Life was easier when my kids all liked watching the same TV show. Arthur on PBS was quite captivating to all three of them far longer than my older son {who is now 16} would probably like to admit. We were a one TV family, and haven't had cable for decades {though we do have Netflix streaming now and absolutely love it!}. You can check out this post on how we are able to survive life without cable.
My husband and I are quite strict about television viewing {garbage in, garbage out} and we do our best to monitor our children's TV watching. Netflix streaming makes this really easy with custom profiles for each member of the family. Plus, sometimes the kids watch a show that we hadn't discussed and Netflix does a great job of ratting them out with their recently watched episodes!
My tween daughter Isabella has recently stared venturing out of the public broadcast shows and has been looking for a series that will keep her interest. There are lots of shows out there, but my husband and I like the ones that are clean and don't have story lines that deal with more mature content than we are ready for just yet!
Isabella recently discovered Mako Mermaids. A second season of this Netflix original series was just released a few weeks ago. Isabella has been watching episode after episode and the series has captivated her attention. But don't take my word for it! Let me take a second to introduce to you my daughter Isabella with her review.
Hi this is Isabella! When we first got Netflix the shows were endless... but I've managed to make my way through most of the parent approved ones. Sure you can find many great kids shows but are they funny, entertaining and appropriate? The show is about "normal" girls who turn into mermaids after they touch water. But there is a twist. In Mako Mermaids there are also mermen! The girls try to hide their powers from the world but how long can the secret really last? Find out on this new hip show your kids are bound to love.
What shows does your tween love? If they haven't started watching Mako Mermaids, it's a must watch for sure!
I love to upcycle. It's actually one of the things I've been doing for the longest. I think it's the ultimate recycling.
Crafting and DIY projects can end up breaking the bank and actually, sometimes making things yourself can actually cost you more than just buying the item at the store. I love all things thrifty and I will rarely make something just for the sake of making it when I can buy it cheaper.
However, in the case of this leather pillow, I was able to whip it up for around $2. You can't buy a decorative pillow for two bucks!
Want to know how I managed to make a pillow for next to nothing?
I started with these supplies.
I found this XL leather coat for $1 at a garage sale this past summer and this feather pillow at the Goodwill outlet {where you pay by the pound}.
Fabric is so expensive, when I can find large sizes of quality fabric in the form of clothing for cheap, I snatch it up. You never know when you will be able to use it.
I don't think you can have too many pillows. Though I say that, and it drives me nuts when my kids "reorganize" every.single.pillow and I have to put them back in my OCD order sixteen bajillion times a day.
If you haven't met Rocky, our bear head, you can find out the story behind him here. He's been a part of our family for four years now. I jumped on that taxidermy bandwagon before it was a bandwagon.
What do you like to upcycle? Do you keep your eyes peeled for something in particular?
I'm not very good at gardening but I really want to be.
I like plants and flowers but I can't seem to keep anything alive.
I killed cactus.
And an aloe plant.
I think that's some kind of special.
I blame it on lack of natural light in our house so I'm trying round two of houseplants.
This guy took the place of my aloe that I killed. Actually, I'm blaming my daughter on killing the aloe. I told her it was good for healing wounds and she kept hacking away at that thing until there was nothing left.
This guy is in my laundry room {lets pretend the humidity will help}. I moved him closer to the window in hopes that he will get some more sun than the hacked up plant by the laundry room sink did.
This is the pot that my cacti were in. They died a slow death.
I'm trying something new and am only going to water them with fresh lukewarm tap water and not the soapy hot bathwater I was watering the cacti with. So far so good.
On Wednesday, I shared with you the little bathroom update that we did in the kids bathroom. My husband helped me make floating shelves for the little niche above the toilet in the kids bathroom.
I picked up a few accessories at Marshall's and Home Goods and I made the little lather, rinse, repeat sign that is framed.
I thought that I would share the image with you in case you wanted to use it. Simply right click, save to your files and print to whatever size that you would like.
This is the one I used, I just printed it on colored cardstock to save on printer ink.
