Category Archives: Parenting

Grocery University, Offered by Money Saving Mom

19 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Life Long Learner, Menu Planning, teens, Uncategorized

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Tired of Spending Too Much at the Grocery Store?

Want to find more ways than clipping coupons to stretch your food budget dollars?

See Below for Money Saving Mom’s special pricing for today, August 19!

“You don’t have to bust your budget to feed your family! Enter Grocery University: a 2 hour, 19 minute audio course that will teach you everything you need to know about making the most of your grocery budget, regardless of whether you’re new to bargain shopping or have been a super-shopper for years.

This original, in-depth course goes deeper than anything you’ve ever seen before and will have you stretching your grocery budget farther than you ever thought possible! I’ve taken years of experience teaching live seminars and developed a comprehensive strategy that’s proven to reduce your grocery budget.

And there’s no reading required! If you’ve been wanting to learn about saving money on your groceries but haven’t had time to sit down and read all the websites you’ve had bookmarked for months, this is the course for you – just download the MP3s and listen anywhere! You’ll learn everything you need to know by listening to the series.

It’s so well-rounded and comprehensive that it will help everyone from the most experienced coupon shopper to a newbie who doesn’t want to clip coupons at all!”

 

What’s Included?

The Grocery University course includes:
Grocery University

✓ 139 minutes of audio MP3 files – learn everything you need to know by listening!
✓ 40-page student workbook (PDF) with more tips, visual aids, and example scenarios.
✓ BONUS! The Grocery University Rock Bottom Price Database PDF ($10 value on its own!)

All information is delivered digitally so you can start learning right away! Keep reading for more information or buy now so you can listen immediately.

 

More Information & To Buy Now

Affiliate links are included in this post.  If you sign up for swagbucks or purchase Grocery University through By Quiet Waters, I receive small compensation or bonus swagbucks.

Back to School Goals for August 11-16

11 Monday Aug 2014

Posted by in goals, Homeschooling, One Life, Parenting, teens, Uncategorized

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Back to School Goals for August 11-16

Two of my kiddos are starting back to school this week, but it is very different than in the past.  We’ve home schooled since the beginning with them, but this fall Mae and Petal Rose begin a full time course load at a school with a hybrid early college program.  So they don’t go full time (Monday through Friday) but it is still a significant amount of time away.

I am committing this next week to a little less of my own endeavors and plans, and a lot of watching & note taking to do my best to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Last week…

Intentional Relationships

Go to “Step into My Shoes” event with Chica

Backyard Smores & Stargazing – we did a few fun things, but not this one. Most nights we were falling into bed dog tired after dinner.

Receive Mae & Petal Rose home from their mission trip into a period of comfort and rest before they hop right into school classes on Tuesday

Intentional Self Nourishment

Get back on James 1 memory work

Reading:  What He Must Be, Where There Was No Church, Pursue the Intentional Life, Families Where Grace is in Place and Sheba’s Song

Continue the nightly walk or bike ride (4x), Strength exercises (4x)

Making this One Life Count

Attend Step into My Shoes and spend time after processing. Not letting this the opportunity to learn and grow pass me by.

Other Pursuits –

Create syllabus for General Science (Petal Rose & Chica will be in general science this school year)

Clean one fridge

Organize laundry/dish washing roomDone, some plumbing and gas work and not things are a bit jumbled again. This will be an ongoing job until I can move dishes back to the kitchen!

Intentional Relationships

BBQ with young family friends on their way to Alaska

Be open to the new rhythm & changes this year brings

Intentional Self Nourishment

James 1 memory work, Justice Study

Reading:  What He Must Be, Where There Was No Church, and Families Where Grace is in Place

Daily walk or bike ride (4x), Strength exercises (4x)

Making this One Life Count

Back to school outreach event on Saturday

Stay present and calm

 

 

Newsboys at Elitch Gardens

31 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by in Celebrations, Parenting, teens, Uncategorized

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Last weekend we had the fun opportunity to see the Newsboys at Elitch Gardens in Denver Colorado.  What a fun summer event, I was thrilled!

What a blast!  About two weeks prior I had found we could purchase VIP tickets to ensure that we were able to get in, since the concert was free with admission to the park.

What we didn’t realize is that the tickets were for the very front of the arena.  We found ourselves right in front of the stage, nearly center!

Newsboys in Concert

 

Family Fun, Newsboys Concert

Family Fun ~ Newsboys Concert

There was a security person stationed right by us and we were able to visit with him just a little.   I found myself praying for him off and on during the concert, as the Gospel was shared and sung though out the evening.  It was a great evening of worship and fun.

Newsboys in Concert at Elitch Gardens

 

Michael Tate greeting the kids around us

Michael Tate greeting the kids around us

 

Newsboys Drummer Duncan just before the set tipped and spun while he continued playing

Newsboys Drummer Duncan just before the set tipped and spun while he continued playing

The opening band wasn’t advertised so we didn’t know until 1GirlNation bounded onto the stage.  Mae recognized them right away and I was able to make the connection to a past conversation when she told me about some music by a “girl band.”

1GirlNation

1GirlNation

This was a first concert for our girls and I am so glad we were able to share it with them.  We are looking forward to Rend Collective and Casting Crowns in October.  A couple of us are working those two concerts as Compassion volunteers!

What I’m Into July 2014

31 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by in Books and Thoughts on Books, British Columbia Adventures, Colorado Springs, Gratitude, One Life, Parenting, Uncategorized

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What I'm Into

“>Grab button for What I'm Into

What I’m Into (July 2014 Edition)

Read and Reading:

July was a good month for reading in my house. I posted about the books that I read. There is also a nice stack of books on my nightstand that I started or continued reading. The Valley of Vision was introduced to me while we lived in British Columbia a few years ago. I’ve picked it back up and am reading/praying through part 1. The other books I either started or continued reading are “Where There Was No Church”, “Pursue the Intentional Life”, “Sheba’s Song”, “Fields of the Fatherless,” and “What He Must Be”.

TV: Not much TV this month. We did spend a few evenings watching Star Wars Episodes 1-3.

Music: Before going to the Newsboys concert this month I purchased their “God’s Not Dead” album off iTunes. We also enjoyed seeing 1GirlNation open that concert, had the pleasure of meeting them and we purchased their cd.

Big project:  July has ended with a bang.  Many bangs of the hammer that is.  Our basement bathroom & 2 closets were demo-ed and also our kitchen and dining room…all the way to the studs.  So I’m cooking in the backyard and washing dishes in the laundry room.  It is all pretty exciting and I can hardly wait to see it all finished.  The project is scheduled to take about 7 weeks so I am sure my anticipation for it to be finished will grow with all those trips up and down stairs to do dishes and out door cooking.

Before Picture, Kitchen Remodel

Kitchen a little ways into the demolition

What I Love: Being home, having my family all around me.

I didn’t love this: Rain and very cool temperatures most likely cancelling our upcoming camping trip.  That said, I am very thankful for the rain.  Drought and fire brought loss of lives and many homes the past several years and I am so thankful for no fires and lots of rain.

On The Blog. While I bounce around and am not that great a writer, I am glad that I finally was able to put some words to paper and tell one of the dark parts of my story. It is with the hope that others may be encouraged to press on, despite the ugly hard places one may find herself.

In the blogosphere:

How to make iced coffee!

Poverty does not have the final say

 

This is just a bit of What I’m Into, July Edition 🙂

Summer Volunteer Work

23 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Colorado Springs, Gratitude, Homeschooling, Life Long Learner, One Life, Parenting, teens, Uncategorized

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Our youngest 3 daughters’ summer volunteer work includes acting as historical interpreters at Rock Ledge Ranch.  The ranch has 4 historical sites, with junior docents working each site.

Summer Volunteer Uniforms, period appropriate clothing

Summer Volunteer Uniforms, period appropriate clothing

The ranch allows guests to visit the different time periods of our area and learn about the people who lived there, and what life was like at that time.  The historic buildings have been restored as close to their original state as possible.  The National Register of Historic Places added the ranch in 1979.

One benefit to my kids through their volunteering at the Ranch has been their deeper understanding of our local and state history.  Anything they now read about Colorado history, or even western US history, is greatly enhanced by their experience working at ranch.  They also apply what they learn outside the ranch to their conversations at the ranch.

It has been a rich experience and one our kids look forward to each January when they complete the application for the following summer.

Ticket Booth, TB Hut

Ticket Booth, TB Hut

If you are visiting the Colorado Front Range think about adding Rock Ledge Ranch to your plans.  Maybe you’ll get a tour led by some sweet junior docents and enjoy a peak into Colorado History.

Camping and Hobo Dinners

22 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Garden and Home, Gratitude, One Life, Parenting, Recipes, teens, Uncategorized

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We haven’t done a lot of camping in recent years, and I haven’t made “hobo dinners” since my daughters were pretty young.  Early this summer the kids were after us to plan a “real” camping trip with Dad as last summer we girls got out and did some camping, but Dad was away working.  So a camping trip was one of the first items put on the summer calendar!

And as this post shows up on the blog we are at camp, in a beautiful tent site on the river.  Our hobo dinners are in the cooler all ready to be cooked for the next 2 dinners.

Two mornings while the kids were all at vacation bible school earlier in the month I set to work.

The veggies were prepped.

hobo dinners prep shredded veggies

Shredded Carrots & Cauliflower

chopped carrots

chopped carrots

Veggies all prepped

Veggies all prepped

The ingredients all measured and mixed together for Turkey Veggie Hobo Dinners, using this recipe

Pretty Eggs

Pretty Eggs

Turkey Veggie Hobo Dinner

Turkey Veggie Hobo Dinner

I tore out 8 pieces of foil that were about the size of a small rectangle cookie sheet.  I spooned the mixture onto the first sheet and began folding and shaping the packet.  Once I had the shape I wanted I rolled the foil on top.

folding hobo dinner

folding hobo dinner

Then I pressed and patted it all again to make a nice rectangle and folded the ends up somewhat like a present.

hobo dinner assembled!

hobo dinner assembled!

Finally, I wrapped the hobo dinner with another layer of foil.

Five packets fit nicely into the gallon freezer bag, so I ended up with 2 bags for the 8 servings.

hobo dinners ready for freezing

hobo dinners ready for freezing

Hobo Tacos is another set that I assembled.  We’ll eat them with tortilla chips and fresh veggies.

hobo tacos

hobo tacos

Keeping the hobo dinners in the gallon bags inside the cooler keeps everything nice, with no waterlogging our dinners and no contaminating the other items in the cooler.  The bags of dinners also help keep the cooler cold!

Do you make Hobo Dinners?  And what recipes do you fill them with?  I’d love to expand our hobo menu!

 

 

Backyard Camping

21 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by in Gratitude, Nature Study, One Life, Parenting, Uncategorized

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Backyard camping has always been a fun activity for our kids.  The idea of sleeping outside in the summer is appealing and we have the perfect backyard for it!  While the sisters were all away at a leadership conference, Chica and I “went camping”.  While I was busy with some other things Chica put up the tent by herself, inflated the air mattress and made the beds!

Backyard Camping

tent in the backyard

Finally I decided this summer to purchase a small fire pit.  We’ve had other fire pits around the yard but after the fires the last 2 summers (black forest, waldo canyon ) I wanted something a little tamer.

 

Backyard Camping

Backyard fire for roasting hot dogs & marshmallows

Looks like we need to chop smaller pieces of wood!  We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and sat around the fire talking.  We have skunks and raccoons in our neighborhood and I was a little nervous about being up too late.  We headed to bed in the tent before we had any visitors.  It was a blast and I imagine the kids will be backyard camping off and on the rest of the summer!

Birthdays, Spellbinders Paper Crafts & a GIVEAWAY!

10 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by in Celebrations, Education, giveaways, Parenting, Uncategorized

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SANDRA READ is the winner of this giveaway.  Congratulations!  We have two other giveaways listed this month, here and here.

 

What a fun surprise it was to find a Spellbinders paper crafts kit in the mail one afternoon.  Birthdays are always happening around here, and one of my daughters had just told me that another friend of her’s had a birthday the next day.  A package of cute cardmaking kit and gift bag decorations arriving in the mail was just the thing!

This is what arrived in the mail that afternoon!

spellbinders paper crafts supplies

Spellbinders Creations supplies

whipping up a cute card

whipping up a cute card

an "ice cream" card

A sweet papercrafter & her ice cream cone card

spellbinders "best day ever treat bag" filled with sweet things

decorated treat bag filled with rolos and starburst tuc

The kits were very easy to assemble as everything except the glue was included in the kit, and the design was quite simple.  I can see how these kits would be nice to have tucked away for a quick project, but since we enjoy cardmaking and crafting, we usually have a stash of supplies to whip something cute together.  It was fun to try out this product but more than likely I wouldn’t purchase the Spellbinders paper crafts kits.

