Friday thoughts

• I don't want summer to end. This has been the best summer for our family. We traveled with both sets of parents on vacation, spent many hours at the pool and lake, and enjoyed being with friends and family. We have so much coming up in the next month, I just wish I could freeze time and enjoy the simplicity that we have right now.
• My friend, Lissa, went to the hospital on Wednesday afternoon to have her 1st baby. I spoke with her on Thursday around noon, and there was no change-not dilated, cervix not thinned, no etc... I haven't heard from her since, but praying she is holding her son or daughter right now. I can't get her out of my mind, I'm so excited for her and Troy!
• My folks are here to watch the girls today while I work. In addition to watching our kids, they are going to get new cell phones, I'm hoping I'll get to see an i-phone in real life tonight!
• I plan to work on the nursery this weekend-washing baby clothes and putting them in drawers, MAYBE making one last trip to Babies R Us to get a crib, getting the nursery ready for pink 3! I need to start buying diapers...
• We're going to the outside pool at the Y sometime this weekend, it's the last weekend it's open. The weather should be perfect, and the girls are so excited!
• I'm glad my Friday work schedule is much better than last semester. My pay check won't be near as good, but oh well. Last semester, I taught 14 students and crammed them all into just one day (suicide, if you ask me) This fall, I'm teaching 2 classes and have just a handfull of private students, much easier and better for everyone. Plus, I'll have a 3 week break in the middle of the semester!

Plans of her own-

So, we have plans tonight to go out to eat for Kevin's birthday. As of right now, he hasn't decided where he wants to go. I was explaining to McKenna that we don't know what we're eating tonight, but that Daddy gets to choose where we eat b/c it's his birthday. To which she exclaimed, "I really think Daddy wants to go to Chuck E Cheese. If he says that, can we go?"

I haven't answered yet...

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

Today I get to celebrate the birthday of my husband, my best friend, the father of our children, my soul mate, and the greatest man I've ever met!

The girls each picked out gifts, colored the wrapping paper, and helped to decorate the house. We're making his favorite cake-strawberry.

Happy Birthday, babe! You are amazing and I'm so thankful and blessed to be called your wife. I pray today would be a day of affirmation and blessings on you. I pray you'll get the gift you really want, a nap! And I pray you'll experience joy and love today and everyday! I love you always-

A day in the life...

Here is the rundown-

• the girls slept in until 8am
• I had a dr. appt at 9:40-saw the dr. at 10:30-good thing I brought school with us. Avery finished Math and Phonics in the waiting room, McKenna and Kevin kept busy with Hidden Playgrounds
• Found out Sept. 26 will be pink 3's birthday, maybe...
• went to visit Rachel and her kids, ended up eating lunch with them at the Friends U. cafeteria
• came home, worked on History (studied Australia) and Language Arts with Ave, McKenna "rested" while watching Angelina the Ballerina
• McKenna and I both had eye dr. appts this afternoon. She was GREAT! At 3 years old, she has the beginning of astigmatism, has 20/40 vision, but the dr. said she should be fine for 2 more years.
• At 33, I have the beginnings of cataracts, dr. told me to wear sunglasses more. My left eye is getting worse (I didn't think I could get worse) Got contact rx for -9.0 I made sure that I reminded the dr. that I really want to have lasik in a few years. She politely reminded me that I'm not a candidate, yet...
• went to Target to get a few things for a big day tomorrow!
• Found out my aunt is having a heart procedure tomorrow. Don't know much else. If you think about it, please pray for Marlene and her doctors.
• had a great day, but I'm exhausted now. Days like today make me appreciate the days when we don't have much, if any, outside activities going on.
• Last night was the 1st time we put gas in the van in 3 weeks! I think I made up for it today-
• Looking forward to tomorrow!!!!!!

Happy Anniversary

Aside from marriage and salvation, I think this is the best anniversary we've celebrated. September marks the 1st anniversary that Kevin and I have said "NO" to credit card use. We decided we were through with debt and made some drastic, and not so drastic changes to our lifestyle.

• we started living on a budget, and sticking to it
• we quit using credit cards completely
• we made a plan to be debt free in 6 years
• instead of eating out 2-3 times a week, we eat out once a month
• decided to not keep up with the Joneses

Since last September, we've

• paid off Kevin's medical bill from CO (fish hook in the eye injury)
• paid off Ashley Furniture-we now own everything in our house!
• paid off van
  
• bought used car and paid cash for it (trying to sell and pay off truck)
  
• cut credit card bill and student loans down significantly
  
• set up/established an emergency fund
  
• set up 2 savings accounts
  

Last winter, our small group from church went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace study, and it changed the way we handle our finances. Just found out Dave is having a Labor Day sale so I wanted to pass on the info.

This hasn't been easy, hasn't always been fun. But we both know it will be so worth it in the end. Kevin's goal is to call Dave Ramsey and scream the famous "I'm debt free" on his radio show. Someday, honey, someday soon...

YouTube - Edge of Grace - Whip It

YouTube - Edge of Grace - Whip It

Yesterday at GP, Bryson talked about whipping debt, whipping materialism, whipping the love of money, whipping the envious thoughts about others who've been blessed with money, whipping the self-pity that sometimes comes with not having money, etc...And since we're in the "I love the 80's" series, this song kicked off the message. Click on the link above and enjoy!

MPM

This week is a little crazy around the Osborn house. I'm realizing that we eat pretty much the same stuff for breakfasts and lunches, so I won't post those this week. Last week, I planned to make a couple of meals and we didn't end up eating those, so I'll try again this week-

Dinners
Spaghetti, salad, bread
Chicken and veggie Stir-fry/rice
Dinner out to celebrate Kevin's b-day on Wednesday!
ham and cheese quiche w/ fruit salad
green chili chicken enchiladas
Leftover buffet

My favorite this week (aside from eating out) will be the enchiladas, I'll try to post the recipe later. What about you? what's on your menu this week? What will your favorite be?

Recall Woes #2

Note-this will be the last recall post-

I don NOT like Babies R Us right now. Sure, they have (almost) everything you need for baby. But their customer service leaves much to be desired. And their store is kind of dirty, too.

Last Saturday, we went in with our voucher(see previous post) and intent to purchase a new crib. 1st off, we wandered around the furniture section for almost 20 minutes, no one helped us. During this time, I only found one crib that was the same price as our voucher, every other crib was at least $80 more. The one I liked was $200 more than our voucher.

Went home and called the store we were just at to actually talk to someone, since no one acknowledged us while we were there. Asked 2 questions

1. Can we use our voucher to buy a crib at babiesrus.com? I had found several online that we didn't see in the store. answer-NO


2. Do you have any catalogs or any other cribs we can order from the store b/c we really didn't see anything we liked. answer-YES

So today, over lunch-Kevin and I go to Babies R Us to look thru their catalogs and hopefully make a crib decision. Surprise, surprise, the lady that was helping us said we could only use the voucher for cribs they had on the floor in their store, no catalogs, no special orders, nada...

So we left, again, empty handed. Kevin's been there twice now, that's a record in itself. I don't think I can't get him to go one more time.

I'm still pouting...lesson to self-if you have something and it's recalled and you really like it, keep it. I'd do almost anything to get that crib hardware back and forget this whole recall ever happened.

Thinking about this...again

When I was pregnant with Avery, we got into a small group study that had to do with parenting. I was hooked immediately with this study. Kevin obliged and stuck with me. We attended the group each week, faithfully doing our homework and reading. When the group ended, we felt fairly confident in the parenting style and what to do when Avery came.

Avery was the perfect babywise baby. She was on a 3 hour schedule from birth and slept through the night right at 6 weeks. I loved having a schedule and knowing exactly when she would eat, sleep, and play. We kept track of everything, her feedings, her diapers, EVERYTHING.

2 years later, McKenna came and rocked our world. We skimmed through the study before she was born to refresh ourselves. We brought little McKenna home and started the schedule/routine. Well, McKenna had another plan. She cooperated for the most part during the day. But at night, all she wanted was to be held or lay on my chest. We didn't realize that this was "normal" since Avery was such a good sleeper. It took McKenna almost 10 weeks to make it through the night, and even then, she wasn't a consistent night sleeper.

Now, pink 3 is coming and I'm wondering what to do. Should we try to keep her on a schedule? This seems most logical to me, but, then again, I keep being reminded by someone that I'm very much a type A, so this would totally make sense. I like being in control and knowing when things are going to happen. I like to actually sleep during the night.

I just found this blog today and quickly added it to my bloglines.

20 Things...

Sally tagged me about "20 things I am right now"

1. teaching Avery History-she's making a passport to "travel" around the world
2. content-loving life right now
3. anxious about the future
4. looking at Kevin's and my old passports
5. reminiscing
6. wondering when Reese will wake up
7. wondering if Reese will take a nap this afternoon
8. letting McKenna watch Barney
9. getting hungry
10. glad Kevin is coming home for lunch
11. wishing GP would post some songs from last Sunday on You Tube, it was awesome!
12. nervous about having to teach this semester
13. ready to get a paycheck again!
14. worried about Abby's (our dog) leg/health
15. don't regret sleeping in this morning, and not working out
16. need a shower, though
17. glad for nights like last night
18. wanting a date night, soon!
19. feeling very blessed right now, even in the midst of chaos
20. wrapping up history, getting ready to fix lunch!

Time out for Miley

Last fall, Avery asked if she could watch a show called Hannah Montana. I watched several episodes with her and it seemed like a decent show, so we let her continue to watch it. She doesn't get to watch most Disney (No Wizards, No Raven, No life w/ Darrick, etc.)
For Christmas, she got Hannah Montana PJ's, microphone, and wig. For her b-day, she got HM t-shirts, another wig, Miley CD, and HM tattoos. She, and her younger sister, LOVE Hannah Montana.

Over the recent months, it has become increasingly clear that Miley is going in a different direction than someone I want my 5 year old to look up to. She has made some choices that put her into a cautionary light, as far as I'm concerned. Now, I feel somewhat trapped. How do I explain to Avery (and McKenna) that they can't watch Hannah Montana anymore? Is this really a big deal, since the show is still the same? How can we put the brakes on the Hannah Montana craze in our household?

Your thoughts, comments, advice, and (constructive) criticisms are extremely welcome and appreciated!

Quote of the week

We joke around in our family about how much we love each other. Usually, the girls will say they love me ( and Kevin) "This Much!" as they spread their arms as wide as possible. Or they will quote this book and say "I love you high, I love you low, I love you deep, I love you wide."

Today, Avery said, "Mom, I love you deeper than the pool that the divers dive into on the olympics!"

My heart melted...

LVS Play and Learn

Well, we survived the morning. A few thoughts...

• If you say it starts at 9am and that their will be signs at the park for LVS parents, honor your word. I got to the park at 9:10 and it was empty. I drove around Andover freaking out for 20 minutes, thinking I was lost. Went back to the park at 9:30 and their were several cars and an LVS sign.
• No one wore jean skirts
• Avery and McKenna had a great time, playing by themselves...no new friends, yet.
• a good group showed up. I visited w/ one mom who came down from Salina.
• I don't believe God created sand for playgrounds.
• Reese had fun swinging.
  

We had school this afternoon, and now we're all tired.

Sorry if the pix look bad. Kevin took his laptop back to work, and I used Avery's, which doesn't have any picture software on it.

MPM #2

I know it's Sunday, but tomorrow is a crazy day for us, so I'm planning ahead.

• Breakfasts-cereal, yogurt, waffles, pumpkin muffins, banana/coconut bread, fruit
• Lunches-leftovers, chef salad, sandwiches, turkey provolone spinach sandwiches
• Dinners- King Ranch chicken, spaghetti, red beans and rice w/ corn bread, chicken stir-fry, homemade pizza rolls, chef salad w/ homemade croutons

Monday is our first LVS Play and Learn group. We're planning to meet at a park, hopefully the rain will hold off until the afternoon. This is a group of LVS students in the Wichita area that get together once a month. I'm looking forward to it, and praying that Avery will find a friend her age that lives on the west side of town.

Church was off the hook today. I'll post more on that later this week. Avery went to her new class today and loved it.

The wait is over!

Man, we should have blogged about this weeks ago. Our crib voucher came this morning, via overnight UPS. I signed for it, said a quick "thank you" prayer and called Kevin.

Now we can shop this weekend!

Week 1 High/Low

We're finishing up our first week of homeschooling in the Osborn house. I plan to make this High/Low post a weekly feature, we'll see. For week 1-

High-getting to spend quality time w/ both girls learning, getting one on one time with Avery, watching her face light up when something "clicks", watching her in her element-creating-

Low-Realizing that this is going to be a lot of work for me (yes, I did know that before we made this decision, but reality hit this week), one day, McKenna was watching TV while I was working with Avery. McKenna ran into the room to tell Avery that Hanna Montana was on. From then on for the next 30 minutes, Ave didn't want to do school. She's realizing the new schedule will prevent her from doing things she's used to doing. After the initial tantrum, she was just fine, though.

Overall, we had a great week! Looking forward to what next week has in store...

Recall Woes

November 2002-Kevin and I purchase a crib for the nursery for Avery. It is a beautiful cherry sleigh crib.

June 25, 2008-Today show announces a recall on cribs by a certain company and we discover that our crib was one of the ones recalled. Bittersweet excitement-I loved this crib, but the last time Kevin took it apart, some of the wood was damaged. He mentioned that he didn't know how he was going to put it together again for pink3. We sign up for the recall.

July 1, 2008-get our UPS package in the mail asking us to sign papers saying we won't put the crib together again, or try to sell it. We have to send back all of the hardware. We send it back via UPS. Info says they'll send us a voucher good for the purchase price that we can use towards a new crib, at Babies R Us.

The website says we should get our voucher for the purchase of a new crib in 1-2 weeks. We wait, patiently, at this point...

July 23-I realize that we should have gotten the voucher by now and search the web for a phone # to call and check on things. Talked to someone in Indiana and found out "Willie" in CA signed saying he recieved our crib hardware. The guy said he would expedite our voucher and we should have it in 3 days max...

August 1-Get Kevin to make the call, after I've made several attempts to figure out why we haven't received our voucher. Kevin calls, talks to "Kim" and says everythings taken care of and we should get the voucher in 3-5 days.

August 8-Kevin emails the CPSC in attempt to get them to help us get this _____(you can fill in the blank) voucher.

August 13-Still nothing... Kevin calls again and speaks to Kim, whom he spoke with earlier, who tells him she'll call him back after she talks with her supervisor. No call back

August 14-Kevin calls and asks for Kim. The guy who answers tells him that Kim no longer works there.

So, the 1-2 week recall has turned into a seven week saga...

Self-portrait

Avery learned about self-portraits today in art. She studied Rembrandt, Picasso, and Judith Leyster's self-portraits and then created her own. Her BFF Emmarie came over to play this afternoon, so she and McKenna both joined Avery for this lesson.

Emmarie and Kenna were finished in about 5 minutes. Avery took about 30...

Here is Avery's self-portrait. McKenna's is above Ave's. I took McKenna's splint off for this activity. Over the last 2 days, we've realized how much she uses her right hand. She can't

• write
• color
• draw on the chalkboard
  
• use scissors
• go to the bathroom
• fix her hair
• feed the dog

No, wait...she can feed the dog. She's just learning to milk this situation. It's gonna be a long 3 weeks!

Another thought on self-portraits. We spent time today looking at Picasso's self-portrait vs. a photo of Picasso. How they were similar, how they were different. Which got me to thinking. How do we view ourselves? Is it different than a camera would view us? And what about the heart? The inner-self portrait? Do we think of ourselves the way others think of us? Oh, this is too deep for this late in the afternoon...

1 day down...

179 days to go...Avery and her teacher, aka mom


Avery's 1st look at her school room this morning.



We ended the school day around 2:30 this afternoon. Avery had a great first day. When asked what her favorite part was, she quickly said, "all of it!"


We ended the day with a trip to Coldstone Creamery. Grandma and Grandpa Osborn, Aunt Marla and Reese joined us to celebrate Avery's 1st day of school and McKenna's first broken bone!

As if we didn't have enough going on, the van wouldn't start when we got in it to go to Coldstone. Kevin and his dad are going to get a battery for it now, at 8:48 pm. We're praying that's the solution.

Day of Firsts

As I mentioned in the post before, Kevin took McKenna to the dr. this morning. Rewind 2 days...

Saturday afternoon, she was playing with Avery. Avery grabbed her arm and pulled her down. Well, we don't really know the whole story, but she's been complaining that her wrist hurt ever since. She said late last night, "Mommy, I keep kissing my wrist and it's not feeling any better."
The dr. said she has a small fracture on the inside of her wrist. She gets to wear a splint for the next 3 weeks. In the waiting room, Kevin said that she made the comment that she'd have to learn to eat with her left hand. Good thing she already knows how to suck her left thumb. Kevin took McKenna to her Grandma and Grandpa Osborn's house this afternoon for some TLC.

Avery and I are learning about the 7 continents right now...

1st day quick hits

The girls had a great breakfast before the start of the day.


And her official 1st day picture!School is in session! Abby (the family beagle) is so excited!
This is Avery working on her handwriting. Today we studied the letters m and t. So far, we've done Math, Phonics, Handwriting, and Language Arts. History and Art are after lunch. I'll blog and post more pix tonight, but I wanted to share a few thoughts from the day so far.

• Both girls slept in-they woke up around 8. I was up at 4:30am-just like Christmas, every year...
  
• Avery's 1st question of the day, "Are there snacks in school?"
• McKenna was a baby ALL morning. In her defense, we think she sprained her wrist over the weekend. Kevin came home at 11 to take her to the dr.
• Reese took a great morning nap-yeah! Hope a great afternoon nap is coming.
• I was downstairs cleaning up after the morning lessons. Avery was upstairs talking to Reese (who just woke up and was in her pack-n-play). I could hear her over the baby intercom system saying, "Reese, your aunt Shell is a good teacher." I started crying...
• I need an adult size desk and chair. My pregnant body can't do playskool furniture.

My 1st Menu Plan Monday

No, this is not the first time I've planned a menu, but it is the first time I've typed it out instead of scribbling on a post-it note. I never got into Flylady, like my mom did. I just recently started reading orgjunkie.com and I'm trying to get more organized. She's real big on this Menu Plan Monday. Other bloggers are too, like Sally and I'm guessing that Kevin would enjoy the fact that I have a plan for what he's going to eat this week.

So, here goes...

Breakfast
chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs-Avery's choice (her 1st day of school!)
cereal
leftover quiche
waffles, smoothies
yogurt w/ grape nuts, fruit
cereal
muffins, eggs

Lunch
sandwiches-cajun turkey, regular turkey, ham or pb and j
veggies w/ ranch
leftovers
chef salad

Dinner
Mexican-sanchos, nachos, guacamole-Avery's choice
ham, cheese, broccoli quiche, fruit salad
grilled flank steak, salad
chicken/rice casserole, corn, bread
homemade pizza rolls, veggies
grilled pork chops, hash brown casserole, salad, bread
leftover buffet

Sometime in the next month, I'm going to do some freezer cooking. I want to have the freezer stocked when pink 3 comes, so we don't have to spend extra money doing take-out postpartum. I'll keep you posted-

Best and Worst....

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." This quote comes to me as a think of pregnancy. This is my 3rd pregnancy, maybe (with a tear in my eye) my last. Each one has been so different, and yet I've experienced many of the same symptoms with each one. They are all miracles and I can't believe God has blessed us with these precious children.

Avery Elizabeth
The best-finally getting to experience being pregnant, after almost 3 years of trying. The anticipation that comes with the 1st baby. Getting to buy new clothes and things for "pink." Having a wonderful doctor.
The worst-I got sick EVERY day until my 13th week. Being 1000 miles away from any family. Not getting an epidural when I wanted it b/c my platelets were too low.


McKenna Grace
The best-getting pregnant without worrying about trying. It just happened. Being back "home" in Kansas with family. Finding a great doctor in a small town. Finding out she was "pink" too.
The worst-having high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia. Having to do stress tests, protein tests, being on bed-rest the last 4 weeks. Not having good insurance.


"Pink 3"
The best-getting to be a SAHM during this pregnancy. Not having to work, or worry about work during this time (yes, I do work part time-but just on Fridays during the college semester, so I haven't worried about it during the summer months). Finding another great doctor. No morning sickness. Talking with Avery and McKenna about the baby, what she'll look like, how she's growing in my tummy. Not having the medical issues I had with McKenna (yet). Having good insurance again.
The worst-sciatic nerve pain. It's almost unbearable some days. I had this, mildly, with the first 2, but this is by far the worst. Wondering how in the world am I going to work (just 1 day/week), homeschool, take care of the home, my husband, my 2 older kids, and a baby. I know tons of moms do it, but I haven't, yet. Realizing that this may be my last biological pregnancy. All of the unknowns that come with having a baby.

Alright, your turn, Moms, Mums (for you, Lakeland Jo) AND Dads-what are your best and worst times of pregnancy?

Final Friday....

We've decided that Avery will start school on Monday. That's in 3 days! Today is our last "free day." The girls are playing barbie in their room and I'm drinking coffee and blogging. The weather is beautiful today, but the girls can't decide what to do. One wants to go to the zoo, the other doesn't. One wants to go to the park, the other doesn't. Today is Uncle Phil's b-day, so we'll make a trip somewhere to get him a present. Other than that, just another lazy day in the summer. Praise God for lazy days!

Post-traumatic Stress!

Is anyone else tired of paying such high prices for gas? I added up what we spent on gas last month and the amount made me sick to my stomach. Almost $600! We traveled to Colorado, Texas, Sterling and Abilene, Ks. We planned to spend more on gas in July b/c of vacations, etc. But I don't think we anticipated that total, which was 3x our allotted gas budget. It didn't hurt our overall budget, b/c we knew we would spend more on gas, we cut back on other things. Ugh! It still doesn't feel better, though.

Now, I almost dread getting in the van b/c I realize now that it costs money to drive. Before, it didn't bother me near as much. I find myself trying to consolidate errands and just not do some things I normally would have done with question.

What about you? How are you handling the higher gas prices? Has your life changed? Has your budget changed? Don't be shy...

What a difference a day makes!

Well, if you don't like the weather in Kansas, just wait, it will change. And change it did! Yesterday, we hid in our house with the blinds closed and the AC on high. Today, we're enjoying the mild morning weather, coloring outside.

Last Christmas, G & G Keating got the girls subscriptions to highlights and high five magazines. The girls love getting mail each month and going thru the magazines. Recently, we started getting Hidden Playgrounds, which is kind of like I spy. They LOVE it! This is what we've been doing all morning, with the exception of a quick trip to Panera for breakfast. The best thing about the hidden playgrounds is that is has an answer key in the back, something I spy books don't have. A good tool for parents who want to act like they can see everything!

So, if you live in Kansas, make sure you get outside sometime today. Because, remember, it WILL change again!

But will it work?

Last spring, my dad bought us a desperately needed printer for our home. For some reason, we can't get it to work properly. When Kevin wants to print something, it usually works. When I want to print something, it NEVER works. I have about 50 pages I want to print that haven't been printed since July. With Avery starting school soon, I'm at my wits end. We have 4 computers in our house, with no reliable printer.

So, I came across Melody's blog who is having a printer giveaway. Just leave a comment by August 19th. to be entered. I left a comment, along with hundreds of other people, hoping to win. Go enter, win, and thank me later. Just make sure it works!

It's hotter than...

This photo was taken just a minute ago. The outdoor thermometer is on our back deck. Yep, it says 114 degrees. Good thing we have plans to go swim as soon as Kevin gets home. McKenna already has her suit on!

Something to Watch

This week, Steven Curtis Chapman and his family are going to be interviewed about the tragic accident that took the life of their 5 year old daughter last May. Good Morning America will feature them on Wed., August 6, during the 8 am hour. On Thursday evening, they will be on Larry King Live. Their story will also be in the August 13th edition of People Magazine. Details can be found here.

Please remember to keep this family in your prayers this week.

Avery's 1st Day?

Someday, I'll post how Kevin and I came to our decision to homeschool Avery. And our decision to go with Lawrence Virtual School. Today's not that day, though. If you're interested, Kevin has his thoughts on our choice to homeschool on his blog.

Avery received her curriculum in the mail last week. Kevin and I went to an LVS (I'll call the school that from now on) tech training session on Wednesday and picked up her brand new Dell computer notebook. She was so excited to get it! I've spent most of the weekend getting acquainted with the K12 site and lesson planning. Right now we're trying to figure out when to actually start school. At first, I wanted to start early, knowing that we'd take some time off when the baby comes. Now, I just want to enjoy the rest of the summer and take more time to plan and prepare. I want to make her 1st day extra special, since she won't be getting on a bus. We didn't buy a bunch of supplies, no new clothes, no lunch tickets. I do plan to decorate the house for her 1st day, along with fixing her favorite meals, and probably a night out for ice cream at the end of the day. What are your thoughts? Do you have any ideas on how to make Avery's first day of Kindergarten special? Leave a comment and let me know!

Laundry Update

So, the girls got to help me on Friday make my first batch of homemade laundry detergent. Avery didn't like the smell of the soap, which was concentrated, so she quickly exited the scene. After 24 hours, McKenna stirred the detergent, which looked exactly like the video on the link on Friday's post. It was slimy and took a while to get it to mix together.

Our first load was the towels and t-shirts from swimming on Saturday afternoon. They turned out fine. No heavy or overwhelming odors, just clean. So far, so good!

On typical weeks, I do all of our laundry on 2 days, Monday and Thursday. Tomorrow will be the real test...

Frugal Friday attempt

Lately, I've been trying to find ways for our family to save more money. Rather, I've been looking for ways to be cheap so we can spend money on other things. One thing I've been interested in is homemade laundry detergent. I hate spending money on household cleaners and toiletries. After doing some internet research, I made my list of ingredients-Washing Soda (not Baking Soda), Borax, and soap (Fels-Naptha). Last week, when we were at Target, I looked for these and found nothing. Last night, at Dillons, I found all 3. So today is the day I go back in time!

The link above has the actual recipe, test experiment, and cost comparison. If this works, I may try making my own softener, as well!

tip-I read once that using vinegar works well as a fabric softener. I don't know if I could handle the smell, though. I also read that you can use a few drops of essential oil (any scent) on a washcloth. Throw that into the dryer and that works well, too.

I hope to report our findings after the weekend, with pix for proof. If this actually works, I may look for ways to make others things I hate spending money on, like toilet paper!