Enjoy! Remember, these images are for personal use only.
Last month, I shared with you all how one of my goals was to start taking my pins off of Pinterest and making them a reality. I started a blog series I am calling From Pin To Reality.
For months (maybe years) I have been pinning tutorials and images of floating shelves. Like this
Our upstairs kids bathroom has the perfect spot for floating shelves.
This little alcove above the toilet is 5 1/2" deep and has been left blank since we moved in four years ago. Because honestly, what do you hang over a toilet? An inspirational quote like this perhaps?
While I wanted to use some power tools again (like I did when I made this pallet backed bookcase), my skills are still dependent on my handy husband and our schedules never included both of us in the same house for longer than 10 minutes (except to sleep), this project wasn't happening unless I turned over the reigns.
I wanted the project done and finally had a willing craftsman to do it, so I relinquished control. I did however, take a date to Lowe's and learned how to purchase the perfect piece of lumber (hold it up in one hand with the other end on the ground and look down the edge picking the straightest board possible. Some of those boards are twisted I tell ya!) and I stained the boards once they were cut.
I love that the kids now have a space for their extra toilet paper (kids were getting stranded!) and it visually fills up the space making the whole shower/toilet area seem cozier than it already is.
Like all things DIY, they eventually start to change from the way in which they were created to support functionality. Apparently, getting stranded one too many times, led me eldest son to create this toilet paper tower so that he shall never fear of running out of TP again!
I took back the space and made it pretty again, but I'm not quite sure how long it will last without it's TP tower.
If you check back on Friday, I will be sharing the lather, rinse, repeat printable that I whipped up for this space.
If you would like to join me in my quest from taking things off of Pinterest and making them a reality, then join me on Instagram. You can find me at HolyCraft1. Simply tag your project that you took from your Pinterest board with #frompintoreality and @holycraft1 so I can find you and you will be entered to win a monthly prize to keep you creating.
I'm a big fan of buying local and supporting local artists and crafters. Over a year ago, my oldest son started telling me about a local company {causal industrees} that he was loving and we started supporting this company by buying some pretty rad locally made shirts.
I was just folding laundry and three of the four t-shirts I folded that were Aidan's were all Casual Industrees tee's. I have a few personal favorites.
Because who doesn't think their city is amazing all lit up?
This was our latest purchase. Seattle Seahawk Michael Bennett rode off in a Seattle Police bike after their NFC Championship win against the Green Bay Packers. It was all in good fun and happened to be my favorite part of the whole game!
Another super cool new Seahawks shirt is this Dream Team shirt. Keeping it local for the fans. You can purchase it here.
And finally, I have been so busy shopping for my son and buying him shirts that he has loved, that I didn't even realize they had a women's and a kids department.
Go check out Casual Industreesyourself and let me know what you think. I promise this isn't a sponsored post and I get no kickback. It's just a company we like and support locally.
One of the best parts about child sponsorship is the ability to have communication with your sponsored child. I had the opportunity to meet one of our sponsored children this past summer in Uganda and seeing him in his mud hut holding onto a stack of letters that our family has written him over the years was heartwarming. This family lives in a very small space and only has room for the most basic items. To see that they had made room for the stack of letters that was written to them by a family they didn't even know, made me realize how much they do cherish that communication.
When I returned from my trip, the one thing that I made sure that other child sponsor families knew is how much their letters were cherished and how important it is to write to your sponsored children. The next question I often get is, what should I write. I thought I would provide some tips that I found that may be useful for you in writing to your sponsored children.
Write about things your sponsored child is familiar with. Talk about your family and the people living in your home. Talk about your childhood and the chores that you did growing up. Share with your sponsored child about your family and siblings when you were a child.
If your sponsored child is in school, talk to them about what you like to learn about and ask them about the things that they are learning. Tell them about things that your children are learning and share with them what you hope they are able to learn in life.
Talk about your favorite past times. Do you like to read? Do you or your children participate in sports? Share with them the things that you enjoy and ask them about the things that they like to do.
Do some research about the area that your sponsored child lives. The area in Uganda where our sponsored children live is very tropical and surrounded by a large lake. If you look at the picture above, you can see that one of our children loves to draw pictures of fish. In fact, below is a picture of him drawing pictures with me when we met. Learning about the area that they live in will help you understand what kinds of questions to ask.
Explain special events
Tell your sponsored child about the celebrations that you are sharing in letters. How do you celebrate Easter? What traditions do you have at Christmas? What special things do you do for birthdays? These holidays and events are probably celebrated much differently in your sponsored child's home land, so make sure you ask what things they celebrate and how they are celebrated.
Use language they will understand
I found that as I spoke with the children on my trip last summer, the language I used starting to change. I was traveling with an 11 year old neighbor of mine and instead of introducing her as my neighbor {which I did several times}, I started to say that she was one of the children in my village. I started describing my garden as my crops and instead of saying that I get my chicken from the grocery store {the kids were appalled that I had never cut the head off of a live chicken for my dinner!} I told them that I got my food at the market.
Share about your life
Explain to your sponsored children the job that you have, but keep it basic. One of the men on our trip is a computer programmer. None of the children had ever seen a computer let alone had any idea what a computer programmer is {heck, I don't even know if I do!}. The sponsored children don't need to know all the details about your job, but describing the basics {businessman, teacher, mother} is perfect.Talk about your church and how you worship. Ask them questions about the church that they attend. Tell them about the things that you do each day and the places that you visit.
Describe the area that you live
Share with your sponsored child about your home and the area that you live in. Do you live by water and mountains? What is your weather like? Since we live in the Seattle area, I usually describe this time of year as our "rainy season". It's a term that they understand and while other people in the country may know that Seattle gets a lot of rain, our sponsored children have no idea! You can even include a photo or two of the area that you live in.
Ask questions
Don't forget to ask questions and then respond to those questions. This is a bit more difficult since there is usually a several month lag between the time you send your letters and the time you receive a new letter, though try to do your best. Your sponsored child would like to get to know you just as much as you want to get to know them.
Include your children in the process
My kids won't always sit down and write a full letter, but they will draw a picture or include a short sentence to our sponsored children. Small children can draw a picture or color a page for your sponsored child and older children can ask a question or two and share a little bit about their day.
Some things to avoid
There are lots of things that you can write about, but there are a few things that can be written that may make your sponsored child feel uncomfortable. Don't talk about your lavish vacations, your new car purchase or include pictures or details about your home. Avoid discussing politics and elections and don't promise your sponsored child something that you can't deliver on.
Hopefully this list has given you a few new ideas about things that you can write to your sponsored child. I promise you, your sponsored children love hearing from you. Just knowing that someone cares for them and makes an effort to be a part of their lives is something that makes all the difference.
If you are interested in child sponsorship, please visit this page to learn more.
The older I get, the more I realize how dependent my mood is on the weather.
I realized pretty early on living in the Seattle area that I needed to get a break during the dark dreary months and find some sun.
I spent nearly a week in Cancun, Mexico last week soaking up sun and enjoying rare one on one time with my husband and loving every minute of it.
One of our favorite things to do to start the day is to get out and run. I don't necessarily love the running part, but being outside, being active and exploring the area is a great way to start the day.
One of the songs that came on on my iPod as I was running was Building 429 "Where I Belong"
If you haven't heard it, or just love the song and want to hear it again, here it is. It's a great one.
Though I must confess, hearing that song under the shade of the palm trees on the white sand beaches with the warm sun streaming down on me was difficult for me to wrap my mind around.
I know that this world is not my home. I'm merely passing through it on my way to my eternal home in heaven, but boy how we can so easily get comfortable here. Especially under palm trees with a warm breeze blowing.
This morning, as I was running through the rain with dark clouds and no sun in sight, the same song came on. It was much easier for me to hear that song and sing those lyrics and know that this world is not where I belong.
