One of the things that I love most about blogging is the community that can be developed through reading blogs, but mainly through the personal comments that are left at the bottom of the posts.
I used to reply to every single comment, promising to never become "too big" to reply.
My heart still desires this, but the reality of balancing computer time with actually being a responsible mom has come to the forefront.
So let me give you a blogging tip/request. It is possible for you to enable your email in the comments section.
Do you know that every single day I respond to a bunch of commenters, shoot out the email, only to find out you all never received my response? It's always such a bummer since you may think I ignored you.
When I learned this tip, it was a complete blogging highlight for me. So take a minute right now, and it will make a difference. If you are on Blogger, go to your dashboard and then click "edit user profile."
Once there, you will see many options, one being "show my email address." Check that little box.
If you're nervous about making your email public, just quickly set up a new one through gmail or yahoo. Easy peasey. :)
Guess what? Now, when you leave me a comment, I can immediately reply right back to you if you ask me a question, and I will...answer questions, that is.
(Now, if you just leave a comment like "nice outfit," I'll probably wait until you actually ask "what thrift store did you get that at?" :)
If that option isn't enabled and you ask me a question, then there is a very real possibility I may not respond because it's a little odd to go to your site, and leave an answer on a random post.
Also, check to see if you have "word verification" enabled. That is when commentors will have to punch in a bunch of crazy letters. Sometimes I will leave a comment and then have to try a few times, or I just give up. If you've never checked...do that now and turn it off. It scares people away from leaving comments.
Don't worry, in my year of blogging, I have only had one spam comment with it turned off.
Does that make any sense? I hope it does because I want to answer all the questions that come my way.
From talking with other bloggers, this makes the difference between how many people we can respond to each day.
I am no technology guru by any means, but when I first understood I could do this, it made a big difference.
I love hearing from you all, and just love sharing life with you. Thanks for the privilege.
You can always feel free to email me directly if you have something more personal you want to ask. Every once in awhile, things will go in my spam box, so if you don't hear back from me within two days, please resend it. :)
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Celebrate Grandparent's Day - tradition ideas
Celebrating Grandparents –
A holiday that often gets overlooked is National Grandparents Day. Celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day (which this year is Sept. 13), the holiday was created to remind grandchildren to tap into the wisdom and heritage their grandparents provide.
There are many fun activities and traditions that your children can do with their grandparents to celebrate the holiday. One is to complete a grandparent interview with a variety of questions. What were your parents like? Describe your childhood? What were your goals and aspirations? What advice do you want to pass onto your children and grandchildren? This will give your children a chance to see how the world has changed since their grandparents were young, plus give your parents an opportunity to share stories. Capture this on video and you will have a priceless family keepsake that will be enjoyed for generations to come. We have had some wonderful opportunities to do this over the last few years. I outlined a special time in my "Do you know your family story?" post.
Favorite Things to Do – Start a new tradition for Grandparent’s Day by taking photos of the grandchildren doing something Grandpa and/or Grandma love to do (gardening, playing cards, golfing, baking pies, dancing, etc.). Take that same photo every year, and keep them in chronological order in a Grandparent’s Day photo album. This will become a favorite tradition everyone looks forward to and a wonderful way to build a legacy of love.
Promises to Grandma and Grandpa – Find a glass or plastic jar and have your children decorate it with construction paper and stickers, or a strip of fabric/leather. Then, have each child write on pieces of construction paper some things they could help their grandparent’s do in the upcoming weeks: “I will help you rake the leaves” or “I will help you clean up the garage.” Give the rewards jar to them as a gift on Grandparent’s Day. This teaches children the virtue of helping others, which is sometimes the most valuable gift of all.
Many grandparents live far away. Take the opportunity to let them know you're thinking of them by filling a large manilla envelope with some special "Just because" notes. They'll cherish it forever. :)
Do you ever celebrate Grandparents Day? I haven't, but I sure am starting this year.
One never knows how much time we have left to cherish these multigenerational times together.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Free Chick-fil-A Sandwich
| FREE Chick-fil-A® Original Chicken Sandwich | |
| Labor Day, September 7, 2009 only | |
| Wear your sports team logo to Chick-fil-A from 10:30 a.m. to close, and get a FREE Chick-fil-A Original Chicken Sandwich. |
Monday is definitely going to be a family night out at our favorite Chick-fil-A.
GO PACKERS!!!
We just love Chick-fil-A, don't you? :)
Cultivate Creativity - turn the TV off
The average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day, according to the A.C. Nielsen Co. In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.
So what happens when this "mean mom" says, "No" to TV during the day?
Relationships are solidified, creativity blossoms, and imaginative play dusts off it's silent, lonely webs.
Yes, it's a mess.
Yes, it creates more work.
Yes, their "territories" have been established (that's what they told me was being done).
Yes to real life being lived regardless of the dust bunnies, carpet crud and dog hair. ;)
Now to just get them to clean up as soon as they are done. I'm still working on that one.
How often do you turn off the TV and let real life reign?
So what happens when this "mean mom" says, "No" to TV during the day?
Relationships are solidified, creativity blossoms, and imaginative play dusts off it's silent, lonely webs.
Yes, it's a mess.Yes, it creates more work.
Yes, their "territories" have been established (that's what they told me was being done).
Yes to real life being lived regardless of the dust bunnies, carpet crud and dog hair. ;)
Now to just get them to clean up as soon as they are done. I'm still working on that one.How often do you turn off the TV and let real life reign?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
How to save money on meat
This past weekend, Lysa Terkeurst gave me the privilege of speaking at her 'Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl' conference.
You all know how I love to find deals, so it was only appropriate that I shared from my "Becoming a Grocery Guru" workshop. I ran out of time and only briefly mentioned ways to save money on meats.
We all know that some of the most obvious ways to save money on meats are to eat less of them, add more grains and beans to your diet etc. etc. But what if your family mantra declares "Meat is King" and serving a delicious Asian Citrus Salad on couscous is just not an option?
The #1 way that my family saves money on meats is by looking for the wonderful yellow tags that indicate it's being marked down due to a "quick sale."
This means that the sell/freeze by date is within a day or two and they want to move it on out.
I have enjoyed my shopping experience so much more by getting to know the management.
Ask your butcher/meat manager when they mark the meats down.
Quite often, they have a regular routine.
The store I shop at initiates their first mark down by 8am, the second mark down by 3:00pm, and if anything is left by the time they go home at 7:00 - whew, you get a steal and I recommend you snatch it all up. That's what I did last night.
On Sundays, whole rotisserie chickens are on sale for $4.99 (reg. $6.99).
At 7:00pm, if there are any left, an additional $3 is taken off and I splurge for a whopping $1.99 of moist, already cooked, seasoned chicken.
If I snag more than one, I pick off the chicken, bag it up in quart size servings, and I'm ready for instant casseroles or freezer meals .
These pre-marinated pork tenderloins are regularly $8.99 (18 oz). I got there in time for the third mark down and was thrilled to purchase these for only $2.99, as well as free range ground chicken for $1.99.
Don't just assume your store does not do this - ask! They may not, but they also may make an exception. You wouldn't believe all the deals I get on all types of foods just by asking politely.
Some of you have what I call a "flinch factor." Purchasing marked down meats might not be an option for you since you only like the freshest of the fresh, and I completely respect that.
Coupled with buying marked down meats, our family also buys the freshest of meats by purchasing an entire cow (with other three other families).
It doesn't get more fresh than that - from the range to the freezer in less than a week.
Twice a year, we order 1/4 of a cow, and it is always delicious.
It's free range, no hormones and averages about $2/lb for every cut of meat imaginable from Fillet Mignon to soup stock. Since it's location specific, ask a local farmer or butcher if they can recommend a place for you. It's really worth it. In the Piedmont Triad area, we order from Mitchell Meats and they do everything right at their meat packing plant.
Some of the other ways I save are by taking advantage of holiday deals.
Purchasing ground turkey after Thanksgiving always leads to a great deal. Our local Fresh Market grinds their left over turkeys after the holidays and sells their free range, high quality ground turkey at only $0.99/lb.
I stock up on ham before and/or right after Easter and Christmas holidays.
I'm also not afraid of buying the cheaper cuts of meat and letting the crock pot tenderize it til it's melt in the mouth good.
Stretch your ground beef by mixing it with ground turkey. It's not only healthier, but more cost effective. Other ways I stretch my meat are by adding bread crumbs, potato flakes, oatmeal and....
TVP.
What in the world is TVP?
Below I am mixing it with my meatloaf mixture. Yes, I know it might look like dog food, but it's a healthy low cost alternative that is wonderfully versatile. It stands for Textured Vegetable Protein, and it's a meat alternative made from soy flour. It comes in chunks and flakes (I only use the flakes) and I slide it into my ground beef quite often.
It is sold in a dehydrated form but easily reconstitues when mixed with beef.
You can find it sold in any health food store or food chains that carry a "bulk food" aisle.
Here I am stealing all the fun on Tasty Tuesday....there are many more ways that I save on meat.
Why don't you throw out some of your tried and true tips in the comments and see if we can conquer this price war together.
(Posted at Happy Housewife and Works for me Wednesday)
Thanks for sharing at Tasty Tuesday. As always link back to your direct recipe URL, and as a courtesy, please link back to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.
You all know how I love to find deals, so it was only appropriate that I shared from my "Becoming a Grocery Guru" workshop. I ran out of time and only briefly mentioned ways to save money on meats.
We all know that some of the most obvious ways to save money on meats are to eat less of them, add more grains and beans to your diet etc. etc. But what if your family mantra declares "Meat is King" and serving a delicious Asian Citrus Salad on couscous is just not an option?
The #1 way that my family saves money on meats is by looking for the wonderful yellow tags that indicate it's being marked down due to a "quick sale." This means that the sell/freeze by date is within a day or two and they want to move it on out.
I have enjoyed my shopping experience so much more by getting to know the management.
Ask your butcher/meat manager when they mark the meats down.
Quite often, they have a regular routine.
The store I shop at initiates their first mark down by 8am, the second mark down by 3:00pm, and if anything is left by the time they go home at 7:00 - whew, you get a steal and I recommend you snatch it all up. That's what I did last night.
On Sundays, whole rotisserie chickens are on sale for $4.99 (reg. $6.99).
At 7:00pm, if there are any left, an additional $3 is taken off and I splurge for a whopping $1.99 of moist, already cooked, seasoned chicken.
If I snag more than one, I pick off the chicken, bag it up in quart size servings, and I'm ready for instant casseroles or freezer meals .
These pre-marinated pork tenderloins are regularly $8.99 (18 oz). I got there in time for the third mark down and was thrilled to purchase these for only $2.99, as well as free range ground chicken for $1.99.Don't just assume your store does not do this - ask! They may not, but they also may make an exception. You wouldn't believe all the deals I get on all types of foods just by asking politely.
Some of you have what I call a "flinch factor." Purchasing marked down meats might not be an option for you since you only like the freshest of the fresh, and I completely respect that.
Coupled with buying marked down meats, our family also buys the freshest of meats by purchasing an entire cow (with other three other families).
It doesn't get more fresh than that - from the range to the freezer in less than a week.
Twice a year, we order 1/4 of a cow, and it is always delicious.
It's free range, no hormones and averages about $2/lb for every cut of meat imaginable from Fillet Mignon to soup stock. Since it's location specific, ask a local farmer or butcher if they can recommend a place for you. It's really worth it. In the Piedmont Triad area, we order from Mitchell Meats and they do everything right at their meat packing plant.
Some of the other ways I save are by taking advantage of holiday deals.
Purchasing ground turkey after Thanksgiving always leads to a great deal. Our local Fresh Market grinds their left over turkeys after the holidays and sells their free range, high quality ground turkey at only $0.99/lb.
I stock up on ham before and/or right after Easter and Christmas holidays.
I'm also not afraid of buying the cheaper cuts of meat and letting the crock pot tenderize it til it's melt in the mouth good.
Stretch your ground beef by mixing it with ground turkey. It's not only healthier, but more cost effective. Other ways I stretch my meat are by adding bread crumbs, potato flakes, oatmeal and....
TVP.
What in the world is TVP?
Below I am mixing it with my meatloaf mixture. Yes, I know it might look like dog food, but it's a healthy low cost alternative that is wonderfully versatile. It stands for Textured Vegetable Protein, and it's a meat alternative made from soy flour. It comes in chunks and flakes (I only use the flakes) and I slide it into my ground beef quite often.
It is sold in a dehydrated form but easily reconstitues when mixed with beef.
You can find it sold in any health food store or food chains that carry a "bulk food" aisle.
Here I am stealing all the fun on Tasty Tuesday....there are many more ways that I save on meat.Why don't you throw out some of your tried and true tips in the comments and see if we can conquer this price war together.
(Posted at Happy Housewife and Works for me Wednesday)
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