One of my sub-goals for the new year is to STRENGTHEN finances. I chose to strengthen this area because we are trying to save a lot of money so we can get into a home we really want. And also waste and overabundance is actually starting to make me sick to my stomach. To save money and form better habits, I decided to do one small act of thrift a day.

A couple of years ago my sister came over to my house in the wee hours of the morning because my water just broke and we needed someone to stay with the other three kids while we headed to the hospital. I remember saying as I walked out the door, “I am so excited!” And she said, “To have a new little baby?” And I replied, “No, to get a new water mug!”

I often joke that my kids are either going to be the President of the United States or in an insane asylum by how I parent. This post is one of those examples that shows my alternative methods. Most parents just go take their girls to get their ears pierced when they feel like it. Not me.

We had a different kind of Service Saturday in December. Instead of giving service to another family, we received the service. We moved up the street last week and we had so much help. Besides the several men, women, teenagers and children that showed up to help move boxes and furniture, there were many others acts of service:

So we moved into a new home this weekend. (F.Y.I. I wouldn’t recommend moving the same week as Christmas.) We are just renting it until we figure out what we are supposed to do and where we are supposed to be. And I was just wondering, if you moved into a home what is the first thing you would do?

Every year we discover new products (to us) that make our lives simpler, better, or easier. In no particular order, here are my top 11 favorite products of 2011: