My Blog = My Life: 
Search results for All You Can Eat

The Round-up:

• Food - 3.5 out of 5
• Decor - 2.5 out of 5
• Service - 3 out of 5
• Total - 9 out of 15

Yesterday Iwoke up overwhelmed - never a good sign. My to-do list for the day was longer than my arm. I wanted to crawl back under the covers and hibernate until the middle of January until after the Christmas dust had settled.

The schedule for the day included attending our Ladies Christmas Tea at Church - something I look forward to every year. Something I was supposed to bring homemade goodies along to as a gift to our Senior members and shut-ins.

I hadn't baked anything.

Also on the list was finishing an article for Free Homeschool Deals, picking up a car-seat swing for our new church, buying a birthday present for my brother, baking cookies for two separate exchanges, tackling seven loads of laundry, and replying to an overflowing inbox... after homeschooling and taking care of supper.

I wanted to cry. I felt stressed and irritable. When I'm stressed and irritable, I get snappy. I've learned that snapping at my kids doesn't make them work any faster or harder; it drags them down and puts a wedge in our relationship. Ain't Momma happy, ain't nobody happy.

I didn't want my kids to have another day with a snappy Mom. They had too many of those already this month. Something had to give, and I decided it wasn't going to be them. They had given me plenty of grace lately, more than I was worthy of.

I cancelled everything.

I didn't go to the Ladies Tea. I emailed the hosts of the cookie exchanges I had committed to and apologized for over-committing myself; I just couldn't do it this year. I turned off the computer and refused to check my email until the kids were in bed. I closed the door to the laundry room and put the "out of sight, out of mind" rule to the test. Picking up the swing and buying the birthday present could wait until tomorrow.

I cleared the schedule. I had a day free of commitments; a day where I could enjoy my children all to myself and they could enjoy a happy Mommy whose focus was on them and not the things she had to prepare or the places she had to go.

I started the morning with devotions, something I had skipped for a few days because I was "too busy." Ironic and shameful isn't it? The Christmas Season was too busy for me to spend time with the Reason for the Season.

I found my place in 1 Corinthians.
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends... " 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
"Oh, Lord," I prayed, "please help me to love the precious souls you've entrusted into our care with that kind of love today."

I woke up the kids by whispering "Mommy loves you! We're going to have a super fun day today!" They opened their eyes immediately and smiled. "We are? What are we going to do? Are we going somewhere?" "Nope. We're just going to stay home all day. Mommy's going to play with you, and read books, and we're going to have lots of fun doing school!"

"Okay! I'm excited about that, Mommy!" I didn't rush them to get dressed or scarf down their breakfast. There was no reason to hurry. They were in the best of moods and I found myself enjoying their chatter. How had I let those adorable giggles get on my nerves?

They laughed when I told them they could do three jumping jacks for every flashcard they got correct. They got more right then the day before when I told them how many they were getting wrong.

We baked cookies, seven dozen of them. I put away my perfectionist tendencies and let the kids help me roll the dough balls. They weren't uniform in size like they are when I roll them. There were small cookies, and big cookies; cookies that looked like snakes, and cookies that looked liked they were rolled by a two-year-old. They looked better than they ever had. Tasted better too.

We read books on the couch, one child leaning on my right shoulder, one child leaning on my left shoulder, and a baby on my lap trying to eat the pages. "Can we read another one?" they asked. "We like it when you read us books!"

They felt satisfied by the undivided attention and went off to play. I started tackling the mountain of dirty dishes in the sink and had the counters sparkling by dinner. We enjoyed the Cream of Broccoli Soup that the kids helped me make.

Not everything was picture perfect about our day. The potty-training child had more than one accident, the baby was teething, I burned the last batch of cookies, and the living room was far from spotless by the time Brad came home from work. Many times I had to remind myself, "love is patient and kind... love endures all things... "

But our day was happy, peaceful, and far more productive than I had imagined it would be. I enjoyed my kids and they enjoyed their Mom.

Quite possibly, I disappointed more than one person by cancelling all my plans, but I didn't disappoint our kids. You can't please everyone all the time; sometimes you have to pick and choose who gets your attention and who is going to feel slighted even if slight is never intended.

I'm no expert (as evidenced by the circumstances that led up to this day), but if you have to choose between your children or another thing, or place that needs your attention, choose the souls that have been entrusted to your care. Cookie exchanges and Christmas Teas are lovely but happy, peaceful children in a happy, peaceful home with a happy, peaceful mother are even lovelier.

If the busyness of the Christmas Season has you wound up tighter than an eight-day clock, consider making the following changes:

• Just say "no." Practice with me, "Nooooooooo." That's it! You can also add "I've got too much on my plate right now," for clarification.
• Ask your husband. This advice comes from my friend Stephanie at Who Can Stand. She says, "Andrew never minds if I want to "blame" him for having to turn something down. We got this wonderful idea from Gord and Paula, and it seems men are less likely to care what others think than we are. So if it is easier to say, "Oh, I just can't take that on - my husband thinks I've got too much already," then check with Brad and see if you can 'blame' him too!"
• Spend time with the Christ of Christmas. You cannot survive without Him, but you can thrive within Him.
• Subscribe to Homeschooling Enrichment. Seriously. I love curling up with this extraordinary Christian homeschooling magazine for inspiration and vision at the end of long days. It ignites the fire when it's almost out, helps me re-focus, and keep my priorities aligned as they should be (You can read more about why I love it here, or purchase it for 58% OFF the cover price here).
• Clear your schedule. Wipe it clean. Commit to nothing but your kids. See if it's not the best day of the year, in their books and in yours.
• Determine not to yell at your children to obey. Otherwise, you are actually training them not to obey until you shout. Call and instruct them in your regular voice. Correct them calmly, firmly, and consistently until they respond promptly to your first call.
• Remember that a good education is life-integrated and not confined to a textbook. Make it fun! Reward correct answers with jumping jacks Count baking cookies as Home Ec. Sing carols around the neighborhood for Music. Read Luke 2 for Bible Time. Teach fractions with the clementines you're snacking on. Go tobogganing or skating for Phys Ed.
• Take a break. Who says you can't?
• Tell your kids you love them. It's hard to feel stressed or angry when you say those three uplifting words: "I love you."

Looking for more practical homeschool encouragement? Our new eBook, Homeschooling Day by Day is available for $2.00 until January 17! It's 40 chapters of realism, practical advice, and plenty of grace from homeschooling Moms on every stage of the journey. You can read the Table of Contents here.

Homeschooling Day By Day: $2.00 40 Chapters (with Discussion Questions)
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It's Sunday morning. The alarm clock didn't go off like it was supposed to. Rolling over in bed, you squint at the red digital numbers and start to panic. There's an hour before you need to leave for church. You bolt out of bed, rudely wake your sleeping husband and try to scare him into action by telling him the time. Jumping into the shower, you realise you forgot your change of clothes and holler at your drowsy hubs to bring them over. You skip shaving your legs and conditioning your hair, dry yourself off in a hurry, only to discover that you had forgotten to iron your Sunday blouse. Having just had a baby, this is the only one that fits and is convenient enough for breastfeeding. You sigh as you button it up, promising yourself you'll keep your coat on the whole church service and nobody will notice.

You throw your hair into a quick ponytail. No time for anything fancy today. Running downstairs, you wake up your toddler and are too frustrated to enjoy her chipper morning spirit as she chatters away while you change her diaper. You rummage through her clothes, only to discover that her Sunday dress is still in the laundry room, probably hidden under the rest of the unfolded clothes. A skirt and tights will have to do. The tights have a hole in the toe. Oh well, her shoes will cover it.

Racing upstairs, you plunk her in her seat at the table and dash off to wake the baby, hoping he'll be alert enough for a good feed by the time the rest of you are done breakfast. While changing his diaper and trying to decide what he should wear to church, he has an explosive bowel movement leaving you no choice but to give him a bath. While you frantically wash the poop out of his hair, your husband calls from the kitchen to let you know that the syrup bottle is empty. Cheerios for breakfast on a Sunday. Again.

Placing baby in his bouncy chair, you wolf down your Cheerios, bouncing baby's seat with one foot, and feeding your toddler, who is highly distracted by the shadows the sun is helping to make on the dining room wall, with your empty hand. As soon as you're done your cereal, you ask (tell) your husband to take over feeding your toddler while you nurse your wailing baby in the messy living room you were too tired to clean up the night before. Trying to be as holy as possible considering the time, the rest of family gathers in the living room for devotions, where you pick the shortest Psalm and mumble a 20-second prayer so you can say you've done your duty.

After cutting baby's nursing session short, you lay him down on the floor, throw on your new white coat, and buckle your newborn into his seat. You had forgotten to burp him and he hurls all over the front of your new coat. No time to change. You pass the infant seat to your husband to place in the car while you hunt for your toddler's missing shoe. Where did she put it?! Already running three minutes late on the week your husband needs to hand out bulletins, you decided it's okay if she wears her rubber boots to church just this once.

Finally, you're all in the car and you race off to church. As your toddler begs you to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle" for the hundredth time, you scream "Shut up! We're going to worship!" The gas light comes on. Hubby assures you that even though you might be running on fumes, you'll probably make it back. And if not all the way back, at least you'll be stranded on a major highway where lots of other church folk will be passing by and will surely stop to help. Just as you remember you left the tithing cheque and diaper bags in the front entrance, you see cherries flashing in the rear view mirror and hear a siren wailing in your ear. Busted.

Have you ever had a Sunday morning like this? We haven't had one quite that bad, but pretty close. Even though we need to leave by 8:45am to be at church in good time, I've found there are several things I can do to make it fairly relaxing and peaceful for everyone. A good morning starts the evening before. Here's some things I try to make a habit of doing so that Sundays truly are a day of rest and I'm not running around like chicken with my head cut off or barking out orders like a drill sargent:

Things to do Saturday morning:

• Decide what you'll be eating for each meal on Sunday. Make as much as you can ahead of time and slot in a trip to the grocery store if necessary.
• Check to make sure all the Sunday outfits are washed and ironed. A good way to avoid ironing, is to pull out your clothes from the dryer as soon as it finishes and hang them neatly in your closet.
• Make a trip to the gas station and top up the tank.

• Pack diaper bags. Include at least one extra outfit, three diapers, and wipes. Charity's bad also includes a cookie or two and a drink for in the baby-sit. Judah's bag is the bigger of the two as it also holds my nursing cover, extra nursing pads, a spit-up rag, and another shirt for me-just in case.
• Lay out each person's complete outfit in where they normally get dressed. For us this means a onesie, dress shirt, socks, pants, coat and hat on top of Judah's dresser; an undershirt, tights, a dress, shoes, and coat on Charity's; a suit, dress shirt and tie on the bathroom counter for Brad to change into after his shower; and my skirt, a button up blouse, camisole, and head covering beside my bed.
• Set the table for breakfast. If you're worried about flies pooping in your bowl or glass overnight, turn them upside down. We usually have waffles with Maple syrup, and orange juice on Sunday mornings which means three place settings including forks, knives, plates, and glasses. I also lay out Charity's bib and put two capsules of fenugreek next to my glass.
• Shower. I've realized I don't have to have a shower Sunday morning. It saves a lot of valuable time and is a great way to wind down by taking it Saturday evening before bed. After my shower, I usually lay out my earrings, and hair accessories on the bathroom counter so I don't have to hunt for them the next morning.
• Tidy the house. It's not the most wonderful thing to be doing on a Saturday night, but waking up to a tidy house is so much more relaxing for everyone! Set the timer for 10 minutes and you'll be surprised to how much you can accomplish. You'll be glad you picked up the toys even though you didn't feel like it.
• Put anything you can into the car. Diaper bags, purse, tithing cheque. The more that's already in the car, the less you'll forget. And you'll save yourself a bundle of time.
• Place all the footwear by the door. Make sure there's two of each. Unless of course, you happen to be missing a leg.

• This is the order that works best for us in this season of life: wake up, do my hair, get kids dressed and Charity's hair done while Brad showers, have breakfast, family devotions, nurse Judah while Brad clears the table and gets Charity's coat and shoes on, get myself dressed, put Judah's coat on, out the door.
• Get the kids dressed as soon as you take them out of bed. This saves having to go back into their rooms after having breakfast. If you're worried about them spilling on their clothes, invest in some good quality bibs and help the younger ones eat if necessary.
• If you're nursing, dress yourself after baby's done his feed, burped, and in his car seat to save having to put together another outfit. You can get dressed in 4 seconds flat. I've done it.
• Your husband wants to help. He might just need you to ask him what to do. Ask kindly and specifically instead of using body gestures and indirect commands. (i.e. Ask, "Honey, could you please put Charity's coat on?", instead of huffing loudly, "Charity's coat still needs to be put on and I've still got to get dressed, and I can't find Judah's soother!")
• Give your hubby a really good kiss on the way out the door. No matter how rushed the morning was, this will erase any memory of it. :-)

I'm joining Chari for her Sunday favorites.
This was a post from Feb 8th 2009.
My love for Louis Vuitton hasn't lessened one bit! But my buying of cases has certainly slowed down *winks* I hope you enjoy this encore.

Louis XV... Louis XVI... and of course Louis V!!... As in Vuitton of course!
As a lover of all things french and antique *winks* Louis Vuitton is a perfect fit for me!
Louis Vuitton was a hardworking thrifty young man from Anchay (a hamlet in the Jura, a region of mountains and forests) He left his home and job at his family's mill at the early age of 13.
In 1854 he opened his own trunk making business at 4 Rue Neuve-des-capucines near the Place Vendome. Louis claim to fame was in the creation of the flat topped trunk which made them easy to stack. Up until then, trunks had been dome topped and extremely heavy. Louis created his trunks using poplar (a much lighter wood) and enforced them with metal banding. Making them far superior in strength, and a much more luxurious way to travel.
He was a hit pretty much from the beginning. The empress Eugenie was his first royal customer and put him nicely on the map. Other wealthy people of the day followed suit and the rest as they say is history!
I have been a lover and collector of Vuitton for over 20 years. I must admit this is the least "affordable" of my collections, requiring lots of searching for items that I COULD afford. Nearly all of my LV was purchased on the secondary market, helping my pocketbook greatly! And lots of trading with friends helped a lot as well. And lucky me, my DH is nearly as vuitton crazy as I am! *winks* So he understands that sometimes in order to afford a new (old) piece, we might have to eat peanut butter and jelly sammies for a month... or ten lol!
The older trunks and traveling cases are really my passion! I can only dream of all the fabulous places they must have visited! And they work wonderfully *IMHO* as home decor... another real passion!
Here is a picture of the Eiffel tower recreated using Louis Vuitton trunks and cases.
I always dreamed of having enough pieces to do one of my own *winks*

This is my attempt so far. Maybe in another 20 years I'll have enough to finish it off!

I found this cool article in Traditional Home magazine featuring a designer in Arizona who has quite an extensive collection of LV and has used it beautifully in the decor of his amazing condo. Do you see the stack of suitcases tucked under his sofa table? Well I loved the look of this so much, I tried it in my own home. I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures. I don't have a scanner so they are just pictures of pictures *sighs*

Here's my interpretation found in my master bedroom. I hide all the wonderful cards and sweet little notes from my hubby in them *winks*

Back to the designers residence in Arizona. Here in his family room is a dream piece of mine. It's a LV suitcase that belonged to John F Kennedy. He's re purposed it as a coffee table. I'd be afraid to ever put anything on it!! But he seems to have no qualms whatsoever placing heavy objects on top. Which I must say, do look great! I love the pop of orange in his pillows also!

And here is a shot of part of his closet. Oh boy! If only my closet looked like this!! And all those orange hermes boxes add another wonderful pop of color!... *sigh* I can dream...

This room belongs to Tommy Hilfigger. Can you spot the louis ? He has some hermes going on here as well. See the cute little suitcase under Uncle Sam?

I used a beauty case on top of a buffet cabinet in my bedroom. Maybe not the best place for it but it'll do for now. Can you see it? Lol!

Here it is!

And here I've used some LV in hubby's office. The desk set was part of an exclusive from Neiman Marcus in the 80's. It's extremely rare, and finding as many pieces as I have has been a real adventure. Do you see the small waste basket at the end of my hubby's desk?

This one here! It's my "claim to fame" as they say in vuitton circles. This paper waste basket is the only one I or many of my fellow LV collectors have ever seen. Because of it's rarity I needed to take it to Louis Vuitton to have it authenticated. I tell ya it was the closest thing to a celebrity I've ever been! All the sales associates walked quickly away from their customers to converge on my waste basket!! I felt so sorry for everyone! Now I'm tellin ' ya LV sales associates can be notoriously snooty... and to have them gush all over a darn waste can??!! I'd a never thunk!! The manager even asked me if he could take some pictures of it!

Here is a shot to make any LV lovers heart go pitter pat! All those fabulous old trunks!! All the history!! All the MONEY!! YIKES!!! Do you see the trophy cups used for display in the center?

Well some of you might remember my "Craigslist do you love it?" post here where I found some old equestrian trophy/loving/cups? A few days ago I saw them listed again on craigslist, 5 for $50 and this time I jumped on them! Two of them are sterling! Here I was playing around in hubbys man cave *winks* and I created a tiny vignette (very tiny lol !) of the shot above. What do y'all think?

And if you are a serious lover of Vuitton you MUST have this book! Louis Vuitton The Birth Of Modern Luxury by Paul-Gerard Pasols It is the best ever! It tells the entire history of LV as well as showing incredible shots of extremely rare custom pieces...

Like this one! A custom traveling case in crocodile outfitted for all your perfumes colognes and beautifying essentials! *winks* I'll bet this one cost about half the price of an average house! But it certainly is wonderful!

And of course I love their handbags also!*winks* Here are most of mine displayed in one of my french armoires.

Well I hope you enjoyed my little tour de Vuitton. While they can be quite expensive, it's still possible to find them at antique stores, auctions and estate sales for fairly reasonable... and if you're really lucky, VERY reasonable prices, like the large trunk that I have featured in my Eiffel tower shot? Well my hubby (eagle eyed man that I love!) spotted it at a garage sale marked $60!! He asked if they could do a little better? And we took it home for $50!! I really had no idea what it was worth, and when I took a peek on ebay to see what it might possibly be worth? I nearly peed myself!!... Sorry to be crude... But I DID!! So if you're out there garage saleing keep your eyes and ears open... ya just never know!! *winks* Vanna

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll also stop by Chari's place and check out all the other Sunday Favorites.

Louis XV... Louis XVI... and of course Louis V!!... As in Vuitton of course! As a lover of all things french and antique *winks* Louis Vuitton is a perfect fit for me! Louis Vuitton was a hardworking thrifty young man from Anchay (a hamlet in the Jura, a region of mountains and forests) He left his home and job at his family's mill at the early age of 13. In 1854 he opened his own trunk making business at 4 Rue Neuve -des -capucines near the Place Vendome. Louis claim to fame was in the creation of the flat topped trunk which made them easy to stack. Up until then, trunks had been dome topped and extremely heavy. Louis created his trunks using poplar (a much lighter wood) and enforced them with metal banding. Making them far superior in strength, and a much more luxurious way to travel. He was a hit pretty much from the beginning. The empress Eugenie was his first royal customer and put him nicely on the map. Other wealthy people of the day followed suit and the rest as they say is history! I have been a lover and collector of Vuitton for over 20 years. I must admit this is the least "affordable" of my collections, requiring lots of searching for items that I COULD afford. Nearly all of my LV was purchased on the secondary market, helping my pocketbook greatly! And lots of trading with friends helped a lot as well. And lucky me, my DH is nearly as vuitton crazy as I am! *winks* So he understands that sometimes in order to afford a new (old) piece, we might have to eat peanut butter and jelly sammies for a month... or ten lol ! The older trunks and traveling cases are really my passion! I can only dream of all the fabulous places they must have visited! And they work wonderfully *IMHO* as home decor... another real passion! Here is a picture of the Eiffel tower recreated using Louis Vuitton trunks and cases. I always dreamed of having enough pieces to do one of my own *winks*

This is my attempt so far. Maybe in another 20 years I'll have enough to finish it off!

I found this cool article in Traditional Home magazine featuring a designer in Arizona who has quite an extensive collection of LV and has used it beautifully in the decor of his amazing condo. Do you see the stack of suitcases tucked under his sofa table? Well I loved the look of this so much, I tried it in my own home. I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures. I don't have a scanner so they are just pictures of pictures *sighs*

Here's my interpretation found in my master bedroom. I hide all the wonderful cards and sweet little notes from my hubby in them *winks*

Back to the designers residence in Arizona. Here in his family room is a dream piece of mine. It's a LV suitcase that belonged to John F Kennedy. He's re purposed it as a coffee table. I'd be afraid to ever put anything on it!! But he seems to have no qualms whatsoever placing heavy objects on top. Which I must say, do look great! I love the pop of orange in his pillows also!

And here is a shot of part of his closet. Oh boy! If only my closet looked like this!! And all those orange hermes boxes add another wonderful pop of color!... *sigh* I can dream...

This room belongs to Tommy Hilfigger. Can you spot the louis ? He has some hermes going on here as well. See the cute little suitcase under Uncle Sam?

I used a beauty case on top of a china cabinet in my bedroom. Maybe not the best place for it but it'll do for now. Can you see it? Lol !

Here it is!!

And here I've used some LV in hubby's office. The desk set was part of an exclusive from Neiman Marcus in the 80's. It's extremely rare, and finding as many pieces as I have has been a real adventure. Do you see the small waste basket at the end of my hubby's desk?

This one here! It's my "claim to fame" as they say in vuitton circles. This paper waste basket is the only one I or many of my fellow LV collectors have ever seen. Because of it's rarity I needed to take it to Louis Vuitton to have it authenticated. I tell ya it was the closest thing to a celebrity I've ever been! All the sales associates walked quickly away from their customers to converge on my waste basket!! I felt so sorry for everyone! Now I'm tellin ' ya LV sales associates can be notoriously snooty... and to have them gush all over a darn waste can??!! I'd a never thunk!! The manager even asked me if he could take some pictures of it!

Here is a shot to make any LV lovers heart go pitter pat! All those fabulous old trunks!! All the history!! All the MONEY!! YIKES!!! Do you see the trophy cups used for display in the center?

Well some of you might remember my "Craigslist do you love it?" post here where I found some old equestrian trophy/loving/cups? A few days ago I saw them listed again on craigslist, 5 for $50 and this time I jumped on them! Two of them are sterling! Here I was playing around in hubbys man cave *winks* and I created a tiny vignette (very tiny lol !) of the shot above. What do y'all think?

And if you are a serious lover of Vuitton you MUST have this book! Louis Vuitton The Birth Of Modern Luxury by Paul-Gerard Pasols It is the best ever! It tells the entire history of LV as well as showing incredible shots of extremely rare custom pieces...

Like this one! A custom traveling case in crocodile outfitted for all your perfumes colognes and beautifying essentials! *winks* I'll bet this one cost about half the price of an average house! But it certainly is wonderful!

And of course I love their handbags also!*winks* Here are most of mine displayed in one of my french armoires.

Well I hope you enjoyed my little tour de Vuitton. While they can be quite expensive, it's still possible to find them at antique stores, auctions and estate sales for fairly reasonable... and if you're really lucky, VERY reasonable prices, like the large trunk that I have featured in my Eiffel tower shot? Well my hubby (eagle eyed man that I love!) spotted it at a garage sale marked $60!! He asked if they could do a little better? And we took it home for $50!! I really had no idea what it was worth, and when I took a peek on ebay to see what it might possibly be worth? I nearly peed myself!!... Sorry to be crude... But I DID!! So if you're out there garage saleing keep your eyes and ears open... ya just never know!! *winks* Vanna

Like many of you, we are a single-income, larger-than-average, (1.8 or more children), homeschooling family.

And both my husband and I come from a rich, Dutch heritage.

In other words, whether or not we need to be, we enjoy frugal living. I'm also a lover of nutritious, from-scratch, whole-food cooking. Overtime, we've found that you can have one and the other! Here's how we can enjoy a mainlywhole-food diet on a budget (we still eat take-out more often than I'd like to admit!).

Cheap foods that are good for you

1. Whole grains. Oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa are cheap! For ultimate nutritional value, choose any of these grains and soak them for a hearty breakfast that'll keep you energized all morning.

For a fabulously healthy, gluten-free, blueberry-muffin smelling breakfast, pour 1 cup of steel-cut oats, brown rice, OR quinoa in a crock-pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of almond milk, 1 1/2 cups water, 1-2 Tbsp of ground flax seed, 2-3 Tbsp butter or coconut oil, 1 cup fresh blueberries, cinnamon, sea salt, and sweetener (honey, maple syrup, stevia, or brown sugar) to taste. Stir. Cook on low overnight. Alternately, try using diced apple and a handful of walnut in place of blueberries.
2. Beans and legumes. Beans are one of the cheapest proteins available and can be used to replace meat in a meal. Given a good, over-night soak in purified water, they are a highly digestible form of fiber, complex carbohydrates, iron, and folate - ideal if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.

Our favorite way to enjoy beans are in chili, taco salad, and brownies (there's a Special Agent Brownie recipe in Trim Healthy Mama that's absolutely fabulous!).

3. Eggs. Eggs are one of the very few complete proteins available to us (they contain all 9 essential amino acids), contain only 70 calories, and are chock full of nutrition. Besides being excellent sources of protein and good cholesterol, they also contain iron, vitamins A, D, E, and B12, folate, selenium, and lutein.

Eggs can be cooked quickly in a variety of ways (hard or soft-boiled, fried, poached, scrambled) and provide great structure and texture when added to baked goods.

We enjoy them on their own and in omelettes, crepes, breakfasts bakes, and pizza crust.

Foods worth paying more for

No matter how tight our budget, there are certain foods I don't cheap out on as we feel the extra dollars are insignificant compared to the health benefits. We'd rather "pay the farmer than the pharmacy," as the saying goes.

1. Oil. It's a safe bet that anything you can get in a big plastic jug for $4 is not good for you. Vegetable oils and margarine derived from cheaply grown or genetically modified plants like sunflower, corn, soybean, canola, safflower have little nutrition to begin with and are chemically altered and deodorized in order to make them palatable. Our bodies were not meant to consume them.

Opt instead for healthy saturated fats that are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. These include butter (preferably organic), coconut, olive, and red palm oil.
2. Fresh, local, organic produce. We can't afford to purchase all of our produce this way, but we try our best to grow or purchase the infamous "Dirty Dozen" organically as these fruits and vegetables contain the highest pesticide residue otherwise:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Celery
• Peppers
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Pears
• Cherries
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes
• Grapes

• onions
• avocado
• sweet corn
• pineapples
• mango
• asparagus
• bananas
• cabbage
• broccoli
• papaya
• kiwi

Instead, we use coconut or almond milk. They contain high levels of vitamins A & D and are lactose free. They cost slightly more than pasteurized, hormone enhanced cow's milk, but since we rarely use it for more than our morning smoothie, we don't notice a difference in our grocery bill.

As our budget allows, we try to purchase higher quality dairy products like kefir, greek yogurt, cream and cottage cheese.
4. Meat. Cheaper cuts of meat are usually that way because they come from animals that are pumped full of genetically modified grain products, growth hormones, and antibiotics - the sole purpose of which is to fatten an animal up as quickly as possible for slaughter. Food Inc. is a fascinating documentary that explains how the food industry is making us sicker, fatter, and poorer through this process.

Although more expensive, grass-fed, locally raised, organic beef and chicken is a far more nutritious alternative and of much less consequence to your health.
5. Sweeteners. Sugar is cheap, appeals to our pallet, and is easy to come by. Consequently, diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart failure, and a host of other health concerns are also the norm. We stay away from refined sugar as much as possible and use raw honey, pure maple syrup, and stevia instead.

While they should still be used in small quantities, these sweeteners contain healthy enzymes and minerals which are difficult to get from other foods. They also have a healthier Glycemic Index which means they don't mess with your blood sugar levels in the same way refined sugar does.

Where to get healthy food for less

1. Garden. Anyone can grow their own produce, even a little bit. Be it a pot on the balcony of your apartment or a 3 acre market garden, all you need is some seed, soil, water, and sun and you're in business.

We put in a large raise bed last year for free - my husband made a tarp in exchange for a truckload of triple-mix and I used the gift cards I got for my birthday to purchase our seeds and plants.
2. Farmer's Market. Farmer's markets are great places to find local, seasonal produce, cure meats, eggs, honey and maple syrup at a fraction of the price you find in the store. Plus, farmers generally care about individual relationships with their customers and often offer a faithful buyer further discounts and "throw in a little extra."
3. Local Farmer. In the fall, we often purchase 1/4-1/2 a cow from a Christian farmer who grows his beef organically. We get to choose how we'd like it butchered and our freezer is well stocked for several months. We estimate purchasing our meat this way saves us 30% of the store price.

If we had the space for it, we'd love to keep our own chickens. We go through plenty of eggs around here! Thankfully, they are cheap to come by! We buy them from Brad's co-worker whose family keeps organically raised laying hens as a sideline business.

In the summer, we pick our own berries, freeze most of them, and turn some into sauce or jam. A relative of ours keeps a bountiful raspberry patch where we can come and go as we please.

It didn't work out last year because of pregnancy complications, but this summer, my mom, sisters, and I plan on putting up other produce from local farms that we don't grow ourselves: peaches, pears, carrots, pickles, etc.

4. Bulk Stores. I buy most of our grain from The Bulk Barn. We often receive coupons for $3.00 off a purchase of $10.00 or more (which I can easily spend in one visit!). I blend whole kernels with my Wondermill and the stuff I purchase pre-ground (flax), I purchase in small quantities as it goes rancid quickly. I purchase my organice herbs, teas, sea salt, and spices from The Bulk Herb Store.

I also purchase soap and other dried goods here like coconut, almonds, walnuts, and cranberries.
5. Grocery Store. You can save money at the grocery store by using coupons, ad-matching, checking the clearance shelf, and purchasing store-brand non-perishables like brown rice and tomato paste.

The clearance shelf where everything is ripe and ready, is a wonderful place to get greatly discounted produce. If you have a juicer, freeze your juice into Popsicles for a healthy summer treat or into ice cubes for slushies. Peppers and onions can be cut up and bagged for pizza toppings, apples turned into sauce, and mushrooms sauteed in butter for a fine steak topping.
6. Online. I must admit to rarely purchasing groceries online. I prefer to see the product myself. The exception to this is the extra virgin coconut oil I get from Tropical Traditions. The quality is truly remarkable. We use it a lot, especially in desserts like Chunky Cream Pops, Skinny Chocolate, and Peppermint Patties. I'm thankful it regularly goes on sale for 40-50% off.

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. I humbly thank you for your support! Linking to: Mind Body Sole, Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Frugally Sustainable, Natural Living Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies, Homestead Barn Hop, The Better Mom,

Dear Brad,
I can hardly believe it has been five years since you slipped a ring on my finger and I slipped one on yours.

Five years since we promised to love and cherish each other as husband and wife until death separates us.

Five years since I was sure I had just lived the best day of my life.

But five years later, I know it was just the beginning of a love story that only gets better with time.

We added the roles of "father and mother" to "husband and wife" eleven months after saying "I do." You said you were nervous about holding a baby since you had little to no experience with newborns. But as soon as Charity Sofia entered the world at home in our bedroom, you embraced her like it was the most natural thing in the world. You were born to be a Dad.

19 months later, God gave us Judah Paul. I'm so glad you have a son. There's just something about watching you with our boy that takes my breath away. He is your shadow, your copy-cat, your biggest fan. The way he claps his chubby hands together and jumps up and down, races to find his shoes, and grins from ear to ear when I say, "We're going to see Daddy at work!" tells me you're his hero. I hope he grows up to be just like you and treats his future bride just like you treat me.

One year later, our third child was born to Heaven at 11 weeks gestation, shortly after we had excitedly announced to everyone that we were expecting again. By God's grace, we made it through that physically and emotionally painful week in the hospital. You knew Jesus could comfort me in a way that you couldn't so we cried over His Word together when I didn't have the courage to read it myself. I can't wait until we can see our Baby together for the first time when the Lord calls us to trade this life for the next.

Half a year later, we found ourselves expecting again but our joy quickly turned to sadness when we rushed to the hospital, convinced I was miscarrying again at 9 weeks. "I see a heart-beat!" Those words of life and hope would be repeated to us dozens of times by an ultrasound technician throughout the rocky pregnancy that included 20 weeks of bed-rest and moving in with your parents. At 34 weeks, I went into labor and our dear Anna Grace was born healthy and strong at 5 pounds, 2 ounces! We had been the objects of God's undeserved mercy and grace and were absolutely overwhelmed with joy by our precious miracle.

Our lives are busy and our days are full, but somehow you always manage to make me feel like the center of your world. Every day, in a thousand ways, you tell me how much you love me and though I often take it for granted, I couldn't imagine life without your sweet gestures and affection:

... "I love you," whispered in my ear each morning before you head to work,

... washing dishes in the evening together and putting off getting our dishwasher fixed because we enjoy the bonding time too much,

... curling up to you after the kids are in bed and hearing your deep voice read out loud to me,

... watching the kids shriek with delight when you run around the house with them on your shoulders,

... kisses planted on my cheek in the kitchen when you set your lunch box on the counter,

... witnessing the births of our children, and rejoicing over the blessings that God has entrusted into our care,

... driving into town when I'm pregnant to pick up a specific flavor of pizza from a specific franchise because it's the only thing I crave even though it's full of gluten and you won't be able to eat a slice yourself,

... coming home with my favorite coffee when you've "just gone to get gas,"

... forgetting and forgiving all the times I'm grumpy, whiny, and discontent,

... giving 110% at work all day and coming home to lovingly greet your wife and patiently listen to three excited children who have a hundred and one things they want to tell you as soon as you step inside the door,

... even though I find mowing the lawn therapeutic, you always beat me to it because you're a true gentleman. Same goes for shoveling the driveway, taking out the garbage, and emptying the compost,

... praying with and for me, leading family worship, long talks involving our deep, mutual interests: homeschooling, politics, entrepreneurship, and economics,

... you excel where I shy away, especially in positions that require leadership and efficiency,

... how you always call and ask, "Can I bring supper home?" exactly when I'm feeling overwhelmed and way behind on everything,

... how you send me an email every day from work asking how my day's going and and never forgetting to end it with: "Love you!"

... how you pat your stomach after dinner and say, "Honey, that was a meal fit for a king," even if it was one of my experiments gone wrong,

... I love how I fit perfectly inside your embrace when you wrap your arms around me and say, "Let's just hug for a few minutes," while I'm cooking dinner...

... the interest you take in this little blogging hobby of mine and how you happily take the time to edit my posts and compile my eBooks even though you could be doing so many other things,

... the way you put your family first, the way you mean what you say and say what you mean, the way you have never once raised your voice at me in anger, the way you make us feel safe, secure, cherished, and treasured.

How does that saying go?

You're the peanut to my butter, water to my ocean, glaze on my doughnut, spring in my step, twinkle in my eye, blue in my sky, cherry to my sundae, flip to my flop, milk to my cookie, sweet in my dreams, beat of my heart, cheese to my macaroni, best to my friend, love of my life.

Sweetheart, if the Lord tarries, I hope to spend dozens and dozens and dozens of half-decades with you. Each day, I'm more in love with you than the last and these past five years have been the best ones of my life. I would say "I do" all over again in a heartbeat.

5 years ago, I had no idea marriage could be this glorious... I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us for the rest of together.

I love you.

Your wifey,

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Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family, Moms The Word, Hip Homeschool Moms, Trivium Tuesdays

In Part 3 of this series, I emphasized the importance of keeping our priorities aligned as God desires (God, Spouse, Children, House) and listed 15 Good Things I DON'T Do so I can give them adequate attention.

You cannot schedule long, lingering hugs with your husband, heart-to-heart's with your children, or circumstances that bring you to your knees and compel you to worship your Creator; but you can learn how to manage your secondary duties efficiently. This does three things:

1. It affords you more time to invest in the souls entrusted to your care.
2. It keeps your home "company-ready," and open for hospitality, whereby some have entertained angels, unaware. (Hebrews 13:2)
3. It teaches your daughters, by your own example, how to care for their own homes one day.

There are thousands of books available to help learn how to organize your home (I'll list my favorites at the end of this post), so I'll keep it short and simply list a few small, but meaningful things that have been a great asset in helping me manage our own home:

Meals for the freezer. 1. Double up when you cook or bake. Get into the habit of cooking extra so you have one meal for dinner and one to put in the freezer or give away. It takes almost no extra time or energy to double (or triple) a recipe and having a healthy "heat-and-serve" meal available on busy days is a great stress reliever! Some of our favorite things to freeze are soups, chili, casseroles, muffins, cookies, and brownies.

Making granola and sweet potato fries in the kitchen while the kids do school at the table. 2. Make supper at breakfast. I try to make my meals in the morning, or at least get some of the prep work done while the kids are doing their independent work at the kitchen table. That way, if school takes longer than normal or we have swimming lessons in the afternoon, 5 o'clock isn't as rushed as it could be.

3. Learn to use the kitchen wonder-tool: your crock-pot! You don't even need to use a recipe. Throw in a frozen cut of meat, a few vegetables and some spices in the morning, cover and set to 'Low,' and you'll have a tender, flavorful meal ready by dinner.

Our "school" cabinet across from the kitchen. The small drawers contain our pencils, markers, crayons, glue sticks, erasers, etc., and the four larger drawers contain our workbooks (one for each child, and one for Mommy). 4. Manage your space efficiently. Don't make yourself walk across the kitchen to retrieve the pepper grinder while you're simmering soup. Keep your baking essentials in a cupboard above the area where your blender is stored; your plates and silverware in closest proximity to your table (or dishwasher, if you have one); the schoolbooks on a shelf or drawer near to where you normally do your lessons (for us, that's the kitchen); the toys where the children play.

An uncluttered house is easier to clean up! 5. Clear the clutter. Get rid of the stuff you wouldn't know was missing if it suddenly disappeared. Donate, re-gift, recycle, or throw out. You'll spend less time trying to organize and clean what you don't need and your home will feel bigger and brighter. Cleaning up their toys will also be less daunting for your children when they have fewer of them to put away (you can read more about the toy storage system for our small house here).

A typical wash day: Charity (4) helps me fold (she's better than I am!), Judah (2) mountain climbs the unfolded pile, and Anna (7 months) watches us for entertainment. 6. Devote specific days to specific tasks. This is not a new idea. For Ma Ingalls and other pioneer women, each day had its own chore:
Wash on Monday. Iron on Tuesday, Mend on Wednesday, Churn on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday, Rest on Sunday. Nowadays, with machines that speed up a great deal of these things and imported products that are cheaper to buy than make, my list looks a little different but the principle is the same. In addition to homeschooling everyday, I typically do laundry on Monday, groceries on Tuesdays, freezer cooking and baking on Wednesdays, swimming lessons and the bulk of my writing/blog business on Thursdays, housework on Fridays, outside work on Saturdays, rest on Sundays.

7. Multitask. I make dinner while the kids are doing their schoolwork at the kitchen table, check my emails or read aloud when I'm nursing, dust when I have a phone call to make, and review memory work while we're folding laundry.

What I aim to have our kitchen look like before going to bed at night. 8. Clean up the night before. I'm much more excited and motivated to start my day when I wake up to a clean kitchen and a tidy house. Every evening after supper, Brad and I wash and dry the dishes while the kids clean up their toys. They are rewarded with a bedtime story if they get the living room (also our play area) neatly organized before we're finished.

9. Ensure you're are being spiritually fed. You can read the scriptures out loud to your children while you are nursing, sing Psalms at the kitchen sink with your two-year-old, or pray while you're driving. I keep my Bible on my nightstand so it's the first thing I see every morning before starting my day.
"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:29-31

When I remember to wear one, a pretty apron makes me feel like a real homemaker! My favorite ones come from Flirty Aprons. 10. Dress for the job. There's a reason the corporate world abides by a professional dress code. Dressing for success often leads to success. Your clothes make a strong visual statement about how you view your job. Comfort aids productivity and your personal, creative, feminine style tells the world your role is freeing, not stifling. Decide what you're going to wear the night before and put it next to your bed. Commit to not leaving the bedroom until you're dressed!

If you struggle with the temptation to stay in your robe like I do, I highly recommend reading Frumps to Pumps: Your 1-Month Motivotional to Getting Dressed and Staying That Way by Sarah Mae.

11. Take care of yourself physically. Eat healthy, take your vitamins, get fresh air, shower, go to bed on time, and adopt an attitude of joy that will energize you for the tasks at hand.

My very simple meal plan on a magnetic menu pad I found at Wal-Mart. 12. Meal plan. I'm not a rigid meal-planner, but I like to have a week's worth of dinners written down so I have a general idea of what I can prepare in the morning. It also saves me time and money at the grocery store.

13. Unplug. Turn off your distractions. Consider getting rid of the TV if it keeps you from going to bed on time and get an emergency only plan for your cell phone. Unplug the computer if you won't be needing it for several hours and keep it in an inconvenient location so it's a pain to check Facebook when you're supposed to be homeschooling.

Before and after the kids have cleaned up the living room/play area. 14. Involve the whole family. Managing a home doesn't mean you have to do all the work; it means you are responsible for seeing that the work gets done. Don't assume your children are going to learn how to run a home by osmosis. Let them take responsibility by giving them their own chores, and in the process of teaching them life skills, you will find more time to engage in fun, memorable family activities like hiking, tobogganing, or traveling together.

15. Stay home. Novel concept, isn't it? If too many trips out are keeping you from fulfilling your duties at home, it's time to cut back. I try to set aside one morning a week to do all of my grocery shopping and limit our extra-curricular activities. Currently, we're involved in swimming lessons and leave one other afternoon open for visits to the library, a friend's house, or a field trip. I don't go to Ladies Bible Study at Church and rarely go shopping "just for the fun of it."

My to-do list, decorated by someone who found a pen. 16. Make lists. Remember all of those careers being a homemaker encompasses? Making bite-size lists can do wonders when you're feeling overwhelmed. You can see exactly what needs to be done and get the satisfaction of crossing off a task when it has been completed.
17. Just do the next thing. When your kitchen sink is overflowing with dirty dishes, the floor is sticky, and dinner still needs to be made, just do the next thing. Don't look over your whole list or get side-tracked by thirteen other things that are calling for your attention. Just pick up the dish-brush, fill your sink with hot, soapy water, and do the next thing.

18. Accept help when it is offered and ask for it when it's not. Accepting help is not a sign of weakness or failure; it means you're a human who understands that no one can do it all. Asking for help humbles a person and opens their eyes to the community of believers that God has arranged to encourage and support each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11-13).

If you could recommend one life-altering home management tip, what would it be?

Recommended Resources
These are affiliate links for books I love, which means I make a small commission if you choose to purchase through them, but please don't feel obligated to do so!

• Large Family Logistics by Kim Breneman
• More Hours In My Day by Emilie Barnes
• Saving Dinner Basics by Leanne Ely
• Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley (The FlyLady)
• The Christian Homemaker's Handbook by Pat Ennis
• The Family Manager Takes Charge by Kathy Peel
• The House That Cleans Itself by Mindy Starns Clark

Part 1: Keeping A Growing Home | A Management Series for Moms Part 2: Keeping A Growing Home | Know Your Role! Part 3: Keeping A Growing Home | Making Priorities & 15 Good Things I Don't Do Part 4: Keeping A Growing Home | Time-Saving Home Management Tips Part 5: Keeping A Growing Home | My Daily Schedule

If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or have them emailed directly to your inbox.
Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family,

I have a secret...

And it's a dirty little one...

I have been living in shame for some time with something I dared not mention...

For fear of being shunned and the subsequent social isolation...

But it's time to come out of the closet with my pain...

Please don't judge me too harshly...

I really need your support in this desperately embarrassing time...

I... have lived with... *gulps* Please be gentle...

Carpet in the BATHROOM!!

There I said it...

And not for a short time either... I'm sorry to say. Yes I've been living with the dreaded toilet rug *shudders* At least it's just my "crap"... pun intended.

Please don't think I'm trying to make light of people who are really suffering. Prayers being sent to all those in real need. I'm very very blessed to have a roof over my head and enough (Way too much) food to eat... and I know it...
And this bathroom in question is all my own so I'm the only one who had to know...
But whenever people come over and ask for the house tour I DE-tour them away from my bathroom.
Only a man who had never cleaned a toilet in his life would put CARPET in a dang bathroom! What was he thinkin'??!!

