fun-bobs

My kids are generally pretty good eaters. But oh my, lately they have no interest in anything healthy. Snack time rolls around and all Caden wants is "somesing cunchy", which pretty much means he wants some type of sweet treat. Hannah isn't much better. I'm pretty sure it's just because this time of year there are so many sweet treats to be had that all the other healthy options just don't look quite as appealing. I'm not worried about it, I know they'll be back to their regular eating habits again soon. But in the meantime I do want them to eat something healthy every once in a while.

Hannah has been very into cooking and baking lately. She LOVES to watch foodnetwork and is constantly explaining to me how to make something. So, I figured if she was involved in making the healthy snacks that she'd enjoy eating them a lot more. So we decided to make little kabobs on toothpicks. It was just a square of cheese and a green grape. I remembered doing that with the kids when they were younger because they both loved (still do) eating food with a toothpick. And guess what? It worked! They both LOVED the idea and Hannah was coming up with all sorts of other things we could make into kabobs. Like red pepper and cheese, meat and cheese, strawberries and kiwis, black olives and cheese. Do you notice a theme here? We like our cheese! Anyway, Caden couldn't say kabob and kept asking us if they were "funbobs", and the name stuck!

Merry Christmas...a little late

I never send Christmas cards. I always intend to, every year I say "this is the year", but it never happens. Until this year! So, although I do not have a fun letter updating all of you on our family happenings in 2010, I do have a picture, and that's more then I can say I've done in the past nine years.



God has continued to pour out his blessings upon our family. That doesn't mean that this year has been without struggle, but we can see God's hand working in our family and we are so thankful for all the ways he provides for us. The biggest way was in the sending of his son Jesus as a baby to take away our sin and give us God's righteousness! What could be better then that!

Christmas Craft

Writing this blog has been on my to do list since...let's see, November! But then somehow, as it always does, life got crazy and blogging got pushed to the back burner. So whilst it may be a little late in the season to start this craft, I decided to blog about it anyway because it was so much fun to make and because I know your kids will love it!...and you will too.

Every year at Thanksgiving Chris's mom's side of the family gets together and after our turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie the ladies make a craft. This year we made an advent calendar. Well, they made advent calendars and I sat at home taking care of my little pumpkin Hannah who was sick with pneumonia. But anyway, I made one that night at home. I was so excited to get started once I saw theirs that I stayed up until 1 am working on it!


Here's what you need

mini muffin tin (which you can purchase at Walmart for less then $5.)
card stock, decorative Christmas paper, stickers and embellishments
adhesive magnetic strips
glue gun or tape
plate stand

You begin by making 24 squares out of card stock (2 1/4 inch).
Then add whatever embellishments you want.


Cut two small pieces of magnet and attach them to the back of each square.


Finally, fill each muffin tin with a piece of candy or a small piece of paper with a Christmas related activity for the whole family to enjoy.


Here's some ideas.

Watch a Christmas movie
Bake Christmas cookies
play a game as a family
Buy a gift for a family in need
Listen to Christmas music
Do a random act of kindness
Decorate a gingerbread house
Send Christmas cards
Read the story of Jesus birth

The Three Pilgrims - by Hannah Wassenaar

Once upon a time there was three little pilgrims. Samoset was their friend. The three little pilgrims had to work as hard as they could. They wanted to have a great time there and it was soon winter. Samoset helped them learn how to build houses and corn. Mary was one little girl, then Samo and then Pagana. Mary worked so hard that she got a little sick but she did not die. Soon there was other little girls and a lot of moms and dads died. Samoset wasn't way to sad about the parents, he was still glad the children were there. He would have been so sad if the kids would have died.

There was a bad ship coming across the sea. Suddenly the ship turned and Samoset was glad because he had heard that many bad ships were coming to America. But that boy (Pagana) wasn't telling the truth, he was telling a lie. That boy was now dead b/c he got really sick. The boy loved Jesus though but he disobeyed him a little, he tried not to but it happened. Samoset was very happy that the boy loved Jesus like him. He taught the children how to plant corn and zucchini and healthy tomatoes.

Samoset was a friend of all the little children. Suddenly there was bears all over the place and Samoset was glad he built houses and Samoset shooted the bears and they had bear meat for dinner and pumpkin pie for dessert and cornbread for the little side dish. Samoset was very happy that he obeyed God and worshiped him and went to church and liked God and not Satan.

The End.

The First Thanksgiving - by Hannah Wassenaar

Once upon a time there was a big town that the Indians called America. It was almost winter when they arrived. They had to build little houses and they did not have ovens or soft, comfy beds. They didn't have grills or backyards either, it was just plain little houses.

There was a man named Samoset. Samoset got kidnapped and he sailed across the ocean and got kidnapped way on the other side of the ocean. Then he went to another place where the people were nice. At last his friend found an American. Was Samoset going back home? He did not know if he was going home but he believed God.

Samoset, at last after 33 days, was back home but there was no on one there. Samoset felt sad. His houses were broke and during the winter when he was gone everyone had died of a sickness.

But then he heard kids; he heard grown-ups and pilgrims coming through the woods. Suddenly there was a crowd of people and Indians. And they were carrying 18 huge turkeys, pumpkins and corn and 8 squashes and zucchinis. Samoset was very happy that he had trusted God. The people helped Samoset rebuild his houses and they became friends. From now on the pilgrim people will be his friend. Samoset will never forget that day and that his friends had helped him. Jesus had helped Samoset during all those hard times.

The End.

Florida

I love my kids dearly, but let's be honest we all need a break sometimes right? Well, I got mine about two weeks ago when I flew by myself to Florida for five days. Do you know how easy it is to fly through security with only ONE pair of shoes to remove?? ...And to sit on the plane by myself in quiet and read a book...not one, but two entire books read in peace! And to eat meals, the entire meal, while it's still HOT! Oh man, it was Heavenly! There was no rushing around taking kids potty, brushing teeth, wiping snotty noses, combing hair, making sure we were out the door in time so we could be home in time for naps so we could avoid major melt downs! It was just...easy! It was wonderful to spend time, uninterrupted talking with my mom and sister and loving on sweet baby Kate! The only thing that would have made it better was having my sister Maria there! We missed you!

I was feeling slightly guilty for having such a great time without my family. But then I realized, it's OK to take a break sometimes! In fact, it's GOOD! By Monday morning I felt completely refreshed and ready to be a mommy again. I was ready to be hugged and cuddled...and yelled at and puked on! I just needed that little break.

And THANK-YOU mom and Dad for the ticket! What a blessing!

Here are some pics of the trip.









Isn't she SUCH a little cutie? She's a perfect mix of Kev and Jen. And by the way, Jenny is doing a GREAT job of being a mommy! Kate is one lucky little girl!

school

As you can see Hannah is loving Kindergarten. She was so excited to go to school on Friday that she sat outside waiting for her ride to come.

Let me back up. Wednesday was Hannah's first day of Kindergarten, it went really well. Chris and I both got to take her which was nice...mostly for me. When we got to the school I about lost it, but I managed to keep it together. Once we got to her classroom we were able to go inside and help her put away her school supplies, chat with the teacher and take pictures. We had written her a note at Kindergarten roundup and I was able to read that to her. They also gave me a Kindergarten Mom's Survival kit with tissues, Hershey kisses and a note about praying for you child. She was happily coloring a picture when we left. I did shed a few tears back at my car. I don't really know why because I wasn't feeling sad. I think I was just overwhelmed with emotion. I look at that little girl and see so many ways that God has been faithful to our family. I also was just so thankful that I was leaving her at a Christian school where I know that Christ is the focus.

The entire way home from dropping off Hannah Caden kept saying "I love you mommy. I love you. I love you too." I love that boy! After playing legos with Caden I checked my email and had a message from a mom of one of Hannah's preschool friends. She told me that her daughter was in the same class as Hannah at Trinity! ...And asked me if I wanted to carpool. Um hello, YES! Again I was just so thankful how God was working out all these little details on the very first day of school.

Hannah was all smiles when we picked her up, telling me about how there were 6 boys in her class and 13 girls and how she was so impressed with Maiya because she JUST turned five and she could already do the monkey bars. Doesn't take much to impress a five year old.

Well, bedtime was another story. Partly I think she was just overtired, but she was crying about how she would never have lazy mornings watching cartoons with mom and Cade. I assured her there would be plenty of summer mornings, Saturdays and holidays for watching cartoons. My goodness, she probably watches cartoons one morning a week. Maybe. But now she has to start freaking out about not watching cartoons!

The next morning she seemed fine. I kept reminding her that I couldn't walk her into school that day, she had to do it herself. She was fine. Until we got to school. I dropped her off and she started to cry, she was scared to walk in with all the big kids. I pried her off me and told her she HAD to go in. I mean, I was in a line of cars with a hundred kids being dropped off, I couldn't sit there and console her for five minutes. She walked into school crying. All by herself. With all the big kids. My heart was aching for her because I remember those feeling all too well myself. I prayed and prayed that she would be fine and it wouldn't send her entire day into a tailspin.

Thankfully, someone helped her get to class and she was completely fine when I picked her up. Now we've started carpooling with Maiya so she has someone to walk in with. Already by Friday morning she was begging to please go to Kindergarten and she can't wait for Monday.

So we survived the first week. Yes, there was lots of melt downs after school from being WAY to over tired. She hasn't quite adjusted to falling asleep early enough but I know we'll get there. I am overwhelmed with God's faithfulness to us! It's amazing to watch your kids grown up! Such a blessing they are!

shoe shopping

Oh my goodness! I don't know why this has become such a big deal, but I'm seriously stressing over buying school shoes for Hannah. She has to wear uniforms to school (which I'm actually really glad about considering how uptight I am about just buying some stinkin' shoes!) so I need her shoes to look OK with her little blue plaid skirts. And contrary to what Chris tells me I don't think it looks good to be wearing a plaid skirt, tights and tennis shoes.

I know, I know. She's five. Who cares what her shoes look like. But seriously, you kinda want your kid to look half way normal on their first day of Kindergarten. And by the way, they have a little section in the dress code about the kind of shoes she can wear, which I think is what is freaking me out. See, I follow rules, that's just how I am. So I already have visions of Hannah in detention her first day of Kindergarten because her mom didn't get her the right shoes!

So, three days of shopping for shoes later, I think I finally found some. Believe me, it's not easy to find shoes for my little Hannah. For one thing, she's not quite old enough to wear the bigger girl shoes so we're still stuck shopping in the Toddler section. And those little shoes are really cute when they're in size 3 and 4 but something happens when they get big and they just aren't as cute in size 11. Plus every pair that I thought "OK, these are HALF way normal" Hannah did not like AT ALL. So eight stores later, we now have two pairs of shoes. Her little running shoes are not PUMA as Hannah had hoped, (she wanted to be like her Daddy, but I refuse to pay $50 for kids shoes) but all the same she was pretty happy with what we picked out. I have one more stop to return a pair that doesn't quite fit and to pick her up some boots (which are IDENTIFCAL to my black suede boots that Hannah absolutely LOVES) and she is set.

Thank goodness that is OVER! I'm glad this only comes around once a year, I can't handle it!

In case you care, here's what we got

I had to put the box next to those so you could see the price tag. I paid only a little over $5 for those shoes that were origianlly $35. Don't ask me who in their right mind pays that much for kids sandals, but I certianly don't!

say WHAT??

My brother got married this past weekend in Wichita, KS so we had to stay at a hotel. We were eating our breakfast one morning in the hotel restaurant and there was a mom with her three boys sitting next to us. The younger boy was quite interested in Hannah. He someone heard us say her name was Hannah and he's like "Oh wow, you're Hannah, well, I'm so and so. I have a friend named Hannah. On and on." And he totally talked like an adult. It was hilarious. Kinda.

So, finally breakfast is over.

Then onto the wedding. I'm sitting in the front bench and I SWEAR I see this mom and her three boys walk into the wedding. Well, I know it's no one we know so it must be a friend of my sister-in-law Suzanne's family.

Onto the reception. Yep, it's definitely them. The little boy walks up to Hannah and says "Hi Hannah, do you remember me??" Then he grabs her hand and is holding it while they walk. Meanwhile I can tell that Hannah is not into the hand holding thing and she's looking very uncomfortable and barely says a word, which is NOT normal for my little girl. Finally she lets go and I go have the "you don't have to hold anyone's hand you don't want to" talk.

About half an hour passes and I think we're in the clear. Wrong. He spots her again and walks over. Hannah is trying desperately to avoid him but to no avail. Finally he walks up to me and says "You must be Hannah's mom." (How old is this kid 19???) Yes. Then...get ready...he says

"just checking, because I'm pretty sure I'm going out with your daughter."

... cough, choke...WHAT???

I politely told him that Hannah was too young for dating and discreetly walked away. Well, maybe not quite so discreetly.

I knew I'd have these chats with boys someday, I just didn't know it'd be quite this early. In all honestly the boy was really very polite...but seriously...you're FIVE!

girls day

I don't know if it's because Chris is feeling slightly guilty for taking an ENTIRE week off to watch World Cup, or if it's just because he really is the BEST husband ever, but whatever the reason, he totally wants me to feel like I'm having a vacation this week. So, when he suggested that Hannah and I go out and get our nails done I was ALL over it!

Hannah and I decided that we would have girls days. And we also decided that this will be our tradition every World Cup (which only happens every four years). We had planned to head out after lunch when Caden went down for a nap but Hannah was WAY to exicted and was begging ALL morning if we could "please just have girls day." So, I quick ran and took a shower and we headed out.

First we stopped at the Gretna Salon where Hannah got a manicure and I got a pedicure...it was heavenly. First of all because I so rarely get pedicures but also because it was much fun to see Hannah and her first experience at a Spa. She actually asked the nail tech if it would hurt. :)



Then we decided to do some shopping. Hannah has been saving her allowance money for several months and wanted to buy a bunch of beads to make necklaces and bracelets. We headed to Target and I will admit I got distracted several times (clothes, jewelry, shoes) and Hannah kept saying "Mom, remember it's Hannah day not Mommy day." I politely reminded her that it was "GIRLS day and not Hannah day." But, I did get back on track and we picked out some fun beads. Oh man, I just realized I didn't get a picture of us playing with the beads...oh well, I'll take one tomorrow.

After shopping I thought it'd be nice to grab a bite to eat. Hannah loves Panera, as do I (Chris not so much) so I was hoping I could convince Hannah that we should eat there. But Hannah was SO anxious to get home and start playing with her beads that all she'd eat was a McDonalds cheeseburger, through the drive through of course because going inside to eat would just take WAY to much time.

We played beads after we got home and I made a new rule. NO DUMPING THOUSANDS OF TINY BEADS ALL OVER OUR SHAG CARPET. I think I'll be vacuuming those up for weeks. Oh and later on in the day Hannah accidentally dumped the beads all over AGAIN and Caden thought it was so fun to say "not again, not again" that he decided that HE would dump them all over AGAIN right after we just spent 15 min cleaning them up. Ah, family memories!

So, it was a great day. I'm loving time with my little girlie. I have to soak it all up while I can.

Can't wait for tomorrow....I'm heading out to my estetician and then Chris said "as long as you're out why don't you grab a Starbucks and do some shopping!" You don't have to tell me twice. I'm kinda likin' this whole World Cup week!

Beauty

My dear sweet Hannah, you are FIVE! I can't believe it...(do I say that EVERY post!) But it's true, time does fly by! I'm trying to enjoy every chance I get to play with you because these days are quickly coming to an end. Already, you're more interested in playing with Kalvin, Troy and Kelsey then with mom! So...I'm cherishing our days of crafting together, taking walks, riding seesaw, playing polly pockets and boxcar children.

I am feeling very blessed to have been your mommy for five years! And when I look back on the past five years I see a little girl who is full of beauty!

Beauty is how peaceful you look when you're sleeping.
Beauty is the tears you cry over your sin.
Beauty is giving your last piece of gum to your little brother.
Beauty is the way your eyes sparkle when you're happy.
Beauty is your determination.
Beauty is starting a club to collect pencils for homeless kids...because "mom, poor kids need stuff to do too."
Beauty is when you look around to make sure all your preschool friends are being included.
Beauty is the hugs and kisses you give.
Beauty is ALL the cards, pictures and letters you make for others.
Beauty is the sound of your laughter.
Beauty is the way you pour your heart out to God in prayer.
Beauty is the way you hurt for others when they hurt.

And Hannah, mommy's prayer for you is that you'll always be a beautiful girl, who grows into a beautiful women! And you know what makes you so beautiful? It's CHRIST working in your heart. And no matter what others may think or say you will ALWAYS be beautiful to HIM!

So my little girlie, live for Christ and keep on letting his beauty shine through you!

A Daughter

Most of you know that I've been having some problems with my SI band. All that pretty much means to me is I can't exercise. I have friends who have struggled through various injuries and have been unable to run for long periods of time and I remember them being pretty upset about it. I also remember thinking "good grief, it's just running, it's not that big of a deal." Well somehow that thinking tends to change when you're the one in their shoes!

So I have to admit that I've been a little bummed that I can't run. According to Chris and I have myself as an invalid in a wheel chair for the rest of my life... I guess I do tend to over react just a LITTLE! Anyway, this has all got me thinking about why I'm so ticked that I can't run. I've come to the conclusion that the reason it is so important to me is because I want to look good. Vain, I know. The thing that's bothering me the most is why it's so important to me to have a nice body. Then it hit me...I'm living like an orphan! I'm caring WAY to much about what other people think of me and not caring enough about what CHRIST says about me. Who's daughter am I anyway?

"So you are no longer a slave but a son (DAUGHTER)" Gal 4:7

Oh God, please remind me of who I am in you! I do not have to have the perfect body or the right clothes or the most beautiful home for you to love me!

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:7

I am a deeply LOVED and CHOSEN DAUGHTER of the MOST HIGH KING! And if you are in Christ then you are to!

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

A Yes Day

Both of my kids are fighting sickness and overtiredness (I don't know if overtiredness is a word...but that's definitely what they are.) Anyway, needless to say I heard A LOT of whining and arguing between the two of them this morning. And I don't know if I woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning of if it was the dreary weather....or maybe it was because I am just ready for my husband, and best friend, to be done with tax season. Whatever the reason, I was NOT in the mood to break up fights all day long.

I considered my options.

1. Sit around and play referee all day
2. Let them watch movies all morning
3. Take them out and do something fun...and get myself out of this house!

I chose option three.

I packed them up, even though Hannah was whining all the way that she wanted to be HOME, and I took them to the mall to play. (Sorry to all you mom's whose kids have now been exposed to my kids sickness...but seriously, I was going a little crazy and had to get them out!) They had a great time running around and Hannah was excited to see one of her friends from preschool at the play area.

We thought we'd grab a bite to eat before heading home for nap time. And I decided to let them chose what they wanted. They chose pretzels and cheese from Auntie Anne's, rainbow colored, MSG, high fructose corn syrup laden popcorn and a ice cold sugary lemonade. I spend a lot of my day telling them "no", and every once in a while I think I should just say "YES."

Oh, what did I eat for lunch? Well, it is a "yes" day remember...I chose the ever so healthy white cheddar popcorn and pretzels. And when I got home I washed it all down with some chocolates and a Wild Cherry Pepsi!

This whole "yes" thing is kinda fun, I think I may be trying it again sometime.

green smoothies

My kids are pretty good eaters most of the time. And while they're not crazy about vegetables they'll eat what's required of them. But let's be honest, what kid is begging for more spinach? Now, I'll be the first to admidt that cooked spinch is definitely not on my list of favorite vegetables of all time (unless of course it's mixed with sour cream, parmesean cheese and artichokes!) I just can't get over the texture of cooked leaves. I think it's because I lived in New Guinea and had to eat hairy cooked pumpkin leaves, cold, on several occasions.

At any rate, I have found a way to get my kids, myself and yes, even my husband, to take in massive amounts of healthy green spinach. Green smoothies. I got the recipie from a friend at bookgroup and you HAVE to try them. So, here's what you do

Fill a blender full of fresh spinach
Add one bag of frozen strawberries (or any fruit you like, we've tried adding blueberries and bananas, but strawberries are our favorite)
Pour in about 1-2 cups of 100% apple juice

Blend it all together and you'll NEVER know that you are eating spinach. Plus, you are getting a lot more spinach then you would get just eating a salad, because it's all juiced down.

Try them, you'll like them and so will your kids. Yeah, you can all thank me when you're kids are begging for spinach smootheis! :)

NOTE: You may not want to mention to your children (or husband) what exactly is going into these smoothies until you've got them hooked! :)

schooling

FINALLY a decision has been made!

For the past year Chris and I have been discussing where Hannah would be going to school for Kindergarten. I had a brief (OK, it was about 6 months) period where I seriously considered homeschooling. Chris and I feel that we have a HUGE responsibility to train up our children in God's ways. We also knew it would be a big money saver to keep her a home, even if it was just kindergarten, rather then sending her to private school. However, after much praying, discussing and talking with families from our church who are homeschooling now, we have decided that is not for us. While we still believe that we need to be training out children at all times, as Duet 6 talks about, we don't believe that our children need to be ONLY trained by us. We will definitely still be training her when she is at home, which will still be the majority of the time! We also want Hannah to learn to work with others, something that you don't get an opportunity to do as often with homeschooling.

Next we had to decide whether to send her to public school or Christian school. Chris and I both went to Christian schools most of our lives, however I did attend a public school in Dallas Texas for a year and LOVED it!

I think that the first question we had to answer was whether we were running AWAY from public school or TOWARD Christian school. We didn't want our decision to be made out of fear. We believe it is so important that Hannah be salt and light in this world, but we also believe it is so important for her to have a solid Biblical worldview and be trained by teachers who care about her heart issues. So again, more praying and talking with families who've sent their kids to public and private schools.

We finally decided that the best place for Hannah to grow and learn right now is at Trinity Christian school. I talked to a good friend of mine who reminded me that Hannah IS salt and light RIGHT NOW, she doesn't have to be in public school for that. She has many neighborhood friends, soccer team friends, preschool friends who she is shining the light of Christ to.

Our decision really came down to a Biblical worldview. When we meet with the administrator at Trinity Christian he talked about how their curriculum is geared toward Biblical worldview in all their classes, not just a Bible verse at the top of a math sheet, not just during Bible class, but how all of life is seen through the lens of our faith. We also talked to many families who have sent their children to Trinity and they all kept on saying that they just LOVED the teachers. We were also impressed with how established Trinity was as a school, they have an excellent music program (that was important to me, not so much to Chris), drama program, computer lab, library etc.

Right now we're taking it one year at a time. Honestly I don't know how we're going to pay for years of Christian school, I only know that if God wants Hannah at Trinity he'll continue to provide the finances.

I am SO glad that God uses children is ALL schools for His glory. I'm SO thankful that there are kids getting an amazing education at home and being knit so closely to their families. I'm SO thankful that God is using kids to be a shining light for Him in public schools. And I am SO thankful that there are kids, like Hannah, who go to Christian school and have a solid Biblical worldview being taught to them.

