Reusable snack/lunch bags

With my daughter being in first grade and taking home lunch every day I wanted to find some good reusable bags.  Even though we do reuse ziplocks as well.  I have made a post on that a long time ago.  So I found some on Jane.com  a terrible website that has so many good things I have to stop myself from looking at it everyday.    

They had the sandwich size and a snack size.  It came in a pack of two each.  I like them but they are really stiff and hard plastic of some sort.  They function but I wasn't sold on them. 

Then I am part of a group that does monthly buys from a place called frontier.  They have a lot of natural things.  I have loved ordering from them.  We get a better price when we order as a group.    I found some on there and I bought a set a few months ago and have loved them. They are more silicone feeling and easier to work with. 

I have liked them so much I just ordered a bunch more of them for using for the other kids snacks and stuff in the car and when they want a bag of pretzels.  I also found they had a large size one that is like a gallon size ziplock so I will see how that one works out.  

I would like to not have to buy the ziplocks at all anymore.  

I would still have some on hand for meats and stuff like that I don't like to mess with that.  

They had some really cute patterns that the kids love.  I am loving how the ones I got a few months ago have held up they don't show any signs of wear.  

The first ones I got from Jane are a little worn and I don't think will last very long compared to these.  The brand on the good ones are Full circle.  

This is a picture of the bottom of the snack size it has a pretty wide base for a small bag and I am amazed at what I can fit in their.  The sandwich bags don't have the pleated bottom so they are more for just sandwiches or flat things.  

The large gallon ziplock one has the pleat thing.   I love them and the kids love picking the fun designs out.  I love to be saving in one more way.  Highly recommended.  

No spend month

We love Dave Ramsey here and we listen to it a lot.  We follow a lot of his advice and things in his book.  We don't do the cash envelope system. I"m sure it would benefit us but we just aren't that into it.  I hate carrying cash around.  I have gone through phases of keeping track of our money.  Not really a budget but seeing where our money goes helps me to spend less or adjust my spending.  I use an excel spread sheet.  Within the last few years I started using Mint.com and I have liked that it brings in the info from our bank accounts and I can sort them into which category they go in.  I am amazed at where our money goes. Even when I think I"m being so good it still finds places to go.

So I am determined to be better I have heard of doing a no spend week or month.  I am going to see how far I can do it.  I have most of christmas shopping done just a few things left for grandparents and stuff, but the kids are all done.  So I want to do it in dec.
Another motivation to do it is to clean our our pantry, freezer and actually use a lot of our canned food I have made.  I want to use it up and make sure we don't have food going bad in our pantry.
I found a can of evaporated milk in my cupboard yesterday it EXPIRED in 2007!!!  Now when did I have to buy that for it to expire in 07?  I don't even know obviously I don't use evaporated milk often enough to have it in my cupboard.  Things like that. I know I have some ravioli that expired this year and I feel like its still find to eat.  But it needs to be done soon.  So that is part of this no spend month.  I want to use up a bunch of stuff I have in the freezer, help clean things out.

I really really think I can do it if I put my mind to it and really use some self control.  Its only a month.  If I really need or most likely want It can wait for a month right?  think about it, research it for a month and then buy it if I still want it after that long.   I am an impulse buyer and I feel like its gotten a little crazy lately so this will put a  stop to it.  This is for my accountability.

Reading El Libro de Mormon

I finished reading the book of mormon recently and so it was time to start again.  I used to read it in spanish every other time I would read it and maybe its just been that long since I finished it.  It seems like its been years since I read it in spanish though.  I think it was maybe 2011.  Anyways I decided that I really wanted to do it.  So I started reading in spanish, I was reading out loud and it was taking forever but it was good.  Then I started listening to my gospel library in spanish its much better. Especially because I am trying to read it by the end of the year and I started about the first of November.  So in two months.  I decided I could use the reading help.

 I won't lie I have been lacking on my dedication to reading my scriptures daily.  I can't do it in the morning because I work until the kids wake up and then its get the kids to school and preschool.  Then the day just gets away from you.  Night is hard because I am just so tired by then.  I can come up with a million excuses.   I shouldn't because I remember thinking on my mission  how can people not spend time reading everyday?  How do you stop reading them?   well I know now.... I am that person.  So this has been a good kick in my pants to get me launched back into it.  I get my daughter off to school and then while Max is doing his preschool I take that time to read.   I have made it a priority, and I can tell the difference.  I need to make that a life long goal.

I love that when I read it in spanish I get different things out of the same book.  It just means something different.  Or you perceive it differently, that is one reason I like to switch reading english and spanish.  I don't know why but some songs are better in spanish too.

Another part I like to have it a chart.  It helps me see how far I need to go and how far I have come.  I am a list maker so this is so fun for me.   I also like to color how much I read each day with a different color so I can look back and see some days I really had a lot of time to read and some half a chapter.  Its great.  We started this chart with all of the beehives in our young women.  So we all have a chart together but going at different rates.  Its fun to do things as a group. 

