So we are on a 21 day Daniel Fast...the first time I did it It was Hard!! I was pregnant at the time so I was craving sweets left and right the first week. But you know what, after I was done with the fast and went back to my old eating habits---I was seriously craving all those healthy foods!

So here we are again. Eating healthy and I am loving it. I mean you feel so much more energetic. Sure sure it's hard the first week or so but after a while. WOW! So we might not be following the Daniel fast exactly but we've decided to not only do this for 21 days but to make it our new lifestyle.

And there's nothing better than your children asking for blueberries or oranges or wheat crackers...instead of all that junk out there. Chips, cookies, sweets...etc etc. We have switched our ground beef to ground turkey. Whole wheats instead of enriched flours. Less cheese, milk, and starches... Lots of fruits and veggies and more natural whole foods.

I encourage you. Eat healthy. Eat breakfast, exercise more. Feel Great! Do something for yourself moms...and help your children live right!

Here's more info on the Daniel fast: ( just some of the recipes and there are links in there about what the Daniel Fast is....It doesn't have to be a on going spiritual thing but I personally think God likes us to be healthy =D)
http://www.christ-web.com/missions/farho/daniel-fast-recipes

Daphne Brogden @

Are you always looking for some time to sit down and read that latest book from the library, or watch a special program on TV? If so, here are a few hints to help you arrange that time.

1. When preparing your meals, clean up as you go, washing by hand or putting appropriate items right into the dishwasher. Put away ingredients that need to be stored in the refrigerator or pantry immediately after you use them.

2. Take out your clothes the night before work or school. This way you don't waste valuable time in the morning looking for the right thing to wear. If you can, choose the entire week's worth of clothes for the little ones who can dress themselves or have them choose. No more morning arguments over what to wear.

3. Fill up your gas tank when it hits the quarter of a tank level. In case of a delay in traffic, you won't have to worry about running out of gasoline.

4. Have a routine each week for the days you do errands and shopping. It will save you gasoline since you won't have to keep running out for forgotten items. A shopping list is a MUST, and bring coupons if you use them.

5. Put the perishable groceries in the refrigerator right away directly out of the grocery bags, rather than placing them on the counter first. Wash and cut fruits and veggies before putting them away. Enlist the kids to put away the canned goods.

6. Cook some meats ahead of time and store in the freezer. For those nights you are too busy to start from scratch, this will help you get dinner on the table in a jiffy.


7. Pick a regular day each week to do your bills or any desk-related items. If you don't have bills that week, work on your budget or bank statement. With debit cards , and a few people in the family using them, just a bit of disorganization can lead to overdrafts. Avoid this at all costs.

8. If you are comfortable having bills paid online, sign up for this service. Mark your calendar on what particular day the bills will be paid so you can keep track of what's happening.

9. When making appointments, mark your calendar right away--along with any necessary contact information. If something changes or you have questions, you'll have the information you need to call right there with the date and time of the appointment.

10. Have the family work on planning the weekly agenda, so that there is no one left in the rain waiting for a ride. Try and arrange car pools with other family members and friends whenever possible.

11. Have colors for each family member for towels, toothbrushes, hair care items and more. It can save a lot of time and prevent confusion. Even match the hampers and baskets if possible.

12. Have a place for tote bags and items that are needed every day for various classes and activities, and fill these bags with needed items so you can just 'grab and go.' For example:

Library Bag: When books are read, everyone places the books back into this bag and you can just grab it and take it with you to return.

Dancing school/and or Music lessons Bag: Include all the costumes, shoes, tights, socks, books, instruments, music and other necessities.

Overnight Bag: Inside, store an extra toothbrush and underwear, pjs, small toiletries, a travel hair dryer, an extra hair brush, slippers, a wrinkle-free outfit for the next day and socks. Do this for the kids too, so if grandma or grandpa are missing your little ones they can be ready in no time.

If you do some or all of these items you will be finding that extra time to do the things you enjoy. You will also feel like you are more in control.

Ok so I've been a little bit busy lately. We've been moving. Finally we are all moved in to our rental home. We've expanded!!! Well, more space---more money, that is why I eat up articles like this one I again took from Woman's Day... Can you blame me? They are awesome!!! Well here you Go---I'm going to just list the actual Sites, since the article isn't on the online website. =(

"21 Websites that save you Time and Money"
Solutions-your money by Mary Hunt

1. Shop Local -Weekly ads for lots of stores in your community

2. Mommy Savers -Not just coupon codes, printable coupons, freebies and bargains, but also a comprehensive site that provides support for moms' need to live the frugal life.

3. The Bargainist -Simple reliable listing of the hottest online bargains, sales, coupons and freebies.

4. The Coupon Clippers - One of the nation's largest online grocery coupon clipping services.

5. The Freecycle Network - The nations biggest swap meet---where no money every exchanges hands

6. Paperbackswap- Join the club for free, gain credits by giving someone else a book, use credits to get a book for yourself. All you have to pay is postage to send your book to someone else. There's also sister sites on there to swap DVD's and CD's.

7. Zilok- Rent just about anything...Guitar Hero for a weekend party, a power tool, pickup truck. Or maybe you have something you'd like to rent out to make a few bucks.

8. USA- Book mark it! An exhuastive index of government agencies, services and activities. (How to get grants, health insurance, updates on flu outbreak, and more.)

9. Findhow- Learn how to do things, like cut your own hair, change your oil, everything but the kitchen sink...no wait scratch that, they have that too.

10. Starfall- A nifty reading program for kids designed to be fun, exciting and confidence building for young children as they learn to read.

11. The Consumerist- blogs bringing you up to date with the latest scams, ripoffs, and hot deals, (even a few freebies now and then). A place to complain about anything consumer related.

12. Lynda- Software training!!! (photoshop, dreamweaver, illustrator?)

13. Big Huge Labs- Custom Photo Lab to make photo calendars, jigsaw puzzles, mosaics, trading cards and more, all from your digital photos.

14. Dafont- Free FONTS!!! you can even preview them before downloading. Over 9,000 fonts.

15. Fix it Club- Shows you how to do ordinary household and other kinds of repairs. Hey, If we're not making a hole, we're fixin' it!!!

16. Budget Simple- a free site with no ads and no need to enter personal information. Designed to help people get out of debt and start saving.

17. Annual Credit Report- Truly free copy of your credit report...once a year from each of the 3 big credit reporting agencies.

18. Dinkytown- More than 350 financial Calculators...ALL FREE.

19. Bloomberg- Budget Calculators that give you amazingly easy to read charts that categorize your expenses and break down your spending so you can see what's up w/ your finances.

20. Discover America- Linked to tourism in all 50 states, list more than 4,000 experiences, attractions and events such as museums, parks and festivals.

21. Mouse Savers- As in Mickey Mouse!!! It's not associated with the Disney Organization but it really is an exhaustive collection of trips, tricks and secrets for how to get discounts on every aspect of a trip to Disney Word, Disneyland, Disney Resorts....well, all things Disney.

I took this little article off of my Woman's Day magazine from like 2006, i couldn't find it online so I decided to retype it:

-Besides not being very effective, constant yelling can damage the trust between you and your child, as well as your child's self-esteem, says Hal Runkel, author of ScreamFree Parenting; Raising Your Kids By Keeping Your Cool. Try these quieter alternatives instead:

Calm yourself. If you're seeing red, step away and think about what you'll say before addressing your child, recommends Runkel. Remind yourself to speak calmly and slowly.

Let the consequences do the talking. Give kids a choice, suggests Runkel. Say, "Either bring in the bike now or I'll put it away for a week." Then follow through.

Use the glare. Develop a look that your child knows is a signal that she needs to stop what she's doing. But for this to be effective, says Anne Brazil Creator of Timeout Tot, a DVD on calmer parenting, you need to be loving and communicative with your child most of the time. Only use the look when you're angry, so as not to confuse her.

Lower your voice. "Rather than raising your voice, make it barely audible," suggests Peter Favaro, Ph.D., author of Anger Management: 6 Critical Steps to a Calmer Life. Your child will be distracted from what she's doing as she strains to hear you.

Vacate the premises. If you you repeatedly ask your young child to stop doing something and she won't, you may need to carry her from the room, says Brazil. If she's older, say firmly, "We're leaving now," then lead the way out. Andrea Atkins