Fun Friday Two Months of Giveaways- Hero Tales Cds

Welcome to our fourth Fun Friday of giveaways!  Make sure you pop in each Friday through October to see what we are giving away next!

Yes, this week I am teaming up again with Raising Real Men to bring you another awesome giveaway!  If you did not win our last giveaway Hal and Melanie Young offered us, now is your second chance.  (A third chance for another one of their great resources will be coming up next month- shhhhhhh!)  This time the Youngs allowed us to review their CD set Hero Tales from American History.

Does it surprise you that we love this?  After all, not only is my 11 year old son an auditory learner, but we all love to listen to CDs in the car.  And friends, this military family spends a lot of time in the car!

Hero Tales from American History is actually a book written by Theodore Roosevelt & Henry Cabot Lodge.  Yes, THAT Theodore Roosevelt!  The Youngs have taken his historically rich book and added some drama into it, from booming voices to raging cannons.  

Part 1 covers 1732- 1777 and contains stories of:

George Washington (Biography)
Daniel Boone (Biography)
George Rogers Clark (Revolutionary War)
The Battle of Trenton (Revolutionary War)
Bennington (Revolutionary War)

Part 2 – 1780-1814
Kings Mountain (Revolutionary War)
Stony Point (Revolutionary War)
Gouveneur Morris (French Revolution)
The Philadelphia (Barbary Pirates)
The Wasp (War of 1812)
The Privateer General Armstrong (War of 1812)

and brand new Part 3- 1814-1865

The Battle of New Orleans (War of 1812)
John Quincy Adams and the Right of Petition
Francis Parkman
“Remember The Alamo!” (Texas Revolution)
Hampton Roads (USS Monitor and CSS Virginia)
The Flag-Bearer (War Between The States)

The neat thing about these tales is that they are rich in lessons for children as well as adults. Theodore Roosevelt wrote them with the purpose of teaching character and virtue.  I don't know about you, but I think those are definitely areas that are sorely missed in many's education.  Luckily for kids today there is more than one way to teach those qualities. What child is going to balk at listening to a CD filled with great stories?  It is an added bonus that they will learn about important events and people in History.  Each CD is about an hour long and each story is approximately 7-11 minutes long, making them easy to listen to even on short trips out around town.

These CDs are a great addition to your library not only for just your listening fun, but also as an add in to your American History curriculum if you teach at home.  What could be more fun than to read about someone in your history book and then hear their story dramatized?  I  have found that, especially for my boys, it allows them to soak up more information and makes them excited to share what they have learned.  History comes alive to them in a real way and makes learning so much more fun.

So my son's favorite story?  King's Mountain!  His thoughts, "King's Mountain is about when the British threatened settlers and the settlers drove them off the mountain.  I like this story best because it tells where the term 'I am king of the mountain' comes from and it is exciting."

You can purchase each volume of Hero Tales for $7.00 separately or the set is now on sale for $15.00... OR you can win a set here at Family, Faith and Fridays thanks to the generosity of Hal and Melanie!  Enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win.

Blessings, 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fun Friday Two Months of Giveaways- Scripture Stickies

Welcome back to week 3 of our Fun Fridays Two Months of Giveaways!  I hope you are having fun...I know we are.

Congratulations to Tracey D. for winning a copy of the Managers of Their School book!  Hope you enjoy it!

So this week, a little something different!

Several years ago we came across a book that encouraged you as family to memorize 100 scripture verses. We challenged some friends to join us and then dove in.  It was a wonderful experience but a little more challenging for the two younger kids as some of the verses were pretty hefty.  I am amazed at what kids can learn, but let's face it, some verses are just more easily understood than others for younger children.  Since then we have chosen our own verses and often shorten them for the younger kids.

Now, I have something even better!  Scripture Stickies!

When founder Julie Alvarez contacted me about reviewing these little gems I was thrilled.  They are perfect for our family!  Many different packs are offered, including kid packs, which contain 10 verses.  These verses are not only slightly shorter, but are ones that are easily understood and quite applicable to our kids' lives.  Verses like Ephesians 6:1 Children, Obey your parents in the Lord for this is right and Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me to name just a few.   Again, the kid packs come with 10 different scriptures for you to memorize.

The best part - each scripture is printed on a post it note-type backing so you can put them where they are easily seen.  Since my kids are sharing a bathroom these days, onto the bathroom mirror they went, one each week.  There they can be seen several times a day and are a good reminder to practice!  I love it!

Scripture stickies are offered in NIV, NKJV, KJV, NASB, ESV and some foreign languages as well.  You can buy individual packs or you can buy the Scripture of the Month club, in which a new pack is sent to you each month on a different topic.  Each of the standard packs have two copies of 5 different verses.  Stick one in your home and one in your car or somewhere else you spend a lot of time and you will be on your way to hiding God's word in your heart.

These fun little packs are perfect for gifts, party favors and would make great stocking stuffers.  Guess what my friends will be getting in birthday cards?  ;)  shhhhhhhh, don't tell!

Ready for the fun?  Julie is offering one reader a chance to win a Scripture Stickie pack of your choice. Enter the rafflecopter below to win!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blessings,

Fun Fridays- Alone, Yet Not Alone Review and Giveaway

Yes, you read it right!  We are going to have a little giveaway fun here at Family, Faith and Fridays!  I have been blessed to review some amazing books and such lately and now I get to pass the blessings on to several of you.  I hope you will join me each Friday in September and October for your chance to win some great products!

First up- A Historical Fiction book!

Can you imagine being kidnapped by Natives who barely speak your language?

Can you imagine walking for months to an unknown location, often while tied up?

Can you imagine not seeing your family for years?




These are only a few of the experiences of Barbara and Regina, two young sisters who really lived during the French and Indian War.  Alone, Yet Not Alone tells the true life story of these two resilient and faith driven sisters that were kidnapped during the Penn's Creek Massacre.  Separated from each other early on in the journey west, the story tells of Barbara's remarkable tale of survival- enduring miles of travel. learning a new language and years of loneliness.  But it also tells of her faith in God.  Through it all, she never gives up the hope of escaping and finding her sister and being reunited with her family.  She keeps the familiar hymn her mother often sang to them, "Alone, But Not Alone" in her heart and mind.

Often a heart wrenching and sit on the edge of your seat story, Alone, But Not Alone is written primarily for the tween/teen and older audience.  While written in a sensitive way, the murder of Barbara's family, the abuse and hatred the prisoners endured and the hair raising escape would probably be too much intensity for younger children.

Our family loves historical fiction however, and found this novel to be quite entertaining, while staying true to the historical facts of the time.

Excitingly, this book is being released as a movie September 27th, 2013.  You can watch the movie trailer here.   Additional movie information can be found at the website http://www.aloneyetnotalone.com.  Make sure you like the facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/aloneyetnotalone, to keep updated on movie release information.

We are excited to be able to give away one copy of Alone, Yet Not Alone.  Enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you back next week for another fun giveaway!

Blessings,

Fun Friday- Pizza Edition

I was going to bore you with a last pizza recipe from our family.  You know, the ones who like cheese. And, well, cheese.

But then I saw a friend post about Pizza Pretzel bites and decided I had to share that with you instead!  With her permission, of course!

Pizza Pretzels bites...can you think of anything that sounds like more fun?!!  And don't they look yummy! These little bite sized pizzas are perfect for our family nights...remember portability?!

Just hop on over to visit Jenn at Treasuring Life's Blessings and grab this recipe!  It is super easy and there is still time today to get it made for tonight!!

Blessings,

Fun Friday- Saving Money in the Kitchen- Drinks, mixes and Staples!

Welcome back!  Let's jump right in!

Sometimes our biggest money wasters in the kitchen are not necessarily the big ticket items like meat.  Sometime we can, as my mom says, nickel and dime ourselves to death on the little things.  Let's talk about some of those things and how they add up.

Packets of this and mixes for that!  Costly and not that good for you anyway.  Once again, you are paying more for the packaging than you are for what is inside, I promise. 
Remember- convenience= costly!

Taco seasoning- make your own!
Salad dressings- make your own!
Onion soup mix (my favorite)- make your own!
Ketchup and barbecue sauce (on my to do list!)- make your own!

Getting the idea?  Each of those things only require a few items that you probably already have in your pantry and are so much better tasting and better for you when made from scratch.  You can reason all you want that they only cost a few dollars, but trust me when I say it adds up quickly.  Buy large containers of things like spices, flour of your choice, vinegars and so on (use those coupons!) and whip up some magic in your kitchen.  You can do it!

