Getting to know me meme

So last week our friend Sluggy over at "Don't Read This; It's Boring" posted a meme for some Friday fun, letting her readers know some more about her. I have decided to have a little fun and follow along! :smile:

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1. ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?  My first name no. My middle name is the same middle name of my Grandma Rose.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? The other day. My emotions have been all over the place the last couple of days. And I broke down because I am tired of being in pain from my surgery and I feel like I should be able to do more.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I do like my handwriting. I had 12 years of Catholic school handwriting practice. When I got my teaching job out of college, the principal said that the deciding factor between me and the other top candidate vying for the job was that she could read my signature clearly and that is why she called me in to interview over the other candidate. And I got that job. :) 

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Depends on my mood...but usually very, very thinly sliced ham or very, very thinly sliced honey turkey.

5. DO YOU HAVE ANY KIDS? Yep...3 here on Earth (Rebecca, Jacob and Benjamin) and 2 in Heaven (a child I miscarried at 8 weeks in September 2005 and our son Travis born silently into Heaven on September 21, 2008).

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS?  I would hope so. I like to think that I am good fried.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? Maybe.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No way in h***.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?  I am not a big cereal eater, but when I do eat cereal it is usually Cheerios with fresh banana slices in it.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I don't usually wear shoes with laces unless I am walking for exercise and then I do not untie them when I take them off.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU’RE STRONG?  Mentally-- I think I am when I have to be. Physically-- Not as strong as I would like to be.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Depends on my mood. Sometimes it is something simple like vanilla, other times it is something more complicated like key lime pie ice cream.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?  Their body language towards me.

15. RED OR PINK? My favorite is pink.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? I don't like how I can't lose weight and keep it off and how I can't stay committed to some things.

17. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?   I don't have any shoes on right now, and I am wearing jean shorts.

18. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?   2 fun size Twix candy bars

19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?  The TV is on for the kids and the cars going by out on our street.

20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?  Aqua

21. FAVORITE SMELL?  Beach scents

22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO?   My kids

23. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH?  Baseball and Football

24. HAIR COLOR THATS REAL? Mostly... I did have some highlights put in a few months ago but I think they have grown out mostly.

26. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?    Nope. Just the idea of putting something in my eye freaks me out. I am content wearing my glasses like I have for the last almost 20 years.

27. FAVORITE FOOD?  Chocolate

28. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings.

29. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED. " Me Before You"

30. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black

31. SUMMER OR WINTER. Neither. I am more a Spring and Fall girl.

32. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugging with most people. Kissing my husband.

33. FAVORITE SWEET FOOD?  Chocolate

34. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING? "Befriend" by Scott Sauls

35. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have a mouse pad.

36. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST? Football.

37. FAVORITE SOUND? The waves on the beach.

38. ROLLING STONES or BEATLES?  Both.

39. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE TRAVELED? Canada to the North, Chicago to the West, Lewes Delaware to the East and North Carolina to the South.

40. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?  Driving my husband insane! LOL

41. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Columbus, Ohio

So there you have it. A little more about me! If you want to play along, feel free. I always like to learn more about others and this is an easy way to do it!

Thomas the train and Potty Training Ben

First off, let me say that this is totally a Mom post. What follows is what has been going on in our adventure with potty-training Ben this past week...so be forewarned. If you don't want to read about going potty or the adventures of potty training a 4 year old, then you have my permission to skip reading and move on....
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So, I mentioned on Monday that we were in the process of potty training Benjamin. We stocked up a while ago with new underwear (Star Wars themed and white ones) and with a treat for going on the potty-- mini Thomas the Train engines. (Ben is OBSESSED with Thomas and has been for the past 2 years!)In the past year we have tried several things to get him to go on the potty to no avail including stickers, candy, letting him look at a book while on the potty, etc. He just refused to go. 

Ben is 4.5 years old. He has refused to go to the potty instead choosing to go in his pull-up. Ben is also 60lbs. so most pull-ups are too small for him. With some of his development issues we have just been putting it off. Well, his pull-ups were starting to leave marks on his legs and finally my husband just said "It is time!" 

So, on Sunday I came home from church to find that Ben was in regular underwear. We decided to just do it trial by fire. For the first half of Sunday, Ben went through at least 3 pairs of underwear while peeing on the floor and then screaming and crying when we made him sit on the potty. By Sunday evening, he was done crying while sitting on the potty but still was peeing in his underwear. Finally he went pee in the potty, and was awarded a mini Thomas the Train engine. He was so excited!  

On Monday, he would go sit on the potty on his own and had only 1 wet accident but he did poop in his underwear. Tuesday he had no wet accidents but pooped in his underwear. We ran out of mini-trains on Tuesday night. 

Wednesday, I ran to Walmart and bought a few more mini-trains and 3 large ones. I told Ben he would get a "big choo-choo" if he went poopy on the potty. Well he did not poop at all on Wednesday but he also didn't have any wet accidents. 

Yesterday, he woke up in a dry pull-up (we are still using them at night) and then went potty on the potty! He came home from preschool with a dry pull-up (we are also still sending him to preschool with a pull-up) and then went potty right after we got home. He wore the same pair of underwear all afternoon and evening with no accidents! His favorite saying these days is "I have to go potty NOW!" Lol. AND best of all, he went poopy on the potty yesterday afternoon! He was scared to get off the potty when he was done, but was happy that we were excited. And he got his big choo-choo! 

We are just a few days in, but I am so pleased with the progress he is making! Now to get him to not wear the pull-up at school without any accidents....
 

Money- Making Mom (book review)

BOOK DESCRIPTION::
 

Entrepreneur, author, and popular blogger Crystal Paine shares the secrets of building income at home, using real life examples to from her own journey in becoming a money-making mom as well as the stories of other women from all walks of life. The nuts and bolts of how to make more money from home are revealed in clear steps that can be immediately and easily put into practice.

But more than just a how-to book for earning extra income, The Money-Making Mom is a challenge to dream big and create a pathway for life. Paine offers examples and insights about what "finding your purpose" can look like in family, career, and service to others. Readers will find inspiration and hope for a life that’s more than “just getting by,” one driven by vision and the freedom to bless others generously.

About the Author
Crystal Paine is a speaker and author of the New York Times bestseller Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. In 2007, she founded MoneySavingMom.com, a site that has since grown to become one of the most popular blogs on the web, currently averaging more than 1.5 million readers per month. She lives with her husband and three children in Wichita, Kansas.

MY THOUGHTS::

Crystal Paine's blog, Money Saving Mom, was one of the first blogs I started following way back when I started blogging myself. She gave a lot of practical advice that was relevant for where I was in my life. So I was thrilled to receive Money Making Mom: How Every Woman Can Earn More and Make  a Difference to review.

I found that this book is one that I highlighted and underlined things in. Mrs. Paine offers practical advice on how to find your talent, market yourself, how to manage your time while building your business, and also how to achieve your goals while allowing yourself to give back to the community and to what you believe in. Mrs. Paine writes in a way that seems like you are sitting down getting advice from your girlfriend over a glass of wine and chocolate.

There was one quote that really resonated with me. Mrs. Paine wrote:  "Successful leaders are those who aren't content with the status quo." (p.136). I have found that maybe I have become too content with how things have been and so I am looking to take steps to step out of that comfort zone and help my family have a better financial future.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to get out of the status quo and who is looking to expand out into those ideas that all of us moms and women have that we can now think are possible.

DISCLAIMER::
The publisher provided me a free copy of this book through Booklook Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

    

"Mommy and Ben"

"Mommy and Ben" 

as drawn by Benjamin on Sept.13, 2016.

I think it shows great resemblence! 

Happy Wednesday! 

Trying to save money where I can

Since I am not working right now (and it looks like I won't be able to go back to tutoring before the first week in October), I am really trying to save money and do things that help our family budget. I am going to start documenting the things that have been frugal wins each week as they happen. I enjoy seeing how others save money and they inspire me to do the same, so maybe if I show how I save then that would be an inspiration to others. 

I went to Kroger on Friday because I had a coupon that was getting ready to expire on my card for the Free Farm Rich Boneless Chicken Bites. I got an email from them a few weeks ago, to load the coupon onto my loyalty card. I try to open all the emails from Kroger because you never know when they are going to email you a coupon you can load. In the past 2 months I have gotten a Free Angel Food Cake and the chicken. At a regular price of $6.99 for the box, I probably wouldn't buy the chicken, but for FREE I will add it to the freezer for a quick lunch for Bill and I or as a snack during football watching. 

Also I try to load their "Free Friday Download" each Friday if it is an item I would use. This past week's item was the Stride Gum. 

I also had received an email from Family Video that they missed me and in it was a coupon for a free rental and 1/2 price rentals for 2 weeks. I cashed in the coupon to rent "Me Before You" for me and to rent "Angry Birds" for the kids' movie night (paying $1.54 for the rental).

I received 2 books in the mail to review. One came with 2 copies so I can give one away (watch for that later) and the other came with a bookmark and a key chain.  

My neighbor dropped by on Sunday to see how I was doing and brought me this lovely bouquet of flowers. 

