New Year, More Joy Beginning of Week 4

It is Monday, and it is the beginning of Week 4 on Nutrisystem. 

Weight: 173

**Disclaimer. I don't reread this posts before I publish them. I figure write it and hit the button before I have time to regret being candid. So yes, there might be typos and run-on sentences. That's Keepin' it real, right?!

Now, I should be SUPER happy about this, because that is a total of 7 pounds lost since January 14th. That is good! However, because I tend to weigh myself every day, I get to see my weight fluctuate down, and then back up again. Also, last week at this time I was 174.6, so that is at least some improvement. The problem comes from that first magical week where every day I stepped on the scale I was down at least half a pound-ish. 
To combat this, I finally made myself take some before pictures. I have some photos from New Years Eve with friends, but these I took today are the horrible, tell-all photos of front, side and rear view. I was wearing jeans and took off my sweater to reveal just a tank top, so it is close enough to the sports bra/biker shorts photos some other braver women decide to post. I might cut my head off (the photo, I mean) and stick the photos in this post later. I know I will be glad I did so in a few weeks. I also need to find my measuring tape and take a waist measurement, at least.

So, the main thing here is to focus on what has been accomplished overall, and a 7 pound loss in three weeks is nothing to fuss about! If I lost 7 pounds every three weeks, I would be at 140 pounds in about 15 weeks, or about 4 months. Even though I want to go lower than 140, I remember feeling pretty fantastic at 145, so that is exciting me! 

It was too time consuming to type up a summary of my every day eating, so I decided to try to keep it up weekly. The past two weekends have been challenging because of different events (birthday parties, company, sickness, etc) but I stuck to the diet pretty well! I even got H.K. to start looking closely at what she is eating so that she can shed a few pounds and try to feel better. At eight-years-old, she is focusing mainly on healthy eating, not losing weight. I don't even talk about it as losing weight. I mention it as a byproduct of eating healthy--a bonus. This is what we have learned together:

Big "Ah-ha!" moment for us both is: just because the food is something we consider to be a healthy food, it doesn't mean we can eat it in unlimited amounts. For instance, if I wanted an apple with peanut butter, light yogurt, whole grain cereal, low fat lunchmeat, etc., I would just go grab it--all day long. Sure, I was making healthy choices, but my portion sizes were twice what they should have been, and my caloric intake was probably twice what I am doing now. H.K. is learning the same thing. I tell her we have to make a plan to eat everything! If we know we want apples and peanut butter, we plan for it during the day. 

I told her to treat calories like an allowance. She gets $1200 per day. Some foods are super expensive (like that $400 bag of buttery popcorn she ate the first day that left her with 12 calories, or $12 for dinner). Of course I didn't starve her that night, but she had to eat a healthier dinner, only get water the rest of the night, and skip dessert. Looking at calories this way has really hit home with her. And even though Nutrisystem doesn't require you to count calories, it has really made me aware of what even one little stray item on my Daily Tracker can do to my plan. Hardly ever worth it. 

Also, only a couple of people know that I am doing Nutrisystem. For some reason I still want to guard it as my secret until I can't hide it anymore--because of the huge transformation, of course! My mom did find out, because they stayed the weekend with us, and she decided to order also! She started today.

I am thankful that I pushed myself to write this today. I get discouraged by the scale because I want everything to happen overnight, but now that I see how much I have lost, what I am learning about eating, and how healthy habits can affect other people in your life, I am so excited to continue this journey!

New Year, More Joy Day 5

Day 5

Date: 1/18/13

Weight: 176.0

Physical feelings: It's Friday! I woke up at 5:50 today and got up and got a few things done this morning before I had to wake the girls. I had intended to do my Bible study at this time, but got wrapped up in laundry and kitchen stuff instead. Started the morning feeling pretty good. Also, scale keeps being friendly to me!

Emotional Feelings: Hey...it's Friday! I know I need to get to Wal-Mart this morning, so I need to go with a full stomach so that I don't get tempted. 

Breakfast: 

NS Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal *** I am a fan of oatmeal, so this is usually good for me. Tasted like normal, instant oatmeal. My favorite is steel-cut oats, though. 

Coffee w/ sugar free creamer

PowerFuel: Slimfast Vanilla shake

Morning Snack:

PowerFuel: Wasn't at home, so saved this for afternoon snack.

Lunch

NS Cheesy Homestyle potatoes (with a hint of broccoli) ** I wouldn't go as far as to say "homestyle." They were instant mashed potatoes, ya know. I added a bunch of steamed broccoli and a few crowder peas (which I later read were not considered an unlimited veggie, whoops). So I used the crowder peas for my afternoon snack. 

PowerFuel: Saved for later.

Afternoon Snack

Skipped since I used it at lunch with the crowder peas.

Dinner

NS Italian Herb Flatbread Pizza *** Since the girls had friends over, we went to Pizza Hut. I knew I better make and eat my pizza before we went or I would not be able to keep from eating a piece. I sauteed onions, peppers, canned mushrooms, and baby spinach in a skillet with non-stick spray and PILED it on that little pizza. I added a little part-skim mozzarella cheese also, because I didn't have a full serving of crowder peas at lunch. I baked it in the oven on a pizza pan covered in corn meal. The first bite was fantastic! I also added banana peppers, and I wish that I had added more. Once I got to the middle I guess it was just too much cheese or something, and I started getting put off by it. Next time I will not add the cheese, skip the red peppers, and add more banana peppers. However, this definitely helped me get the rest of my veggies in for the day. This pizza definitely has potential of being a really good food item.

SmartCarb: Too full, or just bleh to eat anything else. Saved for later.

Dessert

NS Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies * These were a disappointment. How can you mess up chocolate chip cookies? Make them the texture of dog biscuits. I paired them with a cup of skim milk (My SmartCarb saved from dinner). No matter how long I dipped the cookie, it would not get soft or soggy?! The flavor was okay, but the texture was the pits. Not one I would pick to order. 

End of the day thought: I think the biggest shock when you get your first Nutrisystem shipment is how small the portions look. When I thought about how I was eating right and couldn't understand why I was gaining weight, I was totally blowing the portion size--probably by 2 times! However, it is enjoyable to feel like you are not starving, but not miserable either. I don't miss that bloated, overfull feeling that I had before. My stomach is beginning to adjust, and I look forward to food now--even if it isn't my favorite thing in the world to eat. Dessert is like a friend waiting for you at the end of the day, and I don't feel guilty about blowing a diet because I am having it like I did before. It's planned.

New Year, More Joy Day 4

Day 4 

Date: 1/17/13

Weight: 176.6

Physical feelings: So sleepy all morning! Still having the stomach/bowel issues, but not that bad. Headache today, but right after I made some diet lemonade, so might be from that or sinus. Legs are tired from climbing up and down ladder in bathroom to paint. 

Emotional Feelings: Still positive. Helps to see the number keep dropping on the scale. Feels so good to feel like I am headed in the right direction. Finding myself less self conscious. It's almost like I want to be seen now so that I can surprise people in a few months looking and feeling good! I had Community Bible Study today, and went to a friend's house afterwards at lunchtime, so this was my first day of planning my meals away from home. 

Breakfast: 

NS Chocolate donut *** I warmed it, like I do everything, because it was so hard and dense. Not anything like a Krispy Kreme. More like the texture of a cake donut. Flavor wasn't bad though.

Coffee w/ sugar free creamer

PowerFuel: Ran out of time and saved this for an afternoon snack.

Morning Snack:

PowerFuel: Wasn't at home, so saved this for afternoon snack.

Lunch

NS Beans and Ham **** Still one of my favorite so far. Sort of like a thick soup. No broth.

PowerFuel: Saved for later. Substituted a SmartCarb instead. Carrots and sugar snap peas.

SmartCarb: 1/2 serving canned mandarin oranges in juice.

Afternoon Snack

PowerFuel (saved from Morning snack) Weight Watchers cheese stick.

PowerFuel (saved from Lunch) 2 oz buffalo chicken lunchmeat I weighed it on a food scale so I could see how much it really was. It was cut shaved so it felt like more. 

SmartCarb: 1 small banana

Dinner

NS Macaroni and cheese with beef **** Sort of a healthy Hamburger Helper. Little pellets of beef, but the taste was pretty good. Cheese sauce got nice and thick. This was one of those dehydrated meals, so I wasn't too excited, but after being rehydrated, it looked really good! I added a ton of steamed broccoli and some pepper, and it turned out to be one of my favorite meals this week. Filled up a whole bowl. 

SmartCarb: Saving for later this evening when I plan to eat 2 mandarin oranges. I am eating oranges like a mad woman! 

Dessert

NS Oatmeal Raisin cookie **** This cookie has been the most normal, non-diet tasting thing from NS yet. It just tasted like a cookie. Normal texture. I was excited. I warmed it, of course. I want another one.

End of the day thought: I had a conversation with a friend today about NS. Other than my immediate family who live in my house, no one knows I am doing this. She knows because I was heating up my NS lunch in her microwave. She asked me how it was going with cooking for a husband and 3 kids while trying to eat my own food. I said SURPRISINGLY well! She also said she was always concerned she would get on NS, lose a bunch of weight, and then gain it all back the second she got off NS. I said I used to think that also, but I have wanted for years to prove that wrong! I never knew how much extra work and planning and grocery items it took to do NS. At first I thought of that as a negative, but now I see that it prepares you for doing it on your own. Eating healthy is 90% planning ahead! The other 10% is just sticking to a plan, and not eating anything that is not on that plan. Someday when I reach my goal weight I can indulge more, but I will NEVER let myself get to this place again. I will weigh myself more often, and I will be more proactive when I see the scale creeping up. Also, I will begin to exercise again soon, but I want to give myself this month to get used to the huge decrease in food and dietary changes. Next month I plan to add in the Daily 3 (30 minutes exercise). 

New Year: More Joy Day 3

Day 3 (I kept this on paper and am typing it up)

Date: 1/16/13

Weight: 177.2 

Physical feelings: Well rested since the girls had a snow day and I got to sleep until almost 8:00! I'm not as hungry all the time as I thought I would be, but this abrupt change to my diet has made my stomach a little off...bowel-wise. I don't feel sick, I just I feel gas bubbles moving around in there during the day, and...well, that's enough to understand!

Emotional Feelings: Still positive and optimistic. 

Breakfast: 

NS pancakes. **** I added about 5 frozen blueberries. I made the girls pancakes since they were home and so I decided to make mine also. So far these breakfasts have been good.

Coffee w/ sugar free creamer

PowerFuel: Skim milk

Morning Snack:

PowerFuel: Slimfast vanilla protein shake. 

Lunch

NS Homestyle Chicken **** This was another of the canned meals. It was thick and had a good flavor.

PowerFuel: Peanut Butter on a slice of whole grain bread. I used up my afternoon Smartcarb for this because I was hungry. Also ate a plate full of carrots. 

Afternoon Snack

SmartCarb: Skipped since I used it at lunch. Wasn't too hard to do since I was at the paint store and grocery store. 

Dinner

NS Chicken Pasta Parmesan  *** This was a sealed ready to eat dinner that had a good flavor, and the chicken was not that weird texture that I was afraid of. Not bad. Shane and the girls ate at church, so I didn't have to cook for them.

SmartCarb: 2 mandarin oranges. I actually didn't eat these until after dessert later in the evening.

Dessert

NS Double Chocolate Almond Cookie **** I warmed this up. It was a really dense texture, but I appreciated the normal tasting chocolate. Less like a Tootsie Roll.

End of the day thought: I have really liked planning my meals to be similar to what I make for the rest of the family. I thought this would be the hardest thing with NS, but so far it hasn't been that big of a deal AS LONG AS I have planned ahead. 

New Year: More Joy Day 2

Day 2 (I kept this on paper and am typing it up)

Date: 1/15/13

Weight: 178

Physical feelings: Woke up hungry and really looking forward to breakfast!

Emotional Feelings: I was a bit cranky when I had to wait to eat breakfast to take our vehicle to the shop to get a new windshield. Shane went through Chic-fil-a, and I resisted. But I am excited to see a lower number on the scale today. Worked with Shane removing the ugly light from our yellow bathrooom (yay!) Worked on Bible study for about an hour this morning. 

Breakfast: 

NS Maple Brown Sugar. **** I added about 5 frozen blueberries, and this was actually really good and filling. 

Coffee w/ sugar free creamer

PowerFuel: I opted for scrambled egg whites (egg white substitute in the carton.) I sprayed a pan with spray butter and just poured a bit in there--probably about the equivalent of one extra large egg. I sprayed the eggs once more with spray butter, added a tiny salt and a lot of pepper and enjoyed. This was a really decent and filling breakfast. 

Morning Snack:

PowerFuel: Slimfast vanilla protein shake. I have an immersion blender, so I add a couple of crushed ice cubes, blend it all up, and drink this really slowly. Yum.

Lunch

NS Beans & Ham **** This meal was actually really good. Has a really good texture and flavor. Since it is one of the canned meals, there are no dehydrated mystery meat pieces or anything, so I liked it a lot.

PowerFuel: 1 Tbsp Peanut butter, plate full of carrots and celery (gotta get those veggies in!) 

Afternoon Snack

SmartCarb: 2 mandarin oranges 

1 cup hot low-sodium chicken broth. Again, I cannot imagine drinking this in warmer weather, but it was a cold, sleeting day where the kids got out for bad weather, and it tasted pretty good.

Dinner

NS Lasagna *** Tasted like Chef Boyardee, but after last night's sloppy joe nastiness, this was like heaven. I heated up a frozen lasagna for the rest of the family, and our plates didn't look that different. Okay, theirs looked slightly better.

Veggies: HUGE salad made with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avacado, and boiled eggs. TINY bit of ranch dressing and a lot of pepper. 

SmartCarb: Wheat Bun toasted. I wasn't even hungry for this at dinner, so I had it after dessert. Topped with a very small amount of olive oil margarine.

Dessert

NS Chocolate Bar ** Tasted sort of like a Tootsie Roll, with that texture. Reminds me of a protein bar. Not really what I would choose for dessert, though. 

8 oz. Chocolate milk. I mean, I added the tiniest amount of Ovaltine that you could add and still call it chocolate milk. Tan colored, really.

End of the day thought: Still think it might be worth customizing my next shipment. However, I am glad I get to sample different things so that I know what I like. I see the importance of planning at least a couple days ahead so that I have everything I need, and the need to make several trips to the grocery store each week so that I don't waste produce. 

New Year: More Joy....Day 1

Day 1 (I kept this on paper and am typing it up)

Date: 1/14/13

Weight: 179.8

Physical feelings: Tired. We got home late last night from Nashville at the Farm Bureau Convention at the Opryland Hotel. A lot of walking! Feet hurt. Hips hurt. Shins hurt. A few weeks ago at Christmas it was my knee. I started last week at 182, but cut back on food b/c I new Nutrisystem would start Monday. The weeks before I started getting a swelling, bloated feeling in my upper stomach when I ate even a bit too much. In other words, my body is rebelling against the extra weight.

Emotional Feelings: Very good! Positive! Excited!

Breakfast: 
NS Blueberry Muffin. ** (I'm giving this a 2 star rating) Texture was kind of weird, but the flavor was okay. Had a twinkie vibe to it. I tried warming it, and accidentally left the "do not eat" packet stuck to the bottom of it while heating it for 10 seconds. Whoops!
Protein drink. I just used vanilla Slimfast powder and skim milk. Tastes like liquid birthday cake to me! 

Morning Snack:
PowerFuel: Boiled egg, coffee with fat-free creamer. I chopped up the egg (it was warm) and I added a small amount of salt and some pepper. Then I had a big cup of coffee. I was excited because I bought whole bean Eight-o-Clock coffee and ground the beans. Smelled so good! I guessed at the amount of creamer, but I don't think I went much over a Tablespoon.

Lunch
NS Three Cheese Pasta w/chicken *** This is one of the dry ready-to-eat meals, and it took me forever to get it rehydrated properly. Not one to make if I am in a hurry unless I perfect it. It wasn't bad though. The meat (?) was the texture of bacon bits and the noodles were good. The sauce was pretty good also. 
PowerFuel: 4 oz yogurt Activia vanilla, fat-free. Pretty good. Vanilla is sort of boring.

Afternoon Snack
SmartCarb: cucumbers and carrots. I didn't measure them. I had a plate full though! These are unlimited, so it was a good way to help curb appetite. 
1 cup hot low-sodium chicken broth. I cannot imagine drinking this in warmer weather, but it was so cold, it tasted pretty good.

Dinner
NS Sloppy Joe Mix. * This was the low point of the day. This stuff is worse than what I imagine they serve to prisoners. The smell, texture, and taste was sooo bad. I cooked real sloppy joes for the rest of the family, and I added peppers and onions to theirs, so in desperation I sautéed some and added them to mine also and put it on a wheat bun. It looked like a dog got sick on my plate. The peppers and onions were the only reason I was able to eat it, but I felt sick for like an hour afterwards. Never again. Sad that NS sent me another one in the first shipment. I think I will pass. This alone makes me want to pay the extra $20 to customize my next shipment so that this never (dramatic pause) happens again.
SmartCart:The wheat bun. Also ate a small portion of baked beans and some nasty canned greens that said they were Southern seasoned. 


Dessert
NS Chocolate cake ** After dinner (ugh), I was desperate to find something to remove the taste from my mouth. I picked this cake and added some lite Cool Whip to the top of it--not even caring if I was allowed. Did I mention desperate? It helped, but I was really hoping that NS had included one of those chocolate mint patties in my shipment that everyone raves about. They didn't, so I was disappointed before I even ate the chocolate cake. 

End of the day thought:
Just glad that I am done eating for the night. Had some plain hot tea and finished my water and called it a night. 

New Year: More Joy

Time to pull back the curtain here. It's my Freudian moment to lie on the couch and confess my woes. I hate New Year's Resolutions, but I did it anyway. I hate them because I never, ever keep them. I joked last year that my resolution was to break all of my resolutions, but then I got myself jammed up in a dilemma with semantics. 

Here's the big one for 2013: Find the things in my life that steal my joy and get rid of them. Joy--not happiness. Happiness is fleeting, and conditional on so many things. If my joy comes from the Lord, like I say it does, then why have I struggled so much this year with spiraling into a state of disillusionment, discontentment, and grumbling? There are many reasons, but all the strings led to a very shallow cause--my personal struggle with my weight and how it was beginning to make me feel physically and emotionally. Since giving birth to baby #2 in 2004, I have struggled with weight. In my opinion I began 2013 fifty pounds overweight, or 180 pounds. I began this journey last year in May when I weighed 164 pounds, but abandoned my efforts. So, on January 1st (my 37th birthday) I figured I had 16 pounds to lose before I was the weight I was when I thought I hit my weight ceiling back in May. Depressing? Could be, if I let it. But I got on Nutrisystem.com on the first day of the year and ordered my first shipment of food, because I needed help. It was over $200, but I finally did it. I know what it is, and I know the dangers of not learning to do this on my own. But I have to start somewhere! 
So, this is more of a personal blog that will serve me in three ways:

1. As a record of my weight loss and food diary to see what I liked/didn't like.
2. As a journal to record how I feel emotionally and physically each day
3. As an encourager so that if I feel like quitting, I can see my progress. 

I am a Christian, and I do not believe that weight loss is a fix to all of life problems. However, because I feel I am doing something good for myself physically, it has led me to do other things that are for my spiritual well-being. I am spending more time in Bible study and in prayer. I focus more on my family because I am not stressing over my health. I'm in the midst of it instead of wondering what I will do to fix it. It's similar to a time of fasting for me. I am positive and excited, and ask God to sustain me and encourage me through any trials that may come!

Chicken and Dumplins (Yes, without the "g")

This is the best I can do in sharing this "recipe." I've  never written it down, and I've tweaked it a lot over the years, but this should be a pretty close guideline! (Also, I use the slow cooker to made these, but have cooked them on the stove when I'm in a hurry. Cook the broth at a simmer on the stove until everything is super tender and then add the dumplins and cook for about 30 minutes at a simmer.)

List of ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts
2 stalks celery
2-3 yellow onions
3 Tbsp real butter
2 cans SWANSONS chicken broth
1/4 cup dried parsley
"dashes" of rosemary, basil
salt and pepper
chicken bouillon
1 box Bisquick (will need milk to make dumplins)

Broth:

2-3 chicken breasts (depending on size)

Cover chicken with water and add 1 bouillon cube. Boil until they are almost done, but still barely pink in the middle. I just keep checking them after about 7 minutes. They will continue to cook in the slow cooker without getting tough from being overcooked. Reserve some of this broth in which you have boiled the chicken.

While these are boiling, turn on the slow cooker and fill it with 2 cans SWANSON's chicken broth (The Swanson's brand tastes sooo much better than store brand). Also add a huge palmful of dried parsley (probably 1/4 cup), a small dash of rosemary, dash of basil, and about a tsp of black pepper. Just use what you have here on the spices. Fresh basil and parsley are even better.

