They grow up too fast.  Today is the first day of school, and I’ve officially got a Kindergartener, Third Grader, and a Fourth Grader–as well as an almost 3 month old!  *sigh*

Linking up to Wordless Wednesday.

Four Kids: Wordless Wednesday is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

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I’ve found that many things baby have changed over the last 5 years (since I’ve had our third child).  When we were sorta preparing for Blake’s arrival, I was absolutely overwhelmed with all the baby gadgets, toys and the latest trends.

Since Blake was our 4th child, we were taking our sweet time actually purchasing things for him.  You can imagine our utter surprise when Blake arrived 7 weeks early, and we didn’t own so much as a car seat.  Let alone a sleeper.  No joke.  So in the 18 days Blake was in the hospital, we were scurrying to find and purchase baby must-haves.

Here is what we found, in no particular order.

• Car Seat. We went pretty basic on the actual car seat, but we did make sure to get one that had a pull down shade to block out the sun, and one that was Side-Impact Tested.

• Diapers/Wipes. Personally, I think cloth is a pretty good option.  While they may seem pricey they end up being cheaper in the end.  If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Diapers.com.  Not only do they have diapers and wipes but other baby must-haves with super fast shipping!  Enter in the code GETFREEDOM and get 15% off of your order.
• Receiving Blankets. They are just light enough to keep baby warm without burning them up.  Perfect for swaddling.
• Clothes. While clothes are obviously a necessity, keep in mind that baby will grow rather fast.  A couple sleepers, outfits and onesies in each size (Newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9months, etc) are plenty.
• Bassinet/Crib.
• Burp Cloths. While breastfed babies spit up less, they still do.  Spit up on your clothes, or theirs isn’t the latest fashion–that I know of.

• Moby Wrap. I LOVE.LOVE. LOVE my Moby!  Makes it very easy to do housework, and go grocery shopping with 3 children and a baby.  While I’ve gotten many looks and even a lecture (check out my Twitter stream for details), I’m not giving up my new love of babywearing!
• Bouncy Seat. Not necessarily a need, but a simple seat with a toy bar is handy to sit baby in and give him something to look at and encourage play.  In our quest to find a used one for Blake we found that anymore they’ve become quite complex and over the top.
• Tummy Time PlayMat. Again, the same is true here as with the Bouncy Seat.  Tummy time is important to help the baby learn to pick up their head and use their neck muscles–amongst many others.  Having something for them to look at and play with helps encourage this.  We are still trying to find one that is simple, but fun.  Have any recommendations for us?
• Love/Attention. The most important thing on the list! Every babe needs love, affection and attention to thrive and develop.  What’s not to love anyway?

What doYOU think is a Baby Must-Have?

This post is linking up to :

• Frugal Friday
• Top Ten Tuesday.

Must-Haves For Baby is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

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It’s hard to believe that as I cuddle with my 6 week old baby, tomorrow (Friday, July 16th) would have been the day he was set to be born.

If I was in control.

If I was in control, Blake would have been born at 39 weeks gestation, not 33 weeks.

If I was in control, we never would have spent 18 days in the NICU away from our other 3 kids.

If I was in control, I would have been able to come home a few short days after delivery and slept in my own bed in my own {finished} house.

But, I’m not in control.  And frankly, I like it that way.

The night before Blake’s emergency arrival, my husband and I sat in the living room of some friends of ours and had a Bible Study.  Of all things the topic was: God Is In Control.  While as a Christian, I’ve always known this, I’ve also always had a really hard time turning it all over to Him and letting Him be in control.

Four hours after arriving home from our Bible Study I found myself waiting  for the ambulance to arrive at my home and take me to the hospital in the Big Town.  I prayed continuously for God to allow me to deliver a healthy baby, and for me to also remain healthy through it all.  I had no idea what the outcome would be, but I did know that there was a reason behind it all.

We’ve learned so many things through this little journey.  I couldn’t possibly write them all here but in short we found out first hand that through everything God really is in Control.  There is a reason behind everything, you just have to find it.

Not only that, but we also realized that we have the best family, church family and friends a person could ever ask for!  We’ve been blessed abundantly, and Blake’s birth really brought that to light.  We’ve lived in our small town for almost 7 years, and have always felt a little on the outside of things here.  I can now say that we no longer feel this way.  We have many great friends here that would do anything and everything they can for someone.  We are blessed far beyond what any words could ever express.

He is in control and although Blake was born 7 weeks early, he was a pretty healthy little guy.

He is in control, and while we were away from our other 3 kids they had an awesome time with their Granny, Pa-Pa, Aunt and Cousins.

He is in control, and introduced us to an awesome charity that will forever hold a place in our hearts.

He is in control, and I will forever serve Him and call Him Lord and the King of Kings.

A little sidenote: In our Bible Study we also discussed how God referred to himself as “I Am” when speaking to Moses in the desert.   Although we’ve studied this as a group before, we found ourselves discussing it again, at length.  One night, after Blake had a roller coaster day, and our emotions were all over the place, my husband went to the NICU for one of our “touch times”.  As he stood over Blake’s bed, he looked up, just as he had many times before and something caught his eye:  Blake WillIAM.

God Is In Control.  And that is a Finer Thing.

Oh, and for our house, yeah–it’s still not done.

This post is linked to:

• I’m Lovin’ It Friday
• Finer Things Friday

He Is In Control is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

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While my family and I are relaxing on the beach in Florida, Jessica from LifeAsMom has graciously offered to share how you can make any birthday memorable, all the while keeping it frugal.

I love to celebrate my children’s birthdays with themed birthday cakes. I remember my own joy over my 5th Birthday and the Big Mac cake I received that year. So, I try to put forth a little more effort on my own kids’ special days. However, I am not about to drop $15 on a grocery store bakery cake. Especially when I know I can make one myself for less than five bucks.

You may not think that you’re a cake baker. Wilton Decorating Classes may not rank in your repertoire of enrichment experiences. That’s okay. They’re not in mine, either.

The beauty is that you don’t have to be all that creative or talented to decorate a cake that will pass muster with the Birthday Kid. Here are some tricks that I’ve used to make cakes that “wow” without paying a pretty penny or jumping too many hoops.

1. Include the birthday child. My kids range in age from 1 to 12. And with the exception of the baby, everyone of them enjoys baking, frosting, and decorating the cake. The baby would probably enjoy it, too. But, I’m not prepared to go there just yet.

2. Find some toys that match the theme. Playmobil, lego, and action figures are great cake toppers. You don’t have to have fancy edible decor. You probably didn’t eat the bride and groom from atop your wedding cake, so toys will work just great. Just wash and dry them well before using.

3. Bake a simple cake and frost. This will be your canvas for the diorama you are going to build with toys and candy. I am not afraid of boxed cake and canned frosting, especially on busy days like birthdays. However you choose to prepare your cake, keep it simple, sister.

4. Let your child embellish the cake with candies and toys. This is the fun part. Build a scene that any kid would love to play in. Candy makes it even more special. If you can pick up some chocolate rocks and pebbles, well, those just “make it.”

Cake, candy, and toys make up a child’s dream cake! And you can do this, too, even if you don’t think you can.

– Jessica Fisher, also known as FishMama, is the mother to six young children. She regularly shares parenting hacks at LifeasMOM and posts delicious ways to act your wage at Good Cheap Eats.

This post is linked to DIY Day.

DIY Birthday Cakes Can Save You Money is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

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I have to admit, I have a really hard time watching my children grow up.  I’m positive that I’m waayyy overprotective at times, however, I just can’t help it.  Thankfully, Willie is around to balance out my overprotectiveness, at least a little bit.

A few months ago, they built a rodeo arena within a mile of our home.  Ever since then my husband has been dying to go.  The kids were all pumped up and ready to go, so we attended last weekend.

I attempted to put my fears aside, when I found out that this (watch the video below) was one of the reasons we went!

That, my friends, was my 4 year old!!! Agh!  Who knew they let kids do that?! In my freaked-out-mommy-state, I stopped filming before you could see his HUGE grin.  He was ever so proud of himself, even though mommy was about to flip, and that is a finer thing!

Puttin’ My Fears Aside is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

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It has been waaayyyy too long since I have checked on the progress of my 2010 Goals.  Life has been crazy busy around here, and I just haven’ t thought a whole lot about it.  But, it’s time!  The whole purpose of me setting these goals and posting about them, was so that I would be held accountable for them.

This is where we are so far this year:

Financially:

• We are still right on track to have our truck paid off in April, which will be a HUGE relief!  When I moved from blogger to WordPress, I lost my debt ticker–so here is our current debt status.   Our current debt is: $7522.74 which is down from OVER $36,000 in September of 2007! I still cannot believe the progress we’ve made without any additional income!
• We’ve been able to set back a small amount for our first ever family vacation to Florida, just not has much as I had originally wanted to by this time.  I’m really not worried a whole lot about it, I know I can make up ground, somewhere.

Home

• Thanks to the first trimester sluggishness, and the cold that has plagued me since Blissdom–the kids have been more involved in the daily tasks. I still think they could help out more, but I’m impressed with their current willingness to help.
• Get Rid of Clutter. Thanks to Amy’s Decluttering Challenge, I’m constantly working on this one.  Project Major Home Addition is also helping me along quite nicely.  Who wants a whole new home with a bunch of old clutter??

Gardening/Food Storage

• EEEKKK!  It’s just about garden time, and I’ve barely given my seeds a thought! I’ve picked out the ones I want ( a lot less than last year!), now I just need to get them, and start them.
• We ordered a quarter of a beef, and we should be getting it sometime next week. I’m super excited!
• I‘m joining in on Once A Month Mom’s Cook Off in a few weeks.  I plan to keep some of those meals in the freezer for when baby gets here.

