Have a great weekend!

No time to write. We're in the middle of the biggest infrastructure project in our family's history.

I must get back to the blocks.

Books With No Pictures

That's what Claire calls chapter books. She cannot read at that level yet. But I read to her from them almost everyday.
I'm currently on the lookout for some good books. She loves the Magic Tree House series, so I can always go to one of those. She also loves Little House books but we've read most of them and I want to make it last. I love reading those books. And I love watching my girls pretend that they are Ma and Laura and Mary.
Soon I'll share some of the books that we've been reading, along with any comments my Kindergartner wants to make about them.

Shopping anyone?

I want to go shopping. Now. And I'm not even half way through 30 Days of Nothing. Not even half way. I was thinking that if I bought something now with my credit card and then didn't pay the bill until after the 30 days, I'd be good. Right? I know, I know. I'm really stretching here.


I did go to Aldi today. Not exactly the shopping I had in mind though. I now have $86 and 17 days left. We really have enough food here, but you know, I found some good deals...




I used two of the Angelfood chicken breasts to make this. The chicken is good. Same quality as any frozen chicken breasts I've bought in a grocery store. The bruschetta chicken bake was a new recipe for me. It came in a Kraft magazine in the mail. It was only ok.

Did I mention that I want to go shopping?

Ever wonder what boiling beer looks like?

No? Well, I'm going to show you anyway...

Why would someone boil beer, you ask?

Remember how I wrote that I would try all the food in the Angelfood box? We try not to waste around here, but I had planned on giving this away. Until my husband saw them.

Bratwurst.

I had never tried it before. And it didn't look appetizing. So I tried it and I think it tastes about as good as it looks.

The verdict here: There are two more links of it in the freezer and that will make two more meals for my husband. He said it was great, would definitely buy it again. Next time I won't boil it in beer before I grill it, I'll stick to water so my kitchen doesn't smell like a brewery.

We also tried the broccoli and pepper combo. There were maybe four crowns of broccoli in the entire bag. It tasted good, but my kids like to eat their "trees", not just the trunks. I would not purchase that again if it was from the grocery store, but I'd eat it again if it came in the package deal.

The girls had leftover grilled chicken for dinner. I was looking at it longingly.

Thou shalt not covet they children's dinner.

Old Mother Hubbard No More

My cupboards are full. And my freezer, too. I picked up the food that I ordered this morning and that, in addition to my Thursday grocery shopping, has filled them up. The plan is to make all this food last for two weeks and only purchase produce and milk.

I can already see the difference that Owlhaven's 30 Days of Nothing challenge has made in our checkbook balance. And I've noticed that I have been thinking twice about buying things, about shopping in general.

I mentioned before that I ordered some food through Angelfood Ministries. They offer a monthly box of food (which is what I bought), prepared meals, and produce and meat specials. The offerings change every month. This month I bought:

1.5 lb. Top Sirloin Strip Steaks (4 x 6 oz.)
2 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
3 lb. Breaded Chicken Chunks
1.5 lb. Boneless Pork Fillet
20 oz. Supreme Pizza
1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 lb. Cheddar Cheese Bratwurst Sausage
1 lb. Green Beans
1 lb. Stir Fry Vegetables (Broccoli & Bell Peppers)
35 oz. Crinkle-cut Fries
32 oz. Borden 2% Reduced Fat Shelf Stable Milk
7.5 oz. Macaroni & Cheese
15 oz. Pork & Beans
7 oz. Chicken-Flavored Rice & Vermicelli
1 lb. Pinto Beans
One Dozen Eggs
One Dessert Item (which turned out to be a box of chocolate chip cookies)

This is supposed to be enough food to feed a family of four for a week (dinners). I was a little disappointed with the breaded chicken chunks. We haven't tried them, but they just look like little balls of breading to me. But I will try them.

Even if the chicken and the turkey (which I'm also a little wary of just from the packaging) turn out to be a waste, I think that it will still be $30 well spent.

I don't know how well spent, though. So I'm going to check prices and see what I would have paid had I purchased these at our local stores.

The pick up went really well. There was a line of people waiting to pick up their food but it moved really quickly. The volunteers were fantastic, helping people fill up their boxes and bags and searching for boxes for people that neglected to bring them.

I'm still undecided about doing this again for October. I want to actually eat some of the meat to see if the quality is equal to that of our local stores.

Well, I'm off to find some new recipes to try to use up the food on my now well stocked shelves.

Days 11 and 12

I'm happy to say that we made it until payday with the groceries we had in the house. I spent $125.38 today and that includes some items that we definitely don't "need". Now I hope to make this food last until next payday (two weeks). I have $109.88 left in the budget and 18 days left.

I'm not too keen on having Claire ride the bus. She really, really wants to this and I do let her...sometimes. (when I'm sure that my friend's older daughter will be riding). The other day I was driving her to school and she said she met the school dog.

Her elementary school has a school dog that the counselor uses as part of her work. Evidently the dog is very therapeutic for some kids. Claire asked what she does and I tried as best I could to explain the job of a school counselor.

There was a moment of silence and then, "Mom, I think you need to go talk to a council-ate-or."

I tried to remain really neutral about this comment while all these thoughts went through my mind. My daughter thinks I'm depressed or upset. Maybe she thinks I yell too much. Maybe.... So I took a breath and asked, "Why do you think Mommy needs a counselor?"

"Because you're so stressed out about this bus thing."

Whew!

Ten down, 20 to go

Seems like a long time.

I spent $16 yesterday on non-grocery supplies: toilet paper, paper towels etc. I resisted the urge to pick up some other things while I was at the store.

I'm feeling a bit like Old Mother Hubbard. Really need to go grocery shopping. The reason I haven't has nothing to do with 30 Days of Nothing. It has to do with waiting for a paycheck. Now, technically we have enough money to go shopping now. But I really had in my mind that we could hold out until pay day (Thursday).

And we can. It's just that we can't have our first choice in food. There's food there, but it's not what I feel like eating. The girls cannot understand why there are no fruit snacks in the house. Or crackers. Or Cheerios.

There are apples and grapes and carrots. Oatmeal, eggs, and bread. It's just not what they want at that moment.

I think this is a good lesson for our family. Imagine the pioneer families who ate turnips and potatoes for weeks on end because that's all they had. Or families right now in other countries who eat rice everyday because that's what's there. My kids are so used to multiple choices that even though they're not the slightest bit deprived, they feel like something is terribly wrong.

Hmmm

Day 9: Frugal Hospitality

Monday was a wonderful day. Dani and I baked chocolate chip cookies for the girls to take to school tomorrow in honor of the letter "C". She also helped me clean. There's nothing quite like watching a three year old mop the kitchen floor. I wish I had thought to take a picture. She just loves to "help".

I've been thinking about 30 Days of Nothing and how this will affect some guests that we'll be having. Friday we're having a small debate party and I'm planning to serve some snacks. I just need to determine what we can make that will not take me over my grocery budget (and still taste yummy).

Because in a couple weeks, we're having some weekend houseguests. Two very good friends and their three children will be coming. They are not really of a frugal mindset. Although they're certainly not spendthrifts either. They also have a bit more money than we do as they both work. So, I need to plan some easy, delicious meals: two dinners, two breakfasts and two lunches.

We usually order pizza the first night because we're never exactly sure when they'll arrive. But that definately isn't going to work with what's left of the budget. So I was thinking a big pot of chili and some warm bread or a pan of ziti and garlic bread. Breakfasts are easy enough: eggs or pancakes, we almost always have ingredients like that on hand. But I'm still thinking about what to make for Saturday's dinner and the lunches.

I know I need to take a look at the list of contents of the Angelfood box we ordered. Maybe I can use something there to feed the ten of us.

Day 8: Rest

After all of Saturday's running around, we rested on Sunday. It was a wonderful family day. And I had time to do some menu planning for the week.

The good news? We've been able to eat good meals and I haven't done much (grocery) shopping this week ($17.02 including the papers). That leaves $232.98 in the budget for the next 22 days. Woo-hoo!

The not as good news? Our pantry and freezer is quickly being emptied. So when we get a paycheck on Thursday, we'll need a considerable amount of food. We're almost out of Cheerios and that is a major disaster here.

So for the several days, we'll continue to use our pantry and freezer for food:
Monday: spaghetti with homemade sauce (from freezer)
Tuesday: hamburgers and oven baked fries
Wednesday: potato soup with ripples (I know, I know. But it's my husband's favorite and very frugal)
Thursday: Grilled chicken (freezer) and mashed potatoes
Friday: steak! (a gift from a dear friend who works on a beef farm part time)

I plan to shop Thursday or Friday. Saturday is the pick up date for the Angel Food box. I'm really curious to see what kind of quality this food has and how long I can use it to feed our family. This is our first time purchasing from this organization, so I'll let you know how it goes.

Oops!

So, I drove all over today AND I spent $20 at a yard sale on kids' clothes. (really, really cute kids clothes, though!)


Here's the deal: we had a playdate scheduled with some friends about 30 miles away. It was scheduled before I even heard about 30 days of nothing and I wasn't going to cancel because I really want to see the Moms. Really we shouldn't call it a playdate. Yes, our kids play, but we really arrange these things so that we can hang out. And we did. And it was great.


But what I am feeling a bit of guilt about is the yard sale.


I have a really good excuse, sort of. A very kind mother gave me tap and ballet shoes (2 pairs of each) for my younger girls. I tried to offer her money and she wouldn't take it. Later in the conversation, she started talking about a yard sale she was having and so I thought that would be a nice way for me to kind of repay her for her kindness. I bought about $10 worth of stuff and gave her the $20 and asked her to please keep it. She has three girls, too and I know she could use it. I did get some beautiful dresses- two Christmas dresses that look brand new, a beautiful Hannah Anderson sweater, and some new shoes with the tag still attached. So, I think it was money well spent. But clearly it doesn't fit in with the whole "nothing" part of the 30 days.


On top of that, I DROVE there. And I really should have walked. But I was in a hurry to get to the aforementioned play date.


The good news? I made Owlhaven's yummy easy apple crisp recipe. The girls got their aprons on and helped. It was really easy. I've never actually made apple crisp before and it turned out great.


I also watched some more of the HBO series John Adams and I'm really enjoying it.

Bottom line is, I drove too much and spent too much money. But had a really enjoyable day. And I'm not feeling all that guilty about it.... maybe that's what Mary at Owlhaven meant in her post about entitlement.

Day 6: Library Frustration

I made it all day with no driving. We walked to school and dropped of Claire and then to the library for story time. We even walked to the store for eggs and, um, ice cream...

In between all that, I had a frustrating few moments. As I was sitting between my two little mudgies attempting to help them glue tiny pieces of tissue paper to their masterpieces, another Mom started asking me questions about Dani.

Dani was born in China. She's been home with us for about two years and I'm used to fielding questions and hearing comments about her adoption.

I'm used to it, but I still get frustrated. This particular woman annoyed me back in May. So I already answered some of these questions four months ago. Today she started out with the usual questions about her age, about our travel, etc etc. Her questions, which started out harmless, became more and more intrusive and inappropriate until finally, she put her hand on Ellie and said, "Now she's your own, right?"

I know people wonder this because Dani is Chinese and Ellie is of Irish/German heritage. The real question behind this seems to be, "Why would you adopt a child when you can have your own?" This just makes my skin crawl.

When I didn't answer her, she looked puzzled and in a stage whisper said, "I mean biologically, she's your own, right?"

