Our Journey

When I started this blog over three years ago, we were struggling to survive on a part time income.  In order to keep our head above water, I learned all kinds of new ways to be frugal.  I began making my own laundry detergent, wasting less, and meal planning around sales. As our income increased this past November, I still kept doing those things as they had simply become a way of life.

Something else had changed though.  We were in the midst of discovering our oldest child was more than just an over active child, he was actually a special needs child. Since we began this journey about a year and a half ago to figure out his diagnosis, my reasons for making homemade items completely changed. 

I started realizing just how many toxins and junk we come into contact with every single day.  I kept up making the laundry detergent and other cleaners simply to remove the toxins from our house.  I kept making food from scratch so I could avoid the processed additives we did not need in our diet.

As we keep going down this journey, I'm now working on reducing the amount of sugar in our diet.  I'm spending more time in the kitchen (my favorite place to be by the way) in order to improve our diet.  I'm also discovering that being frugal and being healthy go hand in hand.

Yes, many healthy items are not cheap but when you take the time to garden or make food from scratch healthy items can be affordable.

Going forward from here, I plan to share some of the information I have discovered over the past year or so and how I'm combining frugal with green, healthy living.

While I am certainly no expert in this area, I have learned a ton lately and I want to share it with my faithful readers.  If there is any topic you would like me to cover, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.

Vacation Tips: Plan Ahead

I just got back from a wonderful, kid free, vacation.  It was much needed as now I feel refreshed and ready to face life again.  My kids had a blast too as they got to spend a week with my inlaws at their farm. 

I didn't have computer access while I was away (side note - it was wonderful to have a technology break for awhile) but I kept thinking of little tips that would be helpful towards saving money that I wanted to share with my readers.  I'm going to share some over the next week or so and today I'm going to start with pre-vacation planning.

I don't know about you, but I'm always stressed with last minute to do's right before vacation.  This time I started planning months ahead and it really helped.

We began by looking at how many days we would be gone and seeing if we had enough clothes to see us through.  I realized I needed 1-2 more pairs of shorts and a wrap or cardigan so I set out to check out the deals.  By not waiting until the last minute I was able to find rock bottom deals.

Once we had clothes under control, we moved on to the little things.  A month before we left, we stocked up on any toiletries we were low on and refilled all medications that would be running low by vacation time.  I'm bad about thinking of these things the week before vacation and then not having time to get to the store to get the needed items.

Finally, I dislike coming home to a messy house so we started cleaning it up a few week's before we left.  It helped knowing that my kids and inlaws would be staying at my house for a day or so while we were gone.  Nothing like the pressure of someone else living in your house while you are gone.  By picking up the piles of junk ahead of time all I really needed to do before leaving was some quick maintenance cleaning.

Your list probably contains more than this but these are a few things to start thinking about.  Before you leave on vacation, I suggest making a list of everything you might need to do and then breaking it down so that you can leave on vacation relaxed and ready instead of thinking of everything you didn't get done.

Mommy School and a Dollar Store Find

As of today, my oldest is officially a preschool graduate.  He informed me a few weeks ago though that this summer we would be doing "Mommy School" every day.  This is something he started one day when he was sick and we needed something to fill the day as he was really missing his friends from school.  We've done it every day since that he is out of school.

Since I'm normally doing it only one day at a time, I usually just grab his Highlights High Five magazine and and pick a few activities out of it since he rarely looks at the magazine.  If we've used up the current issue I print something off the internet or pull out a school project he didn't have time to finish.

Seeing as this is a whole summer, my usual plan just won't work.  Mommy School is going to be based loosely off his school schedule he had this year since he loves that routine.  The only main difference is that we will have a "field trip" almost every day as mommy needs out of the house.


I've created a theme for each week and I'm doing my best to incorporate some educational items, therapy, and fun into each day.  I was searching the dollar store this week for some fun surprises and found out they have some homeschool type workbooks.  I was able to pick up a few to use in Mommy School and I even found one that will work for my almost two year old. 


They also had a ton of school related items such as charts, rewards, stickers, etc.  I'm able to supplement our school at a fraction of the cost of what I thought it would cost.


My other major resource for school is the library.  I've lined up books and movies based on our theme each week.


We will see how this goes.  I plan to update in a few weeks and let you know if we are still doing Mommy School.  I think he will benefit from the routine and I'm hoping it will keep us from going crazy each day.

Preparing for a Tornado

I'm currently sitting in my basement waiting for a storm to pass by.  It looks like the worst of it will not hit us but just an hour down the road was hit hard. 

As I was preparing to head to the basement, it dawned on me that many people do not know what to do in a tornado.  I happen to live in an area where tornadoes are a bit too common. 

Growing up my family did not have a good place to use as a storm shelter in our house.  The people behind us had a basement though and would leave the back door unlocked any time there was a threat of a tornado.  For this reason, my parents always had us sleep with our shoes by our bed when there was a possibility of bad weather.

My husband thinks I'm crazy because every time there is a tornado threat I make everyone get their shoes on.  I realize we have a basement now but having gone through a tornado that caused some damage to my house, I know how hard it can be to find what you need in the aftermath.  Wouldn't you rather have a safe pair of shoes on instead of walking through debris in bare feet?  So, my first tip is to find your shoes.

In this wonderful day and age of technology, I also suggest charging your electronics (cell phone, laptop, etc) if weather is supposed to get bad that day.  It really helps in keeping in contact with others and you never know when you will get a chance to charge electronics again.  I spent most of my evening tonight on Facebook and Twitter getting up to the date news from news outlets and friends.  As an added bonus, it was kind of fun to get to bond with others over such a stressful event.  

I also suggest having a few flashlights and candles nearby.  Make sure the batteries work and/or that you have spares near by. 

Finally, to keep my kids entertained I also bring snacks and a few toys or games to our storm shelter. Anything that helps them take their mind off what is going on is a huge help.

By the way, round one has passed us now and we are safe and sound.  There was a beautiful double rainbow after it all passed.  If you have any tips to share on how you prepare for a tornado, please share them with others in the comments section.

Frugal Fatigue and Seasons of Life

Several blogs I follow have been talking about frugal fatigue this week.  It can get exhausting and old to constantly be frugal.  I believe there are seasons of life where you need to be more frugal.  Some seasons may only be a few weeks where others can last years.

We just came out of a three year season where we had to be frugal.  I am frugal by nature but I had to take it to a whole new level for those three years just so we could survive without debt.  I learned all kinds of new things such as how to make my own laundry detergent, a variety of homemade gifts, pancake mix and much more.  I love how much I learned and still use most of it today.

However, I'm in a new season of life where my husband sometimes works as many as 60 hours a week.  I am very thankful for those hours but with raising a special needs child and a very active toddler, I don't have as much time as I did before to make everything from scratch or hunt down every great deal.  

When you get exhausted from trying to keep up with being frugal, take inventory and see why you are doing it.  Is it because you have financial goals? Do you simply enjoy being frugal?  Do you feel you have to keep up with everyone else?  

As I said, I am frugal by nature, so I will never stop being frugal or looking for new ways to be frugal.  I have, however, started giving myself some slack and sometimes I skip a week of couponing or allow us to eat out dinner so I can get a break.

What season of life are you in and how do you combat frugal fatigue? 

Try Something New

I find it very easy to get stuck in my routine and never branch out to try new things.  Don't get me wrong - I love to try new things - it is just that sometimes it is easier to not put the effort into something new.  I'm working this year to get a little bit out of my rut though.  Remember when I mentioned I joined a gym. Yep, that was a huge step towards trying something new.

Today I tried something new on a smaller scale - I cut up my first pineapple.  It was bit messy but not near as hard as I had pictured it in my head.  The results are delicious too!  My youngest loves fruit and veggies and that has challenged me to try many new fruits and vegetables that I either had not tried before or had not attempted in my own home.  It has been great to get me out of my cooking rut and introduce new flavors to my family.

What are you doing to try something new and get out of your rut? 

Pouring Out My Heart

Towards the end of last year I mentioned that we discovered our oldest was a special needs child.  I've been hesitant to talk much about it here as it is not the focus of this blog but I feel I need to share my story.  I might give updates occasionally but plan to not change the focus of the blog.  If I need to say more, I will probably start another blog.

S has been a tough child since birth.  He was a horrible sleeper, always needed someone to entertain him, and got into everything.  When I would mention this to people they would all say he was just a kid and would grow out of it or that he was my first and that was the problem.  

