See the P.S. on this email -- whoa!!

Plus, I hope your family is spared illness this week! Hi, Friend! It's that time of year -- when sickness abounds! We had about 12 days of five of us getting RSV (it was no joke - our first time to have it!) and then we almost recovered from that and caught a stomach bug that went through all three little ones. It's been an opportunity to set aside many plans and to do lists and just focus on loving and comforting and holding and snuggling and reading stories and watching lots of shows. I'm so grateful for the flexibility we have in our work and schedule when unexpected things like this happen! Three of Kierstyn's favorite books that we've read over and over again the past few weeks: [Raindrops to Rainbow](=), [The Best Worst Day Ever](=), and [Little Mommy.]( An Honest Conversation on Body Image Real talk: I’ve struggled with body image much of my life. I’ve used food and exercise as a reward and punishment. I’ve obsessed over what I ate or didn’t eat, how much I exercised or didn’t exercise, how my clothes fit or didn’t fit, and what the number on the scales. I’ve beat myself up when the jeans didn’t fit, felt frustrated and discouraged when the scale didn’t say the number I wanted it to, and spent way too much mental energy thinking about what I see when I look in the mirror. I’ve always gained 30+ pounds with each pregnancy and losing it has always been a challenge. But I felt like getting back to “pre-pregnancy size” was super important — so I’ve expended so much thought and effort and unhealthy pursuits to hit that. I don’t share this so that people will leave comments saying, “But you look great!” I share this because I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this. As women, we can invest so much time, thought, and money in the pursuit of what we think is the ideal body image… all the while missing that we are made in the image of God, thinness doesn’t define our value and worth, and that the Enemy loves to hijack our focus from Jesus to an obsession over our size. And that’s why I’m so grateful for [the recent podcast episode]() with [@rachaeljgilbert]() where we talk openly about what it looks like to have a healthy body image and practical ways to get there. Yes, pursuing health and fitness so that we can have energy to do what God has called us to do and honor the body God has given us is a good thing. But the number on the scale or size on the tag of our jeans is not what defines us: Jesus does! And I’ve learned firsthand that you can hit your goal weight and still be incredibly unhealthy mentally, emotionally, and physically. Because health isn’t just about what we put into our bodies or what we see in the mirror; it’s also about what we allow to take up residence in our minds and hearts and what we believe about ourselves and about God. [Listen to the episode here.]( Two Other Recent Podcasts If our goal is to raise confident, strong independent adults, it starts with teaching and training them from a young age to take personal responsibility. I believe one great way we can do this is by encouraging our kids to build strong work ethic, earn their own income, and slowly start paying for more and more of their own things. ▶️ [Jesse and I recorded a podcast recently](=) where we shared how we’ve encouraged this practically with our kids, when we’ve required them to get a job, and how we’ve walked with them to help them to learn to practice good time and money management skills. We even address the common pushback to kids working that they need to focus on academics and/or are super involved in sports. [LISTEN HERE.](=) The [second podcast episode]() is one I’d been looking forward to recording — because it is always so special to get to talk to a mom who also has a child with Down syndrome. Author of [The Gift of the Unexpected: Discovering Who You Were Meant to Be When Life Goes Off Plan](), Jillian Benfield joins me today to share her heartfelt story of getting the very unexpected diagnosis of Down syndrome for her second child, Anderson. In this conversation, Jillian and I dive into the depths of her experience, beginning with the earth-shattering phone call that changed her life’s trajectory. Jillian recounts the initial shock, the fear, and the grief she felt upon learning about her son’s diagnosis. What follows is a candid conversation about the unlearning and re-earning process she underwent, navigating the unexpected, and the beautiful, inspirational transformation that emerged. [LISTEN HERE.]() = Hot Deal on Kids' Shoes! Looking for a great deal on kids' shoes? Grab a great deal on [Under Armour Kid’s Shoes](=)right now! Get them for as low as $17.23 shipped after code TREATFORYOU at checkout! Plus, shipping is free with code! And a GREAT Deal on Wool Blend Socks! This popular deal is back! Amazon has these [Women’s Warm Wool Blend Socks (5 pack) for just $7.99]() when you use the promo code KPDRT9AZ at checkout! Choose from four color options. = [8 HIGHLY-RECOMMENDED SYSTEMS TO KEEP YOUR HOME CLEAN & ORGANIZED](=) Recently, I polled [my followers on Instagram]( about how much time they spend on cleaning-related tasks and chores for their home. There were a wide range of responses including things like, “Too much” and “Not enough” and even one person said, “Some days too much, some days not enough!” Overall, I’d say most people are spending something like 30 minutes to 2 hours on cleaning-related tasks most days.That also depends upon whether you include laundry and dishes in that number! How much time are you spending on cleaning at your house? I’d love to hear! I also asked for people to share what system they use to keep their home clean and organized, if they have one to recommend. I got SO many responses and there were eight systems that were mentioned again and again! I wanted to share them here for anyone looking for a new system. I’ve included some basic details plus pricing. [See the post with all the details and reviews here.](=) [60 SUPER QUICK MEAL IDEAS INSTEAD OF GETTING TAKEOUT]( It’s 5 p.m. and you’re tired and you have zero inspiration for dinner. You realize you should have planned something earlier in the day, but you didn’t and now your options feel limited and you are considering resorting to grabbing takeout. If you’ve ever found yourself in this predicament, I’ve got you covered because I put together a comprehensive list of 60+ super simple meal ideas to make instead of getting takeout. This post was crowd-sourced by my [Instagram followers](. You see, earlier this week, I asked my community a question one of my followers there posed: “Can you give me a list of super simple meal ideas for nights when I don’t feel like cooking and we’re sick of frozen pizza?” With the help of my instagram community, [here were the some of the ideas they shared (+ some of my own!).]( Have a wonderful week -- and hopefully your family is spared from sickness! -Crystal P.S. This post of mine went viral the past few days... it has [gotten over 75,000 likes and 100K shares](=)! Apparently, some people could [resonate with it!](=) [Unsubscribe]( Money Saving Mom, LLC 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Ste. 900 #313 Franklin, Tennessee 37069 United States