In Which I Share How My Parents Budgeting Succes Blesses Me

I wrote the following post in hopes of winning a contest.   I did not win, however I still wanted to share my Mom and Dad's budget success story because I think it rocks! ( I wrote it from my mom's perspective.) 

I was at a friend’s house this week and she had a beautiful gallery wall of her family.  Pictures of she and her husband, their children, grandchildren, weddings, and significant life events lined the entry of her home.  At the precipice of the wall, hung a plaque that read, “All because two people fell in love.”  Reflecting on their story through this wall, I could see the impact that the thread of love makes in creating beauty. 

My budgeting story has had a similar impact in my family.  Our gallery wall of debts paid, freedom found, early retirements taken, time spent with children and grandchildren, people taken through Financial Peace University, vacations spent, and volunteer hours counted is, “all because two people got on a budget.”

In 2005, my daughter introduced me to Dave Ramsey and I’m so glad she did.  As a result of our “gazelle intensity”, my husband and I paid off $107,000 in debt in 4 years and 3 months.  We did this by:

• Having monthly budget meetings where we gave every penny a name and spent our money accordingly.
• Not using credit cards.
• Applying unexpected income to the debt.
• Using cash for groceries, gas, and my hair (after all, if you look good, you feel good).
• Going on planned vacations to celebrate milestones of debts paid
• Using the debt snowball (paying off the smallest debt first and once it was paid off, applying that money to the next largest debt).

My husband and I have been debt free since 2009.  In 2010, I was able to retire from my job!  Not having to work has freed us to be able to serve our children, church family, and many others:

• One weekend a month we watch our daughter’s 5 children (ages 6 and under- including a set of twins).  This allows her and her husband time to reconnect and breathe.  
•  Our son has twins (born on the same day but 2 years after my daughter’s twins), as well, and my husband and I watch his children 2-3 days a week while he and his wife are work.
•  We started Financial Peace University at our church and have led over 20 groups.
•  We counsel individuals and couples in the area of finances.
•   My mother lives out of state and her health is diminishing.  I have been able to travel to her home and stay with her for extended periods of time. 
•  I volunteer at a gift shop in a hospital and have accumulated over 500 hours of community service.

None of this would have been possible if I still had to punch a clock.  I am so thankful to be out of debt.

If you want to get out of debt and see changes in your life, the key is to get on a budget.  To start a budget you will need to:

• Write down your income.
• Write down all of your expenses beginning with food, shelter, transportation, and clothing.  A Google search will lead you to budget sheets and software.
• Add in a budget line for blow (fun) money.  This is a pre-determined amount of money that is set aside for you to spend any way you like. 
• Write out exactly where your money will go and spend it accordingly

Using online bill pay through my bank is a real asset to sticking to my budget.  When we get paid, I immediately pay our bills, then I get cash and place it envelopes to keep me accountable. 
 
In November, I will turn 60.  As a gift to myself and our children, my husband and I added a line to our budget called Caine Family Cruise.  As you can guess, we are going to take our 4 children, their spouses, and our 8 grandchildren on a Disney Cruise. We saved for this trip for a year and it is completely paid for in cash.  I could not think of a better birthday gift than to spend time with our loved ones.   

Discipline in the area of budgeting bled over into discipline in other parts of my life.  In 2012, I started a weight loss program wherein I had to “budget” my calories.  I have lost 30 pounds and kept it off for nearly 2 years.  As you know, discipline begets discipline. 

Getting on a budget has brought so much freedom to our lives.  On a daily basis, frames are added to our gallery wall and our family tree is bursting with beauty. 

If you ask Cynthia how she is doing, she will say, "I'm blessed!"  It is her joy to share life with her husband of nearly 40 years, James.  She enjoys exercising, volunteering, shopping for herself and her grandchildren (with cash) and going on annual Mother's Day vacations with her 3 daughters.  

 

Goals for the week of Jan 20

Self:

1.  Read Bible everyday.

2.  Memorize Matthew 5:5-6.

3.  Read 2 Chapters of Raising Godly Tomatoes and complete The Circle Maker.

4.  Exercise 3 times this week.

Wife:

1.  Listen to 1 hour of The Excellent Wife.

2.  Memorize 2 Corinthians 5:1.

3.  Practice Eddie's love language 3 times.

Mother:

1.  Read to kids Monday-Friday.

2.  Plan a craft for Saturday.

3.  Continue with our daily routine.

House Manager:

1.  Keep up with spending and discuss budget with Eddie.

2.  Work the Cleaning Schedule.

3.  Work on Mega Project Monday-Saturday (organize for 15 minutes a day).

Friend/Older Woman:

1.  Send a gift to Joy.

Dreamer:

1.  Spend 30 minutes working on blog.

2.  Spend 30 minutes writing a blog post.

3.  Research craft.

4.  Outline PIE meeting talk and write the talk. 

photo credit

Goals for the Week of Jan. 13

 

 

Last week, I set some goals for the different roles that I have.  Here they are, along with an update on how I did on them.

Self:
1.  Read Bible everyday.  (I missed 2 days last wk.  I felt really bummed that I missed, but I decided not to dwell on it and live in defeat.  I dusted myself off and kept trucking along.  I'm using an adaptation of this plan.)

2.  Memorize Matthew 5:3-5 (The children and I completed verses 3-4)

3.  Read Parts 2 and 3 of Steady Days and 2 chapters of Raising Godly Tomatoes.  (I finished Steady Days and did not read any of RGT).

4.  Exercise 3 times this week.  (I only exercised once).

Wife:

1.  Listen to 1 hr of The Five Love Languages.  (I enjoyed this audiobook so much that I listened to all 5 hours).

2.  Memorzie 2 Cor. 5:1.  (Eddie asked me to memorize 2 Cor. 5 with him.  Unfortunatly, I didn't even print it out, so this will be back on the list for this week.)

3.  Practice his love language 3 times.  (Done!)

Mother:

1.  Read to kids Monday-Friday. (Done!  We are almost through The Jesus Storybook Bible).

2.  Get library books (Done!)

3.  Continue with our daily routine.  (We did this 3 out of 5 days).

House Manager:

1.  Put budget on Pear Budget and discuss with Eddie.  (I put in the numbers, but we did not discuss it).

2.  Plan a cleaning schedule. (Done!)

3.  Work the cleaning schedule everyday.  (I did pretty good with this one 4 out of 5 days).

Friend/Older Woman:

1.  Plan for Feminar.  (We cancelled it because the kids were in Atlanta and Eddie and I wanted to spend time together.)

2.  Meet with Porscha, Keisha, or Antoinette.  (Talked with Porscha on the phone and had short text conversations with Keisha and Antoinette).

Dreamer:

1.  Spend 30 minutes working on blog (pics, design).  (Didn't even try.  I procrastinated badly here.)

2.  Spend 30 minutes writing a blog post.  (See #1.  I put this back on the list for this week.  This post is evidence that I'm knocking this goal out.)

3.  Outline a talk I'm giving at Halley's school on Jan. 29th.  (I didn't even start).

4.  Work on a craft project.  (I emailed some friends for help.  Still have lots to do here.)

Even though I didn't complete all of my goals, I feel pleased with what I did get done.  Writing out my goals gave direction to my week.  I printed the goals out and put them on the side of the fridge and on my bathroom mirror.  I believe seeing them in black and white helped me to focus. 

Also, as I look over what I accomplished, I see that I didn't complete anything under the Dreamer Role.  This bothers me because I want to be a dreamer and use the unique way that God has made me to let my light shine for Him. 

I read on moneysavingmom.com this morning that Crystal said by doing the hardest things first, she got a lot more done.  So, this week, I'm going to make it my ambition to work in the Dreamer role (not so much because it's hard to write posts, but because I procrastinated so much in this area). 


photo credit

What's Working For Me

 -A kitchen timer-


Oh how I love my kitchen timer.  I usually set it for 15 minutes and work like a mad woman to get things done.  It's amazing the transformation that can happen in a quarter of an hour.

Yesterday I was feeling overwhelmed by the state of my house (I wish I had a picture) but perhaps you can paint one in your head.  Unfolded laundry on the dining room table, kids' craft stuff on the kitchen table, a dirty floor, random stuff pilfered throughout the living room, dirty dishes, cluttered counters, messy kids room.  Can you see it? 

"Girls, let's work hard for 15 minutes and see what we can get done."   There is strength in numbers...even if the help is from a 3 and 5 year old. 

I started in the kitchen, folded the laundry, came back to the kitchen and I still had 8 minutes to go!  Awesome!  So, I kept working.
     Living room- done. 
     Kitchen table and counters cleared- done
     Floors swept-done
 
When the timer went off I felt so much better!  The girls worked hard too.  I didn't bother to tell them that the time was up because they were still woking hard.  After about 5 addtional minutes Halley said enthusiastically, "Mommy, we beat the timer!"  LOL

A few months ago, I started cleaning in 15 minute spurts but got away from it.  I would start in one room and work for 15 minutes then move to another for 15 minutes, then I'd take a 10 minute break.  After the break, if the first room wasn't finished, I would return to it.

 It was important to me to work between 2 rooms so that I wouldn't get bogged down and overwhelmed.  I feel like I can do anything for 15 minutes and I love savoring my breaks. 

This method of cleaning definetly works for me. 

Photo credit

Cooking Up A Storm

*Update:  I wrote this post before the baby arrived, but never posted it.  Melody Renee was born April 5 at 6:36 am.  She weighed 6 lbs 7 oz.  We are home and doing well.  The recovery has been a little harder than previously, but I'm making it.  Hopefully, I'll do a post soon with some pics of our 6 lb bag of sugar!!!


Eddie and I are expecting Chambers baby #5 on April 5th.  My sister, Joy, graciously agreed to come and help me with a big freezer cooking day.  I have learned so much from Jessica at lifeasmom.com regarding freezer cooking.  You can check out her tips here.  Three of our kiddies stayed with my parents and 1 with a close friend so that we could cook without pulling our hair out  undistracted.  My sister got to Montgomery from Alpharetta, GA about 10:30 and we started cooking at 11.  By 11 pm (yes this was a long day) we had the following completed:

Chicken Divan (frozen uncooked. I did not add the parmesan/bread crumb topping.  I'll do that when I cook it.)
Poppyseed Chicken (frozen  uncooked.  Once again, I did not add the cracker topping.)
Chicken Chili
Jambalaya
Shrimp Creole
Cheeseburger Meatloaf (frozen uncooked)
Shepherd's Pie (frozen uncooked)
Baked Ziti (frozen uncooked)
Barbecue Meatballs (I browned these about 1/2 way done then froze them)
Cooked and Seasoned Ground Beef for Spaghetti
Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes
Breakfast Sausage (frozen uncooked)

When we're ready to eat these things, I'll just have to pull them out the freezer to thaw in the fridge the night before.  If it's still frozen at dinner time, I'll just add to the cooking time.  What I love about freezer cooking aside from the ready made food is that I won't have many dishes to wash during the month.  The cooking and the clean up will be a breeze! 

We doubled all of the recipes except for the poppyseed chicken (I didn't have enough chicken to double the recipe).  This was A LOT of work but will certainly pay off next month.  We stayed on top of washing the dishes, worked together, and took a much needed break. 

Around 2 pm I headed to my car to get us some lunch only to find that my car battery was dead.  I asked my sister for her keys, went out to her car but couldn't figure out how to turn it on.  I came back inside to inquire of her.  "Oh no, Tay! I think I left the lights on!"  Indeed she had.  We were stranded at the house for about 4 hours until a friend came to the rescue.  At least we had food to eat.  Both of us ate a Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joe sandwich. 

We planned to do all of this over 2 days, but got it all done in 1. 

This week, I've continued to stock the freezer.  I made lasagna (I bagged up the extra cooked ground turkey and italian sausage for another spaghetti meal) cinnamon rolls (freezer instructions found here), granola, pumpkin muffins, turkey burgers, and pizza dough. 

So yea, we've got a lot of good food to eat.  I guess tomorrow I better put away the apron and get out the cleaning supplies!  Our house could really use some tlc in the cleaning area.  If anyone loves to clean as much as I love to cook and eat, please call me!!

(In) RL conference

So what exactly does my title mean?  It's about a conference sponsored by (in)courage.me.  (In)courage is a blog for Christian women and they are hosting a webcast conference from April 27-28.  You can find out all the details here. 

This conference does not require to travel, pack any bags, find a sitter for a weekend, or spend lots of money!  The cost is $10 plus $1.54 service fee.  But you'll recieve a t-shirt and a 10 pack of cards from Dayspring for signing up.  So in a nutshell, the conference pays for itself. 

The purpose of the conference is to incourage community among Christian women.  You will watch a webcast by yourself on Friday and then on Saturday you can meet up with a group of girlfriends or new friends for that matter and spend 3 hours together watching a webcast on the topic of community.  (In)courage has some great bloggers including Ann Voskamp, author of 1000 Gifts, Lysa Tyrkeurst, and The Nester.  I believe some of these women will be part of the webcast so you'll surely be blessed.

If you live in the Montgomery area, you can attend my meet up!  I'll have a 3 wk old child by then (unless the baby comes before April 5), so I'm hosting the Saturday meet up at my house.  I would love for you to come.  If you are outside of Montgomery, you can sign up for  a different meet up or even host your own. 

So what are you waiting for?  Sign up for the (in)RL conference!!

Booking It 2012

I set a goal to read 2 books a month in addition to my Bible reading.  I'm a bit of an overachiever, so I'm reading 3 books right now. 

Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham is a book full of wisdom.  I'm only on chapter 2, but I have already gleaned some great things.  The premise of the book is to pour into your family as the family is a great means God uses to pass on the faith from generation to generation.  

I love the author's use of the Scriptures and his view on marriage.  "Our marriage serves as a strategic command where we plan and oversee the discipleship of each of our children;  it functions as a counseling center where our children come to feel safe in the midst of a frightening world;  and it functions as a laboratory where our children watch and learn what marriage is about." (p. 47) 

What I find interesting is that Voddie did not grow up in a Christian home.   He had a teenage Buddhist mother.  However, God stepped in and taught him how to walk with him and raise a godly family.  There is hope in the midst of unideal circumstances for anyone to know God and follow his ways. 

Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy has been sooo good for me.  I struggle greatly with procrastination, so this book is lighting the fire under me that I need to get things done.  Crystal from moneysavingmom.com said it was one of the top 7 books she read in 2011 (and she read 60 books).  Eating a frog means doing the thing(s) that you least want to do at the start of your day.  In so doing, you will be motivated to do other tasks throughout the day because your worst task is already done.

I'm working on putting a new habit in my life every month.  My habit for January is to Eat a Frog everyday.  So far, so good.  I completed our newsletters, edited my husband's paper, did my hair, emptied the laundry baskets, written out our budget, and many other tasks as a result of eating a frog everyday. 

I'm taking notes as I work through this book.  Rules of frog eating: 
     1.  If you have to eat 2 frogs, eat the ugliest one first. 
     2.  If you have to eat a live frog at all, it doesn't pay to sit and look at it very long.

I have shared lots of principles from this book with friends and I think the author is spot on.  If you struggle with procrastination, I highly recommend this book. 

Another book along the same lines as Eat that Frog is One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler by Tsh Oxenreider.   I printed out this e-book and I'm slowly making my way through it.  The tasks don't build on each other, so you can start on whatever task would serve you best.  You can see a list of the projects here.

I'm working on Project #1- Eat your Frog, #2 Make a debt-free plan, and #3 Establish a morning routine, #19 Dump your brain.   Three of these four projects really go together for me.  As part of my morning routine, I dump my brain using this to-do list and write out my frog for the day.  I know it's important not to bite off too much at one time, or else I'll burnout and get nothing done.  I think the key here is for me to pick just a few things and get them going really well and then start on others.  After all, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. 

I'm looking forward to finishing these books this month.  In February I want to read Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow.  Eddie picked up a copy of The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller for us to read together.   I'm glad he did that because one of my goals for the year was for he and I to read 2 books together. 

I'm linking up this post to lifeasmom.com.   Go here to see what other's are reading. 


Have you read anything good lately?
 




    

Happy New Year!!!

I always love the new year.  Turning the calendar from December to January feels like cleaning a slate, a virtual do-over.  I love setting goals.  Though I don't always accomplish them, setting them certainly gives me something to shoot for.  I am a firm believer that small changes practiced over time make a big impact! 

One of the greatest things I accomplished in 2011 was memorizing almost all of Colossians.  I started in February and as of today, I have memorized through Ch. 4, verse 8.  Only 10 more verses to go.  Woohoo.  And get this...I kept up with my spiral index card holder for the entire year.  Now that's certainly something to be proud of.   It's tattered and worn, but I love it just like that.   The crimps and wrinkles are signs that I have hidden His word in my heart.  

I found the plan on Ann Voskamp's site here.  By memorizing 2 verses a week, I have come this far.  See?  Small changes over time make a big impact!!  Slow and steady wins the race.  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.  I'm a firm believer that this stuff works. 

The other day, I sat down and wrote my goals for this year.  Then I printed them out and laminated the page.  By looking at them daily, I'll stay motivated to keep eating that elephant. 

I divided the goals ito 6 different categories based on my roles.  Eddie and I still have to talk through the details of some of them, so that's why there are blanks.  But believe you me, I do plan to fill them in.





Personal
1.  Finish memorizing Colossians.  Pick another BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) by February.
2.  Finish reading through the Bible.  (I have attempted this goal many times, but never succeeded).  In November, I decided to start by reading the NT first.  After all, I've read Genesis many times!  So far I have read all the Gospels and Acts.  I start Romans tomorrow!  You can find a plan like mine here.
3.   Read 2 books a month.  I'm currently reading Family Driven Faith and Eat That Frog.
4.  Focus on one habit a month.  For January I want to eat a a frog everyday.  That means I want to do the thing I least want to do 1st everyday.  In so doing, I won't procrastinate and will be better able to enjoy my day because I will know I have already done the worst thing...eaten a frog!!
4.  Crochet a blanket for Mason and the new baby.  I plan to get help from a lady at church to complete this goal.  I taught myself how to crochet when I was pregnant with Halley, and now I want to expand my skills.

