Nina and Pinta

A replica of the Nina and Pinta are docked on the Ohio River this week. Pop-pop and Gramme took the boys on Monday while I had a little breather. They had a grand time! The boys were very intrigued by the ropes and rigging....right down a little boy's ally.






What was so amazing to me was how little the ships really were. I always imagined Christopher Columbus sailing these large magnificent vessels but that just wasn't the case. The Nina (Columbus's favorite) was 65 long and the beam was 18 feet and the Pinta was 85 feet long and beam 24 feet. I found it interesting that the Nina traveled at lease 25,000 miles with Columbus as captain (on several different journeys). You can read more information at www.thenina.com

Home is Heaven

Several weeks ago I posted about visiting my friends in West Virginia, Bill and Ruby Oldaker. I kept forgetting to post that Bill made peace with God and gave a clear testimony several weeks ago that he was ready to die. This morning at 6:45 Bill went home. Pray for Ruby and their children, Scott and Amy. Ruby said that over the past 8 months of caring for Bill she's packed a treasure chest of memories and it has been amazing to see how God has worked and used her in Bill's life to prepare him for this time.

Walker?

Are we going to have another "walker" before his first birthday? Today he really started taking off.

Doings

This week has been eventful but not too taxing all at the same time. Philip came down with a cold last Saturday and really has been under the weather until Friday. Slowly his strength is coming back....just in time for him to teach Aldersgate all next week! Allan has slowly gotten over his sickness (this is the same sickness we've been trying to get rid of since Labor day!) but Daniel started having a really bad cough again this week. Stephen has finished his second round of antibiotics and I'm praying that we're finished with this nasty stuff. Lesson learned: Start all members of this household on a Zinc, Vitamin C and Echinacea supplement the FIRST of September next year! Last year when I did it we didn't have any serious bouts until I ran out in April and thought we were close enough to summer to quit .... NOT!

Monday Philip did drag himself to class (that's the bad thing about being in the field of education, if you're not there....there isn't anyone to take your place!) and then came home and went to bed as soon as he could. The boys and I on the other hand had a wonderful day. Some of you mother's know what I mean...every once in a blue moon.....everyone is right on schedule, you get accomplished what you intended to accomplish for that day plus some extra, you have lots of energy, the house is clean, laundry folded, you feel relaxed and think....why couldn't every day be like this?! Mondays are usually never like this....I'm always trying to catch up from Sunday's activities. My thought at the end of the day when I crawled into bed was, "This was a great day....surely tomorrow won't be as profitable." Shame on me for even thinking such a thing but goodness was I ever right!

Tuesday was the school picnic so Philip didn't have to get up and go to class so he was planning on staying in bed and trying to get back on his feet. He had a meeting in Franklin, OH in the afternoon that he'd have to get up and about for but other than that he was hoping to relax. At 1:30 am Allan woke me up saying he was sick to his stomach. The fog of sleep dulled the seriousness of the situation until it was too late! So after helping him and cleaning up the bathroom we took our pillows to the spare room to see if it was the flu or something else. Thankfully it must have been something else. Since it had been an unusual night I didn't wake the boys as I usually do (since I slept in also) but let them get up when they were ready. They were slow getting up and getting their beds made, breakfast was late so they got dressed late. Everyone was sluggish and all the extra energy I'd had the day before was gone! I put Stephen down for his nap and helped the boys straighten their room, put in a load of laundry and we started school. We hadn't been working very long when I remembered that he had music class so we hopped in the car, I drove him to school and dropped him off then Daniel and I ran to the grocery store to pick up a few items. On the way back we were delayed due to the main road in front of our house being closed due to this police chase. We got back to the school, picked up Allan and went home to continue school. Upon arriving home I decided to quickly cut up a chicken and put on to boil for a pot of soup for supper (since the cafeteria was closed due to the picnic). As I was cutting up the chicken and the boys were playing in the living room all of the sudden Allan started screaming (the serious kind of scream) and as I quickly washed my hands to see what was happening he came stumbling into the kitchen with blood pouring from his forehead. The nice thing was .... he couldn't see it. I grabbed a paper towel and avoided his question of, "Is it bleeding, is it bleeding?!" and tried to see what the story was going to be. It actually wasn't as bad as I had feared it was going to be but knew it was going to require stitches. I took him upstairs, woke Philip to get his opinion and we were agreed. So I gave some hasty instructions to get everyone through the next few hours and we headed to Children's Hospital ER.

I won't give the blow-by-blow details but I will say this: we arrived at 11:40 and were home by 1:10. That's impressive. Thirty minutes of that was waiting for the numbing gel to take effect (BTW...this stuff is marvelous! No needles anymore!) He got his three stitches all the while being entertained by a really nifty cart they wheeled in that had a sticker on it that said "Child Distraction Station" (I wonder how much they cost? I'd like to have one!). There were bubbles and lights and a projector that put pictures on the ceiling above the gurney. The visit was concluded with a Popsicle and on the way home he said, "I want to do that again! That was fun".

I arrived home to find that we were without power (and were until 5:30 that afternoon) so there wasn't anything I had to do. No e-mails to catch up on, no laundry, no vacuuming, no supper to prepare so I took a nap! It was rather nice.

Wednesday we got back into the previous days school lessons and prepared for Philip's D-Group to come. Thursday I spoke in Academy Chapel and fixed a snack for Phone-a-thon. Friday we finished up our school week a little ahead of schedule and I prepared for my D-Group to arrive in the afternoon. We spent the evening at Mom Brown's (Dad was gone for a speaking engagement) and today we made applesauce and did the usual Saturday stuff. Stephen is bathed and asleep, the boys are in the tub, and everyone is happy and in one piece :o) I'm looking forward to another Lord's day and some rest. Blessings!

Happy Birthday Daniel!

September 19th was Daniel's third birthday. We celebrated at Pop-pop and Gramme's house by grilling hamburgers and hot dogs along with having cake and ice cream. The theme for Daniel's cake was an aquarium with Nemo and Dorie. He liked the cake but didn't like the "chocolate part" (ie. icing is all that's needed).

His favorite gifts were a dog (Named "Naggie" translation....Maggie after David and Charlotte Frederick's dog) from Pappy and Grandma Slagenweit and a little bulldozer from Poppop and Gramme.

I thought these pictures were good of Dad and the boys....dad's face is a little swollen due to some dental surgery two days before.


We're so thankful for the dimension that Daniel adds to our family. All three of our children are vastly different in personality and this guy is the one who brings some of the lighter moments in our home. Two quick examples:

A week or so ago we were over at the cafeteria getting ready to eat lunch. I was dividing the food and grinding Stephen's when I realized (out of my peripheral vision) that Daniel was doing something odd. I know mother's should be more in tune to what their children are doing but there was a lot going on and I wasn't paying attention. I turned just in time to see him, nose upturned, spit into the air! I was horrified! "What are you doing?!" I asked him. He turned to look at me saying, "I'm an archer fish and I'm catching my lunch." I think the idea of spitting not being appropriate is lost on him since God created this fish to do just that! Hopefully after our conversation he understands that God didn't create him to be an archer fish and so spitting is not appropriate.

Last week I needed to run to the grocery store and decided to go before the boys woke up. Unfortunately, Daniel woke up about 6:30 so I decided instead of having him go back to his bed and risk waking the other two boys that I'd just take him with me. Again, my mind was on getting what I needed and getting home before anyone else got up. Being that early none of the cash register's were open...just the U-Scan. I began scanning my items while Daniel struck up a conversation with the attendant on duty. There was a "hiccup" in the conversation which caused me to break concentration from what I was doing an listen to what was being said. The attendant was saying something to the affect, "Are you okay with that? Does that make you happy?" Daniel gave her an affirmative answer so she said, "Well that can be a good thing." The hesitancy in her voice prompted me to ask, "What did he just say?" Her reply was, "He told me he just got a new daddy!" She doesn't know me well but by watching us enough she knew that he probably hadn't just gotten a new daddy. I told her that he's had the same daddy he's always had and there's no plans on changing that! We laughed but I think in the future I'll pay better attention to what my children are saying!

Daniel has blessed our family and taught us so much about ourselves in the process. Most recently his example has challenged me to "take everything to God in prayer". Periodically you'll come upon him hunkered down talking to himself and if you ask him what he's doing he'll say, "I'm praying". The other day I found him like that in the hallway about 10 minutes before naptime and I asked him what he was praying about. He said, "I'm asking God to help me be quiet and stay in bed during naps." (These are the two rules of naptime....he has trouble with both) How often I should be asking God for help instead of trying to manage the situation on my own. In the process of teaching our children to love God with all of their hearts and help them develop Christlike character, I have realized that God also is using those children that he has placed in our home to help us develop Christlike character. It's not just a one way street. What a joy to be growing together towards what God wants us to be!

Last weekend and Stephen's dedication

Last weekend my parents came in from PA for a visit and Stephen's dedication. The boys could hardly contain their excitement and now that Pappy and Grandma are gone they're hoping Thanksgiving comes soon so they can see them again.


It was such a short visit but anymore I'm thankful for whatever time we have together. Sunday we had Stephen's dedication and it was a treat to be able to have a double dedication with Nathan and Charity, Philip's brother and his wife and our nephew, Alex. Because of the Labor Day fireworks the service was held early so we could get back in Cincinnati before the interstate closed.



My mom and dad had to leave Monday morning so that mom could be back to work at the Post Office Tuesday morning. But Nathan and Charity stayed until Tuesday. Unfortunately, Stephen was sick with a double ear infection and the start of bronchitis, Allan was running a high fever and Daniel also got sick. I fought the bug with all my might but by Monday morning I knew I'd lost the battle. So, we canceled the planned family picture and hunkered down until the bug passed. I did have to make a cake for Tuesday...I had so been looking forward to doing it but had to just do the bare bones due to lack of energy! That was a disappointment.

But now the week is almost over and everyone is pretty well on their feet except for an occasional cough. We celebrated my birthday yesterday and had a leisurely day today. We built a fire this evening and enjoyed having family devotions around the fire...the boys are bathed and in bed.



I'm getting ready to do some ready and ironing and then turn in. I'm very much looking forward to worship tomorrow! For some reason my soul has felt disquieted this week and I'm longing to quiet myself before Him and "look full in His wonderful face...the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." Blessings!

Saving - How to - Part 2

After Philip and I sat down and figured out the budget it then became my challenge to see if I could fall below the budgeted amount. I enjoy seeing how far my money can go. But I'm not interested in reinventing the wheel. I have three children who are counting on me to spend the time and energy necessary to train and nurture them. So I rely heavily on others to do most of the time consuming work for me.

Saving on Household Items

Number one: Every item that we use in our home has two questions posed to it:
1. Is this item necessary? (would something else suffice?) What I find is that many times you pay for the convenience of an item. Example: paper plates are not necessary and can be costly but they are handy! The only time I buy paper plates is if I can get them free or less than .50 cents a package. Another example is laundry detergent. It's nice to just measure and pour but at .15 cents a load or more I decided that was an area that had to be cut. I have made my own laundry detergent for about 3 years and though it takes about 15 minutes to make every two-three weeks, the cost savings (at a penny per load) more than makes up for my time.

2. How could I have/buy/use this item for less? This will help you decide what are your non-negotiable. For example: I find that paper towels in our home are not really necessary. Their main use is for draining items that have been fried. Spills are mopped up with a rag and the rag is then washed. Hand soap is always diluted in our home. With children the soap is so thick that 3/4ths of it goes down the drain before they're even able to catch it so every when it's diluted not so much gets wasted and it lasts longer. This is the same for every liquid item...instead of a quarter sized dollop of shampoo how about using a dime sized portion?

Maximize your savings
1.The best way to save money is to buy items when they are at their lowest price. Most items come on sale every 12 weeks. When you stock up at those times then you're not having to purchase at a time when they are at full price. Building a stockpile can take some time but it's well worth it. Even if you don't have use for it at the time go ahead and take advantages of the sales while they're here. Particularly on items that are non-perishable. For some time Kroger was running a .99 sale on their 4pk of Cottonelle toilet paper. There were lots of coupons for .50 that were released (Kroger doubles all coupons up to .50) which meant I eventually had a 6 month stockpile of toilet paper that I got for free.
2. To maximize saving couple store sales with coupons. This is where some work is involved. I am a "couponer". Every week I get the inserts from the paper (ask neighbors or close relatives if they would mind giving them to you...or get your local paper) and file the coupons. You'll have to come up with a system that works best for you. Some people clip all the coupons and file them, others keep folders labeled with the week the insert was printed. The key is to use a system that takes a minimum amount of time to keep organized.

Now here's where my outside "help" comes in. I used to be a member of the grocery game and still highly recommend it to anyone who is getting started. It's a very easy/friendly system to use and well worth the cost. But for those of you who are looking for free comparable systems here are some of the ones I use:
Money Saving Mom
Cincinnati Cents
Coupon Mom
If you live in the South then Southern Saver might be helpful to you.

These are sites that tell you the sales and what coupons will match the sale.

I also am a CVS'er and a Walgreens patron. These programs can best be learned by reading this , this, and this. I know it's a lot of information to digest at once and I'll have to admit it took me almost a full year to finally get to the point where I'm comfortable with what I'm doing but it is so worth it. Read this testimonial! My Current CVS savings for Spring 2008 – $757.89
Total spent in cash for Spring 2008 - $15.68 You can read her story here.

Okay....that's probably enough information overload for now :o) I'll pick up with this topic next week and write a third part. Have a good weekend!

Ways to make money

I'm working on a "savings" post that will be posted by the weekend (hopefully). But here are just some things that I've done to help bring in a little extra cash.

Research Panels - If you're able to get on a research panel those can be great money makers. Usually you travel to the study site and give your opinion on everything from green beans to strollers. Sometimes there are take-home studies that involve using the product for a specified amount of time and at the end of the study you are paid. I've been paid anywhere from $25 - $150 depending on the type of study. One that I've done several studies for is AIM - Assistance in Marketing. Go here to sign up. Once you join one panel you usually get placed on other lists as well.

Product Studies - There are two main ones that I do product reviews for. One is Proctor and Gamble. They do a lot of diaper and wipes studies and most of them pay well. There is a screener to be filled out and you can do that at the Discovery Center (located off of I-75) or you may be able to have them send you one if you call 945-0085 or 945-4454. Sometimes when I've gone to turn in a study they've had smell tests for fabric softener that takes about 10 minutes and pays $15!
The other one is a feminine care product study. This one is fairly regular at needing people. Just call 825-8027 to be put on their list. The last study I did was for 1 week using 12 different products and it paid $75.

Medical Studies- these are the best paying but can be the most involved. Cincinnati Children's Hospital lists their studies on bulletin boards with tearpads at each of their branch offices and sometimes at pediatricians offices.

The other way to get on their list is to write the following address and ask them for a screener to fill out so you can be entered into their database.
Atten: Mark Schuller
Office for Lcinical and Translational Research
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
3333 Burnet Ave MLC 7004
Cincinnati, OH 45229-9980

Or you can call Kristie at the Clinical Trials Office at 636-0098

These can be a simple as an X-ray of a body part to studies of new drugs. Sometimes they've just asked to observe my child playing and performing small tasks for an hour and they pay $50. Allan and Daniel both had x-rays of their backs and we were paid $15 each. Daniel is in a soy study right now where I keep a diet record for 3 days, he eats some soy each day for three days and then he gives a urine and stool sample on the third day and we do this every 6 months. It's $100 per visit. He's been doing this since he was 6 months old and next week is his last visit. The last visit involves a blood draw.

Several years ago I put Allan in a study that included blood draws and nasal washes (is was an investigational nasal vaccine) on 6 different occasions over a 3 month period. We were paid $700 if I remember correctly but I decided then that if there are too many blood draws or any other unpleasantness that I wouldn't do it. Sometimes it's just a one time deal which isn't so bad. Allan just donated 2 Tbs of blood, 20 hairs and a urine sample for a DNA study they are doing. They placed numbing gel on both arms and he never felt the needle and we walked out with $100 for the 1 hour visit. (They also give them really cool stickers and snacks!) Mainly you do these studies at the Gamble program which is right off Reading Road (about 7 minutes from us) or at the main hospitals. Sometimes the studies are for things that you would normally do anyhow except you get paid to do it. For example: they're investigating if the new method of producing the chickpox vaccine is as effective as the old. Stephen is participating in this study so in a month, when he would normally get his chicken pox and MMR shot I'll be taking him to the Gamble Program. They'll administer the shots and the following three days I have to monitor him for fever, fussiness, etc. Then I'll receive a total of three phone calls over the next three months where I report any sicknesses he's had. Once the study is over we'll have received $250 plus the free shots.

So that's some of what I do. There are adult studies also which I don't mind putting myself through. Many times its just donating blood. Right now they're doing a study on an medication used for cholera. You spend 10 days in the hospital (all expense paid vacation!) while the study is taking place and I think the compensation is $1500 - 2000. Philip has absolutely forbid that I sign up! (since people can die of cholera) But the 10 days of quiet really appeal to me!

If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at mariannebrown@apbrown2.net and I'll try my best to answer them.

Saving - Philosophy - Part 1

Several people have commented, contacted, or talked to me asking about ways that I've learned will help save money. That has motivated me to put some things down in writing that will perhaps give some answers and help others who are endeavoring to stretch their income. Some background first:

Managing money has always been a struggle for me. During my teen/college years if I made a dollar, I spent a dollar and a nickle (or so it seemed). When I found myself in grad school paying for gas in my car, an apartment, groceries, personal items and a school bill I soon realized that something was going to have to change. That's when I became serious about taking responsibility for my spending habits. When I married Philip I knew the ministry that God has called us to is notorious for its small income but I was determined about two things: 1. God had called us to this ministry and I wasn't going to whine and complain about the salary (this is something that I wasn't very successful in at first and if you've ever heard me complain about our paycheck please forgive me) 2. I was going to use wise stewardship of our funds so as not to bring reproach on the ministry God called us to.

Philip and I both strongly believe that the income that we receive is not "ours" but rather a wage we receive for our labors that we then are stewards of. One day we're going to give an account to God for every penny that has gone through out bank account. God's keeping account of whether we're laying up treasures here on earth or are we laying up treasures in heaven. To be able to be a good steward and lay up treasures in heaven on the income we receive means living carefully. Sure we could live better than we are living now but this life isn't about us or our comfort...it's about expanding God's Kingdom.

Now, don't take me wrong. We live like kings! As I sit here in our lazy boy with a laptop on my lap (one of the three computers we own) and look around my home I am amazed at God's abundant blessings. My children regularly comment about being rich and I gladly agree with them. God has blessed us materially, and I'm thankful for all of the "things" he's given us. But that's not where my happiness comes from. Those things break down, have to be replaced, maintained, given my time and attention until sometimes I wish I didn't have so much stuff! But what brings me happiness is because we've made some choices about our spending habits we can give to ministries and causes that reach beyond our sphere of influence and enable them to further the Kingdom of God. That's why I save money!

Yes, God does expect us to be wise to prepare for the future and we do that. There are long range plans of owning a home and moving out of the city. But those aren't the things we base our happiness or security on.

What I'm trying to say is this. As a family you'll have to decide what is important to you. Ask God's direction for every financial decision you make. Base your financial philosophy on the principles of God's Word. Realize that you're only a steward, not an owner (Lot had a good handle on this, that's why he could say, "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes. Blessed be the name of the Lord".) and God has a right to remove anything that's drawing you away from becoming what He wants you to be (particularly if it's taken the place He rightfully deserves).

What I'm about to share is what I've learned/am learning in this process of being a good steward. What works for our family will not necessarily work for yours. Every family has its own "culture" which means different values are placed on different things and so that has to be taken into consideration when you're planning.

Update....taking a break

This has been one of those weeks where there hasn't been a moment to sit....except for meals since the week began. It's insane. Monday I had a babyshower cake due so I did that and we had school. Tuesday morning Stephen needed to see the Dr so we spent the morning there and Allan went to school with his daddy and worked on his assignments. We planted our fall flowers on Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday another shower cake needed to be done. This was a mad hatter/whimsical cake so it's supposed to look disproportionate. The bottom layer is smaller than the top and they are a lot of work since fondant is necessary to keep them together. I finished that this morning and then had to take Stephen back to the Dr. since he was no better and I was convinced that the Dr on Tuesday was not correct in her diagnosis. (She was wrong...he has the start of bronchitis and a double ear infection). The garden continues to need attention in fact I must pick green beans this afternoon and fry a batch of okra. I'm also working on getting the house cleaned for my parents visit this weekend. It just needs a quick going over but the laundry monster is about to eat me alive. So this afternoon I'll clean the downstairs while the boys sleep, this evening I hope to do some canning, after the boys go to bed I'll get all the laundry folded, tomorrow I'll clean the upstairs and do the baking that I'd planned, get some food things prepared for our Sunday dinner and iron the clothes that will be needed over the weekend and the first of next week. Nathan and Charity are coming this weekend also so it's going to be one very busy weekend! I'm sitting here now to get off of my feet but the work isn't going to get done this way so off I go, "into the wild blue yonder!"

Garden

Our garden has done so beautifully this year. We're still harvesting okra, tomatoes and green beans. In fact, this afternoon I need to cut and fry okra again and pick the green beans so that I can do a canner load this evening. We're working hard to stay ahead of the squirrels but that means picking the tomatoes just as they are turning and then allowing them to ripen on the porch. I'll probably have to do them the first of next week. Here are some pictures from the garden. I know the okra looks anemic compared to what they grow in the South but for us it's pretty good.