Chop 3 stalks of celery and 2 med-large onions. In a skillet place 3 Tablespoons of butter (or the fake stuff if that's all you have-bleh) and saute the celery and onions until they are very tender but NOT browned. If you brown them or the butter, it will change the flavor of the broth, and not for the better. However, the onions don't really get much softer in the slow cooker, so I try to make sure that they are really tender before adding them to the broth. The trick is to be patient and not saute them on too high a temperature.

Shred the chicken breasts with a serrated knife. I just place it at a 45 deg angle and pull to shred. Add to the broth. Look at how much liquid you have in your crockpot, keeping in mind that very little will evaporate in the slow cooker. Also, remember that your dumplins are going to soak up some of the liquid. Personally, I don't like super soupy chicken and dumplins, so I only add a small amount of my reserved broth.  If you add too much, it will have a less intense flavor and you will need to add some bouillon or salt and pepper to jazz it up and make it taste less like dinner at the nursing home.
Let it stay in the slow cooker on HI for at least 3 hours or LOW for at least 5. In a hurry, I have let it simmer on the stove for about 30-45 min and put it in the slow cooker for an hour or two while I was gone. Close the lid and leave it closed until time to add the dumplins. No need to stir.

Dumplins:

I use the biscuit/dumplings recipe on the Bisquick box to make one batch. That's all there is to it. Frozen dumplings or biscuit dough dumplings do not compare. I make them after I get the broth going. Roll them out pretty thin and cut them into about 1 inch rectangles. Then place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, cover with a dish towel (to keep them from drying out) and put them in the refrigerator. Add them 30 minutes before you are ready to eat. They take about this long to cook, and the slow cooker needs to be simmering to cook them properly, so don't keep lifting the lid to check on the broth/stir it or it will cool and you'll end up with gooey dumplins. (Again...from experience!)

Good luck! I hope I haven't forgotten anything too important. Enjoy!

Super Cute Door Mat--personalized $19.97 shipped

This doormat from Wal-Mart.com is $19.97 including shipping. It comes in different colors too. There are also some other styles still available also.

Old Navy Coupon

Last minute Christmas deals! I've been putting all these on my Facebook account, but I thought I'd move them over to my blog also:

Old Navy 30% off any item--even items on sale.
You can print this off as many times as you want, and you can use more than one if the cashier will let you do separate transactions. 

BUNK BED SOLUTION??!

I know, it's a picture of a crib, but I promise--this is about bunk beds!


Okay first, for us bunk beds are a necessity--not a first choice. Any parent who has struggled to make the top bunk would gladly trade them in if the space was there for two twin beds. I can honestly say that Addison's mattress cover/sheets get changed every month....or less. I just DREAD it! Yesterday, as I lay on the bottom bunk holding the top mattress up with my feet so Addison could help me change the sheet I racked my brain on how to make this an easier task. Then I remembered--a couple of months ago I did some research on safer and easier crib sheets for Lucy. The best solution I found were these sheets called Zip Sheets®. 


As you can see from the picture, the sheet set includes a mattress cover and waterproof "piddle pads" to protect the mattress. All you have to do is put the mattress cover on and change the velcro pad. No more lifting the mattress up every time you have to change the sheets! You would rarely have to wash the mattress cover. At the time, the sheets weren't in our budget, so I bookmarked it and forgot about it. But I went to their site again yesterday to see if they came in twin...and they do!! They even have e-layaway now, so after Christmas, this is definitely going to be in our budget for that dreaded top bunk! And Lucy, of course, needs some for her crib so I'll quit having this panicky feeling that she's going to wrap herself up in the sheets in the middle of the night. (Not to mention, I won't have to completely strip the bed every night while we are trying to perfect our nighttime cloth diaper system!)


I just wanted to share this because I know several of our fellow seminary friends who have very limited space and have to live with bunk beds for the time being. We've all talked about what a pain it is to change that top bunk. The sheet system is a bit more expensive to start out with, but the twin set should last for several years, and I know that it is NOT going to be a problem finding someone to pass the crib set to when Lucy is finished with it. 


I never thought the idea of sheets would get me so excited!

Christian Children's Books Ideas for Christmas

Shane working at Lifeway Christian Bookstore has truly been a blessing to us in many ways, but I am especially grateful for the exposure to so many wonderful Christian children's books. While I'm not anti-Veggie Tales, I wanted to expose our young children to Biblical truths in a way that they would both take seriously and enjoy. I think the controversy with any Christian children's book is that it is "watered down" scripture. And I think you definitely have to be careful. Our children hear scripture straight from the Bible, but also these stories to support what they have heard. Nothing takes the place of straight Bible reading, but these books have been a great tool to reinforce what they have read. 

These are a few of our books in our collection that have succeeded. 

1) Jesus Storybook Bible

This is by far our favorite children's Bible. It is a summary, greatly paraphrased, and does not take the place of a Bible. But what it does is remind us that the Bible is one story. That God had one plan from the very beginning, and has never had a "Plan B." This book is wonderful to teach children that every book in the Bible whispers Jesus' name, and tells the "Love Story" of God with His children. In my opinion, it doesn't underemphasize judgement or wrath of God. And thankfully, this isn't a book about how God loves everyone unconditionally, and everyone is good. This book has led so some amazing discussions with our girls at bedtime and I can't recommend it enough! There's even a deluxe version available now that includes the audio so children can follow along. 

2) The Princess and the Kiss: A Story of God's Gift of Purity 

by Jennie Bishop. I LOVE this book. It introduces young girls to the value of purity and the amazing gift from God purity is. AND it relays it in a royal tale! It begins with a king and queen showing their daughter the gift she got from God when she was born--her "first kiss". In the story, it is symbolized by a golden, glowing orb. She understands the value of her gift, and doesn't want to part with it. When she meets potential suiters, she is sad to discover that they all offer her wealth, vanity, and adventure, but nothing that equals the gift that she is to part with. The one who finally does win her heart is a penniless, humble man who offers her his most precious gift--HIS first kiss!! The girls and I have had some invaluable discussions on purity and their true value each time we have read this. Needless to say, we drag this one out quite often!  The boy version of this book is The Squire and the Scroll, which I have not read, but I'm sure is just as good! Also, I've just noticed a devotional based on this book called Life Lessons from the Princess and the Kiss, which is now on my wish list. 

3) The Garden Wall: A Story of Love Based on I Corinthians 13 
Also by Jennie Bishop. This is a great story for girls or younger boys. The two main characters are friends Petra and Seth. One day Petra announces to Seth that she wants to grow a garden for her husband. She asks Seth to help her build a wall around it to protect it. Seth laughs at her, but agrees to help his friend. It turns out to be hard work, but as their garden grows, so does their love for each other. Each page takes you through another attribute of love mentioned in 1 Corinthians: Kind, patient, etc. After we read this, we talk about how we show love to each other (especially when they want to clobber each other over something!)  The pictures are beautiful also.

4) The Book of Virtues by William Bennett. This is a great book to read for fun as a family. It's a collection of short stories, poems, and fables that have practical and moral lessons. Some are fun. Some are more serious. Some we just didn't get?! There's a few we disagreed with the lesson taught, so I recommend reading a few ahead of time before reading them out load as a family so you can decide what you want to read. However, it's still overall a great book.

5) The Priest With Dirty Clothes: A Timeless Story Of God's Love And Forgiveness by Dr. R.C. Sproul. Can I admit that this one made me tear up? It's a beautiful story within a story about the love of Christ, told through a priest who dirties his only clothes, and cannot preach before the king in this state. He is told to go see the prince who exchanges clothes with him so that he is now clean and can present himself before the king. This book is a great way to introduce young children to the heavy topic of redemption and leads to discussions of sin, holiness, and forgiveness. 




I know there's going to be a Part II to this after I go upstairs and go through the bookshelf again!

Butter Pecan Cake Recipe

I took this to church today at our fellowship luncheon and had several people ask for the recipe. I can't take credit for it though--I got the recipe from Ms. Barbara Boucher back home in Tennessee. This is a really good, moist cake that's just sweet enough. I'd take a picture of it, but it's pretty much all gone at this point!

1 box Betty Crocker butter pecan cake mix

(mix as directed on package)

Add to mix: 1 can Betty Crocker coconut-pecan frosting

1 cup chopped pecans

1 T. flour

Pour batter in bundt pan that has been greased and floured and bake at 350° for 55 minutes. **Reserve enough batter to fill a small loaf pan or 6 cupcakes or cake will bake over**

That's it! Enjoy.

Diaper Deals

I was chatting with some friends about diapering our kids on a budget. I'm going to share what I do, but I would LOVE to have input from people about how you get your best deals.

First of all, I use cloth diapers during the day. This saves me from using approximately 5-6 disposables a day. I use disposables at night, if we are away from home, or when baby is having diarrhea. I have my limits! This being said, I only need about 1 to 2 packs of diapers a month, depending on how much we go out/travel. So it's easy for me to stock up on diapers when they are sale--I don't have to buy that many. My favorite is Pampers Swaddlers, but since they are the Cadillac of diapers, I reserve them for nighttime. The best deal I have gotten so far was at Rite Aid. I can't remember the numbers, but they were Huggies diapers and I had $2 off coupons for them. I did 2 different transactions so that I could use 2 different $5 off $20 purchase coupons I had. Then I got rebates for the Huggies using Rite Aid's Single Check Rebates. Then I got a $25 Rite Aid gift certificate in the mail for spending $100 (before coupons).

I've also gotten Kroger Comforts brand for around $3 a package. There are often printable coupons for these for $3 off, and they go on sale for around $6. That makes for some cheap diapers also. I've signed to be a member on every major diaper site (Huggies, Pampers, Luvs) and have gotten some good coupons. Also, don't forget that you can buy diaper coupons on ebay. But I guess the moral of the story is to check your grocery store, Wal-greens, Rite Aid and CVS to see who has the best deals. Then find as many coupons for that brand of diaper that you can and buy up several!

I am interested in how other people get their diaper deals! Sam's, Costco, Amazon?

Coupon Workshop

Our coupon workshop was awesome! Becky Konemann did a fantastic job explaining things that I could not. For those of you who couldn't make it, I thought I'd post some of the major ideas on here. Also, I'll put some of the links to coupons/freebies on here as well.

Step 1: check out this blog at swaggrabber.com. It's a coupon crash course, and she does it with a great sense of humor. It's done really well. Just get a cup of coffee, and give yourself some time to start reading and you will learn so much!

Step 2: Check out the Grocery Game. It's a web site you subscribe to that tells you what to buy that week, where to buy it, and which coupons to buy. But it does cost $10 every 8 weeks for one store. It's done by zip code, and helps you get rock bottom prices, saves time by doing all the work for us, eliminates mistakes by letting you know which coupon to use, and follows the 12 week sales trends. In other words, the same items usually go on sale every 12 weeks. You will learn how to stockpile certain items to last you for 12 weeks. In other words, you will only buy most of your items when they are on sale every 12 weeks, and you can get most of these things for pennies on the dollar or for FREE! You can stockpile on shelves, under sinks, under beds, in closets, in totes in your basement or garage, etc.

