MWW- Trust the Trustworthy one!

I’m gonna keep this MWW post short and sweet- but I promise it will be thought provoking! Mike and I are taking a financial stewardship class at Watermark, and although we missed the first night we listened to the podcast of the lesson yesterday and it was fantastic. My sweet friend Ashleigh did an amazing blog post about it here. The bottom line of the lesson was “Do you trust God?” To determine if someone is trustworthy you have to know two things: their character and their capability. Do you know that God is good? Do you know that He is able?

I would say it’s easier to answer those questions with words and much harder to live them out. I can say that He is good and that He is able… but do I live in a way that reflects those words? The truthful answer is- not all the time, but I sure am trying. When life is easy I could answer those questions easily with no thought. When life is rough it is much harder for me. Am I trusting the Lord in the midst of this painful broken world we live in? Am I trusting Him even when I can’t see His goodness or His ability in the trials of this life?

What does how you are living today say about your trust in the Lord?

MK smiling for the camera today- does anyone else think the iPhone front camera makes your face long?  

Love,
K Vog

April Meal Plan!

Brainstorming meals for April in my little blue book (aka, my brain- if I lost it I'd be lost!)

I’ve been asked to share our April meals. As I said here, one of the ways we save money is by meal planning monthly. This helps me have a running grocery list so I can buy things on sale and to stock up on high ticket items when they go on sale, like meat! We are gone for a week in April, so I only needed 19 meals (we have leftovers two/three times a week- another money saver!)

Hamburgers, homemade sweet potato fries and baked beans
Grilled chicken and Vera Bradley summertime pasta salad (l/o)
Parmesan crusted tilapia, lemon basil orzo and roasted vegetable (broccoli, squash or asparagus)
Spaghetti and roasted vegetable (l/o)
BBQ chicken sandwiches with baked potatoes (l/o)
Chicken tacos, southwestern salad with homemade cilantro lime vinegarette (l/o)
MYO (make you own) pizza
Chipotle chicken bowls- salsa chicken, rice, beans, cheese, salsa, avocado (l/o)
MYO Quesadillas with southwestern salad
Stuffed shells with roasted vegetables (l/o)
Chicken sausage, rice and black beans
Crockpot chicken alfredo (l/o)


Homemade sweet potato fries
1large sweet potato (enough to feed two hungry adults!)
A splash of olive oil
salt, pepper

-cut the sweet potatoes into fries- this is the hardest part. You’re gonna want to make them thin and all uniform in size so they cook evenly.
-put the potatoes, oil and seasonings into a gallon size ziplock bag and shake, shake shake!
-spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
-we enjoy them with Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce- except that I just looked at the ingredient list (I’ve been scared to up until recently bc we LOVE SBR’s) and it’s got high fructose corn syrup in it.. .no surprise, but we’ll be looking for a new BBQ sauce. Any suggestions?


Vera Bradley Summertime Pasta Salad (based on the recipe Vera Bradley cookbook with a few of my own modifications)
1 box of penne pasta cooked al dente and drained
½ bag of baby spinach
1 large red onion, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese (could also use feta)
-combine all of these in a large bowl and top with dressing! This is best made a couple hours ahead of time to let the flavors combine. Store in the fridge! We serve it topped with grilled chicken.

3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 TBS Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
-whisk these together and enjoy!

BBQ chicken sandwiches
Shredded chicken topped with BBQ sauce on whole wheat buns- SUPER easy to do!
-I make shredded chicken one of two ways- when I make my own chicken broth from a whole chicken, or in the crockpot - put BSCB in the crockpot with the liquid of your choice (salsa for chipotle chicken, bbq sauce for bbq chicken, chicken stock for plain chicken) and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high and shred!

Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Combine anything you would want in a southwestern salad- I use Bibb lettuce, corn, black beans, tomato, cilantro, crushed up tortilla chips and cheese.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette-
lime juice from 3 limes
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil
½ cup chopped cilantro
-This is a make and test dressing recipe- make a batch and taste and add what you need more of. If you like a sweeter dressing, add honey. Need a little more kick? Add more lime!

Crock pot Chicken Alfredo
1 package boneless skinless chicken breasts (I usually use two)
1 package Italian dressing seasoning
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 TBS butter
8oz container of chive and onion cream cheese (I use low fat)
½ cup white wine (plus a glass for yourself while you’re cooking!)
-put everything but the cream cheese into the crockpot in the morning and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4
-when chicken is cooked, shred and return to the crockpot along with the cream cheese and cook on low for 30 minutes.
-serve with angel hair pasta
*This freezes very well!


You still have 5 days before April- it’s not too late to get started on your monthly meal plan!

What’s for dinner this week in your house?

Love,
Chef K Vog.

Maddie goes to the Dallas World Aquarium Zoo!

When my parents came in to visit us last week we took MK to the Dallas World Aquarium Zoo. It was a rainy day and we wanted to do something in Dallas that would be fun for MK and also for us adults, so off to the aquarium we went.

I have always been very skeptical of the aquarium because of how expensive it is ($20 for an adult, but MK was free!). After visiting however, I would totally go back! It was well worth the $20! The DWA is way more than just an aquarium, it is like a Disney World attraction.

There is a 3 story jungle with monkey, exotic birds, mammals, fish, alligators and other reptiles. The flora and fauna is amazing. 

I love these little orange monkeys! 

There is also the typical aquarium finds: A shark tank over your head and tanks with fish from around the globe. I was shocked to see a manatee swimming around with giant turtles! It was like being in the Indian River in Fl where my parents live! Mike especially loved the penguins- his favorite animal! MK was overwhelmed and mesmerized. She made fish faces at all the fish and was afraid of the sharks swimming overhead in the shark tank (she gets that from her mama!).

Taking it all in! 

The manatee! 

Trying to pet the fish. 

 If you find yourself in Dallas with nothing to do and $20 to spend- take a trip to the Dallas World Aquarium Zoo!

Love,
The Vogs

a BIG girl bed!

That’s right, MK has a big girl bed in her room! My vision from long long long ago has finally happened! Here are some pictures. I did a tutorial about how I recovered her headboard back in December. A bed skirt tutorial will be coming soon!

MK's big girl bed! If you look closely, you'll see Elmo and Cookie monster have already made themselves comfortable! 

Her crib is still in the room, we're just letting her get used to the bed and will switch her over when she's ready.  I'm working on redoing a large wooden dressed I found at a garage sale to put in her room. I'm painting it white and putting some cute knobs on it to match her bed. I'm also on the look out for a new rug- I think i'll move this one into her bathroom! 

Going "nigh nigh" in the bed. 

She loves going under the covers.

Sheet I found at Pottery Barn Kids Outlet near San Antonio for $15 and the fabric I used to make her bed skirt (I am in LOVE with this fabric!)

Working away last night on the sewing machine to have her bed skirt done today. 

My favorite part of the big girl bed- reading stories before bedtime! She's pointing to the bear in this book... Sic 'em! 

 It was kind of sad shopping for a mattress today and putting her big bed together... she's growing up! 

I hope you love your new bed Maddie girl! 

Love, 

MK Vog and her new bed! : ) 

MWW- Dressing baby for less!

If you’ve been tracking with me for a while, you know I love a good deal! So, one more time I’m going to devote a blog post to shopping those deals. Anyone with kids knows that the three top expenses in the first two years of a baby’s life are diapers (see previous cloth diaper posts for more info on how to save), formula/food (we were lucky to be able to breastfeed exclusively for 7 months until my boobs suddenly dried up, but I was SHOCKED at how much formula is!) and clothing.

Girls are so much fun to dress, but because of that they can also be expensive to clothe. Here are my tips to dressing your precious girls for less. I am sure the same principles could be applied to boys too, but I don't have any experience with that.

1. Shop off season. This is only something you can do when you get a hang of how fast your baby is going to grow. MK wore newborn clothes for about a couple weeks and quickly grew into 3 month clothes by one month. She continued to be 3 months bigger in clothes until just about a year when she slowed down. She’s stayed at 18-24 months since last August and will certainly be in 2T by her birthday in August. So, because I have a pretty good idea how big she will be, I buy her clothes off season. At the end of summer/fall I bought a ton of size 2T summer clothes on the 75% off clearance rack at Target and Gymboree. I’ll do the same in a couple of weeks for winter.

2. Realize that you are buying for a messy, growing toddler who doesn’t care what she wears. Even if we could afford it, I still don’t think I would buy MK’s clothes anywhere other than Target, Old Navy and the Gymboree and Carters outlet. Why would I spend $20 on an outfit that’s just going to get stained and she is not going to be able to wear next year?

3. Consign, Consign, Consign! It’s no secret that I LOVE consignment sales. There are two big ones here that happen a couple times a year- Just Between Friends and Divine Consign. I shop at their 75% off sales and get amazing deals on very gently used brand name clothes.

4. We have been so blessed by the generosity of several close friends who have let us borrow clothes for MK. If you have older kids and know mama’s with younger ones, let them borrow your stuff! I sorted MK’s clothes into two piles- ones that I didn’t care if they got ruined and ones that were sentimental and I wanted to pass down to my sisters when they have babies. I’ve been letting my girl mama friends borrow MK’s old clothes and I am so glad I am able to bless those mamas with free clothes for a season. Put your name on the label with a thin tipped sharpie and start blessing!

I hope these tips will help you in your journey to clothing your babes for less. Maybe you can spend the extra money on you for a change! Go get a new dress, a pedicure or let dad watch baby and treat yourself to an afternoon at Starbucks with a good book (doesn’t that sound like heaven!). 

A polo dress for $5, a Baby Gap tunic for $2.50 and a Baby Gap play outfit for $2.50... I heart consignment sales! 

This precious ruffled romper was $5 at Diving consign, it also came with a hat that matches for the summer! 

How do you save money on your little one's wardrobe?

Love,
K Vog

Confessions of a Wanna Be Preggo!

Since I’ve already let y'all into this very personal aspect of my life, I’ve decided to keep you in the loop. Here are some confessions I have to make:

~Every time I go to Target, I ALWAYS check out two places: The clearance maternity rack and the clearance baby gear section. When I am in there hunting for deals, I think two things: “Will I get to use/wear this?” & “I should have worn something more flattering on the belly, people are gonna think I’m preggo!” This is my strange way of giving myself hope, like if I buy that maternity shirt for $2 or Dr. Browns bottle for $4, maybe it will happen… I said it was strange, don’t judge!

Instragram of my Target find the other day! 

~I have read this book and this book and checked out this website at least once a month for the past 8 months… that’s a lot of reading! I learn something new every time.

~I pee on a stick 2 times a day for 10 days… and it’s not a pregnancy test! OPKs were annoying at first. I didn’t realize that a faint line wasn’t positive like a pregnancy test, so I thought I was ovulating all the time! I honestly love peeing on something that turns positive at least once a month… again, like the maternity clothes- it gives me hope!

Test line DARKER than the control= Positive! :) 

~I have memorized James 1:2-4, 1 John 5:15, Jeremiah 29:11, and Proverbs 3:5-6… and I need them every moment I am awake to keep me focused on Him and His promises…. Maybe I should be reciting those when I’m shopping at Target?!?.... nah!

~I HATE pills (Mike has to force me to take Tylenol when I’ve got a bad headache), but I’m taking at least two every morning. Prenatal for the folic acid, B6 & Prometrium for a suspected luteal phase defect (short time between ovulation and menstruation). This is my first cycle taking the Prometrium, so we’ll see if it helps!

My drugs of choice 

~I’ve become really good at saying “I’m so happy for you, but I’m just really sad for me.” It’s the age I am, but a ton of my dear friends are pregnant. And as happy as I am for them, and I am sooooo happy, it still stings a little with every Facebook announcement. I’ve learned a whole lot about sensitivity through this process, how to do it well and how to do it differently. I’ve got some wonderful friends who let me be honest about my struggles with jealousy and bitterness; they love me well through it and call me out on it… SO thankful for them! If you don't have friends like that in our life- find some, they are invaluable.

So now you know all of my silly TTC (trying to conceive) quirks. TTC is a game of elated hope and severe disappointment and every emotion in between. I think I’m getting a better handle on it every month… with credit only going to Him. He and I have become tight through this… I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Remember that the struggles in this life are an opportunity for GREAT JOY (dropping some James 1:2 on ya)… my joy hasn’t come from a positive pregnancy test, but I have experienced great joy. Joy from seeing how the Lord is using me to touch the lives and hearts of some of the girls in my life (many whom are not even TTC but experiencing another time of waiting). Joy from gaining a new appreciation for my precious baby girl MK. Joy in allowing the Lord to humble me and battle my selfishness by blessing my preggo friends with my summer maternity wardrobe (another confession, the Lord really did a work on my heart to give those up, but I still bawled like a baby when I gave them away). Joy in realizing my icky jealous heart and surrendering it daily to the Lord and being thankful that I am as white as snow in His eyes. Joy in growing closer to my husband through this journey.

I pray desperately that you can find JOY in your struggles in this season of your life dear friends. It’s way harder than it looks, but I promise it’s possible.

Love,
K Vog

Green thumbs, good deals, and lots of my favorite blue-eyed toddler.

Besides from our crazy adventure to San Angelo last week, I've done a terrible job updating y'all on what we've been up to lately... tonight, that changes!

Baby Gap out fits, Carters rompers, PJ's, a pair of nearly new stride rite sandals and MUCH more for $20... I heart Divine Consign 75%off sale. The Plano sale starts tomorrow! EK! 

Love these blue eyes. 

Feeling confident about my green thumb after my orchid's bloomed... we'll see if I can keep these  alive. 

Happiness is an organized craft/sewing closet. I've got a big sewing project coming up- a custom baby boy crib set and re-covering a glider for a sweet friend. I needed this to be organized before I could tackle that! 

Using a"Melmo" book as a pillow. 

My favorite mommy rejuvenating time is in front of my Singer with the Matt Wertz Pandora station blaring on my iPhone.

The final product! Happy birthday Randi... you deserve something cuddly.

Braving the mall with TWO babies in my double stroller... I ADORE this stroller, I'll do a review post on it soon. 

Cuddling is my favorite. 

She has my heart! 

My joy bug... she's a fan of spaghetti and her Elmo bib. Mom is especially a fan of the new bibs that seem to be doing the trick at keeping the food stains at bay.

Love,

M, K and MK Vog

Lessons learned from an impromptu trip to West Texas

On Monday night at 11pm, I decided to join Mike on his three day business trip to San Angelo, TX. For those of you who have no clue where that is (I didn’t before this week!) it’s a little less than 5 hours south west from Dallas. Here are some of the lessons I learned from this trip:

Starting off the road trip with baby doll! 

1. You can be spontaneous with a baby… kinda! Although the fact that MK and I were going to be traveling with Mike was very unplanned, LOTS of planning took place from 11pm-12am on Monday night. Having a child means what you pack for a couple days looks like enough for two weeks. I had to think proactively of everything MK would need for three days away from home. I got it done, but since it had been a couple months since we had traveled, I had forgotten how much gear is involved with traveling with a baby: pack-n-play, her two blankets and 3 lovies that MUST make the trip, diapers, clothes for 3 days… which is more than just 3 outfits for a messy toddler, snacks for the trip, spoons/forks, bibs, sippy cups… I could go on but I’ll spare you!

2. When you are stuck in a Chick-fil-a for 2.5 hours while your hubs is at a business lunch, trade the toy in for ice cream… you will need it!

3. 8 hours on the road is a routine buster for a very habitual scheduled 18 month old. I LOVE that MK got in a routine early on in her life (with the help of Babywise and the Baby Whisperer). However, when baby girl doesn’t get her daily exercise, has to sit in a car for 8 hours and naps on and off during those 8 hours, that makes for a miserable night. Mike and I were exhausted from getting up at 5am to get on the road, so when we decided to turn off the lights at 10pm on Tuesday night, we were excited about our 8 hours of sleep ahead. MK had other ideas for those hours! She woke up at 10 screaming, a scared cry. We tried everything to calm her down, but I could tell she wasn’t having any of it. She was in a new place, she wasn’t tired and she just wanted mama. On top of that, she’s also cutting her last two teeth before her 2 yr old molars, so I’m pretty sure she was in pain too. At 12am, Mike took her to H.E.B to get some ibuprofen (forgot that at home… planning fail!) to see if that would help… it didn’t! Finally at 1:30am we decided that Mike, who had an early morning meeting, would pull out the pull-out-couch and try to sleep and I would lay down with MK in our bed to see if she would sleep. For 15 minutes she climbed on me, jumped and squirmed, then she got the point. Mommy was sleeping, and MK should too! She did fall off the bed at 4am and I woke up to a scream, but she went right back to sleep and slept till 7. I got the worst night’s sleep of my life… MK is a squirmy sleeper and slept with her feet in my chest all night (until she fell off!). It solidified my thoughts on co-sleeping- it’s not for us! Night two was much better! She was more comfortable in the pack-n-play and had a pretty normal routine day- as normal as you can have 5 hours from home living out of a hotel!

Sleeping with her shade on!

4. 3 full glasses of milk- MK’s daily dose of banana+ apple sauce= a HUGE blowout that you have to change in the back of your car in a west Texas small town McDonald’s parking lot. I hate disposable diapers… I wish cloth were easier to travel with, but when you don’t have access to a washing machine it’s kind of impossible to use cloth without a lot of diapers and a lot of stink when you get home. 

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5. Mommy needs more of Jesus when she gets no sleep. I saw my ugly flesh a lot during those hours of exhaustion… and I hated it. There was a lot of confession, apologizing to MK for mommy’s lack of patience, and some serious prayers for Christ’s strength. When I am weak, He is strong… But I had to recognize my weakness and depend on His strength… and that’s hard for this girl.

6. I forgot how awesome HGTV is… made me miss cable… but then I realized that not having HGTV saves us at least $50/month in cable, plus $ at home improvement stores because watching HGTV makes me want to do a million projects to our house that I would normally not even think about!

7. I could never live in a small west Texas town… they’re so dusty! This trip made me really appreciate where we live.

There is something strangely beautiful about west Texas... a grungy beauty! 

8. I love road trips with Mike- we got 13 hours to talk, and I love to talk to him! Totally filled my quality-time tank!

9. My husband is a sexy salesman. Yep, I said it! I got to see him in action and he is so good! I fell more in love with him seeing this new, professional salesman side of him.

I love that my husband had a job that lets us tag along on business trips. It was a fun memory maker, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Dallas, Texas... You've never looked better! 

 
 Love,

The traveling, spontaneous, exhausted Vogs!

Camping....a collaboration with Tinny!

**Another post from Vicky. Enjoy!**


Most of my friends were surprised to find out this little secret: I have never been camping.


Well, that's not entirely true....

Growing up we would set up the tent once a year in the back yard and "camp" with my dad. And in college my sorority had camping retreats at my best friend's grandparent's ranch in Crawford, Tx. Heather and I would set up our tent and then sneak inside to sleep in the big, comfy guest bed. So, yes, I've never done the "roughing it" camping.

This was all changed a few weekends ago when my husband and I, along with three other seminary couples, packed our car for a Malibu camping trip. We headed to the beach on Saturday morning so Matt and the guys could surf then we ventured into Malibu canyon to our campsite. The camp grounds are located in Malibu Creek State Park. There are about 40 or so camping spots and they were all full (which is very rare for February in Ca). After unloading all of our gear (which took up the whole trunk and back seat of our car...) we headed down Mulholland Drive to one of my favorite SoCal spots, Malibu Wines.

Matt, Kara, Mark and Vicky at Malibu Wines

A few bottles deep. With all the camping couples + a few extras. 

Now, I know that not all camping trips begin with wine tasting but lets just say it made my first camping experience magical! Malibu Wines is a small winery in Malibu. It's "tasting room" is an outdoor space with three bars and lots of Adarondak chairs, wine-barrel tables, and picnic benches. It is picturesque. And the wine is divine! The four couples spent a few hours sampling the wine and enjoying the beautiful day. By the end of the night we were all members of the wine club (only $50 a quarter and you get three bottles of wine (at $35 each) and unlimited tasting...yes please!) and ready to get settled at the campsite.

