HALT Parenting

I had read this article by Megan at Sorta Crunchy a while ago and came across it again recently. It is so worth reading, not only if you have kids (though especially if you have kids) but when you're dealing with people in general it's a good reminder that if someone's cranky there might be a very simple reason for it.

Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired

That's it. So simple, and covers such a large percentage of child meltdowns. Fix the reason, fix the meltdown.

Frugal Luxuries: Excuses, Excuses

Maybe it’s the spring weather, but I’ve been doing a lot of non-essential spending lately. The article Shopping for the Sake of Shopping by Get Rich Slowly really hit close to home, I was so close to falling back into that pattern. As my great-grandma used to say, I could go broke on these sales!

Some of the more acceptable excuses I was using: It’s for Max, so it’s ok. It’s to save money in the long run. It’s food, we have to eat don’t we? I work hard (at work and life) and I’m tired and stressed out and I deserve it.

In reply to my excuses:

Yes, Max needs stuff, but not as much as I’ve been getting him. He’s not even two years old – he doesn't need the latest toy, he’s just as happy (if not more so) with a wooden spoon and Tupperware. For the things he really does need, can I make it? Can I improvise from what we already have?

Spending money to save money – sometimes yes. But most of the time not so much. My latest culprit was the clothes line. I wanted to line dry our clothes which saves money, but I convinced myself that I needed to buy the pulleys and a new rope. Will the pulleys and rope make it easier? Yes. Could I have made do with the eye hooks and rope that I used last year? Yes.

Food doesn’t have to be that expensive – I need to be creative and suck it up and cook more. (Hubby’s version of cooking is asking me how to cook the frozen food when the directions are printed on the bag… though he is finally confident with chicken tenders) Flour, rice and beans are super inexpensive and very adaptable.

I deserve it… I deserve to not have our finances stress me out. I deserve to laugh with my son as he “helps” me cook. I deserve the personal pride that I get when I see him wearing clothing I made – and when people compliment his outfit. I deserve the luxury of putting my feet up and relaxing with some knitting after knowing that I put in a solid day of work. I deserve to make use of the great things that I already own.

Friday Flashback: It's Been a Year!

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Actually, it's been over a year! Woo! Now that I've officially been blogging for a year, I feel I can start Friday flash-backs. Here's what I was up to this time last year...

Finding Middle Ground

Naptime Filing

Holding it Together With Tears and Laughter

Sprouting Onions

Crock Pot Basics

31 Days of Change

Nester is hosting a month-long party - 31 Days of Change - where every day for the month of October you write about just one topic that you are passionate about. One topic for one month. Can you do it? Can I do it??? We'll see! I have an idea in mind... but you'll have to come back on Saturday to find out what topic I choose!

Funny Photo Shoot

Piggybacking off of Max's photo shoot that I posted yesterday, check out this series of engagement photos. They're right in line with my sense of humor! (As an earthquake rocked us a few days ago, and now a hurricane, I'm prepping our emergency zombie kit)

http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2011/08/the-funniest-engagement-photo.html

A Friday Link Roundup: Places I've Been...

I don't know if it's my mood this week that I don't find much interesting and worth sharing, or that I just didn't click on the right sites. Either way, I only have a few links to share:

They make paper out of animal poop. Yes, you heard me right.

http://www.poopoopaper.com/

Huh. It's a plant stand that moves to keep it in the sun. I wonder what type of epic battle would ensue between this plant stand and my cat as they both compete for the sunny spots on the carpet...

http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/gardening/plantbot-looks-steampunk-acts-creepy-067344

I got two MASSIVE zucchini out of my C'est La Vie garden on Wednesday, and there are more on the way. Wouldn't it be nice if we could tell the zucchini plants to only produce one fruit per week? Anyhow, I plan on using some of that zucchini to make these pickles:

http://www.prudentbaby.com/2011/07/sweet-zucchini-pickles-recipe.html

Once Max gets a little older I'm going to have to try this lego table hack:

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/07/21/side-table-to-lego-table-ikea-hack/

Have a great weekend!

A Friday Link Roundup: Places I've Been...

