Pssst....Wanna Know a Secret?

Come closer, and I'll tell you.



Ready?






Are you sure??












It's a doozy...one that's guaranteed to....
Wait, I won't guarantee much of anything...
But it's worth reading.




Deep breath...
(No, I'm not pregnant.)
Here goes....




My kids wear second-hand clothes.
In fact, they've been doing it their whole lives.



Can you believe it?
I have bucked the system.
Given up on buying clothing at full price for my children, and tried to corner the market on organizing and "saving" clothing for the next child who may or may not fit into it as their size varies as quickly as (and sometimes quicker than) the seasons change.

Wait, I do have one retail place that I still shop...The Children's Place...and only when they have their clearance sales...and even then I have my limits.
Pants have to be under $10, unless we've had multiple knee and seat injuries to a high number of the owners current pants...and only then can I be FORCED to order something in the $12-15 range.
Shirts are generally $2 or 3, although I will go up to $5 if necessary.
You can almost always find a current coupon for 15% off (try CouponCabin), and if you sign up for Children's Place birthday club, you get a coupon for 20% off the month of your child's birthday. (That works well for us...although we now have 3 July birthdays...and I think you can only sign up 5 kids...(so not a whine there!) ).

Our family has been incredibly blessed by my mother who sends boxes of clothing from her local DI on a periodic basis.
It more than meets our clothing needs, and often we are able to bless others with the bounty that she sends.
In fact most of it is high quality...name-brand items that last kid after kid after kid.
If for some reason we need something more, I try Childrens Place (great quality!) and then will make a stop at a second-hand store in Mesa (when or if I am in that area).
It truly has worked for us for the past 12 years.

Up until about 1 year ago, I had no limit on the clothing in my children's drawers.
It was insane trying to keep up with the laundry, let alone put everything away.
Now I have general limits that I try to stay in (give or take one or two).
No more than 7 pairs of pants or shorts.
No more than 7 short or long-sleeved shirts (dependent on the season).
Think about even that...14 x 9 = 126 major laundry items per week...and that's not counting pj's, underwear, socks, towels or sheets.
That's a LOT of laundry.

So, I throw down a challenge.
Clear out your drawers of the "extra" clothing that your children never quite get to, and pass it on.
Find a family that has children near your children's ages, and pass them on, or find a store or mission that takes donations.
Lighten your (literal) load, and clear the space for other things in your home.
See how much you can save by changing how and where you shop.
(Trust me, there is nothing much around here (kids clothing-wise), and if I can find ways to do it, I'd be willing to bet you can do it too!)

Still here

Just distracted still.
I'm working on trying to get a regular schedule established....if it weren't for all of the standard doctor visits for Isaac, combined with the follow-ups for me (and my gall-bladder) and Samuel (for his asthma), coupled with Thomas' IEP meetings to make sure they are making accommodations for his low-vision, I might actually have some hope of having a "normal" schedule.
If you add to those the regular weekly (or so) visit to Wal-Mart to stock up on basics, and my seeming addiction to card-making, there is a lot to fit into every day.
Just homework alone is enough to make me want to hide my head from 3:30-5pm every day...plus piano and dance and scouts and achievement days...WHEW!
I decided a long time ago that I would not over schedule my children...and I work really hard not to...but we've decided all of the kids need to have a musical base to jump off of (or stay on) when they get older (hence the piano lessons), and Bekah has a talent that needs to be developed when it comes to dance (and both Pat and I felt very strongly prompted about that), so there's the scoop on what is occupying my time.
I'll find a balance again at some point.
Until then, keep up with my teetering attempts to fill you in.

Pink!

This month, I've gone pink!
October in Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Breast cancer is something that touches all of us in some way.
About 4 years ago, I had a cyst that was only visible by ultrasound.
I had gone in for a mammogram due to abnormal bleeding (from the breast), and was then scheduled for an ultrasound because they could not pinpoint the problem.
It was a scary period in my life...considering whether or not I would be facing a battle with cancer.

I also have a dear friend, Susan Ludwig, who has battled breast cancer.
I admire her great strength and continual optimism.
I am so grateful that she is still here...and such a positive influence on me and my family!
I love you, Susan!

So, I'm PINK this month...to remind you...
-Do your monthly self exam
-Know the "red flags" for early breast cancer detection
*A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area.
*A change in the size or shape of the breast.
*A discharge from the nipple.
*A change in the color or feel of the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple (dimpled, puckered, or scaly).
-Get a mammogram yearly
-Be aware there is a breast cancer called "Inflammatory Breast Cancer" that does not follow these symptoms.

If you have any questions, call your doctor...and don't delay it due to fear.
Early detection and treatment are very effective in eradicating breast cancer.

The Haircut

At the beginning of September, Samuel ended up with a stylin' hairdo thanks to Dad.
Pat said he just wanted one of his kids to look like him.
Do you think it worked?

A Date

Pat and I have been married for 14 years, and I must confess, we've only been consistently dating for half of those years.
It wasn't until Thomas was about a year old that I expressed how neglected I felt in our marriage.

It wasn't purposeful neglect, and I knew that, but it just so happened that if a child had needs that conflicted with our date, or if the budget was tight, or if we couldn't find a sitter, we would cancel the date without any apology to each other.
Worst of all, we wouldn't reschedule the date for another day.

Essentially, there were many months that passed where we never had many opportunities to really talk with each other as friends and sweethearts.
(Keep in mind that these were the years when we had 4 children 5 and under and then 5 children 6 and under.)

It was after that conversation (wherein I made known my need to have adult conversation and be treated as a peer for a period of time was crucial to my mental well-being) that we started going on regular dates.

There have been periods of time in the last 7 years where we have gone out on an almost weekly basis, and other times when we have felt the need to only go out once a month.
No matter how frequent the dates are, they always fill a need for me, and I am reminded why I chose my sweetheart as my partner for life.
It's amazing what just 3 hours can do for your relationship.
I'd suggest you try it soon, and be consistent about it.
I've been more than happy with the results.

Weekend Ahead!

Pat and Stephen are headed on the Scout campout...I am grateful for a husband that wants to fulfill his calling (as Scoutmaster), although I will miss him for the next 24 hours. Many times when Daddy is gone, we get a good kids movie, pop up some popcorn and kick back for the evening. Tonight, we'll be watching the newly released Barbie movie...The Island Princess.
I know my girls will love it...and we'll see what the 2 older boys think.
I also grabbed a Backyardigans movie as I was at the video store (should we call it the DVD store now?), so that should appease them if they really dislike the "girls" movie.
I'm looking forward to a date with my husband tomorrow night...and church on Sunday has no major responsibilities for us this week...
All told, it should be a very good weekend.

I hope to be back to my thoughtful, engaging blogging soon rather than just the ever so interesting(?) going-ons of my family.
It seems that pregnancy and the postpartum period has sucked much of the lively witticisms out of me...
Here's hoping I can discover some wit somewhere soon.

A Grocery Shopping Discovery

I've posted in the past about how unexciting and difficult it is for me to go grocery shopping.
I try to do the majority of my shopping for 2 weeks at one time, and that means an overflowing shopping cart and at least 2 solid hours for me at the store.
With 8 of us eating and drinking solid food, it takes careful planning to make sure that we have what we need and I am not making "emergency" trips to the store.

A little while ago, I saw an acquaintance with her 2 children at the store, each with a basket in front of them.
I commented, somewhat jokingly about them needing 3 carts, and she said, "We spilt the shopping list up."
We chatted just a couple more minutes, but that part of the conversation left enough of an impression on me that I mentioned it to my husband that night as we talked.
His reply?
"That's exactly what my mom had us do when I was growing up!"

I hadn't committed to trying it yet, but yesterday Pat pulled our grocery list up on the computer and split it into 3 parts.
Stephen, Emily, and Nathan headed off in the local Valdemart armed with their list...they each had chosen a job (their idea)...Stephen checked off what they put in the cart, Emily pushed the cart, and Nathan got the items from the shelves.
Pat had a list and I had a list as well.
Thomas and Isaac went with Pat and Thomas read the grocery list to him, and Bekah and Sam went with me and Bekah helped pull things off of the shelves.


The end result?
2 weeks of shopping done in 50 minutes.
A mom that was NOT exhausted and frustrated after a LENGTHY shopping trip, and a sense of empowerment on the kids part that made them feel that they are an important part of our family.
It was wonderful.


Thanks to a husband who makes things work, and to his parents for showing him a wonderful example of raising a large family.
Granted, I'm sure I missed some "bargains" and the ounce per ounce cost may have been a little more on some items as others chose what went in the cart, but I think those few dollars were well spent in saving mom a little sanity.
We'll definitely be doing that again.