tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52893279142641680242024-03-13T12:02:52.484-07:00feed the real needmilo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-26861245052873021332019-09-03T16:21:00.002-07:002019-09-03T16:21:44.731-07:00We have moved! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thanks for stopping by!<br />
We have moved to Instagram. Visit us @feedtherealneed! 💚<br />
OR<br />
click the PayPal link on the side bar to donate. ❤️<br />
OR<br />
email us with your FTRN experiences! We love to hear them! 🖤<br />
(Feedtherealneed@gmail.com)<br />
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-22369189306056276862017-10-11T13:47:00.000-07:002017-10-11T13:47:49.837-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sweet Graduation Gift (get it)</div>
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Hello! </div>
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This is Gemma. We are half done our Feed the Real Need Challenge for 2017! We do it every year from Sept to Dec. so far we have put $156 in the account. </div>
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Attention! Attention! </div>
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We are selling Scrumdidalidumptious Homemade Gourmet All Day suckers to raise $200 for True Africa. We support Kisuule, a 15 yr old boy in Uganda who is learning to be a Brick Layer. The $200 will get him his own tool set as a Graduation Gift. </div>
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Please let us know if you want some amazing suckers! We have: Apple Cider, Cinnamon, Maple and Brown Sugar, Root Beer (my personal fav), Raspberry and Piña Colada! They are .75 cents each, adorable and delicious! They are heart shaped because you are showing you care :) </div>
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Last night we went to a Fast Food place instead of a Sit Down restaurant so that we could donate the difference. That was ok because it was my favorite Fast Food place :)</div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-83900922274893267502016-05-09T21:03:00.004-07:002016-05-09T21:03:48.859-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Family Meeting = Family Meaning</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"> </span><span style="color: #444444;">I love Family Meetings. It's our opportunity to check in with everyone and make new goals and feel united in our priorities. We try to do one at least once a month but sometimes just pure playing gets in the way. Anyway at our last family meeting we finally decided where to donate the money we set aside this last go-around of Feed the Real Need. Our total was: (drumroll please)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="color: #e69138; font-size: large;">$738.46!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"> <b>Thanks to some generous donations we were able to hit a </b></span><b><span style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><u>new record</u></span><span style="color: #444444; text-align: center;">!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"> Every child got a vote as to where to put it. There should be a link to all of these charities on the side bar if you are interested in knowing why we chose them. We are excited to add House of Hope and First Desk to our line up of personal faves. Do you have a favorite charity? Please share!</span></div>
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Thank you, again, to everyone that helped us Feed the Real Need!</div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-91790660307942598472015-11-01T19:08:00.001-08:002015-11-01T19:14:03.637-08:00Catching Up and Cashing In<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
OK, so we have a little catching up to do in the whole blog department....I wasn't too worried about posting because I wasn't sure if it mattered at all. This year we started saving instead of eating out in September as usual, but the last time I told the kids, "We aren't going to eat there because we are doing Feed the Real Need" they kinda had a melt down. "WHY are we even DOING this - we haven't made a single post!" This was good and bad... it showed me that the blog really was a good idea, that even if my little family is the only one that reads it, it has value and makes it all real for us. The bad bit was that I am the Mom, the one in charge and I totally dropped the ball. Here is a quick example of the small sacrifices we have made this fall:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjoBOGz3i2vXS6CAWKkgrueQYabIQR2gPg4NYaBsikG7G3bCZjAOK0d4i33R1zz-BAgqqJypdkpysZqNfgk417qYLKfG9sCp3b-bVarv8bitqpXAs92GWTTC01ihlhoD2i7AjWoZDwsNN/s1600/pizzeria.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjoBOGz3i2vXS6CAWKkgrueQYabIQR2gPg4NYaBsikG7G3bCZjAOK0d4i33R1zz-BAgqqJypdkpysZqNfgk417qYLKfG9sCp3b-bVarv8bitqpXAs92GWTTC01ihlhoD2i7AjWoZDwsNN/s1600/pizzeria.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aCxG_tqXVD_26NoExRxAXq98QcH24-hVLNNWUwYY6EC0re1nvuENJwClBIt7kanoJ8PZot6De4-Jy5s6H8R9Ns-c8lnDlf7PT5yU_gu2zhhM4hHknGFMkvOablNGe1p-Vja65ZKWefGp/s1600/tropical+smootie+cafe.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aCxG_tqXVD_26NoExRxAXq98QcH24-hVLNNWUwYY6EC0re1nvuENJwClBIt7kanoJ8PZot6De4-Jy5s6H8R9Ns-c8lnDlf7PT5yU_gu2zhhM4hHknGFMkvOablNGe1p-Vja65ZKWefGp/s1600/tropical+smootie+cafe.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0Kd0h_yRPYBlci9RO4i2-RvXwv9SKfZBs7pCgG6Sf0JyYBSdUX_DUrgf6LW6794VlTGbA8MkI9trJSUKYAHjZNA0-ZgbXrvftTgzG7WZuLpnT5iuMpZyYQrkki5RlETanwdTyce4fx8D/s1600/cafe+rio.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0Kd0h_yRPYBlci9RO4i2-RvXwv9SKfZBs7pCgG6Sf0JyYBSdUX_DUrgf6LW6794VlTGbA8MkI9trJSUKYAHjZNA0-ZgbXrvftTgzG7WZuLpnT5iuMpZyYQrkki5RlETanwdTyce4fx8D/s200/cafe+rio.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGmUVLVFyJ2ru6elHmBWYTo-f_tnY1CkjnKdPtFaJE42ZML2t3wfs62QlIjx6hAYgUzd3TvHexfu6XqVwp1rYwpQ_kiChevg4tccQtyUQRsiFhNANS8ijDiOC9-oOtUMhd0zAzWho_9uy/s1600/english+bakery.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGmUVLVFyJ2ru6elHmBWYTo-f_tnY1CkjnKdPtFaJE42ZML2t3wfs62QlIjx6hAYgUzd3TvHexfu6XqVwp1rYwpQ_kiChevg4tccQtyUQRsiFhNANS8ijDiOC9-oOtUMhd0zAzWho_9uy/s200/english+bakery.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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These are some of the restaurants we REALLY wanted to eat at but put the money in the fund instead. That is both a little and a big thing. It's little in the spectrum of humanitarian efforts, but harder than you'd think to actually do! Like the day we passed up Tropical Smoothie Café. I had been in the car for-e-ver. School pick up, music lessons and gymnastics left us precious little time before heading to soccer. Plus my husband was out of town. That was the above-mentioned melt-down day. Next I had a stay-cation with my 2 girls. We found ourselves in Salt Lake on the very street of Elizabeth's Bakery. What could be more fun than having tea time with my 2 little lovelies for lunch? Admittedly, I was VERY TEMPTED. Luckily Gemma was there to tell me that buying a family a rabbit was more important than eating a scone. I was still tempted but guilted into doing the right thing :)<br />
We hope this inspires you to replace just one meal out for a donation to someone who needs more than a hamburger or a date night. I am so proud of my family. My husband happily runs errands with me instead of eating at restaurants for date night and my kids stay strong when I falter (I am the Hulk when my blood sugar is low).<br />
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Here's to YEAR FIVE of Feeding the Real Need!!!</div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-31475526293030474512014-10-27T10:52:00.002-07:002014-10-27T10:53:56.567-07:00 Mom and Milo's Night Out<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few weeks ago me (Milo) and my mom went to a special program called "Rachel's Challenge". It is about a girl who was shot at Columbine High School and her ideas of acceptance and paying it forward. I liked it. (If you would like to find out more go to: www.rachelschallenge.org ). After the presentation we went back to our car and started driving home and my mom said,"Milo, this is the time I would take you to go get a treat. But remember, we are doing Feed the Real Need. I will let you decide: I can take you for a treat or we can put that money into the Fund." I replied," I want to put the money in the fund." So we drove home and instead of eating milkshakes, we made hot chocolate instead. <br />
We have a lot to add to the $7 we put in that night! Our Grandma and Grandpa Harker have joined us in Feed the Real Need every year since we started and just brought us ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS!! Wahoo! That, combined with money we saved on a family vacation and other times we haven't stopped for lunch or date nights ( Mom and Dad) makes this post a big one. Yay!!!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">+$100 (G&G) + $85(trip) + $7(shakes) + $17 (lunch,etc.) + $45 (date night) = $254</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Feed The Real Need Total: $275</span></div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-89983924484099357742014-09-07T10:41:00.000-07:002014-09-07T12:22:53.409-07:00Welcome to Feed the Real Need 2014 ! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi my name is Gemma (with a 'j'). I am 7 years old. I love to craft and make things for other people<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">! </span> I also love art. We are starting Feed the Real Need for the FOURTH YEAR<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">!! </span> We are not going to eat out or spend money at restaurants until Christmas Break. That's 3 and a half months! <br />
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This year it is kind of hard for me to want to do it. I want to and I don't want to. But I am going to. I'm going to because I want to help other people. I know that when we give people the money we saved at the end I will be glad I did it. My favorite thing we've done is help girls get an education in the Middle East. This year I hope we can do even more.</div>
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I hope you can join us<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">!</span> I'd love to hear YOUR stories<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">!</span> You just have to eat at home instead of at a place one night and then give the money you save to charity. This is kind of hard for me because I love eating out, especially at Red Robin. We don't go there very much so it's like a special treat. But I can go again in December<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">! </span><br />
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-29687375146678789052014-05-13T10:07:00.000-07:002014-05-13T13:44:16.185-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi - Sawyer again here. I just wanted to tell you how much I like doing Feed the Real Need. It's a good experience to help you start to realize how many people need educations and money to help them live. That is why we started Feed the Real Need. This year we bought an education for a child in Africa and I'm really excited about that! </div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Our total last time around was: $458 !</span></h4>
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This is what we decided to do with the money (we finally had a family meeting):</div>
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$300 - TRUEAfrica. Our donation will give Kisuule Moses, a 6th grader, with a full year of education (tuition and fees), a mid-day meal at school, a school uniform and sweater, a pair of shoes and socks, a backpack, pencils and exercise books, basic medications, access to medical care, and interaction with a local social worker. www.trueafrica.org</div>
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$90 - Heifer International. Instead of choosing a certain animal or gift we chose to click the "Give Where Most Needed" button. www.heifer.org</div>
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$34 - Central Asia Institute. We chose Girls Education/Women Development in honor of the girls recently taken in Nigeria. www.ikat.org</div>
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$15 - Community Action (local food bank). Did you know that the food bank can turn $1 into $3 worth of donations? www.communityactionprovo.org</div>
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$20 -LDS Humanitarian Fund. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has emergency relief and basic need campaigns all over the world. They are often right behind first-responders after a natural disaster. We have made toys, educational kits and newborn take-home kits that they send all over the world. www.lds.org/topics/humanitarian-service/help?lang=eng#aid_fund</div>
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Want to know our grand total for all 3 years? <span style="color: #cc0000;">$1225 !</span> That's one-thousand, two hundred, twenty-five dollars! Thanks to all of you who donated or take the Feed the Real Need Challenge and donate on your own!! See you again when we start up in September!