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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Good Christmas Bad Christmas

Well we ended up Christmas eve morning and all the way through the 27th with a terrible violent stomach flu. So the no gift thing quite well cause noone cared lol When everyone finally felt hungry again on the 28th we had our big christmas dinner. So just wanted to let you all know that the no gift went good and although not the way planned we all did spend quality time together in the livingroom watching movies, and throwing up. ( gross but now that it is over funny) One thing I did learn is that if anyone doubts there is a god, I do not. Because with 7 people in one room with the stomach flu, Having to take care of the new baby still and clean up after everyone and decontaminate the house in between and bathing the little ones every time they missed, I never got sick, Yes I tell you there is a God and he was helping me this last week!!!!! Have a great great New year Michelle

P.S. Jeremiah had his 2 month today and all is good, He is sleeping now from the shots. For those who don't know I struggled and struggled with getting him his shots. I love my family Dr. because she ordered the thimersol free and flouride free shots for him. So junk free Immunizations!! Also she seemed a little shocked, But not more then me.....He weighed in at 11 lbs 13 ounces. Holyyyyyyy piglet. 5 Lbs in 2 months I don't even know what to say except that he is quite happy in his pudgyness lol.

Friday, December 17, 2010

A different Christmas

We had a family meeting at the start of the month, to discuss Christmas. We have unanimously decided to have a no gift Christmas. OK OK don't panic. We are doing Christmas just not gifts. Money is tight, but that is not the reason for the no gifts. We just want to see if our Christmas can be more meaningful without the gifts and commercialism. So far so good. We sat down and came up with many many projects and fun activities to do to celebrate. We made a thousand Applesauce ornaments for the tree. We made gingerbread houses last night. We have every Christmas movie known to man. We are taking advantage of ABC family 25 days of Christmas and Netflix, which offers many of the religious Christmas shows to watch instantly on our TV through the Wii. We make cookies everyday. We have a huge feast and fun things planned Christmas eve and Christmas day. I will have a small bag ( like a stocking) filled Christmas morning with useable or educational items. We have decided to take the money we have not used for gifts and in January we are going to take off for a day trip and spend the whole day as a family. So far this Christmas holiday has been the most memorable and the most awesome ever!!! I want to state again no gifts have been purchased. I hope we all look back on this Christmas as the best Christmas ever and how much we learned about eachother. I will keep everyone posted on how Christmas eve and Christmas day went. Love to you all and Merry Merry Christmas to you all!!! Michelle

Monday, December 13, 2010

Still here

Wow that last 2 months have been so very crazy. I have missed blogging so much. The new baby has had his days and nights mixed up and is just now sleeping through the night. He is a great baby just likes to be up at night! So Mister Jeremiah is 2 monhs old next Thursday and doing well. He is packing on the pounds, I have never had a baby put on weight like this, he is now almost 9 lbs. The Dr. said that is what breastfeeding does. I love it!!!! Breastfeeding has gone very well for me. No real problems aside from the occasional soreness.

Just wanted to check in, I am going to do a post tomorrow about our "Different Christmas this year" and also going to post some pics. Hope all is well with everyone I plan to visit some of my favorite blogs tomorrow to get caught up. Merry Christmas to all Michelle

Monday, October 25, 2010

HE IS HERE!!!!!!



Hi bloggers, So sorry it has been so long. The end of my pregnancy was tough and hard. I made it 39 weeks and 2 days.....Last Thursday morning at 7:55am by C-Section I gave birth to my 7th child. Jeremiah Thomas, 6 lbs 13 oz, 19 1/2 inches long perfect little angel. He is an absolute joy, nothing bothers him, just goes with the flow and is sucking up all the attention he is getting from everyone.
I am proud to announce that I started breastfeeding him 1 hour after birth and it went smooth as pie and have continued with it and mostly cause he is so awesome at it have decided to breast feed exclusively through age 1. I cannot believe how amazing breastfeeding is for me. I regret not doing it with all my children. To have rely on me and me only for his food is humbling. The bonding that him and I share is priceless, it brings tears to my eyes. I have jumped in with both feet and triumphed. From the day I got home I hid nothing from my children. I don't want them to have any of the problems I had with it. I was amazed at how awesome they all thought it was, ( With the exception of my oldest son, Who cannot look at it, But thinks it is great I am doing it lol). The younger boys think it is so cool that I can feed the baby, They say just like the lions they saw on TV hahaha. I love innocence!!! Anyway Just wanted to let you all know what has been going on. And I look forward with some of my new energy to blog much much more often. Thanks to all my friends Michelle

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Getting ready for the Holidays

I am not a year round shopper. I am just not that fond of shopping. Shopping is a chore to me. But I do start the beginning of October getting ready for the holidays. My hubby bought me a new used sewing machine last month so I will get busy on sewing some stuff for the kids for Christmas. I make them all a blanket every year or the little ones quilts. I am going to make all the little ones quillow pillows this year. I will take $25 each check and allocate it to holiday stuff. I start with food items that are on sale that week that I know I will need for the holidays. I have my menus all worked out and a list of all the food items needed. Listed Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas tree decorating night, Christmas decorating night, Christmas eve, Christmas morning, New years eve, New years day and then I have a baking list. We are complete creatures of habit so I know already exactly what we will be having. Then I have a list of all items needed for each one, down to a spice. I do this from years of having hubby have to run out and try to find something at the last minute because I forgot to buy it. (One year I can't believe I forgot stuffing mix and If you have ever had to go out on thanksgiving and find a box of stuffing mix, it is imposssssssible). Holiday coupons will start coming out very soon. Baking stuff I leave until the two weeks before Thanksgiving because these are when flour, sugar etc go on sale, and with the price of sugar right now we are on a sugar diet!!!!
I cannot stress how much stress this takes off of the holidays having all this stuff already done and not having to run to the store during the mad mad days just before. Cooking it all is stressful enough. I would say to give this a shot this year and see how much of a difference this makes for you this year. My next post will be more on getting ready for the holidays gifting. Happy Tuesday bloggers, Michelle

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Hooked on phonics

I very very very rarely spend much money on home school items at all. Over the years I have learned to get everything I need mostly free or for very little. I love Enchanted Learning www.enchantedlearning.com I have used them for many years. I pay $20 a year for membership, But you can use the site without paying. I just like the convienence of getting the files in pdf. I also use www.getworksheets.com This is also $20 a year, And is completely awsome for using with small kids thru high school and have wonderfully put together lessons plus much much more. I decided to try hooked on phonics because of the price I could get it for last month plus I really wanted to try it with my boys. I bought the prek and the toddler edition. I got both sets for $37.95 shipped. This was originally over $100 for the two sets. The toddler edition comes with a nice parents manual, a bath book, 4 hardbooks , and 6 picture cards that go with the books themes, It also came with some other things including a music cd of learning songs. My toddler lovesssssss this and he is hard to keep his attention with most things as he is only almost 3. He loves to read the hardcover books which he starting to memorize and the best thing is the picture cards that come with. For example there is one that is of a kitchen. You go over the picture several times getting them to say the names of the items, toaster, sink etc. Now he always wants to take the picture to the room that it depicts and find each one of the items in our kitchen that match the picture. I am really glad I decided to get this for him, If anything it is teaching him to love books and learning.
The set I got for the 5 year olds is prek. Being adhd I had decided to start slowly with them. They are loving theirs too. It has a dvd which we watch, Then we do the 2 pages out of the workbook then read the books then do flashcards and activites. It is all structered to take about 20 minutes from start to finish and I can already see a difference in their regular schoolwork. I would say if you had thought about maybe purchasing this in the past but were not sure I would give it a try. They also give you access to their members only website free when you purchase a product to get extra worksheets online games etc. Happy Home Schooling all Michelle

Getting ready for Winter Weather

Getting ready for Kansas winter in an all electric house with no heat can be tricky and expensive. Our electric bill last year for the winter months was disgusting. Unfortunately with a new baby we have to have it warm inside.
Since we sealed the floors last year and that helped, We are going to purchase some room rugs for the living room and dining room and kitchen. We also wrote down the cold spots we felt on doors and walls last year so we can prepare better this year. We already know that we are going to purchase some envi heaters. They are wall mountable and only cost 4 cents an hour to run. We will purchase 2 for downstairs and 1 for upstairs. They are $100 each. We also have a kerosene heater for extra cold days if needed. We need to purchase 2 more rolls of heat tape for the basement pipes as we still froze up last year. Which cost us money to replace pipes. My goal is to make the house warm and cut our costs from last year by half. Although we caulked and caulked the stairs last year, it did not keep them warm as the basement is directly under them so we are going to purchase some indoor outdoor carpet and carpet those this year. The expense is minimal but should help alot. We will also plastic all the windows again this year , I can't stand the plastic that hangs on the outside of windows. Last year we used the inside window kind that is super clear and you use your hairdryer to seal it to the window. I really liked it but it was super expensive with all the windows we have. Luckily at end of season last year at Walmart they blew this stuff out at $.50 a pack and I bought enough to do all the windows. So for the price of 1 pack at original cost I can do every window in the house. We had originally wanted to put a wood stove in this year but time constraints and money just aren't gonnna happen this year. We will try to shop end of season sales this next year for that to have for next year.

