Under the Weather

This week, my three children and I have been battling the flu. It is definitely challenging cleaning up throw up, when you are sick and pregnant, yourself. I am very thankful that we are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel, though we are still battling some symptoms. I so appreciate your prayers. One joyful thing occurred during this illness is that my sister gave birth to a darling baby boy, Alexander, this past Wednesday.I cannot wait to see my precious nephew, but definitely need to quarantine myself for a while. Blessings!

Books I Have written:

Super Saving Strategies


Super Saving Strategies can help you to learn how to live better on a modest income.

Sections include:

~Ideas for saving money on groceries, with tips from meal planning, to affordably stocking your pantry with nourishing foods.

~ Find new ways to educate your children inexpensively with a variety of thrifty tips.

~ Save money by trying fun and frugal entertainment ideas. Ideas include thrifty date nights with your spouse, to frugal fun for the whole family.

~ Tired of spending a fortune on gifts? Try these fresh ideas and save money!

~ Be inspired to live frugally and debt-free through a variety of useful websites.

Buy this money saving e-book for only $2.50!

One Size Fuzzi Bunz Rewards Program

There is a terrific sales reward program for One Size Fuzzi Bunz diapers. If you interested in starting to cloth diaper, or need some in one size, this would be the perfect time to replenish your stash. This one size can be used from birth through potty training. The rewards program ends Oct 31, 2009.

Buy any 9 One Size FuzziBunz diapers and earn $40 in Free FuzziBunz Product.

Illustration: 9 FuzziBunz with volume discount = $166.50 - $40.00 in free product = $14.05 per diaper!!!!

Great way to get your friends pooled together to make a purchase and get hooked – share the Bonus Rewards amongst friends.

How it works:

Buy 9 FuzziBunz One Size Diapers

Return to FuzziBunz.com and fill out the “Redeem Rewards” form and choose your Product Rewards.

Print out form and mail in to FuzziBunz Rewards Program with your proof of purchase (must have proof of purchase dated between 9/10/2009 and 10/30/2009. Rewards forms can be turned in up to 12/15/2009.

Product Rewards Products: Extra packs of inserts, changing pads, diaper totes, nursing pads, Daisy Print diapers, XS Diapers, Hanging Diaper Pails and other accessory items made by FuzziBunz.

Simply return to your favorite retailer, purchase 9 FuzziBunz One Size Diapers and follow the instructions on the FuzziBunz website to redeem.

All 9 FuzziBunz do not have to be purchased from the same retailer – only purchased within the given dates. Retailer need not be “participating” in the Bonus Rewards program to qualify for the Rewards – only a proof of purchase from that retailer provided by you. Keep your Receipt!

If you try these diapers, I would love to hear how they work for you! Many blessings!

Kids Eat Free at Boston Market

Now, through Oct 31, for every adult meal (minimum $6 purchase) that you purchase at Boston Market, you can receive two free kid's meals. You must bring the children into the restaurant to get this deal.

NC Fair

Anastasia was content to be snuggled up to her Daddy. She was happy in the Ergo for several hours.
I love the garden section where there are various plots of land decorated according to different themes. This was a princess garden.
We walked 8.5 miles, last Sat.. It was a lot of fun. Have a blessed weekend!

Emotional and Physical Effects of C-sections upon Women

I found this recent article, detailing the emotional impact of c-sections upon a woman, to be very informative. Though I have never had a c-section, I can relate to a lot of the emotional effects, since I have had two medicalized births, laden with nearly every intervention possible. Too often one's caregiver intervenes and causes complications in the birth, requiring further intervention. If a mother feels less than satisfied with her birth experience, everyone simply tells her to be grateful, after all, she has a healthy baby, now. I wholeheartedly agree that a healthy baby is fundamental, but the mother's experience and her well-being is important, as well. Often, after my medicalized births, I just laid in the hospital bed, wondering what had happened to me. Giving birth was the last thing that I felt like I did; I truly didn't feel like an active participant. Birth ought to be a beautiful experience, both for the mother and the baby. (Please note- I am referring to unnecessary c-sections due to unnecessary causes and interventions. A true emergency, such as placenta previa or a cord prolapse are true medical emergencies and necessitate a c-section. )

If, for a true medical emergency, such as the ones detailed above, one requires a c-section, it is wise to ask for a double layer suture repair. According to Heart and Hands, most doctors have been performing single layer suture repair for quite a while now. Single layer suture repair quadruples the chance of future utering rupture.

This sign in a doctor's office is most disturbing to me. It states: "We will not participate in a birth contract, a doulah assisted or a Bradley method delivery." Wow! I could not endure receiving pre-natal care from such a place. I am so grateful that there are options of pro-natural birth doctors and midwives.

I have read a plethora of books on the topic of birth. One particular book was so well written, and engaging, that I could not put it down, until I read the last chapter. The author's conclusion was that if one is for choice regarding birth, one must be for abortion, as well. I find this to be, not only extremely faulty logic, but that this advocate of "informed consent" (disclosure by the doctor to the patient of possible adverse effects of various pills, procedures, etc.) was not revealing the truth, herself. (Unless she was completely ignorant, which may also be the case.) The author of this book frequently quotes the adverse effects of c-sections on women and future pregnancies, but she neglects to share the plenitude of negative effects of abortion on a woman's uterus.Recent studies have found that abortion scars the uterus and can cause severe complications, even involving future pregnancies. It is inconsistent to belabor the negative effects of c-sections without also examining the horrible effects of abortion, upon a woman's body. I abhor abortion with every fiber of my being. Every woman should be permitted to bring forth life in whatever setting she is most comfortable with.

What I am Dreaming of....

I guess the older I get, the more practical I become. I would absolutely love to get a great deal on a freezer. I made one freezer meal, and it just about filled my freezer above the refrigerator. (with all of the other frozen foods in it) I would love to have a whole freezer full of meals before baby blessing #4 arrives, but at this point, I cannot do much without freezer space. I am a little leary of buying one used, as it is hard to tell if it would be in working condition and how much life would be left in it. I have been so inspired by Crystal's baking days, and would love to be able to make several meals, at once, to freeze. I would also love to have a freezer so that I could buy 1/4 a cow. Yes, never did I imagine that I would dream of owning a fourth of a cow. But, the more I read, the more I want healthy beef to serve to my family. (Reading Crunchy Cons made me want to only eat beef from a trusted farm.) One blessing of having plenty of room in your freezer, is that it makes hospitality even easier for busy mothers. When I have a bag chocked full of muffins, in the freezer, I can just grab a few out and heat them in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Make some tea or coffee and voila, hospitality is feasible without standing in the kitchen all afternoon. I usually plan my menus for two weeks at a time. Since Monday is traditionally pasta night, at our house, I love doubling the recipe. Last week, I made stuffed shells, and doubled the recipe. For tonight's meal, all I had to do was defrost the meal last night, and cook it for 1 hour. Doubling or tripling meals is the perfect solution for a busy mother.

Do you have an extra freezer? What have you found it useful for?

And the Winner is......

ZSuzsanna ! Please send me ( aprongirl at gmail.com) the e-mail address you would like me to send your e-book to, ZSuzsanna. Thank you so much for all who entered the contest; I so enjoyed reading your frugal tips. I am having a sale on Super Saving Strategies for the next 24 hours; you can receive your copy for instant download for only $2.00. Many blessings!

A Few Freebies

There are a few freebies available right now:

~Free Ovulation and/or Pregnancy tests are available here. (I haven't tried this, as I don't need these right now, so if anyone tries, I would be interested in how this works out.) Thank you, Erin, for the link!

~ Join me in a blog tour with Waterbrook Multnomah, by registering here. If accepted into their blogging for books program, register for the Treasured , God Gave us Christmas, and God Gave us Love book tour. You will receive a free advanced copy of each of these books. All you have to do, in return, is write a review on your blog. I am particularly excited about receiving Treasured, as it looks like a terrific devotional, that would really help me to focus on Christ, this Christmas. The other two books look like terrific books for leading and guiding children. It would be so much fun to read these books at the same time, and to read each other's thoughts on them! You may even choose to pass along some or all of these books as Christmas gifts.

~ Receive a free sample of Emergen-C. Since this cold and flu season has been so terrible, we have found that taking Emergen-C, which contains over 1000 mg of Vitamin C, helps prevent us from getting some of the illnesses going around. We are almost half way done with a box of raspberry flavored Emergen-C, which is very tasty. (I hesitated at spending nearly $8.50 for a box of 30, but I figure it is worth the cost, as my dear husband really cannot afford to be sick, with his job.) It is also an energy booster, which can be quite helpful for a day when you are dragging, or even for women in labor! (I am definitely saving a few packets for my birth box.) If you have tried Emergen-C; I would love to hear what you think about it!

