HAPPY HALLOWEEN

What a wonderful family day today!  This morning Steve made us breakfast.  Get ready for this:  COOKIES

It was a healthier version made with whole wheat flour, banana, and oatmeal.  The boys also had apple slices and 1/2 banana on the side.  YUMMY!

For lunch we had home made pizza.  Whole wheat crust w/ hamburger, onions, peppers, and broccoli.  Afterwards we ran to a few stores and came back and got ready for trick or treating!

Here are my crazy little monkeys

We took them out in the wagon to make it easier if one of them wanted to ride.  Kaysen rode for most of the time.  Caleb switched back and forth between houses.



Kaysen was so excited to wear his monkey costume.  He kept hugging it and saying "Ahhhh" when I was trying to put it on him.  It kept him nice and warm because it was sort of chilly out tonight. 

Caleb was just happy to be a monkey.  He would make monkey sounds as we went from house to house. 

By the time we were half way through trick or treating, Caleb was ready to tackle the houses by himself.  Mom wasn't ready, but Caleb was.  We would walk him up to a house and show him the kids that were walking up the driveway.  He followed behind, waited in line, got his candy and came running back to us.  How old does this little guy think he his?  Doesn't he know that he just turned 2?  Kaysen was ready to go too and would get angry if he was left in the wagon while Caleb went up to the door step.   Some of the people told Caleb to take an extra piece of candy for his brother.  So he would pick out one and come back to the wagon to drop it in Kaysen's bucket.  One time he came back from a house and looked at me and said 'sucker'.  I said, "oh, you got a sucker?" and he had to show it to me.  Then the next house I asked him what he got, and he said 'chocolate'.  My big boy.

We came back and made a simple dinner, and the boys munched on honey grahams and cheese.  Then they each got a piece of chocolate while daddy turned on    It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  

It was a perfect Halloween evening.

Guess who is WALKING?

Kaysen Mathew woke up 2 days ago and decided that he was going to start walking!  He has been pretty adventurous, taking steps here and there, and even walking across our kitchen and bedroom a few times.  I am so proud of my little man.  He still prefers to crawl because he gets to where he is going a lot faster.  This is such a huge milestone for us!!  I am such a proud mommy!

I haven't been writing too much in my blog lately because our days have been pretty boring.  The weather has been chilly and we have been hanging out in the house a lot.  We play, run around a little, and chase each other from room to room.  Hopefully there will be more to talk about soon with Halloween coming up.  I'm so excited to have 2 little monkeys running around!

Happy Birthday to my brother Nathan!  He's turning 19 today.

Exploring at Grammie's House

A few days ago we took a overnight trip to Grammie's House.  I packed up plenty of things for the boys to do on the trip, and surprisingly, they did really well on the long car ride.  They had so much fun the entire time we were there.  Caleb loves going exploring through Grammie's flower beds, and Kaysen found a wonderful pile of leaves to toss around.

We Love You Grammie!!

Typical Tuesday

It just another lazy Tuesday morning.  Kaysen is still asleep and Caleb is drinking his milk watching Curious George in the living room.

Last week we went to get Kaysen's one year pictures taken.  It didn't go so well.  We are going to go back in a week or so to try again.  I'd be scared too in a tiny room with lots of big lights and flashing things going on.  Here are some before pictures right before we left.  Yeah, it looks rough for the little guy.

Today I have a few things to get done around here.  Sunday was a "super cleaning day" for me.  I really didn't do anything super, but I felt like I was cleaning all day long.  I did wipe down/scrub the kitchen ceiling fan, which felt good!  Yesterday was my grocery shopping day.  I took the boys while Steve was at work.  I spent way too much time meal planning and making out a grocery list before I went.  The boys' nap schedules no longer overlap, so I had to fit in my planning in between play and meal times.  Kaysen kept crawling into our bedroom to mess with the Christmas presents that are hidden under our bed.  Then he would crawl out to the laundry room looking for "dog-dog".   Cassie (our dog) is now renamed Dog-Dog, because that's what the boys call her.  Kaysen started it, and Caleb just followed. 

I took these pictures of the boys in their PJs yesterday.  I can't believe they are getting so big.

Here's Kaysen crawling around with his new sippy cup in his mouth.  A new thing to chew on!  Yippee!!

Fall Leaves

The boys and I went on a short walk today to gather leaves.  I brought along a bag for Caleb so he had something to bring his leaves home in.  Kaysen was in the stroller and Caleb pushed him along the sidewalk.  When we came to a pile of leaves, Caleb would take off really fast running towards the leaves, pushing Kaysen as he went.  Then we would stop on the other side and pick a few nice ones for our bag.  We brought them inside and sorted out the really nice ones.

Caleb's favorite leaves were these big fat ones.  He brought home 3 total.  Kaysen smashed 2 of them, and then I threw the other one away after they were done playing.  But then Caleb noticed what I did and dug it out of the trash can.

He was a little upset that we had to come inside.  Plus I think he was getting hungry.

Afterwards we taped the leaves up in the boys' room on their art frame.  Caleb kept saying "ohhhh".  He thought they were very pretty.

Kaysen's First Birthday

What a wonderful day to celebrate the very first year of Kaysen's life.  He is such an amazing little boy.  Very curious, loving, and full of trouble.

We decorated the house in blue and green streamers and balloons!  I also got a picture of the banner I made, although you can't see it close up.

   

The cupcakes turned out GORGEOUS!  I was so happy and proud that they turned out the way I wanted them to.

And of course, my little Kaysen.  Isn't he just the cutest?!?

Here are the blankets that Steve made for the boy's first birthdays.  This was after opening presents.  They look so tired.

Check ups

My boys had their 1yr old and 2yr old check ups today.  Everything is great.  They are growing strong and healthy.

Kaysen

32 1/4" Tall

24.7 Lbs

Caleb

34 3/4" Tall

28 lbs

Building Blocks

I'm happy to announce that Kaysen stacked 6 blocks all by himself this afternoon!  He even put a little toy on top after he was all done.  It was the most beautiful tower I have ever seen.

Cash Envelopes: How-To

I'm so excited to be creating my own envelopes for my cash envelope system!  It is fun, relaxing, and it makes me want to use cash even more for my purchases because I have cute envelopes to whip out at the cash register!

STEP 1:
I have 17 Categories for my envelopes.  So I started with 17 pieces of card stock.  I was going to go out and buy some printed paper for this, but after searching I found some plain colored card stock that worked just as well.

STEP 2:
I unfolded an envelope to use as a template to create my own.  I made sure the envelope was the correct size, and that it fit on the paper.

STEP 3:
I traced around the envelope, folded on the parts that needed to be folded, and used scrapbook adhesives to hold the folds in place.

STEP 4:
I printed out my labels for each category I wanted an envelope for.  I cut around them with craft scissors and used adhesives to attach them to matching scrap paper.

STEP 5:
I cut around the labels again with craft scissors and attached them to the front of the envelope.  There is a label for the front and a label for the back.

I'm still working on finishing all 17.  But these are so cute and really make the whole process of using cash easier for me because it's fun.

October Fun

Here's a few pictures of my boys enjoying the cool October air.

We have so many things planned for this Halloween.  We just need to get past Kaysen's birthday first.  I plan on having the boys help stuff a scarecrow, carve a pumpkin, decorate the house with Halloween decorations, and hang lights up in their room.  We have already started reading halloween books and talking about spooky scary things.  Today we made a haunted house out of blocks and some halloween toys. 

Spiders and Ghosts are Caleb's favorite!  He will hold spiders in his hand really gently and say "Yuck!  Yuck!"  But he never wants to put them down. 

Caleb drove the cars around the haunted house and the ghost, bat, and pumpkin would jump out and say "BOO!"

He really is so creative.  It was his idea to put the cars in the haunted house in the first place.

A Frugal Way of Life

If I could list all the ways we cut costs in this family I would.  Maybe some day I will.  Sometimes I forget how frugal our life really is because we've been living this way for so long.  I've been making my own laundry detergent for 2 years now.  I make some of my cleaning products.  We do not use paper towels, paper plates, foam plates, or anything like that.  I do use disposable diapers, but even those are bought at 1/4 of what retail price should be.  For the longest time I made my own baby wipes.  Which was fun, until I got those for 75% off retail too.  We reuse so much.  We re-purpose even more.  I am the queen of coupon deals, clearance shelves, sale prices and great buys.  We are the family that can go into a store, spend $10 and come out with enough items to retail at $100.  It is a way of life that I am proud of and love to share with others.  After all, I wouldn't have the ability to do all of this if others hadn't shared their knowledge with me first.


This is the recipe I follow to make my own laundry detergent.  It is super easy to do!  It makes a 5 gallon mixture that can be put into smaller bottles for convience.  5 gallons will last me about 2-3 months.  And I do at least one load every day.  Total cost for a 5 gallon bucket is a little less than a dollar.

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT

You will Need:

1 bar of Ivory Soap (grated)

You can buy these in pks of 3 for .99.  Use a .25 coupon that comes out usually once a month in the Sunday paper to get it for .74

Borax

Found in the laundry area of the grocery store by the powdered detergents.  Cost:  Between $4-5 for a huge box.

Washing Soda

Different from Baking Soda!!  This is also found in the laundry area in powder form.  I get the Arm and Hammer brand.  Not Baking Soda!  Cost:  Between $4-5

Dawn Dish Soap (Optional)

For extra stain fighting!

5 Gallon Bucket w/ lid

What to do:

Grate Ivory Soap into a pan w/ 4 Cups HOT water over med/high heat.  Stir until melted.  Remove from heat.  Let cool, but don't let it go back to a solid.

Fill up a 5 gallon bucket half way with HOT water.  Add melted soap, 1 CUP Borax, and 1 Cup Washing soda.  Stir til dissolved.

Fill bucket up completely with HOT water.  Add 1/2 cup - 1 Cup Dawn.  Stir.

Cover bucket lightly with lid, but do not seal.  Let it sit 24 hrs.

Detergent will be sort of gloppy.  STIR WELL!  The glops will break down.   (I've used up to 1 1/2 cups Borax and 1 1/2 cups washing soda instead of a cup and there seems to be less glops and more gel)  The mixture has to be stirred or shaken every time you use it to distribute the soap.

Pour into an old detergent container.  Before you use it just give the bottle a quick shake and use lid to measure out your detergent.

I use 2 cap fulls for towels and one for our clothes.

Sacrifice and Change

This week has been full of changes.  More mental than physical.  This is the week that I have decided to make some major changes in our life.  This is the week that I have finally stopped making excuses and have decided to get on the path to becoming debt free.
I want to add a little disclaimer:  All of this is OUR CHOICE.  You will probably read some of the steps we are taking and think that our family has gone crazy.  Do we have to do this to survive?  No.  Are we making it financially the way we are living right now?  Yes.  But we don't want to.  We are making sacrifices today for a better tomorrow. 
We have been slowly following this path for about a year.  It has been a slow ride.  But that is in the past, and now is all about the future.  After sitting down and analyzing my budget for 3 straight hours last week, I decided that we need to make some major financial sacrifices to reach our goal.  It will be tough, long, and difficult.  But I know it will be worth it in the end.

ENVELOPE SYSTEM
I created a new budget with new envelopes.  For those who don't know, we are doing the cash envelope system.  I take out a set amount of cash for each of my expenses.  Those expenses are put into envelopes.  When the cash is gone from the envelope, that is it until pay day.  I cannot spend any more in that area.  We've been following the cash envelope system for a while now.  But this week I created more envelopes and lowered my budget in each one of them.  I am now doing cash for everything except utilities and debt.  I have an envelope for car plates and insurance, another for medical co pays, another for home maintenance, one for home repair, and list goes on and on.  I have 16 categories total.  Some of the envelopes are really small.  For example:  I'm only putting in $5 into the clothing category every month.  But that's $5 I do not have to worry about if Steve needs new pants for work or if the boys need underwear.


MAJOR CUTS
As of this week, we are getting rid of DirecTv.  We are hooking up the converter box.  We had originally budgeted $80 a month for 6 months out of last year's tax return.  That money is no longer coming in because 6 months are up.  So bye bye TV.  We are moving back into the living room again this winter to save on heating bills.  The master bedroom will be closed up and our bed will be in the living room.  *sigh*  I'm not looking forward to this AT ALL!  But it saved us at least $100-200 each month last year.  And that's money that we can use elsewhere.  I am only allowing our family to have $25 worth of fun money a month.  Really, if you think about it, that's not a whole lot.  That's only $6.25 a week.  Fun money is just like it sounds.  Fun.  Going out to eat, new toys, a book to read, a trip to dairy queen, only $6.25 a week.  I'm lowering my grocery budget too.  (as if I thought it could get any lower)  I still allow myself $50 a week, but I'm attempting to only spend between $30-40.  That extra money is getting put back to pay off debt.  I have quite a few more that I'll add later in tonight in a new post when I get a chance.

DEBT SNOWBALL
So what am I doing with all that extra cash?  I'm doing what Dave Ramsey calls a Debt Snowball.  All the extra money at the end of the month gets put towards your smallest debt.  Everything else you pay minimum payments.  When you pay off the smallest debt, you take that minimum payment plus all the extra cash each month and put it towards your next debt.  You keep snowballing till everything is paid off.  Over the past year we have cut a huge chunk of our debt.  We only have a little bit to go.