Gluten-Free Frugal

Not Pregnant Anymore! Or Again!

2010-11-16T15:30:00.001-06:00

So. Long time no blog, eh?

Baby H was born May 23, 2010, 9 days past her due date. And right on time.

We now have a first grader (E), a preschooler (D), a 2-year-old (Miss Baby M), and an almost-6 month old (H). So, you can see why I do not have time for blogging.

SuperDad has entered the world of gluten free living, and is the healthier for it.

And I feel that I've somewhat said everything that needs to be said about living life gluten free and on a budget. Because, here's the bottom line: Save money other places. Health is more important.

We've recently subscribed to the gluten-free menus at mealtimemakeover dot com, and have really been enjoying that. The shopping lists are more expensive than what I usually spend on groceries, but we're enjoying new meals, and we're eating out less. And they very much understand that the key to affordable and satisfying gluten-free eating is not replacing everything with a gluten free version, but to eat mostly naturally gluten free foods. I would definitely recommend checking it out, and for $5/month, it's just worth a try.

As for me, I'm busy, and happy. And working on my doula certification. And after that, well, who knows?

So… anyone want to hear a birth story, before I sign off?

I was 9 days over due, and I'd been having serious contractions for days. I was contemplating castor oil. But a tornado that had touched down the night before seemed to do the trick. Despite having gone into full-blown labor in the middle of the night, like I did in the previous two pregnancies, that wasn't how it worked out this time.

On May 23rd, a Sunday afternoon, I was having very strong but very irregular contractions, and I wasn't sure if I should head to the hospital or not, since the contractions weren't especially close together. Finally, I decided it was time, based really on nothing at all other than intuition. We got childcare lined up, waited for a break between contractions, and ran for the car. It seemed like the whole neighborhood was outside that day and they waved and wished me luck. (For the record, sneaking off in the middle of the night is better!)

On the short drive to the hospital, the contractions stopped. I wasn't even sure if I should bother getting out of the car. Thankfully, I decided that one way or another, I wasn't turning back, and headed into the hospital.

The nurse took us to the triage room, and since my contractions had really slowed down, she probably had her doubts that I was really in labor. However, while I was changing, I had a couple of strong enough contractions that the nurse rushed us out and into a delivery room. And on that walk, she let me know that Dr. K was out of town. Me=unhappy. But she reassured me that his back-up, Dr. M, would do just fine with a natural birth, and that I was definitely with the right group of doctors. (She was correct.)

My lovely nurse rushed through the check-in procedures (I was disappointed to only be at 4 cm at that point) so that I could do my GBS antibiotics in the tub. Wonderful, wonderful. Honestly, the nurses were awesome about following my birth plan.

I spent some time in the tub as the contractions intensified (though I don't know that they ever got much closer together). I did some panicky flailing. I punched SuperDad in the eye. I didn't feel badly about it.

The doctor arrived and checked me (7 cm now) and asked to break my water. He said he wasn't going to pressure me, but that he wanted to get things moving for me. Ahem. Not in love with that part. But I agreed, especially considering I was already pushing. Really, though, there wasn't much water to break, compared to my previous 37-weeker.

The doctor then left. Not smart on his part, really, because the nurse was almost immediately catching the head. Thanks to my lack of communication, though, I was able to deliver on hands-and-knees, which of course was the perfect position for my baby, who turned out to be in a posterior presentation.

With a pause to remove a nuchal cord, Baby H was born, 8 pounds, 8 ounces (my smallest baby, if you can believe it) at 4:57, just an hour and half after I paused in the hospital parking lot and considered going home.

She had a great latch and was *starving*, and we enjoyed a few days in the hospital together. Because they have cable and little cups of orange sherbet, and someone else does the cleaning.

H has been an absolute joy and blessing to each of us, every single day of her life. She is possibly made of sunshine.

And I think that's all, folks! It's been fun!

Still Pregnant

2010-04-26T09:48:00.002-05:00

In case you were wondering.

I'm alllmost 38 weeks pregnant. Okay, I'm 37 1/2 weeks pregnant. Whatever.

This weekend, I crossed the last thing off my to-do list. To done. Consider us fully nested. (Hint, hint, Baby. You can come anytime now.)

We have saved enough cash that I can take a 12-week maternity leave. I'm beyond excited, not only to meet my new baby, but to spend 12 weeks with ALL my babies. And SuperDad too. How many families are lucky enough to spend 12 weeks together?

I'll let you know when we have news to share!

In the meanwhile, enjoy the names E and D gave their Easter eggs.

Miss Baby M

2010-04-05T07:26:00.003-05:00

18 months

Update, Upon Request

2010-03-05T13:47:00.000-06:00

I… am 30 weeks pregnant. After a short detour into Whatever-Will-Stay-Down Land, I am back off gluten. I have to say, I eat so much healthier now.

SuperDad… is, for the first time ever, actually giving gluten-free living a real try. Go SuperDad!

E… On March 11th, she will celebrate 4 years off of gluten! Wow! Where does the time go? School lunch was our biggest challenge recently. She packs her lunch every day. She either has leftovers (GF spaghetti, GF mac & cheese, and soup are some of her faves) or PB & J* (as of now, her school still allows peanut butter), along with fruit (grapes, sometimes applesauce), and yogurt or string cheese. I was worried, but things have gone really well. She's old enough now (almost 6) that she knows what she can have, and what she can't.

D… Is almost 4. He recently had very minor surgery to put in ear tubes. He hasn't ever had an ear infection, but he had lost almost all of his hearing due to trapped fluid. After a 7-minute surgery, he's good as new!

Miss Baby M… Is 17 months old. She has no idea what is about to happen to her life about 10 weeks from now! She has never had gluten.

*I don't know that I've ever shared it, so below you will find our very best ever gluten-free bread recipe, the result of much fine tuning.

SuperDad's Super Gluten Free Bread

½ t dried yeast
2 t xanthan gum
¾ c white rice flour
¾ c brown rice flour
¾ c tapioca flour
1 t salt
2 T sugar (can replace with honey)
1/3 c dry milk substitute
2 eggs
3 T vegetable oil
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 c warm water

Mix dry ingredients in lg. bowl. Mix in all other ingredients. Stir just to mix. Place in bread machine. Use Light setting.

For My Own Future Reference

2010-01-30T15:00:00.001-06:00

Excellent deals to be had at JCPenney's today. Kids' winter coats 75% off.

Baby-Planning Plan

2010-01-26T15:46:00.004-06:00

Shall we update? I'm 33 weeks along now. Am I ready?

Anyone have advice for eating gluten free in a hospital? Other than "bring your own food!"?

This is the 4th time I've planned for a new baby. I am a list maker (and list keeper) by nature, so each time I have improved on my baby-planning plan.

I keep my baby-planning plan in a small notebook I keep in my purse, and it has nine, separate, tabbed sections. (And now you're thinking, "Hellooooo, crazy person!")

1. Doula
Uh... found one. Kind of. But considering going without. Eeep. This is the name(s) and number(s) of the doula(s) I am considering. If I can find even one.

2. Announcements
Done. A listing of everyone to whom I will send a birth announcement. I updated everyone's mailing label (Okay, stop. Confession time. I actually made mailing labels for the very first time ever when I sent Christmas cards this year. In so many ways, I'm a girl that likes to write things out by hand, but it was getting to be a bit much these days. So I have mailing labels now. Welcome to the 90's. Or something.)

3. Contacts
Done. Phone numbers and email addresses for people I may want to call from the hospital. Or more like, "Hey, SuperDad, call these people. And bring me enchiladas!"

4. To Do
Still left on my to-do list, with goal dates:
Still not done. Update all baby books - 12/19/09 (ahem)
Done. Move desktop computer upstairs - 1/2/10 (hi, not done yet)
Still not done. Update wills - 1/16/10 (soon?)
Done. Sew blanket for new baby - 2/6/10 (fabric is bought)
Done. Pack hospital bag - 3/13/10
Done. Install car seat - 4/3/10
Not done. Not yet scheduled to be done. Does not count. Sterilize bottles and pump parts - 4/10/10
Not done. But hospital has reverted to normal visitor policies, so needs to be done. Buy gifts for kids to open at hospital - 4/17/10 (actually, as it is now, they aren't even allowed to visit the hospital, so we'll see)

5. Hospital Packing List
Done. (This is so, so different than it used to be. I'm getting good at it now.)
Swim suits (to wear in Jacuzzi)
Lip balm
Clothes
Toiletry bag, stocked
Slipper socks
Snacks
Outfits for baby (Want to make sure your baby doesn't get switched for someone else's baby? Step 1: Keep them with you. Step 2: Dress them in adorable, non-hospital outfits! Step 3: Look at the kid. I don't get how people think all babies look the same. Our kids look like our kids, from day one. And, also, not that much like Winston Churchill. Mr. Magoo, maybe.)

Blankets
Nail clippers
Kid gifts (or not)
Baby book
Baby coat
Car seat cover
Birth plan

6. Names

Done.

7. Questions for Doctor
I say "questions" but I mean "This is what I'm going to do, if you have a PROBLEM with that, let me know now."

Done. Pleased.

8. To Do List, After Baby Arrives
So far:
Make and send birth announcements
Send thank yous (if anyone buys gifts for a fourth child, that is! Hee.)
Join a gym (Haaaa ha ha ha ha)

9. Maternity Leave Budget

I'm not sure that you care or whatever, but that's my baby planning plan, for posterity. Or to annoy you.

Help Request!

2010-01-15T08:11:00.001-06:00

Hello readers!

A child of a friend of a friend (hee) was just diagnosed as gluten free. What were your favorite web sites, books, or any other resources for getting started gluten free?

MeMe

2009-12-20T07:15:00.003-06:00

Totally copied from Swistle, because she said I could. Feel free to copy it your own self too!

Eggnog or hot chocolate? I've never had eggnog, so I'm going with hot chocolate.

Does Santa wrap the presents or leave them open under the tree? Of course Santa doesn't wrap presents! That would be MADNESS! ;)

Colored lights on a tree or white? White, though SuperDad protests.

Do you hang mistletoe? No, but I should.

When do you put your decorations up? We try to do it on SuperDad's birthday, which is December 8th.

What is your favorite holiday dish? Turkey

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, all the family gifts to each other are opened Christmas Eve, and tend to be more of the boring socks, underwear, PJs variety, while Santa brings the good stuff. Because he's nicer than I am.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? This year we have a lovely "band" of ornaments around the tree, just high enough for E to reach, but out of reach for M. ;)

Snow: love it or hate it? Uh. It is.

Can you ice skate? No. I can barely walk some days.

What is your favorite holiday dessert? Turkey!

What is your favorite holiday tradition? Eating candy for breakfast on Christmas Day!

Candy canes: yum or yuck? Not my fave, not exactly yuck.

Favorite Christmas show? A Christmas Story.

And you know how much I like to sneak big news right here at the bottom to reward anyone who actually reads: The baby is a GIRL!!! Woo! :) Visions of matching outfits for my two baby girls are already dancing in my head. SuperDad forbids rhyming twin-like names, though. Party pooper.

It's hard being 3. It's harder being 34.

2009-12-08T15:47:00.001-06:00

Me: Okay, D, when Dad picks you up from preschool, be sure to tell him, "Happy Birthday!" okay?
D: Okay.
Me: What should you say, again?
D: Happy birthday!

Later

SuperDad: Hey bud, how was school?
D: I wish it was my birthday.
SuperDad: You do?
D: But it's not. It's your birthday. Happy birthday. (displays sadness)

Off Topic

2009-12-03T09:55:00.001-06:00

I was going to write a post today about running into someone who hated me in junior high (ahem, probably for good reason) and how it made me feel embarrassed about my jalopy of a car and how I don't often feel that way, and I don't think feeling that way is useful, but those feelings sometimes sneak in anyway.

But instead, I'd like to say that something miraculous has happened to me. And it's that my heart has somehow, some way softened toward dogs. I wasn't exactly an anti-dog person, but fell firmly on the "cats are great" side of things instead. But I've realized something about dogs. And it's that, some dogs let you treat them like BABIES. FOREVER. I just love having a baby in the house, I really and truly do. I love having someone who will let me cuddle them non-stop, but kids, eventually they grow out of that. But from what I understand, there are some dogs who don't!

My cats are cuddlers, don't get me wrong. But I can't exactly put them in my purse and take them to the store with me. I mean, unless I wanted to lose limbs and whatnot.

So, don't be too surprised when someday you see me carrying around a dog wearing a baby sweater. It could happen.

Ghosts of Christmases Past

2009-12-01T10:40:00.001-06:00

I recently ran across my 2006 Christmas list for the two kids I had at the time. Let's take a look and see how many of these things were worth the money, shall we?

I guess it's my blog, so if I say we shall, then we shall!

E received
Hat and mittens - These are actually still in use.
Clothes - Outgrown but surely needed and used.
Soccer ball - Long since deflated, probably buried somewhere in the garage.
Microphone - This is used practically every day. Whether ANYONE in my house was in any kind of need of voice amplification is very much in doubt, but they still like this toy that we bought for $2.

Clatterpillar - We were huge into Kindermusik at this time and I was amassing instruments at an alarming rate. This is still around, somewhere.

Tent - De.Stroyed. Probably before New Year's. Of that same year.
Wooden puzzles - Still around, though rarely taken out, since pieces get lost and I lose my cool entirely.
Frosty balls - OMG. E had decided that year that she needed, at all costs and most importantly, a ball. With Frosty the Snowman on it. You would think this would have been easy to find. It was not. We ended up buying her a dog toy. Nice. They were rarely played with.

D received
Shoes - Used and outgrown
Clothes - Ditto
Kindermusik rhythm sticks - Baby D took one look at these and his little boy brain interpreted them as "weapon." They are put away.

Teethers - We got him a big box of teethers. Not a one of my kids has ever chewed on a teether. Ever.
Bumbleball - You put a battery in it and it vibrated. Fun for a day, then the battery wore out. Fun for another day, then the battery wore out. Given away.

Truck - Don't even remember this.
Stuffed elephant - Oh. This is his Janet. His beloved, be-chewed, be-slobbered, be-tattered Janet. It goes with us everywhere. The big hit of the year, for sure.

Synopsis? Worth the money = hat, mittens, clothes, shoes, microphone, and stuffed elephant. Spent? $120. Could have spent? $40. But who can predict these things? Not me.

Sans Gluten in Mitchell, SD

2009-11-23T13:49:00.000-06:00

Firstly, I wanted to say thank you to everyone that posted such nice comments on my last entry. I seriously have the nicest readers EVER!

So we went to a wedding in Mitchell, SD this weekend. The home of THE WORLD'S ONLY CORN PALACE!!!! Actually, my own hometown had a "grain" palace at one point, but it burnt down and we gave up on it. (It was most likely NOT gluten-free, by the way.) If I remember my 8th grade South Dakota history correctly, that is. Which is unlikely. I had more important things on my mind then.

Where was I?

Oh yes.

The wedding was at Holy Family Catholic Church, and the very awesome priest there showed us where the fridge was so we could keep our GF goodies on hand while we were there. (We brought hot dogs, a pre-sliced loaf of homemade GF bread [the electric knife we bought for slicing bread ROCKS], pb, jelly, bananas, yogurt, string cheese, Envirokids cereal bars, etc.) Yay very awesome priest!

The reception was at the Ramada. Which, while the hotel itself doesn't have free breakfast (boo!), it did have mini golf! Whoa, 70's flashback! Also, the catering people at the Ramada's convention center actually made my kids gluten free meals. Whenever this happens, I feel like I walk a really fine line between a) not at all trusting that anyone else knows what they're doing and b) being really appreciative that they even tried. The meal came with what was very clearly rice penne, topped with what we were assured was a gluten-free fettuccine sauce, served with broccoli, mashed potatoes, and grilled chicken. The only stickler was the breadstick, which I'm sure was NOT gluten free, but we pulled those off, and let the kids have-at. And I have to say… so far, so good! The wait staff was also extremely patient with my insanity. Good job, wait staff!

Finally, we made a quick trip to "Wayne & Mary's Nutrition Center" in all of our wedding regalia, and let the kids pick out "whatever they wanted that we can't get at home." Wayne & Mary's made this extremely easy for my kids by putting all of their gluten-free products on red shelves. I also really liked that they had a reference section placed right with their gluten-free foods that had handouts and books like "1000 Gluten Free Recipes." Nicely done, Wayne & Mary's.

I have to say, overall, the trip was a major gluten-free success, but that weddings are, on average, 47% less enjoyable when you can't drink.

For Morocco

2009-11-19T09:24:00.001-06:00

What is happening with our little-big family lately:

SuperDad just finished teaching a photography class at the community center. The extra coinage immediately disappeared into the overeating/purging cycle that has been sustaining my pregnancy.

I quit BOTH of my part-time jobs. Because I felt like it! So, the big debt repay, well, it's on the back burner right now. I am now 16 weeks pregnant. I still feel terrible, so it must be going well. :) It feels like a boy, but I could be wrong. (Though I haven't been so far!)

E is 5 1/2 and is gearing up to be a flower girl this weekend. It's stressing her out. We are constantly on our toes providing gluten free alternatives for her to take to school for all kinds of reasons.

D recently went through a speech evaluation, and failed the hearing screening portion. The bureaucracy surrounding going through all these services, as provided by the school district, is ridiculous. Or as D would say, "ridiculusht."

M is one now! And walking! And having some very serious opinions on, well, everything. She was accidentally glutened by some oat flour hiding in a YoBaby yogurt (okay, not hiding, I didn't read the label! Always read the label!), and her reaction was much, much more mild than the older two experience when glutened. I think this is a positive sign for her, and maybe due to the entire year I spent gluten free while she was nursing? Or not.

We've also gotten lots of comments of all kinds about having four kids. All I can say (that's nice), is that, well, our kids are awesome! Why wouldn't we want more?

Also, I'm uncertain about the future of this blog. Have I said all I have to say about being gluten free and frugal? Perhaps inspiration will strike again down the road. Perhaps not. In the meantime, check out

Under1000permonth at blogspot dot com
That's some serious frugality, yo.

Speed Bumps

2009-10-22T11:36:00.001-05:00

Not everyone is entirely supportive of a gluten free diet. Oh, you know this, I know you do! Watch out for these people, who act as speed bumps on your gluten free path:

The food pusher - Anyone who has ever been on a diet can recognize these people. "Oh just a little won't hurt!" "Come on, I made it special for you!" Be polite. Be strong. Understand that they may feel insulted that you won't eat their food, but like breaking up with boyfriend, it's best to be honest, "It's not you, it's your gluten. But we can still be friends!"

The food hider - "There's nothing in this, just potatoes and ham! You can have it!" Only after intense questioning do you find out that, oh, well, of course they added just A LITTLE flour. They do this for one of three reasons: a) protecting their recipe. That's fine, you can keep your recipe, but I'm not eating it if I don't know what's in it, b) they don't believe in gluten. Or food allergies. Or whatever. And they want to PROVE YOU WRONG. Offer them a laxative and tell them, "There's nothing in this but chocolate!" and see how they like it, or c) Again, they may be insulted that you won't eat their food. See above.

The food stealer - They can have any of the 1,000 items available before them, but they want YOUR food. You can approach this in one of two ways: a) plan to feed the masses and double your bring-food-everywhere burden (despite the fact that you may then endure insults about your food not tasting "right"), or b) repeat after me, "No." "NOOOOO." "No way, man, get your own!" Slap grabby hands if you have to.

Disclaimer: This is a silly post that is not meant to offend, demean, degrade, or contaminate you with gluten in any way. However, you may not want to eat the unwrapped chocolate I just offered you.

ALERT ALERT ALERT
Baby #4 will be joining the gluten free household this spring! YAY!

The Best Thing We Ever Did

2009-10-07T09:31:00.001-05:00

Financially speaking, anyway, the best piece of advice we ever listened to was Dave Ramsey's suggestion of a $1,000 emergency fund. It wasn't easy to come up with that money in the first place, believe me. It came a little at a time, from expenses we cut back here and there, things like life insurance, changing our student loan repayment plan, cutting back on groceries, and cashing out savings bonds.

But that $1,000 emergency fund has been the difference between needing a credit card and not. In fact, I firmly believe that it just being there keeps away emergencies, honestly. In 2009, we used it four times, and paid it back almost immediately each time:

1) To cover my braces until my Flex check arrived.
2) To buy a deep freeze.
3) To fix the van.
4) To cover $200 of the roof repair we couldn’t save in time.

Whether any of those things were real emergencies was debatable, I guess, but to us, they were. (The freezer, especially, you may not understand, unless you know what a "freezer supply" is and how very important it is.)

I guess my point is that, while $1,000 in the bank may seem impossible, imagine how quickly you could come up with it if you didn't have a credit card payment. And how if you had it, you wouldn’t need a credit card payment.

Just sayin'.

Have a gluten-free day!

Oh hi there!

2009-10-06T09:55:00.001-05:00

Well that was an unexpected blog break, wasn't it? (Ahem, thank you RonaldJ for the shout-out.)

Let's see…

1) We haven't paid off any debt at all. Instead, we get to enjoy a roof that doesn't leak. That's… something. We allllmost did it without using debt, but when the bill comes for the gutters, that's going to have to come out of our home equity line. We haven't used debt at all in over a year, but this was a big project, that needed to be done, within a certain timeframe. So.. There it is.

2) I no longer cook anything except GF spaghetti and GF mac & cheese. No, no, I lie. SuperDad cooks those things, as the undisputed champion of pastary. These two things are all that the children want to eat, and all that E wants to pack in her lunch. Anyway, what I'm saying is, I have no new recipes to share.

3) Miss Baby M turned one two days ago (go Baby M!). And, for the first time ever, I subjected the party guests to an entirely gluten-free menu, based completely around what I felt like eating that day. We had a strawberry pretzel salad made with Glutino's most excellent pretzels, a cheese/ground beef/Rotel dip with tortilla chips, a veggie tray with ranch, and GFCF chocolate cupcakes made with Kinnikinnick's awesome cake mix. Honestly, I don't think anyone noticed the gluten free-ness of anything. But I could be wrong.

4) I am coming up on a year of living almost entirely gluten free. While I still don't experience any health benefits to myself, I know that my GF cooking has improved greatly by it being something I also eat, not just something I expect the kids to.

5) Thanks to never-ending rain that still hasn't ended, but very neglected garden did just fine this year. The potatoes, carrots, lots of peppers, flowers, peas, lettuce, and spinach all did just fine. It got cold here before the eggplant, watermelon, or cantaloupes could mature. I don't honestly know if I'll do it again next year. The entire year's worth of savings is more than blown by one trip to Gymboree, y'all. Note to self: No more Gymboree.

6) Baby Clayton http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/claytonwilliamhorst just had surgery yesterday, and is recovering now. Please keep him in your heart and in your prayers.

That's it, and that's all.
T

A Public Service Announcement

2009-09-03T08:17:00.000-05:00

Dear faithful reader(s?),

I have some terrible news to share with you. I have caught a most horrifying disease, and one that you should take measures to prevent yourself.

I call it Gymboree Madness.
I know, right? Gymboree clothing couldn't be more ridiculous expensive could it? But first there was a sale, and then a 20% off coupon and then free shipping, and this very highly addictive substance known as Gymbucks, and before you know it, I've spent $107 but SAVED $138. (Did you catch that? $245.00 "worth" of clothes, I paid $107.00. For 12 items of clothing, a reasonable average of less than $9 each, including two Easter dresses.) PLUS I'll get $50 off my next $100 order. (My NEXT $100 order. It's like crack, I'm telling you.)

They didn't talk about this in DARE, people. They really, really didn't. Perhaps I should start a Gym-anon.

Love,
The Gluten Free Spendthrift

First First Day

2009-09-01T16:25:00.000-05:00

<<D Sep 09.JPG>>
Preschool

First Day of School, Take 3

2009-08-26T09:02:00.002-05:00

2009

2008

2007

Updates

2009-08-25T10:39:00.001-05:00

1. So I just wanted to let you know that the fundraiser was a HUGE success. Not only did it raise more money that we could have even hoped, it was a really fun time too. I had hoped to have some pictures for you, but I didn't take any, personally (ahem, hint hint). ;) If you wanted to stay updated on Clayton's progress, check out his Caring Bridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/claytonwilliamhorst.

2. An update on my school shopping challenge (http://glutenfreefrugal.blogspot.com/2009/07/400.html): I have spent $200 of my $400. Since both kiddos already had some clothes, we didn't need *everything*, but this is what I bought:

For E, age 5:
5 outfits
10 pairs of socks
7 pairs of underwear
1 pair pajamas
Shoes
Sweater
Fall jacket

For D, age 3:
3 outfits
10 pairs socks

I have $200 left and still need to buy:
For E:
3 pairs pajamas
Winter coat
Snowpants
Hat
Mittens
Snowboots

For D:
Winter coat
Hat
Mittens
Snowboots

3. Work on our roof begins today. Maybe. It's been delayed a bit, but the longer it takes, the more time I have to save. As long as it's done before it snows.

<<stock-photo-close-up-view-of-the-office-tools-on-cork-board-29234788[1].jpg>>

2009-08-06T09:48:00.001-05:00

I was secretly pregnant with my first baby when SuperDad's cousin Jeff said, during a summer visit in 2003, "This house is going to be filled with babies soon." Boy was he right! In 5 years our family went from having no little ones around to having 7 little noise makers filling up Grandma's kitchen.

Growing up, SuperDad always shared his birthday parties with his cousin Tracy, because their birthdays were so close together. We were thrilled to hear that Tracy and her husband Josh were expecting their first baby just around the time we were expecting Miss M. Clayton was born just two weeks after Miss M, and has been the light of his parents' lives ever since. He's the handsomest, sweetest, smileyest baby you ever saw.

And we were all devastated when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer at just eight months old.

To help pay for Clayton's treatments, and the travel back and forth to the hospital, SuperDad is putting on a fundraiser, and YOU'RE invited!

1) Visit the "auction blog" (http://forclayton.blogspot.com). We have donations from local jewelry artist Lois Beckner, Court Street Lighting www.courtstreetlighting.net, Buzy Kidz, and Chris Heier Photography www.cmhphotoscape.com with the help of House of Glass and Chris DeMarce. And more artwork coming from Nick Fischer, Jake Bosmoe, and Jeanne and Marcus Murray.

Please consider entering a virtual bid by emailing me at tenille_mh at hotmail dot com before August 15th. On August 15th, the silent auction moves to the Red Rooster Coffee House, so...

2) On August 15th join us at the Red Rooster Coffee House in Aberdeen. It's $2.00 or free will donation at the door and you'll get to hear great live music from Will Brown, Leah Arnold, LeBoo The French Ghost, Sierra Dawn, ShubRock, and A Month of Sundays, plus we'll be doing some live art auctions between performances.

Let's help Clayton kick cancer's butt! :)

http://forclayton.blogspot.com

<<clayton.JPG>>

At Our House

2009-08-05T08:56:00.001-05:00

<<M 9 mo.JPG>>
Totally unrelated picture.

SuperDad: Uh… we need a new garage door.
Me: Okay? What happened.
SuperDad: The power went out when the door was 3/4 of the way up, and I ran into it with the van.
Me: Is the van okay?
SuperDad: Yeah.
Me: Hm. Hey! Let's just stop parking in the garage. Then we won't need to buy a shed. You totally just saved us $2000!

SuperDad: Score!

Kindergarten School Supplies

2009-08-04T10:10:00.001-05:00

Sigh.

Backpack $30.00 (Yes, I know. I splurged.)
Lunch bag $10.00
Headphones $19.19
Hand sanitizer $1.97
Kleenex (2) $3.14
12 pencils $1.76
2 erasers $.97
24 crayons $.25
2 pkg glue sticks $1.50
Kindermat $6.99
Pencil box $.79
2 notebooks $2.00
Thermos $15.99 (YIKES!)
= $94.55

Wow. That's all. Just, wow.

Forgotten Anniversary

2009-07-29T13:48:00.001-05:00

Oh my. If my blog were my spouse, it would be throwing my pitiful apology roses at me right now. I forgot my blogiversary!

Okay.

        7/9/07 7/9/08 7/29/09
Debt    $104,307        $100,311        $95,705
Savings $0      $2,989 $8,055
Monthly Expenses        $2,145 $2,390 $2,481
Take-Home Pay   $2,417 $3,349 $3,164
Debt Snowball   $131    $697    $646

There's the break-down, of where we sat when I began this blog, one year ago, and now.

And in that in that time we added a minivan and baby. And, soon enough, a roof. (Yay for getting a third bid!) And all those other expenses life throws your way, like car repairs and dental bills (braces OFF yesterday!), which we've cash rolled.

So, to that, I have to say: WOO!

Green Smoothies

2009-07-24T16:20:00.000-05:00

<<green smoothie.JPG>>
My garden has stopped producing lettuce and spinach, but while it lasted, we enjoyed green smoothies. I thought they'd be perfect for Miss Baby M (9 months old), but she mostly thought, in her baby way, "EW." ;)

Gluten Free Mtn Dew Cake

2009-07-23T09:44:00.001-05:00

Have you noticed they stopped spelling out the "Mountain" in Mtn Dew? Is the word too difficult? Are the "cutting edge" people who drink mountain dew "too cool" for whole words, in texting style? Does Pepsi have something against vowels? Does it matter?

This cake is delicious. And not at all healthy. But, still, completely and totally decadent and delicious. Or should that be dcdnt nd dlcs?

<<mt dew cupcakes.JPG>>
1 Kinnikinnick* white cake mix
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
5/6 c canola oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 12 oz. can Mtn Dew

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 X 13 in. pan, or use muffin cup liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, and pop (also called "soda" apparently). Mix all until moistened.

3. Pour into pan and bake. 30-35 minutes for 9 x13; 15-20 minutes for cupcakes.
4. Cool completely and frost - this is good with both lemon and cream cheese frosting. The ducks on these cupcakes are candies from a school fundraiser.

*I think the Kinnikinnick cake and pancake mixes are AWESOME. Ridiculously expensive, yes, but also worth it. You can absolutely serve these cakes to anyone, gluten-free or not, and they are would never know the difference.

#1 So Far Super Easy Gluten Free Pizza Crust

2009-07-22T08:43:00.001-05:00

<<pizza.JPG>> We have pizza once a week. Each week I have tweaked this recipe, not being totally content with the way it turned out.

Until now.

I think this is it, folks. This is a crispy, crunchy crust, for a pizza slice you can actually pick up! Finally!

1/4 c milk
2 lg. eggs
1/3 c potato starch
1/3 c sweet rice flour
1/3 c tapioca flour
1/3 t xanthan gum
1 t salt
1/8 c olive oil
Sprinkle of garlic, Italian seasoning, or whatever seasoning you like

Preheat oven to 425.
Spray 12 in. pizza pan with cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, then spread onto pan.
Bake 8 minutes.
Poke bubbles with a fork and add toppings (we like pizza sauce with ham and cheddar or ranch dressing with chicken and cheddar).

Bake 10-ish more minutes, until cheese is melted.

Sloppy 'Chos

2009-07-21T14:21:00.000-05:00

I have sorely missed sloppy joes. (Or, as translated for those of us in South Dakota, "barbeques.") My go-to, quick, summertime meal was gone, since I don't want to heat the kitchen up by baking buns.

And so was born the Sloppy 'Cho.

Sloppy Joe meat - http://glutenfreefrugal.blogspot.com/2007/09/dinner-update.html
On top of crinkly-cut potato chips
Topped with cheddar
Served with baked beans

<<sloppy 'chos.JPG>>
Enjoyed. Immensely.

If you can't say anything nice... Come sit next to me.

2009-07-15T08:12:00.001-05:00

Me: Hi! I have been saving money and I would like to give it to you in exchange for fixing my roof! Won't that just work out wonderfully, since that is what you DO for a LIVING? YAY, sunshine! Butterflies! Puppies and clouds!