I was counting in my head so that I didn't overreact. Practicing my deep cleansing breathes. I mean, I was with two of my girls in a library for goodness sakes. She said this in front of my 3 and 4 year old daughters. My mind was racing with thoughts about how much psychological damage Dani will have after a lifetime of people wanting to know who in our family is "mine". And then I tried to formulate a response that wouldn't cause the girls to pay any more attention to our conversation. I think me making a big deal about it, might make it worse for Dani. So I just looked her in the eye and said with a smile, "They're both mine." At that point, she said, "Oh you know what I mean."

I turned back to Dani to see that she had successfully glued seven pieces of tissue paper to the table and one to her cheek. Then I heard, "So are you done? Going back for more?" I'm not sure what the look on my face was. But it made her stutter, "I'm sorry, did I say something offensive?"

Well, she asked. I tried to be neutral in my response. I told her that she was asking some very personal questions and that I do not appreciate people asking about whether kids are "mine" especially in front of my kids.

Again with the stage whisper, "That's why I said it to you. She couldn't hear."

Well, she does hear (especially when she's sitting right next to me). I know that I cannot stop people from being insensitive. I know that some people have strong feelings against adoption, especially international adoption. I also know that some people are just curious (nosy) and feel that they can ask whatever they'd like. (Maybe, I should have asked her, "Is that your daughter? Is she your own? Vaginal or C section? Any tearing? Is your husband the father?")

No, I shouldn't have.

I should have stopped the conversation with a smiling, polite one liner the first time she asked a slighly intrusive question. I always read about adoptive Moms saying great things. I even wrote some down. But when she was talking, all I could think was, "Shut up!" and that's clearly inappropriate and immature. I'm well aware that a blue eyed woman with a Chinese American daughter is an attention getter. But I wish people would think about how their comments might sound to little three year old ears.

Day 5: The Best Laid Plans...

Today was a busy day. Ted took the day off so we could attend morning meeting and Claire's school. Then we had the apple picking field trip. Dance class started for all three mudgies tonight. And I had to babysit one of their dance friends.

Now, I knew this in advance. And yesterday when I made my master meal plan to utilize the food we already have, I wisely decided to make beef stew today. Put it in the crock pot and let it cook all day. We would still be tired from a long day, but we could come home after dance and with minimal fuss, sit down to a nutritious family meal.

Ahem. The problem was that I entirely forgot to do it. So we returned from dance class and I looked at the crock pot. Surprisingly, the stew did not make itself. So we had last minute hot dogs and grapes and pretzels. Not exactly what I hoped for. And no where near as nutritious. But we did eat a the dining room table as a family. That's somethin', right?

Spent $4 today for apples. We'll have beef stew tomorrow and some yummy apple crisp. I think I'll have to use some of our grocery budget for some staples, we're completely out of eggs among other things.

Day 4: A clean fridge!

I cleaned out the refrigerator because our garbage day is Thursday. I was happily surprised to find that I didn't have food to throw out. I usually find some sort of science experiment that needs to be disposed of before it spreads.

I also took the time to schedule our meals through next Saturday, the pick up day for the Angelfood box we ordered. I've been stocking up our pantry and freezer over the last few months, so I think we can make it with no major grocery shopping. Just eggs, milk, and some fresh veggies. Tomorrow Ella and Dani have a field trip to an apple orchard, so we'll have lots of fresh apples. I plan to try out this apple crisp recipe from Owlhaven.

Day 3: Some Mom Time

We did more walking today: walked C to school, went for a walk just for fun, and after dinner we all walked to the store for some milk. That's $2.79 for a gallon of skim. $245.21 left for the next 27 days.

For two hours on Tuesday, all three of my girls were in school. My house was so quiet I think I heard a mouse. Seriously. I was enjoying a nice warm cup of tea and reading a library book when I heard the noise... in the wall. Ugghh.... You know that scene in Ratatouille? With the rats crashing through the ceiling? Our house is old, about 140 years old. Who knows what's in the walls? Certainly not enough insulation as our heating bill can attest.

My quiet time was wonderful..once I got the mice thoughts out of my head. I spent most of it doing housework but still had time to read and play our piano. Ahhh... this is the life.