And let's talk about drinks!  At the risk of getting pounded- juice is NOT that good for you.  Liquid sugar my nutritionist called it when I had gestational diabetes with my third pregnancy.  That and cokes are the two things she completely took away from me.  Until then my kids and I were big juice drinkers.  It's fruit, after all.  NOT!  If you want fruit, eat fruit.  So we have given it up completely.

HA, nope, not yet at least! ;)  Old habits die hard, after all.  But we have a one-glass-at-breakfast rule which saves a ton of money.  Check out the current prices for juice.  Ouch!  I buy natural versions, dye and high fructose corn syrup free, and only on sale.  If you find a good price, stock  up!  This is one area that coupons have helped me.  Then, limit the intake.

So what else do you drink?

Water.  Lots and lots of water.  We all have stainless water bottles that you would think are attached to us.  We carry them around the house and we take them wherever we go.  I just read a statistic a few days ago that said something like 71% of all people are dehydrated.  Not this family.  ;)

Specialty drinks. We do make Russian Tea and Hot Chocolate mixes from scratch in the winter as a treat.

Soft drinks.  ummm..."Hi, I am Michele and I was a coca cola addict."  And then diet coke. Ask any of my friends.  And just like any other addict, I have given them up and then gone right back to them.  This time around, since January, I gave them up again and this time I mean business.  Saving tons of money and my health.  Now, to just get my hubby off Mt. Dew!

Coffee and tea.  Don't worry,  I can see you shifting in your seat and getting defensive, so I will keep this short.  Walk away or keep it in check.  Again, it costs money to support our habits.  Easy for me to say since neither do I like, but money is money and if you need to save, sometimes we have to let go of the extras.

Milk.  Lucky for me I do not have a house full of big milk drinkers because it is costly.  But it is good for you and this is just one of those that I just close my eyes and try not to think about the price tag. 

And though I said I was done with meat, two quick things...
Don't beat your self up if you just cannot make a whole chicken stretch for three or four meals.  No biggie.  Can you do two?  Try just a main dish and a soup.  Even then, you are saving tons of money and have chicken broth to use as well.
Secondly, a friend pointed this out and I think it bears repeating- chicken thighs are an inexpensive alternative to breasts.  This is especially true of you are using the meats for things like soups and casseroles.  Don't keep buying the same thing and paying a fortune for it.  Try something new and see what happens.

OK, that's all for my Friday ramblings for now.  Two more weeks planned for this series and then I promise I will give you a break.  Until then, I challenge you to make one change in how and what you buy and  see what happens.  Then come back here and tell us how you did.  We want to know!

Happy Friday Friends,


This post is linked up with Caroline at The Modest Mom!

Fun Fridays-Saving Money in the Kitchen with breakfast and lunch

Welcome back!  So glad you are sticking with us as we find more ways to Save Money in the Kitchen!

 

Last week we talked about one of my favorite subjects- Snacks and Desserts!  This week we are on to two of my least favorite subjects as far as the kitchen is concerned- breakfast and lunch.  Sad, but true!  I am not a huge morning person so breakfast just does not excite me and as far as lunches go, well, there have been times that lunchtime alone could have driven me to send my kids to public school.  Seriously!  The thought of putting money in their hands and having someone else feed them has tempted me many a time.  I mean, I already cook dinner for them every night- what else do they want? ;)  Why, lunch, of course.

 

But let's start with breakfast since it is fairly easy.  And let's look at the villain of the day- CEREAL!

I know, that is harsh, but hear me out.  It is processed.  It is sugar laden.  It is dye saturated. AND IT IS EXPENSIVE!  Very expensive.  And we are s-l-o-w-l-y weeding it out of our lives.  If there is one area in our diet that I have to struggle with my family over, this would be the area!  They love cereal.  And I used to be the queen of cereal.  Stack coupons with sales and you can sometimes get it at a fairly cheap price.  But, we have become a twice a week, cereal eating gang, and not very interesting cereals at that!  My goal- shhhhhhhhhh, don't tell, is no boxed cereal!  Most boxes of cereal cost $3-4.  If you only go through one box a week that is $12-15 a month just on cereal.  And we KNOW that no family goes through just one box a week.  Honestly, before I was convicted about the health reasons not to consume so much, I simply just could NOT justify spending so much money on cereal.  It bugged me!  Still does. 

