I’m visiting over at Stacy Makes Cents today. Telling my story about our house, our stress, our food budget. It’ll be fun.
Here’s the first pic we saw of the house we live in now 🙂
The Character of Money
Trying to stay on a budget without a foundation of good character is like trying to stick to a weight loss plan without addressing the inner reasons why I’m fat to begin with. I’ll end up sitting on the sofa in 3 days with an open bag of Doritos.
When I’ve been out of control with money, it’s because something was off in my character.
This list of character qualities was one of those things that came to me while I was sitting in church thinking about my kids.
These are the things I want them to catch along the way while they are under my roof, so it will just be part of them wen they are grown and supporting themselves.
1. Stewardship: When I think of my money and things I own as God’s instead of my own, it changes everything.
2. Patience: When I’ve committed to never borrowing money, the right time is when I have the money to pay for it.
3. Generosity: We reap what we sow. If we sow generosity, we will reap abundance. Since my money is God’s I’m careful that who or what I give to is something He would want me to give to.
4. Honesty: Means telling the truth even if I’m telling someone the item I’m selling isn’t perfect, or if I wouldn’t personally buy it.
5. Servant Heart: Serving for the sake of serving, not for what I will get out of it. Choosing a job where my income is tied to how many people I can help.
6. Depth: Not judging a person by their income or quality of clothing, but knowing their true value comes from being created in the image of God. Similarly not thinking an item is higher quality just because it’s higher priced, or that a gift was not given with as much love, just because it cost less.
7. Gratefulness: When I appreciate what I already have, I’m not looking for the next thing to buy to bring me happiness.
8. Contentment: This is the opposite of entitlement. It’s knowing that I deserve nothing, and whatever I receive is more than I deserved.
What do you think? What would you add to the list?
25 Ways to Raise Happy Kids
A few weeks ago, I was sitting in church with a full heart. We had been trading illness around our house for a few months and hadn’t been able to attend as a family for that long. It felt so good to be there! I had a lot of things on my mind…a special concert, a conference that I was preparing to speak at, and all the things in my business that were laying in a to do pile. At the heart of it though, was my children. I’m good at spreading myself thin, so thin that I wondered if they were getting enough of me.
I closed my eyes in prayer and then words started coming. I grabbed a stub of a pencil and started writing in the margins of all the bulletins I could find. The kids were passing me scraps of paper so I could keep writing. I wrote down the notes I needed for the conference and then something new….the things I wanted for my children.
This wasn’t a prophecy, but more a spirit led clarity of thought. I started listing things and then realized it was “How to Make a Difference in the Life of a Child.” These are the things my parents and other loved adults did for me. These are the things that make up the positive parts of who I am today.
Homemade Silly Sludge aka GAK
Happy President’s Day! We love our founding presidents for sure. We celebrate their day by working on the house and trying to keep the kids from watching movies or playing video games ALL day. Day time clothes are optional. Bathrobes and fuzzy pajamas are acceptable for the dress code. (We talk about patriotism nearly every day, so I imagine it will come up today as well.)
Last night I knew I needed a plan if I wanted this to be a happy day. Hubs and I each wrote out a “would be nice to accomplish” list. Knowing that we would probably only get one thing done. Then I did a quick search for an idea to keep the kids occupied so I could work. Schedule for the kids: clean rooms; waffles with mom; special activity; play in the snow; board games; electronics after 3pm.
1/4 cup Elmer’s white glue, 1/4 cup cold water and 2 drops of food coloring.
I found a pin from Sugar Bee Crafts written by guest blogger Love and Laundry on making Silly Sludge or Gak. All the ingredients were on my basement shelf, minimal mess, short time involvement for me. Long time involvement for kids. Perfection.
After they mixed the glue,water and coloring together. We dissolved 1/2 tsp borax into 1/4 cup hot water. And poured that into the glue. It immediately started a chemical reaction creating a smooth polymer.
Aaak! Mom, I cannot touch this!
Not all of the water absorbed into the Gak right away. I used a spoon to lift the polymer out of the remaining water and onto a piece of foil. (Wax paper would have worked too, but we were out.) The kids kneaded it and kneaded it until it was smooth ball. Some of the kids opted to work the remaining water into their sludge. That worked out well.
Their first reactions were mixed. Heather didn’t want to touch it at all, but soon was enjoying herself with the rest.
Dub’s reaction.
Brandon’s reaction
Grant’s reaction.
It’s kind of a rule around here, that we don’t laugh when someone else is crying. (It’s only fun when everyone is having fun.) I broke the rule.
Grant didn’t take it well. The picture is fuzzy, because I’m laughing so hard.
Caleb is our sensitive one. He went after Grant and brought him back to play on his shoulders.
We’re sorry; want to try again?
Eventually they all had fun. 2 hours of it.
The next two pictures show you a sneak peak of how our kitchen project is going :). There’s my lovely craigslist range in the background and a few of our cabinets in place. There’s still a lot left to do, but my heart is pretty happy right now. Darren is working hard today and I may have a kitchen sink in a month or two.
One of the things I loved about this activity was experimenting with colors. We used the cheap liquid food colors that come in red, yellow, green and blue. In order from left to right these are the color combos:
1 drop yellow, 1 drop red (pale orange)
2 drops blue
1 drop blue, 1 drop green (bluegreen)
2 drops green
2 drops red, 1 drop blue (pinky lavender)
1 drop red, 2 drops blue (purple)
For the detailed recipe visit Sugar Bee Crafts.
Swagbucks is turning 6!
You’ve heard me talk about Swagbucks.com and how they can help you save money and earn gift cards. These gift cards paid for so many things over the years, so I’m happy to share a GREAT new way to earn get even more Swag Bucks — or even win a $600 gift card.
This year, Swagbucks turns 6, so they are giving away $600 PayPal gift cards to 10 lucky Swagbucks members — and one of them can be YOU. Here’s how: Sign up here for Swagbucks AND RSVP for their 6th Birthday Party. You’ll be assigned a team for the one-day Challenge on their 6th Birthday, Feb 25th. Now, for every 30 SB earned from the moment you RSVP through the end of Feb 23rd, you will get 1 entry into their birthday giveaway. Here’s the awesome part: ALL Swag Bucks, including ones from Swag Codes, count towards your giveaway entries.
Winners will be announced on the Swagbucks birthday, Feb 25th. Even if you don’t win the giveaway, they will hold a massive Birthday Team Challenge where all participants will get bonus SB, anywhere from 10 SB all the way to 500 SB for top earners. Make sure to click here to RSVP and learn more about the Birthday festivities and get ready to rake in the Swag Bucks and free gift cards!
Valentine Snack Mix
We made Valentine Snack Mix this week, just because. The kids each have a basket to hold their personal snacks for adding to lunches and for grabbing on the way out the door. I thought these would be a festive and unusual addition to their baskets. Read more
100 Years Old Today
This week’s blog theme is “loving our children” (last week’s was “loving our husbands.”) I’m not an expert on children by any stretch, but I’ve noticed, children spell love T.I.M.E.
It was the hundredth day of kindergarten today and by miracles my work schedule allowed me to go. This is a huge treat for me, and even bigger for Brandon, my kindergartener. There are some amazing mom’s in his class that volunteer every week. My busy schedule means I just can’t be in his room as often. He lets me know he notices. He’s honest like that.
But today…today I was there. At least my 100 year old self was:
And as silly as I felt, it was worth it, to see how happy it made him, knowing that today we are the same age. (Which is probably just how God sees us.) It’s hard to tell in this photo, but we both have white hair (from an over application of dry shampoo) and white eyebrows from a white eyeliner pencil. We used the same white eyeliner to make his mustache and a gray eye pencil for the wrinkles. We found the glasses at Dollar Tree. The rest we just dug out of our closets. Some of the kid’s outfits were so amazing! Crocheted shawls, wigs, and tiny little canes. (I wish I had permission to show you!) It’s so funny how many details these little guys notice about adults.
We spent the morning in the cafeteria with the first grade. There were 13 stations for them to explore what 100 means. My station was threading 100 fruit loops on a necklace. It was surprisingly hard for these little ones. Only 2 students could finish in the 15 minute window. It totally cracked me up how often they asked me how many they had on their string. They’d slip on 5 and then say, am I done? We did a lot of counting. I told them 50 plus 50 is 100. They thought I said 15 plus 15 is 100. When I explained the difference, I thought they would faint. Little eyeballs rolled back deep into their sockets.
Some of the other stations:
Doing a strenuous exercise for 100 seconds (whew! that felt like a long time.) After which they got a snack of 1 wafer cookie and 2 oreos (which looks like 100.)
Using an ink pad to put 100 fingerprint spots on a dalmation
Making a paper chain with 100 links
Stacking 100 cups
Putting 10 stickers on each of 10 strips of paper and then sticking them to a crown band to make a hat.
Putting 10 groups of 10 objects on a placemat and then reading stories about 100 things.
Cutting out a 1 and 2 zeros from paper and then making it into a picture.
It was a great time with the kids staying active and well-behaved all morning. I was exhausted by the end and ready to go home for a nap. Those 100 year olds sure had a lot of energy.
Just for giggles, here’s a video of Brandon doing the old man shuffle when he was asked to hand out papers in the morning. Bwa ha ha.
25 Ways to Date your Mate
My friends Stacy and Jenna have been joining me all week for a frugal date blog hop. And now it’s my turn.
The idea was for DH and I to take a super fun and creative date, photograph it and then post it here for inspiration. Bwa ha ha. We were able to sneak in one “leave the house date” in January. It was basketball tournament night, so we took all our kids to the basketball game, stayed long enough to cheer our son on to the end, and drop the little ones off at the babysitting exchange. From there we made our way to the church, where the college youth had a nice chili supper waiting. We enjoyed a meal with them and then gave a little class on financial stuff. (I don’t know about them, but I had a blast.) They changed direction after we left to a game night. We thought about staying for that….but we’re so old, we didn’t want to cramp their style. So, we drove around town wondering what on earth we should do for the next half hour before we had to officially pick up our kids.
Ice cream? Nope, I’m stuffed.
Window Shopping? It’s on the other side of town…
Home for some fun? Not enough time….
So we went to pick up our kids early and visited with the Mama for a while. We’re boring like that. But happy :).
That was a pretty exciting date night for us. Our date nights typically include a run to Chipotle, and then a trip to the hardware store, and home for a Netflix movie. Yawn. It’s pretty satisfying being dull.
If we had a super cool list of surprisingly cheap date nights then we’d have more of a chance a chance at being creative… Oh lookie here!
1. Swimming at an indoor pool
2. Blindfold date: Blindfold the non-driver then take them somewhere and have them guess the location. Suggested destinations: library; ice cream parlor; favorite shop at the mall; bowling; mini-golf; park…Remove the blindfold and have some fun at the first location, Then swap.
3. Have a progressive fast food dinner. Picking up a different item at each restaurant.
4. Play racquetball at the local YMCA.
5. Take a class together at continuing education services at the local High School. They typically offer ballroom dancing classes, art classes, cooking, and computer stuff too.
6. Go to an art museum (our big one is free.)
7. Give each person $10 and split up at the grocery store. Assign each person a vague list of items such as “meat” “dessert” “Side Dish” “bread” and let each person pick whatever they want. Go home and cook it up together.
8. Build a snow family to greet the kids when they come home.
9. Bake cookies together, then deliver them to widows and widowers from church.
10. Write down 10 of your favorite things about each other, then read them aloud: My favorite outfit you wear; Your cologne I like best; My favorite way you do your hair; My favorite thing to do together; My favorite memory; The thing I first noticed about you; The thing I miss most when you’re away; My favorite place we’ve been together; My favorite way you touch me; My favorite talent you have.
11. Write down 10 of your favorites and see if you can guess them about each other. Each item you guess right, gets rewarded with a kiss :). Favorite: Color; Food; Ice-cream flavor; Soda Flavor; Decor style; vacation spot; movie; song; book; car…
12. His/Her Spa night; bubble bath, candles, massage
13. Learn to Dance at home (via youtube)
14. Double date and have a game night
15. Formal night: Surprise him in your nicest gown then go someplace just for fun (Taco Bell, Frozen Yogurt, or the Mall Food Court)
16. Lift weights together, following up with protein smoothies and a muscle rub down
17. Plan your dream house or vacation
18. Talk about your 1, 5, and 10 year goals and make some plans to reach them.
19. Ice Skating
20. Watch your Wedding Video (via Imperfect Homeaker)
21. Browse an ethnic grocery store and try something new
22. Build something together from Ana-White.com
23. Write a bunch of post-it love notes to your kids and hide them in their stuff (inside their socks, school bag, bathrobe, book etc.) (While your at it, sneak some into your spouse’s stuff too–but don’t let him see you!)
24. Pass it on: Do a bunch of random acts of kindness around town. Leave a quarter in the cart at Aldi; shovel someone’s driveway; drop off baked goods on a neighbor’s porch, ring the bell and run; pay for someone’s order behind you in the drive thru; etc
25. Hot and Cold: Give each person $5 and tax and buy gifts from Dollar Tree. Go home and hide them around the house and play hot and cold until each spouse finds them.
The Way I Speak About Him…
…will determine the way the rest of the world sees him. I know him better than anyone else. If I say unflattering things about my husband, his reputation will suffer. My girl-friends will lose their respect for him. My mother will hold a grudge as a protective reflex for me. I will eventually forgive him, but the rest of the world won’t.
If I speak only kindness about my husband, and give him the benefit of doubt, I will grow in admiration and respect for him. The world will see the person, who knows him best, holds him in highest regard. I will free him to be his best self. I will encourage the parts of him that are the most noble. I will see him in his best light.
How I speak, influences how I feel. How I feel influences how I act. How I speak and act, influences everyone around me.
