Saturday, November 27, 2010

Homemade holiday ornaments


The kids and I will be making these easy to make ornaments as a craft project and then painting them for our Christmas tree. I looks like fun and I will cherish these ornaments for years to come!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup salt
2 cups flour
1 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Water-based paints
Place dry ingredients in a bowl, add the water
and oil, then stir until blended. Once the dough
holds together, make it into a ball and
knead it with your hands to make
a smooth texture.
Place the dough
on a cutting board, and using a rolling pin, roll the dough
out into a pancake shape that is a bit thicker
than you would use for regular cut-out cookies. Cut out
the ornaments with cookie cutters, design your own
ornaments using a blunt knife, or shape dough with
your fingers. Punch or carve a hole into the top of
the ornament to thread a string through to hang the decoration.
Bake at 250 degrees until hard (for one to two hours).
Once cooled, paint with water-based paints if desired,
or glue on glitter using white household glue. Thread a string
or ribbon through the hole and hang the decoration on the tree
or elsewhere in your home. These ornaments can be reused year after year.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Our house is on the market

We've been working hard to get our house in tip top shape so that we can hopefully make a fast sell and get moved quickly. We have also been looking at homes to purchase in Kansas City. We are really starting to lean towards homes that use some passive solar energy to heat the home in winter and geothermal cooling in the summer. The scientist in me loves the idea of our home being somewhat self sustainable and teaching the kids about conservation and scientific principles of heat and energy exchange. They will be learning by real life examples and not just reading a book!

However, being the frugal mom that I am, I've also seen dollar signs. Using passive energy equals reduced bills. In fact, one home we are considering has zero gas bills and only 50 dollars a month in electric. That would save us about 200 a month in utility bills! I can put that money away for savings or pay down credit cards that we used before I became frugal. By saving 200 a month we could continue to afford for me to be a stay at home mom.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Adoption stuff

I get silly questions and looks sometimes when my family is out and about. I don't mind it, however sometimes it can get a bit intrusive and a little redundant. At times I wish I had a shirt that read....

Yes, these are my children. 
Yes, they are brother and sister. 
Yes, my husband is their father. 
Yes, my family is beautiful.
I am a very luck Mom!!!!!

At a restaurant I don't need some stranger coming up to us asking where my kids are from. Unless you are going around the room and taking a poll about everyones origins, I find it to be a bit rude. So if you come up to me and ask this question, I will say I brought them from home. Or if I'm in a particularly snarky mood I'll tell you I found them in nearby park on the way there.

Oh and please don't ask me how much my children cost? I understand asking if you have set up a time to talk to me about our adoption privately. However, how do you think that makes my kids feel when strangers ask that? My children are priceless and have never been and never will be for sell. So if you decide to ask about the cost, I will level the playing field by asking you about some personal finances such as your personal debt or how much money you make a year. 

Our children's birth parents are wonderful people that made the most selfless and love filled decision I have ever witnessed. So please don't bad mouth them or say things like why didn't their first parents want them. It wasn't a matter of not wanting them. It was a matter of loving them so much that they sacrificed their own feelings to provide them with a better life. I don't think many people are strong enough and selfless enough to be birth parents. They deserve our respect.

Finally, there is some terminology that really gets under people skin when referring to adoption. First of all the term "real" parents. That means that someone is a fake parent, not a good thing.

Saying that someone "gave up" or is "giving up" a child for adoption. The correct term is "placed" for adoption or "making an adoption plan". As stated earlier, birth parents love their children and will carry them in their hearts forever. Saying they gave them up is not reflective of their sacrifice.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

How much do you think I spent on todays trip to Walgreens?

What I got:
3 dozen eggs
3 boxes of Christmas cards
1 package of bc chocolate chip cookie mix
2 ready made graham cracker pie crusts
2 sticks of degree
1 bag of PF Changs frozen orange chicken
2 cans of glade room spray
2 renuzits air freshners
1 sour cream
1 can condensed milk
1 tube of carmex chapstick
1 Tylenol cold and flu
1 Similisan cough syrup
1 package of night time pullups
2 boxes of Klennex

 Answer: About 40 dollars! I will post my receipt and give details later tonight :)

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Nikon Coolpix 10 MP Camera: 46% off Plus Free Shipping

This 10 mega-pixel camera is a great holiday gift idea for a special first camera gift for your tween or teen child, or even as a gift for you, Mom!    Sunday only, and while quantities last, it also ships FREE.   Visit the Target Daily Deals page for more information.

Nikon Coolpix S203 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom – Red
$75.00
Save 46% + Free Shipping
$139.99 List price

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Life is always changing

We moved to Wichita five years ago so that my husband could pursue a job opportunity. Now five years later, the job opportunities are taking us back to Kansas City.We don't have family in KC, but I'm sure we will soon reconnect with our previous group of friends and most likely make some new connections as well.

So now it's time to get our house sold and to find a new home to make a nest in. It's bitter sweet to move. I know that my husband will love the new job. But, this is the home that I brought my children home from the hospital to. It will be tough to leave it behind. However, it isn't what I will miss most about Wichita...

I will miss my mom. When we moved to Wichita we found a home only two blocks from my mother. It has been a great two years getting to spend time with my mom and having her around. The kids love it when Meema pops over on her way home to give them hugs. And having a free babysitter that washes my dishes, cleans my house and scrubs my sinks when she babysits will be extremely missed.