Introductions...Brad Chaffee from Enemy of Debt

In this new series of interviews, my plan is to introduce you to bloggers whose stories and/or advice I have enjoyed or found most helpful.

One of the blogs that I have really enjoyed reading recently is Enemy of Debt. I recently spoke with Brad Chaffee, the brains behind this blog, about his life, blog, and his financial advice. This is how it went down:

Me: Please tell my readers a little about your personal life.
Brad: I'm a 35 year old husband and father of three beautiful children. I recently quit my job so that I could be a SAHD/WAHD and work on starting my financial counseling business. I love being a father and take every chance I can to spend time with my kids. We are also debt free (except for the house), after paying off just over $26k of debt in 20 months.

Me: How awesome to be debt free! What inspired you personally to get out of debt?
Brad: One man inspired me, but what he really did was help us understand why it was so important to get out of debt. It all started with Dave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover. The book just made complete sense and made us feel like we could do it after all. after that Financial Peace University kept us motivated and taught us a lot about ourselves in the process. It was the very best decision we have ever made and THE only New Years Resolution we ever completed.

Me: That book was our inspiration to really ramp up our efforts as well. Do you still read/listen to Dave Ramsey to stay on track or are you pretty self-motivated now?
Brad: Actually I do. I have his audio book The Total Money Makeover, and I listen to it regularly, but the main thing is I coordinate and lead Financial Peace University at my church. When you throw my God given passion, those classes, and my wonderful readers into the mix, it definitely helps me to stay motivated. That's not to say I do not have my occasional mishaps, because I do, but they tend to be more controlled these days. ;)

Me: What was the biggest change in your life that made getting out of debt possible?
Brad: Intensity and focus made it possible but first we had to address the very problem that caused us to be where we were at the time. Our behaviors needed to change, and once we did that, it was all she wrote. We started a budget, stopped borrowing money, sold our "stuff", and became intensely focused on saving money and paying off our debt. We learned a lot about contentment during that time, which was what gave us the strength to get rid of our beloved "stuff".

Me: Clutter is such a stress for me. Do you find your home (and life) less cluttered now after selling all your "stuff" and better evaluating purchases?
Brad: Well, we did sell all of our expensive stuff but the rest of the clutter we have, we just now started to get rid of. Just like with our debt, it took us a while to realize we were collectors of stuff, even if it was cheap stuff. The problem for us isn't buying a lot of things anymore, as much as it is not getting rid of the things once they lose their usefulness. Baby clothes, toddler clothes, our clothes, you name it, we had extras. We are seeking to become minimalist in every way, even if it is not to the extreme of others. I'm looking forward to it.

Me: What was the most extreme measure that you and your wife took in paying off debt?
Brad: We sold everything we could! Our car, big screen tv, my XBOX 360, and anything else we could get our hands on. Probably the most extreme thing, at least in most people's eyes was that we did not go on vacation, buy each other gifts, and we cut up the credit cards for good. This year was the first time we bought each other birthday presents in 2 years. We made them good ones too, because we earned them. The sacrifice was worth it!

Me: Did people think you had lost your mind? Did you find any unexpected support in the process?
Brad: I of course had my non-believers, but for the most part they were co-workers and friends. My boss for example said he didn't need a Total Money Makeover at first, but after hearing me tirelessly rant about it, he became convinced he was wrong. Now he's paying off debt like a champion. Best part is, he's getting married soon, and him and his fiancee are on the same page. I have more than a hunch, that they will end being very successful in life. I'm very proud of them both!

There were people that said I was crazy for cutting up my credit cards to never borrow again, and I did receive some emotionally confused looks from others during that process. My dad for instance said that you just can't live without a car payment, or credit cards. He's of course got the mindset that he "is" his credit score. I'm financially responsible and I use cash, but my credit score is not calculable. I'll live. :)

Me: What is your personal spending weakness?
Brad: It used to be video games, electronics, books and eating out. Since becoming debt free we have slipped a little in the eating out department but we are still maintaining our plan to save our Fully Funded Emergency Fund of $15,000 by the end of 2010. We are almost half way there already so we should reach that goal. We ask ourselves a lot more questions before we buy anything these days. Do we need it? Can we wait? How will it affect our plan if we buy it?

Me: Those are all great questions for any purchases. What did you find to motivate you when you got sick of living meagerly in order to knock out your debt?
Brad: We took a break for one month. All the money we could have thrown at our debt snowball went to doing something nice. we took a small weekend trip to Washington D.C. (Free zoo, and museums made that trip nicer, but we still spent a pretty penny on hotels. was it worth it? Absolutely! We were refreshed and ready to get back on the train when we returned to the plan the following month. I would say that month saved us because we were close to getting burned out. Usually when that happens to people they never return, so I recommend a ONE MONTH break. Then it's back to business!

Me: Taking a month off is a great tip...especially if it is going to be a long haul. I would expect that it takes a lot of discipline to get back rolling though.
Brad: You can't just take a month off and go wild, there still needs to be self control and the understanding that you still have goals. Spend a few hundred dollars on a 2-3 day trip somewhere, enjoy yourself and get back to it. I would be very careful when putting a specific time frame on it though because then it makes your attempt to get back on more challenging. I say just be realistic. when I talk about taking a month off I just mean for you to take a month's worth debt repayment money, and spend it on some frugal family fun. We didn't spend quite all of our debt snowball for that month, but we did blow about $500.

Me: What inspires you to want to help others become debt free?
Brad: Hope! I want to inspire and motivate people to find the hope that being in debt steals from people. That hope is hard to find when you have tons of debt, no savings, and someone waiting for your each and every one of your paychecks. Debt has a funny way of making you believe you cannot do better for yourself. Inspiring people to become debt free is my passion and my purpose, and I intend on changing lives a little each day.

Me: What an awesome goal. What is your favorite success story that has been shared with you?
Brad: There really is not one single story that stands out the most, because to me success no matter what, is something to celebrate. But I would have to say that the best debt free stories are the ones where the person loved debt, credit cards, and everything else that made them broke, only to do a complete turn-around after realizing they were doing it wrong. The stubborn ones make for the best stories!!

Me: Now we want to know what you are reading. Who are your favorite bloggers to read?
Brad: I enjoy reading Budgets Are Sexy, Punch Debt in the Face, Deliver Away Debt, Out of Your Rut, and Engaged Marriage. Those are the ones I most consistently read each week, but there are tons more I make sure to check up on from time to time. .


You can find Brad anytime at his blog, Enemy of Debt. He also contributes to the Self Reliance Exchange and can create some custom graphics for you at Logos4You. Go pay him a visit. Better yet...add him to your blogroll, reader, or however you keep up with the blogs you read. I guarantee that you'll learn something while you're there.

Thanks again, Brad! I'll be there (debt free) with you one day...soon!