As he got older, the behaviors got worse.  He was significantly behind in speech so most people attributed the behavior to him not being able to communicate.  After several months of testing, we started him in speech therapy last January.

This whole time I had been talking to our preschool director at church.  I've known her for years and she has known S since he was born.  She is in charge of the preschool ministry for the church and weekday preschool, which he attended last year.  She knew we were having a tough time but had only seen a few of the behaviors at church.

The weekend after his 4th birthday last year, it all changed.  He hit his favorite Sunday School teacher.  We thought maybe he was just exhausted from having his birthday party the day before.  The next Sunday, he did it again.  The behaviors started coming out more and more.  With the church encouraging us, we went to our pediatrician for help.  He said we just needed to be tougher parents.  We told him that we weren't accepting that as an answer, we needed help before this child tore our family apart.

We were referred to a large behavior health facility in town.  Their screening was a joke and they put us in parent training therapy.  I knew this wasn't what we needed but I agreed to it because someone needed to see what my husband and I saw.  

We were blessed with the sweetest therapist who was an older lady and semi-retired.  After a few sessions she said we were passing with flying colors and doing great with the techniques she taught us but S was not catching on.  She agreed we needed more help but wasn't sure where to go.  She used her free time to ask around the building, contact our preschool minister and S's school teachers.  She stuck with us and kept doing therapy until we had a place to go.

We finally wound up getting an occupational therapy (OT) evaluation.  Through that, we discovered S had sensory issues, his upper body was very weak, he had attention problems, etc.  In August of last year, we began going to OT once a week. 

Due to all of this struggle, we opted to attend pre-K through the school system this year instead of at church.  We knew they had many great services that could benefit us.  As soon as school started we asked for more help for him.  After several months of evaluations (it is a very slow process) and talking to his speech therapist (also through the school system) we had a meeting to go over everything.

This meeting happened to be the day after my youngest had surgery.  I had barely slept in days and was an emotional basketcase.  I sat there for 1 1/2 hours hearing all of the issues my son was having.  I was practically in tears as I left because the part that stuck out was when they said S would not survive kindergarten without help.  

I won't go into all the details but to sum it up, they decided to start some OT and special ed with him.  Around Christmas I asked for an update and we changed things again as academically he was at the top of his class and didn't require the special ed services but did need help with social/emotional problems.  We changed up his services and that is where we are currently at. (Since writing this, I've learned we need to meet again as the school is not holding up their end of the deal).

This entire time we've been seeking a diagnosis.  He is a very bright child and can be so adorable when he wants to but the rest of the time he is extremely tough.  Most doctors do not want to diagnose until at least kindergarten as many behaviors correct themselves as the child ages.  

Our OT has been incredible and has talked with several doctors who agree we need a diagnosis now, not in another year.  The problem is that our insurance changed Feb. 1 and none of our current support team is covered.  We had two doctors who were willing to do the evaluation process but could not find an opening in their schedule (we've known of this change since Nov. and have been trying since then to get in).

We started over from square one this week .  We do not know a lot about our new pediatrician but we do know he has referred to our current therapy facility so that leads us to believe he is open to seeking help.  Most doctors in the area who will diagnose have a 3-6 month waiting list which is very frustrating when we've already been waiting so long.

We expect his diagnosis to be several actually.  Just a few possibilities that have been thrown out are ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Gifted.

I've spent most of my free time this past year researching, talking to other parents, and chasing medical staff down.  I have high hopes for S and know once we get the proper therapies and medication he will be a much more enjoyable child.  Getting to that point is very difficult though.

I am not writing this post for sympathy, but rather to let you know why I've been fairly quiet on this blog lately.  Also, we believe God gave us S so we can minister to others in similar situations.  If you have a special needs child, we would love to talk to you.  It is a long and lonely road and we've been blessed by others who are much further down the road so we want to pay it forward.

Ready to Break Free

Did you guys think I forgot about you?  I've actually thought of my great readers many times over the past few weeks but computer time has been very limited.  Last week we were all sick and miserable.  This week, I'm stuck inside due to 10" of snow and school being canceled most of the week. Lets just say I'm ready to break free from this house!

Stay tuned because next week I will start a series of healthy related giveaways.  Two weeks ago I did something I said I would never do - I joined a gym.  I do not like working out in front of others and it just seems like another expensive thing that can easily be cut from a budget.  

I've said for over a year now that I need to lose weight but I can't seem to get more than a few pounds off.  My husband and I decided that the income commitment might get us to exercise more.  There is also the added benefit that they have free childcare and a wonderful pool with a kids area.  We are getting to enjoy family time and couple time so it is well worth the investment.

Update and Giveaway

I'm still alive around here but the blog has been silent this week as I've been fighting a cold that started the night before Thanksgiving.  I think I'm on the mend now but still not up to my normal self.

I have several giveaways to post over the next few weeks so keep checking back often.  In the meantime, check out my latest giveaway for an Old El Paso Family Taco Night prize package.  You must click on the link in order to enter, comments on this post will not count as an entry.

Home

We finally came home Saturday morning after spending a week in the hospital.  Thank you to everyone who has been praying for our little guy.  They grew cultures of the stuff they drained from his lymph node and it all came back as strep.  

The rapid strep test in the ER came back negative but the blood test came back positive, which is rare.  Since the antibiotics weren't cutting it they wondered if it was something more but it was just strep.  He never had it in his throat which is what threw us off.

We will be hanging out at home for the next week or so as the incision heals.  He pulled out his drain Friday night and they opted not to stitch it up but to leave it open to finish draining.  Until it closes, we don't feel safe getting him around too many people, especially curious kids who might pull the bandage off.

Update on the Little Guy

It has been a whirlwind 24 hours but we are on the mend now.  The swelling in Eli's neck was not going down and his fevers were still spiking every so often so we had a consult with an ENT (ear, nose, throat) doctor Tues. afternoon.  We agreed to do a CT scan and go from there.  They did the scan that afternoon and as soon as the results were back he was scheduled for surgery.


Eli's lymph node had abscessed and was not draining.  They drained it and the drain will stay in for several more days.  He was miserable for awhile after the surgery but the Tylenol has kicked in and he resting well now.  We will be here several more days as they finish draining it.

Winner and Life Update

Sorry for the delay in announcing the Pillsbury winner.  It is Cori and she has 48 hours to claim the prize.  

Blogging will be even more sporadic the next few days as I'm at the hospital with my youngest.  He had a slight fever on Friday and Saturday but woke up Sunday with a very swollen face and neck.  After a trip to the ER we landed in the hospital with a severely infected lymph node.  The swelling is not reducing very quickly so we are now trying to figure out which direction to go.  It looks like we will be here several more days. 

I will keep everyone updated as I can.  Today has been the first day I could get Blogger (or anything Google related) to load.

Adoption: How Are We To Help?

Mary from Owlhaven attended a conference on adoption a week or so ago and blogged about the various sessions.  I cannot seem to get her post on James 1:27 and the Church out of my head.  

I have several friends who are either adopted or going through adoption so I know how much it can affect a family.  I never gave it much thought before though on how it can affect a city.  What can you do to support those going through adoption or foster care?

What I Did On My Summer Vacation: Part 1

Remember back in your school days when the teacher always asked you to write or talk about what you did on summer vacation?  This post is all about what I did this summer - cake decorating!  I've always wanted to know the proper way to decorate a cake and it has been on my list of "things I'd like to do someday" list for ages.  You know, that list that you know will probably never happen but a girl's got to dream, right?

I never know what to ask for when it comes birthday and Christmas time.  I decided for my birthday in early June to ask for Wilton cake decorating classes.  My parents bought me the first set of classes and the kit and arranged to be back up babysitting on the nights my husband was on call.  I posted on Facebook about it and three other friends joined me.  I enjoyed that class so much that I wound up taking the other two classes too.

Warning, the classes are not frugal in the least bit but you can save money by watching for when they are on sale, sharing supplies with a friend, and using your 40% off coupons at all the major craft stores.

Wilton changed all of their classes and June was the first month for the new classes.  This first cake was the first cake we learned how to decorate.  We had a choice of 3 cakes to make and my son picked out the fish.

Next, we learned how to decorate cupcakes and make a few flowers.  Sorry for the poor image quality on this one, it was late at night and my photos didn't turn out great.   This is the final cake for the first set of classes.  My husband picked out the colors.  My friends taking the class with me were all in my Sunday School class and we had a 4th of July party the next day so we decided to take our cakes to the party - that is the reason for the 4th but strange colors. Next week I will show you my creations from the other two classes.

Answered Prayer!

For those who have followed this blog for awhile or know me in real life, you know we have been on a journey for the past several years.  For those who are new, let me you can catch you up on why we are Living Life On Less, my feelings at one year, and how life changed again earlier this year.

God answered our prayers recently though.  Last week, my husband was offered not one, but two jobs!  God never ceases to amaze me in how he answers prayers above and beyond what I could ever imagine.  After spending the weekend in prayer and him meeting with both companies again yesterday, we made our decision.  Starting the end of Oct, he will have a full time job for the first time in three years.

For the past year he has worked a part time job where he is on call nights and weekends.  It is getting very old but pays great.  We have decided to keep it at least through the end of the year to make sure the new job works out and to help build up our retirement account that was sorely neglected while we were in survival mode.

When we first heard the news of his job cut so many years ago we never dreamed it would take this long.  We also never dreamed we could survive this long.  I estimated we could make it about 8 months and then we would be broke.  His start date is exactly one week before the three year mark and we survived with no debt!  I owe every bit of that to God.  He provided for our needs and calmed our wants during those years.  He taught us to rely on Him and to work hard.

Let me close with the song I shared at the one year point.  It is the song I Am Blessed and we have definitely been blessed throughout this journey.

I am blessed,
I am blessed,
From when I rise up in the morning,
'Till I lay my head to rest,
And I feel you near me,
You sooth me when I'm weary.
Oh, Lord,For all the worst and all the best,
I am blessed.

School Lunch

This year my child is going to an all day pre-k program so for first the time, I'm having to pack a lunch for him each day. I'm only a few days in to it and I'm already bored with our choices.  Of course, it doesn't help that I have a picky child who desperately needs to eat calories.  Let's just say I'm glad we are not at a nut free school.

Today I came across this great resource called Smart School Time Recipes.  It is a free ebook full of healthy recipes. I'm anxious to try some of them out and see if I can expand our repertoire of food. If anyone else has good ideas, feel free to share them in the comments section.

Changing It Up

Did you think I disappeared?  Sorry for the long delay.  When I was on vacation I realized how much I enjoyed not being chained to the computer all day.  I realize I don't blog often but between this blog and my Tupperware business, I felt like I was marketing or answering emails all day long.  I had a super busy week this past week and I decided to put all the computer work on the back burner for awhile.

I love this blog and I really enjoy teaching others how to save money and still enjoy life.  The only problem is that I would really like to keep this as a hobby and not a job.  Yes, some bloggers are out to make oodles of money but my real reason for starting this blog two years ago was to teach others to save money.  Somewhere along the line I've forgotten my reason for starting and I've wound up spending way more hours on it than I want to.  

So, I'm here to say I'm going to be bringing you great recipes and tips each and every week but I'm most likely not going to be doing it on a schedule as I have in the past.  Check back a few times a week or add me to your reader to see all the new content.  I want to enjoy time with my family and not be chained to my computer so this is my public way of saying I'm taking the pressure off me to blog and keeping it as a fun hobby instead.

On Vacation

Reminder, there will be no Price Cutter matchups this week as I'm on vacation at the Tupperware annual convention.  I had planned several scheduled posts but they did not happen as I took the extra time to play with my kids instead.

In the meantime, check out my Sam's Club Giveaway for a chance to win $25 to Sam's Club.

Food Friday: The Unmotivated Edition

I'm sorry to say but I do not have a new recipe to post this week.  I've been extremely unmotivated in the kitchen lately and need some new recipes to get me going again.  

For this reason, for Food Friday this week I'm simply going to share with you my favorite recipe site - Food.com.  Many of you already know this site well, as it was formally known as Recipe Zaar.  They recently changed their name and it threw me for a loop a few weeks ago when I was looking for a new recipe.  It is still the same great site as before but with a few improvements.  


This is my favorite site because the reviews are usually great and the message boards have some great ideas.  And no, they did not pay me to say any of this.  I simply felt the need to share where I like to search.  

Now, I'm heading off to find me a new recipe to try for dinner tomorrow night.

That Was Fast!

Thanks for hanging in there with me while my computer was being fixed.  It only took a week and a half and they fixed more than they said they would!  It is nice to have a fully working keyboard and a screen that isn't falling apart.

Price Cutter deals will be posted this afternoon and I'm hoping to get the next post up tomorrow in the Back to the Basics series.