Well I've had a few bloggers ask me if I was ever going to put up any pictures of my bathroom? (You know who you are)
So now I have... Don't say I didn't warn ya!

If you are living in bathroom carpet shame (Or ever have) please let me know I am not alone.

So the little thing that I've been working on for the last couple of weeks was my mini bathroom remodel... I know it was way beyond high time!

After all this waiting I hope you weren't expecting something fabulous?
Sorry it's pretty minimal. And when it comes to DIY? It's DN'T for me as in DON'T! There isn't any granite or inlaid marble or pretty much anything that costs much of anything. In fact the whole shebang was under $200... But the carpet is GONE!! Oh HAPPY DAY!!! Thank you Jesus!! God bless sub floor!! Because even that was an improvement! *winks* I just shopped around my house for little this's and thats so you'll recognize quite a few of my recent flea market finds.

I re-purposed this little guy from my Living room. He's parked on the reproduction Victorian fern stand I found for $9.99 at the Value Village.

Are you ready for the befores?
I'm cringing as I write this...
I think our builder must have gotten the "super deal" on a gazillion yards of beige carpet.
I suppose I should be happy it's not in the kitchen...

Builders grade and blah...

In process...

And here is the AFTER... Sorry you're going to see lots of shots of this chair because this room isn't very big and I LOVE this chair!! *winks* The floor is done in Traffic Master Allure flooring from the Home Depot in Country Pine. It's vinyl flooring that has a 25 year warranty and is totally waterproof AND REALLY AFFORDABLE!!... But the best part of all is that even I could put in this floor (And I did) This is THE easiest floor to put down in the history of the world!..OK I do tend to exaggerate, but it was really simple and foolproof! It's so soooo much better in here!

Then I Annie Sloan'd the joint in old white. I couldn't just start my first AS project small and easy... Oh NO! I went the BIG kahuna! Lol! I'm still working with it.. and it's still a work in progress. I'm waiting for new faucets to arrive. They sent me high pro glow silver ones instead of bronze. So I'm stuck with the Miami Vice (Deco wannabes) for the short term. I'll share my new ones as soon as they're in. Sorry about the dark pics. It's raining again here in the Pacific Northwest... That never happens... says no one who's lived here EVER!

We didn't want to put major money (Or any actually truth be told, just sayin') into this remodel because this house is destined to be a rental in the next couple of years. So simple clean and user friendly was the ticket.

This French chair is one of my favorites despite it not being terribly special and the silk is rotting and falling off... The arm rests are gone. I still love it! It's truly shabby chic! *winks* I'm just glad this bathroom is actually big enough for a chair...

Much better... but it still really needed some drama and a "wow" factor... Sooooo I purchased two of the most beautiful shower curtains EVER from the Victorian Trading Co. HERE And I asked my sweet Mother in law if she would sew the two panels together top to bottom? I thought this would be a nice simple task... Alas it was not! My poor MIL worked on them for two days! And she's a very talented seamstress! She's also a perfectionist and the grommets at the top of one curtain had to be eliminated. Not simple at all as it turns out... However she did a beautiful job!

So now I had my gorgeous 12' shower curtain drape and I was all ready to attach it to the ceiling. (Cuz I'm a blonde) I didn't even think about the issue with the varied ceiling height. Or the fact that the ceiling is 14' high and the shower curtain 12'... Sometimes I really wonder about myself *sighs* How to put the curtain up and keep the ruffle lines straight and have a nice little drop on the floor? The hubster pondered a few minutes and then went out to the garage and found some chain, hung it at varying heights and VOILA! Now my curtain droops and drapes just right!

This shot is to give you an indication of the ceiling height. This bathroom may not be very big but it does have a lot of vertical space.

The chain gang solution *winks*

I found a home for one of my large plaster urns ($15) Still doing the happy dance over these babies!

On top of this towel cupboard

I moved this pretty portrait from the gym to here in the bathroom.

My little bombe cabinet is looking so much prettier now!

I found this architectural piece on ebay for $28 with shipping and I mitered and painted it to create this window valance. The Austrian drapes were $4.99 for three and the Austrian valance was $2.99 at the Value Village. The lidded blue urns are Dresden. The ribbon barometer is antique and German. The candle chandelier was $75 at a local auction.

This cute little chubby cherub made of marble dust was a find at a local antique store. And if there's a cherub in sight I'll put a crown on it!... Actually pretty much anything that stands still! Lol!

The two gold framed prints came from the Goodwill for $3.99 each. The sconces were an ebay find from years ago. They actually have holes for crystals, but when I added them it was just too much... You'll probably never hear those words from me again!

A close up on one of the Dresden urns with hand painted courting couples.

The water closet has a matching sconce to the one over the tub. The nekkid lady with cherubs print was a find from an antique show years ago.

Maidens and cherubs get me every time!

I put this plateau mirror in here from the bedroom to hold my perfume bottles.

And that's all for the bathroom tour!... Are you still speaking to me after my revelation? What took so long you might be asking?... I don't know. I really wish I had done all this years ago, and more recently the toilet broke when my hubbs was tightening it down so I had to wait for a new bowl... The (aforementioned) faucets came in the wrong finish. The shower curtain took longer than expected. The cabinets needed (and still do) what seemed like a bazillion coats of paint... But all said, I like it all so much better! It's starting to feel like my own little escape from the world *winks*
So if you'll just follow me out through the bedroom I'll make us a nice hot cuppa in the kitchen (No carpet there ever I promise *winks*)... I've got freshly baked banana bread too... (Whole wheat with egg beaters so you can indulge in an extra piece *winks*) and you can tell me what you think? And what you would change?

I hope you'll stop by next week for more flew market finds. I LOVE to hear from you!
I'm joining Sherry at No Minimalist Here for:

Patti and Paula at Elephants & Ivy for:

Debra at Common Ground for:

Courtney at French Country Cottage for:

And Cindy of My Romantic Home for:

The Round-up:

• Food - 4 out of 5
• Service - 3.5 out of 5
• Decor - 3.5 out of 5
• Total - 11 out of 15

1946 Hamilton Street, Regina, SK
306-352-8424

_______________________________________

When I first heard there was a Thai restaurant on Hamilton Street downtown, I have to admit I was a little skeptical.

I pictured a little hole-in-the-wall place that would see a lot of foot traffic during the day (but few actual customers) and almost no one at night (when Regina's downtown transforms into a semi-deserted ghost town).

Boy, was I wrong.

First of all, Hamilton Street is undergoing a huge makeover. Over the last couple of years, new shops and eateries are popping up and filling in the holes left by vacant storefronts. There are still a few gaps, but given time they'll fill in too.

Second of all, Regina's downtown office crowd loves the place. Pay a visit almost any weekday at lunch and you'll be lucky to get a table if you're not there right at noon.

If you're new to Thai food, Siam's lunch buffet is an excellent place to start. There's always a good selection of meat, vegetable, and noodle dishes (Pad Thai is a sure bet), along with a couple of appetizer and dessert items.

Best of all, you can be in and out of the place with a full belly in 30 minutes or less. And get this, the grand total for the lunch buffet comes to less than $10 per person, tax included. I know, shocking.

Hold on now, before you drop the laptop and run down to Hamilton Street I need to talk more about the food.

On a recent Saturday morning, a group of us paid a visit to Siam for a not-so-traditional brunch (there's no buffet on Saturdays, FYI). We got off to a rocky start when we showed up at 11 a.m. (opening time) and the doors were still locked for another 15 minutes.

This didn't sit well with me -- unlike my usual Saturday morning of sleep and relaxation, I'd already done two loads of laundry, shopped for groceries, and ran a couple of other errands. I was hung-ree.

Once we were seated, things went more smoothly. Our gracious waiter was patient with us as we waited for others to arrive and took our time figuring out what to eat.

We ordered a ton of food, by the way. Siam makes this relatively easy by including pictures in the menu and on nifty digital photo frames hung on the walls next to tables.

These are my top three picks, for the first-timer:

- Appetizer: Mieng Kham (Leaf Wraps): This dish is a pleasure to behold and to eat. Crispy fresh coconut, fresh ginger, red onion, Thai chili, lime, cashews, and plum sugar sauce, served on top of bok choy leaves that you roll up yourself, then pop in your mouth.

- Entrees: Larb Moo: This item technically falls under the Salad category on the menu, but its size and filling portion makes it more like a meal. Spicy ground pork is mixed with roasted rice, red onions, green onions, cilantro, and lime juice. It's got some heat but not so much as to scare the beginner away.

Pad Thai: You haven't truly lived until you've had this Thai classic. A bed of warm rice noodles is covered in fried tofu, bean sprouts, and shrimp, then layered with sauce. Practically everyone likes Pad Thai. If you're completely unsure of what to order, start here.

On the whole, Siam is one of downtown's best restaurants with a huge menu, good service, reasonable prices and decent opening hours.

OK, you're dismissed. Eat much and prosper.

www.siamrestaurant.ca

Carrying Anna outside to pick some beans from our garden for supper, I sighed.

The patio was more green than grey with all the weeds coming up through the cracks. The hose lay in a tangled mess off to the side and toys from the sandbox littered the yard. The flower beds looked like they were in need of a good drink and weeds had begun to crowd out the herbs I had planted in the vegetable garden.

The kiddie pool in serious need of a good cleaning, and our weedy patio. The lawn showed serious signs of neglect too. Not having been cut in two weeks, the grass had reached that unpleasant length where your ankles get tickled by the blades and bit by mosquitoes that had found a home near the roots.

I picked a bowl full of beans and returned to the house. Weeds were poking through the pavement in the driveway too. I opened the door and felt a hot tear trickle down my cheek. I quickly brushed it away. The kids were laughing hysterically together and I didn't want to rain on their parade.

Charity's dolls from Aunt Connie, all swaddled up and sleeping on the couch. Notice the pillows so they don't roll off? Toys strewn all over the living room showed signs of active imaginations and serious creativity. I like to have things neat and tidy for my dear husband when he gets home from work, but that clearly wasn't going to happen this day..not if I was going to have a nice dinner ready and Anna fed by the time he walked in the door too.

I felt deflated, hypocritical, and way behind on everything. I write about the joys of motherhood and being a homemaker, but today I just wasn't feeling it as I stared a sink full of unwashed dishes, enough food underneath the table to add an egg and make a casserole, and a long to-do list of things that still needed to be done: laundry, bath the kids, make supper, clean out the van, etc., etc.

It's not that my husband doesn't pitch in. He does, more than any other husband I know. He works hard all day and then comes home is a SuperDad to our kids and a loving husband to me. He washes, dries, and puts away the dishes after dinner, gives the kids piggy-back rides around the house while they shriek with delight, brushes their teeth, reads them stories before bed, and tucks them in at night. Then he pays our bills, runs errands I didn't get to during the day, and often brings me back a little surprise like Reese's or ice cream. He's a champion in every way so this feeling of "way behindishness" I get doesn't come from him.

Our tiny kitchen, looking well-used. :-) The unreasonable standard I had set for myself was self-imposed and largely influenced by staged photos on Pinterest and the comparison game I played with other homemakers. No one was telling me I had to serve gourmet meals every night, keep a spotless, well-organized home, and dress my children in trendy clothes that matched. But somehow I had gotten the idea that doing all these things would mean I was being successful in my role as a wife, mother, and homemaker.

Brad walked in the door and I didn't greet him like I normally do. I knew I'd probably have a melt down so I kept washing dishes. Silly of me really, because he knows his wife well and immediately knew something was up. He kissed my on my cheek and asked, "Hi Sweetheart. How was your day?"

I lost it. His kind gesture was no match for the frustrations I had pent up inside and the tears started flowing while I rattled off my list of failures. "I didn't get anything done today. The grass still needs to be cut, supper's not ready and we've already had cereal or take-out twice this week, Anna needs to be fed again, Charity's out of clean underwear, and I can't remember the last time I gave the kids a proper bath!" For emphasis, I added, "I just can't do it any more. Sometimes I think I'd just be better off at work."

Brad knew I didn't mean that. He put his hands on my waist and looked me in the eye. "The reason you feel like you didn't get anything done today, is because you were busy doing more important things." He glanced over at our three busy kids and continued. "I don't care if we have to eat take-out every night, or use paper plates for a while, or if the wash doesn't get folded. If you get nothing done all day but the kids are happy, then I'm happy too!"

I thought back on our day. It started with me crawling into Charity's bed for our morning snuggle. She told me all about how her stuffed animals had behaved at night. Judah had peed through his diaper, so I washed him up before breakfast and started a load of laundry. We had our usual smoothies, read the story of Jonah for devotions, and prayed that God would keep Daddy safe at Opa's shop and give us clean hearts that love Him above all and our neighbors as ourselves.

Judah's raspberries. Then I read Charity a chapter from Little House in the Big Woods while I nursed Anna. Judah can't sit that long, so he played "excavators" on the coffee table. After making sure everyone had gone to the bathroom, and the diaper bag was packed, we went to my aunt's farm to pick raspberries.

"See Mom? If you just squish them like this, then we don't have to make jam when we get home!"

"I'm picking all the tiny little hard ones 'cause they're SOOOO cute!"

"Look, Mom! I picked all the white ones! We can just pick off the green prickles after."

Anna had decided she was finished before we started, so I discovered how fast I can pick with one hand while rocking a screaming baby: 2 quarts in half an hour.

We made it home in time for lunch. I had some leftover chocolate drizzle from a cheesecake so I made happy faces on their peanut-butter sandwiches. They were over the moon with delight.

After nap-time, we took a walk across the road to the park and cooled off for a few minutes at the splash pad. Back home, Charity wanted to do "school," so she found her books and pencils and I showed her how to make the number three. "Around a tree and around a tree. This is how to make a three!" we sang together.

Throughout the day there were squabbles to break up, attitudes to adjust, meltdowns to clean up, time-outs for tempers, kisses for boo-boos, apologies given and accepted, and hugs for the emotionally distraught.

Brad was right. I may not have gotten much done by way of housework, but alongside me had been three little sidekicks whose minds and hearts, for better or for worse, were being shaped, molded, and influenced by their Mom.

The weight of my responsibility struck me. I wasn't raising children here, I was raising adults. I was forming the next generation of fathers and mothers. I was shaping the characters of those who would raise our grandchildren. There was so much I needed to teach them, so much discipling that needed to happen in their tender hearts as well as mine.

The laundry, dirty house, and weeds in the patio will still be there one day when I have time to play catch up. But I'll never be able to play catch up with my kids. My time with them is slipping away like hourglass sand and I can't stop it.

So, while I'd like to maintain an immaculate house, keep our patio weed-free, and cut out the take-out, I've only got one chance at this Mom thing. Charity is three years old - almost four. If she marries at the same age I did, I have just 14 short years left before she leaves the nest. The first three have come and gone in a blink of an eye. Five more blinks and it's over.
"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Deuteronomy 6:7 Truth is, if you're way behind on everything except time spent with your kids, you're way ahead.

Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, We Are That Family, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman., Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story

To give you a little update on baby first, here he/she is at 19 weeks old!

As most of you know, I was diagnosed with a very large subchorionic hematoma quite early in this pregnancy. Simply put, I had a blood clot (three times larger then our baby) between my placenta and the lining of my uterus. We were told we had a 1 in 3 chance of miscarrying for the second time.
After many ultrasounds, many trips to the ER, and too many times where I broke down into tears because I "knew for sure" we were losing our baby, we are half way through this pregnancy. We are so thankful for God's sustaining grace thus far and all the help we've received from our family, friends, and church so I could be on modified bed-rest.
Last week, things got a little more complicated as an emergency ultrasound showed that the original blood clot had not shrunk in size at all. In addition, I have developed two more clots which cause heavy bleeding, even in the middle of the night while I'm resting.
Second-trimester bleeding puts me at "high-risk" and I am no longer allowed to consult with my midwife alone. We now have and OB in addition to our midwife, and our hopes for another home-birth are put on hold unless something drastically improves.
"Modified bed-rest" has been changed to "strict bed-rest." With the exception of getting up to eat, shower, and use the bathroom, I spend most of the day lying down or crocheting. As you can imagine, it's very difficult with two toddlers running around. :-) Lord willing, we will be moving in with family who have graciously opened up their home to us for as long as we need it sometime this week or next.
We're often asked what's causing these blood clots and how I can get rid of them. The truth is, not one single doctor of the many we have met with over the past few months can explain why they develop or how to prevent them. No one has prescribe any medication to help the clots dissolve, so we've being using the herbs and homeopathic remedies our midwife has suggested to help sustain the pregnancy. Here they are (and what they do) in case you find yourself in the same situation:
Pregnancy Vitamin: I take this with all of my pregnancies, for the baby's health as well as my own. Make sure the folic acid content is at least 1mg daily, and that the iron is taken in a separate pill from the calcium. Calcium inhibits iron absorption.
Arnica: I take 15 arnica pellets a day. It is a homeopathic remedy that aids in the healing of bruises and wounds. I take it to control the growth of the clots, and hopefully, to shrink them as well. You can also use Arnica flowers in a tincture, or to make a salve.
Sepia (Inky Juice): These past few months have been a whirlwind of emotions. One minute we think we're losing another child, and the next we're happily staring at our energetic little babe on the ultrasound screen. I take 15 pellets of Sepia a day to help with the morning sickness, headaches, weariness, and emotional exhaustion.
Later on in the pregnancy (Lord willing, there will be a "later"), I plan on drinking Red Raspberry Tea to help prepare my uterus for birth. I took it with our second child and noticed a huge difference between my labor with him and our first.
Evening Primrose Oil is something else I take near the end of a pregnancy to help soften the cervix. After an hour and a half of pushing and second degree tear with our first, I was willing to try anything to prevent it from happening again! It worked wonders with our second - no tearing at all, and he literally "slipped" out in three pushes!
The Arnica and Red Raspberry Tea are available through The Bulk Herb Store. I love this family run company and its commitment to providing quality, organic, herbs, teas, and information on how to use the natural medicines God has created for us!

This post contains affiliate links for products I love and personally endorse.

I always enjoy having children around. They never complain, argue, or whine, so I never have reason to tire of their presence. My house is spotlessly organized and each parenting moment is handled with such a degree of wisdom and grace that no hint of my sinful nature and impatient tendencies are ever exposed. And I never lie either.

Of course I'm being totally facetious above, but sometimes I wonder if those who read this blog ever get the impression that I'm a homemaker who's got it all together. It's remarkably easy to display a deceptive picture of myself online.

Moments after posting this picture on our Facebook page saying we'd be enjoying supper from the garden tonight, I BURNT it. All of it.
The recipes I post are only the ones that turn out. In reality, the ratio of flops to successes are nearly tied. Most often, any pictures you've seen of our house are taken after I've spent a considerable amount of cleaning up and staging the scene. I can even remove my zits from my face with an online photo editor before changing my profile picture.

Judah - a sweet little boy who loves to eat vegetables, right? It didn't last any more than 3 seconds in his mouth before he spit it out.
What you won't know from reading my blog is that the miraculous growth of my laundry pile can be attributed to me spending too much time online; that our daughter has a strong, vocal aversion to carrots; that you could leave your signature in the dust on our fireplace mantel; that my Roma tomatoes are dying and I have no idea how I'm killing them; that we often use the garden hose to clean our kids off outside instead of giving them a proper bath; or that our car should've been vacuumed out four months ago.

Everyday, food gets spilled on the floor, my children whine and complain, and I lose my patience. Indeed, the small sampling of our lives you see online is often very different than the big picture. Don't compare yourself to what you see on your side of the screen. It's a very unrealistic picture of homemaking and motherhood.

They were playing so nicely together, I had to celebrate the occasion with a picture.
The "good stuff" you see here is God giving beauty for ashes. It is by His grace and with His strength that I can homeschool my children and bake a cake that turns out. It's the Lord who provides bounty in our garden and creates beautiful flowers to arrange on our kitchen table. He provides me with the materials and skills to sew a quilt for warmth in the winter and whip up a healing hand cream.

In spite of myself, I find hope in my calling to be a wife, mother, and homemaker because that's what God has called me too. Even if I burn the toast and melt our peppercorn grinder, I can take comfort and encouragement in knowing that the One who saved me from my sin can redeem the efforts I make in the calling He has given.

A cheesecake that turned out beautifully. The very first time I've ever made one that looked good enough to eat.
My blog serves its purpose when it showcases the beauty of the role ordained for women by God. He is blessed - and so am I, when it encourages fellow homemakers to aspire to that which is excellent: loving their children, honoring their husbands, managing a beautiful, efficient home, and delighting in the opportunities to serve the Lord which arise from keeping our homes and all that it entails.

The Round-up:

• Food - 3.5 out of 5
• Service - 3.5 out of 5
• Decor - 4 out of 5
• Overall - 11 out of 15

Let's start with the good: Tangerine is a tastefully decorated bistro that has added a healthy dose of personality to the strip of shops on 14th Avenue between Lorne and Cornwall streets. The restaurant seems to be doing a very good business over the lunch hour. Ladies who lunch, business folks, and university kids are all common sights.
Service is very fast - as it should be at a bistro that depends on the lunch hour to survive. My meals have arrived within minutes of ordering during both of my lunchtime visits. Considering that ordering is done cafeteria-style, that is up at the counter, there is no reason for service to be slow.
The menu, written in chalk on a large wall next to the deli case, has a good mixture of proteins, grains and greens, and it changes often. Tangerine also brews coffee and serves up homemade biscuits and sweets. All of this lends an urbane feel to the place - Tangerine would fit right in to New York's Lower East Side or Vancouver's West End. But it's all ours and we should be proud to have it.
As for the not-so-good: Tangerine needs to work on portions and prices. The other day I ordered the $11 Greens and Proteins: a six- or seven-ounce piece of salmon atop a bed of greens with a light dressing. The dish's modest size left me feeling hungry, and that I'd paid too much. Consider that Siam Thai restaurant downtown offers an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for $9; or that La Bodega serves a mean sandwich with fries for about $12.
As for the salad, I have a strong suspicion that the lettuce mixture I ate was store-bought. This is a bit of a shame in the middle of summer when fresh local produce is everywhere.
Finally, Tangerine could play more heavily on the "food bar" theme that it uses as part of its name. At the moment, the restaurant is open until 7 p.m. on weeknights. But give the place a liquor licence, dim the lights, put on some groovy music, and you could have a very cool evening hangout. Of course, this may come as Tangerine matures. Owner/chef Aimee Schulhauser is wise to take a "walk before you run" approach to the place.
The verdict: give Tangerine a try for your next business lunch, or if you happen to be hanging around downtown on a gorgeous summer day.

Several years ago, Andrew Pudewa spoke at our homeschooling conference and he said something I'll never forget:
"The problem with trying to cover all the bases is that you end up going a mile wide and an inch deep. In other words, you know virtually nothing about everything." He suggested delving deeply into one particular topic of interest, and in so doing, touch on everything else.

Thematic concepts jive with the vision for our children's education and so far, learning together has been fun, organic, and life-integrated. There are few things more wonderful than seeing your children more eager to start "school" than they are to eat breakfast!

This week we are studying "Fall." Besides learning to write her numbers and letters each day using the Rod and Staff Pre-K Series, we are also learning about God's Word, government, science, math, art, English, home economics, and Phys Ed. We don't use a curriculum to teach these things, or categorize them as such, but it's happening whether she realizes it or not.

Here's a peak into our week:

Bible

After breakfast, we read the story of Naomi and Ruth. I chose this story as part of our theme because it takes place during harvest time. Our memory verse is Leviticus 23: 22:
"And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God."We discussed what kind of principles God is trying to teach us through this verse and how we can apply them to our lives:

• Why should we share from the bounty that God has given us?
• Should poor people still work to get their food or should they rely on rich people to collect their grain and bake their bread? (the role of government, socialism) Read Proverbs 10:5; 6:6-8; 13:11; 19:15
• What things has the Lord blessed us with that we can give to someone else? Read Proverbs 11:25; 19:17; 22:9; 28:27
• Who can we bless this week and how? (Make plans to visit a nursing home, invite someone over for dinner, or drop off toys or clothes to someone that could use them)

• Count, add and subtract with leaves.
• Discover fractions while making pumpkin puree for our 7-month old (quarter, half, and whole pumpkin).

• Use as many adjectives as you can think of to describe various "Fall" objects (i.e. leaf: big, red, thin, pretty, maple, broken, wide, etc.)
• Read "Autumn Fires" poem by Robert Louis Stevenson (Included in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers)

• Read Animals in the Fall Preparing for Winter by Martha Rustad, Why Do Leaves Change Color by Betsy Maestro and Seasons by Robin Nelson. (More reading suggestions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers)
• Go on Treasure Hunt (Alphabetical list of objects in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers). Identify and collect items on the list using a field guide.

• What is it called when animals go South in the Fall? Can you name some animals that do this?
• How many seasons are in a year? What are they called?
• What is a "cycle"?
• Who made the Earth so that it is tilted?
• What happens inside a leaf to make it change color?

Art

• Make a "Thankful Tree." (Instructions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers)
• Create a Corn Husk Doll. (Instructions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers)
• Paint a Pumpkin. (Instructions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers)

• Bake leaf-shaped sugar cookies and decorate them (Instructions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers).
• Dehydrate apple peelings to make Apple Twigs ((Instructions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers).
• Make and freeze sweet potato and squash puree for Anna.

Phys Ed.

• Rake leaves!
• Hike through the woods for our Treasure Hunt.
• Pick apples at an orchard.

FREE! Download and print your copy here.

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Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family, Moms The Word, Hip Homeschool Moms, Trivium Tuesdays

Most women, myself included, get overwhelmed when they read Proverbs 31. There is no way in this world I could get done in one day what she got done in one chapter. That's why it's important to understand that her picture is a portrait of a lifetime, not a summary of Super Woman's day.

We go through seasons of life where we are able to engage in different things; right now I'm mothering through the little years where all the kids are still in car seats, they all need their shoes tied by an adult, and someone else to give them a bath. They aren't quite big enough to make their own beds, make dinner, or watch younger siblings when Mommy needs a nap.

It's busy, exhausting, and rewarding. I have to remind myself not to compare my Chapter 1 to someone else's Chapter 100. I'm not Martha Stewart. She can keep an immaculate home, tend glorious gardens, and grow every vegetable perfectly because she is at a different stage of life and her priorities are different than mine. She does not have three small children, nor does she homeschool. Of course she isn't any less of a person for that, but it would be silly of me to measure myself against her.

I'm responsible for using 24 hours wisely everyday. I use 7-8 of them for sleeping. That leaves me with 16 to manage well. Managing them well means learning how to prioritize and giving the most important things the most attention. In our house, that order looks like this:

1. God
2. Spouse
3. Children
4. House

My husband prefers a good meal to a clean house or an empty laundry basket, so if I have to choose between making dinner or cleaning the shower, the former takes priority.

We believe our primary purpose as parents is to raise our children in the fear of the Lord. It's a hard exhortation to remember when there are crumbs under the table and sticky fingerprints on the window, but if it seems the only thing I accomplish in a day is giving instruction, administering correction, breaking up squabbles, reminding our children of the necessity of their salvation, and teaching them to pray for a clean heart that hates evil and wants to do good, then the most important things have been given the most attention.

I'm told by seasoned mothers whose children have flown the nest that one day you will have time to bake, and sew, sell handmade goodies and keep a spotless house, but you'll probably wish you still had the company of several little people who think you're the world.

To help keep my priorities aligned properly, there are several good things that I just don't do. One day I'd like to do them, but right now I don't have enough time or attention to give them.

1. I don't cloth diaper. I know it's more eco-friendly, and I've heard it's no more work than disposables, but I haven't taken the time to build up a stash. My washing machine doesn't get much of a break as it is and I'm not sure how I'd find the time to keep a clean supply of diapers on hand or the stomach to slosh around poopy diapers in the toilet (or is that not required anymore?) When a pack of 136 diapers goes on sale for $17.99, I stock up.

2. I don't bake my own bread; partly because Brad eats gluten-free and I cannot seem to make a loaf that doesn't taste like a hockey puck, and partly because homemade bread isn't very high on our priority list. I don't eat much bread either. The kids eat store-bought sourdough bread at lunch time. One loaf lasts us a whole week, so the time and effort it takes to make my own doesn't save me any serious coin in the long run.

3. I don't iron. I recently pulled it out for the first time in three years to iron a blazer. Marveling at this new invention, our two-year-old son asked, "Why are you vacuuming your shirt, Mom?" Wrinkle-prone items get pulled from the dryer as soon as the cycle is finished. Sometimes they get hung up on hangers and hung neatly in the closet. Sometimes they lay on top of the dryer until I need to wear them.

4. I don't bath our kids every day. I don't even bath them every other day. We (usually Daddy) bath them when they're dirty (at least once a week, I assure you).

5. I don't use natural remedies for everything. I'm a vaccinated, formula fed kid and grew up taking Tylenol for headaches. I have a long way to go before I'm comfortable knowing what herb to give for what ailment, what homeopathic drops to pour into my baby's mouth when she's teething, and what essential oil to rub into my temples when my head is pounding. I want to though, and I'm slowly learning how, but you'll still find Tylenol in our medicine cupboard.

6. I don't grind my own flours. In fact, my electric grain mill is for sale if anyone is interested.

7. I don't have a large garden. There's not a great deal of room on our city lot. We grow tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers, a few herbs, and whatever happens to seed itself through our compost. It's more of a teaching tool for the kids and it satisfies my gardening itch. I enjoy making Tomato Spice Soup from our produce, but I buy and preserve nearly everything else from local farms.

8. I don't can. I don't know how. It's on my list of things I want to learn. Thankfully, my friend Jill is a great teacher and my Mom is willing to hold my hand and walk me through the process. I'm terrified of things exploding in my face. For the past five summers, I've simply cleaned, cut, bagged, and thrown seasonal produce in the freezer. Gently, of course, so it doesn't get bruised. That much I understand about preserving.

9. I don't dust every week. It's really just a country accent anyway and we're honored when folks take the time to autograph our bookshelves. Kidding. Sort of. I make an effort to dust every Friday on "Housework Day," but sometimes it goes two weeks before it gets done. The kids each get a rag too, which means our carpet is probably due for an interesting homeschool science experiment...

10. I don't sew, knit, or scrapbook. At night, when the kids are in bed and I've got some time to relax, I write. Keeping a blog is the therapy that works for me. It's a fun way to interact and learn from a community of like-minded moms and a bonus to be able to contribute to our family income.

11. I don't coupon. I don't even look at flyers. They go from the mailbox to the recycle bin. I can purchase everything I need from three stores and they're all within 5 minutes of each other. It's quick, convenient, and just one afternoon in town (if you have three children in car seats, you get me).

12. I don't go to the Ladies Bible Study at church. We homeschool.

13. I don't have a phone. I don't want one either. I'm not sure I'd have the self-discipline necessary to give it the same amount of attention I give the non-existent one now. I'm sure it'd be handy one day if I were in a car accident or stranded on the side of the road. I'm relying on the generosity of those passing by and assuming they probably have one I could borrow.

14. I don't exercise. Not deliberately, at least. I've been blessed with a good metabolism and consider giving under-doggies to thirty-five pound toddlers on the swing for half an hour, and chasing our one-speed (fast) son around all day good enough.

15. I don't serve fancy meals. I like to cook a mainly whole food diet, but I don't go all Jacques Pepin on my family. Every morning we have the same smoothie for breakfast. Every afternoon we have the same sandwich for lunch. Snack-wise, I serve simple things I know our kids love. In the evenings, we typically enjoy healthy, low-fuss dinners like Cheeseburger Pie, Taco Salad, or Coconut Curried Chicken. Sometimes we have grilled cheese, or order pizza.

How 'bout you? Are there good things that you don't engage in because you simply don't have the time? What are they? What or who gets the bulk of your attention and what gets the leftovers?

Part 1: Keeping A Growing Home | A Management Series for Moms Part 2: Keeping A Growing Home | Know Your Role! Part 3: Keeping A Growing Home | Making Priorities & 15 Good Things I Don't Do Part 4: Keeping A Growing Home | Time-Saving Home Management Tips Part 5: Keeping A Growing Home | My Daily Schedule

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Morning sickness; some people get it, some people don't. Some people are incapacitated for their whole pregnancy, others get off nausea-free. With Charity, I fell somewhere in between. I took two months off of work between weeks 7-16 and spent my days lying on the couch with a red pail on the floor beside me. I couldn't cook, and Brad had to eat his meals in another room so the smell wouldn't send me running for the bathroom... again. We ordered in and ate out more than I ever dreamed I'd allow myself to.

Week 17 I felt like a new person. The morning sickness (I called it 'morning-noon-and-night-sickness') stopped almost over night, and I quickly packed on the pounds, delighted in making Brad dinner again, cleaned our house from top to bottom, ignited the pregnancy glow once again, and gave birth to a healthy, strong girl who weighed 9 lbs, 10 oz.

Then there's the near perfect experience like my 44-year-old mom had just a few short months ago with Charity's little uncle William. She had no symptoms, except for her expanding waist line. She could hardly believe she was pregnant (none of use could, actually); no headaches, no puking, no swollen ankles, no nausea, no nothing. Just this sense of being overwhelmed that her baby would be younger than her granddaughter; Grandma was having a baby!

