Jul. 23, 2008 - How To Vacation At Home
This will probably sound funny, since I am on my computer right now, ha ha.
Sometimes life just gets too chaotic and you have to put your foot down. We decided to do just that. From July 21-27th the children and I have unplugged our phone, ignored our emails, put away the keys to the vehicles and just chilled. Wow! Of course, we still have to prepare our own food, wash our clothing, and such, but we have scaled back to the bare minimum. Instead of all the running around, appointments, etc. etc. we are swimming, sitting under the maple tree, picking blackberries, star gazing, reading books out loud, playing board games, taking leisurely walks, visiting each other, listening to sermons at home, doing our favorite crafts (when we want to), and just having fun. I am really trying to overlook any "messes" that happen and just let the children be.
On another summer note, I have really enjoyed PEACHES. They are in season right now, so I am drinking LOTS of spinach/peach smoothies. They are so good for you and I feel better when I drink them. In addition to that, I have been eating more fresh peaches as well. My two year old will eat two in one sitting...the juice dripping off his elbow and running down his chin. It's so cute. Much better than seeing a toddler walking around eating a Little Debbie, don't you think? I sure am going to miss peach season.
Unfortunately, Shawne is not able to join us on our mini-home-vacation, but has been working even harder than usual. We are grateful for his dedication and we miss him terribly. We do try to make the most out of every minute when he is home. I also have been packing a quart of my Green Smoothie in his lunch box, he says it gives him so much more energy than coffee. Yay!
So, if you can do it, I highly recommend having your Vacation At Home. Just tell everyone you'll be on vacation next week. When they ask where you are going, just tell them it's a secret! :o)
Jun. 21, 2008 - Seasoning Recipes
To make a version of Lawry's Seasoned Salt combine
2 Tablespoons sea salt or Real Salt
2 teaspoons sugar (or whatever you use)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
To make a delicious Homemade Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix (think Hidden Valley Ranch without the MSG and hydrogenated oils)
Mix in an air tight jar:
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup onion powder
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Lawry's Seasoned Salt (see recipe above)
1/2 teaspoon citric acid (usually found in the canning section of the grocery store)
1 jar (or 1/2 ounces) parsley (finely crushed powder, not big flakes)
1 teaspoon black pepper or white pepper (optional)
Once you have your powder mix you can store it in a jar and use it when needed. Here's how:
Stir one teaspoon (or more to taste) of mix into 8 oz sour cream or thick yogurt. Pour buttermilk into sour cream mixtrue until it is the desired thickness for dressing. If you prefer thick dip, leave out the buttermilk or use only a little. You can also use this powder with mayonnaise and butter milk or soy sour cream substitute or veganaise. It's delicious.
May. 10, 2008 - Rebate Bribe ~ Don't spend it!
Here's a great suggestion, use your rebate to pay down credit cards, mortgages, or stick it in savings. Don't dump it back into the economy. Read more here.
May. 1, 2008 - Non toxic anti perspirant and deo....
It kind of tickles me that people find this interesting, but ok, here goes, by special request... If you are interested in an alternative to the stick and roll on anti-perspirant/deodorant that causes cancer there are several things you can do to keep body odor at bay. 
Probably the simplest thing, is to purchase a crystal rock. All you have to do is run it under water then rub it on your skin. This was the first thing I used. Another thing you can do is when you get out of the shower, or before you get dressed, rub a little coconut oil on your skin, it has antiviral properties and it really DOES work! One thing that I do, perhaps some might find it a little extreme, is by taking a daily dose of Liquid Chlorophyll. Not only does the liquid chlorophyll act as an internal deodorant but it is also good for you.
Ok, so there's the run down on how you can get away with NOT using toxic underarm sticks. 
Apr. 26, 2008 - Children, Obesity and Your Grocery Budget
Obesity in children is a growing epidemic in the United States. I believe in part to processed packaged foods that are shoved in their faces at every turn, but also due to lack of exercise and hard work! Children are not required to do the same amount of work as children just a generation or so ago! I know that I am more lax on my children concerning manual labor than I should be. We recently bought a used push mower for our 10 year old son and he loves mowing with it! This is a great form of exercise for him, and it also gets out all that pent up energy that he would be buzzing with during school time! If he only mows a little each day, it helps in numerous ways!
Another factor in childhood obesity is that we as parents, tend to allow our children to overeat. I have a problem with this on many levels. Not only is it unhealthy, but it is a waste of food, driving up our grocery bills. Some questions parents should be asking themselves....What is a serving size? Here's a fun game that will teach children how to recognize a serving size. What should my children be eating? What foods should my children be avoiding? Keep in mind children need adequate calories to meet their needs for growing and energy, howver, portions that are too large could lead to overeating or seem overwhelming. To teach children to eat only until satisfied instead of overeating, we as parents need to serve smaller portions to our young children and encourage them to ask for more if they are still hungry. Also, providing a relaxed atmosphere for eating will slow them down, allowing more time for them to assess fullness and aid in digestion!
If we make a recipe that serves 12 for a family of 6 and there are no leftovers, we should know that someone is overeating! Many times children take their cue from us parents! Do we overeat? Do we reward ourselves with sugary treats? When we do these things we are speaking powerfully to our children without words! Yes, our children are growing, yes we may have boys entering the teen years, but is that really an excuse to let them overeat? One way to get an indicator of our child's health is to check their Body Mass Index (BMI). While this is not a perfect way to determine body fat, it is a good indicator. Sometimes muscular children will have a high BMI but not actually be fat, this is when you use your eyes and the numbers to determine the truth. If you think your child might be overweight or obese, and their BMI is in the 85th percentile or higher, then they may very well be headed down the road to obesity.
It is a well documented fact that centenarians (people who live to 100 years of age or longer) are classic undereaters (healthy undereaters for the most part), consistently active, positive thinkers, and socially active. It's never to late to change bad behavior patterns, get out side and start playing ball with your children, then have a small, healthy picnic lunch, adopt a can-do attitude and you're well on your way to raising a generation of children who will live longer, healthier, more productive lives!
Here's a fun book:
If I Live to Be 100: Lessons from the Centenarians
Apr. 23, 2008 - Closet Clutter Be Gone
Clearing out the clutter challenge! I did my bedroom closet, it had outgrown baby clothes in it! I never wear those! I just took everything off one surface at a time so that I wouldn't get overwhelmed by the enormity of the mess. It works for me that way.
Now it only has my clothes in it and the baby clothes are ready to be handed down or given away.
Ahhh, much better. While I was organizing and clearing clutter, I made copies of my children's zone chores for my household organizer, and also added a copy of our current schedule to the open planner beside my kitchen computer. This way anytime we walk by we can see at a glance what we are supposed to be doing... uh, but that doesn't necessarily mean we'll be doing it, like right now, I shouldn't be here! Bye!
Apr. 16, 2008 - Page with Non-toxic Recipes is ready
Ok, as promised...here's the link to my website page with my home cleaning recipes are. I will try to add more as I think of them.
Apr. 15, 2008 - My Dream Yard
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyXFcbFoAd8
Apr. 15, 2008 - Save a tree, skip the coupons
Ok, we've been trying the coupon thing and I have to say, sorry, coupons just aren't worth it! 
I'm sure this won't be a popular post, but I promised I would check it out and report back, so here goes nothing. There's a lot of information in this post. I could have added lots more websites, etc. but I have many more responsiblities, so I tried to just sprinkle in a few of my "reasonings" behind each of the products that I do not purchase. (to read why I don't use certain products just click on the product name)
I checked my cost per person per meal before I used one single coupon and it was $1.02 and that did not include snacks or the packed lunches I sent with my husband, so if I factored those in, I know it would be much less than $1 per person per meal.
I scoured and scoured the coupons for ANYTHING that we would use in our home...zip...nada... Cold cereal, canned biscuits, cookie dough, instant potatoes, frozen "meals", carbonated sugary beverages, "light" drinks?? No! Toothpaste? Nope, don't use it. Anti-perspirant, deodorant, hair spray, nope, nope and uhhhh nope! Over the counter medications? Nope. Prescription drugs? No. Disposable diapers or other sanitary products? Rarely. Laundry detergent? No. Drug store make-up? NO WAY! Are you getting the picture? (By the way, I asked around what was considered a "good healthy cereal"...the answer, Special K. Well, I checked the ingredients, and since when was High Fructose Corn Syrup healthy?
Now, I know that most people out there DO buy those items and for those folks, I say, if it is something you ALREADY purchase, fine. In my experience that hasn't been the case. Although, there have been a few exceptions. I do use my Staples Business Rewards card (we purchase supplies for the mortgage company) and from time to time I get something good from Staples, like free pens or $$ off of a case of paper, etc. I use those. I also got some toilet paper for pennies per roll by combining a coupon with a store sale.
I still think a better way to save money is to use less stuff. It is not only a way to save the money currently in your wallet, but to save your health later on. You can clean your entire house with just a bottle of vinegar, baking soda, and tea tree oil. If you want you could even use some of the money you are saving from not purchasing all that other garbage that pollutes your body and the environment, to buy some great essential oils!
We use lavender in the rinse cycle to make clothes soft and sweet smelling. We use lemon, lime, or tangerine in our vinegar to spray on countertops...better than Pine Sol any day! A few drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract in your dish rinse water will kill bacteria. For polishing furniture, nothing beats pure olive oil and you can add one drop of lemon essential oil to make it smell like that old familiar Pledge! Pre-treating laundry stains? Try hydrogen peroxide, borax, club soda, or just plain old soap!
Trust me, if you clean up the home environment and get rid of those toxic fumes (Glade Plug ins, Febreeze, Oust, etc. etc.) you'll save the money you've been spending on those products, plus the money you've been spending on your allergies and other ailments caused by your toxic environment! Start your research today, make it a unit study, a home school report, add a page to your website, spread the word! And just say no to those coupons...save a tree!
Mar. 25, 2008 - Money, Your Children and the Future
Having a family means more than just piano lessons, soccer and endless loads of laundry. It means being financially responsible. How can large families save money in a time when the dollar's worth is plummeting around the world? How do you implement money management when the economy is worsening on a daily basis? Being responsible with your loans is the first step. The second step is to simply be responsible. How does that work?
Financial responsibility means more than simply putting away a few extra dollars when it is convenient. With a large family, the question of college savings should be answered as soon as possible. How can you put away money for your family's future when you barely have enough to live on, as it is? The first thing that you need to do is ensure that any loan payments are met on time, every time. If necessary, short term loans can be used to meet this requirement, as long as they are paid off immediately. I have a friend who is scraping frantically to save for her daughters’ wedding, instead of enjoying this time of planning, preparation and last days with her at home. I first suggested a smaller, less expensive wedding, then perhaps a loan that she could pay back as the money came in.
Being financially responsible constitutes more than this, though. It means a drastic reduction in spending, for example watching movies at home as opposed to going to the movie theatre. It means looking at money differently than most of society. Our consumer driven society wants everything right now; I call it the “gimme-gimme culture.” With a family, that is just not possible. Responsibility will mean looking at each new purchase with a critical eye and asking yourself “how many hours will I have to put in at my job to pay for this?” or “Do we really need this?” You'll be surprised how often the answer is "no." While many new things are useful, handy or downright exciting, you don't need them.
Investments should play a role, as well. Putting money into investments when you have a family may sound difficult, and it can be. However, if you don't save, then your children's future might not be what it should. Your ultimate responsibility is to the welfare of your children and every financial decision you make should be geared towards that.
Mar. 24, 2008 - Bathroom Counter Clean Up
This is a bit embarassing, but 7 people share this bathroom! And it was after getting ready for church on Sunday
Mar. 21, 2008 - Learning to Save at the Grocery
Today I signed my 16 year old daughter Macey up for Crystal Paine's Supermarket Savings 101 online course! After she completes this course she will be responsible for doing the shopping for our household for 6 months! The course is very reasonably priced! I know we'll make up the cost in our first shopping trip. Check back frequently for updates on how it is going, and hopefully, success stories and pictures.
Mar. 20, 2008 - How To Make Money Online
Have you ever heard of Cash Crate? You can make money online filling out surveys! Some friends of mine actually get checks in the mail doing this...That's my tip for today. $$$
WARNING: Be very careful about what kinds of things you fill out while doing online surveys. Since we started doing Cash Crate, so far, we have had a Trojan Horse virus on our computer, had various charges mysteriously show up on our phone bills, etc. etc. Maybe it's not worth it.
Mar. 11, 2008 - Have you seen my website?
It's at www.stuffbyhuff.com
I used to have it at Freeservers because it started out free... but there was never any customer service and the website would go down all the time. I recently moved it and now it stays up all the time, AND I get customer service 24 hours a day / 7 days a week! It was so easy to build too. I hope you like the way it looks. I can't believe how easy it was to transfer the entire site and I got to keep my domain name too. All this for only $7.95 per month!!!
To find out more, or to start your own website click the gator...
Feb. 27, 2008 - Great project for school or church
I just put a post on my family blog for making a blue jean broom skirt out of recycled blue jeans. The leftover legs can be used for making blue jean quilts...This would make an excellent project for school or church. Just start saving those old worn out jeans! Check it out at my other blog.
Here are three skirts I made from "outgrown" jeans...(I saved the legs for more quilts)