This is just our progress so far, to see the full list of 2010 Goals, go here.

How are you coming along on your goals?

This post is linked to Frugal Friday.

2010 Goals Update is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

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I am ever so thankful that I’ve not had to buy diapers in almost 2 ½ years. It’s definitely given my budget a bit of a break.   Now that we are expecting our 4th child, that will obviously be changing.  But, it’s going to be a bit different this time around.  My husband and I have decided that  we are going to give cloth diapers a try.  I will admit that the initial price of cloth diapers made my jaw drop for a bit. After realizing all of the benefits, I promptly changed my mind, and so did my husband.

I was quite pleased when I seen this great deal circulating from Diapers.com and they are delivered to your door for free– with no shipping costs if you spend $49 or more!

Here’s how to work the deal:

1. Create a new account at Diapers.com.

2.  Shop around and find any combination of products totaling as close to $49 as possible.

3. When you checkout, enter referral code GETT8110, which will take $10 off your order!

4. Then you need to print, fill in and submit this rebate for $14.97 back. Instead of the $14.97 rebate you can opt for a free 1 year subscription to Parenting Magazine–but the rebate is the best deal.

End Result: An instant $10 off and the $14.97 rebate, total savings of  $24.97!! Keep your total at just over $49 for maximum savings!

For my fellow cloth diapering fans, you can order 3 Fuzzi Buns Diapers (originally priced $19.99/ea, on sale for $17.95) or 3 BumGenius ($17.95/ea).  After your savings you will be paying $28.88, or $9.63 a piece!

Now that is savings!

Cheap Diapers Delivered to Your Door! is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

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Some may call me a Valentine’s Day Bah-Humbug.  And really, I’m okay with that.  I think the idea behind Valentine’s Day is okay, but it is so commercialized and overrated.  It makes me crazy.

Plus, the beginning of February is crazy in our house.  This year I went to Blissdom, we had a snow storm that caused the kids to miss even more school {they just went back Thursday}, my daughter’s birthday, the kids’ Valentine Parties at school…

Oh wait, what’s that last part??  Could that be the one thing I forgot all about until Thursday??  The day before??

Indeed it is.  There were Valentine Boxes to be made and Valentine’s to be filled out-all in the middle of my daughter’s birthday.

I’d call that a mommy fail at it’s finest.  Thankfully they were {mostly} all smiles.  Although it was pure craziness and chaos!

We made good use out of tissue paper, coffee cans, heart stickers, and felt.  And the totally awesome boot box from my daughter’s new boots.  It turned into a barn, that you can color with doors that open.  A perfect, and free, Valentine box for my farm-loving 4 year old!

It may have started out as a Valentine Fail, but it ended up a Frugal Valentine Success.

This post is linked to Frugal Friday and Friday Fails.

Valentine Fail is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

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I cannot believe the time is here!  My little princess, my kitchen helper, my mini-me turns 8 years old.  Where has the time gone?

Her birthday week is always full of snow and bad weather. This year is no different.  The kids have been out of school all week, which has made it impossible for me to get out her party invitations.  Thankfully she is understanding, and we’ve decided to move her party to next weekend.  She’s had to do this a time or two before.

She just smiles.  Something about the birthday week of a child just brings laughter and smiles.

Kait at her 7th birthday party.

We made a big deal out of the children’s birthdays.  The night of their birthday they get to pick their meal and the type of birthday cake (or cupcakes) I make.  We just have a small celebration with just us, and they get to open up their presents and pick what we do for the rest of the night.  Then of course, they get a birthday party later on where I make their themed cake, like Strawberry Shortcake or a Tank.

Now, to help her come up with a themed cake for this year….

This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday and Finer Things Friday.

My Baby Girl Turns 8! is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

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All of my children were out of school today due to deer season, so I was trying to come up with something to occupy them. It was chilly and rainy for the first day in weeks, giving me the urge to bake. I had the brilliant idea of making cupcakes, since we rarely make them. I envisioned the kids helping me measure and mix up the cupcake batter, scooping into the festive cupcake liners and decorating to their hearts content.

After listening to the children argue over this, that, and the color of the moon–I sent them to their rooms for a nap. They were told they had to get rid of their attitudes before we could proceed with the cupcake making process. When they woke from their naps they feared that I had already made the cupcakes..while it did cross my mind, I was really wanting them to be able to be creative and create their very own, unique cupcakes.

I mixed up a chocolate cake mix, substituting applesauce in for the oil and baked away. I gave each child a small plate with 2 cupcakes each, a dollop of icing, and set the decoration in the middle of the table for them to use.

Aren’t these the prettiest cupcakes ever??

Apparently they were too worried about eating them, and forgot to decorate them! So much for festive cupcakes to share.

This post is linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday
• Cupcake Tuesday

Decorating Cupcakes With Children is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

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