Frugality

Hi there! To the few that look @ my little blog I'm sorry it is has been so uninteresting and boring lately. :) I have a lot of blog ideas but need the help of my wonderful husband for the pictures. He has been super busy with photography lately, which I am praising and thanking God for!

This quick post is about small ways that we, the Pearlsteins, try to honor God through the money He blesses us with and make it last. Ways I try to be frugal...

1. Using cloth diapers...lately I have been burnt out on this, maybe I should hurry up and actually potty training Ellie. :) But this is a great way to serve and sacrifice for the benefit of my family's finances.

2. Make your own bread! I just started this a couple months ago. We have really enjoyed all this whole wheat goodness!! Today I ventured out and tried a new recipe...pesto swirl bread. It turned out well and will go along side the spinach quiche I made for dinner tonight. Which Elli calls egg pie, that works too. :)

3. Make your own laundry soap...sound weird? I thought so at first too. But it is super easy, super cheap, and smells good.

RECIPE~ 1 bar of ivory soap grated like cheese
1 C. borax powder
1 C. washing soda (NOT baking soda)

**borax and washing soda should be on your laundry detergent aisle, if not I know it is on Amazon**
~Use 2 Tablespoons per large load~

4. Shop on the clearance rack and Thrift stores for your clothes. I know some people do not enjoy the "hunt" but you might once you see how much you can save. And, some thrift stores will have sales, which I think is hilarious.

5. Ditch the cell phones!! Did I just write that?? We use Magic Jack for our phone. It is an internet phone so you have to have high speed dsl, which we pay $35 a month for. The Magic Jack is $70 for two years, unlimited local and long distance. That $70 is not per month, but for two years! I will say that my husband was not as inclined to dropping the cell phones, but was willing to give it a try which I am thankful for. He says now that it has not been that bad and is glad we did it.

6. Make a menu for your family's meals. Before I go grocery shopping I make a two week menu. I think this is fun and actually get excited about it. Why do I make it two weeks? Because a wise, older woman at our church was sharing with me that the less you are in the stores the less tempted you are to splurge on something. She is right! Now, I do have to make another little trip in between for more produce, but I usually do not make a splurge buy because I have a list and I do the envelope cash system (thanks Dave Ramsey!).

7. Eat breakfast for dinner one night a week. (It could be another inexpensive meal that your family would prefer over breakfast.)

8. Make your own breakfast foods. With my little helper Ellie we make this on Tuesday mornings when Athan is napping. We make granola, it is really yummy and so easy. You can find a number of recipes online. We also make quick breads, banana, pumpkin, or whatever you like and spread peanut butter over it. On the weekends I will try to make eggs or pancakes. Here is the pancake recipe we use. It takes pancakes to a whole new level, if there is such a thing.

9. Check most of your movies out @ the library. You might have to wait a few weeks but that will make it even more enjoyable.

10. Buy raw milk. Is this cheap? No. But it will benefit your health in the long run, which is really an investment.


I have only touched the tip of the ice burg when it comes to frugality. These were just to spark your imagination for your own family. I want to mention a few things before closing. Frugality will look different from family to family. What works for us may not work for you. Also, the cheapest way is not always the best way to live. If cloth diapers is too much for you and you find yourself snapping at your children, feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, then just stop. Peace and a happy Mama are more important. Maybe you could try again in a few months. There are many seasons in life, and some call for convenience.

There, I posted. I feel better. Have a great night!

Is There Something in the Water?

So I'm just saying...

~when you have two kiddos that will not take their afternoon naps
~a very sad two year old wailing because she dropped her ormament (yes, an ornament) between the wall and her bed --- I agree with her, how awful ! (for a 2 1/2 year old anyhow)
~bread in the bread machine
~changed dinner to spaghetti because that is easy
~a portion of your home looks like a fabric store exploded there (my upstairs!) I was working on our new stockings last night
~you are feeling like maybe, just maybe you are coming down with the bug your kiddos are getting over :(

TAKE THAT SECOND SHOWER FOR THE DAY...that's all I'm saying. :) Have a great day enjoying Christ and His MANY blessings. We are here in the little yellow house!

Thrift Store Find #1 (and #2)

I have a series to come of great thrift store finds. These two yellow chairs were $2 a piece at Thrift Haven. I love them and so does Ellie. Now I want to find a second hand end table, paint it orange and paint the top with chalk board paint. You see we plan to get a kitchen for Ellie for Christmas and I think it would be so fun to have a table and chairs to enjoy all her imaginary cookery! She is so cute sitting there...that is her "sick" attire --- shirt, diaper, and flip flops. This girl could wear just her diaper and shoes everyday and be perfectly happy. She does not want clothes most of the time, but shoes? Shoes all the time.

We added Nayshe to the mix and that was fun. Doesn't he look like a little bug with that big smile? Sometimes I get panicky and say to Clay..."what are we doing? we have two kids!!" He of course just laughs and says something like "we're doing great!" I love him and those two bugs of kiddos more than I thought I could love someone.

Thrift Store Find #2 are those cute black flip flops Ellie is wearing. Not only does she love her shoes but mine as well. Daily she will go into my closet and grab a pair and inch her way around the house. Considering how dangerous this could be she does quite well. Her favorites are my flip flops (remember I am from Florida!). I have been wanting to find some for her. I found these at the DAV Friday night when I was trying to do part of my grocery shopping. She slept in them Friday night! We let her go to sleep in them and then later in the night I went back in and took them off, she woke up from a dead sleep saying "put them back on!" She's crazy. I love her for it. Oh, the flip flops were $3 --- it was her "I'm so pitiful I need a sick present".

My point with this Thrift Store Find series is that it is so trendy right now to "go green" it is not just about buying cars with better gas mileage, using vinegar to clean, soap nuts in your wash, or whatever else, but reusing someone else's stuff (especially when there is so much life left in it) is a big part of going green. The next time your curling iron dies check out the thrift store...there are always like 100! And usually there is a testing area to see if it really works. My blow dryer (which I bought 2 years ago at Thrift Haven for $1) died so I went a hunting. Thrift Haven did not have any, but Goodwill did. It was $3 -- which I actually thought was expensive--- ha ha!! But really, there is a lot you can find at thrift stores. Every time I walk into a dirty, smelly, germ-infested thrift store this adrenaline starts flowing through me, and I think "what am I going to find today?" Happy thrifting and goodnight!

Garbage Disposal

What should not be put down a garbage disposal...

1. a penny (In my defense I think it was down there before we moved in)

2. a match stick (that was an accident)

3. egg shells

4. an apple core

5. the big, nubby end of a carrot

6. the little plastic part to a child's sippy cup (accident)

7. a spoon (accident)

8. popcorn kernels (that was a big no no)

9. the little branches that grapes come on

My patient husband has become quite the expert on unclogging a garbage disposal. He said to me one day...I know you love having this thing, but you could hold back a little bit...he is so funny.

Our Little Yellow House...

Here's what our house has looked like lately...

1. An adorable two year old girl I tried to potty train today, we gave up...until tomorrow.

2. A strikingly handsome with long, luscious brown hair five month old is coughing and most of the time can not breath through his nose. If it were not for an amazing midwife ( and her mother) we would have probably taken Nayshe to the ER Friday night, but that is another post. He is doing much better, smiling and playing but still coughing. Mommy wants the coughing to stop...but she is thankful he can breath.

3. A bath time that ended with poop in the tub! We progressed to the kids' room and she pee-peed when Clay was putting her pj's on (I guess we took her out of the tub too soon). Every time Clay helps me with bath time drama happens. :) We do not know why this happens because his help is wonderful but every time (yes, this is not the first time) she poops in the tub it is when Daddy is giving her a bath. Weird. Mommy thinks it is funny.

4. Daddy gave me another sewing date tonight, he told me to sew for hour no matter what it sounds like out here...I'm thinking "sounds like?" ---- Mommy sewed for 40 minutes, I HAD to come out, both babies were crying. He tried. He blessed me greatly. I recovered a down feather pillow ( thrift store $1.50) and fixed this dress that I really love but felt like a Hoochie MaMa when I wore it to church a few weeks ago. Wanted to run back home and change... it is Proverbs 31ish now.

5. Matt Costa's "Vienna" playing over and over. Since Athan has been sick we have regressed and are not putting him down to bed awake (big deal, we'll get back there) Clay gets him to sleep with this song playing. Clay and I like the tone of it. Athan does too I guess. :) He is sooooo cute!!

6. A lot of laughing and a lot of crying from a spunky, blue eyed, beautiful 2 1/2 year old. Emotions change faster than Clay and I can keep up with sometimes. Long suffering....thanks Paul.

7. My wonderful husband looking over my shoulder correcting alllll my typing and grammatical mistakes -- making me nervous -- he is going to read now. :)

Have a goodnight~ love, the Pearlsteins

POOP

No, this isn't bathroom humor. It is more like diaper humor, no, more like a milestone in a wee little one's life. Athanasius is five months old and has struggled with constipation on and off. Well...tonight he had a blow-out diaper! For most people this is really gross, but to me --- a mommy --- it was great. :) It is funny the things you get excited/thankful for when your circumstances change. With Ellie it seemed like every diaper was a blowout (what an over achiever) but with Athanasius just A poopy diaper is exciting.

I hurt my neck a couple weeks ago and had to take it very easy for a few days. Which for me is hard --- I tend to be the hyper, so many things to do, can't sit down kinda gal. :) But it was EXACTLY what I needed, a little step back in the world of gratitude. I couldn't wash the dishes, I couldn't lift Ellie into her highchair, I couldn't even sleep on my side without being in pain. It was hard and even a little scary at first but He forced me to rest in Him and to be thankful for things I do everyday that I never thought twice about. It wasn't that I was complaining about these things, the mundane, but I was not thanking Him for them. The experience also enlarged my imagination. How many mothers are there that may be blind, confined to a wheel chair, or whatever the handicap may be that can not take care of their children the way they would like. It was hard enough asking a friend to come over and babysit while Clay took me to the chiropractor. I can't imagine someone taking care of them everyday while I had to watch on the sidelines. We are all fragile, weak beings that depend on His care and mercy every second of every day.

I didn't intend to write all that, basically I'm really happy my son had a poopy diaper! :) Have a great night.

Sunday Walks with Daddy

Our little baby boy, Athanasius Michael, was born this past May and since then Clayton started this fun tradition with Ellie on Sunday mornings. Our church does not start until 10:30 and we only live five minutes away, so after Clay and Ellie get dressed and ready they head out the door to what Ellie calls their "special place". They go on a walk, usually downtown or Commercial St. and Clay takes pictures of Ellie. It is really fun for both of them and it gives Mommy the chance to get ready for church too. :) The above picture was taken this past Sunday. I love it. She looks so thoughtful. And Clay did a beautiful job at the editing. Thanks Babe for being such a great Daddy!!