8 Ways to Save Money on Baby

1. Don’t buy the gadgets/bottles/pacifiers until they are born—You have no idea what they are going to like. Wait and see if they take a pacifier. See what type of bottle works for them, see if you will actually use the gadget.
2. Breastfeed—This saves a LOT of money just on food. You can spend anywhere from $25-$60 a week on powdered formula. Breastfeeding eliminates this need. Even if you are a working mom as I am. The purchase of a $250 pump has paid for itself in just 2 months or so when weighing it against the cost of formula. Breastfed babies also do not get sick as often, so you might be saving big on doctor’s visits as well!
3. Don’t Overbuy Clothes/Take Hand-me Downs/Leave Tags On—For clothing, do not overbuy. I know they are cute. But both of our children have had clothes that they never wore because they grow SO FAST when they are tiny! That’s why there are six possible sizes of clothing before they are 1 year old! Take any hand-me-downs you are offered. Even if they are stained or look “loved,” you will need those types of clothes for your child as well, so take them. We have saved HUNDREDS if not thousands of dollars because we have family and friends that gives us lots of hand-me-downs. Leave the tags on when you do buy or someone gifts them to you. You can return them. I promise.
4. Request Samples—We have an entire can of formula in our pantry in case we even need it for Abigail. It’s a retail value of $30. We paid nothing. It was a free sample. You can also get lots of diaper rash cream, lotion, shampoo, diapers, etc for free just by requesting them. Signing up for some baby clubs online who send out loads of free samples. Take the samples offered from most hospitals in a free diaper bag (usually with the name of a major formula maker on it somewhere). Just google “Free baby samples.” You’ll get more than you bargained for.
5. Buy gender-neutral items—This helps greatly if you end up having more children later. You can always reuse clothes, toys, bedding, blankets, etc if they are not too gender specific with the first one!
6. Ignore Baby Registry Suggestions—Don’t depend on a store to tell you what to register for…they are trying to sell you things, remember? Get the bare minimum. The rest you will figure out if you need later.
7. Freecycle—Join your local freecycle (google it). There are people just wanting to give stuff away to avoid the hassle of trying to sell it. You also can ask for baby items on there. You’d be amazed what people are willing to part with once they know someone else needs it!
8. Swap Childcare with Friends—You keep all the kids one night. They keep all the kids one night. You both get a night out, you both get free childcare, and both sets of kids get a playdate.

Bonus: If you can spend money to save, buy lifetime furniture—Yes, it is a bigger investment up front, but both of our children have “lifetime” furniture. Their cribs become toddler beds, then they can become daybeds. Or we can skip right to a full-size bed. All with just adding a rail that you can purchase with the bed. Easy. The changing table is actually a full-sized dresser. This is furniture that they can take with them to college. We’re done.

Photo credit: nbphotogfy

8 Items to Carry in Your Wallet

1. Identification—Whatever picture ID you have needs to be on you at all times. For so many reasons. This is a no-brainer.
2. Insurance Cards (Auto/Medical)—You need all insurance info on you as well. Usually when you need this information it is not a “let me run home and get it” situation. Be prepared.
3. Cash—For emergencies. Although it is rare to come upon some place that does not take a credit or debit card, they do still exist.
4. Credit Card—For emergencies that your cash or possibly your bank account cannot handle.
5. Blood Donor Card—This is great to have on hand so a hospital knows your blood type. Don’t make them use of the “universal” supply when you could get the stuff that matches you exactly. Leave the universal stuff to someone who is actually unknown.
6. Medical Emergency Info—Do you have some type of disease or disorder that might need to be known in an emergency if you were not able to communicate this? Diabetes, allergies, epilepsy, heart disease, etc…so many things could go wrong if medics are not aware of existing conditions.
7. AAA Card—Whether a belt broke, you ran out of gas, or you have a flat, make sure you have someone to call that can help. Also helps to have when checking into a hotel, renting a car, or dining in some restaurants.
8. Family Photos—I’ve read that a wallet is more likely to be returned if it has family photos in it. And who doesn’t want to stare at their loved ones from time to time. I don’t know a single parent who doesn’t like to brag on little Timmy. Might as well have a picture to go along with the story.

Photo credit: lusi

WFMW - Need Financial Opinion

Okay...so this may be the wrong forum in which to ask this, but I'm going to anyway.

I need as many opinions as I can gather on a personal financial decision.

Chip and I are undergoing a Total Money Makeover via Dave Ramsey's book of the same title. We have made a lot of headway on our debt (see tomorrow's update if you want to celebrate with us), but still have a way a go.

We have our baby emergency fund of $1000 in place.

We are knee deep in paying off our debt. We have tackled two smaller credit cards and eliminated them from our lives (happy dance!). We are about to pay off some medical debt and start in on one of our two remaining credit cards...both of which are enormous, I'm ashamed to say.

So part of Ramsey's teachings are that all retirement contributions should stop until debt is paid off. I currently contribute the equivalent of $450 a month into my 401k at work which is matched at 50% (in other words...along with my $450, work will put in $225 for me). I'm 30 years old, so this has a LOT of time to grow still.

We estimate that we can have our debt paid off in approximately 1 year at the rate we are planning to move. We hope to make it sooner, but 1 year is aggressively realistic.

I get that once we are debt free I can contribute even MORE to my 401k (which will pick up again as soon as debt is gone), and therefore get more matched, but the thought of losing 1 year of contributions makes me wary.

What would you do? Would you throw that $450 a month at the debt and knock it out more quickly or would you leave it alone and use what you have now in take-home pay to knock out debt while continuing to fund retirement? Am I just being too careful or am I being smart to want to keep funding retirement?

Asking for help will hopefully work for me. If you want to see what works for everyone else, head over to Rocks in my Dryer, who is guest hosting this week!

8 Ways to Prepare for the Worst

Welcome new comers via the Carnival of Personal Finance. Please feel free to kick off your shoes and stay a while if you would like. For my regular readers, please go check out some other great posts at Four Pillars' posting of the Carnival.

1. Set up Life Insurance—Talk with your spouse and insurance agent and decide what you want it to cover. Do you want to set them up for life? Do you want them to be able to just pay off the debts? Do you want them to be covered until retirement age? You decide and purchase a policy that works for your budget and your needs.
2. Will—This is vitally important…especially if you have children. Don’t have your children be wards of the state until everything can be sorted out. Have this in place to know how your possessions will be handled in an untimely demise. Most people don’t get a chance to plan their death.
3. Living Will—Decide if you want a living will and get that set up if you do. Don’t make your family make this decision for you, as the result could lay heavy upon them for the rest of their lives.
4. Power of Attorney—Decide who is authorized to make decisions for you and your estate if you are incapacitated in any way.
5. Executor of estate—Someone needs to make sure business is taken care of properly when you aren’t around to see that it is.
6. Guardianship for Children—Who do you trust to raise your children? Who has the means? Whose parenting style do you appreciate? Who is willing to take on the responsibility? This is not a decision to be taken lightly.
7. Share Banking/Account Info—Make sure you share your account information with your spouse. If you are suddenly not able to make decisions about banking, bills, or accounts, make sure they are educated in how and what to do.
8. Decide who controls children’s inheritance—Who controls the money you leave behind if the children are minors? This may or may not be the job of the person who gets guardianship. That is up to you and your spouse. Choose wisely.

Friday Faves - Elderly Couple Impromptu Piano

An elderly couple walked into the lobby of the Mayo Clinic for a checkup and spotted a piano. They've been married for 62 years and he'll be 90 this year.

Check out this impromptu performance. We are only as old as we feel. Enjoy! They certainly do.

Peer to peer lending. What is it?

There has been a lot of buzz across the financial blogosphere lately about peer-to-peer lending. After looking into it, I found a number of financial blogs that I trust giving it their “thumbs up.” So I wanted to know more. What is it? Why would anyone be interested?

With the crises that the banking industry has experienced lately along with the shady methodologies that credit cards have been using to get more and more of your money, fewer and fewer people want to deal with them.

We’re in the number who are tired of the financial chaos and feeling ripped off by credit card companies when we have been good customers (both in giving them our money as well as being reliable in payments). What other options were there?

Peer to peer lending is one of those options.

What is peer to peer lending?
It’s just what it sounds like. Regular people offer their money up to borrow. Regular people apply for a loan. The rates are lower than many bank loans and certainly lower than credit card rates. So that is definitely a plus for the borrower. The rates are higher than CDs, savings accounts and other short-term investment options, so that is a huge plus for the lender. Everyone wins!

Lending Club is one of the prominent names in this business of putting lenders and borrowers in touch with one another. And the site is growing by leaps and bounds as more people realize the benefits to participating in this community of people who are all personally involved in getting the most for their money without abusing the other party.

Only people with good credit history are allowed, so this is definitely not a shady place for people who have no where else to go. This is for people who are honest, dependable, and trustworthy and can prove it with their track record.

Borrowers:
So do you have a credit card with an outrageous balance that you want to get rid of within three years? You can consolidate your cards here with a loan (up to $25,000) at a rate lower than you will be able to find with another card. And you won’t be a slave to a bank.

Do you want to take out a private student loan? These guys might can help you. Practically any legitimate reason for taking out a loan can be done with these guys.

Lenders:
What about the lenders? Well, they can invest as little as $25 and the lender choose the level of risk they are willing to take. You can invest all of your money into one loan, you can appropriate your funds into as many different borrowers as you can stretch your money to diversify your portfolio. You can choose higher risk borrowers for larger interest collection or more stable borrowers for safety. It’s all about how you want to invest, but with returns greater than any other short-term method of investment. In fact, they boast an average 9.6% return on your money. Try that with a bank.

So if you are interested in getting more for your money as an investor, or getting a loan that you are willing to pay off in 3 years or less for an interest rate lower than most lenders can offer you, Lending Club might be worth a few minutes of your time. The best part to me? Knowing that there are real people behind the money and not big-business bankers who are taking all-expense paid vacations on government bail-out money.

Have I used them?
No. But I seriously considered it for loan consolidations before I fully got on board with Dave Ramsey. I have realized that we will be able to pay off all of our credit card debt without a consolidation in about 12 months. So although I could go through Lending Club and get a better rate than my cards offer for that 12 months, I am just going to stay where I am and stick it to the banks by paying off the cards and closing the accounts in an insanely quick amount of time.

However, I am considering using this as a short-term investment option once we are free to make those decisions with our money (aka—after our debts are gone and we have a good savings padding). I like what they do (which is why I am referring you to them now) and would like to have a part in it once we get to use our money the way WE want to.

So go give it a look-see and let me know what you think.

The links and banners on this article and on my sidebar are paid affiliate links/banners. Regardless of the pay, I firmly believe in Lending Club and its methods (or I would not be affiliated with them). All of the above opinions above are my own and are not affected by the affiliation in any way.

WFMW - Weighing pre-bagged produce

My Works for Me Wednesday entry this week is a trick I just recently learned. I felt like a totally moron for not realizing this myself, but now that I have learned, I think you should too!

When at the grocery store, you can often buy pre-bagged produce...such as a 10 lb bag of potatoes or a 3-lb bag of apples and you buy them by the bag (for instance, this week our Food Lion has a 3-lb bag of tangerines for $2.99).

Well, they probably do their best to weigh and get each bag as close to the predetermined weight as they can, but you just can't be spot on every time. So I weigh the bags now.

Yep...if I'm going to pay $2.99 for a bag of tangerines, I would rather pay $2.99 for a bag that weighs 3.01 lbs than one that weighs 2.86 lbs. I get more for my money that way.

So it seems silly and maybe a bit picky, but I think it is smart use of my money, so I'm doing it.

What about you?

Visit We Are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else!

8 Items Your Baby Really Doesn’t Need

To everyone who has joined me here today via the Festival of Frugality, the Silver Edition, hosted by Frugal for Life, please feel free to pull up a seat, kick back, and enjoy your stay. I'll offer you some ice-cold sweet tea while you visit, if you would like.

For my regular visitors, go check out the 223rd edition of the Festival and check out some other great posts there.

1. Nursing pillow—I love our Boppy. I truly do. It’s great for feeding the kids when you don’t have a regular pillow around, for cuddling them, for tummy time when they are tiny, and for lounging for them (although not unattended). But you could seriously use a regular pillow or the arm of the sofa for the same purpose in nursing.
2. Expensive High Chair—We never owned a high chair for Patrick. We will not be buying one for Abigail. For the time that she could not sit up for herself, we put her carrier in a chair at our dinner table so she could be with us while we eat. This continued to be the method to sit her upright for feeding until she could sit upright by herself. Now that she does sit upright by herself, she uses a booster seat that adjusts in height and has a tray for her that just attaches on to our regular dinner chair. We put a towel under it to prevent huge messes on our upholstery, but otherwise, there is no need to have a “high chair.” Yep. $20 is all we need to sit her at our table. Since it was handed down from Patrick, this $20 purchase lasted through two children. And since it is all plastic, it will clean up nicely for resell or consignment.
3. Changing Table—You have other options here. You can use a dresser for the tabletop and the drawers to store the supplies. Or you can just use a changing pad and a bed or the floor. Seriously…why is there a piece of furniture for this purpose?
4. Diaper Genie—Yes, we have one. Yes, we pay for those refills. It’s dumb. A trashcan (and all of those plastic shopping bags we have acquired) emptied regularly works just as well. And if you get a seriously bad diaper that requires you to don a hazmat suit, take it outside to the garbage can.
5. Hooded Towel/Tiny Washcloths—You know what these are? Tiny versions of the real thing. I bet you already own the real thing. The extra fabric in the full size version will not inhibit its use with baby in any way. Use a real one. The hooded ones are cute and all, but if you want your child to wear a hood, make it out of that extra towel that they are wrapped in.
6. Bottle Warmer—You know what really, really works? Running hot water. Or if you want to be greener, a pot of hot water. For even less water waste, a slow cooker turned on warm with water in it. You don’t need something named “bottle warmer” to warm a bottle.
7. Nursing Chair/Stool—I typically cross one leg over another or sit with them crossed together. I would use a stool if it were there, but it’s not. So I don’t. And I’m okay with that.
8. Wipe Warmer—My mom bought one of these for Patrick when he was little. We used it because it was cute and he did like a warm bum in the winter months. But we had to buy refills. And we had to keep water in it to prevent it from being a fire hazard, and it burned electricity 24/7. And that cold bum? They get over it quickly.

And just so I can go on a tirade...here are some honorable mentions:

• Bumbo—seriously…children all over the world have learned to sit upright all by themselves for centuries. I don’t think your child will be advanced in their educational development because they sat upright 4 weeks before they would have anyway.
• Baby lotion/Soap—a natural soap gets the cleaning done and is good for sensitive skin and many babies have naturally moist skin and don’t need to moisturizer. Although it does smell really good.
• Expensive Bedding—They wet it. They spit up on it. They cannot use the comforter until they are much older. Some people argue that a bumper is not safe. So why are you buying this for them? Get a mattress cover and a couple of fitted sheets to meet the baby’s needs. (Yes, if you look in our nursery, you see a bedding set. We splurged. If we didn't have the money for it though, this is definitely not a necessity)
• Infant shoes—They cannot walk. They do not need shoes. Some argue that shoes are actually BAD for them at a young age. Yes, it is cute, but so are their socks.
• Stuffed animals—They cannot sleep with them. They cannot play with them for a while.
• Baby detergent—Any dye/fragrance free detergent will do. All Free & Clear or Arm & Hammer are great. And you will not have to take out a second mortgage to buy them.
• Bottle sterilizer—It’s called a dish washer. You probably already have one. Or you can boil them occasionally. Don’t buy another unnecessary gadget.

8 Items to Carry in Your Vehicle

1. Jack—Preferably for your particular car. Cars have different points on them where the manufacturer recommends you lift it for changing a tire. Make sure your jack is suitable for this task.
2. Flashlight—In your glove compartment is best. You never know when you might need to read a map in the dark, look under the hood, or just search for your keys after they have fallen under your seat.
3. Atlas/GPS—This is a must in our house. We are “fancy” enough to own a GPS, but a relatively updated atlas is always in the car with me. That way, on long trips, I don’t have to remember to pack it! This has helped us find new routes to avoid major traffic delays, find scenic routes, find ourselves when we were lost, and honestly provided entertainment for me while Chip drove (read through some of the names of towns in the index…some are hilarious). The time we had a rental car with a GPS on it, we found a totally different scenic route that I never would have mapped out myself!
4. Jumper Cables—Maybe they are for other stranded motorists because you are a good Samaritan and are willing to help others. Maybe they are for your car in case you leave your lights on in the parking lot at the mall. Regardless, these are great to have on hand. For an alternative, you can carry chargeable battery packs made to plug into your outlet for a jump start, but these don’t stay charged indefinitely, so you might still find yourself stranded with this one.
5. First Aid Kit—You never know when you might need it. For yourself or someone else. Just a good item to have while using a major piece of machinery at high speeds.
6. Spare Fuses—Step 1—locate your fuse panel (often on the dashboard side on the passenger side). Step 2—buy fuses for your major components. Or just get a multi-pack. They aren’t expensive and very easy to replace yourself.
7. Tire Gauge—Great for knowing if you need to add air (or bleed some out if they are overfilled for some reason. Know your tire manufaturer’s optimum pressure for proper use of this tool
8. Fire Extinguisher—Many an auto fire could be quickly doused and major catastrophes avoided if more people had one in their cars. Of course, most people don’t, so if a fire ever starts, there is no way to stop it before a fire department arrives. By that point, you may have lost the entire car. More importantly, you could save someone’s life.

Also noteworthy—your owner’s manual. In the glovebox. At all times. So many questions could be quickly answered just by referencing this tool that your car’s manufacturer provided for you.

WFMW - Easier on the Tastebuds

The little girl is truly growing up.

She's totally into baby food these days. She loves it. She is like her mom and has a big relationship with her food. There is hardly anything she won't eat.

Except peas. Oh, she does not like peas. Just like her brother was at that age. Honestly...I don't really like them either, so I can't blame either of them. But it is surprising how many jarred baby foods (like the dinner and combination ones) have peas in them. I want her to like them. But she just doesn't. And it seems that she can certainly pick out the ones that have peas in them and turn her nose up quickly.

I've found a trick that helps her eat these more readily.

Refrigeration.

After a few tries with a particular food that she consistently rejects, I will cap it off and put it in the fridge in order to give it another go the next day. I've heard that sometimes it takes multiple tries before you like a food. So I will try again.

Amazingly, she eats even her least favorites when they are chilly.

So I now can take out one that she typically doesn't like, refrigerate it, serve it cold, and she eats much more of it than when it is room temperature.

I have no idea why. Maybe the chill feels good on her teething gums. Maybe the chill takes away some of the impact of the flavor. Whatever it is, it seems to work at our house.

Go check out We Are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else! (By the way...she's got an amazing tip today, so you really should go check it out!)

8 Ways to Appreciate Your Husband

Since Valentine's is right around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to remind you to let your husband know how much you appreciate him as a husband, father, and man.

1. Cook a special meal—The way to a man’s heart sometimes really is through his stomach. This is a representation of him being the head of his home and you fulfilling some of the most basic of domestic duties. It doesn’t have to be gourmet…it just have to be something he likes. It shows you are serving him, you were thinking about him, and you love him. He gets it. He really does.
2. Thank him for working—Men have an innate need to provide for the family. Sometimes they feel unappreciated. And truly, when the everyday tasks become truly everyday, it can be easy to forget that he does it for you and for his family. It can be easy to forget to thank him. But he needs to hear it.
3. Allow him hobby time—Men need “me time” just like you do. Allow him time to fish, hunt, work in the garage, or whatever he likes to do. No, this should not predominate his time and he should not spend more “me” time than family time, but he needs a break just like you do. Give that to him as long as the hobby is healthy.
4. Give him time to unwind from work—Don’t talk his head off as soon as he walks in the door. Don’t throw the kids at him because you have had them all day and frankly, you are tired of them. Give him some allotted time to just unwind. Maybe it’s 10 minutes. Maybe it’s enough time for a shower. Whatever the two of you can agree on. But give him time to decompress. He will them be able to return the favor to you.
5. Make sure the house is clean—A man’s house is his castle. And even when he understands that you are busy too, he doesn’t want a dirty castle. It’s similar to item #1—it shows some domestic duty on your part and makes him feel appreciated.
6. Leave notes with lunch/briefcase—Remind him that you love him. He likes to be reminded through the little things.
7. Thank him for the little things/honey-dos—You have a big long list for him to accomplish on his day off. Do you thank him for it? You should. He wants to do his part around the house, but that desire wanes when he feels unappreciated.
8. Surprise him—The way to a man’s heart isn’t always through his stomach. Enough said.

Photo credit: Bob.Fornal

8 Phone Numbers a Baby Sitter Needs to Have

1. Mom’s Cell—In case dad’s phone isn’t on.
2. Dad’s Cell—In case mom’s phone isn’t on.
3. Grandma’s phone—In case mom and dad are somewhere they cannot turn on their cell phones.
4. Neighbor’s phone—For local needs that don’t require a family member’s help.
5. Doctor’s phone—Phone number for the child’s doctor.
6. Poison control—So important. Make sure they also know what to do with the information they are given by poison control (for instance, what “inducing” means in case they are told to induce or not to induce vomiting).
7. Pharmacy—In case they need to ask if it is okay to give Tylenol to an infant and how much. Make sure they know enough about any conditions your child may have before you allow them this freedom.
8. Your own house—So they can call if they are going to be late arriving.

Photo credit: Garrettc

Time for Another Confessional - Our Mistakes

As you can tell already, I'm sure, I didn't have a plan for what to post today. I have an idea of something new on the horizon for the blog...something I'm pondering adding (as my Thursday regular post?).

On my mind a lot lately, though, have been our personal finances. They have been...let's just say...less than stellar for the month of January. Honestly, I've been watching them daily as the end of the month has drawn near. That's just how tough things have been this month.

In pondering the "whys" of January being so much more difficult than previous months, I consulted my Mint account. There are several reasons that stare me in the face. Reasons that we cannot excuse. Reasons that were decisions that we made during the month that strongly affected the monthly totals.

Here are some of our pitfalls for the month:

• We had to have the brakes repaired on the van. That repair went far above our monthly car maintenance budget (which covers a little more than one oil change a month). It went over by about $330. I pulled money from savings to do it. Thank goodness for a savings account, even if it a small one. We were able to do it with cash, but now need to replenish that money missing from savings.
• Restaurants. Yes...it has always been our downfall. But this month I had great intentions of it being so ON budget. And it almost was...save one GIGANTIC mistake. We had some friends visit one day and had a FABULOUS time with them. We had been given a restaurant.com gift certificate from some other friends because Chip helped them paint and get their house ready to move into. It was a great gift. So we went to a really nice restaurant downtown to use it at. We found out, after we had ordered and gotten our food, that we would not be able to use that gift card (long story as to why, but we're better educated now). Damage done? $72 just that night. Ouch. That made our total $76 over budget for the month (see how good we ALMOST did?!).
• Clothing. After Christmas there were some great sales going on online (you remember them, don't you?). Well, I took advantage of three of them (Children's Place, NY & Co, and Kohl's). At TCP I got some stuff for next winter for both of the kids at rock bottom prices. At New York & Company I got some great winter stuff for me and my post-baby body for work. At Kohl's I got some great deals for the entire family for this winter, next winter, and to replace some really tired and worn stuff from Chip's and my closet. I honestly saved over $800 in clothing in these combined sales. But I spent approximately $200 to do it. I'm trying to convince myself that I SAVED 80% and that's a good thing. But I'm way over our clothing budget now. I will count it as an investment.
• Our timeshare. This thing is just a financial drain to us. We paid someone just over $600 to sell it for us about 3 months ago and found out that we'd been taken for a ride. Yes...they listed it, but they are doing NOTHING to market it for us. We have now paid another $400 (after much thought, several emails of reassurance--and evidence--from the new company) to have a marketing company list it. They have brokers and the means to get our $600+ back from the other company (long story, but I have in email that they will be getting it back for us, so I'm holding them to it). This thing is just a thorn in our side. This new company will get huge realtor commissions if/when they sell it, so they actually have incentive (where the other company did not). Hopefully it will sell soon and we can eliminate this monthly payment and add it to our credit card payment. (and if it sells for the asking price, we'll actually make some profit).

There were some other, more minor, things that set us back, but these are the biggies. So...all of that to tell you...this month has hurt.

And here's my other confession. The truly embarrassing one.

We haven't been tithing. For about 8 months.

I am ashamed to tell you that, but it is the truth.

I'm not really sure why we stopped, but we did.

But now, even when the budget is too tight and we are in a financial hole, we are starting to tithe again. I am trusting God to provide where we fall short.

He has already been faithful to provide thus far, but now I am surrendering our finances to Him and letting Him fill in the gaps, because we're obviously just no good at it.

Last week was the first weekend that I put a tithe check into the collection plate in a while. It was 10% of Chip's unemployment check. So it wasn't much, but it was what we had for the week. And frankly, starting small like that, made it a little easier.

This week will be 10% of mine and his combined. And it will be difficult to let go. But I'm trusting Him to take care of it, and frankly, He already is. If I go into the "hows" of it here, this post will be 3x longer than it already is, and I'm sure I've already lost most of you. So that post will be for another day.

Sigh...that's my confessional post for today. It is utterly embarrassing to hit "publish," but I feel I need to do it. I am trying to get out from under my bondage to our finances and part of that means an emotional letting go as well...thus my letting go of my pride to tell you these things.

Next Thursday, since the month of January will finally be over, I will be posting my monthly results, as ugly as they are.

WFMW - Great Tool for Teaching Kids to Read!

Our son can read. I mean, really, really read. And he learned it right here at home!

Let's just say that his preschool is a little lacking in the teaching quality in his class right now. We're not happy about it. We've expressed our concerns. I will grow more concerned next year when he stays in the same class but is considered "PreK."

But that's a different post with lots of let-go frustrations. And that's not what you're here to read today.

My aunt who is a teacher, two friends who are teachers, and some other parents in general have been talking up this one particular website called Starfall. I kept meaning to check it out, but I kept forgetting.

I finally led Patrick to it a couple of nights ago...and HE CAN READ!

He was doing small bits of it at school (one of the three in his class of 9 that had accomplished this feat, says a proud mama), but he was having to wait on the other children to catch up. And that's not what I want.

And since education starts at home, we visited this site.

And were amazed.

It has 4 levels. We quickly decided to forego the first level, because he knows his alphabet and basic phonics. However, it does have a sign language section that might be fun to revisit sometime in the future.

The second level is for those ready to start reading. That is where we started. He knows HOW to sound out words, but needs some prodding. Since neither Chip nor I are educators, we don't have the tools...or at least we didn't until now! The second section works with basic phonics, letter combinations, sight words, and some things like "Y as Long E". And it is very entertaining to our 4 year old son!

The third level, has some fun and games that expand on the reading skills, but also broaden the child's horizons. And the 4th level are some short stories and such for your young reader.

WHAT AN AWESOME SITE!

After just one stop at this site for about 30 minutes, Patrick plowed easily through two fulls lessons and had a great time. He even got to rate each activity, so we know he was truly enjoying it.

So this has already worked for us...after ONE VISIT (can you tell I'm a bit excited?!). You can check out their section addressed to parents to find out more about their methods and practices. There are even downloads to further encourage them.

Although I'm not a SAHM, I would definitely pick this up to use whether I intended to home school or send my child to school. And I'm doing it although he's already in a preschool!

Go visit We Are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else!

*By the way, I wasn't contacted or reimbursed by Starfall to promote their site. It truly works for me (and our son) and I wanted to share that with you!

8 Shortcut Keys that Save My Life

1. Control + Z—Seriously, the “Undo” button was put on this keyboard just for me I think.
2. Control + Y­—The “Redo” button is for when I want to Undo an “Undo.” Another great one
3. Control + X—I never use my Edit menu. I “Cut” a lot. This is how I pull it off.
4. Control + C—Even more than cutting, I “Copy” a lot. This is how I do that.
5. Control + V—To go along with cut and copy, I must also “Paste” with this button. I may have saved HOURS of my time not using the mouse for these three tasks.
6. Control + Tab—I learned this one long into my computer usage lifetime. It’s kinda’ an “untab” button. If you have a bulleted list that tries to (incorrectly) think for itself and you end up with bullets in the wrong place, this button can save your life.
7. Control + F—I use this one with documents, webpages, and in my own HTML code all the time when trying to “Find” a particular word or phrase. Remember the asterisk (*) is a wildcard in this field.
8. Editing: Control U, I, or B—See? I told you I never open my Edit menu. I often use these three button to do basic Underline, Italics, and Bold formatting for my text.

Want to know some more? Check out this post!

Photo credit: daniel437

WFMW - Get out tough stains

Having Abigail has provided a new challenge in our lives...laundry wars.

With Patrick we didn't have the huge messes that this little girl makes. For the first 5 months of her life we battled the no-diaper-can-contain-what-she-makes-eating-only-breastmilk dilemma. We'd be so very proud of the days that she came home from daycare in the same clothes she left the house in that morning. They were truly days to celebrate, as they happened once or twice every two weeks.

And when they come home in a plastic bag from daycare, they weren't rinsed out. I questioned this one time and was told that the health department doesn't let them rinse the clothes out when soiled, so the stain may have set in for hours at this point. Blech.

Patrick had a nanny that stayed with him at our house, so when he had this issue, it went straight into the washing machine with whatever laundry she could find to create a full load, so we never had to fight set in stains.

Now we can celebrate that the child is eating solid foods three meals a day. No more super messes in the diapers.

But now. Sigh. Now we have food stains. All over her clothes. Because she likes to put her hands in her mouth while she eats. And then proceed to touch everything in sight. And based on my own non-scientific research it seems that approximately 83% of beginning baby foods are bright yellow or orange in color. An additional 15% are from the green family with the remaing 2% being the color of cereal and applesauce.

What to do?

I thought I would give this little product here a shot:

I had acquired this particular laundry product in one of my drugstore shopping marathon deals (for free or pennies I'm sure--otherwise I wouldn't own it). I had never used it, but thought I could give it a shot.

This is obviously made of the nectar of the gods because IT WORKS!

Seriously...nothing else would remove the stains, but this would remove very tough, set-in stains.

Sometimes the first time!

There are other times where the stain is so deeply set that I use the product and wash the garment in the hottest water allowed by the garment and end up having to re-use it because although the stain is lessened, it is still there. But by two loads at the most, the stain is completely gone! Amazing!

Now some of you will argue that this isn't the cheapest product. I'll agree, but I did get it for cheap with coupons and some type of drugstore deal. Some of you will argue that it isn't a green product. I will assume you are right. Some of you might fuss at me for using hot water in my washing machine.

To all of those arguments, I will tell you that while they are all true, I figure the best use of my money is making my children's clothes LAST. This product makes that happen.

I buy it even when it's not on sale now if I need it (although there is usually a coupon out there to make it better) because it is needed in my daily laundry life.

Go get some today. You can buy it almost anywhere you can buy laundry products I'm sure.

Go over to We are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else!

No compensation was made for this post. In fact, I doubt the manufacturer has any idea that I exist or that I care for their product. I just like the product because it works and I wanted to share that with you. Darn the FCC for making me add this caveat. =)

8 Things NOT to do While Driving

If you have found your way here via 51 Articles of Things Not to Do When Driving at TermLifeInsurance.org, let me extend to you a warm welcome. Feel free to look around and see what interests you. Contact me if you have any questions!

1. Using your cell phone/Texting—Okay, so I do talk on the phone while driving. I never text. I never talk in inclement weather, heavy traffic, or adverse driving conditions, including traffic jams. I do not do it while driving among people that I seriously need to pay attention to (those swerving about and such) unless I am calling to report them to the state patrol. I probably shouldn’t do it at all.
2. Eating—This is an old habit of many of us, but we really handicap ourselves when we try to eat in the car. Some things are not easy to eat with one hand. Some things put grease on our hands. Some things are hard to unwrap. Just not a good idea altogether.
3. Applying Make Up—If you are looking at your face well enough to correctly apply make-up (or attempt to), you are not looking at the road. It is not your personal salon. Don’t do it. I bet your car will stop moving when you arrive at your destination and then you will have a few precious seconds to apply your lip gloss.
4. Reading—You might get bored. Turn on the radio. Listen to a book on tape. Talk to yourself. I don’t care. Don’t read though. I’ve found that you get the most out of a book when you actually look thoroughly at the words to comprehend them and place them together in concise sentences. You cannot do this while you are looking at the road. Don’t make your book more important that my your life.
5. Doing Puzzles—Seems like a no-brainer, but I have been PASSED on I-95 by a woman working on a Sudoku puzzle. I knew it was that type of puzzle because her beautiful Mercedes careened close enough to my Camry for me to tell that she was trying to decide between a 7 and a 9 in the first block. Seriously…I didn’t stare at the puzzle that well, as I was trying to find my escape route for when her car eventually took over my lane, but I did see it was Sudoku.
6. Disciplining Kids—You know that “don’t make me come back there.” Well, leave it at a threat. Don’t actually try to take something from your child, spank them, or snatch the hair out of their head while you are sitting in the driver’s seat of a moving vehicle. Pull over and take care of your family business. Or use that "When we get home..." threat and mean it (or they'll never take you seriously and you'll just be a stressed driver, which is also not good!).
7. Restrain Pets—Pets can be dangerous when riding unrestrained in a car. Not only is it like not buckling in your child for their own safety, but pets can be spastic and suddenly put themselves in dangerous situations (like trying to jump out of the window or onto your head). Prevent them getting injured by their bright ideas or by you trying to save them by restraining them either in a pet seat or in a carrier.
8. Change Clothes—I have seen people change almost entire outfits while DRIVING (not riding) down the road. Not only do you need to wiggle around while you do this and use the hands that should be on your steering wheel, but you must unbuckle to do this as well, making it not safe. I have even fussed at Chip for taking off his shoes while driving because the prolonged removal of his foot from the accelerator can cause the people behind us to run upon us and he has yet to learn to retie them with one hand and while sitting upright. NOT SAFE. DO NOT DO IT.

BONUS--Not for anyone’s safety, but for goodness sake, do not pick your nose while driving. We can still see you.

Photo credit: chucklyn

Organization for Everyday Life

Some people are naturally organizers. Some need more help. Some seem to be completely hopeless. I personally fall into the naturally organizer category and Patrick has already proven to be a follower of mom's footsteps.


I wanted to offer a few tips that I incorporate into my everyday life to make my days less chaotic:

• Take my medicine/vitamins while the shower is warming up (consistency is key to remembering).
• Shampoo, rinse. Conditioner. Soap/bathe. Rinse conditioner. This allows the time for the conditioner to work while utilizing the time to get something productive done.
• Get gasoline on the way home rather than making yourself late the next morning on the way to work.
• Prepare lunches for the next day the night before.
• Prepare any checks and mail the night before you need to pay/mail it.
• Get kids' clothes out the night before.
• Consider choosing your kids' clothes an entire week ahead so all the work is done on Sunday before a new school week begins.
• Get own clothes out the night before.
• Have kids clean up their toys before bedtime so the house is clean when you get up each day.
• Have a menu plan for shopping purposes.
• After buying groceries, assign each meal to a specific day (I base mine on the date on the meats and fresh produce as well as any special schedules for the week). This prevents indecision that leads (at our house) to eating out for convenience.
• Schedule bill payments or have a system to organize bills that allows you to never be late.
• Establish a bedtime and bedtime ritual for consistency for your children...they thrive on schedules.
• Make sure you plan and schedule fun time or family time if needed. I know that if we didn't plan on it sometimes, it just wouldn't happen.
• Label bins/drawers/etc to find items easily (we do this with our children's toys as well as our toiletries).
• Clean out the medicine cabinet once a year. Pick a date that's easy to remember...an anniversary, daylight savings time, the first day of spring...whatever works for you.
• Change batteries in smoke alarms consistently (see item above for scheduling ideas).
• Make sure all pantry items are visible or you WILL buy something you already own by mistake (this is one I need to work on!).
• Keep cleaning products together. I personally keep general cleaning products that are used all around the house in the laundry room and bathroom cleaners underneath my bathroom sink. That's always the bathroom I clean first, so that seems to be the easiest solution.
• Keep a calendar or white board of appointment and/or important dates visible.
• Buy birthday cards at the beginning of the month for everyone celebrating that month.
• Keep stamps on hand.
• Throw away junk mail before placing it on the countertop. We have enough regular mail cluttering our countertop that we certainly don't need the addition of more paper!

This is just a list of items that I do (some more successfully and consistently than others) to try to simplify my life.

What about you?

WFMW - Honoring Our Fallen

The Department of Veterans Affairs predicts that 500,000 U.S. veterans will die annually over the next 7 years. That's almost 1400 a day. Congress passed legislation in 2000 that gave Veterans the right to two flag-folders and one playing of Taps at their funeral.

Since there are not enough buglers to cover the playing of Taps, Congress allowed that a CD recording was allowed. This was a sad substitution of a live bugler, but frankly, there were not enough buglers to do the job. In the early part of this past decade, the Pentagon approved a bugle that held a recorded version of Taps so that when one put the instrument to their lips and pressed a button, the recording would blare out of it as if it were live. A great attempt, but still not good enough to honor those who deserve a performance from an actual bugler, and it is devastating when they fail to work (which does happen on occasion) and the bugler is not able to actually perform the rite.

In 2000, Bugles Across America was created to give proper recognition to veterans who deserve to have a live performance of this piece. These men and women volunteer their time and talents to provide this earned honor to the fallen. Currently there are over 7300 volunteer registered across the country, with a growing number overseas. They are to be commended on volunteering their talents for those who cannot have a military bugler scheduled from the military.

Chip is one of the volunteers currently. In the last 6 months he has performed approximately 6-8 funerals. It is his honor and privilege to serve the fallen in such a manner. He refuses payment from the family and funeral home, stating that they have earned that honor and he will not take money for it.

If you know someone who could respectfully perform Taps on a volunteer basis, please have them consider registering with Bugles Across America. There are no obligations...you just perform when there is a service that you are available to attend. If you know of anyone who has earned this honor but cannot get an honor guard from the State Department, please contact Bugles Across America to request a bugler.

Let us not forget those who have fought for our right (and the rights of others) to live in freedom. May they rest in peace.

*Note: the above photo is a picture of Chip when he was serving in the National Guard as a member of the US Army Band. He was performing Taps for a young man who was killed in Afghanistan.


Honoring our service men and women works for our household. Please go over to We are THAT Family to see what works for everyone else!

