Adventures with Salt Dough

Yikes! I found all these great articles and blogs about toddlers and kids making ornaments out of this stuff called salt dough. Its a three-ingredient concoction guaranteed to be fun for your little ones. Actually, I had lots of fun making it and playing too!  My goal was to make it with Isaiah, and we would use it to make Christmas ornaments with his hand print/fingerprints on them.  Fail. We made the salt dough. We followed the directions exactly. And it was kind of this gooey mess. So, I kept adding flour until it had the consistency of play dough... which it was supposed to have BEFORE adding extra flour. Oh well. Once I got the mixture right, it was lots of fun. I didn't get to take pictures of the actual "making" process because it was just Isaiah and I at home today. We had salt dough everywhere.  So, if you want to do it with your kiddos, here is the recipe (so simple):

1/2 cup of salt
1/2 cup of water
1 cup of flour

Mix with a mixture or your lovely spoon (we used a spoon so that Isaiah could mix too)! Mix until it sticks together, then knead until the dough (supposedly) reaches the consistency of play dough. This is where I had to add extra flour. Isaiah was doing the kneading, and his little fingers were covered! But it was fun! Roll out with your rolling pin and cut shapes. Or, in Isaiah's case, cut out shapes for the first ten minutes, then create your own sculptures and shapes. Then, bake in a 200 degree oven for 4 hours or so to dry out your shapes/ornaments. You can find detailed instructions complete with pictures here. 

Recommendations: Add flour until the dough is basically "not sticky". Use flour when rolling out (similar to the way you would use flour in any type of cooking with dough... on the surface, on hands, and on the rolling pin). I never got around to cooking my dough to dry it out so I don't know how adding additional flour would effect that step.

It was a lot of fun. I think Isaiah liked playing with salt dough because it does have a somewhat grainy textures, so its a little different than store-bought play dough. He also got to help me make it. He did fabulous with it. He most likely enjoyed playing with salt dough the most because its super messy. And if its messy or dangerous or something he can climb, run, bounce or step on, well, Isaiah likes it. 

Enjoy the pictures of our salt dough adventure.

Love this. Looks like he's trying to decide what to make.

I couldn't get enough of his little hands!

Rolling dough like a pro!

Look at that messy pile of craft stuff in the background... and ignore it.

Making "star shapes".

 

things i've learned...

Mom, I shoulda listened to you when you said...

pause

If you don't know my mom, you are missing out. She's probably the best friend and best mom a daughter could have. Glad I'm the only daughter... I don't have to share!  You can find my mom's blog here.

So a while back, I purchased a pair of old roller skates.  Like two years ago... maybe longer. Found them for $5 at a yard sale. I loved roller skating as a kid. Who am I kidding, I still do.  Well, I used them maybe twice since I got them. I decided to break them out the other day and skate around our town house. Yep... I'm pretty sure I am the coolest resident in our complex. I was decked out. I had bright green socks... you know the kind that almost reach your knees?! I laced my skates up, and grabbed Isaiah (who also has a pair of kiddo skates), and then I realized I had to, in my 2.5 year old's terms "go potty". So, I skated across my carpet to the linoleum in my bathroom... And after that, I realized I was thirsty. So, I skated across my kitchen floor and got a drink... And finally I made it outside (looking super nerdy I'm sure).  We had tons of fun. Isaiah loved skating. I think he enjoyed watching his crazy mom even more! 

Fast forward 2 days, and I am now cleaning my kitchen and bathroom floors.  What do I see?! Skate marks. Yep.  Seeing skate marks on my floor made me think about how when I was a kid and I would skate (or rollerblade) across my mom's (most likely freshly cleaned) floor to get a drink.  And she would always tell me not to skate across the floor because I would leave skate marks behind! To be honest, I never believed my mom.  Turns out, she was right! So, I began making a mental list of all the things I've learned... The things I didn't believe before I had to "grow up."  The first on my list is, of course:

1. Roller skates really do make marks on kitchen floors!

And a few others:

- Nothing good happens after midnight...
- Expensive clothes will not make you a better person.
- Turning off the lights when you are not in the room will save you money (that might have been more of my ultra frugal father)...
- Dusting anything above eye level is a waste of time... which is most likely the reason that I was always stuck with the chore of dusting off the tall shelves!  In all seriousness, my mom really does keep a really clean house, I promise!
- Nothing is as tiring as a day of hard work!
- No matter what, do not give up.
- Going outside will make you feel better.
- Good cooks always clean up their mess...
- A cup of coffee (with at least two spoonfuls of sugar) cures everything
- If you're bored, you can always clean your room
- You can't say you don't like it if you've never tried it
- If its not in my mom's purse, I probably don't need it.
- Be silly. Life is way to short not to.

And one of the most important things I learned from my mom is that she will love me no matter what.  In fact, she will love Brother #1 and Brother #2 and me no matter what!  She probably even loves her dog no matter what! She's just that kind of mom! 

By the way, my mom just celebrated a birthday a few weeks ago! Happy (late) Birthday , Mom. I love you, too!

Books as Shelves

I saw this cute idea on Pinterest (of course). And I thought, for a book lover such as myself, this would be a cute decoration in my living room. So, I made shelves out of books.  Here's how I did it:

I found some books for sale at my local library for $1.00 each.  I used hardback books in shades of blue. I added a grey colored book because it matches my canvases that I covered with material to use as decor as well.



These are the three blue shades I found at my library.
Its hard to tell (poor lighting),
but they are teal, light blue, and royal blue.


I found books with no markings on the outside. These books also had covers on them, so I removed the covers. Of course, you can do whatever you want to do! If your library doesn't sell these books, check the Dollar Tree. They have tons of hardback books for $1.00 each, and all you have to do is find the colors and sizes you like, and remove the covers. 

Then I made a trip to Lowe's with my hubby and found some shelf brackets. They come in a package of four and the screws are included. 

So, I purchases two packets (eight shelf brackets).  I then used my drill and carefully attached the brackets to the bottom of the books.  I was unsure of this step, but it worked well, and it was really easy with a power tool!

Be careful during this step. You have to place the brackets so that they are along the page edges (not the book binding) if you want the binding to face out.  Also make sure your book name is UPSIDE DOWN when you attach the brackets. Then when you flip the book right side up to attach to your wall, the book name isn't upside down. Note: when you are drilling into your book, the pages will start to separate. Don't panic. Just hold the book down and keep going. It will straighten up!



Continue with your other shelves. I used four books, but you can use as many or as few as you want.  Now they are ready to place on the wall.  Yay! I haven't completed this last step. I'm waiting for the hubby to get home so he can help me make sure they are level and help with the placement.

 

See how the book titles are upside down when you attach the shelf brackets?! Well, when you are finished, they should look like this when you place them on your wall:

These are sitting on my coffee table waiting for the hubby to get home! I'm so excited to put them up.  My goal is to add some decorations to my shelves so that they look similar to this:

Photo courtesy of: www.apartmenttherapy.com

Maybe use children's books to make some for your kid(s)' rooms. Or vintage cookbooks for your kitchen. Maybe Encyclopedias for an office? The possibilities are endless.  So many placements and options because you can find various colors and styles of books and decor to sit on the shelves.  If you are looking for antique books, you can check your local thrift store as well. I also found various sets on Etsy. 



Note: The tutorial is created by me after seeing the picture of using books as shelves on Pinterest. I saw the picture and thought, "Hey, I could make that!" I do not take credit for the original idea.  

Summer Time

So, I have NOT blogged in forever! Almost four months to be exact. Soooo very much has happened in that four months. First, to make a long story short, our little family has moved from Texarkana, AR to Albany, GA with the hubby's job. We are now close to my parents, and closer to Matt's family as well.  Oh yes, and we are 2.5 hours from the beach at the Florida panhandle.  But, it is really, really... I mean really hot and muggy here. We are just close enough to the beach to have that sticky ocean moisture, but we are far enough away that we unfortunately don't get that ocean breeze.  

Matt and I have been married four years today!

08.09.12

Little Man is growing up.  He is almost 2.5 years old. We took him to Myrtle Beach this past weekend.  He loves the ocean. Little Man also got his first pet. Its a baby guinea pig.  We have yet to decide on a name for him. 

Let me show you just how big my little man is getting. Before we went to the beach last weekend, Isaiah and I made some "Puppy Chow" or "Muddy Buddies" for a snack to take with us in the car.  If you aren't familiar with this snack, its basically a mixture of melted chocolate and peanut butter mixed with chex mix and coated in powdered sugar. It is soooo easy to make and yummy too!  You can find the recipe here.   

Isaiah is a great cook. He's always making me "coffee" and "icecream".  We had lots of fun making Muddy Buddies. He loved licking the spoon, cutting the butter, mixing the chocolate and peanut butter, and pushing the buttons on the microwave.  We did have a mess though! But totally worth it.

Here are a couple of snapshots from the beach. I kept forgetting my camera every single time we would go out to the beach!  Ugh! But, I did get a few at the hotel...

 

Isaiah and his cousin Brett making silly faces!

Isaiah is being silly! He started out with a Bible song, and ended up making up his own version of something! That's my little man!

Cousins! Isaiah is 2 years old and Brett is 4 years old...

So, in a very small nutshell, that is how my summer has been going! Despite the heat and the craziness of moving (six months after we moved to Texarkana), we have been having a wonderful summer.  Hope you had a great summer, too!  

Living for...

the next best thing.
money.
fame.
pride.
lust.
yourself.

Financial peace comes when you are satisfied with what you have.  When you're content in every situation. This week, I have been forever thinking about this verse:

" ¹⁹Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19-20 NLT)

 We live in a "me" society. We gotta have "me" time. Or "I did that." Or "look at my new outfit." Or "watch me drive around in my new car." Maybe its "look at my new house... I built it HUGE and placed it on the highest hill where everyone will know how successful I am."  The list could go on and on and on and on and on.  Don't get me wrong... do be proud of your accomplishments... but don't be prideful about them.  Don't live for those things you are trying so hard to attain!  And please, hear me when I say, "me" time is important. We all need down time. Even Jesus needed time alone!  But, it is the attitude of our "me" time and the things we choose to do during our "me" time that can be sinful.

So, about the verse... this week in particular I found myself thinking, "If I just had a new set of silverware, or some new pillows, or more home decor..."  And, this week when those thoughts have entertained me, I have immediately thought about the verse above.  Because, I don't need new pillows or flatware (I do not own one piece of silver and probably never will unless it is a gift).  I don't need more wall decor. Or house decor. I know those seem like little things, but when I thought about them, I wondered, "Am I truly satisfied? Am I storing up treasures on Earth or in Heaven?"  We want to show off.  But, we often don't show off the things we should be (myself included)... our faith. God.  We want to show off our STUFF. 

We will never ever be financially stable if we continuously live for the next best thing.  Because, in order to get the next best thing, we have to have more money. And that develops into putting work above God, putting finances first, charging things to credit cards, stealing... etc.  You get the picture.  Its okay to get new stuff (when you have the money, and spend it it wisely). 

And, its not just about finances either. We will never be spiritually stable when we want, want, want.  I just saw this (okay, like a month ago) in the news.  Seriously?!  I mean, the newest iPad might be totally awesome. It might be worth buying. But, why did Apple have to come out with something new? Because we, Apple's consumers, are NOT satisfied with the first iPad that ever hit the market.  We expect more. Same with cell phones. Same with computers. Games. Television... you name it.

Must. have. more.

With that said, when we desire these things. When we desire fame, fortune, the newest stuff, the best outfit, the nicest car, the biggest house, we are not storing up our treasures in Heaven.  We are storing them up here on Earth.  And, guess what, if you are nothing short of a rocket scientist, you know that if you drop your cell phone, it could break... permanently. When you leave your house, all your possessions could be stolen.  Let a car sit too long, and it won't properly start. Leave a house idle and abandoned and it will rot away.  We should desire the things that are pure.  Desire the things that are true. That will stay with us permanently. 

And, really, go shopping!  Nothing wrong with buying a new shirt.  You just have to have the right attitude about it (and the means to do so). 

Financial Peace Out,
Hannah

P.S. I could go on and on about this topic.  About how we don't really need a lot. About how so many times our income shows how "successful" we are.  But, I'll leave that for a new post!

Delia's Dress Preview!

So, I go through what I like to call "periods of creativity". For a few weeks, I will be into jewelry making or paper crafting... You know the gluing, pasting, taping. painting kinda creativeness.  Then, the next month I'll want to sew.  I don't plan these time periods in advance... my creativity just kind of takes over, and when I tire of making one type of "craft", I start a different one! With that said, my sis-in-law pinned (ahhhh... Pinterest) a pillow case dress tutorial (soooo cute and easy), which motivated me to sew up a pillow case dress.  But, of course I'm surrounded boys.  Two boy nephews (one on hubby's side, and brother's baby)... And my own son... And then there is my husband (ummm... get the picture)?  In other words: who in the world am I going to make a dress for???  Then, there is my most adorable youngest female cousin, Delia.  Ding, ding!  I have my model!  Too bad she's like 800+ miles away.  Well, I made her two pillow case dresses. The first was practice. The second needs ribbon. And, the third, well, its not really a pillow case dress! Its a jumper! I found it in this book that my dear hubby bought me over a year ago (hubby... please do not be mad that this is like the first thing I've made from this book)!  Well, I was soooo impressed with how it turned out, I'm also planning on making a paisley one (the paisley material I picked up was supposed to be another pillow case dress).  But, this next one is kinda my own idea! Anyway, here is her jumper dress. 

Cute, isn't it?! Looks way bigger in the picture than it does in person! She's a petite little girl!  I hope it fits her really, really good. If it doesn't, her momma can just save it for when she's a little bigger.  Sorry about the lighting... I am not a professional photographer... and I usually photoshop!  Anyway, just had to share. 

My sis-in-law has a fabulous pillow case dress tutorial on her blog if you want to check it out! 

Fabric Necklace Tutorial

Yay, a new tutorial (okay, I've only posted like two).  Anyway, I saw this necklace on Pinterest, and I immediately thought, hey, I could make that!  And, after researching it some more, lots of people have made "that".  So, this is my tutorial for that cute necklace. 

Supplies:

• Round wood beads or balls (I used 1" and 3/4" round wood balls found at Hobby Lobby). Please note, you do not need two different sizes. I used various sizes, but it is not necessary.

• 1/4 yard of 44-45" fabric (bold prints work best for this project since you are knotting the fabric, and it will be difficult to see smaller prints after knotting)

•  Sewing machine
• Coordinating thread
• Scissors
• A few minutes of time

Now, the fun part! What to do:

• Cut the 1/4 yard of fabric in half length-wise, or the hotdog way, or long-ways... You should end up with two strips of fabric measuring approximately 4" x 45" (depending on the width of the fabric you bought). Essentially:

This should be about the size of your fabric before cutting. 
You want to cut right down the middle lengthwise.

After cutting, you should now have two strips 4" by 44"- 45"

• Okay, take your two strips of fabric and place one short end from each piece right sides together and sew.  Reinforce your stitch at each end.  You should now have one very, very long piece of fabric. 

• Now, fold fabric in half hot dog style with the right sides together and sew only the long raw edge.  Don't sew the short ends because we want to turn it right side out... creating a long fabric "tube". 

• Turn on the TV, make yourself some coffee or a grab a Diet Coke, and turn that tube right side out.  This takes a few minutes, but it is fairly easy with the tube being so wide. 

• Now, the fun part! Find the center of your tube. Doesn't have to be exact!  This will probably be where your seam that you joined the two long strips of fabric together is.  And, tie a knot. I tried to tie mine right into the seam, so that you don't see the seam... didn't happen, but you can't really tell anyway!  Easy, huh?! 

• Now, drop one of your wooden beads or wooden balls in. I chose 1" for the center.  Tie another knot really, really... I mean really close to the ball on the other side.  So, now your ball or bead should be securely encased between two knots!  This should be about the center of your tube.

• Keep going. I put a bead/ball on one side of the centered ball, and tied a knot. Then, I put a new bead/ball on the other side and tied a knot. I repeated this so that I could keep the necklace balanced. 

• Do as many beads as you like, but leave at least 12" on each side to tie behind your neck.  I ended up using five 1" inch beads and put two 3/4" beads on each side.  You can use more or less, or the same size beads, etc... make it your own!

• Once you have all of your beads/balls secured inside knots (make sure you tie a knot on each side at the very end of your beads too), then you need to put the necklace on!  We're not finished yet, however.  Find where you want the necklace to fall (long or short).  Then, tie a bow.  If you don't want long "tails" or bow ends, cut off some of the excess. Please remember to leave enough of a "tail" on each side in order to be able to tie a bow when you are finished! 

• Okay, now fold in the short raw edges, and put a stitch in it. I only had to fold mine in about 1/8".  Just depends on how you want to do it.  Do that on each side.

• And, you're finished! Yay! Now, put it on! Or give it to a friend! Or make more because they are so easy and fun and the possiblities are endless!

Note: These necklaces can also be used as "teething necklaces" as a safe alternative for baby to chew on instead of fashion jewelry or metal necklaces. Please, please, please DO NOT give to baby unsupervised.  And, always reinforce your stitches and make sure the knots are secured. Inspect before letting baby chew on or play with your necklace. The beads ARE a choking hazard if not safely secured inside the necklace. Also be aware that if you intend to use this necklace to wear as a teether, only use natural wood. Do not used finished wood beads or balls.  You can handwash your necklace easily, and air dry.  

Okay, So I'm a Blog Failure!

Yeah, so with all good intentions, I totally failed blogging everything I wanted to blog about this past week!  I did, however, post this homemade laundry detergent post. If you're interested in making your own laundry detergent, that is! 

I also finished my wholesale keychain order! I just took pictures of the keychains and listed them on my Etsy shop.  Want to see?! I'm going to show you anyway! This is just a small section of the set.

I'm not one to brag on my creative abilities, but I must say, they are cute! I think most of the cuteness is from the bright and colorful fabrics (and not my sewing abilities)!  Anyway, I was just excited to have the set finished, and excited that someone actually wanted to buy my stuff!  Yay!  I am going to give it to God, though! He gave me the abilities I have, and the passion for making things and trying new things!  It is only because of Him that I can create the things I create!  With that said, I hope with all my heart that the person buying these keychains really, really likes them. And, I hope she makes a good profit from selling these keychains at her shop! 

What a crazy week (last week, that is)! I haven't had time to do anything. I feel like I was constantly busy, but accomplished absolutely nothing. I haven't blogged (and there's tons of topics I want to blog about). I wasn't able to go to BSF, a study I started going to since we've moved to Texarkana. My car decided to run over a miscellaneous object in the road, and go flat.  Thankful for a hubby who can fix those kind of things so we didn't have to take my car somewhere to get it fixed! Yay!  Lots of very important undisclosed decisions have been discussed within our little family. Matt had to work every single night with mandatory overtime (which translates into sixty hours soon to be seventy hours this week), which makes it hard to get out and do anything.  But, I'm okay with that. He has a job!  Sometimes, we need to take a step back and thank the Lord for that. Many people are going without a job right now. Oh, and on top of all this, I got my first big order from my Etsy shop which you can find here.  Hopefully everything works out with the order.  Its a wholesale order for a shop in Oklahoma.  I'm pretty excited about it, but my spare time has been devoted to getting the order ready. Since its wholesale, its a large quantity!

With that said, I hope to write lots of blogs the rest of this week. I found some great recipes I want to share with  you (after I make them first, of course). I want to have another financial blog post (haven't decided what the will be about yet). I really really want to post about Psalm 32 (go ahead, look it up).  I have a running list somewhere in our apartment... 

And, a shout out to all the new mom's this month!  Congratulations!  If you're reading this blog, and you just had a baby, I'm most likely talking to you!  And, if you're not, I'm probably still talking to you! Seems like this month has been a month for babies.  Horray for new, precious, God-given life! 

And, those of you who got to watch The Hunger Games... I am sooooo jealous!  The books are fabulous (if you didn't read the whole series in like a month like I did, you should read them)!  I can't wait to be able to see the movies! 

To my fellow blog readers who have a blog I can follow (if I'm not currently following you), let me know your blog site url, and I would love to read and follow you! 

Couponing!

Okay, I'm labeling this post as a "financial" post because its going to help you save some moola!  Anyway, I've been into this couponing thing lately. I am not an extreme couponer, meaning I will not buy out the shelves so that no one else can use their coupons or purchase the product if they need it. That's just plain greedy. Seriously, I don't know of anyone who needs twenty packages of razors because they got them for .50 cents each. Enough about that. So, I'm always looking for good deals, and while browsing the internet, I discovered that Target has in-store coupons you can print. Find those coupons here. You can browse different categories (i.e. groceries, baby, entertainment...) on the left side of this site. And, you can use a Target store coupon with a manufacturer coupon. So

Pretend this is a Target coupon for Colgate toothpaste!

+

=

Extra Savings!!!!!

Of course the coupons have to be for the same quantity and for the same product. So, say for example, you have a $2.00 manufacturer coupon for a package of Pampers diapers. Target has a store coupon for $1.00 of the same size package of Pampers diapers. You can combine the two and get $3.00 off!  Yay for savings (especially on diapers)!  Well, I came across some apparel coupons on the Target website.  Search under "apparel & accessories" category on the website.  There are $3.00 off coupons, 20% off coupons... etc.  Well, did you know that you can use these apparel coupons on clearance items, too?  Let me tell you what I did:

• I printed off two $3.00 off coupons from "apparel & accessories". You can only print two of the same type of coupon. 
• I headed to the clearance section at target.
• I found a gray t-shirt marked $4.00 in the brand I had the coupon for.
• I found a white t-shirt marked $4.00 in the brand I had the other $3.00 off coupon for.
• I headed up to the check-out, and paid $1.00 for each shirt! Just a dollar! 



Homemade Laundry Detergent.

Yikes. I never, never, ever, ever thought I would make my own laundry detergent. But, I did. I was trying to be the good, frugal housewife I am supposed to be (which, I'm sure doesn't include making your own laundry detergent, but oh well, if it saves a few pennies, right?). And, so far it has been working exceptionally better than I thought it would. I did some research for laundry detergent "recipes" online, and I found this one. This is the one I used. And, if you don't feel like going to that site for the ingredients, I'm listing the entire recipe below. Oh yes, and the original site gives an estimated cost-per-load if you want to know. Not to mention the entire description is going to be much better than mine... I am certain! I didn't feel like doing the math for what I made, and I didn't take pictures of my progress (tutorial failure).

what you are going to need...

1 Cup of Borax. You can only buy a box of this stuff,
but it has lots of uses!

+

1 Cup. I had a hard time finding this. I hear they have it at ACE Hardware.
I did find mine at Wal-Mart, but I went to two different Wally World stores before
I found it.  This is not the same as baking soda!

+

One bar of this stuff. I love how old-fashioned it looks!
I found this next to the Borax in the laundry detergent aisle.



Step One:

Grate your bar soap. I used my regular ol' manual kitchen grater, and immediately placed the grater in hot soapy water after grating, and there was no soap residue smell on it.  This is easier than it sounds! Fels-Naptha is actually fairly soft. It took maybe 5 minutes to grate the entire bar.

Step Two:

Add 1 Cup of Borax and 1 Cup of Washing Soda to the grated Fels-Naptha.

Step Three:

Stir. Stir. Stir. You want all of your ingredients to be mixed together well. I used the advice from this tutorial's original source, and whipped out my food processor. Don't worry, it won't smell either if you put it in hot soapy water after using it.  Anyway, add all of your ingredients to the food processor and process it until its uniformly mixed! 

Step Four:

Put into a cute little laundry detergent holder (a cheap, plastic container with a lid works well too).  Display your handiwork!  Also, be sure to check out this tutorial's original source for information about HE washers, pictures, cost effectiveness, etc...

       Notes:

• This isn't going to leave your clothes smelling like Tide. To me, they just smell fresh (not stinky, don't worry). If you want them to smell, just add some fabric softener.
• I use about 1 tbsp. for small loads, and 2 tbsp. large loads. I purchased a metal coffee scoop to put in with my detergent.  The coffee scoop is 2 tbsp. so I just use my best judgement for measuring 1 tbsp. of detergent.
• I also always add this before I add my clothes to the washer. I let the detergent disolve, then put in my clothes. We don't have an HE washer, and I find this works the best as to avoid getting any powdery residue on your clothes.  Obviously, if you do get a residue, you can just re-wash, but who wants to do that, right?!