Start preparing now and you won't be "caught in the cold". Farmers almanac for this year says although snow levels for most of the country will be less then last year, temps will be much colder for longer periods of time. Good luck bloggers and stay warm. Michelle

Friday, September 10, 2010

Pregnancy update

Had my 33 week check up today. Lost another 5 lbs, although I felt like I was eating more. I just for some reason lose weight when pregnant. Go figure cause I don't have that problem otherwise lol. Dr. set my next appointment for September 27th but was unsure wether or not I would make it that far. Baby has dropped and is in head down position. And since I have had so the braxton hicks everyday for a month now and my history of having babies a month early he is not sure I will make it to October. But he said because of my having no health problems and no problems in the past with the babies or the delivery everything will be fine. He did say to walk as less possible and just cut down my activity somewhat to help me get further along. I was certain this baby was humongous lol But with the measurements and him feeling the baby he said if I have the baby this month we are still only looking at a 5 lb baby. If I can get to around the 10th of October we could be looking at a 5 1/2 to 6 lb. So I am aiming for the atleast the 10th of October. Anyway that is about it. I have everything ready just in case. Crib is set up, Dresser is set up and house is babified. I went today and put a few things I needed on layaway at Kmart which is just across the street. I put all the stuff for the cloth diapering I would need as it was bogo 50% off. I also got 4 small glass bottles just in case I have any troubles breastfeeding I can pump and use the glass bottles which are BPA free and easier to clean and sanitize. I always get every new baby a new blankie ( or as we call them here a pretty)(not sure how they got nicknamed pretty but oh well). And I also got a pack n play that was the cadillac of pack and plays on clearance for $70. It is a Winnie the pooh and has the removable bassinet with mobile and one whole side has storage shelves. Really nice. Anyway that can be picked up quick and brought home with us if the baby comes earlier then expected. My oldest did an awswome job of scavaging the Resale stores and friends and came up with a gorgeous sleigh crib for $100 including mattress, complete bedding set for boy, matching mobile, matching wall decor, matching lamp and a few other odds and ends thrown in. She also found the cadillac of high chairs which I wanted this time, That lay back all the way almost like a car seat for $35. And a $150 dollar car seat looks brand new for free. Anyway gotta run I am really tired from today. Have a great weekend bloggers. Michelle

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Random acts of violence

Last night we had an experience that we have never seen before. Although my 14 year old is home schooled she went with a friend to the local high school football game. She apparently and unknowingly "eyeballed" a girl and the girl did not like it. As my daughter was leaving she jumped her from behind and beat her. Smashing her head into a car and beating and kicking her. She was checked out by ambulance and she was banged up but okay. Okay physically. It scared her...alot. It scared me. We had a houseful of police at 10pm last night. We filed charges against the girl. She is 14 years old and has been in alot of trouble before, has been in juvenile hall several times before. According to police this is a family of around 100 all "Known" in this town. Not to be messed with. That we could have repercussions for pressing charges. They said it will take a few days to find the girl because the family will hide her out and she will not go home.
I was angry last night really really really angry....beyond angry. I am still angry this morning. I am angry that my daughter had to experience this. That she is now afraid. And angry that I could not protect her last night. I am angry that no one, not the security guards according to witnesses wanted to help my daughter, but instead turned a blind eye. That adults from this town did not step in and help her. I am NOT afraid of this family, I will protect my family from this point on.
Along with my anger this morning, I am also sad. I thought all night about this 14 year old CHILD. What was she taught through her life. Did no one tell her that she could seriously injure someone or even kill someone and ruin her life being this way? Why did she not get the attention or direction or discipline she so desperately needs? From what I understand from the police that this is this girls last straw and she will be going to juvenile detention for a long period of time. I also understand that when this child acts this way, she gets the belt from a parent then is free to roam the streets again. So the pattern is she is beaten then released to run more, or goes to juvenile hall where she is most certainly mistreated and/or beaten more. Do we not see a cycle that is in no way benefiting or helping this child. I understand I am naive. I spend my days with my children canning food, or things like yesterday where my 14 year old before the football game made mm cheesecake for the family. In my naivety I can't understand how this will help this child, Other than keep her in a system that does not work or continue the cycle of abuse. This makes me sad. So today I ponder my anger and sadness. God bless to all of you. Michelle

Sunday, August 29, 2010

What a week

Hello all, Hope you had a great week. I have been busy organizing. I am feeling a real need an urgent need to get ready for the baby. The potty training is going well about 75% of the way there. I am hoping to make it to 36 weeks at least with this baby, But not sure that is going to happen. I am soooo tired like I have never been before. And the braxton hicks are coming everyday.

I just took advantage of the hooked on phonics sale, They had complete sets for 50% off then an additional 55% off that price with promo code SLICK55. I got the toddler complete edition and the Kindergarten complete edition for $37.88. We are excited to get these this week and start the little ones on it. I think the hooked on phonics will be good for the boys (adhd). They do better with complete structure. The love reading so I think this kit will be good for them. I will let you know how it goes. From what I understand the hooked on phonics websites has these sales quite often. To keep up with all the great sales online go to www.pinchingyourpennies.com and add them to blogger.

Hopefully I can find more time to blog I miss it terribly. I think it will be much easier with summer ending. Have a great week all, Michelle

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Potty training for #6 done!!!!

Every child is so different with potty training it can be frusterating. I learned long ago when they are ready they will let you know. Girls are easier in my experience then boys. Two year old Matthew finally decided 5 days ago he was a big boy and has done all his business in his potty since then. He is a very very proud little man. I am very excited to have him potty trained before the new baby gets here, This makes life alot easier. YEAH MATTHEW Good luck to all of you who are venturing into potty training , Michelle

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Portion control and frugality

I was just reading my Living on a dime newsletter from livingonadime.com and it was about portion control for children. It talks about how kids are given too much to eat all the way down to juice and the obesity issues and poor health that come along with too much of anything. My family is living proof of what happens when you give your kids too much of anything and what happens when you give your children propotionate amounts and try to adhere to daily suggested amounts.

My two oldest children almost 20 and almost 18 are examples of what happens when you don't know or don't pay attention to portion control. I had no clue what I was doing to them. Noone ever taught me about portion control or grazing or overeating. I fixed huge and I mean huge meals when they were little and put everything on the table and let them go at it, Always with soda or large containers of juice. Plus I always had snacks out for them to get themselves, which they did. Looking back I can't believe how much I gave them for lunches. Both of them are overweight and eat like crazy. Poor habits taught by me. Now don't get me wrong I don't like the government telling me what I can and can't feed my children, NO WAY. But we as parents do need to know that we are wasting so much and teaching them really bad things.

My 4 younger children 14,5,5,2 are all fit. They are healthier and I can't say this has anything to do with it, But have only had to have antibiotics one time in their lives. I can honestly say I don't remember them even really being sick. (Other than the 3 little ones being born with a congenital defect, which they all had far less effects from then the average child and was easily fixed).

What I did differently was I stopped making huge huge amounts of food for each meal. I have learned and paid attention to exactly what my family needs to eat at each meal and I make the amounts accordingly. Very rarely is all food put on the table, 99% of the time I make the plates in the kitchen and take them to the table. This also saves on clean up time. Noone is allowed to have seconds of anything until all food on the plate is eaten. Then if they want they can have more of something but a smaller amount is given then the first. Plates and bowls are huge nowadays. I can't believe how huge bowls are now, If you don't believe me look next time you go to the used store and look at the bowls that came with dish sets from years ago they are portion sized and drastically smaller. I purchase these small bowls and plates when I find them. My kids are not allowed to snack unless I give them something. To be quite honest they don't really ask for snacks because they fill up at meals and are not hungry.


What does this have to do with being frugal??? I spend approx. 1/2 to 60% less on groceries then I did back when I had only 2 kids. And I stockpile which I did not do before and household items are included in the food budget.

Some tips I learned along the way....
#1 if your child eats breakfast and 1/2 hour later they say they are hungry:
See if they are just bored, Try getting them involved in an activity if they are truly hungry they will let you know.

#2 Have water readily available at all times. If my kids have milk of juice for some meal and they don't drink it all , it is put on the bottom shelf in the fridge and that is something they can get themselves. We have water bottles, and a water machine with small cups always available.

#3 On the rare occasion we go out to eat or stop for something while we are out, The smaller kids are never given their own plate of food they share usually from ours or share one small kids plate.

#4 Learn portion sizes, There are actually portion sizes according to age. I learned some today from the living on a dime newsletter that I never knew. 1 banana is actually 2 servings. A 2 -5 year olds daily suggested amount of juice is just one sippy cup full. I have to admit I probably give my kids 3-4 times that much, although I do water our juice down, I am going to cut some of that out.

These are life lessons that we need to teach our kids and ourselves, If you grew up like me with no boundaries on anything and coming into motherhood with not alot of common sense knowledge. And on the side of frugality it can take a huge chunk our of your grocery budget learning portion control and learning to make and serve enough food to nourish our bodies but not make eating a focal point of our lives. Hope this helps, Michelle

Friday, August 13, 2010

We need to pay attention to this

http://www.infowars.com/senate-bill-s510-makes-it-illegal-to-grow-share-trade-or-sell-homegrown-food/

We need to pay close attention to this and any other bills that come up regulating our right to grow our own healthy food. Take the time to learn about monsanto and what it is doing to our food and farmers. Michelle

Nesting mode

I love the nesting part of pregnancy. My family maybe not so much since I make them help hehehe. I have been really feeling an urgency to get ready for the baby. I have been quite lax and lazy this time around. Usually I have everything I need by now and I really don't have anything much yet. I still need a crib and all that stuff. I have plenty of clothing to start off with. This last week I felt the house was not in order. And incorporated everyone in helping with get things in order to where I felt it was ready for a little one again. I had my doctor appointment on Wednesday, He scheduled my c-section for October 21st, although none of us think I will make it that long. I have had braxton hicks every night for a month now. Nothing to bad but I feel them intensifying. I am hoping I make it to 36 or 37 weeks. I am 29 weeks now. Doctor said everything looks good thus far. I did finally gain 8 lbs 2 check up ago, But this last time I lost that. But good news is the baby is growing. The last 3 pregnancies I have not gained anything ended at my normal weight. I would like to see the baby get beyond that 5 lb mark. Just going to concentrate on getting the things we need now, We have put the word out around town for things we need, so waiting to see what comes in first. Wishing you a great weekend all!!! Michelle

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Dehydrating and canning

We finally got our water bath canner and kit from amazon a week or so ago. I have not yet been able to play with it, Since my oldest daughter is loving canning!!! She has canned spaghetti sauce, applesauce, peaches and nectarines. We are loving these so much we are now saving up our swagbucks for the pressure canner. The water bath canner is really simple, Not much to it and what you get is awesome. For a great site to learn canning and with great picture tutorials go to www.pickyourown.org and go to the canning section. It has the greatest detail and information I could find. We are hitting the farmers market on Saturday morning to find more canning items. We are hooked. The great thing about having the canner and the dehydrator is nothing gets wasted and you control the ingredients. For the applesauce we used our blender and used everything except the core for the applesauce...even the skins. The cores we coated with lemon juice and saturated in cinnamon and are dehydrating for potpourri!!!! We also added the peach and nectarine pits to dehydrate for the potpourri. Our little minds are zooming with ideas and possibilites for Christmas and possibly making some extra money. Everyone starts somewhere right???
Getting into canning or dehydrating can seem expensive, There are alot of gadgets out there. You could invest a small fortune. But there are lots of things you can use from your own kitchen that can cut costs. Our goal for right now is just to get the pressure canner and the vacuum seal system. And of course the jars. Although I have a large stockpile of jars that I used the coupons from the last year in the newspapers, I can still use more I can see. I would love to can enough to get through the entire fall, winter and spring of the coming year. That would drastically reduce the grocery budget.
We recieved our vacuum sealer today in the mail from amazon.com. We had some fun today vacuum sealing our dehydrated squash and some rice. I see that this is going to be really useful for not wasting things making freezer meals and our dehydrated foods. We also found out that you can chip bags. I am having issues with my camera right now but hope to post pics soon.
I wanted to mention a site before I forget that I found a few days ago called www.vigilantcitizen.com It has some great info for those trying to get away from bad foods. You would be looking for the posts called Dumbing down society parts 1,2,3. It is very informative and a bit scary. We have been diligent in trying to rid our house and diets of Bad dyes, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, msg and many other bad additives that contribute to my twins ADHD. I have noticed a huge difference in their behavior in just one month. We are hoping to make the drive to Tulsa Oklahoma (70 miles) at the end of this month to visit Whole Foods. Although I have not been doing too bad around our little town. Making our own foods with locally grown non gmo foods has been great, That will end soon with fall fast approaching and I would like to build my stockpile for the winter with good natural organic items.
Have a great week all and happy healthy eating, Michelle

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Summer of learning!!!

Hellooo everyone!!!! I am still here. I wanted to give a quick update on the pregnancy although this has been the toughest of all my pregnancies, I am 28 weeks and all is going well. Well if you don't count the extreme tiredness and the nausea , to which I think I am getting a bit used to. I had some good news at the last Dr. visit, I gained 8 lbs in 2 months. This is unusual for me since my last 2 pregnancies I never gained any weight but lost. I am hoping to get the baby into that 6 lb area at least this time!!! And even more so I am hoping to get into that 38-40 week range.
Now on to my summer of learning. I have been on a learning kick this summer. I love learning but this summer I just want to know it all!!! I have been reading like mad, Internet and library books. I have been perfecting my gardening and keeping a garden journal. Although I have done much better this year with garden I am still having trouble with some things. I did get many tomatoes this year with my 1 tomato plant. Since figuring out how to keep the squirrels away I see now I can plant more of these next year. Once again my beans and peas did not do well. I think I have finally figured out how to grow them next year with some easy plans I found online for building a simple string setup for them to keep off the ground. I also finally got cucumbers to grow. I lost 4 of my 8 plants early on to rotting on the ground. I had an old crib that I could not bear to throw out and broke it down and used the slats, 3 slats to a plant to build a teepee type system and trained the remaing plants up the slats and then zip tied them to the top and now in just a few weeks I have about 10 cukes growing huge. I now know how to do this next year and plan on planting many more. I also got my sunflowers to grow this year and my bell peppers. I posted early summer about getting my dehydrator and have been going like mad with that this summer and experimenting with different dehydrating techniques. I have quite a stockpile of fresh herbs and done a few jars of sun dried tomatoes, among other things. I have a vacuum bag system on my Christmas wish list this year!!!
Last week I cashed in $25 of my swag bucks and purchased from amazon.com a water canner. I am going to do my first canning this week, I have 20 lbs of peaches to can and tomatoes for sauces. I have been having the kids searching like crazy to earn more swag bucks so I can get the steam canner. I would love to have a nice pantry of canned foods for the winter. I will blog more about this as I learn and post pictures soon.
Hope all is going well for you all this summer!!! Michelle

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Farmers market and my two week shopping trip

I went to our Saturday Farmers market yesterday morning. There were a ton of vendors there for our little town. It was great to have so much to choose from. I was a bit disappointed at the amount of farmers that did not know wether their produce was GMO free (Genetically modified organisms) but I bought from the ones who did know right away was I was talking about. I purchased enough tomatoes and peppers to make 2 gallons of salsa yesterday. ( My tomato plant died, sigh) I also found a woman who had wild blackberries and I bought enough to make several jars of blackberry jam. ( I am hoping to get that done today) I also bought two huge zucchini's to make some brownies or cake. And of course 2 dozen corn on the cob non gmo!!!
My shopping trip this time was a little more intense. I had a little less to work with then usual and only bought natural or organic food. I have halved everything that I usually cook ( which is usually enough for an army) and have made salad with every meal to really fill them up. I spent a hefty amount of my budget at the health food store. I am starting to see huge improvements in my boys this week. Startling results from cutting out sugar, ( I went with stevia and agave instead). Their behavior is so much different I am amazed and so are others. I am positive in another month we won't even recognize them!!! They have less fits, are alot calmer and don't freak out like they were. I notice that they concentrate better and can focus much better. I have high hopes for this diet getting them off thier horrible medication within 6 months. That is the goal. I have not had one problem introducing new food to them or taking sugary drinks or unhealthy things away from them. They are open to everything. My older kids not so much but they have no choice lol. The younger ones are starting to notice at the grocery store, No we can't buy that anymore it is not good for us they say. WOOOHOOOO. I am definetly feeling better also. I notice I have a bit more energy, not so tired and I feel less hyper and stressed out. This is great!!!! Wish I had done this many years ago, But everyone has to start somewhere. Good luck starting your healthier eating!!! Michelle

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

EAT THIS NOT THAT REVIEW

I finally got my copy of "Eat this not that" by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding. It is the 2009 copy, The new 2010 copy is available on the website www.eatthis.com . Just from reading this book over the last few days I plan on purchasing quite a few of their books. These books are awsome if you are somewhat dense on foods like I am. My oldest and I took this book to the grocery store last night with us, it has a huge section that shows actual pictures of products with nutritional info, one page eat this the other instead of this. A couple of things I learned that were quite scary to me were in the very back of the book it is an additive glossary. One that just made me sick was:

Cochineal Extract or Carmine-a pigment extracted from the dried eggs and bodies of the female Dactylopius coccus, a beetlelike insect that preys on cactus plants. It is added to food for its dark crimson color. Found in - Artificial crabmeat, fruit juices, frozen fruit snacks, candy and yogurt. What you need to know- Carmine is the refined coloring, while cocineal extract is compromised of about 90% insect-body fragments. Although the FDA receives fewer adverse reaction reports each year, some organizations are asking for a mandatory warning label to accompany cohineal colored foods. Vegetarians, they say, should be forewarned about the insect juices.

Ok , this makes me nauseous.

Some other quick facts from the book is a section called the wrong kind of protein.
Bonus ingredients the FDA allows in foods.
Canned pineapple-20% moldy fruit
Canned tomatoes- 5 fly eggs or 2 maggots per 500 grams
Frozen broccoli- 60 mites per 100 grams
Ground cinnamon- 400 insect fragments and 11 rodent hairs per 50 grams
Peanut butter- 30 insect fragments or 1 rodent hair per 100 grams
Popcorn- 1 rodent pellet in one sample or 2 rodent hairs per pound.
Potato chips, 6 percent rotten potatoes.

If you are trying to eat more healthy or wanting to avoid these horrible things I suggest you read this book. Their website www.eatthis.com has some great information too. This book really changed the way we shopped last night. Hope this helps with finding good healthy food for your family. I am on a mission to feed non gmo organic healthy non insect juice food to my family. And the good news is that there are a ton of websites to print coupons for these items that are in the grocery store. Just do a google search for organic printable coupons. Good luck all, Michelle

Monday, June 28, 2010

Cleaning my (lifes) house

Although not quite to the point of "nesting" quite yet with this prenancy, with all that has been going on I have had a deep need to clean things out. Get a grip on things a bit. I started with the inside which included rearranging and cleaning stuff out and getting rid of things that were cluttering up my house and mind. I then started on the outside of the house getting that in shape ( still doing that one ). I am slowly starting to feel better in the house not so much going on. I have been working hard with the twins and the baby getting them ready for the baby to come. Learning to be quieter and being respectful of a new baby. The are doing very well at that. At this point I am feeling fairly well and strong I hope it continues. Have a great week all I plan on it!!! Michelle

Sunday, June 27, 2010

They learn so quickly!!!

The 2 year old has just recently learned to say I love you too. Even quicker he learned that whenever he is naughty he immediatley says in the stinkin cutest squeaky voice ever, I looooove uuuu tooooo. Little bugger is so cute is real hard to stay angry at something so cute. Just had to share, Have a great Sunday evening all Michelle

Monday, June 21, 2010

Lowering the budget further

We did so well this past two weeks I have decided to lower the food budget even lower. I am going to lower it $50 each paycheck and see how we do. I found a great list by green cheapskate on the 50 best foods for under $1 a lb.

50 foods under or around $1 a lb

•Apples - One a day keeps the cheapskate away.
•Asparagus - HUGE store special at 99 cents a pound during Easter week. I bought 10 pounds, blanched it, and then froze it.
•Bananas - Potassium for pennies.
•Barley - A tasty alternative to rice and potatoes.
•Beans - Canned or dried. Kidney, pinto, navy, black, red, and many more.
•Bok choy - Steam and serve with a little soy sauce.
•Broccoli - Yes, a store special. Usually closer to $2 per pound.
•Bulgar wheat - Try it in pilaf or a tabouleh salad.
•Cabbage - Green and red. I like mine fried.
•Cantaloupe - No, sorry, I can't; I'm already married.
•Carrots - Raw or steamed. Rich in carotenes, a healthy antioxidant.
•Celery - Stir-fry it for a change.
•Chicken - Whole or various parts, on sale.
•Chickpeas - AKA garbanzo beans -- mash 'em up as a healthy sandwich spread.
•Cornmeal - "Polenta" is all the rage these days, but I loved it 40 years ago when Mom called it "cornmeal mush."
•Cucumbers - Try peeling, seeding, and steaming with a little butter and salt.
•Daikon radish - My new favorite raw veggie.
•Eggs - Don't overdo them, but eggs provide high quality protein and still cost about $1 per pound. (Plus, there are many eggscellent things you can do with the shells.)
•Green beans - Frozen, but fresh are sometimes on sale for under $1 a pound in-season.
•Greens - Kale, mustard, turnip, and collard greens are rich in vitamins and a good source of fiber. Here's how I cook 'em.
•Grapes - Store special at 99 cents a pound.
•Grapefruit - Bake with a little brown sugar on top for a healthy dessert.
•Lentils - Perhaps the perfect food -- healthy, cheap, and versatile. Think soups, salads, sandwich spreads -- and those are only some of the "s" possibilities.
•Liver - Chicken livers usually cost under $1 a pound, and sometimes beef and pork liver can be found in the DMZ ("Dollar Maximum Zone").
•Mangoes - High in fiber and vitamins A, B6, and C.
•Milk - Yep, on a per-pound basis, milk still costs well under $1 a pound.
•Napa cabbage - Delicious steamed or raw in a salad.
•Oatmeal - The good old-fashioned "slow cooking" kind ... that takes all of five minutes.
•Onions - Try baking them whole in a cream sauce.
•Oranges - Frequent sale price when in-season.
•Pasta - Store special at 89 cents a pound -- I nearly bought them out!
•Peanut butter - Special sale price, but stock up because it usually has a long shelf life.
•Pork - Inexpensive cuts of pork frequently go on sale for 99 cents per pound or less; sometimes even ham during the holidays.
•Potatoes - White and red, Baked, mashed, boiled, broiled, steamed.
•Pumpkin - Yes, you can eat the same ones you buy as holiday decorations, and they usually cost under 50 cents a pound.
•Rice - White for under $1 a pound; brown, a little more expensive but better for you.
•Rutabagas - Hated them as a kid; can't get enough of them now.
•Sour cream - 99 cents on sale, but long shelf life, so stock up. My cucumber awaits.
•Spinach - Frozen (but Popeye doesn't care).
•Split peas - Add a hambone and make the ultimate comfort soup. Try it in the crock-pot!
•Squash - Try baking acorn squash with a little brown sugar.
•Sweet corn - Canned or fresh on the cob, in-season. (Try this recipe for summer corn fritters.)
•Tomatoes - Canned are often better than fresh to use in cooking, and occasionally you can find fresh on sale for under a buck, in-season.
•Turkey - A popular bargain-priced, loss-leader around the holidays -- buy an extra bird and freeze it for later.
•Turnips - Make me think of my grandparents, who always grew them.
•Watermelon - Whole, in-season melons can sometime cost less than 20 cents a pound if they're on sale and you find a big one.
•Wine - Well, at least the stuff I drink -- a 5-liter box (approximately 11 pounds) for about 10 bucks, on sale. (BTW, the beer I drink is even less expensive per pound.)
•Yams/sweet potatoes - One of the healthiest foods you can eat, and usually available year-round for under $1 a pound.
•Yogurt - 8-ounce containers on sale, two for $1.
•Zucchini - OK, they're a type of squash (above). But I love them so much they deserve their own place on the list. Plus they look great in pantyhose.

I have to be honest we have never tried some of these veggies but I plan on trying one of them atleast each paycheck. Not only will it save us money but will be tons healthier for us. I thought it would be alot harder to still stockpile cutting the budget so much but by incorporating more veggies and fruits in the diet, I have some leftover to make other things like freezer jams or drying veggies in my dehydrator for later use. I have yet to take on the bean challenge, which is on my to do list this next 2 week period. I have a ton of beans and lentils (dry) which I am going to make up in freezer portions. Just need to gather a few more facts on preparing them.
I am also going to start in August making my own baby food and freezing. I have huge lists I want to take on this summmer, Making my own cloth diapers and mama cloths for after the baby gets here, Burp cloths etc. I have also made each of my children a baby quilt so need to get started on that too!!! Hope you are having a great first day of summer, Michelle

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

What is really in that food you eat!!!

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-your-food

These are some freaky facts about what is in some of the food you eat, The sand in the food and all the msg just freaks me out, Especially since MSG makes me sick. I put the books at the end on my check out list at the library, Eat this not that!! Happy reading Michelle

Friday, June 11, 2010

Ready for the squeeze

I spent the last few days working on my menu planning and got it all done, Made up my lists and headed out. First I did coupon shopping. My coupon shopping as hard as it was not to buy other things I had coupons for were just for things that were in my menu plan. My total started at $179 and ended after coupons at $107. These inculded household things like 6 packs of huggies diapers on rollback for $8.99 with $3off coupons, 6 $2 off pampers wipes that were $.24 cents after my $2 off coupons and 3 huggies wipes that were $2.47 each with $2.50 off. 2 welch's grape juice bottles that were $3.62 with $2 off each bottle. Danino yogurt that were $2.06 with $1.50 off one.

My second trip was non coupon items. I have to do my shopping in 2 trips anyway each time, One for coupons and one for non coupons. Because it just takes too long and I usually have all the kids in tow and it just gets too much for them. My second trip, which had to include some things we needed like antifreeze for the car ( $12 ouch)Total was $124 and included family pack chicken, family pack ground chuck and family pack of steaks. So we were at $231. I then took $45 and went to the Thursday farmers market here in town and got 18 tomatoes which I made salsa with last night. 4 huge cantaloupes, 2 lbs green beans, 3 lbs snap peas, 1 bunch cilantro, 3 jalepenos, 1 head of cabbage ( I have been craving of all things coleslaw lol ), 2 bunches of broccoli, 4 bunches of super huge green onions ( the bulbs at the end are large enough to use as reg. onions), I also splurged on an Amish family selling cakes and breads ( The kids caught my eye as well as the breads) I bought 1 cinnamon bread and 1 peach cobbler bread. I washed and soaked all the veggies in vinegar water and froze them in portions. So my shopping trip ended at $276 with a little extra for loss leaders over the next 2 weeks or milk.

It helped out so much preparing the meal plans and grocery list and sticking to it. I saved a bunch of money and have everything I need for the next two weeks meals, Breakfasts, Lunch and Dinners. I have made every Friday night pizza night so tonight is homemade pizza night, The best part being my son makes these so not much for me to do.

