Alex at one

Tank.  Bam bam.  Travieso.  Just a couple of nick names friends and family have given to Alex.

He shows no fear.  He's rough and he's tough.  He likes to wrestle with his big brother and usually wins. 

He is into everything, (STILL) puts everything into his mouth, and doesn't give up trying to open that one cupboard that isn't locked.  I actually resorted to duct tape the other day.

He will eat anything...even if it's not edible. Including a piece of ceramic (long story).

He loves to hug his big brother.

He loves to play peek-a-boo.  

He is always looking for Da Da while he's at work and stands at the baby gate yelling for him along side Mateo when the garage door opens.

He is happy being with his family and friends and I think we are happy to have him around.  Especially Mateo, who when sad will often say, "I need Owwww Ex.".  And a big Alex hug makes it all better.

He's incredibly squirmy, somewhat rough, has pulled out more earrings than I can remember, and often pokes his brother in the eyes unknowingly or tries to rip off his ears.

He got his first black eye last week.

He weighs 22 lbs and has 8 teeth.

He's happy crawling around the house and climbing on things for now and isn't too interested in walking.  We're OK with that.  Walking means even more chaos. We can wait a little longer.

He still doesn't sleep through the night and graces me with his presence about 4:30 or 5:00 every morning to nurse.  Yay about that lol.

He waves at everybody and says HI. 

He tries to be sweet even when he's sick.

He drives me crazy by his inability to comprehend the word "NO" and his unstoppable diligence in getting into things he wants into (hence the reason why all but one of our kitchen cupboards are locked now.  Have fun coming to cook in OUR kitchen....lol). And hence the reason why our living room curtains are draped up AND the reason I often drag the coffee table to block off areas.  Fun times. 

He melts my heart with his big blue eyes and big cheesy smile.

Happy Birthday to Alex.  Our blessing, whose name means "Defender of Man".  Maybe that's why he tries to be tough.  Thanking Jesus today for his life.

An epidemic

We've been doing something pretty odd over the last year and a half.   It may be unheard of.  Few people do it anymore.  We must be pretty strange. 



What you ask?  We've been saving up to buy something. We'd like new furniture for our living room to replace the 1980s hand me downs we have.  They're wonderfully comfortable but have seen better days.  But, really, we don't NEED new furniture.  So it was an easy thing to say..."in the next few years we'll get new couches".  No, we didn't put it on a credit card.  We didn't do the "NO interest for a year!" or whatever the stores advertise these days.  That's because that "old" concept of not buying something if you don't have money for it really does pay off when you want to live debt free.

Perhaps my favorite pod casts to listen to are from Andy Stanley, a Christian pastor at Northpoint Community Church.  A recent series I listened to was called Recovery Road.  Part 5 was called The Spending Crisis.  It was fascinating to hear how our nation's thoughts about debt have changed over the decades.  Debt used to be a bad thing.  Now it's a sadly normal thing.  America used to do layaway.  Now it does loans and credit cards. I highly recommend the pod cast series (and any of his pod casts for that matter!) They can be downloaded on their site or on a podcast app. A friend of Andy once told him...

"There are two kinds of people in the world.  There are people who make interest and there are people who pay interest.  You need to decide which kind you want to be and reorder your finances around it."

It was reassuring to know that we aren't the only "crazy" people who do perhaps "extreme" things in order to live debt free, honor God with our finances, be generous, and not carry the weight and burden of debt on our shoulder.  The four main points in the pod cast were:

1. "You can't have everything you want."

2. "You can't even have anything you can afford."

3. "You have to live on a budget."

4. "When the money runs out, you have to quit spending."  

Definitely download the pod cast!  I devour them.  They are like my equivalent to soap operas and bon bons as a SAHM.  Naps, drives in the car, etc.  I sneak them in when I can!

The saddest part is that the new generation (and my generation) is growing up thinking that debt is normal.  You want to go to college, you get a loan.  You want a car, you get a loan.  You want a house, you get a 100% loan on a house that you really can't afford.  You want those shoes, put it on a card.  You want to take a trip to Hawaii, credit card. How did it become such a mind shift?

Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if our youth were taught about money management and living within their means?  About being content with things they have, not putting hope in things but putting hope in Jesus. About treasures in heaven. About alternative ways to paying for higher education. That living within your means is not just possible but a virtuous and freeing thing? That less can really be more?

Now I know there is stuff that comes up in life that sometimes requires us to take on debt.  Surgeries, emergencies, unemployment, unexpected hospital bills, etc.  I'm not talking about those things.  I'm talking about the intentional debts that we take on.

The hardest debt (besides home loans) I've seen is something disguised as "FINANCIAL AID".   I know college is expensive.  Really, I do.  BUT...is it worth getting a degree at a school you can't afford just so you can drown in debt while you want to get married or raise a family? I've had several moms tell me they could never stay at home with their kids for a season b/c they have too many school loans to pay off.  How can we encourage our kids to have a different financial future?

For our own boys, I would NOT encourage them to go to a private college if the degree was available elsewhere because I see that as a waste of money.  I would encourage them to save up for college.   Mateo and Alex already have savings accounts for the occasion.  Maybe start at a community college and transfer. Scholarships and grants help.  Having a part time job helps.  If you have to get financial aid...using it to pay ONLY for tuition seems like a given, but it isn't.  Many go shopping for clothes, shoes, and other "non academic" items without thinking about the implications of interest they will be paying on those items.  Above all the micro decisions made about money, I want this verse to resonate in our hearts as a family....so much to learn from this still.. 

"Honor the Lord with your wealth,
  with the firstfruits of all your crops; 

 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
    and your vats will brim over with new wine."

Psalms 3:9-10 

Andy Stanley's motto of "Give. Save. Live." is one we love for how to use our money.  Give (tithe, donate) first, Save (put money away) second, and Live (off the rest).  Love it.  



I'm done now.  I don't know why, but I feel the burden of other people's debt and I want to fix it.  Not sure what that means, but maybe in a former life I'd have been a Dave Ramsey wanna be. 

No Longer A Slumdog

We took a trip to the dessert recently as a family to visit my hubby's grandma.  No wi fi or TV meant I should probably bring a book.  In reality, I only read the introduction but it got me craving some reading time.  It was a book we have had for a while:

 
You can order a free copy from their website.  

If you need a little perspective. If you need a little shift back to the realities of the word.  If you need a reason to pray and to remember to be a person of gratitude.  If you need some spurring on to righteous anger and away from complacency.  Read this book.

It's an easy read in that it's very well written and captures your attention.  It's a hard read in that it will likely break your heart. Basically, it describes the plight of many of India's children and families, the caste system, and the poverty.  And it tells stories about the ministry Gospel For Asia has there for those kids.  It's pretty amazing.

I've always (for some reason) been captivated reading about the holocaust, learning about slavery,   etc.....studying all of those things in "history" that we are taught in school.  But, though it may make you angry that those things happened, it seems the chapter is closed because things "have changed".
But more and more I learn about the realities of depravity and disgusting injustice where a people group is literally treated like less than dogs.

While I sit in my air conditioned home, with filtered water available at any moment from my brand new refrigerator.... while I type on my iMac computer and prepare to wake up my toddler from his nap...which he takes in his own comfy bed in his own comfy room that he doesn't even have to share with anybody and that's filled with clothes and toys...while I prepare to make a dinner for my family that will fill their tummies....

it's easy to forget about the rest of the world.  I do feel a little guilty.  There are 250 million Dalit children alone in India.  With little hope of ever having any value...of ever even having enough food, water, and education, or ever escaping the caste system.

