Mom vs. the Dot: Making it COUNT!

Following the purchase of our new (to us) van, my husband and I realized we needed to be able to pay for it .  As fun as it has been coasting along doing nothing all these years while my hubby worked full time, we decided it was time for me to pick up some (paying) work. I say that tongue-in-cheek because, as you probably know, being a stay-at-home mom is one of the most demanding jobs in the planet. Mentally, I began reviewing my job skills.  I have a degree in teaching, and an expired Ohio teacher's license.  I never finished transferring my license when we were newly married because I discovered teaching jobs are very hard to come by for a fresh-out-of-college 20-something in Pennsylvania.  No sweat.  I found several office jobs, then I landed one at a law office.  With absolutely no legal experience.  Woot woot for me!  I think they relied on me for my (then) cutting edge computer skills and nice phone voice.  That was pretty m...

When do you know? When do you decide? The last time you rearrange your furniture and never move it again? The last time you paint or wallpaper? The last time you buy new clothes? You know your grandparents have had the same furniture arrangement for 20 or more years.  They refuse to buy new clothes when the old ones will do.  When food is brought, it is just enough. Our current church population is made up of mostly World War II retirees.  Some also experienced the Great Depression.  Those periods of their lives shaped who they are as older adults.  And how they spend.  And how they think.  Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. My husband and I were discussing recently how some members of the church have been concerned about spending and the church's budget.  Sometimes, to renew a place, you have to put some money into it.  For 25 years, they have been coasting.  Carpet is over 40 years old, all the interi...

( Here is as "from scratch" as we get.  Pre-made pizza crusts, open  sauce bag then squirt on crust, add cheese and toppings, bake. ) Have you ever made a meal based not on ingredients, trendy new recipes or international genre, but on the amount of dishes it will dirty? I had to laugh when a friend posted something similar on Facebook the other day: "I find myself planning meals based on which pots and pans I don't feel like washing that day. I should really write a cookbook based on this method. The Dish Washing Avoidance Cookbook, or Meals for Those Who Hate to Scrub. Something like that." I guess I never thought about it before, but this is what I do, too. When I see Pinterest posts about how to make a month's worth of dinners in a day, I think, "Good for her.  She's so organized - and look at the variety of foods their family will eat!" Crock pot divas, I salute you!  (This one comes from www.eatingonadime.com ) ...

In preparation for this school year, I revamped our book nook.  We hardly used it last year.  I think it's a very cute space, but it is often the drop-off place for odds and ends we bring from trips in the van (note the bench covered with stuff). Here is what I did: First, I took a survey of the area.  What a dump!  After hitting several thrift stores and a Half-Price Books sale this summer, we had a ton of extra books.  They filled the bench and were avalanching across the floor.  Something had to be done!  I brought in an extra box to remove books we've read a million times, to pack them up and put them in storage.   After sorting through all these books, I decided to give each child a box of their own, filled with books they could read themselves or books we could read together that interested them.  This really helped organize and give a "home" to all the little first reader books. I started with 3 shoe boxes.  Aft...

Ahh...the family car.  So many memories! Here's our old van - it served us well for many years.  I still remember when one of the 6th grade youth asked why we had a van when we only had one child.  My hubby had plans to fill it up with a bigger brood.  I had hopes for that, too! And so, after 9ish years of stalwart service, we traded you in, old friend.  The rust was getting so bad on the doors, you could actually see through it in one place.  The inside of the vehicle was permanently scented with a banana-dirty diaper-sweaty feet combo.  Even years after our kids are out of diapers, it left a lingering smell.  Ahh memories! We were reeally enjoying life without car payments - 4 years without a car payment on 2 vehicles is pretty good.  We were happy with our rusty vehicles.  They got us from point A to point B with no monthly payment.  I was totally OK with that. But alas, our car repair shop said it would not pass inspe...

                                      (Hubby and I are having fun seeing South Pacific in                                        Pittsburgh this summer.  Neither of us are terribly                                        photogenic, but we know how to have fun!)  Hi Friends! I have been considering changing the name of my blog to "Mom vs. Homeschooling."  Or maybe I will start a new blog under that name. ...