Isaiah.

Isaiah. My Little Man. My Little Monster. My Boy. My Buddy. My Baby. My Friend. My Love.

And... my extremely-high-spirited-two-year-old-who-is-also-my-blessing-in-disguise.

I was blessed beyond measure with a strong-willed child. I don't really want to use the term "strong-willed" because many (if not all) children are strong-willed at some point in their lives. Isaiah is high-spirited. He is a very active and very independent toddler (although still my baby). Let me give you and example.  Today, I decide to break out this quiet book I worked on seemingly forever for my little man.  What's a quiet book? I blogged about my quiet book in this post, however, I never got around to posting the finished product. Anyway, they are great.  And, they are supposed to be entertaining, and as the name says, a quiet activity.  So, I created this page where Isaiah is supposed to "hang the apples in the tree", and I show him how its done.  Well, what do you know, Isaiah is hiding the apples in his shirt pocket.  The farm animals all had to join Noah's animals in the ark. The telephone can no longer make "calls" due to missing buttons, and the mail ended up in the baseball mitt.  The list goes on. Needless to say, he loved it. But, he wanted to test everything out. He had to it "Isaiah's" way.

Isaiah also loves suckers. We've been working on "potty", and if he goes, he gets a sucker. So, I unwrap his sucker, and hand it to my little monster. What does he do?! Cries because he wanted to unwrap it. So, this mommy wraps it all back up, and hands it back to him so he can do it. And, from that point on, Mommy does not unwrap suckers!

Isaiah decided he wanted to carry my grocery bag to my car the other day. He wanted to "help you" as he says. Well, I decided to let him. The bag was too heavy, and we were in the middle of the parking lot, and he kept dropping it, and so I said, "Let Mommy carry it to the car and you can help me when we get home." What does my baby do? Oh, he's that kid you see sitting in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I was literally dragging him to the car. He wouldn't get up. I mean, you would think since he had to come anyway, he would eventually stand up and walk. Not him! So, I picked him up and carried him (which he hated) to the car. Isaiah is extremely adventerous. He wants to touch and feel everything. He is very attentive, always asking me "Do you hear it?" when he hears birds, the train, a car, a fan, the washing machine, airplanes, you name it...  He is curious. He is restless. He is a blessing. So, over the past week, I have been questioning myself, "What in the world am I going to do with him?"  "How am I going to deal with this?!"  A year ago, I could have given you all the answers to raising strong-spirited children. I would see a child acting out and think "I would not put up with that... EVER!"  It makes sense until you have one of those children. There are obvious things not to do such as give in (although all parents do that sometimes) or becoming abusive.  With that said, I have been doing some research on this topic, and these are some things that I'm going to try or think about during these testing times:

Number 1: Bible Verse.

¹⁸ “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ²⁰ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.  Deuteronomy 11:18-21 NLT

I will teach Isaiah these things because, above all else, this is the most important!  If I live a life of spiritual discipline, then perhaps he will follow by example!

Number 2: No Comparison

I will not compare my child to others. I will not compare is accomplishments and failures. I will not compare his developmental milestones, how quickly he reads, how well or how long he can sit still, what he likes... etc.  He is his own person. And, I often find myself asking, "Why? Why does Isaiah have to act like this when I see other kids doing (insert whatever here)?"  No more. He is himself, and I will nurture, encourage, and love him through his strengths and weaknesses.

I love this quote (in my own words): "Isaiah is a child of integrity... not easily swayed from his own viewpoints."  When you look at being "strong-willed" from that point of view, kind of puts a new perspective on things!

Number 3: Stay Positive.

I will be positive, and offer positive rewards and praise more often than negative.  I will say "yes" as often as I can, and use "no" only when neccessary. Sounds crazy, but Isaiah wants to be told "yes". He wants to be able to do what he wants to do. So, why not let him if it is something he is clearly capable of? Why not walk with him and show him how to do it? I find myself saying "No, you can't get into that" because quite frankly, I just don't want to deal with it.  That leads to a very, and I mean very intense temper tantrum.  He is full of energy, and it is going to require me to match that energy level with everything that I do.

Number 4: Be There.

Love him. Be there for him. Listen to him. Observe him. Learn him. Even when he thinks he doesn't need it, I'm going to be there anyway. He needs to know that I am always here for him, no matter the power struggles, the battles, the temper tantrums. How is he supposed to learn to guide himself? He's not. He needs a mommy, and that's what I will strive to be.

Number 5: Choose My Battles.

