M.O.M.

Are you a M.O.M. aka Mean Ol' Mom?  Do you give your children chores to do, expect them to treat you respectfully and have them do their homework before they play?  Do you restrict the amount of time they watch television or play video games?  Do you have consequences for bad behavior?  Do you try not to indulge them excessively?  Do your teenagers have curfew and is it enforced?  Do you expect your children to have reasonably good manners?  Do you care what kind of music they listen to and what kind of friends they have?  Do you love them unconditionally but sometimes get pretty exasperated with them? 

If you said yes, welcome to the group!   I'm a M.O.M. too and proud of it! 

Comparisons

Don't you just hate the perfect mom?  She is attractive, athletically trim, neatly dressed, has perfect well behaved children and everything seems to be going ... perfectly.  Guess what?  The perfect mom doesn't exist.  Really.  We do ourselves a huge disservice by comparing ourselves with others.  We see the public face of a person and think they don't have a care in the world.  We don't know their struggles.  We don't know the pain they might be going through.  We don't know the difficulties they might have with their children or husband.  We don't know the financial problems they might be dealing with.  We just don't know. 

When we compare ourselves with others we tend to compare our weaknesses with their strengths.  That's not exactly fair to you or them.  Instead of comparing, maybe we would be happier if we treated people with the same consideration we would have them give us.  Genuinely compliment other people on their successes and be a support during their struggles and don't worry about what you see on the outside.  Learn to get to know the person within.

Who knows?  There could be people who look up to you and admire the job you are doing with your family!

Happily Ever After

Today my daughter married the love of her life in a beautiful, simple ceremony.  She looked so radiant and he looked so handsome as they began the first day of their lives together.  I love them both dearly. 

Where did the time go?

Family Focus Friday-Puzzle Pieces

A family is like a puzzle.  It is made up of many different parts, each a different size and shape.  Each is important to the complete picture, none is insignificant.  Even the smallest piece is needed.  Have you ever seen a puzzle where just one piece is missing?  It leaves a glaring hole in the picture.  We don't want that with our family.  We want a beautiful, complete picture!

In my family, we often used the puzzle piece analogy to stress the importance of each and every member of the family.  All the individual characteristics that each child and parent brings into the family make us the unique family unit that we are.

Your family might consist of many pieces or just a few.  It doesn't matter how many pieces there are.  What matters is that there is a special place for each one.

Thrifty Thursday- Thrift Store Shopping

I'm changing Frugal Friday to Thrifty Thursday so I can do something else on Friday.  It's kinda fun to come up with a topic for each day of the week.

I love shopping at thrift stores.  I love a good bargain and love to explore the unique offerings found in second hand stores.  With the popularity of craigslist and ebay (you are competing with people who look for and sell used goods), it's sometimes harder to find the amazing bargain but it's still possible.  Here are some ideas for getting the most out of your shopping experience. 

Know what the current styles are.  Go to the mall and take note of the newest colors and styles.  Check out the general price range for the types of clothing and other items you are looking for.

While you're at home, get a pair of pants that fit you well and hold them snugly against you.  Pretend that you are considering buying them.  See how they fit around the hips and waist.  Check the length.  You are doing this so when you go to a thrift store that doesn't allow trying things on, you can aim for a similar fit as the pants you already have and know fits.  It's an easy form of measuring.  Do the same with dresses, blouses and sweaters.  Most of the time there are dressing rooms but my favorite thrift store doesn't have them.

Remember that sizes are not standard.  When shopping, look at sizes larger and smaller than your own or your children.  It's fit that matters, not size.

Concentrate on quality, not quantity.  Often name brands are made with higher quality materials and construction and they're usually the same price as the lesser brands.

Check closely for flaws, stains, broken or missing fasteners.  Some things can be repaired.  Some things aren't worth it.  You have to decide.

 Don't buy something just because it's cheap.  It's better to have a small wardrobe of good quality things you love and use than an overwhelming amount of miscellaneous clothes.  The same is true for your children.  Don't overwhelm them with too many clothes.  Most of us can wash clothes at least once a week so we really don't need that many clothes for every day wear.

Go to the thrift store often.  Selection changes daily. 

Thrift store shopping is an adventure.  You'd be surprised how many people shop there!

What's cooking? Wednesday

Confession time - I don't like to cook.  It's not that I don't know how to cook or that I can't cook. I just would rather do something else.  Because of that, I am always on the lookout for recipes that are quick, easy to make, and use ingredients that are pretty basic.  When browsing through recipe books at the bookstore or library, I glance at the type and number of ingredients and if the majority of ingredients are unfamiliar, I know I don't need that book.

Over the next several weeks, I hope to share some of the recipes that have become favorites with my family.  It's hard to find something that everyone likes and these have (in general) passed the test of 10 picky palates.  :)

Today was my grandson's birthday and he wanted me to make Oreo cake balls so that is my first recipe here.

Oreo Cake Balls

1 16 oz package Oreos, any flavor (not Double Stuf). We used Mint Oreos today
1 8 oz package cream cheese.  I usually use Fat Free or Light

Combine both ingredients in food processor until thoroughly mixed or mash up really, really good in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.  Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.  Form into 1 inch balls.  Freeze until ready to coat with chocolate.

Chocolate Coating
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. Candy Melts
1-2 T. Crisco

Melt ingredients in double boiler.  Stir until smooth.  Make sure NO water gets into the chocolate!  It will make it separate.  The Candy Melts are made for dipping candy and the chocolate chips improve the flavor.  The Crisco makes it a little thinner and easier to coat.  For the green balls on the right, I used white Candy Melts and mint chips. 

Use a fork to dip the balls into the chocolate to coat completely.  Put onto wax-paper or parchment covered cookie sheet.  Before they harden you can add sprinkles, coconut, nuts or other decorations.

That's it!  

Tidy Tuesday - Kitchen Organization

If I have a Frugal Friday, can I have a Tidy Tuesday?  I think I will use Tuesdays to focus on decluttering (which I talked about a week or so ago) and organization.  Even though we'd sometimes like to ignore the mundane tasks of home maintenance, it is part of providing a comfortable, peaceful home for our family.

Because I talked about decluttering the kitchen, maybe I can now offer a few tips on organizing it.  Whole books have been written on the topic and I am not in the mood to write an entire book at the moment so a few tips will have to do. :)  Besides, even a few changes can make a big difference.  If you cleared out your cupboards and refrigerator of the expired food and other unnecessary supplies, you now have a little more room to work with.

Most experts on kitchen organization recommend that you store supplies where you usually use them.  So...pot holders and trivets near the stove, dishes and silverware near the dishwasher, baking supplies near the counter where you work, etc.

Store things you use frequently in the most accessible place.  For things you only use on holidays or other occasions, you don't even have to keep them in the kitchen if you don't have room for them.

I know you're not supposed to keep spices near the stove but I do keep them in a cupboard right next to it.  There are little riser things you can buy to elevate the back row of spices to make them easier to see...I use a 2"X4"piece of wood cut to the length of the cupboard and that works just as well.

Even though most people store cleaning supplies under the sink, I never did because kids could reach them too easily.  I keep the trash containers (one for recycling and one for throw-out stuff) and dish drainer under the sink and keep the cleaning supplies in a lockable cupboard.

Because I make bread frequently, I have one cupboard devoted to all my bread-making supplies.  Having everything in the same place makes it quick and easy to prepare bread.  If there's something you make frequently, it's a good idea to keep the supplies close together.

My husband watches what he eats so I keep extra sets of measuring cups and spoons in the serving area so I can easily keep track of the amount he eats. (no guesswork!)

Plastic storage containers seem to multiply so it's a good idea to occasionally toss out extras.  You really don't need THAT many containers.  I keep the lids in a separate plastic shoe-box...neater that way.

For little things that slide around in drawers, use dividers made for silverware or cosmetics to contain them.

I think I've written enough for today.  There's a lot you can do to make your kitchen more efficient and fun to work in.  Did I actually say fun?