One the other hand we were sent the Spellbinders Celebra’tions “Many Words” polymer stamps to give away and I could see us using these often!  It is almost tempting to just keep them… but no.  We have a good supply of rubber stamps and embossing supplies so I’ll go ahead and share this with YOU!

many words stamp set

many words stamp set

A set of 15 clear polymer stamps includes words such as Thank You, Surprise, Celebrate, Happy Birthday, Yummy and more! Perfect for special occasions to everyday, use alone or put words together to create your own saying. Easy to clean and condition with our True Color Fusion Stamp Cleaner.

Spellbinders® Celebra’tions™ Line by Richard Garay creates a heartfelt greeting or event that has never been easier until now. Inspired by Richard’s passion for paper crafts, event hosting and handmade greetings, he designed this line to help others achieve those beautiful results every time. Every element is coordinated so this cheerful, bright and yummy collection makes creating a Celebration not only easy, but also inspiring!

Approximate Stamp Sizes:

4 x 6”

If you would like to win this set of clear polymer stamps enter below!

Leave a comment telling us if you enjoy paper crafts & card making.

Share this giveaway on facebook, twitter, pinterest and leave the link in the comments.

Like By Quiet Waters. and tell me in the comments

This giveaway goes until July 19.  PLEASE leave your email in the comments so I can easily contact the winner.  We are in and out of town, mostly OUT without wifi the rest of this month.  Leaving your email in the comments will make it simple for me to contact you if you win this giveaway.

Thank you for reading this review.  The product was supplied to me by the Spellbinders brand in exchange for a product review.  The opinions expressed on this blog are my own.

This Moment

04 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by in Gratitude, One Life, teens, Uncategorized

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{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo – 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, visit SouleMama and join in!

 

Mae & Marme, America the Beautiful Bike Ride

Mae & Marme, America the Beautiful Bike Ride

 

Oh how I love this girl.  This week we had the opportunity for an early morning 6 mile bike ride together.  No one else was up and wanting to go, so it was just her and me.  And it was fabulous.  We had a great 2 hour conversation.

Even though I crashed my bike towards the end of the ride, it was abosolutely the best time!

Thanks be to God for this girl, her words, her gift of encouragement, the way she is growing in wisdom and understanding!

What I’m Into June 2014

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Books and Thoughts on Books, Compassion International, Education, Gratitude, One Life, Parenting, teens, Uncategorized

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What I’m Into (June 2014 Edition)

Read and Reading: Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker, The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson, The Good News About Marriage, and Walking Prey

TV: Just this month I turned on PBS for my granddaughter. We sort of watched Clifford the Big Red Dog. I wondered if she would choose the Clifford book at the library this week, but no, she wanted the book with the baby on the cover. I’m actually relieved about that, that she prefers a photograph of a face over a big red dog.

Music: DCTalk, Toby Mac, Newsboys and Hillsong United Zion. Chica and I bought a few cds on our mother daughter getaway in June, when we could not find an audiobook. Neither Barnes & Noble nor Family Christian bookstore had any variety of classics in audiobook format. Back to amazon or iTunes shopping.

New discoveries: Glenwood Springs Hot Springs and the Glenwood Canyon bike trail. Zip Lines are FUN!

What I Love:

Mae & Marme, America the Beautiful Bike Ride

Mae & Marme, America the Beautiful Bike Ride

with Petal Rose on the spinny ride at Elitch Gardens June 2014

with Petal Rose on the spinny ride at Elitch Gardens June 2014

with Chica on the trail to Hanging Lake

with Chica on the trail to Hanging Lake

I didn’t love this: mosquito bites. Living in Colorado Springs has many many benefits, one being very few bugs. On our trip to the western side of the state I was bitten dozens of times. Before we travel to Bible Camp and on our planned camping trip, each on the western side of our mountains, I am going to order Bug Block!

In the Blogosphere:  Organizing for a busy toddler

The Responsibility of Opportunity

On The Blog:  I am working on 2 parts of my story and hope to get one of them posted in July.  I’m also sharing more about our Compassion kids and my family’s partnership with Compassion International.