Reasons to clean

Cleaning for one is very therapeutic! It can help you feel better. I know when I am having a bad day if I look at my kitchen or bathroom and its messy. I feel completely awful! However if I go in an tactile the task of cleaning it, I feel wonderful!!!

While cleaning you can organize you fridge... This is a great way to save money. Have a shelf designed just for left overs, this way when someone is hungry they know where to look. I know while cleaning out your fridge you realize "wow I forgot about this leftover and have to throw it away." On average in an American household we throw away $70 worth of leftovers a month! Take $70 multiply by 12 months you get that's right $840 a year, you have just thrown down the sink (literally).

Another way cleaning is therapeutic. You find things that you no longer, need, use or want. SELL, SELL, SELL! Garage sales to 2nd hand stores, to craigslist, there are many ways to sell your items! Have a corner in your garage or storage room just for this... As you find items throughout the week, put them their and sell even just once a month... You will be surprised what you can make at even a garage sale. I had one a few months ago and made over $800. Hey, that's an extra payment on something!

Get creative, organize your toy room or kids bedrooms, you will find tons of toys they no longer need. Sell that unused treadmill that you haven't used in years. No the dog in your house doesn't use it when your gone... Cleaning allows for great times to reflect on your life. It can help you appreciate the things you have... It shows God you appreciate them as well. These are ultimately his things, and what and how you treat them is ultimately up to you. Do you not want to honor the blessings God has given you?

You will also find extra space that you need for something else that is out of place. Get rid of the 2nd coffee pot that your neighbor gave you. Really is that a sentimental item! Organize pictures, you wouldn't believe just by going through them and putting them in albums saves space! Instead of buying the next house up the road who has another bedroom for your storage, save money and clean out the rooms you have.

How do people decide when and how many children are enough?

This is a struggle my husband and I are going through. We have 2 perfectly wonderful great children. After have the foster kids in our home, we are not even sure if we want more children due to so many reasons. Here are some that we have come up with:

• Added Stress
• More mouths to feed
• The expense alone is much more
• Jealousy of time between children
• Harder to get places or do anything
• More householdchores
• Pretty much more of everything
• Sibling Fighting
• Less time with each child

We have always desired a large family, but yet we have found one struggle after another. From having a hard time getting pregant, to the miscarriage, to the pre-term labor. Now we have a really hard case which was supposed to be an adoption case. However is a reintergration case. Wow, after writing all of this, no wonder my heart aches. I had always dreamed of being a large christian family full of love and compassion. Maybe I wasn't supposed to feel this way. Maybe this my own desire and not God's. How do I know? I know that I hate living month to month wondering am I pregant. I hate the hoping and then finding out no, again!!! So maybe its time for a new chapter in my life. Almost everyone around us is saying you have 2 beautiful children one boy and one girl what else could you want. Well maybe I should feel this way. The hard part is I am starting to fall in line with this thinking. My husband is so burnt out from this case he has pretty much given up on all his dreams in regards to having more children. Thats what saddens my heart the most. Hearing him, after all he was the one that kept saying he wanted like 10 kids. Now he is saying enough is enough.

The thing that looks the most appealing to stopping would be we would never have to move. We probably will not outgrow this home. We could get rid of all the baby things I have been holding on to. We possibly could afford college for the two of them. Get debt free a whole lot sooner. Its hard because almost all of this is materialist. I know materials do not bring happiness. But the stress of being wall to wall furniture and living on top of each other. And all the FIGHTING drives me crazy. So where do we go from here. I do not know. I feel like I am sitting on a fence waiting for the wind to push me one direction. I do not want to make a rash decision, yet I do not want to forget this crazyness and end up in the same position again. I really don't know if I could manage having a large family. Maybe that is why all of this is happening. Maybe I would go crazy or something.... Who knows.... I just wish I knew where to go from here.

Todays is the day to hang with family

We have extended family in from town so I am down here in southern Kansas just chillin with my hubbies family. This weekend we get to go to the lake for a family reunion. This should be a good time. I am hoping that it does not rain like the one time it did a few years ago. So if you do not here from me in a few days that is why. Next week is Vacation bible school so I am limited in my time available. So I hope you have a great week if I do not post. Who knows...

Dancing

Today I got to watch Big A. dance and her dance show. Man it was so weird to see my little girl with make up on. I did her hair all up. To see your children grow up is so amazing. I feel so blessed to be able to stay at home with her and see every precious moment of her life. I am feeling very thankful for her and little A. Can't wait to see the recital tomorrow night!

Why do we have to keep up with the neighbors?

What is that all about anyway? Why do we feel we have a right for what the neighbor worked hard to get? I have someone in my life for an example if I get a haircutt or buy something new they are right behind me doing the same. Why can't we be happy with who God made us? Why do we have to have something different than what God has blessed us with? I know I have done this especially living where I do... It is hard to be thankful, but we need to be because we do not deserve it...

Clothing

Thanks to a wonderful friend, I got some new clothing given to me for my kiddos. I was so excited. I got some space saving bags on clearance at wal-mart. So I can save for the future kiddos! What a blessing!

Digging Fence

Are you the type of person who will drag it home? Well I just found out my hubbie and I are... Someone on free cycle was giving away a fence, but we had to deinstall it from her yard first. Guess what we did on Saturday, dug alot fence out of the ground so we could have fence in our yard. Completely free. Unfortunetly we need another 100 feet of fence. So were on the search again for someone who does not want their fence. But hey were half way done! Saving money takes effort in aspect of your life. Do you want to struggle the rest of your life or do you want to feel free of debt? Its all up to you!