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  • A Whole Grain Challenge and Nature’s Harvest Giveaway

    A Whole Grain Challenge and Nature’s Harvest Giveaway

    The information and coupons have been provided by Nature’s Harvest® so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Nature’s Harvest® bread. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Nature’s Harvest®.
     
     
    Did you know that it’s recommended adults eat 48 grams of whole grain a day, and kids should be getting a minimum of 40-48 grams? I didn’t, and when I first read that I thought “gosh that’s a lot of whole grains daily!”. 
     
    I started reading my food labels more to see just how many of those whole grains I was consuming, and turns out I’m doing pretty good. Thanks to a few good choices of cereal, and Nature’s Harvest® bread, I get a fair amount of Whole Grains into my diet. With at least 8 grams of whole grains baked into every serving, Nature’s Harvest® makes it easy to incorporate into our diets. 
     

    I went through a phase in middle school, where toast was all I wanted for breakfast every single morning. It’s not the most filling choice, but it was quick and easy. I still love toast, but as an adult I know the importance of a balanced meal – especially in the morning. This Almond Blueberry French Toast has everything to start your mornings off right. 
     
    Almond Blueberry French Toast. Start the day with Whole Grains
     
    Almond Blueberry French Toast
    Almond and Blueberries give French Toast a light flavor that’s perfect for the mornings.
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    Ingredients
    1. 12 slices Nature’s Harvest® bread
    2. 2 eggs
    3. 2 cups milk
    4. 1 tsp Almond extract
    5. 1 Tbs sugar
    6. 1 Tbs ground cinnamon
    7. fresh or frozen blueberries
    8. whipped cream
    9. maple syrup
    Instructions
    1. Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat.
    2. Whip eggs, milk, almond, sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow dish.
    3. Dip bread in mixture and place on skillet. Cook until browned, flip and continue cooking until browned.
    4. Serve with whipped cream, blueberries, and syrup.
    Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
     
    Try any one of these varieties of Nature’s Harvest® 
    • Nature’s Harvest® 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread
    • Nature’s Harvest® Honey Wheat Made with Whole Grain Bread
    • Nature’s Harvest® Butter Top Made With Whole Grain White Bread
    • Nature’s Harvest® Butter Top Made with Whole Grain Wheat Bread
     
     

    The Challenge

    Nature’s Harvest® bread is baked with at least 8 grams of whole grains per serving. Nature’s Harvest® 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread has 25 grams whole grains per serving (and is what I used for the French Toast)! That’s a fantastic amount to start your day with. Natures Harvest® wants to help moms feed their families 48grams of whole grains daily, so has put forth the Whole Grain Challenge. From now until August 13th, you can enter to win weekly prizes just by taking the challenge to feed your family whole grains!
    You can find more information on Whole Grains, get tips, and recipes by visiting Nature’s Harvest® online. 

    The Giveaway

    CLOSED

    In addition to the weekly prizes you can win from Nature’s Harvest®, I’m also going to give away a $25 visa gift card and 1 $5 coupon for Nature’s Harvest® bread – provided by Natures Harvest®. 

    enter via the rafflecopter
    all entries verified
    open to US residents 18+
     
  • Spring Cleaning Day 5 – Bathrooms

    Spring Cleaning Day 5 – Bathrooms

    You made it to Day 5!  Congrats!
     
    Today our focus is solely on the bathrooms. I put these last, because I dread cleaning bathrooms. Give me anything to clean, but please not the bathroom. Fact of the matter is, they need the most deep cleaning.
     
     
    Print off your checklist, then read on for my deep cleaning routine.
     
    Gather Cleaning Supplies
    You don’t want to be running back and forth to where ever you keep your cleaning supplies, so gather them up and take them to the bathroom with you. I love this carrier my mother in law bought me years ago. It keeps everything organized and is easy to carry around.
     
    You’ll want to grab 4-5 cleaning rags. I find the worst part about cleaning the bathroom is the lack of ventilation, mixed with the different chemicals. You don’t want to mix your rags with different chemicals – it is dangerous! (I am truly hoping this isn’t the first you’ve been told that though).
    As I’ve mentioned throughout the week, when Spring Cleaning, I go deep. It’s more than just a surface cleaner, so I do tend to use harsher chemicals this time of year. You don’t have to, you can still keep it green and safe. This is just what I prefer.
    I use Comet on the bath, toilet, and sink. Windex on the mirror. Ammonia and hot water on the ceiling, walls, and floor.
     
