressful to me.  We worried about the tree tipping over on them.  We worried about damage to the ornaments that had weathered the years through both of our families and many that my great grandmother had made.  

It's an interesting thing.  Should I have cared?  How important was it?  What's a good solution?  What's most important?  That's the question that's easier to answer.

My kids and the memories they'll have when they grow up of our Christmases.  I don't (and didn't) want them to be stressful ones.  I'm afraid that's what my kids often think of me!  They still love me though.  Anyways, I was working on a gift for my brother and his wife when I thought of a good gift for friends...

Child Safe ornaments!

So, here's my plan.  I went to this website.  There's a bunch of great Christmas shape templates.  My plan is for my kids to color them with me.  Then, I'm going to laminate them and cut them out.  We're going to tie a string through each so that they can hang on a tree.  

This is the laminator that I have...  http://amzn.com/B00BUI5QWS  and the laminating sheets that I use...  http://amzn.com/B00BWU3HNY  The sheets end up costing 13 cents each.  5-6 ornaments can be laminated with each sheet.  

We're going to make these ornaments for our friends with 1 and 2 year olds--who love to touch the tree.  My hope is that it will make my friends' Christmas' a little less stressful when it comes to their Christmas trees by having some kid safe ornaments to hang on the lower branches.

I wish I had thought of this when my kids were really little to begin with.  After a year or two with my little ones, I did come up with the solution of giving my kids their own tree.  So, that's what we've done for three or four years.  It has all kid friendly ornaments that aren't easily broken.  

There are lots of things we change about our lives when our kids are little.  We do these things so that we can enjoy them instead of being stressed because they're who they are--Little kids love to touch things!  It's totally natural.  They do have to learn boundaries and as parents we try and be reasonable.  But, if you have to constantly say "No! Don't touch!"  it can get very stressful and disheartening.  It can steal the joy from many moments.  So, my approach has always been to do what I can to make our home more child safe, but at the same time say "No. Don't touch." when I needed to.  One example of this was two years ago, when I took all of my Willow Tree figurines and put them in a box downstairs.  Three had been broken accidentally in the course of two months.  Rather than getting upset again, I thought it would be better for all of us if I just put them away.  I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but I know my personality and I knew it was the wisest thing for me and for my kids.  Though my patience and grace for my kids has grown a lot, there's wisdom too.  Knowing that it's wise to simplify so that it's easier to cope.

I'll post a picture when they're done!

Oops! I pureed the bay leaf!

The other night I made a buttermilk broccoli soup for dinner.  But, right after I'd pureed the soup in my Vitamix, I realized that I hadn't taken out the bay leaf!  I panicked.  I've been trying to teach my girls how to cook simultaneously while I cook the main part of the meal.  Having conversations and cooking can often get mixed up in my head and it's hard to keep track of ingredients once in a while.  

I sent the kids out of the room while I tried to recover and figure out what to do.  There wasn't time to cook anything new before dinner.  Otherwise we were going to end up eating at 8:00 p.m.!  I looked online for information and to try and figure out if we could eat the soup or not.  Here's what I discovered...

The bay leaves we cook with aren't actually poisonous unless they're consumed in large amounts. There is ground bay leaf in Old Bay Seasoning actually.  Some people can react to bay leaf and have stomach aches.  The biggest reason why is that bay leaves are tough in cooking and they usually don't puree very well.  The rough edges of the leaves can tear you up inside.  In my case, there was no trace of the leaf to be seen.  It pureed so well.  I couldn't pick out any pieces, because there weren't any to be picked out.  

I called my mom and another gal I knew to ask their opinions.  Both had never made the mistake I did, but both thought it would be fine.  So, we ate the soup.  And we were indeed fine.  Thankfully.  I'm going to try and remember in the future though.  The bay leaf did give the soup a much stronger flavor when it was pureed and my kids ate it, but didn't care for it.  

So, in case this ever happens to you--toxicologists did agree on everything I read on the internet that bay leaves aren't poisonous. But, the flavor is very strong and you wouldn't want to eat one if you happen to see one in some soup you're about to eat.

