3 Big Questions...Question #1

A bit ago, I wrote about Patrick Lencioni's book 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family. Did you get a chance to head over and check the overview of this book at my mom's blog? If not, take a minute to go there now.

So, today I wanted to hit on the books first question - What makes your family unique?

Again, my mom has described this question well and has shared what their "statement"/2-3 sentences are. You can find that here.

And, my little confession is this - we haven't actually done this step/question (sheepish smile). Right after we both read it, I went through all the questions for my business. Then, I was ready to do them for our home/family. So, Clint and I sat down to work through them. I can't remember the day exactly, but I just know we didn't have a lot of time. We said that we'd just do that one another time.

I'm not recommending this because I think it is so beneficial and believe that we will do it! But, we just haven't yet. Once we have it down, I'll try to remember to share it.

We do have questions 2 and 3 written out, so when I post about those I'll make sure to share! I will still refer you to my mom's blog, but will have more to share here as well.

Either way, I could still share what it was for me personally (in line with my business).

Lencioni encourages readers to write out in list format anything that is true about them. From that list, write 2-3 sentences/statements that create the answer to question #1. It was interesting to write a list and see where there are obvious unique points since they come out in different ways.

I did write out a list of bullet points for me/my business and what makes me/it unique. I think this is a great exercise for each family as well as person or business. So, if anyone is curious and wants to know Question #1 for me/my business stuff, here it is (note: he does not say that it has to be perfect or gramatically correct or anything like that :)) -

I am an empathetic person who gets very passionate about what I'm learning or doing. I believe in being frugal in all things (meals, crafts, household stuff, purchases, etc.). I hold up peace and simplicty and am organized, tidy, and strive to save time so that I can focus on tasks and people. I know that Jesus Christ is true peace.

Being Frugal

I wanted to forward you on, today, to a great blog called Being Frugal. Lynnae writes all about getting out of debt and living a frugal lifestyle. She's one of Walmart's 11 Moms and shares on BlogTalkRadio - FrugalCoast2Coast.

Today she put up a review of my eBook, which I was thrilled about! Check it out here.

Meal Plan Follow Up

This week was a good shopping trip! Like I said yesterday, I am trying to use up what we have in the house, but also make it till next Wednesday morning when I'll get to shop (verses my usually Monday trip).

Everything stayed about the same as the list...

I did add bagels and cream cheese again since we all loved it last week. I know there are healthier and cheaper things, but it was still very much within budget and I love having it for breakfast (as does Evee).

I also added brown sugar to the list since I realized we'd just ran out last week.

Eggs were on sale and green beans were cheaper than expected.

In the end, we spent $30.66 and the cashier looked at the bags and then back at the price and then at me mentioning that it was a good amount of food for such a low price. Smile.

Meal Plan Monday

I'm sharing our meal plan for the week again! Check out the other meal plans for the week at Organizing Junkie! This week, I'm trying to use everything up that we have available to finish off the month!

Evee and I will be gone for the weekend hanging out with friends (!!!), but I'm still putting what meals will be available since Clint will be here. I'm banking on some good leftovers :).

As always, the goal for each week is to get everything for $50 or less. I'll report in Tuesday with the totals! And, don't forget to check out the helpful tools on the right side of the blog - Grocery list and Meal plan sheets. You can just open and print them off.

Breakfasts - eggs, toast, yogurt, cereal, fruit
Lunches - hummus w/ pita, quesadillas, leftovers
Snacks - homemade popcorn, cheese & crackers, fruit

Monday - We will be going to some friend's house tonight! No cooking on my part :).
Tuesday - Spaghetti pie with broccoli and mushrooms and some beef (I was going to do spaghetti, but after thinking about my day on Tuesday, I'll do spaghetti pie so that I can make it Monday and bake it Tuesday!)
Wednesday - Meat & potato quiche - using the rest of my pack of ground beef from Spaghetti to go in here (it will already be cooked and all)
Thursday - Fish tacos (didn't have them last week)
Friday - Evee and I leave, but I'll throw some pork BBQ into the crock pot in the morning for Clint. We used whole wheat mini pita shells for this last time and it was really good!
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Frozen soup or Leftovers again (I'm thinking there will be quite a bit)
Monday - Egg Salad Sandwiches (We arrive home Monday, so I won't get to the grocery store till Wednesday probably)
Tuesday - Frozen pizza on sale at Wegman's

Shopping Lists

• Yogurt
• Cheese (on sale)
  
• Eggs
• Fruit - oranges (on sale) and bananas
  
• Whole Wheat Pita Shells
• BBQ Sauce
• Green beans (on sale)
  
• Crackers
• Frozen Pizza (on sale)
  

Happy meal planning to you this week!

A bit of controversy...

Not with me, per se, but two articles I read today that are very different (and opposite in many ways) in their thoughts. Basic gist is that mothering seems to completely take over some womens' lives and while others seem to integrate in a different way. The original article was about those whose lives are completely taken over when becoming a mom and end up being obsessed, in a sense, with it. I then read an article that was in response to the original article.

Honestly, this is something I think about now and again, and from both sides of the equation. Not sure where all of my conclusions lie, but I think in the end it's at least good to think about and to get another's perspective.

Interesting point - The first article was written by a woman who does not have any children. The reaction article was from a mother who, obviously, did not agree. What I think would be really interesting is to add the perspective of a woman who has children and agrees with the original article and a woman without kids who agrees with the mom in the article responding to the first. Not that it would help one "side" or the other, but bring even more perspective and thoughts into it :).

You can find the original article here and the second here.

Meal Plan Follow Up

* Update: Just realized that I had the web pages for pdf print offs set up, but hadn't added them to the side of the blog. Story of my life right now :). They are available now!*

I always like to share the money spent on our groceries for the week! This week's total was $39.16

Notes/changes to the list...

• I got a pack of bagels and cream cheese as a special morning treat to myself :)
• Added butter
  
• Added deodorant, toothpaste, and body wash that were all on sale
• Added bananas & carrots
  

Also, I wanted to share another 2 free resources that I just put up on the side of the blog under "helpful print offs".

The first is a basic grocery sheet that again my parent's have been using for some time and I use some weeks as well. The other is a place to put your menu plan for the week - including places to check off whether your eating at home or out and areas to put snack and breakfast items. That way you can just post this on the fridge or another place that is easy to view.

Happy meal planning to you this week!

Meal Plan Monday

Another week of our meals! Check out the other meal plans for the week at Organizing Junkie! Last week we had a lot of leftovers, so it worked out really well for lunches and leftover night. I might even have some soup to freeze.

As always, the goal for each week is to get everything for $50 or less. I'll report in Tuesday with the totals! I will also be adding some great pdf helps to the side (Grocery list and Meal plan sheets).

Breakfasts - eggs, toast, yogurt, cereal, fruit
Lunches - hummus, pita, tuna, leftovers

Monday - Monday night date night...this doesn't usually include going out, but will this week because it's when we are celebrating Valentine's Day! So, another expense even though we are trying to bare-bones it. Thankfully, though, we won't be paying for a sitter because we date swap many weeks with friends.
Tuesday - Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches (on bread or pita) with veggies - bought the large pack of meat last week so have it for 4 - 6 more dinners!
Wednesday - "Noodles & Gravy" with veggies - I already have the beef for this
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Fish tacos - already have the fish from forever ago in the freezer & really need to use!
Saturday - Egg Salad Sandwiches
Sunday - Quesadillas

Shopping Lists

• Yogurt
• Bread
• Cereal
• Cheese
  
• Eggs
• Fruit
• Chickpeas
• Whole Wheat Pita Shells
• BBQ Sauce
• Mushrooms
• Egg noodles
• 1/2 & 1/2
  
• Onion
• Oranges
• Mushrooms
• Egg Noodles
• Taco Shells
• Coco (for brownies :))
• On sale veggies
  

Win an ipod Touch

Just wanted to pass on the word that you can leave a comment (and do a few other things to get more entries) over at Skimbaco Lifestyle to win an ipod touch. It ends tonight, so you have to get on it :). Winner will be announced tomorrow!

"Make Your Own" - Cards

When we went home for Christmas (a lot about Christmas this week :)), a friend gave me these really cute cards that she had made. I love the idea of them and thought I'd pass the idea on to you! They would be great to pass along as gifts (like my friend did) or to use for your own card writing. So, here they are...step by step. Luckily for you, Evee took one a part a bit while I was taking pictures. So, we get to see both sides. I'll just be gluing it back together again for my own use.

Get already cut pieces of card stock - I've gotten these before and you can find them at almost any craft store (Hobby Lobby, Michael's). They come pre-cut to a great card size and come in a pack with multiple colors. You're going to use 2 pieces per card for this project. One needs to be slightly smaller on each side (you'll see this below), so you'll just need to cut it.

On the smaller of the 2 pieces, sew whatever you want with a regular thread and needle - like, the Christmas trees by my friend (sorry it's a bit blurry). I would assume tougher thread would be better. I was thinking it would be cool to sew words like "Thank You".

