Orange Rhino Update- OMG I'VE STOPPED YELLING!!! (oops!) ;)

Ok, so I have a ways to go still... but I have made significant progress in my attempt at the Orange Rhino Challenge

I am FINALLY at the 2 week mark of NO YELLING! Ok, do I need to work on not yelling at my husband??? Yes. That's next ;) 

But after spending way too much time feeling like a failure , I am happy to report that I have not only mastered catching myself before I raise voice towards my kids... but I also have taken more significant steps at figuring out my triggers, and essentially making sure those triggers don't exist! 

For example: 

* getting out the house in the morning :  I now make NO plans first thing in the am. This will of course NOT work once Baby A starts school, but everyone will be older then, so I suspect it will go easier at that time. 

Now, we have Spiderman who has school in the afternoon... daddy takes Sissy to school... and Babies A and B and myself make NO early plans when we can avoid it. This alleviates the morning hustle and mommy freak outs ;) 

Now this theory obviously isn't going to work for everyone, especially our working mamas... but when we DO have something to do in the morning, I make sure I prepare everything I will need ahead of time. Lunches, diaper bags, laundry, clothes out; all that is done the night before. 

* boredom: kids get bored and whiny + infant = mommy loses her $h*t ;) 

Here in Maine the weather is finally getting nicer and we are finally escaping hibernation- thank God! Now, I make more of an effort to eliminate boredom. After breakfast, baby B goes in for a nap around 9:30 or 10am- so then the rest of us do yoga (on demand or a DVD at home) or color until we go outside around 11:30am.  

I just need to keep my mind on finding ways to remain relaxed during a normal day.

While well meaning friends and family always tell me, "take some time for yourself!" "go for a walk" or just "take a nice bubble bath"... 

* my fellow NNM mamas know that a SAHM with a husband that works sometimes 7 days a week- there is no "time for yourself". 

* If I go for a walk, it's with all the kids- and honestly- it's usually NOT fun at all. The two older kids are bickering, Baby A is complaining that she's in a stroller and not walking, and Baby B gets bored after about 5 minutes whether she's being worn or in a stroller. 

NOT relaxing. Usually results in yelling ;) 

* and I can't even PEE by myself, how am I going to take a bath>??!!!! 

Regardless, getting outside means a more relaxed and less-likely-to-yell mama. 

How are YOU doing with your Orange Rhino Challenge? Have you JOINED the challenge yet? JOIN ME!

Riding the Momentum for 2013!

WOW! So much going on already in the short few weeks since we've entered the new year! Our Facebook wall is updated daily with deals, steals, and cool articles for you to enjoy!

You can also find NNM on Twitter, and Pinterest and Instagram @mymackey

Our next Family Appreciation Night is scheduled for next Friday, and I am introducing our next family challenge: The Orange Rhino

from The Orange Rhino on Facebook

Those of you that are regulars here at NNM know that my biggest weakness is yelling. I am forever striving to improve, and knock this bad habit. The Orange Rhino challenge sounds PERFECT! Plus, my 5 year old will have a grand old time holding me accountable!

I'm going to print out little orange rhinos and glue them to Popsicle sticks for the kids to hold up when I'm about to fall off the wagon ;)

Of course, our challenge will also apply to the kids! ;) (We have to be fair, after all!) and we will, in turn, continue our use of the angry box .

Also, Positive Parenting Solutions is offering a FREE Webinar on Getting Kids to Listen without Nagging or Yelling. Ummmm, count me IN! :) You can register with me HERE

HUBBY and I are making OUR relationship a priority too! 

I know, HOW with 4 kids and one income? Not expensive dates, that's for sure! :) We joined the #bibleinayear challenge with Rachel Wojo.

A few nights a week, we can sit together on the couch, dueling computers as usual ;) but at least read together, take turns sharing a book and reciting our favorite passages, and then every few weeks I ll blog about our experience!

We hope this will be the start of re centering as a couple and not just as parents, which is extremely important to us.

What are YOU working on so far for 2013? Or what would help you make the push to reach your goals?

SAVE America. Start TODAY.

So I saw a poster in a cafe yesterday that had this statement on it:

"We challenge you to change just 10% of your purchases from big box stores to local merchants"

the poster indicated that this small change would create something like 50,000 jobs (and if I remember correctly, that was just considering the state I was in- New Hampshire) and would immediately increase the revenue of the state, and hence America, to help improve our economy.

I believe the group that had sponsored the poster was Seacoast Eat Local. But your 10% shift doesn't just have to be food- it can be anything! But if we take food as an example, it can be your least expensive option. Last weekend, I went over to our local farm Brookford Farm and purchased some fresh veggies (a bag of arugula $3, some leeks $1, and some onions $3), I also purchased some yogurt, cheese, and raw milk. Now, I spent about $20.00.  You need to keep in mind that the yogurt and milk come in LARGE Mason jars.

Additionally, when I am ready for more yogurt and milk, I bring the jars back and get a deposit towards my next purchase. Let's look at the milk. I switch between soy milk and raw milk for my kiddos. Soy milk costs about $4.59/ carton. The raw milk cost $4.50. When I bring back the rinsed Mason jar- I get a $2.50 deposit. My milk ends up costing me almost HALF of if I kept purchasing soy milk from our local Hannaford.

Now this comes right after I heard on Late Night with Diane Sawyer about their Made In America initiative, where they are challenging building contractors to change just 5% of their purchases for building homes to American made supplies. Doing this is predicted to create 220,000 jobs in America!

You can also help this cause by purchasing your very own Made In America T- shirts  which are made of 100% cotton and made, of course, right here in America.

So here at NurturingtheNaturalMama, I am extending this challenge- and I want to hear your stories of how you achieved it! I challenge you to change 10% of your purchases- food or otherwise to American made in the next 30 days. Share the results!!

Was it more expensive? Was it worth it? How did it make you feel? Do you feel you got better or worse product for your money? What type of products did you try?