</div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-57397313504720039122013-12-11T20:54:00.001-08:002013-12-11T20:54:50.470-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wow we are really far behind and have so much so share so buckle up my friends! For Thanksgiving we went to Boise, the home of our very favorite Greek lunch stand. This little place (The Gryro Shack) is so good that I have honestly found myself trying to make excuses to drive to Boise so I could eat there. So now you understand how hard it was to be driving right past and not order feta fabulousness! I asked my sister-in-law to pull off and take a quick picture and the succulent aroma almost did me in (carnivore, much?). Seriously smelled so good. There was some guy in a truck who watched me take this picture who asked if the Shack and I needed a moment or two alone.....hahaha. <span style="color: #cc0000;">+ $16.00</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WY19GX7undyga3nlRaE6D3MBL0Z8yq8QLpFMyJpFm7Ax7wwfAUCKdfMHTo0XrvYTjxFaBe1Sk9yjMXDIBEYeofD8LYtB3BkxdLtEnJdZAw5aCTxTzZQhrM57R2JRK3Hro0Y-4KeqmXAE/s1600/GyroShack.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WY19GX7undyga3nlRaE6D3MBL0Z8yq8QLpFMyJpFm7Ax7wwfAUCKdfMHTo0XrvYTjxFaBe1Sk9yjMXDIBEYeofD8LYtB3BkxdLtEnJdZAw5aCTxTzZQhrM57R2JRK3Hro0Y-4KeqmXAE/s320/GyroShack.JPG" width="257" /></a></div>
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Monday night in our family is "Family Night". We usually have a treat of some kind. This last Monday the kids and I were out and about, rollin' in the mini when they asked what we were going to have for a treat. It was a cold, snowy night and I was so tempted to take them to get a warm gooey treat from my favorite bakery. I gotta say, December is the hardest month to stick to this gig. So many excuses to go out and celebrate and treat yourself to deliciousness! I was so tempted that when we got home I backed out of my driveway 2 times to go. The second time I even made it 2 blocks away. Then I said, "You know what, guys - let's just go home and make hot cocoa and donate the rest to the fund.", and waited for the tantrums to begin. I had, however promised a fun treat that we <b>never</b> do together. No crying, not even a whine. My kids are 10, 8, 6 and 2 OK, that is a Christmas miracle! </div>
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Boo-ya: <span style="color: #cc0000;">+ $10.00 </span> eat it up, Santa.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcqrJ_lc3Po4eHNWmWUTN8ssS0NamfOh9OEzpXRvKGpHjXNQjrXTw_1qNXM4dtGMMG0qVGE8fyelH3OJhsCc1gpEWakISRXYMzU3JLvGlgtplHX_Pi1XSBFZ_Mk4CQwICzHst3MzjTRMb/s1600/Sawyer-FRN.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcqrJ_lc3Po4eHNWmWUTN8ssS0NamfOh9OEzpXRvKGpHjXNQjrXTw_1qNXM4dtGMMG0qVGE8fyelH3OJhsCc1gpEWakISRXYMzU3JLvGlgtplHX_Pi1XSBFZ_Mk4CQwICzHst3MzjTRMb/s320/Sawyer-FRN.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I saved the best part for last. We've had a donation sent to us in the mail for one-hundred dollars. I mean:</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">one-HUNDRED <b><u>DOLLARS</u></b>!!!!!!!!!</span></div>
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I opened the letter and just started to cry. It meant so much to the kids, too. Thank you to everyone out there that has helped and sent encouraging emails and participated. We know we are only doing a small act, but it helps to know that out there in the world sometimes it grows.</div>
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We love you!!!</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">us + $100 donation = $206</span>. <span style="color: #bf9000;">FRN TOTAL: $442 </span></div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-6630789360316999062013-10-10T13:29:00.000-07:002013-10-10T13:29:08.383-07:00Fund = Fun in the Sun!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
:) :) :) Hello - we've missed you! We were gone on vacation and didn't have time to write but now we're back writing a post for you. This is Sawyer. I am 8 years old. I turned 8 on August 30th, I'm sorry I didn't tell you!<div>
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Last weekend we went away for 4 days so a sunnier, warmer place. We knew that we were doing Feed the Real Need so we packed lots of homemade food for the 6 hour drive. Then when we got there we went straight to the store and bought dinner to make. Then we went to our hotel and put it in the oven. We knew we would want to go to the ice cream shops by the lake so we also bought our own ice cream treats! That added $20 to the fund and it was just as good as the ice cream shop!!</div>
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I think that's good for this post. Bye! </div>
