Giveaway Winner!

First, let me say thank you to everyone who entered and shared and otherwise helped get the word out about this giveaway. You guys are the greatest and make doing this a lot of fun. With that said...let's get down to business!

The winner of our Free Book Giveaway is.........Becky Cagle!! Becky, please message me on the M3 page with your mailing information and I will be sure to get these books right out to you!

Thanks again to everyone! We'll try to have another fun giveaway soon!

It is a Beautiful Thing

It is a beautiful thing...children growing up. Hard sometimes to watch them move forward because we remember them as needing us so much. They still need us, just not as much. Which is a good thing, because it means we've been doing our job right. Right?! 

The four munchkins.

I will be the first to admit that I revel in my children growing up. I enjoy watching them learn and do new things all the time. With four children ages 2-10, I am neck-deep in developmental milestones. Potty training, learning how to write their name, drawing pictures of our family, walking to the school bus by themselves. I can't help but love the fact that they can do things on their own. Sometimes my husband has to tell me to not push them quite so much. And lately, I've tried to let that sink in. He misses a lot because he travels for work. While I am here every day watching them grow and learn. Yes, there have been times I've said, "I can't wait until you're grown up and can do everything on your own!"

But, then there are times, now that three of my kids are in school, that I wonder what it will be like, someday, when I'm not knee-deep in those developmental milestones. How will I spend my days? What will I do when they no longer need me as much? So, while I still revel in watching them make toast, do their own laundry, call friends to make plans, and clean up the dishes. I also make sure to do something else; live in the moment of their childhood. 

I enjoy their kisses, and hugs, and bouquets of weeds. I love when my five-year-old comes to me dressed in jeans, mismatched socks, a skirt, and one-sided pony tail. I delight in bath time, and story time, and dinner time. Sure, not everyday is a Disney fairytale. There are fights, back talk, screaming. Tantrums get thrown, toys get thrown, all sorts of not-so-awesome stuff happens, too. 

But on that day when my last child leaves the nest - one of their last developmental milestones - dare I say, what will I remember? What will be the lasting impression I have of their childhood. What will be theirs? 

I hope it's that they had a mother who cared enough to teach them to take care of themselves. But who also taught them not to forget that mother just because they don't need her as much.

It's Friday and we so excited!

Frugal Friday!

Decided to start a weekly (hopefully) post designed to talk about what kinds of things you do to live frugally. Now, I will be the first to admit that I don't always buy my kids' clothes second-hand. I don't recycle hardly ever (may be due in part to the fact that my city doesn't make it easy, I am a slacker, sue me). I also like good food. I will tell you one way I have saved a boat load of money: making my own laundry soap! Yes! And it's so easy, too! I've attached the recipe below, and if you're worried about how it will work in your High Efficiency washer - don't be - it works BETTER! That's right. Without all the chemicals and icky stuff you find in store bought laundry soaps. Thanks to a wonderful friend who turned me on to the idea of making my own laundry soap, I started making my own a couple of months ago and I will never go back!

This is all you need to make it:  

You'll need: One cup of Borax, One cup of Super Washing Soda, a bar of Fels Naptha, a grater, a bowl and a jar to store it in. Depending on how much you wash one batch should last for two months! Costs pennies on the dollar, too!

Now, all of that said, that doesn't mean I don't look for deal when I can get them. So, let's hear it. How do you find ways to save money?