Contractor #1: [No answer] = You suck, and I don't want your stupid job.
Contractor #2: "This message box is over the size limit." = I suck and everyone is complaining at me.
Contractor #3: "That will be a million gazillion dollars, please." = Ha ha! You can't afford me!
Contractor #4: Measured. Still waiting, and am hopeful on this one! Like a fool.

Sigh.

Equally annoying is the fact that my children have decided that they are only going to eat macaroni and cheese. This is SuperDad's fault, because he makes a simply fantastic macaroni and cheese with DeBole's corn noodles, three kinds of cheese, and ham bits.

$400

2009-07-08T08:51:00.001-05:00

<<9906_09_12---Fall-Color--Autumn-Colour--New-England_web.jpg>>
Can $300 cash and $100 in Target gift cards buy fall and winter clothes (including coats, hats, boots, and snow pants) for three children?

What say you?

It's the Little Things

2009-07-06T09:36:00.001-05:00

It's hot at my house. Not all the time, but right now, it's hot. We drink a lot of cold things and we hang out in the baby pool. In the winter, it's cold. Cold, cold, cold. Brrr. We wear a lot of clothes and use a lot of blankets. And when our friends come over, they're all JEEZEALOO, people. We have plastic over our historic (cough - old - cough) windows, under the insulated curtains. We do lots of little things when we can, like hang laundry to dry, and use the bread maker and crockpot instead of the oven, and turn off the lights when we're not using them. Basically, all the time, we try to conserve energy in our house.

I just heard from the utilities company. And our monthly payment just went from $229 a month to $138.
Woo!

New Day

2009-07-02T08:37:00.001-05:00

<<k0382902.jpg>>
Okay, so yesterday's post was a little sassy-pants, wasn't it? Let's be more POSITIVE today, shall we?
And I have lots of reasons to be positive because:

I get to see Awesome Friend (see below a couple of posts) and her NEW BABY this weekend! I've made SuperDad promise not to turn New Baby's name into something silly, as he tends to do, things like, "J-Diggy" and whatnot, because most newly post-partum moms are NOT AMUSED.
I have 3.5 days off from all 19 of my jobs. YAY! Why do I have so many jobs anyway? I have no idea.
If I had a rubber stamp that printed POTTY TRAINED, I would totally stamp it on D's forehead. Go Big D-Diggy! ;) When I was in daycare, I remember my daycare lady potty training her son and teaching him that when he put on his underwear, the "door" when in the front. I went home and looked for the door in my underwear, but I still haven't found it. That was topical. Or not.
Miss Baby M is now, officially, finally, and naturally, sleeping through the night! YAY! Why I'm more tired than I was before, I don't know. Probably it's all the time I spend lying awake at night worrying that everyone is okay, since they haven't woken up. Sigh.
And, uh, insert gluten free and frugal on-topic things here. Hee.

Happy 4th of July, folks! Don't blow up your hand, please!

A Squeaky Wheel Situation

2009-07-01T08:27:00.001-05:00

E has been attending a day camp of sorts. It's three hours long and so, of course, involves a snack. And so, of course, we sent along gluten-free snacks. Because, of course, she can't ever just eat what everyone else is eating. At any time. Ever. She is so great about this, it's amazing. There have been so many times that she has to sit by and not have a cupcake when everyone else is having a cupcake. When she eats the healthy thing I packed for her, because she can't have what every other kid in the room is having. When she has to be different, everywhere she goes. When she has to say "no, thanks, I can't eat that," even though she is only 5, and that's hard enough when you're 30.

But, we've been asked to please not send quite so "many" snacks. Because the other kids get "jealous."
Of course. Why should every kid learn that they can't always eat everything they want to eat? Only my kid should learn that.

<<E copy.JPG>>

Saving Up...

2009-06-30T10:35:00.001-05:00

We have lots of little savings categories that we're working on all the time, to make sure we have enough money for every upcoming expected expense. They currently include:

Gifts
Car registration
Savings (Really a small overflow category)
Christmas (Halfway there, people! We're going to do our best to simplify Christmas this year, and replace STUFF with time together whenever we can.)
Roof (Our debt snowball is currently on hold as we madly set aside money for our roof - I honestly don't know if we're going to get this one covered without making use of a little debt from our home equity line of credit. I'm sad about this, but it is what it is. We're far from perfect, and I don't think our roof can make it through another winter.)
School clothes (Preschool is out for the summer and we're saving the tuition up to buy school clothes for fall. I'm thinking about the best ways to do this, if you have ideas.)
Oil changes
Medical expenses (This is just kind of a fluff account, to cover expenses until Flex Spending checks arrive.)

I have an Awesome Friend (who just had a new baby, YAY! And probably isn't so much reading my silly little blog right now) who just keeps at least X amount of money in her checking account to cover this kind of thing. I do not have as much self-control as Awesome Friend. If I have money sitting around in my "regular" account, I'll just go to Target and stand out front throwing money at the building. Effectively.

Just Cute

2009-06-29T08:58:00.001-05:00

The early bird gets the...

2009-06-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

Cinnamon Chex. The rest of you late sleepers can have the rice ones.
Enjoy your sleep!
Love,
The Mama

Fat. Cat.

2009-06-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I get that being a cat is hard, what with all the napping and snoozing and eating without standing up thing. Not to be judgy or anything. But… seriously? When your brother-cat THROWS UP on your foot? That's pretty much time to try an approach other than just contorting your face into a deeper glare. Like, you know, you could GET UP. Or not. Whatever.

Things I Need To Do That Won't Get Done Today

2009-06-24T08:01:00.001-05:00

1) Weed the garden - Oh yeah, did I mention we added another bed to the square foot garden? Yep. I thought I was BRILLIANT for using cinder blocks. Until they got so HOT and also became SPIDER HEAVEN. Sigh. (Note: To do next year, buy those lid things)

2) Put away SuperDad's clean laundry. Which he possibly MAYBE could have done himself, especially since he prefers a origami-style folding method which requires some sort of advanced degree in spatial relations. And we all know I can't even pick out the right sized container for leftovers.

3) Give the kids a bath. Note: Baby pool full of dead grass not suitable replacement.
4) Put baby back in her OWN bed after night time feedings. Yeah, right.

A Real Money-Saver

2009-06-23T10:50:00.001-05:00

(1) approaching preschool date
(2) hand-me-down potty chairs - free
(1) package, glow-in-the-dark Silver Surfer underwear - $5.00
(1) package, Scooby Doo stickers - $4.99
(1) used copy "The No-Cry Potty Training Solution" - an unnecessary $6.00, but good advice for newbies
(1) heaping helping of focus and common sense - free
(1) package, Clorox wipes - $3.00 (ahem, priceless)
(1) step stool, for hand washing help - $13.00
(0) diapers - YAY!

Test

2009-06-19T08:10:00.001-05:00

Giving this post-by-email business a try.
Our oldest starts kindergarten in the fall. And we'll have to send gluten-free lunches (when did we all decide on full-day kindergarten anyway? Also, why won't I ever learn how to spell kindergarten?). So far, my lunch plan includes:

Mac and Cheese
Spaghetti
Soup
Ham NF Rice
Meat Roll-Ups
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hot Dogs
GF crackers w/ meat and cheese
And… naturally
PB&J on gluten-free bread

Plus…
Fruits
Veggies
Trail mix
Etc.
We need to buy a good thermos or two. And… uh, teach her how to serve herself meals. She's been a twee bit pampered in this area. Ahem.

Life with Three, Take... 4? Ish?

2009-06-16T08:13:00.004-05:00

I struggle to find purpose on this blog. Is it a list of recipes? Is it about paying down debt? Or is it about me, and whatever happens to be on my mind in a given moment? Hm.

We've been a family of five now for eight months. I don't know how my baby got to be eight months old. Like everything in my life, it happened when I was busy doing other things. Because with three kids, five and under, I'm ALWAYS busy doing other things. And yet, somehow, nothing ever gets done.

But... every day is really, really good. Our house is never quiet, but our house is never lonely. Our house is never clean, but it is never empty. Our house is full of chaos, but also joy. At our house there are tears, every day, but just as much laughter. And this? Is everything I had hoped.

Hiccup on this Snowball, Ragamuffin

2009-06-15T09:56:00.004-05:00

We've been on this frugal/debt repayment/whatever thing for almost two years now. And in that time, we've paid down some debt, added a family member, and didn't add any new debt. And that's been really good.

But my clothes were looking really bad, people. And I'm not kidding. FRUMPY.

And yesterday, after finding out my freelance work will be sticking around for awhile (YAY!), SuperDad took me shopping. And $215 later, I have a whole new wardrobe. I bought 5 pairs of pants, 3 skirts, and 9 shirts. Woo! I'm really excited to have nice clothes again, and I think it's worth the little hiccup in the snowball to make sure I don't look like a ragamuffin at work. ;)

Pamela's Chocolate Brownie Mix

2009-06-04T13:44:00.002-05:00

E - mmpf, gumpph, (thumb sticks up in the air), flumpf. They're great!
D - Goooooooooood. My skin smells like brownies!

(This mix was on sale for $2.89 at my local grocery store. I bought every one they had on the shelf! They are pretty good, but not this good. )

Adventures in Gluten-Free Eating

2009-06-04T07:57:00.003-05:00

1) I was asked to order from a menu for a catered business lunch. Uh huh, sure. So, in a rare display of uncharacteristic bravery, I called the restaurant and asked annoying and detailed questions about the menu. Result? My Town's Canterbury's turkey and grape salad appears to be on the "safe list." Additionally? Yummy.

2) I'm on an antibiotic. I feel very school-sporty taking these, since they happen to come in my college's school colors. Point? Oh yeah. So I decided to break out the probiotics, and started taking them, only to - gulp - realize they contain wheat. Can anyone suggest a good gluten-free probiotic?

3) We're taking a trip, sometime (she says, mysteriously, hoping no one is stalking her blog just waiting for the right moment to kidnap her morbidly obese cat - who, by the way, if you were wondering, was on his diet about two weeks when he attacked one of the other cats and nearly bit his tail off. Am I kidding about this? I am not. Morbidly Obese Cat - 1 Cat Diet - 0). Where was I? Oh, yes, our mysterious trip. Anyway, I found TWO restaurants there to which I'm thrilled to go. Boston's Gourmet Pizza offers a gluten-free pizza crust (reviews, anyone?) and Buffaloberries, a local place, offers both a gluten-free pizza crust and a gluten-free sandwich bread. Plus, we'll be returning to the Original Pancake House. Yay!

