A few years ago, I distinctly remember a period of time when any day I actually got out of my sweats, my children inquired as to where we were going. I am one of those who really like being comfy, yet I know that how I dress affects how I act.

When I sleep in sweats and then never get out of those sweats throughout the day (cough, cough, not that I am admitting to ever doing that), it sets the tone for the day.  I am more sluggish, more lazy and somehow that emotional state can spread to another day.

Growing up, my parents would never let me wear jeans or sweats to school. I never understood that mentality and fought it for years, but I finally got it. They wanted me to dress as if school was my “job.” And they knew that when I wore sweats, it added a different tone to the day. Can I glean from that wisdom and apply it to my role as the Family Manager?

Every once in awhile, those stay in PJ’s days are completely necessary to just de-stress and relax, but once I saw a pattern developing, and it was affecting how I treated my days, I started implementing just a few changes.  If you are a stay at home mom, you may see yourself in this pattern. Now, I am not saying you need to get dressed up every day just to get spit on by the baby, but why don’t you try one small thing each day to take care of yourself.  Maybe it’s fixing your hair a bit more, putting on some make up or adding a fun accessory. For the last 20 years, I’ve always said, “I won’t leave the house without lipstick, mascara and earrings.” That funny mantra still lives on.

The above Frugal Fashionista outfit is a perfect example of how one can be so incredibly comfy cozy, spend virtually no money, and still feel good about how you look.

It all started with this White Gap shirt. I bought it at a yard sale only for the fabric, since I didn’t think it would be very flattering. It was one of those shirts I knew I could sleep in, but never thought I would wear out. It’s pajama like material and the soft fabric on my skin just makes me happy.

Last week, I found this purple asymmetrical shirt in the same kind of jersey knit, cotton fabric as my Gap shirt. The wonderful thing about this shirt is not only does it have the comfy cozy feel, but it gives the pop of color I like, paired with the long look that helps draw the eye away from those problem areas we talked about last week.

This sweet DIY felt flower pin was given to me by Kimba. By adding it to my shirt,  it adds just enough pop to really dress up the look. These flower pins are so easy to make once you get the hang of it, and there are so many fun options.

I definitely feel a tutorial coming on.

Last week, I casually mentioned doing a 30 Day Hair Challenge and I am SO going to do that on the blog in March. I love being able to fix my hair in 30 seconds, and that’s one of the main reasons I keep it a bit longer. Yet this look is a perfect example of how by  just taking one extra minute to put a few curls in it, and then pulling it loosely to the side, instead of my long pony tail, changed it up without needing to take a long time getting ready.

Remember last week we talked about how belts give a slimming appearance? Well, when I’ve worn this in the past, I have not tied it and kind of hid the string behind the shirt. I tied it this week and really do think it gives that illusion, especially with the purple over it. I wouldn’t wear it out without another shirt over it because it’s not that flattering solo.

And that’s my Frugal Fashionista Comfy Outfit that is cozy enough to sleep in,  but cute enough to wear out anywhere.

And that  sweet, silly girl is just another of my beautiful distractions as my son tried to get these pictures taken.

So, am I the only one that sometimes wants to choose cozy over cute?

How do you balance the two?

There are a lot of iconic Superbowl commercials, but I bet if you asked any true blue football fans about the 1980 “Mean Joe” Greene Super Bowl Coke ad where he hobbled down the tunnel,  gets offered a  Coca-Cola by the young fan, this would forever stand out as one of the most memorable ads of all times.

In fact minutes ago, my husband walked through the door from work and I asked him, “Do you remember the Mean Joe Green commercial where he….” Yes, he finished the scenario.

So this Sunday, right before the big game, it’s being done all over ago, just 22 years later with a slightly older Mean Joe Green. There are some fun twists though to this new ad. His refreshment isn’t quite Coke, but the new Downy Unstopables In-wash Scent Booster. And it’s definitely no longer a little boy handing him something; it’s actress Amy Sedaris.

I chuckle at this Downy’s Superbowl Commercial because if you’ve ever had an athlete in your house, especially football players who bring their pads and uniforms home, you know the desperation one feels in attempting to get the smell half way acceptable and honestly, in our home, Downy is our children’s number one pick. They ask me to get the “good smelling stuff.” This new scent- boosting formula contains four times more perfumed ingredients than liquid Downy, and I’m feeling quite certain it will finally be a perfect match for our three teenage son’s sports uniforms.

If you are like me and would love some free Downy samples. They will also be entertaining viewers throughout the big game by hosting a “Touch Downy” giveaway on their Twitter Page: @downy . Some Twitter followers will win free samples of Downy Unstopables and Unstopable Fan Packages throughout the game. To make the giveaway easy to follow, use the hashtag #TouchDowny.

Each time a team scores a touchdown, people who tweet the hashtag at the Downy Twitter account (@Downy) will receive Downy products and gift cards to the NFL shop.

So are you ready for some football?

Or how about just the commercials? Grab a sneak peak of Downy’s Superbowl Commercial. It brings back so many memories for me.

Let’s take a quick poll? Who else remembers the 1980 version? Ask the football fan in your life. I bet they do?

“This is a sponsored post by Downy. All fond memories of Superbowl Ads and my family’s true love of Downy are all mine.

I know it’s hard to believe, but I have never liked Tootsie Rolls.

Does that aline itself as an American travesty? Is that similar to snubbing All American Apple Pie and Baseball?  If it is, then I have found the solution.

My friend introduced me to these incredibly easy to make chocolate chews with only four ingredients, and trust me, this Homemade Tootsie Roll recipe has pulled me right in and made me a candy maker.

I am a convert. I have always avoided making any kind of candy, but this recipe was simply fool proof, and the ingredients literally whipped up in about five minutes.

This basic combination of ingredients is what pastry chef have used for years to make mold-able chocolate.

It stays fresh for a LONG time, and it’s so easy to shape anything. My girls had such fun shaping it, almost like play dough, to form flowers, children’s initial, snakes (for the boys, of course) what ever your heart desires. I think it would be a perfect upcoming recipe to try for Valentine’s Day.

I admit. The homemade tootsie rolls shown above never made it into individually wrapped candies. It pretty much stayed wrapped in one big roll and we just helped ourselves at will.

Hearts of Loving Kindness –

For years, we implemented a unique Valentine’s Day tradition that encouraged thinking of others through out the month of February. It was a way to get our children’s eyes off themselves and make it fun to serve others. You may begin it now and continue through til Valentine’s Day or make it a month long event.

This tradition idea can be adapted to best fit the personality of your family, but we used pretty hearts during the month of February to teach the value of loving kindness to others in our lives. Find a small box or jar and invite your children to help decorate it any way you want: with stickers, artwork, photos or a big red ribbon. Feel free to use our free printable hearts template or make your own.  Place all of the blank hearts inside the jar and as they wait “patiently” wondering what you are doing, share this tradition idea with your family.

Every time you observe a family member doing something kind for someone else, or going above and beyond typical family behavior, write their name and what they did on a heart. String it up on a ribbon and hang it in the kitchen or family room for all to see. You can put four to six hearts on a ribbon by cutting a slit at the top and bottom of the heart and slipping each heart up the ribbon and then tie a knot at the top of the heart to hold it in place. The more hearts your family sees dangling, the more they will want to add to the festive display. At the end of the month, determine what the special treat will be to end a wonderful month of looking to put others first. Remember to spend time throughout the month, dinner time works well, reading out loud each new heart. You will be reminded of the power of encouraging words as you see their faces light up as their heart is read.

From a mom’s point of view, I think one thing that is important to remember is to focus on the “character qualities” and not just the actions. There is already so much pressure for children to “perform,” so instead of pointing out what they “did well,” note the character quality behind it, such as perseverance, diligence, encouragement, kindness, servant-hood etc. As we build up their love tank, by affirming their character qualities, the begin to understand a truer sense of their value. For instance, during a particular hard “mommy day,” my daughter made me a smoothie and served it to me. Often, I find that I want to point out what a good cook she is becoming (which she is), but my desire is to continue to encourage her sweet servant’s spirit and her thoughtfulness, not just the fact she cooks well. Now, this is something hard for the kids to understand, but I continue to point out the difference as I model a paradigm shift.

You will have plenty of opportunities during the month to talk about how and why we do things for others simply out of the “kindness of our hearts.”

Make it a family tradition to focus on the value of loving kindness every February and be sure to preserve those precious memories in a Valentine’s Day Book with a photo of family members holding their Hearts of Loving Kindness.

Create your own crafty hearts or use our free heart template to print off your own hearts to enjoy this new Valentine’s Day tradition today.

Discover lots of other inexpensive Valentine’s Day ideas at my holiday celebrations category.

It’s the last day of the month, which means my January Pantry Challenge has come to a close. We started out by understanding the need to get organized and I offered a simple Freezer Checklist that might help. Then we addressed the issue of stockpiling food and when is “enough, enough?” If you haven’t read the comments, there is lots of great wisdom in them. I interrupted my Pantry updates, by sharing about Game Day foods and my love for this Beer Dip recipe, even though I don’t drink beer.

Truth be told, it was officially interrupted twice this month when we hit the Pepperidge Farms Thrift Store I(and got two cartloads of items – hello – Goldfish for a quarter) and then when my hubby came home with a fridge full of some amazing mark down meat specials declaring, “You will be so proud of me. They had double stickers on them.”

I almost scolded, well, in fact, I may have started to chastise him for interrupting our Freezer and Pantry Challenge until I realized just what an act of service that was, and only a nagging wife would not appreciate the great shopping. So I shut my mouth, realized I had taught him well, and chuckled when our teen age sons declared him a hero for actually stocking up some great food in the midst of our challenge.

Over all, the month has been a huge success, but I did not attack our chest freezer nearly enough to de-thaw it, which was one of my main goals. There’s still a 20 pound organic Turkey that I purchased for only $0.99/pound after Thanksgiving that I need to cook up, as well as a plethora of other unnamed objects that have disappeared into the abyss, but we only spent approximately $400 for our family of seven, so I was thrilled with the savings. I am actually going to extend my Freezer challenge through February and not make any frozen food purchases, since the food in the freezer must be eaten up and March is National Frozen Foods month. I want it cleared out since lots of stockpile deals will be occurring then.

I made so many crazy, yet yummy concoctions this month, which I will slowly post, but here are just a few new recipes that I recently posted using only  ingredients that I had on hand.

Lots of yummy soups accompanied with  Homemade Dumplings and these easy popovers (regular and cinnamon sugar sweet popovers)

I cleared up the mystery of London Broil and you all gave some great London Broil recipes (so moist and delicious)

Cheesy Cracker Chicken Recipe (3 ingredients)

Cheese and Egg Puff Recipe (but clear out your fridge and make it a meal)

I’ll follow up one more time as I work my way through this freezer because I am going to have to get awfully creative with what lurks in it, while still having my kids think I am a half way decent cook.

How did the rest of you do? Did anyone try the Pantry Challenge this month for any portion of time?

Remember, just jump in and give it a try. Even if it’s just for a week, use up what you have and be challenged to more creative in the kitchen.

Check out how my other friends made this Pantry Challenge work for them:

• Tammy’s Recipes
• Good Cheap Eats
• The Finer Things in Life
• Getting Freedom from Debt

Thanks for sharing your Tasty Tuesday inspiration. (If you are reading through a reader or by email, click over to check out over 100 recipes that are shared each week.)

Simple Rules for Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods –  As always, please link directly to your recipe post and not your blog URL, so that everyone can find the recipe months from now.

Also, link back here in your post so that everyone can join in the fun, it’s just common courtesy of blog carnivals. Please do not link up a recipe meme that you have started. Thanks for your understanding.

In the past year, I have experimented with dozens of egg recipes, egg casseroles, egg crescents, egg omelets, you get the picture. Eggs are not only a great source of protein, but a budget conscious cook’s dream with endless versatility.  This Cheesy Egg Puff recipe stands out as one of my favorites because most egg puff recipes have a light airy texture, while this is more dense. It’s delicious like that, plus my family devours them.

My egg and cheese puff pictures above show the egg puffs made from the basic core recipe which contains just bacon and cheese, but have fun with the recipe. Experiment to your liking and make it your own. I enjoy recipes where the possibilities can be changed each time you make it.

If making this for a special occasion, this recipe can be started the evening before, and then finished in the morning. It’s also a great freezer meal, so make extras and freezer them in smaller portions for a quick and easy meal option (or breakfast on the run like in our home).

Do you ever eat breakfast for dinner like our family? If you do, add in some diced ham and broccoli to cover your dinner’s veggie portion. See? I told you it was versatile, but as with preparing any recipe for the first time, make this basic egg puff recipe first, and then determine how you want to change it up.

Since I always recommend cooking bacon in the oven, as well as cooking it in bulk, hopefully you already have some bacon crumbles on hand which will easily allow you to whip the ingredients together in five minutes.

Trust me, you will want to print or pin this to save for future reference. Better yet, why don’t you just make it tomorrow?

It’s a perfect recipe that meets my Cooking with Kids, Ten Minute Dinner, Freezer Cooking and Pantry Challenge requirements, all at one time.

Enjoy!!

We’ve kept a Father/ Daughter Date Night album for years, and I know it will be one of the most cherished gifts when my girls get older. This silk album pulls out accordion style, so that you can compare 40 pages side by side. It’s precious.

Fifty-two date ideas to help you connect, rekindle and strengthen your love, all centered around the three style of attention couples need. It’s Such a fun gift.

Date Night Deck (now only $10)

I Love You Pillow only $10.

Each gift comes with a special tradition idea. As your browse the Once Upon a Family site, double click on the product, and the tradition idea is shared.

Shop Once Upon a Family and receive 50% off Valentine’s Day Items

Free shipping on all orders. Select free shipping at check out. These specials available through Feb. 10.

Are you new to my Frugal Fashionista series?

Find out how I dress in designer clothes for less. Yes, for mere pennies on the dollar, my entire outfit is less than $15, and did I mention…all second hand?

It’s no secret around here that I’ve been riding a weight loss roller coaster (written 9/10, not ’11) and unfortunately, I have climbed to the top with a 15 pound weight gain just this past year, and I haven’t quite come down the other side yet. I’ll tackle this topic in another post, but in regards to fashion, there are simple ways to visually slim your appearance and picking the right pieces is key.

People who see me daily would have a hard time believing I’ve gained almost 15 pounds this last year. At nearly 5’8″,  I have an hour glass figure which allows me a five pounds fluctuation on a regular basis, but more recently, my challenge occurs with finding pants that fit. I do not want to purchase larger sizes, since I am now committed to getting this extra weight off, so I lean towards fashion focal points which don’t emphasize the tighter areas.

Look at your body shape. Do you know what it is? Do you understand your problem areas?

I am aware of mine, and since I’ve gained a larger muffin top and a bootee area where my pants are screaming for breathing room, I want to visually detract from those areas. All three of these outfits show longer sweaters and jackets that help cover them. My calves and approximately 6 inches above my knees are relatively trim, so in the outfit above, I paired a long jacket over my $5 TJ Maxx leggings and tucked the leggings into my yard sale black boots.

This $1 yard sale jacket is actually quite dated, but by pulling the jacket in at the waist with a $1 black belt and incorporating a pop of color with great accessories, it makes for an updated stylish look. If you could see the jacket by itself, you would have doubts about its Fashionista status, and given it to Goodwill yourself, but all together, it received a thumbs up when a fashionable high school girl complemented, ” I love your jacket.”

I try and remember to add at least one unusual twist to a more traditional outfit. Since a black jacket is very typical, this thrifted pink shirt with the varying neckline, along with the yard sale necklace and earrings did the trick.

Whenever I get talking fashion with friends, most of them say they just can’t wear belts. Especially, if the waist is a problem area, they think it attracts attention. I totally disagree. I think belts draw eyes in, minimizing the waist line. It takes a bit of getting used to, since it’s a paradigm shift, but you’ll thank me. Just give it a try.

When I added the black belt over the green tank, it reduced my look by ten pound immediately. The size of belts do make a difference. Each belt does not work with every outfit. At first I tried a thin, dressy belt and that was NOT good, my muffin top hung over the belt (yes, too much info, but just telling you like it is). When I added this wider $1 yard sale belt, it was perfect. (Just ignore the fact that my tank layering with the belt is a mess. I had been gone all day and just wanted out of my clothes. I really need to start looking in the mirror first and primp for you all, but I am just not a primper. )

Last year, do you remember my hunt for an asymmetrical sweater? Well, since my middle name is “Murphy,” and it was the first thing I bought new in years, of course, it would be the one thing I lost. I left it in a hotel a few months ago, and since it’s been a staple in my wardrobe all year, I knew I wanted to replace it immediately. I was willing to buy it new and even looked in places such as The Limited, but I couldn’t find the style I wanted.

Guess what? Last week, I found one that I LOVED at Goodwill. I was SO excited, and for only $3.75, I did the happy thrifting dance (in my mind).

Typically, I would not wear this with a long black sweater, but I led worship last week and the choir needed to wear all black – black pants and black shirts. Since I was helping lead, I had a bit more wiggle room, so decided to add a pop of color to my all black look, and layered it over a long skirt instead of pants, which gave it a very elegant look (even though my tween daughter was mortified with the long skirt. ).

And yes, there’s no shame in shopping at Norstrom’s. It’s one of my favorite stores. This tank is perfect for summer or winter.

Again, another example of how the $5 Goodwill jacket and yard sale belt helps minimize the waist. These comfy $1 Eddie Bauer jeans do not fit perfectly,  but you’d never be able to tell under the jacket. I realize that all three of these jackets are black. Since my Frugal Fashionista posts are all about buying items second hand, unfortunately, I don’t always have the luxury of finding styles I love in varying colors. Trust me, I am keeping my eyes out for different colors.

These jeans are a size 12, but with the belt attached loosely, I love how it shaves “inches” off my waist.

I think my next challenge, after I finish the 30 Day Shred, needs to be the 30 Day Hair Challenge, where we all commit to fixing our hair for 30 days straight.

As I look through these pictures, I realize that my 30 second wash and go hair look came through a bit too clearly, so please, no emails about needing to fix up my hair or add more make up. Trust me, more times than I care to admit, especially when I lead worship, I’ve gotten to church at 7:30 am with my hair still wet.

Sometimes, that’s just life, and I’m still learning to balance both the beauty and bedlam in my every day. It’s all about baby steps and when my Frugal Fashionsta pictures start looking a bit more like model poses, and my photographer has been upgraded from my 8 and 12 year old daughters,  then I have officially arrived.

So, I shared how I am dealing with my muffin top with these longer sweaters, are there ways that you deal with your problem areas or are you still trying to figure that out?

London Broil creates a sense of wonder for my food budget. Often, it’s  marked down due to a short dated sale, allowing me to prepare a carnivore’s dream for only a few dollars. The problem? For years, I’d grab it, get it home, and then was stumped with what to do with it.

Do you know how to cook London Broil?

It creates such confusion for many because London Broil has become synonymous with a cut of meat, yet it’s not. Traditionally, it is a way to cook beef, thereby leaving a lot of home cooks confused as to what to do once they make their purchase, since each time you may have a different cut of beef (thus needing different recipes).

Ask the butcher and he will rattle off, “Marinate it, then grill it, put it in the crock pot, pan fry it, or cook it in the oven etc.”  Surely, that doesn’t help, since we don’t want all those choices, we just want tender beef and London Broil can be tough, but I have three recipes that change all that.

The tricky thing about London Broil is determining just what cut of beef you have packaged. If it’s thin, then it’s most likely a flank steak, and in my opinion, always the most difficult to keep moist. No matter how much you marinate it, if you over grill it or over cook it in pan, it becomes tough. If you marinate it overnight, then grill it hot and fast, and do not cook it to more than medium, you have a great option. (As it rests, it will continue cooking).

Typically, I use my crock pot for London Broil (that recipe to come), but I knew that I didn’t have enough meat to fill my large crock-pot, nor did I want to heat my oven for hours with for a small pan, so I tried this on the stove with my Dutch Oven. It was out of this world. I’ll be adding more London Broil recipes for oven and crock-pot soon.

This was another great recipe for my Pantry/ Freezer Challenge , as I work my way through eating up the things lurking in my freezer and pantry.

I love that some of you are sharing your favorite way to cook London Broil in the comments.

Continue doing this and I will add them to my upcoming post.

Since I’ve been sharing some this week about my guys, Beer Dip and their love of all things football and game day food, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to announce the new campaign I am privileged to share.

When I saw the title, “Men, Easier Fed Than Understood,” I was all over it. If there’s anyone that can connect to that theme, it’s this mom of three high school boys who feels as if most of my time is centered around filling stomachs of multiple children.

My two oldest sons have a group of guys they hang around that they’ve nicknamed their “Bros.” When ever they plan a large chunk of time together, it never fails that I see one of their Facebook updates mentioning something about  hanging with their Bro’s and their “Bromance” time. When I first eyed that odd term, I stalked the source (our eldest) and he explained it’s their crazy way of describing their guy time. The mystery of what they do during that time, I may never understand, but I know that if I feed them well, they will come. We don’t have any kind of man cave yet, but I want them to hang out at our house, so we’re working on fixing that up this year. Now, my focus is on having “guy time” food stocked, and Ball Park has helped more times than I can count in that aspect.

There’s something about being able to have my sons whip up hotdogs at any given second and know that it makes them happy.
Ball Park has a crazy amount of choices. Have you looked at the hot dog aisle lately? I love the variety, including Lower  Fat options, White Turkey Franks,  but I’m especially thrilled that they now offer the Ball Park Deli Style 100% Beef Franks that have no by-products or artificial flavors, which is important to me.

Last time our local grocer had Ball Park on sale, I was able to combine them with a great coupon and stock up.
Snag this coupon now before it reaches its print limit. $1 off/2 Ball Park Franks coupon for any Ball Park Franks product.

I had to share this commercial. It cracks me up since I hear the 99.9% sure thing WAY to often in my house. Yes, 99% sure still mean you don’t know, for sure.


Do you deal with any crazy guy things in your home or is it only me?

(This post brought to you by Ball Park. The hundreds of packages I have purchased in the past: all me. )