Some things JUST DON'T MATTER. And, I will use my best judgement to discern the things that don't matter, and leave those things alone. Along these lines, I find that talking to Isaiah about what is going to happen (i.e. you are going to ride in a cart when we get to the grocery store), actually helps him transition better. Telling him ahead of time (such as in the car on the way) that we are going to get (insert grocery list here), and you have to ride in the cart... really does help.

These are just a few things I will try to focus on with my little guy!  And, I will rely on God's grace to get me through! I will laugh when I can, smile often, and play with him even more! Because, he's not always going to be TWO! Our battles are not always going to be about going to sleep, or getting in the cart, or putting away the iPad... one day they will probably be much more intense!  

Finances... Take 2.



Photo courtesy of: http://www.noelbagwell.com/blog/?p=5188



Okay, so in my "series" of financial blogs, I wanted to write a "what we did" post about my own personal finances. Previously, I wrote about debt consolidations. You can link back to that post here.  Anyway, now to invite you into my personal life! Its so, so exciting, and you're gonna totally be blown away (sarcastic eye roll and awkward laugh here).  

In my last financial post, I wrote that my student loan debt was under $10,000. Alas my friends, it is officially under $9,000!  Yippee! It sorta feels like we've been making payments on it forever. But, I guess it really hasn't been that long. Just a few short months, actually.  My interest is about three-point-two-ish percent. It was a whopping 6.7% through my student loan company.  How did I drop my interest?! By my personal version of correct "debt consolidation".  Here's how I did it:

My bank was having a fabulous deal on personal loans through them (in other words... low interest). And, if you borrow against your savings (also known as using your savings as collateral), the interest is even lower.  When someone buys a car, and takes out a car loan through their bank, they use the new car as "collateral" which basically means that if you don't make your payments, the bank takes the car. So, the same goes for my personal loan. Matt and I had enough (and extra) to use as collateral against the new bank loan that would be used to pay for my student loan. So, if we didn't make the payments, well, the bank would just use our savings to pay for the loan. Okay, that's the sum of it, but here's what else you need to know:

• You CANNOT touch the amount in your savings that you are using as collateral. So, say you have $10,000 saved, and you took out a loan for $5,000, you are only allowed to use the difference ($5,000).  So, I don't recommend doing this if you have just enough to cover the loan. You just never know when an emergency could occur.

• When you use some kind of account as collateral (savings, CDs...), your loan payment will be significantly lower. I'm talking my payment is $25.00 a month. However, if you only pay the bare minimum (at least this is the case for us), you will barely be paying the loan interest. We always pay a fixed amount every month. What is good about these low payments, though, is say something unexpected comes up; well, if you don't have the money to pay the amount you have been paying for the past six months, you can get by with paying the minimum. Then, pick-up the very next month. 

• This is sort of like debt consolidation, but not. The key to this type of "consolidation" is that you are not going through an advertised company. You usually don't end up with bad credit. I mean, not paying your bill will obviously hurt your credit, but you have the money to pay for the loan in its entirety, so you shouldn't even have an issue with paying your bill.  Oh, and this isn't really debt consolidation because I wasn't trying to consolidate debt owed to five different companies, and I wasn't trying to lower my interest because I couldn't make my loan payments.  I just wanted to save some money!

• I feel that this is a good way to save extra money that would be going to my student loan company for interest.  And, my loan payments to the student loan company varied by a few dollars each month because of the interest. Having such a low payment at the bank, I can be a fixed amount every month... and it knocks out a bunch of interest, and I know exactly how much I will be paying every month. 

Anyway, there is nothing saying you have to do any of this. I'm just saying this is what we did, and it has really been beneficial to us.  Some other things you might consider to kick your student loan to the curb: look for a job in your profession that will pay back a percentage or all of your student loan (I know teachers who work in certain schools for a certain period of time can sometimes get student loan assistance); if you can, do side work to bring in extra money, and put all of this extra towards your loan if you can. There are several things you can do to pay off your student loan such as budget, budget, budget. If you set aside $50.00 for clothes this paycheck (or whenever), then once that $50.00 is spent, it is long gone, and don't dip into other funds for clothes. Same goes with eating out, family entertainment funds... etc... When its gone, its gone!  Guess you better spend wisely or learn to be creative! Oh, and DON'T use a credit card to replace "missing" funds. Not wise.  Happy money management! 

*Please note: I am not a professional financial advisor. These are only my personal opinions about this subject matter. Is there anything you do or did to help your finances or money management? I'd love to hear about them.  

Finances.

Finances... money management... we usually *cringe* at the mention of anything that has to do with money. I would say 95% of people DO NOT want to discuss their financial situation with you, or me, or anyone! I, however, think if people were more open about their "money" problems, then we would be more apt to practice a little more self-control in that area. Having accountability with our spending habits would probably help us in the long-run. I believe... uh hum... that "money problems" or "financial issues" are actually a result of something deeper. Points:

• A general lack of self-control... see something, gotta have it
• Envy: my neighbor (or friend, or co-worker) just got these really cute shoes, and I just gotta have me a pair of those!
• World conformation: we have conformed to what society says is good, or right, or "the thing to do". You must purchase your clothes from (insert name of store here). Second-hand?! Not cool! Don't ever be caught dead in a garage-sale find. Well, I can be caught wearing these second-hand clothing items, but please, please, don't ask me where I got them!
• Pride: oh yes... pridefulness... gotta show off what we have (or don't really have....). I think this leads to comparing ourselves to others... what their clothes look like, what kind of car they drive, how big their house is... ect...