I spent some time reflecting today on this song and the Hebrews verse that inspired it {Hebrews 13:14-21} and realized that being comfortable can be a stumbling block for me sometimes. I've always been a very independent person and sometimes my greatest struggle is wanting to do things on my own. My parents will tell you my first sentence as a toddler was "Baby do it." This comfort that I have can rob me of the dependence that I need to have in God.
When I was in Uganda this past summer, I saw men and women with an amazing faith in God that comes from a deep reliance on Him for their every need. They look to God as their provider and they see him providing. If I lack something I can usually head to the local WalMart and provide it for myself.
I want to not be so comfortable on this earth that I forget about why I am here. I want to not be so distracted by the things this world provides me with that I am not growing in grace and spreading the word of God and the truth that He brings. I want to know that even the most beautiful place in this whole world is not even a fraction of how beautiful heaven will be one day.
This life isn't about my comfort. This is not where I belong. How do you keep yourself in check with this?
This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Universal Pictures, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BoxtrollsFamilyNitehttp://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
One of our family's favorite things to do during our long wet winter is to cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie together. It's the only time the kids are able to eat in the living room and they take full advantage of it!
The Boxtrolls was just released so while I was out shopping at WalMart , I picked up the DVD {while supplies last!} and got some goodies to create the perfect family movie night.
There is nothing like eating popcorn during a movie, but we like to take it up a notch with our popcorn snack mix. It's super easy to make and I have yet to meet a person who doesn't love it!
Start by popping up a bag of Pop Secret Movie Theater Butter popcorn {I bought the 10 count}. Remove any unpopped kernels. Pour your popped popcorn into a large bowl and mix in a 10 ounce bag of broken up Fritos {the kids love crunching them up in the unopened bag}, and about 8 ounces of stick pretzels {also broken up}.
Melt 20 ounces of white almond bark in a microwave safe bowl. I start with heating it for one minute and then stirring it every 30 seconds after that until it's smooth and melted.
Pour your white almond bark on top of your snack mix.
Stir until all of your mix is coated.
Once your mix is coated, pour it onto wax paper to harden. This should only take about five minutes. Once it's hard, you can break up the snack mix and it's ready to eat!
It's the perfect blend of sweet and salty.
When our kids were little, like clinging on my leg not letting me get anything done little, I kept wondering when they would be less needy. I have entered that phase {and it's awesome and sad and exciting all at the same time}. With only a year and a half until my oldest son leaves the nest and heads to college, I cherish the time I get to spend with my kids at home. I probably said that I cherished my time with the kids when they were little too, but this time I really mean it. It's said in a different way. Like holy cow, the time really does fly by!
We love spending time with our kids and our kids really do like spending time with us. It's fun when we have things that draw us together like a good movie and a yummy snack mix!
Trust me, The Boxtrolls made the perfect family movie night and the popcorn snack mix sweetened the deal!
It's easy to get into spending habits and not even think that what you are doing is a waste of money. The new year is a great time to reexamine your spending habits and start making easy changes. I have five things that you can stop wasting money on and start putting some more cash back into your wallet.
1. Books
I'm an avid reader as you can see from my collection of "what to read" book posts {the search tab in my sidebar will pull up three pages of posts from my blog}, but I rarely buy a single book. I frequent our library and enjoy their selection of books from children's titles to new bestsellers. The bonus to borrowing from the library is that you don't start amassing clutter around your home in the form of already read books. I also purchase books at garage sales, usually for a quarter a piece.
Let me also follow this up by saying that books are priceless. Reading is an amazing gift, and there are times when I buy books, especially when they are books that get my kids excited about reading. As a book lover, I know that if I were indulging my book habit at the book store, I would be broke. Visiting your library for at least one or two of your book purchases each month would save you at least $20. It's an easy way to eliminate this expense.
2. fees
This is a broad one. The fees I'm talking about could be fees that you pay in the way of ATM fees, overdraft/balance fees or fees that you pay for admission into the movies or museum. I also lump credit card interest into this, because it's essentially a fee that you are charged by the credit card company for the use of their money to buy your things
.