And the back... She just taped it to the back of the card stock.

Then glue (or use modpodge or even double sided tape) and stick it on the larger piece.
And viola!

How I got it as a gift - nicely tied with a bow.

Thanks Danielle for this great gift and idea!!!

Shopping Update from Monday Post

Thought I'd post an update to my shopping trip from Monday's meal plan post.

Total cost for the week: $40.52

The fruit I ended up getting were - strawberry's, bananas, and grapes. Plus, instead of the little amount of pork I needed for the taco meal this week, I got an 8# package since then it was only $.99/lb. We are not huge pork eaters (I might just be speaking for myself there), but there are a few things that it would be great for. Namely, more of the pork taco meal and pulled pork bbq sandwiches - which is a great crock pot meal! So, I'll be freezing it for using later on.

Last week, after being gone for 2 1/2 weeks I had to make an extra trip to the grocery store which was a bit frustrating. So, it feels nice again this week to have my head back on straight and not lose time and money having to run out on an extra trip!

Also, update on the no-spend challenge that momadvice is doing and that I talked about briefly in this post: For the most part this is how we are trying to live (I'll share more when I write again on the 3 Big Questions). It was, however, interesting last week with getting back the weekend before, so we did go out one time. And, I also bought an ice cream cake for a really good friend of mine who was with us over her birthday weekend. It was the one thing she wanted... Just keeping honest :).

3 Big Questions

For Christmas, my parents passed along a book to Clint and I called The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family written by Patrick Lencioni. At the time, I wouldn't have necessarily said that we were frantic, and I think I'd still say that since reading the book and thinking about it. But I have definitely that we weren't very focused.

I was planning on writing a review of this book, but in the mean time my mom ended up writing some great stuff on her blog about it. Find a good overview of the book here at my mom's blog. I'll be writing a bit this week about the book, so thought it would be good to share that overview with you.

As soon as I finished the book, I was ready to answer the 3 questions for our family as well as for business goals. It's been really interesting how, just in the last month since reading it, it has really helped us make decisions and stick with priorities! I'll be sharing some of that as well as directing you to my mom's thoughts on each question (she is going through each question on her blog).

I've already passed it on to a friend since both Clint and I have finished it. Our answers are now written down and helping define our schedule and attitudes. If any of you have read it, I'd love to hear about it and I look forward to sharing some insights from it soon!

A Great Sale

Another great promo today for the eBook along with an amazing 3 day sale, especially since the price was already so great! The sale is happening with Crystal at MoneySavingMom.

MoneySavingMom is a useful site that is regularly updated with information on sales, special offers, coupons available, and helpful articles on saving money. Definitely take some time to check it out! Crystal is great and knows what she's talking about!

And, if you'd like to get your own copy of "A Month of Meals for $4, just go here. It will be available at that price through Thursday!

Meal Plan Monday

This week I'm trying a couple of recipes from the February issue of Real Simple. I was very glad to get this as a Christmas present from my parents! I've gotten my hands on passed down Real Simple magazines, so it's very fun getting them in the mail for a bit! I'm also trying a new crock pot recipe. That way I can throw everything in in the morning and be done!

Meals this week -

Breakfasts - eggs & toast, fruit, cereal, yogurt
Lunches - hummus & pita, grilled cheese, tuna melts, leftovers
Snacks - Pretzels, fruit, cheese & crackers

Monday - Beef & vegetable medley (from last week, but we didn't get to)
Tuesday - Soup (also from last week)
Wednesday - Chicken Potpie
Thursday - Slow-cooker pulled-pork tacos
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Spaghetti (have everything for already)
Sunday - Crock Pot recipe that I found at A Crock Cook - it uses black beans I already have opened from last week and need to use!

Shopping List

• Potatoes
• Eggs
• Crackers
• Cheese
• Chicken - 1 1/2 lb.
• Pork - 1/2 or 1 lb.
  
• 9 inch pie crust (if it's not on sale or something, though, I'll just make my own with staples from home)
• Chick peas
• Yogurt
• Whatever fruit is on sale
• Pita shells
• Mushrooms
• Cereal

Join the other meal planners over at Organizing Junkie!

Plastic Bag Storage

I wanted to pass along this way of storing plastic bags to any of you who may be interested. I've always been frustrated with our plastic bag storage. I hate the thought of throwing the bags away (I think that you can recycle them at certain places, I just never know where that is), but hate to keep and store them from when I forget my cloth bags (which I hate when that happens!).

When in Australia I saw a friend storing them like this and have found it really helpful...

Squeeze out air and flatten

Twist around your hand and put end through center hole (it doesn't knot it or anything, but it does stay pretty well)

Like this...

All of our bags when done

Before pictures...

And after...

It may not seem as major in the pictures as it does live but, believe me, I can tell the difference from the look/usage space, but also from when I take them out to use them! It's much easier to just grab for one and get one now, instead of reaching in and pulling out 5!

Catch Up

A few things I wanted to put on here and haven't yet!

My latest Going Green post on Mom 4 Life can be found here - it was on recycling storage issues and was last month.

I've recently gotten some great reviews on my eBook, "A Month of Meals". Also, I've lowered the price to $6.95, which I'm really excited about because it's made it way more accessible! I went back and forth (as any of you who have been on here for awhile would know) because I know people will save a lot using the principles, but didn't want price of the book to be an issue in saving money! So, I feel really good about it and have had a good response.

Last week it was featured as a giveaway on SimpleMom.net - this was so exciting for me! If you don't know her blog, you should definitely take a look. It has a lot of great information and she's wonderful!

I also had a review at Northern Cheapskate which is another great blog that talks about living frugally and has a lot of ideas!

And the week ahead, I'm planning on having a question/answer post on couponing, which is something I really know nothing about! So, I'm excited to get information and pass it on to you! I am also working on a few more "make your own" posts for things like corn heating bags, cards, and baby wraps. And, I'll be working on some more "going green" posts. Thanks for the thoughts I got on that and any more are welcome!

Green things

This is a "help, help" request. I've noticed that any posts on greening up life have been scarce around here... Plus, I was hoping to do more of a weekly column than a monthly one over at Mom4Life, but thus, it is indeed more of a monthly thing.

So, question to all of you - what are your thoughts, questions, desires to know about all and any things green? I find that I am most passionate about it when it also helps us financially - so, I may be thinking small scale. Lack of creativity here :). I'd love and so appreciate getting some feedback on this either in comments or e-mails - info(at)babygetgreen(dot)com. Thanks!

Registry for Baby Items

We found it a bit overwhelming to register for baby items. We weren't sure what we really needed and basically only wanted things that were essentials. On one trip, I brought a friend who had already had a baby and that had been helpful to know what to put on the registry. We registered at Babies R Us and Target. I felt that those two places covered the basics easily.

My sister just found out that they are having a boy! She is due this summer and we are so excited for them! She was asking about what kind of things to put on the baby registry, so I thought I'd write it out on here just in case others had a similar question. So, here is the list that I came up with. Oh, and I would get as many things as possible neutral so that you can use them for whatever gender comes next :).

Basic essentials to put on the baby registry

• Something for baby to sleep in (could just use pack n play)
• Sheets for above (maybe 2 so you can just switch out when washing)
  
• Blanket (2 - same as above)
  
• Diaper bag (see below)
  
• Stroller (see below)
  
• Pack n Play (see below)
  
• Changing pad or table - I think a changing pad would do just fine. Half the time we ended up changing Evee in the living room.
• Monitor
  
• Hangers & some way to organize the clothes (we had some baskets to help)
• Pail to put diapers in
  
• Clothing - we got most as hand-me-downs or little outfits that people give after the baby is born. I think a few are nice, but get as many hand me downs as possible. I'd maybe put the following on the registry - onesies (1 or 2 packs in first 2 sizes - skip newborn size though), sleepwear depending on the season (onesies for summer, gown type of thing for winter), and 1-2 cheap newborn outfits to take to hospital (unless someone gives them to you).
  
• Car seat (and base if needed)
• Chair for eating - you could use a high chair or we just got this chair and have loved it.
  
• Bottles - depending on whether you are nursing or bottle feeding. We breastfed and probably only needed 2-4 bottles.
• Storage bags for milk or container for formula.
  
• Bottle nipples for each stage (different flows - it talks about on the box)
• Breast pump (if breastfeeding) - we were given some hand held pumps that worked fine. But, I didn't have to pump too much either. We borrowed an electric pump some of the time includding one weekend that we were gone...very helpful. You can get replacement tubing for these if you can find one from a friend or at a garage sale.
  
• Breast pads - I would get the reusable ones that you can just wash. Maybe 4-8 pair depending on how often you want to wash.
• Baby shampoo
  
• Bib(s) - we use this bib all the time. Evee didn't spit up much when she was little, so I didn't use bibs too much since we were breastfeeding and she didn't spit up. A pack of cloth bibs might be nice. Same goes for burp cloths.
  
• Thermometer - one that's fast and accurate (ours was already like that)...we also got one for free from the hospital.
  
