A Random Woman's Life

ahhhh….sometimes moving is a good thing

pand5js — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:57:14 +0000

Hello my friends,

Well I am moving…my blog that is. I discovered a different host with more options available to me. I hope you will join me there at :

www.arandomwomanslife.blogspot.com

thanks for being here and hope to see you there! Leave me a comment on my new site to let me know you are still with me!

Where does the money go?

pand5js — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:19:11 +0000

I am guessing, unless you are independently wealthy you too wonder where does all the money go? I mean when you get your W-2′s do you just look at them and go WHAT????? Where did all that money go? Well, I did some calculations (in my head, nothing on paper) and figure once all the taxes are taken out, state, federal, FICA, social security, and 401K’s and insurance and so on and so on you might bring home a bit over HALF of what you really made….YIKES! So here is my question…why, when there is financial assistance available for like food, heat, etc, things which are dependant on your income, is your ACTUAL income not taken into consideration? Why is it based on money you never see? It seems rather unfair that you have to say you have more money than you really do. Say for example you are lucky enough to make $100,000 a year. After taxes and so on and so on, you are actually living on more like $50,000 – $60,000 a year. Take out a mortgage or rent, and a car payment and wow…..no wonder people are hurting a bit. So, when you apply for assistance of some kind, shouldn’t you be considered on how much money you actually bring home? Here is another question….what the heck does the gov’t DO with all our money? I just don’t get it. Our gov’t will not allow you to be in debt to them for very long, BUT our gov’t is in what – millions or billions of dollars in debt….I just don’t get it. I really wish someone could explain it to me like I am a 2 year old. I have told my wonderful God given husband this for years…..”The wrong people are in charge”. They really are. We need someone like Dave Ramsey up in gov’t to fix our budget problems….how funny it would be to see gov’t officials walking around with envelopes…lol….(part of Dave’s system if you are unfamiliar with it) Anywho, just my random thought for the day. If you find yourself a bit hurting in the financial area I highly recommend Financial Peace University from Dave Ramsey. Many area churches and organizations offer the 13 week class for you to take. I know my church Fox River Christian Church ( foxriverchristian.org )will be starting the class up again later this month. I believe it costs $75 which includes all your materials, access to Dave’s website, etc. Lots of great info and if you follow his program, I mean really follow it….it does work. If you do take the class I know you won’t be asking yourself after a while…..where does my money go?….you will know!

Hurry up…..slow down

pand5js — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:55:04 +0000

Today I popped in my wonderful God given husband’s work. I was dropping off a PartyLite host packet for one of the workers who is having a party (DOUBLE FREE PRODUCT IN JANUARY). My youngest, Jack and I visited for a little bit. On our way out, I was starting to get a teensy bit annoyed at how slow my son was walking. He was taking his time, sipping the drink he got from his daddy. So….I took his hand and picked up the pace. After about 10 steps I looked down at my boy and stopped walking. Why? Why was I in such a hurry? We were going to a playdate, but you don’t get penalized for being late to a playdate…..so why was I in such a rush. I didn’t HAVE to be anywhere until 3:30 this afternoon. Jack looked up at me and said “what…why you looking at me?” in his sweet still babyish voice. Then it really hit me…..he was growing up. Here was my youngest, my baby just going on, holding his mommys hand with his still-baby-chubby hand and enjoying his drink. Here was his mommy grabbing his hand to hurry him up for……..no good reason.

Why are we always in such a hurry? I decided to learn a lesson from my little boy. Slow down, enjoy the smaller things…appreciate and treasure this special time with my youngest as he will most likely not hold my hand for long. He will soon be off to school and starting the long journey of growing up and leaving my home. My 9 year old is already half way there….I am no longer allowed to put notes in his lunch box or give him “baby” fruit snacks. I am sorry that Pick N Save had a fruit snack sale and my choices were Toy Story or Disney Princesses. I wonder what he would say if he opened up his lunch box and saw a smiling Cinderella! LOL…but, I digress.

My point is, my dear friend, I pray that in the next few days you can also take an unspoken piece of advice from my Jack. Hurry up and slow down….time moves so fast on it’s own…do we really need to speed it up?