 

So what does one eat instead?  Now, THAT'S a good question.  For those of you who know me or have followed the blog for a while, the first answer should come as no surprise-

 

MUFFINS!  Yes, we have a thing for muffins.  They are cheap and easy to make.  Always double the batch when you make them and freeze the extras.  Pretty soon you have a wonderful assortment to pull out of the freezer at least once a week.  My tip- don't wait til morning to make them.  Yes, it smells good in the morning, but most of us just don't have time for that.  Make them the night before and move on!  Or spend one Saturday a month making several batches to freeze.

 

 

PANCAKES AND WAFFLES!  We do this at least once a week as well, often on Saturday when dad makes them for us!  The key here to to make more than you can eat and freeze the extras!  Then you can pull out frozen ones and toast them in a minute.  Saves you money from buying in the freezer section of the grocery store and are much better for you.

 

 

EGGS!  Eggs are inexpensive compared to many breakfasts foods.  If you are blessed to have your own chickens, well, just don't tell me as I will covet them!  Scrambled eggs, french toast and breakfast casseroles are easy to whip up.  We even do a breakfast casserole overnight in the crock pot that we love!  Great for when company comes too!

 

BISCUITS AND FRUIT! Another quick thing to make.  I keep a homemade biscuit mix in the fridge that all I have to do is add milk to.  No need for expensive canned ones.  Mine may not be as pretty, but they are healthier and cheaper! 

 

OATMEAL.  Notice the lack of an exclamation.  That is purposeful.  Y'all, I do not like oatmeal.  Gag!  But luckily my kids and hubby do.  It is healthy for you and cheap.

 

OK, you get the idea.  Again, the key to saving money is to stay away from convenience food.  You pay for it.  Don't fall into that trap.  I know, you don't have a lot of time in the morning.  I understand, I am busy sleeping, remember.  Make things ahead of time and become best friends with your freezer.  Your budget will thank you.

 

Now, the dreaded lunches.  This was once such a problem at our house that I came up with a weekly lunch schedule and did not deviate from it.  Monday- Pizza, Tuesday- sandwiches and so forth.  I was tired of cooking, tired of trying to decide what to fix and even more tired of four kids having four different opinions on what we should have.  While they are older now and slightly less opinionated and therefore we do not follow the strict schedule, we do tend to repeat the same basic things. 

 

PIZZA!  We do make or have homemade pizzas once a week for lunch.  I have a simple recipe that makes a large enough pizza for the kids for lunch AND  makes one or two personal size ones to freeze.  I layer them between wax paper and then freeze in a baggie.  Then, when I do not want to take the 10 minutes to make the dough, I just pull out four of the personal sized ones and pop them in the oven.  I keep these on hand all. of. the. time!  Who would have thought that homemade pizzas would be a time saver but here in our house they are lifesavers!

 

SOUP! We do this about once a week as well.  Choose your favorite, simple recipe, make ahead and freeze.  Better for you than the canned stuff.  Since I cook a whole chicken almost weekly I will often just make chicken and rice or chicken and noodle soup the day after deboning a chicken.  We use brown rice that takes longer to cook so I make it in batches and then freeze 1 cup servings in baggies ready to just dump in the broth.

SANDWICHES! That same chicken also makes good sandwiches.  Processed meat is expensive, don't go there.  Even PB&J is cheaper.

MAC AND CHEESE!  What kid does not like mac and cheese?  Elbow noodles are a dime a dozen.  Just add a little milk and butter and a cheese of your choice and you are on your way.  Dye free!  Yes, it took my kids a little while to get over not having it from a box. But, yes, they did get over it.

LEFTOVERS! Sorry, but you know I had to go there.  I do not particularly love leftovers either but I refuse to let good food go to waste, so we do eat leftovers several times a week.  Usually there are several things to choose from and the kiddo who gets to the kitchen first when called gets first dibs.  I am fair like that.

Sure, it is easy to grab convenience food from the grocery store, but I am here to tell you, coupons or not, those foods are one of the fastest ways to run up your grocery bill.  Don't think so?  Look at your  last grocery receipt and add it up.  You will be surprised what convenience costs these days.  Staple items like flour and sugar can be bought in bulk.  Cooking from scratch and eating real foods, ones God made- not man, really will save you money!  And your health as well.  Bonus!

So, what are you fixing for breakfast and lunch at your house?

Hope to see 'ya back next week for more money saving tips!

Until then, blessings,

Linking up with Amy from Raising Arrows!

Linking up with Caroline at The Modest Mom!

It's Budget Time!

To get ready to kick off a new Fun Friday series on Saving Money in the Kitchen, I thought I would start with a little background on our budget.  I have mentioned it before, but wanted to break it down a little more for you. Please keep in mind, I am no expert at this.  We have read a lot of books, taken a few classes, read some more and been encouraged by several friends.  (Check out Dave Ramsey and Crowne Financial for a starting point.)  The following is a mixture of all and is what works for us.  I encourage you to do your research, pray about what God would have your family do and take the plunge if you have not done so already.  Budgeting has blessed us and allowed us in return to bless others...I only wish we had started at the beginning of our marriage.

I keep a little notebook with all of our categories written in it. (There are 18.) Each one then has the amount written at the top of the page with how much money goes into that category each month.  Each time we spend in that particular area, I enter the date, what we spent and the remaining amount available.  Similar to the envelope system many use, but on paper instead.  Yes, you can use any computer program to track, but I am a paper kind of gal!  The exceptions are: Allowances (ours and the kids), clothing and entertainment.  For these particular categories we do withdraw money and put in envelopes.  I have found it is just easier to keep up with.  Of course, any money left over in a category gets pushed into the next month's balance.

Groceries	$400.00
4/1 Kroger	176.95                                                 $223.05
4/1 Commissary	102.39                                                 $120.66

Our other categories include:
Groceries
Gas
Home Maintenance
Vacation
Savings
Dry Cleaning
Gifts
Car License/Tags
Car Maintenance
Homeschooling
Utilities
Haircuts
Pets
Rent
Lessons (piano, dance)
Tithe
Insurance
Phones

Each category has a set amount of money assigned to it that does not change from month to month.  Therefore if you do not have an expenditure that month your money will begin to add up in that category.  So when your car needs new tires, a ha, you have enough money sitting there waiting. 

Things like car problems or house maintenance problems are no longer panic moments for us because we set aside money each month for those things.  Vacations are easier to plan when we know how much we are able to spend before we ever go.  When it comes time to buy new curriculum for our year, the money is waiting.  You get the idea.

How did we decide actual dollar amounts?  Some were easier than others.  Take car maintenance for example.  We have two cars and are still currently upkeeping the car our oldest daughter is driving.  We figured out how many oil changes etc. each would need in a year, added it all up and then divided by 12.  There is the amount you should put away each month.  Do it for every category and you are ready to go! 

Honestly, the hardest category for me was the gifts one.  It forced me to write down every person I buy for and every occasion and assign a dollar amount to them all.  It was an eye opening experience for me and really made us reevaluate some areas.  It also now forces us to be super diligent about spending.  When figuring this one up, you can't forget little things like Easter, Valentine's Day, weddings, baby showers and on and on!  Let me forewarn you friends, this can be a major budget breaker!

One lesson we learned quickly, as your categories start to build up you have the tendency to accumulate a lot of money in your checking account.  As you accumulate more money you are more likely to spend it.  You know, "Hey, look what my bottom line says! I have lots of money left to spend!"  To avoid that temptation, categories that are not necessarily monthly occurrences for us, like maintenance categories and gifts, are transferred automatically to a separate account.  Then when we spend from those I just transfer the money back over to our primary checking.  Again, works for us.

Yes, my husband and I get allowances right along with the kids.  You didn't think I would breeze past that one, did you?  It is basically slush money to spend on whatever comes up that often does not fit perfectly into a category.  Snack at work, treat for the kids, whatever.  Or how about the going away gift at work you had not planned for, or sport pictures you forgot about.  Or the extra fun activities your child gets invited to and you want to help pay for them.  This is the money that tends to get eaten up the quickest at our house.

And that brings me to what started this whole post in the first place- the Grocery Budget.  How sad is it that one of our biggest categories is Groceries?!  I mean, really, that makes me crazy!  Some day I hope to grow most of our own food, but until this military moving family settles down, we are stuck paying others for our food.  It stinks, but one has got to eat.  In an effort to cut that category down as much as possible, I have worked hard!  And THAT is what I want to share with you this month for our Fun Fridays series!

I hope you will join us!  See 'ya on Friday!