Breaking down my grocery budget...

I'm doing well on my grocery budget. But I thought I would start breaking down the costs of my meals to see what meals were actually cheap and what meals are sapping my money. So, here we go. My total bill for this week was $44.14 for 4 people including toilet paper.

Breakfasts:
$0.30 Oatmeal (3 days for 2 people)
$0.20 Cinamon Toast (2 days, 2 slices each for 2 people)
$0.82 Pancakes (double batch for 4 people)
$1.95 Egg & Sausage skillet (8 eggs & 1/2 pkg tube sausage
$3.27 Total for Breakfast for 1 week

Pat's Lunches:
$1.28 8 Salami Sandwiches (day off for New Year's)

Lunches:
$0.72 PB&J Sandwiches (9 sandwiches, 1 each for 3 days)
$1.54 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (11 sandwiches)
$0.00 One day of dinner leftovers!
$3.54 Total for Lunches for 1 week

Dinners:
$2.65 Meatless Chili
$2.19 Chicken Noodles soup with homemade noodles
$1.92 Fake Chicken Pot Pie (made with biscuits...not pie crust)
$1.92 Chicken and Dumplings
$1.64 Potato Pancakes with Chicken gravy & green beans
$1.56 Homemade Bagel Dogs with Baked Fries
$4.96 Make your own pizza night (sausage)
$16.84 Total for Dinners for 1 week

Snacks:
$2.49 Applesauce (homemade 8+ cups)
$4.00 Popcorn (4 bags...normally it wouldn't be this pricey...but I'm still using up the Boyscout popcorn that my son had to sell)
Muffins & cornbread, which total about a quarter per batch.

So, there is my grocery budget. We splurged on a few very minor things. We bought two 2 liters of pop at $.055 each. But that was about it.

I'm going to try to continue to break down my costs, so I can see what is expensive and what isn't. Until I did this, I didn't realize how expensive the "make your own pizza night" really is. But, I'll look at it this way...the kids absolutely love making their own pizza's and it is SO MUCH CHEAPER than ordering pizza and having it delivered!

Trying to save to no avail....

Ugh! We have been doing so well trying to save money. Now, I went and totally blew it! Somewhere along the way, I screwed up my checking account and overdrew. It cost me $50 in fees. So I went back, tried to figure out the problem, couldn't really find anything wrong. So we made our deposit last week and everything seemed to be jiving with our banks online system. So, I go back on today just to make sure I am still balancing and BOOM! I'm overdrawn again. So, now I will have at least another $25 fee, plus if Hubby uses his ATM card today, we'll get hit for that too! It is so frustrating, becuase I have been over and over the checking account ledger and can't find anything I added or subtracted incorrectly, and can't find anything missing. I balanced as of my Dec. 14th statement, and can't find any problems after that. I even went back and rebalanced my Dec statement, just in case and it is fine!

I am ready to tear my hair out with this whole thing! I guess I will have to bite the bullet and go to the bank today and see if they will give me a printout of my account. More than likely, they will charge me out the wazoo, just for printing out a piece of paper. But at this point, I don't think I have any other options. It might be time for Hubby to get rid of his Debit card again. His spending is somewhat out of control with it. He is getting his allowance, then on top of that, he is spending an addition $200/month with his card. Granted, some of that is family stuff...eating out, shopping, etc. But most of it is his use while he is at work. We are gonna have to sit down and rebudget tonight and work something out.

But first, I need to get this damn checking account under control! I've never made a mistake like this in the 15 years I have used a checking account, so it is driving me absolutely bonkers!

Christmas at Simply Mommy's

I have been so busy getting ready for Christmas that I haven't blogged in almost a month and didn't even realize it!

We had a very nice Christmas this year. I did my best to make sure that we weren't going to be running around to a million different places. We were supposed to have a quiet Christmas dinner with friends, but Hubby (of course) went and made other plans for us. So I had to cancel dinner with friends last week, but it worked out becuase they came over early and we had a nice Christmas breakfast all together!

My oldest son has been stricken with the flu. So he was sick throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas day, but he was a trooper! I was going to stay home with him, but he insisted on going, which was a good thing, becuase it shortened our trip to the in-laws! ; ) At one point he was so tired, he was laying on the couch opening presents under a blanket...I felt so bad for him. He had a temp of almost 103, most of the weekend, but he did great. And knock on wood...I think it is starting to break now!

Of course, our family went totally overboard on gifts, so I now have a ton of stuff that I have to get rid of in order to make room for the new. The kid's had a great Christmas, they each got the top thing on their list from Santa, then a few smaller things that they love. So, all in all we had a great Christmas. Santa filled their stockings with homemade Christmas crackers, and homemade coupon books along with lots of Candy...I was surpised how much they loved the coupons which entitle them to things like picking their favorite dinner, picking dessert one night, picking a movie and having movie night, getting a footrub, etc.

Today, I am trying to find places for everything and trying to recoup from the hectic holidays an being up most nights with sick kids. So I think we will start out our New Year with quiet evening at home! Maybe we will spend the night watching the movies we got for Christmas! On the up side...I threw my diet out the window for about a week, but I only gained 2 pounds...and I made sure I unloaded all the cookies we baked on relatives, so no more in the house!

Frugality at it's finest...

Ok, so this month I am really planning on kicking ass on lowering our expenses. Not much of a choice, really. We just need to get back to basics and get some things caught up, so I can start putting money away into an emergency fund. So in December, I plan to catch up on all the bills. Then in January, I will be putting away everything I have towards and emergency fund. Once I can get the EF up to about $1000...then I will start taking our extra's and putting it toward paying off the truck. Then that money can go into the EF as well.

So my pledge to myself this month, is to keep the thermostat between 66-68 degrees, going down to 60 degrees at night. I am fighting with everyone about keeping lights off when we are not in a room. That seems to be really tough. It seems like I am the only one doing this, but I'm working on it. Until I can get them "trained" to turn off the lights, I will just have to keep making the rounds and switching off lights.

I am trying to cut our grocery bill by ALOT this month. Because we need to get caught up on so much stuff, I have very little money for groceries. So I have a budget of $200 for groceries for the entire month. That includes all three meals a day for the four of us, any cat/dog food and all beauty accessories, TP, soap, etc. So it is gonna be tight, but I think I can do it. I will be keeping a running talley in the comments section of this entry!

Wish me luck. I really think we can do it, we just need to crack down. It is just going to be hard with Christmas coming up, but luckily...most of the shopping is done!

Slow and Steady, wins the race...

The weight loss race that is. Since getting my Gazelle about 2 1/2 weeks ago, I've been doing pretty well. The weight is coming off at a healthy rate, not too fast & not to slow. In about 2 1/2 weeks, I have lost 6 pounds (and kept it off...no going up & down) and I've lost 2" off my waist! The pants that I bought the day before Thanksgiving no longer fit! Which is good, but now I need another pair of new jeans. I think I am going to stick to stetchy waisted paints for a while, then when I get down to my goal weight (only 16 pounds to go), then I will go out and buy a new pair of jeans as my reward!

I've been doing my best to spend at least 20 minutes on my Gazelle each day, and trying not to eat too much junk food! I haven't even changed my eating habits that much, and with the added exercise, the weight is still coming off. I will need to work on changing my eating habits in order to stay slim, but I am doing that little by little. Making small changes here and there. If I jump whole hog into eating healthy, then I know I will fall back into my old habits and binge on junk food when I cheat, and I don't want to do that.

I have about 16 pounds to go. Of course, I took some "fat" before pictures and when I hit my goal weight I plan to post the before & after pictures for the world to see. Well, only if I look really good in the after pictures! : )

Other updates:
Our family is doing well. Our budget took a huge hit, so we are on a spending freeze. We are literally not buying any extra's whatsoever. Even as far as groceries go, I'm going to spend the smallest amount of money I can, and only once the food we have in the house runs out. We will be eating strange meals, as I try to make meals out of the combinations of things we have in the house!

My brother & his fiance had a huge loss this week. One of their close friends ( and she was to be a bridesmaid in their upcoming wedding), was killed in the Omaha Mall shooting on Tuesday. I know they are devestated. I can't even imagine dealing with having a friend murdered, let alone the fact that this was such a henious thing to have happen. She was 24, and only a few weeks from her 25th birthday. My heart goes out to her family

The boys are doing well. Nothin too new to report. We are being homebodies lately. We have about 8 inches of snow on the ground and it has gotten really cold. Single digits at night and only in the 20's during the day. So we have been doing our best to stay home and stay bundled up. I am trying to keep the heat down to about 66, becuase I know this winter the gas bill is going to totally kill our budget. So, I have been wresting with the boys to keep their clothes on. The minute they get home, the like to take shirts & socks off and just run around in their pants. It has driven me crazy forever and now with the heat down so far, I think I've solved the problem. For the most part, they are staying dressed. ; ) Same goes for bedtime. They have always hated wearing jammies (they prefer to just wear underroos), but they are finally wearing jammies at night to help stay warm.

Saturday night we had a huge ice storm come through, to start off all the snow. I don't remember the last time I have seen so much ice. It had covered everything! It was beautiful, until the ice took out the power to the entire neighborhood! But, we actually had a good time in the dark. Since I am a collector of candles, I had a ton on hand. We lit candles and just hung around and sand Christmas carols. It was actually quiet fun!

Well, I think that is about all that has been going on lately!

Fabric Baskets

My mom is doing a craft show in early December and needed something simple to display some of her doll clothes, so she asked me to whip these up for her. So, I'll be making a bunch of these super easy fabric baskets for her show. She makes AG doll clothes, so they should look really cute displayed in these baskets. They are so easy and fun to make, I'm still thinking about whipping some up to "wrap" gifts in for Christmas. It takes me less than an hour to make one, so they are super fast and really easy, and cute to use instead of a basket for gifts!

Vintage Photo Necklaces

Here are my two most recent necklaces. I am pretty please at how they turned out. I used the easy cast resin, and found some vintage 50's photos and used them. The first is of a glamorous woman in a strapless black gown (in the photo she was standing in front of a Jackson Pollack), and the other is a little girl (who was waiting in line for a polio vaccine...not that you can tell on the necklace). They turned out very cute, and the one with the little girl, has a charm underneath that says dream, which I thought was appropriate. I have one more vintage pendant, I'm just not sure how I will mount it to a necklace. I have some other things I want to try, but can't find my bead books that I had yesterday. I want to keep making them, to perfect the craft, which is getting better each time I cast a pendant...just don't want to make more than I can use/give away! No more clutter in the house!

So these are what I have been working on over the last couple of days. I still have my other "christmas pendants" that I need to put on a necklace, I just have to get some blue beads or cording. But I'll be sure to post those when they are completed!

Resin Cast Pendants

These are kind of hard to see, but they turned out okay. I tried to add a photograph to the bead, and add a fabric background instead of painted background. The photos slipped around quite a bit, so I've learned that you need to do this type of cast in at least 3 layers. So, today, I am going to try some more. I want to do a 50's themed, B&W photo necklace. So I am heading to library to find some b&w retro photos, that will fit into my casts. I have already poured the first layer or resin, that will be the clear liner that sits on the top of the pendant. After that dries, I will coat the photo in resin, then lay it in exactly how I want it. This should keep the photo from slipping around in the cast. Once that is semi dry or at least tacky, I will add another layer on top, then put a resin coated fabric backing on it. I think I will use the same fabric I used on these pendants, becuase I think it will look good with b&w photos. Then I will sand the edges, drill out the holes for mounting it to a beaded necklace (with black beads), then coat with a high gloss sealer, just to give it some shine. Although, I will probably have to take pictures before I put the gloss on it, because I can't seem to get good pictures of anything with a high gloss. I like these, they are just very ameture looking. I'd like to perfect my craft a bit.

So hopefully, in another 24 -48 hours, the 50's retro necklace will be done and I can post some pictures of it!

Fun with Trash to Treasure!

Here is my newest trash to treasure item. It was a ratty old step ladder, that I knew I wanted to do something with, just wasn't sure what! It now matches my living room, and I plan on using it as either a display shelf for nick-nacks, or as an end table next to the sofa or chair. The paint matches the walls and the fabric will match the new living room set that I am getting. I think it will go very well with my shabby chic look! And it only cost me about 45 cents! I bought the fabric at Walmart, for next to nothing since I only need a little bit, and the paint was leftover from painting the living room, and the batting I had from another project! I just wanted to share, what you can do with a little imagination. I kept this item from being thrown into the landfill, and I got a great endtable in the process for about an hours worth of time, and less than a dollar! : )

My lastest crafty projects...

I had a lot of fun making these plastic resin pendants this weekend. The only down fall on these is that they were time consuming. It took a full 24 hours for each layer of resin to dry, plus the ones that were handpainted in between layers, needed extra time for the paint to dry. But I had alot of fun making them and they turned out kind of fun!

In the photo you can see the finished ones with blue backgrounds. I did some with yellow backgrounds as well, but the resin I tinted yellow is taking longer to dry, so I was not able to get them out of the mold yet. Some of them I will put onto ribbon and give away as necklaces, the two that are "Christmas lights" will be made into a fun pair of earings. I had alot of fun with these, but now that I know how they turn out, and I've learned a few tricks, I plan to make some more "snazzier" ones!

When I was making them, I put items that I was inserting into them, into the colored background, and I've learned that I should have put them into the clear front part to give it more of a 3-D effect. I did this on the top right one and it worked out much better than some of the others. I also want to try to do some that are all clear, but have a fabric back, with a clear layer of resin over the fabric. I think those will turn out really neat and I might start those today, if I can find some neat things to insert into them.

I am also in the middle of trash to treasuring a step ladder to use as an end table in my living room. I have painted it to match my living room and plan on putting some "cushions" on the steps just to jazz it up a little. I should have it done in a few days, and I was sure to take before pictures for comparision!

I also accidentally stumbled upon another project. While I was decopaging fabric onto the jewlery box I was making, I decided after the top was dry, that I didn't like it. So I pryed the fabric off of it, to start over, and the stiffened fabric actually made an eye catching, sun catcher! So that is another project I am going to work on today. I am going to pick up some red and green fabric, and make some stiffened fabric wreaths to put into my windows. I'm really excited about them, becuase I have 4 big windows in the front of my house and I have never been able to find x-mas decor for the windows, and I think I have finally found my solution. So as I finish these projects, I will certainly be posting pictures of how cute they turned out...or how horrible they turn out. We'll have to wait and see!

Well, I am off to the fabric store to pick up some essentials, then start some new projects! Hubby is back to work after taking a week of, and my son is back in school. So I can finally get back to a normal schedule and start crafting peacefully again! : )

Turning something old into something new...

I love giving new life to things. Trash to treasure is definately one of my favorite pastimes. However, I'm one of those people that has to wait until the item speaks to me. Sometimes, I find an item that I know has great potental, just not sure what it is. So I wait...and sometimes I wait and wait and wait...until it tells me what it wants to become. Sounds silly, I'm sure.

But trash to treasure inspiration struck this morning. Since midsummer, I've had this small weird stool hanging around the house. I picked it up at a garage sale, and I didn't pay much for it, becuase I could see lots of potential in it. I just didn't know what it was.

Well, I finally decided to turn it into a jewelery box for my niece for Christmas. I have some really funky fabric, so I have been decopaging the fabric onto the top in a mosaic kind of a thing. It is turning out really cute! I have only part of the top done, and you can't see the full picture yet, but it is coming! I can see it transforming before my eyes! I think it will ultimately be really, really cute! The before & semi-after photos above show the top. The center I've left open, becuase it will have a raised black fabric covered personalization on it for my neice. Now, I am just waiting for it to dry so I can get it on. Then I'll be off to getting the sides done and the inside lined. Then, being that my niece is only 4, I'm going to fill it with plastic "play" jewlery for her! I think it is going to turn out to be a great gift for her!

