My Position on Staying at Home

My post,"SAHM Movement Rocks Feminism" seemed to get some interesting feedback so I thought I'd take a moment to clarify some things. I'm not, by any means, affiliated with any movement that looks down on people who choose not to stay at home. In fact, it appears that the more I have defended the position of choosing home as a necessary place of employment, the more there seems to be a rebellion against it.

I find it pretty sad that where it was once considered a normal thing for a woman to be employed by her home, to begin her day with an early rise with a mind to keep to her household schedule, to tend her little ones during the day and prepare her home for her husband's arrival is now considered stone aged and unrealistic. My position is by no means puffed up with pride. However, I come from a place where I've experienced the verbal sarcasms and even the downplay of the position that I've chosen at home, and I find it to be degrading. Therefore, although you may sense the strong feeling on the subject, my posts reflect my position of defense for those of us who do chose home as a place of employment.

I speak of my job as a homemaker very highly because I believe that it's God's calling and I embrace the high calling of God to be a keeper of my home. With that, I eagerly welcome and encourage others to experience the joy that comes with being employed at home rather than choosing to bash those of us who choose to by deeming us unintelligent and worthless. I think that anyone who loves their job tends to speak about it with passion but I would never tell someone that they're sinning if they're not a stay at home mom. I just understand that we live in a society where things that God looks highly upon are minimized  and those things that are abominable to Him are glorified by people, and this is my opportunity, a place to speak on my beliefs about that.

I'm not standing in judgment of anyone here but I do have strong opinions on feminism. So in my posts, I may mention some of the things that we as Christian women have allowed into our hearts as a compromise between godliness and feminism but it is solely one's own convictions that will determine what they do with that. The one thing I will definitely state is that any woman who has questions about what God wants for her that she should, indeed, seek the word of God and allow Him to reveal His individual plan for her.

Free 7 Eleven Coffee Tomorrow

For those of you who like 7 Eleven Coffee, tomorrow you'll be able to grab a large one free. Stop by your participating 7 Eleven and pick one up. The price is in my budget so I'm thinking that, if I can get past being a Starbucks Snob, I'll try some.

 
My sweet husband brought me back some Dunkin Donuts coffee from Bible study last night. Although I don't usually drink coffee that late, it was Dunkin Donuts so there was no coffee spike to keep me up all night.  There's no place like Starbucks. There's no place like Starbucks...

Decisions Decisions

Mama said she didn't want to work. Daddy cleared his throat. He said, "Come with me." They went to a nice little one bedroom apartment that was a bit humid from the heat of summer. It had hardwood floors and old windows with the wooden panes painted over and bricks outside the windows to hold  air conditioning units. Daddy said, "This is where we'll live if you don't work." Then Daddy took Mama to another apartment. This apartment was donned in plush wall to wall carpeting, the cool breeze of central air welcomed them, and just outside of the dining room was a sweet little balcony. Daddy said, "This is where we'll live if you do work."

That was when I was just a little person. My parents were beginning their career and they had to think about a family but that was the choice my mother had to make. The outcome? Let's just say I can't remember a thing about that plush carpet, the central air or the view from the balcony.

SAHM Movement Rocks Feminism

The feminist movement resulted in a high demand for childcare (amongst other things). In order for women to leave their homes and make, what they viewed as, a more significant mark on the world, they began to seek care for their children. Makes sense. Mom gets a job. Mom needs a fill in to do all the things she would be doing with her children while she's working. That may work for a lot of women. But here's the thing. A little while ago I saw this video from a news report on a daycare provider who looked out the window as a nine year old boy punched and kicked BABIES in the daycare. If you choose to watch the video, it's terribly disturbing but it's the very reason there needs to be a reality check in this country. There's a need for children to have mothers who will rock the feminist boat and come back home to care for them.

I've heard moms say that they couldn't stay home because their children would drive them crazy. I've heard moms say they couldn't be home with their children because they couldn't afford to.  I'd like to ask the moms who have either mindset to watch the video and ask themselves which is more important, the children or the career? If the answer is that the career takes care of the children, then I'd like to ask what material things does their career or job provide their child(ren) that is worth their replacement at home? In other words, which would the child rather have, the things or the mom.

Sometimes we get to a place where we feel that we were someone before we were moms. Sometimes we get wrapped into a selfish pity party where we trick ourselves into believing that we can have greater impact someplace else. Maybe it's that the job of motherhood is not filled with outward gratification that the workplace may provide. However, children are a heritage of the Lord, and if they are a reward, as the Lord says, we should feel gratification for being chosen by Him to mother His little ones. Besides, it's the little ones who are sacrificed when moms think in such a selfish way.

Feminists worked hard to give women choices but the choice should always be the home first, our husbands and our children. If a woman cannot stay home because she's a single parent, or she has to work because her husband can't, we should support that woman because she doesn't have the choice. However, it's time to bring more moms home to be moms, and many times it really is a choice.

Here are two of nine reasons I've made my choice. I will continue to pray for support of those who don't have the choice as well as those who choose to walk away for what they feel is a better "lifestyle." That video is one that impresses more upon my heart to do whatever (or without whatever) I need to in effort to be with my babies.

Should Older Children Help to Raise Younger Siblings?

Should older children help raise their younger siblings? I just saw that question asked on Twitter. Then, to make the question even more interesting, there were a number of comments, mostly in opposition that expressed hating when older siblings are forced to take care of their younger siblings.

I'd like to first say that it is a parental responsibility to raise children. Siblings are not parents and should, therefore, not be forced to raise children who are not their own. Now this brings me to another important factor. What one person deems as raising a sibling may not be deemed by the parent as raising the sibling. Therefore, you have before you a matter of opinion.

Some people believe that childhood should be a time of freedom, a time of games and playing without the burden of responsibility. I believe that all thing should be balanced and that childhood should be a time of fun and freedom combined with all the senses of learning true responsibility, how to serve others, and how to share with and help others. Our human nature is very selfish. We are a self seeking people, which makes it naturally difficult for us to put others before ourselves. By encouraging our children to help their younger siblings to brush their teeth, clean up messes, make their beds, and get their assignments done, we're teaching them a tremendous life skill as well as building character. These are not things that they'll get from reading a book or taking a class but things that you can only learn in real life that, in no way, take away from the freedoms that come with childhood.

In our home, our older children help with many of the day to day things I just mentioned. Our older children will even kiss and love up a younger one when they hurt themselves. However, I don't view this as them raising their younger siblings at all. Even when my older children are correcting their younger siblings by keeping them from getting into something, or stopping a toddler tantrum, they're not parenting but responding to common family situations that will follow them into their own families, and some of that is even teaching them to be peacemakers in the center of conflict.

As for those who hate when older siblings are forced to take care of their younger siblings. I have found that when a person isn't a part of a large family structure, it's a bit difficult to understand how things work. In the case of our family, and I have also seen this with the Duggars, the older children are thrilled when there's a new addition to the family and more than willing to care for, nurture, and help with the younger siblings without any force involved. The younger siblings look up to the older ones and there's a sense of trustworthiness and friendship that is developed amongst the children as they entrust one another with things that are close to their hearts.

So should older siblings help to raise their younger children? I still say no. Should they have important roles in their siblings lives and take responsibility for nurturing, loving, and looking out for their younger siblings? On that, I would have to say absolutely, yes.

Little Things Mean A Lot

My eleven year old makes coffee every morning around 5 a.m., on her own and without my asking. This is just one of the ways that she shows honor. At around 6, I drink coffee while she sips on tea and we do our devotionals. It's a time we both look forward to.

When the tea cup I let her borrow broke, her heart broke with it. She sadly said, "Now I can't have tea.". Well Daddy, being the wonderful Daddy that he is, vowed that he would get a replacement teacup, one that she could call her own.

After weeks of looking and picking out mugs (because if you can drink tea out of it, it's a tea cup to my dear husband) Daddy finally found the cutest little heart tea cup second thrift store. Her face lit up when she saw it. Now it's back to tea time. Only now, my other girlies are wanting their own tea cups too. Go figure. Now we're all going to be having coffee and tea while doing our devotionals. It's just a little thing but it means so much that they want to do these things together.

Here's Cayla's little tea cup with one of the biscuits I made this morning. I'm looking forward to picking out cups with my other girls.

The Philanthropy of a Homemaker

Why is it that a woman who wants to dedicate the most vibrant years of her life to being a homemaker is socially unaccepted? Our volunteer firemen are commended and respected for giving their time (and lives) voluntarily to the dangers of community emergencies. There are a great number of respectable people who dedicate their lives to the rescue and care of animals. Not all of these volunteer positions are held by wealthy philanthropists seeking to give back to the community; many are living on a dime (for lack of better words). The point here is that there are a vast number of humanists who seek to do their good work in the community by following what they believe to be the golden rule, do unto others. They're applauded, awarded, and adulated while the homemaker is, should I say, taboo.

I'm not going to get into the sacrifices of moms who voluntarily stay at home with their children, nor will I talk about the nurturing, the giving, or the molding that's involved in motherhood. I could say that this is a commonality amongst most mothers regardless of their occupation. However, I would like to note that the moms who do choose homemaking as a full time occupation are doing far more than a meaningless work that lacks fulfillment. On the contrary, we are doing a work that gives the greatest fulfillment of all.

As this election year has progressed, I've listened to many attacks on Ann Romney's character and intelligence simply because she's a homemaker. Many of these attacks are thrust forward out of mere ignorance as feminists react to their fear that a new image in the White House may convince more women to take on the needed role of taking up home occupations, fear that women will experience a "set back" as a result of the important White House image that future generations of women may come to admire and follow. Here's a woman who placed her children before herself, trained and educated them, showed them how to be productive in their community, and served as a support for her family along the journey of building a successful business. Not just anyone can accomplish these feats. Each one requires intelligence along with selflessness, patience, kindness, gentleness, discipline, flexibility, trustworthiness, virtue, and a number of other character traits that would make this post far too long. Besides, in a society where there are so many condemning feminists to diminish and criticize such a valuable occupation, I should probably add that there's a great amount of courage involved in being a homemaker also.

Out of all of the other opportunities I've been offered in life, I've opted to experience the firsts of my babies, to nurture them in a way that brings them to me when they have questions and thoughts instead of seeking wavering peers. I've chosen to flip pancakes and bake homemade bread in the morning, read stories aloud in the afternoon, and make full course home cooked meals in the evenings so that my family will have a list of great memories of how Mom made their days special, just as the memories I have of my grandmother. I have the honor of molding and shaping my own children into productive persons, and I do this from the time my children awaken, while they walk along the way, until the time that they lie down to bed. I love my occupation as a stay at home wife and mother. So cheers to Ann Romney for standing up, defending and setting a great example for all of us stay at home Mommies who know that the choice to stay at home and shape the future from our own front door is philanthropy at its best.

Our Year Round Homeschool

Today is our first day back to school after a break of about two and a half weeks. Our family does year round homeschooling simply because I find that the children retain what we learn when we're working year round. I don't have to spend a great deal of time on review and we generally plan two weeks off after we've worked ten weeks, with the exception of holiday time when we work things out a little differently.

With a variety of ages ranging from seven months to seventeen, we have been pretty creative in the way we approach school but the method that appears to work best for us is doing group study for most subjects and independent for some others. Naturally, the children have their individual math curriculum but most of our other subjects are done as a group with some independent work broken out by skill level.

Our day starts off with Bible and Character. We believe that the most important thing we can pass on to our children is God's wisdom and we do that through their Bible teaching. God tells us that we are to teach His words diligently to our children, making them sharp, and talk to them about His words when we sit with them, when we walk with them, when we lie down and when we rise up (Deut. 6:5-7). So my husband and I believe it is a priority to make sure that our children are in an environment that teaches them about the Lord throughout the majority of their day because of the principle in the Deuteronomy 6:5-7 scripture and Bible and Character study is viewed as the most important element of our study for that reason.

The rest of our school day is combined with a variety of reading and hands on projects. My ninth and twelfth graders are currently reading Don Quixote and it's been a pleasure to see how they've enjoyed 17th century literature. My younger ones are doing the abridged version of Don Quixote and have also really enjoyed some of the living books we've read on the history subjects. We believe that God's hand has always been in the history of the world, we choose curriculum that highlights how God has shaped this world so that we can show our children that just as things unfolded from Adam and Eve to Christ, He is still shaping this world for the things that are to come. I'll be talking about some of the curriculum we've chosen for this year as we progress.

Our girls are studying home economics to learn how to be efficient keepers of the home. We learn through Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House and a few other resources. This book is the absolute most thorough book I've seen and the reviews on it are outstanding. I use this book as a reference and decided to teach from it this year. We'll also be creating our own sewing patterns and sewing up some pajamas for the boys this fall. I think they'll be better housekeepers than their mom!

 I'm excited about our school week. I think it'll be a great year of fun and learning for us all.

A True Heart for Home - Defending Submissive Wives, Homeschooling, and Large Families

Over the last few weeks I've prayed, and consulted my husband on where this blog should go. On one hand, I love the idea of blogging about my family and some of the ways that we make things work as a minority large family. However, I don't really want to be a redundant large family, homeschooling blog. I've tried to add a little variety by throwing in some coupon savings and deals I've come across. However, there are an overwhelming number of even these blogs bursting through the worldwide web with, and I'm not really seeking to be a copycat of that either. So I've decided that there's one area that I'm always talking about, defending even, and it's the road that I'd like to travel with this blog.

You see, I come from an area where traveling with six children in the mall or the grocery store provoked countless stares and a number of remarks. Now that I've added three additional children, my husband and I are asked if we're going to be the town's "Duggars." By the time I've gotten into a conversation with someone and told them that we also homeschool, people think I've either been chosen by God to receive an extra blessing of patience that only very few people on this earth are given, or that I'm completely nuts!

Over the years, I've found myself becoming more and more defensive of our family choices after hearing remarks such as "God gives you wisdom," and, "Have you ever thought of one of you getting fixed?" The comments are not just from strangers we meet, they're from family and, far worse, Christian brothers and sisters! To have a follower of Christ present me with the statement, "Better you than me," because I have a house full of children is quite heartbreaking, not so much because I'm offended, but because of how I know God sees children. In short, God's wisdom is not our wisdom.

That brings me to the road of this blog. I spend so much time defending why our family does what we do that I thought it'd be a good idea to just blog about it. It's all about what we believe the Bible tells us to do. Is it for everyone? No. But just as every snowflake is uniquely designed by Him, so is each family. My whole heart desires to serve the Lord and my large homeschooling family where my husband is the authority, leader, or "head" is one of the ways that I serve and honor Him. It may not be easy for everyone to understand but maybe I'll shed a little light on things as I begin anew with this blog. This blog is all about having a true heart for home.

Entertainment Deal, Groupon, the Bonton, and $100 at Aldi's

Here are just a few deals I've spotted today.

Entertainment is offering their coupon books for $5.99 for the next three days. These may be good if you're going on vacation. Plus, if you shop purchase the book through Shop At Home, you'll get 20% cash back on your Entertainment.com purchase. We've saved well over the cost of the book just using the rental car coupons for business trips, and the Joann Fabrics coupons.

Groupon has those cute little flirty aprons for half off.  I absolutely love the style of these aprons but the frugality in me won't even spend the $15 on them. However, it does make me want to hit Joann Fabrics, head over to my craft room and whip up one of my own!

Aldi is giving away three $100 gift certificates each week for their store. First, you have to like them on Facebook. So head over to Aldi and give them a "like" for your chance for a $100 Aldi gift certificate. I love saving at Aldi so the idea of a free $100 to put on my table is a pretty nice idea to me.

Lastly, the Bonton is having their final hours of $50 off a $100 purchase in their stores. This is not available online. I've actually managed to get some really good deals (if I could get past all the exclusions) from the Bonton but it is very important to check the store exclusions or what you think is a great deal may end up being a purchase that will sink the pit of your stomach.

Easy Crockpot Recipes and Menus

Stretching Your Laundry Detergent and Your Budget

I've made my own laundry detergent for a few years now but when I began using coupons, I was able to buy laundry detergent at a cheaper price and stocked up on it. I actually like the way my laundry recipe works on my clothes and it lasts even longer than the laundry detergent I buy out of the store. So I decided to put my already great detergent into super mode.

My recipe is pretty basic, what you'd find online pretty much anywhere - Fels Naptha Soap bar, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda), and Borax. I melt the soap in some water and add the soda and borax, place it into a 5 gallon pail and add water to fill. I do add some clean cotton fragrance oil to give it a nice fragrance because, without it, my clothes smell pretty blah. Once that's done, I have a pretty basic homemade laundry detergent.

Since getting a good number of Purex laundry detergent for little or nothing with my coupons, I decided to add a 33 oz bottle to my already wonderful laundry detergent and now I have a super stain removing laundry detergent. Grass stains that were once troublesome were gone! I even got the breastfed baby poop stains out of baby Cee's onesies very easily (and they can be quite stubborn stains). I suppose since Fels Naptha has a long history of it's stain fighting properties, it shouldn't have been surprising that the stains came out so well but I honestly didn't get the those particular stains out so easily until I combined both the Purex and the Fels Naptha.

Now I have 5 gallons of super charged detergent that will last me for months (even doing four to five loads daily). I've now filled the original Purex container with my mixture and use about two tablespoons per load in my front loader. (One of these days the Lord will bless us with more than one machine for all of this wonderful laundry but until then, I praise Him for the one we have now!) It's always good to find ways to stretch the precious dollars that seem to be harder to come by than they are to spend.

40% off Carters Site/Store Wide

Right now you can save 40% in store or site wide at Carters. This is off all store items so it's a good time to get many of those cute tees that can be worn this fall. In addition, grandparents can shop on Wednesdays and get an extra 10% off in stores. So if you want a few new things for the children but you don't like to spend a lot, take a look at Carter's and save 40% on some of those really cute items you'd never spend full price on.

Nordstrom and Sheetz Savings and a Disney Freebie

Today only, in support of the new Batman The Dark Knight Rises movie, get your next 20 oz Mountain Dew for $.99 at Sheetz with your Sheetz card. Since Sheetz does accept coupons, if you have one, you can use it to snag a real deal on your Mountain Dew. This deal is limited one per Sheetz card holder and

Also today only, Shop At Home is offering 10% cash back on Nordstrom purchases. You'll have to shop through the Shop At Home link to get the cash back.

New to Shop At Home? It's a site that rewards you cash back on items you purchase everyday online. I've received checks for purchasing many store seasonal and clearance items for my home and children, business items such as business cards from Vista Print and hotels from Priceline, and even purchases from department stores such as Macy's and JC Penney's. The savings really do add up. There are also grocery coupons, free samples, and restaurant coupons as well. Visit Shop At Home to sign up today.

Disney Store Water Bottle Free when you purchase through Shop At Home. This is another today only offer. Check it out!

Free - Today Only!

50% Off Sandals at Kohls

 

 Kohls is having a 50% off sale on sandals with a one day shopping "Yes Pass" for 15% off the sale price. Plus you can get $10 cash back on a $50 purchase until today that can be used starting tomorrow. This sale is good online also with the checkout code "SUMMERFUN" for their sandals as well as a number of other items that are included in the one day sale. Some of these items include swimwear, absorbent towels and comforter sets. There is also a men's end of season dresswear event that is on until 8/4. This is the time to start planning for next year, gifts, and last minute needs.

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Save 60% at Coldwater Creek Today Only

Today only, Coldwater Creek Outlet is having a 60% off sale. This includes factory online. If you're not familiar with Coldwater Creek, they have a more modern/contemporary store. I don't generally purchase from them because it's a bit pricey for my budget. But when there's a good sale, you can get some nice things at a really nice price. If nothing more, I can skim the site to get some nice ideas for outfits if I run across similar pieces in a consignment shop. Nevertheless, if you want to check out this sale, it's only for today. Here's the fine print:

Factory Online included. Promotion is valid through 7/18/12, midnight (ET). Prices shown are available online only and may differ from those in our Outlet stores. Quantities, sizes and colors are limited to stock in the online Coldwater Creek Outlet, and may differ from those in our Outlet stores. Our normal shipping fees apply. Prices final on day of purchase. Not valid on previous purchases. While intermediate markdowns may have been made previously, all reductions are based on original prices. Coldwater Creek Outlet reserves the right to add or remove items from our website, at any time, at our discretion. Product selections offered during promotional periods may differ from product selections offered during non-promotional periods. 

That not-from-concentrate orange juice? It's not so good for your budget

If you thought that you were getting freshly squeezed orange juice from Minute Maid Premium or, my favorite, Simply Orange, you may want to check this out. This is an article from Yale University Press that may change the way you look at your orange juice selections. It's not a fresh article but it's still very relevant for those of us who want to watch what we put in our bodies while also watching our budgets. You may be surprised at what you'll find out from not from concentrate juices. Read on.

SimplyOrange.com

Save $1.50 on Children's Advil

There's a Children's Advil (R) coupon on Facebook for $1.50 off any Children's Advil (R) Product so head on over to their Facebook page and print your coupon. I was able to print two from my computer, and it looks like the expiration date on them is 8/10.

Moments of Forgetfulness

Have you ever walked into a room and completely forgotten what you went in there for? Well with nine children and over a million things to do, I'm constantly forgetting what I went in a room to get. Sometimes it's a diaper. Sometimes it can be something I needed to take out for dinner. It could be almost anything. Just yesterday, my husband asked for a cup of coffee. Coffee was made so I placed it in the microwave to make it piping hot, just the way he likes it. Well, let's just say that my poor husband waited almost 30 minutes before I remembered the coffee was sitting in the microwave.

For this reason, I have to stay extremely focused and put God's word into action, "a season for every thing." To help me with this, I've decided to get myself one of those goofy timer watches to wear around the house. I mean, does anyone really use them anymore? I have a kitchen timer that I use but I'm always going to another room where I can't hear the thing go off and I forget that I've even set it (sigh). I'm guessing that, with a timer watch, it'll go with me and when it goes off it will trigger. This will really be helpful since I imagine it will be a big help when I'm doing my 15 minute clean up exercises, setting laundry, or helping me to remember my dear husband's coffee. I'm thinking that my seasons to do things will be a bit better organized with a timer watch.

I'm also using my wonderful Franklin planner to prioritize my day. I'm using the "Seasons" classic pages for my planner because I love the beautiful theme of the seasons. I find the two page daily helpful because there's plenty of room for notes. This way, even when things come up to distract me, I can still see what I have to get done in the day and can jump right back in the swing of things.

With my planner, my new timer, and the helpful hand of the Lord, I'm praying for more productive days and fewer forgetful moments.

Chi Chi's Salsa Coupon and Giant/Martins Deal

Hurry to print your $1 off two Chi Chi's salsa coupons for this week's Giant/Martin's Foods deal. The sale is 2 for $3 and with the dollar off of two coupon, you can score them for just $1 each. No, this isn't quite the best deal I've seen on these (with a coupon) but if you're in need of some salsa, it's a good way to pay less than the advertised price. There is a two print limit per computer so if you hit backspace and refresh your browser, you should be able to print it again. Click here to print yours.

Kid's Consignment Pre Sale $10 for a $20 Purchase

Plum District is now promoting a pre-sale for Kid's Consignment. In addition to the pre-sale, you can get a $20 spending voucher for the cost of just $10. The voucher is good for online purchases as well as purchases in the store in Manassas. The reviews looked great so I'll be heading over for mine. This flash sale won't last for long. I believe there are another five days on it so don't procrastinate.

Life Lessons: I Forgot To Do My Chores

In our home, we believe that children are to be willing participants in keeping our home clean and safe for everyone to enjoy. It's not just on Mommy to keep the house clean, do the laundry, and cook the meals. Everyone has to do cheerfully do their part, as a team, to make our home a place that we all can enjoy.

There are many things that we don't want to do in life but if we just ignore them, we can cause harm to someone else or even inflict some pretty bad consequences on ourselves. I don't always want to wash dishes but if I ignored them long enough, the stench from decay as well as waste left by microscopic organisms that thrive in such conditions would make my family ill. Further, if I do my tasks with a dismal or complaining attitude, my children will find their work to be just as dismal and I will have a difficult time convincing them to do their tasks with joy.


When one of our children doesn't complete their task, there is a consequence. These consequences vary accordingly. This week, my seven year old missed three days of bringing the laundry down to the laundry room. Since we absolutely have to wash at least four loads of laundry daily to keep up with it, missing just one day can lead to a heaping pile of laundry. Since it was time to wash comforters, I didn't check up on his job, personally. One of his older siblings brought it to my attention when looking for a clean shirt to wear. Having kept up my washing, I traced the missing shirts back to my 7 year old not doing his part in bringing down the laundry. Of course this made more work for me and my other laundry person. So I decided to teach a lesson about how important it is for each person to do his or her share.

 I thought it would be nice to take a trip to the laundromat to wash all of the clothes and since the laundromat comes with a price, my son had to pay a price as well. It was a tiresome morning washing, drying, and folding all 14 loads, and there was no mercy from the heat that came from the dryers that added to the already scorching weather we had here. I brought drinks, and we worked until the laundry was done - no breaks.

Sure, my sweet son was able to replenish his fluids and race around the laundromat on the laundry carts as he went from washer to dryer but it was definitely not a fun experience that he'll want to repeat. His take was, "I never want to do this again." My response, "Then it's important to do your job promptly so you won't make more work for the others on your team or yourself."

Save 25% at The Bon-Ton - Limited Exclusions

The Bon-Ton is having a friends and family sale through 6/13 where you'll get up to an extra 25% off almost everything plus 10% off cosmetics. The only exclusions in this sale are Incredible Values, Yellow Dot, and Tempur-Pedic (Registered Trademark). There are coupons for this pass in regional Sunday Newspapers or you can use promo JFRFAMBP012 online if you don't live in an area where there's a Bon Ton store. The Bon-Ton is advertising this sale as the first ever with virtually no exclusions.

Yellow Dot clearance is about 60% off with the extra 50% off already permanently reduced prices so these are not included in the sale because the prices are already so low.

If shopping online, be sure to shop through Shop At Home for 3% cash back or Ebates for 2%. Ebates is less cash back; however they're now offering a $10 gift card for new sign ups. Choices include Target, Barnes & Noble, Home Depot, Magazines.com, and, of course, Ebates.

Bath and Body Works Free Hand Soaps

I love Bath and Body Works lotions and hand soaps and today they're having a "bubbly summer surprise" sale. When you purchase one hand soap, you get one free. This sale expires today, June 10 and is only available in the U.S.  The fine print is one free item per customer and the free item is of $5.50 value. Also, if you have the coupons that have been going around, you'll also be able to get an additional 20% off of this but hurry. Both the sale and the coupon expire today!

P&G June Coupon Mailer & Online Coupons

Today I was searching around and found that P&G has over $91 in coupons in their June mailer. Last month's mailer really came in handy with some of the sales that I caught. There were $1.00 off coupons for some of the product we'd usually see $.50 off or less. So it may be nice to head over to P&G and sign up for their mailing list. I'm not sure if they're still accepting coupons for this month's mailer but you'll certainly be in time for the next one.

If you didn't make it in time for the June mailer; however, all isn't lost. The website has a few printables that will make a nice deal. Plus, starting in July, you'll be able to load P&G coupons to your shopper card. So head over and sign up if you haven't.

P&G Printable Coupons Added To Shopper Card in July

You can also sign up now on the P&G site to receive a new Head & Shoulders Advanced Formula Sample. I started to pick up a couple at CVS (which I actually still might) but didn't have my manufacturers with me (something I almost never run into). The CVS coupon machine has been printing $1 off Head and Shoulders Family Size bottles. Combining this with the manufacturer coupons is makes a nice sale. I've already had the CVS machine print me 3 of these so they just keep printing!

Head & Shoulders Samples Now at PGeveryday.com

Over 71% Savings on Victoria Secret Tank Tops

Victoria Secret Tanks are currently on a Shop At Home Wild Sale for $9.99 from a regular price of $24.50. Now, personally, I'd never pay $24.50 for a tank top but with the code SHIPVS12, there's not only 71% off the original price but free shipping on $100. There's also the $3.00 cash back on the tanks that make them $6.99. Now that's a tank of savings. Hurry, though, it won't last long.

20% Off At The Bon-Ton

I became a Bon-Ton fan on Black Friday last year and have found that (aside from the awesome door-busters they had), the sales are pretty consistent all year. Today they sent out an email ad for 150 Bonus Buys plus up to 20% off on some of their sale priced clothing and jewelry. On Black Friday, I was able to get quite a few nice deals using their coupons. Not to mention, every now and again the Bon-Ton has nice coupons for a certain dollar amount off of a purchase. Black Friday's coupon was $10 off of $10 in store (with a lot of exclusion). I used the coupon to get some undershirts for my girls and only paid $1 out of pocket!

The Bon-Ton does not allow use of their percentage off coupons on their Bonus Buys as they are "already priced so low." If you ask me, nothing is priced "too low" in this economy (but they have to stay in business). There are some other things in the small print that explain exclusions such as eBusters/Door Busters, Yellow Dot merchandise, and some other things. This week's sale is available online and if you'd like to get notice of The Bon-Ton sales, you can go to their website and join their email list.

If you order online, an online purchase through Shop At Home will give you 3% cash back on your online purchase or 4% cash back through Ebates. Ebates also is giving away $10 gift cards for first sign ups. Gift cards are issued after you spend $25. Let's get saving.

Home Expectations - Do They Help or Hinder a Healthy Home?

Homes are all different yet one thing that I believe every home shares is expectations. What our expectations are can help or hinder a healthy home, free from unnecessary stress and burden. Whether we expect that work take precedence to play or the reverse, expectations can give our home a flavor of peace or turmoil. Setting goals based on reasonable expectations can help us achieve the peaceful home we all yearn for.

I find that in my own home, the things that have caused me the most stress have been when I'm engaged in something and I have to stop to do something else or when I walk into a messy family room and the children are lounging around in it as though they don't see the mess. These are just a couple of tickers that get me going. Next thing you know I'm frustrated, the children feel my frustration through the change in my countenance, and my home has changed from a place of peace to a place where strife begins to rise up in the behavior and attitudes of my children. The question I've had to ask myself is, "What is most important?" 

In my home, I'd rather have peace than strife and to achieve that sense of peace, I have to check the importance of my expectations. I expect that none of the children sit in a messy room. I realize that in a family of 11, it's expected that home will not be immaculate; however, a sense of tidiness is expected so that we're not all tripping over toys and other objects that are either carelessly thrown or have fallen on the floor. So to translate my expectation to my children, we've made a rule that they are only permitted to sit in a room to relax, read, or watch a video if that room is tidied. Tidiness of a room to me means that the room doesn't have toys or other items on the floor and that the sofa is clear for anyone to sit on it. So the goal is to have the children take the responsibility for picking up and putting away all items immediately after they use them as well as enforce what I believe is a very basic rule, which is if you knock it down or drop it, pick it up. This goal helps me to achieve the expectation of a tidy room without frustration and furthers the main goal of peace.

I also expect that my children follow all instruction without complaining in tone, words, or body language. There is a time to work and a time to play. Work is a part of life and to complain about it is to not only complain against parental authority but also to complain against God. Therefore I expect my children to work cheerfully so that they can unwind and play as a reward for their effort. To achieve this, there is a consequence of additional work for whomever complains about an instruction or task. Some times that means they'll miss out on part of a movie or other family activity because they have extra work.

I've found that consistency with keeping my expectations reasonable, setting goals to achieve my expectations, and enforcing appropriate consequences have really helped to create a more peaceful home, and I'm certain that the character that results from these things is something that the children will be able to carry with them well into their future.

