Today's Harvest July 1st

Last Friday, we made our first 'harvest' from our garden.

I was so excited. We had a zucchini, cucumber and some purple potatoes. I grabbed a few blackberries and wild blueberries (the little tiny blue balls) just for fun.

I loved I am growing things that I can eat. We've gardened for years, expanding a little each year. Last year I wasn't very active in the garden because I was preggers and cucumbers and tomatoes, one our successful harvests were yuck triggerering foods for me. Just the thought of them made me want to barf.

So this year, despite having a small baby again, plus one that I sometimes refer to as 'A rabid Octopus' and my 8 year old that makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes, my husband said 'The garden's on you this year.'

Wha? He's not working more than he has in the past, but he's been working on this massive chicken palace. Then he's got a greenhouse to build, and an outdoor shower, but I think I can handle that last one, if I could just find the time..

So I've been so proud of my little garden.

Diamonds & Dirt

I'm getting a farm girl tan. Days spent bent over pulling weeds in the garden in a pair of shorts too short for me to wear comfortably in public, a pair of rubber boots up to my knees and whatever shirt I happen to be wearing. I have a stripe across my lower back, and on the back of my legs that stops abruptly at my knees.

My hands haven't developed calluses yet, but they have seen better days. They're rough and stained. I gave up on nail polish years ago- I use my hands too much, it chips and within a day it just needs to be taken off but I don't have time, so I don't bother. I've given up on having long perfectly shaped nails. They break.

I never was super-girly-girl. Sure I wore make-up, got my nails done, even used to get my hair highlighted and *GASP* laid in a tanning bed once. But it never was me.

So I haven't felt like I've had to give anything up, really.

Before I said good-bye to working full-time, we were nervous about me not working. I was quick to point out that when we first got married, that I worked part-time, he worked a little more than part time and was going to school full-time. But when we made more, we spent more. I remember the entire time I was pregnant with my oldest, I didn't spend a DIME that I didn't absolutely have to spend the entire time.

But we still had our doubts, plus we were adding a new member to the family at the same time. And it's worked. We've been running on less money in the past 2.5 years, but our quality of life is so much better. My schedule was allover the place, and I just never felt like a grown-up with a family because we never got to see each other and do family stuff.

It's all been worth it.

Before we were ever pregnant with #2, and I'd planned on being a stay at home mom to homeschool anyway, my husbands ex-stepmom recommended a book called 'Your Money or Your Life' by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez. I did not finish the book, honestly. But the basic idea still rings true. You have to look at things you want and calculate how many hours of your life you have to give up in order to pay for it, whether it's a new pair of shoes, massage, etc.

God has blessed me with 3 beautiful girls and tons more. He didn't give me these girls to pawn off on someone else, my homeschool mantra- 'I didn't have these kids just for someone else to raise them'.

One day, my girls will grow up and go and do things without me. They'll move out of my house. I'll have my me time then.

For now, I enjoy watching my girls each and everyday. They change so much. My littlest grows everyday. My middle does something hilarious everyday. And my oldest is at that make-or-break age where I need to be constant.

So you can keep your designer clothes, your manicures, pedicures, new cellphones. You can keep your trips with no kids. I don't want to be away from my kids anymore than I have to. I'm gonna keep doing what I like. And that's spending time with my kids.

Money Saving Series for Real People- Laundry

Why laundry? Why now? Is there that much to $ to be saved in doing laundry?

Yes.

How much?

That depends on you.

If you read my post from yesterday, then you know how your laundry detergent works. It's the agitation from the washing machine in the water that gets it clean.

I remember when we had an upright washer, on some occasions I would pack it so full, and we used powdered detergent because it was cheaper, there would be white residue all over the clothes. So that load had to be split into 2 loads and re-rinsed. That wasted water, time and $.

• So the idea is to make sure you have a full load, but don't pack it too full or they won't get clean. Like with cars, washing machines come with an owners manual (if you get it new, and if you're getting it used from a reputable looking person at a yardsale (as my mom calls them) then they just might have the owners manual. If they don't have it handy, you can ask if you leave your name & number if they find it, can they call you? Worst thing that can happen is they say no. But you've just bought a washing machine from them- you've done them a favor.) Otherwise in the age of the internet, you can find the manual online. Find out what the recommended wash size is.

• But then your detergent. Just don't use as much, as I already went over in yesterdays post. In an HE machine, that's already very little, but you can still use less. For example, the detergent I'm using now, comes with a cup like most liquids do, and has fill lines on it, one for regular and one for heavily soiled clothes. For our house, heavily soiled is my husbands clothes. When he's home, he's working on something and is getting pretty dirty & smelly in the process. When he's at work, he's not getting as dirty and sweaty, but he's wearing the same clothes all day long, and likely hasn't had a shower in days. And he smokes a pipe, so his clothes REEK! I use less than the recommended amount for a regular wash on his clothes, run a normal cycle (not the heavy duty) and they are pleasantly clean & fresh when they come out of the washer.
• Don't try to skimp and buy the regular detergent for your HE machine either. The HE kind costs more b/c it will not get as sudsy, which is a disaster for your HE. Those very suds can coat the internals of your machine b/c they puff up and get where a regular HE detergent can't. And you just might need to make use of your warranty. So protect it.
  
• Wash in cold. Don't buy the detergents specifically for cold water. If you have something super dirty-oily, then a presoak in your sink in hot water will suffice.
  
• Line dry. The sunlight is free. The UVA rays will bleach out any stains and kill any germs. Also kills the nasty odor causing bacteria that sometimes doesn't get killed in the dryer. You can pop them in the dryer for a couple of minutes with some dryer balls when they're almost dry or dry to soften them.
• If you're saying, I don't have time to line dry b/c I do my laundry at night. Hmm. If you have a front loader, you probably have a delay setting so it can be done when you get up in the AM. For example, I get up at 7 am everyday. I know the regular wash takes about an hour. So at midnight I set it for it's max time which is 6 hrs and it's ready when I get up for me to put it on the line. And it can stay there all day til you're ready to take it off, when you get home from work, or running errands or whatever. So they're also not laying around in a dryer for a long time getting wrinkly.
• Invest in some dryer balls. You can eliminate the need for fabric softeners and your clothes will dry faster with them.
  

• Wash full loads. I have 3 hampers. 1 for cloth diapers. One for lights & delicates and one for darks. They're presorted and I wash those 3 loads.

Good luck!

Money Saving Series for Real People - Things we use

Think about all the things you use. You have to pay for most of them, right? If you use less, then bingo you don't have to buy them as often = saving money.

Lets talk soap. First off, lets understand the way soaps and detergents work. They work by acting as an emulsifier. They have surfactants in them. What is a surfactant? Here's a good explanation. So as it's explained, the detergents bind to the dirt. Extra soap isn't going to get you extra clean.

My husband uses bar soap and when it gets down to a certain size, he deems it no longer useful. I'm not really sure what he did with the slivers before we met, but I have a soap dish full of slivers. They still work! You can grate them up, scoop them in to the bottom of a pump bottle and fill with water and shake it around, let it sit and then you have handsoap.

The fact is, most of us are obsessed with being CLEAN. Don't get me wrong. I like being clean to, but did you know that the recommended amounts listed on laundry and dishwasher detergents are WAY more than you need?

• Dishwasher detergent does not get sudsy, so you never see the remnants of extra detergent in the dishwasher, but try cutting the amount of dishwasher detergent in HALF. I guarantee that your dishes will be just as clean.
• Handsoap is another one. People use gobs and gobs of liquid handsoap. The bar versions are actually cheaper and last much longer, but if you must use liquid, for hands that aren't visibly dirty with mud or grease etc. a pea size amount (just like toothpaste) is all you need. Extra soap isn't going to get your hands any cleaner. It's actually the friction of rubbing your hands under the running water that gets them clean.
  
• Laundry detergent- if you have a front loader, it's very simple- if there are suds in any amount in the ring when the cycle is done, you used too much detergent. In a top loader, your water should be clear. It should all be rinsed away. Not only does it waste money, too much detergent also causes you to STINK more when you start to sweat. When all the detergent doesn't get rinsed out, it dries in your fabric. When you sweat, your sweat reacts with the residue and causes you to stink more. So what do you do? When you do the laundry you use more detergents and softeners, right? Use half the detergent. Trust me.
  
• While we're on the subject of laundry. We've all heard that you should wash things in hot water to kill germs, right? You can save money on electricity if you wash in cold, because you aren't using water out of your water heater. (It will have to pump more in, and get that to temperature, which does use more electricity than keeping it a constant temperature.) Because you're either going to put your clothes into the dryer, which will get hot enough to kill germs, or you're going to line dry them and the UVA rays from the sun will also kill any germs.
• Some people have tactile issues and can't wear crunchy clothes. But for the majority of us, we can. Fabric softeners make our clothes smell good- BUT- again the residue issue. And to me they feel sticky. And smelly. Smells can attract bees, so I find it best to avoid them. But the fabric softeners work by coating the fibers. This actually leads to them breaking down faster. So your clothes, in theory will last longer if you skip the fabric softeners. (Although many people don't wear their clothes til they fall apart.) Clothes dryer dried clothes will still be soft. You can also add white vinegar to your rinse cycle, the smell washes out and it supposedly has softening effects. Really. I use it on my cloth diapers on occasion.

• Lotion. We all like soft moisturized skin right? Lotion does not actually make your skin softer. Lotion forms a coating on the surface of your skin to keep moisture in. The best way to moisturize is to drink water. Lots of it. And it's free most places. Free is good. But if you're going to use lotion, and I do, apply it to damp skin as soon as you get out of the shower. You skin has absorbed moisture in the shower. Lotion will keep it there.

Now I could go on and on and on about all the things we use and how we use way too much. So the next time you're using something non-edible that you have to continually buy, hair stuff, deodorant, etc. Use a little less. Sometimes you get better results. Really.
Know how if you put a thick coat of nail polish on, it takes forever to dry and it chips really easy? And the thinner coats last longer? Same concept.

Money Saving Series for Real People- Lets talk MPG

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the annual homeschool conference. I ended up in an afternoon session by a mom who started out with 'I am an expert at nothing and know a little about alot.' It was on the topic of saving money, and I really went in there to get a break; I had every intention of zoning out while nursing a very wiggly baby and not worrying about having to take notes. But I sat up and paid attention.
I've read 'many a' articles on ways to save. Alot of them are just plain no-brainers for me (as my cousin always says, quoting her late husband- 'Poor people's got poor ways.') And some don't even apply to me. So last night (or the wee hours of this morning) I had the bright idea to do a blog series on saving money for real people. Now, I used to have my best ideas and be my most creative in the middle of the night, but then I had kids. So while hurrying thru a sad excuse for a shower, my head was just full of ideas. I jotted them down as fast as I could until I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer. So here goes.

Lets talk MPG. Gas is all the talk right now. It's so expensive. It's still about the same price as a gallon of milk. At any rate, do you know your MPG? I've asked MANY people this over the years, and I've always been quiet surprised when people JUST DON'T KNOW. I mean smart people just DON'T KNOW!
First thing is you have to figure out the size of your gas tank. You can find that info in your owners manual, but if you don't happen to have your owner's manual handy, then you can always find that information online. Just be careful of your sources. Blogs are getting to be a big source of info on a variety of subjects, and like me, these people may or may not know what they're really talking about. So go with a reputable source. (And while you're at it, go ahead and download a PDF of your owners manual. Cars have them for a reason.)
When you know that your tank, is for example, 16 gallons, you know that filling your car til the (hopefully fully operational) gas nozzle clicks off. Most newer cars and some older ones are equipped with a trip odometer (or 2!) that you can reset each time you fill your tank up. (I repeat, you can reset this. (Imagine my mom's shock when I reset hers- if she'd have taken the time to read her manual she would have known this. If you're lucky enough to have and A & B, use one to track your mileage for your next oil change and one for each tank of gas. Not rocket science people.) You don't have to run your tank all the way out. That's actually frowned upon by most mechanics, but some people apparently still do this hence the 'fuel light' that comes on. Some cars chime at you. My car has a handy 'estimated miles til empty indicator'. )
When you stop to fill your tank up again, for example when it's half empty by the gauge- you fill it up til it clicks on it's own- don't force more gas into the tank (more on that later). Look at the pump and see 'oh it took 7.45 gallons to refill my tank, and my trip odometer said 241 miles'. So you divide the 241 miles by the 7.45 gallons you actually used. That comes up to 32.34. So that's your MPG. Now you may have a fancy computer in your car that does this for you. Still check the numbers yourself. It relies on an electrical gauge in your gas tank so it may or many not be correctly working. You never know til you check it yourself. If your numbers are the same, then maybe check it once a month, depending on how much you drive.
There are many ways to increase one's full economy. The first and foremost is to slow the heck down. My nephew has a Honda Civic, a car notorious for their MPG. He complains that his car sucks up gas, yada yada yada. Well when you accellerate rapidly, and break suddenly that destroys your fuel economy. They have done extensive studies on this.
The science is clear-
SLOW DOWN,
Don't accelerate rapidly,
Don't follow so close that you have to constantly slam or tap on your breaks. (MPG aside, it's NOT SAFE- they teach you this in Drivers Ed!)
They also say to fill your tank up first thing in the AM when the tanks have been cooling all night. I debate that one. The tanks are quite a bit underground. The frost line is at 18 inches below the surface. Anything below that is a constant temperature year/day round.
They also say that you shouldn't let your fuel level fall below half- the air in the tank will cause your gas to evaporate quicker. Again. I debate this one. Your fuel line is airtight. When you fill your tank up, there is very little air. You gas cap should be on tight (my car lets me know when mine isn't!) and when you eventually put more gas in your car, the 'whoosh' like when you open a soft drink? That's the vacuum.
There is debate about whether or not you should run your A/C. For stop and go city traffic where you aren't going over 35 MPH, if you can stand it, turn off your A/C and roll down your windows. For me, most of my driving is rural highway. I run my A/C and I've calculated my MPG with and without the A/C and their isn't a noticeable difference. Nor is there in power. But not all vehicles are created equal so this is going to be model specific.
Also, what I consider no brainers. Keep your tires PROPERLY inflated. Don't over-inflate them- causes them to wear un-evenly and faster, plus it's not safe. Keep your air filter clean. Change your oil.
Use your cruise whenever you can. Take extra weight out of your car. I laugh at this one. I have 3 carseats in my car. They aren't always occupied, but I'm sure as heck not taking them out unless someone throws up on them. Then we have the stroller, my permanent car diaper bag. My purse. My 'day bag'. The mobile diaper bag. The 'stuff I might need in my car bag'. A half gallon of water for emergencies.
Also remember the first mode of transportation is feet! If it's less than a mile, WALK. Ride your bike if you can. Really. It's doable. I rode my bike to work 3x a week until I found out I was pregnant the last time. I can't be away from home for the amount of additional time that it takes for me to ride my bike. Maybe next year.
Last but not least- Don't make trips just to get gas. Leave a few minutes early and get it on your way. :-)

Beer at 7:30 AM

So this morning, despite only getting 5 hrs of sleep, (Yes, despite. I generally get more sleep than this, which is why I cannot get anything accomplished during the day.) I was wide awake getting Aaron off to work, so in my pajamas, put on my tall 'garden boots' and fed the dogs.
I really wanted to go to my garden.
I really wanted to check my beer traps.

This is a lid that I filled with beer and put next to squash plant, to hopefully drown a few stink bugs. The lid is too shallow, so I need some bigger ones. I did use a big plastic lid off of a mayo jar and that seemed to have caught lots more ants. There is a massive ant hill in the middle of this raised bed- it's the one furthest left in the bottom picture, behind the washing machine tub. I haven't figured out how I feel about drowning the ants. I don't think they're either beneficial nor detrimental to my squash. What do you think?

No pictures ....(not that you'd want to see them, if I'd had time to take them)

So Baby Girl has been smiling ALOT for several days now. It's so cute to look down while she's nursing, and she stops and looks back up at me and gives me the biggest grin. So cute. She was in a particularly smiley mood today, but by the time I got my camera, the mood had been replaced by the hiccups and hasn't quite made it back yet. That elusive smile. When she smiles, she looks just like her big sisters.
Even if I'd gotten that picture that I've been trying to get, I wouldn't have gotten it uploaded.
While I was tending the other children today E made some mischief. Mischief is her middle name, but this one was a new one for her. I came into the living room to find her jumping around on the couch naked from the waist down. When she saw me she shrieked hysterically and climbed down from the couch and started her usual 'run away from mom because it's funny'. I found her pants and underwear in a pile in the bathroom. I thought maybe there was a potty-break-thru and she'd taken herself to the potty, and either not bothered to put her pants back on, or that she hadn't made it to the potty, but took off her wet clothes. Well her clothes were wet. And that's not all they were.
Luckily is wasn't the super-messy kind, but by the time I got ahold of her, her hind-quarters were pretty yucky. And I washed all the things in from the couch in the washer that I could, and sprayed the rest with Lysol and she got a semi-bath.
Later in the day, while Baby napped, we went outside to play. I had to come back in for something and it wasn't soon before E came running in the house, with sand allover her, in her eyes, you name it. SO she got another bath. And let me tell you, flushing a screaming 2 year olds eyes with running water is much easier said than done.
So she took another nap. While she was napping, and I was looking forward to getting alot of schoolwork accomplished with my oldest, my sisters dog started going nuts in my front yard. We go outside to find that she'd treed a critter that I first thought was raccoon but turned out to be a cat. And the dog was not letting the cat get away. And her barking attracted the attention of the neighbors dog. So K and I chained up my sisters dog. And 10 minutes later had lured the neighbors dog (no collar) into our dog's kennel. Then K wanted to stand there and watch the cat, who didn't want to move with her pacing under the tree now.
I finally convinced her to leave it alone. So 10 min. later she couldn't stand the suspense and went back to check and the cat was gone by now- she was kinda disapointed she wanted to keep it. So then we let the dogs loose again, and she kept making remarks all afternoon about the dogs 'enjoying the cat as a tasty treat'. Perhaps.
On my original list of things that I really needed to get done today was giving one of our dogs, Shadow a bath before her upcoming vet visit. Ofcourse today was the day that both of our dogs were MIA all day long. So as the sun was setting, they came home, and we managed to get both dogs mostly washed..(We'd had the wading pool out for a few days for the water to warm up).
I'm sure both black dogs will be yellow with pollen by tomorrow again, but at least we tried.
So we finally get in, and we all get cleaned up, and since we've been opening windows, we've seen a few ants, so we've been pretty diligent about vacuuming at least once a day. So while K is vacuuming while I'm still running around like a chicken with my head cut off, she sucks E's 'silky' up the vacuum's hose. ('Silky' is her lovey. It was actually mine a child. My mom butchered a few of her 'silky' gowns for me. I had at least 3 silkys. A pair and a spare, LOL. We're down to one...)
I was able to disconnect the hose, but it was ofcourse lodged just out of my grasp, so I got the meter stick and was able to poke it out, but not before 'Silky' picked up some splinters and a lot of crud. So I picked the splinters out and washed it by hand and thru it in the dryer, where it is now.
I start out with a To Do list and it grows everytime I turn around. But life is what keeps you from getting the To Do list done. I did get both dogs cleaned. And I spent time outside with the kids today. E learned that poop isn't fun to wear and so on. My husband called in the middle of me trying to rescue 'Silky' and wanted me to look up an address on Google Maps for him, which had me sitting down at the computer.
I started brushing me teeth for the first time today, about an hour ago and had to go break up a fight or wipe some tears or something. I can't remember. But I wouldn't have it any other way. My life is crazy and hectic and I never get anything done. I had to read the answer key in the back of K's grammar book the other night at 1 am b/c my poor brain couldn't diagram a sentence.
And I'll get up and do it allover again tomorrow.....