So every once in a while I whip out some stale cereal and pasta and set them to work.
Yes, that is my son doing yoga on the wall.
Painting is optional and probably best for the 5 and up crowd. Assuming, of course, that they're doing this so you can get something else done. Like laundry, or schoolwork.
I'd like to introduce you to the Samaritan Saver card. With it you can save up to 50% at retailers nationwide and online! Retailers like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, 1-800-Flowers, GameStop, Chuck E. Cheese, PetSmart, KFC, Southwest Airlines and about 8,593 more.
Cards are $20 and are sold as a fundraiser for non-profits. They're valid for one year from the date you activate them - so they're also great for gifts, since you can hang on to them and give them out when you have an occasion. I bought a card to support my husband's children's ministry (they're going to camp) and already made my money back by buying $150 worth of restaurant gift cards for just $22.50. I'm not kidding.
Want to see more? Check out Samaritan Saver and see how many deals you can get.
Want one? Email me with your name and address and I'll tell you how you can pay me through paypal. Then I'll mail your card to you and you can start saving! (Yes, shipping is free!)
Want to find out how you can sell Samaritan Saver cards to benefit your ministry, school, soccer team, what have you? Check out Samaritan Fundraising for more information!
P.S. Samaritan Saver did not pay me or ask me to write this review. They don't know me from Adam. I just think it's a really cool deal they've got going on.
I think I get double points for this one, because it not only saves the earth, it saves money, too!
When we moved into this house we needed a washer and dryer. I spent about 3 weeks researching (imagine 7 people and no washer and dryer.. not fun, folks, not fun at all) and finally settled on this pair:
They are extra super capacity front loaders from LG Tromm, and I LOVE them. They use almost no detergent and very little water. I can fit twice the clothes in them I used to (I've gone from 10 loads per week to 6). And I paid just over a third of the retail cost plus tax for them.
How? I bought them refurbished.
If you're careful, you can get a great deal this way. I found a reputable dealer of refurbished appliances on Craigslist who offered a 6 month warranty. I spoke to him on the phone a few times, then visited his "warehouse" (in his backyard). I felt comfortable dealing with him after speaking to him and seeing how clean and well kept his appliances were.
Buying refurbished not only saves you money (almost $1000 in our case), it's also a great way to help save the earth. Instead of languishing in a landfill, these appliances are happily saving me time and resources in my laundry room.
I'm so sorry that my "Green Thumb" post hasn't been published yet! A combination of an unexpected visit from some new friends and inclement weather mean my green thumb project hasn't happened yet. I'll get to it in the next couple days and get it posted, but for now, the next topic: "Earning Extra Green".
Who doesn't want to earn a little extra money, eh? For our family, this is the first time I haven't done anything to bring in extra income. One way I was able to earn quite a bit of money for our family was through running an in-home daycare.
My experience with it doesn't make me an expert, and there are lots of things to think about when considering opening your home to others, but I'll share some of what I learned in the hopes that if you're considering something like this, you'll be better informed. In most states you need a license to have an in-home daycare, but the requirements are different. I lived in Nevada when I did it, and I never became licensed. The law stated that as long as I had 4 or fewer children other than my own in the home, I didn't need a license. I did need to be up front with the parents I served, informing them that I wasn't licensed. Be sure to check with your local licensing agency for details. (Google "Home Day Care Licensing in your state).
Watching kids in my home was a great experience overall. I was able to stay home with my kids (when I started they were 5, 3 and 1) and I made some great money. There were some rough spots - I was never good at enforcing pick up times or reminding parents to pay me; luckily I had some fantastic clients - some became very good friends. I did have to kick a kid out of my daycare once.. but that's a story for another day.
Here are my best 'lessons learned':
Be straight-forward and get things in writing. If you are open from 6am to 6pm, say so. If you provide meals (or don't) say so. Don't make different arrangements with each family, or you may end up taking on more than you planned when family 2 finds out what family 1 is getting. Sit down and write up a contract including things like pricing, late fees, etc. Tell folks in the beginning what you expect, and give yourself an 'out' if it isn't working.
Give yourself a 'trial period'. Along the same lines, it's a good idea to have a 30 day 'trial period', after which you can sit down with the parents and see if the situation is working. You can fix problems that may have come up or either of you can bow out gracefully if it isn't working.
