Guest post from Rhoda

As summer approaches, I am thinking of my yearly “TV-Free Summer Pledge”.

As a high school literacy coach, I am blessed that I get to spend a lot of time with my own children, but there are days when I look at a sea of teenage faces and think, “Someone else is getting to hold and love and teach my children.” This sense of helplessness led to my yearly “TV-Free Summer Pledge”. I have nine weeks of mostly uninterrupted time with my very own children, and I do not want a minute squandered on cartoons.

Two summer ago when I first made this pledge, it was a disaster because while I had planned for what we would not do (no TV), I hadn’t given much thought to what we would do. So the TV was turned off, and I had two little faces looking at me like, “Entertain me! Entertain me!” I was overwhelmed — nothing seemed to hold their attention for more than five minutes and there was no plan.

Now I have a plan and since that first crazy summer, my promise of television free summers is much easier to keep.

1. Make a schedule for your days.

This sounds a bit silly, doesn’t it? It’s summer. Kids and adults are supposed to be free to enjoy the sunshine, chlorinated water, and daily naps without worrying about a silly schedule.

Well, if your goal is a TV-free summer, then this free-flow of time will inevitably suck you and your children back into the world of animated cartoon characters and commercials. With no structure, you won’t have a plan for what you or your children will be doing on Tuesday at 10 a.m., so when that day and time comes and you don’t know what to do, you will turn on the tube.

To combat this, I have divided my day into 30 minute to 1.5 hour segments. The shorter segments are for learning activities like summer bridge workbook pages, multiplication flashcards, and art projects. The longer segments are for outside play, free-play, and naps.

2. Have a list of free-play ideas.

I have made a list of go-to activities for when my son and daughter look at me like, “Entertain me!” This list has mostly free activities for them to do that require very little prep or supplies. The value here is having a ready resource for fun activities.

My list is very long but here are a few ideas:

• Run in a sprinkler.
• Play bean bag toss.
• Build a fort out of sheets.
• Draw with sidewalk chalk.
• Assemble a puzzle.

3. Visit your library.

Libraries have free access to books, videos, and other resources. More importantly libraries have free air-conditioning!

My children love the story time offered by our library every Wednesday morning. We arrive a little early to choose books for the week and to get a good seat. The programs are educational and fun-filled. We usually go the park for a picnic afterwards.

4. Create a busy box or bag.

I have created a busy box for each of my two children. For my younger child who is four, I have a collection of busy bags and small toys such as a travel Magna Doodle and magnetic dolls. My older child is ten. In his busy box, there are word searches, puzzles, and coloring sheets.

This is another set of go-to activities for the kids to do; they are also portable and work well for long car trips or waiting rooms.

5. Be flexible.

While I must admit that we have never actually had a totally television free summer, we have made great strides in limiting our time in front of the TV and in increasing our time spent together as a family. I try not to stress out, and I look at being television free like I look at working out.

Instead of focusing on the times I fell off the wagon, I think about all the time we spent together without TV in the background. Even if you only have TV-free summer mornings, it is still better than being plugged in all summer long.

Have you ever done a TV-Free week, month, summer or year? How did it work for you? 

Rhoda has two children (10 and 4) and has been teaching high school for seven years. She loves summer break because it gives her the chance to be a stay-at-home mom. She’s a fan of reading, thrift shops, spending less, living simply, and being creative.

photo source

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

I am so stoked about this recipe! It’s by far one of the best healthy recipes I’ve discovered to date. And it’s easy, too!

Karen from Abundance on a Dime emailed me her version of my tweaked recipe for Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies — and I took her version and tweaked it again.

The end result? These Honey-Sweetened Truffles.

You’ve got to try them. Even my husband said they were really good.

Quick & Easy Honey-Sweetened Truffles

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 3/4 cup uncooked oats
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries or raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• coconut for coating (you could also use oats or ground flax seed)

Combine the honey, coconut oil, cocoa powder, and peanut butter together in a saucepan. Heat on medium-low until melted together.

Remove from heat and add in coconut, oats, cranberries, and cinnamon. Chill for 30 minutes until mixture firms up enough to roll into balls (I just let it cool on the countertop for an hour).

Shape into balls, roll in coconut, and store in the fridge. These should firm up more when they are refrigerated.

Makes 15-20 truffles.

Recipe adapted from Abundance on a Dime.

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?

I’m taking your suggestions and going back through my house another time. Today I went through our bathroom, closet, and bedroom. And I was excited to find 7 things:

• 5 hangers
• 1 pair of very used knee highs
• 1 used up tube of Mary Kay foundation

How did your clutter-busting go today? Link up your blog post and/or Instagram pictures below. Or, leave a comment telling us how many things you got rid of. Let’s clear our homes of clutter so we can be more productive and efficient!

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

Guest post from Jamie of FromHisPresence.com

About ten years ago, I was really struggling with managing my time.

My job required extra hours. I enjoyed going out with friends often, and I wanted to get involved at my new church, too! So I said “yes” to everything: concerts, movies, overtime, dinners, a Sunday School class, home visitation team, two weekly prayer meetings, and singing in the choir… all around the same time.

Needless to say, I took on too much. I was overwhelmed and stressed out. I was eating poorly and not exercising, and the stress was taking its toll.

Then one day, someone gave me the best time management advice I’ve ever received:

“Write down your life’s priorities, in order of importance. Then say no to everything that doesn’t support those priorities in that order.”

It sounded good, so I tried it out. This is the list of priorities I came up with for my life:

1. One-on-one time with God in prayer and personal study.
2. My health and my husband. (I wasn’t married yet, but I was thinking long-term and couldn’t choose between health and husband.)
3. My family.
4. My job.
5. Church work.
6. My social life.

When I drafted this list, I realized that my choices were way out of order. I was spending time on low priorities and neglecting high priorities. My life was topsy-turvy, and I hadn’t even realized it.

So I started changing things. For example, I stopped volunteering for things at church that I wasn’t gifted to do. It was hard to say “no” to enthusiastic recruiters, but it really helped my stress level. I also had to stop going out with friends so much, and I used that time to hit the gym after work instead.

Ten years later, I still use this same priority list to manage my time. I definitely don’t have it perfect, but I’m convinced that knowing my priorities has saved my sanity more than once.

Do you feel like I did? Are you overwhelmed, stressed out, and pulled in ten different directions at the same time? If so, making a list of your life priorities might really help you too. Here’s how:

1. Separate yourself from your current reality for a moment.

Priorities are partly driven by necessity, and partly by choice. Most of us are great at putting out fires — the necessities — but maybe not so good at choices. So, I encourage you to forget about the fires you have burning right now: the kids’ soccer, the grocery list, the laundry pile, etc. and instead, think about your ideal world instead.

2. Let yourself dream.

What does your ideal life look like? In your dream world, are you healthier? More social? An entrepreneur?

Then ask yourself this question: “If nothing in your life has changed in five years, would that be okay?”

If you said “no” to that question, then you’re ready to proceed to the next step:

3. Based on your ideal world, what do your priorities need to be?

Make a list of the various priorities in your life, and then list them in order of importance.

I really encourage you to write your list as deliberately as you can. Decide what your priorities will be, based on what you know is right for you and your family — not based on outside pressure, or on what other people think you should do.

Then…

4. Look at your schedule, and revise your calendar to match your new priorities.

This may be tough, but you can do it! Look closely at your time:

• Are you taking the kids to a different activity every day after school? If so, could you change that by having them pick just one sport or lesson each year?
• Are you watching a lot of TV? If so, could you turn the TV off a few hours each week, and make time for reading or exercise?
• Are you doing anything you’re not called to do just to please people? If so, consider letting them know that you’re sorry, but you just won’t be able to help anymore. (And breathe a sigh of relief!)

Time management is challenging for everyone. But, if you will make a list of your life’s priorities, and set your calendar based on those priorities, you will find time and peace of mind that you never knew existed.

What are your priorities? What could you work on this week to move yourself closer to your dream life? 

Jamie Rohrbaugh is a wife, financial analyst, Sunday School teacher, musician, and unlikely worship leader from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her passion is to encourage and equip people to live powerful lives and to function in their gifts. She blogs at FromHisPresence.com about how to live ordinary life in God’s manifest presence.

photo source

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

Every week in 2013, I’ll be sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.

If you’re short on time and energy, but you want to cut your grocery bill, take advantage of price-matching at Walmart.

It’s simple and easy to do–and can save you a lot of time and money. According to Walmart’s price-matching policy, you don’t even need to bring in the competitor’s ad. However, I usually do, just in case there’s any question as to the advertised deal.

Here are three things I especially love about price-matching:

1. You Don’t Have to Go to Multiple Stores

Instead of running around to three different stores to get the best deals at each of those stores, just circle the best deals in the sale ads at each of those stores and take the ads to Walmart and they’ll match the price.

This saves you gas, wear and tear on your vehicle, and time. Plus, it just simplifies things.

2. You Can Get Great Produce at Aldi Prices

I love the produce prices at Aldi, but I sometimes find that the produce is really picked over or just not looking too fresh. Price-matching the Aldi prices at Walmart will allow you to get the low prices, while also getting fresher produce.

3. You Can Get the Good Deals From Stores On the Other Side of Town

Save yourself gas money and time! Don’t drive all the way to the other side of town for a great deal. Just price-match it at Walmart!

See an example of a Walmart price-matching trip here.

How Much Can You Save?

The amount you save will depend a great deal on how much you usually spend and how often you price-match. However, I can almost guarantee you’ll save at least $5-$10 per price-matching shopping trip — not to mention the time and money on gas it will save you. If that’s the case, if you price-match once or twice a month, you’ll easily save $100+ in a year’s time.

A Word of Caution!

If you’re tempted to buy things you don’t need when you run into Walmart for groceries you might find that price-matching doesn’t save you money since you fill your cart with other things you weren’t planning to buy. If that is a weakness of yours, you might be better off just sticking with shopping at your local grocery stores.

For more information on how to price-match at Walmart, check out my video blog.

Have you price-matched at Walmart before?

photo credit

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?

I had a lot of trouble coming up with things to toss today. In fact, I went back over a few rooms that I’d already gone through and found almost nothing to toss. I guess that’s a good thing!

But I’m soliciting your help. What other great ideas do you have for places I should look for things to get rid of? I know I’m missing some spots so send any and all ideas my way. I realized tonight that I still need to go through the DVDs & CDs, sock basket, and a little bit of the garage. But after that, I’m rather stumped.

What places could I be overlooking? I’m positive there’s more stuff to toss lurking here, I’m just not readily thinking where to look — and I’ve got quite a few more days left in this challenge.

How did your clutter-busting go today? Link up your blog post and/or Instagram pictures below. Or, leave a comment telling us how many things you got rid of. Let’s clear our homes of clutter so we can be more productive and efficient!

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

How do you do it all?

This is the question that many of you asked when I asked for questions you’d love for me to answer in a video blog.

In this video, I answer that question by sharing how I don’t do it all and I don’t do it all myself. I also give you an insider peek into how I currently plan my day and how it has freed me up from feeling overwhelmed every day.

Links mentioned in this video or related to what I shared:

Google Calendar

My Amazing Team

How to Create a Realistic To-Do List

My Top 3 Tips for Getting Stuff Done

If you have a question you’d love for me to answer in a video blog next week (or in the weeks to come), leave it as a comment on this post and I’ll pick one of your questions to answer next week!

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

But you know what I love best about NOYA lip balms? They are truly made with all natural ingredients. There isn’t anything in them that you don’t know exactly what it is.

For instance, the cherry lip balm only has the following ingredients in it: Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Flavor, and Organic Stevia. All other three lip balms just have similar ingredients in them!

They also have a cool opportunity for those who are interested: NOYA is also allied with the National Health Care for the Homeless Council and will donate one lip balm for every balm purchased, if you send them a picture of your newly-purchased lip balm. Plus, if you submit your picture, you’ll be entered to win year’s supply of lip balm for you and a friend.

Be sure to follow NOYA on Facebook and Twitter. Or, check out their website for more information.

NOYA is generously giving 15 winners a set of four lip balms. You’ll definitely want to enter to win! Just click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address.

This giveaway ends Saturday, May 25, at 11:59 pm, CST. 15 winners will be chosen and posted on Tuesday.

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

OlgasFlavorFactory.com shows you how to make homemade Ranch Dressing.

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

I had the opportunity to sit in on two of Heidi St. John’s sessions at the Teach Them Diligently conference this past weekend. And while I gleaned a lot of different things from both of them, one phrase she said in the time management session has etched itself forever in my memory:

“You don’t have a time management problem. You have a ME management problem.”

Gulp.

How often I want to blame being behind and disorganized on the lack of time, the overloaded schedule, or the alarm clock that failed to go off? I’ve got a dozen excuses, but very rarely do any of them involve ME.

A bad system is not the problem.

An unreliable clock is not the problem.

A too-full schedule is not the problem.

I am the problem.

That’s bad news, but it’s also good news. You know why? Because if I’m the problem that means I’m also the solution.

Fixing my time management issues doesn’t start with a new system, a better clock, or a less-full schedule. It starts with me.

Once I own that I am the problem, I can then begin implementing a solution.

For more helpful time management tips and suggestions, check out my Time Management 101 series and my ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life.

photo credit

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

Local Health Food Store

6 Oranges @ 3/$1 – $2 total

2.25 lbs Gala Apples @ $0.99/lb - $2.23 total

Organic Cucumbers (2 pk) – $0.79 total

Organic Green Bell Peppers (2 pk) – $0.79 total

Carrots (2 lb bag) – $0.79 total

Total with tax: $7.08 

Aldi

1 Gallon Milk – $1.99

1 Roma Tomatoes – $1.19

Total with tax: $3.41 

Dillon’s

1 Dillons Bread – $1

2 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta - $1 each, used $1/2 coupon from the 4/28 SmartSource insert – $0.50 each after coupon

1 Fruttare Frozen Bars – $4.99, used Free Dillons e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon

1 Sargento Sliced Cheese – $2.50, used $1/1 catalina coupon – $1.50 after coupon

1 Kroger Shredded Cheddar Cheese – $1.67

1 Kroger Butter – $2.29 (that’s cheaper than Aldi right now!)

1 Yoplait Trix Yogurt (4 pk) - Marked down to $1.19 (I wished I would have had a coupon for this.)

1 Dannon Activia Yogurt (12 pk) – Marked down to $1 (Amazing price for a 12 pk!)

1 Nestle Hot Chocolate – Marked down to $1.59 (I needed this for a get-together I’m hosting.)

1 Post Great Grains Cereal – $2.69, used $1/1 catalina coupon – $1.69 after coupon (My Mom gave me this coupon as she knows this is one of my very favorite cereals and since I haven’t had it in months, I couldn’t wait for a better deal. Yum!)

French Yellow Mustard – $1.25, used $0.50/1 coupon from the 5/12 SmartSource insert (doubled) – $0.25 after coupon

2 Yakisoba Ramen Noodles – $1 each, used 2 $0.50/1 coupon from the 5/19 insert (doubled) – Free after coupons

1 U by Kotex Liners – $1.49, used $2/1 printable (no longer available) – Free after coupon

3 Special K Cereal Bars – $2.99 each, received $3 instant savings at register for buying 3, used 3 $0.70/1 printables - $0.99 each after coupons and instant savings

1 (5 lb bag) Potatoes – $1.99

1 can Kroger Black Beans – $0.69

Total before coupons and sales: $47.38

Total with tax after coupons: $20.72

Total for all grocery items: $31.21

Menu Plan for this Week

Breakfasts

Oatmeal, Toast, Cereal, Fruit, Yogurt, Cinnamon Roll Cake

Lunches

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Carrot & Zucchini Bars (I’ll be slightly tweaking this recipe), Leftovers, Yogurt, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fruits & Veggies