8 Tools Every Household Should Own

1. Hammer/Nails—For the most basic of tasks. Hanging pictures, removing nails, putting together furniture, hanging shelving, etc
2. Screwdrivers (Phillips & Flathead)—One of each is a must. You can buy a nice “average” size, but I also suggest having a small one of each on hand too for those tiny projects—like children’s toy assembly.
3. Adjustable wrenches—Need to tighten something? This will do it. Need to just hang onto something while you work? This will do it still. You can get one small and one large for maximum usage.
4. Plunger—You may not want to ever use one, but these things can be priceless.
5. Measuring tape—To measure spaces for furniture or artwork, to center something on a wall, to know what size blinds or curtains you need, to evenly hang your Christmas decoration. Too many uses to name
6. Cordless Drill—Save some hard labor and get one of these. Even a small 9-volt can prevent heartache when hanging items. Especially if you have solid, hard wood you are trying to penetrate. Great for hanging ceiling fans too. Make sure it’s cordless…you won’t forgive yourself for buying one that has to plug into a wall.
7. Level—You really don’t have the eye for it. If you think you do, then most of the stuff in your house is hung crookedly. Seriously. You cannot eyeball well enough for some people. I am one of those people. If I enter your house and stuff is hung off-kilter, I will spend the entire visit feeling nauseous. Buy a level.
8. Utility Knife—For opening boxes, cutting down boxes to discard, cutting twine/cords, cutting down on “extra” paint lines, or opening a bag of ant-killer. Don’t use your kitchen knives for jobs that require something more industrial (and could dull your “good” knives).

If you have power tools, you must add safety glasses to this list. I am an engineer and deal with safety every day. Don’t make me point you to websites with photos of safety failures: they aren’t pretty. And man’s favorite universal tool: duct tape. Yes, we kid about such, but it really is serious stuff with an entire array of uses. Also a good set of pliers is great to have on hand. The top eight above, though, are my bare bones list that EVERYONE should have.

Photo credit: Shenky

8 Ways to Save $100 This Year

1. Change in a jar—When you get home everyday, drop the coins in your pocket/purse into a jar. When the jar is full, use it for something special.
2. Get a library card (books, movies, computer, etc)—There really is no need to buy books or rent movies if you have a decent library. I have discovered some of my favorite authors because I just picked up a free book at the library when I never would have paid for a book by someone I didn’t know. Some people go so far as using the internet there exclusively and foregoing the need for a computer as well.
3. Order water—Did you know that a drink can increase your dining bill by $1.50 to $3.00 for a regular soda/tea/juice. Ridiculous. I can save 30% off a meal (like lunch) just by ordering water, which is usually free!
4. Brew your own coffee—Do you really need to pay $3.00 a cup for coffee? You can purchase your own coffee, some tasty creamer or varying flavors and do it so much more cheaply yourself. You can even “splurge” and get a coffee maker that has a timer so you don’t have to get up any earlier in the morning to enjoy your coffee. It will pay for itself in no time!
5. Redbox—There are too many Redbox rental codes for free movies for you to pay to rent new releases anymore. You can use a code to get a 1-night rental for free. And you can use that same code one time for any card that you have (credit/debit). You carry 2 cards and your hubby carries 2 cards, that is FOUR free rentals with only one code. Check here for current codes and offers!
6. Pay attention to bank account (ATM fees, overdrafts, late fees)—Keep your eyes open to keep from paying unnecessary fees from your bank. Don’t get charged $30 or more because you sent the check one day earlier hoping your paycheck would clear before the one you wrote from that account. Think about where a local bank is on your way to your destination rather than finding yourself there only without access of another bank and have to pay fees (from both banks) from using an ATM that is not yours.
7. Skype—Drop long distance and Skype. You can call computer to computer anywhere in the world for free just by downloading their (free) software. And if you want to spend just a little money, you can buy a webcam (we paid $30 but there are cheaper ones) and see who you are talking to.
8. Sell stuff (no storage and/or income)—If you sell your unused items, you can reap various rewards! First of all…you have cash for your stuff. Great! Better than that though, you can have the piece of mind of not having clutter, you might find something you forgot your had (or had misplaced) while uncluttering to sell stuff, and you might just get to quit paying storage fees for stuff that you never see anyway (because it is sitting in a storage unit somewhere). Half.com, Amazon.com, EBay, and Craigslist (among many others) make it too easy not to sell stuff—even specialty items—that you no longer use.

Photo credit: foxumon

Technorati claim code

R8AMKRH6N7F2

8 Numbers to Have in Your Cell Phone

1. ICE Number—“In Case of Emergency” numbers are now suggested for your cell phone. Some phones have a slot pre-programmed into the contact list for you. For those that don’t…just put something like “ICE-Husband”. This is a number that emergency workers can contact in case of an accident or emergency of any type.
2. Insurance Agent—You will won’t this one on your person if you are ever in an auto accident. Some people have also used it to avoid going to jail when they did not have their insurance card on their person during a traffic stop (although I will not promise this will work for you). A definite to have on hand.
3. Pharmacy—Great to call in refills, call with questions about medications, or to check store hours when you need to run out for medicine late.
4. Childcare—In case you need to call them because you are running late to pick your child up or need to make arrangements for someone else to pick them up for another reason.
5. Boss—You never know when you will get held up on the way to work (highway accident, unexpected construction, family emergency) and need to call in to tell him/her you will be late.
6. Roadside Assistance #/Tow Truck—Make sure you know how to get in touch with someone in case you are stranded on the highway. Whether it be a tow company, a local repair shop, or AAA, make sure you know who to call.
7. Local Take Out Place—You’re running late home from work or just want to surprise the family with your favorite take-out. Make sure you have it on your person so you don’t have to find a phone book to call them for a pick up order.
8. Doctor’s Office—Always good to have for questions, emergency appointment needs, or referrals.

Photo credit: mihow

O Come Let Us Adore Him

Merry Christmas to you all.

Now stop reading blogs and go celebrate the birth of the King of Kings!

photo credit: debsch

8 People to Remember at Christmas

I am going to use the characters in the Christmas story to discuss 7 groups of people that we need to remember here at the holiday season. Why only seven? Well, Jesus is the eighth and He doesn’t represent anyone but Himself.

1. Jesus—The “Reason for the Season”, right? I won’t get on my soapbox about the commercialization of Christmas or the abuse of the holiday. I will just simply state that He IS the very reason for Christmas whether we acknowledge it or not, and it would be in our best interest to do so.
2. Mary—Ahhh….how can we sum up Mary? She was a scared girl. She was asked to face a lot of hardship. She was called to carry a child out of wedlock in the face of a society where it was greatly shunned. She was asked to love a child that would be hated by His society. She was asked to give her heart away to a son who would be murdered one day by the very people He came to love. She was asked to do a number of tasks, and she accepted her lot in life humbly, obediently, and willingly. She gave her heart to a task that would one day break it. Let’s remember those who give their entire life breathing on this earth to following through with God’s place, regardless of how much they will sacrifice to do so.
3. Joseph—Joseph was a man entrusted with a great task. He was expected to provide for his family as the man of the household. Greater than that, he was to take his meager occupation and use it to raise the very Son of God. He was called to be the father of the Son. He had a great task ahead of him with limited resources. He was the one that God entrusted His Son to while on this earth. He was given the task to be a role-model within his own means. Let’s remember those who are working hard to provide for their families and doing the best with what they have been given.
4. 3 Wise Men/Kings/Magi—Remember when Jesus noted that to those who have been given much that much will be expected? The Magi are representative of those people. You see, they were scholars and very wealthy men in their day. They had been gifted with both talents and resources and both were used to honor Jesus for Christmas. They brought Him gifts acknowledging their submission as well as who He was. They were obedient to God and used their wealth to give to Him. Let’s remember those who, despite their wealth, can humble themselves before the King.
5. Shepherds—This lowly group of men were considered one of the lowest caste in society. However, if you will note, they were the first to hear the news of Christ’s birth. God remembered the lowly and even honored them by sending messengers directly to them. They honored Him in turn by proclaiming the good news to all they came in contact with. I’m sure that those who would not have been told by the rich and powerful got the message that night when they might have otherwise never known. Let’s remember that the very least in our midst might be mighty members of God’s creation.
6. Angels—The very messengers of God. His creation. They proclaimed in God’s glory the announcement of Jesus’ birth. We should remember those who have been called to share the news of Jesus. May they only use their proclamations to draw attention to the center of the festivities.
7. Innkeeper—There was no actual innkeeper in the Bible, but we have always created one in the stories since there was an inn, so someone must have been running the place. It’s sad that since it was time for the census that Joseph & Mary were turned away due to an overcrowding in the tiny town of Bethlehem. Let’s remember those who are so focused on the busyness and chaos of this life that we neglect to see what is really happening in their very midst. They need our prayers for peace and calm.
8. Donkey—The true ministry tool of this story. The donkey was a beast of burden and used to carry Mary, Joseph & their belongings to Bethlehem. Let’s remember that there are many ministries in the world working to bring Christ to a dark world in a very real, hands-on way. They are loving through tasks and deeds because that is what they have been called to do. As with the donkey, they might get no true high praise from men on this earth, but the recipient of their works will never forget them.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Photo credit: bishopitalia

8 Christmas Movies/Specials We Watch

Tis the season to feed our Christmas-season-watching desire. What we will have to include?

