Where Does the Time Go?

The age is coming....you know the one. the child is getting a little older, wanting to play every sport possible...things you didn't even know existed! So, I am just entering this world. I am really a little lost here. I mean, I want my kids to play everything, why would I say no to anything...right? But, at what point does it get to be too much? I mean, they are coming home from school and you are right out the door to go to this practice or that game. I wouldn't want to deprive them, but I do want some control and family time left. How do you balance it all.
I happen to have a wonderful resource, she has been through it recently, so she always has great tips for me. I think I may follow her advice, tweak it a little for my particular situation, but follow for the most part. She says one activity at a time and that particular activity cannot be more than 3 days a week. She has a child getting a little older who participated in a sport...5 days a week, games on the weekend, etc. How hectic! Wasn't the best experience! SO, I just started my first activity..and we are going to see how it goes! What a journey though and how exciting to see your children "playing on a team" etc. I can not wait!
Some ideas for activities don't even need to be costly..you can find things at your local library, church, gym, community center, local colleges, everywhere! You just have to look a little!
So, my question (click on comment below and let me know) is what is your advice and how do you handle all the hectic running, meanwhile, making it fair for all of the children in the house?

Super Savings

So, with all this "back to school" things going on, I have been having some great gift ideas. I have seen crayons for 22 cents!! This is only the beginning.....folders for .05, glue for free, glue sticks for 1.00, packs of erasers for next to nothing, etc. I am sure if you have small children, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, anyone who may be in school, you have seen these sales. Well, I am going to begin stocking up on these things. What great little "extras" for a young child's birthday. You buy them an gift and then wrap some crayons, folders, glue etc. with it. We all love to get "new" things... Let's remember back...how great was a brand new pack of crayons? So, for next to nothing (especially this time of the year), you can put a little extra smile on a child's face!

Trader Joes Tuesday!

So, Trader Joe's is one of my favorite stores of all time! You can buy such affordable items there for really reasonable prices. I managed to figure out how to put a link in the side bar, so if you see "The Summers ending meal guide" you can click on it and it will take you to their website and give you so many great meal ideas! Definitely worth checking out! Enjoy!
Oh and that strawberry shortcake for 4.99....yummy!!!

Update on Fall Paint Colors

We hope that everyone had a fantastic Labor Day!! The weather was absolutely perfect here...hot, but still perfect for outdoor activities! First just wanted to explain the post below....while researching ways to make our blog have more features..we came across that message on a blog tool website. We thought it was funny...so, hope that it made you laugh..or at least smile..=)

So, for the colors..we now have a link to Sherwin Williams on our page so that you can access and view colors, ideas, tips, etc. Better to have the image to go with the description right??Enjoy!!

Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.

Dose of scripture with your morning coffee

There are many life-related topics covered in each Sunday service at the church which we attend. At a recent service, among those topics was...yes the "dreaded conversation" of MONEY. This is a very relevant topic in part because of the slowing economy and cost of necessities on the rise; but more importantly because there is a "handbook" on how we should view money. That handbook is the Bible, it is there and only there will we find the answers to every single question that we have about money and debt.

The pastor asked a question to the congregation at the closing of last Sunday's service.
"When you meet God and He asks you what you did with the blessings that He gave you, what will you say?"
This question provoked me to ponder on this into deep thought and conversation.
I think that it is an important question that we all need to ask ourselves. It can be a battle in today's world to decipher between careless spending and meeting our needs. With credit card debt among families consistently on the rise, it seems that it is not difficult to lose site of what really matters in life. Loving God, loving our families and friends, and spending time enjoying life and enjoying our loved ones.

I think that it is a good reminder for us to count each blessing, and try (as hard as it is) to not love money. To take each day, one day at a time...and let tomorrow worry about itself.

Please take a few moments to read some scripture posted below...and have a great day!!!


Acts 8:20
But Peter said to him, Destruction overtake your money and you, because you imagined you could obtain the [free] gift of God with money!

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many [Alexander Souter, Pocket Lexicon.] acute [mental] pangs.

2 Timothy 3:2
For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.

Mathew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

update!!!

So, I have not posted in a few days..gosh, all of this change..kids going back to school, etc. It is really a hard transition to prioritize here. I want to be on top of the game, but want to relax a little too, spend quality time with the kids.. So I am trying to find a happy medium.
I did get the old navy jeans...very hectic, but what a great purchase! They seem really nice too. So I am happy about those.
There is one really good coupon this week.. .50 cents off cottonelle toilet paper. They sell it for .99 at Kroger, so when the coupon doubles, it will be free! yeah!!!
There are a lot of other grocery deals, check out the two frugal blogs listed at the sidebar of this page! Great deals.
Oh, and one last thing, those grapes on sale at Kroger are awesome!!! I froze half, what a great summer treat, and just left the other half in the refrigerator. They are so sweet and wonderful!!!

Old Navy Sale

Saturday only!!!!! Old navy is having a huge jeans sale. Kids jeans are $7 and adult jeans are $12!!! What a steal!! It is Saturday only, in store and online. I can't really see what exactly is on sale yet, but I am sure it is worth checking out!!! Limit 3 pairs total per customer! I'll be there when it opens!!!!

CROCKPOT!!!

My sister-in-law emailed me the other day about a woman who had been on the Rachel Ray show. She runs a blog where she posts crock pot meals. It was her 2008 New Year's resolution to cook one everyday for 365 days! Gosh, I love crock pot meals. To know you can do it on your time and, at any time in the evening, you can enjoy a hearty, hot meal! If your husband is running late, it is ok! If the kids are hungry early, it is ok! Anything goes in terms of the crock pot and I appreciate when I don't have the 5 o'clock scramble trying to get a healthy and delicious meal on the table! All, while the kids are sort of restless, my husband may or may not be home on time and, quite frankly, I am tired by that time! So I am going to add it to my blog roll and I guarantee, there will be a lot more days when my crock pot will be sitting on my counter simmering all day!!!!
*as I said before, I don't know how to put a link on here yet. she is at
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com

A Frugal Saver's Dream

So, I stumbled onto something tonight and I am not even sure how? I am so excited to try and use this tool, that I forgot where I was or why I found it. You need to go to smartsource.com and click on grocery circulars, it will give you a list of all of the sale items at your area grocery stores and compare them! (sorry, I am new and have not figured out how to put a link in my blog yet?). This is how you do it....type your zipcode when it prompts you and all of your stores are listed. I clicked on manage my stores, as I do not shop at them all. I choose the ones I normally look at. I then clicked on the "beginners list" and it has all of your basic grocery category's, which you click on and it gives you a list of all sales and at what store!! It is awesome and I was wishing for something like this! So, when I need an item, or have a coupon for something, I can search for it on there and it will come up where I will get the best deal! This is too good to be true! Yeah!!!
*I went back and found this info on comicalcouponcents.blogspot.com Thanks!!!

Saving on Fuel

As we all know fuel costs are at an all-time high. One thing that I have found helpful is to fuel up at speedway stations. They offer a "speedy rewards" program that is quite useful! You earn points for every dollar that you spend, including not only fuel, but purchases in the store as well. Plus, if you purchase a speedy cash card (gift card) you can earn 1,000 bonus points instantly!! However, you must put at least $50 on it in order to receive the bonus points. The rewards program is completely free of charge and you can rack up those points over time to earn free fuel cards.

Trader Joe's Tuesday

Trader Joe's is one of my favorite stores to shop at. If there was one closer, I would be there at least once a week. We are going to start a feature Trader Joe's Tuesdays, where will be post about new products, sales, great existing products and recipes there. I have tried a lot of items at Trader Joe's, (they have a return policy..if you aren't 100 % satisfied you return the item no questions asked) but, I have not been disappointed. What I try there is, usually, above my expectations. They have so many easy to prepare jarred sauces, heat and eat food, and the best frozen peirogies I have ever had!!!! So, I am going to post a little bit about some certain "back-to-school" items that may work in your budget and be a healthier alternative.
TJ's Mac and Cheese:
No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives and at .99 a box....a steal!
TJ's organic alphabet pasta:
No preservatives, all natural and organic. Kids will have fun with this alphabet pasta and only 1.49 a box! Can't go wrong!
TJ's applesauce cups:
Made from organic sweet apples, these are not boiled or steamed as with most applesauces. They peel the apple and then just crush them naturally. The end product....A much sweeter and fresher tasting applesauce your kids will love! For only 2.29/4 it's a "sweet" deal!

*courtesy of Trader Joe's Aug/Sept 08 newsletter

Scrapbooking...thing of the past

So, I read about this website on my favorite celebrity gossip website www.imnotobsessed.com/ (there is a roll on the side bar from it=)). It is blurb.com. It is awesome! Our "resident designer" is finishing up one right now and it is going to be awesome! It is a more presentable form of scrapbooking. You put your pics on there, sayings, scripture, stories, etc. Whatever you want!!! They have beautiful, cute, cool templates, so you can design it however you feel. It is super easy and user friendly! The end result? A beautiful book, with a hard cover, you can put on a coffee table, give as a gift, etc. The opportunities are endless. You can start your own "family encyclopedia" with seasons as volumes. I love to scrapbook, but lets face it...it's difficult to start, getting everything you need, the mess, kids getting into it, etc. As bloggers, one thing is for sure, we all love our computers! So, using this system allows you to make high quality "scrapbooks" with the convenience of everything you need at your fingertips!!! And, the cost...so reasonable and possibly less than an actual scrapbook..It averages around 50.00 give or take, but don't we all spend that on scrapbooks, stickers, paper, pictures? We will post about it when we actually receive it to see the actual quality, etc. !!!

