A Simple Woman’s Daybook

FOR TODAY Jan. 9, 2011

Outside my window…darkness, though it was lovely earlier.

I am thinking…of wrapping up year-end bookkeeping duties.

I am thankful…for loving friends and family.

In the kitchen…the counters shine at the hands of a loving daughter.

I am wearing…my PJ’s (of course!)

I am creating…a ruffle-edged knitted scarf.

I am going…to bed, shortly. I was in town (Walla Walla) earlier today.

I am wondering…if I can find a good recipe for Split Pea Soup for tomorrow night.

I am reading…Made to Crave (among others).

I am hoping…for a wonderful school day tomorrow.

I am looking forward to…listening to the Scouts make a presentation to the American Legion tomorrow night.

Around the house…I need to put away all the Christmas decor that I took down this weekend.

A favorite quote for today… Don’t look down on anyone unless you are reaching down to help them up.

One of my favorite things…Fruit smoothies in the morning.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Finish cleaning the office, attend Christian Women’s Club where Paige will play piano, watch a couple of her basketball games.

A peek into my day…Did school with the kids, sorted coupons, met Marillee in Walla Walla at the printer (final Clean ‘n’ Flip proofs!), did (mega-coupon) grocery shopping and walked with a friend. A typical day of homeschooling, homemaking and home business!

siggy-dena

January 10, 2012 by admin | Filed Under Home Business, Homemaking, Homeschooling | 2 Comments

Clean ‘n’ Flip Makeover Sneak Peek

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For those of you who don’t know, our Clean ‘n’ Flip Chore System is undergoing a massive makeover. Here are a few of the new features of the updated system.

The Zone and Bedroom Clean ‘n’ Flips have now been combined into one all-inclusive flipchart. Previously, the Bedroom chart wasn’t laminated (and couldn’t be checked with a dry-erase marker), now the entire chart is laminated.
The program now includes an instructional DVD which instructs Mom in how to best implement and customize the system AND demonstrates to children, how to work step-by-step, through the chart. See sample below.
You’ll also receive our Kid Friendly Cleaning Solutions E-Book, filled with natural and frugal recipes allowing you to make your own non-toxic cleaning solutions. You’ll even find a list of our favorite resources and printables to help you in your cleaning and organizing endeavors.
The new program provides you with everything you need to succeed, right down to the dry-erase marker and laundry basket labels!

Right now, we’re blowing out our current system at a massive discount while offering special pre-order pricing on the new system. The new program is scheduled to be ready on Jan. 21. Would you like a sneak peek?

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January 7, 2012 by admin | Filed Under Home Business, Homemaking, Homeschooling | 1 Comment

Keep Giving in the Forefront

While reading Ann’s blog before Christmas, I was struck by her post about their “radical” Christmas. What a great idea! Though I doubt we’ll follow their lead as far as celebrating Christmas (though perhaps we should), I loved the idea of using catalogs to inspire regular giving and to keep the needs of others before us. We sponsor a Compassion child so I already had their catalog and I quickly requested several others. We got our second one today. Right now, I have this basket and jar sitting on our kitchen sideboard.

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Looking through the catalogs, it’s striking to realize that only a few dollars can buy a chicken, a mosquito net or some medicine. In fact, just over $600 can buy a home! It lets us realize that every few dollars we’re willing to set aside can go to help others. Every little bit helps.

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My kids have already been “bargain shopping”, noting that a chicken costs a few dollars more in one catalog than in another. We’ve also discussed whether a cow or goat would be a better option for a family. As they read through the catalogs, they see how people live and become aware of their needs. I can’t wait for more catalogs to arrive.

Grandma has asked that we give something to the needy rather than give her a birthday present this year. We’re already trying to decide on the perfect gift to give in her name. I think we’ll keep a list of the needs we are able to meet over the next year.

I ordered a few extras of each catalog in case friends see our basket and are interested in doing the same.

Living and loving works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family. Also linking to Mommy Resources at Crystal and Co.

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siggy-dena

January 5, 2012 by admin | Filed Under Homemaking, Homeschooling | Leave a Comment

Make Your Own Family Baby Board Book

My new little nephew loves little more than looking at the wall of family photos at his Grandma’s house. I decided to take advantage of this “picture love” and create little board-type books for both my little nephews (great-nephews, technically). My sil was great to get me photos from both sides of each family. I’d seen some neat links on Pinterest that showed people covering board books with their own photos, but I really wanted something the boys could handle, carry around, and that we wouldn’t have to worry if they put in their mouths. Then I remember the bargain laminator I’d purchased some time ago. Bingo!

I bought a package of 4 x 6 laminating pouches ($5) and used my hole puncher and spiral coils (from our Mini Flips) to make two really cute photo books. I put all the pics in Photoshop and added the names underneath. I decided it would be less expensive to order the prints than to spend on ink printing them out. After that, it was pretty easy and made for an appreciated yet frugal gift. The pouches even come with rounded corners so they’re nice and safe.

The boys (and parents) were thrilled! If you don’t have a hole puncher or coils, you can have it done at your local copy chop pretty inexpensively.

Fun & frugal gifts work for me. To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family and Crystal & Company.

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siggy-dena

December 27, 2011 by admin | Filed Under Homemaking | 2 Comments

Goal for it!

Have you, either as an individual or a family, set some goals for 2012? Resolutions are great, but specific goals are even better. Whether savings goals, character goals or accomplishment related goals, it’s been shown that goals are more likely to be met when clearly defined, written down and tracked. Teaching your children to set and meet goals is a valuable skill and one that is great to work on as a family. Remember, your children learn more from what they see you do than from what you simply tell them. (Scary, huh?)

Don’t forget to make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-specific. While your at it, make sure your chores are S.M.A.R.T. as well (our Clean ‘n’ Flips will help with that!).

Whether you’re saving for a family vacation, trying to lose 10 lbs. or teach your kids basic Spanish, goal tracking can help. Below are some neat resources that make that easy.

Check out this post for a list of 11 online goal-setting programs that you can use. These can be especially appealing for teens.
How Does She has a great pdf download to help you create goals in different categories, prioritize them and even set up rewards for meeting benchmarks.
Goal For It is a fun program geared just for kids. It will even work as a chore chart.
If you prefer a written plan for your kids, have them complete this printable each month. What a great way to be intentional in what you hope to accomplish each month.

I hope these resources give you that added push you need to set a few goals and keep on them!

If you have some great goal-setting tips or traditions, I’d love to hear them!

Linking up to the Carnival of Homeschooling , Works for Me Wednesday and Crystal & Company.

siggy-dena

December 27, 2011 by admin | Filed Under Home Business, Homemaking, Homeschooling | 3 Comments

Drive Your Kids Nuts!

Here’s my mommy tip for the day: drive your kids nuts at Christmas! Well, it’s possible this won’t bother your kids as much as it does mine, but it makes mine batty. See?

Can you tell what drives them crazy? It’s the lack of names on the packages. Hehe. I was sick of the kids spending so much time under the tree trying to figure out what their gifts were so last year I came up with a code system. The kids forgot all about it until I put the gifts under the tree this year. I had to laugh when I heard, “NOOOOO!!! Not again!” come from the living room.

If you adopt this plan, you’ll want to change your code each year so they don’t catch on.

On another note entirely . . .

Dayspring has started their Christmas sale a bit early, plus they have some great decor items on sale. The website says free shipping on a $50 order, but with the code SHIPPING25, you can get free shipping on a $25 order.

I’ve been wanting a cute apron forever and found these for half off ($12.50). Just search for Ever Grateful Apron to find it. They have lots of great decor items marked down as well. It’ll be easy to find $25 worth. If you’re like me, you have some friends who don’t mind their gifts being a bit late. Or, this is a great time to stock up for birthdays, showers, hostess gifts, etc.

Linking to Works for Me Wednesday and The Mommy Club.

December 21, 2011 by admin | Filed Under Homemaking | 4 Comments

Merry Christmas!

Here is our Christmas “letter” for this year (the Wood family). Lest you think I’m this amazingly creative all on my own, I’m sharing the link I found the template at (thanks My Three Monsters!). It’s probably too late for Christmas this year, but it would make a nice New Year’s letter as well.

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Oh, and here WE are!

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siggy-dena

December 20, 2011 by admin | Filed Under Homemaking | 2 Comments

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Source: Uploaded by user via Michele on Pinterest

December 17, 2011 by admin | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

It’s a Wrap!

Here are a couple of fun things I like to do with wrapping paper. Last year, for the first time, I wrapped our wall photos. My kids loved it and have asked if we can do the same this year.

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This shot shows a couple other frugal decor tricks. The photo was pulled from a Mary Engelbrite magazine years ago. I just switch out what goes in the frame each season. The tall jar usually holds a variety of “natural” balls, but I replace them with shiny baubles at Christmas for some extra sparkle.

My second tip is to use a roll of wrapping paper as a fun and inexpensive neighbor gift. Just take a gift tag and write:

Here’s hoping you have Christmas all wrapped up!

Attach the tag to a roll of Christmas wrap for a thoughtful (useful!) your neighbors are sure to appreciate.

And if you’re up for some creative packaging, browse through my Wrapping & Packaging board on Pinterest. There are some truly beautiful ideas there.

Getting all wrapped up this Christmas works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.

December 14, 2011 by admin | Filed Under Homemaking | Leave a Comment

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Though we don’t have any actual snow (much to my boys’ disappointment!), things are looking pretty white around here. The shot above is from outside our back door. I know many of you already have plenty of the white stuff lining your walks and others of you won’t be seeing any at all. Here are some fun snow activities you can do, regardless of whether or not you have any actual snow at your place.

My favorite “snow” website is the Snowflake Bentley site. If you’re a Facebook follower, you’ll have seen the links, already. This link is a bit hidden on the site, but is one you really have to look at. Here, you’ll find thumbnails of some of Bentley’s snow photographs. Click on them to see a magnified version. They’re truly amazing! Check your local library to see if they have any books on Snowflake Bentley. I first learned about him from a book I read to my children.

I’ve done this experiment with all of my kids. It’s a great hands-on example of how animals stay warm in winter.

Here’s a creative way to learn about icy roads.

How about making some pretty Borax snowflakes to decorate your home?

These DIY snowflake window clings look fund and easy to do.

If you’re up for some really elegant paper snowflakes, here’s the tutorial for you.

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Or you could make these 3-D snowflakes. This (above) is one that I made by using smaller sheets of paper than what is shown in the instructions. (I cut the paper to half the size of the full-size version.) They turned out really neat and get a lot of comments. We have them sitting in different spots around the house, but they would look lovely hanging in the windows as well. Note: The larger snowflakes ARE easier to make than the smaller ones, so if you’re having little ones make them, go for the full-size version. The larger ones are gorgeous, they’re just really big!

Create your own snowflake wrapping paper using a bit of Christmas greenery and white paint.

If you have a favorite snow activity, we’d love you to share or link to it in the comments. Enjoy!

Linking to Crystal & Co.

siggy-dena

December 9, 2011 by admin | Filed Under Homemaking, Homeschooling | Leave a Comment

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