I thought about only having the one link because it's so exciting:

http://www.alinasadventuresinhomemaking.com/the-worlds-best-sewing-tutorials-in-no-particular-order.html

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I'm listed! On someone else's website! By someone I don't know! (Sorry Regan, this is cooler) Alina listed me in her awesome roundup of sewing tutorials for my couch cover. Sweet!

It's been a busy week what with the new job and all. As in - I'm brain dead from memorizing years worth of information in just a few days and during my downtime I can't handle reading anything more taxing than picture books. Which works out great for Max. So I'm very light on my link roundup, but that's ok. I know you'll forgive me.

On front yard gardens:

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/no-lawn-just-food

50 Tips:

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/hot-tip/50-hot-tips-to-try-in-2011-136951

Organic Water. WTF???

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/07/greenwash-organic-bottled-water

A good list of places to go for free images, textures, and fonts:
http://www.dana-made-it.com/2011/07/fonts-photos-patterns-and-resources.html

So. Effing. Funny. Ha!

Posts Worth Reading: Frugal Beauty: How to Look Good on a Budget

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Frugal Beauty: How to Look Good on a Budget by Sierra Black on Get Rich Slowly. (BTW - if you haven't checked out Get Rich Slowly and you're at all interested in personal finance, you obviously live under a rock. Go. Now.)

To summarize: Sierra talks about how she saves money by not spending a lot on personal care products. The comments get pretty funny - the occasional dirty hippie reference, some back and forth commenting on whether or not to wear makeup, etc. The article itself is not that expansive and normally I'd just put it on my Friday roundup. However, the comments make it worth the special mention.

It also gave me an opportunity to round up some of my personal care posts. If you've been reading for a while, you probably know that I don't spend much money on personal care and I try to DIY it, but I do care about looking (and smelling) good. As long as the surface looks/smells ok, who really cares about how you got there? Whether it's expensive products or baking soda it's all smoke and mirrors...

• I clean my face with the oil cleansing method and exfoliate with sugar
• When I don't wear makeup, I clean my face with a homemade toner
• I use minimal makeup when I do wear it (I don't like looking half-dead at work, so I always try to cover up those under-eye circles)
• I dye my own hair using henna
• I often (but not always) cut my own hair, and I'll try to extend the time between cuts
• I let my hair go curly or pull it back to disguise a funny cut or white hairs
• I am a moderate no-poo-er
• I use sunscreen when I'll be outside (but not all day every day)
• I shower every other day to every two days unless I get sweaty or dirty - in the summer that can easily to up to twice a day
• I make my own deodorant
• I use natural soap "seconds" that are funny shaped but still work just fine, and are a lot cheaper
• I don't shave my legs very often, I just wear pants a lot (which also hides my ridiculously white legs that refuse to color which looks really funny when the rest of me is summertime tan)

Hubby stays pretty on the cheap too -

• He has a beard (which I adore) which cuts down on razors and shaving cream costs
• He shampoos his hair once or twice a week
• I cut his hair
• He's considering trying out one of my sugar scrubs to keep those beard follicles stimulated
• He likes particular brands of deodorant, shampoo, and soap, which is fine since we can get them at Costco for less $
• He wears spray-on sunscreen which doesn't get goopy with the beard
• He wears a long-sleeve light weight jacket all summer to keep from burning when he doesn't have sunscreen on

So, what do you do to look/feel like an acceptable member of society? I won't judge if you don't. Just, please, don't be stinky - and yes, too much perfume counts as stinky.

A Friday Link Roundup: Places I've Been...

think happy thoughts... like the rainbow over my backyard

It's been a long week - I won't bore you with the details. Except for this one: Who on earth drives a really loud something or another (I think probably a riding mower, but I didn't get out of bed to check) that you can hear for 1/2 mile (seriously, I could hear it when it made certain turns and went over the hill by the way the noise changed) at 5:45 in the morning. When I'm sleeping. Or at least trying to, while ignoring my pounding headache and sinus pressure. And, it woke up the baby.

Bastard. (the person making the noise, not the baby of course)

I've since treated my allergy "hangover" with sudafed, ibproufin, and copious amounts of coffee. I think it's the coffee that does the most good. I love coffee. Really, truly, it makes my mornings worth waking up for.

Happy Friday, and I'll see you next week!

---

The pillowcase over the broom tip is new to me:

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/creative-reuse/5-new-uses-for-old-pillowcases-150992

Be more mindful in your purchases and you might not have to declutter your house so much:

http://organizing.yourway.net/avoid-decluttering-by-keeping-the-clutter-out-altogether/

5 natural baby care solutions:

http://simpleorganic.net/natural-homemade-baby-care-recipe-baby-massage-oil/#more-7469

Planting and pruning fruit trees for small spaces:

http://davewilson.com/homegrown/BOC_explained.html

Thrift store snake eyes:
http://thethriftychicks.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-are-snake-eyes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fuwaf+%28The+Thrifty+Chicks+B%29

Homemade cleaners:

I tried these out, and they work really well. The grease cutter worked particularly well on cat vomit stains, in case you were wondering.

http://www.macheesmo.com/2011/01/four-homemade-cleaners/

Should You Shave Your Legs?

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I'll add: If you have mosquito bites on your legs and don't want to result in injury. That's my current excuse.

A Friday Link Roundup: Places I've Been...

my "front yard" - it's very European

Every purchase you make is a trade-off – an expansion of the author’s point that you can have anything you want but you can’t have everything you want.

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2011/07/05/every-purchase-is-a-trade-off/

As someone with no front lawn (seriously, I have a 4-6” wide strip of dirt between me and the asphalt), this article made me feel better. And, honestly, having lived with it for two years I now prefer having no front lawn. Because who really uses one?

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/plants/underused-uniform-and-ubiquitous-the-case-against-the-american-front-lawn-150531

Tips on writing – mostly from non-fiction writers/researchers, but plenty of it still applies. (I have visions of eventually selling a manuscript)

http://blogs.plos.org/neurotribes/2011/06/02/practical-tips-on-writing-a-book-from-22-brilliant-authors/

Amen. My mom still gives the look like no other.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/07/05/granderson.bratty.kids/index.html

What I did (looked at) instead of writing like I promised myself I would:

http://www.houseofturquoise.com/

I wish I lived in Denver and had access to thrift stores with amazing clothes like these:

http://thethriftychicks.blogspot.com/2011/07/while-children-are-away-mommy-will-save.html

Ok, I’m putting this link on here for Jessie's Raised Eyebrow Award: yuppies go “green” and spend too much $ to do so. <le sigh> I’m going to pick on this article a little bit, not out of malice but out of a desire to better inform.

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/simple-food-storage-solutions-for-your-kitchen-150566

1: Milk Jar – unless you’re getting your milk straight from the bulkhead, there’s no reason to transfer your milk to a jar. By the time you get your milk from the store potential chemical leaching will have already happened, negating the usefulness of putting it in glass when you get it home.

2: I don’t think I’d pay $7 for a reusable sandwich bag, but I prefer wrapping my sandwich up in a napkin anyhow.

3: $20 twine dispenser. $20 twine dispenser. No further comment.

4: Again, a napkin works too. If you want, you can soak said napkin in oil for a bit, wring it out and voila! It’s semi waterproof. Or just, you know, throw it in the wash and skip the oil etc.

5: $14 for two canning jars that don’t have a button-seal and therefore aren’t as safe to use in canning. OR you can spend $14 and get a dozen jars that are FDA approved. Just sayin.

6: So tiffin means lunch in Indian English, or a lunch container. I’m not sure how I feel about metal lunch carriers, so I guess I’ll leave this alone. But if anyone wants to get me a lunchbox, I prefer vintage TMNT.

7: Sure, it’s cute, but an actual paper berry basket or a colander works just as well.

8: And, finally, why on earth would you pay over $5 apiece for cloth napkins?

OK – I’m done now.

I Lied - I'm Here

Well, kinda. I won't be long. I just had to share this one tidbit I read on {NiceGirlNotes}:

"You’d think that bloggers are mildly nerdy with our laptops and Tweets and all things interwebs, but I’d equate them to being like the band kids in high school.  A little strange?  Maybe.  Secretly crazy partiers?  Absolutely."