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965 - TV) - We watched this last Tuesday night with Patrick for the first time. A true classic with the RIGHT message.
2. Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983 - TV) - Also watched with Patrick last Tuesday night. As the kids get older this will of course fade into the background (although the others cannot...I will not allow that). But while they are young and like Disney, we can tell a classic story through those characters.
3. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) - (after the younger kids are asleep, of course) - This is actually my family's "traditional" Christmas movie to watch together.
4. Elf (2003) - LOVE IT! Seriously bound to be a classic.
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 - TV) - I haven't seen the movie version, but the cartoon is definitely a classic
6. A Christmas Story (1983) - I hate this movie. Let me repeat myself. I. Hate. This. Movie. But Chip loves it, and Patrick is sure to as well, and those are two really good reasons that I will sit in while it plays across our screen.
7. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - By far a classic in the purest sense. I feel like this is one I have to watch or it's just not Christmas.
8. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964 - TV)/Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970 - TV)/Frosty the Snowman (1969) (TV) - This must be listed as one because if you watch one, you must watch them all. The originals. I don't care so much for the "spin offs."

Honorable Mention:

• Home Alone (1990) (the original one only...the others were pathetic) - We don't normally watch this one, but it is a good family movie and one Patrick is sure to love with all of its slap-stick type fun.
• The Santa Clause (1994) - This one has good potential. It's a cute movie.
• The Nativity Story (2006) - There was some controversy in the making of this movie that surrounded some of the actors, but after watching the movie last year (or maybe the previous year), I have nothing but good things to say about it personally. It takes some artistic liberties to fill in gaps where the actual Christmas story leaves some unknowns, but it seems very plausible in its telling.

Is it wrong that Elf and Christmas Vacation made the list while the Nativity Story only made an honorable mention? I actually feel really bad about that, but honestly the top 8 are the ones that we will see this year.

One of the Best Example of Holiday Thoughtfulness

One time, about 10 years ago, my sister amazed me. Truly amazed me with her giving and thoughtfulness

Don't get me wrong...I'm not trying to imply she is not thoughtful or giving, but I watched her do something that never would have crossed my mind.

On Christmas Eve, she took an entire cooked ham, with trimmings, two gallons of sweet tea, and a red velvet cake to her local fire station. They didn't know she was coming. She just showed up with the meal around mid to late afternoon and gave it to them.

I was floored.

What an awesome way to thank those guys who had to work their shift on Christmas. Those guys who risk their lives to protect the general pubic. Those guys who obviously were going to be celebrating with their fire station family that night.

They make sacrifices every day. Sacrifices much greater than the money it took to buy the groceries for that meal. Sacrifices much greater than the time and effort it took her to prepare that dinner. Sacrifices much more than braving the icy rain encountered while delivering it.

I saw her in that moment not as the big sister that she has always been, but as someone who was truly generous and someone to emulate.

Photo credit: jamesacampbell

WFMW - Helping Baby Dress

With a new baby in the house, I am always looking for tricks to help me out in dealing with this little one. And although this isn't my first time around, I certainly can't claim to know everything.

However, I have discovered a "hack" to help me dress our daughter.

When putting on a shirt, she often likes to bend her arms or make them almost completely limp, making it hard to get her little arms through a long-sleeve and successfully out the other end. I found out though, if I just stick my index finger through the wrist of the sleeve and poke her hand, like any baby will, she will immediately grasp my finger with her precious little hand and hold on (for dear life it seems). I can then easily pull her arm all the way out the end with little effort and time on my part.

So that's What Works for Me. Go visit We Are THAT Family and see what works for everyone else!


Photo credit: Victoria Bjorkman

8 Items for the Kids’ Medicine Cabinet

To go along with last week's list of items you should have in your own medicine cabinet, I am adding this week's list to include items especially for children's health care.

1. Tylenol/Ibuprofen--Children's strength.
2. Nasal Bulb--Unfortunately, teaching children to blow their nose is not always easy.
3. Petroleum Jelly--Use this to lubricate rectal thermometers or to prevent chapped lips/cheeks on babies.
4. Thermometer--Age and usage appropriate of course. Rectal thermometers are the most accurate, but not always easy to use. Oral are perfect for older kids. Ear thermometers are not terribly accurate in infants. Underarm or forehead are the least accurate although can give you a good idea of their temperature.
5. Stomach Meds--Age appropriate of course. You can buy kids' Pepto for older kids. Mylicon or similar anti-gas medicine for infants is almost always necessary to have on hand.
6. Medicine Dropper/Syringe--For easy of giving babies and small children their medicine. Once they leave the toddler stage, they are probably fine to use the dosage cups that come with the liquid meds.
7. Saline Nasal Drops--Since most medicines are no longer allowed for children under 4, this homeopathic remedy is a good cleanser for the sinuses without introducing chemicals.
8. Pedialyte--Great for rehydrating after stomach bug, when child hasn't had an appetite due to illness, or just to re-energize on a hot day.

Would you care to add anything?

Photo credit: nathansnostalgia

WFMW - My Frugal Christmas Gifts

This year the purse strings are tighter than normal. Chip still has not found a job (seriously...it seems NO ONE is hiring around here right now) and we're still trying to attack our debt. So in our efforts to control spending this Christmas we are having to be a lot more careful about where our money is going. I typically give small gifts to all of my employees (6 of them) and my boss. We have some good friends I'd like to give gifts to. And there are three people that are work friends that I will exchange gifts for. This is all in addition to our family gifts, which are also on a tighter budget this year.

So I have decided that all of those other people are getting the same thing this year...homemade goodies. All of the ingredients will be on sale this holiday season and they are cheaper to make in bulk than just as a few. These are the items that are currently on my list of possibilities:

Super Brownies (some of my friends will wonder why I didn't make these if they aren't included!)
Red Velvet Cake Truffles (YUMMY! I will do them in white chocolate and may try to get creative and drizzle them in red)
Fudge (probably peanut butter to avoid too much chocolate in one place)
Haystacks (my mom used to make these. So good and so easy)
Pies in Jars (I just found this recently and fell in love with the idea!)
Peppermint Bark (how holiday-ish)
Snowballs (LOVE these)
Peanut Butter Blossoms (Patrick loves to help make these)
Dipped Pretzels (love sweet and salty together)
Dipped Ritz Sandwiches (one of my childhood favorites at Christmas)

That's all that is on my mind at the moment. I am not guaranteeing that I will do them all. Those are just possibilities. And I can mix and match for different people...they don't all have to have each variety. And luckily--none of them read this blog, so I know there is no threat in them finding out early!

What do you think? Do you have any favorites I didn't list that you would recommend?

I think this will work for me this holiday. Head over to We Are THAT Family to see what gift-giving ideas others are coming up with!