Apple Chips

I am always looking for healthy, easy and affordable snacks for my boys. One of my new favorites is apple chips. I grabbed some apples at the Farmer's Market and used our dehydrator we purchased fairly inexpensively at Walmart to make these. This apple was a Granny Smith, but any type would work fine.

I used my peeler to core and my mandolin to slice the apple. I sliced them on the thinnest option.

I then layered the chips in the dehydrator. We got it to use for beef or deer jerky, but it has proved to be awesome for making dried other things as well.

I let these chips dehydrate overnight. It took around 14 hours for them to be completely crunchy.

 

The kiddos really enjoyed munching on these with sandwiches instead of greasy chips. I let them dip them in caramel and it made them extra yummy. I also served some the next day sprinkled with cinnamon and brown sugar and they were great as well. This method also works great for peaches and bananas.

What if some Moms really shouldn't be macro traders?

In recent days, Paul Tudor Jones has gotten some harsh criticism about his comments about moms in the workplace. He said that having children was a "focus killer" for women. You can read more about his comments here.

Let me start by saying that my degree is in communication. If you know much about a degree in communication, you know that I was blessed to take many, many classes about feminism, gender stereotypes, equality in media and the workplace, etc. etc. This post goes against all of that.

It does go, however, with everything I feel, love and believe is right about being a mother.

When I first heard about this incident on the news and saw all the women offended by his words, it took me a minute to form my opinion. As a good little PR student, my instinct was to also be offended. But then I thought about my boys. And, here comes the shocker, I get what he's saying. I don't want a mob of angry mamas leaving me grouchy comments, so let me explain.

Am I grateful that I live in a country where women are free to do the same things men can do? Absolutely.

Do I think Jones was saying women are not as capable as men? No way.

But do I believe that being a mommy can change you? Oh you betcha.

When I was pregnant with my first little one I was in my last semester of college. I had big plans for when I graduated. They included a corner office with a framed picture of my sweetly smiling infant perched on the corner. To the people who know me now, you will be utterly shocked, but I actually looked into daycare!

Then it happened. When I looked into those beautiful brown eyes that cold January morning, I knew my life would never be the same. I didn't care if I never made another dollar or if no one years from now knew my name. I wanted to never leave that brown-eyed baby ever again. And three years later, I haven't, much.

Now I am not saying that no woman or no mother should, or more importantly, could, hold these jobs, but I'm just saying maybe we should cut this guy some slack. Do we have it all wrong in this country when we start to think that a mother being changed by the most precious gift of a child is bad? Do we have it wrong to make women believe that they should not be affected by the loving gaze of a sweet baby or feel instantly devoted when he, as Tudor said, "touched that girl’s bosom?"

I understand the issue with the implication he made, but sometimes I think we are afraid to take off our feminist hat and put on our mommy hat and the one who suffers is that big-brown-eyed baby boy.

I am proud of the mamas who work outside of their home to feed their families. I am even more proud of the mamas who say, "This kid's a 'focus killer' and I'm staying home." Be confident in what your heart is telling you is right, mamas. And be courageous to make the decisions that aren't always popular in this nation if they are right for you.

Cloth diaper tips

When I decided to cloth diaper, I only knew one other person who did CD. There are also no stores in my area that carry cloth diapers, so I couldn't just go ask someone or look at what I was buying. Needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed. Here are a few tips I wish someone had told me before I started CD.

1. Many diaper creams are not safe to use on  your diapers. Coconut oil is a great alternative.

2. Just like I tell people about breastfeeding, you have to be confident in what you're doing or you may get discouraged. I would encourage you to find some CD friends or join groups online, so you have someone in common when you feel overwhelmed or frustrated.

3. I really wanted somebody to tell me that I needed X amount of diapers and I have really had to figure out for myself what I needed. I had five covers and that was not enough for me. Now, I have 18 and half of them never get used. If you don't mind to throw a load of laundry in every day, you won't need as many as someone who wants to wash once a week. You really just have to see what works for you.

4. Cheaper is not always better. I was so excited because I found diapers from China for $2 or so each on eBay. About half of those are now swim diapers because the lining separated. Though I still cringe when I see mamas spending $50+ on one, yes one, diaper, I do think that you might want to consider buying some quality products. I know it seems like a lot up front, but your little is going to be wearing these for his whole infant life so I promise you will get your money's worth.

5. If I have stains, I hang my diapers in the sun and it generally takes care of it.

6. Packing your diaper bag doesn't have to be stressful. As a general rule, I like to keep an extra cover and one prefold or insert for every hour we will be gone plus one. I keep a travel pack of wipes in my bag. Many cloth mamas have great success with cloth wipes in a travel wipe box, but I just stick to disposable wipes when we're out.

I will add tips to this list as I think of them! :)

Adventures in Preschool: Shaving Cream!

I read this article not too long ago and it made me really want to try and work more sensory play into our days. You can read about our first experiment here.

Our sensory experiment today was playing in shaving cream. I used his little picnic table and just squirted the cream directly on it. After we were done, he loved spraying himself and the table off with the water hose, so this was a completely mom-free experiment. I have oodles of shaving cream in my coupon stash, so this was like a 25 cent project and he played with it for over an hour. I got to mop my floor, people! For 25 cents! Anyway, he really loved it and it was tons of fun to hear him giggling while I mopped.

How I am a SAHM: Homemade Laundry Detergent

When I wanted to stay home, we took a really close look at our finances to see what we spent the most on, what could be eliminated, etc. and realized that even with coupons, we still spent quite a bit of money on laundry detergent. We then decided to try making our own and it has worked out great! This post is to show you how we do it!

Recipe:

2 quarts water (boiling)

4 cups bar soap (grated) (We use Fels-Naptha, Zote or Ivory.)

4 cups borax

4 cups washing soda

 

You can find all of these ingredients in the laundry detergent aisle at your store. The soap is around $1 and the Borax and washing soda are $2-$4 each (in East Tennessee, anyway!).

 

1. Finely grate the bar soap. Add the soap to the boiling water and stir until it is melted.

 

You have to be patient during this step. This takes a while! I would also recommend having utensils just for making your detergent. You probably don't want to grate your cheese with your soap grater or make chicken noodle in this pot:

 

 

2. Pour the soap water into a five gallon bucket and add the borax and washing soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.

3. Add 4 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.

 

We went to Lowe's and bought this 5-Gallon Paint and Compound Mixer for $5. It attaches to my husband's drill and makes mixing very easy.

 

 

4. Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry.

 

After mixing, I put some of my laundry detergent in a juice bottle. This way, when I need to wash, I can just shake it up, pour into my measuring cup and into my washing machine.

 

Also, you can dissolve a bottle of Downy Unstoppables (add when you are dissolving the bar soap) or your favorite oil to give your detergent a scent if you would like.

For all the cloth diaper mommies, know that this recipe has worked great for us. I have to do an occasional sunning for the EBF poop, but my diapers stay very clean and I have had no trouble with build-up.

 

Please know that this detergent is different from what you are used to. It does not make foamy bubbles. It is not smooth and beautiful blue. The liquids and solids separate so you have to shake it up before you use it. That being said, we really have learned to love it and our clothes are clean, so overall, we are happy!

 

 

How I am a SAHM: The basics

Let me start this by saying, being a stay at home parent is not the right thing for everyone. I had a friend tell me one time that she was a better mom because she was away from her kids two days each week. It made her more patient, kinder, saner! There are people like her. And there are people like me. I don't even like to leave my babies for ten minutes, much less to go to a job.

This post is not to bash working moms or even to try and convince anyone to stay home. The reason I am writing this post is that I have moms tell me all the time that they wish they could stay home with their kids but they "just can't." There was a point in my life, with a four month old baby boy, that I was saying the same thing. I went back to work part-time. And after three months of crying almost every day, I decided, even if it killed me, I would be home with my babies. If you are there, this post is for you.

