New Modest Swimsuit Arrived!

I ordered my new swimsuit not long ago from http://www.divinitasole.com/designer and it took a very short time to be shipped!

I can't say enough about this swimsuit! This is the first swimsuit ever that I thought, wow, this could be about a third of an inch lower on top! The swimsuit has an inner lining and full-size cups on top. The material is a bit heavy, which means it will last for the next two or three summers!

The swim bottoms were not shorts but were a mid-cut. I wear shorts, but the length of the bottoms would be appropriate if I wanted to skip swim shorts.

I have washed it once now and am proud that the color didn't fade and the suit didn't shrink!

The hardest thing about this swimsuit is the price. However, I am much more comfortable, trendy, and well supported than any other designer or walmart swimsuit I've ever owned. Overall, the quality made the price reasonable!

Gluten Free at Applebee's!

I know there aren't a lot of eating out choices for the food allergy bunch. However, planning ahead has saved me from getting sick!

Applebee's website has a list of food products that are dairy, soy, nut, and gluten free. http://www.applebees.com/downloads/allergen_info.html

I was disappointed that the Spinach and Artichoke dip isn't gluten free. That's usually a staple. They also didn't list the Oriental Chicken Salad with some minor changes, it is gluten free. I put grilled chicken instead of breaded chicken and then no crispy noodles. The dressing is listed as gluten free.

They did have several other salads listed as gluten free. If a salad doesn't sound good, the only other choice is an appetizer as a meal or a steak. Make sure to watch the sides with the steak becuase some of the sides do have gluten.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free at Jason's Deli

I was sooo excited to eat at Jason's Deli when I found out they had a Gluten Free Menu! The menu wasn't limited to potatos and salad's either! The one in my area had gluten free bread! I had an awesome turkey sandwich with avocado, tomato and lettuce.

Here's the link to their locations and menu's. http://www.jasonsdeli.com/restaurants

One idea is to call ahead and find out if they have a gluten free menu. If they don't great back ups are the amazing salad bar, the giant baked potatos, or a drink with free ice cream!

Free tickets to Chuck E Cheese!

I just won!

There is a game on the Chuck E Cheese website that will let you play a game of skee ball to win tickets. You can win up to 40 tickets. I won 25 the first time and 35 the second!

http://www.chuckecheese.com/chuck-e-games/games/skeeball.php?utm_source=BH&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=070611&link=image

They will only let you redeem one coupon per child per day. We have two kiddos so this will be fun!

Grocery Store 3 Month Food Storage List

Food storage and the necessity to “Be Prepared” has been laid on my heart recently. I have been considering the passage, “If you are prepared, you shall not fear.”  There are many other great scriptures and quotes, but I hate being scared and I want to make sure that I have done all I can to prepare my family.

Some families go into debt or spend massive amounts on food storage they don’t know how to use. Then they take classes on how to use it. (Grinding wheat, etc.) Then you have to purchase other items like a wheat grinder that you can use by hand to even be able to use it.

The church I attend has recently been trying to urge families to prepare as they are able to and what they would be able to use. I’ve been trying to figure out how to combine my sense of urgency to prepare with my own skills and strengths.

I will never be the women who bakes bread from scratch, makes my own pastas, even in the worst of times I believe it would be difficult for me to imagine doing those things. Plus, if there isn’t electricity, you’d have to know how to build an oven and have all types of skills I don’t have the time to learn.

I have put together a list of items that my family could live off of. They don’t certainly LOVE everything on the list (chef Boyardee, gross) but it does have protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables.  Also, everything on my list could be made on my wood burning stove in a pot.

My husband is stressed about water. But if we needed to sanitize water, you boil it and then let it cool. Not difficult, some places of the world this is what you do anyway. If it is dirty, you filter it through a shirt or clean cloth first and then boil. (You should still store water, but don’t NOT fill your water because you’re worried about not having the chemicals that you need to sterilize it, or you have to use a dirty hose to pump it into the water barrel. If these are the worst times we’re preparing for, we’ll be glad we have that water to use for crops.)

The last tip before the list is to KEEP EVERYTHING OFF OF THE FLOOR (except water) because if there is a problem with plumbing or earth quakes or flooding, your basements will flood and you’ll lose your cereals, diapers, tp, and other soft things.

I am using this list so that when I see something on sale or coupons, I buy it on sale with a coupon and mark down how many items we have extra until we have enough.

Food Storage for 3 months:  

(For 2 adults: 7 dinners a week, cereal for breakfast each day, fruit for snack 2x per week)

12 cans of white beans

12 cans of black beans

12 cans of whole pinto beans

12 cans of tuna

12 cans of chicken

12 cans of chili with meat

12 cans of spaghetti o’s

12 cans of chef Boyardee with meat

24 cans of chunky with meat soup

12 cans of tomato sauce

12 bags of spaghetti noodles

12 cans of green beans

12 cans of peas

12 cans of peaches

12 cans of mixed fruit

12 boxes of tuna helper

24 boxes of cereals (healthier kind, not sugar filled)

24 cans of dried milk

12 cans of evaporated milk

12 cans of condensed, sweetened milk

180 gallons of clean water for drinking & mixing with milk, cooking (1 gallon/person/ day /adult)

3 packages of diapers, next size up

3 packages of female hygiene items

3 months worth of tp (this would be 24 rolls for my family)

90 gallons of unfiltered water (for flushing toilet)

24 bars of soap

12 packages of hand sanitizer

3 bottles of shampoo

6 gallons of vinegar (for cleaning, etc)

12 boxes of baking soda (for cleaning, hygiene)

Laundry detergent for 3 months

Clothes pins (not a necessity, you can drape your clothing over the curtain rod in bathroom)

Other things to consider:

Seeds (buy cheap, after season, and store in a paper sack in a cold, dark place)

Medications, especially if diabetic!

Health supplies: gauze, band aids, hydrogen perozide, rubbing alcohol

Guns & Ammo (think of New Orleans, how would you protect your family if you had to?)

Gasoline for cars (stored in a safe way)

Consecrated Oil

Seasonal clothing and next size clothing for children, mainly focus on shoes, boots

The point is to be working towards being prepared. Any thing that you do is better than doing or having nothing at all. Leave a comment on your ideas and how you are preparing your family.

The Lord's Evaluation of Mother's

There was a great talk in my church this afternoon regarding the Lord's expectations on mothering.

I didn't catch the article or scripture but he made the claim that the main thing the Lord looks for is that we are actively "Nurturing" our children. Nurturing is our main goal, or primary role, and our primary standard.

I found peace in this concept. In further reflection, many of the things I do could fit under nurturing-type behaviors.

With this as the new criteria, I think I may be able to live up to the expectation.

Mother's Day Personal Evaluation

While mother's day is a time to celebrate moms. I think it's a great time for self-reflection on my own strength's and percieved weaknesses of my mothering talents.

Strengths:
* I let my children drink from my cup and don't worry about back-wash
* I take time to play with my children on their level
* I do individual time with each of my children, even if it's only putting them to bed
* I work a full-time job to keep us a-float
* I don't put them in daycare or preschool and let them be kids with a grandma
* I read to my children every night
* I pray with my children daily (or most days)
* I say please when I ask them to do things
* If they get thirsty, I get them a drink (and don't say "swallow your spit!")
* I share things that are mine: my computer, my sweet treats, my drinks, my beliefs, and my time

Weaknesses:
* I let my son watch too much wii
* I feel overwhelmed when my son cries and whines
* I hate changing diapers (who likes this! Seriously?)
* I have to work to stay sane
* I don't do family home evening
* (All of the above could be manipulated into weaknesses, but I'm not going to because I like that I do those things.)

Overall, I'd have to say that I'm a pretty good mom. This year, I passed the Mom evaluation!

In the upcoming weeks, I'd like to work on how to desensitize myself from my son's relentless (at-times) whines. So, instead of feeling stressed, I'm going to breathe and have him go to time-out.

To do your own evaluation, simply think of all of the things that you like that you do for your children and list them as strengths. For the weakness, think of all the things you don't like that you do for your children. Pick one thing on the list and make a goal to start to make small behavioral changes.