Marriage
1.  Date night ____ times per month.
2.  Read 2 books together (marriage/parenting).
3.  Overnight trip without kids ___ times per year.
4.  Talk time 4 days a week.  (I would like to work up to doing this everyday.  We'll see!)




Mother
1.  Memorize 2 Scriptures a month.  I'm pretty sure they can do more than this, but 2 is a great start.
2.  Do 2 1 crafts per week  month.  (This will take some planning on my part, but it's certainly doable).
3.  Read to kids 3 days per week and increase as it becomes a habit.
4.  Mark chore charts M-F and pay on Saturday using Give/Save/Spend canisters.

Ministry
1.  Share my faith once a month.
2.  Write 2 cards per month.
3.  Write a newsletter by the 5th of every month.  (We completed January's letter and plan to mail them by Monday).
4.  Meet with ASU girls every Saturday while school is in.



Financial
1.  Monthly budget meeting with Eddie.
2.  Keep up with our spending using mint.com.
3.  Pay off $_____ towards our debt.

Blogging
1.  Blog once a week.
2.  Take pictures 3 days per week.

Crystal from moneysavingmom.com really inspired me to write my goals down and break them down into small bites.  I'm so encouraged by her life and blog.   Her first book is coming out this Tues, Jan. 10.   It's called The Money Saving Mom's Budget:  Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year.   Her blog has encouraged me in so many ways.  Her series called 21 Days to a more Disciplined Life really put me on track to achieve great things at the end of 2011. 

Photo Credit

Discipling Myself for Godliness

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value both for this life and the life to come.  -1 Tim. 4:8

I left this comment on moneysavingmom.com and I thought I'd post it here, as well.

I am reading a book with some college girls called Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild by Mary Kassian. It has been a real blessing to me. Last week the chapter was on habits. The author says that our habits really show what our priorities are. We like to think that things that sound good are our priorities, but our habits really show what takes precedence in our lives. I want being a woman of God’s word and an excellent wife and mother to be my priorities, but my habits don’t show that I’m working towards those goals. So this week, I implemented a new discipline…No Bible, No Blogs (meaning that if I haven’t read the Bible I can’t read any blogs). This has helped me so far. Also, if my kitchen isn’t clean, I don’t function well or get other cleaning done because I just can’t seem to get a move on. So the same rule applies for cleaning the kithchen. I like to say, "No clean kitchen, No Pinterest" (kinda works lol), but the point is not to get on the computer until I have a clean kitchen. I hope to build these disciplines in my life. Thanks for this series. As for a goal to complete in the next 24 hours it will be to organize our master closet. This has been on my to do list for far too long.

I am addicted to love reading blogs.  However, like Facebook they take up too much of my time.  I had a friend change my Facebook password to something I don't know, so that I could not get back into my account.  This helped my immensely.

I just implemented these rules on Monday, but already I see some changes.  I found a great Bible reading plan and have started it.  And today, I got the kitchen clean which helped me to move on to other chores.  I'm sure that putting these disciplines in my life will continue to benefit me.

How about you?  What habits do you need to put in your life to lead a more disciplined life?

photo credit

November Meal Plan

Meal planning is something I really enjoy doing.  Call me quirky if you like...doesn't bother me one bit.  I learned lots about freezer cooking and meal planning from Jessica at lifeasmom.com and Crystal aka moneysavingmom.com.  Having a meal plan helps me not to look in the fridge at 5 and think, "What in the world are we going to eat."

With four little ones, cooking dinner can be quite the fiasco, but thanks to having a plan and already cooked chicken, processed veggies, shredded cheese, cooked ground beef, and some casseroles sitting in the freezer our meals come together quite quickly and with minimal effort.  Cooking dinner is more like assembling a meal than really cooking.

Just the other night I made homemade chicken pockets (adapted from here) and rice with veggies in a jiffy.  For the chicken pockets, the chicken was already made (in the crockpot and frozen) and the cheese was shredded.  All I had to do was combine the filling and steam the corn and broccoli to add to this delicious entree.

Once it was the oven, I thought we needed rice or something to make the meal more filling.  I cooked white rice and in the meantime sauteed onion, mushrooms (pre sauteed and frozen), and broccoli.  When the rice was done, I added it to the veggies along with some cheese.  It was delicious and simple!   What made this meal even better was that I tripled the recipe and made extra chicken pockets to put in the freezer for a quick snack or meal.  

