"Whoa, something stinks. Did you toot?"
"Yeah."
"Wow. That is really stinky."
[seriously distressed voice] "I don't know why I keep smelling like Pa-pa!"
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Overheard: (Why, thank you.)
I'm glad my husband's not here. Because then he'd expect us to have all this yummy food at our birthday parties.
One of my friends, the mom of Nathan's best buddy, came with her boys to Nathan's 5th birthday party. We had a pretty simple fare, I thought. Hamburgers and hot dogs, and different salads. I made pasta salad, and my family brought several others. It's not my fault my family loves flavorful food. :)
One of my friends, the mom of Nathan's best buddy, came with her boys to Nathan's 5th birthday party. We had a pretty simple fare, I thought. Hamburgers and hot dogs, and different salads. I made pasta salad, and my family brought several others. It's not my fault my family loves flavorful food. :)
Culinary Self-Flagellation
I consider myself a decent cook. While my cooking wouldn't necessarily be called gourmet, I think most of what I eat is enjoyable.
However, I will admit: I do make some pretty amazing sugar cookies. And some dang good cinnamon rolls. And a pretty good pies, too, now that I think about it.
So let me change the subject.
Monday, I joined my Mom and brother on the carb-free train. What I'm doing is not as strictly the Atkins (I eat vegetables, minus corn, carrots, peas, and potatoes), but it's still pretty strict. When you get the munchies, there's not a whole lot that's munch-able, at least not in our house. Seriously, Tuesday, my teeth were aching for something crunchy. I'm not being totally fanatical about it - I had 3 Fritos to try to satisfy that need for crunchiness, and I had a bite of Paul's grilled pizza on Monday.
The reason I decided to try out this diet is because I've been feeling very bloated and fat. As we all know, after you have a baby, there's a certain amount of belly fat you can't do anything about. But it was just a blah feeling all the time. My mom said it would help with that, and it has helped. And even though it's only my 4th day, my belly does feel (and maybe look?) less bloated.
Back to the original subject:
Once a month, Paul likes me to make treats for him to take to his shift at work.
Well, I promised them cinnamon rolls before I decided to do this diet. This is where the subjects come together: If there is one food/flavor I love, love, love, it is cinnamon. You can't go wrong with cinnamon. I even put in on ice cream occasionally. But white bread, not to mention sugar, would definitely be a no-no on a carb-free diet.
Seriously. It was total self-torture to make these. And they were the most perfect batch I've ever made - go figure! And I made apple cinnamon rolls, which I love.
I did sample one taste each of the apple and the chocolate when the boys were eating them last night. And they are as definitely as good as they look! It was hard to stop at one bite! So, it's a total lesson in self-control for me to ignore the pan of cinnamon rolls on the counter.
Ah, the things we do for the ones we love. :)
However, I will admit: I do make some pretty amazing sugar cookies. And some dang good cinnamon rolls. And a pretty good pies, too, now that I think about it.
So let me change the subject.
Monday, I joined my Mom and brother on the carb-free train. What I'm doing is not as strictly the Atkins (I eat vegetables, minus corn, carrots, peas, and potatoes), but it's still pretty strict. When you get the munchies, there's not a whole lot that's munch-able, at least not in our house. Seriously, Tuesday, my teeth were aching for something crunchy. I'm not being totally fanatical about it - I had 3 Fritos to try to satisfy that need for crunchiness, and I had a bite of Paul's grilled pizza on Monday.
The reason I decided to try out this diet is because I've been feeling very bloated and fat. As we all know, after you have a baby, there's a certain amount of belly fat you can't do anything about. But it was just a blah feeling all the time. My mom said it would help with that, and it has helped. And even though it's only my 4th day, my belly does feel (and maybe look?) less bloated.
Back to the original subject:
Once a month, Paul likes me to make treats for him to take to his shift at work.
Well, I promised them cinnamon rolls before I decided to do this diet. This is where the subjects come together: If there is one food/flavor I love, love, love, it is cinnamon. You can't go wrong with cinnamon. I even put in on ice cream occasionally. But white bread, not to mention sugar, would definitely be a no-no on a carb-free diet.
 |
| He takes four 9x13s (1 dozen each) to work (I made two plain, one apple, and one chocolate chip). Anything in the two rounds is the "ugly ends" from the dough roll, which I keep for our family. But they turned out just as beautiful and fluffy as the others! And this pic is even before I added the frosting! |
I did sample one taste each of the apple and the chocolate when the boys were eating them last night. And they are as definitely as good as they look! It was hard to stop at one bite! So, it's a total lesson in self-control for me to ignore the pan of cinnamon rolls on the counter.
Ah, the things we do for the ones we love. :)
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Recycling
I have kind of a love/hate relationship with recycling. I love (okay, like) that I'm not adding to the massive amounts of trash in the landfill, but I hate that it stacks up before I finally get it taken to the recycling center.
I think that I really started trying harder to recycle after Nathan was born. I got to thinking about how many diapers I threw in the trash. Then I got to thinking about how many babies were in our town, and how many diapers were being put in the landfill every week by all those babies combined. And the thought of all that poop in a pile just kind of grossed me out. Even though I had already decided to do cloth diapers for finance's sake, that thought just reinforced my decision.
But diapers are not hard to decompose, I would think. I got to thinking about the amount of plastics and glass everyone throws away - that stuff isn't decomposing for a long time.
The boys have a movie called Mighty Machines (basically a bunch of videos of different machinery doing jobs). They have one of a trash truck doing it's route and it shows the landfill. I've never been to our county's, so I was surprised at how huge it was. And gross.
So I started trying to recycle. I only do things that our local recycling center takes (#1 and #2 plastics, soup cans, pop cans, glass, paper, and cardboard). Once we take those things out, a week's worth of trash is only 2 bags, and that includes diapers. (If I was religious about recycling junk mail, it would probably be less than that.)
But I hate how it stacks up! My storage totes take up too much room to keep on the back porch, so we keep them in the shop. (I wouldn't need the storage totes if I took it to the recycling center every week - but, let's be real, that is never going to happen until I'm an old lady and have nothing better to do.) I keep a basket by the back door to take the stuff out to the shop when it's full. But because I (or someone else in this house whose household duties include the garbage, which in my book includes recycling by extension) am too lazy to take the basket out to the shop every week, there is always a precariously balanced pile of soup cans, milk jugs, alfredo jars, and shampoo bottles on the shelves by the back door. I hate that. .
But I do like the thought that by doing this little bit, it's keeping some of the non-biodegradables out of the landfill.
And if everyone did that little bit, which isn't hard, just slightly inconvenient, it would make the world a more beautiful place.
I think that I really started trying harder to recycle after Nathan was born. I got to thinking about how many diapers I threw in the trash. Then I got to thinking about how many babies were in our town, and how many diapers were being put in the landfill every week by all those babies combined. And the thought of all that poop in a pile just kind of grossed me out. Even though I had already decided to do cloth diapers for finance's sake, that thought just reinforced my decision.
But diapers are not hard to decompose, I would think. I got to thinking about the amount of plastics and glass everyone throws away - that stuff isn't decomposing for a long time.
The boys have a movie called Mighty Machines (basically a bunch of videos of different machinery doing jobs). They have one of a trash truck doing it's route and it shows the landfill. I've never been to our county's, so I was surprised at how huge it was. And gross.
So I started trying to recycle. I only do things that our local recycling center takes (#1 and #2 plastics, soup cans, pop cans, glass, paper, and cardboard). Once we take those things out, a week's worth of trash is only 2 bags, and that includes diapers. (If I was religious about recycling junk mail, it would probably be less than that.)
But I hate how it stacks up! My storage totes take up too much room to keep on the back porch, so we keep them in the shop. (I wouldn't need the storage totes if I took it to the recycling center every week - but, let's be real, that is never going to happen until I'm an old lady and have nothing better to do.) I keep a basket by the back door to take the stuff out to the shop when it's full. But because I (or someone else in this house whose household duties include the garbage, which in my book includes recycling by extension) am too lazy to take the basket out to the shop every week, there is always a precariously balanced pile of soup cans, milk jugs, alfredo jars, and shampoo bottles on the shelves by the back door. I hate that. .
But I do like the thought that by doing this little bit, it's keeping some of the non-biodegradables out of the landfill.
And if everyone did that little bit, which isn't hard, just slightly inconvenient, it would make the world a more beautiful place.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Budget Blues (How We Save Money)
The last couple months have wreaked havoc on our checkbook. Without going into details, suffice to say we majorly have to tighten up the spending, and I made a silent vow to not take anything out of savings the next few months. (Or else, we won't be having Christmas.) After paying bills and balancing the checkbook this morning, I was stressed and depressed to find out we had $350 to last the until the end of the month that hasn't even started yet. And I haven't even bought groceries for the month. Not to mention the gas Paul will need to get to work.
So I grabbed the ol' list and started crossing off things that I thought we could get by without until the end of next month. Some were easy - like matching baskets to hold crayons and colored pencils (rather than the mismatched cardboard boxes I'm using), but some made me grit my teeth - like disposable diapers. I used just over half a box last month. Surely I can use just under half a box for this month. And I'm pretty sure we can live without soy sauce and sliced cheese.
Not that we can't take money from savings (I should be grateful we even have a savings account!), but just that I feel panicky if it drops under a certain amount. A vehicle or appliance breakdown would wipe us out.
I think some people think Paul makes lots of money at his job. He makes decent money for a factory job, but it doesn't afford us to a life of ease, by any means. We can afford what we have by careful spending and going without some things.
Every time I see an article with a title such as "The Best Ways to Save Money," I always eagerly read it. And it's the same old tips that everyone knows. "Give up Starbucks, make your coffee at home." "Take your lunch to work." "Check books out from the library instead of buying them." Duh. Seriously. How about some tips for real people that already and have always done these things?
So I came up with my own list of ways to save money. Some of them are in those articles. But I'll take them a step further, and show you how we save. And spew my opinions upon you. (You were warned.)
Ditch movie rentals. First we ditched the movie store for Netflix. Then we ditched Netflix. It wasn't worth the $8 a month we were spending on it. We own probably over 50 children's videos, and twice that many grown up movies. If we can't find anything to watch in that collection, we need to find something else to do. We also found that there the access to profane movies and TV shows was a temptation on Netflix. And by saving the monthly subscriptions, we have enough money to buy the [very occasional] movie that we think is good enough to add to our collection. (We do use Redbox if we want to watch a recent movie that we don't think is worth buying.)
Stop eating out. I realize that sometimes you have to eat out. Even as much of a cheapskate as I am, I am not dedicated enough to pack a lunch when there's no avoiding being out over lunch, nor am I stoic enough to endure 45 minutes of whining meltdowns because my kids are hungry. We do eat out, but when we do it, the boys and I can eat for $3 plus tax. A dollar hamburger for each of us, and water to drink. My husband is not quite on board with the dollar hamburger, and when he comes with us, the total more than doubles. (Part of this is because when Daddy goes with us, it's a treat, and we get french fries, too! :) ) But even if you stick to the dollar menu, eating out just three times a week can add up to $30 a month! Now, this is not to say we never eat out. I think we average maybe 2-3 meals out a month. And we splurge for special occasions, and usually don't cheapskate it for those special times.
Get rid of cable/satellite. You see advice to cut back to the basic service to save money. But why not ditch it altogether? A lot of people don't realize that since over-the-air TV went digital a few years back, many stations have two stations, if not more. With just "rabbit ear" antennas, we can pick up nearly 20 stations with little to no adjusting. Seriously - why would you need more than that? And really, do you even need more than one? As long as you can get the news in an emergency, I'd call that enough.
Stay out of WalMart! If you know me at all, you know of my disdain for this place. I'll admit, with their "price comps," it is possible to save money by shopping at WalMart. But only if you stick to your list. WalMart preys on people that have no willpower. Even I am not immune to it. How many times do you go in for your regular groceries, and come out with something you didn't need? If your kids don't need new clothes, stay out of the kids section! If you don't need new throw pillows, don't browse the home goods section! If you're not looking for a print cartridge, stay out of the electronics! Get in, get your stuff, get out. I don't usually let Paul go with me, because I am much better at sticking to my list if he's not there browsing while I shop. Last month's splurge: a $1.74 flyswatter. This month's: a $2.22 cube of Post-Its. I justify my splurges if they are something I will use and are less than about $4.
Quit buying processed food. We buy a lot of pasta. And rice. They may not be the best for you, but they're better for you than the pre-packaged "just add water" rice and noodle packets. A packet or Knorrs noodles may only be $1, but it doesn't even feed a whole family one meal. Meanwhile, that same $1 can buy a pound of pasta, which you can add a little butter and spices to, and you have enough for 4 meals. Not to mention it's so much healthier for you. And do I even need to mention how much a soda habit costs?
Your kids don't need as much as you think they do. This is probably the hardest one. It is super hard to tell my kids no. We went to the fair this summer, and had to tell the boys they couldn't ride the rides. (Tickets were $3.50 each.) Seeing their tears hurt. But they got over it, and by the next week didn't even remember. You may say, "I don't want my child to feel deprived." But they can't feel deprived if they don't first feel entitled. I heard somewhere that kids have so much not because kids want so much, but because parents want them to have so much.
Since my little sister moved to Africa, I think I've become more aware of how much our kids (and all kids in our country) have, and don't even realize or appreciate. In her first letter to the boys, Carlsie told them about how the children there don't have any toys, and they make cars and trucks to play with out of sticks, rocks, and trash they find. Meanwhile, my boys have 6 drawers and 2 shelves full of toys, and yet they ask for more. Do they really need more? If we happen to end up passing some toys in the store (and we always do - strategic marketing), I always tell them no. They may whine at the time, but they forget about it by the time we're home. If I go shopping without them, and I want to get them a "treat" so they know I was thinking about them, they get special fruit (like berries), or maybe chocolate milk - not a toy. I have to tell them no when they ask for those off-season raspberries that cost $5 for a half-pint, when apples are $1.29/lb, and explain to them why we're going to get the apples. My kids will grow up to appreciate the things they have, be responsible with money, and not feel like they are entitled to something just because they want it at the moment.
Internet on your phone. Do you really need it? How much is it costing you versus how much you need it? Need it, not use it. Facebooking on your phone is not a need. We've got internet at our home, and whereas it would be nice sometimes to be able to look up price comparisons or merchandise reviews when you're in the store, is it worth the $30 or $40 more each month? Or is it just taking your time and attention away from something more important, like paying attention to your kids?
Stay home. I don't like going places. Partly it's laziness - wrangling 3 kids on my own? Pass. Let's just stay home in our pajamas instead. Partly it's the cost of fuel. Seriously. With gas prices what they are, you're talking at least $10 in gas just to get out of town. But mostly if I'm out shopping, even if I'm just looking and not spending, it makes me feel not content with what I have (which in the light of what some get by with, is a lot). Which leads to......
If you don't need it, don't buy it (i.e. self denial/self control). Dave Ramsey says, "A sale is not an emergency." No matter how much of a steal it is, if it's going to make you come up short before the next payday, you don't need it right now. We've lived in this house 7 years, and I still don't have curtains in any room except the bedrooms. We have blinds on all the windows, so the neighbors can't see in. I really want some nice deck furniture, but even on sale it's too big of an expenditure for something that we don't need. We've got a picnic table that Paul's dad made out of scrap lumber on the deck. I want matching lamps and end tables in the living room. But I've got a coffee table on one end, and an end table on the other, and a lamp with a defunct shade. It works. Even though it's not what I really want, these things work for now. My house may not be the most beautiful, but my checkbook looks pretty good. Another Dave Ramsey quote: "Live like no one else, so that later, you can live like no one else." Someday, if we stay on track and keep things tight, someday, I won't have to think so hard about every cent we spend. You'd better believe that the instant this house is paid off, I am using the money on some serious face-lifting on this house.
And I do realize that if we put all the money we've spent in the last year or two on say, movies, together, I would have enough money to buy myself curtains. But I also believe that sometimes you have to let go and splurge on something unnecessary (within reason, usually under $20). Paul works hard for the money he brings home, so when he wants something, I try to make sure he gets it. If you stay absolutely uptight, everything becomes about money, and that can not be good on your marriage.
So there you have it. This is how I save money. Not by couponing or comping, but by common sense.
(And thus ends the first installment of my overly opinionated posts.)
(And apparently my opinions are very long-winded!)
So I grabbed the ol' list and started crossing off things that I thought we could get by without until the end of next month. Some were easy - like matching baskets to hold crayons and colored pencils (rather than the mismatched cardboard boxes I'm using), but some made me grit my teeth - like disposable diapers. I used just over half a box last month. Surely I can use just under half a box for this month. And I'm pretty sure we can live without soy sauce and sliced cheese.
Not that we can't take money from savings (I should be grateful we even have a savings account!), but just that I feel panicky if it drops under a certain amount. A vehicle or appliance breakdown would wipe us out.
I think some people think Paul makes lots of money at his job. He makes decent money for a factory job, but it doesn't afford us to a life of ease, by any means. We can afford what we have by careful spending and going without some things.
Every time I see an article with a title such as "The Best Ways to Save Money," I always eagerly read it. And it's the same old tips that everyone knows. "Give up Starbucks, make your coffee at home." "Take your lunch to work." "Check books out from the library instead of buying them." Duh. Seriously. How about some tips for real people that already and have always done these things?
So I came up with my own list of ways to save money. Some of them are in those articles. But I'll take them a step further, and show you how we save. And spew my opinions upon you. (You were warned.)
Ditch movie rentals. First we ditched the movie store for Netflix. Then we ditched Netflix. It wasn't worth the $8 a month we were spending on it. We own probably over 50 children's videos, and twice that many grown up movies. If we can't find anything to watch in that collection, we need to find something else to do. We also found that there the access to profane movies and TV shows was a temptation on Netflix. And by saving the monthly subscriptions, we have enough money to buy the [very occasional] movie that we think is good enough to add to our collection. (We do use Redbox if we want to watch a recent movie that we don't think is worth buying.)
Stop eating out. I realize that sometimes you have to eat out. Even as much of a cheapskate as I am, I am not dedicated enough to pack a lunch when there's no avoiding being out over lunch, nor am I stoic enough to endure 45 minutes of whining meltdowns because my kids are hungry. We do eat out, but when we do it, the boys and I can eat for $3 plus tax. A dollar hamburger for each of us, and water to drink. My husband is not quite on board with the dollar hamburger, and when he comes with us, the total more than doubles. (Part of this is because when Daddy goes with us, it's a treat, and we get french fries, too! :) ) But even if you stick to the dollar menu, eating out just three times a week can add up to $30 a month! Now, this is not to say we never eat out. I think we average maybe 2-3 meals out a month. And we splurge for special occasions, and usually don't cheapskate it for those special times.
Get rid of cable/satellite. You see advice to cut back to the basic service to save money. But why not ditch it altogether? A lot of people don't realize that since over-the-air TV went digital a few years back, many stations have two stations, if not more. With just "rabbit ear" antennas, we can pick up nearly 20 stations with little to no adjusting. Seriously - why would you need more than that? And really, do you even need more than one? As long as you can get the news in an emergency, I'd call that enough.
Stay out of WalMart! If you know me at all, you know of my disdain for this place. I'll admit, with their "price comps," it is possible to save money by shopping at WalMart. But only if you stick to your list. WalMart preys on people that have no willpower. Even I am not immune to it. How many times do you go in for your regular groceries, and come out with something you didn't need? If your kids don't need new clothes, stay out of the kids section! If you don't need new throw pillows, don't browse the home goods section! If you're not looking for a print cartridge, stay out of the electronics! Get in, get your stuff, get out. I don't usually let Paul go with me, because I am much better at sticking to my list if he's not there browsing while I shop. Last month's splurge: a $1.74 flyswatter. This month's: a $2.22 cube of Post-Its. I justify my splurges if they are something I will use and are less than about $4.
Quit buying processed food. We buy a lot of pasta. And rice. They may not be the best for you, but they're better for you than the pre-packaged "just add water" rice and noodle packets. A packet or Knorrs noodles may only be $1, but it doesn't even feed a whole family one meal. Meanwhile, that same $1 can buy a pound of pasta, which you can add a little butter and spices to, and you have enough for 4 meals. Not to mention it's so much healthier for you. And do I even need to mention how much a soda habit costs?
Your kids don't need as much as you think they do. This is probably the hardest one. It is super hard to tell my kids no. We went to the fair this summer, and had to tell the boys they couldn't ride the rides. (Tickets were $3.50 each.) Seeing their tears hurt. But they got over it, and by the next week didn't even remember. You may say, "I don't want my child to feel deprived." But they can't feel deprived if they don't first feel entitled. I heard somewhere that kids have so much not because kids want so much, but because parents want them to have so much.
Since my little sister moved to Africa, I think I've become more aware of how much our kids (and all kids in our country) have, and don't even realize or appreciate. In her first letter to the boys, Carlsie told them about how the children there don't have any toys, and they make cars and trucks to play with out of sticks, rocks, and trash they find. Meanwhile, my boys have 6 drawers and 2 shelves full of toys, and yet they ask for more. Do they really need more? If we happen to end up passing some toys in the store (and we always do - strategic marketing), I always tell them no. They may whine at the time, but they forget about it by the time we're home. If I go shopping without them, and I want to get them a "treat" so they know I was thinking about them, they get special fruit (like berries), or maybe chocolate milk - not a toy. I have to tell them no when they ask for those off-season raspberries that cost $5 for a half-pint, when apples are $1.29/lb, and explain to them why we're going to get the apples. My kids will grow up to appreciate the things they have, be responsible with money, and not feel like they are entitled to something just because they want it at the moment.
Internet on your phone. Do you really need it? How much is it costing you versus how much you need it? Need it, not use it. Facebooking on your phone is not a need. We've got internet at our home, and whereas it would be nice sometimes to be able to look up price comparisons or merchandise reviews when you're in the store, is it worth the $30 or $40 more each month? Or is it just taking your time and attention away from something more important, like paying attention to your kids?
Stay home. I don't like going places. Partly it's laziness - wrangling 3 kids on my own? Pass. Let's just stay home in our pajamas instead. Partly it's the cost of fuel. Seriously. With gas prices what they are, you're talking at least $10 in gas just to get out of town. But mostly if I'm out shopping, even if I'm just looking and not spending, it makes me feel not content with what I have (which in the light of what some get by with, is a lot). Which leads to......
If you don't need it, don't buy it (i.e. self denial/self control). Dave Ramsey says, "A sale is not an emergency." No matter how much of a steal it is, if it's going to make you come up short before the next payday, you don't need it right now. We've lived in this house 7 years, and I still don't have curtains in any room except the bedrooms. We have blinds on all the windows, so the neighbors can't see in. I really want some nice deck furniture, but even on sale it's too big of an expenditure for something that we don't need. We've got a picnic table that Paul's dad made out of scrap lumber on the deck. I want matching lamps and end tables in the living room. But I've got a coffee table on one end, and an end table on the other, and a lamp with a defunct shade. It works. Even though it's not what I really want, these things work for now. My house may not be the most beautiful, but my checkbook looks pretty good. Another Dave Ramsey quote: "Live like no one else, so that later, you can live like no one else." Someday, if we stay on track and keep things tight, someday, I won't have to think so hard about every cent we spend. You'd better believe that the instant this house is paid off, I am using the money on some serious face-lifting on this house.
And I do realize that if we put all the money we've spent in the last year or two on say, movies, together, I would have enough money to buy myself curtains. But I also believe that sometimes you have to let go and splurge on something unnecessary (within reason, usually under $20). Paul works hard for the money he brings home, so when he wants something, I try to make sure he gets it. If you stay absolutely uptight, everything becomes about money, and that can not be good on your marriage.
So there you have it. This is how I save money. Not by couponing or comping, but by common sense.
(And thus ends the first installment of my overly opinionated posts.)
(And apparently my opinions are very long-winded!)
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Be Forewarned:
I'm not one that thinks that just because I think and am convicted a certain way about something, I think everyone should abide by my convictions. But I do think that hearing another's convictions should give you pause to think about your own. Prepare to be offended if you don't agree. Or even if you do agree, but don't want to face the truth.
So that's what I'm mulling on. When I get time.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
August Update
I can't believe we are almost to the end of August. Seriously. Where has this month gone?
I've actually had a fairly productive month. It started with my media Sabbath, and got better from there. I have been spending less and less time on the Internet. I haven't even been checking my email every day, and I've declared Fridays "Facebook Fridays." I don't miss it; it's kind of freeing, actually. I usually watch about 15-20 minutes of local news (network morning shows are complete jokes) each morning to catch the weather (I'm obsessed with weather reports) and find out if anything important is happening in the world.
I love walking. I've been walking 2+ miles every morning on our roads. I haven't lost much weight - only like 6 pounds in the last 3 or 4 weeks. Frustrating, considering I've also been trying to eat better. But I've had more energy and feel generally healthier. But I also know that "slow and steady" is a better, more maintainable way to lose weight.
Keeping the house clean is NEV.ER.END.ING. Good grief. I've swept the floor every day (unheard of), and am trying to clean the kitchen after every meal. It doesn't take ridiculously long, but added up, it seems like most of my day is in the kitchen or dining room, cooking, picking up or folding laundry. (I know, my place is supposed to be in the kitchen.) But I so much prefer the end results. It's almost become habit, and it gets so it bugs me if there's stuff laying around. This is a good thing! Now, to get it to bug the rest of my family enough they want to pick up as well......
Nathan has two days of preschool left. As I predicted, we're going to finish it up just in time to start his Kindergarten. We'll finish up on Friday, take a week off and then start up again on Labor Day. (It's not a real holiday.) We asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate being done with school, and he said he wanted to go on a picnic. In our yard. We talked him into going to the lake.
For his curriculum, I wasn't sure how much to do. We settled on Math, Reading, and Science. We're using Saxon math, and it actually is a step back from what he's already learned with the Answers in Genesis preschool curriculum. But it covers much more than numbers - for example, the first lessons are about the calendar/days of the week. So we'll have to keep up with his addition and subtraction so he doesn't forget all that. The reading is a phonics approach; we're using A Beka. And science is also A Beka. It's actually 1st grade, but he's ready for it. I think it's considered 1st, not because of the material, but that the student book is like a reader. The first part of the year is health and manners, then the second is more "sciency." We're going to try to do some social study/history type things, but the basics are more important.
Oh yeah. I got these.
When I went to the eye doctor, he said my eyes aren't that bad and normally he wouldn't prescribe glasses. But it is 30% worse than it was (from "2" to "3" points near-sighted, in his explanation). And I think that that decline all happened in June when my eyeball swelled up, which is why it bugs me so much and I notice it. We looked at our insurance, and it actually is really good, and pays 100% on glasses. So I went ahead and got them, mostly for driving at night and whenever I am watching TV or reading lots on the computer (like now). Apparently they look natural on me, because I've worn them to church twice and also to couples group and the only person that noticed was my best friend (besides my family, obviously). Paul bestowed his most sincere compliment: "Your glasses don't look that bad." Praise indeed. :)
All 3 kids are kind of sick. Just snotty noses and some coughing. It wasn't enough to keep the boys from skinny dipping in the freshly cleaned dog pool. But it still bothers me to hear them cough in their sleep, or to see snot dripping off of Jacob. Zadie is handling it pretty well, too.
The little miss is not so little anymore. I'm not sure what weight she's up to, but she's about to outgrow 3-6mo clothes. Her 4-month birthday was last week. I know she's teething; you can see the teeth changing the shape of her gums. She is still so laid back and happy, though! Oh my goodness, we love her.
She's been sleeping downstairs in the playpen, so we can save money on a/c bills (she'd have to have a window unit). It's been cooler lately, so she's been doing naps upstairs, and we put her up there the last two nights. (Too hot again tonight, though.) I thought it might be a big adjustment for her, but she took it with her usual laid-back nature. Didn't fuss, didn't wake up. If all babies were like her, I'd want to have 50 more.
Okay. I need to get to bed. That's a sampling of what I can think of that we've been up to lately.
I've actually had a fairly productive month. It started with my media Sabbath, and got better from there. I have been spending less and less time on the Internet. I haven't even been checking my email every day, and I've declared Fridays "Facebook Fridays." I don't miss it; it's kind of freeing, actually. I usually watch about 15-20 minutes of local news (network morning shows are complete jokes) each morning to catch the weather (I'm obsessed with weather reports) and find out if anything important is happening in the world.
I love walking. I've been walking 2+ miles every morning on our roads. I haven't lost much weight - only like 6 pounds in the last 3 or 4 weeks. Frustrating, considering I've also been trying to eat better. But I've had more energy and feel generally healthier. But I also know that "slow and steady" is a better, more maintainable way to lose weight.
Keeping the house clean is NEV.ER.END.ING. Good grief. I've swept the floor every day (unheard of), and am trying to clean the kitchen after every meal. It doesn't take ridiculously long, but added up, it seems like most of my day is in the kitchen or dining room, cooking, picking up or folding laundry. (I know, my place is supposed to be in the kitchen.) But I so much prefer the end results. It's almost become habit, and it gets so it bugs me if there's stuff laying around. This is a good thing! Now, to get it to bug the rest of my family enough they want to pick up as well......
Nathan has two days of preschool left. As I predicted, we're going to finish it up just in time to start his Kindergarten. We'll finish up on Friday, take a week off and then start up again on Labor Day. (It's not a real holiday.) We asked him what he wanted to do to celebrate being done with school, and he said he wanted to go on a picnic. In our yard. We talked him into going to the lake.
For his curriculum, I wasn't sure how much to do. We settled on Math, Reading, and Science. We're using Saxon math, and it actually is a step back from what he's already learned with the Answers in Genesis preschool curriculum. But it covers much more than numbers - for example, the first lessons are about the calendar/days of the week. So we'll have to keep up with his addition and subtraction so he doesn't forget all that. The reading is a phonics approach; we're using A Beka. And science is also A Beka. It's actually 1st grade, but he's ready for it. I think it's considered 1st, not because of the material, but that the student book is like a reader. The first part of the year is health and manners, then the second is more "sciency." We're going to try to do some social study/history type things, but the basics are more important.
Oh yeah. I got these.
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| I'm sexy and I know it. |
All 3 kids are kind of sick. Just snotty noses and some coughing. It wasn't enough to keep the boys from skinny dipping in the freshly cleaned dog pool. But it still bothers me to hear them cough in their sleep, or to see snot dripping off of Jacob. Zadie is handling it pretty well, too.
The little miss is not so little anymore. I'm not sure what weight she's up to, but she's about to outgrow 3-6mo clothes. Her 4-month birthday was last week. I know she's teething; you can see the teeth changing the shape of her gums. She is still so laid back and happy, though! Oh my goodness, we love her.
 |
| Is she not absolutely beautiful?! |
I have had several "refuse to cook" weeks this summer, with this ridiculous heat. So once again, I made Paul cook outside. That grill has been completely worth the $100 we spent on it.
We perfected the grilled pizza. The key is don't rush to get it on the grill, let the heat get down. And don't screw with the heat once it's on there! The thermometer reads about 100 lower when there's a pan in there.
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| Veggie Pizza - tomatoes, peppers, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, and olives. |
The more fat there is in bread, the better the flavor. (E.g. when you make the dough with milk versus water.) And cheese just makes it amazing!
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| "Breadsticks" - I'm too lazy to form the individual ones, so I press the dough into a pan and top it with spices and cheese. |
This whole meal (minus the buns, I guess, this time) on the grill. Grilled curly fries - amazing!
These deserve their own picture. Bacon-wrapped green beans. Fresh green beans, wrapped in bacon, sprinkled with brown sugar, garlic, and dry mustard (1/4 c sugar, 1 tsp each garlic and mustard). SO GOOD. Add a little water and cook for about 20 minutes, then take the foil off and cook until the bacon crisps up. If my fall beans in the garden produce, I'm pretty sure this will be what I use all of them for.
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| Drooling. |
Okay. I need to get to bed. That's a sampling of what I can think of that we've been up to lately.
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