The Juggling Homemaker

Life's Little Surprises

2013-01-02T13:30:00.002-07:00

I know it's been a few months. I'd planned on being better about blogging, but something unexpected happened in September that threw us all off balance for a bit--and it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future! Hahaha!

What is this unplanned occurrence that has gotten in the way of my blogging patterns and then some? Well, we found out that we're expecting another baby! This was a surprise, for sure, as we had thought our family was feeling pretty complete with the arrival of our youngest two and a half years ago. But it seems we were wrong, and I'm sure this baby will be just as loved.

Unfortunately, it's hard to feel the drive to write when I suffer from morning-noon-and-night-sickness. So I spent the first few months with my head hovering over the toilet and then added another uncomfortable symptom about a month ago. My heart's been having a few issues. Nothing all that scary, as of now. I'm not having a heart-attack or anything, but it does race anytime I get up to move across the room. Sometimes talking a lot can put me out of breath too. But I'm not having any pain. It's just uncomfortable. I get a lot of headaches, a bit light-headed and exhausted--sounds like fun, right?

You can imagine how hard it is for me to try to keep up with my five kids (six if you count the hubby--but don't tell him I said that!), and let's not talk about the house! In fact, the truth is, I haven't been able to keep up. The best I've been able to do is VERY basic picking up, supervising little ones from a sitting position and cooking and preparing meals from a stool in the kitchen. I've felt pretty useless and it's taken a toll on my self-confidence at times.

I do have to say though, that my family, friends and neighbors have been wonderful. My husband has stepped in where he can after work (especially in helping me keep up on laundry) and my children have worked to be more helpful around the house and taken on more than their usual chores. And when some of our friends and neighbors heard about our troubles, they've come in with food, gifts and other helps for our family that have so humbled me, I can hardly think about it without crying.

We aren't too worried about my symptoms right now, since my doctor thinks it's stemming from anemia (apparently not all that uncommon in pregnancy). I've just started taking extra doses of Iron for the next little while and hopefully will be feeling more normal in the next few weeks. If not, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

So while life isn't easy at the moment (who'd have thought it, with all the sitting I've had to do lately?) I'm still very aware of the blessings in our lives. I'm thankful for all the Lord has blessed us with and feel so much love for the people He's brought to our lives.

Getting on-board with E-books

2012-09-13T13:18:00.003-06:00

I believe I've mentioned before that I'm a book lover. This is not just a mild interest, passing fancy, temporary fling.... I LOVE books. I've been a member of more book clubs than I can count over the years. Trips to the Library mean I come out juggling a tower of books if I didn't bring a bag. I've been this way for years. Hence the article on Hubpages I did last year on how to lower book costs.....

I'm the girl who, upon getting a new book in the mail, I get all giddy, open it up and then flip through the pages while holding the book up to my face so I can breathe in the scent with my eyes closed and get a goofy grin on my face. Are you getting the picture here? Haha! Yes, I know I sound like a nerd, and that's okay! ;)

Anyway, I will admit now that I was less than thrilled with the entrance of e-readers and e-books on the scene. How could anyone not want to hold an actual book in their hands? What about filling another space on that bookshelf (I keep running out of space and have to get more shelves, which I don't mind in the least!). And how about reading with a child? How on earth could that be any fun with an electronic device in your hands, rather than a big book with colorful pictures to flip through while cuddling with your little ones? In no way was I even tempted!

Over the years, without realizing it, apparently I have started to change my opinion a bit. Maybe it's because I'm a complete Amazon junkie (no, I'm not kidding, I love that site--which is why I became an affiliate shortly after starting this blog) or maybe the fact that they have some of the most popular e-readers on the market (i.e. the Kindle series) and all the buzz eventually caught my attention. At first, I thought nothing of it (at least nothing good). But then they started offering free e-books (and I'm all over free!) and the free Kindle App to go along with it so you can read from your computer, iphone, tablet, etc. Now I'm hooked!

One of the features I most love, that works on my tablet, is that I can even look up unfamiliar words in a book I'm reading by just pressing on it without having to go get my dictionary! And then some of these e-readers have gone even further and become tablets. You can surf the internet, play games, watch movies (and more!) on some of the Kindles. They've even brought out new models this month like the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G LTE Wireless, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 32 GB.

I should note that Barnes and Noble also offers free e-books on their website here. They also have an the Nook e-reader series, but I don't know as much about that. I've got the free nook app on my tablet also and have taken advantage of the free downloads they offer too.

Does this mean that I'm done with hard-copy, print books? No. I still love the feel of a book in my hands. But I do have admit that I can still get on-board with the e-book train now. Why choose, when I can enjoy both? Who'd have thought it? ;)

Reputable Insurance Agent

2012-09-13T12:37:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in my last post that we were going through an agent in making all these changes with our health and dental insurance. I've been talking to Alex Bessinger from Utah Insurance Group and he's been more than helpful in helping us along in this process. I've called him more times than I can count about questions, concerns, thoughts, etc and he's been extremely patient and informative.

I thought I'd share his company's website so that any others who are looking for help with their health, dental and life insurance needs would be able to have the best agent available to them too. :) We're actually changing our Whole Life Insurance policies we've had for the last 15 years over to Term Life Insurance. We'll get over three times the coverage for half the cost of what we're paying through work. Granted, it's term and won't accrue any cash value, but from all of the research I've done and the people I've called to talk to about it, Whole Life Insurance just doesn't make much sense when it comes to people like my husband and me.

So if you're in the insurance market, go ahead and check out Utah Insurance Group. I know it was definitely worthwhile for us!

Utah Insurance Group

Available when you are: 7AM-9PM Mon-Fri

Phone: 801.336.4295 Fax: 801.951.4974

Mailing Address: 1241 S 4350 W Syracuse, UT 84075

Website: www.utahinsurancegroup.com

Health Insurance--A Necessary Evil?

2012-09-10T14:46:00.000-06:00

Well, I believe I mentioned last week about how much our health insurance went up. This, of course happened at the same time as several other trials (can stuff just stop breaking? Nah! That'd mean you wouldn't need to buy new stuff and companies can't have that hurting their bottom lines!).

Anyway, I'll admit we seriously considered just going without health insurance period. I know some people are paying more than we are, but our share (with my hubby's employer paying half) is a little over $606 a month. The prescription benefits are crappy, our individual deductible is $1,000, the family deductible is $3,000 and honestly we just try not to use it unless it's for preventative because co-pays have gone up to $30 for a regular doctor and $50 for specialists. Our daughter's dislocated elbow that took 3 seconds to fix in the ER cost us $250. Yeah....not pretty.

We did try to qualify for UPP, but they've made it so difficult. Even though we met all the main criteria, we didn't qualify simply because we've already had the employer's insurance, so even if it was a new enrollment period and they had moved to a new plan (at a much higher rate) they said we'd have to not be on the employer's insurance before new enrollment starts and apply again during the next enrollment, period. Of all the stupid stipulations I've heard! Seriously?

But when it came down to it, we just couldn't make the jump to no insurance. Still, we can't afford to keep our current insurance. So we did some research down different avenues and ultimately decided to go out on our own with a high deductible plan with a Health Savings Account. We found a good agent who's helped us figure out the pros and cons of each plan and guided us in the right direction.

Our kids will be going on CHIP (something we'd never have even considered before the economy tanked). It'll take 90 days before they can go on it after our insurance is cancelled, which does make us a little nervous. We prefer the IHC facilities though and they have a financial assistance program for those who need it, so if an emergency occurs, we'll have to take advantage of that.

I haven't heard good things about State dental insurance, so we'll be getting our own plan for that too, for the whole family. Overall, this route is going to save us almost $400/month. That's nothing to sneeze at, for sure. We'll be able to find a use for that money easily!

I'll be honest that it's a little embarrassing to share some of these hardships with everyone here. There's always the chance that we'll be judged and found lacking. Oh well. I can't let my pride stop me from helping others out there who might need this information for their own families. We never asked for these things to happen. Five years ago we were living well and doing fine financially. Things changed--for a lot of people. We just have to make the best of it and survive how we can, I guess.

I am thankful though that my husband has been able to keep his job, even if his hours have significantly decreased. I know that there are those who have flat-out lost their jobs and their homes. We've managed, through the grace of God, to retain both. It's a miracle that with Bank of America's track record at the time of only 3% of people applying for the the government loan modifications receiving them, that we got a successful modification (not that I didn't fight tooth and nail for it~ Hah!).

So this will be a new experience for us. We prayed a lot before deciding on this course and I feel like we're making the right decision. Time will tell where it will go.

Tip of the day: Husking made easier!

2012-09-01T21:34:00.000-06:00

We've gotten a great crop of sweet corn this year, and I've been husking it with the kids like crazy in the last few weeks--either for dinner, or to preserve it in the freezer. The one thing that makes me crazy about corn is all that hair! It's a pain to get off the ears and then it gets everywhere else when you're done. You'd think it shouldn't be that hard to clean up, but it's just sticky enough to prove you wrong.

Norwex has come through again and made my life easier. I learned that the polishing side of the Veggie and Fruit Scrub Cloth is excellent for getting off those little hairs on the corn. Then, by chance I figured out that the Rubber Brush sweeps it all into a neat pile for easy clean-up. I decided to try the rubber brush trick after finding out how effective it was at removing the pet hair from the floor of our minivan.

So while I wouldn't go so far as to say that husking corn is now the highlight of my day, I would say it's not the chore it was before.

There's always something to be thankful for.....right?

2012-09-01T21:05:00.001-06:00

I have this plaque in my kitchen that I bought to remind myself that despite the trials in my life, I always have something for which I can be thankful. We've had a lot of trials in the last month that have had me repeating that mantra over and over again. Some days I sound more convincing than others.

I know everyone has their own difficulties going on in their lives, and that I'm certainly not being picked on (even though I might claim I feel that way on those truly awful days. Haha!) I decided I needed to call myself to task about this when I found myself talking to a very good friend about why I've been so anti-social lately. I told her I didn't want to make anyone else feel miserable by being around me during this very trying time. I'd rather just stay home, be with my family and stick my nose in a book that I know ends with a happily ever after! She had some encouraging things to say, but I was being bull-headed and didn't listen the way I should've. Thinking back over it though, I realized I need to pay more attention to those blessings in my life.

So despite the fact that our tank went out on our filtration system, and the sprayer is leaking on our drip line in the garden (again) and the recirculating pump broke on our water lines, my CPU went out on my laptop, our Health insurance went up nearly $100 a month (while the coverage went down) and our AC went out during the peak temperatures of summer--I need to remind myself how fortunate we are.

For one, I'm married to a plumber, so we only have to pay for parts on those plumbing issues. Two, we have wonderful friends who have helped us with our AC issues multiple times and only charged us for parts and donated their time. That's no small thing. Three, I have a home to live in. Four, I have a beautiful family. Having come from a....dysfunctional background, I know this is among the best of my blessings. Without my family I would be lost. And then, I have a Heavenly Father who loves me. Yes, I know He loves me. It might be something I struggle to remember when I'm in the middle of a rather nasty trial, but ultimately, I know it's true.

There are many other blessings I haven't mentioned here, but I know they exist. I just need to put them at the forefront of my mind and not let myself be trampled down during these trials that I know are meant to strengthen me. And maybe, some day, I'll be strong enough that I won't need any more trials! Yeah, yeah, I won't hold my breath! ;)

So how's the Norwex? And how about that writing?

2012-08-25T18:13:00.000-06:00

I know it's been a long time since I talked about what I've been doing with Norwex. I started selling in February of this year, and yes I'm still doing it. I've hesitated talking much about it, since I really wanted this site to remain personal, and not too sales-pitchy. That's just me :)

Anyway, I started out strong and had a great couple of months of lining up parties, making sales and have had some decent commissions come in. I also had some dud parties that cost me more than I made, but thankfully those were few and far between. I learned some lessons fast the hard way and I came to the conclusion that I'm a terrible sales person! Haha.

I still LOVE Norwex, and I believe in it 100%. I use it everywhere in my home and find it superior to anything else I've tried that's similar. That said, I just am not motivated enough to talk people into throwing parties for me. I can do it. I have done it. I just psych myself out that my friends, family and their friends and family are going to start screening their calls and avoiding me! Haha. Why do I fear that? Because I over-analyze EVERYTHING. And yes, I do mean everything.

Anyway, when I've put myself out there, I've done pretty well. I find that the more motivated I am, the better I explain things and the better my hostesses do. There is the occasional exception to this, but for the most part that's held true. I think I'll continue to do it, but to what degree, I'm not sure. I could see myself being successful with it and doing quite well financially, but that does have some drawbacks for me. The first drawback is that I'm definitely out of my comfort zone! Another is that I am less available to the kids and they hate that. It doesn't kill them though, much as they think so. And then there is that fact that I'm worried about the other dream I have going unfulfilled. Not that I've done much with that anyway. Okay, I'll admit it now, I'm a coward and have done little to nothing with that dream.

I'm filled constantly with all of these story ideas. They even keep me awake at times as I plot them out in my head. I should be running downstairs when that happens and start pounding away at the keys here. But I don't. Usually I'll just go take a Benedryl to knock myself out so I can sleep (hah!). It took me a while to admit why. I've said in the past that it's because don't have enough free time and I get cranky when I'm interrupted while writing (and that's certainly true), but I could still do it and just try harder to be patient to overcome those things. I've come to accept, as I've made myself think about it, that what the real issue here is that I'm afraid to fail. What if I'm not as good as I think I am? Or rather, as good as others have told me I am (and I so want to believe them)?

If I take the time to write those stories, and flesh them out into novels and nothing happens, then I feel like I've taken that time away from my family for nothing. I hate that idea. And I so don't want to let anyone down either. But then I keep telling myself that I'm letting them down by not following through with my dream. If you don't try, you already failed, right?

So now comes the question of which road to focus on, and how much time should be dedicated to each pursuit? Is it possible to balance family, writing and sales? Or does one of those things have to go? Obviously the family part is non-negotiable and I wouldn't want to lose that part of my life anyway (it's the best part!). For me, this isn't an easy decision. Any thoughts, ideas or motivating phrases for me? I can certainly use all I can get right now!

Summer, Where Did You Go?

2012-08-25T17:34:00.001-06:00

I can't believe how fast this summer has gone by! My kids start back in school in just over a week and I'm sure I'm among the minority when I say, "I'm NOT ready!"

It doesn't really feel like we even had a break with all the different activities we had going on. I can't even remember June, it's such a blur. We camped a lot in July, took the kids to the water park to use our Pass of All Passes when we got the chance, went to several parades since my son is in marching band, and so on. And now, here we are, nearly fall and I'm thinking I must be getting old because time is just flying by way too fast!

I remember when I was a kid and everything took FOREVER, especially when my mom would say, "just a minute." Haha! Back then I thought Christmas took ages to come back around again, that it was taking way too long for me to become a grown up (still not sure I'm there mentally) and that day at school felt like it lasted a lifetime.

And now, there's never enough time in the day! Christmas decorations are already out at Sam's Club (I noticed this yesterday. Really?!) and my babies aren't babies anymore! How did that happen? My oldest is turning fifteen in a month! My oldest girl is starting junior high, and that baby I brought home from the hospital is 2 and into everything! Yikes! Did I just age myself more? ;)

Anyway, the summer is coming to a close and I'm wishing we had more time to relax before jumping back to the daily grind of homework, games, parades, competitions, practices, etc. I think we tend to fill our days up with so much stuff, that it's nice to be able to wake up and say, "Hmmmm, I don't have to go anywhere today!"

Most of my friends on facebook are counting down the days til their kids are back in school and it makes me wonder if I'm just not as good at juggling all this stuff as they are. What about you? How do you feel about the impending school year? Got any tips on how to make it less stressful?

What is Success? My Definition Keeps Changing....

2012-05-05T09:04:00.001-06:00

What would you define as success? Is it following your dreams? Sticking to your plan? Accepting the changes life brings you whole-heartedly and changing your life map to make the most of what you have? I've found my definition has changed over the years.

Life is certainly a road that isn't without its bumps, forks in the road and sudden turns you didn't see coming. It certainly complicates things when you're not sure where your focus should lie. Much of the last 15 years my attention has been split between raising my family (whom I'm so blessed to have!) and writing. Most of the time (let's say 99%), family wins. It wasn't always that way, but it was a choice I made several years ago when I decided what was most important to me right now. I always tell myself that writing can come later. I'm just not a fun person when I get interrupted while deeply engrossed in creating my characters. Let's just leave it at that. Hah!

So I tell myself that when my youngest is in school, I'll have all the time I need to finish that book I started too long ago. Most days I'm okay with that. But I try to make up for it by coming here, or to HubPages, and doing articles. It's not as engrossing, and I can be interrupted without turning into a troll (that may be a little extreme, but you get the picture).

To scratch the itch I have of getting lost in a world of fiction, I lose myself in others' creations when I can (whether that be a TV show, movie or book). It's funny that I prefer to write real life things, but my reading preference is Fantasy. Maybe it's because I write what I know (and to exorcise a few demons from the past), so I prefer to be entertained by something less real....Anyway.....

Then there are days like today. I have this book (don't most of us wannabe writers?) I've been working on it for years. Okay, I'll be honest, the last few years I haven't touched it--only thought about it in frustration now and then. I have most of it plotted out in my mind. I know how I want most of it to go, but it just wasn't working for me. I couldn't figure it out. The idea came to me in a dream, but the resolution just wouldn't come that easily. I would sit in front of the computer and go back over it and over it. Some things were obvious and were cut the more experience I got (gotta love writing groups!). But the main character just didn't feel right to me. Then the demands of life and family became stronger and I just set it aside, not wanting to give up, but realizing I just couldn't do it right now.

This morning, after a late night up, I woke up bright and early this morning. I was trying to figure out why I wasn't still lost in the land of dreams when I realized I was thinking about my book. I started thinking of the main character and why she wasn't working and it came to me. Just like that. Sudden inspriration flooded my mind and I wanted to rush downstairs and start making changes that would help me run with this story. Then it hit me, my daughter has piano this morning, my other daughter has soccer right after lunch, my husband and son are out camping--and that leaves me in charge of the running.......You can see my dilema.

I'll just have to take some notes, I suppose. The day will come when I'll miss these days with my children. I know that. There are times I feel it already as the older ones become more independent, and I see them preparing to become the adults they'll soon be.

Until then, I'll try not to feel like I'm failing to use my talent; my gift. There are days when I get to dust it off and help the kids with a fiction project for English. I just have to remember during those times that it's their story, not mine! ;)

I guess my point is, I've had to change my definition for success. I haven't yet accomplished all I set out to do. But then I hadn't ever dared to hope I'd have all that I have now. I'm still young...ish--it's never too late to do those things I initially set out to do. But until then, I can't discount all I've done up to now. My life is full and so is my heart.

Blah Days

2012-03-06T15:52:00.001-07:00

microsoft office clip art

I'm more than ready for spring time. I find that when the sky is overcast, the weather is cold and I hide indoors from the gloom that my mood is just.....BLAH! It's those days I feel moody, contrary and don't seem to accomplish even half of my to-do list. Sometimes playing upbeat tunes on the radio works wonders, but I haven't attempted that lately because my one year old has decided that it's fun to turn the stereo off every time I turn it on. If only I could find an out of reach place to move it! Haha!

Anyway, I think once I can get outside and do some yard work in the sunshine, I'll feel ever so much better! I can't wait to start working in my garden again. We're going to attempt some new things this year, so I'm excited to see how it will all turn out.

Also, hubby is wanting to get more chicks. Now that it's so cold outside, and they've started molting (losing feathers before regrowing new ones), we aren't getting near as many eggs. In the summer time we had so many, we were selling quite a few. Now there are some days where we get two or three, or even none. We'll see though, I'm not sure about raising more chicks right now, since I've got my hands extra full at the moment with life, kids and Norwex.

I did have one hiccup come up in that I accidently scheduled a party during my son's band concert. I can't believe I did that! I've been so good about writing things down, but somehow I missed that one! Thankfully I've got someone to tape it for me so I can watch it later. I don't want to miss that.

Anyway, I know I've got lots to be thankful for, even on the "blah" days. I wouldn't trade the blessings in my life for anything!

Does Parenting Get Any Easier?

2012-03-05T12:51:00.001-07:00

Well, I've been a parent for over 14 years now. My kids are still functional, so I guess I haven't been a complete failure, right? I like to think I'm a pretty good mom. I have good relationships with each of my kids and they come to me to talk about things that bother them, or even if they're just curious about something. I've tried to be more parent than friend--though I do laugh, joke around and enjoy hanging out with my children.

Still, there are times when I want to pull my hair out in frustration in those hard parenting moments. You know the ones I'm talking about? The times when your kids decide to test those boundaries and you have to be the bad guy. Or the other times when you're trying to guide them down the right path and it's a lot harder than you or they thought it was going to be.

Lately I've been feeling like the bad guy quite a bit. My teenager hasn't had much time for fun lately with all the work he's been doing to try and keep his grades up. He's a great kid. I know I can trust him (though that doesn't stop me from checking up on him now and then, just to make sure he's still doing okay). Anyway, this weekend has got me thinking and wondering if I'm doing right by him when I'm pushing him to get his reading done, to get that extra credit in, study, get is music practice in, do the corrections in the classes that will let him fix his work to get a better score and so on.....

He came home on Friday and did his chores (That's the day we have the kids do the majority of the house cleaning so that it doesn't interfere much with homework) and then went to his friend's house to work on a science project. Four hours after going to his friend's he still wasn't done and wanted to know if he could go back another day to work on it. I told him he had a pretty full week with his band concert, homework and catching up on his book-pages for English, so that probably wasn't possible. He ended up staying at his friend's house and working on the project all night. They got about 3 hours of sleep, I found out later when I went to go see the progress they made on the project the next day. I felt bad for telling him he needed to get it done that day when I saw how elaborate the project they were doing was. It looked awesome!

Anyway, he made plans to go straight from doing that project to going to another friend's house to do a history extra credit assigment. They worked on that for a few hours and then he read about 100 pages of his book pages, making it so he was only 500 behind instead of 600 (they have to read 1,000 pages per term and he fell behind due to his struggles in the geometry chapter of his Pre-Algebra class). He asked if he could go do something fun for a while and I thought of those 500 pages that still needed to get done in less than two weeks and hesitated. I did end up giving him the go-ahead though. He came back that night saying he didn't feel very good, but rather than going to bed and getting a good night's sleep, he stayed up another hour until midnight playing Xbox with his dad (the first time he'd been able in several days).

He woke up yesterday really sick and congested. He had to use both of his inhalers for the first time in a long time so he could breath (he has asthma). I told him to stay home from church and rest. I felt really guilty. I want him to have a good work ethic and learn that working hard will pay off, but I also want him to have time to be a kid, because that's what he is. It's so hard to find the balance there and with my 11 year old turning 12 in a few months and heading for junior high in the fall, I'm wondering if I'll ever find that right balance.

I want my kids to have time for fun, but I also want them to know that they need to be able to work hard to get to where they want to be in life. The competition for colleges and jobs is so much more fierce than it was when I was their age. I just want them to be prepared. I don't know.....hopefully one day I'll figure it all out, hopefully sooner than later! I don't want anyone working themselves sick.

What about you other parents out there? Have you got it figured out yet? I'd love to hear from you!

I'm "Norwexing" Everywhere!

2012-03-05T12:14:00.001-07:00

So since I became an independent consultant for Norwex, I decided I needed to really get to know all of their products better. I'm not going to tell someone something is great and that it works unless I have reliable testimonials about it first--and what better testimonial is there than one's own?

It's been a productive time for me over the last few weeks, and the Norwex products I got have been put to the test over and over again. So far they're coming out way ahead. Yay! With all the cleaning up (damage control?) I've been doing, you'd think that my hands would be trashed (or you would if you knew my issue with "housewife's eczema" after a day of heavy-duty cleaning). But my hands have never been better, especially for it being the dry, cold months here--I'm not missing those chemicals at all!

Anyway, I've gotten purple sharpie (permanent marker for those who don't already know) out of my cream sofa, cleaned up my 4 year old's "art" off my kitchen hutch, gotten the rust and other build-up off the shower that wouldn't come off with the other cleaners I'd tried, cleaned my friend's son's "art" off her cabinets and sofa and the scuff marks off her door. I did it all while laughing about how easy it was coming off. Usually after incidents like this, I'd be as horrified as the next parent over our kiddies' art projects around the house, but this gave me lots of before and after pictures. My only regret is that I didn't think to take pictures until after the first few tests. I think I'm going to need a camera with me at all times now. Haha!

I cleaned this door off using the micro hand pads. It's like a magic eraser, only it doesn't dull your paint finish, doesn't cause burns on the skin and it didn't crumble at all while I was using it.

This sofa took only a minute to clean off using a damp envirocloth. That's also what I used to clean off the purple sharpie on my sofa (I soooooo wish I'd thought to take pictures of that one too!).

My 4 year old claims my one year old drew this....hmmmmmmm......not buying it! In any case, it took literally seconds to clean it off with the micro hand pad :)

Yeah, I'm not proud of the way this shower looks. I'd tried other products like scrubbing bubbles, Clorox and things of that nature.

I'm so embarrassed! At least I can say it was great for a before picture, right?

I used the Norwex bathroom scrub mitt, cleaning paste and some descaler. The cleaning paste took off most of it, but the descaler took off the little bit that was left behind. It was awesome to see that rust disappear!

There are other products I've fallen in love with, but I'll talk about those later. You can find out more about these environmentally friendly products on my website here. I'm no where near done testing all the products out though. I'm actually looking forward to doing more of these tests. For once, cleaning has been almost fun! ;-)

Getting Personal is Easier Said than Done

2012-02-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

Not long ago I talked to you all about sharing more of my life. I asked the question "How personal is too personal?" And based on some conversations I had with friends, family and readers (via facebook), I had decided I would go ahead and start writing some of that.

Well, turns out that isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I felt almost like I was stripping naked in a room full of strangers! Eeek! I spent a few hours typing, back-spacing, typing again, back-spacing more, etc...all while getting interrupted numerous times by my munchkins. I started two articles on Hubpages and both sit there today unfinished and unpublished.

It's hard sharing some of those life-defining moments that helped shape me into the person I am today. If I put it out there, I do believe my experiences can help others. But I also know I am making myself a target for some. Does that bother me? I'd be lying if I said it didn't to some degree. I do think I will end up finishing those articles, but I now understand that it's not as easy as talking to a person about it one on one. When talking to someone in person, I've decided that person is ready (or I hope they are) to know those things about me that most would never guess. When publishing my experiences on a public forum, well, I have no control where that goes or who sees it or how they take it. I guess I kind of knew that going into this, but thinking about it while writing makes me more careful about choosing my words.

So anyway, one day, hopefully soon, I'll find the right words and the courage to finish those articles and put them up for all to see. Until then, this will have to be enough :) God bless!

Big Things Are Happening!

2012-02-23T15:15:00.001-07:00

Many of you know I've been been exploring money-making opportunities over the last few years. I've also talked about ways to save money and "Go Green." I've been wanting to talk about my latest endeavor for weeks, but made myself wait to see how things panned out first. I tend to be skeptical (though I prefer the term "realistic") about a lot of things, especially when it comes to making money. I don't believe in "Get Rich Quick" schemes and I tend to believe that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

Well, a few weeks ago a friend of mine invited me to a party. Actually, she invited me to 3 parties total. I really didn't want to go. It was a home sales type thing and I just don't get into that. I've tried Avon and ended up spending more than I made (that and I had a really hard time pushing the cosmetics because I felt like I was telling people they needed those products because they weren't attractive they way they looked now! Hah!) Anyway, I avoided things like pampered chef, tupperware, the jewelry parties and all of that. I felt that people could easily get by without these things and couldn't bring myself to convince them they needed them, though I do believe that many of these companies do make good products overall.

These parties I was trying to avoid were for Norwex. I finally went to one after my friend called me several times on the day of the 3rd party. I told her that even if I went, not to expect anything because I just don't get into things like this. She said that was fine, and just hoped I would come and see what it was all about. Well, I did, and it changed my mind in a big way!

Norwex is all about earth-friendly, chemical free and effective products. They have a micro-fiber cloth infused with micro-silver (which never launders out of the cloth) that does incredible things. I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it. It does these things using the cloth and water. I watched butter being wiped off a mirror and within seconds that mirror was more streak-free than anything I've ever seen using various cleaners and many paper towels. I watched it wipe up all trace of a raw chicken breast in seconds and it doesn't transfer that nastiness over when you take that same cloth and clean another area. Incredible!

Anyway, I don't want to sound like an infomercial. Needless to say I was impressed. I saw myself getting rid of my sanitizing cleaners, using much fewer paper towels and getting my cleaning done much faster with less headache. I also saw myself being able to talk about these products with friends without feeling like I was pushing something unnecessary on them. I felt so good about what I learned of this company, that a few weeks after that party, I signed up to be a consultant with them.

This is a great opportunity for those looking to make extra money to supplement lost income, or even to become their main income. It's not without effort though. You have to put yourself out there to be successful. You have to be comfortable talking with people, or at least seem like you're comfortable ;-)

Norwex talks about honesty and integrity in their core values--something that impressed me. They're generous to work for, they're generous to their party hostesses too! They also back up what they sell, which is a huge deal for me.

So how has this worked out for me? Well, so far I've done very well and am already coming out ahead in the expense/profit aspect. I've got several avenues I can explore to take this further and I'm getting more and more excited the more I use the products I'm now selling. Win-win!

If you want more information on Norwex and their products, feel free to check out my website: nelliebutler.norwex.biz.

Scammers, Scammers Everywhere!

2012-02-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

Nowhere is safe anymore! We've been looking for a car the last few weeks, because my husband's truck is just not good enough on gas for his daily commute to work and we can't afford to keep using it as a commuter vehicle. So we thought we'd look for a "beater" car we could pay cash for from our tax refund, and started our search in the online classifieds.

There were several cars listed in our price range, but some of them jumped out at us because they were in great condition, had low miles and they were priced way below one would expect. I know sometimes people are desperate to sell and will therefore take a loss, but when I saw several of the sellers were taking a $2000 loss on a $3000 car, or a $3000 loss on $4500 car, that seemed a little too good to be true. But there was still a part of me that was hoping that maybe this was legit. I mean, they had several pictures posted for the car, had all the details a person would want to know, and even admitted to a few tiny dings....So I looked for a phone number. There wasn't one. I couldn't find a contact name either. I could only contact the seller via email. Well, that got my suspicion up even more. I was sure at this point that something was up, but I couldn't just let it go. I had to see what this person would say if I expressed interest.

I sent an email saying simply "When can we come look at the car?" The next day I got a deeply personal sounding response:

The 2001 Ford Focus SE is in perfect condition, no electric problems, no accidents/liens/loans. No scratches, never been repainted. Ihave all the car manuals, title,documents. I'm selling this car because my child of only 23 died 4 months ago in a car accident,a drunk driver hit him and his fiancee. He was with his fiance's car coming to our home at his little brother birthday of 15 years old. The car belonged to my son and it brings me bad memories and that's the reason I want to sell it. The last price is $1,500. Me and my husband travel a lot with our business and we want to make this deal through eBay's Buyer Protection Program. I just need your full name,full shipping address, home/cell # so I can open a case.(with no further obligation or fees).eBay will contact you with all the Transaction/shipping details you will need.We will take care of the shipping so don't worry.
We hope to hear soon from you.

P.S. For more pictures please click the link
http://www.use.com/599b37d25b69b92b5cee

Thank you for your interest!Ella and Ben Genton

Also you have here some details about the Focus:
Mileage: 84,300 miles
Vehicle title: Clear
Engine: 2.0L L4 PFI SOHC 8V
Transmission type: Automatic

Well, it turns out I had read up on this type of scam, and knew what would follow. They would require that I wire them the money, and then they would say the car would be shipped. There is no car to ship. Also, eBay states clearly on their website that they do not allow wire-transfers. So you'll be out the money and have no car to show for it.

Anyway, don't fall for a deal like this. Remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is! There are ways to get a car that is affordable, and often you can find those deals on classified sites. But never pay for a car you haven't seen from someone you don't know. Don't wire money to a stranger. When you find the scams, report them. And if you're looking for more tips on buying a car, you can read my article on Hubpages here.

Awesome Deal on the Pass of All Passes

2012-02-09T15:34:00.001-07:00

I've talked about the Pass of All Passes before, and at that time it was a really good deal. Today though, until 8pm, it's an AWESOME deal! We love this pass. You not only get a season pass for Seven Peaks Water Park (both locations), but you also get access to various sporting events for free, as well as Fun Centers. Right now you can get these passes for under $20! If you live in Northern Utah, you can't pass this deal up.

Here's what's included:

The Utah Pass of all Passes includes the following per person:

- Admission to Seven Peaks Salt Lake Waterpark on normal days (and hours) of operation

- Admission to Seven Peaks Provo Waterpark on normal days (and hours) of operation

- Unlimited use of the following attractions at Trafalga Fun Center in Orem: Mini Golf, Blacklight Mini Golf, Slick Track, XD Theater, and Batting Cages.

- Unlimited use of the following attractions at Trafalga Fun Center in Lehi: Mini golf, Blacklight Mini Golf, Laser Tag, Rock Climbing, Slick Track, Bumper Boats, Rush Coaster, Carousel, Kiddie Area, Pirate Ship Ride, Plane Ride, and Lighthouse Ride.

- Unlimited bowling Monday - Thursday at new the new Seven Peaks Fun Center (formerly Karen Pullman's) in Sandy, UT - Now Open!

- One Lift Ticket per person per day to Wolf Mountain Ski Resort from 9 am-4 pm on certain dates (see details below)

- General Admission seating to select Utah Blaze Home Games (Dates to be announced)

- General Admission seating to select Utah Grizzlies Home Games (see details below)

- Unlimited general admission tickets to all Orem Owlz Home Baseball games (see details below)

- Unlimited general admission tickets to all Ogden Raptors Home Baseball games (see details below)

- Unlimited general admission to all Utah Valley University sporting events

- General admission to the Peaks Ice Arena on certain dates (see details below)

Terms and Conditions

*Seven Peaks Waterpark, Salt Lake (formerly Raging Waters):

Grants admission on normal days (and hours) of operation

Also includes exclusive hours for all Pass of All Pass holders from 9:30 – 11:00 AM before the park opens to the public at 11:00 AM!

www.sevenpeaks.com

*Seven Peaks Waterpark, Provo:

Grants admission on normal days (and hours) of operation

Also includes exclusive hours for all Pass of All Pass holders from 9:30 – 11:00 AM before the park opens to the public at 11:00 AM!

www.sevenpeaks.com

*Trafalga Fun Center, Orem:

Grants unlimited use of the following attractions:

-Unlimited Mini Golf

-Unlimited Blacklight Mini Golf

-Unlimited Slick Track

-Unlimited XD Theater

-Unlimited Batting Cages

-Does not include arcade tokens

www.trafalga.com

*Trafalga Fun Center, Lehi:

Grants unlimited use of the following attractions:

-Unlimited Mini Golf

-Unlimited Laser Tag

-Unlimited Rock Climbing

-Unlimited Blacklight Mini Golf

-Unlimited Slick Track

-Unlimited Bumper Boats

-Unlimited Rush Coaster

-Unlimited Carousel

-Unlimited Kiddie Area

-Unlimited Pirate Ship Ride

-Unlimited Plane Ride

-Unlimited Lighthouse Ride

-Does not include game cards or arcade tokens

www.trafalga.com

*Wolf Mountain Resort (Skiing/snowboarding):

Grants one lift ticket per person per day to the resort from 9 AM – 4 PM, Monday-Wednesday on dates below (pending snow conditions):

- February 6-15, 2012

- March 5-21, 2012

www.wolfcreekutah.com/the-mountain.php

*Utah Blaze (Football):

Grants general admission seating to (3) home games (one ticket per home game per pass, game dates to be announced):

Location: Energy Solutions Arena, 301 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

www.utahblaze.com

*Utah Grizzlies (Hockey):

Grants general admission seating to (4) home games

- February 15, 2012

Location: 3200 Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City, UT 84119

www.utahgrizzlies.com

*Orem Owlz (Baseball):

Grants unlimited general admission tickets (one per home game per pass)

Location: Brent Brown Ballpark, University Parkway at I-15, Orem, UT

www.oremowlz.com

*Ogden Raptors (Baseball):

Grants unlimited general admission tickets (one per home game per pass)

Location: Lindquist Field on Lincoln Avenue, Ogden, UT

http://ogden.raptors.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t530

*Utah Valley University Sports:

Grants unlimited general admission tickets to all UVU sporting events (one per home game per pass)

www.wolverinegreen.com

*Peaks Ice Arena:

Grants general admission for ice skating during normal public hours on the following dates:

- March 26 - May 26, 2012

www.peaksarena.com

*Seven Peaks Fun Center Bowling:

Grants unlimited admission for bowling Monday - Thursday

7984 South 1300 East, Sandy, UT

(formerly Karen Pullman's)

*Seating to all sporting events is first-come, first-served.*

We've gotten our money's worth out of our passes and jumped on the opportunity to renew them when they offered this deal a few months ago. This is only the second time I've seen it this cheap, so I'd grab it while it's available! You can find it here.

Income Tax Time!

2012-01-28T21:32:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again. Time for all of us to file our taxes and hope for a great return. This year we were disappointed to find out that we just barely fell short of the medical deduction. Bummer. We did find other deductions we qualifed for though and ended up with a better return that we thought we'd get, so it was all good in the end!

For the last ten or so years we've filed our taxes with Holman's Tax Service. They're a family business based in Brigham City, Utah and they come to our home. You'd think this would cost an arm and a leg. In fact, they are the best deal we've found! Heaven knows that before we discovered them, we spent way too much going to other tax preparers. We even tried doing our own taxes once (not something I'd want to repeat, as I'm sure there were things we missed that could've benefited us).

Anyway, based on our high praise of these guys, several family and friends have also started using Holman's. I highly recommend them, and challenge others to find a more honest, hard working, personable and AFFORDABLE tax accountant. It wouldn't be easy.

So if you're looking for someone to prepare your tax return this year, but don't want to break the bank, give them a call. Tell them Nellie Butler sent you!

Holman Tax Service
130 N 200 E, Brigham City, UT 84302
(435) 723-8764

These Times Are Tough

2012-01-28T21:14:00.001-07:00

I won't sugar-coat it. The last year has been a hard one for my family financially. We've learned many ways to cut costs, which have been great, but in the last four years, we've lost $20,000/year of our income. Not an easy thing thing to recover from, by any means. We've made more than a few mistakes along the way, but so far, with God's help, we've made it this far. Against all odds we were even able to successfully modify our mortgage.

So now I'm looking even more into ways to earn some extra income. It's not so easy to sniff out those legitimate opportunities. On the plus-side, my traffic is picking up on Hubpages, Which means I should get my first check next month. I can't wait.

I've decided to write more articles there, and thought I might do some more personal ones--memoir, or personal essay style. The only thing is, I can't decide how personal to make them. I know that not everyone cares to read about others' trials. But I also know there are others out there with similar experiences who might want to see how someone else has made it through those hard times. But some of the trials I've gone through......well, they're not the usual things people will discuss.

How personal is too personal?

Is there a line that shouldn't be crossed when relating memories from the past? I called my mom and asked her how she felt about this. She's always been very supportive of my writing, and also helped me to not repress those emotions that come from things experienced in the past. She thought it was a good idea, but said to be careful about how much I share. I'm sure there's a balance there, as there is in most things (if not all things) in life. With God's help, I'll find it.

Say it Ain't Broke!

2011-12-13T14:34:00.003-07:00

Okay, before I get started--yes, I'm fully aware that's not proper English! Haha!

So last week I was using my laptop (in fact I think I had just finished doing a post here), when all of the sudden it started making a horrible rattling sound. My heart stopped as I stared at it in horror, both waiting for and fearing what would happen next. When the noise continued, I hurriedly shut it off and set it down. I looked around for some assurance that I didn't hear what I just thought I heard. It's nearly Christmas, my laptop can't be broken now! How inconvenient--not to mention potentially expensive!

The only one who could offer any assurance was my one year old....and let me tell you, I wasn't all that comforted by her toothy grin at that moment. I picked my laptop up, gave it a gentle shake to see if there was anything rattling around in there and heard nothing. Hmmm....curious. So I took a deep breath and pushed the button to turn it back on. I started to let out a sigh of relief when it came on, with none of the awful rattling that prompted me to shut it off in the first place.

Well, that relief was short-lived. A message popped up saying that there was a dysfunction with my fan and if I continued to use my computer it would blow up in my face and all would be lost forever! Okay, okay, so it didn't word it exactly like that, but that's about what I got from it. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd already had the fan replaced six months ago. It just figures that it would go out again, now that the warranty was up LAST MONTH! Ugh!

I knew that sending it to the manufacturer with no warranty was going to cost mega-bucks. I don't have mega bucks. I don't even almost have mega bucks. After much hmm-ing and hah-ing, I decided to check on KSL classifieds. I mean, you can find just about anything on there. There had to be a repairman for sale right? You know what I mean....

Turns out there were multiple listings for computer repair. I narrowed down the search to my area and found one in my very town. That's when those cautionary tales started to come to mind. How did I know this stranger I was about to call could really fix my laptop? Just because he called his company Computer Nerds Consulting didn't necessarily mean I should trust him with my computer, right? Well, I figured I would call, get a feel for the person while talking to them about my laptop issue and then decide if I felt comfortable going that route.

Turns out I was in good hands. Funny enough I'd called a friend of ours whom I didn't know repaired computers in his spare time. Anyway, we had a good laugh about the fact that I hadn't recognized his number when calling it (or his voice when he answered said number), and then he assured me that he could indeed fix my laptop.

Well, I now have my laptop back and it's working better than ever (no more overheating either). I thought I should share my good fortune in finding an affordable and trustworthy computer repairman with others who find themselves in my shoes. They service Utah Valley to Salt Lake Valley all the way to Bear River Valley from east to west (to quote their website). The best part? They come to you at no extra charge! Oh, and they also say that if you're outside of their service area to still give them a call to see if they can help you.

You really won't find more affordable--and more importantly--trustworthy hands to fix your device. Oh and they help with other things too, check out their website for more information.

So if you are in need of some help, give them a call:

Computer Nerds Consulting
http://compnerds.webs.com
801-698-9317
Comp.Nerds@digis.net

Even Better than I Thought

2011-12-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

So as you may remember, we decided to get rid of our satellite service to save some money. We went ahead and ordered the Netflix streaming service too after a while. The verdict? We love it! We don't do the DVD plan with it, because really, we already have quite the collection as it is--and also, they've raised their price on the combo from what it used to be (which was only two dollars extra if you subscribed to both streaming and DVDs, but now the price is double at $15.98).

We've discovered new series to watch, as well as got to catch up on episodes we'd missed out on with old favorites. Our new favorite is Psych. Too funny! We try to watch an episode each week together if we can. There's also some old movie favorites they offer on there too. They're not always the more popular movies you hear about, but we've found a lot of good ones nonetheless.

As for the new episodes of any series that we can't get through Netflix yet, we can usually find those on the network websites. It's free to watch, but the downside is that we do have to watch the commercials. Perish the thought! Yeah, I remember the day when that was a given. Oh how DVR has spoiled us over the years!

I hadn't realized how satisfied I was with the way things worked out until this week when Dish Network started calling us to get us to come back. Keep in mind that we were happy with their service for the most part, and they were very generous with the discounts because I'd call them and remind them that I was a longtime customer (about 10 years long!) and ask for them to give me a better deal. They would every time. I always had a discount on my bill. In fact, I even wrote an article letting people know how they could do that themselves. You can find it on Hubpages here.

Anyway, I wasn't even tempted to go back. The kids are happy with what's available to them on Netflix. Hubby gets to watch all those History Channel shows he loves so much and I get to find all those romantic British period pieces based on the novels I've loved and even many that I didn't know about. Win-Win!

Oh, and I thought I should mention that Hulu is another option you can look into for new episodes for many TV shows. It's free to use their regular service, or they even have a paid service that offers even more called Hulu Plus. I've only ever used the free service though.

So I just thought I'd let you know how great it's been working out for us. Maybe I've even inspired some of you who looking to save some money to make that jump too.

The Throw-away Box

2011-09-22T10:25:00.001-06:00

My 3 youngest children getting ready
for the day....sort of!

As you can imagine, having five children can create a lot of work around the house. Things can get out of control rather quickly if I don't stay on top of things, and getting sick can be a way to turn the house into a disaster area!

Since it can be a lot to handle for me, and because I believe in teaching my children responsibility which they can carry with them into adulthood, I've come up with several tools to get a handle on the mess. The latest tool is "The Throw-away Box." Doesn't that just make you cringe? No? That's okay, it's not meant to make you cringe, but I hope it gets my children's attention!

Believe it or not, it's easier for me to keep the house clean during the times school isn't in session. The kids all know what they have to do so they can hang out with friends, play video games or other such things. So they generally accomplish this at the start of the day and then do their fun things after they're finished.

During the school year, however, the older kids are so bombarded with homework, projects, music practice, sports and activities of that nature that they just come in, throw off their backpacks, take out all their papers, books, instruments, etc; take off shoes and socks and any jackets they may be wearing, run for a snack and then dig in to their homework/lessons/practice, etc.

So regardless of how clean the house is before they get home, it quickly looks like a tornado hit it within the first 15 minutes of them being home. I tried to keep up, but it just made me grumpy. Imagine that! So I decided that even though they have other work to do outside of home, that shouldn't exempt them from cleaning up after themselves! Right? Of course! I don't imagine they'll have a maid with them at college, so they better learn this lesson now.

Here's where "The Throw-away Box" comes in. After a long day of canning and all that entails, and taking care of my younger two children, I was exasperated to watch my freshly picked-up living room become littered in the flurry of my returning school children.

"That's it!" I said. "No more!"

They momentarily stopped in the process of shoveling papers out of their packs and discarding them willy-nilly, to look at their wild-eyed mother. But those wide-eyed, innocent looks weren't going to stop me from laying down the law.

"Tyler, go get me a box." I commanded my teenager.

"A box?" He asked, clearly confused.

"Yes, a box," I affirmed. When he came back with it, I set it down in the middle of the mess in my living room. "You see this box? This is where everything that I find out of place is going to go." I started to pick up their belongings and shoved them in the box.

"Okay." My seven year old didn't seem bothered by this one bit. The older two just watched me warily.

"I'm not finished," I told them. "If, by the end of the day, your things are still in the box, I will assume you no longer want or need them and will take them out to the trash. No exceptions, no second-chances."

They all look horrified and immediately started to grab for the items that I'd already put in the box. I stopped them for a moment to add one last warning: "And if I find any of those items that you've taken out of the box out of place again, they will go straight to the trash. Understand?"

They all ran to put their things where they belonged and at the end of the day, the box was empty. Does that mean I haven't had to put things in the box since then? No. It's only been a few days of this new rule, and so far they've been catching their items before they end up in the trash, but haven't quite stopped them from making it into the box in the first place. On the plus side, the box hasn't been getting as full as it did the first day. Progress? I like to think so!

Anyway, we'll see how this goes. Somewhere we need to find the right balance of work for everyone. School can be demanding, and so can the other activities the kids have going on. That's why I limit their extra-curriculars so they don't get so bogged down. But with five children, that still makes for a full schedule most weeks.

So what do you think? Am I just a mean mom? Or maybe some think I'm a pushover? Haha! What do you do in your family? I'd love to hear your ideas and solutions!

Get rid of Garden Pests Naturally

2011-09-21T13:45:00.004-06:00

I've never really considered myself an environmentalist, though I do believe in being responsible. What we do today affects future generations, so I do agree it is important to think about that when making decisions that have an effect on our planet. I try to balance being green without pushing our family decisions on our friends and neighbors.

Anyway, this year we faced a few pests during our gardening ventures. Some of them were recognized and returning foes (such as squash bugs), some were newly recognized problems (like aphids) and some were new and terrible surprises (more on that in a moment).

The squash bugs are my sworn enemy. They feast on the juices of my zucchini and pumpkin plants, while at the same time poisoning them. They mate constantly too, causing their numbers to explode if you don't catch them quickly. Last year was the first time we encountered them and I scrambled for a way to get rid of them.

I nearly went the pesticide route, but a combination of not really wanting that on my fruits and veggies and also considering that one of our neighbors has bees made me change my mind. Instead I squished any bug I found immediately (and tried to ignore the pungent odor that filled the air afterwards) and destroyed the eggs I found on the undersides of the leaves. I think the presence of a garden snake might've helped to push things in our favor too. Keeping ahead of these bugs was tedious, but eventually, the balance was restored and only one of our plants wasn't able to recover.

This year I only found a few squash bugs and killed them immediately, so it wasn't a big deal. Unfortunately, the aphids took their place. I first found those nasty little aphids on our plum tree, which I treated with a mixture of Dawn, canola oil and water to kill the buggers. We saved the tree, but didn't get any fruit from it this year. Next year, we'll know what to look for and nip them in the bud sooner. The aphids caused the leaves to shrivel and curl, and when I uncurled the leaves I found dozens of them hiding there.

Then the aphids made their way to my zucchini. Yes, that squash seems to be a favorite among pests. I actually noticed some lady bugs hanging about, along with some damsel flies and lacewings, so I decided to see what would happen. Those beneficial bugs won out and I finally got to harvest some squash without so much as a single drop of pesticide. Turns out you can order these beneficial bugs on the internet or they may even be carried at your local greenhouse if you find that they're in short supply in your yard.

I feel good about the way we handled these pests because I know we haven't harmed any of our pollinating friends, especially the honeybee! This is no small thing considering the current plight we're facing with the vanishing bee population due to Colony Collapse Disorder. The current data points to pesticides (especially systemics) as a possible culprit, and yet despite the compelling evidence, many of these pesticides are still being used liberally. Well, not by our family :)

If you want to know more about this, we recently watched an excellent documentary on the subject called Vanishing of the Bees and they have a great website where you can find more about it.

And finally, there is the nasty surprise we got in our corn crop this year. I kept finding knocked over stalks and partially eaten cobs of corn littering the ground each morning when I went out to the garden. I couldn't figure out what was causing this problem, so I decided to research it. Turns out it was raccoons. So not only did we have to be careful of them getting into our chicken coop, but we also had to keep them out of our garden. We were able to get rid of them successfully, so I decided to write an article about it on HubPages: How to Keep Raccoons out of a Garden. Hopefully it will help others who encounter the same problem. I never knew raccoons could be so troublesome until this last year. At least we figured out how to handle it without too much trouble.

Well, I just thought I'd share what we learned this year. Hopefully it will help some of you out there facing the same pests!

Garden Goodies!

2011-09-21T12:39:00.001-06:00

We've been gardening for several years now with mixed success. Our very first garden was amazing, and it's what got us hooked to begin with. Tasting those home grown tomatoes and cucumbers was heavenly and addictive! Nothing from the store has been able to match up since!

When we moved to our home six years ago, we had to start everything from scratch. Our soil was terrible, but we didn't realize how terrible until we tried to grow stuff in it. Then there was the matter of the weed field behind us. It makes for a nice view (strange that it would, but it really does), but the seeds blowing constantly into our garden area made for poor turn out in crops. There were so many weeds growing at once that it was impossible to keep up the large garden area we'd planted.