So far with this pregnancy, I'm feeling much better than I did with Charity. The nausea is persistent, usually at it's worst in the morning. We have VBS this week and I'm in charge of the crafts for the 6-7 year-olds. Thankfully, I've been given permission to come near the end of the class when the worst of it is over, and I can cut and paste with out gagging at the smell of the glue or marker pens. I'm sure the kids would laugh at the sight of me gagging; Charity thinks it's hysterical.

I've never taken any medication for morning sickness, although it has been suggested by many including my Doctor. I know it's not a chronic condition and that one day it will pass. As difficult as it can be, so far I've been successfully in biting the bullet, and skipping the Diclectin. Perhaps it's because I'm naive and stubborn. Morning sickness is normal, just not particularly enjoyable. Over 80% of women experience it, and usually it means that everything is going just fine with baby.

When I'm tempted to go on medication, I just remember the story my aunt tells of her sister, who has had nearly as many miscarriages as babies (five or six). She was truly thankful for morning sickness, because it was with these pregnancies that her babies survived. To her, morning sickness meant new life inside her womb. The pregnancies in which she felt well usually ended devastatingly within a few weeks.

Along the way, I've learned a few things that seem to keep the uncomfortable symptoms in check. Most of them I learned from other experienced moms. Feel free to add anything you've found helpful in the comment section. I'll make great use of them to be sure!

• Take your iron, folic acid or other pregnancy vitamins when you feel the least sickly. Iron should be taken with orange juice because it needs the Vitamin C to absorb properly. Unfortunately orange juice triggers my gag reflex first thing in the morning. I take mine right before bed at night and everything stays in.
• As soon as you find out you're pregnant, double your meals and freeze one. Most people feel fine for the first month or two. Take advantage of it and stock pile meals for the freezer. You'll be so grateful for a yummy, healthy meal, without having to fork out when the last thing you feel like doing is cooking meat or sauteing onions.
• Can't sleep at night? Try drinking hot milk before bed.
• Keep a package of soda crackers next to your bed, in your purse, or in your pocket. Sometimes I get the overwhelming urge to munch on something. If I don't, I know I'll be sick. So I keep a package of soda crackers nearby at all times. It saves making pit stops at Tim Hortons when the urge comes on suddenly.
• Take a nap. Many of them. You'll feel refreshed.
• Accept help when it's offered. Having a sister over for the day to help fold the mountain of laundry can bring great relief and a renewed sense of hope.
• Keep up your fluids. It's easy to become dehydrated when you're constantly bringing up.
• Look at baby pictures, read up on how your baby's developing, or having an ultra sound, can be just the thing to help you remember that this is all so, so worth it!

The Round-up:

• Food - 3 out of 5
• Service - 4 out of 5
• Decor - 3 out of 5
• Total - 10 out of 15

120-1914 Hamilton Street, Regina, SK
306-949-4005

Today, we're heading back to bustling Hamilton Street, site of many changes and new businesses in downtown Regina these days.

One such business, The Great Panini, opened a few months back. Although I work at my "real" (i.e. non-blogging) job in an office tower just a couple of blocks away, I hadn't visited the shop until last week when frigid temperatures made me skip my usual walk home during the lunch hour.

The Great Panini, located a couple of doors south of the TD Bank, is a clean and cozy cafeteria style eatery that opens in the early hours of the morning and stays open through lunch until the end of the work day.

It just so happens that I timed my visit for the unveiling of a new sandwich: The Fozz. And let me tell you, The Fozz was moving fast -- I got the last one. Shaved chicken breast and a mild cheddar combined with roasted sweet red peppers and hot banana peppers were layered on a nine-grain Ciabatta bun then toasted to perfection. I have to say it was pretty tasty.

The Great Panini offers sandwiches on their own, or as a meal. I opted for the meal and had my choice of soup, salad, or a pickle. A sucker for all things canned and vinegary, I went for the Van Holten's Kosher Pickle, which comes individually wrapped in a pouch. It was a giant pickle, but I always find Koshers lack the crunch and garlic of homemade dills. Blame it on my Ukrainian roots.

As for drinks, The Great one offers much more than fountain pop, including a number of unique teas and juices, and a good range of Boylan's sodas.

So far things were going smoothly, until my grand total was rung up on the till. I admit I wasn't paying attention to prices until this point, figuring that a sandwich combo would run at about $7 or $8. Boy, was I wrong. By the time taxes were included I was almost at 11 bucks.

A bit pricey for a takeout lunch, if you ask me. Especially when you consider the all-you-can-eat Thai buffet at Siam restaurant three doors down is less than $9. But as I said, the sandwich was appetizing, the service was fast and friendly, and the selection is top-notch. Whether it's worth it again in the future will depend on how close I am to payday, I guess.

Perhaps I ought to stop in during breakfast some day when specials are priced much lower, including the 16-ounce coffee for just 99 cents. Now that's a deal.

www.thegreatpanini.ca

Answering "Why do you want to homeschool?" is difficult because it's a lifestyle not conducive to a one-sentence summary. We wanted a place to which we could direct inquisitive minds and remind ourselves of our vision when push comes to shove! Though we can't speak for everyone who homeschools, here's what we might say if you asked us why we want to.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." ~ Proverbs 29:18 1. We want to homeschool because the opportunities to disciple our children are great. Perhaps they are exceptionally misbehaved, but I find myself giving instruction and administering correction dozens, if not hundreds, of times every day. God has given this responsibility to parents (Proverbs 22:6; Proverbs 29:15; Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4; Deuteronomy 6: 6-9; Proverbs 1: 8-9; Proverbs 19: 18), and we simply cannot be the ones training them up in the way that they should go if we are not with them.

We want to be able to stop in the middle of studying the human eyeball and praise the Lord for His glorious Creation; memorize Proverbs with our children and reference them when we struggle with cheerfulness, obedience, and diligence; sing Psalters at meal times; lay aside our bookwork to visit grandparents; converse with them about anything that's heavy on their hearts; and work to resolve issues as they arise instead of saving them for later.

2. We want to homeschool because we like being around our kids. Most days end by crawling into bed exhausted and emotionally spent, but I am also fulfilled and confident that there is nothing I'd rather be doing then interacting with my own children. On very bad days, it usually just takes a trip to the grocery store by myself to remind me that I really do enjoy the warmth of their giggles, incessant chatter, and questions about everything from how babies are made and what flies eat, to why I put bananas in our smoothie, and why we need four wheels on our van instead of three, more than the uncomfortable silence of being alone.

3. We want to homeschool because we want to integrate life with education. In the middle of the day, I want to teach math at the grocery store, figuring out the price per unit and assessing which brand is a better value; how to round numbers up and down to make easier calculations; how to estimate a bill's total and how to give correct change to the cashier; we want to take them to retirement homes so they can learn history from elderly men and women who are eager to tell someone their stories, and to the Creation Museum in the middle of the year with the whole family.

We want our son to have the time and freedom to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit, if the Lord blesses him with one, and learn how to run a business; for our daughters, we envision them being able to efficiently and comfortably manage a home with joy. This comes with practice, and practice takes time. Time that we would be hard-pressed to find if they were away from home 8 hours a day.

4. We want them to learn about God's beautiful gift of sex from us and not the crude version from their peers; we want them to understand what the role husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, church members, and citizens of our country are by being part of a family that does things together rather than having a textbook tell them where their place is in society. We want them to know that family is the basic building block of society, not an artificial, individualistic, age-based structure.

5. We want to homeschool because we want our son to be able release his energy constructively. Most boys don't need the Ritalin they're prescribed; they just need alternatives to sitting quietly at a desk. If he is capable of reading better by hanging upside down from a tree branch, or memorizing spelling words while running laps, or getting excited about mathematical concepts by building a CNC router, then we want him to have at 'er.

6. We want to homeschool because there are hundreds of resources available that cater to the individual learning habits of our children. Each of our children are uniquely created by God; they have different strengths and weaknesses and are an eclectic mix of different learning styles. There is no one-size-fits-all curriculum that is equally advantageous and homeschooling allows us forgo "labeling" by using multiple methods simultaneously.

7. We want to homeschool because it's a proven method of education. Statistically speaking, homeschoolers fare well above average in every area of life from grades and social interaction to political involvement and preparedness for real life. Though numbers are not a deciding factor in our decision, we are encouraged to know that our children don't have to be jeopardized academically by staying home.

8. We want to homeschool so we can be good stewards of the resources God has given us. Because of where we live,the best Christian school in our area would involve over two hours of unproductive bus time everyday (public schools are not an option for us) and statistically speaking, homeschoolers spend an average of $500 per child each year compared to $9,963 per student by the government, yet their education is much more satisfactory in every measurable level.

9. We want to homeschool because we want our children to have the time to involve themselves in ministry. "We can't come/participate because Johnny has school tomorrow and Susie has homework," seems like a sorry reason to excuse ourselves from mowing an elderly couple's lawn, inviting neighbors for an evening tea, singing to someone in a nursing home, baby-sitting for a mother in an emergency, or praying with a young woman at a pregnancy crisis center who needs to know there's hope.

10. We want to homeschool because He who has called us is faithful. We can't even comprehend the grandeur of this task and we'd be lying if we said it never overwhelms us. But we have reason to step forward in faith because it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. His compassions fail not. They are new every morning and His faithfulness is great (Lamentations 3: 22,23). We couldn't survive a day of homeschooling in our own strength; we trust the Lord who called us to the momentous task of training up our children in the way that they should go (Proverbs 22:6) to provide us and our children everything we need for both life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

Though there are 10,000 more reasons that make us passionate about our children's education and inspire us to keep writing and speaking about homeschooling, this is our own family's conviction, and not a method prescribed for everyone. The Lord convicts different people in different areas and no one but you is capable of answering "Why do you send your children to a Christian school, or public school, or homeschool?"

Do you have a vision for your children's education? How did you come to choose a particular method?

___________________________
Looking for more homeschool encouragement? Our brand new eBook, Homeschooling Day by Day is on sale this month for $2.00 (reg. $4.99)! It's 40 chapters of realism, practical advice, and plenty of grace from homeschooling Moms on every stage of the journey. You can read the Table of Contents here.

Homeschooling Day By Day: $4.99 $2.00 'til September 30! 40 Chapters (with Discussion Questions)
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If you love Indian cuisine, this dish will hit the spot while trimming your waistline! It's creamy, curryful (I just made that up), and very pretty too. Our whole family loved it.

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
Gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, dairy-free and Trim Healthy Mama friendly!
Ingredients:

• butter or coconut oil (I use Nuvita or Tropical Traditions) for sauteing. You could also use coconut butter ghee.
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder (or to taste)
• 1 small cauliflower, in florets
• 3 carrots, sliced diagonally (use broccoli for a THM S meal)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 cups cooked chicken, sliced in 2" pieces
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• Handful of spinach, chopped
• Sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:
Saute onion, curry, cauliflower, and carrots in butter or coconut oil. When vegetables are tender-crisp, and garlic and chicken and saute briefly. Add coconut milk and spinach. Cover and bring to a simmer. Season with sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

You can make this in the morning and keep it warm in the crock pot all day.

For Trim Healthy Mamas, you can serve eat this on its own or serve over a bed of greens for a delicious, Satisfying meal. For a Crossover, serve with rice or quinoa, or enjoy inside a low-carb wrap such as Joseph's.

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. Thank you for your continued support!
Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, The Better Mom, Frugally Sustainable, The Prairie Homestead, Stacy Makes Cents, Gluten-Free Wednesdays