Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Should You Give Kids an Allowance?

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Should you give kids an allowance? That’s a great question with many different opinions!

I’m not going to answer with a simple yes or no. But I will share with you what we’ve done!

Why should you listen to my advice? You maybe shouldn’t, simply because every family is different, every kid is different, and there are many ways to handle allowance and teach your kids how to handle money!

My experience spans 22 years of parenting. Our oldest son, the 22-year-old, is a great money manager, as is our 20-year-old, our 18-year-old, and our 15-year-old. Some of them are a little more willing to spend their money on occasional splurges while some of them much prefer more padding in their savings accounts. But what I want to say is this: The way we handled allowance with our kids when they were little and as they became big? It worked.

But ha, there’s more! God blessed us with Bonus Boys!! So we’ll be starting this method all over again with our six-year-old and later when our 1-year-old “comes of age.” Seems it’s a good thing I’m dusting off this old trick so we can use it all over again in a few months!

Should You Give Kids an Allowance?

We did give our kids an allowance – for a time.

When they turned the magic age of 7, we started giving our kids a whopping $4/month, which usually equaled $1/week. (By the way, we tried it when our oldest turned 5 but found he was a bit too young to understand saving and spending concepts we were trying to teach.)

We made this allowance-giving experience kind of a big deal by presenting them with a brand new wallet on their 7th birthday. Then we gave them 4 one-dollar bills to put inside their new wallets – beautiful pieces of green to an eager 7-year-old!

While we’d already started talking about simple money spending and saving concepts long before they turned 7 – this is when we started giving them more responsibility and freedom. Why?

So that they could begin to learn how to manage their very own money.

$4 isn’t very much. But we found it didn’t take much to help them learn some basic healthy money skills.

It is worth noting that we didn’t require them to do chores in order to earn this $4 allowance. It was simply a monthly allowance. The chores?? Oh, they did them! They just didn’t get money for them. And they didn’t even know they were called “chores” ha! (I learned this one day when they were at a friend’s house and they shrugged when their friend asked what chores they did at home. “I don’t know. We don’t have chores.” The friends were so jealous…until I cleared it up that my kids helped around the house all day long, we just never called this kind of family teamwork “doing chores.” But anyway…)

We didn’t set up specific guidelines for how they were to go about using their $4 allowance. We simply offered guidance and talked them through options for how they might enjoy their new money freedom.

  • We let them know that the money they gave at church would now be from their own wallet instead of from ours. Usually, we helped them break one of their dollars into 4 quarters so they could give one quarter each week. They BEAMED when they put their very own quarter in the offering plate!!
  • We helped them recognize more about the cost of items from the store. Our kids already knew by then not to ask for “things” when we shopped. But now we were able to say “you can save your money for that if you’d like to buy it” if they saw something they liked while shopping. Often the desire for said “things” would fade quickly when they realized how long it would take to save for the purchase. So they began to learn more about saving and investing in what truly meant something to them.
  • We emphasized how nice it is to save money for bigger needs or desires. If our kids would have chosen to spend their entire allowance money amount each month (after setting aside some for giving) – we would have let them. But would you believe – not one of them ever did. It took very little time for them to learn the joy of watching the stash of dollar bills grow in their wallets.

Every once in awhile, one of our little allowance-receivers would spend a dollar here or there on a dollar store item. This was fine and fun and good for their learning experience too! We always talked about a purchase before taking the plunge!

But I believe they had learned from our example of being more of a saver than a spender. We don’t buy stuff for the sake of buying stuff. And so their money-saving mindset began.

How long did we give our kids allowance?

We gave our kids an allowance until they started earning money in other ways.

About the time $4/month became a laughably small amount to our sons – around the age of 10 or 11 – we continued the monthly allowance. But as soon as they found ways to earn money, the allowance allotment stopped. They didn’t complain about this because they were now able to earn $10 on one Saturday morning by reffing a youth soccer game or by mowing a lawn – so they were getting much more than a tiny $4 allowance!

In addition, by that time, they had learned the very basics of money management – our very reason for giving our kids an allowance. By the time our boys started to find ways to earn money, they had a strong sense of ownership and the beginning of wisdom when it came to saving, giving, and spending.

So should you give kids an allowance?

I can’t give you a firm yes or no. But I will tell you this: We’re glad we did! And we’ll do it again when Brayden turns 7.

At this point, he and I talk often at the store about how we spend our money and how we make purchasing choices. He’s catching on quickly – and as much as he already loves putting coins from our pockets into the offering jars at church (specifically earmarked for children in Ecuador!) – I can’t wait to see how much he loves using his very own money!

How have you handled allowance at your house?

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Books I Would Love for You to Love with Me

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One of my favorite things is a fresh crispy salad with bacon, feta cheese, and thin homemade ranch with extra garlic. Mmmm. And also: books! My house is full of many kinds of books. Every year I purge stacks of them and yet my collection continues to grow. I’m going to share a few of my current favorites, listed in no particular order.

I’ve included the link to each. (Budget tip: Don’t buy them new! If you can wait a week or so, snag a used copy if available.) Keep scrolling to read my comments on each!

  1. The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith
  2. The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
  3. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
  4. Finding Your Purpose as a Mom: How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground by Donna Otto

Bonus Novels: Two Ways Home by Sonda Kraak (Sequel to the equally delightful One Plus One Equals Trouble in the Love That Counts Series) and our favorite cookbook of course.

The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith

Among all the books I own, I’ve never read one on interior design! Gifted to me by my sweet sister-in-law for Christmas, I have devoured it. While reading it, I became aware of how poorly I was speaking of my home:

“I hate having the laundry in the kitchen,”

“My bedroom on the main floor is annoying because the kids are so far away,”

“The toilet in the basement is so old, I can’t stand to use it,”

“This house is so big I can’t keep it clean!”

Myquillyn Smith says, “Don’t apologize for what you have. It makes guests feel uncomfortable, it encourages discontentment, and if you’re married and your husband hears you apologizing for what he’s provided, it could be hurtful.” That hit home for me and my list of things that were “wrong” with my house. She showed me how to begin loving my home, and how to use my “lovely limitations” (like the laundry in the kitchen) as springboards for creative action.

She gives step-by-step guides to making your house a home. No, she doesn’t tell you what colors to use or designers or type of furniture or decor. She goes a step deeper and gets you asking, what is the purpose of this home? This room? This couch? She is always reminding us that a home is there to serve people, not the other way around and it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

I’ll be the first to admit, interior design is not my strongest skill, but this book is SO MUCH MORE than a decorating book. It’s a confidence-building, take action, bloom where you’re planted, seize the day, kind of book that I will be returning to for years to come. She has another I haven’t read that I will get my hands on soon: Cozy Minimalist: More Style, Less Stuff

The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

I was not excited to read this when my Dad gifted it to me. “Yay… a book about prayer…” But, let me just say, “WOW.” The growth in my faith that I have today was watered by reading The Circle Maker. I have underlined passages in every chapter and filled margins with notes. Batterson uses his own personal experiences and biblical miracles to show God’s ever-present ever-listening qualities. He says, “Nothing honors God more than a big dream that is way beyond our ability to accomplish.” After reading this chapter, I fell on my knees and spilled out my dreams of paying down $20,000 of our debt in one year. This was June we weren’t even close to the $10,000 mark. I began circling that dream. By December we had paid back $29,000. Whaa?? God gets full glory for that one.

What it boils down to is believing that God is able and yet the answer will always be “No,” if we don’t ask. He encourages us that we “don’t worship the Great I-Used-To-Could.” We worship the Great I Am. If you want a book to energize, inspire, and fuse hope back into your relationship with God, this is a great choice.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Um, no, this book will not inspire you to be a better homemaker or teach you better ways to pray. But yes, really, really, it’s one of my favorites! When my baby girl was two days old I began reading aloud to her as something to do. I had a long and slow postpartum recovery, spending upwards of seven hours a day sitting and resting for months. This book was one of the few we owned that I had never read. Why would I want to read a book about dinosaurs?! Gag! But the husband insisted I give it a try.

Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. There is a lot of blood and some language, the dinosaurs and the gagging, remember? But the story is incredibly fascinating, the science is intriguing, and the characters are interesting. All around an exciting and thrilling read. I also love his sequel The Lost World. And we won’t talk about the movies. They’re fine. But the books are fantastic. If my daughter needs therapy someday because her mother read aloud Jurassic Park her first week of life… send me the bill.

Finding Your Purpose as a Mom: How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground by Donna Otto

I own almost every one of Donna’s books. I stumbled upon her podcasts, Modern Homemakers, after searching, “Organization.” Apparently she was teaching about organizing before it was trendy! Though this book isn’t about your physical home as much as your role as a spiritual leader in your home. (The one she wrote about managing your physical house is called “How to Get More Done in Less Time.”)

Is your home peaceful? Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? Is home a place where everyone feels safe? She gently teaches you what to do when you’re overwhelmed and don’t know what to do.

While this is not a quick read, it is worth the energy. I find I do best reading a couple pages at a time and letting it sink in. It is packed full of wisdom. Finding Your Purpose would make a fantastic book for a bible study or book club. I have read through it twice in the past four years, each time feeling more empowered in my roles as a woman, wife, mother, and homemaker.

BONUS books:

Two Ways Home by Sonda Kraak and the rest of the Love That Counts Series.

Reading novels was my main hobby. At least a couple hours every day. Growing up, I read so much that I didn’t understand there were people who didn’t read. What sort of life would that be… I was such a reader all my life I didn’t know it was to be classified as a “hobby,” it’s just what I did.

Not surprisingly, I went to college and got a degree in English because… books.

In Middle School, I blasted through all the Janette Oke novels and fell in love with anything Historical Fiction with clean romantic tension, but also fantasy and dragons and epic adventures (and dinosaurs apparently). I tried to give up reading a few years ago when I had too many kids and not enough time or sleep. But recently, I started again. Bless my baby who doesn’t sleep through the night and the hours I spend awake when I should be sleeping. I bought Sonda Kraak’s novel on my phone’s Kindle app for free with my Amazon points and I read it in 1 minute, 3 minute, 5 minute, and 7 minute intervals while letting my baby work through his emotions, if you know what I mean. Also, I find I can read in night-mode without disturbing the baby while he nurses in the evenings.

So, bla bla bla… I love books. Let me tell you about Two Ways Home and how much I loved reading it. Girl meets Boy and … well, if you’ve read an inspirational romance book ever then you know the drill. EXCEPT, Kraak’s writing is topnotch. The characters are funny and witty and do silly things that make them realistic. The hero is swoon-worthy, yet has his own demons to slay. The heroin is strong, yet she learns the beauty of having someone love her and pray for her.

Your turn!

Outside tales of how Laura had to chase down her taco, what do you read? I’d love to hear about any great books you’ve stumbled upon. Are there stories that have just stuck with you? Non-Fiction you keep thumbing through and pick up again and again? We all know that your newest favorite cookbook is Simple Real Food Recipes (#sorrynotsorry) but is there anything else you’ve been reading lately? Let me know!

-Tasha

Tasha Hackett, friend of Laura, lives in the middle of Nebraska where God has blessed the earth with extreme versions of all four seasons. When she is not feeding her family of six, including her Middle School science teaching husband, three sons and a daughter, she can be found sewing, painting, sneaking Jalapeno Cheetos, dreaming of forests, staying out of debt, Instagramming for Laura at @heavenlyhomemaker and looking snazzy in a vintage tweed blazer while attempting to write a novel in 1 minute, 3 minute, 5 minute intervals.

 

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Ways Eating Healthy Foods Actually Saves Us Money

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I’m very serious. Never buy into the lie that eating healthy is expensive. And in fact, I am coming to realize more and more that eating healthy foods actually saves us money.

I’ve been working at this nourishing food thing for 14+ years now, and while our food budget has increased substantially during these years, I’m certain the blame goes to growing appetites and an increased number of family members, not to the cost of apples.

Today I am here to present a few simple ways eating healthy foods saves us money:

1. Eating Out is a Budget Buster

When our family of nine (or seven or however many of our crew is around at the time) goes out to eat after church, even fast food costs a minimum of $40, but usually somewhere around $60. I don’t even want to talk about how much it costs to eat at a sit-down restaurant.

Meanwhile, I can take 5-minutes to throw together a Crock Pot Pizza Casserole before church. It’s ready when we get home, we can get out salad stuff and a bowl of grapes, and when it’s all said and done, the cost of our meal was around $15. The cost difference is enormous, the workload is minimal, and the taste? Well, have you tried making this pizza casserole? It’s incredible.

So except for when we’re traveling or for the very occasional splurge, we eat at home. It’s obviously healthier and saves thousands of dollars for our big family.

And yeah, I know we all know that, but it seemed worth mentioning again and comparing the cost! ;)

2. Nourishing food satisfies; junk food…doesn’t

Your honor, may I present as evidence the bag of potato chips?

I will admit that chips are my junk food of choice and I splurge on them sometimes. But when I do, we plow through them in about five minutes and are then ready for an actual meal. Why? Because chips only fill a hole; they do not nourish. So while our bodies are craving substance, we fill it with the nothing that chips provide, then we go in search of something to satisfy our bodies’ needs (protein, vitamins, minerals, etc).

So in essence, chips are tasty but kind of a money waster. The dollars I spend on chips could be used to buy actual food that leaves us satisfied.

The only exception to this, in my experience, has been corn chips. We almost never eat corn chips by themselves but instead use them as vehicles to eat nourishing dips. Long live the corn chips. They help us eat avocados. :)

Here are our favorite corn chip dips:

3. Real food ingredients cost much less than pre-made boxed foods.

This is a fact. As we’ve added foster children to our lives, I’ll admit it: I’ve splurged more on processed foods than I used to. I’ve needed it for survival some days, and I have no guilt over it.

But goodness do those boxed foods cost more!! And they almost always include ingredients I don’t feel great about. (I just don’t read the box. If I don’t know there’s MSG in there, it can’t hurt us, right? Heh.)

Most of the time, while taking care of all the kids, I try to fall back on all of our Simple Real Food Recipes that are just as convenient but made completely with real food ingredients.

When I fill my grocery cart with ingredients – yes – the cost adds up. It takes a lot to feed a large family with big appetites! But the cost is still lower – much lower – than filling my cart with corndogs and pizza rolls. It goes without saying that the real food ingredients I buy nourish us as opposed to whatever it is those pizza rolls do. Yikes.

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So there you have it. These are the most basic ways that eating healthy foods saves money. These are no brainers, but I think it’s good to be reminded and encouraged that eating healthy and saving money is easier than we often think!

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How Your Entire Family Can Learn About Eating Healthy!

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Looking for a simple way for your entire family to learn about eating healthy? It doesn’t get any easier than this!

We just rolled this out, and it’s packed with great information while being as simple as can be!

What is the Healthy Eating Jumpstart Basic Nutrition Class?

You won’t believe all that you’ll get in this fantastic online class! Healthy Eating Jumpstart includes:

  • 10 easy lessons to walk you through the basics of eating well
  • 10 fun videos to watch and use with each lesson
  • A practical packet full of worksheets and printables to use with each lesson
  • A beautiful bonus Jumpstart eCookbook filled with 51 easy recipes that will jumpstart your entire family on a journey to healthy eating
  • A Lesson Guide and Checklist packet to walk you through completing each lesson

How can you best use this Healthy Eating Jumpstart Basic Nutrition Class?

  • Work through it as a family and set goals together toward taking steps for healthier eating
  • Work through it on your own and start making small changes in your kitchen for your family
  • Hand it to your older kids to work through as part of their homeschool lessons or life skills learning
  • Hold on to it and utilize it again and again for yourself, your kids, and your entire family as needed

Your Entire Family Can Learn About Eating Healthy!

Here’s a peek at the Lesson Book intro page so you can get an idea of what this class will cover…

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Ready to begin your Healthy Eating Jumpstart Class?

GREAT NEWS!!!! If you are a Heavenly Homemaker’s Club Member, this fantastic product is already yours!!! Find it on your eCurriculum page (because this is a great educational resource for your family!) and on your Kitchen Tips page. Then dive right in!!!

Not a Club Member yet? It is WORTH IT to be a member so you’ll have access to this amazing new Healthy Eating Jumpstart resource plus ALL of our eBooks, eCurriculum, printables, and so much more (over $1000 worth!) for just $10/month!

Join us here! You won’t believe all you get for such a low monthly cost!!

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If you prefer, you can purchase this online class separately. Ready to get started? Purchase here:

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Make healthy eating EASY!!!!! This class will help!

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Busy Day Baked Chicken

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Bring on the Busy Day Baked Chicken!

Every day is a busy day! (Though it’s important that we are intentional about taking time to slow down and find restful days too!)

But for those extra-busy days – I am loving this idea for Busy-Day Baked Chicken!

This idea came from Anne, a cherished HeavenlyHomemakers.com reader. She says:

Laura, I have a favorite recipe idea to share! It was a lifesaver for me when I was a working mother (now retired). We call it “Wishbone Chicken.”

Wash and trim the fat on a whole chicken and place it in a pan. Sprinkle it with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and slather it with Wishbone Italian Dressing. That’s it. Bake about an  hour at 350 degrees. Smells divine! Easy peasy!

As a working mom, I’d buy 3 or 4 whole chickens when on sale. I’d lay each cleaned chicken in foil and cover with the salt and dressing. Then I’d wrap each tightly in the foil and put in the freezer. On a work day, I’d take one out before I left for work, unwrap it, place in a pan, and put it in the oven (frozen). I’d set the oven to come on at 2:00 pm at 325 degrees. The chicken would be partly thawed when the oven came on. The kids and I came home from school around 3:30. We’d walk into a luscious smelling house and a delicious homemade dinner was all ready for us! – Anne

I’ve taken Anne’s great idea and we love it so much! I especially love the idea of buying the chickens on sale and making several ahead of time to freeze, then pull out and bake as needed!

This chicken is delicious and ridiculously easy!!

Busy-Day Baked ChickenYum

5.0 from 1 reviews
Busy Day Baked Chicken
 
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Author:
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
  • Whole chicken
  • Seasoning Salt
  • 1½ cups Italian Dressing
Instructions
  1. Place a whole chicken on a rack, placed on a baking sheet.
  2. Sprinkle liberally with seasoning salt.
  3. Drizzle Italian Dressing over the chicken.
  4. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

This is my favorite Seasoning Salt. And here’s our great and easy recipe for Homemade Italian Dressing if you’d like!

Do yourself a favor and make this chicken! Serve it with a salad and steamed veggie and you have the easiest meal in the world that is extremely delicious and nourishing.

Thank you, Anne!

Psssst! Everyone be sure to grab our Simple Real Food Recipes cookbook full of amazingly tasty and simple real food recipes like this one!

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Is it Worth the Money to Buy an Instant Pot?

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What do you think? Is it worth the money to buy an Instant Pot? Here’s what I think…

Is it worth the money to buy an Instant Pot?

I stubbornly refused to get an Instant Pot for several years after they became popular (silly me), and now I am one of the biggest advocates for them! This gem saves so much time and keeps us eating healthy too!

I love that it makes wholesome, rich beef or chicken broth with so little effort on my part. I LOVE that I can cook 7 pounds of frozen hamburger meat in it in just 30 minutes!! And I love the many meals and side dishes I can make in it within just a few minutes.

So in my opinion, yes, it is worth the money to buy an Instant Pot. Not only has mine saved me time, it truly saves me money! So your investment in this appliance can be paid back and earning money for you in no time!

How? Well, think of all the convenience foods or fast food options one might fall back on when time is limited at mealtime! This money-saving perk alone makes the Instant Pot worth it.

In addition, the Instant Pot allows you to make wonderful, rich broth for soups that offer super nourishment and costs very, very little!

If you can swing it, get yourself an Instant Pot. I have the 8-quart variety for my large family. Here’s the 6-quart Instant Pot if that fits your needs more!

Recipes you’ll need for your Instant Pot:

Here are our favorites so far!

Psst: I highly recommend that you bookmark our Instant Pot Recipes page for easy access as we continue to update it!

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How to Have Stress-Free Christmas (Hint: START NOW!)

