Carter's Outlet.

I love, love the Carter's Outlet. Mason is definitely a Carter's baby. I just can't bet the prices anywhere. I receive coupons weekly, but I don't go weekly. I went today to get Mason another pair of PJ'S. Then I started looking around on the 3.99 sales rack. I was buying complete outfits for $3.99. Plus, if I spend $40 I get the 20% off. (The best sale Carter's has is the Super Duper Sale...where you take 20% off clearance, PLUS 20% off $40 or more.) So I have been stocking up on the basic clothes...polos, pants, t-shirts, shorts. I have a rule that I will not spend more on Mason's clothes than mine or Heaths...and I am a bargain shopper for our clothes...Children's clothes can get expensive. Clothes that will be in mud, have food all over them, & anything Mason can get into! I can't wait to see Mason in all his cute clothes.

perfect vs balanced mother

I really enjoyed reading this older post today....
http://inspiredtoaction.com/2010/01/perfect-mothers-vs-balanced-mothers/

Let me know what you think.

house vs. home.

We all dream about our dream house....

I remember building my Barbie's house...everything had to be set up just right. I would even have cleaning days for my Barbie's house.  My mamaw told me once that she didn't think anyone had a cleaner Barbie house than me. As I grew up, I began to notice houses that I liked. I have tons of ideas about what I want when we build our first house. My husband told me to start a folder of ideas. Since we have rented a couple places, we have saw a lot of ideas we like and don't like. We constantly see ads about the latest ideas for our houses. I imagine the picture perfect house, everything in the house has it's own place, there isn't a speck of dirt, plus we have a room for everything even the dog, I know the colors I want, I could go on and on. Then I look at where we live right now...it is clean even the baseboards (because I grew up with Bob Saget as a dad), toys are spread out in every room, the mail is laying on the kitchen table, the high chair is in the living room, finger prints on the door I just cleaned....but it is our home. See I think we have been focusing so much on having a house that we haven't made it a home. I have been in houses where children live, but I see no signs that they live there....the house is perfect though. I don't even want to sit down because it seems too perfect. I am guilty of picking up toys as Mason plays. I am guilty of nagging at my husband for not picking up his stuff. I worry about Mason making a mess as he eats. I could wipe the glass doors down every hour so there isn't any fingerprints....until I heard a friend say...those fingerprints wouldn't be there, if he wasn't here.

At that moment, I wanted to take Mason's little dirty hands and touch everything in the house. (Don't get me wrong children do not need the okay to just destroy the house) I began to think though how our focus has become to have the perfect house, but we are missing making it a home. When we first moved to Kansas, we had a beautiful house...everything had it's place, but it was way more of a house than we needed....our master bathroom was bigger than most people's living room....but we have moved since then to a smaller place. This place has taught me a lot. I see how much stuff we have that we don't need. Moving has made me realize that it's not about the structure, but what's in the structure....the family, the love, the moments together.....see if you took away your "house" would you still have a "home?"

thanks hunny.

Have you said 'thank you' to your husband today? 

This past Sunday was Father's Day, and I have been thinking about the importance of dads...well men. I am guilty of always thinking how everything wouldn't get done if it wasn't for the woman. I often joke with Heath and say....Man's work is from sun up to sun down BUT a woman's work is never done :) However, a man's job is important and so many times not appreciated. I want my husband to know he is appreciated for all his hard work. I want him to know his wife is thankful for everything he does. We often spend more time looking at the things are husbands didn't do...or how they should have done it the same way we do....and we do not notice all the things they do.

croutons.

1. Cut some day-old or stale french bread into cubes.
2. Drizzle the french bread cubes with olive oil. Toss in a pan.
3. Spice them with a few shakes of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, or whatever sounds good.  Toss again.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Shake and toss. Bake until toasted. **Pay attention so you don't burn them!** (Recipe from Amy's Finer Things)

YUMMY! and super cheap.

blog junkie.

My husband told me I was becoming a blog junkie!ha I decided to start a blog about Easy Living...I had just found one blog that talked about frugal living. Then after I started our blog, I found sooo many other GREAT blogs....I am learning so much...about coupons, parenting, being a better wife, money advice, etc. I do not just take advice from anyone... but I do think we all need advice...I want to learn more. I am amazed how many other moms or just other people are on a journey like us....trying to change our focus. It is encouraging. I love to read other blogs by moms...see how they tackle everyday chores. I often wonder why people look down at people who look for advice or research parenting---it is one of the most important tasks we encounter, however we just think it will all come naturally......We study for school. We train for our jobs. We read books/magazines for our hobbies. BUT we think people who do any of this for parenting (or you could use marriage as an example) are kind of umm werid. Then please, don't listen to the doctor who has four kids of his own. It is kind of funny when you think about it. I KNOW. I KNOW. My great grandparents didn't need any help, but look around times have changed. I can be a parent...I can take care of Mason....I can teach him things...BUT I don't want to just "get by" with parenting....like I do a lot of other items in my life. I think Mason is worth it. I know that I will make mistakes in my journey of parenting. I am not perfect. I will probably look back and wish I would have handled something differently. BUT if someone could give me advice...and I can learn from something they have already went through...or just learn better ways...I will gladly take it. I think we have the idea that if we ask for parenting "help" then we are not the best parents....I look at it differently....I think the best parents look for better ways....they understand the importance of parenting...that is why they want to learn the most about it.....

papers.

What are your creative ways to organize papers?....

Owner's Manuals? Documents that you need to keep?

Receipts? Bills? Or any other kind of paper?

thoughts about stuff.

It may come across that I don't buy anything or do anything fun...but that's not it. I am not against buying stuff...nice things....things I want. BUT I just have a different approach to it. First, I do not think I should buy a new watch (just an example) and put it on a credit card. I am not against buying anything, I just think we should rethink our thoughts....do we want things because someone else has them? Do we have the money to buy these items? See if I bought a new pair of jeans and didn't have the money to pay for them....I would worry the whole time how I was going to pay for them...plus think about when you add interest the price of the jeans, double or triple. HMMM.

I think we should learn a lot from our grandparents...they were frugal...they saved money for "rainy days"...they paid for stuff with CASH (something that is not normal for my generation). For us, purchasing a new boat, which my husband really wants, is not as great if we don't have the money to pay for it....I know the thought crosses your mind, if you wait to have the money, then you will never have the boat. We don't think so....if you didn't have payments (not including utilities) then how much money would you have a month?

I read this on Facebook today....."Jesus told 52 stories in the New Testament, 38 concentrated on 1 of the biggest distractions of all time: The love of money & possessions"

back & birthday.

We are back from a great trip. We got to see a lot of family and friends. I decided not to post while I was away so I could make the most out of every minute!

Yesterday was our little boy's FIRST birthday. How exciting! I struggled with what to do for his first birthday. There is a lot of pressure....well it is his FIRST birthday....we need an outfit, we need party supplies, we need a cake, we need invitations, we need it to be PERFECT!!...BUT then reality sets in....I realized a lot of what we do for these events are not for the kids. Instead the events are for the parents...we want to look like we are the best parents. If we do not throw the best party, then what will the others think?!? In this journey, it is about changing our mindset. It is trying to find ways to save money, start traditions in our own family, and focus on what really matters. Take a look at children- We buy them TONS of toys...but the children would rather have a box (really anything that isnt a toy)...Children really can teach us sooo much about easy living. They are pretty simple. Our son would rather wonder around the house carrying a child's coat hanger or one of my socks. I try to get him to play with all his toys (toys that we have purchased at garage sales or craigslist) instead he finds a piece of paper and begins to play. Are you beginning to see how much stress we add to our own lives?

just think about.

be patient.

The next few days I probably will not post. I am visiting all the family, and I am trying to make the most out of every minute. So be patient. I will get back to posting. I have lots of ideas for upcoming posts. So just keep checking back. Enjoy the Summer! Keep thinking of creative stuff. If you have ideas for posts, let me know! Check back in a little bit! :)