Steady Mom

Inspiration for Your Weekend

What will you be doing this weekend?

Steve and I will be counting down the hours until the end of our no spend month...until then, I will be making the oddest assortment of meals from the scant remains of our pantry.

As you have a few minutes, take the time to check out this series of link love:

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, join in over at SouleMama.

 

If you enjoyed this post, I hope you'll subscribe to Steady Mom--it's free!


Jamie is founder of this spot called Steady Mom, editor of the blog Simple Homeschool, mama to three cute kids born on three different continents, and author of Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood.

An Organizational Step in the Right Direction

This post is written by monthly contributor Cortney of Praiseworthy.

I love the satisfaction of a job well-done. But in contrast, I hate the feeling of an unfinished task or something that is just waiting and waiting and waiting for a little bit of my attention and time to be completed.

Sometimes merely starting something is the hardest part--not actually doing it. And sometimes the trouble stems from simply not knowing how or where to start.

But thank goodness for a world full of people who have done things before me!

Thank goodness for bloggers and writers who post their knowledge online so that I don't have to reinvent the wheel every time I meet a new (or old) task with trepidation. This is how I stumbled upon Steady Mom!

Here are just a few other resources I have found valuable while searching for organizational help.

I hope you can find one or two articles that answer a few questions or inspire you and help you take a step in the right direction.

In a world full of helpful and inspiring people, these are just a few:

Simplify 101

No Spend Month :: 5 Days Left! (Moms' 30-Minute Blog Challenge)

Photo by Cheryl VanStane

Five days left of no-spend month and we are hanging in 'til the end! I can see the finish line now and we are going to make it across--it's a good feeling, but it will be a better feeling on Sunday. ;)

Remember two weeks ago when I asked for ideas to celebrate with the kids on the cheap?

Well, Steve and Elijah were jetting off to England for the week and I needed to make things special for the two kids left at home (who were not thrilled that it wasn't their turn for a special trip!). I thought your suggestions were great and we had a blast playing in the sprinkler, painting outside, and picking blueberries (No way was I missing out on blueberry season just b/c of no spend month!).

I also loved It Feels Like Chaos's idea to put sprinkles on anything to jazz it up. I did this with yogurt and oatmeal and the kids thought it was amazing!

We've made our final shop for the month so our goal is to make what we have last until Sunday. We're pretty low on fruit, but will be making do with applesauce, raisins, and a few bananas. I love having granola mixed into my cereal on a morning, but we've run out. Steve whipped up a batch for me--love that guy!

Thanks to our awesome CSA, we're set with vegetables and should last out in that department. Which brings me to the question, what do I do with swiss chard? I loved your kale ideas in week one, so I know you won't let me down now!

Usually the kids and I take the van for a couple of outings each week. This week, though, we're sticking pretty close to home. This allows us to save on gas and it means Steve can take the van to work instead of having to spend on the bus (we're a one-car family, remember).

A few days ago I said to Steve, "This isn't fun anymore." We were spending way too long discussing the food necessities we could buy and still stay within our budget. And I wasn't willing to buy cheaper (more processed) food just to make ends meet.

But we made it through the lows and can now see the goal up ahead! A good feeling.

I'm not going to tell you this week how much we've spent--you wouldn't believe it! I'll leave it for next Tuesday when I'll be back to report the lessons I've learned through our no spend month.

**Anyone else sticking close to home to save money these days?**


If you enjoyed this post, I hope you'll subscribe to Steady Mom--it's free!


Jamie is founder of this spot called Steady Mom, editor of the blog Simple Homeschool, mama to three cute kids born on three different continents, and author of Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood.

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