The “Dirty Dozen”

pand5js — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:51:24 +0000

Ok, to continue on from yesterday’s blog. I had suggested adding one or two organic items to your grocery list. Well, which ones? How to start? It can be confusing and overwhelming I know. So, to help us all muddle through this new adventure we are taking I am going to list the “Dirty Dozen” for you. Actually this list (from The Environmental Working Group) is a list of produce. The number one item has the highest level of pesticides out of the most commonly eaten fruits and veggies over a 3 year study. For more information please visit www.ewg.org You can get tons of info there on a greener, healthier lifestyle, issues effecting our world, etc.

I hope this list helps you in determining which foods on your grocery list will make it on your food list as organic choices. Following standard preparation practices (washing, peeling, coring, etc.) and testing methods, pesticide levels remain high on some produce, and not others. Try to think of the added cost of organics as an investment in yours and your family’s health. To me it is worth the extra dollar for the 3 lb bag of organic apples if it keeps the poisons out of my sons’ bodies! Also, my family has found that true organic food tastes sooooo much better than the non organic. To really get an idea of what farmers are putting on our food, look at the difference in size between say a “regular” pineapple and an organic one. The organic one is noticeably smaller….what is being added to our produce to make it larger???? That thought alone worries me. Anywho, thanks for sticking with me as a babble on about this. So, without further ado, “The List”

1 (worst) Peach (highest pesticide load)
2 Apple
3 Sweet Bell Pepper
4 Celery
5 Nectarine
6 Strawberries
7 Cherries
8 Kale
9 Lettuce
10 Grapes – Imported
11 Carrot
12 Pear (this ends the dirty dozen)
13 Collard Greens
14 Spinach
15 Potato
16 Green Beans
17 Summer Squash
18 Peppers
19 Cucumber
20 Raspberries
21 Grapes – Domestic
22 Plum
23 Orange
24 Cauliflower
25 Tangerine
26 Mushrooms
27 Banana
28 Winter Squash
29 Cantaloupe
30 Cranberries
31 Honeydew Melon
32 Grapefruit
33 Sweet Potato (here we begin the clean 15)
34 Tomato
35 Broccoli
36 Watermelon
37 Papaya
38 Eggplant
39 Cabbage
40 Kiwi
41 Sweet Peas
42 Asparagus
43 Mango
44 Pineapple
45 Sweet Corn – Frozen
46 Avocado
47 (best) Onion(lowest pesticide load)

A new way

pand5js — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:57:17 +0000

Ok, so for the past few months I have given myself the challenge of keeping to a monthly food budget and making our menus more healthy. Have you ever tried this….YIKES! It amazes me how the foods that are the most healthy are also more expensive. My wonderful God given husband Paul and I were at Good Harvest Market this past weekend doing some shopping. As we traveled up and down the isles of this wonderful health and organic grocery store, Paul says to me “you’d think since this stuff is healthier and less crap added it would be cheaper”. I had to laugh because there have been so many times I have thought the same.

I have found that a greener and healthier lifestyle is a challenge. In the financial sense at first. I am learning that I can save money by buying healthier food. For example, on our menu this weekend for Paul and I were quesdillas. Now, normally I can eat 1.5 – 2 of these puppies loaded up with cheese, meats and sour cream. We bought 2 packs of whole wheat organic tortillas as there are only 6 in a pack for about $4.5o. Ouch… I am looking at these knowing full well I can purchase the white tortillas with 10 in a pack for like $2.80 at Pick N Save, but I get them, figuring we will need at least 8 between the two of us for 2 quesadillas each. We finish our shopping, paying our ouch bill at Good Harvest and finishing up at Pick N Save for some other items. We get home and I reheat some whole wheat rice and some chicken chunks from supper the other night. We put this mixture in the quesadillas. When they are done, I top them off with some fat free organic sour cream, shreds of organic lettuce and organic tomatoes. We were both stuffed after one! I was shocked! So, I really only needed one pack of tortillas. Paul and I were joking that it seems people who eat organic seemed so skinny because they couldn’t afford to eat much….lol, now we are starting to realize that the better the foods we eat like the whole wheat noodles, rice, bread, etc the more they fill you up and the better they are for our health.