Step 3: Where to get your coupons.

The Sunday paper is the best place. However, you really reap the benefits if you can get several copies of the inserts in the paper. To do this, Becky suggested asking friends and neighbors, checking with nursing homes, schools, and finally newspaper delivery people or gas stations to get the leftover papers on Monday morning. To buy several of one coupon, you can enlist the services of a coupon clipper. (Buying and selling coupons is illegal, so when you "purchase" a coupon, you are actually paying for the service of someone clipping the coupon for you.) You can do this THECOUPONCLIPPERS.COM, or EBAY. You can also print coupons at home using the websites listed here on SouthernSavers.com. Also, if you are a Kroger shopper (which is where I do all my grocery shopping) go here. At the bottom of the page, you will see where you can print coupons. Which brings me to another source of coupons: the kind you load on your shoppers card. On the Kroger link, it will bring you to the coupon page, and you have three different links to load coupons onto your shoppers card (it's more than just Kroger). These coupons are great because you can use these IN ADDITION to your paper coupons. Therefore, you can get maximum savings on this one item! For more on how these work, check out the coupon crash course mentioned at the beginning of this post. Also, when you are in the grocery store, look for items that have "SAVE NOW" coupons on them that you can peel off (only on the ones you buy, of course), and displays like batteries, or on freezer doors that have coupons for you to tear off. And don't forget those blinkies in the little boxes on the shelves. Always be on the lookout! Oh, and you can print the printables 2X each, and load your card with the new coupons I think every couple of weeks.

Step 4: Find out the individual store coupon policies. For example: Kroger will double coupons up to .50. Most of the time, even the manufacturer' s coupons that say "DO NOT DOUBLE" do double at Kroger. Meijer double only the first 2 identical coupons, and then accepts the rest at face value. Go to the store's website or contact their corporate office for more details.

Step 5: Check websites like MONEYSAVINGMOM.COM or SWAGGRABBER.COM daily to find great deals.

Some final tips Becky shared with us about being considerate: When you are finally ready to go to the grocery store...organize all your coupons before leaving home, and have a printed list of the ones you have loaded to your card. Don't clean out the shelves--don't be greedy! Go to several stores if you have a really great deal so other people can still get the items at the store. Use self checkout if possible--especially if you are doing more than one transaction. Give extra free items to charity. Put expired coupons to good use. You can send your expired coupons to the military. To find out how go here.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD???!!

If you are feeling overwhelmed and just want the bare basics--start small (which is recommended):

Get a Sunday paper. Don't clip the coupons, but instead file the inserts by date. Only clip what you will need for your next grocery trip. If you want to start free, check out Southern Savers or Mrs. Penny Pincher. These ladies have done the work for us by matching up store deals with coupons. Thanks ladies!!!

Plan your grocery list by looking at the sales ad. If you only ever go to one store, then you can easily just do this by going to their web site and looking at their sales ad to see what meats are on sale, etc. and do your meal planning accordingly.

Load your store card, print off coupons for items that are on your shopping list, and bring your coupons you have clipped for the items on your list. On your grocery list, if you have coupons for that item, write it on the list. For example, I write next to my Pilsbury Crescent rolls (.50/2, .50e) That means I have a paper coupon for .50 if I buy 2 things of crescent rolls that I know will double, and I also have an electronic coupon for one crescent roll loaded on my shopping card that will not double. That means if they are $1 each, I will get 2 of them ($2) and then will get one free, and one for .50. ($2-the .50 coupon which is doubled, -.50 e coupon loaded on my card). Cool, huh? The e-coupon can only be used one time, and will show up on your receipt as "mc-cfire" or something similar.

This is a good place to start. I haven't even mentioned the drug stores (Wal-greens, Rite-Aid, CVS, etc.)That could be a whole post by itself! But I believe the crash course on swaggrabbers.com explains that also. Probably moneysavingmom.com also.

Hope this helps. As you can see, there is a lot of information out there, and I can't take credit for any of it!! These women whose sites I have linked spend a lot of time doing the work so that we don't have to, and I for one am extremely grateful! This is a great way to honor God and our homes by being better stewards of our money, and it is a great thing to share with others.

Clifton Kroger Rocked!!

I am SOO excited over this coupon experience! I have been to the Clifton Kroger twice this week and got some major deals. I came home and told Shane, but he didn't squeal with enough excitement, so I had to blog about it. I got 2 backpacks and a lunch bag for Harper for 75% off, and some great deals on groceries, like a $3.47 Digiorno Pizza and .75 Healthy Choice meals. However, these deals are my favorite:

2 Clean and Clear face washes--normally $4.19. On sale for $1.99.

Used two coupons for $2 off one Clean and Clear product

Final Cost: FREE!! Savings: $8.38

2 large cans of Nestle Good Start formula powder--normally $13.12. In clearance for $6.59

Had one coupon for $5 off one can. The cans had peelies coupons for $2 off one can. So I got one can for $1.59 and the other for $4.59,

Final Cost:$6.18

Savings: $20.06

6 large canisters of Lysol wipes--normally $5.99 each. They were on sale $2.99 each AND they were bundled bogo free.

I used 2 coupons: $2 off of 2, and $1 off of one

Final Cost: $5.97 Savings: $35.94

Total savings for above: $64.38!!

I messed up b/c Kroger Comfort diapers are on sale for around $6, and I have a coupon for $3 for one, so I could have gotten those for $3! I might have to go back for those :)

Also, there were a ton of medications and Kroger brand formula in the manager's special shelves by the restrooms. If you need Motrin Infant drops or any cold medicine, there were still a ton on clearance--like 50% off or more. There are 4 other Krogers closer to my house, but Clifton's is by Harper's preschool, so I can justify it in that way. I always found way better deals here, and the employees have always been so nice. Not to mention that it doesn't take all day to walk across the store if you forget something!

Baby Tips: 1. Diaper Rash

These are things I learned over the past 8 years with 3 girls. I decided that diaper rash needed a post all to itself! I don't know much about baby boys, but most of the tips work for both. Thankfully, I wrote these down as I went, and then changed/added over the years. I give this to all my new friends who are having their first babies. That way they can either listen to my unsolicited advise, or can throw it away if they want! haha

First of all: Always follow your doctor's advice before mine, your mom's, grandmothers, etc. If something sounds crazy, it probably is. Don't put dangerous concoctions on your baby in order to be holistic or natural. Be reasonable. You are going to be very emotional because this is your precious baby, but use reason to guide the care you give your baby, not emotions.

1. Diaper rash: All 3 girls experienced diaper rash. Lucy (my 3rd) had it the worst. It usually starts with bright red spots--sometimes in patches, sometimes bumps, either raised or unraised. When it gets bad, it can look like burns or blisters on their butt cheeks, almost like you set them on a stove. It spreads VERY quickly, so you have to take action immediately. This will make baby irritable, and you miserable and full of guilt. I actually cried when I pulled off Lucy's diaper and it had BLOOD spots in it from her rash! But it's not your fault! It just happens, and act quickly and be relentless. It's going to take a lot of time day and night to get rid of it, and it's going to take several days before you see a perfect little baby bottom again. The red spots that look like scars do fade away. It just takes time.

There are many types of diaper rash, and in my experience, the doctors don't want you to come in unless it is to the point of bleeding. Since all diaper rash is aggravated by moisture, the main rules are keep it clean, keep it dry, keep it sealed!

CLEAN: If bright red raw spots (shiny, wet) are on bottom, STOP using baby wipes. Use a wash cloth with plain warm water OR keep a roll of higher end toilet paper and a spray bottle of plain water at the changing table.Wipe gently, but make sure you get all the poop and pee off. Wipe from front to back (especially for girls). To help the sores dry up and heal, soak baby in a baking soda bath. This worked wonders! I just put her in her baby bath tub (or a dishwashing tub would work) and dumped a couple tablespoons of baking soda in the warm water where it touched her bottom. Then we would play for a few minutes--she was only about a month old, so I was the one playing. She would stay in for about 5 minutes or so.

DRY: Dry bottom with hair dryer on low (keep your hand where the air is blowing to make sure it’s not too hot) This dries the spots. As they start drying and sealing themselves, they will become less shiny. The sores will also be dry to the touch when they are fully dry. Sometimes this takes a couple of minutes. Again, make sure you use the low heat setting and keep your hand on the bottom the whole time to keep from burning the baby!

SEAL: Unfortunately, this area is a little experimental. Different ointments/creams work with different rashes on different babies. At the FIRST sign of a rash (if no blood yet), my suggestion is to start cheap and use Original Desitin in the purple tube. Yes it stinks like old fish because of the castor oil, but it coats better than anything else I found. And it will make your cloth diapers stink like fish. Use a Q-tip to keep it out of your fingernails. Blech. If the rash isn't getting better by the next day, or starts bleeding (it almost looks like acid burns), then you probably need a prescription cream. What worked for us is a prescription cream called Silvadene Cream, or silver sulfadiazine. The generic is significantly cheaper than the brand name. We also used a couple of different anti-fungal creams, because the rash looked a little yeasty (bright red, spreading outward, bumpy, hot). These creams are also inexpensive, and your doctor can tell you which over-the-counter ones work also. Neosporin is also helpful for the sores, as long as they are not yeast. If the rash is yeast, the Neosporin will aggrevate it, and you will have to change your game plan. We tried SO many creams and combinations. Once you find what works, stick with it!!

PREVENTION: I used cloth diapers and disposable. The thinking was chemicals in the disposables could be aggrevating the rash. But, cloth diapers are not as absorbant and wicking. For us, cloth/disposable or even brand of diaper didn't make a difference, but I know some moms whose babies were sensitive to one. I think the key is to dry out the rash and seal it with Desitin every diaper change for the next few weeks. And make your diaper changes very very frequent. When Lucy's was really bad, I was changing her diaper about every 2 hours--even through the night. And that was doing all the cleaning, drying, and sealing steps EVERY time. Thankfully, all 3 girls grew out of this by about 3 months. Also, try using a diaper that’s slightly too big for baby to give some air circulation. Do this until sores dry up and are no longer bright red and seeping. Also check to see if the baby has thrush (white sores in mouth). Baby may also have a low fever from the rash or being sick could case them to have a rash. When baby has diarrhea for any reason, keep bottom very clean and dry or the rash will start. Unfortunately, sometimes they will just get it no matter what you do!