S Club Mama

Congratulations to the winner of the holiday movie gift package - Sarah & Derek! Thanks to all of you who entered! Please enter my next giveaway.

"Little House on the Prairie" has been one of my favorite book and tv series for the majority of my life. I grew up watching re-runs of Laura and Mary and Baby Carrie, along with Pa and Ma. I wanted so much to be a pioneer girl as I watched or read - it never occurred to me how I would miss things like air conditioning and refrigerators. One thing that has changed over the years is my faith. I wasn't raised in a religious household but Jesus took hold of me first in junior high, then I was a prodigal in high school, and then finally He called me to Himself in college. It's been over 10 years now of me walking with the Lord. I started to watch "Little House on the Prairie" with my family a few months back. I read "Little House in the Big Woods" to my boys, ages 8 and 10. I actually read it first to my daughter, but she was wee, only a month old at the time. And yet, even she (who is now 2) loves to watch "Prairie." My husband is not a

We have never been a wealthy family. We have had years of struggles and wondering how to make ends meet. There's never been a spending problem, as my husband is thrifty and I don't spend out of respect. Our problem, has always been an income problem. I had never put those terms to it until I read "More Than Just Making It" by Erin Odom. In this book, the author walks you through her story of going through the economic depression, foreclosure, and bankruptcy. Her family also experienced income problem, especially when her husband was a teacher in a very low paying state. image via Amazon While I appreciate her tips on bringing in more income and thrifty shopping, the thing I love most about this book was her perspective on government aid and getting help. At our lowest financial point, we used Medicaid for two pregnancies and births, WIC, and food stamps to help us feed our family. This was something we talked about long before we had children and we did n

Christmas is coming! It's almost here! Well, once Thanksgiving passes, of course. I love this holiday season - thankfulness, joy, giving, ba-humbug...wait, what? But seriously, what would this season be without Mr. Scrooge? Thankfully, a new movie "The Man Who Invented Christmas" is about to open (November 22) that will give us the insider's view on how Charles Dickens wrote his classic "A Christmas Carol." Film Synopsis: The Man Who Invented Christmas  tells the magical journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer), Tiny Tim and other classic characters from A Christmas Carol. Directed by Bharat Nalluri ( Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day ), the film shows how Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) mixed real life inspirations with his vivid imagination to conjure up unforgettable characters and a timeless tale, forever changing the holiday season into the celebration we know today. image via Grace Hill Media Doesn't that sou

In the summer, I cut down on my cooking time by grilling. I enjoy hamburgers and hotdogs and bratwurst and chicken, all grilled. I had never had grilled vegetables before using the Cave Tools vegetable grill basket . I followed the directions by spraying the basket with cooking spray before using it, but that left ours with a dingy film on it. I'm not sure how much food would've been caked on without it, however. I just let my husband wash it - big burly guy he is! this box was shiny silver before cooking My first attempt with the vegetable grill basket was with white potatoes. I thought they would taste really good grilled. Perhaps I filled the box too full, or had the flames too high, but our potatoes were largely burned or underdone. It took a lot of ketchup to eat that meal. not my best attempt It really has gotten way too cold to Grill here in Kansas. It is in the 20s and I cannot bring myself to go outside and grill. However, I do plan to try the vege

Growing up, my sisters and I colored all the time. We used to color really dark by the black lines and then lighter on the inside. I'm sure we thought it was so cool! I remember much of my childhood, even in to college, spotted with memories of coloring. And melted crayons on back windows of cars...oops. image via B&H My sons enjoyed coloring when they were smaller, or at least my second son did. My older son has always been the kid that chooses one color – red – and colors the entire picture of that color in a few fell swoops. He's in 5th grade now and does a much better job but it's not his natural bent.  I naturally assumed when I had my daughter, that she would love coloring. Don't all girls? OK, that is probably not true but my girl does enjoy coloring. Her preferred medium is markers, and her preferred surface is her arms and legs. I generally keep the markers high.  Regardless of her toddler-esque coloring habits, I do enjoy coloring with he

Squirt, my 8-year-old son, loves science. He wants to be a scientist when he grows up, we do science experiments when I have all the ingredients, and he (usually) listens when I tell him something science-related. I thought of him immediately when I got the chance to read "Indescribable: 100 Devotions for Kids About God and Science" by Louie Giglio. It is based on his popular messages "Indescribable" and "How Great is Our God." image via BookLook I am all about mixing my kids' interests and God. Anything to draw them closer to Him and teach them more about Him. "Indescribable" did not disappoint. The devotions were just over a page each with a "Be Amazed" fact portion about something science related (dinosaurs or weird sea creatures). I'm always amazed when I go outside at night (or very early morning) to see the stars. I just cannot comprehend how that could be random; it's too beautiful, too perfect, too created.