Keep good records. It might seem silly now to write down how much you get paid, by whom, on what date, but when tax time comes around you'll be happy you did. Keep attendance, too, and a log of pick up and drop off times. These all come in handy later! I kept a binder by the front door with an attendance and payment section.
Decide how much of your home is being used. If you have a small home, that might be all of it, but you may still want to decide your bedroom is off limits. If you can, I'd highly recommend using one room for the bulk of your activities. Gating off a living room or playroom will keep kids and mess contained, and allow you to feel like you can get 'off work' when the kids go home. Believe me, it's no fun to send all the kids home, turn around and see your house in shambles!
Set a schedule. I can't say enough for this. Come up with a schedule for your day, starting when kids are dropped off and ending when they leave. Schedule time for meals, play, clean up, outside, etc. Kids do better when they know what's coming next, you'll feel more organized, and the house won't get quite so chaotic.
Give yourself a week off. Let everyone know, up front, you'll be 'closed' occasionally. I had those dates several months ahead of time. We were closed the week of Christmas, on major holidays, and for a week in the summer. I didn't charge folks for those weeks. Those breaks allowed us to spend time as a family and recharge.
I hope this helps anyone who might be considering launching a day care. It can be such a blessing if done well! Please feel free to post more tips (if you're doing this or have done it) or questions!
I'm taking Laura at Heavenly Homemakers up on her little green challenge this week. I'm going to try to post on:
Saving Green, Eating More Greens, Earning Extra Green,
Going Green, Your Green Thumb, Crafting Something Green
Doesn't it sound like fun? To start with, let me introduce you to my good friend Jennifer, who can save you a LOT of green! If there were professional couponers, she would be one. This girl once bought over $300 worth of groceries for 21 cents!!! I am not kidding. And she can teach you to do it, too! She's also a real woman, a wife, mom of twins and homemaker just like you and me. And she's the kind of girl you can talk to for six hours without realizing it until the kids come bugging you for food.. not that I would know about that. Ahem.
Anyway. Here's a little interview with Jenn to give you a glimpse into her life of amazing savings...
Me: Ok, tell us what we all want to know. How much do you spend every month on food and household items like toiletries, paper products and cleaning supplies?
Jenn: I budget $250 for my family of 4.
Me (coughing and choking and scraping my jaw off the floor): Wow. What kind of savings is that?
Jenn: Now I'm at a time when I generally get 50% or more off everything I buy.
Me: Why did you start couponing? How long have you been at it?
Jenn: I started couponing when I quit working when my twins were young. They're six now. I watched the cost of food start rising soon after they were born and I started looking for ways to save. It has taken me a couple of years plundering through the internet trying to learn about coupon savings and other ways to save to get this good at it.
Me: Be honest, how much time does it take?
Jenn: I spend about 10 hours a week couponing. Now my leisure internet time is searching for the latest deals instead of playing Tetrus!
Me: Where do you get your coupons?
Jenn: I search for printable grocery coupons. I use coupon codes available via the internet for many purchases online. It is a simple as doing an internet search. I purchase multiple Sunday newspapers delivered to my door, strictly for the coupon inserts. You may find subscription cost being lower if you are ordering multiple newspapers. About once a week, I do an internet search for “free sample offers” from manufacturers. Manufacturers not only send you a fabulous sample, but they generally include a high value coupon in the package.
Me: Ok, you get food for cheap. But doesn't that mean living off pizza rolls and soda?
Jenn: Couponing does not mean buying only quick prepackaged meals. Personally I bypass some very cheap prepackaged purchases because I prefer to cook from stratch. Coupons I find include canned beans, pasta, sugar, oils, spices, soups, canned fruits, cereal, oatmeal, nuts, salad mixes etc. You get the picture.
Me: What about other household items?
Jenn: Cosmetics and household products have a great deal of coupons available. I am not brand conscious like I used to be. I match a sale to a coupon to get the best deal. I have tried some products I never would have without the sale/coupon and turned out to love them.
Me: What are the best stores to use coupons in?
Jenn: My favorite stores for the best savings & sales are Super Target, Walgreens, CVS and Kroger brand stores. These stores all offer printable coupons on their sites. A store coupon can be combined with a manufacturer's coupon for added savings. I play "The Drug Store Game" and get all kinds of free items.
Me: What is "The Drug Store Game"?
Jenn: I play “The Drug Store Game” at CVS and Walgreens. Meaning, most weeks they offer several products that reimburse you on the spot for the purchase price with a coupon good toward ANYTHING in the store. So, if you need eggs and bacon that are $6 total, and this week bodywash is $6, but there’s a $6 coupon to be printed when I purchase the bodywash. I would buy the bodywash first, then use the coupon to purchase my bacon and eggs~getting $12 worth for $6.
Me This is starting to sound confusing.
Jenn: It can seem a little confusing when you start, but it's worth it to learn! Check out my website at: Tipresource.com.I have videos on my website that show saving tips and some huge saving trips. Here's one:
Ok, so now we all are in awe of Jenn. But you can do it, too! Check out her website for more, or leave a comment here if you have a question for her.
Back in Vegas I lovedGroupon! We bought several 'deals' that let us do family activities for 50-70% off the regular price. Today I signed up to get deals for Los Angeles, and I can't wait to start saving.
It's free to sign up, easy to cancel (I know, because I canceled in Vegas) and there is no requirement that you actually buy anything. Head over to Groupon now to sign up for deals in your city!
This Christmas I'm going through a fabulous Advent Bible reading program. It has a daily scripture to read plus historical information, reflection questions and discussion starters. Plus it's only a 24 day commitment. I think I can I think I can I think I can...
You can get the program on your iPhone if you have one. Go to the App store and download LifeChurch.tv's FREE Bible reader, called YouVersion. If you type in "Bible" in the search area, it'll be the first one that comes up. (It's an awesome app anyway, even if you don't want the Advent program.) Then, at the bottom of the screen you have some choices. Select "Read Plans" then scroll down and find "Rediscovering the Christmas...". I don't know what the last word is, it gets cut off.
We were actually supposed to start this plan yesterday, but if you hurry you can catch up. :)
Oh, I was going to tell you about COFFEE too. Again, if you have an iPhone, or any phone with texting, you can join up with Starbucks for their 12 Days of Deals. Just text 12DAYS to 29943 and you’ll receive one Starbucks deal per day. Normal texting rates apply. They started yesterday but you can still get it on it.
So go get a Peppermint Mocha and settle down to read the Bible. Merry Christmas!
Today we'll tackle spelling, typing and reading resources.
SPELLING
Big IQ Kids is our FAVORITE free spelling course. It's an online spelling bee! You can compete with other kids around the country! It's SO fun! And it contains links to free math, vocabulary and states curriculum.
This site has a complete free spelling course, which I would use for middle grades (2nd - 4th or so). There are also links to grammar courses that are also free.
If you are interested in hosting your own spelling bee, this site is has word lists for all grades.
TYPING
For typing, my kids love BBC School's Dance Mat Typing. It's a complete typing course that is a load of fun. Also on this site are tons of links to other educational games.
My favorite reading (phonics) program is Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I got my copy on Amazon for about $10. It's falling apart now and should probably be replaced, but I can't bear to part with it.
If you want free, though, check your local library for readers. The children's librarian should be able to point you in the right direction.
Our third edition of Homeschool Freebies will feature math and science.
Math:
MEP is a completely free math program being used in the UK. If you are interested, I highly recommend checking out this group, who can answer any questions you may have. Awesome program, full of puzzles and lots of mental math.
You can get free printable worksheets for all grades here and here.
This site has free online activities for all grades from preschool to middle school. Since my kids love to play on the computer, this has been a hit.
And here is a site with lots of links to other sites with free math resources. A link to links.. hope you've got some time! :)
Science:
Inquiry in Action offers a free, downloadable chemistry curriculum for the lower grades. All experiments can be done with household items.
This site also offers free curriculum, in many areas of science, for all grades.
Here is another option for free science curriculum.
Honestly, my favorite resource for science are Bill Nye videos. Most libraries have them, ours has about 40. Watch the video, do the experiment they show during the 'do this at home' section, and make an experiment page. Easy and free. My kids ask to bring the videos home for fun!
Hope that helps! Feel free to link up your favorite free math and science resources by leaving a comment.
Once again, some free stuff you can use to teach your kids at home! This week: History and Geography.
C-SPAN Classroom is offering a free Presidential Timeline poster if you sign up as a member on their site. They also offer videos, a forum, teaching tools and more.
If you are local in Las Vegas, Chenin Orthodontics at 10730 South Eastern Avenue is buying back your unwanted Halloween candy! They will pay $1 per pound up to five pounds, and they're sending it to the troops overseas.
Make money, get rid of candy, and do a good deed all at the same time!
I don't know why I haven't posted much about homeschooling. Maybe it's because homeschooling pretty much overwhelms my life, so once I sit down here to unwind it's not what I really like to think about.
That said, I LOVE homeschooling and I'm pretty passionate about helping other people do it, so I thought I'd share some stuff. My first homeschool series will be on FREE STUFF. 'Cause everybody likes free stuff, yes?
Each Thursday until I run out of ideas I'll be posting free resources you can grab for your homeschool. So y'all come on back now, ya hear?
I'll start with the ones I use right now:
MEP is a math program developed in Europe. You can download it and print it free. I use it as a supplement for my kids and I really like it's style - very mental math and lots of puzzles. You can get answer guides but you need a password. I don't know how to get the password, but check Google groups or any homeschool board and the folks who use it as their primary can let you in on the secret.
GuestHollow American History is AWESOME. I use it as my history spine. Love, love, love it. They have more stuff, too.
The BBC has a great typing program we use. Very fun.
Zaner Bloser has customizable tracing pages. We print these, then slip them in a clear sheet protector and use a wet erase marker to trace. Kids love wet erase markers.
Calvary Chapel offers a free Bible curriculum that we're using. It goes through the entire Bible in, like, 500 lessons or something. Coloring pages, crosswords, worksheets and more at varying difficulty levels mean everyone can do something.
Hope you find something you can use! Let me know if you use any other free resources!
If you've never read Pancakes! Pancakes! by Eric Carle with your kids, you're missing out. It's one of our favorites, and always inspires us to make pancakes the next morning. Or sometimes for dinner.
I make a lot of pancakes around here. It took me a while to get a hold of a really good pancake recipe; one that would be flavorful without a Lake Huron sized puddle of syrup on top, and that would freeze well. I make a huge batch of pancakes all at once then freeze them in small(er) packages for easy re-heating later, like on those days when I've been up too late watching back episodes of The Office on YouTube previewing curriculum, and don't feel like rolling out of bed and cooking.
It also can only use one bowl, because I don't like dishes.
These are fabulous - light and flavorful and not too thick. Enjoy!
5 cups flour (I told you I make a lot)
5 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
5 eggs
5 cups milk
1/2 cup oil (I use either canola or vegetable oil)
2 tbsp vanilla
Add some cinnamon if you'd like.
Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix well. I know people say your pancake batter should be lumpy, but I don't like lumps, so I beat them out. Do what feels good.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Too hot and they'll burn, too cool and they'll stick when you try to flip them. I don't use oil or butter in my pan because I've got non-stick pans that work pretty well.
Fill a 1/3 cup measure with batter and pour it in. Wait until it has lots of bubbles in the batter, then flip. You can use a spatula, or if you're really talented and want to impress your friends kids, just grab the pan and flip it in the air. One of these days I'm going to put a video of myself doing that on here.
This recipe makes 30 pancakes and cost me about $2. I just checked online and 12 frozen pancakes are going for $3.90 at my local grocery store. Delicious and cost effective. Gotta love it.
The kid's clothes bins. Note the bare mattress. Organized, yes. Decorated, not quite.
This week one of my progeny had a birthday sleepover on Friday, so our Family Friday was a Redbox movie and brownies on Thursday night. Then on Friday, we tackled New Clothes Day!
Truthfully, I would have liked to wait until it's a little cooler before I change out the kids' clothes. It's still 100 degrees around here. But the little boys really needed some bigger stuff, so my hand was forced.
Most of our shopping for new clothes happens in our closets. We have been blessed time and again by friends having hand me downs that need homes. That's one good thing about having a lot of kids; people think of you when they have stuff to give away. But storing and organizing all that stuff can be a challenge. Here's what works for us (at least, right now):
Each kid has a big bin. We used to sort the clothes by size and season, but I ended up with way too many bins and a really complicated system. Also I've noticed that sizes can be pretty arbitrary. We'd open up a bin and find that some things were still too big and others were too small already. So now we just put anything that will be worn by that child next in their bin.
On New Clothes Day we pull the bins out of the closet along with any new hand me downs we might have received. In an effort to simplify, I don't open those when we get them. They get tossed in the closet alongside the bins.
The 'new' clothes we go through, putting items into the appropriate kid's bin or in a donate pile if they won't work for us. Then we pick a kid to start with and dive into the bin. Anything that fits and they like gets pulled out and taken to their room. This provides some incentive to get rid of the old stuff. *Note: I don't make my kids wear anything they don't like. Even if it's new and good quality, if they don't like the color or style, it goes into the donate pile.
Next we go through that kid's current clothes, pulling out anything too small or that isn't liked. These are sorted into either the next kid down's bin or the donate pile. New clothes are put in drawers and closets and we're done! Repeat with each kid. The bins are left out for a few days to catch any items that might be in the laundry.
Of course, with all the interruptions for snacks, dispute resolution, changing diapers, nursing, kissing owies, finding toys, making dinner, etc... this takes pretty much all day. But by the end of the day yesterday all my kids had complete new wardrobes. In fact, they have way too many clothes. We could probably donate half and still have plenty.
In fact, God has provided so well for us that it's been quite a while since I've had to buy my kids clothes. We occasionally need to pick up a few pieces, but that's usually because I haven't been in the bins for a while. The great thing about that is that I can spend my clothing budget on things my kids really want. Like last fall when my oldest HAD to have a pair of Skechers Twinkle Toes. They're like $65 retail, but I found some at Nordstrom Rack for $30. Even that would have been way more than I'd pay for shoes, but since she didn't need anything, I got them. We can spend a lot of money on a few items they'd really like (we usually get new shoes) because we're still spending only $50-100 per kid, about twice per year.
Because God has been so generous with us, we get to be generous, too. Now that we know we're done having kids, we can start giving away the clothes the smallest ones grow out of. I could probably sell them, since most of them are name brand and in good shape, but it brings me a lot more satisfaction to be a blessing.
Our donate pile, so far.
Do you have a better way of organizing kid's clothes? Do tell!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
See all this? This is my weekly grocery purchase, and I got it all for $57. (Oh, and another pack of strawberries that are already eaten and 2 hand lotions.) Not bad, huh? And I'm just a beginner at this coupon thing. My cost before coupons was about $150.
Note the box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch... that's what happens when you take a hungry one year old to the store with you.
I've decided I need a new title. "Stay at home mom" just sounds so... lame. Like all I do is stay at home, changing diapers and wiping noses and cooking and cleaning. Of course, that is what I do, but we don't need to be so blatant about it. So I'm making a change. I'm going to be a "home economist".
Doesn't that sound nice?
I stole the idea, actually, from another blog, but I like it so much I think I'll keep it. After all, running a home is no easy task. "Home economist" makes me sound smart and important.
One of my first tasks as Home Economist has been to start the tradition of Family Friday. (Another lovely title, yes?) Family Friday is the day (Friday, to be specific) on which the family does no schoolwork, housework, or workwork and instead spends the day blissfully enjoying one another's company.
There are several challenges to this. The first being that withoug housework, even for a day, we might lose something important under piles of laundry and dishes. Like the keys, or a child. So we must do as little housework as possible so that the house remains uncondemned and we feel like we have the day off. Scratch that, everybody else already feels like they have the day off. It's just me who needs to feel it.
The second is the issue of bliss. We like each other, we really do, but an entire day without quarrelling children? We'll see.
The third is the expense. I'm pretty sure we could all be happy eating ice cream at Disney on Family Friday, but that ain't gonna happen, folks. So my goal is to do Family Friday as cheaply as possible. I'll let you know how it goes.
Here are some pictures of this past week's Family Friday. We used some free passes the kids had earned in the summer reading program at the library as well as our local discount to get everyone into Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef for $27.
See what I mean about the bliss part? For the record, Alese had a great time. I think she was upset about leaving. (This was taken as we exited.)
Leslea at the ray tank. They got to touch them. They're very soft and slimy. Like underwater Jello.
They gave us remote controls to listen to at each exhibit. Owain was really into them.
These are some of the fish we saw. I let Leslea and Owain use my phone to take photos, so I've got about 200 shots of water with blurry shapes, and these two of fish.
Shark Reef was amazing, a really spectacular exhibit with alligators, piranhas, fresh and saltwater fish, stingrays, jelly fish, and of course, sharks. We had a great time and it took us about 2 hours to go through it. I'm not sure I would pay full price (it would have been $71 for all of us), but it was pretty awesome.
