A few weeks ago, I shared that I was taking a “Spring Break” from this site and mentioned that I wanted to invest some time into a special project. That project is my new blog, Intentionally Simple!

Here’s a little background:

At the beginning of 2012, I started thinking more about my writing and the topics I was passionate about. My website at the time, Frugal & Simple, did not seem to be fitting into my vision, mainly the word frugal. {We still consider ourselves to be frugal but that word can mean so many different things. Our frugality is purchasing less but higher quality whereas most people view frugality as more for less.} I wanted to write more about living minimally and green as well as share more about parenting and our financial philosophy. I felt limited by the name Frugal & Simple.

After attending the Killer Tribes conference back in March, I was inspired to finally take a risk and start over. During our drive home late that night, Intentionally Simple was born. It’s a little scary to be leaving the comfort of this site and starting over from scratch but it’s also exciting, I feel like I have more direction now!

We were hoping to launch the new blog on May 1 but we have it ready to go now!

I’m so excited about my new space and would love to have you join me over on Intentionally Simple!

I’d love for you subscribe to Intentionally Simple via email or RSS. 

Thank you so much for reading Frugal & Simple and being a part of this community! I’m sad to be saying goodbye to this space but excited about Intentionally Simple!

– Rachel

Dear Frugal & Simple Friends,

Just wanted to let you know it will be quiet around here the next few days! I’m taking a little Spring Break from this space during the next week. It’s birthday week around here, Paxton is turning two next Monday!  I also have some special projects I want to invest some time in.

Thanks for your friendship and being part of the Frugal & Simple community. I hope you have a blessed week!

Rachel

Here is my quarterly update:

Personal:
1. Read 1 book per month. I’m on top of this one! I’ve been reading a lot while nursing these days.
2. Memorize 1 verse/passage of scripture each month. Not doing so well on this one, I’m picking out a verse of the week but haven’t put forth 100% effort to memorize it and learn the reference.
3. Write at least 8 blog posts per month. I’ve been much more consistent with blogging in 2012 and have hit this goal each month!

Family:
1. Read 6 parenting books with my husband. Not doing so well. We’ve started one but haven’t even really got into it! It’s hard to make the time to read aloud together so I might take the approach of reading books separately and discussing them.
2. Daily family devotions and prayer. Since Paxton and Weston are so small, our devotion is reading a Bible story or two and praying. {There’s nothing cuter than a praying toddler!}  We do very well with this on ‘regular’ days but lately my husband’s schedule has been crazy.

Financial:
1. $8,000 towards the principal of our mortgage. So far we’ve paid off a little over $2,000 which means we’re right on track since we need to pay $2,000 quarterly.
2. $1,750 towards car savings. We got off to a bit of a slow start in 2012 since we had medical bills from Weston’s birth due. We’ve saved around $300 so far towards this goal.
3. Set up a legal will. No progress made here.
4. Start college savings accounts for the boys. We’ve done nothing so far.

I’m feeling pretty good about my 2012 goal progress!

Did you set goals for 2012? How are you doing so far? 

We haven’t gone to the grocery store this week, instead we’re eating up what we’ve got.

Here’s a glimpse into the fridge:

Top shelf: Eggs {from our hens!}, cooked sweet potatoes {in the skillet}, bowl of shredded chicken

Middle shelf: Corn tortillas, 1/4 gallon of milk {we pulled this half gallon out of the freezer, we had put it in the freezer at the end of February when we went out of town}

Middle drawer: Cheese {we have a little more than 1/5 of the 5 pound block we purchased at the beginning of the month left!}

Bottom shelf: Leftover smoked roast, chicken stock

Bottom drawers: 1 kiwi, 1 apple, 1 plum, diced onions

Meal Plan

Breakfasts:
Homemade Granola
Cereal
Eggs

Lunches:
Leftovers

Snacks:
Fruit
Peanuts
Chips
Tortillas & Salsa
Pecans
Popcorn

March 27: Buffalo Chicken and BBQ Chicken Pizza
March 28: Smoked Roast with Sweet Potatoes
March 29: Leftover Night!
March 30: Out of Town
March 31: Out of Town

Having a 1/2 gallon of milk in the freezer and going out of town the last two days of the month are 2 factors in helping us stay under budget for the month of March.

This is just a glimpse into how we grocery shop and stick to our budget. Having a stocked freezer is really helpful and we plan our meals based upon what we have on hand. If we didn’t stock up on meats, it would be very hard to stick to our $200 budget! Since we are changing our eating habits, incorporating more fruits, vegetables and organic/local dairy products, I’m considering raising our grocery budget. This month has been a bit of a stretch and I was a little worried that we weren’t going to be able to stay within our budget! Of course, it seems when money is tight, you tend to get creative and use up the food that’s been in the pantry for months so it can become a bit of a fun challenge!

Since we had $10.06 left in the grocery budget during the month of March, I’ll put $10 into our “Grocery Savings” envelope that will be saved to use for making bulk purchases {like half a cow or pig!}

Related Posts:

Grocery Budget: Week One
Grocery Budget: Week Two
Grocery Budget: Week Three

Our double daffodils have finally bloomed! Daffodils have always been my favorite flower, they’re the sign of spring for me!

We’re trying to eat healthier which includes more local, organic and non-GMO products. Right now our priorities are organic dairy, non-GMO corn products and organic produce primarily for the most contaminated fruits and vegetables.

This week we didn’t purchase much but we have a freezer full of beef and some chicken. We also have hens that are laying so we no longer have to purchase eggs! We still have over half of the local cheese we purchased at the beginning of the month and last week we purchased vanilla,  olive oil and local honey, all three of these items should last a couple months. We also have about half a gallon of milk in the fridge and a half gallon in the freezer. {I believe Weston has a milk sensitivity so I’ve cut back on my milk consumption!}

Groceries for this week:

• Kiwi (3) $1.47
• Plums (3) $1.73
• Bananas  $1.52
• Shredded Coconut $1
• Tortilla Chips (2) (organic) $4.38
• Raisins (organic) $5.79
• Yogurt (2) (organic) $.98
• Kettle Chips $1.29

Total (with tax): $18.34

{$10.06 left in the grocery budget for March.}

Meal Plan

Breakfasts:
Homemade Granola
Fruit
Oatmeal
Omelets

Lunches:
Leftovers

Snacks:
Cheese
Nuts
Fruit
Hummus & Chips
Carrots

March 19: Leftover Chicken Soup
March 20: Mexican Casserole*
March 21: Leftovers
March 22: Veggie Soup*
March 23: Leftovers/Homemade Pizza
March 24: Steak with Sweet Potato Fries and Rolls
March 25: Ham with Mashed Potatoes, Cranberries and Rolls*
March 26: Grilled Pork with Baked Potatoes

*These were on last week’s menu but we didn’t fix them due to having leftovers and repurposing leftovers! {Little to no food waste is frugal!}

I have to admit, I’m nervous about only having $10.06 left in the grocery budget this month! I’m positive we can stay within budget this month but we will be cutting it close! I hope to avoid raising our food budget right now.

We’ve been working hard in our garden and are hoping that we’ll have a good season and produce a bunch of vegetables that we can eat all summer and preserve for fall and winter which will help reduce our food expenses in the coming months!

Related Posts:

Grocery Budget: Week One

Grocery Budget: Week Two

A small kitchen can be a functional kitchen but it doesn’t take much to make it very cluttered. Clutter and a small kitchen don’t go together at all! After having a baby in December, things in our little kitchen have been neglected. Sure, I was washing dishes daily and putting the dishes away but it wasn’t nice and neat and there were items cluttering the counter tops!

It was time for a little spring cleaning in the kitchen, clearing clutter and doing some scrubbing!

The kitchen sink after a good cleaning.

I washed all the dishes, scrubbed my sink, removed everything but the mixer, wheat grinder and gadget crock from the counter and washed the counter top!

We’ve been shoving bottles and cups up on this shelf and it was looking messy.

After removing a few items and tidying up, so much better!

Here’s our microwave.

Honestly, this picture does not do the ickyness justice. It was nasty. I really don’t know when the last time it was cleaned, I’m guessing before Weston was born {so probably 3 months ago!}

I finally cleaned the microwave!

It looks so much better and feels so good to have that little task knocked off of my mental to do list.

I didn’t take pictures of everything. The boys were napping and I was taking full advantage of that time by working hard in my kitchen.

Other things I accomplished:

• Moved home canned goods to another cabinet.
• Made a space in a cabinet for coffee supplies.
• Organized the pantry.
• Washed the outside of the fridge, oven and dishwasher.
• Wiped down the cabinet fronts with a damp cloth.
• Did a little decluttering.

Everything that left the kitchen.

A few things were recycled, a few went to the donation pile and the mason jar and cooler bag went back to where they belong!

Having a clean kitchen makes cooking more fun and keeps me motivated to keep it clean!

Is your kitchen neat and organized? Cluttered and chaotic? Or somewhere in between?  

This post is linked to Project:Simplify at Simple Mom.

I had to get creative!

I decided to boil the chicken and turn the pintos into refried beans.

The result was this easy and yummy Chicken Nacho Bake:

Ingredients:

Chips
Refried Beans
Shredded Chicken 
Rotel Tomatoes

Directions:

Layer chips on a pizza stone/baking dish. Add layer of refried beans over the chips, layer on chicken, top with rotel and cheese and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Really this is one of those recipes that has endless possibilities.

Use black beans instead of refried beans. Replace the chicken with steak or taco meat. Instead of Rotel, use fresh tomatoes, salsa or pico de gallo. Once baked you can top with any favorite fresh vegetables or sour cream! {We were wishing we had an avocado to slice and put on the top!}

Quick, easy, frugal and yummy, the type of dish I love!

Sweet baby Weston enjoying being outside on a warm and beautiful day!

Linked to: Wordless Wednesday

Groceries for this week:

• Bananas $.65
• Salsa (2) (organic) $5.98 (-$1 coupon) $4.98
• Chickpeas (2) (organic) $1.78
• Diced Tomatoes $.89
• Peanuts $1.99
• Molasses $3.19
• Pineapple $2.50
• Maseca $2.19
• Tortilla Chips $1.69
• Potato Chips $1.29

Total: $21.37

• Vanilla (organic) $6.98
• Dried Papaya $2.42
• Onions (organic) $3.49
• Dried Pineapple $5.04
• Banana Chips $2.09
• Olive Oil (organic) $10.98
• Sour Cream (organic) $3.49
• Milk (organic) $4.88

Total: $41.84

We also purchased a 5 pound bag of  potatoes for $5.70 and local honey for $13.65.