My salsa was simply tomatoes cilantro jalepenos green onions tops and bottoms salt and lime juice. I have never made salsa before so I just added stuff until everyone said it was awesome. I ended up with 8 quart jars. Now I just need to make the tortilla chips and we are set!!!! Have a great weekend all!!! Michelle

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Cutting back even farther

The railroad has decided to scale back. Hubby has been moved from this reg. job to one that pays $1000 a month less. It could only be a month until he gets his position back or it could be a year. You just never know with the railroad. His job is secure, But you just never know where they are going to place you or how long you will be there. Don't get me wrong, even with the pay cut we are still making good money, But we sure got used to that extra $1000. And with the new baby soon now was not the most opportune time to go down in pay.
Since we were living paycheck to paycheck with paying off debt. We still want to pay off our debt but have to scale back. First thing is going to be our food budget. I was spending $700 a month on food and household for the month. I am going to scale that back to $400 a month. With our stockpile and careful careful planning I have no doubt that I can do that. It is just going to be some extra work on my part. I was not a meal planner, But am learning now. I found a great freebie at econobusters.com for a meal planner with tips and hints and all the worksheets needed to do this right. I started the lesson last night to start next monday. I also have gotten a bit lazy the last few months with this pregnancy and need to get back on track with making my own bread(s). Since I went with disposable diapers with the baby ( which I regret) that is about $60 a month there. He is 2 1/2 and needs to be potty trained I have been lazy on this also. I have never been good at potty training little boys lol, But now I need to be. Since we are going with cloth again with the new baby that expense won't be needed. Since cutting out soda and coffee the last few months that has freed up quite a chunk of change there. We have lots of places we can cut, Just have to get it all worked out. I am not worried that we can do it, I just have to incorporate help. So family meeting is scheduled. My oldest daughter has moved back in with us for a few months. She wants to buy a house ( I totally support this at 19 years old). Plus this helps me out, she can help with the little ones when she is off work so I can get some stuff done I can't do with them.
Shaving $1000 a month of your budget is daunting, But I know it can be done. I just have to get creative. And we are fortunate that he still has a job as alot do not even have a job at all. So my next month of posts will be mainly deep cutting posts. Things I find to do that save here and there and stuff I find online. This first week will be the cut in groceries and household. The next week will be waste, uggghhh I know this is ugly I know we waste, or spend needlessly too much. Wish me luck. Michelle

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Bye Bye bad stuff

Well it has been 5 months since I gave up coffee and 2 months since I took everyone off of soda. I was not a huge soda drinker so It did not effect me as much as the older kids and hubby. The reason that I took them all off soda is because of hubby. He has been having horrible and I mean horrible stomach problems and digestive problems for months and months. I finally made him go to the doc and come to find out he had so much build up in his colon that he had a bacterial infection. He was a disgusting Coke drinker and I have been on him for years to cut down or cut it out. He averaged about 6 cans of coke a day and probably 2 32oz drinks while working. When the doc found that out she said quit the coke or die. He quit cold turkey and is doing good. He has not had one in over a month. We found some alternatives. He tried tea and that was just too drastic for him. So I made him sweet tea and I lessen the sugar in it each week. We also went with the flavored soda water when he needs something fizzy. He is getting more used to water as time goes by. I am so happy to be rid of these horrible drinks, The health benefits are amazing not to mention the financial. He also per doc had to give up fried foods. I don't fry here at home. And he was a bad bad fast food eater. Amazingly he gave that up too. He is feeling so much better for it.
Although I don't believe in the censorship that is going on around the country with the government getting involved in what we choose. Cutting out these things on your own and not buying them or giving them to your kids is a CHOICE you must make on your own and it is a good and smart choice. Try just cutting out one bad thing a month, Before you know it you won't even miss it, Or actually you will when you feel a 1000 times better. Have a healthy weekend all, Michelle

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Lucky #7 issssssssss

Baby # 7 is a BOY. My 5th boy, 4th in a row. We got the best ultrasound pics I have ever had, and our first DVD. It was so great to see the boys watch the video they just wanted to watch it over and over again. The girls were a bit disappointed but soon got over it. Boys are comfortable to me, I have had nothing but boys for so long that I am used to them lol. All in all everything is fine, Baby is doing great was moving all over during the ultrasound and baby measures at 19 weeks. Doc said he looked great!!! I have not been feeling well at all and my blood pressure getting high at times I was really worried but felt better today. Just wanted to let you all know and as soon as I can figure out my new scanner I will scan in the ultrasound pics for you to see. Have a great week all I know I will, Michelle

Monday, May 31, 2010

Thank you

Thank you.

Thank you that my kids and my family live in America.
Thank you that we are still free.
Free to think.
Free to be anything we want to be.
Free to Live Hope and Dream.
Free to Believe.
Free to argue, Free to disagree, Free to debate.
Free to assemble and free to demonstrate our frustrations.
Free to have as many children as we want.
Free to choose our own destiny.
Free to homeschool our children.
Free to go where we want, live where we want.
Free to decide who runs our country.
Free to buy what we want, eat what we wish.

Because you gave your life so we and our children could live this way.
Thank you to those that are still fighting for our freedoms and rights.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

Friday, May 28, 2010

Quick tips

It takes less time to make lemonade then to think about going and buying some. Throw some lemon juice water and some sugar together add some lemons if you have them and done!!! ( the big bottles of lemon juice are at dollar tree)

It takes about 30 minutes to make enough laundry soap for 6 months to a year than it does to stand in the laundry aisle and pick out soap.

It takes about 10 minutes to mix up enough (for 8 of us) pancake mix to last 3 months.

Want some great smelling room spray- Take empty jars add some organic spices let steep in sunny window in water for a few days, strain add to bottle and spray rooms. I loveeeeeee lavender!!!

It takes less time to sponge bath a kid then fill up an entire tub of water and give them a bath. Plus IMO kids are bathed too much anyway. We bathe the kids 2 times a week here. Every night they get wiped down from head to toe. You can ask most Dr.s they will tell you 1 or 2 times a week is fine.

Homemade pancake syrup tastes so awesome you'll never go back to store bought and is so easy to make.

I have a stockpile of pantry staples that have extraordianary uses.
CORNSTARCH

dry shampoo for a pet, rub some into your pets coat and brush through.
untangle knots in shoes and necklaces.
freshen up carpets, sprinkle on wait 30 min and vacuum up
Marshmallows stuck together, Sprinkle some cornstach in the bag and shake it will absorb the extra moisture and unstick them.
put cornstarch in a container and poke small holes in the top and use for baby powder or talc powder for yourself.


SALT
Pour a line of salt where you have ants and they won't cross it.
add salt to boiling eggs and if one cracks the egg won't leak out.
Make your own wall patch with a mixture of salt and cornstarch, mix into a paste with equal amounts.
At the onset of a sore throat gargle with salt water.
I gave up coffee, But if you sprinkle a little salt on top of your coffee grounds in the coffee pot before brewing you can use less grounds because it enhances the flavor of your coffee.
sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don't want grass to grow.

TOOTHPASTE ( I have a ton , about 40 tubes of toothpaste. I am no longer using toothpaste with flouride because of what I have learned about flouride, But there are a 1000 uses for it other than putting in your body.

Remove crayon marks from walls with paste toothpaste.
Remove garlic or onion smell from your hands with toothpaste.
My kids love this one, Clean shoes with whitening toothpaste.
If you have scratches on a DVD, Try rubbing toothpaste or peanut butter on it and buff it should fill in the scratches so no more skipping.
Use toothpaste to scrub your fingernails clean.
Use as wall spackle to fill in nail holes.

DRYER SHEETS( I don't use these on my clothes, But I often can get them free with coupons and they have many other uses other than in the dryer, Any of the uses also work with dryer sheets that have already been used in the dryer, A second life for them)
Stuff in stinky shoes to eliminate odors overnight.
Use on your swiffer as a duster.
Pans with stuck on gunk, Place a dryer sheet in for about an hour, gunk comes right off.
WIpe your tv and computer screen with a dryer sheet to repel dust.
I also put these in the bottom of wastebaskets to help absorb odors.

Vaseline
remove gum from hair.
remove makeup.
use instead of harsh chemicals on baby's bottom or for diaper rash.
Razor burn in delicate areas, Use vaseline to soothe.
Chapped lips? Put on a coat before bed.


For more great and unusual uses using everything you can think of, Not to mention fun reading, Go to www.wackyuses.com I have been going to this site for years, when I get a stockpile of something I don't how I will use it all up. Have a great Memorial day, Michelle

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Home schooling the Twins

We have started daily 2 hour sessions with my twins last week. We have done little things here and there and they are learning constantly, but we started a little bit more structured schooling this week. I have spent the couple years slowly having them learn letter and number recognition colors and shapes, the normal preschool stuff. I wanted to wait until they were ready for writing and reading until I knew that it would not frusterate or exasberate their adhd. The boys are completely different in their learning as I expected. Jacob is quanity not so much quality and joshua is quality not quantity. This I saw was frusterating Joshua when we were learning because Jacob would get done with everything so fast and Joshua was paying more attention to him. So I mix up all the work and have them do different things at different times. This seems to be working. Now to just get Jacob to work on quality. We started this week with rebus rhymes and they seem to really like those, they have memorized the 2 books we were working on. They also are learning to write their names and numbers. Because I see that they learn more hands on rather then paperwork we don't focus too much on papers. We have netflix on the computer and the TV. So I let them one at a time search for movies that they like and spell them out to me while I am cooking or doing something else. They are rapidly learning how to work the computer and mouse and recognizing letters. I also keep all my magazines for them to look through. They love doing crafty things. So I will give them big sheets of paper to cut out letters and numbers and glue them on the papers. I have noticed that in the last few months their curiosity with math. They are wanting to know days weeks months and also simple addition. They are constantly asking me with fingers held up what 3 fingers and 3 fingers are etc. For the days weeks and months, I have made a large calender and we put fun little things on the calendar like today Sunday May 23rd is park day and the train rides at the park. So all week long they have been counting down the day until we go. They are also both getting training wheel bikes on Tuesday so they have been counting down the days and saying the days and numbers each day....about a 1000 times a day lol. Happy Sunday to you all , We are off to the park and the train rides!!!!! Michelle

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Harvested a Potato and a Tomato!!!

The twins were so darn excited yesterday as they pulled the first tomato off the plant and dug up one tiny little potato. We chopped and froze the tomato because they want to make spaghetti sauce when we have enough of them. The potato is snall but it is the second layer so gonna give it a few more weeks and then harvest some. They were so excited. I saw we have blueberries coming in and peaches growing on the tree. We also have beans and green peppers flowering. Onions and lettuce look good. Not so sure about the squashes, thought I would have had flowers by now, But we have had hardly any sun in 2 weeks so hoping the next few weeks they take off.

I can't even stress enough how going out in the backyard and getting our own food makes everyone feel.

Everyone is getting very excited here about June 1st. That is the appointment to find out the sex of the new baby. The girls want a girl and the boys want another boy. I don't care really but a girl would be nice for a change of pace hahaha. See some pinks again. Mostly the girls are dying to shop for stuff. I am going after the appointment to get Needed things. I am going to make my own cloth diapers this time instead of buying them, and also the wipes. I am going to use the same set up I had for the twins for cleaning them. Two small garbage cans with lids, One for dirty and one for just wet ones. That worked out well last time. I am also going to get a few glass bottles just in case the breast feeding does not go well. But I really hope it works out for me since I have never done it before.

Hubby got bumped off his regular turn at work and had to take a less paying job until another one opens up. Not so bad but hope it turns again soon. Have a great weekend all, Michelle

Monday, May 17, 2010

I loveee the GRILL

I had a little downtime and wanted to say hi to everyone!!!!

I love my grilllll love love love it. Although we not had hardly a sunny or dry day here in southeast Kansas in quite a bit, I grill. As soon as it stops raining for just a few minutes we grill. It is such an easy clean up and you can grill just about anything. Breads, veggies, meats even pizza. I have not grilled pizza before but hoping to try it out this year.
If you go to http://www.reynoldspkg.com/reynoldskitchens/en/info_page/Holiday_Central_Foil.asp
Reynolds has some great great recipes and tips on grilling everything. I cannot stress how easy the clean up is. Less dishes=pure bliss for me!!!!!!
Well gotta run about to have grilled BBQ chicken, potato salad and devilled eggs, Yummmmm. Happy grilling!!!! Michelle

Monday, May 3, 2010

Garden pics













Garden pics!!! Happy gardening Michelle

Busy and Productive weekend

We finally have a what appears to be 3 whole days of sunshine, It has been gloomy and rainy and chilly (to me). The rain is great for the garden, Not so great for kids with cabin fever. I am determined today with bright sunshine to get pictures of the garden today. I was noticing yesterday looking out the laundry room window that my potato plants are hugeeeee. I have to do some reading on potato plants because I quite honestly have no idea when you should dig them up. Anyone know??

Hubby is taking the boys to the park tomorrow for a whole day and a picnic lunch. I have to do some catch up on things I have gotten behind on. We have been out of waffle mix, ranch mix, pancake mix, pancake syrup and cream of chicken soup mix for quite sometime. I was going to make a dump cake last night with some cherry pie filling I had and I was out of cake mix. So tomorrow will be stocking up and dry food canning day. I have kept track of what and how much we use so now I have an idea of how much we will use in a 3 month period. I am going to make up enough of these mixes for 3 months. It is just really nice with so many and so much going on to just be able to grab it and make it.

Last night for dinner I made up the last ham I had from the stockpile from easter. The kids were very happy, But I noticed they were rationing the ham. They were rationing as to have enough for ham and potato soup tonight for dinner. Ham and potato soup is their favorite. I only purchase hams at christmas and easter unless they go on sale which is not often. So tonight is ham and potato soup. I also have quite a stockpile of black berries in the freezer so I think I will make a quick and simple blackberry cobbler.

I have to mention that my oldest son has applied for the maintenance position at the library. He has been anxiously awaiting a phone call from them. He is hoping they call him back on Tuesday when they return to work. This would be great for him, He would work 15 hours a week @ $10 an hour 8am-11am . Then have the rest of the day to build his and work on his computers and solar panels to sell. Wish him luck!!

Have a great Monday and if you have sunshine get out and enjoy it!!!!! Michelle

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

My non frugal day

Yesterday was one of those days, Utterly non frugal!!!!

Hubby decided he would change the plug and wires on the car himself and change the oil. Oil changing went well. Plugs went well. Wires not so much. He put them in wrong and then did not know how to put them in right. Today at 2:30 I have to take it in to have it done right and I don't even want to know how much it is going to cost. There are some things I don't like to skimp on when it comes to money. My car is one of them. We opted for just one car, Which means I have to take him to work and pick him up 15 miles from home at all hours day or night since he could get called at 2am or 2pm. I wanted a nice car, a car big enough for all of us. Since it was a bit more then the usual $1000 we pay for a car ( a lot moreeeeee) I did not want to skimp on car repairs or maintenance. I want this car to last me forever and one more day. He tried and it is fixable but darn it!!!! There goes my new crockpot ( mine just broke, the crock actually cracked!!) and my new sewing machine I was saving up for. Gotta start over again.

I know I said I would take pictures of the garden and post, But this will have to wait yet another day I will hopefully post them tomorrow!!! Wish me luck and maybe the mechanic will feel sorry for me, Yeah right!!! Michelle

Monday, April 26, 2010

Mcdonalds caramel frappe

Forgot to add this earlier, My oldest daughter is in love with Mcdonald's caramel frappe's. She was going broke with these until I saw in the newest issue of All You magazine a recipe for one. She says it tastes exactly like it.
Here is how I made it

Fill blender 3/4 way up with coffee ice cream. Add 1 cup milk. Add 4 Tablespoons of caramel ice cream topping. Mix up, Pour in glass. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with some more caramel topping. It really was good and I am not that fond of these things. Good Luck Michelle

Pregnancy update/ Dr. visit today

Went to the Dr. today to listen for the heartbeat again and got the pants scared off me. First of all I lost 4 lbs this past 2 weeks, But he did not seem that concerned about it. My blood pressure is also up 150/100, I have never had high blood pressure before in my life. He said we would watch it for a month and see. Then went to listen to the heartbeat and nothing. He spent a good 10 minutes looking for it. I was okay then he said ok I need to go check the ultra sound room and we need to check and see if the baby is ok. I freaked then and there. I remember I just kept saying I FEEL the baby move and I have never had this happen before. Went to the ultra sound room and had a quickie ultra sound. The baby was moving about and heartbeat was great, WHEWWWWWWWWWW. He did not know why he could not pick it up on his portable Doppler, I really don't care as long as I know that everything is ok and it is. I go in on June 1st to do measurements and find out the sex. I am feeling so much better now that I saw the baby moving around and the heartbeat but am still a bit worried about my blood pressure. Dr. said I could cut salt from my diet and that might help it go down but being that I have never once not even during previous c-sections had high blood pressure that it is probably pregnancy related. Thanks for the prayers to everyone!!!!!
I wanted to mention today that I did a guest post over at TheCircusMcGurkus.blogspot.com. I did the post on how I home school unschool my children. I love her site she has some great thought provoking posts and I am trying to learn more about gluten free eating since I read about the link between gluten free and ADHD. I would suggest checking out her site especially to get a peek at her son who is the cutest ever!!!!! I like how she writes from her heart. Take a peek, I bet you'll love it as much as I do.
I promise tomorrow to post some pics on my garden and how things are going. I also planted a blueberry tree and a peach tree my kids bought for me. I really pleased at how my garden is growing. Although I planted basically the same as I did last year and did not do too well last year, this year I grew from seeds and the seeds were all heirloom and GMO free. Have a great night all I know I am much calmer now that I saw the baby moving around!!! Michelle

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Times like these.....

It is times like these that a mother would be nice to have. I always get like this when I am pregnant. I am not really completely sure what I am missing, Just from what others say. I don't dwell on it too much just crosses my mind here and there. I know what kind of mom I am. The kind that irritates my teenagers with cards and little gifts for special occasions ( Don't let me miss one little thing though and they are irritated I missed it hahaha). I think it will be awsome to be a grandma. I will bake cookies, do crafts with them, spend as much time as I am allowed with them, probably suffocate them with attention. My oldest has already decided that I will homeschool her kids when she has them while she goes to work. I can't wait to be there for my kids when they ask for advice or want my help or I just notice that they need me, Which I do now. So where did I get this from???? How did I turn out this way?? Both of my parents are cold as ice. I have seen my dad once since I was 9, I am 39, and that was ugly. My mom has never been able to stand me. She calls me a low class breeder to other family members. SHe could not stand me as a child or an adult. We split when I was 23 and I did not speak again to her until she was found homeless in 2007 and I brought her to live with us for a year and then she had to go. She was awful and mean to my kids, They begged me and I mean begged me to make her go away. She went to live near my brother and is causing him problems too. It is funny because he is alot like me with his son. So how in the world did we turn out so different from our parents? Don't get me wrong I am glad we did. It just makes me mad sometimes that she is the way she is. My kids do not have a grandma, Hubby's mother passed years ago. I do not have a mother, I really never did, I just missed what I saw others had. I know this feeling will pass it always does for long periods of time. A mother's instict I guess some just have it and other's don't. Give your intrusive, showering when not even asked for advice, sometimes bossy and irritating mother an extra hug this Mother's day because if you have that kind of mother you truly have no idea what life is like without it and you don't want to know, Michelle

Friday, April 16, 2010

Thanks for the Prayers

I wanted to thank you ladies for the prayers. I was really worried the first day or two, I still am a little bit. I was excited last night that I was a little nauseated ( can't believe I said that hahaha). I feel like everything is ok. I don't know how to explain it, I just feel like everything is fine.