    Wet Bath and sink. Spray with cleaners
    Spray down the bathtub/shower and sink area.  I find it’s easier to clean if the surface is slightly wet first. Once they are wet, I grab my Comet and sprinkle it over the sink, in the toilet bowl and in the shower. Let it sit for a couple minutes.
     
    Scrub the bath/shower areas 
    I like to start with the bath tub and shower since once they are done, they will stay clean. Jump in if you have to to get a good scrubbing.  An old toothbrush is also a handy tool for cleaning the grout. Don’t forget to clean the faucets as well.
     
    Clean the Toilet
    After the shower I rinse my rag out in the sink. Do not clean the sink yet!  Move onto the toilet. I personally find toilet brushes disgusting. Having kids that used them as toys did not help either. So I have gone back to the old fashioned way of hand scrubbing the toilet. I find it more effective as well. This would be a great time to invest in some rubber gloves. 
    When cleaning the toilet, start with the outside. Wipe down the tank, and down the sides, right to the floor. Last clean inside the toilet bowl. Now that the toilet is done, you’ll want to switch rags.
     
    Wipe down Ceiling and Walls 
    Fill a bucket (or the sink) with steaming hot water. Add a capful of Ammonia. With a new rag, wipe down the ceiling and walls. Bathrooms are notorious for growing mold. Especially if there is a lack of ventilation. 
     
    Clean Out Medicine Cabinet and wash Mirror
    Pull everything out of the medicine cabinet. Using the ammonia water, wipe down the inside of the cabinet. As you put items back in, check expiration dates on medicine, and think about the last time you used it. A good rule of thumb – if you haven’t used a medication in the last 2 years, you’re probably safer to throw it out.
     
    Once the cabinet is cleaned out, wash the Mirror. You can use a new rag for this, or grab some newspapers for a streak free cleaning. I use windex on the mirror, so once again – don’t mix rags!
     
    Wash Sink and Vanity
    I like to save the sink and vanity for last since I use it to rinse out my rags and wash my hands between cleaning products.  Go ahead and give it another spray/sprinkle of cleaning products if you’ve rinsed the first layer off with all the rinsing of rags and hands.
     
    Clean out the under sink cabinet. Treat it the same as the medicine cabinet. Wash down shelves and drawers, and then put everything away – tossing out anything not being used, or expired.
     
    Sweep and Mop
    Finally, sweep and mop. I again use a bucket of hot water and ammonia, and a new rag. If you didn’t get it with the toilet, make sure you really get around the toilet edge. It can get pretty gross there.
     
     
    You’re done!  Add a candle for a nice smell after all the chemicals, and enjoy using a clean bathroom.
     
    We’ve had a great week Spring Cleaning!  Thanks to all who joined me. Remember is you’ve already done your spring cleaning this year, joined us this week, or are going to Spring Clean next week  – you can grab extra entries into the Affresh Giveaway.  It has been extended for another week, so there is still time!!!
     
    
    
  • Spring Cleaning Day 4 – Toys and General Clutter

    Spring Cleaning Day 4 – Toys and General Clutter

    Welcome back to Day 4 in the Spring Cleaning Challenge!
     
    Today we are going to focus on toys, and the general clutter that every home seems to collect. I made another fun printable checklist. Print it off, and get to work!
     
     
    Gather 2 Boxes (or trash bags)
    Label, or designate one box for donations, and one for trash. Spring Cleaning is all about starting fresh. Let’s stop stepping over broken toys, or staring at toys that never get played with.
     
    The Floor
    Now I know we did a general pick up and put away on Day 2 with the Living Spaces, but if you have kids, 2 days is plenty of time to mess it all up again with toys. Don’t bother putting things away right now. Just start picking up and making decisions. Is it broken? Trash.  Do the kids play with it? Donate if they don’t. Create a Keep pile if they do. Just designate an area for toys being kept.
     
