It would seem I've been tagged!

Please bear with me as I have never done this before, but I'm willing to try :)

Sarah at Becoming a Crunchy Mama has tagged me! Green Meme #2.
Guidelines:
1) Link back to Green Meme Bloggers. (use image if you like)
2) Link back to whoever tagged you (no need to wait to be tagged!)
3) Include meme number
4) Include these guidelines in your post
5) Tag 3 other green bloggers.
1. Do you use baking soda toothpaste or baking soda shampoo? If not, would you consider it?
I've been using baking soda shampoo for about a year now, off and on. I have an autoimmune disease and when it flares I get terrible eczema and psoriasis, so during those times I change it up. I use baking soda toothpaste all the time, though. (for me, not for the kids.) It tastes terrible at first, but you get used to it, and I think my teeth are whiter and I have less plaque than I used to before I started using it. I also rinse with peroxide on occasion- I do believe it helped me avoid the strep throat that everyone else in my family got a few weeks ago.
2. Do you make any home cleaning products?
Yes, I use a lot of vinegar and baking soda, and I've made my own laundry soap, though I don't use it consistently.
3. What is your top green issue at the moment?
Getting my husband on board with going green. He tends to be a little on the lazy side, so its hard to get him to go green if there is any kind of effort involved on his part. He also cares too much about what other people think, LOL.
4. Given unlimited cash, what is on your fantasy green wishlist?
This old house needs a lot of updating to make it more energy efficient. I'd also like to do some edible landscaping and solar panels, etc. Oh, and a little electric car for Joe :)
5. Have you implemented any new green act/behaviour/product this month?
Not really- it was such a busy month! I did try to buy less commercial toys and I did make things from supplies I already had. But I still went way overboard and I felt guilty about all the packaging when the gifts were open. The thing is, this year I am actualy aware of it, so I think that is a step in the right direction, right?!
I am going to tag Clare at Mama Goober. She's the only one I know who might play :)

Rhonna Designs

http://rhonnadesigns.blogspot.com/
This is a new blog by one of my all time favorite designers- Rhonna Farrer. Her work is so classy and timeless. She is offering a wonderful contest on her blog, you should really go check it out!

Sorry for the hiatus!

The month of December was insane for us. We had stomache flu, strep throat and *EW!* head lice all sweep through. On top of which it was a fabulous year for my Christmas card designs, which kept me busy busy busy! I'm so glad I was mostly done before the insanity hit, because our Christmas was still quite wonderful :).

We spent a Saturday in Chicago, it was such fun! We saw the Christmas trees from around the world at the Museum of Science and Industry, (as well as all of the other exhibits we adore there) and then went downtown to watch the ice skaters, walk along State Street and admire the animated window displays, Daley plaza for the big tree and nativity set up, watching the horses and carriages, and then we went into Macy's/FAO Shwartz to see thier big tree and all the toys :)

Then the next Saturday we celebrated Christmas with my sister and her family. The girls love to get together with their cousins, and getting to open presents before Christmas! Then we did what my family did when I was a kid, we went to this neighborhood in Aurora that goes all out with the decorations- Leonard's Circle. One whole area is devoted to Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, homemade wooden and painted displays, with spotlights, its so cute!! Then the other half is the Nativity Story, and tradition is that dad reads the story as we go along, with life-size statues of the shepherds and wise-men, sheep and camels, etc. They even have a caution sign as you enter the neighborhood- camel crossing :). At the end there is the town of Bethlehem with the Star of David above it, set up on a little hill in a park, with the stable scene set up near the road. We always got out and ran up to it as kids, so this year Joe parked the van and we all got out. They play Christmas music there as well. As we were going up to it, it began softly snowing- you know, the big quiet snowflakes? *sigh* It was so beautiful!

Christmas morning was lovely as well. My kids just aren't very early risers, so they weren't up until 8:30 or so. Jake got a little overwhelmed with the amount of gifts, and he stopped opening things after a few. He opened more later, though. His favorite was a funky rc car that great-grandma sent him, supposed to be ages 4 and up (Jakers will be 2 on Feb. 1st). He loved it so much, but he broke it last night. It lit up and made all kinds of noise, and when it hit the wall, it would flip over and keep going. Such fun! Until he drove it off the train table :(

Anna's favorite was actually one of Jake's gifts, another age-inappropriate gift that I really dissapproved of. A set of 2 "space blaster" guns. The light up and make noise as well. And my sweet little 3 year old, dressed up in ballet slippers and tutu was running around shooting all of her favorite people. I think I must be the only mom in my area who dislikes toy guns, esp. since we live in a farming community where most of the male population goes off hunting in the fall. I do believe in teaching children gun safety, because there may come a time when they will discover or be shown a gun in someone else's home. (we don't own a gun). I just feel that toy guns, especially ones that have flashing lights and cool sounds, convey they same ideas that guns are dangerous objects that children should not touch. Grandma means well, though- and apparently knows exactly what my children like, better than I do!