Homemade belly butter

I have always liked the belly butter I have used before with my previous pregnancies.  I used Bella B tummy butter with my other three.  This one I wanted to try something home made to save and to know exactly what was in it.  I have really gotten into making my own skin products as you have probably noticed with all of these blog posts.  

I found this one from Wellness mama and I had most of the ingredients anyway. I had to buy ginger root and that was it, so I thought I would give it a shot and so far I love it.  

Here is the recipe 

• 1/4 cup Shea Butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 3 Tablespoons Apricot Kernel Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Calendula flowers (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger root
• I added some Doterra oil called Immortelle its supposed to really help with anti aging and wrinkles just overall good for the skin.  I figured this was a perfect place to put this oil and try it out.  

You do a double boiler where you put the measuring cup inside of the pot of boiling water and melt down the butter, oils and I already had some Calendula infused oil made from previous recipe so I just added the already made oil.  

Then I put in the ginger root and waited until it cooled off a little before I added in the immortelle oil.  

  

I use a skewer wooden stick to stir my stuff usually.  It works really well.   It turned out really nice. I was a little runny for a week or so but then as the weather got colder it has firmed up a little bit.  Its still pretty soft and easy to apply.  I put it on at least once a day if not more.  If I can remember.

I'm not terribly worried about stretch marks because I already have some from having three babies already but I really like it for the itching and not feeling so stretched out.  

I feel like this is great for my skin and it smells good too.  

 This jar was half full when I made it and its getting close to the end. I probably have maybe another month so I will have to do another batch that should last the rest of the time.

Homemade probiotics

I have been looking for a good vitamin for my kids, and for me.  Ones that only have the stuff I want in them none of this added extra sugar or weird ingredients that don't need to be in there.
I finally found a good recipie that the kids like and actually love.  They make sure to tell me to get them out in the morning. 
They are from the wellness mama of course. That is where I get all of my good tasting recipes.
This one has 4 simple basic ingredients.

• 1 cup pure juice.  So we have been using grape juice that we canned just a few weeks ago.  Or some apple juice.  
• 8 teaspoons gelatin powder.  I got the one she uses and its great. I bought one from the store before and it did not taste good and it left it gritty almost. This one has great ingredients and it gels up nicely. 
• 2 tablespoons honey if you want.
• Then you can add probiotics, vitamin c, magnesium.  Whatever vitamin you want.  We usually do a probiotic in one batch and a vitamin c in another.  I found somewhere that she said 2 teaspoons of which ever vitamin you are using per batch.  

The probiotic that I use comes in capsules so I have to emtpy them out and measure them out.  It is a great probiotic though so its worth it.  

Then you heat it up and add the vitamin after its cooled down a little bit.    

Then I got these silicone molds that I pour them into and each batch fills three of these trays.  

So we have a bunch to make it fun.  The kids love to choose the shapes. That is half the fun of the vitamins is what shape they get to choose.  

These are the ingredients for the probiotic ones 

These are the vitamin c ones. 

I have been really pleased with the results the kids love to take them and I feel like they are getting a better vitamin than any I could buy.  I know exactly what is in these.  They are quick and easy to make and very inexpensive.  

The kids also love to help poke them out of the molds once they have firmed up.  I put them in the fridge for probably 5-8 hours.  I line the molds with coconut oil so they wont stick and it works wonderful.

These are some of the fun shapes we have.  Dinosaurs, animals of course, stars,  seashells, robots, hearts, small hearts and gummy bear shaped one. 

I am really hoping these vitamins will help keep away all of those colds this winter along with other things we do.  

Here comes #4

Here is part of the reason I have been such a slacker for a few months.  

We are excited to be expecting baby #4 at our house.  The kids were so excited when we told them.  Lexi has been asking for a baby sister for a while, so we will see if we can make that happen.  We haven't been able to see it yet despite trying for the last two appointments.  I guess "it" wants to remain a mystery for a while more.   The suspense is killing me though. I just want to know.
I am lucky that I am never terribly sick with my pregnancies.  Usually if I just eat little snacks all day long I can feel pretty good.

It has been a great fun summer but I have been so exhausted and tired.  I don't ever remember being this tired when I was pregnant.   I don't know if it's just that I have 3 other kids running around needing my help or just that I"m older. haha or both.   Luckily I was able to take a few naps here and there.  The kids were nice enough to play nicely for a little bit some days.

Everything with baby appears healthy and good.  So that is good.  I plan on doing a natural birth again with the hypnobabies method. I loved it and thought it was so much better than the previous two births.  I have been listening and practicing my hypnobaby tracks and remembering how to relax and take time to dedicate that time to me and the baby.  Its always nice and relaxing just what I need these days.   I really look forward to seeing how this birth will be different and the same as some of the others.  I also REALLY look forward to snuggling that newborn baby they are so sweet and little.  Its seems like forever since Sawyer was a newborn.  I miss that stage.

I am excited to see how the kids will be with  a new baby.  Max is so sweet with his little neices and nephews it will be cute to see him with our own baby.  Sawyer is old enough to help out.  It will be nice to have  him be older than any of my others were when we have a newborn.  I know Lexi will be great and will be such a help.  I am excited.

