The Abundant Wife

Living Abundantly on Less

20 Ways to Drive Mom Crazy Before Noon

August 21st, 2013

Jessica

Last Saturday was “one of those days.” I laugh when I say this because when you have little ones, it often seems like EVERY day is “one of those days.” Anyhow, the kids were driving me crazy all morning, so I was inspired to create the following list. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section below!

20 Ways to Drive Mom Crazy Before Noon

1. Fill the baby’s crib with toys. Do this when the baby is sleeping in the crib, or when Mom has finally nursed the baby to sleep. She’ll LOVE trying to find a place to put the sleeping baby amidst all the toys.

2. Talk incessantly. Loudly. Ask lots of questions, even those you already know the answer to. Beg for movies, walks, car rides, games, toys, play dates, and anything else that comes to mind. Interrupt adults. Sing loudly. Sing louder if they try to talk over you.

3. Hide the toothpaste. The bottom of the art supply box would be a good spot. Anywhere she will never think to look.

4. Use all the burp clothes as baby doll blankets. Then when she needs a burp cloth for the baby, there will be none to be found.

5. Lose Mom’s bathing suit straps. Two years in a row. You know how much she’ll LOVE tearing apart the entire house looking for them, and how much she LOVES going strapless when you keep yanking down the front of her swimsuit.

6. Find the plums in the fridge. Leave half-eaten fruit all over the house. Smear gooey hands over any and all surfaces.

7. Throw toys behind the couch. Climb behind the couch to get them. Move the end tables, couch, coffee table, and yank on the curtains. While you’re at it, remove all the cushions and pillows from the couch.

8. Empty the bookshelves in every room. Chew on the books. Walk on the books. Tear the pages. Insist the pages need to be repaired. Get Scotch tape from Mom’s desk and try to repair them yourself.

9. Climb into bed with Mom early in the morning. Make annoying sounds, like scratching your fingernails on her pillowcase. Cry loudly when she sends you back to your own bed.

10. Keep getting up after Mom has put you down for a nap or bedtime. Use any and all excuses. (Bathroom, Hot, Cold, Hungry, Thirsty, Hurt, Sad, Need Books, Need Prayers, Can’t Find “Lovey”)

11. Lose your “Lovey” every time you need to go to bed or go anywhere. Wail and refuse to sleep until it is found. If possible, lose it more than once a day. Try to choose a different hiding place every time. Again, anywhere she will never think to look.

12. Whine. Complain. Pester. Tattle. Argue. Pout. Repeat.

13. Never stand more than 2 inches behind Mom. Then when she turns around, she’ll trip over you every time. Bonus points if she trips over toys or spills.

14. Get up earlier than Mom. No matter how early she gets up, you can get up earlier.

15. Throw Mom’s planner in the trash. Throw Mom’s cellphone in the trash. Throw your favorite jacket in the trash. If Mom throws something in the trash, drag it out and play with it.

16. Even though you wear a diaper, pee on your sheets every night. It’s not as difficult as you might think.

17. Lick everything before putting it back. Pull clean items out of drawers and cabinets, lick them, then put them back.

18. Talk incessantly in the car. Loudly. This works especially well when Mom is lost, trying to read directions, or trying to talk to someone. Shriek. Kick the seat in front of you. Argue with your siblings. Drop things on the floor of the car and repeatedly ask Mom to pick them up.

19. Refuse to nap. Refuse to let Mom get a nap.

20. Repeat the above daily, without fail. Mom will lose her marbles guaranteed!

What strategies do your kids use to make sure you go crazy before noon?

Book Review: Your Beautiful Purpose by Susie Larson

August 20th, 2013

Jessica

I was excited about Your Beautiful Purpose: Discovering and Enjoying What God Can Do Through You by Susie Larson as soon as I saw that Ann Voskamp (One Thousand Gifts) had written the Foreward. This book was written specifically for women, with a DVD Study Companion for Bible Study Groups. Each chapter begins with a scripture and a quotation, and ends with Study Questions and Discussion Starters.

Your Beautiful Purpose was very encouraging to me. Susie has a comforting way of writing, and always brings her reader back around to scripture. This book really spoke to many of my personal struggles, aches, and desires. I read this book shortly after giving birth to my third child, and was especially reassured by the chapter about the season of “Rest.” Susie seemed to read my mind and heart from page 1 to page 233. Her honesty and vulnerability were refreshing. Instead of feeling judged, I felt understood. This is a book I will be returning to again and again.