Day 2

Wow. We had quite a storm. School was delayed two hours and preschool was canceled. But it was a nice fall day. We spent the two hours picking up tree limbs and sticks in our yard and the girls worked on our neighbor's yard, too. They were having a ball. We went on a scavenger hunt looking for things that blew away in the night: our grill cover, some chairs, a small table.

We all walked C to school and I listened to, "Why are we walking?", "This is sooo far." I reminded them that this is the same school that we walked to all summer to play on the playground. But, I understand. It's a much more enjoyeable walk when your just going to play.

Finally drove the van, though. (first time since Friday) Soccer practice is too far to walk. I love watching five and six year olds play soccer. I wasn't sure whether or not we should sign C up because it makes dinner time and bed time a bit of a rush. But she loves it and Ted coaches so it's exercise and time with Dad. I'm glad we did it.

Overall not a bad day. No money spent.

Lands End Free Shipping Code

Ok, now they're just being cruel. As if I wasn't tempted enough with the clearance sales, now they send me free shipping through September 23.

So, for those of you not doing 30 Days of Nothing, you can use promotion code BOOTS and PIN 5206.

Check out their Overstocks. There's some great stuff there.

Thirty Days of Nothing: Day 1

Well, other than the paper (Ted walked to the store to purchase it), I bought nothing today. My first temptation was from my friend Shae who called to talk about Halloween costumes and this great site she found where they're discounted. I then found myself on eBay perusing the costumes there. I don't usually buy costumes. Last year the girls dressed up from things we found around the house and from a costume my aunt had made for her kids in the seventies. Reuse, recycle, right?

So I pulled myself away from that and then the nice people at Lands End emailed me about their clearance. After about five minutes of checking out their site, I told myself to stop. I'm not going to buy anything anyway.

The girls and I made a bunch of cards and got them ready to go out tomorrow: birthday, get well, thank you notes for D's birthday. We still have a few more thank yous to do. Three year olds get bored with card making (and with most things) pretty quickly.

We made homemade pizza and salad for dinner and I searched my fridge for any must eats. The cauliflower isn't going to be with us much longer so I cut some up for Ted to take to work tomorrow along with the veggie dip that we need to use up.

So, I made it through day one, 29 to go.

30 Days of Nothing

Over at Owlhaven, I've been reading for the last week or so about 30 Days of Nothing. I really like the concept of it and kept thinking I should try it.

Then I thought of a bunch of excuses: She's almost half way through, it's a little late for me to join in. And I'm new to blogging and not sure this is where I should start. And we have plans in the next 30 days that will make this a challenge.

But, um, I guess it's supposed to be a challenge, right?

And I really identify with her posts about entitlement and the relative luxury that we live in here in the Western world. I have photos of D's foster grandparent's home: their dirt floor, their kitchen area, their sleeping mats. I struggle with the disparity of this reality. Do I really need the things I buy? Or do I just want them?

So here are my rules:

If I don't have to go out, I will stay home.

If I have to go out, I will walk if at all possible. If I must drive, I'll take the shortest route and batch trips together.

I'll limit shopping to groceries and necessities.

And I'm going to try to cut our grocery budget. We spend about $80 per week to feed our family of five. So that's about $320 over 30 days. Now, I went shopping Thursday for two weeks worth of groceries (not including perishables). And I preordered a box of food through Angelfood for $30. So I'm going to try to keep our food/supply spending to $250 over the next 30 days.

I picked these goals because I spend less when I'm home and it has the added benefit of allowing me more time at home to work on some projects here.

One of our financial challenges is fuel. We live in a small town and my husband has a big commute. If I want to visit family or shop somewhere other than the two grocery shops in town, I have to drive at least 25 minutes to get there. I'm hoping we'll spend less in this area over then next 30 days.

Our food budget is an area that I've been working on over the last few months. I've been using coupons, shopping sales when possible, spending a bigger percentage of our budget at Aldi, and checking our refrigerator often so I don't let food spoil.

I've never tried Angelfood before but I ordered a box last week. So I'm going to work hard to build a menu around the items in their September box even though there are things there that I would never usually buy. Um, bratwurst?

I'm not sure that $250 is the magic number, but I think it's manageable. Today I spend $2 on the Sunday paper. I count that as part of our grocery budget because of the coupons. So, we have $248 to last until October 14.

I'm off now with the three little mudgies to make some thank you and birthday cards. Our first foray into 30 Days of Nothing. No store purchased greeting cards.

Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink

Heard of winkflash? I hadn't either. But I set up an account today and so far, I'm impressed. I have accounts with Ofoto, Snapfish, Phanfare.... Sound like a bit much? Well, I just keep signing up for whoever has the best deal.

And right now, it's Winkflash. 50 photos for 99 cents. Not bad. Especially with 99 cent shipping. They're also running a great deal on photo books. I haven't purchased one, so I'm not sure of the quality yet, but I plan to check it out.

I do upload all my photos to one place so that they're all together. But when I want to purchase prints, I try to do it only when there are specials. No need to pay extra, right?

Off she goes

I was hoping for a smiling photo of my daughter standing on the steps of the bus on her first day of school. But, um, this is what I got.

C was a little excited. As the bus turned the corner onto our street, all three girls started shrieking and jumping up and down. Remember Fantasy Island? I had a little TV flashback as I heard the three of them screaming, "Da bus! Da bus!"

I barely snuck in a hug before the door opened and she ran onto the bus with a backward, "Bye Mom" and a big hello for the bus driver.

I know that I should be pleased that she's enthusiastic about school, that she's confident and doesn't need me to walk her to her room. As a Mom, I wanted to do this, but she declined and I respect that.

It's given me a refreshing insight into my life and my relationship with my two younger girls. It won't be so long before they're off on the bus. I'm going to relish this time at home with them. And I'm going to try to remember this the next time I think, "Oh why did I quit my job? They're driving me crazy..."

ABC and 123

C started Kindergarten today (and I'm not ready to write about that). And E and D start preschool tomorrow. The preschool concentrates on different letters and numbers about every week. Last year, I complimented this by doing activities at home working with the school's letter or number of the week.

I'll be working on a series here where I'll share what we're trying this year. Stay tuned for some fun ideas.

Crunchy Leaves

C's first day of Kindergarten is tomorrow. We're leaving in a few minutes for a playground visit and a picnic. I know some areas have summer for a few more weeks (or more), but we have a short summer here up north.

I saw crunchy fallen leaves on the sidewalk when I went for my morning walk this morning. There are just a few leaves falling. It's as if Autumn is saying, "Ahem, did you forget about me? I'll be visiting soon." I was so surprised to see them there. I don't know why- it's September.

I like fall. I like the crisp weather, nature's beautiful colors, and all the pumpkins, mums, hot cocoa and cider. I think that C's impending entree into school is making this a bittersweet season change. I long for just a few more days with her before she starts what will likely be 17 years of school. Am I being dramatic? Maybe, but I'm ok with that. She's the first child I've sent to Kindergarten and I can't believe she's five already.

So I know I'll be grieving a bit tomorrow, but I'll also be making a list of all the autumn sights, smells, tastes and activities that I love to share with my kids. I'm so grateful to have this time with them. And I'm grateful for those leaves this morning that reminded me how short the time really is.

When's the last time you reviewed your auto insurance?

We just received our Auto Insurance renewal in the mail. For years we stayed with the same insurance company. We were happy with them. We had a good claims experience. The rate seemed OK.

But after I left my job to stay home with my kiddos, I started reevaluating our expenses- all of them. I was shocked to find out that when I called around and checked on-line, there was a huge disparity in the rates. We had been overpaying for our insurance but hadn't ever checked. Here I was, clipping coupons and saving a few bucks. I could have saved hundreds over the years by making some calls.

Here are some things to remember about auto insurance

• The insurance market is volatile. Rates go up and down. So just because GEICO was cheaper six months ago, does not mean that it will be now. They also vary greatly by location, even within the same city. So you can't always go by what your friends or family found to be the cheapest company.
• Make sure that you are comparing apples to apples. Have your declarations page in front of you. A policy may be cheaper but have a higher deductible or lower liability limits. It's important to know that the price you're being quoted is for the coverages that you need.
• It doesn't always pay to have all your insurance with the same company. You may save money by having multiple policies with the same company. Most companies offer a discount if you insure your home and vehicles with them. BUT you may not save any money at all. Our homeowners company offers a discount. However, even with the discount, I found cheaper insurance elsewhere.
• While you're calling around for rates, check your coverages to make sure that they fit your needs. I'll post in detail about this soon. It's important that you have enough insurance. But being overinsured can cost you money.

Consistently checking insurance rates at renewal time can save a lot of money.

A Visit to Kindergarten

OtterDad and I took C to Kindergarten visitation. Actually we didn't "take" her. The bus picked the three of us up, along with several other Kindergarten families. We attended a parents meeting while C met her teacher and classmates.

At the parents meeting there was a surprisingly long question and answer period addressing lunch. Not reading or math or music or art. Lunch. I couldn't get over all the various lunch questions. You would have thought we were dropping our kids off just for a meal.

The assistant principal seemed very competent and very approachable, a combination that I'm glad of because I think I may be approaching her soon. The welcome letter from C's new teacher states that they will not have snack time. This is an all day K program. And we're talking about 4, 5, and 6 year old kids. Are you kidding me?

I know that I'm a newbie Mom as far as school is concerned. The last thing that I want is to have my first interaction with the school to be a complaint about snacks of all things. I really believe that she needs a snack. Her schedule is such that there are only a couple hours at school prior to lunch. So the entire afternoon and bus ride (where no food is allowed) will be snack free. I have decided to ask some other parents to see if I'm being unreasonable. And I'm going to do some research. I at least want to sound somewhat coherent when speaking about it. And right now all I have is, "I know she needs a snack."

I guess that if our greatest concern about the school is snack, that's not too bad. C's teacher is very experienced. I have spoken with several parents with older kids and they rave about her. Academically this school does quite well. And C already loves her and can't wait to go back for her first day.

It's just hard to believe that my baby is old enough to go to school!

Cutting Back to Stay at Home

I am a Stay at Home Mom. I don't really like that title- it sounds odd to me. But I love being at home with my girls. Otter Dad and I have been married for 16 years and I worked outside the home for 13 of them.

I've always thought that it was important that children, especially very young children, be surrounded by family as much as possible. In fact during our marriage preparation classes, one of the exercises was a test that asked us the same questions so that we could compare our answers. We were on the same page in almost every area. But the True or False: It's important that one of the parents stay home with our children" got opposite responses.

Otter Dad is not one of those, "My wife must stay home with the kids" kind of guys. I've occasionally wished he was. But not really, because that's just not him. He does understand how important it is to me though. And is completely supportive of the decision. But, it was primarily my decision.

I worked when my oldest was a baby. ODad didn't have to leave for work until 2pm and I could pick C up around 5. I thought that three hours a day in a child care situation was not that bad. But after E was born, ODad's schedule changed and I really didn't want the kiddos away from home for so long.

This choice cost us financially. I made considerably more money than ODad. So this was not a case of losing some extra pocket money. This was a 60% family pay cut. I'll be blogging more in this series to tell you what we did to make this possible: what's worked for us and what hasn't. I'm hoping it will help others who are struggling to make this decision but think they can't afford it. I know that there are situations out there that really require both parents to work, and many single parent families who have little choice in the matter. But for people that really want to make it work, maybe some of our strategies will work for you.

Recycling

I'm a firm believer in recycling and reusing. I've tried to teach my girls the importance of this. At their ages (3,4, and 5), they understand more than I thought they might.