Setting up our tents was interesting. We were all still feeling the effects of Malibu Wines and it was dark. But, after a few mishaps we were all set up and had a fire going. All of our couple friends are pro campers so they brought grills and outdoor cooking equipment which meant yummy campfire food. Hamburgers, steamed veggies, smores, and much more. As the stars began to come out (yes, you could actually see the stars...a rarity in So Cal), we wound down the evening with good conversations and music.

Sleeping outside was...well, it was rough. Southern California is typically 60s-70s in February but it drops down to the 40s at night. I brought every outer layer I owned. So as we settled into our tent for the night I zipped up my sleeping bag and snuggled up against Matt for the extra body heat. I tossed and turned much of the night and by morning decided that we needed to invest in a sleeping pad. Earlier in the day when were scouting out sites to pitch our tent we made sure there were no rocks in the area. Well, by morning I'm sure I found every little rock, or speck of rock, underneath us.

Waking up in the California mountains was awesome. We ended the trip with breakfast burritos and packed up the camp. It's official, I love camping :)

Matt and I by the campfire. <3

After having gone once, here are a few pieces of advice for your next camping trip:

1) Invest in a sleeping pad. If you've read the post, you'll know why I'm suggesting this!
2) Be an adventurous campfire cooker. You can cook virtually anything in tin foil over some coals. So before you go on your next camping trip google "tin foil campfire dinners" and try something new!
3) Explore your surroundings. Not every place you camp will have a winery close by but being away from home means getting the chance to explore new areas. Take a hike, drive into the nearest town, or even mosey on over to your neighbors at the campground and see what they recommend in the area.
4) Borrow, borrow, borrow! If you're on a budget, like us, and can't afford a lot of camping gear then chances are you have a friend who can loan you a sleeping bag or tent.
5) Just get out there and do it! If you were like me and had never been camping just do it! It is so much fun to be out there with nature. And its a cheap vacation!

Happy camping!
XOXO,
Vicky

MWW: Raising a David or a Timothy!

My sweet sweet sister Caroline sent this message to me last week and it encouraged me SO much and fired my up to keep persevering in my new ministry of motherhood:

I am reading a commentary of 1 samuel by David Guzik and he said this, and it made me think of you.

"Where did David get this heart? Obviously, from time spent with the Lord. But someone started him on that path. David says nothing of his father, but twice in the Psalms he refers to his mother as a maidservant of the Lord (Psalm 86:16 and 116:16). Probably, it was David’s godly mother who poured her heart and love and devotion of the Lord into him, and gave him a foundation to build on in his own walk with the Lord. Like Timothy, another young man used of the Lord, God used David’s mother to pour into him a godly faith (2 Timothy 1:5). Mothers, might God use you to raise up a David or a Timothy?" 

You have such an amazing ministry, and you are raising up the next generation, Maddie is going to be a godly young lady because God has chosen you and Mike to be her parents. Maddie is so blessed. I love you sister, continue falling in love with Jesus, let him pour into you so you can pour out. xoxoxo

3 Reflections on this: 

Ok, first and most obviously- my little sister is 19... she is so filled with wisdom and knowledge and insight about God's word it's incredible. She blows me away with her faithfulness to the Lord and her passion for Him. I am so blessed that she is Maddie's aunt... if Maddie grew up to have a faith like her Aunt Caroline, I would be one happy mama! 

Second- I hope that blesses your heart mamas. I get weary in motherhood so easily. Let's not give up doing good but persevere because there are eternal things at stake here (Galatians 6:9). It's so easy for me to say "I'm just a mom" but when I read that message from my sister it encourages my heart. Yes, I am just a mom, but what more greater calling in life is there than to love on, shape and share Christ with the next generation.

Third- I had to ask myself these questions: "What am I being filled up with?" "What am I pouring into MK?" MK is my #1 ministry- am I giving her my best or is she getting the leftovers? Yikes- if I'm honest (and I'm going to be-see last week's MWW!) I don't like the answers to those questions. 