Back to School

So, back to school time is here. The kids around here were picked up by their yellow school buses this morning. How weird to hear the sounds of those buses coming down the street. It really feels like yesterday they were let out for summer break. I remember feeling like summer break was 6 months long, when I was a child. What happens to time when you get older. It just goes away so fast! So, my son is starting preschool this year and I have such mixed feelings! I am so sad for him to not be with me everyday. He is always here with me, my "little buddy". I know from here on out, he only gets busier and more away from home...Did i cherish the first four years he was with me? Did I say one too many times, "Can't wait until I can go to the grocery store alone!", because he is starting now and I know I am gonna miss him...I still have my little girl, and it will be awesome having alone time with her, but I have to say I am still sad about my "little buddy" growing up!!!! Any good words of wisdom or stories about your "little guys"?

Healthy Green Tips

With all of the "e-coli" and "salmonella" outbreaks in the news lately, purchasing produce from anywhere can be scary. I never wanted to pay premium prices for the "fruit and veggie wash" you could purchase in the store, so I sort of have been scrubbing them with a little bit of dish detergent. Well, my sister-in-law has been doing a lot of research on "cleaning green" and has passed along a great fruit and veggie rinse to me. There are two: the first being a mixture of 2tbsp white vinegar to a pint of water. The other is a mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with water in equal ratios. You can store either mixture in spray bottles. All you need to do then is spray the fruits and veggies, rinse and eat! Be sure it is the 3% hydrogen peroxide... Interestingly enough, hydrogen peroxide breaks down into oxygen and water! Doesn't get much purer than that!!! I am working on a lot of great "green cleaning" tips and recipes so check back for those! Tell me if you have any suggestions on this subject!!!

Saving tip

This is a little tip for those families, like mine, on a tight budget. Many area restaurants offer deals, for example, free child's meal with the purchase of an adult meal. Many times this is one day a week, maybe every Tues. or something likewise. If you call, they will tell you over the phone. This allows you to have many options to dine out during the week, saving some work in the kitchen and some money in the pocket book! My family of four can easily run us $40-$50 for a simple meal with no "bells and whistles"! This would definitely contribute to good quality family time too...enjoying a meal and not having to slave over the hot stove! I will be checking out some options and would be more than happy to post if you seem interested!!!

Fun tips

So, I came across a little tip..Maybe I live under a rock and everyone knows this, maybe not, but....if you purchase your coffee (unbrewed) from Starbucks, they will give you a free cup of coffee. I am all for this, as Starbucks is a bit of a splurge for me, so I can cross something off of my grocery list and have a treat at the same time!!!! I have not done it yet, so if anyone has or knows if this is true or not please comment!!! Thanks!

Summer Olympics

Yah for the USA!!! Michael Phelps took home 8 gold medals!!Don't forget to weigh in on the Olympics to the left of the page!!

Design Tip

So, as promised here a few tips to help transition your home into fall with style. A few great colors that have that warm fall feeling and favorites of mine are: Relic Bronze SW6132, Tassel SW6369, SanAntonio Sage SW7731, and Sycamore Tan SW2855. So, check them out..and keep in mind if you don't have a local Sherwin Williams store, you can take the color swatch into the big home improvement stores and ask for a "color match". Also, to add some interest to a room..add wainscoting to the walls and you will see a major improvement in the look and feel of the space. This can be done in many ways such as; wood paneling, extra base and trim pieces, and crowmolding...just to name a few. Home Depot has a great website with ideas in this area. So, check these out..have fun, and check back for more tips!!! I hope everyone has a great week.

Guilty pleasures

So, I am confessing one of my guilty pleasures here....Celebrity gossip. While I do not let it run my life, I have to say, I do like knowing how things are going in Hollywood land. I am a hopeless romantic and am always crushed when my favorite Hollywood couples split..I mean, if Brad and Jen couldn't make it, who can? I've now replaced that with...if Brad and Angelina can't make it, who can. Oh well. So, I have put on the sidebar, a feed from my favorite celebrity gossip website.....Im not obsessed dot com. The owner is down to earth, practical and does not feed off of negativity. She does not just focus on gossip. She does fashion pieces and also runs fabulous contests! So, if you are like me and need your daily dose of Hollywood, check it out!!!
Also, while I am confessing here, what are your guilty pleasures?