The Abundant Wife

Living Abundantly on Less

Free Sod!

June 12th, 2013

Jessica

Somtimes God surprises us with the things we need or want, before we even think to ask!

Last week, a friend posted on Facebook that she needed to find a home for 30 extra pieces of sod. She and her husband had ordered too much, and it needed to be used immediately or else it would die.

I called Brad, and after a brief discussion, we decided to accept the extra sod. Brad placed it on a portion of our yard that has always been dirt and dead grass.

Although it’s currently obvious where the sod ends and the dirt begins, we’re hoping we can get some grass growing around it so that it will blend in better with the rest of the yard. Even if it doesn’t, we are happy to finally have a grassy patch in our backyard!

How has God surprised you by providing for your needs or wants this week?

Toddler Tuesday: Leaf Rubbings

June 11th, 2013

Jessica

This past autumn I spotted a Pin of “Leaf Rubbing” on Pinterest. Although we did this activity in November, it also makes a great summer activity!

I remembered that my mom did leaf rubbings with us when we we were kids, so I decided to give it a try.

I think this activity would be a better activity for older kids, because they could push harder on the crayons than my toddlers. Or maybe thinner paper would be a good idea for younger kids.

We had a good time anyway, and had lots of new autumn images to hang on the refrigerator.

What fun seasonal crafts do you like to do with your kids?

A Cyst & A Surgery

June 10th, 2013

Jessica

On September 6, our family went to my ultrasound appointment excited to find out the gender of our third child. Unfortunately, the ultrasound also found a large cyst in my abdomen (right behind my belly button) about the size of a tennis ball. The doctor suggested I wait until after Evelyn was born to investigate the cyst further, although she did order a second ultrasound on October 9 to make sure it wasn’t increasing in size. I had a third ultrasound on March 19, which confirmed that the cyst had not increased in size over the last 6 months.

On March 27 I went in for a CT scan, and it showed that all was normal aside from the cyst. The radiologist confirmed that the cyst was not affecting my bladder. I met with the surgeon on April 18, and we reviewed the results of the CT scan and my options for treatment. Because the cyst was so large, it had caused a hernia behind my belly button. The surgeon planned to repair both the cyst and the hernia with the same surgery, and place some mesh in my abdomen to prevent any further damage. The surgeon told me that I would have a “question-mark” scar around my belly button after the surgery was over (although I think my new 2-inch long scar looks more like a “greater than” sign).

I had 5 Pre-Op appointments between April 29 and May 8. On May 9 I underwent surgery to remove the cyst and the hernia. It was an out-patient surgery, so I was in and out the same day. Thank God for skilled doctors and nurses, a successful surgery, two babysitters for our kids, a week of delicious meals from our Bible Study, and the prayers of our friends and family! One week later my Post-Op consultation went well, and the surgeon seemed very pleased with the success of my surgery. He said that they were able to remove the entire sheath of the cyst, and the pathology report confirmed that it was benign. He removed the outer bandage, and instructed me to keep the area clean and dry until the rest of the bandages fell off. I also cannot lift anything over 15lbs for 6 weeks (June 20).

As for how I’m feeling, I used pain-killers for the first few days following the surgery, then Tylenol after that, and I haven’t needed anything at all since. I occasionally have some pain right around the surgical site, but I feel better with each day. I’m just trying to remember to take it nice and easy for the next 10 days.

When I was pulling into the parking lot for my CT scan on March 27, I heard this passage on the radio: “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

It was at least the third time I had heard those verses that same week. I was thankful for the reminder that while I see my “decaying outer man” enduring a “momentary, light affliction,” God sees the unseen and the eternal. I should not lose heart, because God is renewing my “inner man” day by day.

How have you been encouraged by God’s word recently?

Keeping Cool When It’s 110 F Outside

June 8th, 2013

Jessica

Our house doesn’t have central air conditioning, so when its 110 degrees Fahrenheit outside, we get creative!

We open the windows during the cool part of the day, and close them when it gets hot.
We turn on our air conditioning window unit and our three ceiling fans.
We turn on our two box fans.
We go outside (for a run or a walk) early or late in the day to avoid peak temperatures.
We drink lots of water (with frozen lemons) and other fluids.
We wear light clothing.
We give the kids freeze-pops (or “otter-pops” as the Californians refer to them) when they come in from outside.
We play in water, like our free water table and turtle pool, or our sprinklers.
We make homemade smoothies or frappes.
We go on a field trip to a place that has air conditioning!

What inexpensive ways have you found to stay cool when its hot outside?

Freebie Friday!

June 7th, 2013

Jessica

Today is Freebie Friday! I am always on the look-out for freebies. Ever since we lived in Minnesota and went 6 months on half salary, followed by a year of substitute-teaching, I have been grateful for deals that involve no expense. What fun freebies have you received recently?

Cloth Diapering 101: Part 2

June 6th, 2013

Jessica

Yesterday I shared our cloth diapering story. Click here to read Cloth Diapering 101: Part 1.

Here are 17 tips for cloth diapering success!

Getting Started:

Cloth diapering is a team effort. I do not recommend using cloth diapers if your spouse is not on board. I can’t say that I would still be cloth diapering if it weren’t for Brad’s support.
Do your research. Ask your friends or cloth-diapering acquaintances what brands they recommend.
Try a sampler pack, or buy a few to begin. Most of the cost of cloth diapering is in getting started. We bought our diapers new on Ebay.
Decide how many you need. Infants use 8-12 diapers per day, so plan accordingly.
Decide how long you will need them. We originally thought our first 24 diapers would be enough forever. We didn’t count on having 2 kids in diapers at the same time. We also thought that all kids potty-trained at 2 years old. Hahahaha….
Consider all costs involved. We haven’t noticed high water bills, but we do laundry daily anyway so maybe that’s why. We also hang our laundry to dry, so we’re not running up our electric bill either.
Snaps last longer than Velcro, because the Velcro will eventually wear out.
Websites like convertmydiapers.com will convert your Velcro diapers to snaps for you, although it is cheaper to do it yourself if you have the time.
Keep disposable diapers and wipes on hand for “special occasions.” We use disposables for road trips and flights, and keep disposable wipes in the diaper bag. We also prefer to use disposables for the first few weeks after birth since we usually receive them as gifts, and the baby needs the most diaper changes at that time.

Changing Cloth Diapers:

Changing cloth diapers does not require much more work than disposable diapers. Remove the diaper, shake or pull out the inserts, and drop all of it into a plastic tub with a lid (or a plastic grocery bag in the diaper bag).
Use cloth wipes. Why not? You’re already using cloth diapers. Brad cut up a bunch of his old t-shirts for wipes, and when they get ratty, we throw them away. We keep them in a wipes container on the changing table in soapy water.
Cloth diapers might not suit you if you have a weak stomach. However…whether or not you choose to cloth diaper, there’s no avoiding the baby poop, pee, vomit, dirt, spit-up, and numerous other icky messes that come with parenting.
Your church nursery or child care provider may be a little intimidated by cloth diapers at first. They’re envisioning diaper pins, lots of folding, and a squirming baby. They’ll be amazed once you show them how easy it is to remove the diaper, place it in a plastic grocery bag, and put it back in the diaper bag.

Laundering Cloth Diapers:

As long as a baby is breast-fed exclusively (generally the first 6 months or so), their poop will be liquidy and mustard-colored so you can wash everything in the washing machine. Once you introduce solid foods or formula, the consistency of their poop will become darker and more solid and will begin to stink. (Yet another good reason for breastfeeding exclusively and holding off on solid foods!)
Solid waste can generally be dumped into the toilet, and some people invest in a special sprayer to help rinse it off the diaper into the toilet before washing. Brad does get grossed-out when he finds raisins, peanuts, or corn on the bottom of the washing machine and has to pick them out.
Use whatever detergent you prefer. Although many websites recommend special detergents, our kids have never had a reaction to regular detergents.
Folding the laundry will be a bigger chore if you cloth diaper. After washing the diapers, the inserts must be “stuffed” back into the diapers. This being said though, if you have little ones, you’ll be doing a lot of laundry anyway so there’s no escaping it one way or the other.

Have you cloth diapered your children? What tips would you add?

Cloth Diapering 101: Part 1

June 5th, 2013

Jessica

When Brad and I found out we were pregnant with our first child in 2008, one of our first concerns was how we would afford to diaper her. Somewhere along the line, I heard about cloth diapering. So I sent out a Facebook status update, asking for information about cloth diapering. When a few friends replied, I wrote a Facebook message to all of them, asking for more details.

My friends were full of great information, and soon we decided to buy 24 Bum Genius One-Size All-In-One Velcro diapers for Naomi. 17 months later we bought 24 more Bum Genius diapers for Oliver, some of which were snap diapers. 2 years after that, we sent all of our Velcro diapers to convertmydiapers.com and had them converted to snaps. At this point we’ve been a cloth-diapering family for almost 4 years, and we still have all 48 of our original diapers. I think they all still look great considering how long we’ve used them!