So in our family, we don't call clothes (or shoes or toys) hand me downs. Reusing clothes keeps them out of landfills. It also keeps money in your pockets.

There are a many ways to do this.

• Check out thrift shops. Really. You may be surprised at some of the finds there. And not just clothing. Some shops have better quality than others. Just step inside and check out a few in your community and see what you can find.
• Browse in consignment shops and second hand stores. The prices will be higher than a thrift shop and you're more likely to find brand name items. But you can get clothes at a significant discount over retail and many times the items look brand new.
• Stop at some yard sales. Some people do this all the time. I wait for community or neighborhood yard sales so I can hit a bunch of sales in a short period of time. This saves gas by avoiding driving all over and it saves time. I have gotten some great deals at yard sales. In fact I bought my daughter's soccer cleats at a yard sale this summer for $2. She's five and will play 8 soccer games and have 8 practices this year. I bought them from a Mom of another five year old who wore them "about fifteen times." Who wants to spend $20 or $30 (or more) for something that gets such little use?
• Let people know that you're open to hand me downs. I don't mean to go around and ask for things from every Mom at the playground. But you can certainly let your friends and family know that you appreciate them. I've had people say, "I hope you're not offended, but I wondered if you'd like..." Offended? I love hand me downs. I love to look at my girls in a beautiful outfit and think that their cousin wore that last year. I have a beautiful dress coat that was a hand me down gift from friends. Their daughter wore it, then all three of my girls and now their little cousin wears it. It always makes me smile.
• Freecycle. Been to www. freecycle.com ? You can often find children's clothing, furniture or other items at no cost. We happen to be near an Army base and it seems that when soldiers move around, some don't want to take much with them. There are always furniture, bikes and such looking for a home.
• Craig's List. I'm sure you've heard of this one. But if you haven't used it, go check it out.

I constantly get comments on how cutely dressed my girls are. I rarely buy anything retail for the kids. In fact, it's usually only if someone gives me a gift card for my birthday or Christmas (and then I'm usally checking out the clearance rack and buying for next year in bigger sizes). I have to admit that I find it much more challenging to find gently used adult clothing. But I'm working on it.

Of course, it's equally important to "share the love". I sort clothes into bags as my girls grow out of them. Some are for specific friends who share my love of recycled clothing. Others I drop off at a local thrift shop that supports the food pantry in our area. That way the clothes can bless another family.

It has begun

My blog, of course. This is my first post.

But what I really mean by "it" is the new year. I know it's not really New Year's Eve or anything. Not even Chinese New Year. Not R. But the school year is upon us. And since my oldest is heading off to kindergarten next week, (excuse me I need to get a tissue to wipe away my tears) it feels like the start of a new year.

I looked at the calendar today and saw soccer practice, dance registration, kindergarten visitation, and I knew. Summer is over. We'll try to get a little more out of it this week and we may even have some warm weather in September, but it's over. I can't believe how quickly it went by.

C announced that she's excited for school and she can't wait for dance and gymnastics and swimming. And I said "Whoa!" I know that some kids have after school activities every night of the week. But it's just too much. They need time to play and read and be with their families. We probably will sign her up for dance again this year. Her two younger sisters want to dance this year too. There's a cute preschool dance program that's 30 minutes once a week. But it's on a different night than C's class, so that will already be two nights with rushed meals. I think that's enough.

I find it really challenging to balance family time with activities outside the home. When I was young I didn't participate in any after school activities until I was in 7th grade. I really wish that I would have had the chance to pick an outside activity. So when C asked for dance the first time, I was all for it. But then she wanted swim lessons, gymnastics, soccer. I really want to encourage physical activities because of the health benefits and the opportunity to improve social skills. And it's hard to choose one activity when she's so young and hasn't had the chance to figure out what she's most interested in.

Soccer is nice because it's only a few weeks long. But dance is all year, as is gymnastics. I wish we lived near a facility that offered six or eight week classes. But as it is, we'll have to narrow it down. And soon. Because It Has Begun.