My next ambition is to make our bread instead of buying it. Again, more healthy as I will be using the whole grains and no preservatives added. I will have to see if I can somehow put a picture on here of my attempts at bread making in the next few weeks. If you too are thinking of trying to make healthier food choices, start slowly. Try buying one or two organic fruits or vegetables. To switch to whole grains, try adding some in with your normal items and slowly converting to whole wheat to avoid any anarchy you may experience from you unsuspecting family members.

I hope you come back to read about my successes and “this needs improvement” moments I am sure to experience.

Till next time…..

Happy New Year

pand5js — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:04:56 +0000

Welcome to 2010! We had family over last night for the new year. My parents, brother and sister in law and my in laws came over to help us ring in the new year in our new home. I made my famous chilli which my wonderful God given husband loves. I actually made a double batch and it didn’t last. It nearly filled my 6 qt slow cooker and was mostly gone by the time my in laws showed up. Anywho, the real reason for my post is about a comment my mom made last night. At midnight as we blew our horns, shouted Happy New Year and hugged each other my mom said “Let’s hope this year is better than last” I was surprised. We actually had a very good year. Now don’t get me wrong our lives are not perfect, not by any means…but as far as the year being bad, I just can’t agree.

First off, we started 2009 as first time home owners as we closed on our home in mid Jan. along with celebrating Paul’s birthday. We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary in March. We had a large financial burden lifted in May. July we attended a family reunion on the 4th and became a living buffet for the mosquitos at the park. In August we celebrated mine and Jacob’s birthday. August was also the month I delve into and instantly loved the Twilight series. Sept saw us back to school with Jared starting his first full day, full week school year and the birthdays of Joshua, Jared and Jack. Oct we got to witness the beauty of God’s work in the Fall colors of our new neighborhood. Trick or treat was a treat as we walked our new neighborhood with family, ran into friends and got to meet new neighbors. Nov we were doubly blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving twice with family. Dec was busy and fun with snow, Christmas preparations and unexpected blessings from our wonderful school West Suburban Christian Academy.

Looking back we had a busy year! I am amazed at how fast it went, how much has happened and how big my boys have gotten. Again, we had some difficult times but are they worth dwelling over? We are so blessed, God is so good that I just can’t complain. My family is healthy, I am able to stay home full time, I have my PartyLite business, and I know I have grown in my relationship with my Lord….not nearly as much as I want or need to, but I have grown. I have found a wonderful group for Bible Study and a great group of moms in West Suburban Newcomers. I am thankful for my Lord, thankful for my wonderful God given husband Paul, thankful for each of my wonderful, fun and brilliant sons. Thankful for our health, thankful we have a home to live in, cars to get us where we need to get, a church and school that help my family learn to live and act like Christ, food in our home, clothes on our backs. I have so much to be thankful for that I find it hard to be disappointed with 2009. I believe it was Paul in his letter to the Philippians where he states ” I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives my strength.” Philippians 4: 11-14

So, my friends, I hope that whether you are happy to see 2009 go or not, I hope I have given you something to think about. I pray 2010 is a good year for all. I pray for your health, the health of your families but most of all I pray for our contentedness in whatever our circumstances. Happy New Year!

Just some random thoughts

pand5js — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 03:29:09 +0000

Ok, before I delve into my latest random thoughts, I just have to say a huge “Thank You” to our family at West Suburban Christian Academy. You truly show the love of God through your kindness, generosity and friendship. We are truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful and loving community.

So, for those of you who don’t know me very well, I have lots of random thoughts. Well, not really random, they are triggered by is going on in the moment, the thoughts just seem random to those who can’t hear my thoughts, which I guess is everyone… here is an example. Paul and I will be driving and be talking about something. After we are done talking, I believe my wonderful God given husband just kind of “tunes out” meaning he just concentrates on driving, while I keep the conversation going on in my head. However, my mind will suddenly go off on a side trip. Here is an example:

“How’s the salt in the water softener?” “Pretty low.” “Let’s not forget we need to pick up while we’re out” “ok”

So, this is the point where the verbal conversation ends. But here is what is going on in my head:

“Ugh..I need to finish up the laundry when we get home (the water softener is in the laundry room) ….I think the boys socks are getting low…..oh I forgot to check their homework assignment book to make sure it’s all done……Oh, am I supposed to bring that snack in for Jacob’s class this week or next week…. I need to get gas tomorrow after I drop the boys off at school…..Man I am in the mood for Taco Bell…..”

I wander off on these tangents and thankfully Paul is now accustomed to them. I try to be careful around other people, at least until they know me better before I unleash the tangent train on them. Perhaps this may help you my dear readers with some of my blogs…I realize how sometimes I go off topic in my blog and thought you deserved an explanation.

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and will have a safe and fun New Years.

Thanks for reading my Random thoughts and hope you will come back in 2010!

changing tastes

pand5js — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:01:23 +0000

Last night I am eating dinner with my wonderful God given husband Paul and the subject of food preferences comes up. Have you noticed that as you have gotten older your tastes in food have changed? I now can eat broccoli and cauliflower without gagging. As a child I remember vividly being told to sit at the table until all my vegetables were eaten. Again this was mostly broccoli and beets. I tried hiding them, flushing them and I did occasionally try to eat them. In fact, now thanks to a share from a CSA my family has tried a variety of new vegetables. Turnips, squash, romanesco….etc. I can also say I now really enjoy beets, which shocks me as I have always said they taste like dirt.

I also noticed my food preferences changed with my pregnancies too. In my younger days, I worked at Kopps custard in Greenfield. I worked the fountain, which is where all the shakes and sundaes are made. I hated pecans. I worked with them all the time and hated them. When I was pregnant with my first son, Joshua I started to eat them and now I like them alot. Go figure….

So what happens to us? Is it a hormone flux? Are we getting more sophisticated tastes or are our taste buds just dying off with age? It’s a curious phenomenon that I am curious to learn the answer to…..

You learn something new every day….

pand5js — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:25:56 +0000

So today I learned from my wonderful God given husband Paul an interesting fact about the 12 Days of Christmas. Yes, the song. He heard this on the radio today, apparently this fun-loving. counting backwards song which my boys have been singing all too frequently has a religious theme to it. So, for those of you who are just on the edge of your seat with anticipation…..here is the meaning behind the songs:

1. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus.
2. The two turtledoves are the Old and New Testaments.
3. Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love.
4. The four calling birds are the four Gospels.
5. The five gold rings recall the Hebrew Torah (Law), or the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament.
6. The six geese a-laying stand for the six days of creation.
7. The seven swans a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
8. The eight maids a-milking are the eight Beatitudes.
9. Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.
10. The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments.
11. Eleven pipers piping represent the eleven faithful Apostles.
12. Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles Creed.

Let there be light….

pand5js — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:38:38 +0000

and heat, and electricity….sigh. Wed was interesting. My kids, like most in the Milwaukee & Waukesha county had a snow day. I was ready! We were going to sleep in, lay around in jammies, maybe watch a Harry Potter marathon and just have fun. Around 5 am my husband, who unfortunately could not sleep in….work beckoned, woke me up to tell me the power was out. Sigh…. thankfully I had just put fresh candles in all my holders the day before when my friends were over for lunch. Thank you PartyLite!!! We went around and lit candles all around so we could see. A bit later Paul left for work. I tried to go back to bed. I am the type of person, that once I am up, I am usually up. I have to be very tired to be able to fall back asleep. Well, I must have been really sleepy because I did fall back asleep, only to wake up to the sound of all 4 of my boys in my room. Sigh….so the day began. I was ok, until they wanted me to make breakfast….then it hit me. We had NO POWER!!! No stove, no oven, no computer, NO TV or DVD player……aaaahhhhh….what the heck was i going to do with them all day???? Surprisingly they were not as bad as I thought they would be. In fact, they helped me find Christmas tubs in the basement with flashlights and we put up decorations around the house and on our tree. My parents came in the afternoon and took us to lunch. All and all it wasn’t a bad day and I learned that I don’t need fancy and movies to entertain my kids and make them happy. All they really want is my time and attention, and hey, I can afford that right?