ThredUp.com

I've been looking into a site called ThredUp.com

Since I'm such a frugal person, the site has really got me interested. The idea is to swap boxes of your kids old clothes, with other people.

So the site sends you the boxes (just USPS Priority Flatrate boxes) and you're suppose to stuff them full. Then you go online and list your box. Then someone who wants your box, purchases it for $5 plus shipping, which in a flatrate box is like $10.95.  I then go online, print off the prepaid mailing lable (the buyer paid the site and the site purchased the shipping) and then I leave the box on my porch for the mail carrier to pick up (the site sets all that up as well). And when it's my turn to want a box, it's the same process.  Along the way they offer credits and discounts, along with PRO (VIP) memberships.

The biggest issue I have is that there arent any pictures of the items listed so you have to go purely off of what someone else has written about their items. Some, though, have been putting links to other places to view the clothing, which is what I would be doing.

I went on today and ordered my first box. It's clothing for the little twinkies. It should be here in about a week so I'll keep you posted on how it all turns out. I think this is a great idea and I'm hoping it works out ok. I decided to bring you along for my trial run. If you decide to join in on the fun, then make sure to sign up under me cuz you'll get a $5 credit toward your first box! 

Here's the link...

http://www.thredup.com/175375

If you check it out, make sure to leave your comments about it here so we can all decide if it's as good as it appears!!

I'm hoping to put my first box on the site sometime tomorrow. I will make sure to put a pic on here first, incase someone out there is interested in it. Then you'll have a headstart once I post it to the site. And when I get my first box, I'll make sure to post a pic of the items I received on here as well.

Being frugal is so fun!!!  :)

A Clarification

So, I've had a few people ask me about my last post. They wondered if I was only talking about "blogs" or if there were other items on my mind.

The truth is, I was speaking about many areas of my life. Of course, blogging, was one of them (I'd love to have a nifty fun blog that others flock to but this is not my season) but there are other areas such as, "work". I'd love to be doing photography but it's not the right time. Sure, I could force my desire into our lives but it wouldn't be what's best for my family. I believe that when the Prophet continues to ask us to not work outside the home (he knows we DEFINITELY "work" in our homes with our kids and spouses, etc) that they mean NOT to work outside the home (if at all possible). I don't want to be a "cafeteria" member of the church...just to take what I want and leave what I don't.

Another area is "doing stuff for me". There are SO SO SO many things that I would LOVE to be doing right now. SO many interests and activities that I'd LOVE to be participating in. I would probably faint if I found myself with an afternoon to do whatever I WANTED to do. You know, Greg just handing me the keys and saying "wake me when you get home" kinda thing....BUT again, it's not my season. And also again, I could "force" those type of situations but I'm choosing not to.

Sometimes, I look at others Facebook statuses and find myself daydreaming of that being my status. How silly is that?!?  I know it's totally ungrateful and completely unacceptable...but I do. It only takes a couple seconds before I slap myself in the face (not literally) and take a step back so I can look at the MAJOR blessings in my life!!!!  I'm sure there are people out there who look at my life and find themselves daydreaming about being me....WELL....except double-duty on diaper blow-outs!!  ;)  But you know what I mean. As a wonderful Stake President of mine once said..."If the grass is greener on the other side....then start watering your own grass!!!!"   Such a wise man...I miss you Pres. Draper!!!

Then there's the one that bothers me the most....getting the things I want done around the house, done. I look at other moms, with more kids than me, and they seem to be organizing and reorganizing, decorating and redecorating, crafting, sewing, cooking, baking, etc., etc.  I just don't know how they do it!! I have a list a mile long of things I want done, within my own home, and when I actually mark one of those items off....it's like I won the lottery or something!  I get so excited and I feel so good BUT it's rare...very rare!!

So, to all these items and to those I didn't even list, I say the same things...."it's not my season" and "I could do it but at what cost to my family?"  I'm not playing the "poor me" victim. I know I could do all these things...I may not be sane by the end of each week, but I could do them. My family may be in shambles, but I could do them. It may not be the Lord's season for it...but I could do them. I have my agency...we all do!!  I'm just choosing to wait for the correct season in my life (time in my life...however you want to say it) to do those things. I believe that since I'm waiting, I'm learning a lot about sacrafice, service, and patience.

When we do things the Lord's way, we always come out with greener grass than we started out with!!

Moments Like This

Well, for the last little while I've been contemplating my last post and what I've decided is that I can't focus on stuff like that right now. And, to tell you the truth, I'm really embarrassed that I wasted any time on the situation.

Right now in my blessed life, I have four wonderful kids and one wonderful husband to care for. I have a new home and two new babies. I'm in a new state and making new friends. I have a new role as "teacher" and I have a new calling in my church. There have been lots of new changes in my life and I need to make sure that I'm using all of my energy to deal with them, in the best way possible.

I can't worry about what others are doing. I can't spend more time trying to figure out how they are doing the things they're doing. I'm not assuming they're neglecting other areas of their lives to accomplish what they do, but I know for sure that I would be, if I were to do those same things.

I need to not be "wanting" for more when I clearly already have it all. I need to be thankful and feel very blessed to have the life that I've been given. I need to enjoy this season in my life. I need to focus on what's important. I need to do the "best" things first and if I have time for the "better" things (Good, Better, Best Conference talk-Elder Oaks) then great! I need to let go of "what I can't do" and be overly thankful for "what I can".

Before I know it, all of my children will be grown and gone. I will be sitting in my empty house wishing I could hear their baby cries and their "Mommy? Mommy?" (repeated 100 times) as they come to find me. They may live far away and I may only get to hug them a couple times a year, if at all. These moments I have right now, are priceless. They truly are gifts from my Lord.

I know this all to be so true...I know it deep in my heart. I'm just so very thankful that my brain has finally caught up to what I already knew, to what I've probably known from the preexistence. We are here for our family...we are here to serve our family...and as a mother, I get a million opportunities each day to do so.

So, I apologize for my selfish post and I know now where my focus needs to be. I'm so grateful for moments like this that allow me to grow as a person, as a daughter of God.

The Dilemma...Being Left in the Dust!!

I am obviously SO out-of-the "how to blog" loop that it's completely pathetic!!  I haven't done much of any "blog surfing" since the very beginning of my blogging life. And even then, it was a very limited.

So fast-forward about 4 or so years, and I just thought..."hey, what the heck, lets see what others out there in the blogging world are doing"  UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM......yeah, again, IM COMPLETELY OUT OF TOUCH when it comes to blogging.

People out there have fun blogs that look like they've been scrapbooked, they have advertising on their blogs, they have awards they've earned and awards they are giving out, they cross out the words that they don't want to share or do they and they like to write really BIG and really little to express their emotions and may even add a little color for anger and sadness. They have "themes" (photography, handmade gifts, savvy shoppers, etc), never-ending contests and give-aways and they seem to be trying to be the person with the most "followers" (kinda like Facebook...who can have the most friends). So, to say the least, I was totally baffled by it all.

Now it looks like I'm gonna have to keep up with the Jones'. I mean, I can't be left in the dust, right? I'm too competitive for that! The dilemma....I have no additional time to invest in my blog.  Not sure what I'm gonna do yet... but "do something", I must!! 

Stay tuned!

Homeschool Update

Many people have been asking me how "Miller Elementary" is going and I've finally found a couple of minutes to answer that question (if the girls continue to cooperate).

First and foremost, I have got to say, with the greatest of fervor, that homeschooling my children is definitely the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my entire life. I would never have guessed the positive effect that it would have had on me when I first started. Every single day, I can look back and say that I have changed my children's lives in a positive way, I have taught them something new, I have given them more and I have spent quality time with both of them and they are better kids than they were a few short hours before. I have been able to use the scriptures in my teaching with reading, spelling, verbal communication, history, personal development, etc, etc.

I have been able to teach US History in a very Christian kind of way, explaining that God is the founder of our Blessed Nation and that is was by the guidance of the Holy Ghost that man came to live on the American Continents. It was a wonderful experience to teach about how Christopher Columbus used only the guidance of the Holy Spirit, not his knowledge nor tools, to find his way here (from his own words). How amazing is that? Do you think they teach that to the children at public schools?  Ummm...I think not!!

I have been so blessed by this change in our lives, far more than I ever could've imagined. I had assumed it was going to be "hard", that I wasn't "qualified", and that I would get resistance from the kids, but again, I was so wrong. It seems to come so easily, like when I'm teaching them a good choice from a bad choice. I'm able to counsel with them as I teach them and it's only made the bond between us that much stronger. I, without a doubt, feel the presence of the Spirit in my home while teaching. I know I'm doing the right thing even if I had doubted myself in the beginning. The Lord knew what I needed to do and I'm so so so glad that I opted to follow His guidance. I know it has been a blessing in my life and I'm hoping it's a blessing in the lives of my children, as well.

Now, as for those of you who are curious about my methods and curriculum, I have pretty much stayed the course that I had planned in the beginning.

I still REALLY like the Charlotte Mason method. I've found a wonderful website that I've gotten some curriculum off of and I've found it to work perfectly with the way I want to teach.

The areas where I have altered things a bit are...the schedule (I was trying to fit too much into one day and feeling stressed if we didn't get through it all) and using the Thomas Jefferson method.

I really like the Thomas Jefferson Education...I love the idea behind the method, but sadly enough, it doesn't work out with my schedule. I can't be that "follow me" type of teacher because I'm usually dealing with the twins while the kids are doing their work. BUT I do think I may go back to that method, to some degree, once the twinkies aren't so demanding and I have time to sit down and learn right along with them. I'm sure that as we continue through the remainder of the year, I will continue tweaking my method here and there, to make it a perfect fit for our family.

Again, I'm so grateful for this opportunity to teach my children. It's a priceless experience. I hope to continue to do homeschooling for Ellie and Emma, as well, just as long as that's the way that the Lord would have it.

Oh, one WONDERFUL thing about homeschooling....NO LAME SCHEDULE TO HAVE TO FOLLOW AND NO MORE HAVING TO ANSWER TO SOMEONE ELSE ABOUT MY CHILD!!!  I've never liked it when the school's would call wondering why Hannah was late or absent or why we decided to take her out for a week to go on vacation.....UMMMM...she's my child, NOT THEIRS!!!  I'm much happier now that I only answer to myself :)

Catey's Give-away

check it out...Free stuff!!!

http://randomthoughtsfromthezoo.blogspot.com/2011/01/cinch-by-cynthia-sass-review-and.html

FYI

Just so everyone knows...the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge doesn't work if you don't participate. I thought...maybe, just maybe if I thought a lot about doing the things required in the challenge, I would use enough braincells to burn a little weight  BUT NO...didn't work!! 

So, for those of you who plan on doing it next year, don't fall into the same trap as I did....thinking doesn't burn fat!!  :)

Though, I did do Zumba on the Wii today and had a blast. Made me realize how much I miss dancing!!