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Oh - PS - we also took a lot of iPhones, iPads and movies on the trip too. Just in case you wanted to know....Also we saved another $100 by making all of our own food!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48KXu2PwHkyoJGtrJXBF8a10mawKwSZkSMMW0gmPz3KjLDSVeMTMN4t4l_mO4_xemmZn90nBkmwerN7oY815p-8xAPgUi-sb-6gUaWHNoMU-PzzRCjT3NG95_V7aGuXbv33pNWKvmER2G/s1600/IMG_2326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48KXu2PwHkyoJGtrJXBF8a10mawKwSZkSMMW0gmPz3KjLDSVeMTMN4t4l_mO4_xemmZn90nBkmwerN7oY815p-8xAPgUi-sb-6gUaWHNoMU-PzzRCjT3NG95_V7aGuXbv33pNWKvmER2G/s320/IMG_2326.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">+ $120 (trip) + $10 (starbucks for mom) + 10 (dinner out) = $140.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">FRN Total = $180.00 </span></div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-30255187886455107332013-09-06T13:08:00.000-07:002013-09-06T13:17:50.528-07:002013 First Post of the Year! Heeeeere Weeeeee Gooooooooooo!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday on the way home from Jiu Jitsu I asked if we could have Subway for dinner like we normally did because my mom had meetings and we were in a hurry. She said, "Remember it's September - it's time for Feed the Real Need." Then my little sister said, "Mom! Do we HAVE to?". My mom said, "No, you don't HAVE to. I am not going to make you do it." "OK," Said my sister, "I don't want to do it - I want to have Old McDonald's still." (McDonald's). Then we talked all about what the money we saved the last years did for other people. We bought a water pump, a goat, rabbits and school supplies. Sawyer and I asked Gemma if she were a little girl in Africa, if she would appreciate it if a little American girl didn't have McDonalds so she could have a water pump instead of hauling water every day. Then my sister said, "No - just kidding - I want to do it.". Mom told us all to think about it on the way home and make up our minds for sure. When she asked us later we all said YES. But my other little sister said, "Show" (which means she wanted to watch a TV show...she's 2). Post by: Milo (boy getting choked by toddler)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzZCZKtNEi4i0raEHkHFQ_0fHabrljpHVEViLJHGJf6tvGHanbdl6zh_wJFTVa7fX1zAaPuwG_t-Nee_Yo-KwPLynYPXTd-Xcqd8Rd87J2Iu51SNlNHRh2bn579M3NBmeoVUA1oBzx5Nf/s1600/IMG_3122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzZCZKtNEi4i0raEHkHFQ_0fHabrljpHVEViLJHGJf6tvGHanbdl6zh_wJFTVa7fX1zAaPuwG_t-Nee_Yo-KwPLynYPXTd-Xcqd8Rd87J2Iu51SNlNHRh2bn579M3NBmeoVUA1oBzx5Nf/s320/IMG_3122.JPG" width="281" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">+ 10.00 (Subway) + 30.00 (date night)</span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">FRN TOTAL $40.00</span></div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-30191758112382809442012-12-30T17:33:00.000-08:002013-10-10T13:33:18.587-07:002012 - Where It Goes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This year we got <span style="font-size: large;"><u>$401.00</u></span> from doing Feed The Real Need :) Tonight we decided that we would give $50 to Unicef because my Mom read about a young boy who was forced to fight a war until Unicef came and took him away from there. We are giving $150 to Heiffer International to buy a water pump so that a community doesn't have to walk 5 or 6 miles just to get water. Sawyer thought we should put $21 in my Mom's wallet so that when we see homeless people on the street we can give them $4 or $5 each. Gemma wanted to give TRUEAfrica $20 to help with education in Africa. The Central Asia Institute is still building schools in the Middle East so we are giving them $30.00. We are giving the local food bank $50 and using the rest ($80) for people we know that need it.<br />
We love doing Feed the Real Need because it doesn't matter how much you already give, this makes it so we can give more. We love having a family meeting at the end and choosing the people to give to.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKX9EuMeefvxZMxeIalcXU1fBJvQRaFTAHiT2uPEvDeFrzKvxt_HLcDdoGomycJ7mcQaPdjoJYYGKinXlH9EpGJpGqbo1ofr1DTUfKS0m-g6FN0x-61vfJlfcobzXVTNU_63s6tSex97JJ/s1600/waterpump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKX9EuMeefvxZMxeIalcXU1fBJvQRaFTAHiT2uPEvDeFrzKvxt_HLcDdoGomycJ7mcQaPdjoJYYGKinXlH9EpGJpGqbo1ofr1DTUfKS0m-g6FN0x-61vfJlfcobzXVTNU_63s6tSex97JJ/s1600/waterpump.jpg" /></a></div>
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I think this was a very good idea. See you next year!</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Feed the Real Need Combined Total: $766.00</span> </div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-67270608161073534042012-12-12T21:43:00.000-08:002012-12-12T21:43:44.258-08:00Fund Facts!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I promise this is the only post of the year that will be by me, the boring mother, but I have had many people ask me how I work the fund so here are instructions. The hardest thing is getting from the good intentions part to the actual giving part and I have found this system to be the BEST.<br />
#1 - set up a new email account just for your fund. trust me. it literally takes 2 minutes.<br />
#2 - set up a new checking account at your bank that includes it's own debit card. you only use this card to pay directly to charities.<br />
#3 - set up a PayPal account using that new debit card/routing number/email (you will also need a PayPal account to your current banking account if you don't already have one).<br />
#4 - add the PayPal app to your phone<br />
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And voila! You are ready to go! This way any time I am tempted to eat out I simply get out my phone,open PayPal (log into my primary bank account) and send money to the new email address/PayPal account with a memo that says something like, ' wanted steak real bad but resisted '. Yes, I really wrote that in a memo...to myself..... This system is great because you can do it right in the moment and for any measly amount but it adds up! <br />
<b>This would work great for savings accounts, missionary funds or travel funds as well.</b><br />
Every post deserves a picture so here you go:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIylA4wWQyoyL5FskG2TA8L_9TvrecLJ-vEe13zkyvRIxe5nCKjOpBP079lFUedy4Hn86FGwWwdE1kUmCa017ltYNsJgzWJ_gEGhEjtJHIwRiZODUSYCSKk9eADjR2s4n3J65YPGOVu4o/s1600/IMG_9149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIylA4wWQyoyL5FskG2TA8L_9TvrecLJ-vEe13zkyvRIxe5nCKjOpBP079lFUedy4Hn86FGwWwdE1kUmCa017ltYNsJgzWJ_gEGhEjtJHIwRiZODUSYCSKk9eADjR2s4n3J65YPGOVu4o/s400/IMG_9149.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Merry Christmas!</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">feed the real need TOTAL: $332.00</span></div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-14364532075207515212012-11-28T18:27:00.000-08:002012-11-28T18:27:02.716-08:00Guest Donation! A Real Need in NY!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Who do you think it is?? Well if you guessed Milo, you are right! A few weeks ago my Aunt Brittany told us that she had saved up money from doing Feed the Real Need. She knew that people in New York were about to have another storm after they had Hurricane Sandy. She knew they needed coats and blankets so she asked us if we could help her find some. We found 12 coats and 8 blankets thanks to the ladies from our church. My aunt Brittany paid to quickly ship them to Staten Island from her Feed the Real Need fund. We all felt good about helping people and we hope they are warm! I might be the next to post (again!). See ya later!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSYTFTVGBunaOdAuyApN-vewuh19xz5DVEytZPEVXQ-sNzoHbALLGSnQDS1qVvch7nOzjlv8jAc7_zcaloCZ4_K63sKAE21dyyQiYngT32FC_3on3haSCwK1NruXM9YAPQbiBzGSS_c5L/s1600/photo+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSYTFTVGBunaOdAuyApN-vewuh19xz5DVEytZPEVXQ-sNzoHbALLGSnQDS1qVvch7nOzjlv8jAc7_zcaloCZ4_K63sKAE21dyyQiYngT32FC_3on3haSCwK1NruXM9YAPQbiBzGSS_c5L/s320/photo+(7).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-22921060385432626212012-10-14T09:00:00.001-07:002012-10-14T09:02:32.015-07:002 in 1! Our trip and GUEST APPEARANCE!!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Guess who it is? If you said "Milo" - yep! You're right! A few days ago I got a letter from my Grandma and here is what it said:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHD8qu3oBqBlgDBqdUtn17dZOj0jbDfsGY8MEA_ALu3QjxDHRIiWeo3fcFl9s2nKfmGLiBIW00m-1Jhhk68dhQE880ZVQy0o8Nuo-MfTqdkA6677SzfUF1SAsEQt-2nEEEj7csCHoHBedR/s1600/October+2010+Europe+267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHD8qu3oBqBlgDBqdUtn17dZOj0jbDfsGY8MEA_ALu3QjxDHRIiWeo3fcFl9s2nKfmGLiBIW00m-1Jhhk68dhQE880ZVQy0o8Nuo-MfTqdkA6677SzfUF1SAsEQt-2nEEEj7csCHoHBedR/s200/October+2010+Europe+267.JPG" width="185" /></a><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Grandpa and I made BBQ ribs for supper one night. It cost us about $15 for a meal of ribs, potatoes, veggies and milk. If we had gone to Tony Roma's it would have cost at least $35.00. Donating $20 difference to Feed the Real Need. Love, Grandma Harker :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We are so excited to have our first story of someone to put on the blog! We hope we keep getting more stories of other people who try our experiment! You don't have to send us money if you don't want, you can just tell us that you did it and we will put it up on here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On to the second part of my post:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">About a week ago we went to Lake Las Vegas for a family vacation. Remember - NOT Las Vegas the city! The reason I am writing about this is because we brought a TON OF FOOD. There was so much we had to pack it lasted us about 4 days. We never ate out once. We brought groceries so that we could still work on our blog. We ate french dip, ravioli, oatmeal, boiled eggs, yogurt, soup and rolls, and 3 different types of bread. We had to take 2 coolers and make all of the food but it was OK even though I really like to eat out too. Here is a picture of my sister eating a turkey sandwich at our hotel!