Good Deal on a Jim Weiss MP3 Album

We have several audiobooks/recordings from Jim Weiss of Greathall Productions.  My kids love them all.  I love that they're usually educational--either from classic literature, history, or the arts.  Recently, I had a $3 MP3 promotional credit on Amazon.  I discovered that Jim Weiss' album "Mystery! Mystery! for Children" is only $3 on Amazon.  It's $14.95 to purchase the cd.  This album includes: The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe, The Blue Cross by G. K. Chesterton and The Red Headed League by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

My kids have listened to it and all love it.  When you purchase it, you do have to download it to Amazon's cloud player and then export it to Windows Media Player in order to burn it onto a playable cd if you have a PC.  I couldn't burn a cd directly from the cloud player.  My kids take the cds and listen to them in their rooms or in our car.  If you haven't listened to an audiobook by Jim Weiss before, you can hear samples of the album on Amazon.  

PS  In order to find it on Amazon, search for the title with the word MP3 after it.  When I typed in simply the name of the album, only the cd came up the first time.

Pursuing a hobby...

I'm an amateur photographer.  I suppose I could turn it into a business, but I'm not sure if I want to yet.  My primary job is to teach my children and I need to focus on them.  I've been pondering this a lot lately.  And I've come to a few conclusions...

1) I don't need to be good enough to I get noticed on the web.  I just need to do the best I can with my photography skills that God has given me and is developing in me.  There is this idea that pervades our culture that tries to creep into my thinking.  It is the idea that what I do is valuable only if another (or rather many) people value it.  This is one of the problems I see with social media surrounding our lives and seeing what other people do all the time.  It's hard to escape comparing ourselves to others and placing too much value on the opinions of others.

2) Every photographer has their own "bent"--what they see or are looking for in a picture.  I don't like the family pictures where everyone is wearing the same exact colors.  What I love more is when a group wear's similar colors, but clothes that express their own personalities.  I love what these pictures say about the bonds of family and diversity in every single family.  Here's a post I found with some good advice.

3) It is worth doing something we enjoy even if we aren't good at it?  Have you considered the artist or musician that simply loves to "do" their craft, but can't carry a tune or paint a recognizable picture?  Is what they've done worthless?  No.  I don't think so.  The gift of enjoying doing something is a gift from the Lord, I think.  

4) Live.  Enjoy.  Do.  Don't give up.  It takes time to develop skill.  Perhaps even longer when we pick up something new as adults!  Maybe you're like me and you expect to be able to do something right the first time.  I know that's the way my children are wired.  I see it in myself sometimes.  I look back now and I can't tell if my pictures are better than they were two years ago, but I hope so.  I've learned a lot about composition and I understand my camera now--which I didn't two years ago!  

  

Stinky Washing Machine

We've been in our new home for two years and I still miss my old washing machine.  I loved it.  It was a top loading washing machine.  When not in use, I left the top open and I never had an issue with a smell.  It got my clothes so clean!  Less water and less energy.  

In our new home, the laundry is stacked and is placed in our now tv room.  It used to be my son's room.  We can't move it to the basement, so it has to stay where it is.  

I have been battling this washing machine and the smell in it for two years.  I had to keep the door shut because the door opens into the machine and I didn't want to break the swinging door (it has a huge plexiglass or glass panel in the center of it).  Sometimes I'd leave it open anyways, but worry about the door.
Unfortunately, the swinging door is also always shut and so it traps moisture in the room.  

I've tried Tide's washing machine cleaner repeatedly, but the smell would come back within a day or two.  

Finally, this week, I thought of placing something tall enough to block the door from swinging wide open (but staying open) to let the air in.  We also have had a room dehumidifier in the room for three months now that I was so grateful to find brand new at a garage sale for $4!  What a blessing!  I paid full price for the identical one that we have in our bedroom.  The only downside of this dehumidifier is that the lid on the bottom part of the water container doesn't come out, so I can't clean it if needed.
 
The smell is finally, finally gone!  That's the thing I've found about high efficiency washers--the lids need to stay open in order to dry out.  I don't know why they're different than the old ones, but I'm sure there's a reason that has to do with the way they work.  I'm just thankful.  Propping the door is easy enough.  I just needed to think about it!

