The Puzzle and Its End

 

At any given moment, you just don't know when you'll find any one of us at the dining room table working on this project.

A retired teacher friend assured me that puzzles are EXCELLENT for spatial awareness.  I'm still not quite sure what that is, but without a doubt, I can SEE that doing puzzles helps your mind.  So yes, there's a scientific name for the fact of what I've witnessed in our Blossoms.

Look closely at the picture below.  Yes, there is a piece missing.  Uh-oh.  We prayed.  Yes, we prayed to find it.  And just as I was about to break out the big searching, Blossom1 discovered it inside her over-sized hoodie sleeve.  There was rejoicing all around.   

And, it tied in to an excellent discussion.  Just as we were all SO EXCITED to find that one puzzle piece, that is how God feels about people.  Like the lost sheep.  Like the lost coin.  They remembered the stories and made the connection, which meant so much to me.

And now, they want to tackle the Snow White puzzle.  We'll see...

4 Things I Learned from our Low-Spend January

On http://lifeasmom.com/ and http://goodcheapeats.com/, I discovered the concept of a no-spend January/Pantry Challenge as a way to boost your budget in the New Year.  I took the idea to my husband and we made it work for us.  I think it was more of a Low-Spend January.  We tried not to buy anything non-essential.  We tried to cook out of the pantry and freezer as much as possible.  We tried to use up what we already have.  We had things come up and still, it was a valuable tool that just may end up in our annual post-Christmas repertoire. 

#1 - There's plenty to eat here. 
I do rely on a well-stocked pantry.  It is my boy-scout in my back pocket. Read: Always Prepared.  At least, that's what I shoot for.  But, there's always something that gets shoved to the back and that's what we attempted to use up.  We ate well.  This wasn't the month to make Daddy's favorite Tomato Seafood Soup, but we still ate good, wholesome food.

#2 - Spending can quickly become a habit. 
I shopped online this year more than ever.  Baby Blossom had much to do with that, but I also found that it was easier to stay on budget per item because I knew I could shop around to find the thing that met my expectations AND stay in our budget.  A month and half or more of shopping and buying online gave me a spend mindset though.  That's fine once a year (with parameters) but now, everyday life is back and we simply cannot support a habit like that.  I was glad for the self-imposed restraint.  We're back to having the internet as a tool, not a master.

#3 - Just don't go.
If you aren't spending, just don't go places where you can spend money.  Ahem.  I'm talkin' 'bout me and thrift stores and dollar stores and wonderful bargain places.  They are places that help us throughout the year, but we've got clothes to wear and food to eat.  It was our Low-Spend January, so I stayed away. 

#4 - You get results. 
We saw about $200+ of savings on grocery bills this month.  It's tempting to think... oh, let's do this all the time.  I can see that it isn't sustainable.  There's nothing in the house now.  Even Daddy noticed how much we've used up and how badly we are due for the grocery run tomorrow.  I appreciated his words of praise.  It was worth it.  Stuff that would've met the garbage soon because it sat too long in the pantry was eaten.  Rolls in the freezer didn't go to waste.  Less waste, more saving this month. 

So, tomorrow we'll make our way back to our local bent-n-dent store to restock.  (The children think that hardship is upon us since we ran out of cheese a day ago.  I told them that we can make it til tomorrow.)

This post isn't meant for you to do as I do, but rather to glean some wisdom for your own finances.  Going without flashy food or luxurious entrees won't hurt any of us.  Extra purchases can almost always wait a little while.  Use some wisdom and see how far it goes.

I love sounds

I've always had a thing for the whir of a sewing machine.  Why?  Because my Mom was always sewing.  She took in alterations and she was always creating something for us or our home.  Always.  That noise has the pleasantest connotations for me.  Although the sewing machine isn't going as often as I'd like (in THIS season, though I did manage to whip out some fleece neck-warmers for the girlies and the Rugged, Mountain Man yesterday), there are other sounds that make for happy days here...

- The swish-swish of the washer along with the
- Tappety-tap-tap of Blossom1 working on the computer.
- Contented humming and stories of Blossom3 quietly doing puzzles during schooltime...
- Blossom2 talking herself through cursive and
- Baby Blossom gnawing on the coffee table, then squealing and taking off after the next thing.

I'm thankful I'm here to hear them.  Thankful that I can be the one wiping the cracker crumbs off Baby Blossom's mouth.  Thankful I can be the one applying coconut oil to Blossom3's winter chapped lips.  Thankful I can be the one to snuggle with Blossom2.  Thankful I can hear the dreams of Blossom. 

Just plain thankful. 

That Hair Episode

I don't know if y'all remember that episode back in October of 2012, the one where somebody trimmed Blossom #1's bangs, but nobody would 'fess up about it. 

One evening, not very long ago, I could tell that Blossom #1 had something on her mind.  As I brushed her hair, she mentioned that she had something she needed to tell me.  She confessed that it had been her that had trimmed her own bangs.  She'd been afraid to tell me.  She trimmed Jake's hair too (a fact I'd noticed only a few days after the original episode.  I was starting to wonder WHAT ELSE I was going to find that had been trimmed?  Carpet?  Curtains?  The Goldfish?) 

Immediately, I told her that I forgave her and that I wanted her to be completely honest with Mommy & Daddy... always.  No matter what.   Ironically, she shared that she'd even had bad dreams about that lie.  She must have a sensitive conscience, something that others might make fun of.  This is something I thank God for!  I explained that a clear conscience makes for a very soft pillow.  God wants us to walk blameless.  When He shows us something, confess it.  Take care of it quickly.  Don't wait.  Don't dawdle.  Just take care of it.  Blamelessness is beautiful.

We hugged and she walked away with a light heart.  I did too.  The Rugged, Mountain Man and I marveled at it and thanked the Lord.  It reminds me of my favorite child-rearing verse,

"All your children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of them."
Isaiah 54:13

PS - Blossom #1 approved this blog entry to be posted

Nursing Tip

I feel very strongly in favor of breast-feeding.  I don't try to get all up in people's faces about it though.  Of course, if you ask my opinion, I think you know what you'll get.  So, lately, I remembered one of my favorite common-sense nursing tip.  Without going into my whole nursing philosophy, I thought I'd share this one simple tip with the nursing moms out there (or the soon to be nursing moms!) (That's my shout out to my friend, Red and my sister-in-law, the Hazel Eyed Girl) 

When your precious bundle wakes up from a nap, offer Mommy's "milkie" (as the Blossoms call it). 

Since they are usually more cuddly right after a nap, a baby may take in another nursing session!  I find this to be especially helpful for those busy babies that are numbers 2, 3 or 4 in the sibling line-up.  SO MUCH is going on here in our happy little home.  Sweet Pea (and Blossom #3 when she was little) never wants to miss a thing.  Maybe I should call it a power snack... or a way to sneak some more calories in to my Energizer baby.  Either way, my babies almost never refuse a little nursing right after naptime.  Besides, I like another excuse to sit down and cuddle with her.

I don't think I'll close my eyes though.  Who knows what the other Blossoms will think of next!