Teachers Gift: Pressed Flower Bookmark

Today we worked on making some gifts for the girls teacher.  Over the weekend we picked some flowers and greenery, put it between sheets of newspaper and pressed it in the phone book.  Today we got them out and they looked like this:

We used some card stock to make bookmarks and the girls wrote messages to their teachers on the back.  On the front they glued some of the flowers and leaves.

I put clear packing tape over the bookmarks to protect them.  We punched a hole in the bookmark and used some yarn and beads to make a dangle. And there you go beautiful bookmarks for the kids teachers.

Where I Stand on 4 Everyday Life Choices

On Friday Simple Mom talked about 4 everyday life choices we face when we simplify our lives in this post .

So I thought I would post what I do here.  Every one's life is different so when it comes to simplifying your life you have to chose what works for you. 

Question 1:  Should I take the time to clip coupons?

I don't clip coupons.  There just doesn't seem to be that many for the stuff I normally buy and no stores around here double coupons at all.  So for the time spent it doesn't seem worthwhile to me and it would probably just tempt me to buy more processed foods.

Question 2: Should I line dry my laundry or use my clothes dryer?

I line dry my laundry.  I live in the country so I have lots of room to hang it out and no neighbours to be checking out my undies on the line.  I enjoy going outside to hang it up and find it peaceful and relaxing.  In the winter I have a line strung across my basement that I use to hang my clothes.  I do have a dryer and it does get used occasionally but most of the time my clothes are line dried.

Question 3: Should we have a land line phone in addition to cell phones, or cell phones only?

Well, having a cell phone only wouldn't work where I live because the reception is spotty.  We have instead chosen to not get a cell phone and we only have a land line.  Sometimes a cell phone would come in handy but we have lived without one for this long and another monthly bill is not something we need right now.

Question 4: Should we become a one car family?

We have two vehicles (three if you count the truck which is used mainly on the farm) and have no plans to become a one car family.  Living in the country we have to drive everywhere, nothing is in walking or even reasonable biking distance.  So if we had only one car either I would have to drive my hubby to work and then pick him up again or be stuck at home all day.  Neither option is appealing to us so we are going to stay a two car family.

There that's our decisions on these issues.  Where do you stand?

Thrift Store Shopping

As the warm weather approached I realized that my summer wardrobe needed some new tops.  Last week when I was in the city I took a quick peek around Walmart but I did not see anything that I liked.  So the other day when I was in town I stopped by the local Salvation Army Store to see what they had.  It took a bit of looking through the racks but I found four tops that I liked.  In addition I picked up a few books for the girls.  In my previous post on reading I stated that I rarely purchase books choosing instead to use the library.  However, it is nice to have some of your own books around to take outside, or on camping and other trips without having to worry about losing or wrecking a library book.  Purchasing used books at garage sales or thrift stores is a great way to do this without spending a ton of money.  I got all of this for under $20.00.

I think I will save the books and give them as end of the school year gifts to the girls.  They will be great for summer reading and a way to reward them for a completing another year of school.

So don't overlook your local thrift store when you need to purchase something and if you are going through your closet or bookshelf please consider donating your items.  It is the ultimate way to recycle and benefits both the environment and your pocket book.

Earth Day

Today in honour of Earth Day I am going to list some of the things I do that are green and what I would like to improve on.  Most of the things that I do that are green I do because they are also frugal.  I definately want to help our environment, but it does help that these things also help us financially.

What I Do:
1.  I use cloth diapers all the time when I am at home.
2.  I use cloth rags for the majority of my cleaning, rarely paper towels.
3.  I use CFL's in the majority of my light fixtures.
4.  I donate to and shop at thrift stores.
5.  I line dry my laundry.
6.  I only wash clothes when they are actually dirty (we wear a lot of our clothes more than once).
7.  I do try to recycle most things.
8.  I have a garden and grow some of my own vegetables, as well as apples and raspberries.

Things I Want To Do Better:
1.  Turning off electronics and lights when not in use and teaching my children to do the same.
2.  Remembering to bring my cloth bags when I go shopping.
3.  Choosing products with less packaging.
4.  Buying organic and/or locally grown fruits and vegetables. (I struggle with the decision to buy organic because while green it is not frugal but I do think it is a good thing to do so I will try when I am able to buy organic this year).
5.  Being more conscious of the energy I use and try to reduce it.
6.  Use as much of the produce from the garden as I can.  Also try not to waste food.

Reading!

Reading with your children is a great activity to do.  It is frugal, fun, educational, and calming.  We read to/with our children every night and also throughout the day when we get a chance.  It is a relaxing thing to do together and they enjoy it very much.  My children are not great readers and it was a struggle when my oldest was in grade one to get her to practice reading every night.  But it was worth it. Now that my children our older they will sometimes read on their own  (usually with our encouragement).  Yesterday it made my heart sing to watch as my oldest read a story to her sister.

And so he doesn't feel left out here is my son on the floor with a book propped up for him to look at.

I love visiting our local library.  There are many books to choose from and it is FREE.  I rarely purchase books because we are blessed to live in a country that has libraries for us to use.  And even though I live near a small town with a smaller library our province has a province wide system and I can request books from all over the province for FREE.  And not only books but movies and music as well.  My kids love picking out a movie from the library to watch and of course they will also pick out some books as well.  Also our library has a number of programs for kids as well and they are FREE.  My kids attended the preschool storytime for years.  They really enjoyed it.  It consisted of the reading of a couple of books and an activity (usually a craft ) related to the stories, and a snack.  My girls are now to old for this but in the summer the library has a summer reading club for school aged children which they enjoy.  So check out your local library and enjoy reading on your own, to your children, with your children, and then watch your children read on their own and to each other.

Starting Seeds

Today I started some tomato seeds.  Every year I plant a bit of a garden.  My ambition is always higher in the spring and I plant a bunch of stuff.  Then summer comes and I would rather spend my time at the pool than weeding the garden.  Last summer the weeds took over my garden and most of what did grow was eaten by grasshoppers.  However, I did have lot's of tomatoes, corn, and some peas.  So it was still worth it.  Hopefully I  will do a little better at keeping it weeded this year.  Tomatoes are one of my favorite things to grow as they are fairly simple to grow and a homegrown tomato tastes so much better than a store bought one.  There is just no comparison.  In Saskatchewn you have to start your tomato seeds indoors because of the short growing season.  It is easy to do and saves me some money since I don't have to buy them as bedding plants.  I don't start many seeds indoors because you do have to have some space with good light to grow them but having tomatoes in the garden is a must.  I planted early girl and centenial rocket which are both bred to be early (which again is good in Saskatchewan's short growing season) and also some cherry tomatoes which are great to snack on.

When the girls came home from school we planted some flower and herbs in clay pots we had decorated.  This was a great activity to do with them.  Kids love planting things and watching them grow.  I hope to have them grow their own little garden this summer.  So we will see how that goes.  I am also thinking of having them make their own garden journal.  I got this idea from Frugal Family Fun (which is great blog by the way and has great kids activities.)  I think I may just use a notebook instead of a binder but cutting the pictures out from the seed catalog is a great idea.