5 Things I'm Loving This Week (+ a little update on us) and more...

Here's what's new: 5 Things I’m Loving This Week (+ a little update on us) Maybe you needed this reminder? An open letter to ALDI 5 Things I’m Loving This Week (+ a little update on us) 1. Blueberry Crisp This is my favorite Blueberry Crisp recipe. And yes, I made a personal-sized pan of it this week and ate the whole thing almost all myself. I not only ate it for snack, I also ate it for breakfast. It has oats and blueberries, so it’s basically oatmeal, right?? If you’re interested, you can watch this video I did here where I make it live and swoon over how much I love it. 2. Nail Art by Kaitlynn Kaitlynn (my 9-year-old) has been obsessed with nail art videos on YouTube and she’s been trying out different designs on anyone willing to be a guinea pig. She did this design for me today. She also encouraged me to “work on growing my nails out longer” so she could try more designs on me. I’m working on that whole nail-biting thing, so here’s more motivation to continue to break that habit! 3.  My Little “Business Man” He got his first real suit for Presentation Days at school this year… and he rocked it. Once he was all dressed up, he came into the room and said, “Mom, let’s talk business!” I just about busted up. This kid. There are no words for him. He has so much life and spunk and you just never know what’s going to come out of his mouth next. I’m so glad that he’s not so grown up that he’s grown out of snuggling with Mom, though. Just about every morning and every night, he asks if we can snuggle together — and I’m more than happy to oblige! 4. These Three Kids I’m SO proud of these kids and the maturity they’ve shown the last two weeks in stepping out of their comfort zones and experiencing a lot of firsts and new things. I know I’m biased and all that, but I really am so impressed with them and how they’ve faced their fears, adjusted to a brand-new schedule, and had (for the most part) great attitudes and resilient spirits, in spite of their inhibitions. I’m seeing so many new character traits blossoming, so many new sides of them come out, and we’re having so many wonderful conversations together. I think we’re all growing together as a family and I’m humbled and grateful. God is so good to lead us and I’m grateful to see His hand in this new chapter of our lives. (And thank you to the many of you who are praying for us! You have no idea how much it means!) 5. Kaitlynn’s Skating Competition Today was Kaitlynn’s second time to perform this Showcase Program in competition. I love to see how her confidence as a skater continues to grow (watch a video clip of her performance here). This was her first competition where there were no tears, she didn’t get stressed about the experience, and she was able to go out and just have fun competing/performing! That is a huge accomplishment for her — especially since this was her first competition to compete at the No Test level (she just moved up from High Beginner). I’m so proud of this girl and can’t wait to see how God uses her gifts and talents in the future! What are YOU loving this week? Tell us in the comments!        Maybe you needed this reminder? We might not get to choose our circumstances, we might not get to choose our season of life, we might not get to choose our income level or our housing situation or our job security or other people’s responses to us or whether or not we get that offer we are hoping and praying for. The adoption might not go through. The pregnancy test might be negative. The medical bill might be higher than we’d expected. Your boss might be angry at you for no reason. Your kids might be fighting and getting on your every last nerve. Your trusted friend might betray you. Your big project might flop. You might experience health issues. Your relative might get that dreaded diagnosis. Despite whatever heart struggles, or hurts, or deep wounds, or rejection, or disappointment you are experiencing right now, one thing doesn’t change: You get to choose how you respond to these hard situations. You often can’t change your circumstances, but you can always choose your attitude. P.S. The shirt is just $15.95 shipped for the next 24 hours.        An open letter to ALDI Dear ALDI, I tried to break up with you, but I just couldn’t. When I step into your doors I’m instantly taken back to the lean law school years when your low prices allowed us to survive on a tiny, tiny grocery budget. You’ve saved us thousands of dollars over the last 13 1/2 years. And even though I could afford to pay fancier grocery store prices now, you continue to woo me with how you simplify my life and keep our grocery budget low. Thank you for not offering 27 different kinds of ketchup. Or 56 types of salad dressing. Or 14 variations of Cheerios. Thank you for not being all flashy and slick. Stay humble, small, and inexpensive. I like you best that way. You rock. Sincerely, Your lifelong BFF and not-so-secret admirer        Latest finds on Pinterest 9 Frugal Lessons from a Hoarder's Daughter This is a really interesting perspective on Trim Healthy Mama - maybe one you've not heard before! And this blogger's conclusions about Trim Healthy Mama will probably surprise you. One thing that I typically hear a lot is, “You can’t find coupons for produce.” The ironic thing is, the majority of the coupons that I use are for fresh produce and other perishable items. Find out how I coupon on a whole foods diet! Latest finds on Pinterest 9 Frugal Lessons from a Hoarder's Daughter This is a really interesting perspective on Trim Healthy Mama - maybe one you've not heard before! And this blogger's conclusions about Trim Healthy Mama will probably surprise you. One thing that I typically hear a lot is, “You can’t find coupons for produce.” The ironic thing is, the majority of the coupons that I use are for fresh produce and other perishable items. Find out how I coupon on a whole foods diet!     Click here to safely unsubscribe from "LITE Feed, Money Saving Mom®." Click here to view mailing archives, here to change your preferences, or here to subscribe • Privacy Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 365 Boston Post Rd, Suite 123, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA.