{this moment}

Joining Amanda.

a no-spend update

I feel like March has gone very well. I am adopting new behaviors in place of a old ones. There have been a few challenges. So many things broke this month! We opted to repair instead of replace in most instances (really good in my opinion), but wow, we had to spend a little money. That's okay because we offset the costs by selling a few items on Craigslist that were hanging around needlessly. As I'm typing I realize how much I like that - clearing out the unnecessary and making a little money - yay!
My personal spending, which is never much, has stayed minimum. It's more of the habit of treasure hunting, not the money being spent, that I want to be keenly aware of -  the amount of time I'm spending doing it. That's where the big savings is seen, in my time. I am terrible at time management, and when I am juggling too many kid activities, and spending a lot of time messing around, I get a little stressed. Being deliberate about my time helps me stay sane. When I do need a little personal time, I take it, that keeps me sane too.
So far, this month has done exactly what I wanted it to do. We have saved some money, but more importantly, I am more deliberate. I think more about where my money and time is going. Priorities.

April will be clear it out month.
The sun will (hopefully) be shining, and I will be energized enough to get some Spring cleaning done.

Have a blessed day,
Tami

made me smile

Eric was very busy at work today :~)
He created this in Photoshop and posted it on Facebook for a good laugh.
What he wrote was very sweet, and so very true.
I made a very wise choice I do believe.

Here is what he wrote:
"It just occurred to me that if you absolutely, positively want to know if the person you’ve decided to spend the rest of your life with is a good choice; you can ask yourself one simple question. Would you choose that person as your apocalypse buddy? If your answer is yes then you have chosen wisely. If your answer is no then take a good long look at that person and if you’re thinking “Yep, this person is zombie food” you may just want to rethink your relationship. I’m just saying."

Have a great evening, Tami

 

children's books

I was looking through our well loved collection of children's books the other day. We have a large bookshelf in the dining room (really our dining room functions more as a library). We have spent years filling the shelves with mostly thrifted books. When my kids were really little and I needed to give them incentive to join in on one of Mama's treasure hunting trips, I would offer to let them pick out a book. A house full of books was easier for me to rationalize than a house full of toys and trinkets. As the children are getting older, and all reading on their own,  I mourn those days a little bit. Many of our picture books sit untouched. In an effort to muster some picture book love, I suggested that we choose a few books per night and read our way through our entire collection. It did get their attention for a few days.
Because I simply cannot resist, I keep bringing home picture books from the library. I love them. The kids all want "chapter books". If it has chapters, they want to read it. As the shelves fill with chapter books and novels, my practical side tells me to weed through the picture books and let some of them go. There are powerful memories attached to some of these books. I have a particular weakness in keeping them because I do not have a single book from my childhood. I do have a very sentimental grandma though, that saved a few of my Dad's books for me.

{As always, when I write like this, I am working things out in my head.}

I fully admit that the picture books at this point are mostly for me, in a feeble attempt to keep the kiddos little for a bit longer. There I said it.

I honestly believe that when they are grown they will be happy that we kept their favorites. This would have been my wish for my childhood books.
This is what I will do. I will keep these books for my children, and the most loved, I will keep for my grandchildren. I need not be in a rush to weed through them. I like them there, even if they are untouched. It reminds my children that we are a family that loves books. It reminds me of when they were littler, and want to hold onto that too. Perhaps some time soon, we will pass on a few of our lesser favorites to make room for the new (new-to-us). Maybe tonight we'll continue our way through them, you never know when a new favorite will be discovered.

In the spirit of picture books, here is our list of absolute favorites.

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
Any of the original Arthur books by Marc Brown
So Many Bunnies by Rick Walton/Paige Miglio
The entire Brambly Hedge collection by Jill Barklem
Annika's Secret Wish by Beverly Lewis
My First Little House Books
The Little Bear series by Else Holmlund Minarik
Kiss Good Night by Amy Hest
The Elves and the Shoemaker illustrated by Jim LaMarche
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
The entire James Herriot collection of animal stories
Santa Mouse by Michael Brown
Andrew Henry's Meadow by Doris Burn
Any of the Corduroy books by Don Freeman
Niccolini's Song by Chuck Wilcoxen
Shawnee Bill's Enchanted Five-Ride Carousel by Cooper Edens/Daniel Lane
The Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold
The Mitten, The Hat, Hedgie's Surprise (anything) by Jan Brett
No, David by David Shannon
Somewhere in the Ocean by Jennifer Ward/TJ Marsh
Olive, the Other Reindeer by Vivian Marsh/J. Otto Seibold
Charlie and Lola books by Lauren Child
Wolf Watch by Kay Winters

As a read aloud The Little House on the Prairie books have been our favorite.

There are so many more that we have loved. We really like using the library. The books listed are the ones we own, that have been read so many times, they are practically memorized.
Reading to my children has been one of my greatest pleasures in parenting. I figure that I have a few more years until they don't ask anymore. I will enjoy every moment until then.

Have a blessed day, Tami

real food

my favorite chocolate bar - it does say all natural :~) 

As I get older, my body is less tolerant of what I eat. I would consider myself above average in the healthy eating department, but there are certain times of the year (Christmas) that I fall into the habit of eating a lot of sweets. It takes me months to get back on track, and then my birthday hits (April). I indulge in a few pieces of cake, a few meals out, and so on. I love the social aspect of food. I usually save my indulgences for get togethers or celebrations. I struggle to balance eating the way that makes me feel the best, and joining in when we are out or in social eating situations. I don't want to be that person that is so rigid that I don't enjoy myself at gatherings because I am thinking too much about the food. On the other hand, I almost always feel yucky the next day. I just don't feel good when I eat a lot of refined foods, or salt, or sugar. Maybe I need an attitude adjustment regarding food, even in social situations. This whole pep talk I am giving myself right now is because my birthday is coming up and I have all of these wonderful treats planned.....my very favorite pizza, perhaps a little pie......
I have a decent amount of will power and use it most of the time to stay on track health-wise.

Feeling good is a strong motivator also.
I feel the very best when I am eating real food.

What works best for me is a semi-vegetarian diet, with modest amounts of dairy in the form of yogurt, eggs, nuts, and bits of meat/poultry for protein, healthy fats, whole grains, and lots of whole fruits and vegetables. I drink mainly water, coffee, and tea. Right now I am getting off caffeine (again). My body really doesn't like caffeine. I love to eat in season, and stay away from processed sweeteners. I really like Stevia when I need a little sweetness.
Now that I have put this recipe for feeling good down in writing, I should probably refer to it often. It really does make a difference in my quality of life.
I will take April to get myself back on track. When the sun comes out that will give me an extra boost of energy and wellness too.
Have a healthy and blessed day, Tami

weekend

Another weeekend full of baseball. The weather cooperated beautifully. What a treat.
We also squeezed in a date night (Chipotle and The Hunger Games), yard work, a couple of yummy meals, a little tidying up, and a birthday party.
I have been reading Free Range Chicken Gardens by Jessi Bloom and The Quarter-Acre Farm by Spring Warren. I find myself wanting to take copious notes from both of these books. Such great information. Both of these books were available from our local library. Score.
No-Spend March is winding down. I have found it to be a great success. We had a few unexpected repairs to pay for, but countered them by selling a few things on Craigslist. Yes.
I accidentally made Ricotta cheese! I had a batch of yogurt fail (a first) - when I heated it back up again to re-culture it, the whey separated and the curds curdled! Voila Ricotta. I finished straining it, salted it a bit, and used it to make Pasta Lasagna. What a happy mistake.
I have jumped on the Instagram bandwagon. What a fun app. I don't have much use for my Iphone, but this is fun.

Have a blessed Monday,
Tami

{this moment}

{notice the actual sun coming through the window!}

Joining Amanda.