Cheap Maybelline Eye Tattoo

The Maybelline Eye Tattoo I blogged about a couple of weeks ago is now at CVS for $7.39 (regular price) but if you spend $15 before any coupons, you'll get $5 back in extra bucks. So here's how to get one and get a second for $.55.

Use two printable coupons for $1/1 Color Tattoo cream gel eyeshadow from coupons.com.
Pay $12.78
Get $5 extra bucks back
Final cost $7.78 or... $7.39 for one and $.39 for the second or... $3.89 each.

Actual price of the Eye Tattoo may vary by region.

Free Hallmark Cards for Mother's Day

Next weekend is Mother's Day weekend. So head over to CVS.com and print out your CVS coupons for $3 off of a purchase of 3 Hallmark cards. You can also go to Hallmark on Facebook and get a manufacturer coupon for $2 off 3, making the $.99 cards free and with the extra bucks deal ($3 wyb 3), they're a $5 money maker. Not to mention, if you have the Reinventing Magazine (found in the beauty section of your local CVS), you can sweeten the deal even more and get a free card when you buy 3. Do this a couple of times and you'll have a nice little stash of cards for any upcoming graduations, weddings, and birthdays.

Funny Things Children Say

Sometimes I'm still amazed at the funny things that children say. My sweet nine year old daughter, who is a very bold speaker, gave me a bit of wisdom yesterday. Although she's very aware of what happens during puberty, we've never quite had the technical discussion of how mommies become pregnant. So I was quite enlightened when we were sitting around the family room and she and her older sister were having a nice little conversation about Mary's virginity.

Once it was explained to Niah that a virgin is someone who has never been with a man, Niah very kindly said, "Well Mommy must be a virgin because I've never seen her 'with' Daddy. And if she isn't a virgin then she must have committed adultery." I tried my best to keep from laughing. It appears that although the darling has been in our bedroom, because she's never seen Mommy and Daddy "kiss" in the bedroom that there's no possible way Mommy could have ever been with Daddy to have babies. So when my eldest daughter asked Niah how Mommy and Daddy had so many children if they've never been "together." Niah smiled and simply said, "Maybe she was filled with the Holy Spirit."

Cheap Pepsi Next and Pantene at Martins Foods

There's a nice deal at Martins Foods on the new Pepsi Next. I was able to give it a try last month when Target printed out catalinas for free Pepsi Next and it wasn't bad. As a former Pepsiholic, I didn't find it as up to the taste of the original Pepsi; however, this lower sugar alternative wasn't too bad at all. So here's the scenario at Martins if it's something you want to grab while it's cheap.

Purchase 8 Pepsi Next 2 liter bottles @ 4/$5
Get an instant $3 off your purchase
Use 4 - $1/2 Pepsi Next coupons from the PepsiCo insert from 4/29
Pay $3 or $.38 each

There's also a P&G rebate on select P&G products if you purchase $40 this week. A catalina will print out after you've purchased $40 worth of the products in the same transaction. That means that all the products you purchase will need to be on the same receipt to get the catalina for the rebate.

Our family can use up a bottle of shampoo in no time and Pantene is one of those products that are good for the gift card. So here's the scenario I came up with:

Purchase 6 Shampoos and 6 conditioners @ 2/$7
Use 6 buy one get one free coupons from P&G insert 4/29 and
Use 3 $1/2 Pantene coupons (expire today)
Pay $18
Receive $10 P&G rebate
Final Cost: $8 or $.67 per bottle

I recently purchase the plant based shampoo and conditioner on another sale and my girls love it. So I'll use this opportunity to stock up again.

One Way to Get Your Children to Help at Home

If listening to the story of the Buffalo Public School Teachers spending $9 million on cosmetic surgery at the expense of tax payers wasn't enough, I ran across an eBook on Amazon this morning titled "77 Ways to Get Your Kids to Help at Home (77 Ways to Parent Series)." I'm thinking, "What in the world is going on?"

As a child, when I was told to do something, I just did it. My parents didn't have to devise 77 ways to get me to do it. I just did it.Why is it that, in this day, we need tactics and tricks to get our children to do what they're supposed to do - what we ask of them? Am I effectively training my children for the real world, the work force, by tactically "getting" them to help out at home? Their employers won't tolerate tactical approaches to getting work done when there's a deadline that needs to be met. Getting the children to help at home is absolutely not something I'm willing to use a tactical approach for.

So I'm going to share one way to get your children to help at home. It worked for my grandmother, my mother, and it works for me. That is, tell your children that it's their responsibility to help you around the house. They are a part of the family and everyone in the family has to help. Give them their appropriate responsibilities and give them a consequence when they don't follow through. Enough said?

If you want to check out the eBook. It's free on Amazon. I haven't read it but the title itself is just not appealing to me.

Not So Made Up - Easy Natural Eyes

I love the enhancement of natural beauty using the beautiful color and techniques of makeup application. When wearing makeup, I like to follow the adage, "A little goes a long way."  There are times when I like bold colors but I don't strive for the look of the runway or the circus clown. I prefer a less ostentatious approach to my make up.

Having said that, I've been hearing great things about Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24 Hour Cream Gel Shadow. Although I've yet to try it, it's rumored to be long lasting, easy to apply and non-creasing. I checked out the colors and they're pretty nice. There's color to suit just about anyone but I'm going to put it on my shopping list because long lasting and non creasing are nice perks. Speaking of perks, with a coupon, I can save pretty nicely if I get it at CVS on the week of April 29th when there are $5 Extra Bucks when you purchase $15 of face, eye or lip products.

You can check the Maybelline Eye Studio website to take a look at the different views of usage for the shadow. Some of the applications are dramatic but can easily be scaled down if. I thought the techniques were nice enough to tweak and make them my own. The views list instructions to achieve the "look" and are printable. The views are also inclusive of other makeup items, such as liner, to gain the full look that Maybelline will show you.

Maybelline Eye Studio website  has application tutorials.

I was happy to stumble across another video that shows a nice tutorial for a natural look. It does incorporate the Maybelline Color Tattoo but has a couple of other products that are mentioned, including false lashes. I don't use false lashes but really liked how Holly easily showed off her application in her video that I've included below. I'm taking survey of what I'll need to add a little variance to my eyes.

Here's Holly's video.

Cheap Lysol No Touch and Airwick Refills

I was happy to receive my Lysol No Touch Hand System and refill package on Friday. So I decided to look around for cheap prices on refills. I was even happier to see that Amazon is currently offering 20% of select cleaning items and it includes the Lysol No Touch Kitchen System, Tangerine, 8.5 Ounce (berry also) priced at $11.99.  The sale also includes the Lysol No Touch Twin Refill Kitchen System, Tangerine, 17 Ounce in tangerine. The refills are listed at $7.00 but, if you sign up for subscribe and save, the price drops to $6.65, making the refill twin pack only $5.32 at 20% off.

The sale also includes the Air Wick Scented Oil Refill, Fresh Waters, 0.67 Ounce, 3 Count for $4.77 ($3.82 with the 20% off). With subscribe and save, the price drops to $4.53 or $3.62 with the 20% off. This offer is good until April 30.

Light and Fluffy 100% Wheat Bread

Wheat bread is something we absolutely have to have on hand in my home. We use it for sandwiches and at dinner. Three loaves will go easily in a setting so I try to make at least six loaves every other day (to avoid having to bake bread daily). Because whole wheat bread can yield a dense bread, homemade wheat bread is almost impossible to use for sandwiches because it's just too heavy to make a good sandwich. My hubby loves bread but the density of homemade whole wheat turns him completely off.

After much practice, trial and error, here is my recipe for a light whole wheat bread that is wonderful for sandwiches. This is a recipe for four extra large loaves but you can scale it down or make the large batch and freeze the loaves. This will likely make about eight or nine small loaves.

Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

6 c. very warm water

2/3 c. sugar or honey

2/3 c. coconut or extra virgin olive oil (Any other oil can be used these are the ones I use.)

3 T. dough enhancer

1/2 c. vital wheat gluten

2 T. sea salt

6 c. whole wheat flour (My favorite is Prairie Gold from Wheat Montana)

3 T. SAF Yeast (The best there is for a nice, quick fool proof rise!)

Instructions:

1.  Place all ingredients into your bowl or stand mixer.*

2.  Mix until all of your ingredients are blended together but not smooth.

3.  Let your mixture stand until bubbly. (This usually takes about 10 to 20 minutes.)

4.  Turn your mixer on 1 or low.

5.  Add more whole wheat flour one cup at a time until the dough begins to clean the sides of the bowl. This could mean adding an additional 12 cups of flour, depending on the type of flour you're using.

BE CAREFUL. If you don't watch it you can add too much flour and end up with a very heavy, unworkable dough. This will completely ruin your results. You want a dough that's slightly sticky.

6.  Once your dough has cleaned the sides of the mixer bowl, you want to increase the speed on your mixer to medium and begin your timer for a kneading time of 10 minutes. By now you should have a soft, pliable dough.

7.  Lightly oil your counter top or other clean surface along with your hands. 

8.  Remove your dough from the mixer and place on the counter.

9.  Cut your dough into three (or six) equal parts. When I first started this, I used a kitchen scale for this process.

10.  Oil your pans with butter or another oil.

11.  Take each piece of cut dough and press it down gently with the palm of your hands to let the air bubbles out. This is not to completely flatten it like cookie dough but to gently release air bubbles. Be careful not to turn this into further kneading by pressing too much. A three good pushes or so should do it.

12.  Gather each almost flattened piece and roll it from one end to the other as if you were rolling up a towel or a spiral pastry. Roll it tightly so that no additional air bubbles are let in.

13.  Turn your loaf over and pinch the bottom to close the seam.

14. Stick each loaf into your buttered pan and gently tuck each end under to form a loaf that has a high center, almost like a ball but more in an oval shape.

15. Mix together one egg and a tablespoon of water (if you wish). Beat and brush on top of each formed loaf.  This gives your loaf that glossy crust that you see in the pic.

16.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until you hear a hollow sound when you tap on the top of the loaf with a wooden spoon.

17. Take out your loaves and remove them immediately to a bread cloth or baking rack. Leaving them in the pan for more than 5 minutes will give you a soggy crust.

18. Brush with butter or olive oil. This softens the top and gives you more flavor.

19.  Let the loaves sit for about an hour to get a nice, sliceable loaf. If you don't wait, your bread with gum together. It'll taste good but will be dense.

20. Slice and Enjoy!

*Please note that a stand mixer is better for this many loaves at one time. This can be done by hand but will take a much longer (up to 30 minutes) kneading time and a bit more effort. I use my Bosch Mixer for my bread. It' has proven to be a much better mixer than Kitchen Aid (which I traded in for the Bosch) as it is a heavier duty machine with a much better warranty!