I am excited and a little apprehensive about this new schooling journey, thankfully I still have a couple more months to prepare! :) It's just another step in faith, letting go of having my little girl with me almost all day and seeing how God is going to use Hannah for His Kingdom!

Hannah's prayer

OK, I do NOT want to forget this. I just tucked Hannah in bed and here are the direct quotes from her prayer...the ones I remember.

"And God you are just SOOO wonderful. Would you please just go through our money when we're not looking and give some of it to the poor people. And would you please help the poor people to ask for money and would you help them to go to the Open Door Mission. That would just be WONDERFUL God."

"And God, you made EVERYTHING just by speaking words. You said "supplies" and there were supplies. You made birdies tweet and you made lions grr and bite. It's just SO precious Lord; It's so precious and we don't want to give you away."

And last night she prayed,

"God would you please, please, please, please, please, please, please let Mrs. Fletcher get better. Because God if she's half dieing then she can't get back here again."

Out of the blue Hannah decided to make a card for Mrs. Fletcher. She has been working so hard on it, the poor girl has been tormented over whether or not to give her valentines tattoo to Mrs. Fletcher or keep it for herself. Anyway, yesterday she said, "Mom, Mrs. Fletcher is so lucky because she gets to go up to Heaven and be with Jesus!"

Out of the mouth of babes....

I need my nose

You know how when you were little your parents use to grab your nose and pretend their thumb was your nose?? I totally remember my dad doing that I thinking "that's not my nose, it's your thumb." Well, apparently Caden is too young to realize that his nose is not actually being taken off. Chris and I do this on a regular basis to him because...well...it just cracks us up. Here, take a look for yourself.

grocery budget

Recently I've had several people ask me how we keep our grocery budget so low. Right now we're spending about $75 a week on groceries, and that includes cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products and diapers.

So, I've done some thinking about how we're able to spend so little. (I still have no idea how money saving mom only spends $40.00 a week on groceries.) Oh, and let me start by saying that we were spending about $100 a week and I remember thinking "there is no way I could spend less then that." Then I realized that if I could shave off $25 per week that would be $100 a month!

Here's how we do it. First of all, I think WHERE you shop makes a big difference, so I do most of my shopping at Walmart. The only store that I have found to be less expensive is Aldi, and actually the only thing I can get there for less is dairy products. And since the closest Aldi is 30 min away, I'm sticking with Walmart. Even if everything you buy at another store only costs between .10 and .25 cents more, when you're buying 100 items that really ads up.

Anyways, the great thing about Walmart is that they pricematch, which is another way that I save money each month. It only takes me about 10 min each week to look through the add and find out what's on sale, I then try to plan my meals around the sales. I probably save about $10 a week using pricematch, which seems small, but when you're on a tight budget an extra $40 a month comes in handy.

I think the biggest way I've saved money is to SIMPLY my meal plans. I usually have one main dish, some fruit, a vegetable and maybe some home-made rolls (which is also a BIG money saver.) I realized that I was making fancy dishes that my kids didn't like and they were costing me a fortune. That doesn't mean that I still don't enjoy trying new dishes, I do, but I try to stick to a couple new recipes a month.

I also checkout moneysavingmom.com each week for deals on deodorant, toothpaste, contact solution and many other things. Combining a sale with a coupon I can get most of these items for free or nearly free, and even if I don't need them at the time, I buy them, b/c I know I'll eventually use them and then I don't end of paying full price.

Another thing that I do is a pantry challenge. I got the idea from moneysavingmom and it's been awesome. I generally have one or two meals a week that I planned on making but for whatever reason didn't get around to. So every couple weeks I try to have a pantry challenge, using up all the extra food I have stashed in my pantry has been a big money saver. That way we can save $75 a week by not buying groceries...I then save that money and if we're throwing a party or I'm hosting bookclub I never worry about spending the extra money because I know I have it in my grocery budget.