    The Toybox
    Now that the floor is cleaned off, head to the toy box. One effective way is to dump the whole box out. Then as you sort through it, you can move your keep pile into the toy box. Do not put anything back in that is broken! Just don’t!  Have your children help, if they are old enough to understand what you are doing. My 6 and 5 year old are pretty good (sometimes they want to donate every single toy they own), while my 3 year old can often just be in the way as she rearranges the piles.
     
    One Drawer at a Time
    Great, you’ve done a lot already!  I think it’s safe to say, we don’t just have 1 toy box. We have a couple different areas we keep toys. So after I go through the main toy box, we move onto all  the other toy storage places. Treat it like the toy box. Dump it out, and one item at a time decide – Trash, Donate, or Keep. Put them away, and move onto the next one.
     
    Clean and Sanitize
    Unless a toy has been puked on, they don’t get cleaned all that often. Periodically I’ll find the kids “bathing” their dolls, but even then it’s not a good deep clean. Now that you have your piles sorted – put your donate in the car, and take the trash outside.
    Grab a bucket of hot water, and your favorite cleaning agent. Since we’re cleaning toys here, I like to keep it safe, and use something I know won’t harm the kids if they stick it in their mouth – because you know it’s going to go in a kids mouth at some point!  A small amount of ammonia mixed in a large bucket of hot water is my personal favorite cleaner, but switching the ammonia out for distilled white vinegar will be safer on the toys. Have a decent pile of rags on hand, and get to work scrubbing the toys down. At this point, you can involve all your kids! It will teach them responsibility for their stuff, as well as hard work. Plus, you get to spend a little extra time with them while getting housework done.
     
    General Clutter
    If you no longer have kids at home, or you didn’t spend your whole day cleaning toys, this is a good time to take care of the general clutter. Clean off your dressers, office area, junk drawers. The places in your home that attract clutter and never let go of it.
     
    Wahoo! You’ve finished Day 4! 
    Go grab your extra entry into the Affresh Giveaway.
    
  • Spring Cleaning Day 3 – Clothing

    Spring Cleaning Day 3 – Clothing

    Welcome to Day 3 in the Spring Cleaning Challenge
     
    How are you doing?  We started out strong in the kitchen, so today I’ve got an easy and fun challenge for you. Don’t be fooled though, you are still going to accomplish a lot today!
     
    Today’s challenge is going through every one’s clothing. You’ll have everything washed by the end of the day, a pile to donate, a pile to toss, and drawers full of clothing that fits!
     
    Here is your checklist
     
    Gather and Sort
    Hallways are a great place to sort laundry, and remember to do it. Go through your house and find all the dirty clothes. Check bathrooms, closets, under the beds, in the car (yes, I find dirty clothes in our van…mostly socks). You don’t want to miss anything!
     
    Start a load right away.  You’ll be going back throughout the day to get all the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away.
     
    Fashion Show
    This is where the fun begins! 
    In the central gathering place, create space for 3 piles – one for donation, one for garbage, and one for storage. Clothes that no longer fit, and can’t be passed onto another sibling, add to the donate pile. Stained and holey clothes – garbage. Clothes that will fit another child by next spring – storage pile.
    After you have these 3 piles established – create a space for each persons Keep pile.
     
    Have everyone put on an outfit, and gather in a central room. As mom, check to see if things fit right. Are the pants/shirt long enough? Check the shirt sleeves. How easy was it to get on? 
    Next check for stains and holes.  Is it too far gone?  Make an executive decision, and send everyone back to put on another outfit.
     
    With little kids, you’ll want to help them to make sure the clothes they tried on get brought back to the central space and put in the appropriate pile.  Continue your fashion show until all clothes have been tried on.
     
     
    Stored Clothes
    As the mother of 3 girls, I have held onto every article of clothing from one child to the next. Most parents I know have done the same, as a just in case for future children. Now that you’ve gone through the dressers and closets, it’s time to pull out the stored clothes, and have another Fashion Show!  Before jumping into it though, you might want to take a moment and put the Keep piles away. Start with a fresh keep pile from the stored clothing, and continue adding to your donate, garbage and stored piles.
     
