Saturday, February 25, 2006

Kids say the cutest things.....

I was reading the blog of a fellow PH'er (Like Merchant Ships) and it reminded me of something my littlest said the other night to DH. He was letting her eat some chocolate chips in a bowl, and of course, playing around with her by only putting two chips in the bowl. She looked at them and said "only two?" He asked how many she wanted....she said "at least 4 or 3 or 7"...he poured some more in and then asked her "how many is that?" This is her answer...completely deadpan....."Not enough." I lost it....it was so cute.

What is it with kids and their innocent bluntness? My DS6 is called "Mr. Loophole". Seriously, he can figure out how to get around anything! (okay, practically anything. I have learned to word things VERY carefully.) I agree with Meredith......they are sometimes too smart for their own good!

But I would change a thing!

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

My Children.....my way.

On one of the message boards that I love, there is a thread concerning a "sister issue".

The issue in a nut-shell....the poster's sister wanted to take her daughter out to eat for her brithday. Nothing wrong there, but she wanted her sister to dress 'appropriately" and to not listen to "her music". Her sister got mad and hung up on her and now she is not sure what to do.

Now, for the responses. I was truly surprised at how many people thought the poster should call and "apologize" for asking her to dress a certain way and to not listen to her own music! Call me old-fashion (which I would not mind!) or even over-protective, but if I am allowing MY child/ren to go with a family member (or even a close friend), that does not mean that I am giving up my right, my God-given right to control what my child is exposed to!

I would be the one OFFENDED if my wishes concerning my children were not respected. Even if the family member/friend did not agree with my decision. Unless I am putting my child/ren in danger or at risk, then they need to respect that I am raising my child/ren the way I (I guess I really should say "we" since my DH and I are usually on the same page) feel is best for them.

Okay, I will put my soap-box away for now. Have a great night everyone.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Being Frugal

I haven't posted anything concerning frugality in awhile. That is rather remiss of me, considering the title of this blog.

One of the easiest ways to be frugal is concerning food. Some people show signs of shock when I say that, but it is true. I work very hard in finding ways to reduce the food budget and also the stretch what I do have as far as possible.

First....cook more from scratch. That is the easiest thing to do to reduce your bill. I buy VERY few "convenience" foods. If and when I do purchase them, it is when they are on sale, with a coupon. Every so often, I will be able to get my hands on .50 off one box of Totinos pizza rolls (which I personally think taste like cardboard, but my DsS16 likes them)....now at least once a month one of my local stores sales them during one of their 10 for $10 sales. So, a .50 coupon doubles to $1...thus I pay only tax for the box of pizza rolls. I still have 4 boxes in the freezer from last time. :-) I have gotten several items like that in the past.

I strive to keep my freezers (we have an upright one and the one with the fridge) full of "best price" meats. Then I plan my meals around what I have in the freezer and what is either in my pantry or a "loss-leader" at the stores that week. {loss-leader= items that a store sells at a loss to get you to come in and hopefully buy other items that are not on sale}

A price book also comes in handy. This is a little notebook that I use to keep track of prices in my favorite stores. This way, I can know for sure whether a sale is truly a "sale". I have found that one stores idea of a sale is NOT my idea of one! LOL

I also shop for alot of my food items at Aldi's. A private chain that sells mainly their own private label. They are a "no-frills" kinda place that suits me fine.

This summer I also hope to can, freeze and de-hydrate as many vegetables as I can. This way, I will be able to reduce my food budget even more. (Last year was not a good garden year, but we hope to learn from some of our mistakes.)

These are just a few of my thoughts and practices concerning saving on our food budget. I will post some more ideas in the future.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

2-7-06

So...so much for my "I am going to blog more" idea. LOL

Well, lets see. I finally finished the second skirt for my mom. Sent those out yesterday, so she should get them by Thursday. I then had to take my sewing room down and relocate everything back to the basement. My step-daughter decided to come back home.

I know I should be happy, because it is the only way she will have a chance to graduate (she is currently failing), but I am just worried she will cause all the stress and disruption she caused before. DH promises that he will not let her and that he will kick her out if she starts all that stuff again. I guess only time will tell.

I am really getting frustrated on a part that I am doing Thursday night! I shouldn't let it stress me, but that doesn't take alot to do right now. I just need to keep in mind 2 Corinthians 3:5
"Not that we of ourselves are adequately qualified to reckon anything as issuing from ourselves, but our being adequately qualified issues from God." I know I will be fine.... I guess I should get off of here and start working on it now. :-)

I will try and type again sooner.