Dinners

Spaghetti, Sliced Oranges, Steamed Broccoli, Toast

Broccoli & Cheese Quiche, Steamed Cauliflower, 30-Minute Rolls

Mini German Pancakes, Grapefruit (from my mom)

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole, Tossed Salad

Chicken & Rice Casserole, Apples, Green Beans

Shepherd’s Pie, Biscuits, Sweet Corn, Tossed Salad

Date Night (eat out)

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

When I woke up the next morning, I immediately realized something wasn’t right because it was light outside.

Then, I looked at the clock and saw that it was 6:30 a.m. Neither of my alarms had gone off and I was supposed to be on a flight right then!

I jumped out of bed and started to dash to get my things together when it hit me that it was pointless to try to get to the airport as soon as possible as the flight certainly wasn’t going to wait on me.

Jesse graciously got up and made some phone calls to get me on another flight while I showered, got dressed, and finished packing. I just prayed that I’d be able to get on another flight, because I was scheduled to speak the following morning at 8:30 a.m.

I was so relieved when he came in and told me he’d been able to get my tickets transferred to a later flight… to the tune of $500!!! That was our only and cheapest option. So we had to take it.

Yes, my irresponsibility in not turning on the alarms (I’d set the time on the alarms, but hadn’t flipped the switch to actually turn them on!) cost us $500. What was done was done. I couldn’t go back and fix the mistake, so I just had to cough up the money and pay dearly.

It was worth it — as I was so blessed by my time in Pennsylvania. But from here on out, I’m setting three alarms when I have an early morning flight. And I’ll probably triple check them, too!

Nothing like having to learn a lesson the very hard way. In fact, I think this is one of our most expensive frugal failures so far — much more expensive than even our $145 suitcase mistake.

Have you had any frugal failures recently? Hopefully it wasn’t as costly as mine was!

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?

I’m still digging over here and still finding things every day — even though it seems like I’m getting to the bottom of the barrel. One of my friends jokingly offered to drop some of her items off on my driveway if I run out of things to get rid of.

Today I found some lids in the garage that we no longer had the bottoms to, two kids’ books, a pair of shoes that Silas outgrew, and a part of a broken hanger.

How did your clutter-busting go today? Link up your blog post and/or Instagram pictures below. Or, leave a comment telling us how many things you got rid of. Let’s clear our homes of clutter so we can be more productive and efficient!

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

Here’s another way donate to the Oklahoma tornado victims for those who are on a tight budget.

Pampers is sending relief kits to Oklahoma to help those families with babies and small children. If you’d like to donate toward these relief kits, you can donate your Pampers Gifts to Grow points here. Every 10 points donated equal $0.10 donated toward the Oklahoma relief kits.

If you’ve not signed up for Pampers Gifts to Grow, you can sign up here and get 100 free points. You can also add an additional 10 free points to your account here.

Thanks, Sarah!

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

Remember how I blogged about meeting Beth, the mom of seven who has leukemia, at a homeschool conference recently? {Read this post here if you missed it.}

Since many of you asked if she had website or anyway you can follow along with her treatment, she graciously gave me permission to share a picture her son took of the two of us (above) and also a link to her Care Pages site (note: you’ll need to login or set up an account first in order to be able to view her page).

If you were inspired by what I wrote about her, would you take a moment and leave her a little note on her Care Pages site? I know it would mean so much to her.

You can also see pictures of her beautiful family on her Caring Bridge page, too.

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

I’m a stay at home wife and my husband and I just started Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover this year (we’re on baby step 3). We’ve definitely become much more conscious of our spending now that we’re paying cash at the grocery store and I’m shocked to see that we’re spending about $600 a month on groceries for 2 adults (that’s strictly food not household stuff)!

We do meal plan and eat at home most meals, however I’d really like to bring that number down. How do you decide what’s worth buying organic versus conventional? And how do you decide what’s worth buying brand name versus store brand?

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

Target Shopping Trip

4 Sweet Corn – $0.25 each, used $1/1 mobile coupon - Free after coupon

1 Strawberries – $1.99, used $1/1 mobile coupon - $0.99 after coupon

2.03 lbs Bananas – $0.54/lb, used $1/1 mobile coupon (Text PICNIC to 827438) - $0.10 after coupon

1.25 lbs Jennie-O Ground Turkey – $4.49, used $2/1 peelie coupon – $2.49 after coupon (There were peelie coupons on a lot of the Jennie-O products!)

2 Up & Up Hand Soap – $0.89 each, used 2 $0.50/1 Target printable – $0.39 each after coupons

1 Up & Up Hydrogen Peroxide – $0.52, used $0.50/1 Target printable - $0.02 after coupon

1 Up & Up Bandages (40 ct) - $1.39, used $0.50/1 Target printable - $0.89 after coupon

4 Up & Up Baby Wash – $1.49 each, used 2 $2/2 Target printable - $0.49 each after coupons

Total before coupons: $19.56

Total with tax after coupons: $7.90

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

When the wind and hail finally subsided, we emerged from our basement to discover leaves and broken limbs scattered all over outside. Every home in our neighborhood suffered some kind of damage — whether it was siding that was punctured with hail marks, screens that were ripped up, windows that were broken, fences that were blown down, cars that were dented, or trees that were partially uprooted.

Our home was spared some of the worst, but our shutters and siding were pretty pummeled, our front garden looked trashed, and two of our windows were broken (we’re still waiting to hear whether our roof was damaged or not). In addition, our children were pretty shook up about the whole experience since the wind and hail sounded so ferocious.

However, in light of yesterday’s tornadoes and the destruction they left in their wake, the damage in our neighborhood is so inconsequential. Our lives were never in danger and while our house might be a little beat up, it is still standing strong.

No matter what you might be going through in life, no matter difficulties you might be experiencing, it likely pales in comparison to what those in Moore, Oklahoma are going through today.

My heart broke as we watched the footage last night. I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Truly, perspective changes everything.

If you have a sturdy roof over your head, a closet with some clothes in it, a little food in your fridge, and family and friends to hug, you are very blessed today. Remind yourself of that the next time you feel like complaining or wishing you were in someone else’s shoes. I can almost guarantee you that someone wishes they were walking in your shoes.

Would you like to help those in Moore, Oklahoma? Check out this simple idea here and also click through for this long list of places to donate to here. If you know of other legitimate opportunities, would you email me or leave the details in the comments?

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

I had a cold a few weeks ago and my nose was completely stuffed up one of the days. I was cooking up a big pot of something that day and got busy working on something else in the kitchen while it was simmering.

About 30 minutes later, Jesse arrived home from work and about choked when he walked in the door. He gave me a funny look and then looked at the stove and gasped, “How can you not smell that awful burning smell?!”

Then we both started laughing because we realized that I couldn’t smell a thing. Which was good — since the kitchen now reeked of burnt smell. But it would have never smelled like that had I been able to smell since my nose would have alerted me quite awhile before to turn the burner off.

At any rate, we aired the house out and have been working on trying to redeem the burned pot ever since. We’ve soaked it, scrubbed it, scraped it, run it through the dishwasher, and soaked it some more.

And it’s still a mess.

Anyone have some amazing tricks and tips for getting stubborn burned-on gunk off a pot? Let me in on your secrets in the comments and you’ll be my hero. Thanks so much!

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!

I stopped by the health food store when I was out and about today and here’s what I picked up:

Health Food Store Shopping Trip

2 dozen organic eggs — marked down to $1.99 each
3 2-lb. bags of carrots — $0.99 each
5 grapefruit — $1.67
4 organic cucumbers — $1.58
1 tub of hummus — marked down to $0.99
1 loaf of Rudi’s bread — marked down to $0.99
Total with tax: $13.07

Make 2013 your most disciplined, productive year ever! Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life today!