Subscriber Freebie: Printable Thanksgiving Art

Thanksgiving will be here before you know it!

One of my favorite ways to decorate for the different seasons is to use printable wall art. It doesn't cost much of anything in terms of money or time, yet it adds an instant seasonal update.

I especially like using Scripture verses to keep God's Word as the main focus in our home.

I purposely created this printable with a white border around it. There were 2 reasons for that:

#1. It looks classy, but I didn't have a frame with a mat, so I just created the mat right on the printable.

#2. My printer doesn't print all the way to the edge of the paper, so it works better when my printables are white at the edges.

Hopefully you'll find that to be helpful to you too!

Get the entire wall trio free when you subscribe to email updates!  Just enter your email in the form below.

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10 Healthy Snacks for Toddlers

This list of 10 Healthy Snacks for Toddlers was created for anyone looking for ideas of what to feed their toddler that is not a choking hazard and won't create a huge mess!

These snacks are truly healthy and nutrient dense (no Cheerios or Toddler Puffs here!), but still very quick and easy for mom to fix for the little ones.

I know my little guy likes to be independent, but I don't like the mess that he makes when he eats by himself! Here are some (relatively) mess-free foods that toddlers can eat by themselves. I also tried to make sure everything on this list is not a choking hazard. (Obviously, you still need to watch your children carefully when they eat!)

1. Cheese slices

2. Banana

3. Homemade Cheez-its

4. Homemade Yogurt Melts

5. Strawberry slices

6. Soaked Banana Pumpkin Biscuits

7. Apples – peeled and diced

8. Rice cakes with peanut butter or almond butter

9. Hard boiled eggs

10. Homemade granola bars

Did you see my little guy in his Combi high chair up in the top picture?

This is a fantastic high chair!  Here are just a few of the features it has:

• 5-position height adjustment – make sure your child is at a comfortable level in proportion to your chair
• 3-position reclining adjustment – this is helpful for younger babies who may not do so well sitting all the way up at first
• 5-point harness – all my other kids were amazingly skilled at getting out of their buckles, but with a 5-point harness, I don't think that will be possible!
• the tray has a removable insert that can be snapped off and put into the dishwasher – quick cleanup!
• compact folding for storage – perfect for our little bitty house!

I also loved the color we received (bronze) as it matched our kitchen perfectly.  If you need a high chair for your busy toddler this is one I recommend!  Click here to see it on Amazon.

What other healthy snacks for toddlers would you add to this list?

How to Organize Your Laundry Room

How to organize your laundry room is one thing every homemaker must learn to keep a smoothly running home.

Organizing your laundry room can be a challenge. Between sorting clothes, setting up drying racks and ironing boards and organizing laundry detergent, you may find yourself pressed for space. There are great ways to organize your laundry room so that you get the most use out of your space.

Install Shelves

Installing shelves in your laundry room will give you added space above your washer and dryer. You can use this space to store bottles of detergents, irons and laundry baskets. You can find easy to install wire shelving at most home improvement stores.

Use Cabinets

If you have space in the corners of the room, you can install cabinets that will be handy for storing all of your laundry supplies. Laundry cabinets can free up floor space and give you room for folding and drying.

Use Space Saving Hampers

Using multiple hampers for your dirty clothing can take up space. Use a laundry organizer to sort your lights, darks and delicates. These sorters can be especially helpful if you have tiny children's socks that easily get lost in the wash. You can find stylish 3-bag laundry sorters for all of your clothing storage needs.

Install Ceiling Bars

You can stretch a tension rod across your laundry room and use it to hang wet clothing and other effects. These rods require no installation and are inexpensive. You can find them at your local home improvement store.

Keeping your laundry room organized doesn't have to be a chore. Find the best organization supplies today.

Why I Purposely Waste Money

I'm a pretty frugal person.

Just come over and check out my beat up furniture, old car, and closets full of yard sale clothes and you'll see I'm telling the truth.

So why in the world would I purposely waste money?

Let me give you some real life examples.

1. Every time I sweep the floor I come across about 13 tiny black ponytail holders that belong to my daughter. I could be frugal and pick them all up and put them away, or I could finish sweeping the floor after being interrupted by 16 other minor emergencies and not give myself cause for one more interruption. Decisions, decisions…ponytail holders in trash or one more gray hair? Trash.

2. When the kids finish a session of coloring, there are usually about 8 or 10 crayons on the floor. About half of those end up broken when the kids get up from the table and start walking around without picking them up. I suppose I could be frugal and save the broken ones to make one of the million craft ideas on Pinterest. Or I could just throw them away and get it out of my already too-cluttered house. Clean house or cute crafts that I'll most likely never get around to anyway? Trash.