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwWOX9a8Dbm-mPFD-WTI5PQY8X4QltHb6PH5r95scwm7NEREa199MDbDKUO70szBXw7VfQh-lQndidGhHajrL4XF6yudThFzWXJ2RY2hNTXQkjZMtt1Vo5sKE-xBrTQt05HSfnZjV-fAP/s1600/gemathotel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwWOX9a8Dbm-mPFD-WTI5PQY8X4QltHb6PH5r95scwm7NEREa199MDbDKUO70szBXw7VfQh-lQndidGhHajrL4XF6yudThFzWXJ2RY2hNTXQkjZMtt1Vo5sKE-xBrTQt05HSfnZjV-fAP/s320/gemathotel.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Guess how much we saved for the fund? $135.00!!!!!</div>
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That's all for now! Bye!</div>
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<span style="color: red;">+ $155.00</span> <span style="color: orange;">Fund Total = $222.00!</span></div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-20305007240816762702012-10-03T19:35:00.003-07:002014-05-14T07:28:38.809-07:00We Were on the TV!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is Sawyer - by the way I'm 7. TV crews came to our house and it was cool to watch us on TV! More people are coming to our blog! I hope people keep coming and joining us! Here is the clip in case you missed it:
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<a href="http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=22406087"><span style="font-size: x-large;">click here to see us on tv!</span></a></div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-45915052991770433132012-10-01T15:54:00.000-07:002012-12-12T21:43:03.489-08:00Soccer Snow A No Go<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Hi! It's Milo again. A few days ago I was at my last soccer game and I wanted a snow cone. My Mom said, "I would, but I need to put that money in our fund." Then she said - "you can buy one with your own money if you want." I said "no". So instead I put my money in the fund, too. That's my story for the day.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMf9RQSvGolt25SBv5m8s9M7x-mCgYmHsHyb5ANILreFdFxSFb8aOvThI8wIL2wo7LthL9ve9Airc3eoruCFz0dlX2Zoi8atBI66L4wNX_pRq6fke3954Lc4VoVGLg-Hqh7B6A4IkWTmD/s1600/SnowConeCat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMf9RQSvGolt25SBv5m8s9M7x-mCgYmHsHyb5ANILreFdFxSFb8aOvThI8wIL2wo7LthL9ve9Airc3eoruCFz0dlX2Zoi8atBI66L4wNX_pRq6fke3954Lc4VoVGLg-Hqh7B6A4IkWTmD/s320/SnowConeCat.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red;">+ $2..00.</span><span style="color: orange;"> Total = $67.00</span></div>
milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-26662692325966105442012-09-20T14:10:00.001-07:002012-10-02T12:51:32.238-07:00First post of the YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi this is Milo again.</div>
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We are starting our second year of feeding the real need and I feel great about it. I feel good because every year we will get to donate to Heifer again. Last year we donated a trio of rabbits (3 rabbits) and a goat. This year we're aiming for a water buffalo. Well, I am anyways. We haven't really talked about it yet.<br />
The first thing we did so far is we had to pack a cooler when we went to the State Fair. I had a peanut butter sandwich and a Capri Sun. We put $20.00 into the fund and didn't buy dinner there. I paid $1 to see a 14 foot alligator and then I was mad because it wasted my money. The alligator was asleep. </div>
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My name is still Milo! </div>
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C ya!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBpap6c_KD1eBRe7JGK63EMqbs2Wt55i1IfeQ_pSOxQXNlSELLTSb4xePC7lUduXifAMB7-9nIDzHHhvjXugVe-qr_z_XtB3GzaxqXY_agYJNPX-wRa8ifgF3iKsOb_BpX_6LnN61b_kU/s1600/piggiebackIMG_6281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBpap6c_KD1eBRe7JGK63EMqbs2Wt55i1IfeQ_pSOxQXNlSELLTSb4xePC7lUduXifAMB7-9nIDzHHhvjXugVe-qr_z_XtB3GzaxqXY_agYJNPX-wRa8ifgF3iKsOb_BpX_6LnN61b_kU/s320/piggiebackIMG_6281.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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This is me and Sawyer. I am the one in the tie.<br />