We were blessed to have several people bring meals for the first week after I was home from the hospital. On Saturday, another friend brought over a Bob Evans meal of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and rolls. It was very yummy and tasted wonderful! And we had enough leftover that I had lunch with it on Monday and tonight I used the leftover gravy and green beans to add to our chicken dinner.

I am really trying to be mindful of our spending (even more so that I normally do) and am of the mindset that even the little things I am doing now are helping our family's finances while I am not working. Gives me something to do that is not physical, but can help in little ways! 

Now I need to go organize my coupon stash and see if anything matches up this week! 

Have you had any frugal wins recently?  

Happy Homemaker Monday (09/12/2016)

Happy Monday!  

I had grand plans this weekend to get things done (against the advice of some of you! LOL) and I think my body was in cahoots with you as I didn't get hardly anything done on my to-do list at all. Saturday I spent most of the day sitting and reading and watching football as I was in some pain. Yesterday, I just didn't have any get up and go, as I didn't sleep well the night before. Oh well, onwards and upwards, right? 

Anyhow, now we are at Monday and I haven't participated in Sandra's "Happy Homemaker Monday" theme in a while (since last year I think), so I thought that is what I would do today....

On the weather front:::
It is gorgeous here today. We got some storms on Saturday that brought some cooler weather here (if you think 80 is cool!). Right now it is only 70 degrees and there is very little humidity. I actually have the a/c turned off and the windows open to get some fresh air in the house! 
  
On my bedside table::: 
I have my anti-fungal cream for my infection, a mirror, a card from my husband and my hairbrush. 
 
On my TV::: 
Ben is currently watching his favorite show: "The Lion Guard." It is a cute cartoon that is a sequel to "The Lion King" movie. 

I have several episodes of "Chesapeake Shores" on the DVR to watch. We have been watching a lot of football. 

Source

  
Thinking and pondering:::: 
About ways to save money since I am not working right now. Thinking about what to make Ben for lunch. 
Thinking about what I need to get done today.
About how we are trying to get Benjamin potty trained and it is a slow process. 
 
Listening to::::  
The sound of traffic on the road we live on (it is a busy street). The TV. Benjamin playing with his action figures. 
 
On the menu for this week:::
I actually have somewhat of a plan :)

Monday: Hot Ham and cheese subs and curly fries
Tuesday: Baked chicken, with green beans and some other side
Wednesday: Lasagna
Thursday: Sandwiches, fruit and chips
Friday: Pizza and fruit
Saturday: ?????
Sunday: ?????  
   
On my To Do List::: 
I didn't get much done this weekend so I have lots still on my to do list:

• Clean off desk area
• Pay bills for the month
• Clean out purse
• Clip the kids' fingernails and toenails
• Start work on our vacation photo book
• Read part of a book for review
• Do couponing research (need to get back into super frugal mode since I am not working)
• Go through kids' toys in living room as they are overrunning the room.

 
What I plan on doing for myself this week:::  
Still planning on taking it easy this week per doctors orders. I do plan on taking myself to the library this week to get more books to read. 
 
Favorite photo::: 

Rebecca had her artwork chosen to be part of an exhibit at a local barn tour. She was 1 of 15 chosen from her school. 

 

Close up of Rebecca's artwork

Lesson learned the past few days::: 
That there are still good people in the world. There have been a number of people that were associated with my old job that have stepped up in the last weeks to reach out to me in prayers, notes, by bringing food. I kind of thought that bridges may have been burned, but just because a couple people ruin a job or an experience doesn't mean that everyone associated feel the same way. 
 
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses::: 
 

Source

So there you have it. A little bit of homemaking stuff for today. If you would like to read more, please go visit Sandra and all the other blogs that have linked up with her! 

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT MONDAY!!

I'm Happy for you (Sort Of...Not Really)

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION::

Is comparison living hijacking your life?

Do you find yourself measuring your value against your friend’s house, body, marriage, resume, paycheck, organic garden, or Pinterest-worthy holiday décor, and coming up lacking? Do your college roommate’s Instagram snapshots bear little resemblance to the scene at your house this morning?

Excessive comparison and competition sap our energy and steal our joy. Our friends become our audience and judges, and our kids become part of our brand. Add social media’s constant invitation to post and peruse, and it’s no wonder that we’re left exhausted, discontent, and lonely. Thankfully, there is another way!

With  refreshing candor and humor, Kay Wyma shares her experiences with comparison living and offers readers the simple remedies that helped her and her family reboot their perspective and discover freedom, authenticity, and joy.

