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Win a copy of Mary E. DeMuth's "Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture: Practical Help for Shaping Your Children's Hearts, Minds, and Souls" from Tekeme.

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So many exciting things to look forward to...

I can't wait to meet our baby girl. :-)

After posting so many times last week, it feels like forever since I posted now! Funny how that is. We have a big weekend coming up, Ben's brother Andy, his wife and three kids are all coming. Andy and Ben will be building us new stairs to replace the wobbly old cement ones while Missy and I play with the kids, go to the park, and have fun. I'm very excited about this weekend. I really love having things to look forward to.

I had so many good pictures (Ben took most of them) that I couldn't pick between them. So, you get a whole slide show! The nice thing about it is you can skip it all together if you want. If you came to my house you'd feel much more pressure to watch and appear interested. This way, you can scowl, make snide comments, knock yourself out! Don't you love technology?




Correction!!!
Finally, I had a correction to one of last week's posts. I'd like to preface it with a little story about my late Great Aunt Eileen (Grandma J's older sis). Aunt Eileen used to use some of those old phrases I love so much and she used to say, "Land o'Goshen!" somewhat frequently and I once asked her, "Why do you say "Atlantic Oceans! Is it a historical reference?" She laughed at me so hard she cried. So, to make fun of myself I made her a magnet for her fridge that said "Atlantic Oceans!" with some waves and a fish on it. That thing was still on her fridge last time I was at her house in 1998.

Flash forward to August 2008, perhaps I'm a little pregnant, perhaps I just can't remember things anyways, I quote the old phrase on my blog as "Land Negotions!" My dad, very lovingly, sends me an e-mail (private, mind you, to avoid embarrassing me) that says he believes the old saying is, "Land o'Goshen" and he sites a website I can check this with. So, maybe that's why I don't use old phrases too often in my conversations. I have a tendency to misremember them. I mix up my analogies too. Thanks to Dad for the loving correction!

Did I mention I'm just a little excited about meeting our baby girl!??! I'm way excited. It seems most everyone I know that is pregnant is having the opposite sex baby than their last child (at least seven people!). Very interesting phenomenon. We don't have a name for her yet. Do vote on the new names I listed last week on our name list, your input is helpful, really. I have a feeling we won't decide anything before meeting her, then, as it did with Z, there will be a name that just fits her.

Friday Finale

Becca's Favorite ThingsHere's another one of Becca's Favorite Things! I've been using Auromere Toothpaste for about seven years now. It has no flouride, it's primary ingredient is chalk, it has neem, peelu and tea tree oil in it as well as a plethora of other wonderful herbs. My dental hygienist has been impressed with the results. I buy it from the local health food store and personally prefer "Fresh Mint" to the "Licorice" and "Mint Free" flavors. I've told y'all in the past that I am intrigued with the ancient Indian medical science, "Ayurveda". This toothpaste gets their stamp of approval which tells me it's got to be good for you. I also like that I can let my son use it, if need be, and not worry if he ingests it. Normally he uses fun flavored natural toothpaste.

The tongue cleaner seen in the picture became part of my life around the same time as the toothpaste. I truly don't feel as though I've finished brushing my teeth until I've scraped my tongue. You can just use a big spoon if you want, but this tool seems to do the job the best. I bought it at BanyanBotanicals.com. For those familiar with Reflexology, the tongue (like the foot and hand and ear) is a map of the rest of the body and by scraping off the toxins on your tongue, you're detoxing your whole body. I believe this has helped me avoid sickness at times, reduces bad breath and just makes my mouth a happier place.

Bonus!
Money For Nothin'
Two fun little ideas for you to consider:
1. SwapaDVD and PaperbackSwap: Found these on MoneySavingMom.com (which you should totally check out and be wowed like me). They are on-line borrowing systems for DVDs and books. It's cheap (under $2 per DVD) and easy (you actually print out the mailers and tape them). I'm a little worried about my Veggie Tales getting scratched up by the little kids I know will watch them, and am leaning toward trying the paperback swap instead.

2. Check your local grocery store's websites for weekly ads and coupons. My personal favorite is Giant Eagle's web coupons. You register once with the site, so it has your Giant Eagle card number, then, you browse through their web coupons, click which ones you want and they are directly applied to your Giant Eagle card. You don't even have to print them out. You might consider writing them down though, the only reminder you get is on-line. I saved $1 on butter this way and $1 on any House of Tsang product (great General Tseos and Sweet and Sour Sauce). The next few times I checked I didn't see many coupons that I needed. - - - - If you are into CVS, Walgreens or Rite-Aid shopping, check out MoneySavingMom.com as she regularly posts the best deals at each of those on her site among random freebies she hears about and general money saving tips.

Hope you've enjoyed four posts in one week! Click on "See older posts" at the bottom to see Tuesday's post. I don't think I'll be doing this many on a regular basis, once a week works for me.