I'm Going Pantsless!!!

This experiment will be controversial, I'm quite sure, and get some unapproving thoughts and comments from some of my friends. I have friends and family of many beliefs and I love them all and respect their right to believe as they choose. I hope they'll accept me as I come out of the closet about something...It's time to admit that I've been skirting (I couldn't resist) the issue of dresses and skirts vs. pants for quite some time now.

 The Duggar women do it. Whenever I watch their show, I notice that the girls are so well behaved and ladylike and always wearing skirts or dresses. Whenever their like minded friends visit, their daughters are also in skirts or dresses and also seem very sweet and well mannered. 

The Amish women do it. I've been watching the series Amish: Out of Order on National Geographic. This piqued my interest and I've recently read several books on the Amish. (No, we're not building an outhouse...not yet.) I realize that there is more to their behavior than their clothes, but I'm curious if it helps one to keep in a ladylike, feminine mindset. The Amish also believe that their clothing helps set them apart from the rest of the world (They refer to us non-Amish people as "the English").

I have examined (and re-examined, stomped on, made paper airplanes with, crumpled up, and ironed out) my faith, beliefs, and worldview over the past few years...And gone through some rough times because of some of my choices while in this period of re-examination and just recklessness at some points. Having three children removes the luxury (?) of being selfish and reckless and also requires one to get off the fence and have some solid, definable beliefs that guide parenting, child-rearing, and all decisions really.

I want to have authentic answers for my ever-questioning, always-thinking oldest son. I want to live a life that lines up with what I tell my children is true and important. I feel a huge burden to be a good example now that I have a daughter. Since I found out I was having a girl in my last pregnancy, I have been thinking over the ins and outs of raising a girl and the values, attitudes, and habits I want to impart to her. This brings me to the skirts...

The Bible verse used to support women not wearing pants is usually Deuteronomy 22:5-

"A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this."

This is not the driving factor for me, as I believe God desires modesty over a specific attire. I just need all the help I can get and I wonder if something tangible, like my clothing, will affect my attitude and behavior??

How will a simple wardrobe change affect my life? Will I feel and act more feminine? Will it affect my activities? Will it affect the way people perceive me and treat me? Will it remind me of my faith and my role in the family? (That can stir it up!)
I'm going pantsless for a month to try it out!

First step- A trip to Goodwill today to stock up on some skirts! (If this whole thing isn't for me, I'm not out much and can donate some back!)

Busy Bags Swap!!

Here are some of the results from the first bust bag swap! Not a big turn out, but Shayde and I got a playdate and some good things to keep little ones busy :)

Color Sorting...Medicine cups are glued on small piece of cardboard.

Suppose to be "bird" and "worms". I thought it looked more like an alligator, so I made worms and fish. Use fingers or clothespin to insert pom poms or pipe cleaners into container. Open lid to make it easier.

Foam Lacing Cards

Paper Plate Craft Kit

Discovery Bottles. Insert what you like and glue on lid.

Match Numbers, shapes, or colors.

Color Matching

More fun color matching.

Buckle Buddy...(or Fine Motor Friend...or thing with face and buckles)

I have fallen in love with pinterest! SOooo many great ideas and inspirations!! Most recently, I was inspired by a picture of a buckle toy.
Since buckles are one of my 17 month old's current fascinations, I decided to give it a try. (Disclaimer: I am NOT a seamstress...I'm happy to sew a straight line!) I used fabric I had on hand and cut buckles off of a backpack headed for Goodwill. I reused plastic grocery bags for the stuffing- makes a nice crinkly sound! Anyway, it turned out ok, but Shayde cannot undo the buckles himself at this point...Only buckle them back. He does enjoy the keys! Oh, and I thought it needed a head and arms ;)

Baking Bread and Saving $Dough$!

The boys and I like cinnamon raisin bread for breakfast. After seeing the $3.69 price tag at Target and not having any coupons, I just couldn't buy it yesterday. Instead I grabbed a large conatiner of raisins for around $3 and decided I'd try and bake my own. I had all the other basic ingredients on hand. I haven't done an exact price break down, but I know it's A LOT cheaper to bake our own. I got a 5lb bag of flour for $1 in November (recipe uses 8 cups). The recipe used maybe 1/5 or less of the raisins. Add a few eggs, little milk, yeast, etc...Surely under $1 for the ingredients used...And it made 3 LOAVES! Turned out pretty tasty too! :) I used this recipe.

We devoured half of the first loaf this morning (with a bit of butter!), so I'd rate it a success! Changes: I may add some cinnamon to the dough next time...not just in the swirl.

Let Them Play!!

I was inspired by a blog I came across recently :
http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/2011/10/find-it.html?spref=fb


It was water for my early childhood education roots! After reading through some posts, I put in my teacher eyes and began observing my children and looking around our environment with fresh perspective.


For several months now, Shayde whines and cries whenever he sees one of us with a water bottle. Is he oh so thirsty?? No. He wants to take the lid on and off the bottle...which he needs help with and which makes a huge mess unless the bottle is empty. We've had some pretty good fits in the middle of a store...and also a really wet baby a couple times when a weak mommy gave in.


He also loves the Desitin tube. Diaper changing time became much more pleasant once we had an empty tube to give him. He likes to open and close the cap.


It occurred to me the other day that he is showing us an area that he is ready to explore and develop further. Hence, the container box was created!

Putting foam shapes/stickers into the containers is even more fine motor practice! Even big brother got in on the fun! ;) A Welch's squeezable grape jelly container has the perfect lid for older children to practice inserting objects. **Note: We did have a couple glass containers in the box. It seemed safe enough on the carpet...until Shayde threw one of them into the kitchen and it shattered on the tile. RIP salt shaker. We now have only nonbreakables!

I'll be watching for my children to tell me what they are ready for next!

Squeezing in (or blending, mashing, hiding) our Veggies

I'm on a mission to get more veggies into my family's diet. My oldest eats most pretty well...save squash or peppers. My 15 month old, however, pokes at and smashes peas and carrots with his chubby little finger like I've served him worms! Fresh, canned, or frozen: doesn't matter. I keep serving a required vegetable and sometimes he'll eat it...sometimes he won't even eat mashed potatoes! Since he's allergic to milk, the doctor suggested I serve him plenty of high fat foods- like avacado- Hah! You should see how he pokes at that green slimey goodness!

The rest of us don't eat many vegetables outside of dinner either, because we prefer cooked to raw and that takes time. So, I'm researching practical ways to get more veggies in. (The fact that I'm pregant with our third child makes it even more important...Can I eat peanut butter toast all day and just take my prenatal!?!)

Smoothies: Our saving grace! I started making smoothies for the boys and my after school/ afternoon snack. I've been playing with different mixtures, but I've found that fresh spinach and carrots are good add-ins to the usual fruit cocktails. The spinach can make it an unappealing color if it's not balanced with brighter fruits, like dark berries. Although , I served a bright green smoothie and called it "The Hulk Smoothie" and my 6 year old gulped it down ;).  I've also found that a scoop of sherbert sweetens up the smoothies and makes them really creamy! Sometimes I add in soy yogurt instead.

The Hulk Smoothie:
1 can pineapple and juice
1 large banana in chunks
2 large handfuls fresh spinach (stems and all) torn into smaller sections
1 cup ice
1 scoop orange sherbert
1 cup cold water if needed for consitency (or milk/ soymilk)
*Makes 3-4 small glasses

My latest experiment was More-Veggie Spaghetti sauce- attempting to get in some less-than-kid-favorite vegetables. It tasted like veggie lasagna! Yummy!

Chop and cook 1 squash, 1 zucchini, 1 bell pepper, and 1/4 onion in a skillet with a little cooking spray until tender.

Put them into blender with 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce. Blend until smooth.

Pour back into skillet and stir in other 1/2 of jarred sauce.

Add seasoning to your liking. I added basil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

Serve with spaghetti noodles and lots of grated Italian cheese. Delicious!

I've also been adding more veggies to my sandwiches at lunch...Cucumber and avacado are my current faves.

Couponing= Clutter!!!

I began to notice rather quickly that as my couponing "hobby" was growing,  so were my piles of clutter: Papers, ads, Sunday coupons, printed coupons, mailer coupons....and the stock pile itself! In a perfect world I would have hours to browse deals, organize ads, sort, file, clip, shop, and put each item purchased neatly in it's row. Well, that's just not happening!

To Address the Paper Clutter:

Previous idea: Coupon binder. Although I love the organization of it, it's just not practical for me to clip and file each and every coupon. So, I now use it for clipped coupons that need a home (ones I clipped and didn't use, mailers, ones from magazine ads, register coupons, etc) and items that I always need to buy (like diapers, formula, and protein bars). It is a great tool, and I still carry it with me for unadvertised deals and I have gotten some great savings with it...Just too time consuming.
*Tom Thumb has a clearance section (at the back behind all the aisles near dairy usually). I have gotten AWESOME deals there (by having my binder handy) on everything from Gerber products and formula to canned black beans!

 A plastic divider with pocket for each store. Put list, ads, and envelope with specific coupons for a trip here.

 I removed the pages from a photo album for large coupons or store coupons that print out at the register to keep behind the plastic divider for each store.

 Clear page protectors for large coupons or fast food coupons that I always keep in my binder in the car.

 And of course the baseball card pages ($1 at Dollar Tree for pack of 10) labeled with categories for coupons. Categories are: baby, baking, batteries, bread, candy, canned, cereal, cleaner, condiments, dairy, eggs, frozen, fruit, hygiene, jelly/peanut butter, meat, medicine, paper, pasta, pet, salad dressing, seasoning, snacks, target, toothpaste, toys. ( I cannot remember which coupon site I adapted these from, but I'll add it later!)

Current Idea: I write the date the coupons came out on the front of the coupons as soon as I get them. I then file them in file folders labeled with the date and store them in a sterilite container. (Idea adapted from Couponmom.com) The majority of coupon sites do the major work of matching deals with coupons for you. They list the date the coupons came out and from what source (smart source, red plum, etc.). No need to spend hours clipping and filing...just file them by date and clip it when/if you need it for a deal!

  I also have a file for:
-Store ads
-Target coupons (the ones that come randomly in the mail. I put the ones that print out at the register in my binder)
-All You Magazine (great coupons and Couponmom lists these deals also)
-Food
-Fun
-Car, home (like oil change coupons, floor cleaning, etc...)

 

I reused file folders by placing address labels over the old writing.

Now all those ValPak coupons that I save have a home. (Which means I can actually locate one when I need it!)

To Address Product Clutter:

If you want to save the most money, you have to buy in larger quantities than you normally would when things are on sale or at their "rock bottom price". It's a lot of work in planning and storing, but it really pays off! You don't have to go crazy...Just enough of a product for your family for a few months (when the product will most likely go on sale again). I shopped A LOT the first couple of months, but I have just been filling in with perishables and freebies for quite a while now. Average savings on trips is 50%. Sometimes everything is free...Sometimes I only have a couple of $2 off coupons, but I just need something.

Now to the storage...
The grocery stores are on to something! I organize my food like a grocery store...In rows in my pantry- by expiration date (aka ones that expire sooner in the front)
Patrick (my wonderful husband and handy man) added shelves to the coat closet to turn into a linen/storage closet for hygiene items.

**My rule of thumb (and to avoid becoming a hoarder) is to stop buying when pantry and/or linen closet is full. If I just can't resist freebies, they go directly into the charity box or to family and friends! A free bag of food and hygiene products can really help out sometimes!

I hope this is helpful to someone! Happy Couponing! =)