$40 Grocery Week

I can't believe I did it, but only spent $40 on our groceries this week! And this was without eating out.

Of course I had a few ingredients at home already for some of the meals. Here are a few other things that helped:

1. I did two dinners with beans. I love beans. They are cheap and so good for you. I like to buy them dry then soak and cook them in the crock pot. It makes them taste so good. This gives you protein without having meat. And there is such a large variety of beans.

2. We did breakfast for dinner one night. Eggs at Aldi are only about a $1.00 a dozen. So one night we had eggs and pancakes.

3. I got some fresh (not prepackaged) ground beef at Sav-More for about a $1.00 a pound. I put that together with three cans of tomatoes and two cans of chili beans along with some spices to make Chili tonight for 5 people. (We have people coming over for dinner) I also made some cornbread from some cornmeal I already had and made brownies from a mix I bought.

4. I had a smoothie 4 days this week for breakfast. It contains the following: A banana, a big spoonful of peanut butter, a cup and a half of milk, and for added nutrition ground Flaxseed . It tastes so good and fills me up for hours. (You can't taste the Flaxseed). At Aldi I bought bananas for about 0.40 a pound and a gallon of milk is less than $3.00.

5. I buy a lot of popcorn for snacks at night instead of chips. Stephen always gets hungry at night. You can buy 10 bags for only a couple of dollars and it last a week or more. I also bought peanuts and some other dried fruit and chocolate and made some trail mix for another snack item.

6. I went to Panera Bread this week with my friend Candie for coffee and they were having "Free Coffee Day" and free food samples so I didn't even have to pay for that. (They were taking donations for a charity but I didn't have any cash).

7. At church they give away free bread every Sunday that they get from Atlanta Bread Company when they go pick up the donated bagels and muffins. That takes care of most lunches.

8. The produce at Aldi is really well priced.

I know I won't be able to do this every week. But I was proud that we were able to this week and still be able to have people over for dinner one night. Thank you Lord for providing for us!

A New Way to Make Tea

I went to my friend Ellen's house a few months ago to watch a movie with her and some other ladies. She offered us tea and to my surprise I saw that she had my ALL TIME favorite flavor of hot tea....Carmel. You may think this sounds weird but when I lived in Poland this was a popular flavor of hot tea and I LOVED it. I drank it all the time. But it is hard to find in the US. Not only was it Carmel flavored but it was a good quality tea. The kind that is in lose leaf form. Normally this kind of tea can be a pain to make but she also had the coolest little tea maker. It is kind of like a "French Press" for tea. It lets the tea leaves soak in the water in such a way that really brings out the flavor. Well a few days ago I met with Ellen for lunch and to my surprise she had bought me the "Smart Tea Maker" and some Carmel Tea to go with it! What a blessing:) Thank you Ellen! Here is how it works.

This is what it looks like.

Here is the wonderful yummy brand of Carmel Tea.

You take two teaspoons out.

Then pour in one cup of hot water. (sorry the picture is sideways)

You let it side for 3 -4 minutes. Then you put your mug under it and the tea comes our perfect. (See the video). This has been my little piece of sunshine the past few days:) It is the little things in life, you know?:)

Exercising with an infant

Trying to exercise with an infant has been a new challenge for me. But I am determined not to give up. Even walking has been harder with it being so cold these past couple of weeks. But I decided just to bundle him up good and go for it. One time I put him in my frontpack carrier and once in the stroller.

But I also want to do some things with wieght resistance. This is what is harder. I used to go to Curves several days a week before he was born. I can't now because I don't have anyone to watch him and they don't provide childcare.

So I have the FIRM workout to do at home. These videos are great. But they are 45 minutes. I either have to do them right after he eats (which means he usually starts getting fusy towards the end) or while he is sleeping. But I also have to take a shower afterwards because I get so sweaty. Today he slept the whole time I did the video but they he started crying right before I got into the shower. I had to just let him cry till I got done.

Out of desperation I have even held him while doing some of the exercises up and down the step. I figured he was about the same weight as my dumbbells. :) My Pilates video is easier because it is not as long and I don't have to take a shower afterwards.

But I know that if I don't exercise at least 3 days a week (more preferably) then I will never get the extra baby weight off. So I will press on no matter how hard it is or how tired I am. Hopefully it will pay off. I will post some new pictures of Baby Steve soon. He changes more and more every day!

Rick Warren's Prayer

Baby Chiropractor and Growth Spurts

I just realized I hadn't blogged in a week! Where does the time go? This week seemed to fly by.

The week started with two nights of "24". It was really entertaining in my opionion! It had some twists and turns in the plot that you didn't see coming.

Monday I went "mall walking" with a friend of mine. She likes to go to the mall and walk for exercise when it is cold outside. She has a baby and an almost 3 year old. The three year old played on an indoor play area when we finished walking. That was an idea I tucked away in the back of my head to do with Little Stephen when he gets older and it is too cold to play outside.

Tuesday and Wednesday were mostly days of just days of normal routine. Wednesday night I did have to go to church for praise band practice for the first time since the baby was born. I realized that even things like this are harder with a little one. Stephen had to work and I took the baby with me. It was really cold outside and I had to get him out and try to keep him quiet while we practiced. He did pretty good but I was glad to get him home.

Friday I had an interesting experience taking Baby Stephen to a chiropractor. Ever since he was born he has preferred to turn his head to the left. When he would sleep or be in his carrier he would always turn it to the left. At first we thought it was just a stage but then several months went past and he kept doing it. Now he has a flat spot on one side of his head because of it. So now we try to turn his head when he is sleeping and encourage him to turn his head the other. My midwife suggested taking him to a chiropractor who works on babies just to make sure nothing was wrong.

So I took him to a place called "The Joint" in downtown Greenville. The office is in the new shopping center with the Publix and Staples and is really bright and cheerful. It only costs $20.00 a visit. Baby Stephen loved looking around the office and he really liked Dr. Rob. (Generally he likes anyone who will give him undivided attention:). He checked Baby Stephen's neck and spine. He adjusted one vertebrae in his neck but he said that there is nothing really wrong. He said he probably was like that in my womb. Now because his head is flatter on one side it is more comfortable for him to turn it that way. He said to keep doing what we are doing and it should get better. But he suggested bringing him in from time to time to check. He said when babies start walking and falling their backs can get out of line and keeping it adjusted can help with back problems in the future and also with other health issues. My husband has a lot of back pain and a curve in his spine, so this is something we may do for little Stephen to keep him from having some of the same problems.

Friday night we had some friends over for dinner.

Saturday I took Baby Stephen to mom and dad's house, sang at a women' s conference at church, went to Starbucks to look over my coupons and make a grocery list, went to the grocery store, went to Mary's baby shower, then went to pick up Stephen from mom's house and went back home.

That is when the craziness began. I fed him at 12. He was hungry again a little later so I fed him. I had plans that evening to meet a friend thinking I would have a couple of hours to spend before he was hungry again. But he cried almost the whole time. I tried everything but then I realized he was hungry. Thankfully the restaurant was not crowded but I wasnt able to really visit with my friend. For the rest of the night he ate every hour to hour and a half with no spitting up. Stephen and I were trying to have some time together and watch a movie but it didn't happen. Finally he went to sleep and slept 8 hours but today he has eaten every hour again. I couldn't even go to church. We are going to try to go tonight but we will see what happens.

I looked online and read that around the 3 month mark babies may go through growth spurts and want to eat a lot. They said it should last only 2-3 days. I hope so because this is getting old. And he has been up since 7:20 this morning with no nap. It is 12pm. I just laid him down and am hoping he will go to sleep. This is all new for me because Stephen normally on a 3 hour routine. I will keep you posted. Oh the joys of motherhood:) I guess this was a week of learning curves for me. One of many to come. Here is a cute little video from a few days ago.

Jack is Back!

In 5 minutes one of my all time favorite TV shows is finally back! "24" has been gone for almost 2 years because of the writer's strike last year but is finally back for season 7. If you have ever watched a season of this show then you know exactly what I am talking about. This show has the best characters, scenarios, plots, acting, writing, and suspense of any show I have ever watched. The main character, Jack Bauer, is played very talently by Kiefer Sutherland.

It will remain to be seen if this season will be as good without repeating past story lines. Maybe I will blog about it later this week and let you know. If you are watching it tonight, enjoy!

Truvia

A few years ago I pretty much stopped drinking diet drinks or eating anything with artificial sweeteners in it like Aspartame or Splenda. The reason is because I read about all of the bad side effects these sweeteners can have on you. (If you don't believe me then just google one of these brands and see all the things their chemicals can cause.)

So I pretty much only drink water and coffee. But I do like to add a little sugar to my coffee and I do like to drink a soda from time to time (probably once a month). Plus I have a sweet tooth. I know sugar isn't great for your either but what other option is there?

Well maybe there is one now. I am very interested in new product that has just hit the market called Truvia. It is a non-calorie sweetener derived from the stevia plant that is supposed to be all natural. A company has worked on the formula to take out an aftertaste and is marketing it in the US. It has been used for years in South America. Coke and Pepsi are awaiting approval from the FDA to be able to add it to sodas.

If this product is what they say it is then I think it will be a great alternative for people and will have a huge profit making potential. But is it too good to be true? Does it taste good? It is really all natural? Has anyone tried it?

Books I am reading

I am reading a book right now that I blogged about here back in August. It has been really good so far and convicting. It is called "Living Water" by the Chinese Church leader, "Brother Yun." It is better if you have read "The Heavenly Man" first so you can really understand the life behind his teachings. One chapter really spoke to me because of the season of life we are in right now of getting ready to step out with a new ministry. It said, "As you step out in obedience to a heavenly vision, be encouraged! God will help you so that it comes to pass. But gird yourself for a battle against the forces of darkness. You must determine in your heart not to give up, for, "we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved" (Heb. 10:39).

Those words are not just coming from anyone but from a man who has truly undergone much hardship for the sake of the gospel. I know that entering into this church plant is going to be at times hard. But it is encouraging to hear from Brother Yun in this chapter that God has always been there in the midst of his suffering, and has sustained him no matter what. And when I think of what he has been through, I know that anything we encounter on a smaller scale in Asheville will be used for our good and God's glory.



I got this book for Christmas too. "The Love Dare" comes from the movie "Fireproof" that I wrote about here. Stephen and I are going through each of the 40 day challenges for our marriage. Anyone else reading anything good?

Happy New Year

My friend Tara came to visit for a couple of days. She has been in Africa the past 5 years as a "story teller." She has been back in the states for 5 months and came to visit me before she moves to New Orleans in a few weeks. Last night we celebrated New Years with her and a couple of Stephen's friends. Today we met our friend Joy at Cracker Barrell. She was in SC visiting her family for the Holidays. She lives in New Orleans. It was great to see her and meet her sweet daughter, Peyton. I love getting together with old friends.

Baby Stephen enjoyed spending time with "Aunt" Tara!