Hope my little sister's words will spur you on to allow the Lord to fill you up so that you can pour yourself out into your little one's lives. Remember: Apart from Him you can do NOTHING! (John 15:5)

Psalms 139: 17-18-  How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! (NLT)

Love,
K. Vog

P.S: I want to give a shout out to my mom- clearly we wouldn't be who we are today with her. God used her to raise up awesome, God loving girls and I am so thankful that she allowed the Lord to pour into her so she could pour into us. Love you mom, you are my mommy-inspiration! 

Cloth diapering- show me the money!

It’s been a little over 6 months since we’ve started cloth diapering and here are some changes we’ve made to our routine:

-I’ve added hemp inserts into our Fuzzibunz at night and if we’re out and about for longer than 2 hours. We were having leaking issues at night with two Fuzzibunz inserts and also leaking while out of the house for extended periods of time. The hemp has worked wonders! I got a three pack of triple layer hemp inserts for $9.95 on the Fuzzibunzstore.com website and it was well worth the small investment. I was also curious about the new minky material Fuzzibunz inserts that they came out with in their new Elite diaper, so I ordered a pack of three for $11.95 to check them out. I had heard that they were more absorbent and washed better than the microfiber inserts that came with our One Size Fuzzibunz and I can totally agree. So, our leak issues are gone and we are very happy!

- I experimented with a new CD detergent called Country Save, and I now regret it! It caused terrible stink and repelling issues with the diapers. I was trying to save myself a couple bucks (literally $3!) and it ended up being more of a hassle and not worth the $3! After I rocked a soak in the Rockin Green detergent  that we love, the diapers are as good as new… and I am forever a Rockin Green customer!

-Good news: a cloth diaper store opened up in Plano! The Nappy Shop is literally 7 minutes from our house and carries Fuzzibunz and Rockin Green! I think I will still buy from the Fuzzibunz website if we ever need more diapers because they give you 10% in customer rewards to use on your next purchase (we’ve gotten about $40 in free merchandise with those!). I will definitely be buying my Rockin Green from The Nappy Shop though, it’s the same price and I’ll save money on shipping!  

I also want to do a cost analysis to see if we’ve broken even on our cloth diapering adventure- since saving money was the #1 reason we switched to cloth!

Cost of diapers: $339.10 on Fuzzibunzstore.com (18 diapers) + $36 (Go Green pocket diapers 4, at $9/diaper)= $375.1

Cost of accessories:
                Wet bag for Mk’s room- Free with Fuzzibunz.com rewards (saved $16)
                Wet bag for diaper bag- Free with Fuzzibunz.com rewards ( saved $9)
                Rice paper liners- $9 on Fuzzibunz.com bought them twice, once with rewards= $9
                Rockin Green detergent- $15 +shipping  on RockinGreen.com, bought twice- $40
                Additional inserts (hemp and minky)- $22 on Fuzzibunz.com
                Country Save (biggest waste of money!)- $12 at Sprouts

Cost of laundering diapers- I can’t tell, our electricity and water bills have stayed the same since we’ve started 6 months ago- and compared to last year, they are lower. So, that means there is minimal energy costs to launder the diapers.

Cost of disposable diapers in last 6 month- 1 pack of Pampers with 160 diapers on amazon.com/mom for $44.83 (used for church, when she has diarrhea, babysitters) that should last us for several months since we use about 4 disposable diapers a week on average.

Cost of disposable wipes- We buy the biggest box of Target brand wipes and have bought two for a total of $28.

Total cost of diapering in last 6 months- $530.93

Estimated cost of diapering in the next 6 months- ~$54

                2 more bags of Rockin Green detergent - $30 (at $15/piece)
                1 more packages of rice paper liners- $9               
                1 package of Target wipes (just bought one for $5 b/c the bottom of the box was damaged! Love the clearance section at Target!) -$14

Estimated cost of disposables had we not switched to cloth:

Diapers used in 1 day (12-18 month old)-  8/day (that’s a good day, not taking into consideration sick days)
Cost of size 3-4 value sized (160 count) Pampers diapers on Amazon.com/mom with Subscribe and Save discount- $44/box that’s $0.23/diaper (the best deal we’ve ever gotten on Pampers was $0.18/diaper when she was in size Newborn-2 diapers with the subscribe and save discount).