There are lots of advantages to cloth diapering. We chose cloth diapers because of the cost. We paid about $400 to diaper Naomi, about $400 to diaper Oliver, and about $150 to convert our diapers for Evelyn. So we diapered 3 kids for $950. A quick look on-line estimates that disposable diapers will cost you $1600-$2600 to diaper one child until they are 2 1/2 years old. Cloth diapers are also cheaper than the “swimmie” diapers you’ll need if you plan to take your little one swimming. They are also considered more “green” than disposable diapers. Although you will be using more electricity and water, you won’t be filling landfills with diapers. In addition, we’ve noticed far fewer “blow-outs” with cloth diapers, and some people swear that their kids potty-train earlier with cloth diapers.

Tomorrow I’ll be back to share my tips for cloth diapering success!

Click here to read Cloth Diapering 101: Part 2.

Do Not Forget The Things You Have Seen

June 4th, 2013

Jessica

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Deuteronomy 4:9

I have been really discouraged today. I’m worried a lot about our finances, and our job. In our line of work, when there isn’t enough money, our paycheck gets reduced. We’ve been on 75% salary for 2 months. Next we’ll be on 50% salary, and so on until there’s no money, or until our deficit is replenished. The search for more money, more donors, and more fundraisers is endless. I beg for answers when there are none to be found.

Today I found a list of all the ways God had provided for us in December, the last time our salary was reduced. Here were some of the things on my list of December blessings:

A babysitter who was willing to babysit our kids for 10 hours for free. A friend sent a surprise $50 gift in the mail, which allowed us to pay the babysitter anyway.
My OB/GYN took a leave of absence, so I chose to see at Midwife at the same office. The Midwife immediately diagnosed an infection I’d been struggling with for 4 months.
Brad and I go out alone once a year for our anniversary (2 days before Christmas). A friend offered to trade babysitting favors with us so that we could enjoy our anniversary, even though her family was going out of town that same night.
I got enough substitute teaching jobs in December and January to purchase the items we needed before Evelyn was born.
My father-in-law came to visit for 3 weeks and helped with the dish-washing, laundry, and house-cleaning chores.
My computer broke down on October 25. My Dad (who runs his own business) was able to locate a computer that his business no longer needed to replace my computer just before December 25.
Because we were on reduced salary in December, many of our Christmas gifts met our needs. We were given curtains, a sander, a drill, money for travel expenses, running shoes, kitchen tools, and more.
The money we made substitute-teaching in Maryland in November helped to cover our medical expenses for Evelyn’s birth in January.

As you can see, despite our reduced salary in December, God went above and beyond to meet our needs.

God warns us to be careful and watch ourselves carefully lest we forget. Why? Because when we forget the things our eyes have seen, when we let them slip from our heart, then we stop trusting God to help us. Fear, discouragement, worry, and hopelessness set in. But when we remember what God has shown us, and when we teach these things to our children, we can have courage, joy, peace, and hope. God has chosen us (Deuteronomy 4:37), and he will not forget the covenant he made with us. He will not abandon or destroy us (4:31). If we obey Him, it will go well with us and our children, and we will live long in the land God has given us (4:40).

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12-14 NRSV

Freezing Lemon Juice & Lemon Slices

June 3rd, 2013

Jessica

If I haven’t mentioned it recently, our family moved to Northern California in September 2011. After living in Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, China, and Minnesota, I was unprepared for the availability of fresh fruit on the West Coast! It is not unusual to see fresh citrus fruit falling off the trees in our neighbor’s yards, nibbled on by squirrels, or brought to our home by a generous friend.

When we have a pile of fresh lemons on our counter top, we usually slice them and freeze them in bags. Then we drop them in glasses or pitchers of water, or in a cup of tea throughout the year. The kids like to eat them with a little sugar sprinkled on top, and some of our friends think frozen lemons make a delicious treat!

Brad also likes to juice our lemons, and freeze the juice in the freezer. At this rate, I’ll never need to buy lemon juice again!

Last year Brad froze some of the lemon juice in cubes, so that he could add to his beverages with ease.

Brad also slices and/or juices the other fruit that we receive, including oranges, limes, and grapefruit!

What would you do with an overabundance of fresh citrus fruit?

Pinterest Inspired: Frugal Bathtime Fun

June 1st, 2013

Jessica

Recently I spotted this Pin on Pinterest, and decided to try it with the kids. We filled our ice cub trays with water and then added a drop of food coloring. That night, we added the multi-colored cubes to their warm bath. The cubes didn’t last for long, but the kids had fun chasing and chewing on them. As you can see, it also changed the color of the bathtub water!