Frugal Friday: Thanksgiving on a Budget

Instead of our usual Frugal Friday round-up today, I'm going to encourage you to hop over to my other blog and share your ideas for celebrating Thanksgiving on a Budget.

Erin from 5DollarDinners and I just finished a week-long series on the topic of celebrating Thanksgiving on a Budget including ideas for a simple, from-scratch menu for Thanksgiving.

Today we've opened up the floor for you to chime in, too. So head on over to check it out, share your ideas, and be inspired from the wealth of wisdom out there in the blogosphere! I know I'm going to pick up some great tips from you all.

(Note: I know I didn't give anyone advance notice about this--my apologies! If you already had a FF post written up, just save it to share in two weeks. We'll be taking a break from Frugal Friday for Thanksgiving next week, but we'll be back up and running the first week in December!)

On work assignment in a sacred domain

Kathrynne very focused on her Bible story book during our daily "school time". Oh how much fun we've been having learning together! (And yes, she thinks that hoodies were only meant to be worn with the hood up. Why else would they make them with a hood?!)

For anyone who is a mom or hopes to be a mom someday, you'll not want to miss this article:

If I identify myself as the culture does, as a “stay at home Mom”, one who has no intellectual contribution, gross-national product contribution or status symbol contribution, I become just that: a woman who sees herself as one who has grunted and groaned out another human being and now stays behind her four walls, in self-imposed seclusion. Not much of a vision there---it actually sounds strangely psychotic.

If I deem myself as a woman employed by the Creator of everything ever created, as on work assignment in a sacred domain for the sculpting of souls that will exist forever and forever without end, I have a burning passion of purpose. And a paycheck that is said to be beyond what eye or ear can even comprehend!

Read the full article here.

Kaitlynn enjoying her "blanket time". (We're teaching her to sit quietly on her blanket and play with her favorite toys on the floor next to Kathrynne and I during Kathrynne's school time. She's almost got it down--after lots of patience and practice!--and it's been a huge help in enabling me to have some focused time to work with Kathrynne every morning. One of the added benefits is that I'm sure Kaitlynn's picking up quite a lot just by being nearby and "listening in".)

Pregnancy Update: 16.5 weeks

Many of you have written to request a pregnancy update so I thought it was high time I share seeing as the last update I posted was over 8 weeks ago!

I'm so thankful to be past the first trimester and finally done with the incessant and debilitating nausea. It is so nice just to be leading a pretty normal life again--cooking meals, cleaning bathrooms, playing with the girls, getting together with friends, having school time with the girls, reading books, and so on. It's easy to take the little things like that for granted until you find yourself unable to do much of anything for seven weeks or so and then you realize just how blessed you are to usually live in good health.

I'm still running on much less energy and stamina, still struggling with the occasional waves of nausea, and having the usual other pregnancy symptoms (aches and pains, heartburn, food aversions and hunger). I'm being much more careful this time around to eat right, exercise faithfully, drink enough water, and track my caloric, iron, and protein intakes in an effort to do all I can to have a healthy pregnancy. I don't know what God's plans ultimately are for this pregnancy, but I want to do everything I'm able to, to avoid the complications I experienced last time around, if at all possible.

We're thankful for God's provision of a free-standing birth center not too far from where we live and a knowledgeable and experienced staff there who I feel very comfortable to be in the hands of. So far, things have gone very well this pregnancy and I've been able to avoid becoming anemic.

I've just begun feeling movement in the last few weeks and how fun that is! With the first trimester behind me, I'm really getting excited about having another baby. In fact, I'm wondering how I'm going to wait another 23 weeks or so to meet this precious babe. Kathrynne especially, is anticipating the baby's birth with much eagerness. She'll be four by the time the baby arrives and sharing this all with her adds such a new dimension to this pregnancy.

I've gained around 5-6 pounds and am slowly easing into maternity clothes. I could still probably fit somewhat into my regular clothes, but I've found maternity clothes to be so much more comfortable so I'm just wearing them--even if I don't usually start wearing them until closer to 20 weeks.

My sister told me that this is what happens when it's your third baby; you stop worrying about what others think and just start doing what's comfortable. I suppose, in a lot of ways, that could sum up much of what I'm learning this third time around. And I'm thinking it's probably a good thing.

Well, enough from me. How are the rest of you pregnant mommies doing? I'd love to hear!

Kaitlynn's first pigtails

I just couldn't resist sharing these pictures of our little cutie!

Kaitlynn is 16 months old now and growing up so fast. She wants to do just about everything her older sister does--which is fun to observe!

She keeps us on the go and there's certainly never a dull moment with her around. This week, she decided she wanted to start going potty like a big girl and comes to me quite frequently during the day telling me she needs to go. She hasn't quite figured it all out, but hey, if she wants to sort of self-train, I'm certainly not going to complain.

She's talking much more now and signing quite a bit as well. She calls all food "apples" and requests "apples" almost all day long. She also talks often about the "bee-bee" in my tummy. We don't think she really understands the concept, but we're hoping by the time Baby arrives, that she's at least somewhat comprehensive of it.

We are especially delighted to see how she's fast becoming best friends with Kathrynne and making progress every week in the obedience arena. To see fruits from our labors is one of the most encouraging things as a parent. We pray that God continues to give us wisdom to train her and nurture her in the ways of the Lord. What an incredible responsibility He has entrusted to us!

Keeping computer time in balance

I love the encouragement, inspiration, and challenge I find through reading blogs or perusing encouraging websites. However, I've also found that blog-reading (or time spent on the computer) can be a big black hole of time sucked out of my day if I'm not careful to keep things in check.

It's easy to get distracted or caught up in things going on online to the detriment of my home and family. It can almost be creative and inspirational overload, you know what I mean?

So many blogs, so many discussions, so many new ideas, so many things to try... sometimes it makes my head feel like it could explode. And instead of coming away from online time feeling refreshed and encouraged, I come away feeling overwhelmed with my head spinning ninety miles per minute.

Over the years, there are a few things which have helped me to keep it simple when it comes to computer, blogging, and the internet (Disclaimer: these are ideas which have worked for me; they may or may not work for you.):

1) I read blogs through Bloglines and limit myself to 30 blogs or less that I read at any given time. Instead of hopping around the internet checking to see if my favorite blogs have been updated, I log into Bloglines a few times per day and read the updates there. On occasion, I might click over to read the comments or comment myself on a post, but I usually just read posts straight from Bloglines.

2) I try to limit my online times to when the girls are still in bed in the morning or during our afternoon quiet time. There are exceptions to this rule and the occasional thing comes up because of my blogging where I must be online more, but I try to be focused on taking care of the girls and their needs when they are up. They are my first priority during the day, not blogging. I also rarely blog in the evenings when my husband is home since I want to be focused on him when he's home.

3) I don't engage in online debates. I used to enjoy a good online discussion with those of differing beliefs than me. After having two children, I began to feel like my time would be better spent elsewhere--using the time I have online to encourage women, cultivating face-to-face relationships, and nurturing my home and family.

While I definitely feel there are times when online debates and discussions can be profitable, I think we all need to exercise great discernment before involving ourselves in these.

4) I don't feel obligated by blogging or emails. This might sound strange to some of you but it's been one thing which has given me the most freedom when it comes to blogging and the internet.

I used to feel a sense of obligation to answer every email, respond to every comment, and faithfully blog something each and every week day. When I had one child and a smaller blog, this was fairly doable. Now that I have two children and a third on the way plus two blogs that have grown to having thousands of readers each day, there's no way I could keep up if I felt obligated to answer every email, respond to every comment, and blog each and every day on both blogs. I'm no superwoman. :)

I love to blog and I love hearing from friends and readers through comments and emails. However, in order to keep my priorities in line and put my home and family first, I just blog and respond to comments and emails as I'm able. I'm thankful to have readers who understand this and graciously overlook the fact that life happens and emails often go unanswered.

5) I take regular media fasts. I cannot highly recommend enough that those of you who regularly spend time on the internet consider setting aside one day each week--or at least one day each month--to stay entirely offline.

Our family has chosen Sundays as our day to keep our computers off. It has been such a blessing to be free from the distraction of the computer one day each week. Plus, it allows us to be able to more whole-heartedly focus on worship and family time.

I also try to regularly take a 24-48 hour media fast every few months. This is especially helpful if I'm starting to feel overwhelmed with life or feeling like my priorities are out of line. Stepping away from the computer often allows me to re-prioritize and re-focus in order to better meet the needs of my family and glorify the Lord with my life.

Those are just a few things which have been a great help to me; I'd love to hear your thoughts on what helps you to keep computer time in check, if you have a moment. As always, remember that what works for one won't always work for another.

If you're struggling in this area, ask the Lord for wisdom, talk to your husband and/or a Godly older woman, and be willing to make whatever necessary changes to ensure that the computer is a tool to further encourage you in the role that God has called you to!

Frugal Friday: Getting creative in the kitchen

Over the years, I have heard repeatedly about how you can use applesauce in place of oil in recipes with no adverse results. When I found myself short on grocery money recently and unable to wing the purchase of oil in our $40 weekly budget, I decided it was high time I put this theory to the test.

For almost three weeks, I used nothing but applesauce in place of oil in almost all our baked goods including bread, muffins, pancakes, waffles, and cake. The verdict? It works! The end result might turn out a tad bit different than you are used to but it was hardly noticeable to us.

