This is THE place to learn all about Baby Fest and our wonderful Sponsors! The event will start on January 20th, but be sure to stop by on January 19th to grab the button and participation instructions so that you’re ready to go during this fantastic event. Also, don’t forget to let all your friends know about it! Are you part of a MOPS group or other moms group? That is the PERFECT place to announce this event!
First I have to state that I do anything … and I mean ANYTHING to NOT go shopping with my children!!! It is imperative for my sanity and the sanity of everyone around me that the 2 year old Twinadoes in particular are not present. This may be a whole different subject though, so I’ll just leave it at that.
Thankfully there is a very consistent set of basics that I can always count on needing to purchase. It’s getting the specific items for the weekly menu that can get tricky … and expensive. Meal planning is yet another subject, so I’ll just mention that it IS very helpful to actually have a meal plan and shop accordingly … breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Bulk food shopping can help reduce the number of major shopping trips we need to make each month, but surprisingly they DO NOT carry everything that we need in bulk quantities. Oatmeal for example is surprisingly in short supply at stores like Costco, but our local Cash and Carry does have it in 25 lb bags, so hubby makes at least one trip per month there.
The biggest trick is to purchase only the things that we truly need from stores like Costco. Seems like an obvious statement, but it is WAAAAY too easy to grab all sorts of little things that are appealing, but NOT on the list. This makes an already expensive trip even more straining on the pocketbook.
Here’s a typical Costco list for our family: milk, 5 dozen eggs, bread, honey, peanut butter, jam, school lunch needs (organic chocolate milk, chips, baby carrot packs, lunch meat, etc), half and half, grated cheese (look for the best price), frozen ground beef, frozen chicken breast, one or two quick meals from the freezer section, honey, coffee, pasta, spaghetti sauce, brown sugar, contact solution, diapers, wipes, shampoo (or deoderant, etc). I’m sure there’s often a few more things that I can’t think of at the moment, but you get the idea.
There are plenty of things that I get from the regular grocery store as well. For instance, I really don’t like the way Costco offers their apples. The good ones are in strange packaging that makes no sense at all, and isn’t convenient for size or price. Though they do have some great produce, other than grapes I purchase all fruit at the grocery store in town.
There you have the monologue on basic shopping for a large family. Bottom line, shop around, find the best prices and you will probably need to do some shopping each week, so make a general list for each store you shop at and schedule your shopping to hit each of those stores throughout the month to stay up on the daily needs.
I know I haven’t been around for a very long time (totally an understatement), but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy writing about the twinks! I mostly write over at www.AFrogInMySoup.com these days, but this still has so much information about twin pregnancy and their first year or so that I didn’t want to give it up.
It may be a while again before I post, but since I’m here ……. I’ll post some thoughts for all of you!
The Mega Design Giveaway has ended, I have chosen a sequence of winners and will be contacting them one at a time to get their choices! Be on the lookout for an email from afroginmysoup at gmail dot com!
Along with some really great book reviews, I have several contests either going on now or starting by the end of the month!
All of this is in addition to the great weekly contests offered here 
. By the way, today is the last day to sign up to win a design from the Mega Design Giveaway!!!
Just thought you’d like to know .
It’s been a bit busier than usual for me … online that is! Sure, there’s my regular posting here at A Frog In My Soup and reviews at Froggy Reviews as well as hosting The Sampler at 5 Minutes for Mom and designs.
I also published a devotional on Friday at Faith Lifts and tomorrow I will be filling in for our dear Angela {she is really not feeling well, so feel free to send her some encouragement at her great blog}! Then to top it all off I wrote an article at 5 Minutes for Mom with even more Mammogram information – you can read that at Mammogram 101!!!
Then there’s the planning for Baby Fest which looks like it will be a GREAT event! So exciting. It may throw my usual blogging for a loop for a couple of weeks, but I think all of you will enjoy it!
There is another great contest coming this week … both here and at Froggy Reviews!!! So be on the lookout!
When I think of “firsts” I immediately begin thinking of all of the baby firsts. But as I was thinking I realized that we are currently experiencing a brand new series of firsts!
CJ just entered 7th grade thus securing him a rite of passage into the land of Jr. High. The new firsts are not like anything I could have imagined. As the oldest child he goes through everything without advance notice of what to expect (as his Daddy and I did). But as the parent of this oldest child I am experiencing these firsts as well.
Registering for Kindergarten was a rather non-descript event where I grabbed the forms from the school and sent them back in. For Junior High it is an entire afternoon at the school where we go from one area to another to get organized.
It was a learning experience for myself and my son … I think. He did spend a lot of time wandering about greeting friends. But that’s another point, he wasn’t so shy, he enjoyed hanging out with the other guys who were there. They were exited, a nervous and guarded excitement maybe, but excited. Maybe just to see each other, I don’t know, but it was fun to watch.
Football was a first as well. He’d played League ball for years, but this was different. Monday through Friday from 2:15pm to 5:00pm (actually more like 5:30pm). This meant that once school started he would go straight from school to practice on the field and we’d pick him up later. Definitely another first, but I like it. Because practices began prior to the first day of school, he was able to get to know a lot of guys in his grade as well as feeling comfortable (ownership even) with his new school campus.