Redbridge Woman

2009-05-26T07:49:00.001-05:00

After a long day working in the yard and whatnot, what's better than

Enchilada Casserole and gluten-free beer? Not much. :)

Treatsies

2009-05-22T10:29:00.003-05:00

For other frugalophiles (pretty sure that's not a word, but it should be):

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104391485

www.gourmet.com/search/query?keyword=extreme%20frugality

A Snowball's Chance in...

2009-05-21T09:18:00.004-05:00

The bad news:

Due to certain changes (to pay schedule, benefits alterations, and - mostly - losing a freelance gig), our monthly income has been reduced by $551 per month.
This change reduces our debt snowball from $718 a month to $167 a month.
Plus, we've had to stop the snowball repeatedly to cover other expenses. Like $1,300 to fix the van. Like to have a baby (the LAST baby, silly, not a NEW baby - yet, ha). Like to reshingle the house this summer. Like the curtains I bought and haven't hung up. Gah.
Meanwhile, we've run up against our biggest debt yet, the student loans. They currently have a balance of $15,553. It's like chipping away at a granite wall with a fork. A plastic fork.

The good news:

Boy am I glad we were snowballing that money in the first place! Imagine if I had to cut $551 out of our actual budget.
I'm also glad we were snowballing at all, since we're in a much better financial situation than we were two years ago.
Those expenses? The van, the grumpy baby, the curtains? We've cashflowed them. No new debt, and that's a great thing, yes?

While I'd like to be making more/faster progress on paying off the debt, I think it's time to redefine "success" around here. Sometimes, in some seasons of our lives (and the economy), just keeping our heads above water is a success. Glug glug.

A Gluten-Free Baby

2009-05-19T10:11:00.002-05:00

Miss Baby M:

Thinks grass is kind of icky.

Isn't a huge fan of bottles, so much.

And solids? Forget about it.

Best Ever Gluten Free Brownies Ever

2009-05-13T16:57:00.004-05:00

I can't even find the picture I took of these brownies, but holy heckapowie does D (top, thinking he's a rockstar) look like SuperDad (bottom, wondering if his grandma will still have that flooring in 30 years. Answer = yes.). Am I right?

Recipe adapted from October 2008 issue of Family Fun magazine.

1/4 c brown rice flour
1/4 c tapioca flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
1/2 t baking powder
1/8 t salt
4 T butter
2 ounces/squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 lg egg
2 lg egg whites
1 c sugar
1 T canola oil
2 t vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. Heat butter in small saucepan, don't burn. Remove pan from heat and add chocolagte, stir until melted. Set aside.

3. In another medium bowl (oh yeah, this recipe will use ALL of your bowls and measuring instruments), lightly whisk the egg and egg whites just until combined. Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture but do not overmix.

4. Pour into pan. Bake about 30 minutes - toothpick will come out with a few moist crumbs, but brownies will set up as they cool. If they aren't all gone by then. Ahem.

Well Hi There

2009-05-13T12:52:00.003-05:00

So work was weird for awhile, but it's okay now. And my mom had some strokes, and she's okay now. And the stress was a bit too much for awhile, but, now, it's okay.

So, tentatively, I'm back. I've missed you!

And who else is thrilled with Chex and their gluten free varieties? Go Chex!

Taking a Break

2009-04-02T08:02:00.002-05:00

For lots of reasons, I'm needing a break from blogging right now, and I'm going to take down the blog for awhile, later today.

Feel free to rock on without me.

Putting the "Fun" Back in "Refund"

2009-03-18T10:24:00.004-05:00

Like most people, I really liked getting a big tax refund. Like, the $4000-ish we used to get. Yikes! I wouldn't save that money on my own, I knew.

But then something occurred to me. For what did I use my tax refund each year? Oh, to pay off my credit card. And hey, maybe if I had that money in paycheck every month, I wouldn't need to use my credit card. Huh. Lightbulb moment much? (And just to quickly mention how I wasn't earning any interest by using the Federal government to save my money, but I was PAYING my credit card big interest to use their money. What was THAT?)

So I changed my withholdings so that I wouldn't get a tax refund. Which was scary, honestly.

But then we had another baby. So despite all my planning, we did get a tax refund.

Which is good, considering the $1,500 mechanic bill we're facing. Sigh. But did I have to look for a mechanic that would take a credit card? Nope!

Oh, and something funny, just because it's looking kind of text-y around here.

(You can buy this t-shirt at http://store.theonion.com/t-shirts-c-11.html.)

The Original Pancake House

2009-03-17T09:31:00.003-05:00

I don't, generally, trust other people to cook gluten free for us.

But we were out of town. And we haven't been to a restaurant as a family in so long.

And The Original Pancake House was advertising their new gluten-free menu.

So we gave it a try.

And? Yum. (At least I thought so, my kids got banana pancakes and weren't in love with that, though I think they'd like the plain buttermilk ones more.)

It's been three days and we haven't had a reaction yet.

Verdict? Success!

Thank you, Original Pancake House, and we apologize for the noise and mess.

How about you? You down with OPH? (And, I apologize for that also.)

Gluten-Free Me

2009-03-12T08:01:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was our 3rd anniversary of E's diagnosis with gluten intolerance. Three years gluten free already! And it's gotten so much easier, in so many ways. Some things are never easy, though. Like when your kid has to eat carrots when everyone else is having cupcakes.

I've been off gluten for about 4 and a half months now. And it's fine too, though I miss a lot of things, and I miss them a lot (crossiants...).

But, it's been good for us, this gluten-free thing. We've tried new foods we wouldn't have tried otherwise (quinoa, polenta), we avoid unhealthy things that we probably would have let slide (TV dinners, boxed foods), and oh yeah, this blog. Where I've "met" the nicest people, who are always ready with good advice and words of wisdom and sympathy and kindness.

So. Thanks, you all, for making this journey a whole lot better. :)

Tides of Change

2009-03-10T10:14:00.002-05:00

I love buying thrifted clothes. Especially baby clothes, clothes that barely get worn before they're outgrown.

But.

Tide, people. WHY always the Tide? Tide detergent makes my kiddos' skin break out in hives and rash and itchiness. And I can wash something three or four times and the Tide still doesn't come out.

Anyone have good ideas for a soak I can use to get all the detergent out of something? Vinegar maybe? (Our kids have no problems with pickle-scented clothes, only detergent.)

:)

Life With Three

2009-03-09T07:53:00.003-05:00

Well, since you asked... (okay, no one asked, who am I kidding?). Life with three kiddos under five is going swimmingly. And by that I mean, I'm swimming in noise and messes and love and smoochable cheeks. Awww.

BUT... It's kind of like sticker shock, really. Our life, it's expensive these days. I bought groceries (from the local grocery store thankyouverymuchenoughwiththeguiltalready) for the week for $87. Okay, not TOO bad. But then. Then I "had" to go to Wal-Mart. And when the cashier said, "That will be $98 please," I almost swallowed my tongue. $98! But! I didn't even buy anything!

My shopping list was:
Frozen chicken breast
Taquitos (ahem)
Kid toothpaste (which I didn't buy and have to go to the natural foods store for, ca-ching)
Diapers ($30! When will we switch back to cloth? WHEN?)
Dishwasher detergent
39 gallon garbage bags
Shampoo (we recently tried the baking soda/vinegar thing, and NO. Just, NO.)
Pop (yeah, yeah, I know)
Canola oil
Treats for school (bananas and chocolate milk)
Cat food

Okay, so I maybe could have skipped the taquitos ($6ish) and the diapers ($30) and the pop ($9). Which brings us down to a respectable $62. Oh yeah, and the stuff I bought that wasn't even on the list: clearance tights for E ($3.50 for two pairs), three candy bars ($1.92) and a Mountain Dew (enough with pop already!), and we're down to about $55.

Okay, add the candy bars back in. I'm not made of stone, people. ;)

Guess Who is 5 Months Old

2009-03-05T09:12:00.003-06:00

Already???

Hint: It's not SuperDad.

Although, this IS SuperDad:

Awww.

2009-03-01T15:37:00.003-06:00

We have been eating lately, if you can believe it.

Garlic Chicken and Broccoli

olive oil
garlic
1 lb. chicken breast
thyme
salt
pepper
broccoli
1/2 c chicken broth
1 c cooked brown rice

I threw the rice and the broccoli in the rice cooker. Then I cooked the garlic in oil, then browned the chicken in the spices, added in the broth and broccoli, and served it on the rice. YUM. We will definitely make this again. (D traded all of his chicken for his sister's broccoli. It takes all kinds.)

Lemon Chicken with Potatoes

If you wanted something this lemony, you'd be reading Mr. Snicket.

Tortilla Soup

Make this tonight. You will be happy you did.

And a new favorite at our house, that we've been eating at least twice a month, Sausage Polenta Bake.

Go! Cook! Eat! :)

Gluten Free? Maybe

2009-02-25T14:10:00.000-06:00

D - Daddy, I had a dream last night that I fell in the potty.
C - That's not good!
D - No, it's not. If I fell in the toilet I'd miss you.
C - Well, I'd miss you too buddy.
D - Yeah, we don't want to fall in the toilet, there's lots of germs in there. We don't like germs. We don't want to touch germs or eat germs. We don't like to eat germs, do we daddy?
C - No, we don't eat germs.
D - No we don't.

It Really Is

2009-02-20T17:55:00.002-06:00

It's amazing how many chocolate chips I a person can eat and never really get full.

Favorite Frugal Quotes

2009-02-16T08:30:00.002-06:00

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands.
I Thesseloanians 4:11

There are givers and takers in this world. The takers eat better, but the givers sleep better.
?

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as sure as haste leads to poverty.
Provers 21:5

Men do not realize how great an income thrift is.
Cicero

Let no debt remain oustanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.
Romans 13:8

Almost any man knows how to earn money, but one in a million knows how to spend it.
Thoreau

Debt Update

2009-02-13T13:01:00.004-06:00

Today, I paid off our van loan. Yay!

We'll be taking yet another break from paying down our debt so that we can save up some money to reshingle our roof. Because we do it like this.

After that, we're on to tackle our student loans, which should take 17 1/2 months. Unless I get pregnant again. ;) So. Yeah.

Chimpanzee Riding on a Segway

2009-02-02T07:26:00.003-06:00

RonaldJ asked about how we categorize things that aren't "food" into our budget. The truth is, if you can buy it at Wal-Mart, AND it's something we regularly buy (laundry detergent, shampoo, etc.), then it's in our food category. Maybe we shouldn't call it a food category. But I can't get myself to call it a Wal-Mart category, because then I'd have to throw up. (I've found we mostly can't avoid Wal-Mart. The convenience of having to make only one shopping trip when you have three kiddos under five just outweighs everything else. I'm sorry. We do spend a lot of money on gluten-free stuff from various local stores, for whatever that is worth.)

However, things we don't "regularly" buy, would fall into maybe the Home improvement or Clothes/books category. Like the mailbox our mailman probably very much wishes we would finally get around to buying.

But, you know, your mileage may vary.

Who wants to get a song stuck in their head for the rest of the day? You do!

Our Budget Today

2009-01-30T09:29:00.005-06:00

Anyone want to see our budget? Maybe not. :)

Bills - Save for upcoming expenses - Cash budget - Debt snowball

15th
$190 - Student loans
$229 - Utilities
$94 - Car insurance
$18 - Netflix

$100 - Preschool
$57 - Water
$42 - Christmas
$12 - Lawncare
$25 - Misc/overflow
$15 - Medical

$30 - Gifts
$285 - Food
$105 - Gas
$20 - Books/clothes
$10 - Fun

$481 - Debt

30th
$706 - Mortgage
$91 - Phone/Internet/cable

$8 - Car registration
$15 - Medical
$25 - Misc/overflow

$30 - Gifts
$25 - Books/clothes
$35 - Home improvement
$285 - Food
$105 - Gas
$15 - Fun
$10 - Oil

$302 - Debt

I rewrite our *actual* budget every two weeks, because we don't always need the gifts category or new clothing, and when we don't, that money goes toward debt.

And, hey, a random video for you. D is maybe like 11 months here? And I'm not Sarah Palin, whatever that accent may suggest.

Asked and Answered

2009-01-30T07:43:00.003-06:00

Is it annoying when I go so long without writing a new blog post? Yes.

Is it annoying when SOMEONE promises to resize and send me the pictures from my camera and doesn't? Yes.

Is it annoying that I'm always asking and answering my own questions? Yes.

But, hey, since posts without pictures are boring, here is an old pic of me and E when she was a baby. Awww. Also, man, four years and two more kids can really do a number on a person. Sigh.

Tomato Soup

2009-01-20T07:51:00.001-06:00

And grilled cheese sandwiches last night. YUM. Oh my.

We tried this soup. I would have taken a picture, but I was too busy eating.

Weekend

2009-01-19T07:51:00.003-06:00

We've instituted three new days of the week around here:
1) Qdoba Fridays. Do I need to say more about that? I think not.
2) Pizza Saturdays. I've been working on a pizza crust recipe, tweaking it a little every week. I'll let you know.
3) Mom Shops All By Herself Sundays - BEST! EVER! Yesterday I made it to the local department store, where I bought lots of stuff. My rule is that I never pay more than $5 for an item of clothing for the kids (I'll pay $10 for a dress, which really counts as top and bottom.), and I had lots to choose from yesterday. Though it broke my heart a little to have to hop across the aisle and shop in the Big Boy section for D. Aw, mah baybeee... My favorite brands are Osh Kosh and Carter's, and anything not Hannah Montana. :)

2009-01-16T13:03:00.004-06:00

The lovely and talented Sarah of Everyday Gluten Free said, "I'd love to hear how you got from separate checking accounts to where you are today!"

The marriage of one Gluten Free Frugal and one SuperDad is a mysterious and magical thing. HA ahhh ha ha! What I mean by that is, "Uh, I don't really remember."

Back in the day, I felt pretty strongly about each of us taking responsibility for our "own" stuff. I had MY money and he had HIS money and never the twain should meet. We were both making minimum wage or just above. I was a seller of movie tickets and he was an artist of sandwiches. That year, for my birthday, he bought me candy bars and crossword puzzle books. (BTW, do I remember what he bought me last year for my birthday? I do not. But I was thrilled with the candy bars. Actually, who isn't thrilled with candy bars? Crazy people, that's who.)

Time passed. Blah blah. It happened to be that I was making more money that he was. Like, by double. And splitting everything evenly wasn't really working anymore. Plus, I believe now, marriage isn't a "split" thing, it's a "share" thing. There shouldn't be "his" and "mine," there should be "ours" (except the comic books, I don't really want those, but thanx, mmmkay?), and so we put it all together. And that made moving to one income so much easier.

Now SuperDad is a very excellent type of person, and he doesn't spend money on silly things (well, other than comic books), and we all know that I'm ~~ultra cheap~~ a very reasonable shopper. So, that helps us, as far as that goes.

If there's one single thing a couple can do to succeed with money, it's to get on the same page.

And how are things going? A) I wrote a check for the entire cost of my braces (which will be reimbursed through my flex spending account). They asked if they should wait to cash the check, and I said, "Nope. It will be fine." How cool is that? B) It took SuperDad 10 days to pick up a paycheck. I asked what he wanted to do with it, and he said, "Whatever." A paycheck that we don't *need*? What is that?

These things didn't happen because we have so much money (BWAHAHA! As if!), but because we're on top of the money we do have. And that? Rocks!

The end. (Who is sorry she asked? Sarah is! Hee.)

Lessons

2009-01-15T08:59:00.005-06:00

When SuperDad and I were in our very first apartment, a block from our college campus, I had a step stool to reach the highest shelves in my kitchen. All the paint had worn off, so I decided that when I got paid, I was going to go to the paint store and have them help me buy what I needed to paint the stool. They showed me the best brushes and the nicest paint trays and the colors and the paints. I can't remember what I spent that day, but by the time I was done at the paint store, I only had $40 of my paycheck left to last two weeks. And I cried and I cried and I cried and SuperDad covered the bills (can you believe we used to have everything separate? To the point where we sent everyone two checks - each for one half of every bill!) and it was okay.

But I never forgot that feeling. I have never since shopped blindly, or bought everything the salesperson said I should. Or simply decided just because I wanted something done, that it should be done, without considering whether we could afford it or not.

So, maybe, after all, that trip to the paint store was the best money I ever spent.

P.S. We've tried some new recipes this week - chicken enchiladas and white chili, and neither blew my socks off, so I'll spare you. :)

Because...

2009-01-14T07:40:00.004-06:00

I'll do anything to have a chance to sit back in a chair and relax?
I'm a masochist?
I'll go to great lengths to look younger, like 13, again?
I apparently insist on being unattractive for one reason (pregnancy) or another?
There wasn't already enough things on my "Can't Eat" list?
I wouldn't want to lose my flex spending, even though it's only January?
There are reasons it's different from plastic surgery... how?
This time I don't have match them to my junior high cheerleading uniform?
It's been almost twenty years (UGH, SERIOUSLY?), why not?

I got braces put on yesterday! Mooshy gluten free food ideas, anyone? :)

Not Perfect - FAR From It!

2009-01-13T07:50:00.002-06:00

I hope this blog never gives the impression that I've got it all together. I SO don't. Anyone who has ever met me in real life (or, you know, seen my kitchen floor) knows all about that. Sometimes I think blogs paint such a rosy picture of someone's life (which, for the sake of fostering gratitude, I'm all for!), but sometimes it makes other people feel intimidated, or not good enough, or whatever.

I make mistakes all the time. We go over the budget, ALL the time. I'm definitely not Super Mom! Every day, my to-do list is about twice as long as what I actually accomplish. Some days, I don't even find the time to make a to-do list.

I watch too much TV, and I eat too much junk food, and I spend money on stuff I don't need (fancy coffee drinks much?). I haven't made my bed in months.

BUT. I'm trying. Always, always trying. I want, very much, to be a good mom. I want to live within our means and I want to always have gratitude for my many, many blessings. I never want to think I deserve more than I've earned. And this blog, I hope, is about that struggle.

So thanks, for keeping me honest.

Want

2009-01-09T08:52:00.002-06:00

The problem I always have with being able to live within our means has a lot more to do with managing my "wanting" impulses than my ability to budget (you know, subtract). For me, it's always like those old cartoons of an angel and a devil on your shoulders, "Don't buy that. You can't afford it." vs. "You deserve a little treat every once in awhile, don't you?" Also, I think that devil lives at Target. Seriously.

Last night, I got home from work kind of late. And SuperDad wasn't feeling very well. And we all wanted to just go get some takeout (Qdoba! Woot!). But then I looked in our cash envelope. $105 to last us until NEXT Thursday. And we're running out of groceries. And the van needs gas. Sure, we could go spend $20 on Qdoba, but then what? Then try to spend $20 less on groceries? Good luck. I know we'd end up borrowing from next pay period, and we all know where that leads.

So, I bit the bullet (what IS that expression anyway?), sat the kids down with a yogurt "appetizer" and made soup and french fries (seriously, cupboard is bare, people). And it felt good.

Gluten Free Slow Cooker Fiesta Tamale Pie

2009-01-08T10:36:00.004-06:00

Party Pie! In the... crockpot? It can't be! Yet it is!

We really liked this. And I think we'll like it even more next time I make it in the all-new, not cracked and old and uneven-heating slow cooker SuperDad bought me for Christmas. Awww... love!

3/4 c yellow corn meal (.15)

1 c beef broth (.25 if using bouillion)

1 lb. ground beef (we almost always use ground turkey for everything - (1.78)

1 t chili powder (.05)

1/2 t ground cumin (.05)

1 jar salsa (2.00)

1 can corn, drained (.50)

2 oz. reduced fat shredded cheddar (.75)

In a large bowl, mix corn meal and broth. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in beef, chili powder, cumin, salsa, and corn. Pour into 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. (Mine is 4? And also 2! And also 6! The awesome, you can smell it, right?) Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours or until set. Sprinkle cheese on top. Serve.

We served with lettuce salad (.25?). Total cost = $5.78.

Progress Report

2009-01-07T07:45:00.004-06:00

I know you're all wondering (or, uh, not), so how's the cat diet going? (I accidentally called our fatty cat "Whiggers" the other day, a name I enjoy so thoroughly, it's almost worth getting another cat for. Almost. So I'll just call the fatty "Whiggers" here. Because I can't use his real name! What if someone stalks him and tries to steal him from us? Yeah. Because where would they get their own CAT? They're so RARE.) So, ANYWAY, Whiggers started feeling better a few days into the diet. He was more active, moving better, and complaining much more. But. Now we've hit a brick wall, because he's lost enough weight that he can now jump up on the table (oh, our poor table) to reach the other cats' food. Sigh. Ideas?

2009

2009-01-02T11:32:00.008-06:00

As of yesterday, we are back on the cash budget again. Which means that when I go to a store, I take a certain amount of cash, and I can't spend over that. Which works much better than you'd think. My sister was talking about how you used to see people in the store with those push-button money counters, making sure they didn't spend more than they had. How long has it been since people did that? (I've personally never seen it, if that' says anything.) I declare it time to start again. Except, you know, use a calculator. Or not.

I've increased our grocery budget by $50 for the new year. I've been hearing for awhile that grocery prices were increasing, but have only noticed it in the things we buy in the last six months or so. Plus, our quantities have been increasing as our family has grown.

I'm afraid that our grocery budget is far from "frugal." But we've reached a point where I'd rather save money in other areas, to ensure that we have a fairly loose budget in the food area. It's just less stressful that way. Anyway, it's about $550/month right now, including all toiletries (diapers!) and eating out.

Also, just because I think it's funny, a video for you.

Christmas: All Wrapped Up

2008-12-24T08:02:00.003-06:00

I did something you should never, never do. I kept track of all of our Christmas spending. We had saved $504 to spend on Christmas this year. We spent... gulp... $1,300. Not counting food or travel expenses. This includes our 3 kiddos, 17 adults, and 7 children. Thankfully, we simply spent money that had been saved for my maternity leave but not spent, but still. Seriously.

Anyway, I wanted to wish everyone a really super Christmas this year! Loves, GFF

Well

2008-12-23T13:01:00.000-06:00

SuperDad said it, so it must be true. If we don't get our house clean, Christmas isn't coming! Eek!

Miss Baby M's First Visit to Santa

2008-12-22T14:42:00.001-06:00

MSanta08
Originally uploaded by tenille1978

Proud Anyway

2008-12-19T12:35:00.003-06:00

Work extra all week so you can take a two-hour lunch: check!
Practice Christmas songs every day and talk about what to expect at preschool Christmas program: check!
Scour stores until we find three somewhat matching Christmas outfits in correct sizes and reasonable price range: check!
Invite grandmas: check!
Get everyone washed, brushed, dressed, fed and to church on time: check!
Rush home early to nurse baby so that she won't cry during performance: check!
Wait excitedly in audience for children to take the stage: check!
Keep two-year-old occupied so he won't ruin his sister's program: check!
Watch adorable children come to stand in front of the small crowd of family and friends: check!
See E cry, crumple, not sing a single note, and spend the rest of the performance on teacher's lap: ... uh, check?

Miss Baby M

2008-12-18T10:02:00.005-06:00

So, Miss Baby M is 2 1/2 months old now. And laughing (she thinks it's hee-hee-hee funny when I ask her, "Who has stinky toes? Who? Is it YOU? Who has stinky toes?" Parenting is somewhat humiliating, you know? Also, I should maybe squeeze in more frequent baths for her. Hm.). And she smiles a lot. And she is really a sweetie. (Okay, so SuperDad may occasionally disagree since she is NOT a fan of bottles and therefore occasionally not a fan of the people who try to give her bottles, a list that includes SuperDad and both grandmas. But she really likes me, and maybe there's something to this stay-at-home-MOM thing, after all.) And the other kids love her too, she's by far the most popular person at our house.

Anyway, I'm very much enjoying my gorgeous little fatty girl, even if I'm missing normal pizza A LOT. Just felt like sharing.

Gingerbread Mans

2008-12-16T15:38:00.002-06:00

E's teacher let us know that they'd be baking gingerbread men in school, so what did I do? Oh, I e-mailed Ginger Lemon Girl, of course. And she gave me this recipe. And it was great! Yay! (Okay, so my cookie-cuttering technique could use some work.)

Thoughts

2008-12-12T07:17:00.003-06:00

So. Last night I dreamt (Don't you "love" hearing about other people's dreams? What if I just say YOU were in this dream, and then it will be more interesting to you?) AGAIN that it was my first day of high school and I couldn't find my class. AGAIN. Oh, and there you (yes, you!) were, in the hall there.

I've been having this dream, oh, forever (Well, except for the YOU part. That part is new, of course.). And it made me wonder: if I'd been homeschooled, would I have never had this dream? And if so, would I now have all this extra brainspace (once dedicated to dreams about high school) that I could use for very important things like learning how to make the phones magically suck electricity from the power lines so that we never have to buy batteries? Or to figure out why I couldn't get out of my driveway yesterday because there was a TUMBLEWEED in my way? A tumbleweed! What is this? Gunfight at the Gluten Free Corral?

Aren't you glad I brought you all here today for these very important thoughts about things neither gluten free nor frugal? You're welcome.

Making a Gluten Free List, Checking it AGAIN

2008-12-11T10:24:00.002-06:00

Weight Watchers recently introduced an all-new program. And with it, is selling all-new materials. I got myself a "Dining Out Companion," which is an updated list of foods offered at major chain restaurants and their POINTS values. I thought I'd go through and highlight everything that was gluten free, as listed on the restaurant's web site. Easy peasy.

Except for something huge that I didn't know (probably all of you know this, but I didn't, maybe someone else doesn't either).

McDonald's and Wendy's fries and hash browns are NOT gluten free! Gulp. (Though Burger King's and Dairy Queen's fries are.)

We'll be switching to Apple Dippers instead of fries, though it may be a tough sell for the kids. It's a sad, sad day at the GFF house, I tell you.

Qdoba has lots of great gluten-free choices, and we've been eating there a lot. Not so much frugal, though. Wendy's is pretty good, what with the chili and baked potatoes and mandarin oranges and yogurt, but without fries? Dairy Queen also seems to be a good option, their burger patties, fries, soft serve, and many of their prepackaged treats are gluten free.

Or, you know, we could be more frugal and just stay home. :)

On a Diet

2008-12-10T07:39:00.002-06:00

We've put one of our cats on a diet. I know you're thinking, "Oh, my cat is SO fat too." No, your cat may be fat, but my cat is the fattest of all fat cats in history of fat fatty fat cats. Did I mention that he's fat? The dude must be pushing 40 pounds.

He's also kind of a meanie and whenever we've tried to limit the food before, he would just beat up the other two (normal-sized) cats and take their lunch money. He finally got fat enough that he couldn't jump onto things anymore, so we've moved the food up to the top of the table, and we've been feeding him diet food, only the recommended amounts per day.

So this is what it sounds like at our house: Mooooowwwwwmeeeeeoooooowwwwwmoooowwwwwwmeeeeowwww - Mom mom mom mom MOMMY mom mom MOM - meeeeeeeowwwwwwwmoooowwwwwwwwmeeeeeeowwwwww - Look at me, Mom, look look look look at me, look! - mow mow mow mow MOW MEOW mow mow mow mow - Waaaah waaaah (that one's a baby crying, can't you tell?) - Meeeeeeowwwww

Saucy Parmesan Chicken

2008-12-08T07:51:00.000-06:00

(Sorry this is a weird looking piece of chicken. It's like, croissant-y, or something.)

Saucy Parmesan Chicken

Total cost: $4.00-ish

Verdict: Delicious!

Jamie's Kielbasa Potatoes

2008-12-05T07:46:00.001-06:00

This recipe came from Jamie at Looks Good in Polka Dots. Because it's yummy, that's why.

1 turkey kielbasa, sliced ($2.50)

new potatoes (.50)

mushrooms (or skip these because SuperDad will say "EW" and not eat)

baby carrots (.50)

32 oz. chicken broth (or bouillon and 32 oz. of water - .15)

2 T quick cooking Tapioca (.15)

pepper

salt

garlic

Total cost: $3.80

Combine all in crockpot and heat most of the day on low or 4 hours on high.

I was a little skeptical about the tapioca, but it was great - it disappeared into the sauce and made it nice and thick without any GF floury taste. We will definitely make this again.

Baby Stuff Worth the Money

2008-12-04T08:12:00.004-06:00

The Natural Mommy has a great post up today about how to save money on babies. The funny thing is that, in the area of babies especially, making the most frugal choice is often the best choice for other reasons too (for example, breastfeeding is free but also the best and healthiest choice for your baby).

I've been working on a similar list, of those things that, on baby #3 have proven to be well worth the money that I (or, you know, grandma) spent on them.

The Evenflo BabyGo Playard - Maybe any pack n play style of bed would have done just as well, and it doesn't appear they even make the "BabyGo" version anymore, but all three of our kids spent most of their first year spending at least part of the night in ours. I love that it fits nicely in our bedroom and that we can bring it when we travel so that baby always has a familiar place to sleep.
Our king-sized bed, for more room when baby does join me in bed. Okay, so we didn't have this one until Baby #3, but it has been NICE. Really nice.
Chinese prefolds. When we did (do?) cloth diapering, these are great. The rest of the time, they make awesome burp rags, spill-catchers, face-wipers, changing pads, and whatever else you can think of.
The Medela Pump-in-Style. Worth every penny.
This. Ha ha, it's hilarious, I know. But on days that I forget it, I never pump as much milk because I can't stand just sitting there. With it, I can read or work or at least change the darn channel on the TV.
The Avent Isis manual pump, as a backup. It fits in my purse for airport travel, girl's night out, or any just-in-case time. Okay, so I have a big purse. But still.
As for toys, this (or an older version, actually) is the only one that I can say has been pretty universally loved and long-lived (well past the "recommended" ages), both for our first two kids and anyone that comes over.
The bedrail. When baby is in our bed, she sleeps between me and the bedrail. It's safer for the baby, but it does make changing the sheets a pain. ;)

In light of a story like this, I think it's worth mentioning that 90% of what we spend on babies unnecessary. But that they have enough of eat? Kind of matters. Duh? And that free hospital formula we have sitting in the cupboard will be making it's way to the food pantry tomorrow.

Crock Pot Mexican Pork

2008-12-03T07:41:00.006-06:00

1 lb. pork loin ($5!)

1 jar salsa ($2.50)

1 can chopped green chilis, drained ($.75)

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (.95)

Total Cost: $9.20

1. Put meat into crockpot, cover with salsa and chilis.

2. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

3. Stir in beans, cover and cooke 4 more minutes.

Can serve topped with cheese. We served on top of rice.

Verdict: YUM. But expensive. There's no reason you couldn't make this with chicken breast and spend less. Actually I think like a bunch of those recipes over there on the right are pretty much that exactly. What can I say? We like what we like.

How Many Books Until Christmas?

2008-12-03T07:37:00.004-06:00

We have a lot of Christmas books. Like. A lot. So I took a small percentage of them and wrapped one for every day until Christmas. We open one every day at lunch. How many days until Christmas? Find out by counting the books left. They've loved it, so far!

Christmas Shopping

2008-12-02T07:46:00.002-06:00

We started saving for Christmas in January. It has been really, really great to actually have some cash on hand instead of trying to eke Christmas out of our regular budget.

Thanks to the fact that they never see commercial television (oh, don't get me wrong, they see WAY too much PBS Kids, sigh), we haven't yet been inundated with requests for Hannah Montana or Barbie or... uh, whatever boys like. Instead I hand-picked a few catalogs and let them make a collage Christmas list.

Our favorites:
www.novanatural.com
www.lbtoys.com
www.youngexplorers.com
www.hearthsong.com

They made some excellent choices, I think, and I might be just as excited for Christmas as they are! :)

Glutened

2008-12-01T07:21:00.002-06:00

It's been almost two years since our kids had their last exposure to gluten. I've been wanting to do a trial, to make sure they hadn't outgrown it, but it never seemed the right time. Then we gave them a couple of bites of soup that we thought was gluten-free. It wasn't.

Wow. Let's just say that this blog is safe and sound, because we'll be gluten free for... ever, I guess. Behavior issues and diaper rash and headaches and tummy aches, and happy Thanksgiving, y'all. ;)

A blessing from it, though, is that both kids now understand the WHY behind us saying no. That doesn't mean they aren't ever disappointed that they can't eat what everyone else is eating, but they at least understand. (For what it's worth, I'm disappointed too, I REALLY wanted some of my BIL's cornbread casserole. Like really. A lot.)

Financial Update

2008-11-26T11:36:00.003-06:00

Final Stats:

I found out I was pregnant in February 2008.

Between February and M's birth in October, we saved $3,779, or roughly 19% of our take-home pay during the period we were saving. My plan was to estimate our lost income and medical expenses and save double that amount.

We spent:

$900.15 in medical expenses (these include all of the West Nile hospitalization expenses, because I'm not sure how to separate them, plus I think the birth cost less because we'd reached our deductible by that time)
$1131.95 in lost income for my maternity leave
$251 in "stuff" to prepare for the baby (okay, obviously we spent more than that, but this is what wasn't cash-flowed out of our normal income)
$507 just by not being on a budget during my maternity leave - lots of eating out, fancy coffee, etc.

We still have $988 left from what we originally saved. Wa-hoo! The plan? We'll sit on it until after Christmas, to make sure we have enough in case we're surprised with any medical bills or other expenses (plus to cover readjusting back to our normal budget), then use it to pay down debt!

Spend Less. Give More.

2008-11-25T08:06:00.000-06:00

Blindsided

2008-11-25T07:41:00.003-06:00

1) Going gluten free. I've discovered, for me, that it takes about a month completely off gluten before rice flour-based products start tasting good to me. :) Again, I haven't noticed any improvements to my health or well-being by being off gluten, but Baby M is sleeping 5-7 hours straight every night and is crying much less. One weird thing that has happened, though, is that my former almost constant cravings for hamburgers and pizza have disappeared. I guess I was kind of addicted to them! The roughest patch I hit so far, as far as tempation goes, was the pumpkin pie waiting for us at work yesterday. If I know what food is going to be at a place, I can make my own to bring, but I wasn't prepared for ambush pie. ;) Anyway, I resisted! But, I do find comfort in knowing that even the best of us fall down sometimes.

2) West Nile. My headache lasted about a month, total. It went away after I left the hospital, about a week before I went into labor. My eye was still not working correctly at that point. It got better every day and I made myself stop wearing the patch to force it into service again. On the night I went into labor, I was still unable to read or drive. Two hours later, I woke up in labor and the eye was fine, perfect, back to it's normal half-blind self. Yay! They say people experience extreme exhaustion after recoving from West Nile. I guess I did, but I also had a baby, so who knows where one ends and the other begins. All in all, I feel great now. I'm thrilled to have my health back and doubly thrilled to have been blessed with a strong healthy baby.

Anyone Up for A Birth Story?

2008-11-24T12:41:00.005-06:00

If this isn't your thing, go ahead and skip it!

The day before I had baby M, Friday, I was still at work, but very uncomfortable. I'd been having Braxton Hicks every day for at least a month. Every night I'd spend two or three hours having uncomfortable contractions, about 10 minutes apart. Experience told me to ignore them as much as I could for as long as I could, though SuperDad got his hopes up more than once!

I was just so uncomfortable that Friday night. I went to bed at 10:30 p.m. And I was uncomfortable. Did I mention uncomfortable? Yeah. At 12:30 a.m. (Saturday), I woke up and was definitely in labor. Each time I've wondered if I'd know the difference between pre-labor and real labor, and I definitely knew. I could hear SuperDad snoring on the couch, so I "hopped" into the shower, finished packing my hospital bag (actually, re-packing since I'd just been in the hospital the whole week before), "ran" downstairs and woke him up at 2:30 a.m. He called his mom, the doula, and the hospital. The whole time, my contractions were about 2 minutes apart.

When my MIL got to our house, we headed to the hospital. Blah blah blah. It was about 3:30 a.m. when we checked in, and I was at 7-8 cm. They put in a Hep-lock, but nothing ever went into it. I got into the tub. Whew. Thank god for the tub. My doula came. Later, she told me I really needed to let my "next doula" (ha ha ha) know that labor didn't really get difficult for me until the very end, because she'd never seen someone talk and laugh and just chill out in the tub at 8 cm before.

My water broke. I went back down to 4 cm. (This has happened to me with two labors now.) The baby was really high still at that point (-3 station), and I freaked out a little bit. Or, you know, a whole lot. I didn't really keep my cool so much. The doula had me try squatting to see if we could move the baby down. I hated that. At that point, I hated everyone. Somewhere in here, I bit SuperDad. Yeah, sorry about that. That was a little something I call "transition."

My heavenly saint of a doctor encouraged me to get back in the tub, and he and the nurse left. Whew. The contractions slowed down to about 10 minutes apart and the doula got me back on track and I got a focal point going on and really pulled it together. I'm guessing this was that break between 10 cm and pushing that happens for some people.

Then I was pushing. In the tub. Hee. It took a lot of cajoling, but the doula got me to the bed (the hospital doesn't "allow" waterbirths. How much did I care? Not at all, really.) while SuperDad ran for the doc. We forgot all about that cord thingy we could have pulled to call a nurse.

I pushed. Really hard. I gave myself a bloody nose, actually. I kind of thought that only happened in Firestarter. Who knew?

Baby M was born at 6:30 a.m., after six hours of labor. She was put directly on my chest and I unwrapped the cord from around her. I asked to cut the cord myself, so I held her in the crook of my arm and cut the cord with SuperDad's hand over mine for leverage. The doctor showed me the placenta, as I had requested. It was gross. I held Baby M for about an hour, until after her first feeding, then asked that they clean her up so I could go to the bathroom. They weighed and measured her, 8 pounds 10 ounces, 21 inches long.

I was super super weak after this birth, probably both because I was still recovering from West Nile and because I'd only had 2 hours of sleep. Because of this, and because SuperDad had a wedding to photograph that day, I did stay that whole day, overnight, and came home the next night. I'd planned to leave the same day, but. I was tired. :)

Baby M is now 7 weeks old and a true force of nature. I'm not sure how much she weighs, (she was up to 11 pounds at 3 weeks), but she's already in 6-9 month clothes and rolling over. When she cries, it's one of the loudest sounds I've ever heard in my life. And she's gorgeous. So gorgeous.

We do good work here. ;)

Bacon Black-Eyed Peas & Rice

2008-11-19T07:01:00.003-06:00

Mmm. Fergalicious.

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups instant rice
1 can chicken broth (ensure GF)
1 can black-eyed peas, drained (veggie kind, not Fergie kind)
2 ounces shredded cheddar

Fry bacon until crispy, then drain. (I normally prefer to bake bacon, but what's left on the pan after draining adds flavor here. I'm sure there's a real word for that.)

Add rice and broth to pan, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in peas.
Cook until heated through. Season with salt & pepper, top with cheese. Serve.

SuperDad, D, and I all loved this. E picked out the peas, because she said the black part was "spicy." But she's four, so you can take that with a grain of crazy.

When I make this again, I might use twice as much bacon, half as many peas. Because is there ever too much bacon? I think not. (Vegetarians need not answer that one!)

Getting Taggy With It

2008-11-18T14:43:00.006-06:00

So, like, a long time ago, Jamie tagged me for one of those 7 random things about you things.

I decided to do this up photo-style, but due to technical difficulties and the fact that I'm a dork, that took longer than expected.

1. This chair? Is hated by 3 out of 3 of my children. Angry, angry baby hate.

2. Nerd. I am a nerd, every hour of the day. This is our schedule.

3. Books. I recently finished these books. Actually, it's been a couple of days since I took this picture, so add A Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion to this pile, mentally.

4. Ani. Was incredibly thrilled when SuperDad bought me this. Loves.

5. D. What D did while I was running around taking silly pictures.

6. Blankie. I slept with this blankie as a baby. And also in college. And after I got married. And until my first baby came home from the hospital.

7. I don't have a 7 and SuperDad needs to use the computer now. GFF out.

Life with 3, Take 2

2008-11-08T14:25:00.002-06:00

Ring! (Who would be calling right at nap time? Who is that INSANE?)

Me: Hello?
Her: Hi! This is ____ from the _____ calling. I have E and D signed up for a class?
Me: Yeah?
Her: That's today.
Me: Uh... oh! Um, what time does it start?
Her: About 20 minutes ago.
Me: Uh oh. But... I thought that was on a Saturday?
Her: [Silence. Showing much restraint by not saying, "It IS Saturday, genius."]
Me: Yeah. I don't think we're going to make it.
Her: Uh, okay. Should I just drop you from the class?
Me: Yeah, that might be best. I'm sorry.

Not to mention the Inter-Library Loan of "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way" that sat at the library until well after I'd already given birth, naturally, apparently NOT the Bradley Way. Sigh.

15

2008-11-06T15:10:00.005-06:00

Once upon a time (15 years ago today - half my life, in fact), a guy who wore a calculator watch met a girl that loved black turtlenecks. They fell in love. (Try not to be jealous of my high-tech photo-of-a-photo skillz.)

Nine years ago today, they got married.

Three cats, three kids, Celiacs Disease, a mortgage, a blog, and a photography business later, well, they're more in love than ever.

Happy anniversary, SuperDad! Love you like the stars above, love you till I die.

Life with Three

2008-11-05T14:06:00.005-06:00

This is pretty much off topic, but in case you're wondering...

We're a month into life with three kiddos under 5. I'd been warned, believe me, that the third kid was the straw that broke the mama's back, but I have to say it's gone, overall, pretty well here. Of course, we're living in fuzzy floaty maternity leave land where we have TWO full-time, at-home parents. It's a blur of laundry and dishes and "No you can't have Halloween candy for breakfast!" and "If you wake up that baby, you are SO going into time out!"

All three, are, as I type, asleep. Simultaneously. That happens only occasionally, but when it does, I don't really know what to do with myself, because all I really want to do is hold that baby. Because, she is SO CUTE. I mean, not to toot my own baby's horn, but, seriously.

I dread the return to work, both because I don't know how to leave her and because I'm afraid of what SuperDad faces managing three kids alone (though I have to admit, it's the housework that's the struggle more than the kids, I think). And it's coming up all too quickly.

Mishaps aside, I've been mostly gluten free for three weeks or so. It's going just fine. I miss 100 calorie packs, unfrugal things that they are, but otherwise it hasn't been too bad. I made a pot roast. $10 in meat for one single meal??? It was crazy.

That's about it. In case you were wondering. And the baby's awake now. ;)