My works for me Wednesday post is pregnancy related this week. I also thought this would make a great post for Frugal Friday's at Biblical Womanhood.
I am nearing the end of my pregnancy so it is what is consuming me at the moment. It is also the stage where you are constantly uncomfortable, and nothing fits. Yes, my body is uncomfortable this time, but I can say that my clothes are not.
I have always had to switch sizes at the end or wear the one pair of gouchos that still fit. It is not fun to have to wash and wear the same thing everyday. This time around though, I found a great tip online early on that I thought I would try.
What I did was use an old t-shirt to make my waistbands for my maternity clothes. I guess it would be something like the Bella Band that they sell, except a bit more frugal. Now of course, to make this work you do have to know how to at least operate a sewing machine, or know someone who does, but you do not have to be an expert at it.
I have actually made myself a few biased cut A-line skirts this time and used old t-shirts for the waistbands. You can find the tutorial to make the skirt here. This tutorial is not exactly maternity, but it works well as a maternity skirt.
The great thing that I found out through trial and error is that I could use just the waistband to reconstruct some of my regular wardrobe. I just cut off the bottom of an old t-shirt and stitched it over the normal waistband. I can just remove it after i'm back to my normal size.
For example, I have a demin skirt that I love to wear that no longer fits. It has a side zipper that I left down. I then took the t-shirt I had cut and pulled it to where the zipper ends and stitched it all the way around right over the top of it. There is no need to make the stitches super small. Now the skirt stays up and I can use it all the way through my pregnancy. Which is hopefully only another week or so! :-)
The great thing about the t-shirt waistband is how comfy it is. It is about as comfortable as the waistband in the gouchos I have. Another great thing is that it grows with you all the way through. No more having to buy more than one size. It has been a lifesaver here. It is easy and frugal too!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Frugal maternity clothes!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Menu Planning Monday: Kids choice week!
First off, I just want to say how nice it was to have almost a full week of crockpot meals. I think I have decided to do this every so often. Eventhough I didn't have to leave town, it was still nice to not to have to worry about dinner every night since we've been so busy. It was such a nice break for me.
Chinese stirfry
Mozarella cheese
A jar of pizza sauce or you can make your own (i'll share my recipe another day)
1 package of egg roll wrappers
oil (for frying)
Whatever toppings you want to go inside of them (we stick to pepperoni that I chop up coarsely, onions, bell peppers, sausage, and ham. Not all at the same time, just whatever we have at the time.)
3 stalks of celery
6 to 8 cloves of garlic
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can light or regular evaporated milk
1 pound of crawfish tails
5 tablespoons of cornstarch
pie crust for 2-crust pie
Directions:
For more great menu's, check out Menu Planning Monday, hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Natural products to keep in your medicine cabinet
Since I get a few questions on how we afford medical care for our large family I thought this would be a great post for Works for me Wednesday.
Now, I love my children's pediatrician. She is a wonderful doctor. We used to be in her office every other week but now we hardly ever have to see her and that's the way I like it. With 6 children, it would cost me a fortune if they were sick all the time. Because of that, there are a few things I like to keep on hand to try first in my medicine cabinet before we head to pay the doctor a visit.
These are the things I would never be without:
1. Tea Tree Oil
There are many uses for tea tree oil. First, it is an antiseptic. It is great to put a diluted amount on scrapes, cuts, and rashes. It's also great for you cloth diapering moms to add to the diaper pail or when you wash the diapers.
2. Aloe
Of course most of us know to use this on burns. It is very soothing.
3. Ipecac
Those of us who have small children should keep this on hand in case of accidental poisoning. It induces vomiting. Of course, be sure to call the poison control center first. They will let you know whether or not to induce vomiting.
4. Echinacea
Great for cold and flu season. They have a brand that I really like that is made for children. It is called Herbs for Kids. That way I know i'm not overdosing them.
5. Olive Leaf Extract
This is probably one of my favorite natural products to use. It is used during cold and flu season. It is also wonderful for seasonal allergies. It is an antiviral and an immune builder. The brand I use is by Seagate. It is actually a nasal spray. When I have to use it, it works pretty fast.
6. Mullein and garlic oil
This is great for earaches. It helps soothe the pain. Note, if the eardrum is perforated then do not use it.
Of course this is not a complete list of things I have on hand. It is just what we use the most. Ok maybe not the Ipecac, thank the Lord for that, but the others we do. There are so many natural treatments out there that it's hard to know which ones to use for what ailment and to know if they are safe or not. I try, for now, to stick to ones that I know will be safe.
This is just something that I wanted to share that works for our family. For more Works for Me Wednesday topics, head over to Rocks in my dryer.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Menu Planning Monday: Crockpot week!
This week was supposed to be kids choice week, but we received the news that my Grandfather is doing worse than they thought. Eventhough I am in late pregnancy I need to make a trip up there to be with him before he goes. This menu is all tentative and can easily be done by my older children and husband if I need to leave suddenly.
Monday: Waffles
Tuesday: Baked oatmeal
Wednesday: Muffins and sausage
Thursday: Homemade cinnamon rolls
Friday: Pancakes and fruit
Saturday: Eggs, hashbrowns, and a meat
Sunday: Country ham and gravy over biscuits
Monday: Sandwiches and veggie
Tuesday: Hot dogs, mac & cheese, and a veggie
Wednesday: Salad and baked potatoes
Thursday: Sandwiches and fruit
Friday: Leftovers
Sat and Sun: We either eat leftovers, or a salad, or sandwiches
Monday: Homemade peanut butter oatmeal raisin cookies
Tuesday: Fruit
Wednesday: Banana Bread or homemade bread drizzled with butter and honey
Thursday: Veggie and cheese tray
Friday: Tortilla wraps---> Filled with peanut butter, banana, and/or honey
Monday:
BBQ ribs in crockpot
Italian sausage and peppers
Chicken breasts and potatoes bake in foil
Crockpot roast
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Happy Mother's Day!