Some of our neighbors, upon learning of our troubles, told us about a product called plastic mulch. It's not really mulch, persay, but a very thin sheeting used for agricultural purposes that keeps the weeds from growing up, but lets your garden plants thrive. Last year we used it with great results, though our soil still wasn't up to par (but it was much improved from throwing in our compost and yard clippings).

We continued to condition the soil and used the plastic mulch again this year and the results have been amazing!!! I've canned a lot of salsa and have the makings to do even more.

I've got enough cucumbers that I've started giving them away by the bag. We had about thirty or so melons, and even though our family loves and eats them like crazy, I've not had to buy any for quite a while and don't think I will have to for the rest of the year because I'll be able to cut up and freeze all the extra we have.

I've made a lot of tomato sauce and will be canning even more due to our enormous crop of tomatoes (we did multiple varieties and have lots for snacking too).

I'm thinking of doing some vegetable juice in the next week or so, since it will give us more of a variety in the pantry.

Our pumpkins have really taken off too. I have more than enough for all those pumpkin cookies and pies I love so much. I'm going to have to figure out some more uses for them! We did the Orange Smoothie variety, which like the Sugar pumpkins, are the best for baking needs because they aren't as stringy and are more dense than the carving pumpkins used at Halloween.

We also jumped into growing our own herbs this year with gusto! We've got sage, chives, oregano, and basil. We plan to do even more next year, since we discovered how easy and delicious it is to grow our own. I dry the leaves in my dehydrator and then grind them up. It's better than store bought and it's much cheaper too!

Besides all of that, I've been making peach, apricot and berry jams and syrup. We go through a lot of that around here, so it makes sense to make it so we don't have to buy it. Plus, we know what goes into it and it's much tastier than anything on the market.

Though I feel extremely blessed with the bounty the Lord has given us, I have to admit that I'm more than a little overwhelmed at times. Believe it or not, it was easier to do the canning when the kids were out of school because 1) I had helpers who wanted to learn 2) I had someone to talk to during the long process of seeding and chopping all those peppers and tomatoes 3) I didn't have to worry as much about schedules.

I've gotten a lot of my canning recipes for free on Pick Your Own and The National Center for Home Food Preservation. Then I also have Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving and Canning and Preserving for Dummies for even more recipes, procedures and ideas.

Anyway, I am thankful for all that we've been given and for the ability to be able to preserve so much and save my family money in the long run!

A Way to Get Freebies

2011-09-21T11:48:00.000-06:00

I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice the rising prices of groceries over the last year or so. It seems crazy to me that wages are frozen, jobs openings are down, and yet prices of food and services continue to rise. It's because of this that so many have started couponing.

There are so many sites out there that can help you find all those deals out there, so I won't go into that part of things. But I will tell you about a site you can join that will occasionally send you out coupons for free products or large value coupons to try products on the market (like salads, fruit snacks, breakfast foods and laundry products to name a few). If you haven't already, think about joining Vocal Point.

I joined up about two years ago, and haven't regretted it. I'm not as active in the forums over there as I could be, since I have my hands pretty full as it is. But I still get clued in on the freebies and other offers they have going on. They give you a place to talk about what you like and don't like about the products you're buying too. This is so the consumer can point the manufacturers in the right direction when making products.

And no, I don't get paid or rewarded for referring anyone there. I'm just here to help those like me who are always looking for ways to save. Though if they offered to pay me, I'd hardly turn them down! Haha! Anyway, I thought I'd let you know, in case any of you were interested. After all, every dollar saved means more in your pocket--no small thing in a down economy!

What Makes a Good Mom?

2011-09-09T17:02:00.001-06:00

Somebody said something to me several months ago and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since. I think he meant it as a joke, though I didn't take it as one. I mean, I laughed, but that was because I didn't know how else to react. He really struck a nerve--not that he meant to--but it happened nonetheless.

So what was this statement that haunts me? Well, upon learning how many kids I had (five!!!!), he said that nobody with five kids is going to be a good parent. Okay, honestly, I'm biased here. Those may not have been his exact words, but that's how I heard them. I laughed him off, said something about I'm not doing too bad, in my humble opinion, and the subject was changed.

Anyway, it stayed with me. Everytime my teenager forgets about an assignment, I remember that comment and I think I should've made sure I asked him about every class instead of the idle chit chat about who he saw and what he did.

Everytime my tween shows her painfully shy side, I remember what he said and think I should've done more to help her become more self-confident so that she knows how amazing she is.

Everytime my six year old shows her temper, I remember it and I think I should've done better in teaching her anger management.

When my preschooler cries over every little thing and acts out at her baby sister, I remember again and I think she's gotten lost in the shuffle and I need to give her more of my time and attention.

When my baby gets sick, I think that I should've done better at sanitizing the house and then maybe those germs wouldn't have reached her.

When I take the time out to write, read or watch a movie, I can't help but feel guilty because I know there's something more important I could be doing with my time. I just can't seem to do it all. The more I try, the more impossible it seems. And these are the moments that statement rears its ugly head once again.

I suppose most parents have doubts about the job they're doing--especially mothers. I mean, we're supposed to be wired to be these wonderful, nurturing, caregivers, right? We're supposed to know what everyone else needs before they do, right? Seriously though, I really have no idea how to guage what a good mother does.

I love my mother more than I can say. She made some real sacrifices to bring me into this world, when it would've been much easier for her to make another choice. She was fifteen when she got pregnant with me. Barely sixteen when she had me. I can't imagine how difficult that must've been for her. She was so sick she spent much of her time in the hospital. Her marriage to my father didn't last beyond the early months of my babyhood-- and then came the rollercoaster of different homes, fathers and a lot of other things I won't go into just now.

Suffice to say, that I had a different plan for my life. I wasn't even sure if I ever wanted to get married, let alone be a parent. I didn't even think I was capable of trusting a man. God had other plans for me though, and I met the only person in the world I could share everything with and not want to run away and hide afterward.

I sobbed when I found out I was going to have our first child. It happened on the same day I found out I got the full scholarship I'd worked so hard for. I was terrified! I didn't know how to be a mother! I wasn't one of those nurturing types that wanted to hold those tiny newborn babies. I hated babysitting. I didn't know the first thing about what to do with a kid. I only knew the extremes of what not to do.

Well, I made a decision. I decided to put college on hold and see what this new life would bring. I knew I wanted to be the one to raise my baby and be there for all of the important things--and to protect him from all of the horrible things I knew all too well were out there.

I was sure I didn't know what I was doing, but I figured that knowing the things I wasn't going to do would be a good start. I got a subscription to every parenting magazine in existance and I did what I do best--research.

Fast forward to more than fourteen years and five kids later and I love my life. Yes, I know that sounds cliche, but that's something I never thought I'd be able to say. I'd certainly never said it in the years before my family. I love my children. I can't breathe when I think of anything happening to them. I miss them when they're not here, I want to know everything about what makes them who they are. I want to help them overcome every obstacle that comes their way. And more than anything, I don't want to be an example to them of what not to do.....

I make a lot of mistakes. My body and my mind can't always keep up with all the demands that are put on me. But despite that, I'm happy. I have a good husband and I have very good kids. Are they perfect? No. But they're mine-the good and the bad.

I need to stop measuring myself by those perfect TV moms...or even those moms in my neighborhood who seem to have it all together. Maybe I'm not the perfect mother, but I love my kids more than life. I'd give anything for them. Just maybe that's enough. I hope it is..............