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Shared Sep 1, 2014 comment

12 Months to a Healthier You: September’s Challenge

Published: by Crystal Paine on September 1, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

12-Months-to-a-Healthier-You

Note: I kind of fell off the bandwagon with this series in August. My goal-setting post for this week (coming in a bit) will explain why. Thanks for your patience with me. I’m excited to get back to this series again!

One of my goals for 2014 is to focus on my health. It’s easy to let our health take a back burner to everything else on our to-do list. But as I share in my new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, I’ve experienced what happens when you put your health last… and it’s not pretty!

With this in mind, I’m committed to making my health even more of a priority this year. And I’d love to have you join me for the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge.

We’re be focusing on one challenge area each month — all with the goal of being in a healthier place as a person by the end of next year. My hope is that as we work on instilling one new healthy habit each month, they won’t just be month-long challenges, but lifelong changes.

12 Months to a Healthier You Focus Areas for 2014

Here are the focus areas I’ve planned out for 2014:

January: Exercise Regularly
February: Eat More Fresh Fruits & Veggies
March: Drink More Water
April: Cut Back on Sugar
May: Get More Rest
June: Create a Morning Routine
July: Read More
August: Go to Bed Earlier
September: Declutter Your Home
October: Cut Back on Caffeine
November: Keep a Gratitude Journal
December: Simplify & Say No

How This Challenge Works:

At the beginning of the month, I’ll introduce the focus area and encourage you to set a small goal for that specific area and I’ll share my goals.

Then, every Friday, I’ll have a check-in post where I’ll encourage you to share your progress & struggles and I’ll share mine, as well. If you want to blog about your progress, I’ll include a link-up at the end of the post so you can share your blog posts on this challenge.

In addition to the Friday check-ins, I’ll also probably share a few posts and guest posts on the monthly topics each month, along with sharing about related books, resources, or websites that I’ve found helpful.

Are you on social media? You can also share your progress on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter by using hashtag #12MonthstoaHealthierYou.

My Goals for Decluttering My House in September

My goal for September is to spend at least 30 minutes to an hour every week this month focusing on decluttering. I plan to share a post with my pictures and results of my decluttering each Monday this month.

Will you be joining me for this September Challenge? If so, leave a comment letting us know you’re planning to join and what your decluttering goals are — whether it’s an area of the house you plan to tackle or a certain amount of time you plan to spend. Remember to keep them simple and doable!

Shared Aug 29, 2014 comment

How to Make the Most of Your 24-Hour Day: Part 1

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 29, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

In recent months, many people have asked how I manage my time. While I’ve written on time management fairly extensively in the past, it’s been awhile since I’ve done so. And my season of life has changed quite a bit, which has changed how I manage my time and my days. So I figured it was time for another up-to-date series on the subject of time management.

I want to kick things off with one time management mindset that has radically shifted the way I think and live…

“I don’t have time.”

How often have you heard and said that phrase? I’d wager to guess you’ve said it a lot. I have, too.

But we all have the time 24 hours in each day. We all get to choose how we spend them.

Yes, you have choice.

Remember my post from earlier this week when I said that my was really full for the next few weeks? But I quickly stated that this is the life I’ve chosen.

I’ve chosen to write a book. We’ve chosen to homeschool our kids. I’ve chosen to run a blog.

I could have chosen not to take any one (or all!) of these things. Understanding this and owning this has changed my life.

I am not a slave to life. I don’t have to stay stuck in a situation if I’m miserable.

I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me, “I wish I could get on a budget.” Or, “I wish we could save more money.” Or, “I wish I could find a way to earn money from home.”

All of those things are possible, if you choose to make them a priority.

And that means you’re going to have to say “no” to a lot of other things. Because you can’t do it all.

How you spend your 24 hours is up to you.

You can choose to be intentional. You can choose to set small goals and follow through with them. You can choose to seize each day and use it wisely.

Or, you can choose to wander through your days, going around in circles, procrastinating, and wasting time.

The choice is yours.

I wanted to start this series with a very foundational principle that has impacted and shaped the way I view time management. Beginning Tuesday, we’ll be diving in and getting really practical — starting off by talking about how I’ve made choices in what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to and why.

Do you have any time management questions you’d love for me to try to answer or address in this series? If so, ask away in the comments and I’ll do my best to work in as many answers to your questions as possible as part of this series.

photo credit

Shared Aug 29, 2014 comment

Brigette’s $62 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Published: by Brigette on August 29, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Produce and Jams from a Friend’s Garden

Aldi

2 cartons Oil (@$2.49 each) – $4.98

4 packages Blueberries (@$1.29 each) – $5.16

2 packages Frozen Boneless Chicken Breasts (@$5.99 each) – $11.98

1 package Mini Sweet Peppers – $2.29

1 bunch Bananas (@$0.44/lb) – $1.15

2 bags Carrots ($0.69 each) – $1.38

1 bag Limes – $0.79

1 bag Gala Apples – $3.29

1 package Chocolate Chips – $1.59

1 jar Black Pepper – $1.99

Total: $34.60

Farmer’s Mart

4 heads Cauliflower (marked down to $0.99 each)

Total: $3.97

Harris Teeter

1 gallon Milk – $2.97

10 bags of Shredded Cheese (@B2G3 free) – $11.98

5 boxes Kashi Cereal – $1.99 each, used 2 $0.70/1 Kashi printable (doubled), plus $1.00/2 Kashi printable – $6.20 after coupons

3 boxes Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese (@$1.00 each) – $3.00, used 3 $0.35/1 Annie’s printable – $0.30/each after coupons

1 carton So Delicious Almond Milk – $2.50, used $0.55/1 So Delicious printable, plus receive $1.00/1 Ibotta rebate – $0.40 after coupons

8 individual Yoplait yogurts (@$0.37 each) – $2.96, used $0.60/8 Yoplait printable (doubled), plus $0.40/6 Harris Teeter evic, plus $0.40/6 Saving Star – $0.96/8 after coupons and rebate

Total after all sales, coupons and rebates – $23.01

Bakery Outlet

10 packages of assorted Buns (@$0.10 each!! They expire August 30th, so I will freeze most of them)

Total: $1.00

Weekly Total after all Sales and Coupons: $62.58

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Oatmeal x 2, Veggie Omelettes, Scrambled Eggs with Toast/Jam, Cereal x 2, Smoothies

Lunches

PB&J/Carrots/Bananas, Tuna fish Sandwiches/Pepper slices/Apples, Leftovers x 3, Baked Potatoes with Cheese/Oranges, Build-Your-Own Salad Bar/Roasted Cauliflower

Dinners

Taco Salad, Steamed Cauliflower

Grilled Hobo Packets, Easy Whole Wheat Bread, Blueberries

Slow-Cooker Barbecue Sandwiches, Fresh Veggie Tray, Homemade Applesauce

Baked Macaroni and Cheese (meatless night), Roasted Cauliflower, Tossed Salad

Homemade Pizza, Steamed Broccoli

Dinner at a Friend’s House – I am bringing Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies and Ice Cream

Classic Grilled Chicken, Cucumber and Tomato Salad, leftover Macaroni and Cheese, Blueberries

Shared Aug 29, 2014 comment

Get the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle for FREE!

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 29, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

In case you missed my post earlier this week, I wanted to let you know about this really cool offer going on for a very limited time.

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle Sale — a sale offering over $1,000 worth of products for one low, low price — is going to be available for 5 days only in the next few weeks.

And they are offering something really special this time around: You can get all of the resources in this bundle + the really fun bonus offers for FREE if you refer 10 friends to sign up for the Ultimate Bundles email list!

When you enter you email address here, you’ll be redirected to a page with your referral link on it. Just share that link with your friends — either by email or on social media — and if 10 friends enter their email addresses, too, you’ll earn a completely FREE bundle.

The fun thing about this promotion is that when your friends sign up, they’ll get a referral link, too. And they can share their link with ten friends and earn their own bundle, too!

Best of all: No one has to purchase anything and you can unsubscribe from the list at any time. You can track how many friends you’ve referred on the page that has your referral link.