Freezer cooking saves me time, energy, and brain cells!  Also, I love family traditions so every Wednesday we have leftovers, Friday we have fried fish and every Saturday homemade pizza makes its' way to our table.   That only leaves me 4 other meals to plan for the week.  See...meal planning isn't that hard at all.  Also, I don't necessarily cook what's on the menu for that day.  Sometimes, I cook something else planned for later in the month if I would prefer it.

With all that said, here's our menu plan for November (minus Wed, Fri, and Sat).  I still have a few more days to fill in with meals or I may just make it a day that we eat what's already cooked in the freezer.

Chicken Enchiladas, rice, corn
Shepherd's Pie
Marinated chicken, rice and gravy, corn, salad
BBQ Chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, corn
Tacos, beans, rice
Penne Rustica
Sweet and Sour Chicken, rice, vegetable stir-fry
Chicken Parmesan Bake, noodles, green beans, bread
Baked Ziti, Red Lobster Biscuits
Baked chicken nuggets, broccoli, tater tots
Chicken Taquitos, rice, beans
Thanksgiving meal (traditional)
Chicken and Broccoli casserole, rice
Bourbon chicken, rice, green beans

I have adapted many of these recipes over time to our liking.  I hope you enjoy them too.

Not Quite What I Had In Mind

I've been up since 6 this morning corraling children cleaning the house.  This is what I have to show for it...

Clean dishes in the sink, but clutter everywhere else

A dirty kitchen floor

Signs that we did indeed eat breakfast

A couple loads of laundry washed, some folded, much more to tackle

My husband's office Dining Room table filled with school books

I did accomplish the much needed task of organizing the sippy cup tops drawer.  
I consider this as important as balancing the national budget! 

And I did manage to organize this cabinet.  I wish I had a before picture to show you...it was hideous.



So yea, these two played a large role in helping me get nearly nothing done many cleaning tasks started, but few completed.   You just gotta love 2 & 1/2 year olds!


I came across this picture and it gives perspective to my lot in life. 





 So yes, as much as I would enjoy a spic-n-span home, I'll choose to be grateful for these messes.  They are signs that there is life (to the fullest) in these walls.

Who Wants To be Artsy Crafty?

Last night I sat down in my bed with my journal and wrote out some goals for different areas of my life.  I was inspired by this post from Crystal aka moneysavingmom.com.  In the area of mothering one of my goals was to get our children unplugged from the TV and Internet by spending time reading to them and playing with them daily. 

Confession:  I have been letting the TV babysit my children WAY too much this week.  TV is ok, but it needs to be in moderation.  And when I have them watching it would be beneficial for me to use that time doing something productive instead of just wasting time reading blogs or on Facebook. 

I think there are good times for me to unwind and spend time doing leisurely activities.   However, ya girl has been WAY too leisurely lately.  Get my drift?

So today I set out to do something fun with the kids.  I came across this recipe for finger paint and made it in a jiffy.   As I type this blog post the kids are still playing with the paint.  (I spent some time painting too and then decided to do this post.   Don't want you to get the impression that I'm still not spending time with my precious babes.  LOL)

Here are some pics of our mess work!

You paint in a yellow tutu, too dontcha?

FYI, don't make comments about my girls hair!  That's a goal for next week.  LOL!!

P.S.  I don't blog a lot because I think it will take too much time.  I'm so busy reading other people's blogs (their memories) that I don't take time to write out my own memories.  Shame.  Today, I set my timer for 15 minutes, typed like a mad woman and got this post done in about 15 minutes.  Again, Crystal's post inspired me.  I'm so glad!!  Look what can be done in 15 minutes...and now I can cherish this finger painting session for years to come.

Mason's 1st Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Have you heard of...

Mel's Kitchen Cafe?
The recipes on her blog are delicious!  After making these tonight, I immediately sent the following email to some friends.  As I was typing it, I thought I should share this on my blog.  How's that for killing 2 birds with 1 stone?  I have so many ideas in my head for blog posts, but I don't take the time to blog like I would like.  I hope this email will suffice.

Ladies,
This website has delicious and easy recipes.  www.melskitchencafe.com.  I am always pleased with what I cook from there.  Her recipes are easy and have "normal" ingredients.  I made baked chicken taquitos tonight.  Delish.  So much so, that I had to share the link with you.
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/05/baked-chicken-taquitos.html

Also, I plan to wrap up extra taquitos and freeze them prior to cooking.  That way I have any easy lunch, or snack ready to go.   To freeze, just wrap them and place them an inch apart on a cookie sheet in your freezer.  Once frozen, transfer to a freezer ziploc bag.  FYI, that's called flash freezing.  You can do this with just about anything.   

I didn't defrost my chicken early enough, so I cooked them from frozen in an oven bag (Nikki taught me that.  LOL).  I seasoned the breasts with salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder and cooked at 275 for about 3.5 hours.  I cooked 5 breasts and then shredded them.  I used some for this recipe and I'm going to freeze the rest of the chicken.  It saves so much time to have cooked and shredded chicken ready to go.  You could also do it in your crockpot, but mine is broken.  BTW, I only used the oven bag b/c I ran out of foil.  And you know ya girl gots to make do with what she has on hand cause it's not easy to run to the store with lil ones on your heels!  You know what I'm sayin'!!

Hope you enjoy,

Menu Plan Monday...the Tuesday edition

We're doing well at eating more fruits and veggies these days.  I've kept a good supply of watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, and bananas in the fridge for my little ones' favorite time of the day...SNACK TIME.  I believe my kids think they are supposed to have snacks all throughout the day.  I don't mind giving them all the fruit they want, so if it's a snack they want, fruit they shall get!  Because of the holiday, I won't be cooking as much this week.  Here's what we're eating this week:

Breakfast
Pumpkin Muffins, Watermelon
Baked Oatmeal X2, Mandarin Oranges
Pancakes, Turkey Bacon, Watermelon
Homemade Granola, Cantaloupe

Lunch
Tuna X2, Crackers, Fruit
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Carrots and Ranch
Leftovers
Out to eat Birthday Lunch

Dinner
BBQ Chicken, Mac and Cheese, Broccoli
Baked Ziti, Glazed Carrots, Italian Bread in the Breadmaker
Out to Eat (Kids eat free at Earth Fare on Thursdays)

Check out orgjunkie.com for more menu plans

Our Newest Family Member

1999 Chevrolet Suburban

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!! 

We are now the owners of a car big enough to transport our family of 6 safely together!!  Hallelujah!  We have been driving 2 cars to get everyone around.  On Sunday mornings we drive 2 cars to church.  Throughout the week the kids and I stay home because all 4 of them can't fit in the back of our other cars.  (Note:  I didn't have huge dreams of taking everyone to run errands because taking 4 kids to the grocery store is a bit much for even supermom, but hey it would be nice to have that as an option if I ever lost my mind and in an act of pure foolishness decided I wanted to take them all out somewhere.)

We paid off the loans on our Escalade and Pick up truck a few weeks ago and planned to trade them both in at Carmax to get a my dream car...a Honda Odyssey.  LOL!!  So what, I'm a mom of 4, my dreams have changed.  We worked with a guy for about a week to make this deal work and on Saturday it finally happened.  He traded his SUV for our pickup truck.  The value on our pickup truck is about $3600 in good condition (but our truck needed brakes, A/C work,  tires, not to mention who knows what else).  The value of the SUV was nearly 2 times that!  In the end we paid him an additional $500 and now this is ours.   And get this, we still have our Escalade that we can sell to pay off some other small debts!  God is good!

The story is quite dramatic, so I'll save you the details.  However, I just have to let you know that getting this car was a real answer to prayer.  Eddie went out and hunted for the fish and I cleaned it, cooked it, and set the table.  He and I really worked together to get this done and for that I'm so thankful.  I used a tip I learned from a blog that I stalk in negotiating.  Hood MamaMel said that when negotiating a deal, after you make your offer, you must be quiet.  The first person to talk, loses.  I used this tip to a T- if I do say so myself. 

I called the seller several hours after the deal fell through (while sitting at our dining room table filling out the bill of sale of all things.  Talk about a nail biter) to see if we could make something happen.   After I asked him if he would take $500, I SHUT UP.  The seller just kept talking and talking and I just.remained.silent!  Finally, he said, "Yes, $500 will be fine.  I don't want to lose the deal over such a small amount."  Whew.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief and asked him to be here early on Saturday morning so that we could sign the papers.

After he brought the car to us, we took our maiden voyage to Chick-fil-a with a few friends.  Then on Sunday we drove to church together.  Halley started VBS for the first time this week.  It has been such a blessing to put everyone in the car and drop her off at the church.   Here's what I see when I turn around from the front seat.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY - GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!!!

  

Abide in Me

I am the vine, you are the brancehs; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.  John 15:5

This verse keeps coming to my mind lately.  In my interaction with our children, I constantly think about how I'm not abiding in Him.  It's so easy to let the pressure of the moment and my impatience rule my life.  Yet, if I'm truly abiding in Christ, He promises to give me grace.   As a believer, I choose to sin or not (Rom 6:5-7).  I have died to sin and therefore have the power to walk in the Spirit.  This is so much easier said than done.  Regretfully, my flesh often wins and before I know it I am responding in a sinful way to the people that I love most.  By God's grace and with His help, I want to walk in the Spirit so that I will not carry out the desire of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).

Menu Plan Monday

I've been cooking, but not planning our meals like I had been in the past.  This lack of planning has my kiddies eating hot dogs and fries far too often.  I really want to increase our intake of fruits and veggies, so I took matters into my own hands and sat down to write out a menu.  I also went to Sam's and Publix and stocked up on yummy fruits and veggies. 

Also, since I'm tired of hearing the little ones say, "I wan sum cannny" (I want some candy), I'm putting us on a candy fast.  Though I hate it, I know they get this bad habit from me.  To keep us from the sweet stuff I did something super smart...I didn't buy any!!  Now how's that for growing a brain?!  Candy will only be consumed on Saturdays and Sundays around these parts.  However, I reserve the right to sneak the Red Rageous Mike and Ike's in a pinch!  (Hey, I'm grown...don't judge me)

I found a nifty menu planner page on 5dollardinners.com.  You can print one out here. 

Here's what we're eating (along with some random pics because hey...this is my blog):

Breakfast:
Overnight Oatmeal with chocolate chips X 2
Pancakes and bacon
Pumpkin Muffins
Egg Quiche, Turkey Sausage
Oatmeal, Fruit
Cereal

Lunch:
Tuna, crackers, fruit X 2
Leftovers X 3
Grilled cheese, Fruit

Dinner:
Chicken Pockets, Fruit
Chicken Fettucini Alfredo with Broccoli, Salad, Bread
Tacos, Spanish Rice
Eddie's Kung Pao chicken, rice, glazed carrots
Fried Fish, Spinach, Corn Bread
Pizza, Fruit

For more menu plans, check out orgjunkie.com

Happy Baby Momma Day

God saw fit in His grace to bless me with 4 beautiful, albeit super active children.  Thank you, Lord for my precious little ones.  They are a gift. 

After leaving church yesterday, I felt so heavy burdened regarding my role as a mother. Motherhood comes with great responsibility and I wonder if I am "doing it right". The task of raising these little people is so great. They mirror me in so many ways and the image I project is not always Christ-like.


I'm often impatient, easily irritated, angry, lazy, and the like. All of this shows that I have such a need for the Lord to work in my life. He promises that His grace is sufficient. So when I feel that I am at the end of my rope or about to lose my cool, I need to call out to the Rock that is stronger than I. I need to call out to Him continually and be led by Him in my parenting. There's never a time when I don't need His grace. I am soo very weak and so in need of His wisdom to lead me in the way that I should go. I pray that He can use me in my weaknesses (and they are many)to show my children Himself. It is my desire that they walk with Him and that somehow my life will be a reflection to my babes of His love.

Nighttime feedings

My son Mason is nearly 5 months old.  He usually sleeps through the night, but for the last couple of days he has been waking up (sometimes twice at night).  This has been quite difficult, as I have 3 other children ages 4 and under to care for during the day.  Mommy needs her rest.  The 2nd time he woke up last night, I really struggled to get out of  bed.  Finally, I thought, “Eucharisteo preceeds the miracle!”  As I thanked God for my precious son I jumped out of bed with energy and entered his room.  I put my babe to my breast and watched him as God provided his nourishment through me.  What an awesome God.  As time drifted, I began to meditate on Scripture and review Ps. 19 and Col. 1:1-3.  It was such a blessing to think on God’s Word as I sat with my little guy.  Eucharisteo preceeds the miracle.

I'm keeping a list in a journal of gifts...not gifts that I want, but gifts that I have.  Seeing God in my day is making me joyful...it's changing my perspective. it's drawing me to the Lord.  Here are a few other gifts:

 

1.  Seeing Rae in a bathing suit over her pants.

6.  Watching Macky Boy party like it's 1999 after he potties.

9.  Listening to Halley telling Rae and Macky Boy a story about God. 

10.  Mason's toothless grin.

25.  Eddie cooking dinner.

41.  Smooth writing pens.

48.  Quiet time while 3/4 of my brood slleps.

50.  1 Peter 1

 

Won't you join me in counting your gifts?  What are you thankful for?