If you were wondering, life at the NtJS house has been busy but good lately. We have decided to move the blog down on our priority list and we are glad we made that decision. It has been amazing how many projects we have been able to get done while spending more time with our kids then we did before. Yes, we are sticking to our 2010 goals!

Here is how we are doing on our goals for 2010.

Goal 1: Spend more time as a family. Check! We have really been enjoying our time with the girls. We have made Saturday night, game night at our house. We have a lot of fun playing games (or play dough) from dinner time til bedtime. Over the past week we have been enjoying staying up later with our oldest daughter to watch the Olympics with her. Our youngest daughter is potty training right now so I've been spending tons of "quality" time with her in the bathroom.

Goal 2: Eat healthy, organic, and local. Check! We have been mostly living off our freezers and canning shelves full of preserved local foods. Over Valentines day weekend we took a cheesemaking class. It was a lot of fun learning how to make cheese at home. I have a feeling we will be making more of our own cheeses in the future from our local milk. I have also been looking into more local sources for other foods that we don't grow ourselves.

Goal 3: Save for a car. Check! Just this month we started saving money for a new car.

Goal 4: Have some fun money. No Check. We are hoping to add this to the budget after the Mr.'s annual review, if they decide to stop the pay freeze. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

So that's our update. How are things going for you? Are you sticking to your 2010 goals? Is life a little crazy at your house or are things smooth sailing?

I love being one of the first people to read a book. It makes you feel so "in the know". It's even better when it's a great book like the one I just received from Joy and Rebecca over at the Green Baby Guide. Their new book called "The Eco-nomical Baby Guide" is being released at the beginning of March. I was one of the lucky ones who received an advanced copy to review.


The book was packed with great information that was very practical. I love how they demonstrate that being green does not mean buying all new stuff. In fact, buying second hand is better! They walk you through what you need and don't need. They also talk about every aspect of raising a baby. They cover topics like baby gear, breastfeeding, baby food, diapers and more.

Want to know what makes it even better? There is even a quote from me, yes, me! Okay, it really doesn't make it that much better and even without it I still like the book. Joy and Rebecca did a great job.

It seems like the moment the kids walk in the door their coats are flung to the floor as they run off to play. If I ask them to put them away correctly they just set them on a chair! As frustrating as it is for me, as a mom I can understand why. Our coat closet is on the other side of the house and they are both to short to reach the hangers anyways. My solution was to get hooks to put on the wall by the door. However, I'm not going to spend the money right now on a want. What do to do? Start thinking outside the box, or in this case, inside the closet!

When we moved into our house we removed the rods that were in all the bedroom closets and put nice metal closet organizer systems in them instead. For almost three years these wood sections with hooks have been laying around in the "stock pile" in the basement workshop area. While looking for paint supplies I found them. I just added one hook off of one of the other pieces of wood and painted it black.


Now we have a great looking coat rack that cost me nothing. The girls love it because their coats are toasty warm in the morning because I hung it low (close to the heater) for them to be able to reach.

As Lent begins I'm always trying to come up with ways to help deepen my Faith journey. One of my favorite ways to do this is by reading. A great book for that this Lenten season is "Doers of the Word- Putting your faith into practice" by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan. This book is a nice collection of the Archbishop's writings. The short reflections remind me of short homilies.

The book is broken up into chapters to easily find the topics you would like to reflect on. The reflections our easy to read and reflect on. I would recommend doing one a day allowing 20 minutes to read and reflect on the reading of the day.

This book sells for under $10 and is great investment in your spiritual health this Lenten season.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Doers of the Word: Putting Your Faith Into Practice.