Grand Total: $82.56

{$28.40 left in the grocery budget for the month of March.}

Meal Plan

Breakfasts:
Homemade Granola
Fruit
Oatmeal

Lunches:
Leftovers

Snacks:
Cheese
Nuts
Fruit
Hummus & Chips

Dinners:
March 12: Steak with Baked Potatoes
March 13: Ham with Mashed Potatoes, Cranberries & Whole Wheat Rolls
March 14: Leftovers
March 15: Leftovers/Snack Supper/Possibly Dinner with a Friend
March 16: Chicken Tacos
March 17: Buffalo & BBQ Chicken Pizza
March 18: Chicken Soup
March 19: Mexican  Casserole*
March 20: Veggie Soup*

*These were on last week’s menu but had leftovers one night and pizza another night so I moved these meals!

Questions:

• How do you plan your menu? I plan my menu based on what I already have and then purchase things that I need to fill in the gaps. I never come up with a menu plan without looking in our freezer, pantry and fridge first. When I’m grocery shopping, I pick up the items we need for the menu that week and will stock up on sale items or items we frequently use.
• What does your grocery budget include? My grocery budget is only for food. We have a medical category that we use to purchase supplements, etc. and a miscellaneous budget for everything else.

Related Posts – Grocery Budget: Week One

Packing Organization: Part One

Having a master packing list is the key to packing organization.

Think about the time that’s wasted coming up with a packing list each and every time you travel. You always bring your toothbrush, toothpaste, undergarments and other necessities. Instead of writing those things out on a list for each trip, have a master list that you can refer to for the basics and then customize it for special trips.

Our master packing list*:

Rachel:

-Outfits

-Extra top

-Undergarments {panties, undershirts, bras, socks,nursing pads}

-Pajamas

-Shoes

-Deodorant

-Toothbrush/toothpaste

-Contact solution/case/glasses

-Shampoo

-Brush

Paxton:

-Outfits

-Pajamas

-Socks

-Shoes

-Teddy/Baby Doll/Blanket

Weston:

-Outfits

-Pajamas

-Socks

-Burp Cloths

Diapers:

-Pocket Diapers

-Wet Bags {large & medium}

-Detergent

-Wipes

Other:

-Snacks

-Chargers {cell phone, computer}

-Computer

When it comes time to pack, just pull out your list and add quantities specific to your trip. And the “other ” category can be used to customize for different types of trips such as to the beach where you’d add swimming suits and towels or a ski trip where you’d add coats, gloves, hats and scarves.

Here’s an example from our trip this past weekend:

Paxton:

-Outfits (4) {2 for the days we’re gone and 2 for accidents since he is 22 months!}

-Pajamas (1 pair)

-Socks (3)

-Shoes (boots) {He’s wearing his tennis shoes on the drive up}

-Teddy/Baby Doll/Blanket

Where to store your  master packing list:

• Typed on your computer. Print a copy off and check off the items as you pack.
• Written out on your planner. Just go straight down the list to make sure you have everything.
• A laminated copy. Keep it on the fridge or your home management binder. When it’s time to pack, grab the list and a dry erase marker and check off as you pack.
• As a note on your smartphone/tablet. Just pull out your phone and pack!

Do you have a master packing list? Do you think a master packing list will simplify packing for trips?

*I excluded my husband since his is similar to mine but he is included on my actual list!

I don’t claim that we eat perfectly healthy. We still have a way to go but we’re making strides towards healthier eating. We’re incorporating organic milk, local cheese, buying organic produce that’s on the dirty dozen list, trying to avoid GMOs as much as possible and are planning to get a few chickens so we’ll have fresh eggs. We are trying to frugally eat healthy, which is possible with a simple diet, almost no food waste and cooking from scratch.

Obviously, we’re not starting the month with no food. Here’s a glimpse into our pantry and refrigerator before our grocery shopping trip:

Pantry

Fridge

Produce {in the bottom drawers you can’t see}3 pounds organic apples and 1 pound organic carrots.

We also have a freezer full of meat! At the beginning of this year, we were blessed with half a cow from John David’s family’s farm {we only paid the processing fee.} In both January and February, we’ve had excess money left at the end of the month that we’ve set aside in a grocery money envelope so we can use it to purchase items in bulk later.

Grocery trip for the week:

• Honey Roasted Peanuts $1.99
• Pineapple $2.50
• Oats $2.99
• Flour $2.07
• Sugar (2) $4.96
• Banana Chips $.32
• Strawberries (organic) $3.99
• Kiwi (organic) $.79
• Bananas (organic) $1.28
• Pasta Sauce (organic) (2) $5.98
• Potatoes (organic) $5.43
• Chips (2) $5.00 (-$1 coupon) $4
• Tortilla Chips (organic) $2.19
• Mac ‘n Cheese $1.00
• Cereal (2) $5.68 (-$1 coupon) $4.48
• Milk (organic) $6.49

Total: $50.46

We also purchased 5 pounds of local cheese which was $33.54 {this should last beyond this month!} And chocolate ice cream for $5.04.

Grand Total: $89.04

We’ve started this month off by spending more than we typically do but we shouldn’t have to purchase cheese anymore this month. If we only purchase milk and fresh produce at the beginning of next week, we’ll be right on track for the month.

Meal Plan

Breakfasts:
Homemade Granola {Based on this Homemade Granola}
Cereal
Fruit

Lunches:
Leftovers
Cheese & Homemade Wheat Crackers 

Snacks:
Nuts
Raisins
Fruit
Smoothies
Hummus & Chips

Dinners:
March 1: Mac ‘n Cheese, Fruit*
March 2: Nacho Chicken Bake {a new creation, I’ll be posting the recipe!}
March 3: Chicken Soup
March 4: Dinner out for my birthday!
March 5: Buffalo and BBQ Chicken Pizzas
March 6: Venison Roast with Carrots, Potatoes and Onions
March 7: Dinner at Church
March 8: Leftovers*
March 9: Baked Pork Chops, White Beans and Bread
March 10: Mexican Casserole
March 11: Veggie Soup {splitting the beef from the Mexican Casserole and using home canned tomato juice!}

*John David works late on Thursdays, so we typically have a light supper.

I know there’s a lot of room for improvement {like adding in more fresh vegetables!} but we’re taking baby steps, trying to avoid most processed foods and purchasing local and organic foods as much as we can. And I’m looking forward to really getting our garden going so we’ll be growing our own fresh vegetables and fruits!

Again, we’re not trying to eat as cheaply as possible. I’m not trying to awe you with a shoe string budget or with our super healthy eating habits. I’m just sharing our grocery budget so you can get an accurate picture of how we eat and where we spend our grocery  money.

I’d love questions and comments but please keep them polite! {Food related posts tend to bring out spirited comments since views on what’s healthy or not vary widely.}

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Packing for trips has become hard since becoming a parent. I tend to put packing off until the last minute. The procrastination just leads to stress, unpleasantness and a bad attitude about our trip.

With an hour or two before our planned departure, I’m scratching out lists to try to avoid forgetting something, throwing stuff in suitcases and overpacking. We finally get everything together and into the car past the time  we had planned. My husband and I are both feeling the stress by this point and inevitably, about 30 minutes into our drive we realize we forgot something.

Two weeks ago, we were preparing to spend the weekend at my parents’ home. Our first trip with Weston, packing for four and traveling with cloth diapers for two babies. I was not looking forward to our trip at all.

Instead of following my typical packing procedure, I began writing out my packing list days before the trip. The result of planning was a detailed list! The day before our departure, I completed about 90% of our packing, only leaving the necessities like toothbrushes, Paxton’s blanket and wipes unpacked.

The next day, after our morning routine, I finished packing and we were ready to go, stress free! The most amazing thing, we had packed less for two children {including their cloth diapers} than with one!

I realized packing organization was the key to stress free departures.

Since we were planning to visit my husband’s family the following weekend, I decided to keep my packing list since we would need the exact same things the following weekend.

When it came time to pack for that trip, I pulled out my packing list, grabbed our suitcase and begin checking items off of the list. Again, we departed happily, looking forward to our trip with no stress or tension between us.

Having a master packing list is so simple yet so helpful. You typically pack the exact same things so why write out a list over and over? Instead, have a master packing list you can refer to.

The next time you’re preparing to go on a trip, write out your list a few days early to make sure it’s all inclusive. Then after you use it to pack, keep it to make the process easier for your next trip.

To be continued…

Are you an organized packer? Or do you tend to procrastinate? 

One of those cloth pads I tried was a Lunapads Heavy Pad:

“With Lunapads, the Liner Inserts sit on top of the Pad Base, so all you have to do is swap out the Liner Insert, which can easily be done as often as you desire throughout the day. This feature also allows you to purchase fewer pads (you’ll need more liners than pads) in the first place, as well as not having to carry as many things around with you.” -lunapads.com

Pictured is a Wing Liner, the Heavy Pad and a Tri-Fold Liner Insert. Each of these are 14" long. The Heavy Pad and Wing Liner are $24.99 and you can purchase a Tri-Fold Liner Insert for $16.99.

The Wing Liner is inserted into the Heavy Pad. The rick-rack is what holds the liner in place.

The Tri-Fold Liners are 14" long and 8" wide. As the name implies, they are tri-folded for maximum absorbency. The liner is simply folded and inserted into the Heavy Pad.

At 14" long, the Heavy Pad is very long but provides excellent coverage.

The Heavy Pad is large and long. The Tri-Fold Liner is very, very bulky but it is a postpartum pad! The Wing Liner is not as bulky and the lack of bulk was more comfortable. Of course, both the Tri-Fold Liner and Wing Liner are so much more comfortable than disposable pads and even the Tri-Fold Liner didn’t feel as bulky as some heavy disposable pads!

As far as postpartum pads go, they are really bulky, I was only wearing them at night, from the beginning at 1 week postpartum. However, if you plan on skipping the disposables all together and start wearing cloth pads from the moment your baby is born, this pad would be perfect, especially with the Tri-Fold liner. And they’re useful beyond the postpartum recovery as overnight pads!

Heavy Pad, Maxi Pad and Long Pad

In addition to having the Heavy Pad, Wing Liner and Tri-Fold Liner, I also purchased a Heavy Flow Starter Kit which includes:

2 Long Pads with 2 Long Basic Liners and 2 Long Wing Liners

2 Maxi Pads with 2 Maxi Basic Liners and 2 Maxi Wing Liners

This kit retails for $87.94 but was on sale for $79.14 when I purchased it. I had a 16% off discount code and free shipping, so I only paid $66.48 for the 4 pads and 8 liners!

I really love the Maxi Pad and Long Pad. These two are not nearly as bulky as the Heavy Pad but still provide complete and adequate coverage for postpartum bleeding after the first few days.

About Lunapads:

Lunapads International is a women-owned and operated mission-based business based in Vancouver, Canada. Our mission is to help individuals have healthier and more positive experiences of their menstrual cycles, and by extension, their bodies overall. Our team is made up of a passionate group of women who believe that using natural menstrual products is a creative and empowering way to honor and care for ourselves and the planet.

Giveaway: Win a $50 gift certificate to lunapads.com

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling me if you’re already using reusable menstrual products, if you’re thinking about it or if you didn’t even know such a thing existed!

Additional Entries: {leave a separate comment for each entry}

• Like Lunapads on Facebook
• Follow @lunapads on Twitter
• Subscribe to Frugal and Simple via RSS or e-mail
• “Like” Frugal and Simple on Facebook

Giveaway ends Monday, March 5th at 12 pm EST.

*Giveaway restricted to US and Canada.

Disclaimer: I was provided a Lunapads Heavy Pad with Wing Liner and Tri-Fold Liner to review. I personally purchased the Heavy Flow Starter Kit. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are my own!

This giveaway is now closed! Congratulations to commenter #37, Meg!!

I looked at several different brands of cloth pads and purchased samples of the different brands so I could actually see the product before investing in several.

I was also given the opportunity to review a GladRags Night/Postpartum Pad:

This pad comes with 1 Night Holder {approximately 14" long and 3" wide at the middle} and 2 Inserts. It retails for $17.99.

The inserts are placed inside the holder {this side is what touches your underwear}. You snap the pad in place around your underwear.

Once the pad is snapped in place, this is what touches your body.

When this pad came in the mail, I was shocked at the length! It's huge as you can see!It's pictured with a ruler to give you an idea of the length.

My first impression was this thing is huge and there’s no way it will be comfortable. After wearing it the first time, I realized I was wrong! It was so comfortable, so much better than the pads from the hospital. I didn’t feel like I was wearing a diaper, like the disposables feel, even though it was large and provided full coverage. As far as postpartum pads go, this is really bulky, but that is the purpose of a postpartum/overnight pad. I started wearing the cloth pads at 1 week postpartum and by that point, I was only wearing this one at night.  Of course this postpartum pad will make a fabulous overnight pads beyond the postpartum recovery. This one piece pad system with inserts is so easy to use, it’s really no different than disposables, only you wash and reuse instead of throwing away!

How many pads are recommended? I just guessed on how many I would need. I ended up with a total of 11 pads {3 postpartum pads, 4 long/heavy pads and 4 maxi pads} and 4 liners which were more than enough with my wash routine. I would recommend a minimum of 5 pads per day.

How often do you wash them? I washed every day and a half along with the boys diapers. I simply put them in the diaper pail and they were washed along with the diapers which was no extra laundry.

What about staining? I have had no staining issues so far after 5 weeks of use.  I rinsed the pads with cold water and then stored them in the diaper pail to wash with diapers. My current diaper wash routine is cold rinse, hot wash with detergent and another hot wash {to make sure all the detergent residue is gone to prevent build up issues in the diapers.}

Recommendation:

If you’re tired of spending money on pads and exposing your body to chemicals, then look into cloth pads! I invested around $75 into cloth pads which should last 5 years or longer. I’ll save a ton of money and prevent so much waste!

All of the GladRags are made of a comfortable cotton flannel and come in a variety of prints as well as undyed organic cotton.

About GladRags:

Inspired by the simple utility, earth-friendliness, and comfort of cloth diapers, GladRags was founded in 1992 in Portland, Oregon. It began as a home based business that quickly outgrew the extra bedroom and moved to its own building.  Today, GladRags is still a small company but with a big presence, promoting positive attitudes toward menstruation and making the environment a safer, cleaner place. GladRags can be found in health food stores and natural pharmacies nationwide.

Here are some informative links regarding disposable feminine products:

The Shocking Truth About Feminine Hygiene Products

Scary Tampon Recall May Change Your Periods Forever

I’d love to answer any questions you may have  about cloth pads! Either leave a comment or send an e-mail to rachel@frugalandsimple.com. Please don’t leave any rude comments saying this is ‘disgusting’ or ‘extreme’, menstruation is a natural function that is neither disgusting or nasty. Women’s bodies are doing just what God intended for them to do and it’s nothing to be ashamed of or disgusted by!

Disclaimer: I was provided a GladRags Night/Postpartum Pad to review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are my own!

Rebekah and 3-day-old Emerson

I was 19 when I found out I was pregnant.  I had just started my sophomore year in college and it was a nightmare.  Not only was I pregnant, but I was not in a relationship with the baby’s father; this was not exactly an ideal situation.  I was so scared about what my parents and friends would think and say.  I think I was even more nervous about going to church pregnant and unmarried.  I told my parents and they were pretty supportive, upset of course, but supportive.  My mother and I did get into a few arguments and she said some things that really hurt my feelings, but I know she was just as upset about everything as I was.

So many people that I talked to acted like it was no problem at all.  “You can take care of it” or “just get it fixed” were common remarks and an abortion seemed to be a simple “solution” to the problem.  Even though my parents already knew I was pregnant it would be so easy for me to just tell them I had a miscarriage.  But I couldn’t do it.  I had never even considered having an abortion if I got in this situation and now that I was in it an abortion was certainly not an option for me.  I knew things would be hard and some people would think badly of me, but I had made the decision to have sex and this baby was not something I could just get rid of like it never existed.

Each month was difficult for me.  Often I felt like no one cared and that I was a loser and a screw up.  I kept wishing that things would go back to normal, but I knew that realistically this was my life.  I was going to be a single mom and I needed to prepare for it whether I wanted to or not.  During my pregnancy my relationship with the Lord actually improved.  I had been a Christian for several years, although I had made poor decisions on many occasions, but I felt like I was closer to the Lord than ever.  Even though I was in a bad situation I knew that everything would be ok and towards the end of my pregnancy I was actually happier than I had been in a long time.

Emerson Alexandria was born on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 9:54 am.  I couldn’t believe that this little bundle was actually my daughter.  It took a few months for me to realize that I was a mommy and the “unconditional love” didn’t set in for a couple months either.  I felt like something was wrong with me and that I wasn’t going to be a good mom.  After a while, however, I continued to fall more and more in love with my little girl.

Today I don’t know what I would do without her.  I love holding her in my arms and my favorite thing to do now is take naps with her lying on my tummy.  She has made me become a better person and has made me realize that I need to enjoy life and what I have and not take things for granted.  Although my situation is certainly not ideal and what God intended, I know that this happened for a reason.  I am so glad I made the decision to keep my baby and not “fix the problem” like I was encouraged to do.  Babies are not choices, they are a life.  We should not have the decision to terminate a life that God has created.  All people are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and seeing how every person starts off as a baby, this applies to them also.  Emerson is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I know that every other baby can bring just as much joy as she has.

Celebrating Emerson’s First Birthday!

I’m Rachel, a wife stay-at-home mom to two boys, Paxton who’s 21 months and Weston who is 3 weeks old! I blog about various aspects of living a simple and debt free life!

Some topics covered include:

• Living Green
• Organizing
• Cloth Diapering
• Finances
• Raising Kids on a Budget
• Gardening
• Living Minimally

Thanks for visiting Frugal and Simple!!

While organizing the nursery closet before Weston’s birth, I emptied out a small diaper box and decided to challenge myself to fill it up with clutter throughout the day!

While putting away clean dishes, I took a few extra minutes and went through the cabinets and drawers finding cookie cutters, baby spoons {we don’t need 10}, skewers and a creamer that’s never been used.

There were a few toys that Paxton never plays with that were added in and a shirt he doesn’t wear from the boys’ room.

I quickly went through my closet and dresser and I found a sweater, 2 shirts and a skirt that I don’t love and haven’t worn often.

And there were other odds and ends found throughout the house like a water bottle, a lanyard and some yarn.

I really didn’t put much time or effort into ‘de-cluttering’ but another box of stuff is leaving our home!

Living clutter free involves small steps. Start with one box, it won’t take much effort to fill up but you’ll feel great once you see that stuff leave your home!

During the summer of 2008, I found Crystal Paine’s blog, Money Saving Mom. We were already living frugally since we had just gotten out of college but, like most college graduates, expected our standard of living to increase upon graduation. Thanks in part to Money Saving Mom, we were inspired to continue living on basically the same budget we had in college and start saving money for a house downpayment! Over the years that I’ve been a Money Saving Mom reader, I’ve been inspired by Crystal {she and her husband paid cash for their first home!}

I was excited to hear the news that she was writing a book and even more excited when the book came in the mail for me to review! I immediately started reading The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. This book is full of all kinds of practical information for getting your life in order. It begins with a chapter about goal setting which I found to be very inspiring. We already set financial goals for each year but haven’t really put much thought into long term goals. She poses the question, “where do I want to be financially five years from now?” This question prompted thinking more long term in regards to our finances.

The second chapter is devoted to clearing out clutter and streamlining your life. Practical strategies for getting rid of physical clutter as well as commitment clutter are mentioned. She poses questions to ask about your clutter such as “do I use this item regularly?” and “is this item taking up space I don’t have?”

As the title implies, budgeting is covered. The book outlines baby steps to take towards budgeting. She suggests during the first month  establish a grocery budget, the second month use bare-bones budget which covers basic necessities and by the third month you’ve worked your way up to a full-fledged budget. Taking these baby steps is a great way to not get overwhelmed with budgeting and give up!

One chapter is titled “Twenty-Five Ways to Lower Your Grocery Bill Without Clipping Coupons.” This chapter is full of money saving grocery tips such as have a meatless night once a week, stick with simple meals that use inexpensive ingredients and don’t throw out your leftovers. Just applying one or two of these suggestions could cut quite a bit from your grocery budget.

The final chapter is “Embrace Today” and Crystal writes about contentment, which I believe is a key to living a frugal life! You have the power to choose contentment, “a cheerful attitude can go a long way in less than ideal situations; you can either complain about the thorns or you can savor the roses that bloom in their midst.”  Ways to cultivate contentment are listed, including create a gratitude list, choose to stop comparing yourself to other people and choose to be  a giver.

There are helpful worksheets in the back covering financial goals, priorities lists, time budgets and budget sheets.