And, it has gotten me inspired to look around the house at what else I picked up this summer that still needs to be transformed into something new. I have an old 3 step ladder that needs some work. I am getting a new couch and love seat soon, and will be rearranging the living room. I am thinking about painting it in colors matching the living room, then putting "cushions" on each step, with just some thin batting, so we can still use it to put things on....hmmmm....I think I may have just found another project! Ha! I'm gonna have to go check out fabric for the cushions at the store!

My Favorite Holiday Traditions...

I have to say, even with the commercialism of the holiday season, it is still my favorite time of year. I love giving gifts, even if it is a bit contradictory of what I think about buying things you don't need, overpurchasing & overspending. But I think that is the challange. I spend time trying to find the perfect, useful gift for each member of our family and then trying to find it massively on sale. I never buy anything for the holidays that isn't on sale, so I always get a thrill about how much I am saving myself, when buying for others.

And I love decorating! The day after Thanksgiving is one of favorite days, because it is the day that I pull out all of my Christmas things and think about all the years gone by. When I got each ornament and where we bought it. It is one of our favorite traditions. I don't go out and buy Christmas decorations. Most of what I have, was given to me as Christmas presents or hand-me-downs. But each year, we go out and we buy one ornament that represents something significant that happened that year. The year we adopted our dog, we bought a dog ornament. The year we bought our house, a house ornament. And of course, a baby's first Christmas ornament for both of the kids. We are always sure to put the year on the back of each ornament, so as we pull them out we can look back at all the years gone by, since Hubby and I started dating! It is so much fun. We haven't purchased our ornament this year, but we have so many memories to chose from. Our son started first grade, we adopted our cat, we lost our third child when I was 18 weeks pregnant, and much more. So, I will have to spend some time narrowing it down and deciding what memory to signify this year.

Another one of my favorite traditions is my tree skirt. I made it when the kids were little. I cut out a red felt tree skirt, then each year, I have traced the boys handprints onto green felt, stitched their name and year on them, then stitched them to the skirt. It is one of my favorite things to bring out each year, and it is starting to fill out with handprints. I know it is something that I will treasure, when my kids are grown and living on their own.

Another favorite tradition, is our Christmas morning breakfast with our neighbors and best friends. When we moved into our house, almost 5 years ago, we didn't know any of our neighbors. They were close to us in age, and we had alot in common. But within a few months, we became fast friends and now they are our dearest friends, and I consider them family. Both of our families run around at the holiday season. We see our family, but we don't get to see our friends much. So, during our first holiday in our house, we invited them over for a small Christmas breakfast. It was wonderful. They get to see the boys open all of their gifts from Santa, which has been wonderful for them, because they hadn't started their family yet. So for them, it was a chance to tap into the childhood of Christmas again. I am so happy to say, that this year, they are expecting their first child in May, so I am sure next Christmas we will have another pitter patter of little feet at our Christmas breakfast table. But it gives us a chance to spend time at Christmas with those who choose to love (friends) and not just those we have to love (family).

I love Christmas and I am so happy that it is here! I am always able to manage the Christmas season with low-stress, and I think i is because I do the things that I enjoy and I skip the things that stress me out!

So, I say, bring on the Holiday Season....I'M READY!!!!!!

A Thanksgiving Treat...

You're thinking food right? Not at all! Thanksgiving with our families this year was such a treat! If you read my earlier post, you know all about my dread over family holidays. I love my family very much, but they tend to lean to the materialistic side, overdo things, stress out and can sometimes be generally mean! But this year was the exact opposite!

We started the day with hubby's family. We had a nice drive down, singing to all of our favorites on the classic rock station, which was fun for hubby and I...and I think we drove the boys crazy, which is funny, because it is total role reversal for us. Normally, they are driving us crazy in the car! We were in a happy, cozy silly mood, so as we passed the turkey farm on the way to see family, we decided that in the spirit of Thanksgiving...we had to stop and take a picture in front of the big sign! So we stopped on the side of the road (luckily, it was a country road without much traffic) put the camera on the truck, on a timer and took a great shot! I've added the picture, just for fun!

After that, we got back into the truck and headed off to Grandmother's house (well, grandmother-in-law for me). We got there, and got to see all of our nieces and nephews. The house was filled with 5 kids running around all between the ages of 4-6...let's just say it was totally loud and lots of fun! We got to see both of hubby's grandma's, his grandpas, his parents, his sisters & brothers-in-law and a few other family friends. We had a very nice visit with them, and normally they have TONS of food out, for appetizers and this year they skipped much of that, and just had coffee and cheese & crackers. It was so nice to see them paring it down, becuase they often go overboard!

Around "lunchtime" we hopped in the truck again, and went off to see my parents, and honestly...this was the part of the day that I was dreading! However, we had a really great time. My family didn't go overboard on food, we had some leftover's, but nothing obsene. My mother actually let others into her kitchen to help with the food (this is what normally causes her stress), so I handled taking the cranberry jelly out of the can (does no one trust my cooking? Although, this is a totally sacred job, becuase you have to be careful the jelly doesn't loose it's can shape), my brother made the gravy, hubby made the mashed potatoes, grandma made the pies, my boys helped set the table, dad carved the turkey, and my uncle followed up and washed the dishes. So this year, everyone pitched in, and it was a wonderful event. There was no arguing, there were no tense moments that normally occur at our family gatherings, it really was peaceful and happy. After that, we drove back to our home town, with the kids falling asleep almost instantly after getting into the car. Hubby and I sang silly Christmas carols (God, we sound like idiots, with all the singing in the car...we're not, really! We are just both horrible singers, so we are limited to singing in the car or the shower). And I came home and began decorating for Christmas, I don't think I could have asked for a nicer day.

Do I think it is sad, that it has taken me 28 years to have a peaceful Thanksgiving with my family...maybe a little. But I'm so happy that we had it, even if it took almost 3 decades to get here. Now, I just have to try to keep my hopes down...I can't expect Christmas to be this lovely, can I?

Ahhhhh, Thanksgiving

One of the most lavishly overindulgent days of the year, second only to Christmas. We stress about about the decorations, we stress about the food, and all for the family who loves us anyways! I don't personally cook Thanksgiving dinner, and if I did you can bet it would be a much simpler affair than what any of my relatives do. Do you really need a 20 lb turkey? A vat of mashed potatoes and gravy? Not really. No one wants to eat leftovers after the Saturday after Thanksgiving! We all get tired of them.

So why do we keep doing it? Tradition mostly, would be my first guess. But we as American's have a need to overspend and go overboard on everything from TV's, to fast food meals, to holidays. There is no in between for us, many of us try to do the best of the best from the beginning.

Now, I'll bet I sound a bit like a scrooge but don't get me wrong. I love the holiday season, in fact I started getting out Christmas decorations yesterday. I love to spend a few hours on Thanksgiving with my family and the hubby's family. I just wish, it wasn't a day trying to outdo each other with our fatty, high-calorie, high-carb dishes, and we could have a simple meal that we could all enjoy. Who says you have to have turkey on Thanksgiving? Apparently, my mother...who gets up at the crack of dawn on Thanksgiving to start cooking a turkey that she has been thawing for 3 days. The whole thing really takes at least a week of preperation. Well, if it makes her happy....but that's the whole thing. I don't think it makes her happy, I think she is trying to make everyone else happy. She gets so stressed about the whole thing, and in her opinion....no one ever helps her, even though I don't think she realizes that plenty of people offer to help, but she shoos them out of the kitchen, the minute they touch something. She ends up miserable and crabby, then takes it out on the rest of us with snide comments and rude remarks. I just thank God that my brothers fiance won't be there this year. I love her to death, but my mother makes her the target of the insults (behind her back, of course), when she is around and it just ruins any holiday/family coziness that I long to share on these days!

I just wish we could simplify these Holidays. Make it about family and not about who can make the biggest and best meal. I guess I have to be patient and wait my turn. For years, the gauntlet has been passed down from mother to daughter. For years my mother's mother held the familial celebrations, and then when my mother had grandchildren of her own, her mother passed the tradition down to her. So maybe, eventually it will be my turn...then I can start changing the overspending habits of America, one family at a time....starting with my own!

Losing the fat...

Literally! Hubby and I switched to a new eating style recently, and it is doing wonders! We switched over to a low-carb, higher protein meal plan, and the results have shocked me! I have never tried any of the low-carb diets before, but hubby has. A few years ago, he did Adkins, and lost some weight, but had a hard time sticking to it, because back then, the diet was in its early days and VERY rigid. They have switched some things up and now it is very easy to stick too. We are not doing any of the "actual" diets, simply keeping our carb intake under 25, and keeping our protein at .4 grams per pound of body weight. Which is what we've found to be the "ideal" amounts for healthy weight loss. Now, we are still watching our total calories and total fat intakes as well. I don't believe in Adkins, when they say not to watch the fat content. It may not make you fat, but I still believe that it will cause other problems within the body!

I have a SEVERE sweet tooth, so I really thought this diet was not for me. Not being able to eat sugar, is like amputating my right arm. But, I've found that with some creativity, I can still satisfy my sweet tooth with little calories & carbs! It's amazing.

My top two favorite things for desserts are;

1. Sugar free jello cups! ~ With 5 calories per cup, no fat and no carbs, they are ideal! They provide me with just the thing I need at the end of the night, to get rid of my sugar cravings!

2. Sugar Free Rootbeer Floats ~ Yes!!!! You read that right! In order to get the protein that we need each day, we have added a protein powder to our diet. Hubby is also a huge Pepsi drinker, so he has had to curb his pop habit and has been bringing home a variety of diet pops to try out and see if he can find one that he likes. He has found that he really likes Diet Sprite, Diet 7 up and Diet A&W Rootbeer. Because we can't drink milk, because of the carb content, I have been adding the protein powder to things other than water, to see if I can enhance the taste. On a whim, I added it to Diet Rootbeer and whala! The Sugar Free Rootbeer floats were born. One scoop of protein powder added to a bottle of diet rootbeer is amazing! With 110 calories, 2 carbs, and no fat...it is the best dessert I have ever found! We have already added 2 scoops of protein powder into our daily calorie counts, so we can add the rootbeer, instead of water and we have no added calories and a great snack/dessert! I'm so happy that I tried it.

We are doing really well, and I am proud of us. We ordered an elliptical machine, and it will be here within the next week. I am already starting to notice a huge difference in my body, with the fat coming off, I can't even imagine what is going to happen when I start using the elliptical machine!

I am tracking my weight & measurements and have also taken before pictures. If I get brave at some point, I may add some before and after photos for everyone to see! But I am still aways off from that! I only have 17 pounds to go though!

Going crafty for the Holidays...

Okay, so it has been a really long time since I have posted anything on this blog. But it is only because I have been so busy getting ready for the Holidays. I don't totally buy into the whole commercial aspect of the holidays...which makes sense, being that I am the "Simple Mommy". I would love to go whole hog into a "Buy Nothing Christmas" (BNC), and I have found tons of wonderful ideas on their website, but my extended family would probably have a fit, if they opened their gifts and found nothing of commercial value in them. To many of them, it wouldn't matter how much time or thought or effort was put into a gift, if it is under $20...they'd be insulted. Well, not everyone can be as enlightened as some of us, right?


That being said, I am purchasing one gift for everyone this year and trying to make it into something that they will really enjoy. Some will end up with giftcards, so I can save myself from shipping things across the country others will end up with things that I handpick for them, hoping that they are surprised and happy about how well I know what they love! I am really trying not to stress too much about purchasing the items for everyone. I have set a really strict budget that I plan to adhere too.


All the other gifts under our tree, will be handmade by me and the boys. I have started working on things and I also have a long list of ideas for everyone. Most people would think that this is totally stressful, but for me it has actually brought about a peaceful feeling. I have realized that I have lost touch with my inner artist. Taking on these projects has really brought out my creative side that I have lost touch with. And the funny thing is, even my hubby is looking at me differently. I finished a charcoal drawing today, and he just sat and smiled at me. I could see that my being happy and doing what I loved, made him a little bit happy too.


I thought I would post some of the projects that I have been working on:

These photos are a charcoal drawing that I finished today. This one isn't actually for the Holidays, this one I'll be keeping for myself! The original black and white photo was taken of my hubby's and first son's hands, when my son was a baby 6 years ago!

These are a few of the handbags that I have made for the ladies in the family. I have several more, but just thought I would post a few that I already had photos loaded for!

This project was done in pastels and is for my hubby's Grandma. She is a collector of Rowe Pottery and even has a Rowe Pottery border in her kitchen, so I thought this would be a fun one to do, and I thought it would go great in her kitchen!

So, there are a few of the completed projects that I have. I have many more in the works, and have a bunch that I plan to include the kids in...so I will be posting more as I finish them prior to the holidays!

Simplicity vs. Complicity

It is so easy to fall back into old habits. First off, I haven't written on this blog in over a month which shows just how busy we've been. The weekends come and go and while we get stuff done, we aren't slowing down and enjoying much of it, which was my goal in simplifying. I look at the calendar, and there is something scrawled across every day of the week. Most of the things belong to the kids. Welcome to being a mom of school age kids, right? I do limit what they do. I will put them each in 1 activity, my oldest chose cub scouts this year and my youngest isn't doing anything right now. But you add that to family nights at school, plus the many other things we have going on and it all piles up. But I also don't want to take anything away from the kids, becuase they only get 1 childhood and I want them to look back at it fondly.

So, I am recommitting myself to become a simplier person. I have one last push this week to reduce clutter in the house. We are having our garage sale this weekend, and while the garage is full, I still have plenty of house to go through to get things thinned out. I have started the boys clothes, but need to finish it. My youngest has gotten so big, that none of his summer clothes will fit him again next year. So those are going straight into the sale box. Along with shoes, coats and old halloween costumes that we will never use again!

So, I am recommitting myself to getting organized. Which I have to say, although I have somewhat fallen off the simplicity wagon over the last few weeks, I have become much more organized. I have been tasked with clearing out the garage, so hubby can use it for his own room, peace and quiet away from the kids and all. So, I have been reorganizing closets and trying to find spaces that we are using the wrong way. Like the linen closet. I had some towels, toiletries & TP in there and alot of empty space on each shelf. Plus, I also have the mohagany chest that is in the bathroom that sat empty forever, becuase I couldn't fit it in there well enough to open the doors to use it. I finally took everything out of the closet and put it in the armoire. It fit really well. Then I took all of the fall/christmas decor and camping stuff that had been cluttering up the garage and fit it all in the closet. It was a tight fit, but at least the space is being used up now and not wasted. Then, since I don't need to get in there often, I put the armoire in front of the closet door and it worked beautifully! So I just need to get creative with the space that I have and I know I can get really organized! Especially if I get rid of LOTS of our stuff!

Why can't other people help me simplify my life???

I am so friggin frustrated now! As I am expending all of my energy trying to make my life simpler, things just have to keep getting thrown in there to wrench my plans.

I'm not a fan of doctors to begin with. Sure, we need them for many things, but I am not one to drop everything and run to the doctor everytime someone comes down with something. But my oldest son has been plagued by stomachaches lately, and I think there might be something to it. I'm guessing it may be something simple like lactose intolerance or a food allergy, but who knows.

So I call the doctor's office and they tell me they aren't taking new patients. So, I explain to them that we have been patients of thiers for 3 years. The woman proceeds to explain to me that we are considered new patients because we were forced to switch insurance companies (due to a job loss), therefore, all new paperwork must be done, therefore, we are new patients. WHAT???

So after throwing a few choice four letter words at the woman, I hang up and call the insurance agency, who doens't seem so concerned about it. The find me a doctor 30 miles away (the closest one taking new patients) who doesn't speak english well! Woo friggin Hoo. So, I have spent the last hour trying to call the dr's office, and no one is answering. They don't even have a machine or answering service. So this is a great sign.

So to further complicate my life...if I can ever actually get ahold of this office, I will have to meet a new doctor, re-do all the paperwork and have our medical histories moved over there.

I have decided this afternoon that I am going to spend the day online researching stomach aches in children and see if I can't just take care of this all at home! I'm going to start by switching Jake to soy milk for a week and see if that does the trick. If it doesn't work, then I will start eliminating other things and at least then I can rule out food problems, when I can finally get a doctors appointment...which at this point may be sometime in 2009!

Plugging Away...

Wow, I have been so busy in the past week that I didn't even realize that I hadn't posted anything! So it is now Monday, and I am spending the day de-cluttering AGAIN! The garage is getting fuller every day, which is great! I am getting rid of so much stuff that we NEVER use!

I spent today cleaning out my bedroom and the closet in there. Most of the stuff that was stuffed on the floor and up on the shelves, we haven't even used for years! I decided to dive right into the closet, so I took the doors completely off to clean it out! I didn't realize how many old gym bags, purses, etc. were up there! I am finally to the point where I am getting organized enough that I am using all of my storage space, much more wisely! There were a couple of things in the closet that I wanted to get out of the closet, but I didn't want to pitch. Hubby has tons of old baseball cards, and I want him to keep those for the boys. So I put them in a trunk that sits next to our bed, that pretty much sits empty all the time!

Once I got the doors off the closet and cleaned it out, I decided that I am going to turn part of the closet into an office. Our house is so small, that we have always had trouble finding a spot for our computer! Our closet should be large enough to hold a large desk and still have over 1/3 of it left for storing clothes that need to be hung! I'm excited about this. I think I am going to custom build a desk, becuase our current computer desk is literally falling down. So, I am going to go get some 2x4's and plywood and build away tomorrow.

I'm excited about this project, because it will free up so much space & clutter in our living room. I hate having our computer and paperwork out for all to see. So this will be great! I'm going to keep the doors off the closet because both Hubby and I hate the doors on the closet! They are so oversized, it makes it hard to see what is in the closet. So I think I am going to hit the $/yard fabric on sale at Wal-mart and see what I can find and just make a no-sew curtain with a tension rod and some ribbons! It should look cute...just need to keep it from looking too girly for Hubby!

So that is what I am starting this week. Tomorrow I will spend making my new computer desk. I have been looking around the house, for odd items that I can use, so I don't have to go out and buy anything...but I've de-cluttered so much, I just don't have anything in the house that would work! So I will make & paint that, work on the curtain and then maybe start to finish tackling the boys room. We started last week and Josh was really good about putting toys in the garage sale box. I am also being diligent about pitching toys that are broken or missing parts...that is a huge part of our clutter.

So, with the garage sale about a month away, I am still plugging away at getting things ready to go for it! We should have plenty to sell, by the time that I am done! And once the garage sale is over, we'll have a clean garage, so we can start designing the rec-room that Hubby is going to put out in the garage! We've already gotten carpet from neighbors who tore it out of their basement. It is in great shape, so it will work really well in the garage room!

Keeping the old - passing up the new

I am working very hard at making the things that I own last. The hardest part of all of this, is getting hubby to do the same. Our lawn mower broke down this weekend, and without ever even cracking it open to see if he can repair it, he put it on the parkway. Well, guess what...someone else picked it up to repair it.

So, now we have to purchase a new lawn mower before next season. And in all this I learned a valuable lesson. Maintenance on the things that we have, is the most important money saving thing I can do! If I had put some energy into keeping it well maintained, it would probably still be running.

I am also dying to purchase some other new items around the house, but I am trying to overcome these urges! With our anniversary being last weekend, I was realizing that many of our things have lasted 7 years, silverware, towels, etc. I haven't bought any of these things since our wedding. I also realized that I am down to having less than 1/2 the original set of silverware and my towels are totally nasty! I need to keep reminding myself that these things still have life left in them even if they are nasty!

I have been doing a wonderful job at keeping out of the stores, for the most part! I did sneak the boys and I out for breakfast on Saturday morning, but I thought we needed a treat! I also have been staying away from garage sales, although, now would be a good time to hit some and see if I can't find a new lawn mower.

We also had a neighbor bring over some clothes for the boys today, which was super nice of her. We were chatting about needing and getting rid of clothes. I made mention that I needed to sort through the boys stuff and see what they needed for winter. So, she brought over the winter stuff that her son had outgrown! She also brought over some fun stuff for us to borrow for Josh to play with. Dot paints and chalk. We have been having a great time with them today.

So I am working on changing my wants vs. needs still. I don't think I will totally ever get over the joy of buying new things for the house. I will always enjoy making our house a home, but I think I get a bigger thrill out of saving our money!

The Importance of Budgeting!

We have been working our home finances for months now without a budget. The results? Nothing at all is going into savings. Plus, the money I am working to save, I have no idea where it goes after I save it!

So another one of my goals today, is to set up a thorough home budget, which includes just about everything we need and also will include an unexpected expense category. I also plan to include savings at the top of the list, so each week, we have at least a small amount going into savings. Then I will also add any budget savings into the savings account. If I go to the grocery store, and I only spend $40 of my $60 budgeted, then the extra $20 will go right into the savings account.

Not only will it help us save more, but it will also get us more organized, so that every bill is paid ontime every month! Which is always a good feeling. I really need to take control of our financial situation a little bit better. So hubby and I are going to sit down tonight and work on our goals list. Add the wants that we do still want onto the goals lists, under short-term, mid-term and long-term goals (paying off the truck is going on this list)! Then we will have more of an incentive to work on saving money, if we have goals for that money, other than just financial security in case of emergency!

So, I have my day set for me...I have two MAJOR tasks to tackle today. These were both things that I have been putting off for awhile because they are larger, tougher tasks and will take me most of the day between the two!

Rightsizing the Kids Stuff!

I have decided that it is finally time to tackle this project! So far, in simplifying our lives Pat and I have tackled our "stuff", but other than clothes I haven't dealt with the kids stuff!

We accumulate so much stuff for them and it is time to clear it all out before our October Garage Sale! As it stands right now here is what they have that I need to tackle:

Outdoor toys: 2 trikes, 2 2-wheel bikes (we'll keep these and get rid of the trikes), 2 scooters, a little toddler ride on, a power wheels truck, multiple balls of every variety, tons of sandbox toys, and other stuff that is out in the outside bin and is broken and needs to be totally junked!

Indoor toys: Their indoor stuff is out of control! We have so many toys with tons of little pieces! Most of their toys get stuffed under their bed and they never play with them. So I am getting rid of all the "sets" that are missing pieces. I am going to let the boys choose if they want to keep their legos or their wooden block set. They really only play with the wooden ones, so I think the legos are gonna go. Stuffed animals! They have never touched these things. Most of them they got when they were infants, and I put them up on a shelf and they have been sitting there ever since. They are probably so covered with dust mites at this point that they are more of a biohazard than a fun toy! So, I will probably let the boys each keep one or two that they will claim they "love", then get rid of the rest!

I also need to find a better way to organize the DVD's, CD's and video games (both kids and adults). I think I am going to get rid of all the boxes and get the CD books. One for CD's, one for DVD's and one for Playstation games. I can label each one, then maybe put them in alphabetically for organization purposes (It'll be a pain to do, but they'll be easy to find once it is done!) This will save us so much space! We have so many of these boxes hanging around, it'll free up alot of room in my entertainment center and won't look as messy!

I also need to get rid of kid's shoes! They have a whole closet full of shoes that don't fit. I mostly pass them onto friends when the boys grow out of them, but if I can't find the mate, I keep them thinking I will find it later, then give them away. So, most of these are sad, single shoes that I need to pitch NOW!

So, that is one of my two major tasks for the day!

Living Simple in Cold Weather

So begins the fall here in the midwest. We woke up this moring to 40 degree tempratures and what I like to call lazy bones syndrome. You know what I am talking about, when it is that cold, you just don't want to crawl out from under the comforter. But, I had a three year old up at 6:10 am, so there was no way I could stay in bed.

But it made me realize today, that I am going to have to do some seasonal planning if I hope to continue much of my living simply. Taking my oldest to school today, I very much had to fight the urge to hop in the truck and crank the heater on. But we combatted our wants, and we walked like we do every day! I am hoping to walk most days, even through the winter, so I am going to have to go through our hats and mittens and coats and make sure we are stocked up. That is another thing, I may have to get some of those mitten clips that kids use, so the boys aren't constantly losing them! They go through so many pairs of mittens each winter, so they don't even have a chance to wear them out, which goes against everything I am trying to do...so maybe those clippies would work.

I'm also going to have to get our extra blankets for everyone's beds. I really don't want to turn the heat on yet, but we will have to pretty soon, with as cold as it has been. Last year we had $300 gas bills each month all winter, and I want to make sure that doesn't happen again. I am hoping that we can keep the temp somewhere cool, where we feel comfortable in long pants and sweatshirts while in the house. Hopefully, will not only save energy, but we'll save tons of money! This is the time of year that I wish we had a fireplace for warmth!

On the plus side, we are getting free wood this weekend for our outdoor fireplace! Which will be really nice....the bonuses of volunteering. We are helping a neighbor through one of our community projects who had a tree come down. We are getting out there on Saturday and helping him remove the tree, so there will plenty of wood for everyone who needs it. So I'm sure we will spend alot of time entertianing around the fire pit this fall on cold evenings!

There are plenty of other things that I need to do for winter still. In past years, we have used the plastic on our windows to keep the cold out, but I've found that they don't work as well as heavy curtains. So I am thinking about sewing up some heavier curtains for each window (except the front curtains, those are heavy enough already and do a great job keeping the cold out)!

We are going to start working on Halloween costumes pretty soon too. The boys haven't decided exactly what they want to be yet, but I am going to make them all from scratch at home and try not to spend much money on each. Jake was thinking about being a dragon, which could be really cool, I am thinking about paper mache for the head! I have some really cool ideas!

I know there are other things I will need to do to get ready for winter, but they aren't at the tip of my brain at this point!

I need to stop the Cat-on-Bird violence!

Okay, so this isn't exactly a living simple post today...more of my random thoughts!

Cat on Bird Violence
Part of my "simple living" idea was to slow down and enjoy nature more. So, I went out and bought some more birdfeeders for our yard. The boys and I love to watch the birds out the front windows while we are sitting and eating breakfast. And we usually have tons of them out there! Of course, one built a nest in the tree above the driveway and keeps pooping on the truck, but what can you do....sometimes you have to make sacrifices!

I really love the birds and don't want to get rid of the feeders, especially right before winter, when they are going to need them. My problem is this, I came out the front door this morning and found another dead bird on the doorstep. I won't go into details, but it didn't die of natural causes...I am pretty sure that our cat got it. The cat is an indoor/outdoor cat and is miserable inside all night. He meows and whines until I let him out. So keeping him indoors is not an option! I feel so bad for those poor birds, I need to find a way to solve this! The feeders are high enough off the ground, so I am sure the cat is not getting them up in the tree. His fat butt is too huge to actually climb the tree!

Mom Stuff
Other than that, this week is good. We have meet the teacher night tonight at school, so I am excited to see my son's classroom and volunteer for class stuff! I also had an interview with the local paper this morning to do an article on my SAHM's group. I am really excited about the group and the article and I hope it turns out well! The group is starting some events to get us mom's out of the house more, so I am excited about that too.

With the exceptions of those things, we are having a nice quiet week. I am volunteering to make bags for Jake's teacher's bag-o-books program, so I hope she accepts the offer. It will give me something to do this week and make the program special for the kids. Right now, they are to bring their books home in ziploc bags! YUCK! My mom is going to help me make totes for the kids out of dollar fabric, and we plan on making a whole bunch for each kid and enough so that if some get lost, she can give the kids a new one.

Kid Stuff
Still having a problem with bed wetting in my three year old. Not quite sure what I am going to do about it. I know he will grow out of it eventually, I'd just love for it to be sooner than later. It seems like we are doing the right things, and he goes through phases where he is fine, then it starts again. I make sure he doesn't have any drinks too close to bedtime, and I make sure he uses the potty right before bed. I'm not sure what else to do, short of waking him up in the middle of the night to go potty. I can't put him in pull-ups at this point, becuase I think it will set him back...he is at a pivital point of big boy vs. little boy stuff!

My oldest is still not wanting to eat his sandwiches at school, so I tried a different approach today. I gave him half of a bagel and cream cheese sandwich, which i know he loves, so hopefully, he will eat it all!

Family Stuff
So, I finally have a date for a garage sale! Yippee, it isn't for another month, but that gives me more time to de-clutter and add some stuff to the pile! We are eating healthier as a family, and my kids are great. We had salads with dinner last night, and my 6 year old ate every single bite of his salad and asked for more, and had a second helping of corn! I might be onto something here, with that.

Community/Political Stuff
I am trying very hard not to be sucked back into the whole Alderman drama (won't use names, becuase I don't want to fuel the fire...I'll just call him Alderman). I'm trying to make it clear to everyone, that I want to put my money where my mouth is. I'm tired of everyone bitching about him, when they should be more active in the community. I understand the point that he is the elected official and is "required" to do community projects, but what is stopping the rest of us. It isn't required of us, but it would sure be nice if we helped! Some people just aren't getting this! So, I have taken over the Neighbors-Helping-Neighbors project and I think we have our first volunteer project...which involves chain saws, so I think Hubby will be willing to help (He loves using that thing...must be a macho guy thing). I have also sent an "olive branch" e-mail to Alderman volunteering my time with his projects as well. I am hoping that this will send a message to everyone who is still bitching about the whole thing. Since I was one of the ones spearheading his resignation petition. He won't resign...fine...I don't have to like the guy, but I will work with him to better the community. Isn't that the whole point anyway?

So I guess I will leave with that today. That kind of sums up what is happening around here. I did hit the library yesterday and got a few more simplicity books. I doubt they will be helpful, since they all say pretty much the same things, but I will check them out!

The Moods of Simplicity

As I go through this journey in trying to simplify my life, it feels like i have been on a roller coaster of emotions with plenty of ups and downs.

When I first started to simply, I spent lots of time researching how to go about doing it. I felt purposeful and happy during this stage. I felt like I was taking my life and at least starting the process of making it more meaningful. Once I actually began to simply by decluttering my house, spending less, etc. I felt an elation of burdens lifing off of me.

This weekend, however, I have hit a low point in my simplification process.I have a hubby who is not totally on board with what I am doing. Which is fine, for the most part, we can work together and solve the difference of opinion on most matters. But for the most part, I don't think he understands the basis of what I am trying to do. He says he understands and agrees that we need to simplify, yet given the chance to spend money or complicate our lives, he will jump at the opportunity. He wants a new dog. We already have one dog and one cat, and now he wants a puppy. He is trying to persuade me, by saying that since I am home now, I will have time to train a puppy and care for it. He doesn't understand that this is not what I want. I am learning to be happy with what we have. We have a wonderful 9 year old dog, who is a sweet heart and more importantly is trained and out of the puppy stage. He is a very low-maintenance dog who fits well with the lifestyle that I want to lead!

So, hubby spent the weekend mad at me because he found the perfect dog and I would not let him bring it home! We looked at an English Bulldog. Now, I understand and validate hubby's feelings that he has dreamed of owning one of these types of dogs forever. He instantly fell in love with this dog because of the breed and didn't step back and look at the dog through impartail eyes. The minute the dog came into the room he jumped on both boys and scratched them, began to chew on my purse and didn't listen to a single command. This dog was a terror of dogs. The kids were afraid of him (they were hovering in the corner) and I didn't particularly like the fact the he was chewing on things. I was able to see the bigger picture that he would be chewing up our house, roughing up the kids, probably terrorizing the cat and our dog, and just generally not what we want. Well, when the woman grabbed his file (he was a humane society dog), she saw that on the list he was not good with cats or kids under 12. So she told us that she couldn't adopt him out to us, because of fear that he may injure or harm a cat. Fine with me. Plus, I thought I was in the clear there. No way, hubby could blame me for having to pass up his dream dog, when the humane society told us no.

Well, lo and behold, he found a way to blame me. I won't go into details. But he did.

I think that coupled with the fact that it was our wedding anniversary put me into a bad mood this weekend, that made living simply much harder. Part of my living simply philosophy is not spending money, so it is best to just stay home and relax. So I had nowhere to go (at least no where that I wouldn't spend money), to escape hubby's rants this weekend. So I spend the weekend at home taking care of the kids. I told DH that all I wanted for our anniversary gift was some time to myself (didn't cost anything, and I need it), but he couldn't even swing that! My best friends husband was out of town, so I was going to go to her house and watch some chick flicks and leave the kids at home and he threw a fit because it was our anniversary, so we should be spending time together. FINE. I stayed home, and we watched football. Whoopty freaking doo. I make so many sacrifices and I get nothing in return. I honestly believe that he didn't want to spend time as a family...he just didn't want to have to take care of the kids, who would interupt his football time.

So needless to say, I am working through the ups and downs of simplicity and seeing where it takes me. I am learning that it isn't always easy, I just hope the end result is worth it all.

Giving back for fulfillment

Part of what my life has been lacking lately is a sense of self-satisfaction, that I am actually contributing to the world beyond my family. I felt that I needed to do something more, but where do you start? I have spent the last several weeks looking for volunteer opportunities, only to be turned away from most volunteer agencies because I have my 3 year old son with me during the day. Most of the agencies locally, are desperate for volunteers, but just wouldn't even consider letting me help while Josh was with me. Go figure...no wonder they can't find volunteers, they are turning them away at the door!

After weeks of searching, I have finally found a few options. Number 1) I'm joining the PTA. I didn't do it last year becuase I didn't have the time. Not only will I be "helping" the school, but I can volunteer for projects within the school to help the kids. Number 2) Starting a SAHM's group locally. Okay, not actually volunteering...but in a sense it fits the same category. I am working to better our community by providing a group for moms (and SAH Dad's) to connect and share experiences and time with their kids. Number 3) I have volunteered with Meals on Wheels! Right now, I am doing one day a week and will do routes on a sub basis, when they need me! They didn't bat an eye at the fact that Josh was with me. The route I have includes the assisted living apartments for the elderly, and the LOVE seeing Josh each week! So it actually worked in my favor to have Josh with us. We were told by one of the ladies this last week, that they all look forward to Wednesdays, so they can see Josh! Which I think is adorable. Number 4) our alderman is suppose to be working on projects around our ward, so I plan to volunteer with his group, since Christine and I were unable to find volunteers for our counter project.

So although these projects are not exactly simplifying my life, they are enriching it beyond anything I expected. I feel a great sense of pride that I am doing more for my community than I had before. Plus, with all the simplifying exercises I have done recently, I have freed up time to do these things that I have wanted to do for so long.

So the lesson here, even if you are simplifying your life: you don't need to give up the things you want to do! If you want to volunteer...GO AHEAD and do it. But stick to the things that you want to do and don't feel obligated to do anything more! Once you feel an obligation to a cause, and you say yes becuase you feel you have to, you might think of scaling back your volunteer work to what you want to do, or find something different altogether!

False Entitlement...are you a victim?

I'm not ashamed to admit that I am! As a child, I was never given an allowance or forced to work for chores for spending money. Now, I wasn't spoiled by any means. But if I asked for money to buy candy or pop or a toy, I usually got it. Sure, I was expected to do chores around the house, mainly helping with yard work and the occassional home improvement stuff. But as far as "ladies" work around the house, my mom always took care of everything without setting up chores for us kids.

So, the idea of self entitlement was born early in me. I didn't have to work for my money until I was well into high school. My parents were always there to give me what I needed and what I wanted. Now, am I blaming my parents for this sense of entitlement? Of course not, they were not purposely doing this, they believed they were doing what was best for us kids. And the best part, is that as an adult, I am not changing my views on money and possessions and I can change the pattern in my kids. I can teach my kids that if you work hard for your money, you don't want to run right out and spend it. I can also teach my kids that you have to work hard for you money. PERIOD! You should always expect to work for things and not have them handed to you!

If my kids help me out around the house, I give them a token. Now, they are young, so they do things cheap! I'm sure this will change eventually. But if they bring the garbage cans in and put them in the garage after garbage day, they each get a quarter! (By the way, this is a great job for a 3 & 6 year old). While they enjoy the quarter, they get a huge sense of satisfaction out of helping mom and feeling useful, which is much more important that money. I am hoping that they will learn this early, and they will develop a great work ethic.

I think I am going to implement a new system soon. Set up chores for each of them daily. Now, I'm not talking about mowing the lawn...I'm talking about setting the table, taking the garbage cans in, taking the recycling out to the bin, making beds, keeping their toys picked up, etc. Then what I will do is that they each get a "token" of some sort with no monetary value that they can put in their chore can (I will let them decorate an old can for this). At the end of the week, we will have non-monetary rewards for their efforts. If they receive so many tokens, then they get to choose what we have for dinner on Friday night, or they get some extra playstation time on Saturday, or can choose our family activity on Sunday! I think this will work much better than giving money, which I always have felt was bribing them!

As I sort through my thoughts and feelings on consumerism, I am being to feel that my false sense of entitlement is not just wrong, but it is wasting my money and is also creating a horrible situation in our landfills. How often do I buy those items that I use for a year (only a few times) then they end up in the garbage. Of course, now I try to give them away or sell them before I pitch them, but some things do end up in the can! So I am working through all this and I am getting better!

Life's Distractions - an exercise of what is truely important

The more I realize how much I want to simplify my life and the life of my family, the more I realize how important the relationships within my family are. I have been much more aware of the distractions in our lives that are causing chaos and distraction even from the relationships within our family. Each evening when hubby gets home from work, we all want to relax and unwind and spend time as a family. Sometimes this is possible, but sometimes it is not. But what I have realized that for our family, even when we relax together, we are choosing the wrong activities for the lifestyle we want to lead. Currently, relaxing for our family means sitting together in front of the TV, even leaving the TV on while we eat dinner! By nine o'clock we all wonder where the time has gone, and why we feel even more stressed out and not relaxed after sitting in front of the TV for two hours. Why is this? I really have no scientific answer. I only have theories.

Theory #1: TV is draining on the brain. While your body is at rest, the shows you are watching are not actually enriching your life in any way. The information is simply filling up space in your brain!
Theory #2: We think we are spending time as a family, but TV has actually completely disconnected us as a family. We sit brainless in front of the TV, and have no meaningful conversations and actually can get annoyed with one another while watching TV. We have young children, and they tend to be very loud when watching TV. Hubby gets angry when he can't hear the TV, even if he doesn't care what he is watching. He is disconnected from the kids, therefore, they become the distraction instead of the other way around. To me, the TV is the distraction from interacting with the kids, but hubby hasn't hit that enlightened milestone yet!

One of my hubby's biggest complaints recently is that he never feels relaxed, even though he comes home from work, sits on the couch and stays there for at least 2 hours. Why? I think we are going about relaxation in the wrong way.

My exercise for this evening is this: I plan to turn the TV off during dinner and have a conversation! (that is the first step in the right direction, and will now become a house rule). But while we are conversing, I am planning on bringing a paper and pen to the table and ask everyone in the house, to come up with at least 5 activities that they would find relaxing to do together as a family. My guess is that TV will not appear on anyone's list. But once I am done with those lists, I plan to compile them all. Then each night after dinner (once it is cleaned up and dishes are put away...again this would be a good family activity), we will leave the TV off and choose one activity to do before we actually turn on the TV! I'm guessing that once we get going in an activity we will all have tons of fun and be relaxed, and never even turn on the TV.

Now, I know that this won't always happen. There will be evenings when there are shows that we are truely interested in watching, and those nights I see no problem with watching the programs, as long as it doesn't go back to being every night of the week, like it is now! So there is my plan of action to combat this particular problem. I hope it works, if not, I may have to come up with some more creative ideas!

Simplicity....To Me is...

I've been reading up alot this week on living the simple life. I find that the majority of the suggestions made in these books, I am already doing. However, I need something more. I am currently searching for my own idea of simplicity and I'm not sure if I'll ever find it. But to be completely happy and completely at peace would be boring. So at least while I am searching for what I want in life, I am enjoying the scenery!

I think I need to define what simple living means to me, so here it is.

FRUGALITY: A big part of simple living is being frugal. Which to me, means, shaking off material goods. Getting rid of the wants and living with and being happy with the NEEDS in life. I have been able to alter my perceptions of what I want recently. I am learning to be happy with having my NEEDS met with ease and in altering this perception, the wants are seeming to disappear. I think I have always taken the NEEDS for granted. My needs have always been met so easily that I have never had to worry about how I am going to make the house payment, electric or gas payment or even put food on the table for my kids. After going through a period of not knowing exactly how the food was going to be bought, gave me such an appreciation for just having my needs met, that I no longer want the WANTS! That new pair of shoes that I want (don't need, already have several pairs in the closet) just doesn't become that important. So living simply & frugally to me, means passing up the wants in life and also being smart about buying the needs in life (see post about grocery budget!)

INNER SIMPLICITY: This is an area that I have a massive struggle with. I know how to achieve inner peace (so to speak). I know what calms my body, mind and soul. It is just a matter of finding the time to take care of these needs. This is an area I plan to focus on, ALOT...and very soon. Being a stay at home mom severely limits my time alone, which is what I need to achieve inner tranquility. It is easy enough for people to say (as I read in these books) take a long walk, commune with nature, yoga, meditation...all of these are great for inner simplicity. But if you have a preschooler tagging along behind you while you are communing with nature...all is lost. Instead of listening to your own thoughts of tranquility, you will hear that little voice behind you saying...there's too many bugs...I hate being outside...or the ever popular, I have to go pee! (and of course, there is no bathroom in site!) So I plan to begin getting up 30 minutes before the kids starting this week and spend that time in quiet reflection, either through meditation or even just taking my cup of coffee out onto the patio and listening to the birds and watching them at the feeders.

SIMPLE HOME: I have already started the de-cluttering process. I have about 5 more stages to go through, until I will be happy with the material items we have shed. I want to be at peace with my home. I want to feel tranquil in it, not trapped by all of the stuff that we have. And right now, that is exactly how I feel. I feel trapped by knick-knacks and toys and books and clothes and shoes and closets full of junk! I know I will have a better feeling of peace when I have more open space in my home.

TRANSPORTATION: Our mustang is gone, as of today. So we are down to one family car and add to that the fact that hubby has a work truck. I am doing my best to only drive the car once a week and that is to get groceries, becuase they just won't fit in the bike trailer. Otherwise, when I make trips to the library, bank, misc. stores, post office or to pick up kids from school...I am either riding my bike or walking. For some reason, this gives me peace. I guess I know I am saving a ton of money on gas, while getting my exercise and showing my kids that driving isn't always necessary, just because you have a car in the driveway!

ACTIVITES: Does simplicity mean doing less? I don't believe so. To me, simplicity, means freeing up time in your life to do the things that you enjoy doing. I enjoy baking and cooking, so why should I follow the advice of authors and give up cooking healthy, inexpensive meals in favor of feeding my family something microwaved to save myself and hour of time! I am freeing up that time to do what I enjoy, so I should do it. I also plan to join the PTA this year at my son's school. I may or may not volunteer for committees, I will have to wait and see if anything actually appeals to me. I will not be bullied into saying yes to anything! But these are the things that I have wanted to do and when I was working full time, I did not have the time for. That is WHY I am simplifying my life. To spend more time with my kids. To enrich their lives as well as mine!

I think for now, that is where I will end my defining of simplicity. I will be using this as my own guide as I go along to be sure I don't go off track. However, I also believe that my ideas of simplicity may be re-writen as I go. This is about me and my family living the life that is best for us. It may take us a few drafts to get where we want to be, we just have to remember to enjoy the story!

September Frugal Challenge - Grocery Budget

Ok, so for September I am going to work reallly hard to create and stick to a grocery budget! My challenge to myself this month is to cut my grocery budget in half! I have been really bad recently about not shopping at Aldi's, so I am going back to shopping at Aldi's and cooking "frugally".

I normally spend around $120 on groceries each week. This gives us some pretty good eats and keeps us from ordering food or going out to eat. My goal is to spend around $60 a week for the next month. This is to include all toiletries, dog food, cat food, bag lunches, etc. I also plan to not eat out at a restaurant for the entire month of September! For us, this will be a HUGE challange. But if I can do it, then I will save myself about $300 just for this month, which will be huge. I have so many other things I can use this money for!

Here is my menu list for the week:
Dinner
1. Bagel Dogs & French Fries
2. Homemade Chicken Soup & Biscuits
3. Cowboy beef stew
4. Meatball Subs & French Fries
5. Country Sausage & Potatoes
6. Chicken & Broccolli Casserole
7. Poor Man's Chicken

Lunch
Tuna Sandwiches
Cold Cut Sandwiches
Fruit Cups
Hard Boiled Eggs
Snack Crackers
Cookies

Breakfast
Weekday - Cereal
Weekend - Bacon & Eggs, French Toast

I need to get most of the ingredients for these dishes as well as Toilet Paper & Shampoo. I'm crossing my fingers that I can stay under my $60 budget. I'm headed to Aldi's, so I am hoping that I can do it! I will post a total when I return!

Guide to the Simple Life

I am creating this blog to chronicle my life as a stay-at-home Mom. I plan to share the fun adventures of a stay-at-home mom on a shoestring budget as I try to organize and simplify our familys life!

I am hoping to share my crazy trials of ideas on saving money, budget cooking, weight loss, raising two boys, keeping a house and husband happy, walking the dog, feeding the cat, yardwork and doing it all without losing my identity or my mind!

I've learned that in being a mom and a wife, it is relatively easy to lose oneself and become a person modeled after convenience or your own mother or influences. I've learned that the only way to be truely happy and give my best to my family is to not lose who I am and who I want to be. Through this blog, I will share the things that I go through in trying to recapture who I am after years of trying to be the model wife and mother. I've learned to say the heck with it, they will only be truely happy if I am happy in my heart and not just on the outside! So feel free to join me in the pursuit of my own happiness through following my heart and doing the things that I believe in, while still raising a family, trying to do right by the environment, shedding the expectations of retailers and advertisers all while trying to keep my sanity.

I think it should be fun! I plan on sharing my frugal weekly recipes along with my shopping lists that go with them, and total spent for the week. I will use this blog to keep myself within budget, because I will have to post any and all spending that I have. I am hoping that will keep me from spending if I have to be accountable for it. I will also chronicle the daily ways that I save money around the house through creative means and recycling old items! One of my loves is "trash to treasure", so I will share some of those projects with you as well!

I realize that most "bloggers" frown upon the posting of more than one post a day, but screw it...I may post more than once a day as my day gets more interesting!