That means all of my people are home all day.  Actually, that means our schedule is variable, unpredictable, and busy for the next three months.  What with three children playing summer baseball/softball/t-ball and one in basketball, a husband helping with wheat harvest and summer weights, summer football and church camps, Vacation Bible School, orthodontist/dentist/OB appointments, and a Mama due in August with a baby who’s been riding low on some achy hips that need swimming pool therapy… the name of the game will be flexibility.

Planning ahead with quick and easy meals that use pantry and freezer staples is essential!

Something new-to-us that I get to plan around this year starting this week is our local CSA share.  I’m excited to have a variety of locally grown veggies to supplement what’s in our own garden, spurring creativity and awakening our tastebuds.  Word on the street is that kale is in our first share.  Time to try kale chips!  (Have you had them?)

Trips to the store will revolve around doctor’s appointments and ballgames, which should work fine since that will be at east weekly.  I’ll attempt to make a more specific plan weekly, but this is what summer meals will likely look like for our family.

Breakfast

Every other week my husband will be in charge of the weight program from 6-9 in the morning.  When he’s on, he’ll likely grab any big breakfast leftovers that are available or a bowl of Homemade Granola before heading out.  Granola is a quick and easy essential in our home, and I have it at the ready at all times.

Unless we have morning appointments, swimming lessons, or VBS, I do like to start our summer days with a big breakfast.  That gets us charged up with protein and ready for the day, and leaves later meals for quick and easy fare as things heat up and get busy.  We’ll likely rotate between the following:

• homemade waffles, eggs (fried or scrambled) and either homemade syrup or fruit topping
• buttermilk pancakes, eggs (fried or scrambled) and either homemade syrup or fruit topping
• fruity oatmeal pancakes with eggs
• fried eggs, homemade hashbrowns, fresh fruit
• overnight breakfast casserole with muffins or toast and fruit
• french toast (when we have leftover french bread)

Lunch and/or Dinner/Supper

My children got schooled at Papa’s Dinner Table yesterday.  One of the kids innocently asked “Is this lunch?” because our meal times get a little goofy in the summer.  Papa insisted, “You’re at the farm.  This is Dinner.  Tonight we’ll have Supper.  Only city girls say ‘lunch’.”  Alrighty then! 

Because of our big summer breakfasts, we’re not generally hungry for another big noon meal (as long as we’re not at the farm, that is) but if it doesn’t conflict with any important appointments, our 12:30-3:00 quiet time is sacred.  A big breakfast will net us a snacky lunch before then.  Quick breakfast will bring on more of a Farmer’s Dinner at that time.  Again, it’s all about flexibility.

Snacky Lunch Options

• salads with ranch dressings, most fixings likely from the CSA box
• apples and/or celery with peanut butter
• sandwiches
• snack lunch tray
• muffins and fresh fruit
• peanut butter honey roll-ups
• leftovers

Farmer’s Dinner

We’re not real farmers, we just play them in the movies.  Our dinner may be supper, but one way or another we’ll still get to eat!  Along with whatever CSA produce or fresh fixins I have from our own garden, here are some of our summertime “big meal” favorites.

• smothered beans and rice burritos
• beef and chicken fajitas
• fried rice
• BLTs (seriously can.not.wait!)
• Mini Meatloaf Mounds with cheddar ranch potatoes
• Sloppy Joes
• Chicken Salsa Nachos

Freezer Standbys

Where, oh where would I be without my freezer?!  At least once a week I need to make time to keep it stocked with heat and eat options.  They come in handy and keep us out of the drive-thru when heading to and from ballgames.  Add some fresh fruits and veggies, and we’re good to go!

• brown bag burritos
• pigs in a blanket
• pizza pockets
• ham and cheese pockets
• bierocks (just as soon as the garden cabbage is ready)

And that should do it!  Here’s to a fun, flexible summer and lots of fabulous, easy-fixin food!

Is it lunch or dinner at your house?  Dinner or supper? 

Summer Menu Plan is a post from: The Finer Things in Life

Thank you for subscribing to The Finer Things in Life! Click here to get your New Year's Time Capsule Survey for Kids

Four Simple Ways to Make Your Kids the Best of Friends ~ Love this line:  “If you’re loving that toy more than you’re loving each other then it’s time to put it away.”

The Mediterranean Secret to Phenomenal Vegetables ~ I’ll be referring to this often as my CSA starts next week!

Three Things You Can Do This Week to be a Better Mom ~ Our last day of school was Friday, and my children were SAD about it!  I’m taking notes…

Weekend Wanderings is a post from: The Finer Things in Life

Thank you for subscribing to The Finer Things in Life! Click here to get your New Year's Time Capsule Survey for Kids

Real life relationships take more effort.

Conversations can’t be easily stopped and started, carried on at random times throughout the day, for weeks.  Plans need to be made for children.  Traveling (even just across town) must be done by someone.  Jammies should be traded in for appropriate clothing.

A few weeks ago the fabulous (in)courage challenged us all to get real with friends, new and old, and get together, (in)RealLife.

So we did.

My friend Crystal (pretty sure we originally “met” on twitter, but that’s been a few years!) and I organized a troop from Kansas to meet up for food, fun, and girl talk.

Every one of us dodged scheduling issues and traffic snafus, but we made it, and we had a great time getting to know one another and sharing our hearts about friendships and the effort they take!

This was one of those meetups where I was grateful for expanding maternity jeans. 

Care to meet my new friends?  While Elizabeth is a busy mom of two littles who recently moved to Kansas, the others do have blogs you can visit.

Carolyn ~ My Little Bit of Life
Jamie ~ Coupons and Freebies Mom
Deborah ~ A Delightful Glow
Abigail ~ Rear Window
Lynette ~ Dancing Again  (Lynette also wrote He Heard Hannah, which is now on my must read list!)
Lisa ~ Life is Crazy Beautiful
Sarah ~ My Patchwork Mosaic
Stacie ~ Motherhood on a Dime

I was refreshed and encouraged by these ladies.  Making the effort to visit face to face does matter.  Breaking out of my comfort zone to share my heart does matter.  Reaching out to my local community, in whatever form that takes shape, does matter.

Friendship, in real life, is a Finer Thing!  (And to all my “computer friends,” you know you’re real, too!)  What Finer Things are you celebrating this week?  Link up and let us know! 

How are you able to nourish friendships at whatever season of life you’re currently in?  How do you make it a priority?  Inspire me!

In Real Life {Finer Things Friday} is a post from: The Finer Things in Life

Thank you for subscribing to The Finer Things in Life! Click here to get your New Year's Time Capsule Survey for Kids

Something Smarter Just Popped Up

It was the White Cloud facial tissue I grabbed the day I decided the triple pack of another brand wasn’t necessarily the best value, and I’m glad I did!  It takes care of the job, there’s a coupon built into the box for your next purchase, and you can still snag the coupon for 50¢ off a 90 count box of tissues on their Facebook page.  That makes a box about 35¢, which gives me coupon success and keeps a little more of that cash right where I want it!  (Available in select WalMart stores only.)

All that said, I do admit to being smitten with their style.  The White Cloud tissue box designs truly beat all.  (Just don’t ask me about clothing or decorating styles, because… not my thing.)

The Smart Alternative

Everyone wants to be a smarty pants, and White Cloud toilet tissue makes me feel like just that.  I hate spending my money on things that I’ll intentionally flush away, but at least with White Cloud I have quality and the reminder that their Green Earth products are made with 100% recycled fiber.  You’d think that would make it uncomfortable, but not so!

The Best for Less

Consumer Reports has conducted an independent evaluation of 25 bath tissue products including White Cloud 2-ply Soft and Thick and White Cloud 3-ply Ultra. Click here to find out how they did.  (Hint:  Impressive!)

Smart choices.  Comfort.  Value.  Sounds like a shopping plan to me!

Disclosure:  As a White Cloud blogger, I am compensated to bring you coupons and product reminders.  All comments about home decorating remain my own. 

All in the {White Cloud} Family is a post from: The Finer Things in Life

Thank you for subscribing to The Finer Things in Life! Click here to get your New Year's Time Capsule Survey for Kids

I started couponing about 17 years ago.  Yes, I’m old.  I’m also one to delight in “buying” stuff for free or pennies, and it thrilled me to no end to brag up my haul to my college roommates.  That, of course, was in the days when we all lived off of boxed cereal, boxed macaroni, and boxed Hamburger Helper.

Gag.

Once newly married and living in a smaller town, my husband got an earful at our little grocery store about how “your wife came in earlier and paid like $5 for $50 worth of stuff!”  That may embarrass some.  He just puffed up and strutted his peacock feathers.

Point being?  I know couponing.  I know it works.  It doesn’t intimidate or embarrass me, and I can’t debate the effectiveness of chapter 5 of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget.

That said, I haven’t updated my coupon file since last fall.  My quandry now is that I don’t believe I’m saving enough for my time and effort to keep it up, but I’m still super ticked when I walk in the store, see something on sale, and know there must be a coupon for it… somewhere.  I can’t stomach paying full price, so more than likely, I’m not paying for that item at all.  My children miss fun food.

Also, Crystal mentions that if you know what you’re doing, you should be saving $25-$50 per hour couponing.  Even in my glory days I don’t know that I ever had that kind of success.  Perhaps I’m a slow coupon clipper?  Lest I get ahead of myself here, I see that all of my excuses are a chapter 6 discussion, so mum’s the word.  For now, here’s my challenge:  Get back into couponing for a few months.  Keep track of my savings.  Record what I’m purchasing.  Find out a few things.

What am I really buying with coupons?

Yes.  Yes, I am one who now believes that most coupons are for junk food.  (Funny how our philosophies evolve.)  However, I am also one who believes that flavored, colored, low/no fat yogurt is junk food.  So, there’s that.  But there’s also this:  we’re coming into our summer ball season.  I have 3 children playing some form of baseball or softball at least once per week each, and we have four weekend basketball tournaments lined up.  And a road trip.  Plus, I have a toddler to entertain.  He’s easily entertained with food.

If it means mama can watch the game, Mama doesn’t mind a little convenience junk food.

How much am I really saving with coupons?

Since I’ve committed to cash already for the next 3 months, may as well go whole hog, right?  Just how much can I save with coupons, without completely wrecking our diet?  Truly, I’d like to jump ahead to chapter 7 here, because those are the strategies I’m currently using to keep our food money in check.  I wouldn’t be a very effective book club leader then, though, so forget I said that.

This chapter?  This month?  Coupons.

Does it make enough of a difference?

Back in my heyday it sure did.  But back then I had access to more stores, more time, more coupons, and fewer children.    I can still do some damage at Dillons, WalMart, and Dollar General if I put my mind to it, though.  And I’ll try, for a time.

Lucky for me, I have a 9 year old who is very interested in earning some money this summer.  She may have earned herself coupon clipping duty, because mama has a baby to prepare for, and mama can’t do it all!

Bottom line:  I’m not turning my nose up at the almighty coupon.  I’ve been there, done that, and I know there are savings to be had.  Are the savings right for me?  Are they worth it?  That remains to be seen.

What’s holding you back?

Let’s chat.  Is it the time involved?  The lack of coupons?  (Our newspaper deliverer used to give me coupons… but he doesn’t deliver the paper any more.  No one does here.  Sad.) Printing and clipping time?  Fewer stores in your area?  A whole foods diet?  A house full of children and other responsibilities?  Other (completely justifiable and rightly so) priorities?  Tell us your story!

If you’re a current Coupon Queen, motivate us!  I love a success story, too.  How have you overcome the couponing odds?

Do You Coupon? {Chapter 5, Money Saving Mom’s Budget} is a post from: The Finer Things in Life

Thank you for subscribing to The Finer Things in Life! Click here to get your New Year's Time Capsule Survey for Kids

Whether this is your first or, um, fifth, those two little lines can come as quite a shock.  A happy surprise, a much-prayed for addition, or an Are Your Kidding Me?! aside, it’s time to grow a baby.  So now what?

One of the amazing, miracle aspects of pregnancy is that there’s a lot we can do to keep mama and baby healthy, and yet there is so much way beyond our control.  No amount of eating the right diet or doing the right exercises is going to keep baby in there.  The unexpected and devastating does sometimes happen.  That doesn’t mean we don’t do our best, though!

In those first early weeks and throughout pregnancy, I do feel better if I control what I can control, pray fervently for that new life, and do my very best to let go of the rest.

Pregnancy Diet

As early as possible, (because let’s face it, sometimes morning sickness will dictate your diet, and if you have to get 90% of your calories from cheese for a time, then do it!) I try to start planning my meals and snacks based on the principles of The Brewer Diet, which I first learned about in my Bradley Method Natural Birthing classes with our first pregnancy.

This high-protein, nutrient-loaded diet supports what mom and baby need most.  I remember specifically my Bradley Method instructor encouraging a quality diet to develop a “juicy, curly cord.”  Again, there is so very much out of our control, but if what I eat can help my baby’s umbilical cord become stronger and my pregnancy go smoother, I’m sure gonna try!

Supplements

I must be the world’s worst about taking nutritional supplements.  I just never can get a good habit going with that!  During pregnancy I do try harder, though, and this time around I’m taking Garden of Life Vitamin Raw Prenatalwith fair regularity!  I like the small, easy to swallow capsules.  Choking down horse pills, especially in the first trimester, is near impossible for me!  I also appreciate the addition of ginger to the ingredients, which is supposed to suppress morning sickness and aid in digestion.  (My doctor never recommended or encouraged a certain brand, so I’m simply taking what works for me.)

At one of my first appointments, I asked my doctor if there is anything I can do to prevent the premature rupture of my bag of waters.  I’m way over average with that miserable condition (trust me, you do not want to go through a long labor with no water cushion!) since mine has broken 3 out of 4 times.  He said there isn’t, but several friends have suggested an Herbal Pregnancy Tea and Red Raspberry Leaf  Tea.  (Mamas know!)  I’ve also been told that extra vitamin C is shown to keep that bag of water intact, so I’ll be adding that to my “daily takes” as well.  Maybe it won’t work for me, but I can’t not try!

Exercise

Babies like blood.  I’m trying desperately to remember that, especially as our days get busier and it starts to heat up out there.  Yes, there are times when life takes hold and I don’t move as much as I should, but exercising throughout pregnancy is truly one of the best things I can do for myself and my baby.

Growing a baby and giving birth is a marathon, so incredibly taxing to the body.  Regardless of how you plan your delivery (and how it actually happens — because it’s not always how you plan it!) your body will be better prepared for labor, delivery, and recovery if you’re moving now.

I don’t have access to a gym or special classes, but I can move!  A few weeks ago I took to wearing a Pedometerto track my steps, aiming for 10,000 each day.  My little dude loves to ride in the stroller, so I can knock out a few thousand steps simply by wheeling him around for a while.

Because I have a history of back labor (2 out of my 4 pregnancies, yuck!) I’m also trying some of the Spinning Babies stretches and techniques this go around.  I’m willing to try anything to encourage this little one into the right position and keep him/her there!

The miracle of a baby forming in my body is definitely God’s design, and so much of it is completely out of my control.  That’s a good thing!  It’s also a good thing, though, to care for my body and my baby’s home as best as I know how.  I never perfectly follow any diet, supplement, or exercise routine.  (Is there a perfect one?!  Doubtful.)  However, doing the best we can with the information we have… that’s a good start.

What works for you to get your pregnancy going in the right direction? 

I’m Pregnant! Now What? is a post from: The Finer Things in Life

Thank you for subscribing to The Finer Things in Life! Click here to get your New Year's Time Capsule Survey for Kids

On Forcing Children to Share {and Socialism} ~ BINGO!  (But I still forget sometimes, namely when the whining reaches new heights.)

Well I Didn’t Expect to Meet Her in Tanzania ~ Ouch.  This one pokes at me.

How to Miss a Childhood ~ Most important read of the week!  I don’t have a smart phone… but I do have a computer. 

Where is the Mommy War for the Motherless Child? ~ “Let’s stop quibbling about what competent mothers are choosing for their kids, and step it up for the kids that don’t have one.”

Weekend Wanderings is a post from: The Finer Things in Life

Thank you for subscribing to The Finer Things in Life! Click here to get your New Year's Time Capsule Survey for Kids

You know how I love our loaded tostadas, right?  This is the same love, only different.  Load them up however you choose!

*** Sticky chicken has lots of flavor if made as directed.  If you’re starting with plain chicken, you may need to add more spices.

*** This goes together super fast as is, but the chicken mixture also freezes beautifully.  Simply warm while you’re chopping veggies for a 10 minute dinner.

*** Perfect for a fun DIY dinner night.  Kids love putting together their own nacho plates.

*** Don’t have chips?  Do the same thing with hard or soft tacos, burritos, or tostadas!

Chicken Salsa Nachos is a post from: The Finer Things in Life

Thank you for subscribing to The Finer Things in Life! Click here to get your New Year's Time Capsule Survey for Kids

When I called my daughter over to investigate, we laughed together.  “So that’s where it went!”  The child has a tendency to fling off her socks immediately upon walking in the house.  Apparently one disappeared in the flinging.

Found it!

So THAT’S where it went! is a post from: The Finer Things in Life

Thank you for subscribing to The Finer Things in Life! Click here to get your New Year's Time Capsule Survey for Kids

We’re doing this cash thing!  As the debate rages on between the benefits of paying with cash, debit, or credit (responsibly!), we’ve decided to (mostly) go where we’ve never gone before… green. 

Having no debt to begin with, I’m rather certain we don’t have a spending or self-control problem that using cash is going to fix, but with one week of a three-month experiment under our belts, I’ve already learned a thing or two!

My husband is a rockstar.

Why yes, I did already know this, and while the reminder has little to do with spending, it’s been great to know he’s on board with whatever crazy challenge I come up with for us to try.  In fact, as I was headed to the bank on May 1 to grab some cash, little did I know that he was already using it!  He came home that night from a far away track meet.  “Be proud. I used cash for my dinner tonight!”  And oh, I was, because I’d completely forgotten he’d even have the opportunity.

Cash is not convenient.

We did have a good laugh on Saturday at Sonic Happy Hour.  While he was buying drinks for the ride home from our daughter’s birthday party, she and I ran into the store for birthday doughnuts for the next morning… and made it back across the parking lot to Sonic before he was ready to pull out.  “I have to wait for my change.”

We’d already been laughing about extra bills in the wallet, loose change all around, and the extra seconds it takes to spend the cash.  I even had to switch wallets to make this work!  Cash is definitely not more convenient in many respects, however… maybe that’s the point!

I don’t have a spending problem, I have an organizational problem.

Well how about that.  A little something I already know comes to slap me in the face on week one!  Over and over I hear about the emotional attachment we have to our cash and how spending it will be harder than swiping the card.  I want so badly to deny it, but so far… I can’t.  At least a little bit.  Here’s what the emotional attachment looks like for me.

On my first grocery/household shopping trip with cash, I put lots in my wallet.  You just never know what you might need, and my focus this month is not on bringing the budget down and spending less, it’s on practicing handing over green.  Even so, I left the store without a few things on my list.  Intentionally!

While those things were all needs (kind of), they weren’t items I needed right then and there, and as I’m going through my list walking the aisles, I found myself mentally strategizing ways to make do or do without. 

I’d normally have grabbed the triple pack of tissues because we need them, but… I didn’t have a coupon and didn’t want to pay full price.  So I bought one (less expensive with a coupon in the box for next time) package and figured we’d make do.  We needed bathroom cleaner, but I didn’t have a coupon and all those voices in my head who have preached about the benefits and ease of baking soda and vinegar on my bathtub were making me giggle.  I did already have those things at home; perhaps there’s no time like the present to try some natural cleaners!

If I was swiping plastic, would I have grabbed what’s on my list and moved on with life?  Maybe!  Did using cash save me money?  Well, on that particular trip it very well could have.  I’m not going to commit to that long term, though, because I’ll still be back to the store for tissues and bathroom cleaner, but perhaps I’ll be more organized and have my coupons with me next time!

Using cash is spurring me to revisit some of the time and money saving strategies I’ve set aside in recent months.  To everything there is a season, and early pregnancy mixed with a busy family schedule trumped couponing and making do for a while.  Hey, if I’m paying with the paper stuff, surely I’m ready to bring back some discipline in other areas of life, right?

Are you trying the The Money Saving Mom’s Budget cash challenge with me?  I’d love to hear how it’s going!

Cash in My Wallet is a post from: The Finer Things in Life

Thank you for subscribing to The Finer Things in Life! Click here to get your New Year's Time Capsule Survey for Kids