~Don't forget to check Walmart's Free Samples section, periodically, to see what new samples they are offering!

Many Blessings!

Super Saving Strategies E-book Giveaway

I am happy to announce that the e-book that I have written, has been published. Super Saving Strategies is chocked-full of money saving tips to help you to learn how to flourish financially, on a limited income.

Sections include:

~Ideas for saving money on groceries, with tips from meal planning, to affordably stocking your pantry with nourishing foods.

~ Find new ways to home educate your children, inexpensively, with a variety of thrifty tips.

~ Save money by trying fun and frugal entertainment ideas. Ideas include thrifty date nights with your spouse, to frugal fun for the whole family.

~ Tired of spending a fortune on gifts? Try these fresh ideas and save money!

~ Be inspired to live frugally and debt-free through a variety of useful websites.

I am hosting a giveaway of one free e-book copy for my dear blog readers. If you are interested, please leave a comment detailing your favorite money saving tip. It would be so much fun to glean from each other's ideas.
The giveaway ends on Friday, October 16, when I will randomly select one winner.
Many Blessings to you!

Family Feasts Giveaway

The author of Family Feasts for $75 a week is hosting a giveaway of three sets of three copies of her book, on her blog. It would be a tremendous blessing to win a set of three of her books, to utilize for oneself, and to bless two others with a copy. (What a delightful Christmas gift!) The contest ends on Oct 26, so make sure that you enter in time! Blessings!

Deals of the Day

Today was a long day of errands, but a good day. I feel so tired that I think I may fall asleep before my head even hits the pillow. I wanted to share with you a few deals that we got, today. I got to go to one of my favorite places in town, a used homeschool curriculum shop, which just opened up this past July. I adore that place, as I find so many hidden treasures, there, for a terrific price. There is even a play area set up for the children, so mama can browse, peacefully. (Yes, the lady who runs this quaint little shop is ingenious!) Today, I found Nothing Can Separate Us: The Story of Nan Harper for $3 (normally $16 at Vision Forum) and More Days Go By Pathway reader for $3 (normally $8).
My husband snagged a great deal on Yo Baby yogurt, at a local grocery store, a 6 pack for $1.66. It is a huge blessing to have organic yogurt for a snack!
I would love to hear about deals you have been finding. Do you have a homeschooling shop near you? We have only had one for a couple of months, and I don't know how I lived without it. Many Blessings to you!

Christmas Came Early at Our House

Christmas came a little bit early in our house, since CSN stores so graciously sent me the Swivel Bridge Train set to review. There are over 200 CSN stores, meeting a variety of shopping needs. We have always loved Melissa and Doug puzzles, because they are made of nice wooden pieces, which are virtually indestructible (something every mom loves!), but this is our first time trying one of their other toys. All of my children enjoy playing with this, so they are all sharing it.

The Swivel Bridge Train set is made of quality wood and is a terrific starter set. If we feel like our children could use more trains, we could easily add more pieces to our collection. The engineer and trees included in this set are made of wood.
The children were absolutely thrilled to receive this lovely train set.

Included in the train set, are plans for putting the train set together, in a few different ways. The swivel bridge is a really solid piece and when the bridge swivels, barriers pop up to keep traffic from coming.
This is a side view of the covered bridge. The design is beautifully painted on this solid wood.
I can already tell that this set is a favorite in our home, and that it will be a quality piece that will be used for years. Thank you, CSN stores for giving me the opportunity to review one of your lovely products!

******
CSN stores graciously provided me with the Swivel Bridge Train set, free of charge.

Supplements for a Healthy Pregnancy

I have been trying to follow the Brewer diet, throughout this pregnancy, to help to prevent complications. I also use a few supplements to enhance my diet. I certainly have some treats every once, in a while, but overall, I am trying to grab healthier snacks, like carrots and hummus. (Rather than a tub of ice cream....)

Rainbow Light Prenatal
I stay on this vitamin 24/7. Since I am always pregnant, nursing, or both, I take this all of the time. I believe that I have been on it for about four years, now. (It was then that I realized that the pre-natal vitamins from my doctor's office, was laden with aluminum.) The cheapest place that I have found to get these vitamins is here, for only $25.77. This is 150 pills, which lasts about 5 months. This averages about $5 a month, which I feel is extremely reasonable for maintaining health. This multi-vitamin contains ginger juice (to help with nausea), red raspberry leaf extract (to tone the uterus for childbirth), spirulina, and all of the important vitamins and nutrients for nourishing a growing baby. My midwife said that my levels all look really good and she was proud of me for staying on a good pre-natal all of the time. She mentioned that some of her clients are really worn out at their post partum visit, because they are nursing and have abandoned taking a good vitamin. It is so vital that we take care of our health, so we can have strength to help others.
Fish Oil
The benefits of fish oil are manifold. It is important for growing babies to have adequate dosages of Omega 3. It has also been found to help prevent post partum depression. Our entire family takes a teaspoon or two daily, followed by a nice swig of orange juice.
Herbal Iron
My daily multi vitamin already contains the amount of iron that I need, but if I am feeling particularly fatigued, I will take some Herbal Iron. It has a fruity flavor, which tastes delicious. My hemoglobin levels were low at the end of my last pregnancy, and this helped my levels to exceed where they needed to be. I have found this to be one of the most affordable liquid irons. (I prefer liquid iron because it allows your body to absorb it faster than in the pill form.)
Amazing Grass Green SuperFood All Natural Drink Powder
This powder mixes with juice or water to make a very nourishing drink. I only drink this on occasion, and I need to increase my dosage of this to at least twice a week. It contains: Organic wheat grass, organic barley grass, organic alfalfa, organic spirulina, organic spinach, organic broccoli, organic chlorella (cracked cell-wall), Organic acai, organic maca, organic carrot, organic beet, raspbery, organic rose hips, pineapple, green tea, acerola cherry, Organic flax seed powder, apple pectin fiber, FOS (from cherry root), L. acidophilus, alpha and beta amylase, protease, lipase, lactase, cellulase,Siberian elethero root, and peppermint.

What supplements have you been using?

Saving Money through Menu Planning

Menu planning helps our family to save a lot of money. I usually grocery shop bi-monthly, so every two weeks, I plan out our menu and grocery list. For about a year now, I have been planning out our dinners, but I haven't been very diligent at planning breakfast , lunch, and snacks. As a result, I find myself gazing into the refrigerator or pantry at random intervals throughout the day, wondering what to fix. Having a dinner plan has made my life so much easier, that I am going to try to be more diligent in planning out all of our meals. (I am not going to necessarily plan what breakfast to have on which day, but simply having a variety of choice to glean from, will be much better than having no plan.) I am going to keep the menu plan on a clipboard, so I can readily see what is available to fix.
Also, since I am expecting, I am trying to follow the Brewer diet. Keeping track of what I am eating helps to ensure that I am consuming the proper amount of protein, to help prevent a number of possible complications.


Breakfast:

Oatmeal, apple slices
Pumpkin Muffins
Eggs, English muffins
Smoothies (Banana-Strawberry-Apple-Celery)
Cereal, Orange Juice

Lunch:
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Loaded Baked Potatoes (toppings- cheddar, butter, sour cream, crumpled turkey bacon)
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Pizza Rolls
Leftovers
PB and J, carrots and hummus
Snack Trays (on a cafeteria style tray- apple slices, cheese and crackers, applesauce, yogurt)


Snacks:
Cheese Slices with Crackers
Applesauce
Carrots and Hummus
Apple slices dipped in yogurt
Yogurt with granola
PB on celery
Salad
Popcorn
Apple Slices with Sharp Cheddar
Banana Pops

Dinner:
Monday- Chili and Cornbread
Tuesday- Breakfast- Grits and Sausage Casserole
Wednesday-out-sister-in-law cooking
Thursday- Stuffed Shells (make 2- One for this week, freeze the other for next week)
Friday- Homemade Pepperoni Pizza
Saturday- Burritos

What are you making this week? Have you found that menu planning helps you to save money? For more menu plans, visit Org Junkie.

Kitchen Makeover

We have lived in our house for nearly seven years, now. Our kitchen has had very busy wallpaper, since we moved in. At first I thought that it was tolerable, since it required little decorating. But after a few years, the busyness of the pattern really made me want to have something more subtle. The best aspect about the busy pattern of the wallpaper is that no one would need coffee after viewing that wallpaper.It would keep you wired for the day. On Labor Day, dear hubby and I painted the kitchen a really pretty shade of green.

Before picture:

After picture:

It is so soothing to walk into my kitchen, now. It has become a very calming place for me. I find it so amazing that a can of paint can make a room full of charm. It really is the cheapest way to give a room a makeover! Blessings!