I have been working in the garden alot!!! Although I decided to just plant directly into the ground this year again instead of raised beds, Things are growing well. I did not buy plants this year like last year. I bought heirloom seeds this year and did a lot of research this past winter on gardening. I let the twins bury the potato seeds or chunks as I call them, and the plants are about 5 inches high now. The boys go out every morning and afternoon and pick the leaves that fall from the trees out of them and water them. They are really excited about their plants. I can't wait to see them get to dig up the potatoes!!!! I still have some watermelon, squash and more beans and pea plants that are ready to be transplanted to plant. I am hoping to get to that today. The only thing that I am keeping in a pot is the tomato plant. It is huge and has about 8 tomatoes on it already. I noticed this morning that my plant looked messed with. So I am going to have to barricade it today. The squirrels just won't leave the tomatoes alone. I just want one one little tomato this year and I will be happy!!!! I have had so much fun with my dehydrator. I can't wait to harvest some things from the garden to dehydrate. I made jerky last week and the kids gobbled it up in 2 days!!! It was so easy to make. I am definitely going to make more of that. They have eaten everything that I dehydrated. Jerky, strawberries, bananas and kiwi. They pass up the cookies to eat the dried fruit. Yeah!!! I can't wait to get a vacuum sealer so I can make bigger batches to have on hand. Have a wonderful weekend Michelle

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Baby update

I had a worrisome Dr. appointment yesterday. He could not find a heartbeat. We saw the heartbeat and heard it on the last one. I have never encountered this problem with any other pregnancy. To say the least I am a bit worried. I thought it was funny that I had so much sickness constantly then all of a sudden last Friday nothing. It just stopped. Which going by my other pregnancies is strange for me. He said for me not to worry, Ok sure, not. He is having me come back in 2 weeks and if nothing then he will do another ultrasound to see what is going on. I am a little worried like I said, but I have never had any problems with any other pregnancy not to say I couldn't. I am just going to go with the notion that everything is okay and wait until the 26th to see. I will let you all know when I get back on the 26th what is going on. Have a blessed week all Michelle

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Dehydrating away

I have been dehydrating like crazy. I watched a video over at Dehydrate2Store.com for making kiwi-strawberry-banana candy. I put that in the dehydrator last night and it is doing well this morning. Still has a few hours to go. I also have 3 trays of strawberries and bananas drying. For the candies you take a slice of kiwi, Squirt a little lemon juice on that. Put on top the kiwi a slice or two of strawberry, Squirt with lemon juice. Put on top that a slice or two of banana and squirt with lemon juice. Then sprinkle on a tiny amount of sugar. These come out like candy. I will let you know when they are all done and how the kids liked em. I know my oldest son can't wait for the bananas. He never has liked bananas unless they were dried ones, Go figure. I have asked the kids and hubby to pool together for Mother's day and maybe get me one of those food storage sealers. That would really help with storing longer term.
As soon as the fruits are done, I have been marinating steak in the fridge since yesterday and will give a go at beef jerky. I am not a fan of beef jerky but the kids and hubby love it.
My garden is up and running. In the end I chose to just plant in the ground like last year. With exception to a few that I planted in large pots. One being my tomatoes. I have to keep a close eye on tomatoes. I planted 3 tomato plants last year and never got one tomato off of them. The squirrels took them all. I have 4 tomatoes growing on one plant already. And if squirrels take them, atleast with the pots I can take drastic measures hahaa. It will be easier to secure the pots I think. I can move them to the corner of the front porch where full sun comes in and baracade them in. I am determined to have tomatoes this year. I can't wait to make sun dried tomatoes!!!! Happy gardening and Happy Spring, Michelle

Friday, April 9, 2010

kids getting "Growed up"

I know I know "Growed up" was just a funny I said, not to worry my children won't be illiterate because I wrote in a post "Growed up". Now on to my post.
Most of the time I don't feel old enough to have a daughter who is a grown up. She is only 19 but out on her own and grabbing hold of life and making it what she wants. She is doing really well at her job, it appears she will be up for a management position next year and they are giving her more responisbility. She has been given the responsibility of taking over for the bookeeper while she goes on a 2 week vacation. They are teaching her the 10 key and she will have to do payroll etc. She is very excited to say the least. That kid absorbs everything really fast so I have no worries. She is definetly a lifetime learner she never wants to stop learning. Everytime something new comes across her she finds a book about it gets to work learning all she can about it. This makes me happy. Then they decided to give her another task this last Tuesday. They wanted her to help with the monthly radio spot on our local radio broadcast on 102.9 rocks. I was nervous for her. I went out to the car at 8am Tuesday morning to listen to her ( There was silence in the car hahahaha) She did amazing, never faultered. She did 3 5 minute sets with the co-director. She was clear and concise. When she was done I turned off the car and sat there for a moment, I came to realize that she was "Growed up". I felt my age for a moment, Yuck. Feeling my age was quickly gone when I went back in the house and danced around the livingroom to Imagination Movers on disney channel with my 2 year old. I have decided I must lead 2 lives. I must be "Growed up" too for my 19 year old, Then I can live in total denial for the rest of the time and be a big kid. Yeahhhh. I refuse to grow up too much, What fun is that??? Get out there and dance with your babies and have some fun, there is still plenty of time before they are all "Growed up" and you will have no choice to be a big people. Have fun being young, Michelle

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

I got a new toy!!!

I have been wannting to get a dehydrator for a few years now, But kept putting it off. I have been researching dehydrating foods for a few years now. It would be a great option for stockpiling and storing good fresh foods.
I just received my Aroma dehydrator from amazon yesterday. I had 4 $5 gift cards won through swag bucks, the dehydrator was 34.99 with free shipping. I am going to this years first farmers market this season this Saturday. I have a folder full of tips and tricks and ways to dehydrate. The best website I have found for dehydrating is www.Dehydrate2Store.com The videos are excellent and thorough. There are much more expensive dehyrators that are better then the aroma one. But I was satisfied with the comments on this particular brand and the price was right. I gave it a quick try last night with some plain bagels to make bagel chips. I mixed the pieces with cinnamon and sugar. Woke up this morning and they were done. Two full trays and they are gone already!!!! I am going to spend this weekend drying fruits and veggies. I hope next week to venture into some beef jerky. If you have to cook have fun atleast, Michelle

Monday, April 5, 2010

Spring day-Spring cleaning-Spring dessert

It was so nice today, Not alot of sunshine but warm and breezy. I had the doors open early this morning to let in the fresh air. That fresh air went straight to my head and got me in the cleaning the mood. So I got everyone up and told them about my plans for the day, they were not amused or happy one bit but did it anyway. We cleaned everything, every little nook and cranny. Stored heaters away and stored blankets away. Cleaned out drawers of winter items and replaced with spring/summer clothes. We are all set. I also felt in the mood to make a cool treat. So I made a peachy cheese-cake.
Recipe
1 large can peaches
1 1/2 bricks cream cheese
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup butter
1 yellow cake mix
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 container cool whip

Cut butter into cake mix until crumbly. Press this into greased cake pan. In bowl mix softened cream cheese with egg whites. Fold in 3/4 of can drained peaches. Spread this mixture on top of cake mix. Sprinkle 2 teaspoon of cinnamon on top of cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min or until cheese mixture is set. Cool completely. Spread cool whip on top of cooled cake, and top with rest of can of drained peaches. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours and serve. Enjoy!!!!
( I never throw away fruit juice when the recipe calls to drain it. I either let the boys drink it, Or I fill up my set of popcicle molds with it).
Have a great week all and enjoy the weather!!!!! Michelle

Friday, April 2, 2010

Happy Easter to All

I am saying Happy Easter to you all now. We are not going to be using the computer or watching T.V. this weekend. We never do the Easter bunny type Easter. We do resurrection eggs and we use that same concept to have a Jesus egg hunt. But mostly we just spend time together. I have caught heck from family for years over not doing Santa Claus or the Easter bunny but we are much too weird for them to even give us the time of day now so we don't have to deal with that. I remember our Holidays growing up as miserable, It was always about show, how we looked. It has never been about that with us, I made sure of that. We don't fuss about what we are wearing. Whatever clothes we have we wear. It so much calmer then any holiday growing up and I love it. My mom was here 2 years ago for Christmas. We were worried it was going to end up like past Christmases when we were around her. It was. It was horrible, nothing was perfect enough for her and she ended up throwing a huge fit, freaking out and screaming and left to go to a hotel. My kids were left with their mouths open and wondering what the heck happened. It was hard for me to explain to them when I really did not know what the problem was other then it was not perfect enough like a magazine. That will never happen again. None of our holidays are like that. And I wish for you this Easter a calm no fuss Sunday. Happy truly Happy Easter to all of you , Michelle

Monday, March 29, 2010

Hello all I am still alive!!!

