I'll second the Prudent Homemaker website--I love this website. What I've found to be helpful is to gather meal ideas & price them out. Then I figure out how much I can spend for the week and plug the meals in there...usually mixing the cheaper meals with a few that might be more expensive. My $5 (or close to it) dinners include: Scrambled Eggs & Toast (or Breakfast Burritos or Fried Eggs) Spaghetti--without meat Black Beans & Rice--maybe a little shredded chicken, in tortillas or over lettuce as a salad or with cheese quesadillas Chicken Gravy over Rice (using cream of chicken soup, a little bit of shredded chicken, rice)--sometimes we add pineapple, olives & chinese noodles to make Hawaiian Haystacks French Toast Homemade Pizza Burritos or what we call "Mexican Pizza"--tortillas w/refried beans & cheese broiled until crisp & cheese melted; then add taco toppings Baked Potatoes or Twice-Baked Potatoes I do coupon and buy a lot of shelf-stable items so I can keep the costs lower...if you haven't done this, I'd recommend it!

My kids and their cousins spend that evening making gingerbread houses every year...

A few years ago, ds14 was a 'quarterback'--he wore a football jersey from his favorite team and then a huge homemade quarter on his back. I bought a large silver serving tray from the dollar store and he drew the face of a quarter on it with a sharpie. Totally easy but his friends thought it was way cool.

Isn't General Conference so awesome! It's kind of hard for me when it comes to an end...I just want it to keep going! I think my favorite was Sister Dalton--such enthusiasm and love for these young women--I loved listening to her. I missed hearing from Elder Holland this time around--I think I'll write a letter and tell 'them' that he shouldn't be allowed to speak in Priesthood session because I always love his talks so much (and they usually speak directly to me)! Still can't believe the Provo Tabernacle will be a temple! Dh drives by it on his way to work...how amazing to have another temple! AND the Payson one...I really need to go to the temple more often. That is my goal from watching conference. Did any of you watch the RS program right after conference (probably only here on KSL, now that I think about it)? My aunt was interviewed on it--and it was such a beautiful program on how wonderful Relief Society is! Brought tears to my eyes as I watched & heard from sisters around the world...how we are all sisters and united in our faith in Christ. Just love that...

Glad you are going to have things taken care of and that your Dr has helped you feel good with your decision! I had my surgery in January and my recovery was amazingly easy compared to what I had first envisioned. I'm so grateful for the surgery...mine came as a result of heavy periods due to fibroids and polyps...but that last one I almost bled to death (although I didn't know it was that serious at the time...just had no idea at what point I ought to worry!). Just wanted to recommend a fabulous website I found just prior to my surgery--it was really helpful before and also during recovery. www.hystersisters.com Best wishes...enjoy the bedrest while you can and don't rush the recovery too much!

Our new favorite is what we call "Mexican Pizza" with tortillas, spread with refried beans, topped with shredded cheese then put under the broiler for a few minutes until tortilla is slightly crispy. We then top it with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa & ranch. Takes very little energy or time to prepare... Also, I've started buying frozen meatballs (which are already fully cooked, saves a step of cooking the ground beef), heating them up with cream of mushroom soup, add some sour cream, and then pour it over noodles.

Not sure if you ever found them...or even if you haven't gone shopping yet, but here is the link: http://www.coupons.com/Couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=15014&zid=ru81&nid=20

There are some coupons out for Hasbro games--I tried to find a link, but can't seem to find it at the moment and I have to run out the door in a minute. I found the link the other day on hip2save.com so you can go there and have a look. That might help you stretch the money a little bit!

I'd recommend www.providentliving.org It is a website hosted by the LDS church and includes some great suggestions/resources for home storage. You'll find suggestions for short-term storage, long-term storage, water storage, gardening, preserving, etc. Also you can find some recipes for using and rotating your long-term storage items. I think the best way to get started is to do just that...get started! Start with a week of dinners... Dh and I have been working on these kinds of storage supplies for years now--and found ourselves needing to live off the supply for a time. We were so thankful that we had done this when we went through a few months of no paycheck this past year. What a blessing to have had dinners for three months on hand; oatmeal and pancakes for breakfast; and plenty of wheat to bake bread for peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. We are now working on replenishing the supplies we used up--and this time I am adding all of the non-edible things I wasn't prepared with (when you only have $20 for a week of groceries, it's crazy to spend any of it on toilet paper rather than fresh produce!).

I'm sure there are plenty of mommies willing to take one of those babies and love them!

I live in Mapleton where the library facility is beautiful, but the book selection is terrible...leftovers from the Utah County bookmobile. We tried Spanish Fork and Springville libraries (because they were cheaper), but are now on our 3rd year at Provo. We love it there and they do have some great kids programs. As a pp mentioned, they are quite crowded for storytime, but it is very well done. What we love is that when a new book comes out, they have 20 copies of it--rather than the one that Springville would get.

I bought some at toysrus on their crayola sale--2 boxes for 2.79. Figure it was worth a try at that price! I actually think they are awesome--however, dd3's hands do get dirty and need to be washed after using them.

Another website to check out is hip2save.com. She has tutorials on how to do Walgreens, etc. I also like freebies2deals.com. Check to see if any stores in your area 'price match.' This is a way I am able to save dramatically on my produce, especially. Walmart price matches and I go shopping with my ads from the other grocery stores. I just have to tell the clerk, green peppers are 50 cents at Smiths, and she enters that price. Seriously, it is amazing how much I can save and it involves no coupons. Price matching plus coupons is the ticket to really saving. My couponing is nothing like the show, Extreme Couponing, because I never walk out with carts worth $500 for only $5. The best way to build a supply is to find a store having a sale and then use a coupon on top of that. For example, a few weeks ago, Smiths had Colgate toothpaste on sale for 99 cents, regularly over $2. I had a 75 cents off coupon--making the toothpaste 24 cents. This is where it gets difficult if you are brand-loyal, but it seems the brands kind of cycle through the sales, so it's still possible to save money on the brands you want.

I am also a planner...and a thinker...and not so much a doer. But what does help me is dangling a carrot in front of me...whatever it is, if I have a little bit of "when I finish this, I get to do this" then it helps nudge me along. Just a warning...Do not check out pinterest! Lots of time spent on 'pinning' things that I love or want or would like to do or need to do...and very little time spent on doing any of them! (But it is so very fun...) :D

Just wanted to comment on the cub scouts--I'm a den leader with our ward cub scouts and I have a boy in our group who belongs to another church. His parents wanted him to be with boys in the neighborhood so he could feel that sense of community and also so they would get to know the families, too. The other leaders and I are actually quite sensitive to this and we don't want him to feel uncomfortable in any way. We often check with his parents to make sure they are okay with things that lean more to the religious side--although it's not very often. Most of the things we do are pretty much following the scout books (in other words, they are what any other den would do) with an opening prayer thrown in. Cub Scouts focuses on service, working hard, learning new things and respecting others & God...I'd imagine that we share some common beliefs in these areas. It's possible that it might not be as uncomfortable as you're imagining, once you get to know people. (I notice your son is 6, just fyi, in LDS wards, Cub Scouts starts at the Wolf level when boys turn 8. When we lived in Iowa, my oldest son started Tiger Scouts with a pack that was at the Methodist Church. So I do know a little bit of what it is like to feel out of place at pack meetings...ds prayed differently than all the others, but he didn't bat an eye...just walked up to the front and did it our way...and tried to figure out what was going on during unfamiliar parts.) I also recognize that in a predominantly LDS area, you may feel a little worried about them pouncing on you or trying to convert you. :001_smile: Some people can often be overzealous, but I hope that most are just friendly and welcoming. For what it's worth, we are encouraged by our leaders to get to know our neighbors of other faiths...that's the best way to create a sense of community. I have noticed in our neighborhood, it is often more difficult to get to know those who don't attend church with me...simply because life is busy and it takes more effort to make it happen. I'm close to you--I'm in Mapleton. I'm not a homeschooler, although I was for awhile and I wish I still was. :D My kids are ds14, dd12, ds-almost9, dd3. We love to make new friends...we should meet up at a park and get to know each other! PM me if you'd like. I know how hard it is to be in a new place and feeling lonely!

I just started a few months ago and I will say it is worth it for me! I do spend some time going through websites, clipping coupons & organizing them, but I do all of my shopping at Walmart. They match competitor's prices, so all I have to do is tell them how much mangos or cucumbers are at X store and I get their price. Combining price matching AND couponing has saved us a lot of money. I have a website I go to that takes local store weekly ads & I can easily create a shopping list of what I need/plan to buy and print out. I do buy 5 Sunday newspapers each week--it costs me $18 a month. But my goal is to build up a stockpile of things that we need and will store well. Last year we had a few months when we didn't get a paycheck from dh's job...we lived off the shelves in our basement. Now I'm trying to rebuild this storage so we're prepared if something like that happens again. I don't do the 'Extreme Couponing' as in the show (I don't buy 50 bottles of mustard), but when I can get toothpaste for $.17, I buy as many as I have coupons for it. (When we only had $20 a week for groceries, it was awfully hard to spend any of it on toilet paper or contact solution, when I wanted to buy healthy food!) There are a lot of coupons for 'junk food' that I wouldn't normally buy--but do occasionally now for when we go on outings or family vacations. Just to add a little variety and to make things fun--but only when I get them for very cheap. For example, this past week I was able to get Twizzlers for $.50...don't normally buy them, but it was a fun treat for the kids on the 4th of July.

I love using these books! I have found the best way to do it is for me to study ahead of the family for my personal time. This way I can go through these manuals (plus the church seminary manuals/institute manuals) and determine the most important verses to emphasize. I actually just started a new thing--writing questions on the bottom of the page right in my scriptures. Maybe it's just me, but sometimes when we're having scripture study, I find it really hard to come up with questions that lead to insightful discussion--rather than simply asking recall questions. But now that I write them on the page, it has made a huge difference. (In my personal study, too...it gives me direction and helps me focus on this huge and wonderful task of teaching the gospel to my children rather than just reading through the pages). Also, I've started writing quotes from the Apostles on index cards and keeping them in the pages of my scriptures where they apply to the verses/doctrine. After we've read through them, I keep them in a file box. We seem to go through spurts of doing well at having regular scripture study and then we lose momentum. I've finally figured out that I shouldn't feel guilty about this...but just keep trying. There are lots of ideas on the internet to motivate your family and set goals to work towards a family activity or reward. Also, one more thing, kinda of off topic. I found this website that has some great ideas--http://www.theredheadedhostess.com/category/scripture-study-2/ (Sorry, not sure how to make it a link...)

I loved Promised Land...I think that's where my dream of homeschooling started...

I pay lots of late fees, too. And struggle to stay on top of those books! My kids check out tons, but I check out even more! It's like I have this hoarding thing going on...I get all excited to see all of these books and I can take anything I want...and I want it all! :D (And I really do read them...most of them). The set day for library visits sounds like a good plan that might help me. And I like the library shelf idea. Up to this point, I just chalk our fees up to donations for the library! (Even though I have to pay $100 a year to go to this specific library...)

Our Enrichment leader (or whatever she's called now) asked for the sisters to sign up to teach something they know & love. It's been great to have a lot of different sisters teaching--we've had classes on making jewelry, how to coupon, crockpot cooking, healthy recipes, making cards, family scripture study ideas. One sister is going to teach a few others how to play guitar. One is going to share ideas on keeping physically fit. I think ideas for using food storage sounds great--especially wheat and beans.

Completely rude. I feel your pain...only we do not like dogs at all in our family! Our neighbor has THREE dogs that they let out often during the day and they poop in everyone's yard but theirs. They are the annoying yippy kind of dogs and they bark at anyone who comes to my front door, as if it is their territory. Dd3 is terrified of dogs because these chase her and try to nip at her feet. My dh shovels the poop and puts it on their front sidewalk to their door. We've called them to have their boys come over and clean it up before, too. But nothing changes...they could care less and don't see anything wrong with it. I just cannot understand how someone would think it was okay to do this... I'm going to put either of these signs up: If we wanted dog poop in our yard, we'd have our own dog! Here lies the last dog that pooped in our yard.

I agree it is a lot of work, but so worth it! My favorite thing we've canned is vegetable soup--with most of the ingredients from our garden. (potatoes, onions, carrots, seasonings, barley). I can't tell you how awesome it is to have those jars on the shelves--it's my favorite last minute meal. It's healthy and delicious. Sometimes I added browned ground beef or canned chicken. I also love canned chicken. It tastes so much better than the store cans of chicken. I have a friend who helped me--I brought the chicken & jars to her home; we put a little salt in the jar, stuffed the raw chicken in (most pint jars took about a breast and a little more), wiped off the rims, slapped on the lids & rings, and put them in the pressure cooker. It took a few hours and I had 32 pints of chicken. The grocery store gave us a great deal on chicken in such large quantities. The best part is that with this chicken all ready to add to so many recipes it has really simplified meal preparation! Last year didn't have the time to do the whole canning process for a bunch of tomatoes from our garden, so I simply blanched & peeled them and froze them. They make great additions to soups, stews, and spaghetti sauce. And it was much easier than the canning process!

Oh my. It's hard, isn't it?!? I'm right there with you...:grouphug: All of my kids tend to be on the intense side, but my oldest is the one that we struggle with the most. He is now 13...and we still have issues. I also often wondered at what point we needed to seek for help. I've read so many parenting books searching for the answers...the magic bullet that will help bring peace to our family! And now our dd3 is starting to act just like he did at that age...it's exhausting! Two suggestions--first, I do think that the giftedness is related. In my research I discovered SENG--Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted...and it validated so much of what I was experiencing. Check out this website--( www.sengifted.org )--there are many articles that may be helpful to read. Secondly, another resource that helped me immensely--Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka ( http://www.parentchildhelp.com/SpiritedChild/tabid/59/Default.aspx ). Hang in there!

Hmm...I'd probably be feeling like you are!

I get what you are saying. We don't have tons of money or opportunity for many vacations, so rarely do we get to do that type of thing. But it does help for me to have some kind of carrot to dangle in front of me. No matter how small that carrot is...if it's something I'm looking forward to, it helps me get through the rough/mundane times. For example, I attend a women's conference/retreat type of thing every spring without fail. It's not expensive, it's not very far away...but I go with a girlfriend of mine every year. It's one of those things where I go to 'fill my spiritual bucket' and come back feeling rejuvenated & ready to handle life's challenges a little better. Is there some kind of thing like this that you might enjoy? Maybe it could just be a hotel night away with your dh, or an afternoon when you get to do anything you want all by yourself. I'm not very adventurous, so when I have time by myself I go to the second-hand store or the library...and head to the park to sit on a blanket and read without anyone talking to me. :D