    Finish Laundry
    Don’t forget to keep an eye on the washer. Keep it moving as the fashion show is going. As the clothes come out of the wash, don’t bother folding them yet. Put them on a clean couch (because hey, you did just clean your couch yesterday).  Once the last 2 fashion shows are done – start another one with all the clean laundry. You don’t want to put clothes away that no longer fit.
     
    Finally check underwear, socks and shoes after the fashion show is done.
     
    Clean the Washer and Dryer
    Once all the laundry is clean, and the Fashion Shows are over. Run your washer one more time to clean it. This is spring cleaning after all. Give your washer and dryer some love and clean them. Affresh has a Washer cleaner that is simple to use, and leaves your washer cleaned out.  We just bought a really nice, but used HE washer.  Who knows what kind of laundry had gone through this before we bought it. After I used Affresh, I felt better about sticking our clothing inside. Pretty though, right?
     
    Don’t forget your dryer as well. Along with behind the fridge, your dryer is a huge fire hazard if not cleaned out!  They sell brushes for the lint drawer, to remove any lint stuck inside. Also, take the lint trap and run it under hot soapy water. If the water is not running through the trap it is DIRTY, and very unsafe. Products like dryer sheets leave a build up on the trap that should be removed regularly for safety. Don’t let your dryer be the cause of fire!
     
    You did it! Day 3 is done.
    Grab your entries into the Spring Cleaning Giveaway!
    
     
    *I received product for my honest review. All thoughts and opinion are 100% my own.
    
    
  • Spring Cleaning Day 2 – Living Spaces and Windows

    Spring Cleaning Day 2 – Living Spaces and Windows

    Welcome back for Day 2 in the Spring Cleaning Challenge!
     
    Today we are headed to all the living spaces, and your windows. We’re going to get a lot done today.  The list is smaller, but the work is bigger.
     
    Go ahead, print off today’s checklist. After you’re done, make sure to come back and enter the Spring Cleaning Giveaway.
     
     
    I always like to start with something that can finish itself. By starting with all the drapes in the wash, they can get clean while you work on the rest of the list.
     
    Pick Up and Put Away
    Don’t just put stuff somewhere. Give it a place. If it doesn’t have a place, make one, or throw it out. This is the time to get rid of the junk that we let overtake our lives.
     
    Wash Walls and Dust
    At this point, make sure you’re getting up in the corners, and removing any cobwebs. I remember growing up, we had these really high vaulted ceilings. It was never until spring cleaning week that we’d even notice the cobwebs, but they were always there.
    The best way to removed spiderwebs is with a broom. You can just use the broom as is, or attach a cloth to the bristles.
    When dusting, don’t forget the light fixtures, and ceiling fans. This would be a great time to replace any burnt out light bulbs as well.
     
    Wash Windows & Blinds
    Blinds are the bane of my existence. We always end up with the flimsy little things that collect dust and fingerprints like crazy. I think a great way to clean them is with an old unmatched sock (you know you have some!). Put the sock on like a glove. Soak your sock gloved hand in hot soapy water, and with the blinds closed start rubbing it across.  After you finish one side, turn the blinds and do the other side.  
    I’ve posted before on how I like to wash windows, but here you go again. Newspapers. They don’t leave streaks or little fuzzies behind.  I’ve also found brown packing paper to be effective. Don’t forget to head outside and get the other side of the windows.
    Lastly, we get to the window tracks. These collect dirt and bugs pretty well too. I would start with using the hose on your vacuum. Suck out as much dirt as possible. Then go in with a rag, or toothbrush. Make them shine!  This right here, will completely change to mood in your whole house. No kidding. Something about cleaning the dirt out of those window tracks, just changes the outlook on the rest of the house.
     
    Vacuum
    Now that you’ve finished all the above ground jobs, take to the floor. Vacuum everywhere you would on a normal vacuuming day. Then move the furniture, and vacuum behind and under where it normally sits.
    Before moving the couches back though, go through the cushions. Have a garbage bag nearby to toss away garbage. Use the hose on your vacuum and really get under those cushions clean. Then move the furniture back.
     
    Now that you’ve finished the living spaces, and windows, you can enjoy sitting on clean furniture, and looking out fresh windows. Doesn’t it feel great?!
    
    
  • Spring Cleaning Day 1 – Kitchen

    Spring Cleaning Day 1 – Kitchen

     Welcome to Day 1 of the Spring Cleaning Challenge!

     Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to Deep Clean the Kitchen.
    Begin by printing off this checklist.
     

    Before I can ever get to Deep Cleaning, I have to do the surface cleaning. Any towels and dishrags I toss in the washer, then I take all the dirty dishes (you know there are always some dirty dishes), and either hand wash, or stick them in the dishwasher.

    Then clean off your table. You’ll use it for storage while you deep clean the rest of the kitchen. Move any appliances you keep on the counters to the table. Next is the real deep cleaning.

    Cabinets and Cupboards
    I suggest a ladder or tall step stool. Or if your kids are tall enough they can stand on the counters. Start with the very top of your cabinets. Of course if you’re lucky enough, your cabinets reach to the ceiling and there is no space up there to clean. If you’re like me, though, you’ve got some cleaning to do!  From there, you want to move down the cabinets. Start with one cabinet, and move everything out to the table, or another side of the counters. Start with the top shelf and wipe down, moving any crumbs from the top to the bottom. Finish one cabinet, and move to the next.  Once the cabinets are finished, wipe down the countertops and the walls behind them. Finally move to the cupboards. Do the same thing, pull everything out, wipe down top to bottom. Finish off the cabinets and cupboards by wiping down the doors.
    Before putting items back in the cupboards and cabinets – check expiration dates.  Toss out any bad food. This is also a great time to go through your Tupperware. Any lids without bottoms toss. Bottoms without lids can be tossed or re-purposed for organization in the pantry.

    Along with the counter tops, clean off the top of the stove. If you have a glass top, a product like Affresh Stove Cleaner is amazing! It’s made specifically for glass top stoves and cleans them beautifully!

    The Oven
    Now that the brunt of the work is done and the top of the stove is clean, go for the oven. If you have a self-cleaning option I suggest using it. Open up all the windows and turn your heaters down as well. It’s going to get hot!

    In a disposable bowl, pour 1 cup of ammonia. Set it in the oven and let sit all day long (or overnight).  Then wipe the grime away. For hard burned on food, you can also try baking soda and vinegar. It’s an easy, safe way to clean (and works on virtually everything).

    Fridge and Freezer
    Now the fun part! Again let’s work top to bottom.  Start with the freezer. If you have a deep freeze or second freezer somewhere, move everything from your kitchen freezer to that one. If you don’t have that option – work fast.  Take everything out of the freezer, and set on the counter. Don’t bother going through it at this point.  Once everything is out, use some hot – very hot- soapy water to wipe the inside down. 
    Once it’s wiped down begin putting the food back in.  As you do this, check for expiration dates, and freezer burn.  Toss anything out that is bad. 
    Then move onto the fridge.  Once the food is out, wipe down the shelves.  Remove the cooler drawers and give them a good scrub. Don’t forget to wipe out the bottom of the fridge before putting the drawers back in. 
    Next get a strong person or two, and move the fridge and oven from the wall. Sweep and mop behind them. Behind these two large appliances are some of your biggest fire hazards!  Don’t skip them!

    Now, make tonight leftover night.  You want to start spring off with a fresh fridge full of fresh food.

    Dishwasher
    Now that you’ve emptied a bunch of dishes, you may have a full dishwasher. Run it! Once your dishwasher is empty of clean dishes, run another cycle with a cleaner. Since it’s deep cleaning time, I suggest using something like Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner.
    Now that the counters and dirty dishes are all taken care of, move all the appliances back to the counter. Wipe them down as you go. My appliances tend to get pretty dirty on the outside, but don’t always get a good cleaning.

    Floor and Garbage
    We’re at the end of the day. Take out the trash, wipe down the inside and outside of the garbage can. Put in a new bag.
    Last thing to do is clean the floor. Move out chairs, table, microwave stand – anything that moves. Sweep and mop.  My favorite way to mop is on my hands and knees, with a bucket of hot soapy water.  I add 1 capful of ammonia to 2 gallons of hot water.  On my knees, I can see every spot, reach every corner, and really get spotless.

    You Did It!
     

    I’m also going to suggest at this point, using paper products the rest of the week. We’ve got a lot more Spring Cleaning to do, and keeping the kitchen looking nice will keep your motivation up through it all.

  • Stress Free Holidays? {Think About It}

    Stress Free Holidays? {Think About It}

    BWS tips button
    What are Your Biggest Challenges with the Holidays?

    For me, holidays aren’t really challenging. I mean, I guess they could become challenging, if we had more family nearby, and had to figure out a bunch of schedules, and make sure we didn’t accidentally offend someone, or forget something, or leave anyone out.  
    Fact of the matter here though, we keep it simple. I think our biggest challenge will be getting enough snow (which we obviously have no control over), an finding a good enough hill to take the kids sledding.

    Are you looking at me funny now?
    Let me tell you why that is my biggest challenge – because holidays, for me, are about spending time with family. It’s not about the toys, the gifts, the perfect party. It’s about spending quality time with my husband, kids and extended family – making memories that will last, and be imprinted forever in their minds. 
    Will they remember whether I got them that special doll years down the road? probably not.
    Will they remember if I was stressed, and couldn’t play with them, because I was too worried about things being perfect? Most likely yes
    Will they remember me telling them no to certain toys, because it was too expensive? probably not.
    Will they remember sledding, building a snowman, throwing snowballs at Daddy, and snuggling up with Hot Cocoa and a Christmas story?  I sure hope so!
    This year, I’m casting off the worry of finding the perfect gift and replacing it with the ultimate gift – Time Spent Together.
    I’m leaving behind the worry that things might not look perfect, or run as smoothly as planned in favor of enjoying the moments of smiles and laughter with my kids.
    Thanks for coming by Think About It Thursday! We’d love for you to GRAB THE BUTTON, and place it on your blog. Then link up below with what’s on your mind.
    Then head over to Mumfection and Tim & Angi’s Blog to see what Challenges they’re facing this season.

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  • Imagine the Impossibilities

    Thistlewood Farm
    I came across this blog post, and decided I would take the challenge. I wasn’t sure at the time what my impossible would be, and had to give it some thought. It took me a week or two, but I’ve finally decided on my impossible.
    My sister, without knowing about the challenge, asked me this weekend “Are you ever afraid to do anything? Do you do it anyway?” 
    YES! Aren’t we all afraid of something? Her question was a good jumping off point for me. What am I afraid of trying? Will I attempt it anyway?  This year I will!

    One of my biggest fears is changing a car tire. When I have to drive long distances I worry that a tire is going to blow and I’ll have to figure out how to change it, or be stranded. Last year as I drove frequently to my parents I was constantly checking tire pressure to make sure that that would never cause a blown tire.  During the fall something happened, not sure what, to cause one of our tires to be almost completely depleted of air. Hubs told me it was getting low, but he didn’t seem all that concerned so I decided to run my errands and then put air in it. When I stopped and saw I was practically riding the rim I about freaked. I didn’t have change for the air machines (they really should be free!), and so I just took myself to the car shop and had them fill all my tires.

    Right so after all that rambling, my fear is changing a flat tire. My Impossible challenge this year is to learn how to change a flat tire. It will be good for both me and my sanity as I drive. I’ll probably always be afraid of a tire blowing on the freeway, but at least I won’t have to add to that fear with not knowing how to change it. 

    What are you afraid of? Will you try it anyway? I challenge you to try something new this year. Turn your Impossible into a Possible!

  • Frugal Living Challenge

    Frugal Living Challenge

    The last few days in this challenge are things I personally don’t struggle with or are things I’ve already implemented in my life. I decided to combine them into one post as I just don’t have much to say on any of them.
    Day 8 – Learn to Control Impulse Spending.  Personally I don’t really care to go shopping. Unless of course there is a specific item I am buying. Going shopping just to shop, gives me anxiety, and I can get grumpy fast. Basically I don’t even go window shopping, because I just don’t see anything I need or want, because I haven’t thought about it previously. If you struggle with impulse buying, my suggestion is to stop window shopping. Then before you go shopping, make a list/plan of what you need.
    Day 9 – The 30 day list. I love this idea, and I think it could help a lot of people with impulse spending. Basically if you go to purchase something, instead write it down on a list. Mark the date that you wrote it down. After 30 days, see if you still want that item, how important is it to have, do you really need to spend the money on it?  You’ll probably find a lot of items being crossed off to never buy.
    Day 10 – Stop spending money to impress others.  Or in other words, stop trying to keep up with the Jones.  Be happy with what you have. When you look around at others, are you impressed by what they have? Or are you impressed with who they are?  I’m guessing the majority of us look more at a person’s actions then we do at the stuff they have when we evaluate them as a person. We may want what they have, but we’re not going to hold that against them if they are consistantly nice, and doing service for others. On the other hand, if we are only worried about getting the next big electronic device, and don’t take the time to give a smile to a passer by, take a meal to the mom who just had a baby, or can just be happy being us, we may find we lack friends, and close relationships. We minimize our own happiness, and people don’t want to be around sour people who can change the way they look at their life.
  • Frugal Living Challenge – Days 6 & 7

    Frugal Living Challenge – Days 6 & 7

    Day 6
    How living frugally, and being healthy can effect each other. I’d never really looked at it this way, but after reading Andrea’s post, I agree. Keeping our body, mind and soul healthy helps us live a frugal lifestyle. As well as living frugally can help us keep our body, mind and soul healthy. I loved this quote from her blog:

    When our minds are idle and disengaged we begin to seek fulfillment in external things 

    How true is that! So what can we do to keep our minds from being idle? I don’t know about you, but my mind always seems to be racing from one thing to another. I’ve got lists of things I need to do in my home that are constantly running through my mind. These range from cleaning lists, to daily routines with the girls. I’m also constantly evaluating the space in my home and rearranging furniture in my mind (since my body won’t let me actually move it right now).  I could sit and dream of the things I like, purchases that might make me happy, but I’m being honest when I say I don’t. So I guess my mind isn’t very idle, and I’m happy. In general I’m a very happy, optimistic person.
    It’s really funny (and sometimes frustrating), when I show Mark a craft I want to make. He looks at it, and says that’s cool. Later, I will find him browsing the internet for the same “craft”, but already made.  Yeah it would be easier to purchase it already made, but I really enjoy having something for both my mind and hands to do.  For example, later this month I’ll be making a Drum light for our new Dining Room. Not only will I have something to do that will keep my mind busy, I have also found a tutorial that will keep it at a cost cheaper than buying one brand new.  For more tips on keeping your body, mind and soul healthy while living a frugal life visit this post


    Day 7
    Make a plan to de-clutter.  We all have clutter, and for most of us it’s probably the clutter of stuff. Overtime we accumulate items that than get stored, put away for a rainy day, or we just bought because we like. For some of you your clutter may be in your diets, or your cyber space. Yesterday’s challenge was to make a plan to de-clutter. My clutter is found throughout my home. Especially with our Dining Room Remodel, the clutter has become more apparent recently. Here is my plan.  Once the Dining Room is finished, I will begin the de-cluttering process in the kitchen. I’ll be going through each cupboard and getting rid of anything I don’t need, or use regularly. Everything is going to be rearranged, and I hope the space we’ve added with the pantry, will allow the room to look more simple. 
    From the Dining Room I’ll be moving on to the baby’s room. It’s a disaster zone. We still have 3 months before baby boy is due, and his room has become a catch all. Everything I want to get rid of, or need to go through, has been tossed in there. We’ve even shut the heater vent in that room, and kept the door closed (hey no need to heat our stuff!).  It’s a mess, and quite frankly, I feel ashamed at myself every time I walk in there with yet another item.  Most of the items in this room are my pre-pregnancy clothes, clothes that no longer fit the Princesses, boxes of things to donate, and a bunch of my sewing/craft items. When I get to this room I plan on using this brilliant idea, found through pinterest.

    I love this! I mean having one place for everything that needs to leave your house, it’s just brilliant. Especially the library box!  I’m still trying to figure out a place to put in our home, but once things are a little more settled down, I’m sure I’ll find an easy place, that won’t be in the way.
    To read an interview with Courtney from Be More With Less, click this link