Makoever Monday- Bookshelf Beautiful

Bookshelf before...

Bookshelf after!

Do any of you have a bookshelf that's starting to look a little junky? I know, we all love our books but they can become an eyesore if we're not careful. Well, in a matter of minutes you can easily make your shelves look like a page in a home decorating magazine- even with kids' books (no, it won't stay that way, but it looks nice for a little while)! I am an amateur decorator, but here are a few things that work for me:

- Start by clearing the bookshelf, then arrange the books in piles by the height of the spine

- Arrange books with the largest on the bottom for horizontal piles, or the largest in the middle for vertical arrangements

- For horizontal piles, try lining up the books so that one side is straight (like the inside edges of my horizontal piles above)

- Make all the books' spines flush (like a flat wall, not steps) and bring them to the forward edge of the bookshelf to neaten and unify the look (they do this at libraries and bookstores)

- Use horizontal piles as bookends to support books standing vertically

- Consider adding other decorative objects (such as a vase, pretty box, or small figurine) to add interest and showcase favorite items along with your books

It's yet another simple and free makeover that can really make a big difference! I love books, and I love them even more when they can look so beautiful and really add to the overall decor of my home!

Any other tips for bookshelves? Leave a comment and share!

Spiritual Sundays: Preparing and Protecting Our Children

"The righteous woman's strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times. She has been placed here to help enrich, to protect, and to guard the home- which is society's basic and most noble institution. Other institutions in society may falter and even fail, but the righteous woman can help to save the home, which may be the last and only sanctuary some mortals know in the midst of storm and strife."

 - President Spencer W. Kimball, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

With my son starting preschool this fall, it has really begun to hit home that while he may always be my baby boy, he is starting to outgrow the nest and I need to prepare him with some wings to start flying on his own. When our kids go off to preschool, elementary school, middle school, and even high school and college, we can't be there to cover their ears when somebody says a bad word. We can't make them tell somebody sorry when they hurt their feelings, and we can't explain why kids are making fun of the girl who looks different. Which is why these things need to be taught at home.

There are many things we can do to prepare and protect our children from the un-Christlike situations that they will encounter on a daily basis, for it would be unwise and neglectful of us to allow them to take on the world without giving them the tools they need to protect themselves. I'm certainly not a parenting expert or anything, but I wanted to just share a few of my goals for this school year that I hope will continue until my kids leave home.

1. Have a Morning Devotional. I just started this two weeks ago, and I am really glad I did. In the morning before school, I gather the kids at the kitchen table or on the couch and we sing a Primary song, read a story from the Friend magazine, and have a prayer. This gives us some family time before we separate for the day and gets us in that right mindset that we need to deal with whatever comes our way during the day. It only takes about 10 minutes, but it is time well spent.

2. Have some after school one-on-one time. This is another habit we've gotten into- when my little guy gets home from school we sit in our big papasan chair together and go over his folder and talk about his day. My hope is that it gives him that safe place to be with Mommy and re-connect. When he gets older and starts facing tougher situations, my hope is that we can use that time to work together on his concerns.

3. Practice at home. The same way that we practice schoolwork and help children study for tests at home, we should also practice for the tests of life. My goal is to seize those moments when the children aren't getting along or someone's feelings have gotten hurt and use them to teach. Lately when my son has done something wrong, instead of telling him to apologize or to clean something up, I just ask him, "What do you think you should do?" Turns out, he knows the answer! And he is more likely to do it when it is his own idea. I hope that this will encourage him to independently make these good choices when he is outside the home.

4. Make home a safe haven from the world. This is one that I hear from church leaders all the time- that our homes should be a peaceful refuge from the stresses and concerns we face in our day-to-day activities. That can be tough, especially when so many of those stresses and concerns seem to happen at home! However, I hope to try to contain my temper and help promote a feeling of peace and love in our home. I will also try to promote these feelings by being organized (so I can be calm!) keeping our home clean and beautiful through daily routines.

5. Continue with Family Home Evening, family prayers, family dinners, and family scripture study. These are all things that we do regularly, and as my son has grown I have definitely seen how much he learns from these times together. I want to take advantage of his sponge-like little brain and put as much good stuff in there as I can! I also want to emphasize that our family time is important and that it is something to be treasured and enjoyed. 

These are just a few of my goals that I hope will prepare and protect my little ones as they become big(ger) ones! I love my children dearly, and I know that they are special blessings from God. I pray every day that I can lead them and guide them in the way that He would have me do, for I know that they are His before they are mine. Our responsibility is a solemn and wonderful one- let's treat it as such!

In what ways do you prepare and protect your children to help them keep the faith? Leave a comment and share!

Goodwill Hunting ;-)

My shopping trip yesterday inspired me to give my favorite local Goodwill a try for the kids' clothes, since I hadn't been there in awhile. Well, it was quite the success! Let me just say that I could have bought much more than I did, but I was trying to stick to a budget and only buy the things they really needed. But ohh, there were so many cute things there- especially for my little girl! I came out with 2 Old Navy sweaters for her, a little 2-piece terry cloth sweatsuit-type thing from Gymboree, a Tommy Hilfiger dress (she didn't need it, but it was too cute), and a pair of Hello Kitty shoes. For my son I got 2 pairs of jeans (Old Navy and Route 66), 2 random-name long-sleeve shirts, and a Carters sweater. 

The grand total? $39. Not bad for 11 pieces total, including the shoes!

I will still probably have more shopping to do as the weather changes and they inevitably grow, but this will probably get them through the first few cold snaps. 

Ahh, Goodwill sucess!

Do you like to frequent your local thrift shop? If so, how often do you find success? Leave a comment and share your experiences!

School Clothes! $98 worth for $25!

The tags tell the story.

Way to pose, little model man!

Okay, so it's not the super-cheap clothes from Goodwill like I usually do for fall, but I haven't been able to find much at Goodwill lately, so I hit Ross today instead since my little guy was in serious need of some non-high-water pants, long-sleeve shirts, and a fall jacket. I thought I did pretty good dressing him from head to toe in $98 worth of Polo for $25. I got him the jeans ($7.49), the shirt (a faux layered look for $5.99), and a fleece jacket ($10.99).

Honestly, I am kind of a fashion fan. I like to look good, and I like my kids to look good, and sometimes it's nice to have some brand-name clothes that aren't secondhand. Not that that stuff matters all that much, but if I can find a deal on Polo that isn't that much more than the same generic style at Wal-Mart, then why not buy it? And often, the quality is higher, so it ends up being a better deal.

I plan to do lots more Goodwill shopping in the next few weeks for the kids' wardrobes, so check back for more good buys...

How do you buy clothes for your family? Goodwill, Wal-Mart, discount stores, or full-price at department and boutique stores? Leave a comment and let me know!

Rainy Family Fun

For those of you on the east coast, it's been a rainy day that's just the start of a rainy weekend! I was inspired by this guest post on MoneySavingMom about Frugal Family Fun to post about some rainy frugal family fun for those of you with restless little ones. 

A few months ago I decided to make a "Rainy Day Fun Jar". I wrote down several different activities with little pictures on pieces of paper and then folded them up and put them into a jar. Now, whenever it's a rainy day or there is another reason we can't play outside (or even if we're just bored and want something to do!) I let one of the kids reach into the jar and pick out something fun for us to do. 

Here are a few of the ideas:

- Color

- Paint

- Do a craft project (I've started saving empty toilet paper and paper towel tubes for these)

- Play a game (Candyland and Chutes and Ladders are great for little ones, or you can just make up your own game)

- Build a fort (chairs, pillows, blankets- you get the idea)

- Dance party

- Play Horse Jumping (I am an equestrian so this is one of my favorite games to play with the kids- we set up "jumps" and we each pretend we're on a horse and we jump over them- it's great fun and exercise!)

- Read stories

- Bake cookies

- Treasure hunt (like an easter egg hunt- I'll use some colored blocks and hide them around the house, then the kids each get a bag and try to find them, and when we're done we separate them into piles by color, practice counting them, etc.- fun and educational!)

- Make cards (we have family far away, so we have fun making cards and getting them ready to mail)

- Build with blocks

- Play store (we have a shopping cart and some fake groceries, and one person arranges the "groceries" all over the room, then the other person walks around and puts them in the cart and takes them to the checkout, and someone else can bag them; you can even make your own groceries using empty boxes and cans)

- Bean bag toss (use a bean bag or a small stuffed animal and practice throwing it into a basket- you can use different sizes, shapes, and distances to mix it up)

- Put on a play (my kids are still a little too young for this, but it would be fun)

Those are just a few ideas that are fairly easy to do on the fly. I'm sure that all of you have lots more great ideas- do share! Post a comment and tell us what you like to do for fun on a rainy day!

Easy Deals of the Week- Dimetapp, Glade, chocolate and ice cream!

It's time for another edition of my Easy Deals of the Week, where you can get the deals using only last week's Sunday paper or coupons you can print from your computer!

Walgreens

- Dimetapp, on sale 2 for $10, with a Register Reward of $10 back when you buy 3. Go here to print a coupon for $2/1. Use 3 coupons, spend $9 out of pocket and get $10 back in Register Rewards (which you can use like cash on your next purchase)

- Herbert's Fully Loaded Chocolate Bars, $1.99 each, use $3 off 2 coupon in the September EasySaver Catalog (a small booklet located at the front of the store with the sale flyers) and get these for $0.50 each (they are reeeaaallly good)

Kroger

- Country Club ice cream 1/2 gallon, on sale for $0.99!! 'Nuff said!

- Glade Scented Gel Plug-Ins, on sale $1.79, receive a $2 catalina (like a Register Reward or ExtraCare bucks). Spend $1.79 for one, then use your $2 catalina to go back and get another, and so on! Or you could use it to get 2 half gallons of ice cream!

Did you get any great deals this week? Post a comment and let me know!

MIA and Pay It Forward

I have to apologize for being somewhat MIA these last few days. I've just been trying to get a routine going now that oldest is in preschool, and it's hard to find the time to balance everything! I did discover something pretty great last week though- I can do all my deals shopping on one day now!

See, there is a Walgreens and a Rite Aid right across the street from the preschool, and last week I found out that 5 minutes down the road there is CVS, Kroger, and Food Lion! I must have really lucked out because there's also a Tuesday Morning (a great discount store) and a Goodwill nearby. So my goal now is to get all my deals together on Sunday night, and then get my shopping done Monday morning or Tuesday morning. The other benefit to this (besides getting it all done in one fell swoop) is that I have a higher chance of items being in stock, and I can take advantage of CVS's Sunday-Monday only deals. 

I actually had a good experience on Monday at Kroger- I decided to check and see if the Glade plug-ins deal was still working (buy one at $1.79, get a $2 catalina). Well, it did work! I bought 2, used my buy one get one free coupon, only paid for one and got $4 back. I was so pleased that I took all my groceries out to the car and then went back in to get 2 more. They only had 2 left, so I got those, and then I realized that it would only come to $1.79 (I was going to use another B1G1 coupon) so I got 2 more things of ice cream they had on sale for $0.99. After paying with the $4 catalinas, my total was $0! 

As I was walking out of the store, I thought about how blessed I was, and I suddenly felt strongly that I needed to share my blessings with others. I saw a lady coming in the store with her leg in a cast. She had some kind of a brace on the other leg, and her clothes looked shabby and worn. She just looked tired. On an impulse (which I'm sure was of divine origin) I stopped her and handed her the $4 catalinas, saying I had just gotten them and she could use them for anything in the store. She looked a little surprised, but she took them and thanked me.

I hope that she was able to use them, and I hope that maybe I had made her burden just a little bit lighter that day. I guess I may never really know, but it felt really good to give back. Kind of a way to show Heavenly Father my gratitude for all that he's given me. I know, it was only 4 bucks, but maybe it made a difference to someone else.

Hope you all are having a beautiful thrifty week, and I will post some Easy Deals later today!