Resourceful Mommy is kicking off a new campaign titled 30 Days of Change. Her first challenge is all about Parenting. I decided that this is a perfect campaign topic for this blog.

Each day she will post a challenge for the next day. In her words, “The purpose is to create a happier, less stressful relationship with our children, so to participate simply choose a person in your life with whom you would like an easier repoire.”

Her first challenge is this:

Throughout the entire day tomorrow, say the word “no” to your children as infrequently as possible.

My little one is home with me all day tomorrow so this will be an interesting challenge for me. I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

I am taking the time this morning to get back to my meal planning. I bought a new cookbook yesterday that I planned a majority of my week by. The Cooking Light – the essential dinner tonight cookbook. There are amazing recipes in this book and every recipe has a picture. That is my kind of cookbook. The rest of the week is from The Sneaky Chef  to the rescue cookbook. This will be the first time I try a few recipes from this book, too.

Monday: Spaghetti Carbonara

Tuesday: Pork Medallions with Olive Caper Sauce

Wednesday: Honey Battered Popcorn Shrimp &

Pasta with Better Butter Sauce

Thursday: Oven Fried Chicken

Friday: Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

(I have posted this recipe before. It is so good. I even got my husband to eat the peppers!)

Click on any of the recipes for a link to the recipe online. Enjoy!

I am linking up with OrgJunkie’s Menu Plan Monday

Nadia decided yesterday that we needed to celebrate her birthday. We didn’t ever celebrate her birthday at home. Taylor was in the hospital so we just celebrated with her there. And then with the craziness of Christmas that followed, she didn’t have a friend birthday either.

So we made a little cake and let her have her moment last night. Yes, she is in her pjs at the supper table. Her middle sister was sick and in her pjs all day so she decided that she needed to stay in pjs, too.

Blowing out her candle.

She thought it was funny to have Daddy wear her Birthday Girl Hat.

I am joining Seven Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday.

One of my girlfriends recently had her first baby. I was involved in planning her shower. She really didn’t want cake at her shower, so I decided I needed to figure out how to make a diaper cake.

I found great instructions on how to make the cake, here. These instructions use a bottle of wine (I used Champagne) as the center element.. You also cover all of the diapers with tissue paper and ribbon instead of leaving them plain. I really like this look, it really finishes off the cake.

Diapers are not cheap so this makes a great decoration and gift, too.

I am glad that I had really read the instructions closely because the day I needed to make the cake I couldn’t get the site to open on my computer. I wish I would have taken pictures as I made it, but I forgot. I will make sure that I do the next time I make one. It took me quite awhile to make the first one, but I think the next one will go a little faster.

I used the extra diapers to make a couple of one tier cakes.

To finish off the decorations I made a blue and brown banner. I try to make the banners really cute because I have found that the moms like to hang them in the nursery after the shower.

I am joining in the fun over at The Girl Creative today for Just Something I Whipped Up. I can’t wait to see what everyone has for Show and Tell today!

I am joining the fun over at The Girl Creative today. The party is 2009 Top 10 Posts. I have a variety of favorites below. A lot are parties and celebrations that we had and activities I did with the girls. Here is just a few of my favorite posts. I hope to add a lot more crafting in 2010. I need a supply trip to Hobby Lobby and Michaels. My to-do list is growing for upcoming posts. Lucky for me there are awesome ladies over at The Girl Creative that are crafting geniuses. Enjoy!

1. Kickoff to Summer Party

2. Messy Art Party

3. Excovering

4. Afternoon Art Adventure

5. Disco ’til Dawn

6. Models of the Runway

7. The Blessing Tree

8. Gingerbread Houses

9. Backyard Campout

10. Amy vs. Daisy

Sunday was a beautiful day for sledding. We went with friends out to a big hill and the kids (and the dads) had a blast. Everybody got their workout, too. The hill was big and once you got down to the bottom, you had to get back to the top. . .

Taylor took a few tumbles, but she still has a smile on her face.

Nadia didn’t think that getting snow in her face as she zipped down the hill was worth it so she stood at the topped and pushed people down the hill.

Madi and her buddy went down and up the hill a thousand times. She even ended up with a bloody nose in one spill, but she wiped it off and went again.

They went down the hill until the sun went down. What a great winter day in South Dakota!

I am joining Seven Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday. Check out other great photos, here.

If I were to stop and label my husband and I, that would be easy. He is a saver and I am a spender. We have had countless conversations about money (he is a banker by trade). Being the mother of the house, I do most of the spending. I buy all of the groceries and everything we need for the house. I clothe our children and take care of any school expenses they have. Without my spending there would be no food in my house and my kids would be naked. . .

When I entered into this massive Blogging Universe last year I started to read all of these amazing frugal blogs. I started to dream about living frugal. I started to dream about having money left in my checking account at the end of each week.

I have a lot of excuses as to why I have not started taking the advice of all the wonderful frugal bloggers that I read. . . First of all, I live in a very small town and the closest Wal-mart, Target, etc. is an hour and a half drive. It is not easy to save money on groceries when they are more expensive. The list could go on and on.

I am a coupon clipper, but I am not really a coupon user. I have good intentions, but I still haven’t figured out a system to get them used.

I am not a big spender, but I am not an organized spender. I probably go to the grocery store five times per week for things that I have forgotten.

I am kind of a frugal bloggers biggest nightmare. I need a frugal living makeover. Will you help me?

I am writing this post as part of the Inexpensively blog’s Blissfully Frugal contest to win a ticket to the Blissdom Conference. I would love the opportunity to meet some of you wonderful Frugal Bloggers in person. First you could scold me for not living frugal and then hopefully you could take me under your wing and guide me to living “Blissfully Frugal”.