okay, somewhere along the lines my post was deleted, but JOE GOT THE JOB!!!! His last day of his former job was December 19th, his first day of training at the new place was December 22nd. There were over 700 applicants in total, for 60 positions. Joe got the only position for his job, they require 2 inventory control clerks, and one is transferring from a different warehouse in March. Until that time, Joe will be covering both shifts (when the warehouse opens) and when the other person transfers, he will go to the 4 to midnight shift. Not entirely ideal, since the older kids get home from school at 4, but school will be out soon after the change, and we will have lots of summer days together :) And Jake will be thrilled to have his Addy home with him most of his awake hours, so it will be fine. Training has been at a hotel 3.5 miles from our house, so Joe has been coming home for lunch :) (this will end when they actually start working, since the warehouse is 7 miles away and they will be getting 2 20min breaks instead of an hour lunch. Training has been a little hard on Joe, since it is actually an entirely different routine than he is used to and they are requiring him to learn a whole new computer program. They want everyone to learn all of the jobs, so training is intense, and the other new hires started a week sooner (???). My shy sweetie is trying to make some new friends as well :).

CALLBACK BABY!!! YEAH!

December 6th from 8am until noon! Joe didn't ask what all it will entail, so we are clueless a while longer. They said they'd be calling and reminding everyone about a week prior, so he said he'd ask them then. Its going to be held upstairs in a local bank (don't laugh! small town livin'. We have EVERYTHING upstairs from the bank around here...). So curious! They can't very well do any trial runs of their new jobs, so it must be a slew of written tests and intellectual stuff, huh? Joe is still feeling confident, so I am happy!

YES!!!

Yummy and Fun Recipes!

Jenni’s Homemade Yogurt
Makes 4 cups
1 qt whole milk
1/3 cup nonfat powdered dry milk
2 tbsp starter yogurt
1/4 c. heavy cream (optional)

Mix the whole milk with the powdered milk and cream (the cream adds a bit of silkiness to the texture.) Pour into a saucepan, and heat until bubbles form around the edge (180 degrees). Cool to 110 degrees. Pour into a 1 qt container (I use old yogurt containers that have been washed thoroughly), and set in a thermos or cooler and surround with hot water. I’ve used a cooler and filled old glass jars with hot water, or a thermos that’s large enough to hold the container of yogurt plus some hot water on the bottom. It should just be hot water, not boiling. Cover the thermos/cooler, and let incubate for 5-6 hours (some recipes call for longer, but we’ve found that it gets too tart that way).

You can also use a yogurt incubator, which usually sells for between $25-50, but I’ve been pretty happy with the results we’ve found using coolers.
Additional notes: I use a candy thermometer to gauge the heat of the milk. You can try to do it by finger tests, but it’s easier for me with a thermometer. You can usually find one in the wilson's department at Micheals, so use your 40% off coupon!

Starter yogurt is simply plain yogurt with live active cultures. You can check the label on the container to see if it contains live cultures. You can use starter from the yogurt that you make, but after a few batches, you usually need to use some fresh starter. A tip I picked up on the internet is to get a big container of plain yogurt and freeze it in ice cube trays (an ice cube is just about 2 Tbsp). When you need fresh starter, just pull one of the cubes out of the freezer and let it thaw to room temperature.

We like this recipe for homemade granola, and it’s so simple! It’s easy to make on a cool fall morning when you want to fill the kitchen with smells of vanilla and cinnamon. Add things like ground flaxseed, wheat bran, etc. to it for even more of a nutritional boost. I can’t remember where I found the recipe, but this link has the closest version.

Homemade Granola
Makes 6 cups
4 c. oats (not quick cooking)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. chopped nuts (pick your favorite)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine brown sugar, oats, oil, honey, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil or until sugar has dissolved.
2. In a large bowl, combine nuts and oats. Pour melted honey mixture over the oats and stir to combine.
3. Spread granola mixture out on a large jelly-roll pan or cookie sheet with sides. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
4. Let cool, and then break into clumps and store.

A Rocky Start

So we are behind on 3 bills. Phone, electric and *gasp!* insurance. Yah, I know- not smart, but we're only a little behind on it...

Since the phone is the most overdue, it is getting paid 1st, $98. Ouch. Just waiting for my paypal deposit to clear the bank (it takes like 4 days, ugh) and we should be able to catch that bill up on Friday. We also need to come up with $135 for my sewing machine account, every week from now until Christmas, or that will not only be behind, but they will sock us with a year's worth of interest, compounded. I love my new machine, but come on!!! *sigh.*

That's where we're at for now. Exiting? Not really :( And we haven't even started a savings yet.