I'm a stay at home mom and have been for sixteen years. I know the importance of getting out with the little ones. I found great value in my zoo membership when the kids were little and then in the science museum membership as the kids got older, but I didn't find any value in the children's museum or the art museum membership and I will tell you why. Both of those museums offered free days or passes from the library {seriously, if you don't frequent your library, you should!} that offered free admission. In fact, several of our local museums offer free museum days that we have taken advantage of at one time or another.
Typically the price of a family membership is just a little bit more expensive than the cost of admission for our family. If we are planning on using the membership passes more than twice in a calendar year, then the passes have paid for themselves.
We traveled to another state several years ago and were planning on going to their science museum while we were in town. I looked into our science museum's reciprocal museum policy and found that our membership would be good at that state's science museum. I've also done this with our zoo membership. This has allowed free access into a different museum or zoo just by being a membership card holder at another location.
If you are collecting banking fees due to ATM usage, overdraft or balance related issues, this is probably because you are just not aware of the policy. Take a second to see what fees you are racking up, and make a strategy on how to avoid those fees. This could mean switching accounts where you don't have to have a certain balance in your account, or simply using an ATM across the street vs the one that you have always gone to.
As for credit card interest, don't buy what you can't afford. Pay off the debt you have and start working at living a debt free lifestyle.
3. Extras and Upgrades
Some of us are in the moment shoppers. You find yourself at the cash register with a large purchase and the salesperson asks you if you want the store's upgraded warranty coverage. Or, you order a new thingamabob from Amazon and you can upgrade your shipping for just a few dollars more and get your item a few days sooner. These upgrades are burning a hole in your wallet.
I recently called our phone/internet provider and was told that I could upgrade to cable for just $20 more each month. It seemed like a fabulous idea at the time, but after six months the rate went up by $100 and by that time most people have a hard time parting with their beloved channels that they would rather just fork up the money then get rid of their upgraded package.
While our family doesn't eat out much {typically once a month} I know that there are families that eat out far more often. I'm not going to tell you not to go out to eat {though that would save you some money} I will however warn you about over ordering. Do you really need an appetizer to go with your already large American size portion of food? Do you really need to finish off the meal with a dessert? And what about your drink order? I know that sometimes the drinks can add up to the same price as a whole entree. Just be mindful of how you are ordering to help you keep the tab in check.
4. Overpriced Coffee
I live in the Seattle area. There is a coffee shop on every corner. I wasn't much of a coffee drinker when we moved here, but now the coffee shops are an easy meeting place so I became hooked. Though when I say hooked, I mean I treat myself to Starbucks at the most, once a week. I have a friend who loves her drip coffee. It sets her back less than two dollars and makes her happy. I'm not talking about that coffee. I'm talking about the fru fru coffee that costs $5 {or more} per drink.
I'm totally guilty of this one and have worked out a few ways to help me, though I still need to find a cheaper drink alternative than my favorite caramel macchiato that costs me far too much! Like I said, I limit myself to a once a week stop at Starbucks. I will also ask for gift cards in exchange for payment. I did a custom project for a friend and she asked how much I charged. I told her to pay me with a Starbucks gift card. There is something psychological in knowing that it's money from a gift card versus money from my own bank account. If you do find yourself meeting at Starbucks or another coffee shop {those exist?} see if you can find a cheaper drink alternative.
5. Trendy Clothing
I have never been a trendsetter, though I do like at least looking put together and from this decade. I find the best way to do that is to buy classic clothing. If you were to look in my closet, the color palate is mostly black, grey and white. Most of the items are from consignment shops or garage sales, and what I do buy new, is usually off the discount rack. I find that with shopping this way, I am still able to be on trend without breaking the bank.
If there is an item that is a bit trendier that I am into, then I try to find that item at a discount. This is usually when shopping the sale racks or shopping discount stores has it's benefits. If I really love an item, the price has to be right, especially if I know that the item just won't be in style the next season.
Those are my top five items that I can see most people are wasting their money on. How do you do?Are you one of the wasters or are you a saver?
Soup is my favorite! I make a pot of soup at least once a week and always love trying new recipes. Here are 20 homemade soup recipes to try this winter.