3. 2-year-old destructo-man decides to rip a page out of a book. I could tape it back up, but it's highly possible that it will sit on the desk for a while, adding to a really annoying pile of other junk. Or I could waste money and just throw it away.  I think I will. Ahhh! No more annoying junk sitting around!

4. Suppertime has arrived, but the lunch dishes are still not done. It's just been a fast-track day with no time to breathe. I could save money and set the table properly or I could waste money and use paper plates that will go straight into the trash, leaving me more time to enjoy playing with my kids after dinner. What sounds like a better life – playing with cute kids or washing dishes while I get annoyed that everybody else is in the other room enjoying family time without me? Paper plates, please. My money-wasting bills are tallying up, but I'm enjoying life and eliminating stress!

5. Most of our grocery shopping is done at local farms and the farmer's market, and we fill in all the gaps at one particular grocery store. I could wait and buy dish soap and tissues at Walmart for probably a good couple dollars cheaper than I could at the grocery store. Or I could spend a couple extra dollars not to have to unbuckle 3 kids, walk to the back of Walmart while wrangling said children to stay with me, check out while keeping children from annoying the cashier by touching the weight sensor on the self check-out, maneuver our way safely back across the parking lot, and successfully buckle all three children back into car seats. I'll waste the money, thank you.

Shall I continue with my examples, or do you get the idea?

While we ought to be good stewards of our finances, we should also remember that time is money. I've never heard the expression “lack of stress is money”, but I know it's worth money to me!

While I will do all that I can to practice being frugal in ways that will not cost a lot of extra time and headache, I will not worry so much over pinching every penny that I drive myself insane in the process!

Do you have any areas where you purposely “waste” money?

Can you think of frugal things you've been doing that you need to give yourself permission to let go?

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Be Still

Yesterday I posted this on Facebook:

I've really been itching to get back to posting here, and this morning I woke up raring to go.

You may recall from this post that this is the spot I sit every day for my quiet time. Today was no different.

When I was finished reading my Bible and praying, I was more than ready to hop up and finish writing that post I didn't finish yesterday.
But it was as if God sat me back down in the chair and said,
“Just Be Still. You go, go, go all day. You always have some great idea that you're trying to accomplish. You always have a million and one thoughts swirling around in your head. You're creative, and that's a good thing – I made you that way. But sometimes there's too much going on in that head of yours, and you can't hear what I'm trying to say to you. You're too busy rushing on to planning your next great idea. I understand that you have to be busy – you have small children to take care of and a household to run. But your head is too full of your own thoughts to hear me in the midst of your busyness. I can speak to you all throughout the day, you know. I can help you be a Godly mom when you're frustrated at the 999th mess the kids have made. I can still speak to you even when you're running from the washing machine to the stove to the homeschool lesson you're helping the kids with. But you need to turn down the noise of everything that is not from me and practice listening to my still small voice. When you have these quiet morning moments, don't be so quick to finish spending time with me to jump up and start rushing through your day. Just Be Still.”

So I did.

More than anything, I want God to be glorified through this blog, but I can never be used of Him if I do not first obey Him myself.
I have so much that I need to learn before I can be the example I need to be for others. I have a feeling I will need many more of those “Be Still” times before my mind is well enough in practice to tune out all the other noise of the world around me and focus only on the Spirit's voice. If that means accomplishing fewer of my creative plans and spending more of my spare moments with Him, that's what I'm going to do.

If you need to be reminded of the need to “Be Still” for yourself, perhaps you'll want to print out this printable Scripture Verse Art. It's available here in both color and black and white.

What about you? Is your mind crowded with the noise of all your plans and responsibilities?

Perhaps it is time to just practice being still.

Can You Keep a Secret?

Remember that book I'm writing? I plan to officially launch it at the beginning of 2014. However, in November there will be an incredible ebook sale that is like no other, and my book will be available exclusively as a part of that sale.

I am not allowed to tell you the complete details of the sale at this time, but I will say that it is going to be a NO-BRAINER as to whether or not you should purchase it. If you need to start saving up a little extra money for it, this is your heads up!

The value of just the bonuses you will receive (including $26 of eco-friendly laundry detergent, $15 of natural soap and skincare, and $15 of herbal remedies) far exceeds the cost of the bundle itself.

Here's what the bundle will include:

• Over 80 healthy living ebooks on a wide variety of topics – I know who some of the authors are, and I am so eager to glean from their knowledge!
• Healthy Living Mentorship Program –  you will receive access to a 1-hour podcast each week for 12 weeks where a panel of mentors will be giving instruction on various health topics. Additionally, you will receive access to a private Facebook group where you will be able to personally ask questions of your mentors.
• $150 worth of free bonuses simply as a thank you for purchasing the bundle.

This sale begins November 4th, so be sure to think it over and save your money before then!

I am so excited about this, and I know it will be an incredible help to so many of you who are trying to learn more about healthy living!