Price Matching This Christmas

My kids, like most kids their age, love legos and my girls have been getting into Lego Friends.  I learned something interesting today that I wanted to pass on!  Last winter there were no sales on Lego Friends.  This line was always excluded.  But, this year they are being included!  Yay! 

This week, in particular, the sales are better than they have been the past two weeks on Legos (on both Lego City and Lego Friends).  My girls had some birthday money and wanted to purchase a set together, so I looked around online and found a set for $37 at Toys 'R Us online.  I had discovered two weeks ago that the online price, though, is often different than the in store price.  You can however, purchase online and pick up at the store (!) with Toys R Us.  I didn't think we'd run into an issue, so I didn't order it online and just went to Toys R Us in person.

We went to Toys 'R Us and found the set out of stock.  So, we tried the nearby Target--again, out of stock.  I told them we may just have to order it online...  Anyways, I went without them to return something else this evening and checked to see if it was at a store closer to us (which is the store we always go to).  It was in stock.  I didn't know what the price match policy was, so I went up to the front counter.  The gal at the counter had a tablet and said that she could match Target's online price--if it is in stock.  It wasn't.  So, I told her the price was at Toys 'R Us and she found it there in stock so she was able to price match it!  Yay!  The instore price of the set at Target was $47.  So, it was a big difference.  I was also able to use the $5 off Lego coupon that you can find on the Target site.  And my 5% off coupon from my pharmacy rewards :)  

So, this is what I learned.  Even if you don't have a smart phone (like me) the folks at Target have tablets at the Customer Service Counter.  They will price match to their site, Walmart.com, or Toys R Us.com.  I think you have to know where to ask them to check when you go in, but I was so glad to know that they will do it!   I know a lot of people have smart phones and can show the price on their phones and I was worried the store wouldn't be able to help me.  But, they were after all!

Stretching So You Can Spend When You Need To...

Last Sunday, I was talking with a friend of mine who I always enjoy talking to.  She gives me much food for thought.  Her daughter is two years older than my oldest daughter.  She's just a step ahead of me.  We often talk about clothing our families and the challenges we find in this task... and what we do/where we go to tackle this task.  I have another friend that I also regularly ask about this often difficult task when I see her.  

The jist of our conversation on Sunday was that clothes for tween and teenage girls cost as much as adult clothing today.  So, what do you do?  We talked about how we save where we can so that we can spend where we need to.

I have been so blessed with hand me downs from friends for my girls and son.  I do have two girls, so you'd think they would hand things down from one to the other.  But, NO!  Two years a part and two inches in height still equal the same size clothing and the younger one wears larger shoes!  So, I need double clothing.  I try to often thank my friends who have given me these hand me downs because I am so thankful for them.  
In September, we had to buy 6 pairs of shoes--a pair of casual shoes and tennis shoes for each child.  The bill totaled $180.  I swallowed hard as I paid the bill.  But, we needed to get them in one fell swoop.  I didn't have the time or energy to shop around at multiple shops and find clearance shoes.  I did walk out of the store thankful. My kids all had shoes on their feet without holes.  I hadn't bought any shoes this summer new.  My son wore his shoes from the spring and hand me down sandals.  My girls wore sandals and flip flops that I'd bought at a garage sale (that looked brand new) for $1/pair at a garage sale at the beginning of the summer and $2 flip flops from Kohls that I'd used a $10 off coupon on to make them free.  

Last spring, I asked my other friend where she was shopping now for her daughter who is taller than my daughters, but the same age.  She has started shopping at Crazy 8.  She shops sales online at LLBean when she can.  I think it was she who told me that the quality of Old Navy clothing has gone down a lot.  She used to shop at Carter's, but Carter's only goes up to size 7.  OshKosh does go up to size 12 online.  And their clearance prices are pretty good.  

My friend I spoke with on Sunday likes to check out Goodwill whenever she gets the chance and she has found some great treasures there.  My other friend does go to consignment sales and has been able to clothe her kids for less taking advantage of them.

I have to be honest, I have declined going to consignment sales in the past.  I have received so many hand me downs and I like to pass them on.  As a matter of conscience and heart, I would never consign any clothing that I had been given for my children.  I actually love thinking about the little girls in our church and sorting the clothes we pass down based on their personalities and individual flairs for style and bounce.  My girls have caught hold of this idea and now get excited to go through their clothes at the end of a season and pass things on.  

But, BUT...  I went shopping with my oldest daughter on Monday for the first time.  I was prepared for the cost of clothes by my friend Sunday morning on church.  So, I didn't have a heart attack.  I had never taken her shopping for an outfit before.  She had always been too little or I'd garage saled for her clothes.  WOW!  I had no idea that clothes size 10 could cost so much.  I thought I knew it--sort of.  But, I didn't.  Autumn was patient with me and we figured it out together.  We started at Crazy 8.  Then, we put a few things on hold and checked out Sears (Land's End), GapKids, Justice, and JCPenney.  I was disheartened by the high prices and the garishness of much of the clothing we saw.  We headed back to Crazy 8, which I love.  She found 4 dresses on sale.  Three of the dresses were on clearance for $10 (which I learned from our shopping is a good price).  One holiday dress was 30% off.  She was pleased and so was I.  She stretched the money had given her to spend for her birthday, but explained to me that she wasn't concerned about the clothing's original prices.  She just wanted to purchase what she could afford and make it stretch.  Sometimes my daughter makes me smile without realizing it.  She can be wise beyond her few years.  

If I had to purchase all of my children's clothing, I would definitely go to consignment sales.  I would watch the emails from Crazy 8 and Osh Kosh.  You can return clothing in store and not have to pay a fee.  If you find an item in Crazy 8, but the size isn't in stock, they will ship it to the store for free.  We found one dress in the store for $10, but they didn't have Autumn's size in the store.  It was instock online and they are shipping it.  I paid for it in the store and it's on its way.  I was impressed that they would do this even with a $10 clearance item!

I save on clothing for me.  I shop clearance and never buy anything full price.  I can do this.  I save on my kids' clothing and shoes whenever I can, so that I can afford the more expensive pieces when I need to.  I save so that we can spend what we need to on my husband's clothing which is always a bit more expensive.

As moms, we have many jobs.   Clothing our families is one of them.  It can often be very challenging, but it's one more area in which God continually reminds me that he will always provide for my family.   I am so thankful for how He continually provides.  

PS 
Several years ago, I approached several friends and asked for their hand me downs.  It was a little hard to ask, but I am thankful I did.  Several of my friends consign clothing and then use the proceeds to provide for the new clothing their children need.  I know this is a huge blessing to their families and a way God provides for their families.  But, if you have hand me downs and don't need to consign them, would you consider asking someone you know if they need any hand me downs?  My friends and I even hand things down from one to another for each other--not just our children.  That's the thing about being women and giving birth to children--our sizes change over the years.  I found a pair of shoes this summer at a garage sale for $1.  They didn't fit quite right when I got home,  so I gave them to one friend to try out.  They didn't fit her, so she returned them to me.  So, the next week, I passed them on to another friend.  It gives me joy to pass them on.  And my friends smile when they receive them.  The gift is doubled.  I have a pair of jeans that one friend from church gave me.  Honestly, they're my favorite pair.  They fit so well!  And I think of that friend and pray for her family when I wear them.  

I have found that hand me downs are an opportunity to minister to and encourage others.  I approached one of the families on my daughter's soccer team and asked the wife what size pants she wore.  I knew things were tight for them right now and they're dealing with a lot.  I brought her a bag of clothes another friend had passed on to me.  She was very thankful for them.  I have other clothes I'm going to give her for one of her children, because there isn't a child in our church close in age.  I know this may sound strange, but I actually pray and think hard about who I can give things to.  God gives me great joy as I watch people enjoy toys and clothing that we have passed along.  One mom told me when I recently called her that she was just in need of pants for one of her daughters when I called.  That next Sunday, I handed her a bag with six pairs of pants.  What a blessing to be used by the Lord in such a way!  

Audio CDs for Kids

Last year, I took advantage of Lamplighter's 7 for $7 download sale.  My kids love to listen to cds--stories and music alike.  My 5 year old son has recently been listening to all sorts of things and I wanted to find some new additions for our collection.  

