Today’s writing prompt comes from Our Blessed Arrows. If you decide to participate in The Creative Word please leave a link to it with the Mr. Linky below if it’s posted on your blog or go ahead and write your response in the comments – don’t worry about grammar, no body’s gonna judge you. It isn’t about perfection. I encourage you to write, even if it isn’t online. Write with a pen and paper. Write in the sand and then wipe it away. Be funny, be serious, open up your heart, be you and just write.

Here is today’s writing topic -
What do people assume about you that is untrue – write a paragraph to set them straight.

People assume that I’m very organized. One of the most common things I hear when others learn that I have seven kids and homeschool them is, “You must be very organized”. But, I’m not. Not at all. In fact, I’ve struggled with organization since I was a kid and have never really gotten the hang of the whole ‘everything has a place’ idea. I have learned how to combat my lack of organization, however, by de-cluttering. The more I get rid of the less stuff I have to find places for. So, I may not be very organized but I can keep a fairly neat home by just not having much in the way of stuff – and that is a writing post all on its own.

Today’s writing prompt comes from Our Blessed Arrows. If you decide to participate in The Creative Word please leave a link to it below if it’s posted on your blog or go ahead and write your response in the comments – don’t worry about grammar, no body’s gonna judge you. It isn’t about perfection. I encourage you to write, even if it isn’t online. Write with a pen and paper. Write in the sand and then wipe it away. Be funny, be serious, open up your heart, be you and just write.

Here is today’s writing topic -
What is your most prized possession and why does it mean so much to you?

My favorite possession is Sock Monkey. It may seem silly – he’s not got much monetary value. He’s not old and worn from my childhood. He’s just a regular Sock Monkey.
A year or so ago my husband remembered my fondness for sock monkeys. He saw me admire one at a Cracker Barrel, picked it up, and bought it for me for no reason at all except that he loves me.
If he hadn’t bought me Sock Monkey my life would be just the same as it is now. I doubt I would even recall the time when I admired him on the shelf and wouldn’t think, “man, if only I had that sock monkey”. I’d still have plenty of reminders that my husband loves me, because he does and seeks out ways to show me regularly.
Still, whenever I see Sock Monkey, who is regularly camped out on my couch, I remember that moment in Cracker Barrel when my husband recognized and seized an opportunity to show me he cares.

I’ve been spacing on writing topics lately. I start writing every morning just to end up deleting over and over again. I just can’t seem to get any thoughts straight in my head. So, I am going to start searching the web for daily writing topics to exercise my creative writing abilities.

I think that every woman could benefit from daily writing – whether on a blog, in Word Pad, in a journal, a book, etc… Women are emotional people and writing helps give us an outlet for those emotions so we don’t ‘display’ them at inopportune times; like at the dinner table when your 4 year old spills his water for the second time. I know writing helps me. It may help you, too.

Anyway, Today’s writing prompt comes from The One-Minute Writer. She encourages us to write for just a minute. If you decide to participate in The Creative Word please leave a link to it below if it’s a blog or go ahead and write your response in the comments – don’t worry about grammar, no body’s gonna judge you. It isn’t about perfection. I encourage you to write, even if it isn’t online. Write with a pen and paper. Write in the sand and then wipe it away. Be funny, be serious, open up your heart, be you and just write.

Here is today’s writing topic -
Tomorrow you get the mail, and in it you find the best letter you can imagine. What does it say?

Dear Melynda,

I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that you are doing a wonderful job with the children I’ve entrusted to you. I can see how hard you’re trying to do right by them, raising them up in the way they should go, but that you struggle with uncertainty at times. Know that I’m in control and am granting you more wisdom at every request. Keep following the guidelines set forth in My Book and know that even in your imperfections, I’m filling in the cracks.
You’re doing well, daughter. Your fruit is sweet.

Love,
God

Here are a few pics of the kids for family. They’re growing fast – you’re all invited to come visit!

Kait took most of these. She’s getting pretty good with the camera.

Joe (11) – He’s going to be just like his dad.
Ben(4) – he’s a very serious little dude.

Jesse(4 months) – his eyes are so incredibly blue.

Gabe(8) – always on the go.

Mama and Sam

Sam(2) is into being one of the big guys. Isn’t that ball huge!

Kait (14) in the mud – she’s not afraid of fun.

Matthew is 6 now!

Always have the camera ready.

Ben fell asleep in a chair last night.We don’t know how he ended up this way but I can assure you he didn’t start out like this. Ben is our one kid who has an unusual fear of being upside down . This position would have been pushing it for him.

Last week I wrote a post on parenting. It was biblically sound but something just didn’t sit right with me about it. God brought to my attention the other night that I may have been a little too harsh in my wording and maybe I should think about toning it down a little. I took His advice and edited my post – just one word seems to have made all the difference.

I am learning lately that there is a fine line between being bold and being harsh. I think I often blur that line in my writing. I am not a sugary person and prefer that people dish up wisdom without sweet talk. Get right to the point – that’s how I learn best. That’s also how I tend to teach.
I am not saying that what I write is wrong, I just think sometimes I could use a little more compassion – be more encouraging in my posts.
Still, there was always John the Baptist. He was loud, harsh at times, passionate, a speaker of truth.
But being that I’m a woman, not a man, I guess my approach should look different.

For years I’ve been working on this with my kids and have gotten pretty good at delivering wisdom with a softer tone. It is only in my writing that I seem to have trouble recognizing my rash habits.

I’m still pretty firm in my belief that an emotionally driven woman can be very dangerous and I’m still pretty blunt when it comes to what I believe. I also don’t want anybody to be confused about where I stand. However, I am going to make an effort to take a more encouraging approach. Let me know how I’m doing. I’m all for correction – just don’t be too harsh. ~:O)

I’ve had a few comments and questions on this post lately and have decided to re-post it with just a few edits. I originally posted this on Feb. 14th, 2008.

When I am pregnant, which I’m not right now, and for months afterwards I like to prepare a month’s worth of meals (about 24) in about 3 hours on one afternoon and freeze them in our deep freezer. I LOVE doing this and I really should keep it up. It makes preparing dinner really easy.
Most of these dinners can just be thrown in the crock pot in the morning. Most require pasta or rice and we just cook that up on the day of. Adding pasta and rice as a filler really makes meals go a lot farther. We will usually make about 3 or 4 or each meal and put them all in freezer bags. Crock potting frozen food makes the food taste fresh and the meat SO tender.

What does this have to do with being frugal?

1. When you know what you are going to make you are less likely to buy things at the grocery store that you don’t need. You will have a list and be prepared for the up coming cook day.
2. You won’t waste food because after a few tries you will be portioning the perfect amounts of food into your freezer bags to suit your family.
3. You are less likely to order out or stop for fast food.
4. No more mad dashes to the grocery store because there is nothing to eat in the house.

We make things like:

• Roast with veggies and rice or pasta (4)

We usually buy two good sized roasts and split it them half. I put each half in a freezer bag with carrots, celery, peppers, etc (add potatoes when you cook it). Then I add a bunch of bullion, steak seasoning, and garlic powder. I write on the outside of the bag what it is and what needs to be added the night of. The day we eat it I will toss it into our crock pot in the morning along with 6 cups of water, then cook the pasta and rice right before dinner time. This makes 4 easy meals.

• Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (4)

I have a large pan and I can brown about 5 lbs of ground beef at a time. I add about 4 cups of meat balls, 4 cans of diced tomatoes, two cans of tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. I separate this into 4 freezer bags, write on the outside what they are and what they need on meal day (spaghetti) and throw them in the freezer. The morning we need the sauce I toss it into the crock pot. It is perfectly ready at dinner time. Just add pasta!

• Hamburger Stew (4)

This is a VERY Simple and VERY yummy dinner. I brown 5 lbs of ground beef. While it is cooking I cut up onions, carrots, and celery and toss them into 4 freezer bags (add cut up potatoes when you cook). I also add cans of corn, green beans, or whatever else I have in the cupboard. There are really no rules for this recipe. I toss in some of my favorite seasonings (we love steak seasoning and garlic) along with some beef bullion. When the ground beef is browned I split it up between the four freezer bags, label the outside, making a note to start a loaf of bread in the bread maker, and throw the bags in the freezer. We add rice or pasta depending on what we feel like on the day we eat it. Tossing it into the crock pot in the morning makes a super yummy stew at dinner time.

• Chili (4)

We will do these with turkey, chicken, or ground beef. They are all great in chili. You are also really open with what veggies to add. I like to add corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions. Don’t forget the Kidney beans! Add about 2 cups of cooked meat in each of 4 freezer bags along with the veggies and a can of beans in each. Then add oregano, basil, chili pepper, garlic powder and cumin (optional).

• Pasta Salad (4)

This one is so easy. Cook and dice enough chicken for four meals for your family. Then separate them into 4 freezer bags with a can of peas and carrots in each one. Label them as needing your favorite pasta and toss in the freezer. On meal day just pull one out and put it in the fridge in the morning. After you cook your pasta add your chicken mixture along with mayo to taste. Then add seasoning salt and pepper to your liking. This is good served hot, cold, or room temp!

• Beef Stroganoff (4)

I take a large roast and cut it all up (a lot of grocery stores will do this for you if you ask). I cook them in butter and onion until cooked through. Then I separate them into 4 freezer bags and add 1 large can of mushrooms, salt, and pepper. I label the outside, making sure to write that egg noodles are needed and to start some bread in the bread maker. On meal I put the mix in the crock pot in the morning. When it is warmed through I add a medium sized container of sour cream and boil the egg noodles. Serving this with fresh bread and garlic butter (butter with garlic powder mixed in) makes a delicious meal!

The nights left in the month we eat leftovers or have dinner at a friend’s home. Also, having meals made up this way makes it so easy to invite people over! Just pull two meals out instead of one! You can also have easy meals ready to heat and serve to a family in need.

Doing this has really been a blessing to my family and has made meal preparation so simple! It only takes me about 3 hours – that is really not much time when you think about how much work it saves you in the end!

A teacher, Jesse Scaccia, wrote an article called “The Case Against Homeschooling” (read it if you must but think twice before responding to his rants). A friend sent the link to our homeschooling group. When I started reading it I thought to myself, “surly this must be a joke”. But it wasn’t. I really hope that his sentiments aren’t main stream teacher opinions. Even though I know the majority of teachers aren’t super happy about homeschooling, I’d hope they could come up with a better argument than Mr. Scaccia’s. They’re college educated for goodness sake!

After reading his article I opted not to comment on his blog for a few reasons.

1. I wasn’t offended. The man is clearly a fool. Have you ever read Proverbs? I feel sorry for him. I’m not saying that in an 8th grade ‘whatever’ attitude. I’m serious. It’s sad and I feel empathy.
2. He only wrote it to get us all heated up. Unless he is socially inept (maybe he is?) he had to have written this for the sole purpose of getting our panties in a wad.
3. We are told in the Bible that arguing with a fool is pointless (Proverbs 29:9-10). We are also told not to throw our pearls to swine (Matthew 7:6). This man is obviously not listening to reason. You can tell he’s unreasonable just by reading his post. He simply wrote it to cause controversy – that was his goal and he’s reached it. I think we’re also in danger of being foolish ourselves! (Proverbs 26:4)

There are times when we are called to react to others in opposition with a calculated, godly response; however, Proverbs is pretty clear when it comes to arguing with the foolish. I think it calls for discernment. When somebody is choosing to live in the darkness, any light is going to hurt his eyes and he’ll reject it venomously. I’m pretty sure Jesse Scaccia, an admitted agnostic, is one of those people. I’m not saying he shouldn’t hear the Gospel, just thinking that arguing with him about a symptom of his foolishness seems kinda foolish.

But that’s just my opinion.

Money’s tight. We’re all pinching our penny’s really hard and asking God to create many loaves out of just the one we have left in the pantry.
We still have to live our lives though. We have kids who need clothes and food and a place to sleep.
So, when Ryan and I decided it was about time to change the bedding situation – more boys mean more beds – we opted to buy the plans for building the beds instead of actually purchasing the beds themselves at over $1000 a pop!
The plans and materials for our triple bunk beds cost about $100 per set (we’re making two sets of triples). We went to ShopWiki, a company that crawls the web in efforts to compile one of the largest databases of products for sale on the internet, to search for our triple bunk bed plans and found a great starting plan. Ryan has modified them quite a bit but the $9 plans really helped with the initial measurements. We’ll post more about that when the project is completed – it shouldn’t be long now.

While at ShopWiki recently I did a little window shopping because that’s all anybody has the money for anymore, right? I did a quick search for toddler clothing and infant clothing to torture myself and got a plethora of choices in many price ranges – even mine! If I had needed any clothes for the boys I might have been tempted to purchase something. I also found it cool that when I searched for baby furniture I was taken to a buying guide that is specific to what I’m looking for.

You can find just about anything at ShopWiki; from groceries to toys, from baby gear to books. If you’re looking for a bargain you might find success at ShopWiki.

I had all the chairs on top of the dining table. I had the bar stools in the living room. and I was sweeping up. Ben(4) comes in and says, “Mom! It’s so Bewtiful!”. It appears he’s a minimalist.

I strive to make cleaning a more simple thing. For those of you saw my house a year ago, I can hear you laughing. You may laugh if you saw my house right now but I’ve come a long way in getting rid of clutter. I didn’t realize it at first, but not only does decluttering help keep my home from looking junky, it has also helped make cleaning my house much easier.

It’s a curious thing how having fewer things has kept my mind from feeling cluttered, as well. The more I get rid of, the less stress I feel. Not that I feel stressed in the true sense, I don’t usually, but the everyday stress of not knowing how to get everything done is diminishing. My attitude is changing with the more clutter I send out my door.
It’s becoming a hobby of sorts and I am finding it humorous how I have started looking around the house trying to find one more thing to put in the yard sale pile. What’s even more interesting is that my kids have picked up on it, too. I’m finding more and more of their stuff in one of the to-go boxes.

This doesn’t mean that I always have a clean home – don’t jump to conclusions – it just means that my goal to always keep things nice a tidy is finally reachable. I can see it and I can almost reach out and touch it.