So we found out that its a baby girl. Lexi was thrilled to say the least and so was I.  I wanted to use all of those cute girl clothes that Lexi wore and I have accumulated a few more since then.  I also have been hording some other girl things like blankets and cute leather shoes.  My sister has started a bow business and I'm excited to have girl things again.  It will be great.  We are all super excited to finally know the gender.

We are a little over half way and I am still loving and enjoying every minute.  I am lucky to have pretty easy pregnancies overall.  I am glad that I can enjoy it.  I have started to really feel her kick and move around.  I love feeling that. I remember after Sawyer was born I really missed feeling that.  So I am glad to feel it again.

So here is to our next big adventure.  We are all excited and ready.

Bathroom make over

So now that the rest of the basement is done I can start on the bathroom down there. I painted the walls and  got some cute decorations for it.  We put up towel hooks for the kids.  

  I found this milk paint that is easy to paint over the cabinets without sanding and a lot of crazy work.  This you just have to clean them good and then paint.  So I tried it out on this bathroom first and I was amazed at how easy and forgiving this paint was.  It was pretty easy and you can still kind of see the wood grain so I like how it looks

Here is the before shot

It didn't take terribly long either Maybe 3-4 hours total.  I took off the knobs on the drawers and the doors off.  I put two coats on and it looks good.  I feel like its such an upgrade from the oak color.  

I love how it matches the rest of the decor.  Its great.  

I do need to put the top clear coat on.  That will just protect it from getting antiqued and chipped.  That should be a quick job too.  I really like just how easy it was.  I was worried it would look patchy or streaky.  It doesn't though I used a foam craft brush.  I have read that you can use a foam roller.  So maybe next time I will use that since I have one and i might as well try it.  

I liked it so much that I did it to the main bathroom upstairs as well.  It looks good too.  We already had gray in the color schemes up here so It was a perfect match with everyrhing else.   

My husband has liked how it looks too and he is a huge cabinet nazi. haha  He used to install cabinets for Lowes so he has a reason to be picky.  He said you should do it to the kitchen ones too.  So that is on the list of things to do but I want to perfect the painting before I attempt that HUGE project but I can just imagine how nice it would make the kitchen look.  It would take a few days since there are so many more cabinets in there.    It also makes me want to do our kitchen table because its a light oak color and with kids it has taken a toll.  There are so many crayon, pen, marker marks on there that I cannot scrub off no matter how hard i try.   So I want to do a dark brown top that would match the color of the cabinets and white legs.  I think it would look great.   Thanks to pintrest I have a good idea of how I can make it look.  

I love these kind of house projects. Its so fun to see the change and improvement.

Basement update!!!

We have been hard at work on the basement.  I have been painting the trim and doors lately.  Just do a set every day so when Jared has a day off or we have a weekend free it will all be ready for him to cut and put on.  I went out and picked out a carpet that will work its not quite as nice as we wanted but I can't afford the kind we really want.  Carpet is soooo expensive.  I just have to remember this is the last big expense to our house remodel till one day we are up for doing the kitchen and bathrooms up here.  (not for like 5 years at this point)  
I am so excited to get it done and have it all done.  We can have a somewhat empty garage again and the rooms and closets upstairs wont be overflowing with stuff that is supposed to go downstairs.  I will be able to get into our storage room again.  I know I have a lot more cleaning out to do when we move it all around again and that makes me excited.   I know exactly what  I want.... well I have an idea in my head anyways.

Fast foward a few weeks. 

Yay its done.... We finally got the carpet and everything done.  Its wonderful.  After a long time we are finally done and its feels great to not have the HUGE project hanging on us.  We love it the kids love it, everyone does.  I am doing the finishing touches on the bathroom down there. I just finished painting it saturday.  I am going to try out the milk paint on the cabinets and see how that works. I"ll do a post on that later, and let you know how that went.  I"m hoping for the best.  Pintrest makes it sound easy and quick so well see.

We still have a few random little things to do.  Like add the light covers on the can lights and a few door knobs.  But that is easy quick stuff.  It looks pretty good having it done.  We just almost doubled our house size haha.  Its nice. 
I have been trying to clean out and organize it while I am spreading our stuff around the house.  I have a whole back of my car full of DI stuff.  Its amazing how you can keep getting rid of stuff.  There is so much we try to hang on to for that one day.  We really don't need to so a lot of that stuff is going.  If we haven't used it since we moved over 2 years ago then I probably won't.


Have I said it feels GREAT yet?!?  haha

No sugar canning...

Its that time of year.... canning season and I am ready for it.   We had planted three peach trees when we moved in and two have died.  I need to take them back to the nursery and see if they will replace them.   Its weird they died.  Anyways so we don't have peaches yet hopefully next year.  Our one surviving tree is pretty small still.  I am hopeful.  We did get some apricots this year and I canned a few and ate a bunch.  

I participate in a vegetable/fruit coop every other week and they had peaches for a really good price so I took advantage of that and got some and ate a ton fresh.  Nothing is better than a fresh juicy peach.  I did can some and I looked up some ways to can them without using sugar.  I thought they are so sweet as they are why add sugar unless you have to to make sure its preserved right.   

I found a blog that they used lemon juice and that was it. So I tried it.  You could either use a tsp in each quart jar and then top off with water or use 1/2 cup per gallon of water.   So I did the gallon of water one.  

I had lemons so I juiced them in my handy dandy hand juicer.

Then I put some water in a pan and added the 1/2 cup lemon juice and kept it on warm while I cut up the peaches and then filled up the jars with the warm lemon water. 

I haven't tried any of them yet but they look delicious and healthy.  I love finding ways to cut down on the sugar and be a little healthier.  I found another way with honey but my mom said her mom did that and they weren't as good they just had a funny taste to them.  So we will find out soon enough how the lemon water did.  

Back to school

I know its been a while but I will write about all of that later what we have been up to.  

I don't know if I'm ready for back to school.  Its been a fun summer full of camping and playing.  Back to school means that my oldest goes to first grade so she is gone ALL day.  It has been weird to have her gone so long.  I am not used to that.  In a week and a half my second kid will be going to preschool 3 days a week for 2 hours.  It will be so quiet with just one little kid around for those few hours.      I have to say I do look forward to grocery shopping again.  I have just given up with three kids this summer.  Walmart pick up has been wonderful.   Also the local fruit and veggie coop .  That is how we have been eating this summer.  

So I will enjoy those few hours when we can get food and even make some good food. 

Along with going to school all day is the lunch task.   This shouldn't be too hard, my daughter is ok with peanut butter and jam/honey everyday.  She loves them.   Today she asked me if she could have something besides peanut butter so she could sit at the non peanut butter table.    I guess they have a lot of nut allergies in their class  So we did the lunchable lunch.   

Good thing for pintrest because that is where this idea came from.  I hope it works and stays dry and she actually eats it.  She usually isn't a big fan of cheese but everything else she eats.

I got some of those silicone cup cake liners and used those to separate the cheese, meat and crackers.  She also asked for cut up strawberries but not like I normally cut them.... in circles. haha she must be observing other kids lunches.    She is the funniest girl she said some people forget their lunch everyday so they have to get it at school haha.  I hope she stays that cute and innocent forever.   I am glad that she loves to take lunch and hasn't even asked to get lunch from school.   I dont want to pay for that.  Even though her school is awsome and they are able to home make all of their lunches.  So at least it would be good healthier food.   

So we packed her a goldfish pack, that was the same price as the big bulk bags at costco this week so its easier for her to take like this.  Good deal.  Then a fruit snack.  These are the first fruit snacks I have found that don't have food dye in them.  So they are a win for us.  We are slowly trying to get rid of unhealthy foods in our house.  Its been a process and learning a lot of new vocabulary.  

We got this lunch box/bag at good old Walmart because it has ice pack thingys all over it.  So you put it in the freezer the night before and then you can actually keep your food cold until lunch time.   The only down side to this is that the divided Tupperware wont fit in it with her water bottle so its not big enough.  Oh well.  its still pretty awesome.  She has been loving taking lunch and I can't wait to here about how it went today sitting at the non peanut butter table.  

One of the great things about back to school for us is that she goes to a charter school and so they wear uniforms.  I have her clothes all bought and ready until she is 8 pretty much.  I find a good deal and stock up.  I have found a lot of good deals so I get them all for pretty cheap.  Its wonderful, it really makes back to school easy because we just have to buy food and the few supplies that they ask for.   It was great.  I love her school it is great on so many different levels  

Not my season.....

I have been using this phrase a lot lately because I find that I don't have time for a lot of the things I would like to do.  This season I am in is the kid watching, teaching, laundry folding, house cleaning season.
I don't have a lot of time to read, as much as I would like to sit down and read a book for a few hours, its just not going to happen.
I don't have time or the means to volunteer at my daughters school like I would want to.  I have taken the kids and boy that was..... interesting.

Its not my season to do family history. We had a girls weekend recently and my older sister just sat and did family history the whole time.  It was cool to watch her sit down and figure out names and families.  She said its not something you can do in just an hour here and there it takes TIME.   I don't have a few hours to sit down and try to figure out that stuff.  My season is to take names that have been found by other people in their season and go to the temple once a month and do that work for them.

I know we all have things we put at a priority and maybe mine need a little tweeking but I feel pretty good about mine right now.  I need to raise my kids and teach them to be good kids. Teach them to read and play nice.  That is what is most important to me right now.
In a few years they will all be in school and I will think wow that went fast now I have time to sit down and read a book if I choose to.  I have a few hours to myself.  How would that be?
I love this season I am in and want to savor every moment as frustrating as it can be sometimes.  I know that it will go by too fast.  I want to keep those moments happy and full of love.

My season is to love my kids and show them that everyday in whatever way I can
My season is to try to get dinner on the table and have it be healthy as I can
My season is to make sure my kids learn to be nice to one another
My season is to make sure my kids have clean clothes to wear to school
My season is to try to keep the house somewhat clean and organized
My season is to plan fun activities for the kids to learn and grow
My season is to lay with my kids in their bed because they are afraid to sleep alone
My season is to have at least one kid end up in bed each night
My season is to find just a few minutes a day to give myself some me time
My season is to go outside and push my kids in the swings for hours
My season is to always have someone wanting me to help them with something
My season is to pick up crushed gold fish in the carpet and kitchen floor
My season is to teach my kids self confidence at a young age
My season is to make sure kids get in bed at a reasonable hour so they are happy the next day
My season is to make sure that kids brush their teeth
My season is to put band-aids on those scraped up knees and elbows
My season is to rock my kids to sleep
My season is to help my toddlers recognize their talents and abilities
My season is to calm my kids down after they have a nightmare
My season is to find ways that my kids will eat vegetables
My season is to answer the same question 10 times a day
My season is to interpret the toddler talk
My season is to know where everything is in the house even though it is probably a disaster
My season is to sit down and read stories with my kids
My season is to help my children come up with dreams they want to accomplish
My season is to be a loving mom and wife
My season is to be there for my kids whenever they need me

This is my season and I am happy with that.

Essentialism

As I was talking about painting the basement in an earlier post. I had a lot of time to listen to books and podcasts.   One of the books I listened to was Essentialism, my sister had talked to me about it and she really liked it.  So I put in on hold in Overdrive for like 2 months.  It seemed like forever.
   It is very similar to the more of less book but less about material stuff and more about our time.  Which as a mom I feel like my time is what is limited.  I only have 24 hours in  a day but yet I have to fit some sleep in somewhere.

One of the main things I learned from the whole book is that its ok to say NO sometimes  whether its so yourself or someone else.  Its not a bad thing, it might actually save you.  If you don't take that chance to say no then you will end up being stretched too thin and TRYING to do too much.  If you don't prioritize your life someone else will.  He says you will be doing all sorts of things that you don't want to be doing because you can't say no.  It might take practice to say no.   I think my thing is that I feel like I have to always be busy doing something, I like to be productful and see things get done.  But am I just being busy or am I actually accomplishing stuff.
My kids want me to play with them but I have to make dinner .... that is different than if they want to play with me and I'm trying to organize the closet for the 5th time that month.  That needs to be forgotten and cleaned out.  right?

This was one of my favorite quotes " Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, can you make your highest contribution to things that really matter"  I love that.  Sometimes we have to give ourselves permission to say no.  He talked about how when we say no people may think we are mean or should say yes.   But they will come to respect us because we know what is important and we will do a good job at what we are committed to.    When we focus on one thing we do so much better at that thing.  What we focus on becomes what we succeed at.  I love this and when I heard this I thought that is so true and what do I want to succeed at right now?    Being the best mom I can be.  So that needs to be my focus nothing else.
He talked about priority and how just a few hundred or even couple decades ago what priority meant and what it means today.  How many priorities do you have today?  5....7..... Well priority used to mean 1..... what is priority?   what is that thing that needs to be the focus.   Then as we have moved forward and are able to do more and more things we have adjusted to more and more priorities.  I like going back to just one.  What is the one priority that I need to focus on today?  I can have other tasks but one priority that take precedence over everything else.
I haven't really had to say no to anyone else but me..... All of the things I want to do but its just not the time or season for it.  I need to make sure my priority is my family and raising good kids.

That is essential to me.

Athletes foot cured with Silver?!?

Yes I know Gross...... But lets be honest... Everyone has had a case of athletes foot at one point or another right?.....

Maybe its a third world country thing.   Once you have gone to a third world country then you have had it......

Or maybe its just me.....

Anyway...... I came up with a little bit on my big toe and I thought oh humm...... I wonder where I got that from.  Odd... where have I gone swimming lately or taken a shower.  Because that is where you get if from usually.  I can't pin point it out.  So I saw it developing on my toe there and I thought to myself I am pretty sure I just threw away all of my antifungal creams in this last week.  Because it has stuff in it I don't want on my body.  I am learning so much about how much junk and bad stuff is in lotions and other skin products.  Not good for us.  Check the ingredients on everything.  I am amazed.

So I started to spray silver on my toe a few times a day and it took a while but it cleared up and its good as new now.  I am continually amazed by Silver and I know I have said this so many times but I wish I would have known about this 30 years ago it could have saved me a lot of pain in many different ways.  I am so glad I have it in my life now. I use it daily on something.

We had a little cold come though our house this past few weeks and my daughter woke up one morning with here eye looking like this..... We have never had pink eye here so I didn't know for sure if it was.   Her eye was crusted with eye buggers that first morning then just stayed red.  She didn't say it itched so I dont know what it was.   I dropped silver in it for a few days 3-4 times a day and it got better after day 4  Whatever it was is gone and Silver did the trick again.  I love this stuff.  If you don't have it get it..... its so useful and healthy.

So I thought SILVER.... silver cures everything skin, and I have an abundance of it.  So I got one of my spray bottles that I have around the house for different reasons (sunburns, scrapes and scratches)  I would spray it on a few times a day and let it dry.
 It worked slowly but surely.  It is amazing and kills all things bacterial and fungal, even virus I believe.  Once again I shouldn't be surprised that this stuff works for everything.  We just have the have the patience that our bodies know how to heal its self with the right tools.   It does take longer to heal things and I need to remember that.   Our bodies are so smart and awesome though.

30 Day minimalist Challenge

I have had so much fun with this 30 day minimalist challenge.  The challenge is that for 30 days you get rid of one thing the first day, 2 the 2nd.   I thought there is probably no way I will make it to 30, as I have already gotten rid of so much stuff.  I'll just get as far as I can, Its good motivation.

Day 1 was a cinch.  About day 8 I was starting to struggle, and I looked around and thought I have already gone through everything...... WRONG.  I went back through my bathroom drawers and found a bunch of stuff.  Like the old toothpaste we don't use anymore because we switched to a more natural kind.   A bunch of hair clips my daughter or I haven't worn.... probably ever.   I went through my kitchen drawers and got rid of old bibs and towels I never use.  No need to keep them.  So I keep finding more and more things.

The best part about this is how great it feels to have more room and less clutter and junk around. I had a few good days of just cleaning out a lot of things so I counted the stuff for the next day and so on.  If that makes sense.

I went through our junk drawer and I found so many cords that we don't need.  I mean how many charger cords do you need maybe 3, car, kitchen and bedroom.  We don't need 12.  I  had a  few random cookbooks I had never used in 8 years so I looked though and took a few out and sent them to the DI. 

I found a box in the hall closet that had a bunch of my cds in them.  I dont ever listen to cds anymore.  I still kept my favorites because I am not ready to let go of those yet.  I kept one folder of cds between me and Jared.  That is pretty good as we used to have like 4 I think.   

I found my craft box and I loved going through there. I had a bunch of ribbon stuff from making wreaths for my door.  Stuff I knew I would never use again.  So that went away.  I also had a ton of ribbon from making bows years ago for my daughter.  No need holding on to them.  I am done making bows and don't see a reason to keep that many colors and styles of ribbon.  I kept the basic colors for projects.  

I also had bias tape that I had never used and buttons that I didn't want to keep.  No need keeping thousands of buttons.  I kept all the fun ones but some had to go.  I really want most of it gone.  I don't really see me using them soon.  If I need buttons soon I know where to get them.... almost every store for pretty cheap. 

I had so much fun going through things for the third time and still finding things to get rid of.  I have changed my mind set in the past few months of what I need to have in my home.  I love this simple way of living.  I find cleaning so much easier. I still need to tackle the toy box.  Once we have the basement done and I can move stuff down there I will fix that and put the stuffed animals in there or something.  I want to put all of the little toys in bins that  are similar. Like all the cars in one bin and they have to put one away to get another out.  I have reduced my toys by at least 75% since I started this whole minimalism mindset a few months ago and the kids don't miss anything.  They are spending more time outside and actually playing with the toys we still have.  I love it 

It was a great motivator to make me go through drawers and find missing boxes that I haven't opened since we moved.  I plan to do this again once the basement is done and I can get into my storage room again.  I know there are boxes in there that need junking.  I am excited for that.  

I also find myself storing less and less clothes for the kids.  I donate or sell the ones that were hardly worn, I keep my favorites. I just feel like I don't need to store so many.  

I highly recommend doing this challenge for anyone.  I was amazed at what I found to get rid of and guess what?   I don't miss or regret getting rid of anything.  It was all truly JUNK to me.  I didn't use it and so it was junk and just cluttering up my space.  I feel a lot less stressed about not having space or having to clean up junk.  Just take the leap and Do it.  Make sure you have a buddy too so you have some accountability ,and it makes it fun to see what else they are getting rid of.  

Hard day as a mom

Every mom has them.  Don't deny it, Whether they want to or not. As strong as you think you are.... I am strong. I don't need that help.  I never break down....   We have those days where we feel like we are failing as a parent.

Some have them  more than others.

Generally I am pretty good. I know that I am not doing it the perfect way but I am trying my best but there was one day that just was the last  straw after a long hard week.  Someone said something that just hit me and I LET it get me.  That is the key here.... I LET it get me down.  We all have the choice if we are going to let other people let us feel a certain way.  NO one can make us feel something.  We have to do it, or accept it ourselves.  Easier said than done.  This has to be practiced to control that and not let it get to us.  This day though I was just done.  I was at the end of the rope and I felt like everything was going wrong.
My kids won't listen to me. I don't want to yell at them anymore to listen.  They are annoying me, I hate to even say that but I was at that point where I just needed to be alone for a while but no, of course not. I wasn't even close to a bathroom with a lock, not that that works all the time anyways.   I was stuck in a car with them and boy where they annoying..... and they wouldn't let the littlest one sleep because he was soo tired. I needed him to sleep.  So I sat there and let it sink in and let that helpless feeling take over.  The tears came and self pity set it.   I was a terrible parent.  My kids are terrible listeners due to my lack of parenting skills.  I was that mom that the other moms look at with pity and say boy does she have her hands full, those kids are out of control.
I started to question if I can't even handle these three kids how can I want more kids.  How is that even possible?  Why do I want more?
So I went to bed feeling pretty crappy and low.  I just let it have the night I let the tears flow onto my pillow and finally fell asleep.
The next morning I was a little sad still but I had some good hopes and I had started my day with a prayer which I have been terrible at lately. Good thing there. right?  Struggles bring us down and humble us for this reason.  As I was doing my morning dishes I went to my podcast list and found one that wasn't my normal Wellness mama one because I knew that I needed a pick me up booster.  I wasn't really feeling a Conference talk. I went to this podcast called Bold New mom.  I haven't really listened to any of them because well I'm not a new mom I normally feel like I have it under control usually.