I find that I get frustrated at the local library because many of the audio recordings are contemporary books and the kids and I don't like how the characters talk to each other.  Hotel for Dogs is one such example.  The kids hid a lot from their parents and aunt.  They lied and did get in trouble--sort of.  The consequences were watered down at the end of the story and things still worked out perfectly--for the kids.  My girls just didn't like it very much.  

One recording artist that we've enjoyed in the past is Jim Weiss of GreatHall Productions.  We have four of his cds that have been listened to over and over.  Last year, I purchased three more that I found inexpensively used on Amazon.  This morning I went looking again to see if I could find anymore that would fit in our budget.  

What I discovered is that several of his productions can be downloaded as MP3s.  The cost varies between $3 and $9.  Most of them are $9, but one--Mystery! Mystery! for kids is only $3.  Arabian Nights is $4 on MP3 and the new one about women in the Civil War is only $6.  I just purchased Mystery! Mystery! and look forward to listening to it the next time we get in the car.  I haven't listened to it yet, but we have enjoyed all the rest of his recordings, so I'm sure we'll enjoy this one too!  

A Surprising Foodie Ingredient

A few weeks ago, I received two jars of salt in the mail to try from The San Francisco Salt Company. 

The first jar contained Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt.  When I opened up a jar of this salt, I thought about who this salt would perfect for. It's the perfect gift for someone who loves the smell of a charcoal or wood smoke BBQ, but can't have a BBQ because of where they live. Twenty years ago, I went to Australia for six months. I remember longing for American candies that I couldn't purchase while I was there (even though I hadn't eaten them while in the US). As for the flavor, When I opened up this jar, I was amazed. I felt like my husband was barbequeing over a charcoal campfire or a Weber with wood added to give it a smokey smell. Instead, you can cook on the stove, sprinkle a little of this salt over your food (while it's cooking or afterwards), and taste the smokey flavor that comes with barbequed meat, chicken, or vegetables. The aroma of this salt is delicious. It was amazing! The salt is a fine grain and the shaker sprinkles nicely over a dish of vegetables or meat. If you're looking for a special gift for a foodie, I'd definitely share this salt. 

If it's for you and the presentation isn't your first priority (and the salt is), then I'd purchase the bag. If it is a gift for a friend, I'd opt for the specially packaged jar that is a bit more expensive. 

This is definitely something that I'm going to be recommending to every foodie I know!  It's one of those gifts that you give someone who loves to cook and is tricky to buy for.   

The second salt we tried was the Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. My sister in laws enjoy this salt and  my mother in law actually bought some for one of her granddaughters who loves the color pink.  This salt is very delicate and flavorful.  It is a fine grain, but not as fine as table salt.  I think the flavor of this salt is best when used at the table for your salt shaker rather than mixed into food when cooking. Over eggs, on french fries, over roasted asparagus... 

Neither of these salts contain iodine, which is needed by our bodies so they are best used in combination with iodized salt in your cooking. These salts add wonderful flavor when added on top of food.  Iodized Table or Iodized Sea Salt can be added while cooking.  A century ago, goiter was a very common condition.  Iodizing salt pretty much rid us of this condition.  But, there has been a popular trend to replace iodized table salt with sea salt--which is usually not iodized.  Using a combination of both salts can allow us to enjoy both.  Here is a quick description from the Mayo Clinic's website about the difference between the two.  

The best prices are found directly on their website.  Currently, there's free shipping for purchases over $20.   If you enjoy the flavor of salt on your food and have a delicate palate, I would check into these salts.  They are less expensive per ounce when purchased in bags.  There are small sampler bags or larger bags sold by the pound.  

In comparison to other companies selling the same types of salt on Amazon, the prices on San Francisco Salt Company's website seem appropriate given the packaging and product.   

 Please note that I received complimentary samples of these two salts from the San Francisco Salt Company.

An Extra Expense with High Efficiency Furnaces

Last week, our chimney was cleaned and given its annual inspection.  I was so relieved when the man gave me the bill when he was done and no extra repairs were needed!  Yippee!  Just about everything in our house ends up requiring additional repairs when it's done.  I'm hoping that we're getting to that point when we'll get to do more maintenance than repairs soon!

Before he cleaned the chimney, I was a little concerned about what he would find.  This past spring we had a stainless steel liner put inside the furnace side of our chimney to protect the inside of the chimney from crumbling any further.  Crumbles had fallen and blocked the outflow from our furnace.  The furnace has a safety shut off that prevented it from running until the blockage was removed.  Because one side had to be fixed, I was concerned something similar would be required for the other side.

Thankfully, it didn't.  And I learned why...

The next question from the chimney sweep when I told him of the repair was whether I had a high efficiency furnace.

Yes.

How long has it been in?

Three or four years.

"I thought so."  The man said and then went on to explain that the high efficiency furnaces create a lot of moisture inside chimneys--due to their efficiency.  And such repairs are often required in the first few years of installing a high efficiency furnace.

Hmmm.... Interesting information.  It actually made me feel a little better and not so worried about our house crumbling!

So, I thought I would post this just in case you're thinking about installing a high efficiency furnace --so you can be prepared for the coming expense ($1000-$2000 or more depending on the size of your chimney).

Facebook stuff to be aware of...

http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/10/facebook-search-privacy/

Facebook just isn't that private.  It's ironic that Facebook's founder seeks such privacy (purchasing the homes around his home so that they won't be bought up by developers) and yet heads up a company that takes away people's privacy little by little.  

I'd almost liken the way facebook is decreasing users' privacy to the way a frog dies in boiling water.  The water heats up little by little so that the frog doesn't know that he's in danger.  

One of my brother-in-laws made a good point last week at family dinner about facebook.  The people who use facebook often cry out about not receiving good customer service.  But, the catch is that the people who use facebook are not the customers of facebook--they are its product.  I thought this statement was very insightful, true, and important to keep in mind.  

Every once in a while, I miss facebook.  But, I still wouldn't go back.  I don't really have that much free time anyways...

Bookmarks!

My husband just announced to me that he was going to buy some bookmarks.  I'm sure you can guess my response.

No!  I have a laminator!  Don't buy any!  We'll make some!

He said, okay, but we need to have a big stack...

So, my search begins.  I found this great list of bookmarks here:
http://www.tipjunkie.com/all-crafts/bookmarks-to-make/

I love these and can't wait to make them with the kids:
http://www.tipjunkie.com/all-crafts/bookmarks-to-make/

Fun monster bookmarks to color:
http://www.everydaymomideas.com/2011/05/free-lil-monster-bookmarks-coloring.html
You can download the document from scribd or you can copy and paste the image into Word and fit it to the page.

Great bookmarks to color (and perfect for laminating!)
http://freestuff4kids.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/color_bookmarks.pdf

More coloring ones:
http://stephaniecorfee.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/EasterColoringBookmarks.pdf

for adults and kids... owl bookmarks
http://www.tipjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/08/tjbookmarks.pdf

Bookmarks with reading quotes:
http://www.simplecrafter.com/free-printable-simple-bookmarks/

I'm actually glad he said something because I realized I've been spending too much time on writing projects when I have a few spare minutes.

As of October 4, 2013 all of these links work.  I get very frustrated when I go to sites with lists of links and none of them work!

Iodized Salt vs. Sea Salt

I remember reading in books as a kid about older people struggling to live with goiter.  I never thought to find out what exactly it was.  Almost a century ago, there was a huge amount of iodine deficiency.  Then, salt was iodized to remedy that problem.  This solution helped a lot of people and goiter/iodine deficiency.  

But, over the past few years, iodized salt has been replaced on many tables by non-iodized sea salt.  So, does it matter?  

This link explains the basics about iodine in an easy to read way.  
 http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-QuickFacts/
This article talks about the iodine controversy:
http://thyroid.about.com/od/newscontroversies/a/toomuchiodine.htm

Just something to think about.  In our house, we use sea salt for seasoning grilled vegetables and occasions when I want the salt to stand out in a food.  But, the rest of the time I use iodized table salt.  A few years ago, I used sea salt--mostly because it was the "new thing" and I have always chose less processed foods and ingredients over ones that were more processed.  I suppose it's a silly line of reasoning.  But, then somewhere along the line we switched back because sea salt was more expensive where we moved to.  I'm glad now that we ended up switching back.  It's important for the kids to have iodine in their diet!