There is new hope for some of these kids as they enter the Bridge of Hope program.   Instead of believing that they have no value and deserve to have nothing and be treated as animals and abused....they can learn of a God that not only created them with a purpose but that loves them and values them.  The gospel has a whole new meaning when I think of these people.  It's not "just" Jesus died for your sins so you could live in eternity with Him in heaven.  Take it a step back to the fact that God created and world and knit them together in their mother's womb.  God cares for them.

While people debate about homeschooling vs. public school vs. private school......

it's easy to forget to be grateful that we can provide an education for our children at all.


While we debate about grass fed beef or organic produce or locally grown whatever foods...it's perhaps easy to forget to be grateful for even having access to food.

And perhaps it easy to forget all these things because we feel entitled.  It's an American epidemic.  We feel we deserve the best of everything as if we are somehow better than the oppressed.

So the question of the hour at our house...how do we instill a sense of gratitude and compassion in our children?  I would love our boys to grow up with compassionate hearts, a righteous anger for injustice, and a passion to change the world...whatever that looks like for them in the pursuits God calls them to. Definitely something to pray about.  Is it possible to "live simply so others can simply live" as the slogan goes?

Do it yourself: Waxing

SO, this is kind of a weird subject perhaps.  And I certainly don't want to put all the great professional beauticians out of business, but waxing my lip is something I've done for a long time.

It all started in 8th grade when the boy I had a crush on made fun of me and told me I had a mustache.  Every 13 year old's dream, I know!  So...my mom took me to Sally's Beauty supply and we bought a wax kit.  She did the waxing for me for quite a while (not many teens can inflict pain on themselves too easily) but in time I started doing it myself and 15 years later.... I not only wax my lip, but between my eye brows, and even under my chin (yup- I just admitted that funny hairs sometimes grow on my chin).

You can buy a waxing kit, which is probably a good idea if you are just beginning.  The kit we bought when I was in middle school came with the wax container, the fabric strips, applicator, and some special lotions for before and after.  Nice, but not entirely necessary.
 

Here is what you really need to wax at home:

1. The wax. I bought this at Sally Beauty Supply a couple years ago for about $11.99.  It will never run out.  You use such a little amount.  Chances of the container getting too sticky for your liking are much higher than you actually running out. This is probably my 3rd canister in the last 15 years.  I did notice that you can get it on Amazon for only $7.95!! When I need a new one I will try that instead!  I'm sure there are a variety of brands, but gi gi works well!

2. Muslin strips.  JoAnn Fabrics sells muslin for about 88 cents a yard (last time I went anyways!) One yard will last you years once cut (or ripped) into strips.  A good size for strips might be about 1"x3" but you can cut them whatever size works for the area you're waxing!

  

3. Scissors to cut muslin (though this fabric rips well too if you make a small cut first).

4. Popsicles sticks (inexpensive at a craft store or save and wash them from real popsicles.  I have one box of craft sticks from when I was teaching that will last me forever. 

5.  Microwave.  You'll want to microwave in short increments (20 seconds about) until the wax is liquid-y but not too hot. Read the directions on your wax before you heat it up.  You want it runny enough to spread easily.

 

Spread the wax on, add the muslin and press down and across with your finger.  Let it sit for a few seconds. Then count to three and RIP it off fast the opposite way the hair grows.  Yes, it will HURT...but only for that short second.  It's really not so bad.   I usually do above my lip in three sections.  Both sides and then the middle.  Then one for below my chin and one for in between my eyebrows.  So 5 short painful seconds. They do say beauty hurts, right?

SAVINGS: I got these waxing prices off the website of a salon down the street from me:

Eyebrows- $14
Upper Lip- $11
Chin- $11
Cheeks- $13
Full Face (3 areas)- $33
So the fact that the container of wax costs $8 on Amazon and getting your lip waxed once is $11 shows just how much money you could save over the years.  Just for fun (yes, I find math fun...I'm a math nerd teacher at heart!!), if I wax my lip on average once a month for 15 years I spend about $35 on wax (3 containers) or $24 if bought offline.  Paying a salon to do that would have potentially cost $1,980!!!

BONUS savings: I also "get" to wax between Aaron's eyebrows to ensure that he does indeed have two of them.  I look forward to a day if/when Mateo asks me to wax his unibrow (which is already nicely filled in haha). 

CAUTION:  I don't recommend waxing during/after a cold because your skin will be sensitive from blowing. Also..... your skin might be slightly irritated or red after waxing so I always do this at night so that I can "sleep it off".  

Next venture:  Learning to cut Mateo and Alex's hair!!!!

Make your own microwave popcorn

 Last year I learned from a facebook friend about making your own microwave popcorn.  It's one of my favorite treats to have on a date-night-in. Aaron is the microwave popcorn maker in our house, actually. I love it! It's cheap and much healthier than store-bought microwave popcorn. The toppings you put on the popcorn will probably be more of an expense than the actual kernels.  

You will need:

-Popcorn kernels (I buy them in the bulk section at Winco and store them in a large sealed container. (I forgot to keep the receipt this time to see how much the kernels cost..oops!  Will update later).

-Brown paper bag

-Butter, salt, or other desired toppings

 

Use about 1/3 of a cup of popcorn kernels at a time.   Dump into paper bag and fold down a few times to seal.  Put your microwave on the "popcorn" setting...about 2 or so minutes usually on ours but of course this varies depending on your microwave.  Just pay attention to popping kernels so it doesn't get overcooked.

 And voila!  Delicious.  We add a little melted (real) butter and salt.  Sometimes parmesan cheese.  You could certainly make any flavor you feel like.   

 

Note:  The paper bag will get moist during the popping process. SO, although you may reuse the bag for subsequent batches, if you do a double batch you will need to use a second bag.

Happy popping!!

The Magic of Vinegar

Every frugal-minded home needs to have a gallon or two of this stuff laying around:

The uses are vast, it's chemical-free, and it's only about $1.00 a gallon! It's great to use around kids/babies because it's edible and harmless so it can't hurt them.  Not only cheap but vinegar is eco-friendly if you're in to that sort of thing.  And... if you think the smell might scare you.... I promise the light smell dissipates very quickly. 

There are books and websites dedicated to the use of vinegar, but here are a few ways we've used vinegar at our home:

Killing grass/weeds:

We recently put in a swing set in our backyard.  We wanted to kill the grass underneath the swing set before we rolled out the newspaper and put in pea gravel.  Round up can be as much as $30 a gallon.  And although you aren't going to use the whole thing for killing some grass- I'd rather just spend a dollar.  My husband put the vinegar in a sprayer and misted the entire grass area.  A day or two later it looked like this:

I also used this next to our short fence in the front yard so that the grass wouldn't grow right next to it. 

Cleaning counters:  I have a large spray bottle of vinegar on my kitchen counter. You can use a washable rag/towel or a paper towel and it has great sanitation purposes.

Cleaning mirrors and windows:  Use equal parts vinegar with water and use just like windex with a microfiber cloth or paper towel. I have a separate spray bottle in our bathrooms for the diluted version.

Un-clogging drains: Pour some baking soda down a clogged drain, then slowly add some vinegar and let it fizz!  Don't use the water for half an hour after so it can do it's job.  Repeat as necessary depending on how clogged the drain was!

Hair rinse:  This is one of those tricks your grandma used to do but it really works!! Get a large cup.  Put about an inch of apple cider vinegar in it and fill the rest up with warm water.  

 

After washing/conditioning your hair as normal.... slowly pour the vinegar mixture into your hair a little at at time and massage into your scalp.  This stuff is great to get rid of residues of hair products, regular dirt build up, and (MY FAV) campfire smell!!! Every girl knows how much their hair stinks after a camping trip this summer.  I actually remembered to use this rinse when we got back from our family camping trip and the smell was gone!  Magic.  And no, your hair won't smell like vinegar because you rinse it out at the end. 

WARNING:   I don't really recommend doing this rinse if you have just shaved your legs in the shower...it will sting a little!