We are opposites in many ways. I get frustrated, so does he. The things that frustrate me, belong in the conversations I have with my Lord, the only One who loves him more than I do. The only One with the perfect ability to forgive. The only one with the power of the Holy Spirit to mold him into the man he needs to be. The man he really wants to be. If I nag him, I will bring rise to his pride, his natural reflex to defend himself. This will interfere with what God is trying to do in his life. If I do my nagging on my knees, I give God the opportunity to change both of us in the process.
My protector,
My Lover,
The father of my children, My provider,
My friend.
He deserves my highest regard, and distinction above all other persons. I purpose to guard my tongue.
*****************************************
I’ve dedicated this month to encouraging us to love our husbands and our children. Two other bloggers are joining me by giving an inspiration for a frugal date night. Yesterday, Stacy posted her scavenger hunt date.
Today, I want to introduce you to Jenna from Rain On a Tin Roof. Jenna is gifted with decorating on a budget while making it look fab. If you like classy family-friendly style, furniture rescues, and a smattering of humor tossed in, you’re going to love her blog. She is posting today about how to make a romantic haven for an at home date night.
Ground Rules for Babysitting Exchanges
In yesterday’s post, I promised to introduce you to Stacy from Stacy Makes Cents.
Stacy is a young mother of 2, living in Virginia who is famous for her healthy crock pot recipes. She has published several books and is currently working on a new cook book with nothing but creative oatmeal recipes. They are living a debt free lifestyle and appeared on the Dave Ramsey show with their debt free scream in 2011. I love her blog because of her great sense of humor and it’s practical information. Here’s Stacy’s mission:
We aim to teach families to live on less than they make, live free from the bondage of debt, live well while eating well, and have fun while doing it – all for the glory of God.
Stacy has posted today about her creative Scavenger Hunt date with her husband, Barry. You can read all about it here.
Yesterday, we also talked about getting free babysitting for your date night by trading babysitting with another family (or forming a babysitting coop.) In order for this to go smoothly, the parents need to sit down ahead of time and set up some ground rules. It’s way easier to talk about these things before incidents happen then to find an awkward situation where you have to confront someone.
Here are my recommended rules/things to discuss:
a. The babysitting mother cooks for all the children on date night. Every mother needs a night off from the kitchen once in a while.
b. Decide on a starting and end time for the date and make it the same every time. Then stick to it.
c. Decide ahead of time what will happen if a child disobeys. What kind of discipline is acceptable? At what point should the babysitting family call and interrupt the date? How should you handle a picky eater? A fussy baby? A homesick child?
d. What is pick up procedure? If the date ends at the same time every time and the ending time is respected, make sure the children have their shoes on and things by the door, so the parents aren’t delayed longer than necessary to get them home and into bed.
How to Choose a Coop Family:
Not every family with children makes a good babysitting partner. I wouldn’t be able to trade with a mother who:
Was brutally honest (no tact) and obviously had a bias towards her own children. I know my children aren’t angels all the time, but I’ve been with families who had children who could do no wrong so any conflict was obviously my child’s fault. I definitely want to know if my child has been a problem, but there’s always a gentler way to say it.
Had no idea how to handle children. I don’t want her to call me for every little thing….just the emergencies. Like if an ambulance is on the way, or someone died.
Is a yeller/screamer. My children need it firm and consistent, but they will cry and stay awake all night if terrorized.
Also, it would frustrate me to agitation if I picked up my children from a date night, and they weren’t offered any dinner. (Totally different if they were served dinner and refused to eat it.)
Another bad match is a family with values so different from ours that I would worry about what my children would be exposed to. Unsupervised access to the internet or cable TV would be a problem for us.
It takes a special family to even consider trading with us. We have 6 kids, and that can be overwhelming if they aren’t used to it.
Prepare Your Children for The Trade
Tell them to use their manners * Say, “Yes Ma’am, yes Sir” * To not beg for food (or juice, or soda…) * To be content and never say the word “bored.” * To keep a stiff upper lip since Mama will be back at 9:00 * Help the younger ones * Clean up after yourself * Say, “I’m sorry.” * Keep your stuff by the door. * Don’t beg to play with special toys (the ones the owner REALLY cherishes.) * Don’t tattle unless someone is being bullied/about to be hurt. * Own up to your fault in a conflict. * Be quick to forgive. * Share, but don’t cause a scene if someone isn’t sharing with you (the stuff all belongs to them any way.) * Don’t bring anything that will make you sad if it gets lost or broken. * If they are watching something you know you aren’t allowed to watch, find something to do in another room. * If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. * Eat what you are served * Remember you are mine * Have a good time :).