Over 6 months we would have used an estimated 1,440 diapers which would be $331.2 plus $28 for wipes= $359.2

So, sadly, we have no broken even on our diapers quite yet- but we should for sure in the next few months! Yay! And, not to mention, besides from detergent and liners and the rare box of diapers for church, we won’t have to spend much on diapers for our second kid whenever he/she decides to come on the scene. I knew this was going to be a heavy investment up front, but I know it’s going to pay off in the long run! Had we started out with cloth diapers, we would for sure have broken even and definitely be saving money right now.

One website estimated that a baby would go through 4,702 diapers in their first two years (that’s 6 wet per day, 1 poop every 2.5 days and 1 “opps I changed a perfectly dry diaper b/c I’m a new mom” a day for the first month). That would be $1,081.46 just in the first 2 years with $0.23 cents a diaper. I think 6 diapers a day for a newborn is unheard of, so I can assure you the actual amount of money most families pay on diapers in the first year is MUCH higher (unless you are an extreme couponer, and in that case, I applaud your time and effort in clipping coupons and finding the diaper deals!)

Wow, that was a long post! Here's to saving money on diaper change at a time!

Love,
K. Vog

Ikea, the Legends and a play room make over!

The title of this post pretty much sums up our fun-filled family weekend! We had a blast creating memories as a family this weekend. Sometimes you just need a couple days to just be and re-energize your relationships and this weekend was that time in the Vog house! Here are some pics of our weekend for you enjoyment!

The Vog family at the Texas Legends game on Saturday night!

New picture ledges to store our books on from Ikea! And a tiny peek at MK's new table and chairs... spoiled girl!

Loving our new tunnel from Ikea! I love this precious goo!

She was so intrigued by all the activity at the Legends game.

MK's future hubs. We had dinner with his family on Friday night and these two were having a moment! 

A fun weekend was just what our little family needed! Thanks for all of your sweet comments and messages in response to my last post. It's hard to admit that you are struggling, but also very freeing at the same time! And I did come through on my promise for a fun, non-serious post! YAY! 

Love,

K. Vog

Pinterest Crafts: Love Map...collaboration with twinny!

** Vicky's back! Three weeks ago she came out to Texas for a girls weekend and we made this pinterest craft for our hubbies. Enjoy!**

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Let me start by saying that I'm obsessed in love with Pinterest. It's such an amazing source of recipes, crafts and decorating tips. And I can sit for hours looking through pictures of dream homes, nurseries, and clothes I can't afford. My husband always jokes that he doesn't exist when I'm on Pinterest. Opps!
For those of you who are living under a rock and  don't know about Pinterest click here. Be warned...this site is very addicting!!

I stumbled across this Pinterest craft and decided to make it for my husband for our anniversary/Valentines day (our anniversary is one week before Vday). So while I was in Texas visiting Katy we set out to hobby lobby to buy our materials. 

Love Map

First, you need to decide which states to use. Matt and I have a few states that are meaningful to us so I chose Florida (where we met and eventually got married), Texas (the first place he said "I love you"), and California (where we currently live). Katy used Texas (since that is where they met, married, had MK).

Supplies: map, scrapbook paper, heart cut out, frame or canvas. 

Step One: Cut out your states.

 Step Two: Cut out your hearts. Don't make the same mistake we did...we used the heart cutter on the actual map. But it didn't quite work out as planned.

Not quite right...

 So, we decided to make hearts out of red scrapbook paper and place them on the maps.

Much better!

Step three: Put it all together! Katy got creative and wrote dates on each of her hearts. Each of these dates signified a special time in her and Mike's life. Such a cute idea!

The finished products!

This crafty piece of art would make a great present for husbands, boyfriends, or even parents/siblings.
For more information, check out the original link on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pin/267049452873910493/.

Happy crafting and pinning!

XOXO,
Vicky