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Is it possible to have a stress-free Christmas? Yup! Tasha shares how!

Hey Everyone! Tasha here. I wrote a Christmas Budget script for us to read together. I put on my brown tweed blazer and I was immedietly inspired. (The equivalant to my thinking cap, because it’s winter in Nebraska and cold in my house; not just because I think it makes me look like a sophisticated Mommy-turned-naptime-writer.) This play will be a hit! Someday you’ll see it on a marquee and you will stop and take a picture and tell all your friends, “I know the girl who wrote that!” and it’ll be grand.

Naptime writers unite! I promise wearing a blazer makes you legit.

The Best Financial Christmas Story Ever

Enter Tasha and HH Reader

Me: Christmas is coming soon! Only 300 and something days left! I can’t wait to start my Christmas Budget.

You: Tasha, no… please stop. It’s February.

Me: I know, right?!?! Only ten months left to plan. I’m so excited!

You: Tasha, you’re out of control! Nobody wants to plan Christmas right now. We’re so DONE with Christmas. I mean, really. Some of us haven’t even taken the decorations down.

Me: Yikes! Better get on that. But really. Let’s talk about Christmas for this year.

You: Do we have to?

Me: Yes.

You: No.

Me: If you trust me, I promise to deliver the most stress-free, relaxed Christmas you’ve ever had in your life before. It’s simple and easy.

You: Mmmmk, keep talking…

Simple and Easy Christmas Budget

Me: Whew! I’m in! [Wink to audience.] Okay, so here’s the sitch: According to multiple sources, Americans are in BIG credit card debt, and many of them, perhaps you, will be paying for Christmas well into the summer months.

You: Well, yeah. I want to Go All Out for the Holidays. How else can I do that?

Me: By starting now, or preferably last month, in January. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear, and by deciding how much you are going to spend and start saving for it now. Tada! That’s the plan.

You: But how do I know how much I’m going to spend?

Me: That’s a tricky one. A good amount to plan for is one percent of your total income. $500 is 1% of $50,000. Can you spend more than 1%? I don’t know, can you? Here’s an example of my Christmas budget:

  • Immediate family gifts at approximately $30 each = $180
  • Extended family gifts, make or buy $10 each = $160
  • Gifts for 11 little cousins, make or buy $5 each = $55
  • Special and delicious holiday food: $200
  • Extra Gas for travel: $200

This brings me to: $795 / 12 = $67 a month to save. This is way over the one percent guideline for our household, but spread out over 12 months it’s doable. In past years when we were on an extreme budgeting plan we spent a total of $300 for Christmas. That covered, gifts, food, and most of it went to travel costs to see family.

Gifts for everyone?

You: 16 extended family members and 11 little cousins to buy for? Really?

Me: Buying or making presents is a choice. I like to do it, it’s fun to make something or find a little something special for each person.

You: How can you find anything of value for $10? Giving junk Christmas gifts is never appreciated.

Me: True, so glad you asked! Part of the joy of planning Christmas right now, is that I have a list of everyone I need to buy for in my planner, and when I’m out and about during the year, I will pick up something wonderful and special and unique for the right person at the right price. We love Christmas shopping at summer yard sales. I have found beautiful china tea cups for $1 and quality Melissa and Doug toys for cheap. Thrift stores, antique shops, yard/garage sales… all places to go Christmas shopping throughout the year. When you wait until December to buy your presents, it’s almost too late, my friend.

One year we made the little cousins a huge batch of homemade playdough with sparkles and Christmas smelling oil: $5 for 11 kids. That’s 45¢ a kid! For something they really liked! They played together with it for hours throughout the weekend.

This is how we do snack time with 8 little kids in the house for the holiday.

BUT… I have a secret. Because I am so wise, I also cheat the budget for Christmas. If you want to go all out, like Laura, and you wrap up socks to put under the tree, don’t take that out of your Christmas budget!

Ways to cheat the budget when it comes to Christmas

Me: Your monthly budget should have an item line for Clothing and Shoes, or maybe even another for Athletic Gear. If I buy socks to put under the tree, that will come out of the Clothing Budget. If I buy a tennis racket to put under the tree, that may come out of the Athletic Gear or School Budget, if I buy a lovely book of poetry and a globe, that will come out of the School Budget.

So that covers the Christmas money issue. Please don’t go into debt for the holidays. You’ll thank me next June. Decide how much you’re going to spend and save up for it throughout the year. That’s the only way that makes sense to me. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have an extra $500 (or more or less) sitting around in the bank during the month of December.

As a result of awesome budgeting, my Christmas contains a complete lack of stress and guilt. I don’t feel guilty for spending money I shouldn’t have spent. I’m not stressed about having enough in the bank to pay the high winter utilities. There’s enough to do for Christmas, like play games and eat food, I don’t want to waste my limited energy worrying about money.

You: I think your script is terrible. It’ll never see the stage. But thanks for the budget tips.

Me: Well, you can’t win ‘em all.

Exit.

Standing ovation. Amiright? No, of course not, you’d spill the Warm Pumpkin Custard Drink you’re sipping. I get it. It’s one of my favorites too.

Hey, while I have you here. I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Laura went and started her own club. Have you joined? I LOOOVE the recipe organization and all the included Homeschool resources. Meal planning is a breeze. A BREEZE. Not like a Nebraska winter wind that makes you cry because you live in a place where the air hurts your face. No. Not like that. Just click, browse, click, browse, click, print. Done. That’s how I do it anyway.

#WhatsForDinner

P.S. In case you’re wondering, I’m having a version this pot pie for dinner, except I’m using shredded pork because it’s what I had on hand, and a bag frozen mixed veggies instead of all that pesky chopping. It’s ironic because Laura also tried writing a script in that recipe post? I think mine is better, yea? What’s your vote? And do you have a Christmas Budget?

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Introducing, Keith Coppinger!

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Here’s the precious face I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you!

He’s learning to feed himself, and he’s oh-so proud.

His name is Keith, and as of today, he is Coppinger Boy #6.

Foster care and adoption is an emotional experience in at least a thousand ways. There’s joy and there’s sorrow. Adding to the family also means there is loss in some form. We don’t take that lightly.

But today, we fully embrace the joy of adding to our family. We embrace it so much that the tears won’t stop. This little boy, who has been a part of our family since he was just 2 months old, has overcome so much in his short life. That we get to be a part of this and learn more about victory in Jesus because of him humbles us greatly.

Keith loves Mommy and Daddy. He thinks all of his older brothers are THE BEST. But when Brayden walks into the room, there’s no doubt who he thinks is the BEST BEST.

These two have a special bond – so much so that Keith’s first word was actually “Brayden.” I was lobbying for “mama.” We all asssumed it would be “dada.” But when the big day came, Keith looked up at his beloved Brayden and said, “Dudden! Dudden!” It is the sweetest thing ever.

We continue to foster Boy Babe #2. Our older sons continue to embrace this new life with grace and love. Matt and I stand in amazement as we experience all God is doing and teaching us through this.

Thank you for walking this journey with us. Your love and support has meant so much – and I’ll thank you by sharing lots of adorable Keith pictures now that I can!!!

Here he is with Justus, age 20. Because yes, we now have sons aged 1-22!!!!!

He’s already learning to cook. I’m pretty sure he was making me some coffee…

Keith got to wear Elias’ hat!

Yes, he truly is as sweet as he looks.

And most days, he’s happy as can be!

God bless YOU in whatever ways He is working in YOUR lives. I have no doubt He is doing great things!

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Cups – 4 Ingredients

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These Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cups are practically begging for you to make them!

With college students joining us for lunch, I was searching the internet for ways to treat them, and I had rice krispie cereal that I needed to use up. All the recipes called for marshmallows, of course. But hey, I don’t keep those in my pantry regularly, much to my kids’ dismay.

Therefore, after wading through all of the marshmallow-y options, I finally found this winner! I tweaked it just a bit, and that is how these Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Cups were born.

These are incredibly easy and they were a hit with the college students! Who needs marshmallows?! (Well, they are helpful if you’re making smores…) But for rice krispie cereal treats, it’s amazing that we can do other fun things and use more wholesome ingredients to make treats!

Speaking of “other fun things” – I highly encourage that you also put these 4-Ingredient Chocolate Crunch Bars on your list of awesome rice krispie treats to make. These are hugely popular when I serve them to guests! It’s worth noting that the ingredient list in that recipe and in this one are very similar, making life easier. They just turn out two different and fun treats!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch CupsYum

Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Cups - 4 Ingredients
 
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Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Natural Peanut Butter
  • 4 Tablespoons Honey
  • 2½ cups Crisp Rice Cereal
  • 1½ cups any variety Chocolate Chips
Instructions
  1. In a saucepan, stir peanut butter and honey together over low heat until melted.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in rice crispy cereal.
  3. Press mixture into 12 muffin cups. (I recommend silicone cups to make them easy to remove.)
  4. Melt chocolate chips on the stovetop, stirring until melted and smooth.
  5. Spoon and spread melted chocolate over each peanut butter crispy cup.
  6. Refrigerate for at least an hour until chocolate has hardened.
  7. Remove cups and serve!
  8. Store Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Cups in an air tight container.

 

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Meatless, Egg Free, Dairy-Free Recipes

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Yes indeed. Here’s a list of Meatless, Egg Free, Dairy Free Recipes that are still fun. Mostly.

Is it possible? Is this meat-loving, dairy-loving mama going to share some Vegan recipes with you?

Well, funny story. (Yeah. So, so funny.)

Twas the night before Christmas Eve, 2019, and my darling husband decided to watch a documentary. Why, Matt, why? You couldn’t have just watched Elf??

But no. He watched the one about why we should probably not be eating as much or any meat, eggs, or dairy. The next day, he stood in the kitchen telling me about it – you know – while I was cooking seven pounds of hamburger meat in my Instant Pot and whipping cream for pies. Dude, you have got to be kidding me. No meat or dairy? Do you even know me at all?

But alas, the documentary had convinced him. Not that we should all go vegan (BECAUSE MAMA NEEDS HER BUTTER!!!!!). But he wondered if he might need to cut out animal products as an experiment to see if the change helped some of the minor health issues he’d been experiencing.

I almost got mad (she admits, sheepishly). It’s just that with two one-year-old babies toddling around and crawling on the floor eating food I hadn’t found time to sweep up yet, and a 6-year old who constantly demands attention and needs a lot of re-training, and all the others and everything else plus a freezer full of MEAT  – I didn’t know what to do with the words he’d just spoken.

It’s a Wonderful Life, Matt. Now THAT’S a great Christmas movie. Documentary, schmocumentary. Stop trying to learn new things.

So after the 5-minute tantrum I had inside my head, I half-smiled and told him that after Christmas I’d consider thinking about thinking about how I could possibly accommodate this idea. But for today, we were eating meatballs. God bless us, everyone.

Anyway, after Christmas was over and we started to settle into a new routine, I became intrigued by the challenge of figuring out tasty ways to feed my favorite guy. After all, man cannot live on peanut butter alone.

And that, my friends, is the story of why I’m sharing this list of Meatless, Egg Free, Dairy-Free Recipes. Mind you, I just ate a slice of homemade pizza that was heavily topped with cheese and two kinds of meat. (I don’t watch documentaries that tell me things I don’t want to hear. Heh.)

Meatless, Egg Free, Dairy-Free Recipes

Here are some of the recipes I’ve adapted by leaving out ALL OF THE GOOD STUFF. (I mean, by excluding potentially harmful ingredients in an effort to bless my husband’s health.) I am so proud that the recipe links in this list made it into the double-digits. I wasn’t sure I could do it. Because have you seen my recipes??!! Cream cheese rules! Butter and beef for days!!!! But not in these recipes:

Can you believe it? Out of the hundreds of recipes on my site, this tiny list is all I could come up with. Send help!

Or not, because Matt’s not living and dying by this lifestyle. He’s just experimenting to see if it makes a difference. Meanwhile, he’s making lots of veggie stir-fries for himself, spreading peanut butter on bread or apples or bananas, and really focusing on eating lots of veggies and fruits in general.

Long live the cow. And all of the cow’s friends. I like beef. The end.

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