In experimenting, I've learned that it doesn't stop with applesauce, though. You can also use mashed sweet potatoes or pumpkin or other similar purees with close-to-the-same results. I love this because it means I can better utilize what I have on hand or may have been able to snag a great deal on and squeeze in some extra nutrition in the process.

For instance, remember all those pears I cooked up last week? Well, that free pear sauce will work perfect in place of oil. And did I mention it was free? Gotta love that!

So the next time you're baking and you find yourself out of oil, don't panic! Just open up your refrigerator and come up with another alternative. Who knows? You might end up liking the end result even better than the original.

Or maybe not. But at least you'll have saved yourself an extra trip to the store!

Have you made substitutions in recipes recently in order to use what you already have on hand? If so, tell us about it! I'm always looking for great new ideas.
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Have a frugal tip or thought to share? Post about it on your blog and then come back here and leave your link below so we can all be motivated and inspired. Remember to keep it family-friendly, and post directly to your blog post, not to your blog homepage. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your Frugal Friday post will be deleted.

Making My Home a Haven: Day 3 (And HELP! I'm having a floor-cleaning crisis!)

Wow! Do you know how motivating it is to put your to-do list up on your blog for all the world to see? Talk about some major accountability!

I had a much better day yesterday and was thrilled to be able to accomplish almost everything on my list. Yay! It's so nice to have the whole house almost completely clean at once. Now if I could just keep it like this!

Today I'm going to be gone much of the day but I am hoping to do a general tidying of the house; finish the laundry pile; make pancakes, eggs, hash browns, and orange juice for dinner (It's not on the menu for this week, but I was in the mood for it and we had the ingredients on hand so I'm going to substitute it! You know how those pregnancy cravings go!); and we're planning a fun and relaxing evening together as a family tonight.

One quick homemaking question: Does anyone have great ideas or advice for how to clean pseudo wood floors? Our new home has Pergo laminate "wood" flooring in the kitchen and entryway. I thought it looked beautiful when we moved in--and it did, until about three people walked on it!

I've tried cleaning it on my hands and knees with a little soapy water, cleaning it with water only, or even using the Pergo laminate floor cleaner and special mop-thing my husband went and bought for me. None of these have worked.

It might look clean immediately after wards, but within an hour, it already has a lot of tracks and smudges showing--just from people walking on it with bare feet. And within a day, it looks like I've not cleaned it in two weeks or more. Hello? I thought floors were meant to be walked on?!

I've always had linoleum in my kitchens before and never had trouble keeping them looking pretty clean at all times, even with only sweeping them once per day and mopping them once per week. But this floor about has me at my wit's end. Is there some secret to cleaning it or does it just look smudged up if people walk on it?

Making My Home a Haven: Day 2 and plan for Day 3

I sort of fell off the Making Your Home a Haven bandwagon yesterday. I seem to have an "off" day once or twice per week due to pregnancy--a day when I just feel tired, unenergized, unmotivated, and "blah". Yesterday was certainly one of those days. I woke up late, had trouble getting moving and staying focused, and accomplished about 20% of what I was hoping to.

We did, however, have our favorite banana peanut butter smoothies for breakfast and do our Bible Time. Kathrynne and I also made pumpkin rolls, make-ahead mashed potatoes, and sweet potato casserole to take to my Mom's birthday party last night.

Kathrynne had a blast helping make the pumpkin rolls--she spent about an hour and a half make her very own batch of rolls, too. I love to see her learning domestic skills along with me!

Fresh-from-the-oven pumpkin rolls--delicious!

And we did get the dishes done and the house picked up before we left to go to my family's house to celebrate my mom's birthday. And the girls did get baths in. But that was about it.

I'm hoping today can be more productive. Here's my plan:

--Breakfast/Bible Time
--Make crockpot ragout for dinner
--Girl's baths
--Clean kitchen/Girls work on coloring and Legos at the kitchen table
--Pick up living room and family room with girls
--Vacuum house and clean bathrooms while girls watch Signing Times
--Finish laundry pile in our room and run two more loads of laundry
--Noon: Mom come over and teach girls (My mom comes over every Wednesday for two hours and works with the girls on various preschool-type things while I go out and have my weekly planning time.)
--Girl's quiet time/naps while I have a business conference call and do business and blogging work
--Finish dinner preparations and set table with Kathrynne (We're having crockpot ragout and pumpkin rolls.)
--Dinner
--Jesse and Kathrynne go to church (They are having a special Wednesday night meeting for dads and children only to give the wives/moms a quiet night at home. How nice is that?!) while I stay home and probably clean up dinner, put Kaitlynn to bed, and then have a quiet evening.
--Bedtime

So that's the plan. I'm sure there will be some interruptions along the way, but I'm hoping to stay focused and get at least most of the cleaning done!