Baby Steps

Baby Step 1a: Get current with all of the bills.
Well, Joe pays the bills, so I am usually (happily!) in the dark about these things. I used to be the bill payer, and he used to be blissfully ignorant. Time for us both to take part and take blame! It isn't fair for one person to handle all of the financial stress, and it leads to anger and dissappointment. Better if we're both in the trenches together. *sigh* After the kiddies don their nightcaps we will make a date with Microsoft Money tonight and get a budget written, and payments allotted. :(

Baby Step 1b: Build an Emergency Fund of $1K
Yikes! We have never been good at keeping a savings. So when we have tried to manage our debt, we have been pulled back under when ever something goes wrong. Katie suddenly needed glasses. Our microwave went out (barely a year old, Maytag!) followed by our range (2yrs old, Maytag!). The driveway needed to be sealed (blacktop) and the deck is in desperate need of refinishing, we sorely need a fence so we can actually use the backyard, and let the dog out to play, the french doors have needed replacing since we moved in, there are puddles in the kitchen every time it rains and the doorjamb is rotting. We had to pay to repair the garage door, and it took us a year to do that! The basement needs things done (seal the sump pit and ventilate the radon) before we can even begin to dream of remodeling it, which would be awful nice since we have 5 kids, in a 3 bedroom, 1 bath ranch. The window wells will need to be enlarged, the windows replaced with larger ones for fire safety escapes. And our electric box needs to be replaced very soon. In terms of more "luxury" expenditures, our couch is too ratty for us to be comfortable asking anyone over (yes, it really is that bad!) and our bed leaves us still tired and very achey the next morning. I have a memory card for my camera from our trip this summer, which is "corrupt" and its going to cost quite a bit to try and recover anything from it (the photos of my kids and I with my dad are on there!!! I haven't seen my dad since I was 3 :( ) And then my best lens was smashed soon after. The computer monitor is starting to go out, too. We have a laptop, but the monitor isn't calibrated and I can't afford a calibrator, so I am unable to use the laptop for any of my graphics work. Ugh!

That about covers all my laments, I believe :) We are all pretty much healthy for the moment (YEAH!!) And Joe and I are both bringing in income, so I really can't complain. The kids are wonderful- they entertain us and are quite personable. I am really starting to enjoy Anna's little stories and songs, and Jakers is such a sweet little cuddly-bug. The older girls can be ever so helpful, Breann helps out around the house, Emmy is terrific with the little ones and Katie is good with detailed jobs, like organizing.

So to meet some of our goals as well as stop using the credit cards and building up our emergency fund, I am going to start selling off anything that I can but the kids! I figure this will help twofold; we will have less "stuff" to take care of, freeing up time and space. And we will hopefully make a little bit of money to use toward the aforementioned needs and our first Baby Steps. Cheers!

Gazelle-like Intensity

Okay, so I just finished reading Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover, and I'm feeling sort of psyched and sort of skeptical. Maybe I HAVE lost hope, a long time ago, or maybe it really is too good to be true. At any rate, the first couple of steps are things we really need to do anyway, so I've come back to this poor neglected blog so that I have some sort of accountability. BTW- Joe is reading this book, too, so I am not going to be paddling in circles.

SO...
just over a month before Christmas, we are going to try everything we can to save money and stop charging. Yikes! Pray for us, please- we really need it!

On other, similar topics, in case you haven't already heard, LOL- Joe has applied for a new job! WOO-HOO! It is just about 6 miles from home. Yes, you read that right!!! He currently works just over 51 miles from home. In horrid traffic, so his commute is approximately 1 1/2hrs each way, every day :(. To a job that he hates, where he is underpaid and overworked, no chance for promotion and no respect. Yuck.

The new job is a warehouse position, and the warehouse will be opening in February 09. They hope to have people start end of December/early January which really isn't so very far away! His application was approved and he got an interview last Monday, November 10th, and aced it! Yeah baby!! :D They want him back for some big 4hr testing thing so its not over yet, but hopefully after this next step we will be hearing some REALLY GOOD NEWS! Pray, pray pray for us, please!

The position is exactly the same job he currently has, Inventory Control, and he has been doing that for 7 (?) years now, I believe- though he has been with his current employer for 15. The new pay could be a drop of approximately 10%, maybe less. We figured a 10% pay cut, minus the savings just in gas and tolls would leave us $80 less per month, plus he will be losing seniority and a full 4 weeks of paid vacation every year (bummer!), but for his safety (no more commute!), and to gain 3 hours back every day, it would totally be worth it! And of course we haven't even calculated any other savings, our insurance rates will go down, wear and tear on the vehicle etc...

So, 2 big deals going on in our house right now. We are barely making it (living off credit cards, yikes) financially right now, so it is going to be a huge ordeal to change our spending around and pay off our debt. With 7 mouths to feed, I feel like I am already stretching our grocery dollar to the breaking point. Still, I'm sure we can manage, with perseverance and hard work :) Financial peace, here we come!

I'm BAAAACK!!!

So- we visited the Museum of Science and Industry, in Chicago. It was so much fun, we bought a membership!