Let me say, first and foremost, that I am not the reason I am at home. My husband has a great job and it enables us to pay our bills. Secondly, God takes care of me and continues to provide for my family in ways that I can't even believe. Being faithful in prayer and in giving to God has really led to some pretty awesome things happening for us.

What I am able to do fairly well is utilize the resources I am given. I would like to share some of these with you and I encourage you to make them your own.

The first and biggest things that have enabled me to be home with my boys are breastfeeding and cloth diapering. If I had to dish out hundreds of dollars per month for diapers and formula, I would be right back to work. Cloth diapers are an investment up front, but utilize your resources. Register for them on your baby registry, buy them used from Craigslist, etc. For more information, check out Hot Mess Nest or any of the other million cloth diaper resources online.

The next biggest factor to me being home is simply budget and sacrifice. I am extremely blessed to nearly always have everything I need or want, but sometimes it's just not possible. You have to make the commitment that being home with your babies might sometimes trump a new pair of Steve Madden heels. This is something I consistently struggle with, but I know that no amount of material possessions can make up for waking up to those two sweet smiles everyday.

I would also encourage you to seek out like-minded parents. Not only can you share ideas and information, but you also can share responsibilities. Watch each others' kids for date nights or grocery shopping or have game or dinner nights together. You may not be able or willing to go out and spend money on babysitters and fancy dinners like you did with two incomes, but there are still ways to enjoy life together frugally. I will also admit that there are times when you will need a break. Even if it is just to go to the grocery store alone. These friends can be that for you and you can reciprocate for them.

Couponing has also been a huge step in my journey to be home with my boys. Couponing gets a bad rap as something that has to be all-consuming. I started spending a couple hours a week working on coupons as well as planning my meals around what's on sale that week. Just in doing that I nearly cut my grocery bill in half. If you are looking to get started or feel overwhelmed by it all, my favorite coupon site is Southern Savers. She has an amazing way of making saving money easy.

I am also at home because I take every opportunity I can to make money. I take secret shopping assignments, I get paid to keep the nursery on Wednesday nights at a local church, I provide in-home daycare for a couple friends, the list goes on and on. Since I have committed to being home and raising my boys the best way I know how, God has continuously presented me with ways to make money and still be with them. You have to take these opportunities as they come to you. It might not be consistent income, but it might be those last $20 you need to pay a bill or fix a broken washing machine. I also committed to doing our family budget when my husband and I decided I could stay home. Not everyone is blessed with an amazing husband like I have, but he could care less about where his money goes as long as our bills get paid. If you are going to stay home, take this into consideration. If it is something you both are comfortable with, it can be a way to take control and enable yourself to be home. In our situation, I feel like my husband works hard for us and he shouldn't have to worry about where the money to pay the electric bill comes from. Being responsible for the budget lets me know when I need to pick up an extra secret shop or two and make sure we are covered. He is always there to support me, of course, but the majority of figuring out what comes and goes where is on me.

I am also always being thrifty in getting the things my boys need. I simply cannot go to Gymboree and buy matching outfits for every occasion on one income. I can, however, buy them at consignment stores or sales for a quarter to half of the original price. Check out my blog post about consigning on Hot Mess Nest.

Planning ahead is also a great strategy. If a friend has kids that are bigger than yours and asks if you want hand-me-downs, say yes! Check out off-season sales when you can as well. An area consignment store just had a sale where you could fit all the off-season clothes you could pack into a grocery bag for $3. A friend got next year's coats for her kids and several other items for $3! You can stick them in a tub in your attic and pull them out when the time comes.

These are not the only ways to be a stay at home mom. There are millions of opportunities out there for you to find. I just wanted to share with you some of the ways that we make it work. Be confident in your child-rearing decision, whatever that may be and know that if God puts it on your heart, He will make it happen.