• Baby brush (or sometimes there is a grooming kit).
  

Notes on a few things above

• Diaper bag - I just put a few things in my purse or a regular bag that is a bit bigger. I know most people don't feel that this is possible, but worked out fine for us! Even now, with Evee, I put a diaper or 2 in my purse with a ziplock of some wipes.
  
• Pack n play - we got a cheaper one and I've seen some of the nicer ones and they are nice! We needed to use our pack n play a lot this past summer so we just spent an extra $20 and got a mattress for it. We can use it without the mattress easy enough, but for longer stays, the mattress is nice (I definitely wouldn't buy a mattress for a while though). Just know what you need and will really use as far as pack n plays... some people use them all the time (for a sitters or going to friends/family), and some hardly ever use it. We used it more than what I thought!
• Stroller - This is a tough one too. I would have just got something like one of these. Clint thought it would be nice to have more of a travel system, though. We did use the stroller a few times without the car seat, but basically switched to an umbrella stroller as soon as she was old enough. Not sure, though, if it is cheaper in the end since you'd have to buy a car seat and base (or 2) still with the first stroller I talked about...you'd have to price it out.

Could get away without having, but are nice to have

• Boppy (nursing pillow) or just use a regular pillow
• Rocking chair
• Swing or bouncy seat
• Carrier or sling (this one is basically an essential in my book) - Get info and directions to make one at this post.
• Pacifiers (1 pack)
• Dishwasher basket for bottles and stuff - I loved this!
• Infant bathtub - just something cheap, but it is nice to have when they are so little.
  

Not necessary - personal choice preferences

• Couple little toys - teething ring or two (I found that you are their favorite "toy", especially in the first few months.
  
• A few classic books
• Something for "tummy time" - blanket or get a play mat if wanted
  
• Towels and washcloths - we ended up just using our own instead of getting special baby ones

Free Breakfast!

I thought I'd share this with anyone who happens to read the blog this afternoon...how nice is a free breakfast!?!

Shopping Update (to post below)

Jet lag must have gotten to me :). I'll be running out today for some bacon and a can of cream of chicken soup. Totally re-looked at the recipe for tonight's dinner (see post below) and realized that I completely missed those 2 ingredients. I have most of a pack of cream cheese in the fridge (just have to check the date)...otherwise everything else is there. I'll just put the other ingredients into the crockpot and add the soup later.

Meal Plan Monday

I'm back! Back into the swing of things...almost. Jet lag is painful, but we did have a positive trip back. Evee was a "lap child" which means we just had to pay taxes and fees for her ticket and then she shared a seat with us (instead of having to pay for her own seat). On the way there, we did share a seat. On the way back, however, flights weren't as full and we had a seat (or two) extra each flight! It was so nice. Sometimes it meant that she was spread out and Clint and I had about half a seat each to ourselves :), but we were happy to all be able to get a bit of sleep on the long flights! All-in-all, a pleasant experience and Evee did really well.

Ok - so, back to meal planning this week. Once again, check out the other meal plans at Organizing Junkie!

I'm using most of the meals I talked about the last 2 Mondays, which you can find here and here. Put it together with some freezer meals we still had stored from before our trip and you get our plan for the week. I had some beef and a couple meals frozen already, so our grocery bill was pretty nice this week! Thought this was good after being gone and needing to get a few extras! I've included our shopping list and total price below.

Since we've gotten home, we've also had quesadillas and Spaghetti Pie that was pre-made and in the freezer. That's also reflected in the shopping trip. Here's the rest of the week...

Monday - Crockpot Potato Chowder
Tuesday - Chili (in the freezer)
Wednesday - Potato Vegetable Medley with some round steak I have in the freezer
Thursday - Vegetable Burritos
Friday - Chicken pockets (about 1 1/2 serves in freezer) and leftovers
Saturday - Making a special meal for my friend's birthday...still undecided on what it will be. So, that is not included in the shopping list below
Sunday - Pasta Fagioli Soup

Breakfast - eggs and toast or cereal
Lunches - Tuna (already had), noodles and cheese, leftovers

Shopping List

• Cheese
• Eggs
• Bread
• 1/2 and 1/2
  
• Sour Cream
• Butter
• Frozen Spinach
• Salsa - hot
• Salsa - medium
• Canned black beans
• Canned diced tomatoes
• Tortilla shells
• Box of pasta
• Brown rice
• Bananas
  
• Squash/Zucchini
• Celery
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• 5# bag white potatoes
• 2# bag onions
• Milk
  
• Juice
• Dried kidney beans

Total = $39.65