MY THOUGHTS::

I found this to be a light, easy, fast book to read with some valid points. I agree with Wyma that it is good to remember that we should not compare our own lives with those of others especially when the comparisons are negative. In fact this comparison obsession is something I do think is a major problem in today's society. I am guilty of it at times. However, I don't feel like it is an obsession--unlike the author's obsession. 

Which leads me to a negative. I appreciate Wyma using real life examples and her own experiences; however at times all her comparisons seem very superficial and honestly make it seem like she was just complaining. I appreciate that she is being real, however it was hard to relate my own experiences with hers. 

Overall, this book did give me some food for thought and did make me realize that life is not always greener on the other side. 

DISCLAIMER::

I received this book free from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Weekend To Do List

The last couple of days have been good with being independent again and being allowed to drive. However, after taking the kids to school and running a couple of errands, I was done for the rest of the day. My belly was swollen and I just felt exhausted and achy. So I really wasn't able to help out very much around the house. My husband has been great about doing things around the house and he hasn't complained about my lack of helping out. He wants me to rest. However, I feel like I am letting him down. 
I was hoping that I would feel better at this point that I could start taking over some of the responsibilities again. But that is a no-go. However there are some things that I can do sitting down! So I am making my list and we shall see what I can get done! So here is my weekend to-do list:

• Make a menu plan for the week
• Clean off desk area
• Pay bills for the month
• Clean out purse
• Clip the kids' fingernails and toenails
• Clean off table near the recliner
• Start work on our vacation photo book
• Barn tour-- go to the barn that has Rebecca's art work
• Read part of a book for review (received 2 in the mail to review yesterday)
• Do couponing research (need to get back into super frugal mode since I am not working)
• Take kids to PSR class 

So there you go. I think I should be able to accomplish this...along with watching football with Bill and Jacob-- (college on Saturday and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday!). 

Do you have any plans for the weekend? 

Hope you have a fabulous weekend! 

Friends of the Wigwam: A Civil War Story

DESCRIPTION::

Friends of the Wigwam  is a historical novel and love story about six young friends whose innocence is stripped from them seemingly overnight in the brutal setting of the American Civil War.

Meticulously researched and based on real-life people and true events, Friends of the Wigwam spans 1857-1865 and introduces you to the courageous men and women from Illinois who staged one of the first contested national conventions, were responsible for getting Abraham Lincoln elected and made the ultimate sacrifice during the American Civil War.

From the true story of a young woman who successfully masqueraded as a man during the Civil War and was buried with full military honors to the often heart-wrenching letters home to wives and families and actual military correspondence between military leaders, author John William Huelskamp brings to life a volatile nation at war.

Celebrate each friend's successes and struggles on the battlefields, learn the story of those who led the battles, and meet a magnificent war-horse that is a steadfast survivor in the face of many tragedies.

Without at doubt, Friends of the Wigwam is one of the most moving Civil War novels you will ever read.

MY THOUGHTS::

I am not a history buff at all. In fact, in the past I have not liked reading historical books because they were dry and boring and basically seemed to just be fact after fact with little humanity added in. So when I came across John William Huelskamp's novel Friends of the Wigwam,  I was intrigued by an author using historical events and weaving them through a story and maybe making history real for me.

I appreciate how Huelskamp weaves personal lives together that starts as friendships at younger ages and weaves how the different lives are impacted by the events leading up to and during the Civil War. I appreciate the inclusion of real life letters and photographs to make the characters pop for the reader and become real. It really helped to visualize the whole character as I was reading. I gained a greater understanding of what life may have been like in the North during those times of strife in our nations history.

However, I will admit that it took me a while to read this book. The style of writing was not really the greatest for this type of story. I felt that Huelskamp did a great job of describing scenery and the battles; however, there was something missing from the dialogue scenes. I felt that they were dull and just lacked the excitement and passion that I could feel in the descriptions of the scenery, etc. This led to a kind of choppy story line that may have been better as a play or a movie.

Overall, I thought this was a good effort. However, it was lacking in some ways that could have been improved with better dialogue scenes among the characters.

DISCLAIMER::
I was provided a free print copy of this book from The Cadence Group on behalf of the author in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own. 

I can drive again!

Yesterday, I had my 2 week post-op appointment for my hysterectomy. 

Before I go any further, let me give you a word of warning::: If a doctor's office tries to schedule you for an appointment the morning following a Monday holiday and your doctor is on call and at the hospital all day Tuesday for surgeries, DO NOT take an appointment on Wednesday! We sat in the waiting room for a 9:30 appointment for an hour and 15 minutes before being called back. I was finally seen almost 2 hours from my appointment time. (And yes in my experience this is highly unusual for this office).

Anyhow, back to my appointment. The only real issue I have going on is that I have developed a rash around my incision and the right end of the incision looks like it is opening up a little. Well, apparently I have developed a yeast infection around the incision site, so he called me in a prescription and wants me to use an anti-fungal cream on it. The opening is just the very top layer and since it is not looking infected we are going to let it heal naturally, meaning that that part of the scar will be a little bit raised higher than the rest of it. Not a huge deal, as I am not going to be wearing a bikini anytime soon. LOL

Source

My doctor also said I could start driving again, but he left all the other restrictions (no lifting, no strenuous physical activity, etc.) until my next appointment in a month due to the internal healing that needs to keep happening. So that means I can start taking my kids to and from school again. My mom has been graciously taking them to school for me :) 

So overall, I am healing. It is a slow process. I can tell if I overdo it, as I get really tired and my abdomen gets achy and sore and swollen and my incision site will get sore. 

I am just glad that I am on the road to recovery! Bill came with me to my appointment but then he had to leave to pick up Benjamin from school since I still had not been seen yet. When they picked me up, Benjamin asked me "Is your belly better Mommy?" And I was able to tell him that it wasn't all the way better, but was getting there causing him to give me a huge smile! 

My AHG Explorer

For the last 2 years Rebecca took part in American Heritage Girls, which is a Christian scouting organization for girls. She really enjoyed her time in the troop that she was in. That troop however dissolved as there were not enough volunteers to keep it running, etc. 

Thankfully for Rebecca, there was another troop in our town that welcomed her to join them with open arms. Last night she had her first troop meeting. She started with a new troop and she moved up a level to the Explorer level as she is in 4th grade and that level is 4-6th grades. 

She looks so grown up in her uniform. Where oh where is time going? Can't it slow down some? LOL

2 Useful Websites

Since I have been supposed to be taking it extra easy and not doing much of anything during my hysterectomy recovery I have had a lot of time to browse around the computer and to think about a lot of things. I came across 2 websites recently that were useful and I thought might be useful for you guys too....

One of the things that I have come to realize is that my email inbox is full of subscription emails that I never read, having signed up for them for various reasons (like to enter a contest, or get a coupon code, etc.) Yesterday I was reading the September edition of Good Housekeeping magazine and came across an article on things that help save time. As I was scanning the article, I came across the idea to sign up with Unroll.Me. which is a free service that is able to see every email list and newsletter that you have signed up for and you can go through and unsubscribe, keep the items in your inbox, or put them all into one email roll that you get once a day so they don't clog your inbox. I signed up this morning and I will say I haven't gotten any of the emails that I unsubscribed from. Hopefully this will mean less junk emails.

Another website that I tried out recently was Take Them A Meal. We had so many people volunteer to bring us dinner after I had my hysterectomy. A former coworker of mine suggested this website so that people could sign up and I wouldn't have to worry about figuring out a schedule, etc. So I set up an account and it was easy to use and for us to see if people were bringing food. There is a way to set it up so the people who would like to bring food can see food allergies, how many people they are cooking for, where and when to take the food. Those signing up can say when they will bring it, what they are bringing, etc. It was a really useful website for us last week! 

Have you discovered any websites recently 

that have helped your life? 

 

 

Books that I read for fun in August

Over the last year and a half, I started documenting the books that I read for fun (and not just for review purposes).  I have decided that I need to continue that as reading is important part of how I relax. Books that I read for fun are books that I have not been asked to review and that I have chosen to read, well because I like to read. In 2015, I read a total of 49 books! This year, 2016, I am aiming to read 52 books...Not including this month I have read 43 books so there is a good chance I will meet this goal! 

So....What did I read in August?: 

After getting the recommendation of "Me Before You" by a couple of readers back in May (Thanks Jill and Anne in the Kitchen!) I was finally able to get the book at the library. I reserved it back in May and it just got to me! I am so glad they recommended it as it was fantastic! Definitely a tear-jerker, but overall a great book! I would highly recommend it.  I would also recommend the author Mary Kay Andrews, if you want to read a fun story but with some intrigue and romance.  Not all the books that I read this month were great though. "Yankee Doodle Dixie" was a hard book for me to get into. It just seemed to drag on but I was able to read all of it. Maybe it is the author's style, but it just wasn't for me. "Coming Up for Air" was okay but not really great.
  

 

Here are the books I read for fun in:

July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
March-April 2016
February 2016
January 2016
Books from 2015
Books from 2014

                                                 Have you read any good books lately?

Any series you would recommend?