Grocery Shrink

I had some lovely posts planned for you the second half of the week, but we have been so busy baking and shopping and wrapping and cleaning and being sick that it will have to wait.  So please join me on Monday for some thought provoking posts, recipes, and organizational ideas to get us ready for the New Year!

If you have a lot of children you are going to laugh at me, but I’m having a hard time deciding on a name for our baby boy. We’ve already named 3 boys with our favorite names and our list has run out.

There are so many nice names that we can’t use because we have a large family and a large circle of friends that have taken dibs. So Seth, Sean, Isaac, Jacob, John, Peter, Paul, and pretty much anything starting with J aren’t available.

I’ve made it a matter of prayer and will continue to do so. I’m sure the Lord will answer when the time is right. But it will feel so nice to have something to call our cuddly little bundle while we wait to meet him.  And in the mean time it’s fun to look at names.

Here’s a list of some that Darren and I can agree on, though none of them really grab us. Do you have any opinions? The last name is Coffman if that helps you hear the music of it. How about pairings of first and middle names?

And here’s a couple of photo of what all our babies pretty much look like, though these are Brandon.  They are generally big and fat (around 9 lbs) with loads of dark hair and poochy lips, lol.  I really like our babies.  Though the sono tech says this one is smallish so far.  That would be a unusual and since I’m pretty sure on our dates I’m hoping that they were a little off on their measurements and that everything is okay with baby. 

Possible baby Names

Garrett: German: Strength of the spear

Matthew: Hebrew: Gift from God

Andrew: Greek: Manly

Hugh: German: Intellect

Jeremiah: Hebrew: God will set free

Keith: Scottish: Forest

Gregory: Greek: Watchful, vigilant

Thaddeus: Aramic: Praised Greek: God’s Gift

Curtis: English: Courteous

Beaumont: French: lovely hill

Gabriel: Hebrew: God is my might

Gideon: Strong warrior

Grant: French: Great Tall

Jared: Hebrew: Descendant

Kraig: Gaelic Cliff Rock

Kyle: Gaelic: Straight of water

Milton: English: Settlement by the middle town (My dad’s middle name.)

I’ll be 23 weeks pregnant tomorrow and haven’t talked about my pregnancy much.  I thought I’d remedy that with a review on maternity belly bands.  I have purchased the products mentioned in this review myself and have not been contacted by any company to promote their products, so what you read here is my unbiased opinion and personal experience.

This is a stock photo from Target.com

Normally this is an item I would make myself instead of paying $16.99-$35.00 for a simple tube of fabric.  But while I have felt my healthiest this pregnancy, I have also felt my most overwhelmed.  Trying to juggle 3 businesses while still homeschooling, preparing our home to list,  and caring for my family has just about snowed me under and I haven’t touched my sewing machine (except to make an emergency Christmas program costume at the very last minute) in months. 

About 16 weeks pregnant, I could no longer wear my pre-pregnancy pants, and my maternity pants looked clownishly large on me (even though the labels said they were the same size.) I had purchased regular jeans one size larger at the thrift store on half price day fully expecting to cut off the tops and add maternity panels (following the tutorials here.)  But honestly I can’t tell you when I will be able to do it.   So they were laying useless in the bottom of my drawer. 

In desperation I plunked down the $16.99 at Target for a black Bebelly Band made by Bella.  I bought the smallest size (I was prepregnancy a size 6.)   To be completely honet, I felt guilty about the cost all the way home., though it is the lowest price band on the market.

My first impression of the band was less than complementary, but I was mad at myself for buying it instead of making it and was looking for a reason to take it back.  There is no tag, and the brand and size etc is screen printed on the inside.  This makes the fabric stretch weird at that spot and at first glance looks like it might have runs in it.  It does not though and it holds up great with repeated washings.  The fabric is a nylon lycra blend, like swimsuit fabric but with a matt finish instead of shiny.  Almost like a dry-fit type of fabric.  It is very light and very stretchy, with good recovery and good support. 

Can I make it myself?  Yes and no.  On close inspection of the band I realized I could not make it myself.  The band is completely seamless with no elastic but is knitted specially at the top and the bottom to make it hold well and not slip.  It is pure genious and I’m so relieved that I can stop feeling guilty for not making it myself.   It held up my too big maternity pants like a pro, and gave support to my back at the same time.  As a bonus the slight compression also helped me retain less water throughout the day.  Somestimes I would wear it just for the support even when I didn’t need it to hold up my pants.  Now if I just wanted it to cover my belly for shorter shirts or nursing and not hold up my pants, I could have totally made it myself in about 5 minutes from some cotton/lycra knit for less than $5.  But I’m convinced that a cotton band would not effectively hold up my pants.  I’d love to hear your experience with them since I haven’t tried it.   (To make a belly cover myself, I would sew a tube a fabric about 18 inches tall and about 2″ smaller than my hips with a stretch stitched hem.)  For more on making one yourself skip to the last paragraph.

Does the pressre cause nausea?  There were times that the band became uncomfortable and upset my stomach, I either removed it or folded it down under my belly to relieve the pressure. 

I still wear my band often even though my maternity pants fit great now.  I even went back and bought a second band in the light khaki/nude color.  This works a lot beter under my lighter colored tops and with my khaki pants and is nearly invisible.  I’d love to have a white one too, but haven’t justified the cost yet.

Do they work to hold up unzipped jeans?  Just recently, I pulled out my thrift store jeans waiting a transformation and slipped them on completely unzipped and pulled the belly band over.  I was amazed how comfortable it was.  The belly band smoothed out the bumps from the open jeans and even under tighter shirts was undetectable.  I was surprised how comfortable it was.  I didn’t feel the zipper in my skin or pressure from the buttons.  And the fabric gave with me as I moved and breathed without slipping.

So are belly bands worth it?  I think so.  I highly recommend the BeBelly bands from Target for their quality price and effectiveness.  I’ve heard lots mixed reviews about some of the other brands but havn’t tried them to speak to their effectiveness. 

Even though the Target price is the lowest I’ve found for the seamless nylon/lycra bands, I totally get that some of you can’t spend that much right now.  I think you could make one that is almost as good yourself if you choose your fabric carefully.  The higher the lycra content the more effective it will be.    Also using 2″ wide hems will help the band not to roll at the edges and give you more support without elastic.  One fabric that looks promising is this Dryflex High performance knit that is 90% poly 10% spandex and only $7 a yard.

Biscotti is a tasty little cookie with a big crunch.  It is lower in fat, sugar, and calories than traditional cookies and goes great with hot chocolate, coffee, or egg nog.  This recipe rivals any bakery biscotti out there and makes a great gift.  Click here for the recipe

This candy bouquet gift idea comes from Lorrie Look’s 3rd grade Handmaiden class.  It’s so easy all the girls made one for their mothers and they turned out so cute!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 plastic cup

beans, rice or sand for weight

1 piece of festive tissue

1 styrofoam block 2″ square

Decorative paper shreds

assorted individually wrapped candies

toothpicks and hot glue

1.  Pour some weighting material into the bottom of the cup, just enough to keep it from tipping.

2.  Wrap the cup in tissue.

3. Stick the styrofoam block into the tissue wrapped cup and top with some paper shreds.

4.  Use a hot glue gun to attach the toothpicks to the candy and stick them in the foam in an attractive arrangement.  Then get someone cute to present it for you.

Cruising is my favorite way to travel, because next to camping, it is the least expensive way!  When you cruise, you see a new country or several cities in the United States on a travelling resort.  You unpack once and sleep in the same place each night.  Your food, lodging and entertainment is included in the same price and you never wonder if you will be able to find a vacancy.  Often the 3rd and 4th persons in a room get a significant discount ($100 off) so taking children with you can be affordable too.  The downside is rooms only hold 4, so for a family like ours, we have to bring help if we want all our children to come.

So how frugal is a super frugal cruise?  We are taking a 6 day, 5 night cruise to the Caribbean for $250 for the first and second persons in the room and $150 for the 3rd and 4th persons in the room.  So essentially the adults were $250 each and the children were $150.  This includes all our food, lodging and entertainment on the trip.  Gas to the port, one night stay in a hotel and gratuities will be extra.  We could have purchased the trip for $229 and $129 per person, but I thought about it for 2 days and the price went up!

My dad is the king of finding super frugal cruises!  He taught me 5 basic rules to taking a frugal cruise:

1.  Drive to the port.  Depending on how far away you live, driving usually is the same price as 1 airline ticket.  So if you have 2 in the car, the travel is half price. We look for cruises that port in New Orleans or Galveston, TX since they are each about 14 hours away to drive–doable in one day.  This time we are packing 7 people in our car, so we are saving a bundle on airfare.

2.  Don’t drink alcohol.  You can have plenty of fun without alcohol.  Non-alcoholic drinks (like water and soda) are usually complementary on a cruise, but alcohol costs extra–a LOT extra.  Did you know that gram for gram alcohol has nearly as many calories as pure fat?  Instead of your wine cooler, imagine a glass of chicken fat.  Gross huh?  And when alcohol is involved someone usually ends up looking like a fool.

3.  Don’t gamble.  The ships are full of casinos, but they also have movie theaters, dance floors, rock climbing walls, roller skating rinks, ice cream machines, hot tubs, pools, water slides, ice skating rinks, mini-golf,  aerobics classes, live production shows, dancing lessons, napkin folding classes, crafts, sports contests, basketball, indoor gym equipment, a library, art gallery, pool table, ping pong, a walking trail etc.   Everything except the casino is 100% complementary entertainment.   

4.  Book inside passage.  This basically means that your room won’t have a balcony or windows.  If you want to see the ocean, there are plenty of observation decks that you don’t need to pay extra for.  And inside rooms come with all the same free entertainment, luxurious food, and room steward services as other more expensive rooms.   We have always cruised inside passage and always had a fantastic time.

5.  Book your cruise at the right time.  Prices on cruise ships fluctuate outrageously.  One day the ticket may be $750 and in a couple of weeks the price may fall to $250!  So watch and wait.  Don’t have your heart set on a certain cruise line, or departure date.  Be a little flexible and you’ll find a great deal.  Our favorite place to look for the deals is www.Vacationstogo.com (no affiliation.)  You have to be ready to buy immediately when you find your deal, because the price won’t stay that low for more than 1 day.  So start looking when you have your cash all saved up.

6.  And here’s  another great money saving tip from my Uncle:  Bruce wrote: “Another good tip is to stay the night before at a motel that will allow you free parking while you’re on the curise. It adds the cost of a taxi ride, but it’s still cheaper than the port parking.”

Other costs to keep in mind:  If you are leaving the country you will need a current passport.  These can cost around $100 a person so be sure to figure that in to the price of your vacation.  Children can usually travel with their parents with just an original copy of their birth certificate, so be sure to ask about that ahead of time.  You will be responsible for tips on your cruise which are about $10 per person per day.  You normally pay tips to your room steward, head waiter and assistant waiter.  These tips are in addition to your cruise price.

Excursions:  These are trips that you can take at port when you go on land.  You can book these ahead with your cruise line.  It is a lot more expensive to take these trips this way.  Often you can find the same excursion at point of purchase for less money.  The benefit of booking through the cruise is that you are guaranteed to make it back to your ship on time.  (If your ship leaves without you, you are in an expensive mess!  You’ll either have to find your own way home or pay to get yourself to the next port to board the ship there.  The ship leaves when it says it will.  It won’t wait for you unless a ship sponsored excursion reports in late.)  Also, if you are travelling to South America, your safety is more sure on a ship sponsored excursion. Also, popular excursions can fill up.  If you book early through the cruise, you are guaranteed a place. I plan to walk around and enjoy the city this time, without booking an excursion.  But I have done it both ways in the past (booked through the cruise, or waited and booked when I got off the ship.)

Restaurants:  If you are in port during meal times, you have the option to go back on the ship to eat.  This food is part of your ticket price and doesn’t cost extra.  You can also choose to eat on land in a restaurant to save the walk back to the ship and maximize your time in port.  You’ll want to bring extra cash (or international credit/debit card) for this.  Most places that host American ports also take American currency.  Also, there are lots of places to eat on a cruise ship.  Most of them are free, but some of them cost extra.  Find out ahead of time where you can eat for free (the food is fantastic there! and will be available on the ship somewhere 24 hours a day.)

Most cruises have a formal dining room which is optional but complementary.  This is a 5 star dining experience where the waitor puts your napkin in your lap for you and brushes the crumbs off the table in between courses.  One or two nights on your cruise (depending on how long your stay is) will be formal nights–black tie apparel.   It’s a fun time to dress to the nines and get your picture taken.  (Purchasing photos costs extra-$20-$30 a sheet, but having them taken is free.)  Other nights, formal dining is church attire–no jeans or shorts.  If you need or want to purchase formal wear be sure to plan this into your trip cost.  We have a blast shopping at thrift stores for our special occasion dresses, and our men usually wear a black suit that they already own.

I love formal dining, because I get to know several members of the staff very well.  They are usually international, speak in several languages, and have lovely stories to tell.  On the last formal night, the staff will put on a singing show that is a blast.  I usually cry after the last formal dining experience, becuase I know I will never see these dear friends again, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

So that’s all I can think of about cruising.  Anyone have something to add?  P.S.  I look longlingly at the spa, but do those types of things at home.  I have a sister-in-law who is a massage therapist and a great friend who is a spa technichian, so I’d rather support them at affordable prices, than pay through the nose on a cruise ship.

P.P.S  Most people spend enough too much on their groceries to buy a cruise ticket every month!

It’s like edible Lincoln Logs.

And it made him happy.

When he’s happy, I’m happy :).

Today is my 12th anniversary.  Pretty cool huh?  On 12-12 we celebrate 12 years.  Darren said we should have waited 2 more years to get married so we could celebrate our 12th on 12-12-12.  I’m not sure I could have waited that long unless we lived in separate countries.  He’s pretty good looking :).

So here we were 12 years ago.  Naive and blissful.  Oh we are still plenty blissful, but less naive. 

Who would have thought 12 years later I would be here, expecting our 6th gorgeous baby?  What wonderful blessings the Lord gives us!

I’m not sure what we will do to celebrate today.  Life is so busy right now we are in survival mode.  But in 2 weeks we will go to the Country Club Plaza for a lovely dinner and a walk with all the Christmas lights in full glory.  And in 6 weeks, we will take our 3 oldest children on a super frugal cruise to Mexico and that makes me very happy!