That seems to be my current “quest” and what all of my friends are chatting about these days. And why not? With the price of just about anything you can think of shooting through the roof these days, we have to buckle down and get smart somewhere!
I would consider making a menu Step One if you were trying to cut down on costs. This way, you know exactly what’s in your pantry, and if you set out a plan of which meals are what days, then you won’t have to be panicking over what to pull together at 5 o’clock.
Now, I have spent a decent amount of time smoothing out and adjusting our menu. And personally, I thought I was doing really well. I have gotten our menus polished to a four-week plan, and for basic groceries, we have been spending around $150 a month or a little less.
There’s still a LOT that I have to learn, though. I’ve never been good at coupon clipping. Every time I have tried, it just never seems to work out as anything beneficial. Apparently, after a friend of mine shared this video, all I could do was stare at my screen in absolute amazement. You will not believe what she pays for these groceries!!!
What do YOU do to cut back the costs of groceries? What are your best tips, the best sales you hit, or the best stores you shop?
I came across this event on Facebook. It’s an event called To Write Love on Her Arms. If you are on Facebook, it’s definitely worth checking out their event here on Facebook. It doesn’t even take hardly any effort to attend. I am!
After reading through their Mission Statement and Vision, I was incredibly happy to be attending TWLOHA this Friday, November 13th. Here is the Mission Statement and some of the Vision for To Write Love on Her Arms (quoted from their page):
“Mission Statement:
To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.
Vision:
… We live in a difficult world, a broken world. My friend Byron is very smart – he says that life is hard for most people most of the time. We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know that you’re not alone in the places you feel stuck. …
… The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead.
The vision is the possibility that we’re more loved than we’ll ever know.
The vision is hope, and hope is real.
You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.”
As a person who has been to those darkest places myself, I can speak from experience that everyone going through these struggles needs that helping hand reached out to them.
To share a brief history, I was trapped in a failing, neglectant, and abusive marriage. I was depressed and highly suicidal. The worst part about it, was that I was so good at hiding how I felt, that I was able to fool military specialists to believe nothing was wrong. After a time I developed a chronic condition that I still struggle with today.
But thanks to finally finding the strength to free myself, I am now remarried to the most amazing man who lifts me up, involves me and best of all we now have the most perfect Angel of a son and I couldn’t ask for a better life that I have been given to start again!
Together as a whole, we can work to stop violence, abuse and depression!
*Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated for writing of this event. I solely find it a very worthy cause and am sharing the word of this event.
This is a poem that a wonderful friend of mine, Tiffany, posted a while back. I go back to read it often.
From an old English parsonage down by the sea
There came in the twilight a message to me;
Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
Hath, it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.
And on through the doors the quiet words ring
Like a low inspiration: “Do the next thing.”
Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, and guidance are given. Fear not tomorrows, child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus, do the next thing.
Do it immediately, do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing,
Leave all results, do the next thing.
Looking for Jesus, ever serener,
Working or suffering, be thy demeanor;
In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
The light of His countenance be thy psalm,
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing.
Then, as He beckons thee, do the next thing.
~Author Unknown
We as a society today are power hungry for control. Control over our spouses, families, careers, friends, daily choices and lives.
“Fear not tomorrows… Cast ALL care…” I don’t know about you, but I am a Worry Wart – with big, capital W’s! To be able to entrust every single worry… is a struggle that we all encounter.
This coming THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15TH is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. (Click the picture to visit the official web page.)
Objective: At 7PM, no matter what time zone you are in, to light a candle in remembrance of each Angel that has been lost. Burn the candle from 7-8PM.
Goal: The goal is to have at least one candle lit in remembrance, the world over, for every hour of October 15th, to have in mind all that have had a greater purpose than what only we had expected.
Miscarriages and infantile death are a sadly common thing. Just about everyone has experienced or knows someone who has been affected by such a heart-wrenching and life-altering event, whether you know it or not.
I have participated in lighting my candle(s) on this day for this hour (and I usually light them all day, as well) for FOUR years now, starting from when I first learned of this event through a dear friend of mine. I light one candle for the Angel no longer with my husband and me, three candles for the three Angels my dear friend can not enjoy, and one additional candle for each of the rest that I do not personally know.
But after all of the heartache, pain and sickness, there is always the Perfect Purpose why we are not able to be blessed to hold each of our Angels. For myself and my husband, we were absolutely beyond blessed to have our son. He is the most precious, sweetest, caring, helpful, and funniest little guy ever; who is now just over two years old. For my dear friends, they have been absolutely blessed with their sweet Baby Girl after much struggle and one great fight! Others may not have had the chance for another sweet Angel, for reasons they may or may not know – yet.
But each and every one has their own Perfect Purpose… and not a single one will ever be forgotten or lost.
So, my request to you, is to pass on this post (please include a linkback and credit, since this is my original writing), and the word. Light a candle or two at 7PM of your time zone for an hour of remembrance for the beautiful Angels we here do not have the privilege to enjoy.
In case you live under a rock and weren’t aware, the entire month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.
One of my wonderful friends is a great advocate for finding a cure, and has come up with an affordable way to help support finding a cure for this disease.
Breast Cancer is becoming more and more common these days. And the problem is that this is SUCH a curable disease! Please help to spread the word and the Fight for a Cure by supporting UGHtees.com!
I just love blog browsing! There are so many great, inspirational ideas out there. Last night, I came across PinkForOctober.org.
What an wonderful idea!!
“The Pink for October campaign is about blog and website owners showing their support for breast cancer awareness by turning our sites pink for the month of October.”
As long as you are PINK, than you can participate. Some of the entries are displaying a banner, or changed their backgrounds. Others have gone all out for the month of PINK!
There are over 400 participants so far! It’s so neat to browse through all of the participants to see the kind of support for this cause.
As women, and Mommies, we tend to get our “Proud Mama Bird” feathers all puffed up from time to time. I know that I do! I love boasting and bragging about our little Bug. But we often forget that the Daddies can get their pride polished to a high sheen from time to time as well.
Hubby decided that he wanted to walk around a few stores with us tonight, so we wandered around Target for a while before coming home and getting the Bug to bed. After we all got buckled into the car, Hubby and I looked back at our perfect little creation, just beaming his entrancing smile back at us.
On our way, he recalled a conversation with his boss a few days ago. Hubby has a love for the Indie Colts, so he had made a little “Colt’s Corner” as his boss named it – with a replica helmet, hat, and a picture of himself, Bug and Dad (my father) atop the mound o’ sports.
This is a picture of Bug’s very first baseball game. Hubby loves this picture, and always keeps it in his view while he works. He had flashbacks to that fun night. Our little boy, just barely 5 months old – toothless, crooked grin from ear to ear, bald little head and eyes shining like the sun. Then he looked back at our boy who was narrating our drive, and all he could do was smile and sigh. And then said, “Where did our giggling, goofy little lump go? Now he’s… a boy! A smart, independent, loving, helpful little boy!”
I just sat and smiled broadly at the man I admire and our perfect little boy. The last two years have breezed by, MUCH, too quickly! And even though we may not realize, all those special moments will always be stuck in our minds as the precious memories to be savored as our Angels grow, and the years slip through time.
So take too many pictures, and read one too many books!
It’s been a little too long since I have posted! Work got very busy, and I have been focusing on Bug lately. We are working on learning our body parts and colors. He already knows TEN body parts, and we are working on three colors. He learned to call our cats by their name (well OK, he calls both cats, by one of their names LOL!), and he has started telling me “diaper” (or rather, “birper”) each morning pointing to his diaper… so, I’m thinking it may be time for a pack of potty training pants for us!!
This is a note that I wrote on Facebook earlier in the year. It has been on my mind the last couple of weeks. I have revised and edited it, and will most likely revise it in the future as fitting, as well. I hope you take time to read through. We all need to be reminded of these things sometimes. Enjoy:
Don’t be afraid to hug too tightly, kiss too long, squeeze a little too hard, act a little too silly, or say, “I love you!” just one too many times.
Life is too precious. Our children will never stay young. We will never know what will be our last embrace, the last dance, or have another chance to assure that special “I love you”. We will never have yesterday again.
We live in the age of instant messages, drive-through dinners, web-based conference calls – anything for a “quick fix” to make our lives just that much easier.
What are we missing? What is in front of us that we must take a moment to see: warm homes with a roof over our heads, caring parents to always offer advice, the devotion of a spouse to hold each night, the ever-watching eyes and eager hearts of our children, the strength of our friends to hold us when we can’t hold ourselves, and the everlasting, unfailing love of the Abba Father God!
How often in the day are we caught on the answer “maybe later” to desiring little hands and eyes – because we find there is “too much work” in the day?
Deadlines can be pushed. Phone calls can be returned. E-mails can saved. Dinner can be late. Movies can be paused.
Tickle Wars can’t be re-fought. Every book has an end. Every dance has to stop. Children get “too old” for slobbered kisses, tender hugs, and silly “I love you’s”.
We have to learn again to dance a little too silly, hug a little too long, laugh a little too much, run a little too far, splash a little too much at bath time, stroll a little too long on a walk, kiss just one second longer, and say, “I love you!”… just once more.
Everyone is so wrapped up in finding what life is really all about or how to achieve what could make us happy. I can’t pretend to know the secret of life, secret of happiness, or secret to wealth. But I know one thing: life cannot be lived without PASSION!
Passion to succeed. Passion to love. Passion to care. Find your passion… and you will find your way to persevere through whatever comes your way. “In all you do, do it with PASSION! Without Passion, what is Desire? Without Desire, what are Goals? Without Goals, where is Purpose? And without Purpose… what is Life??”
♥ ♥ This posting was written in devotion to my two-year-old, strong boy who continues to amaze, amuse, and entertain me each and every day. He’s grown too quickly and there are so many things I want to freeze in time to hold forever. I love you Forever, Always and Eternity my sweet Baby Love.
Disclaimer: Please do not use quotes from this post without my permission. This is my original writing. I ask that you respect that.
I just had to write this morning, about what a GREAT day today will be! Really. What day isn’t a brand new blessing with new adventures, goals and treasures??
I have a sweet, funny, wonderfully little family. I have a warm bed to snuggle into each night. I have the desire to look This Day straight in the face and say, “Today, you WILL be a blessing!”
I slept through the night last night. Completely. This NEVER happens to me. I am an insomniac. I went to bed at 11PM last night, and woke up – fresh – to the alarm! We all hate alarms. Usually the alarm scares me awake each day. But today, it didn’t. I woke up happy. I woke with a song placed in my heart. Today is here, for ME!
People have asked me how on earth I can be such a morning person. Well, partially it is genetic, I won’t lie. But you can also do a few things to kick start your day and get rocking!
✔ Get up! When the alarm goes off, don’t linger!
✔ MAKE THE BED!! I know this sounds like the simplest thing in the world, but seriously. We stay-at-home Moms see the bedroom (or at least know it’s there) all day. What’s more distressing than thinking of the messy bed you will have to get into tonight?
✔ Get dressed! It’s such an easy habit to stay in our PJs when we don’t have to open our door. Get dressed and you will feel ready to “go”.
✔ Put a song in your head and heart. Any song, it doesn’t matter. I woke up with Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Magnificent Obsession” in my head this morning. Why, I don’t know… but it was there and I have been singing it all morning (the whole 3 hours of it LOL). So put on your favorite song, get it stuck in your head, and get ready to take on the world.
Everybody’s different. This is only my list and how I face the day, but it helps me feel fresh, ready and strong.
BRING IT ON, DAY! LET’S GO!!!
On another note, a newly-found friend of mine at Party Like a Momstar passed along a Fabulous Blog award to me. So, my five obsessions are as follows:
1. Making sure the FOUR cakes that I will be making for my to-be-two-year-old are going to be fabulous.
2. Cleaning
3. A passion to strive to do as my husband says, so that he will remain happy.
4. Blogging and my GREAT job at 5 Minutes for Mom
5. ANYTHING BABIES/BIRTH/OR PREGNANCY!
Enjoy and TAKE ON YOUR DAY!!! Here is song in my heart this morning.
We women are good grapevine-passers. I love hearing about a great new site or great cause that makes my heart melt. When my wonderful friend ERICA posted this in a note, I had to go leisure around little Noah’s site. Let me tell you, I was painfully choking back the tears. Here is the note she posted:
My name is Heather Hall, but the reason I’m e-mail you is because this might be an interesting bit for your readers and I’m trying to help my 7-year-old son spread his message. He started a business a week ago, there is already just under 1000 Facebook friends on his “fan” page… the momentum is gaining. A heart warming story about an VERY young entrepreneur trying to change the world…
When a week before Noah’s 7th birthday, he heard about kids all over the world who had to walk miles to get drinking water which made them sick. Noah was disturbed by this news, and hoping that he could do something to make a difference, he talked with his dad, Mike, about everything he had heard. After Noah updated Mike on the poor drinking water situation, the conversation went back and forth like this:
“Dad, we have to do something about this!”
Mike replied,“Well, what do you suppose we should do?”
“We should sell coffee mugs because when people drink out of them, they think about drinking and when you think about drinking stuff, you’ll think about water. Then all of the money we make can go to help kids get water that doesn’t make them sick.”
“Well, what is going to make your mug different then every other mug out there?”
“Dad, our mugs are going to help people get clean water, and I’m going to make some really cool themes and drawings.”
“Really?”
“Yea, I already thought of it all; I’ll draw Castles, Wild Bears, and Flowers – ‘cause girls like flowers.”
“Noah, can you draw a wild bear?”
“Yeah, I’m a real good drawer. So can we do it, Dad?” Noah asked excitedly.
Mike answered his anxiously awaiting son, “Sure, I’d love to go into business with a 6 year old!”
As Noah’s dad was teaching Noah how to put together a business plan, they did research and realized that the profits from just one mug would pay for someone to have clean drinking water for the rest of their life!
That is the story of how Noah’s Mugs began. Noah, his dad, and the whole family now print and press mugs and ship them all over North America. And, for every mug sold, another person gets clean drinking water.
Now, I’ll be the first to tell you, that being a struggling family, we never have a million things overflowing our cabinets, but we have enough to get by and be happy. I told hubby about the site and showed him the masterpieces that Noah has drawn for his mugs. He told me that we needed to support such a heart-warming cause (yes, those were HIS words!), and we will be collecting several from Noah.
I encourage you to take a look around his site. He has a few vlogs on his blog link. I cried. Such a young boy with a heart and drive bigger than you can ever imagine – and he’s doing it all to help others he doesn’t even know.
When I posted my link about the The Business of Being Born Documentary, it really opened up my eyes and heart to a world of information that I think women are becoming blinded to in this new age of technology and advancement.
I received a comment from Geriatric Mama and poking around in her site I found this AMAZING video that co-insides with the Business of Being Born Documentary very well, I believe.
As just about everyone knows… October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Having family members who are currently battling breast cancer, puts this issue very near and dear to my heart.
This next Wednesday, October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.
Objective: At 7PM, no matter what your time zone, to light a candle in remembrance of each Angel that has been lost. Burn the candle from 7-8PM.
Goal: The goal is to have at least one candle lit in remembrance, the world over for every hour of October 15th, to have in mind all that have had a greater purpose than what only we had expected.
Miscarriages and infant death are a sadly common thing. Just about everyone has or knows someone who has been affected by such a heart-wrenching event, whether you know it or not.
I have participated in lighting my candle(s) on this day for this hour (and I usually light them ALL day, as well) for three years now, starting from when I first learned of this event through a dear friend of mine. I light one candle for the Angel no longer with my husband and I, three candles for the three Angels my dear friend can not enjoy, and one additional candle for each of the rest that I do not personally know.
But after all of the heartache, and pain and sickness, there is always the perfect purpose why we are not able to be blessed to hold each of our Angels. For myself and my husband, we were absolutely beyond blessed to have our son. He is the most precious, sweetest, funniest little guy ever, who will be turning 14 months old at the end of next week. For my dear friends, they have been absolutely blessed with their sweet Baby Girl after much struggle and one great fight! For others, some may not have been able to have the chance for another sweet Angel, for reasons they may or may not know.
But each and every one has their own perfect purpose… and not a single one will ever be forgotten or lost.
So, my request to you, is to pass on my blog, and the word. Light a candle or two at 7PM of your time zone for an hour of remembrance for the beautiful Angels we here do not have the privilege to enjoy.
For all of you current Mommies, Mommies-to-be, those TTC or plan at any point in the future to have a family, I strongly recommend watching this video documentary!
I had my son naturally in a birthing center with a water birth, and I absolutely recommend that anyone who is not high risk do their research and consider using a midwife in a birthing center or at home. It had to have been the absolutely best experience of my life! And I am always willing to share my birth story, experiences, pains, pleasures or anything else with anyone who wants to know.
For all of us stay-at-home and busy Mommies, this documentary is a little over an hour long, so you may have to watch it in sections. It took me a day and a half to get completely through it, lol! Also, to be warned, this video also has some graphical parts… but absolutely EVERY minute of this is worth every bit of information!!!
I came across this event on Facebook. It’s an event called 
“Mission Statement:
1. Making sure the FOUR cakes that I will be making for my to-be-two-year-old are going to be fabulous.
