Hi all! I'm gonna chime in here. We love to cook and eat delicious home made meals, but I'm not on a gourmet budget so this is right up my alley. A girlfriend and I share secrets and make it a game to see who can have the lowest budget per person a month. I have 4 in my household and she has 7. I like to keep my food under $100/week. It really helps to have a garden and by locally. We love a good steak or salmon, but meat is not our main ingredient. I by my bread at the local Orowheat outlet or Rotella store - this includes english muffins, whole wheat bagels, hoagie & hamburger buns, and the occassional sandwich loaf. If you can find an outlet or a store that sells "day old" it helps soo much!! I'm talking about paying $1 for something that would cost close to $3 or $4 at the local store! Typically a week goes like this: Breakfast = oatmeal, cream of wheat, bagels, egg sandwiches, & sometimes cereal( which is always bought on sale and not filled with sugars) Lunches = leftovers, lunchmeat, pasta & veggie salads, muffins, fruits, quesadillas, burritoes, tortilla rolls, grilled ham & cheese, soups, & the occassional ramen noodles or mac N cheese Dinners = veggies, stir-fry, pasta, pizza, roasted chicken, grilled steaks/chicken/ribs, when we have meat everything is in small portions. 2 chicken breast or steaks will feed 4 of us as we always have a whole grain or veggie as the main filling part of our meal. Baked potatoe "bar", taco salad ( we use black beans as our "meat", quiches, soups, chowders... I usually bake a snack once a week to fill our sweet craving. Chocolate chip zuchinni muffins, whole wheat fruit muffins, banana bread... We have fruit or veggies as snacks, pretzels, chips & salsa(which I put away every year enough to last til next season) I think the less processed you eat the more you become accustomed to not cringing at spending on "healthy stuff" We get our chicken and eggs from a farmer, my girlfriend and I do twice a month shopping at Costco for produce and frozen organic stuff during the winter months ( by splitting items we want we assure that we use what we buy - food ain't cheap!!) My son loves babyback ribs so when they are on an awesome sale - I buy 2 or 3 meals worth and span eating them over as many months. Sorry gals ( and guys) I got carried away. Looking forward to reading post on this subject. Serena

For those of you who have used RS4K's Level 1 - with physics and chemistry - did you need the student lab workbook?? I bought the books in the spring from the FS forum and they didn't come with workbooks - no big deal b/c I got them for a great price. I just wondered if anyone could let me know if the wkbks were worth the $24 each?? Thanks. Serena

I love to research - so this gave me something new to research. Nice to read about other supplements people are using. Serena

Nope! I've been instructed by onc to take higher doses of vit c. There are actually studies using high dose and iv C to help fight cancer. I'm open to reading info you have it. Vit C helps body fight virus, helps as natural antihystamine, reduces inflamation... But everything in moderation. I take 2-4,000u daily,kids 1,000u daily. Good handwashing is best antivirus ever! Just be your own judge on what we are all saying, do some research, be careful! Biggest help in immune fighting is cutting out sugar and processed foods.

Can this be done?? If so, how?? Could someone talk me through it? Thanks, Serena:confused:

Vitamin C, Vit D3 5000, Milk Thistle, Honey, Culturelle... the list could go on - are you looking for something specific?? Cancer??Germs???Chronic disease? Hope this helps a little. Serena

That's what I keep catching myself saying - I don't like it too much when my boys say it - but I suppose it could be worse. :P

Hi, Speaking from what sounds like such a familiar experience - no guilt necessary!!! I have 2 boys that are 10 & 12 who have grown up dealing with my cancer, treatments, and mood swings. I have Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in my lungs, have gone through 2 relapses/treatments over the past 9 years. I'm always immune compromised/sickly and chronically fatigued. Note: the mood swings aren't always related to the cancer or treatments - we all have our days:D. I have plenty of neighbor kids that I have welcomed into our yard/home to play with the boys, however, my boys know when mommy is "grumpy" no one is to come in the house and silence must prevail. We are fortunate enough for me to be a stay at home mom. Seems like too many of the kids around here are latch-key or single-parent raised in split homes and I actually prefer my kids to be here at my house/ yard to play. That way I can be sure that all the kids are well-mannered and respectful of eachother. I also really like to be able to provide stability and be a good adult role model for all of the kids that come around. But... we have shared my having cancer with the families, friends, and even just back yard waving neighbors that live in our neighborhood. The kids have all grown up knowing that I tire, need naps, am sickly during and after treatments, and that when I need my rest it is vital. Thought about sharing your reasoning for being grumpy/tired with others? Makes a world of difference when they understand. Kids get it! God bless & I hope that you feel better soon. Serena:grouphug:

Square foot gardening is great! Also, Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots is a great kids book. Organic gardening for dummies is a simple book. The Boy Scouts of America has a merit badge for gardening. It is a simple book that could be worked into a curriculum. Has projects, statistical data gathering, and soo on... Good luck in gardening. We've been growing our own goodies for years. Each of mine has his own plot that they care for and plan now. It is wonderful to watch the boys enjoy the fruits of their labor. A great way to encourage healthy sustainable living. Serena

Both my boys really took off with the math this year. MUS has done wonders in the boys having that "ah ha" moment. Multiplication clicked - and the division is following close behind. My husband and I are both math minded, it is soo hard to grasp not being able to just do math. I never thought manipulatives to be soo important in grasping a concept. Really it is just nice to see the kids not frustrated over learning. It is supposed to be fun - right! Serena

Cast iron is soo great and versatile for all your cooking needs. My mom and I collect all sorts. Wagner is one of the best brands and 10 1/2 is a great size! Place outside in tight plastic bag with one cup ammonia inside the plastic bag (not in the skillet) the fumes do the cleaning. Leave outside for 24 hr. Wipe rust out w/ grill brush - it should come right off. Then scour w/baking soda and water, let completely dry(usually another 24 hrs). For best seasoning the first time use a light coat of lard on entire surface, place upside down in oven w/drip pan on bottom shelf, cook for 2 hours at 250. Leave in oven w/door closed until completely cooled to prevent cracking. Happy cleaning & cooking! Serena

Well - I tend to believe that God doesn't care what your wearing - it's just important that you are attending. Now we don't go looking like slobs or anything - but a nice pair of jeans and shirt with a collar is what I require of the boys. I like to put a little effort into what I wear - just b/c it makes me feel good. I usually wear skirts - but then again, I love skirts. This is a great debate at our church - I do agree that some kids wear horrible things to church. Modesty isn't around too much anymore in some of the kids. It is sad that parents let their kids out of the house in some of the outfits - but that is what society creates. Here is a funny - I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters. Always said that as long as we were at church it didn't matter what we were wearing. I even went as far as to say " one day I'm gonna wear a tube top and cut offs just because I can". All my girlfriends and family have heard me say this many a time. If someone were to comment to me that it was inappropriate - I'd just remind them Jesus loves the sinners - no matter what! Well - about 5 years ago my youngest sister got married and I was the Matron of Honor. Proud sis I was, and I was going to be doing a reading at the podium that day too. Imagine a beautiful satin attendant gown, lavendar bottoms, white tops. Each of us varied in the tops. Well I got to wear a strapless! Usually I wouldn't do such a thing without a shawl - but for some reason we didn't order one with my dress. It was beautiful and what my sister wanted for me - she is a very modest gal too. You just don't think about these things sometimes. All the others had some sort of sleeve. So I go up to read at the podium and do a great job...blah, blah, blah! Later that evening - my best friend said to me - all I could think about during your reading was "Holy cow, she looks naked up there". We do have several great pics - from the other side all you could see of me was from the chest up. Today we laugh about it - that I did my tube top thing and survived. I will never again think something like that or wear something like that in my place of worship. Imagine how trashy and disrespectful that was to Our Father in heaven! And all the others in the packed congregation that didn't know me as a modest/respectful woman of faith. It had to have taken away from the Word to more than my bff that day. Oh my! Moral: How you dress does affect others around you and distract from the reason we go to church - to worship and pray. Sorry so wordy - but good thread! Serena

You know last night I was a FB junkie - caught up with an old friend. Sometimes the internet is a great thing - other times I think it is a spawn of the devil! One of my problems is that once those kiddos go to bed it's like "I'm free" and I wanna stay up all night enjoying that feeling. Only I tend to regret that in the morning when I need to get up and start our day. Nothing a good strong cup of coffee doesn't cure! Have a great day - see you tonight! Serena

May I join in on this? I'm always looking for new book suggestions. This week I'm reading John Hart's The King of Lies and Mark Bittman's Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating.

as in just reply to my own message? :001_huh: