Meet One Very Hip Christian Mama
Ever wanted to visit the Big Apple? What’s life really like for people sporting T-shirts bearing the letters I♥NY?
I remember jostling down the crowded sidewalks of New York City. We explored every inch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, gorged on fresh pasta and imported tomatoes in Little Italy, and purchased discount tickets at the Broadway show kiosk in Times Square.
Two weeks ago, my blogging friend Mary Ostyn from Nampa, Idaho joined the long parade of visitors to “The City.” Mama Mary blogs about her ten kids from three countries, her awesome hubby, her “big ol' garden,” and her busy homeschool at her hugely popular blog, Owlhaven. You can read all about Mary's NY trip adventures here and here.
I remember jostling down the crowded sidewalks of New York City. We explored every inch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, gorged on fresh pasta and imported tomatoes in Little Italy, and purchased discount tickets at the Broadway show kiosk in Times Square.
Two weeks ago, my blogging friend Mary Ostyn from Nampa, Idaho joined the long parade of visitors to “The City.” Mama Mary blogs about her ten kids from three countries, her awesome hubby, her “big ol' garden,” and her busy homeschool at her hugely popular blog, Owlhaven. You can read all about Mary's NY trip adventures here and here.
Mary Ostyn on TV!
Site-seeing (and shopping) around New York were actually secondary for Mary during her recent trip. That's because this lucky lady scored an invitation to tape a cooking demo show with Parents.tv to promote her new book, Family Feasts for $75 a Week. Affiliated with Parents magazine and Family Circle magazine, the show will air some time in late November or early December. For all you "foodies," Mary prepared Blueberry French Toast Strata. Mary was candid about the taping session:
“Anne had a teleprompter for her intro, and totally made me comfortable by flubbing her lines the first two times she attempted them. So when I immediately flubbed my first sentence, I knew it was no big deal that we had to start over AGAIN. Finally, she and I both settled down and managed the rest of the segment coherently. She asked me a bit about the book and about my family. We talked about the two already-made dishes [chicken broccoli enchiladas and Thai wraps]. Then we made the blueberry strata. Somehow the words just flowed and I made it through.”
Family Feasts for $75 a Week
Mary’s new book, Family Feasts for $75 a Week: A Penny-wise Mom Shares Her Recipe for Cutting Hundreds from Your Monthly Food Bill is stuffed to the gills with her expert, in-the-trenches tips on savvy food shopping. And she should know. Mary prepares three meals a day for her family of 12 for about $900 a month. Even if your family is 1/3 that size, in these recessionary times we can all use as much help as we can get!
Mary’s book includes 200 recipes, and her real-world advice teaches real-world families how to save in more ways than one. You can purchase Family Feasts for $75 a Week and her first book A Sane Woman’s Guide to Raising a Large Family online at amazon.com.
Susannah’s Aprons on TV too!
Check out the trendy vintage apron Mary is wearing in these photos. That’s Blue Bubbles, a popular style available at my new site Susannah’s {Kitchen} Aprons. Mary bought her apron through my online store, and was kind enough to email these photos. Doesn’t she look perky and professional?
By the way, my new site Susannah’s Aprons is inspired by Susannah Wesley, the mother of ten children, including the famous evangelists John and Charles Wesley. Susannah's reputation as a woman of prayer is legendary. Historians tell us that while cooking, she often flipped her apron over her head. Hidden beneath her cotton tent, Susannah offered her spontaneous prayers to God.
What are you waiting for? Tie up your style like Mary did! Click here more information (or simply click on the aprons below) and take advantage of my SALE prices. Check out is fast and easy.
Related: A HalfHourMeals Interview with e-Mom
Photos: Owlhaven
Up Next—Saturday Photo Hunt
How do you keep your family's food budget under control?
5 Comments:
Keeping the food budget used to be a hassle, but I've gotten the hang of it now.
I usually plan my weekly menu and that saves money because I always know what we're eating. When I know what we're eating, I don't cop out by running off to get take out. I also like to use the supermarket sales circulars to plan my menus.
Last year, I started buying most of our staples at Aldi where I can get great prices on things everyday without coupons. At my local Aldi's a dozen eggs cost $.79 every day. You can't beat that!
My kids are constantly thirsty and Juicy Juice was draining my budget. In addition to replacing two of the day's beverages with water, I began buying 100% juice in frozen cans and making my own. I've found that to be much, much cheaper than buying ready made juices.
We also make the most of leftovers. I like to prepare a bit extra for dinner so JT and I will have lunch the next day.
We've instituted menu planning and organized grocery shopping. Bad habits had crept in, and until three months ago, we found ourselves running to the store many times during the week and spending way more than we had budgeted. $20.00 here and there add up in a big, big way. We now plan the menu bi-weekly and then my husband and I go shopping together - which can actually be fun.
I make a summary of what meals I wanna cook for dinners. I tend to do this on Sat or Sun.
I shop on mon or tues depending on my schedule and use coupons as much as possible.
I make my grocery list based on what meals i plan on preparing that week....especially the dinner items which tend to be pricier.
I avoid most processed foods. I tend to buy fresh everything or frozen bags of veggies.
I only buy ice cream from a local ice cream shoppe that sells it for much less for higher quality.
I buy milk there as well for same reason.
I use store sales and store brands for some items like sugar, eggs, canola oil, choc. chips.
I buy from the bakery rather than packaged cookies...MUCH less expensive. I tend to use our local farmers store for fresh produce or special jams. And leftovers are for lunch for my self or hubby the next day. What also helps our budget is that my daughters both have lunch accounts at their schools and school lunches are much less expensive...they offer a variety of whole grain choies and milk/water/juices.
what i recently discovered was how much i save...in time and money...if i make the menu for the next month ahead and then buy the groceries in one lump. then spend a saturday cooking up a storm.....
it's brilliant. i don't have to cook for another month and the grocery bill is greatly reduced.EVERYBODY WINS!
Andrea: Weekly menu planning is so helpful! As you said, it helps save money, and reduces the temptation to get take out. We don't have Aldi here in the PNW. That's a great price for eggs!
Those individual juices do add up. We've switched to frozen in the last year too. Great tips! :~D
April: Sounds like you're really doing things right. My husband and I often go shopping together now that there are just the two of us. It's fun! (I do notice we spend a little more than when I shop alone though.) :~D
Faith: I can tell from your blog that you and your family eat well, and heathfully. That's so great! Bakery cookies are less expensive? We don't buy cookies much, but I should do some comparison pricing. :~D
Roo: I've never tried planning and shopping for a whole month in one sitting. Good for you! I'm sure you do save time and money that way. What do you spend all day Saturday preparing? Casseroles? Baked goods? :~D
Post a Comment