Friday Funny--You need coffee.

Get Ready for School Supply Season

Can you believe it's almost July?  The end of July start school supply season! Savings Lifestyle has compiled a list of the lowest price during the past few years, so you know if you're getting a good deal when the sales start this summer!

[  ] Binders
LP: $1

[  ] Composition Books
LP: $0.10

[  ] Colored Pencils
LP: $1

[  ] Crayons
LP: PENNY – $0.10

[  ] Dry Erase Markers
LP: FREE with coupon

[  ] Erasers
LP: $0.50

[  ] Folders
LP: $0.10

[  ] Gallon-Size Freezer Bags
LP: $0.50 – $1

[  ] Glue
LP: PENNY

[  ] Glue Sticks
LP: $0.50

[  ] Highlighters
LP: FREE with coupon (BIC)

[  ] Markers
LP: $0.25 – $1

[  ] Notebooks
LP: PENNY – $0.15

[  ] Paper
LP: PENNY

[  ] Pens
LP: $0.10

[  ] Pencil Box
LP: $0.10

[  ] Pencils
LP: Penny – $0.10

[  ] Ruler
LP: Penny

[  ] Scissors
LP: $0.25

[  ] Tissues
LP: $1

[  ] USB Drive
LP: $5

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What do the words 'freedom' and 'liberty' mean to you? Does your mind go more in the direction of not being persecuted or discriminated against or does it head in the direction of doing what you please?

Hmmm. That's a lot of thinking for this week. Right now when I think of the words 'freedom' and 'liberty,' I think of release from bondage.


2. Nathan's sponsors a hot dog eating contest every 4th of July. Last year over 40,000 people attended the event and almost 2 million watched it on TV. The winner ate over 60 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. How do you like your hot dogs?

A perfect hot dog would be grilled with some charring topped with mustard, sweet relish, and sauerkraut. I like chili-cheese togs, too.

3. If you were going to enter an eating contest what would be on the menu?

Definitely not hot dogs. Even thinking about eating 60 makes me gag. Cheesecake, however, goes down the throat quite smoothly!

4. Do you run your house more as a dictatorship or a democracy?

I would say neither, but if I had only those to choices I would say dictatorship. I fully believe in following the leadership of my husband BUT he is a servant-leader using Christ as an example so he is far from a dictator. He definitely seeks my input and advice before moving forward most of the time.

5. Where was your favorite summer place when you were a kid?

We didn't do much traveling when I was a kid.  The extent of vacations would be visiting cousins in St. Louis, so to me a trip to St. Louis is a summer place.

6. Do you have a guest room? Would you want to stay there?

Well, since we are having to vacate the house we are living in and move into a house owned by a friend, I would not say we have a guest room. 

7. Next Wednesday America celebrates her independence. Do you have any special plans for the 4th of July? If you live outside the USA when and how does your country celebrate its own patriotic holiday?

This year, I think we will go to my SIL's mother's house on July 3rd. We have a tradition to go over there for Easter, so we thought we'd start joining them for their July 3rd celebration. Not sure what we're doing for the actual Fourth yet.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I think my daughter is the only person who can sing an extemporaneous song about Long John Silver's Fish for a whole 15 minutes.

Coupons: Pampers, Playtex and more

• 75¢ OFF ONE Pampers Wipes 60 ct or larger
• $1.50 OFF ONE Pampers Swaddlers or Swaddlers Sensitive Diapers (excludes trial/travel size)
• $1.50 OFF ONE Pampers Cruisers or Baby Dry Diapers (excludes trial/travel size)
• SAVE $2.00 on your purchase of any TWO (2) Playtex® OrthoPro® or Binky® Pacifier Packs
• SAVE $1.00 On LIttle Tummys® Gripe Water or any Little Remedies® Product (Walmart)
• SAVE $2.00 on any ONE (1) package of GOODNITES® Underwear (Jumbo Pack or Larger)

But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

Yup. Attempting to live I Tim. 6:8, "But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content" because that's about all we have.

If you read my blog's FB page a week ago, you read "We just received notice from our landlord. We have to vacate within two weeks. We're two weeks behind on June's rent and since there is no hope for receiving it or future rent, he decided he just wants us out by July. One of Mike's brothers in Leavenworth has said we can move into their basement even though it's displacing 3 of their sons bedrooms. Needless to say everything is totally chaotic right now. Could definitely use prayer."

Here we are a week later. God's actually blessed us by allowing us to move into a friend's house which is empty. It's for sale, so we can live there until it sells. I must admit that it's hard to resist the temptation to pray for it not to sell, but I wouldn't want to do that to our friends!

It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a dishwasher! Much bigger than what we have now. And we still have my brother-in-law's basement as a backup if the house does sell.

All this is why I haven't been regular in my posting here or on FB.  We've gotta' lot on our plates. 

With having to leave our home to foreclosure 2 years ago, living in this mobile home for almost 2 years, and moving into a home that could sell out from under us, I'm am working on being content with food and clothing.

There's a few other things I've been learning during the time as well.

1. God is sovereign. Therefore, it is God that wants us out of this house by next week not our landlord.
2. It is amazing how God uses His body to minister to it's wounded members. Our church family has been so helpful and supportive.
3. How I accept a trial like this demonstrates to mija how big my God actually is to me. 
4. Past hurts can quicken with the experience of new ones. I definitely need to surrender both hurts under the sovereignty of God since the past and the present are under His control. Like most hurtful incidences in our lives, holding it close and nurturing the pain is only causing me more distress AND sapping energy that I need for more important things. 
5. Having faith in God's provision has become scary. He has consistently provided but hasn't permanently provided. We've yet to go hungry and obviously will not be homeless at this time. Yet, so often His provision has felt like applying band-aids to a broken leg. I'm thankful for them, but long for the leg to be set, casted, and the bone to be knitted back together. I want to be thankful for what God has provided, but long for more. 

Well, enough for now. Must back more. Please continue to pray for us. Especially my hubby as he continues to look for work while working to move us!

New Coupons for toys and more

Some other good coupons I found:

Friday Funny--Righteous Ruth Rap by Liz Curtis Higgs

Fourth of July Patriotic Poster Contest

This is so cool. Mija is figuring out her poster even as I write!

A Journey Through Learning is hosting a Fourth of July poster contest for three age groups preschool through 12th grade. There are two categories: digital and handcrafted. Mija's going to do a handcrafted poster since I don't have a clue how to make a digital poster! (Feel free to comment and let me know how.)

In addition to great prizes, everyone who enters will be receive a free instant download of a lapbook from their store!

Public voting for the best 5 posters in each category will begin Sunday, July 1st, so you need to get it in before then.

Check out the site for all the details!

Toy Coupons

• $3.00 off POLLY POCKET FLIP 'N SWIM™ Playset
• $5.00 off Fijit Friend Interactive Figure
• $10.00 off My Little Snugabunny™ Cradle 'n Swing
• $2.00 off Thomas & Friends™ Engine 3-Pack
• $5.00 off Discover 'n Grow™ Kick & Play Piano Gym

New Coupons for meat items

• $1.00 off 2 HORMEL Bacon Toppings
• $1.00 off HORMEL ALWAYS TENDER meat
• $1.00 off HORMEL CURE 81 ham
• $2.00 off LLOYD'S Barbeque Ribs
• $1.00 off LLOYD'S Tubs or BBQ
• $1.00 off 2 HORMEL Chili products

Living History in the Living Present

Today, I'm posted over at Home Educating Family Blog. Please go check me out there! CLICK HERE to find out why I have some friends who refer to me as Scholastica!

Happy Father's Day

Sunday Coupon Preview

Friday Funny--Dance Like No One is Watching

The Pregnancy Companion--a book review

I must admit, when I was first asked to read a pregnancy book, I was a little surprised. After all, I've never been pregnant! 
However, I have experienced a pregnancy vicariously through mija's birth-mom! I read a lot of pregnancy books during those months of waiting. I wanted to know what was going on with my future baby and what the birth-mom was going through. I wanted to be able to pray for them with understanding and wisdom.




The Pregnancy Companion: A Faith Filled Guide for Your Journey to Motherhood was written by Jessica Wolstenholm and Dr. Heather Rupe. 
The two authors give this book a combination of perspectives you don't usually find in one book. Dr. Rupe deals with the physical and health aspects while Jessica Wolstenholm deals with the spiritual and emotional aspect. Each section of this book has both of those. First there is discussion of the pregnancy followed by a devotional and spiritual applications to what is going on during that period of pregnancy. I don't think I've ever seen that format used. It was encouraging.


Another thing that is different in this book is how far back it starts. While I've seen individual books dealing with getting pregnant, this book starts with the hows and what-nots about getting pregnant. It then takes you all the way through postpartum.


There is one thing about this book which I can't decide is a positive or negative. The authors are honest about "negative" things such as infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, preeclampsia, etc. They are good things to know about, but I wonder if being too informed would make one more fearful or less fearful. I think it would depend on the person. Personally, as one who is infertile, I wouldn't have purposely picked up a book entitled The Pregnancy Companion to find out more about infertility.


This is a one little thing I really didn't like. Considering the fact this book is supposed to be coming from a Christian perspective, I question some of the wording. One word in particular is the use of "partner" at times instead of spouse or husband. If you are a Christian, you should be pregnant by your husband or reminded that you should be pregnant by your husband. 


All in all, I think this is a nice little book. I like how it gives encouragement in the Scriptures along the way. I would recommend it as one of the books you go to during a pregnancy. It brings "Medicine & Faith together!"


I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Check out this great article from Desiring God.

What Every Husband Should Know About Stay-at-Home Moms

by Gloria Furman 

A leadership guru aired his podcast online on how to increase productivity in your work.

He said that one of the keys to productivity is to know when to stop working. He said that if you’re working more than 55 hours per week then you’re probably losing effectiveness. After this point of working past maximum effectiveness, your work will start to unravel. The demands of a long workweek can even devolve into chaos!

Being a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) is far more than a long workweek. It’s life; we can’t just clock out after 55 hours of work.

Every husband should know that stay-at-home moms wage epic battles against chaos.

Read the rest of the article HERE

New Coupons for Big G Cereals on Yoplait

• Save $1.00 on TWO Big G Cereals Cheerios - Original Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Multi Grain Cheerios
• Save $1.00 on TWO Big G Cereals - Chex, Fiber One, Total, Wheaties, Oatmeal Crisp
• Save $1.00 on THREE Big G Cereals
• Save $0.50 on EIGHT Yoplait

What's For Dinner, Mom?

After a day looking for droids or guarding the moon of Endor, the question my  storm troopers usually ask is "What's for dinner, mom?"

I don't know about you, but after a day training my padawan and cleaning out the bongo, I sometimes forget to get Han Solo out to thaw! "Oh, Bantha poodoo!" I shout because I don't know what we're having. My lack of planning definitely causes a disturbance in the force or at least in my composure. Plans may be handy for building a Death Star, but I sure don't have any. 

Lorrie Flem's book, What's For Dinner, Mom? should help with the question. That's why I purchased it and now get to review it for Eternal Encouragement!


The reason I was interested in this book is because it was a lot more than just a cookbook. Lorrie teaches and touches on so many subjects that I wanted to know more about. She teaches about bulk cooking, freezer meals, meals for others, crockpot cooking, organization and more. Her directions are simple and easy to understand. Not pretentious at all. It's so handy to have all that information in one book!


The recipes also are traditional meals with a Lorrie twist. There are no ingredients you'll have to look up or purchase at some gourmet shop. Real food for real people. I think my family would eat everything in the book.


One other thing I like about this book. It's spiral-bound which means that it lays open flat. It can be such a pain when you are trying to cook using a recipe and the book keeps wanting to close. With this book, you can actually leave it open or fold back the page, and stays flat!


Now for the really fun part. You have a chance to WIN YOUR OWN COPY! Each month, one Gabby Moms' review get chosen as the best. This month one of the readers of whichever mom's blog is chosen as the best will win an actual copy of the book. So, if you want to be considered if I win this month, here is what you need to do. Leave a comment INCLUDING your email address. If I get chosen, one of you will get chosen! The winner will be chosen on June 23.


I really do appreciate this book, so I hope we can both win!


I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. (Although I really do own my own copy, too!)

Quick, easy crafts for Father's Day from Pinterest

Coasters

Source: innerchildfun.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Decorated Notepad

Source: marthastewart.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Hands Down Art

Source: Uploaded by user via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Key Chain

Source: alyashcreations.blogspot.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Father's Day Fact Sheet Printable

Source: bigdandme.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Foot Print art

Source: prekandksharing.blogspot.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Sample Cards

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Tie Canisters

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Fish Hand Print Card

Source: google.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

Candy Bar Poster

Source: blog.bitsofeverything.com via Betsy Price on Pinterest

A Quick CVS Run

Kansas City Mamas is the source of these deals. I needed some things and thought I'd check before I went since I hadn't been doing a great job couponing lately.
Thankfully, what I needed was one of the deals!!!

All Kotex Products

Buy One, Get One 50% Off
$2/2 U by Kotex Product Printable Coupon
$1/1 U By Kotex Liners from 5/20 SS Insert
I purchased some that were regularly $5.49 so the second was $2.74.
Pay $3.12 each

SoftSoap Liquid Hand Soap - $3.99

Buy One, Get One Free
Use (2) $1/1 Softsoap Brand Liquid Hand Soap Pump Printable Coupons
Pay $1.00 each after coupons and sale

Irish Spring Body Wash or Bar Soap (6 pack) - $3.50

Buy Two, Get $4 ECB (Limit 1)
Use (2) $.50/1 Irish Spring Multi-Bar Pack or Body Wash from 5/20 SS Insert
Pay $1.50 each after coupons and ECB


My retail total would have been $30.94. After sales, coupons, and ECB, I paid $12.72.  I received $4 in ECB in return making my final price $8.72. That's a savings of 72%.  Not as good as I'm used to doing, but better than going in without a plan!

Free Subscription to Family Fun Magazine!!

I love this magazine!!
There are so many great ideas!!
Grab your own FREE subscription HERE

Sunday Coupon Preview

PLEASE Join Alamo Insiders for free and save 10% or more.

This can be such a great deal for all of us!  I signed up. It was quick and no credit card information or anything is required!





Summer vacations are just around the corner, and Alamo is offering exclusive deals when you sign up to be an Alamo Insider! Join free today and from now on the best deals come to you. Plus, you can bank on special privileges like a 10% or more member discount on every rental, and self-service kiosks that get you on the road to vacation faster than ever. Whether your next escape is one week or months away, Alamo’s got exclusive deals for you.

Friday Funny--Push Ups

I'm going to be taking a break from homeschool-related funnies for the summer in favor of more general funnies!  Hope you still enjoy them!

So do I!!

Quote: Dangers of Compulsory Public Education

"In the hands of the state, compulsory public education becomes a tool for political control and manipulation -- a prime instrument for the thought police of the society. And precisely because every child passes through the same indoctrination process—learning the same “official history,” the same “civic virtues,” the same lessons of obedience and loyalty to the state -- it becomes extremely difficult for the individual soul to free himself from the straightjacket of the ideology and values the political officials wish to imprint upon the population under its jurisdiction. For the communists, it was the class struggle and obedience to the Party and Comrade Stalin; for the fascists, it was the worship of the nation-state and obedience to the duce; for the Nazis, it was race purity and obedience to the Fuhrer. The content has varied, but the form has remained the same. Through the institution of compulsory state education, the child is to be molded like wax into the shape desired by the state and its educational elite."

-- Jacob G. HornbergerAmerican author, journalist, politician, founder and president of the Future of Freedom FoundationSource: The Nazi Mind-Set in America, The Tyranny Of Gun Control, 58 (Future of Freedom Foundation 1997).

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. How many students were in your high school graduating class? Did you know most, if not all of them?
Since my senior class had all of 10 students, yes, I knew them all!

2. What was the last thing you photographed?
I just took a picture of two of my favorite ladies yesterday playing a game on my Kindle.

Mija & my Mom

3. Pickles-love 'em or loathe 'em? If its love what's something you eat that needs a pickle?

Love them. Why do you have to eat them with something? Just pickles is fine!

4. What's a stereotype you seem to perpetuate without meaning to?

Bubbly. Most people describe me as bubbly. I know they mean it as a compliment, but to me it has a shallow connotation that I don't like.

5. Ever been horse back riding? If so is it something you enjoy? If not, do you have any interest? Did you watch the Kentucky Derby? Will you be watching the last leg of the Triple Crown this weekend?
I have never ridden a horse, but would like to some day. I just have this fear that once I get up on the horse, I won't be able to get off!

6. What's your favorite 'wedding' movie?

You know what? I really can't think of one right now.

7. What is one 'tourist attraction' in the USA that you'd like to see in person?

I really liked seeing Washington DC during my Senior Trip. I wouldn't mind seeing it again. Like to see the Grand Canyon with the family. Also Disney World/Land.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Ajax dish soap looks really pretty when the sun shines through it.