So it has been forever since I blogged regularly, and I feel like I should explain or let you know what I’ve been up to.

LIFE took over.

My father-in-law died mid-December after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

The day after his death, I lost one of my part time jobs.  I knew going into the job that it could be seasonal, but I was really hoping and praying to be hired on and stabilize our financial situation.

My dad is not in a good place and I have allowed his poor decisions to cause me a great deal of stress.

Add, Christmas to the mix and I had to focus on what is important in my life.

God has to come first.  My husband and I, really made a greater effort to get up early each morning to do a devotion.  There was so much stress in our lives and uncertainty that starting it in prayer as a couple and in God’s word brought peace.  God is in control.

God is in control and God is good!

The day before New Year’s Eve, a friend called my husband and offered jobs starting on Tuesday.  We struggled, played with numbers, and made some really tough decisions over the New Year’s weekend.  I started a full time job just days later and for the past two weeks have worked 8 hours a day.

This is a major change for my family.  My husband is taking several distance classes this semester, so his schedule will be more flexible.  We have juggled household responsibilities around and are still finding some balance there.

We are still working out the logistics of it all.  Thankfully, our fellow carpool driver’s have been willing to be flexible with getting my daughter to and from school.  Our neighbors and friends from church and preschool have helped out tremendously while we figure out the best daycare options for my four year old once my husband’s regular semester begins.

I have made it a point not to turn the computer on until after the kid’s go to bed, so that once I’m home my family has all of my attention not a screen.

So for this season of my life, I guess I can no longer call myself a stay-at-home mom.  I am so grateful that for the past 6 years I have been blessed to be home with my kids and been able to work part time jobs that had flexible schedules.  My husband has about two years left to earn his Master of Divinity and then we’ll see what God has in store for our family.

The deals will be back and One Frugal Mama will continue to write!  I love writing and I love getting and sharing good deals!  But, God and family has to come first in my life.

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If you adopted a dog from a shelter at any time in 2009, Pedigree will send you a coupon for a free 20lb bag of dog food.

Print out and send in the form here

Read more details about the offer here

Requests must be received by February 2010.

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Most Sunday papers will have 5 coupon inserts this Sunday, January 3rd.  With this many coupons, I would recommend buying a few copies of this weeks newspaper.  Click on the link above to preview what coupons you can expect.

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I LOVE CEREAL!

It really is not just for breakfast and our family is known to snack on cereal at all times of the day.

I also love that when a good sale is combined with coupons I can generally stock up on cereal and pay well under $1 a box.   We can each print 2 coupons for $1 off a box of General Mills cereal here.

And, just by leaving  a comment 2 readers will also receive a coupon for a free box of any General Mills cereal.  Each coupon is good for up to a $6 value and does not expire until 9/30/10.

Giveaway will end on December 31 at midnight!  Happy New Years and many blessings in 2010.

Recent studies have shown that ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters.  General Mills is also reporting that other benefits of cereal includes:

• Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.
• Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.
• More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office.

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness

Leave a comment here to win a coupon for a free 64 oz bottle of Old Orchard Healthy Balance Juice.

Old Orchard juice generously sent me coupons for a FREE 64 oz bottle of their Healthy Balance 75% less sugar, calories & carbs juice!

Leave a comment and 10 readers will each receive a coupon to try this juice free.

Deadline for giveaway is December 31st at midnight.  Happy New Year and blessings in the year 2010!

Try these drink recipes at your upcoming New Year’s celebrations and feel good knowing you are also reducing the calories and sugar when you use Old Orchard Healthy Balance juice.

Cherry Mocktail

1/2 cup Old Orchard Frozen Cherry Juice Concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup ginger ale
Ice
Fruit for garnish
Directions: Pour cherry concentrate in a large glass over ice. Slowly add ginger ale. Garnish with a fruit slice, if desired.

Old Orchard Low-Sugar Cosmo Cocktail

2 oz citron flavored vodka

1 oz Cointreau
1 oz Old Orchard Healthy Balance Cranberry fruit juice cocktail

Mix contents with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with a lime.

Old Orchard Pomegranate Cosmo

2 oz citron flavored vodka

1 oz Cointreau
1½ oz Old Orchard 100% Pomegranate juice

Mix contents with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with a lime.

Old Orchard Raspberry Vodka Martini

2 oz raspberry flavored vodka
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz Old Orchard Organic 100% Raspberry juice
Mix contents with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with a lime.

Sign up f0r my other giveaways! Leave a comment here to win a coupon for a free box of General Mills cereal.

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Print a coupon here to get a free 12 oz coffee, cappuccino, hot chocolate or tea at any 7-11 from now until 12/31/09.

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Now this is a cookbook for me!

I recently received the Potluck Survival Guide by Cherie Kimmons from Five Star Publications as a member of Mama Buzz.

In the “Pre-Game Introduction,”  Kimmons writes of my own feelings each time I need to take a dish to a potluck.  As I’ve written before, I lack quite a bit of talent and ability when it comes to cooking.  So, when I need to take food places, I never know what to take, what others may like, or how much to make.

Kimmons puts this book together for people just like me culminating “nearly twenty years as a team-mom, room mother, food committee member and senior lunch chair.”  And, even better than that I actually know what all the ingredients are in every recipe in this book!

I normally do not get excited about cookbooks, but after reading the first few pages, I actually got excited.   Everything in this book is written in very plain, up front language, written so any mom with 100 other things going on can easily follow the instructions.  Most recipes also have a notes section with suggestions on ways to ways to change the recipe or what to avoid adding to it that has flopped in the past.

As a future pastors wife and one with two small kids, I can’t even think of the number of potlucks I will be attending and required to bring a dish to in the next 15 years+.  This cookbook will definitely be well used!

You can purchase the Potluck Survival Guide directly from Five Star Publications for $18.96 (regular price is $24.95).

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Congratulations to Whitney who won the $30 Cook’s Ham giveaway!  She has been e-mailed.

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If you are in the Grand Rapids, MI area and are looking for a way to keep Jesus Christ as the focus of this season, I strongly encourage you to follow the lights this Friday and Saturday night to Bethlehem Alive.

Follow the light to the indoor living nativity at Little Farms Chapel in Coopersville, and experience Bethlehem much as it was in Jesus’ Day. Wander the streets of Bethlehem, watch villagers work, see if there is any room in the inn, hear the angels sing and wonder at the miracle of Jesus’ birth.

Friday and Saturday, December 11 - 12, come anytime between 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

Admission is free. Refreshments. All indoor.

Read more here

Get directions here

Little Farms Chapel 2518 Arthur St.  Coopersville, MI

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Follow the light tDates and Times for 2008:________

Free copy of the Amazing Grace DVD and a free license to show the movie at your church for pastors, youth leaders and school leaders here.

Amazing Grace is based on the life of the antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce.  Read more about the movie here .   Get information about down-loadable study guides and the Amazing Grace faith guide here

Thank you to The Thrifty Mama for the heads up on this offer!

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