This really is a book that anyone  can benefit from. If you’re just starting out on a journey to get your finances in order, this book is full of valuable information that will help you! And even if you’ve been living a frugal and debt free life, there are things you can learn from saving on your grocery bill, being inspired to set lofty goals and focusing on contentment.

Pre-order The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. The release date is January 10, 2012.

Disclosure: I received this book to review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

*This post contains affiliate links.

I’ve been thinking about my goals for 2012 for a few months now. Knowing that I’m starting the year as a mama to two, I didn’t want to overwhelm myself with a ton of goals. I decided to keep things very simple this year but if I achieve each and every goal on my list for 2012, that will still be quite an accomplishment!

Goals for 2012:

Personal:
1. Read 1 book per month.
2. Memorize 1 verse/passage of scripture each month.
3. Write at least 8 blog posts per month. {I want to be more consistent with blogging this year!}

Family:
1. Read 6 parenting books with my husband.
2. Daily family devotions and prayer.

Financial:
1. $8,000 towards the principal of our mortgage.
2. $1,750 towards car savings.
3. Set up a legal will. {I believe this has been a goal for 3 years now! 2012 will be the year!}
4. Start college savings accounts for the boys.

So that’s it, they’re fairly simple this year and completely do-able! The financial goals make me a little nervous. Mathematically paying $8,000 towards the mortgage and $1,750 towards car savings, doesn’t work with my husband’s salary but with my transcribing, selling things and being creative, we hope we can achieve these goals!

Weston is definitely our surprise baby! With Paxton, everything was planned, we were trying when we got pregnant with him and he was induced according to our plan. With Weston, from the beginning he’s been a surprise! We weren’t planning on getting pregnant with him {although we were thrilled when we found out} and his entrance into the world was quite a surprise too!

I was due December 31 but hoping I’d be a day or two overdue so he’d be born in 2012 {Paxton was born in 2010 and I liked the thought of even birth years!} I just knew since he was my second baby that I’d be miserable around 32 weeks to the end of the pregnancy but I was wrong! I felt fabulous throughout the entire pregnancy, I had quite a bit of energy and I was still able to do everything as normal with Paxton {including putting a sleeping 20-month-old into his crib at 38 weeks pregnant!}

Since Paxton’s birth was so fast for a first time birth {5 hours from the time they broke my water and started pitocin until the time he was born}, I was convinced that my second baby would come quickly and one of my fears throughout this pregnancy was not making it to the hospital on time!

On Tuesday, December 20, I was 38 weeks 3 days pregnant and I had quite the day! I cleaned our home thoroughly, did some pre-Christmas de-cluttering and a lot of laundry! By the end of the day I was tired from all of the ‘nesting’. That night when I laid down to go to sleep, I felt what could best be described as a burrowing sensation. I could feel his little head moving further down. I had never felt anything like that with Paxton! I didn’t sleep very well that night and then Paxton woke up around 2 am and he slept the rest of the night with us. I had trouble sleeping, I kept tossing and turning and just couldn’t get comfortable.

Wednesday morning I woke up feeling really good especially considering the rough night I’d had. I did decide to take the day easy though since I didn’t want to do anything that could put me into labor, especially since John David was working late that night. Paxton and I stayed in our jammies well into the morning. I updated our finances, scheduling our mortgage payment so we wouldn’t have to worry about that on January 1! The day was pretty typical except for John David being gone all evening. I put Paxton down around 8:00 and I was feeling tired too so I decided to go ahead and get in bed after starting a load of diaper laundry.

I stayed up waiting for John David to get home and he finally arrived around 10. We stayed up talking and playing Words with Friends until 11:30. Once again I felt the burrowing sensation when I laid down. I was having an occasional contraction but they were typical Braxton-Hicks. I went to sleep fairly easily.

Between going to bed at 11:30 and 1:30, I woke up 2 or 3 times having a mild contraction. While I was having the contraction, I’d walk to the bathroom, pee and then walk back to bed and go back to sleep. They were slightly uncomfortable but nothing painful. After the contraction I had around 1:30 I was unable to get comfortable so I got out of bed, went to the bathroom again and then turned on my lamp.

I had another contraction at 1:40 and decided to start timing them since it was appearing that they were getting closer together. I had contractions at 1:40, 1:48, 1:54, 1:58 so they were very quickly getting closer together. I wasn’t incredibly uncomfortable as long as I was standing so I could sway my hips and move around with the contractions. I had a little bit of back labor with Paxton and these contractions were very similar, the contraction would start in my back and move around to my belly and my back hurt more than anything! I decided to run out to the laundry around 2 to run the final rinse on diapers and I came back in and my contractions were still 4 minutes apart.

I still wasn’t sure if I was really in labor or if it was false labor. I knew you were supposed to go to the hospital when contractions were 5 minutes apart but I really wasn’t in horrible, unbearable pain. Around 2:30, I woke up John David and started packing the hospital bags. I still wasn’t convinced I was in real labor even though the labor book we were referring to at this point indicated that I was in active labor. Finally, we decided it was labor and we needed to start really preparing to go to the hospital.

John David called my friend Ashley around 3:20 to see if she would come stay with Paxton. While we were waiting on Ashley, I was packing a bag for Paxton and gathering stuff for our bags while John David was loading the car. {I should add here that John David got the clean diapers out of the wash and hung them on the drying rack. I had been very concerned about leaving dirty diapers at home when I went into labor so this was a relief!}

Ashley arrived around 3:35 and we gave her a few instructions for Paxton and we left after I had a contraction while attempting to get into the car. At this point, contractions were 3-4 minutes apart and I had about 3 contractions which were so uncomfortable since I couldn’t move much. Riding in the car made the back labor even worse!

We arrived at the hospital around 3:30 and got a front row spot so I was able to walk in. We went into the registration room where I had 2 more contractions. After I was checked in, they sent us to a waiting area and I had 3 contractions which were very intense and I had the urge to push.

A nurse came out and we went to an admitting room where I changed into a gown through another contraction. I was checked and was dilated to 10 centimeters! I was wheeled into a delivery room while having contractions lying flat on my back which was so uncomfortable. At this point I also was fighting the urge to push.

We got into the delivery room and I was moved onto the bed. I was hooked up to a monitor at 3:58, had my blood drawn and an IV put in. At this point, I had an overwhelming urge to push and was begging to be allowed to push. The nurses kept telling me to just breathe through the contractions and not push because the midwife was not there yet. {I should add that this period of not being able to push was the worst part of the whole labor and delivery. My body was ready to do what it was supposed to do and trying not to was so hard!}

While waiting for the midwife to arrive, John David ran out to the car to grab our camera and while he was gone and as our midwife was arriving, I couldn’t fight the urge to push anymore. I pushed and my water broke. Then John David got back and the midwife was there and I was finally able to start pushing! It was such a relief to be able to push. It didn’t feel good nor was it easy but it was so wonderful to be able to do what my body needed to do.

I pushed about 4 or 5 times in a period of 5 minutes or less and Weston was born at 4:16 am! It was such a relief to feel him come out. I was so excited that I had delivered without any medication but a bit embarrassed at how loud I was while delivering him!

Weston weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 inches long! {Paxton was 8 pounds 8 ounces, so he was considerably smaller!}

Unfortunately I did rip at the site of my old tear but thankfully it was only a second degree tear instead of a third degree which I had with Paxton. Finally, after stitches {which to me was almost worse than the delivery even though I had local anesthesia} I was able to hold him again and count his fingers and toes.

I unwrapped him for skin to skin and nursing, he latched on perfectly and started nursing right away, it was completely natural for both of us. It was amazing how much more confident I felt nursing him, I suppose 15 months of breastfeeding experience gives a mama confidence! After Weston finished nursing, we moved to our postpartum room around 6:30 am.

We’re still in disbelief that labor started at 1:30 and Weston was born at 4:16! That’s only 2 hours and 45 minutes of labor!

Around 2:30 that afternoon, John David went and got Paxton and brought him back to the hospital to meet his new brother and spend some time with us! He noticed Weston right when he walked in the room and was thrilled to see ‘baby’!

We’re adjusting well as a family of four. Paxton has not acted jealous of Weston and is taking his role as big brother quite seriously!

We feel so blessed that I had a quick and easy labor and delivery and we have another healthy and beautiful son!

Weston Clark Boreing

December 22, 2011 at 4:16 am

6 pounds 14 ounces, 20 inches long

We like living a clutter free, somewhat minimal life and due to this, it seems we’re constantly de-cluttering. {I really don’t know where the stuff comes from!}

Before:

The day we switched rooms. A blank slate to work with!!

After:

A clutter free, organized closet for our boys! I love that there is plenty of free space, it makes me feel like we have plenty of room and that we don’t have too much stuff!

The bottom shelves contain linens. The top shelf currently holds the Boppy, Weston’s bag which is packed and ready to go to the hospital, the basket contains outerwear and Paxton’s shoes! I’ll probably store some toys on the floor in here, after Christmas I’m doing some toy de-cluttering and organizing {if I have the energy and Weston hasn’t arrived yet!}

Weston doesn’t have many hanging clothes at this time since his wardrobe is primarily made up of bodysuits, sleepers and gowns. I do have a few of his new outfits hanging up though just because I love to look at sweet baby clothes! The only clothes of Paxton’s that I hang are his khakis, button ups and sweater vets and jackets.

The top shelf contains newborn diapers, baby slings,wraps, swaddle blankets, educational games and disposables for Paxton {for Sunday mornings!}

My wonderful hubby built an additional top shelf so we’d have room to store clothes:

On the left side I have Weston’s clothes that he’ll be growing into.

I purchased 4 sweater boxes {2 for each child} and that’s how I’m storing these for now. I also have a medium size tub that contains Paxton’s clothes he wore from 8 to 16 months, once Weston grows into the clothes in these boxes, I’ll rotate the clothes in the larger tub into these.

I’m trying to keep clothing fairly minimal and for the most part, the contents of these boxes are enough to fully outfit him through each of these sizes. And I know the sizing seems odd, 3-4 months and 5-7 months but that is based on the age and season that Paxton was when he wore that size. If Weston is smaller or larger than his big brother those age ranges definitely won’t apply…we’ll see soon!

On the right hand side are clothes for Paxton to grow into. I haven’t done much buying ahead but we’ve been blessed with hand-me-downs that we’re storing for him to grow into. He’s currently wearing some 2T items but most are too large and I’m anticipating 2T to be his size in the spring. We also have been given some 3T, 4T and even 5T items which we’re storing for him too.

The boys’ closet is neatly organized and should be easy to maintain!

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{Note: I am a Sweetbottoms Baby Affiliate}