If you are a blogger and are interested in reviewing books for Bethany House, click here!

3 Ways We’ve Saved Money Recently

August 19th, 2013

Jessica

Recently I was able to save money in three different areas of our budget. Maybe some of these ideas will work for you too!

1. We have arranged to pay our utilities bill using a “Balanced Payment Plan.” This month our payment dropped, saving us $15.77 per month!

2. I thought our auto insurance bill was too high, so I called around looking for a better deal. Once I had some estimates, I called my current provider. They wanted to keep my business, so they looked for ways to cut my costs. They noticed that we drive our truck less than 8,000 miles per year. We were able to keep our same coverage with the same company at a lower cost, saving us $7 per month!

3. Brad is an avid runner, but running shoes can be expensive. I looked around on-line until I found last-year’s model for $80 per pair. I paid $160 for two pairs of shoes (with free shipping). Brad gets a $125 fitness reimbursement through his job, making his shoes only $35 ($17.50 per pair) out of pocket. Finally, I purchased his shoes through Swagbucks, which paid me 2 Swagbucks per dollar. So I also earned 320 Swagbucks which I will put toward the purchase of a $5 Amazon gift card.

If I could keep our utility bill where it currently is, these changes would add up to $403 saved this year!

How have you been able to save money on budgeted items recently?

Book Review: Finding God in the Dark by Ted Kluck & Ronnie Martin

August 17th, 2013

Jessica

My initial interest in this book stemmed from my own experiences with death, disappointment, and disillusionment. As I began to read Finding God in the Dark: Faith, Disappointment, and the Struggle to Believe, I found it difficult to connect to recording artist Ronnie Martin, and in fact disliked him at first. However, the more I read the more he grew on me. I also enjoyed reading writer Ted Kluck, and found it easier to relate to him. As Kluck and Martin take turns sharing their hurts and their hearts, they touch on numerous Biblical figures including David, Joseph, Nebuchadnezzar, Judas, and Elijah. I enjoyed this book’s insights into doubt, failure, struggles, questions, and unbelief. It’s an easy read (only 139 pages), and it moves quickly. Just a hunch, but I think men might enjoy this book more than women.

If you are a blogger and are interested in reviewing books for Bethany House, click here!

How I Survive Short Stints as a Single Mom

August 16th, 2013

Jessica

My husband does youth-ministry full-time, so part of my job as Mom is holding down the fort while he travels for retreats, training, fundraisers, service projects, and camps. By the time we close 2013, he will have been away from our family for about 50 days this year. Of course, he also works from home so we do see a lot of him when he isn’t traveling. I know many of you have spouses who never travel, yet you see them fewer hours per year than I see of Brad. Others of you are single parents, or have a spouse in the military, and I know your job is far more difficult than mine. Still, I would like to share a few tips for how I survive my short stints as a single mom:

Before I go to bed at night, I try to prepare the house as much as possible so that my mornings will go smoothly.

I lay out my clothes (usually on the bathroom counter).
I set the breakfast table and prep the coffee pot.
I wash the dishes and put them away.
I set out the breakfast ingredients.
I prepare whatever I need for the morning’s activities.
I go to bed early.

Once the day begins, I do whatever it takes to preserve my sanity.

I get up before the kids. (Read/Journal/Shower/Coffee)
I stay off the computer until the kids are asleep.
I get out of the house with the kids most mornings.
I plan fun/special activities.
I move all the laundry forward one step. (Wash–>Dry–>Fold–>Put Away)
I prep lunch ingredients once for the entire week. (Slice Carrots/Celery/Cheese, Prepare Tuna Fish/Egg Salad)

Although it’s never ideal to be a single parent, a little time spent in preparation can go a long way toward improving your day. In fact, with Brad away, I am often better at managing my time because I know that there is no one available to pick up the slack if I am unprepared. I know it would be good for me to implement these tips in my daily life even when Brad is around!

How do you survive short stints as a single parent?

Book Review: These Are The Days Of Elijah by R.T. Kendall

August 15th, 2013

Jessica

When I first saw the title of this book, I immediately began humming the tune to the song by that name, one I first heard as a teenager attending “Chrysalis.” With that happy memory as a starting point, I read and enjoyed These are the Days Of Elijah: How God Uses Ordinary People to Do Extraordinary Things by R.T. Kendall. Despite the short chapters, this book took me longer to read than most others I’ve read this year. However, I didn’t mind reading it like a devotional. There was plenty to digest in each chapter. It was my first time studying the life of Elijah in depth, and I really enjoyed the insights Kendall offered. What I loved about the story of Elijah was summed up perfectly by John Paul Jackson in the book’s Foreward: “The oft-overlooked crux of Elijah’s ministry is that he was a human being who dared to believe God could use him.” Kendall describes Elijah as one would describe an old and dear friend. His knowledge and life experiences are rich and enlightening.

If you are a blogger and are interested in reviewing books for Bethany House, click here!

Our Financial Goals: Paying Off Debt (August 2013)

August 14th, 2013

Jessica

During the past 8 months, we spent 4 months on 75% salary, we had a baby, and I underwent 2 surgeries. We also bought a new car seat, converted all our cloth diapers to snaps, and bought airplane tickets home for Thanksgiving.

Despite these expenses, thanks to using Mvelopes for budgeting, I feel more confident about where our money is going than I have in years past. It’s great to know that we survived the past 8 months without having to dip into our “Emergency Fund” even once. We even put our entire tax refund into our student loan debt! However, we did have to take a break from paying off debt for the summer. In fact, you’ll notice our student loan debt (which isn’t due again until January of 2016) has grown since May because it is accumulating interest.

We are hopeful as we look ahead, because once the last few medical bills are paid, we’ll be able to spend money on some other things we need…like new tires for our truck and bunk beds for the kids and debt payments!

So here is what we’re looking at right now:

Sallie Mae: $15, 691.35 (4.5% Interest Rate)
Wells Fargo: $106, 947.42 (4.125% Interest Rate)
Total Owed: $122,638.77

So, we’ve paid off $428.97 in the last 3 1/2 months since my May update. Again, that number should improve now that we are back on full salary, and hoping that the rest of 2013 will be free of medical concerns!

Have you made a list of your debts in order of their pay-off amount? What progress have you made in paying off your debts this year?

Photo Credit

Our Carrot Crop

August 13th, 2013

Jessica

On Sunday my husband decided that it was time to harvest our carrots. If you remember, he’d been growing them in a plastic tub next to our compost garden. He filled the tub with compost soil, dug a couple of trenches, and filled them with carrot seeds.

Since it was our first time planting carrots, we didn’t know what we were doing. When we told a friend how we’d planted them, he predicted that we’d have a lot of short fat carrots.

Well, he was right! But I thought our short fat carrots were adorable. Brad and the kids were pretty happy with them too.

After Brad washed them off, they looked even cuter! I love our chunky little carrots!

It’s so fun getting to eat produce that’s fresh from our garden. It’s exciting to watch it grow with the kids, and then to eat food that we grew ourselves.

Have you ever grown carrots before? What tips can you offer us amateur carrot-farmers? What other produce do you like to grow?

Pancake Names

August 12th, 2013

Jessica

This morning Naomi and Oliver requested pancakes for breakfast. As I was getting myself ready for the day, they raided the pantry and piled all the ingredients for pancakes on our kitchen counter.

I thought pancakes sounded like a good idea, so we got cooking. We talked about the various measuring cups and spoons and which is which.

Then when I began to pour the batter into the frying pan, Naomi asked if we could write our names with pancakes. Today is the first day of school for Naomi’s best friend, so it was fun to make breakfast an educational experience.

Some of the letters turned out better than others, since some burnt in the pan (oops!), were difficult to flip (oops!), or once flipped the letter was backwards (oops!).

Still, we had fun learning and eating together!

How do you turn everyday activities into learning experiences for your children?

Coloring with my Kids

August 10th, 2013

Jessica

My kids have noticed that I like to color. I actually avoid art projects around the house at times, because I know that once I start I will be completely absorbed until I’m done. And I hate to leave an art project half-finished once I’ve begun! Attentiveness to art can also mean inattentiveness to my kids. Nevertheless, my kids love to sit elbow-to-elbow with me and color. Naomi begs me to join her whenever she is coloring with her markers or crayons. I finished these crayon flowers earlier this week. It was fun using all the colors in the box to create light and shadow and depth and dimension.

What fun activities do you like to do elbow-to-elbow with your kids?