Dot & Army {Giveaway}

 Dot & Army is hosting a giveaway over on She {hearts} It this week! 

The cloth napkins are adorable, not to mention perfect for every day eating, weddings, and fun family dinners!

xxLiz

5 Ways to Save Your Family Money! {Thrifty Thoughts}

Ok... I have been moving our family towards a more "real" way of living for some time now. 

We eat very little processed- out of the box- food.

A great deal of what we do eat is organic.

How do we afford to do this and still pay the electric bill?

Well, I am about to give you a few tricks of my trade. 

Mind you, many of you will click to the next blog on your list right now.

Totally fine... but, for those of you who are willing- stay tuned.

1. One way we make ends meet is by cloth diapering.

I know, you have heard me blog about this before, but it truly does save gobs of moo-lah!

If we are out and about, I will use disposables, but at home- cloth it is!

It is so easy and you barely even have to tend to them.  I'd rather eat that money in healthy food, then paste it on my babe's booty.

2. Another way we watch our pennies and nickles is by getting rid of our dish TV.

We are ditching the dish and saying "hello" to the apple TV.

Wow!  you can say a bundle by doing that.  We stream Netflix, or Hulu, through our apple TV and watch shows/movies that way.  We don't even miss the regular TV. 

3. We use Azure Standard, which I posted about here, to buy a great deal of our bulk items.  

Great resource!!!

4.  I make my own babyfood.  I know it isn't anything new to most mommas, but I have made my own purees for all my babies.  It is so easy and so much cheaper to make organic baby food than to buy organic baby food.  Also, I don't have to worry about anything else being in the food- it's just pure fruits and veggies.

5. I use Shaklee cleaning products.  I do not have to buy cleaning products for my home.  I have had these for a LONG time and they will still last me another year.  The are concentrates that you mix with water to dilute.  They are non-toxic and work great.  I use it as a germicide, all-purpose cleaner, window cleaner, and degreaser.  One thing I do still buy are toilet bowl wand refills.  I love those things- use and then pitch.    

xxLiz

How do you save money for your family??

Why We Homeschool {So, you are saying that public school isn't good enough?}

If you missed my first two posts on {the beginning} and {how long will we do this}- check them out.

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The question: Do you think sending our kids to public school is wrong?

Ummm... no. Wasn't that easy?
No, I am not against public school.
Actually, I feel like our public school has very kind and capable teachers.

God just revealed to me that I have other options.  I am capable of teaching my own children.
This time is so brief, and I am not called to send them away quite yet.
I was called to keep them home, for now.

I realize that we will get some resistance for some things that we choose to do, or not do, as far as our family is concerned.  Part of growing up is realizing that you don't have to stay with the pack.  We are not all cut from the same cookie cutter.  I am unlike anyone else in this world.  My children are unlike anyone else in this world.  So, why would our journey be the same as someone else's?

It's not.
We are on our own journey- with our own family.
We are led a certain way.  It isn't the same way that everyone in my community, family, or even social circle is supposed to go.  We are made perfectly and carefully.  God crafted us to be our own person.  With that comes different life choices.

I get asked about "sheltering" my kids.  I am not ashamed to say that, "yes," I am sheltering them.
Isn't that what I am supposed to do- shelter and protect?
I share life with them as they are prepared to experience it.
I keep from them what they are not prepared to experience.

I am blessed to be a homeschooling mom the same way that my best friend is blessed to be a parent of public schooled children.  We are both moms who love their kids and pray for our kids.  We are both moms that protect and want the best for our kids.

We are just on a different journey.

xxLiz

  napkins c/o: dot and army

Simplicity

 I love simple days.  I love not having a to-do list looming over my head.  I love being able to sit on the floor and play with my kids without the tugging of chores pulling me away.  There will always be something that needs to be tended to.

There will always be piles waiting to be put away.

I have been working on bringing color into my house.  My house is full of beautiful earth tones.  The issue is that my taste is moving towards cool and bright tones.  I am in need of mish-mashing patterns, vintage fabrics and colors.  I found this pretty floral print at the thrift store last week.  I made it into a pillow and I love the feeling I get when I look at it sitting there with my twig pillows.  

Before I had kids, I would walk into friends' homes who had kids and cringe at all the baby stuff they had in their living rooms.  We have a living room outfitted with baby stuff now.  Periodically I get to put it away and have a tidy, pulled-together living room, but then another blessing arrives and out it comes again.  I don't mind it so much anymore.  So many smiles happen in this area.  

Simple words on paper.  They can make such a statement.  

xxLiz

Hello, Monday

Hello, Monday...

Hello to another Mother's Day, come and gone.

Hello to homemade pancakes and being spoiled all day...

Hello to baby gates being put up thanks to a little somebody who

is now completely mobile and into everything.

Hello to sharing balloons and a warm week to play outside.

Hello to fresh cut grass and little boys who like to ride shotgun with daddy.

Hello to precious little souls that make every Monday a new blessing.

Hello to a brand new week.

xxLiz

The Little Spoons {Sponsor Spotlight}

I couldn't resist letting you guys in on a fantastic deal!  The Little Spoons, a Quick Journey sponsor, is having a crazy-awesome sale on her velcro belts!  

50% off all belts!  That makes these adorable belts only $6.00!  

Who can resist!?!

This deal is for this weekend only... honoring mothers for Mother's Day.

Make sure you run over and get your belt for your little one, or for a friend who is having a baby of her own!

Happy Mother's Day!

xxLiz

Weekend Links

Here are a few links to make your weekend a little more enjoyable.

Parenting... @ The Vanilla Tulip.

The Guy Behind the Camera... @ Much Love, Illy.

A sweet post about a wife who is still falling for her guy... @ Just Dawnelle.

A first tattoo (since I secretively wish I had one)... @ Take Heart. 

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The outfit... @ Cara Loren.

Enjoy your weekend!  I will be hosting a great group of ladies at my house, enjoying a wedding, and spending some alone time with my hubby.  

xxLiz