I know that I have been slacking just a bit with posting, but we are still busy preparing for baby to come in a few weeks. We have painted two rooms, built a loft bed for one of our daughter's, and went through all of the children's clothes. Now this weekend we are still checking off Mom's nesting list by cleaning out toys and bedrooms.
I am working on my next series of posts on how I made my transition from the working world to stay at home mom. I have had many women ask me to write something about this. It can seem an like impossible thing to do, but it isn't! I am hoping that it will encourage and inspire all of you who have that huge desire to come home. I am hoping to get them up this week, so stay tuned!
I did want to write to tell all you Moms out there, "Happy Mother's Day!" I want to encourage you, as mothers, to enjoy your children. I know it's easy to get overwhelmed and exhausted. Remember though, that God has blessed you with those precious children. "Lo, children are a heritage of The Lord; and the fruit of the womb is His reward." Psalms 127:3
I want to share this video I found. Now, I am not a fan of country music, but I thought that this video serves as a nice reminder to cherish the children we have since there are many who would love the chance to be where we're at. Have a great weekend and make sure you give lots of hugs and kisses to them babies!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
What doesn't work for me: Homemade dishwasher soap
This week is a themed week for What Works for me Wednesday. It is, What DOESN'T Work for me. Well, the one thing I have tried unsuccessfully over and over to make work is homemade dishwasher solution. It does not work!
A few wonderful posts to enjoy
The first post I wanted to share is actually a giveaway post. Mrs. Wilt, from The Sparrow's Nest is teaming up with Crystal Paine, from Money Saving Mom and Biblical Womanhood, to offer a chance to win 2 free Supermarket Savings 101 courses! This is the course that I took that started me on the path to the frugal life I lead today. I have cut my grocery budget by 60% since taking this course! This is a great opportunity you don't want to miss. This is an excerpt taken from Mrs. Wilt's post. In the course you will find:
- Designing a menu plan that really works
- Menu planning on a budget
- Simple, no-fuss, frugal menu ideas and recipes
- Creating a workable grocery budget and how to stick with it
- Learning how to find good deals
- Time management and efficiency in frugal shopping
- The basics of using coupons - where to find them, which coupons to cut, how to organize them
- Step-by-step explanations on how to make the most of deals at CVS and Walgreens
- A photo tutorial of a typical $35/week grocery shopping trip for our family including some of our favorite $35/week menu ideas
- Links to helpful resources and websites to aid you in this money-saving journey
- And much more!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Menu Planning Monday: Using my stockpile!
We have been so busy lately that I just realized that I forgot that it was time to plan my menu and go grocery shopping. I actually have so much stockpiled that I only have to pick up fresh fruit and veggies. I will spend right about $20.00.
Crawfish pie
Salad
Corn
Sunday, May 4, 2008
"Family" Oriented
A few months ago at my church we had a small group expo that I worked. As I sat behind my couponing booth ready to sell myself, I started looking at all of the other booths there. There, to my right, was the "movie" group. In front of me was the "young married" group and the "middle married" group. To the left of me was the "men's" group and the "women's" group.
As I looked at all 25 of the booths there, something hit me. There was not one small group booth for families. I mean, they had something for men, women, and couples....but nothing for families to do together.
My church is what most people would consider a family oriented church. I mean we have a huge children's and youth ministry, a thriving men's and women's ministry. You name it, we have it. Everywhere you look, you see families there, but what about the family as a whole?
I have asked why there isn't something designed for the whole family to participate in together. The response I have gotten is that there isn't enough interest, or that it would be too much work to put together. I say it will never be too much work to encourage and build up the family unit. It is the backbone of our society.
In a world today where both mom and dad work, and the children have a ton of outside commitments, family time has become almost non-existent. Each individual family member has their own interests, with the occasional "family" night thrown in there. The family today has morphed into something that resembles the drive thru lane at McDonald's.
Is the church taking the same direction? Are we catering to each individual piece of the family without ever really ministering to the family as a whole? Is all we are doing as a church body, taking even more time away from the family? Are we encouraging even more outside activities that include parts of the family, but never the family unit as a whole? How can the church encourage family relationships? How can they encourage families to serve together?
Many people that I talk to about families in the church have never given thought to this. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Frugal Friday- Build you own washer and dryer pedestal
If you are like me and have a front loader washer and dryer set, then you know how hard it is to reach in and grab clothes out. I am getting closer to the end of my pregnancy so I just cannot bend far enough over anymore to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. I have resorted to depending on the children to switch them for me.
Now, when they sold us the set they tried to get us to buy the matching pedestal set for another $200.00 each! There was no way I wanted to spend that much more for them. When we got them home it did not take long to see why we might need them.
Well, being the frugal minded people that we are my dear, sweet husband decided to make our own. He was ready to build a platform with 2 pullout drawers. I had to remind him that the drawers would NEVER be used since I would not want to bend over that far. So, he built me just the platform.
We went to the habitat restore and got a large sheet of MDF for $1.00 and then we bought 1- 2x8x8 and 1- 2x8x10 for $10.00. We used paint that we already had, so the total cost to us was $11.00! Much better than the $400 it would have cost us.
Here are the before pics:
Here are some after pics:
