Q: ok.. Iive tried to cut down the basics but can't get under 150 and not run out of milk or bread by the middle of the week.. need help on this one..

Q: what about diapers are they included in the groceries as well.. unfortunately no aldi here in the southern end of tn at least not where im at..

A: Do you have a Save A Lot? I used to get my diapers and wipes from them, but only if they didn't leak for that particular child. 2 of my kids could only wear Huggies and not leak. It really depends on the kid. And it's worth the extra money to buy the brand that works best for that kid or you're doing way too much laundry to justify the savings. I don't have any more children in diapers. And I haven't had to buy any cleaning supplies lately.

Question:  Do you have to sacrifice creativity in order to gain structure?

 I think about that movie, "Yours, Mine And Ours". There's a scene where the extremely creative leading lady throws a fit because some of the children organized her work room. It had looked like a mess, but it was one she was comfortable with. In fact, she felt paralyzed by the rearrangement.

I also think about a foreword by Jim Henson's daughter I read once. She said the house was always a wreck - a creative chaos. 

We've all heard of Back to School, but occassionally I go "Back to Schedule"!

Today is that day for me. I've been having urges to recreate our schedule, but the final straw was really the dog. She keeps pooping in our closet. It's totally gross and it's because we don't get her out first thing in the morning. When talking to the kids and warning them that we'd get rid of the dog if this kept up, I realized it was MY fault. Yes, the dog is THEIR responsibility, but I was not keeping and enforcing a schedule to help them remember. 

So I got up today at around 6am and took out my trusty Managers of Their Homes (MOTH) book again. (www.titus2.com).  I worked out a tentative schedule for each member of the household - tentative because it takes a few days to really nail it down. It's a balance of what you want/should be doing and what has become a natural rythm for your family. 

I ran across some interesting articles today that pointed out several uses for baking soda. It got me thinking about the many, many products out there that we overlook in favor of convenient packaging and marketing gimmicks.

Also, with the "D" word being thrown around lately. I've been teaching the kids about how people lived during The Great Depression in the 30s. It stretches the imagination a little to think of ways to provide for your family in difficult financial times. I've been there, and so I hope to bring to the discussion some tips that may help folks batten down the hatches. 

As I like to say, expect the best, prepare for the worst.