OK, this post is getting really long but one last trick that I learned is to put a basket in your grocery cart and every impulse buy you pick up put in your grocery basket, then at the end of the trip, take out the basket and don't buy all the extra things you don't really need. Also use cash when paying for your groceries, it's a lot harder to part with cold hard cash then to just swipe your credit card, and it's easier to keep track of how much you're spending too.

You may wonder what we're eating every month but I assure you that we have a very healthy and varied diet. I know this doesn't work for everyone, we all have seasons of life when we are WAY to busy to spend time clipping coupons and comparing adds. Just sharing what has worked for our family, and because of all the little ways we save money I'm able to stay home with our kids and out of debt.

Experiences

I guess I should have proof read my last blog title before posting...oops!

Now that I've cleared that up, unto my next thought.

Every tax season I fly with the kids down to Florida for a week or two to visit my parents. Why? One, because hello, it's WARM! But mostly because Chris is busy working and it's a great break for us, gives us something to look forward to, and I love that my kids get to see their grandparents and aunt and uncle and build their relationship with them.

But, every year I go to book the tickets (which get more expensive every year) and I question whether or not we should go. I think, "it's so much money and we could use that money for _________ " fill in the blank. Chris and I have had many discussions about money and how to spend it over the past eight years of our marriage and you know what we always decide, that we value experiences/relationships over things. We just don't know how long we'll be around or our parents will be around, or how many years we're actually going to be able to afford taking trips to Florida so we're going to enjoy them while we can.

OK, I am totally not saying that you should take out your life savings and fly to Tahiti for a week (although that is sounding better and better). I think it's important to be wise with the resources God has given us. But I also think that sometimes we spend too much time being consumed with saving every penny we make for the future. I don't know what the future holds. What I do know is that I have my family RIGHT NOW and I'm gonna enjoy them RIGHT NOW and spend time with them for as long as God allows me! So I'm gonna book those tickets to Florida and I'm not gonna feel guilty about it and I'm not gonna wonder how I could have spent that money more "wisely" and I'm going to hold on to those memories of taking my kids with me every tax season to see their Grammy and Papa. And I think I just wrote the longest sentence ever, but that's beside the point!

Andrea, if you're reading this I hope that you have an AMAZING time in California, I am SO excited for you guys. I know your kids will remember that trip for a long time and I'm sure you and Steve will never forget it! PS--I hope you don't mind me telling the world your vacation plans! :)

What Hannah loves about her Dadyd

Last night before bed Chris asked Hannah what she loved about her daddy.

She said

"That you love Jesus and that you give mommy kisses!"

Potty training

I dread potty training. I don't why, it went pretty smoothly with Hannah, it's just one of those things that I DON'T like to do. At least when they're wearing a diaper it's contained in a small area. Plus, you're not taking them to the potty all the time, which isn't that big of a deal when you're at home, but when you're in the check out lane at Walmart with half your groceries still in your cart....then, yeah, not so fun.

Anyway, Caden has been pooping and peeing regularly on the potty for the past six months, so I finally decided that I have GOT to potty train that kid.

Day one: One accident...kind of. I noticed that he was a little wet so I put him on the potty and he actually did still pee.

By the way, we just moved into a new house and since I don't want little pee spots all over our carpet I put him in his underwear with a diaper over top. (Thanks for the tip Maria). He looked HILARIOUS with his blue boxer briefs with a diaper over top. And he just happened to be wearing his "chick magnet" shirt. Man, I should have taken a picture of that.

Day two: NO ACCIDENTS, yet anyway. I was SO brave and even went to the bank and the store with him in his underwear.

So far it's going well. But I know that tomorrow is coming and since I'm on the second time around with potty training a child I know that just because we don't have accidents today doesn't mean we won't have any tomorrow.

By the way, if you have any advice on potty training I'd love to hear it. All I'm doing is letting him wear underwear and setting him on the potty every so often. I've noticed that if he sits willingly he really does have to go. He normally only fights me if he really doesn't have to go. So, I kinda go with his mood and so far it's working out.

Now if I can just get him to tell me when he has to go, that would be awesome!