Game playing with friends

This evening we had a fun evening of playing Bohnanza with some friends. Bohnanza (which we sometimes call "Beans" because it is all about beans) is a game we learned from Kent and Christy and we had a lot of fun playing it so Ken found it and bought it online. The game takes a lot of interaction between the players and it is fun to see everybody's personalities come out. In the game you have to plant "fields" of beans. When you harvest you can get some coins and then whoever has the most at the end wins. What makes it fun is all the trading that goes on.

If you are playing games then snacks are rather needed. I made a chocolate cake and then tried something different. A friend (Pei-Lin) had said it was good with coconut milk in it and since I had a can I tried that. After that I decided to dot the top with marshmallows and then sprinkle coconut all over. It was pretty good but I didn't taste the coconut as much as I would have liked. Emily also brought over brownies which were a big hit. The kids helped to serve them to everybody and did a good job.
Jonathan also got glasses of water for who ever wanted one and then later Megan got in the act. She got refills for whoever needed one. She would usually only give you about 1/2 inch of water but then would wait right there until you drank it and would go get you some more. She was quite a faithful waitress. (And a pretty cute one!)
This is what the game Bohnanza looks like. Some other games we enjoy are:

• Rook
• Dominoes
• Canasta
• Euchre
• Spades
• Life (with the kids)
• And many more!! We are a game playing family and we enjoy having large parties over to play games. Personally I like that much better than having a movie night or something like that.

Do you have any fun games to recommend?

Extending the life of your shoes

As a general rule we spend very little on clothing. Shoes are probably our highest cost but we don't spend a lot there either. I thought I would write about some of the ways we make our shoes last longer and then I would love it if you would share any tips with me.

• Polishing leather shoes will help them last longer as it prevents them from drying out. Also polishing most shoes will help to improve their overall appearance which makes them nice to wear longer.
• Buying shoes that we truly like and will wear until they are worn out. I have not always followed this rule and then I would end up with shoes that I would not feel like wearing because I didn't really like them. Don't buy shoes that are just a fad. Sometimes when looking for shoes I can get frustrated with not finding ones that I like at a price that I like and I will be tempted to buy something that is second best but for me at least I have found it is better to be patient and wait to find something I truly like. Also sometimes it can be worth it to pay just a little more for a better shoe.
• Using the 3 pairs of tennis shoes plan. My normal method is to buy a pair of tennis shoes that I wear for when I am going places and I want to look fairly nice, then the pair of tennis shoes that were formally my "good" tennis shoes then become my around the house tennis shoes (I like to wear shoes, even when I am home working I feel more energetic with shoes on), and then the shoes that were my home tennis shoes become my gardening/mowing shoes and the gardening/mowing shoes from before that get to go in the trash. That method keeps my good tennis shoes looking nice for a much longer period of time. Generally I only buy new tennis shoes every 2-3 years. (Which by the way is not what is recommended by foot doctors but my feet don't seem to mind).
• Using shoe glue to mend soles that are wanting to come off, or cracks in the soles.
• Putting in new insoles to keep them comfy.

Here are some links for additional info on keeping your shoes in good shape:

• Essortment.
• Wikihow.
• Frugal living.

Also here is a recipe for making your own shoe polish.

For more frugal tips visit Frugal Friday.

A boyish craft

Jonathan's latest invention (which Aaron soon copied) was a very simple rubberband gun. He took a clothespin and duck taped it to a stick and Presto!, a rubberband gun. It reminded me of some my brothers used to make except the ones I remember them making were a little heavier duty. The boys have been having a lot of fun with their rubberband guns and bow and arrows (which they also made) this spring. Lots of "hunting" to be done around here!

Wordless Wednesday ~Sisters are wonderful!

For more Wordless Wednesday photos visit 5 minutes for mom.

WFMW ~ Rest time = less grumpiness and more energy for us.

Something that most definitely works in our house is nap times. I know nap times are pretty normal for those age 3 and down but at our house we have nap/rest time for every child and mother. (Ken is usually at work but even if home does not participate. :-)



Our method: After lunch we read the Bible together as well as a story or two (usually an educational book and a story book) and then everybody is off to their own bed for around 1 hour. Not everybody sleeps (Mara (8) never does unless sick and Jonathan (6) does only very rarely and Aaron (4) doesn't always either) but everybody lies down quietly. Everybody is allowed (including Megan (2) ) to have books with them to look at or read. I almost always lie down too, I usually read for around 1/2 hour and then nap for around 20 minutes. After I get up then I go tell those that are still awake that they can get up but they are supposed to be reasonably quiet until everybody is awake.



Why it works for us:

• We have far less grumpiness in the evenings. That includes everybody! Megan and Aaron are the most likely to display grumpiness if a nap is missed but if the older kids or I miss that down time we are more likely to be grumpy as well.


• I have way more energy in the evenings. It helps me to be able to have the energy to work hard all afternoon and into the evening if that is the plan. I can also be a better wife for Ken when he comes home. I am not to tired after supper to get everything cleaned up.


• Many Americans including young mothers and children are not getting the sleep that they need. Nap times help to ensure that we do and then we can (hopefully!) stay healthier.


• We are together most of the time as a family. This is good but alone time is good too. Our rest time gives us the alone time we need so we can better appreciate all of our together time.

What do you think? Do you like nap times or is that something that doesn't work at your house?

For more Works-for-me-Wednesday visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Menu Plan Monday

This is my first time of participating in Menu Plan Monday. For most of my married life I have cooked using a menu (I would usually make one up monthly) but this year I have not done as well at making menus consistently. I decided that it would be good to challenge myself to post my menu every Monday to help get me in the habit again.

With that said here is my Menu: (For lunches Ken takes a sandwich and some leftovers to work and the kids and I nearly always eat leftovers.)

Monday:
Breakfast: Farm fresh fried eggs and Toast made from Homemade bread with milk.
Supper: Ken and I had a supper meeting and the kids went to my parents for supper.

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Pancakes and Strawberries.
Supper: Chicken Chalupa (for tortilla recipe go here), Fruit Salad.

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Cereal, oatmeal or cornmeal mush.
Supper: Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Green beans.

Thursday:
Breakfast: Muffins and eggs.
Supper:Spaghetti, Broccoli, Bread, Alabama Sweet Tea (though cutting back on the sugar) and Pecan Pie.

Friday:
Breakfast: Pancakes (from extra made on Tuesday)
Supper: Venison Stew and Cornbread.

Saturday:
Breakfast:Hashbrowns, eggs and fruit.
Supper:Chicken(or turkey) noodle soup and Dill and cheddar biscuits.

Sunday:
Breakfast: Biscuits and gravy.
Dinner: Ham, potatoes, carrots and green beans.
Supper:Tuna melts and fruit.

To see many other menus for the week visit Organizing Junkie.