If you get 10 friends to sign up, you’ll receive on email on September 10 with details on how to claim your entirely FREE Healthy Living Bundle.

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up to get your referral link and start spreading the word!

Some of you have already taken advantage of this offer and have already earned yourself a completely free bundle. And that makes me so very happy… especially because I’ve seen a sneak peek at what the contents of the bundle are and it’s GOOD stuff.

Shared Aug 29, 2014 comment

Enter to win a free prize package from Modern Prairie Girl!

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 29, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Abi from Modern Prairie Girl is running a fun giveaway this weekend! She’s giving away two copies of her new book, Modern Prairie Sewing, and two handmade bags.

She sent me a copy of her new book and I was so impressed and inspired by it… and I’m not even someone who really sews! Abi also sent the materials for me to make two of the projects with Kaitlynn. Look for a post in a few weeks with pictures of our adventures in trying out hand at making these two projects!

Go enter to win here.

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Click here to sign up!

Shared Aug 28, 2014 comment

Sam’s Club vs. Costo: Who Really Has the Best Savings?

Published: by MSM Team on August 28, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Laurie and Shannon from Passionate Penny Pincher compared prices on dozens of products at Sam’s Club and Costco to discover Who Really Has the Best Savings?

Here’s a snippet from her post:

This might just be both my friend Shannon’s and my favorite post ever here on PPP! Because we’re a couple of penny pinchin’ nerds, we love to see the low-down-nitty-gritty of a good price, and always (always!) do the math to know just how much we’re spending.

So, when I called Shannon on the way home from Costco the other day, we started discussing how fun it would be to price war Sam’s and Costco and see who actually won. I was very surprised with some of the results, but loved seeing them matched up evenly. This is just a small sample of the things we watched for this week, and if you all enjoy it, we may both make another trip back for more.

Click here to read the full post and see how each store compared to the other!

Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

Two Questions You Need to Ask If You Want to Make the Most of Your Life

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I am a part-time (2 nights/week) RN, and a full time wife & mommy! 🙂 On my days off, I attempt to live a “normal day shift” life. Any tips to get the most out of my mornings? -Andrea

This is such a great question, Andrea! And I think that my answer will be one that can apply to anyone who is wanting to make the most of their mornings.

As you consider and work on being intentional with your mornings, I encourage you to ask yourself two questions:

1. What do I need to do?

Think about what you must do in the morning. Or what you really should do. 🙂

Things like cleaning up, pulling something out of the freezer for dinner, organizing, laundry, bill-paying, phone calls, and errands.

Also, consider what you need to do to stay refreshed and energized. You might feel like this is not truly a need. But I believe it is.

Why? Because if you just keeping going, going, going and never stop to refuel your personal “tank”, you’ll soon be running on empty. And you can continue to try to press forward and live on fumes, but you’ll soon find that you are completely drained and lifeless.

So yes, it is a need to make time to refresh yourself. It’s not selfish. It’s something that needs to be high on the priority list.

Making time to recharge your batteries will make you more productive, more efficient, and more energetic. This, in turn, will cause you to be a better wife, mom, and employee. Plus, you’ll just enjoy life more.

Take some time to think through what energizes you. Maybe that’s taking a nap, reading, savoring quiet and a cup of coffee, decorating, crafting, cooking, spending time with friends, exercising, gardening… find at least a few things to include on your days off that will refuel your tank.

Practically Speaking

Once you’ve determined what you need to do every morning, create a morning routine based upon these things. For more help in creating a morning routine, check out this post on How to Develop a Morning Routine. I’d include 5-7 items on your morning routine list and make them a mix of things you must do and things that will refuel your tank.

Commit to following through with this morning routine every single “off-day” morning for the next three weeks. Ask a friend or two to help you stay accountable so that you stick with this commitment.

2. What do I want to do?

Once you’ve determined what you need to do and create your morning routine based upon this, then comes the much more fun part. Ask yourself: what do I want to do?

Take a pen and paper and start writing down anything that comes to your mind in answer to this question: re-decorating your living room, learning how to blog, investing in your elderly neighbor, taking a wood-working class, learning a foreign language, teaching a skill to your child, trying out a new grocery store. Whatever comes to your mind, write it down.

Then, take this long list and pick your top five priorities off the list. The top five most pressing things you want to tackle first or those that will make the greatest impact on your life. If five sounds overwhelming or like too much, start with 2-3.

Look at your list of these few priorities and think how can I make a little slow and steady progress each week to help me get where I want to be next year?

Start mapping out what this looks like for the next few weeks. For instance, if you want to learn a foreign language, find a 30-minute block on your off mornings that you can focus on taking an online foreign language course. Or if you want to teach your toddler a new skill, set aside 15 minutes early in the morning once your morning routine is done and they are up and dressed to work on this skill.

It’s amazing how 15 or 30 minutes of focused effort a few times per week can really start to add up to progress on our goals!

I encourage to work on your list of priorities right after you finish your morning routine. If you don’t do it first thing, there’s a good chance it won’t get done. In addition, it will make you feel fulfilled and more productive the rest of the day. So just do it!

Practically Speaking

You might find it helpful to assign themes to the days you’re off work. Maybe one day is your errands day, one day is your baking/cooking day, and one day is your extra projects day.

I also encourage you to try to have at least one day where you stay at home all day. For me, at least, there’s something very refreshing about a quiet day at home. And not only that, but I find that it helps me to be more productive if I have at least one day where I’m not running around doing different things but instead can focus on projects at home.

What advice and suggestions do the rest of you have for Andrea? Share them in the comments!

photo credit; photo credit

Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

Rise & Shine Challenge: Day 8 {How to add more fun into your day!}

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Thank you so much for your kind words on last night’s post. I hope to get to respond to each one personally, but until then, know that you blessed, uplifted, and encouraged me so very much!

It’s the last day of our Rise & Shine Challenge (since I skipped the weekend posts!). Can you believe it??

This challenge has been good for me and I’ve definitely learned from it. One of the things I think I may have taken away from it is that 4:30 a.m. is too early for me to consistently get up. I know that my body needs at least 7 hours of sleep every night and I’ve made it a big priority to get that amount of sleep (or more!) at least 5-6 nights per week.

But that means I have to go to bed by 9 p.m. and I’m finding that’s really hard to consistently make happen at this season of life. So I may just need to re-arrange some things in the schedule and shoot for 5:30 a.m. instead. That seems to be a better time for me so I think I’m going to stick with 5:30 a.m. for the next few weeks and then re-evaluate.

In addition, I learned that it’s hard to break bad habits. Slipping over the summer and letting myself go to bed so late and then get up late was a difficult habit to break. And it encouraged me to be more intentional about not slipping into bad habits like that again.

I’m thrilled that I feel like this challenge has been the jump start I needed to get back into the early-to-bed, early-to-rise mode. Overall, I’ve been much more productive, feeling more rested, and remembering why I used to love getting up early so much!

Today’s Rise & Shine Challenge Assignment

Today’s challenge is to focus on bringing back the fun into your mornings. This is such a good reminder — and something I need to work on as I tend to be more of a focused mom than a fun mom.

Some ideas I had were:

Starting the morning with lively music.
Watching a short YouTube clip in the morning that makes us all laugh.
Cracking a joke or teasing a family member about something (provided they enjoy being teased!)
Singing while we do our morning chores.
Being intentional about smiling more.
Planning a special breakfast.

What would you add to my list?

This Morning’s Report

Got up at 5:30 a.m.
Read my Bible, prayed, read a few devotions from two other books.
Made some coffee, checked email, and scheduled some posts and Facebook posts. Answered more comments and emails.
Write a few posts for today. Then, I exercised, showered, and got dressed.
Switched the laundry and took the big pile of clean laundry out to the living room couch to fold later this morning.
And then it was time to start in on our homeschooling for the day!

How was your morning? What ideas do you have for adding more fun into your mornings? What have you learned from this challenge?

photo credit

Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

What are your most creative income-earning ideas?

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

One of the parts of my next book that I’m especially excited about is that I’ll not just be sharing how to start earning some additional income, but will be giving you a plethora of ideas of businesses you could start or ways to earn additional income.

I have put together a long list of ideas that I’ll be sharing in the book, but I’m positively certain that you all have some great ideas I’ve not thought of or wouldn’t come up with on my own.

So, I’d love to hear: What are your most creative income-earning ideas? I’d love to hear your input of things you’ve done successfully, know others who have done successfully, or just think would be a brilliant idea for someone to do. I’m especially looking for ideas that don’t require a significant amount of money to start.

Share your ideas in the comments or email them to me (crystal @ moneysavingmom.com). Thanks so much!

Note: Comments left on this post or emailed in may be published in the book. If you’d prefer that we don’t publish your comment or email or that it’s anonymous, please mention this in your comment or email.

Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

We Paid Cash: A New-to-Us Car

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A testimony from Victoria

With 2 young boys, our growing family wanted a bigger vehicle. It was complicated trying to pack 2 boys, 2 carseats, a stroller, and all the bags that go with young children into the trunk of a car!

I wasn’t ready for a minivan, and neither was my husband, so we began searching for an SUV with a third row.

Finding something in our price range was extremely difficult, but after a few months of searching, we found a vehicle that we loved. It did have more miles on it than what we wanted, but the price was right!

We were able to pay cash for this vehicle, while still maintaining a healthy emergency fund because my husband sold his beloved four-wheeler, and we put our entire 2013 tax refund towards the vehicle. We also got a nice trade-in value for our car, which helped a lot.

Helpful Hint: I suggest trading-in over selling privately. When you trade in, the trade in value comes off the purchase price of the car, therefore you pay much less tax!

Because we saved so much by paying cash and because the vehicle did have over 100,000 miles on it, we were also able to pay cash for a 4-year, bumper to bumper warranty. We hope this will also save us money some day!

Victoria is a wife and mother to two busy boys! She also works full-time as a mission trip coordinator for a non-profit in Indiana (best job in the world!). In her spare time she enjoys running, camping, and attempting to re-decorate her home.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Click here to download!

Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

This is the Water Project & Vegetable Garden That Love Built (and a special request)

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Friends, remember when I encouraged you to Fall in Love With the World Next Door for Valentine’s Day? And you all blew me away by stepping up, reaching out, and donating thousands of dollars of the Maubane Community.

Well, today I have a lump in my throat and goosebumps as I get to write this post and show you the pictures of the completed Water Project and Vegetable Garden…

Talk about love in action! Aren’t those pictures just incredible? {You can see more pictures of these projects here.}

It just thrills my heart to think about all the hundreds of people who gave $10 and $20 — or whatever they could squeeze out of their budget — and collectively, this is what happened! Just beautiful and breath-taking.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your heart for the Maubane Community. Your generosity touches me and inspires!

Today, I’m also coming to you to ask that you consider helping finish funding the Maubane Community Kitchen and Welcome Center. It’s only $4,000 away from being fully funded!

Would you prayerfully consider giving $10 or $20 or more today to help fully fund this project? I’d LOVE to see the whole project funded by tonight! Wouldn’t that be fantastic??

If you can only give a dollar, give a dollar. If you have more wiggle room in your budget, would you prayerfully consider giving whatever amount it is that you can give?

And if you don’t have any extra wiggle room to give, would you consider sharing this post or Lisa-Jo’s post with your friends or on your social media channels?

Special Bonuses

1. Give a donation of at least $20 and I’ll send you a copy of my book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. Just forward the email you receive after you donate to [email protected] and include the amount you donated and your mailing address and I’ll send you a copy.

2. Give a donation of at least $40 and I’ll send you a copy of my book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, and I’ll buy you a copy of Lisa-Jo’s book, Surprised By Motherhood. Just forward the email you receive after you donate to [email protected] and include the amount you donated and your mailing address and I’ll send you a copy of my book and buy you a copy of Lisa-Jo’s book.

Thank you so very much for being apart of this project that is so near and dear to my heart! I can’t wait to get to show you pictures of the completely finished Maubane Community Kitchen & Welcome Center! Thank you for partnering with me to change lives!

Shared Aug 27, 2014 comment

Ask The Readers: Credit monitoring services?

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

ask-the-readers-blue

Today’s questions is from Anna:

I need to find a credit monitoring service and I was wondering if you or your readers have a particular service that stands apart from the others? -Anna

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

Shared Aug 26, 2014 comment

Rise & Shine Challenge: Day 7 {And my struggles with being a Calm Mom and what I’m doing about it}

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 26, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Note: I always hesitate to share honest posts like this because I don’t want it to come across that I’m complaining or whining about my life. I’m incredibly blessed and I know that many of you are going through crazy hard, overwhelming, and massively discouraging life stuff right now and would give anything to be dealing with these types of “problems”. At the same time, though, I’m committed to being authentic in this space. And this is just my real and raw thoughts tonight…

It’s past 8 p.m. and I’m finally getting this written.

I’ve meant to do it since 8 a.m. this morning. But today was just one of those days.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad day. But it was just an exhausting day.

There’s a lot going on with the business right now. I’m writing a book. And I’m learning how to juggle homeschooling three kids for the first time.

All three of these things combined together makes for a LOT in each day, especially as we jump back into the school year.

I’m not complaining because I’ve chosen this life. And I know that it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be. I also know that this is a short season with a lot of responsibilities and it will definitely be slowing down in another month or two.

But that doesn’t mean that it’s always easy. Or that I don’t ever longingly consider alternative choices.

Like maybe lounging on a private island with complete quiet and a good book??

Yeah. That sounds about perfect right now after such a long day of business projects, emails, writing, and hours of homeschooling kids who weren’t all that thrilled with today’s assignments. Ahem. 🙂

But the good news? Homeschooling is finally finished for the day (as of about 10 minutes ago), I kept my commitment to not yell or be angry with my kids throughout this whole long homeschooling day, we made some really good progress today, one child just made me a bowl of fruit and gave me a love note, and all the kids just asked if they could snuggle with me once they were ready for bed.

So yes, even if we had a lot of rocky moments throughout the day, it’s ending well. And for that, I’m grateful!

Today’s Rise & Shine Assignment

I thought it was perfect timing that today’s Rise & Shine assignment was about being a Calm Mom. Oh how I needed this reminder!

Because the truth is, this momma here has been struggling to be calm and to respond with grace, kindness, and patience. Simply put: my attitude and words haven’t been all that pretty in the last two weeks.

In fact, on Sunday, I came to Jesse and asked him to please keep me accountable for responding calmly to my kids instead of yelling or getting irritated this. I think, for me, just being honest about my struggles and asking for accountability has been a great help. And praying and asking God to infuse me with peace and kindness when I don’t feel peace or kindness.

Another big help has been to think about what kind of example I’m setting before my kids. How do I want them to respond in stressful situations in life? I need to model that behavior before them.

By doing these things and really reminding myself over and over of my intention and desire to respond calmly, it’s made a big difference. And I hope I can keep this going!

This Morning’s Report

Got up at 6:00 a.m.
Made the mistake of checking my phone and got sucked into going through and answering about 20 emails. Gratefully, I’m pretty quick at email and this only took me around 15 minutes. But still, not a recommended way to start the day!
Made coffee. Read my Bible and devotional books. Prayed over my day.
Opened the laptop, answered emails, answered comments, and scheduled some posts. Worked on some business projects that ended up taking me a lot longer than I expected.
Unloaded and re-loaded the dishwasher.
Started some laundry, and got the kids up and helped them get ready for the morning. The kids got up and, after a quick breakfast, I had them head straight to their homeschooling since I knew they had some extra projects to do today.
I taught Silas Kindergarten, switched the laundry, answered a few emails, and then sat down to help the girls with their school.

How was your morning? What helps you to be a Calmer Mom? I’d love to hear!

Shared Aug 26, 2014 comment

48-Hour Giveaway: $50 Marie-Madeline Credit (5 Winners)

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 26, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Marie Madeline Studio is one of my very favorite companies in existence. Run by a very talented and creative mother and daughter team, they design sewing patterns, sell fabric and offer ready-made items which are handcrafted right in their home studio.

Their work is meticulous and their customer service is spectacular. You won’t be disappointed with anything you order from them.

And this weekend, I’m so excited because five winners will get a free $50 store credit to Marie Madeline Studio. You can use this to choose from their patterns, fabric and sewing notions, or have something custom made!

If I were to recommend something, I’d definitely tell you to get one of their aprons. Of all the aprons I’ve worn over the years, the aprons from Marie Madeline Studio are my very favorite.

If you are looking for a special gift for a budding little chef or a fun present for a special gal in your life who loves to bake and cook, check out the Marie Madeline Studio Aprons.

And be sure to follow Marie Madeline on Facebook to be notified of their specials, sales, and new products. Also, check out their Pinterest page. While you’re at it, do stop by their blog as they have decorating ideas, gorgeous pictures of their recent projects, and delicious recipes.

Click below and type in your name and email address to enter to win a FREE $50 credit to anything from Marie Madeline. This giveaway ends Giveaway ends Thursday, August 28, at 11:59 pm, CST. Five winners will be chosen and posted early next week.

Shared Aug 26, 2014 comment

I have some exciting news to share!!

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 26, 2014 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’ve got some BIG news for you today!!! Remember the really incredible Bundle Sales I’ve told you about a few times in the past?

You know the ones where you can get hundreds of dollars’ worth of quality resources for one low, low price?? Well, there’s another bundle sale coming in a few weeks — the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle Sale — and you and your friends can get it FREE.

For real. I’m not joking!

When I heard about this opportunity, I almost thought it was too good to be true. But I checked into it to make sure I had gotten all the details correctly and it was absolutely really and truly legit.

I’m going to tell you about how to get your Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle for FREE. First, though, let me tell you about why you’ll want to JUMP on this offer…

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle is going to PACKED with amazing ebooks on natural living, some resources to help you with weight loss, real food ecookbooks with delicious recipes, resources on how to feed your family well on a small budget, an eCourse on essential oils (I can’t wait to go through this one!), and even some $200 worth of free, tangible bonuses like an amber necklace and a subscription to an at-home fitness program!

All told, the bundle has 70 different resources in it and it’s a value of over $1000! And you can get it for FREE!

Here’s how to get a FREE Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle:

1. Enter your email address here to sign up for the Refer-A-Friend Program.

2. Post your special Refer-A-Friend link on your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Pinterest, or even email it out to your friends.

3. If one friend signs up for the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle email list through your link, you’ll get $5 off the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle when it’s available.

4. If ten friends sign up for the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle email list through your link, you’ll get the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle completely FREE!

Here’s the best part: no one has to buy anything!! And you’ll want to encourage your friends to sign up through your link and get their link and share it with their friends so that they can hopefully get their own FREE Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle, too!

You’ll want to sign up right away, though, because this special offer is only available for a limited time. And when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Sign up here and then go share your link with your friends so that you can earn a FREE Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle!

Trust me, when you see all the amazing resources that are in this bundle (it will be live in a few weeks and you’ll be among the first to know!), you will be so glad you did!

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

12 Months to a Healthier You Focus Areas for 2014

How This Challenge Works:

My Goals for Decluttering My House in September

Produce and Jams from a Friend’s Garden

Aldi

Farmer’s Mart

Harris Teeter

Bakery Outlet

Weekly Total after all Sales and Coupons: $62.58

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up to get your referral link and start spreading the word!

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

1. What do I need to do?

Practically Speaking

2. What do I want to do?

Practically Speaking

What advice and suggestions do the rest of you have for Andrea? Share them in the comments!

Today’s Rise & Shine Challenge Assignment

This Morning’s Report

How was your morning? What ideas do you have for adding more fun into your mornings? What have you learned from this challenge?

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Special Bonuses

Today’s Rise & Shine Assignment

This Morning’s Report

How was your morning? What helps you to be a Calmer Mom? I’d love to hear!

Here’s how to get a FREE Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle:

Sign up here and then go share your link with your friends so that you can earn a FREE Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle!

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