Then came the first day of school. No longer would he have one teacher and classroom, but now there was 6 classes. He rode a new bus to his first day of Junior High, had to be responsible to get himself to the lunchroom to pick up his schedule for the first time, had to put his things in his locker for the first time, had to find 6 different classrooms and meet 6 different teachers … for the first time.
Then came (in his opinion) the biggest first of all ….. the first football game! This was huge for him, he had anticipated this day and worked his heiny off. It paid off too becuase he played most of the game and he played hard! They got to experience two big firsts that day – in addition to his first school football game, he also had his first win.
We still have one last first to go … the first bus ride home from Junior High. Because he stays after school every day for football, he has not ridden the bus home once. That will happen for the first time this Friday! I can’t say this is a big first and it won’t be memorable I’m sure, but it is the last of a long series of firsts that we’ve been experiencing and I felt the need to point it out.
Thus proving that firsts don’t always come in the form we expect … especially as a MOM!
Remember to leave a comment linking us to your “firsts” post, especially if you signed up to participate during the invitation. Remember, Lisa Garrigues will be visiting all of you and if you joined the discussion earlier you will be entered into the drawing to win a copy of Lisa’s book Writing Motherhood for yourself!
Next week is filled with topics and writing. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to offer that and I’m excited. On Tuesday (as many of you know) we’re holding a fantastic writing event for moms on “FIRSTS” (I sooooo hope you join in, you’re definitely NOT too late to join).
Well, I had an interesting first yesterday … my first mammogram. I’m a little early getting started, but I guess we’ll just go with the motto, “better too early than too late” (is that a motto?). Either way, I REALLY wanted to share some information with you.
Consider this Mammogram 101! First thing to know is …. DO NOT wear deoderant (also avoid perfume, lotion or powder) on the day of your mammogram. This was SOOOOO news to me! They were not surprised and handed me a towelette type packet and sent me on my way.
That brings me to the second thing for you to know … these people do this all the time! If they are any good they will set you at ease by helping you keep as much of your dignity as possible (LOL). They are kind and understanding and should have everything prepared for your arrival.
Here’s how it went for me. I went to a Breast Center instead of a local clinic’s mammography area, so my experience may differ slightly.
Most centers will give you the results right then, in fact to many this is considered a rule of thumb, but I’m sure it isn’t the case everywhere. If they didn’t see one of the pictures clearly enough they will call you back again to retake it. Likewise if they see an area of concern they will take you back for another look just at that area – these are a lot more uncomfortable and may even be painful, but I figure it’s worth it and it doesn’t last long at all. If those still indicate something doesn’t look right, the center I went to will send you immediately for an ultrasound. In otherwords they exhaust all possibility of a problem while you’re there that day.
So, there you have it … Mammogram 101 – oh, and you should get your first mammogram between the ages of 35 and 40 years old. Depending on your family history of Breast Cancer you may be told to get one earlier, but don’t be afraid, it really isn’t any different than the other screenings we have to get done regularly … and it can save your life!!!
Blessings are all around us, yet how many of us have never stopped for even a moment to notice them? I am often amazed that when I am at my most depressed it is because I’m not really looking around me and noticing the daily gifts I’m given.
When we moved to this house I was so excited! Sure the house is only 1050 square feet, there were 6 of us at the time and we won’t talk about the fact that it is so old I occasionally wonder if the pillars holding it up will withstand the daily romping of 6 boys (no joke). But we had been living in a 32 foot travel trailer for 3 months (long story) through the holidays and I was so stressed I was often getting terribly ill.
Having our own house again was a blessing! The land is gorgeous and the neighborhood (though we can’t actually see any of our neighbors) is wonderful. I was content and felt so very blessed every single day.
That feeling was somewhat diminished when I found out I was pregnant for the 5th time … then again a week later when I found out that it was twins, but I took a deep breath and we began a small remodeling project that opened up the kitchen a bit.
Counting my blessings has been very difficult at times over the last 3 and a half years, but when there are so many around us how do we miss them? I have 6 sons and they are all amazingly healthy. That by itself should be enough to make a mom want to jump up and down for joy, but my blessings don’t stop there.
I have a roof over my head. It feels terribly cramped sometimes and I do honestly wonder about it’s stability at times, but it’s a place to live and it’s ours! I have a wonderful husband that works hard to provide for our family, I know without a doubt that he loves me and the boys. I live on a planet that despite it’s problems has amazing beauty and I get to see that each and every day.
I know and read daily about families that are facing incredible odds head on and they are trusting God to take care of them in a powerful way … how can I not feel blessed abundantly when I see that?
Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. (Genesis 29:46a NIV)
He created all this beauty around us and daily offers us blessings, big and little. I choose today to see and live in those blessings!
Seriously! Both contests are at Froggy Reviews, so you’ll want to visit each … Remember DO NOT try to enter these two contests here! You must comment on each post (links below) to enter .
First, win the entire Drama Queen Series (the books can also be purchased in the “Recommends” section here or the “read with me” section at Froggy Reviews)! That’s right All three books from that series by Tracey Bateman are being offered in a contest. This is a fun modern “chick-lit” type series and each book from the series follows one of three New York roommates through their lessons in life and love. Click Here To Enter.
Also, enter to win a very fun Felt Activity Book from Fun Felts! All the information about their products and the link to the great options you can choose from are available on the contest post HERE!
Subscribe in a reader
OR . . .
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
