Frugal Fridays: Cancel Cable
One way that we save $400 to $500 a year, is by not having cable. We have the simple rabbit ears and the digital converter box. Since we live in a more country-ish setting, we only get a small handful of channels in. There are some online websites where you can watch some of your favorite shows and movies, for free. Most series run one to two weeks behind, but it is a reasonable trade-off, for not having to pay for cable. My two favorite tv websites are: Cancel Cable and Hulu . I had always wanted to watch the Dave Ramsey show, which airs on Fox, and I was delighted to see that his show is on Hulu. These websites are completely legal, as the 20 second commercials finance the websites. For more frugal tips, please visit Crystal.

Mama-Daughter Time
Last Monday, Lily and I got to go to Arby's together, to have a special time together. Lily is my right arm, and never begrudges helping me. It was so wonderful to just have some one-on-one time with her, to remind her that she is so precious to me.

We enjoyed a mint chocolate shake at Arby's, and had apple turnovers. We also played a couple rounds of Guess Who?


Lily often requests tea time, and I was happy to have a tea party with her. She loves using her special Old Country Roses tea cup.

My Monetary Goals 2009

* Continue to put money in savings.
*Continue to fund Roth IRA.
* Fully funded emergency fund (6 months income)- goal met.
* Save another 6 months of income for potential vehicle repairs and/or vehicle replacements.
(Hoping and praying that our vehicles last a very long time!)
* Continue paying at least $100+ extra per month towards principal on mortgage. Cancel PMI once we owe less than 80% of original price.
*Research an additional mutual fund to invest in.
* Don't get used to any raises. If Hubby gets a raise, put that money away. Don't adjust living to a higher monetary standard.

Without having any car payments, it is so nice to be able to save and invest that money. We are wanting to pay off our mortgage as quickly as we can. Once the house is paid off, we want to take the money that we were putting toward the mortgage each month, and invest/save it. It would be nice to keep that money each month, rather than paying it to the bank! I would love to hear what monetary goals you are striving towards. Certainly, unexpected events come up, and things don't always go as planned, but I think there is wisdom in preparing for the future. Blessings!

Scrapbook Page
I created a scrapbook page here. Please popover and take a look. Scrapblog is so much fun! You can even order your created pages, from Scrapblog. This really is a fun and easy way to scrapbook! Blessings!

Snow!


This past Tuesday, we blessed with 6 inches of snow. Snow is a rarity in these parts, and we hadn't had a decent snow for quite a few years. We enjoyed hot cocoa, and the children played in the snow. Even dear hubby got the day off from work! We were thankful for our winter wonderland, which lasted for a few days.

Great Deals on the movie, Fireproof
Today, we pre-ordered a copy of Fireproof at our local Lifeway Christian Store. It is $16.99 if pre-ordered, before it's release date, this Tuesday, Jan 27. All who pre-order from Lifeway Christian Store also receive 2 $5 gift cards to their store. If you are interested in this deal, then hurry in, since this deal ends, after Monday evening. For more details, visit here.
Another way to get a copy of this amazing movie is to enter into the free giveaway, here.
Fireproof is such an amazing movie. Viewing it was such a blessing to my husband and I. Blessings!

Menu Plan for the Week of January 19th

Monday~ Lentil Soup ( recipe from Sue Gregg and Emilie Barnes' book, The 15 Minute Meal Planner)

Tuesday~ Spinach Quiche

Wednesday~ off

Thursday~ Burritos

Friday~ Chili

For more menu plans, visit Org Junkie.

Annie and I
My sister-in-law watched my older two children, one afternoon, so I could spend some one-on-one time with Annie. We had so much fun playing together.

Homemade Fruit Leathers
Have you ever gotten some of those delicious fruit leathers, which are available at Health Food Stores? They are delicious, but the price is rather steep. (Usually .69 - .99 per piece!) I like to make my own homemade ones, which are much more affordable for several children. I simply buy a jar of unsweetened applesauce (under $1 at Aldi) and I spread it out on a pre-greased baking sheet. Then I cook at 200 degrees, or until dry. These can be cut into whatever size pieces that you prefer. To sweeten it up a bit, add a jar of organic babyfood, or puree your own fruits. Mix it in and dry. These are a such a fun to make snack. For more frugal ideals, visit Crystal. Blessings!

I Guess You're Never Too Young to Work Out
Maybe she should be my trainer. My abs need work! ;)

Scrapbooking that Works for You

I recently posted about the fact that I am enthusiastic about scrapbooking , after I had given up the idea of ever catching up. Reading Stacy Julian's book,The Big Picture Scrapbook Your Life and A Whole Lot More really helped me to think outside of the box and to feel unburdened about scrapbooking. As Stacy Julian says, anytime you combine a picture with words, you are scrapbooking. Blogs, journals, albums, and other mediums can be used as scrapbooks. Digital scrapbooking, hybrid scrapbooking, and traditional scrapbooking are all forms of scrapbooking. Whatever works best for you, is a winner.

Websites to Help you to scrapbook:

Blurb Blurb can turn your blog into printed book! If you find other methods of scrapbooking to be too time-consuming for you, consider having a family photo blog. (It can even be set to private, if you desire.) Then, print out the blog book, once a year. This would make an excellent gift for grandparents, too!

Shutterfly is amazing for any style scrapbooking! You can arrange photos in a pre-created book, digitally, or scan your traditionally made scrapbook pages, and have them made into scrapbooks. Create your own share site, to share your pictures with friends and family. If you feel like you could use some scrapbooking inspiration, check out the Shutterfly Gallery.


Scrapblog

Smilebox Create a free mini-slideshow, online. These lovely displays only take minutes to arrange. Share with friends and family.

Options for Photo Printing:
If you are scrapbooking traditionally, or in a hybrid fashion, you will need to find an inexpensive way to print up quality photographs. I usually go to Walmart, once a week, so if I am planning on going out, I find it easy to just select the photos that I want printed, and have them done by Walmart's photo center. If you pick them up in a week, they are only $.09 a picture. If you want them in an hour, the photos *start at $.15 .

~ Invest in a quality photo printer. My husband got one for .01 when he purchased a digital camera, online.

~ Snapfish

~Target (You can pick up your Shutterfly pictures, there.)

~Costco

~CVS

Simple solutions in scrapbooking definitely works for me.

Monday~ Beef Stew and Homemade Bread

Tuesday~ Beef Burritos

Wednesday~ off-Sister-in-law cooking

Thursday~ Breakfast- Hashbrown casserole, eggs, pancakes

Friday~ Beef Stroganoff and Green Beans

Saturday~ Thai Peanut Noodles

For more menu plans, visit Org Junkie. What are you eating, this week? Blessings!

A Few CVS Deals 1/4-1/10

I had fallen off of the CVS train for a bit. With all of the holiday happenings, it worked for me to just use my ECBs on household essentials, and to come back to CVSing, when I had more time. It really is great that your ECBs don't expire for 3 weeks!

This is one of the best CVS deal of the week, that I have found:

Get $5 ECB when you buy $15 of these Bayer, Aleve, or Alka Seltzer Plus. I am choosing Aleve because we prefer that to the other items.Buying 3 for $15 products and having coupons would save you even more.

2 Aleve 100 count $8.00 x 2 = $16- $2 coupons from 1/4 inserts=$14 - $3/$15 coupon
= $11.00 get $5.00 ECB back. (It makes it like spending $6.)
But wait...it gets even better. In the coupon insert from 1/4, there was a main in rebate form for half of the money back that you spent (up to $10) on Aleve, Bayer, or Alka Seltzer.So, after coupons, I just need to divide my total in half, which means that my rebate would be for $5.50.So, theoretically, you have only spent .50 cents on these 2 boxes of Aleve.

Also, if you like Soy Joy bars, specially marked packages, the six packs, will be $6 a box. Get $6 back in ECBs. Limit of 5.

What deals are you getting this week?

Babies and Breastfeeding

No, this isn't a hint.... I just want to clarify that, before I "lead anyone on". My almost 18 month old is still nursing and loving it. I am, too. I love the cuddley time with her, especially because she is always on the go. It is nice that she still needs some snuggly time with mommy, and some nourishment, as well. She has an allergy to cow's milk, so extended nursing has been really important to me. She has stopped nursing a bit more, recently. She sleeps through most nights. I weaned my son way too abruptly. (one week!) It was torture. Rapid hormonal drops are not recommended. Relaxin and Prolactin are two wonderful hormones...let me tell ya! So this time, I am letting Annie Rose do most of the weaning. It has been much more gradual... and wonderful. Although the hormone level dropping is always unpleasant, no matter how gradual. Just ask my dear hubby. He deserves a medal or two. Believe me, when you get to heaven, and you see that my hubby has the biggest mansion there, you will know why. ;) Breastfeeding has been a huge blessing in my life. Since I got married 6 1/2 years ago, I have been pregnant, nursing or both (with the exception of two weeks) . Sure, it can be fatiguing, there can be problems or complications, but nursing has been a wonderful bonding time for my babies and I.

Some Insightful Articles/Posts about Nursing and Babies:

Telling the Truth About Birth Control Excellent post by Mrs. Parunak, emphasizing the order of bearing children, nursing, and repeating that process. Shows the detriment of allowing artificial hormones into one's body.

Maternity Quiz Think ya are a "birth pro"? Test yourself at this quiz at Consumer Reports. I was pleasantly surprised that they knew their stuff about birth.

Breastfeeding God's Way by Nancy Campbell. I believe this is also an excerpt from her fantastic book, The Power of Motherhood.

Midwives Deliver As Jennifer Block says, "America needs better birth care, and midwives can deliver it."
I heartily "Amen" her stance on the following:
" To be frank, the U.S. maternity care system needs to be turned upside down. Midwives should be caring for the majority of pregnant women, and physicians should continue to handle high-risk cases, complications and emergencies. This is the division of labor, so to speak, that you find in the countries that spend less but get more."

Good doctors are a Godsend! It is a blessing that there are doctors who can handle birth complications and necessary surgical birth. But honestly, most doctors have too much on their "plates" to have the time and energy in helping women to have an ideal birth. Healthy and normal birth is what midwives specialize in. If there are complications, midwives usually refer their clients to a doctor.

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