 Not today, so I skimmed though and one literally jumped out..... "Am I a good mom?"   I started to cry right there doing dishes.  That was what I needed today.  So I listened and she talked about how yes you are a good mom.. Everyone has those days but you are trying and your kids can be stinkers but they love you and as long as you are trying and doing your best then Yes! you are a good mom. Don't let other people determine if you are a good mom.  Don't compare yourself to others.
She talked about these three things that she expects of herself and this is how she judges if she is doing a good job.

Love them like crazy, even when they are crazy.

Protect them.

Teach them.

There are a lot of things that go in each of these areas but she goes into saying I teach them.  They might not always do what they are supposed to but Am I teaching them the right things?   I know I have a lot to teach them still but Am I trying to teach them.  They still have their choice and agency to choose what they want.
Well there wasn't really anything specific in there that jumped out at me but I did feel the spirit when I was listening to it and Heavenly Father did hug me and tell me you are making it...  you are doing good. Keep going. Love those kids and let them know that you love them.  Be gentle and kind.  Stop being so stubborn about certain things.  Don't let the little things frustrate you so much because that starts a landslide.  That is what really helped me to get a boost out of my slump.
I have listened to a few more of her podcasts and I like what she shares.
She also has another one that is titled When you feel like a failure.    She is just so good at explaining it and making you feel like you are normal. Kids are crazy and its ok to have a bad day here and there.  Things get better the next day.  It will get better.

I love that she is LDS too so she has some parts that she talks about things that really apply to the spiritual side of things that I can really relate to.  I have really just come to love listening to her.

So continue on and Yes you are a good mom!!!

The Wellness mama is very inspiring to me

We have been incredibly busy so once again slacker on the blog. Sorry.  Maybe when my kids are a little older and summer is over I will be better at posting on Mondays again.  For now its just going to be random, because my littles come first.

YES!  The day has finally come.....

We have finally got the basement ready for painting. Yay!  So I spent my days painting for  a week and I would listen to this new book  Essentialism.  I really really liked it and I will have a whole different post about that book because it had so many good things.  I also have been listening to the Wellness mamas podcasts. I have been using her blog for a while now.  I just love her she is so down to earth and real.  I love her story and I feel like I relate to it a little.    She also always talks about simple small things that you can do today to start your way on a healthier way.  I love that because then I don't feel so overwhelmed, because I am an all or nothing person.  I can do one little thing at a time, and she helps me do that.   She also explains things so well and has researched a lot of why and explains things so well.  I really feel like I understand the why or why not of certain healthy lifestyles she is promoting.

Here is her website if you want to take a look. https://wellnessmama.com/

There are so many things she has talked about but one of the things I like most is that she is all about teaching us to teach our kids how to be healthy.  It becomes a family thing.  We involve kids in making and learning about food and what ones are good.  Why they are good?  what they do for us?
Also when we learn something and we end up teaching it then we learn and study even more.  We become better at it.

I have listened to about half of her podcasts so far.  Some of them I don't care to listen to quite yet because they don't apply directly to me.  for example thyroid problems.  I don't have that so I would rather listen to the other ones that I can relate more to. Eventually I will listen to them though because I am sure there is still a lot of good info in them.   I think she has been doing a podcast for 2-3 years one day a week so she has over 100 of them.  They are all between 20 min and an hour about.  So I find as I do the dishes I will listen to them.  I did listen to a lot of them while I painted the WHOLE basement and it made it enjoyable.

I would highly recommend listening or reading her blog and podcast.  They have so much good info.  I am looking for more ways to be able to listen to more of them.

The more I find out about our bodies and the plants and things God has put on the earth for us. The more I am amazed.  God is so smart and we just need to research it out and use them.  He has given us so many things.  I love learning about it all and I have always loved learning about our bodies. They are so cool how they work.

Positive parenting Part 2

This book has been good but challenging for me.  I  have a lot of work to do.  I know that these are good things to implement into my parenting but its hard to change. Here are some more things I have learned from this book recently.

The closer the parents are to their children the greater the influence they can have on them.  I have thought about this a lot.  I think of now when they are little they always want to be with me.  I look for time to be without them (in a good way) because they love being by me.  I know this will change the older they get and they won't want to hang out with mom anymore.  But the closer I can keep them to me the better.  They will feel comfortable to talk to me about anything.  That is the biggest thing I want when they get older that they will feel comfortable to come to me with anything.  This starts now.  Get them to stay close.  I have to show love and kindness even when they are driving me nuts.  They need to know that I love them no matter what.

He gives a lot of example of talking to our kids.  Just in the tone we talk in we can turn them away.  We have to remain calm and not so preachy.  Don't judge, teach, sermonize, solve their problems just TALK.  I have really tried to just let the kids talk to me, they are still little and talk about silly things.  I love to hear them talk and think things through.     I know this one will be hard for me when they get older because this is just my personality is to fix the problems or advise what to do.  I do it to my husband all the time.  So I need to start practicing so when the kids get older I will be ready.   There will be times when the parent will need to instruct but this is when the spirit will work with us.  We need to be close to the spirit to know when we can instruct and not push them away so they won't want to talk.  They can feel the love we have for them if we are able to do this wisely.

He also talks about the importance of positive physical interaction.  We need to hug and kiss our kids. When they want to come cuddle with us, let them.  This will build that relationship and they will like being close to you.  I'm sure this gets harder the older they get.  It seems my kids are still in the I want to smother you mom stage.  I have tried to be a little better with my boys because they don't seem to want to cuddle as much as my daughter.

If I lose my cool quick its no wonder that my kids do. They see and they follow.  They are following example.  I need to really work on not letting things get to me or not showing that it does.  Just keep quiet about it.  This is where self control really comes into play.

He talks a lot about role playing the right situations and how to react to what happens.  This helps me to see how I can apply it to my kids and their specific situation.  This can help them know what is expected.  Make sure to have them say what is expected so they really know.  Agreeing wont always happen and that is not important.  Them understanding your expectations is what is important.
I think this also helps with them behaving better because they remember exactly what will happen if they misbehave because they repeated what was expected and what would happen after.  I have really liked this part.

When you are talking with your kids if they say something like this is stupid or anything like that.  You just ignore it and only attend to the behaviors you want strengthened.  We can show empathy and understanding but don't talk about the negative things.

It isn't the amount of time the parents talk to the child that produces the results its the amount of time and number of opportunities that child has to respond and to be actively engaged in conversation trying to solve the problem.  They need to be involved and that is how they learn.

Don't ask a child to explain their inappropriate behavior but have them explain why that isn't appropriate, this invites them to be a part of the problem solving process.
This has been a big change for me.  Its so natural to say why did you do this or that.  I have to stop myself and think about what question I need to ask.  This is probably the hardest part because I want to know what made them mad and want to hit or react that way.  So I need to really work on stopping and asking Why that isn't appropriate.  Its slowly getting better.

I really love making sure I point out the positive things they do and they build their self confidence that way too.  They know how many great things they can and are able to do. These are all really great ideas and ways to help me become a better parent.

New mom favorites

We have found some new things recently that we have loved.   Anything to make life easier and better is welcomed here.   There are a few things that we have tried lately that my kids have actually loved to use and continue to use.
The first thing are these contigo water bottles.   I got them because my sisters kids have them and she really liked them.  I figured that the kids would be able to each have their own and they might drink more water.  They drink a ton of milk and I want to get them drinking more water.  It has worked so far. They like having their own and since they have a straw they seem to drink more.     I know that I drink more than just using my nalgene bottle.  Its easier to access so I find myself drinking all day long.  They are very easy to clean as well.  I like that.  They have a pretty wide top so you can get ice in very easily.  That will come in handy this summer when its hot.   The kids just got the 24 oz ones, we got a great deal at costco in a three pack.  Then I got the bigger ones 32 oz for Jared and I.

The second thing are these mini bagels. The kids love them.  These are the cinnamon ones but we usually get blueberry or plain.  They are the perfect size for the kids.  They love eating bagels but the normal ones are usually too big and then the left over pieces become my lunch.  I would rather get these smaller ones and they can eat the whole thing.  They are fun too. They call them baby bagels.

You can see the difference in size here.  I have gotten the flat bagels before and they are great for sandwiches but these are good for kids.  

Another great things we have tried and love recently is Rose hill farm delivery for our raw milk.  It comes to me and I can pay online.  Its wonderful.  I really avoid going to the store because I always end up buying more than I need and we are trying to do all raw milk.  So this helps a lot. We still get some raw milk from our carpool as well.  I haven't decided which one I like more. So we are doing both right now.  It works out well so far. 

This one is totally for me.  Overdrive.... my "reading" days might be back  I have been listening to some books and I love it.  I don't have to have time to sit down and actually read. I am folding laundry or doing dishes when I am listening.  So I get more done at that same time.  I love it.  Along with this is podcasts.  I have discovered some pretty awesome podcast lately and they are all more of what I would love to sit down and read but now I can listen to their ideas.  Like the Wellness mama. I love her website, she is the one that gives me most of my ideas for the salves and natural stuff I am making.  I get most of those recipes for her blog and now I can listen to her and all of her great ideas.   There are fun ones about just being a mom and from the minimalists.  There are so many fun ones.  Of course Dave Ramsey I love his.  He is always motivating to listen to.   I am in love with this new feature I just discovered.