BWAHAHAHA! I am was that band kid (drama kid in college). Heck-to-the-YES!

OK - you may now resume your Fourth of July celebrations. I'll be dusting off my saxophone.

A Friday Link Roundup: Places I've Been...

Some good frugal tips and tricks:

http://almostfrugal.com/2011/05/17/jennifers-approach-to-frugality/

Outdoor envy, right here:

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/06/our-patio-cabana/

This hits home, especially after the trippy dream I had last night where I got a sunburn (in my dream) and it turned purple… Though I’m taking the point of view that chemicals-are-not-so-great & the-sun-is-part-of-our-natural-ecosystem rather than God-made-the-sun-so-it-must-be-good.

http://green.yourway.net/balancing-the-risks-of-sunscreen-skin-cancer/

Personally, I’m a fan of Badger brand, but here’s a post about one woman’s natural/safe sunblock quest where she reviews over a dozen (maybe two dozen?) sunscreens:

http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/07/20/natural-sunscreen-review-do-mineral-based-sunblocks-work-2/

HALT for parenting. I’d never even heard of HALT – but this is a great post on using it in the parenting realm:

http://simplemom.net/applying-the-halt-method-a-checklist-for-proactive-parenting/#more-13851

I love using random “stuff” in bouquets. You need something unexpected, structural, and/or tall to make that bouquet interesting. I like using willow branches. In this case it was garlic:

http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/flower-of-the-weekscapes

Five ways to save money – in particular I need to do the whole pre-mince my garlic thing:

http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2011/06/five-ways-im-saving-money/

And – read the comments for frugal gardening ideas:

http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2011/06/ask-the-readers-frugal-gardening-tips/
And, I'll leave you with a teaser for next week:

Birthdays are awesome. Especially first birthdays. :)

And, BTW, I won't be around on Monday for obvious reasons. You all have a wonderful Independence Day! Watch out for those aliens!

A Friday Link Roundup: Places I've Been...

This whole link roundup on Friday business may become a thing. Is that OK with you all? Fridays are now link roundups here? I assume you all say yes. K, just checking.

Nester is doing a series on debt-free decorating – this particular post is on one of my favorite pastimes: Thrift! And, there’s some major eye candy in the post, both decor and hunky men. See that photo there? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.

http://www.thenester.com/2011/06/debt-free-decorating-part-2-thrifting.html

Different clock screensavers – download the program at the bottom of the page and you’ll get all of the clock options.

http://beeks.eu/Screensaver.htm

I’m totally digging this office/craft room:

http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/home-tech-tours/shannons-crafty-place-for-everything-tech-tour-148683

My new favorite DIY blog:

http://livingthehomelife.blogspot.com/

This makes me want to make cookies:

http://sweetsugarbelle.com/2011/05/cheap-and-easy-diy-cookie-cutters/

Where to get your veggies this summer – a primer if you will:

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2011/06/23/best-sources-for-summer-produce/

The one thing that I don’t totally agree with is the implication that a Farmer’s Market is going to be more expensive. Ours is comparable with the grocery store if not cheaper, so it varies depending on the Market and the vendor.

No work required: She stacked a few suitcases on top. Seriously, and it looks amazing:

http://mamiejanes.blogspot.com/2011/06/would-you-buy-it-wednesday_22.html

An interesting piece on staying home. There are some points that I would argue (like, what about those of us that do all of that and hold down a full-time job), but it’s food for thought nonetheless:

http://thecontraryfarmer.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/stay-home-and-make-some-real-money/

Wolfsong has been ranting a bit this week too… Fair warning, the F-bomb gets dropped liberally (as it well should be, but I have a dirty mouth so I’m biased):

https://wolfsongc.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/issues/

Holy drop cloth link party – when I last checked there were 792 posts and it’s open for three more days! Of course most of the posts are not about drop cloths, but that’s still an impressive amount of links to check out:

http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/2011/06/drop-cloth-link-party.html