Hope you all are doing well. I am still fairly tired compared to my usual unpregnant. I had to stop taking the pills for nausea because of the side effects so I am bungling through best I can. I have been sewing the boys summer shorts and hoping to be done by the weekend and will take pics. We have been getting the garden area cleaned up and are going to till tomorrow and get my poor plants in the ground. They are screaming at me to get them in the ground and get some sunshine all day!!!! I cannot waittttt until they are all set up. I am hoping to have it all ready and done by once again the weekend and I will take pics of that too. I so hope everything goes better this year. I have decided to put my tomatoes in pots and put them on the front porch and cover those with fencing to try and keep the squirrels out this year since I did get one tomato last year due to them little buggers...atleast someone liked my tomatoes hahaha. Again hope everyone is doing well and I won't stay away so long next time. Good wishes to all, Michelle

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Family Fun magazine rainbow cupcakes

I received my first issue of Disney's Family Fun magazine. I got a one year subscription for $3.21 or close to that. I saw it posted on www.pinchingyourpennies.com then go to their pyp blog and follow them and get their great deals they find. Anyway my twins instantly spotted the rainbow cupcakes recipe they had in the magazine and wanted to make them today. So we did. It was a snowy cold day perfect for cupcakes. These came out really cute but next time I will use less batter in each cupcake since ours spilled over.
Rainbow cupcakes in their Treat of the month section in the back of the magazine March 2010 issue

Rainbow cupcakes
Prepare your favorite white cake mix ( we used a homemade cake mix)
Divide the batter into six small container or bowls.
In bowl #1 add 18 drops of red food color
In bowl #2 add 12 yellow drops and 4 red drops of food color
In bowl #3 add 12 drops of yellow food color
In bowl #4 add 12 drops of green food color
In bowl #5 add 12 drops of blue food color
In bowl #6 add 9 drops of red and 6 drops of blue food color
Mix well until you have all the colors of the rainbow

Line 16 muffin pan wells with baking cups
We started with the red first but you could go backwards and start with purple.
We added the red, then the orange, yellow, green, blue, then purple until the muffin tins were full.

Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean. You will have rainbow cupcakes. Then top with Whipped topping and serve. The Boys really loved doing this and It helped them with learning their colors. And about adding colors together to get different colors. Happy baking with the kids, Michelle








Thursday, March 18, 2010

Mad mad mad and a correction

First a correction. I will not be using RR ties in the garden. I never even knew or thought about wether they were poison to use them. So many people around here use them, I did not think there was anything wrong with them. Found out different thanks to a commenter. I am going to go another route.
Now to my mad mad mad. I was at our public library yesterday around closing time. I was sitting in the car and I looked up to see one of the employee's taking down the flag, the American flag. Now I am not going to get into my political views. But I can tell you I feel very strongly about the flag. It represents so much to me. Everything that has happened, our independence, not to mention the blood of all the servicemen everyday that lose their lives. I looked up to see the person lowering the flag then letting it lay on the ground while he unhooked it. While he was unhooking it he stepped on it and when he went to grab it he noticed he was stepping on it, he took his foot off it dragged it a bit on the ground and then threw it over his shoulder and then rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit to a passer by. Know some who were in the car with me had to hold be back from jumping out of the car. They thought I was overreacting. Really??? Does that flag mean anything anymore. I have not been able to get this off my mind. Still this morning I am thinking about it. It still upsets me. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, Michelle

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Goings on

Whew I think I am finally feeling closer to myself the last few days!!!!! Thank God!!!!! I did some internet research last week about vitamins to take for feeling run down and sluggish and came up with a regimen. I was taking vitamin c, D3, E, Echinaccea and a probiotic. I added to that Folic acid, B12, magnesium and Iron. The poor pharmacist spent almost an hour with me helping me pick out the best. Since I was so sluggish he suggested I take the liquid B12, Downfall it tastes fairly icky but is absorbed quicker. The iron is the one I have problems with and have had problems with in the past. But we came up with a lower dose one that is time released. And since I am anemic this hopefully will help. So far so good. I am down to taking only 1 of the nausea pills each day, Right smack in the middle of the day. I am hoping to be off those by the end of next week. YEAHHHH. I completley believe in Vitamins, They work.
I have been cleaning like mad lately, This house has gone to heck over the last month and I am feeling the crunch of spring cleaning and organizing hitting me hard. I organized the boys dressers yesterday, getting out all the too small clothes or too stained up and worn ones out. Next week I am hoping to get all the spring/summer stuff washed up and ready to go. We are hoping to get the house in order by end of next week and get the back yard ready for the raised beds by weekend after next. We had a little trouble finding railroad ties, But then last minute found someone who has around 80 of them and wants them gone....SCORE!!!!! We are going to go and dump the trailer that day and head straight over and get the ties and get them set up. Then next day get the soil done and get all my plants in the ground. My beans and peas are already a foot high. I am really excited to get them planted and growing and producing this year. I have high expectations this year and want to yeild enough to can and make baby food in preparation for the baby.
My 5 year old twins have been so cute, Every morning they want to know if the baby is here yet? I say no the baby has to grow lots more and will be here when halloween gets here. So today Joshua says to me, Can we go out to the pumpkin patch and see if they are open yet? Toooooo cute. I got a magazine from the Dr. office that shows a baby in each month inside the mother. So I think that I am going to cut out the pictures and post it up each month so they know where we are at and how far we have to go. Something to help them understand best they can. I have been thinking of names, I really like Jeremiah David or Noah for a boy. I really like Joyanna or Hannah for a girl. But that might change. I usually blurt out something completely different as soon as they are born bahahaha. I hear them cry and bammm it comes to me. A few here want to name it Luke John if it is a boy. We have Matthew Mark and they think it would be cute to say and here are Matthew Mark and Luke John, The first 4 books of the new testament. I am thinking on that one.
Have a blessed Thursday all, Michelle

Sunday, March 14, 2010

No spend month update

It is hardddddddddddd bahhahahaha. I am really ashamed of myself at how much money we have wasted. I have noticed how much STUFF we have since not spending. When I think I am out of something or don't have something, a little search has yeilded the item or something similiar. I have been cleaning out bins, drawers, and stored boxes. I still have an entire sunroom and the laundry room to go through yet. I am really quite shocked at what is in this house. I am learning a big thing about organization. I am the biggest disorganized organized person I know!!! That is going to be my biggest project this month. organizing all this stuff and realizing and tracking everything we have. For example. I use sharpie pens alot for marking everything. An older kid takes one for something, leaves it somewhere else or it gets thrown in a drawer, I can't find it and go buy another pack. I found 17 sharpie pens yesterday, 17!!!!!!!! This is going to take me awhile with all the stuff we have, But it is going to be worth it. Knowing what I have down to the last sharpie marker is going to go a long way to save money I think. At around $2.97 a 2pk for the sharpies that alone was about $25.00!!! I did a little reading yesterday and I see one big thing that we need to start doing also....Track our spending. We are starting next paycheck. I found a ledger that was never used (of course) yesterday while cleaning and have designated that for this use. We are going to write down every little tiny thing we spend money on every day, every month. From what I read this is really going to help us visually see what we are spending money on also. We will never get out of debt without knowing this. Michelle

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Mom is happy-Kids are dissapointed

I was very happy that their was only 1 baby. The kids and hubby are a bit disappointed.
Don't get me wrong I love my twins. They are fun and interesting to watch grow and develop. I think everyone should have a set just to experience it. But I am not gonna lie and say it was easy and that I am ready to jump in and do it again. These twins I have are only 5 and are still a handful. It was extremely nerveracking when they were little. #1 they were so tiny and getting them to eat was a full time job. It is sometimes challenging to console a single baby let along two crying with colic at the same time. I never felt like I got to enjoy much of their 1st year because there was so much packed into it. Yes of course it was fun alot of the time, It was new!!! Newness wears off though. The first year felt like a blurr of feedings bathings diaper changes and crying. The youngest baby was so much fun after that, Just tending to him and his needs. After the twins I realized how I was able to enjoy each day with him without all the chaos.
I would not have been upset at all if I was having twins again. But I am not displeased at all that it is 1. The kids and hubby seemed a little let down that it was only 1 though and I can understand since they got the enjoying playing part of the twins while I worked my butt off. hahaha. They will come around and get real excited just like with the last baby. The girls are hoping of course for a girl. I don't mind a girl or a boy. The kids have decided I am not allowed to tell them what I think it is. I have not been wrong yet, even when the Dr. told me she was 150% sure last time that now Matthew was a girl and I told her she was wrong that it was a boy. So I am keeping my mouth shut on this one, But I already have my suspicions. I tend to know the sex for some reason I don't know what it is around the 5th month. It is just a really strong feeling I get either way.
I have often wondered how many other mothers get this feeling and were right when the Dr. says the opposite. I won't falter this time like last time. I gave into the Dr. and gathered all girl stuff and picked out her name Maddelynn to only hear in the operating room from the Dr. ummmmm Michelle, did you get all girl stuff??? HUH??? I said, as she showed me my son and admitted I was right. She said I really did not seem shocked at all!!!!! I wasn't really but was worrying about what I had gathered for a girl. Well ladies gotta run, I have decided to suprise my family tonight with a big dinner and it isn't even Sunday!!! bahahaha Have a great day, Michelle