I'm sure there are TONS of other reasons behind "financial issues", but these are a few that really stuck out at me.  So, given all of these things, many people find themselves in a load of debt.  I'm in debt! Yeah, that's right. I have these FABULOUS things called student loans. Well, just two, and they are now under $10,000 combined. Wonderful! But not good enough for me. I don't want to pay on them anymore!  I was blessed to have lots of parental help and scholarships to help pay for my college education. But, my school debt is still there, just looming... Okay, its not that bad for (wince) five-and-one-half years of college. But, I'm ready to be done with it.  So, here it goes... I'm going to attempt to blog about finances, and the things I do or things I have learned.  I'm Dave Ramsey's newest competitor (not really). In fact, I'll probably refer to him during these blog posts.  Here's to FINANCIAL BLOG POST ONE:

Debt Consolitdation?! To do or not to do? 

I wouldn't do it. What is debt consolidation? In a nutshell: taking out ONE loan to cover a series of multiple loans. So, maybe you owe several credit cards (insert numbers), and to get out of that credit card debt, you call those guys on t.v. that are always like, "We can help you get out of debt... blah, blah, blah..." (or something like that), and then they "buy" your loan for a "deal". Then, you make one monthly payment to that company. What they don't tell you in those commercials... it hurts your credit, it will show up on your credit report, and you can't apply for new credit unless approved by the debt consolidation company.  Also, the consolidators often negotiate with your credit companies... they can get sometimes get extra fees waived, and they usually get lower interest rates. Then, when you pay the consolidating company, they take your payment and pay off your debt.  They usually give a higher portion to the credit company you owe the most to. In essence, they do what you probably could be doing yourself with a little self-control. Another point to make: call your credit card company yourself.  You can probably work out a deal with them to pay off what you owe (I know mine does... I always see it advertised on the company's home page). And, CUT THOSE DARN THINGS UP AND TRASH THEM! Seriously. If you don't have the money, DON'T get it. And, for the things you absolutely have to have a credit card for (i.e. hotel reservations), they will take a bank debit card, used as credit!

So, here's my first advice where debt consolidation is concerned, don't do it. Call the companies yourself, and work out a deal if possible, then cut your spending, and put that extra money towards your debt. I would pay my smallest debt first, then work up to your largest debt. Here's why I would do it that way. The smallest is the easiest. And, when its paid off quickly, you have a sense of satisfaction.  You think, "Hey, I can do this..." and it just builds your confidence to working on debt-free living!


*Please note: I am NOT a financial advisor. These financial blogs are my own opinions. I have researched the advice I post, and this is what I think.

A Little Overdue, But Nonetheless My Baby is Two!

Happy Birthday, Isaiah. Two years?! Where has the time gone?

We welcomed our Little Man to the world
on February 24th, 2010 at 8:42 p.m.



Dear Isaiah,

I remember anxiously waiting in the hopsital for your arrival! I couldn't wait to hold you, to kiss you, to snuggle with you, to love you outside of my belly! I couldn't even wait to change your diapers! I was so excited to meet you.

I remember coming home from the hospital thinking, "Now what?" You were so little.  You were so precious. So sweet. So perfect. I loved everything about you from your bald head to your tiny toes. I loved how it felt to hold you. I loved your soft skin and your little button nose.  You were, and you still are an amazing baby boy. 

I am so blessed to have been able to celebrate two years with you!  I can't imagine my life with you.  I pray for you daily. I pray for you in so many things, but I pray mostly that you will love God. That you will trust Him. That, above all else, is the most important thing in life. I pray for myself. I pray that I will encourage you, choose my battles wisely, discipline you rightly, love you, teach you, and strengthen you.

You have changed so much these past two years. You have gone from babbling to talking. You have gone from crawling to walking, dancing, jumping, climbing and running. You have gone from bottles to sippy cups, newborn to 3T, cooing to laughing, pacifiers to books...

Some of your favorite things are:

• reading a snuggling with mommy before bed time.
• rocking
• playing on the iPad
• playing outside
• animals
• peppermint patties and ice cream
• popcorn
• playdough
• finger paints
• singing
• Elmo
• Spongebog (thanks to Uncle Lukey)

I could go on and on about things you love.  Some of your most recent accomplishments:

• naming the letters of the alphabet
• pretending to read
• singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" all by yourself!
• making sentences
• answering questions
• getting mad
• pretend play

I love you, Little Man! You are such a sweet baby. I am so glad God chose to give you to me!  You are amazing.  You are special. You are important. You are loved.  And you always will be!

Love,
Mommy