<span style="color: red;">+ 20.00.</span> <span style="color: orange;">Total so far: $50.00</span></div>
milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-10053757113924679212011-12-23T13:24:00.006-08:002012-10-24T07:49:23.758-07:00Best Christmas Ever<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It just didn't feel like Christmas. I kept telling myself that it was because there was no snow on the ground. On Monday night we had a family meeting and officially 'ended' our official experiment for this year. Our grand total was (drum roll please.........................................................) $365.00!!!! I had opened up a separate checking account for this and that was our balance!</div>
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So we had a nice long chat and decided on the following:</div>
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$200.00 went to Heifer International. I have researched this charity and they have my full confidence. It is the 'teach a man to fish' concept and the kids are really excited about it:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-YL10DqOAqHWPvxQRfusNj73h5hM3lNGGwZlc7Cq-SBb-Qa8MzILtbpjVSy5ERoEUJZlRlfystTJ2Zxzu4piJ8WkaUPBtSJoWBG5tfPD9jhEwxnyhyphenhyphenUwdKughmRuTO0BlDUYYLPGC1Bj/s1600/gc_rabbit_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-YL10DqOAqHWPvxQRfusNj73h5hM3lNGGwZlc7Cq-SBb-Qa8MzILtbpjVSy5ERoEUJZlRlfystTJ2Zxzu4piJ8WkaUPBtSJoWBG5tfPD9jhEwxnyhyphenhyphenUwdKughmRuTO0BlDUYYLPGC1Bj/s1600/gc_rabbit_thumb.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolXhlrrjNsn9FKB-Vjfd-2StgwuMtjDpiUBDbY9pxVjt1g4-okpn7XiNZK-Nju9N7vdveCn1eQiX3sahIeq-oj5txBSp9PbnFJz9xY_YK5ne88VMZJfvZETqTW89NpAVUQPfqBGbTjNpe/s1600/goat_a_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolXhlrrjNsn9FKB-Vjfd-2StgwuMtjDpiUBDbY9pxVjt1g4-okpn7XiNZK-Nju9N7vdveCn1eQiX3sahIeq-oj5txBSp9PbnFJz9xY_YK5ne88VMZJfvZETqTW89NpAVUQPfqBGbTjNpe/s1600/goat_a_1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">$120</span> for a goat (<a href="https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog/goat.html" style="text-align: left;">https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog/goat.html</a>)</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">$60.00</span> for a trio of rabbits (<a href="https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog/rabbits.html" style="text-align: left;">https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog/rabbits.html</a>)<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">$100.00</span> was used for local Christmas charity</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">$20.00</span> went to Community Action (local food bank) - did you know that the food bank can turn $1 into $3 worth of food and donations? It is nice to give food, but money goes further...</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">$65.00</span> went to the Central Asia Institute (<a href="https://www.ikat.org/" style="text-align: left;">https://www.ikat.org/</a>). I absolutely love this organisation. Sawyer had just checked out a book from the library about the war in Afghanistan so the need for real education and equality for women over there was a topic we had just been discussing. </div>
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Suddenly it really feels like Christmas and I love it. I feel like my heart is just bursting with gratitude and I know that 'Christmas spirit' is really the love of our Heavenly Father that we can feel as we help take care of His children.</div>
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We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a meaningful new year. It will be tough for us to beat this year but we will sure try!</div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-64878243006609733362011-12-13T09:47:00.000-08:002012-10-24T07:52:31.646-07:00Vacation Victory!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The week before Thanksgiving we went to California. I knew in the planning of this trip that we'd still be doing this blog and I was determined to stick to it. I spent a good portion of a day just packing food and running to the store because I knew once we were in vaca mode I wouldn't want to waste time finding local grocery stores. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyhsgo2V0MJc5Am4MoOA7rUQzcfI1txLrWB7MuEvH_b_FMP5oyWb9RFiIiqiVlpYHXY1SCxfGpjetgk0Kk9U-ZKe1GP5U1xd5Q74xqGTPW_aWalYDN3cMTxGz8EcjfK1RFrsbavoZ2ooK/s1600/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyhsgo2V0MJc5Am4MoOA7rUQzcfI1txLrWB7MuEvH_b_FMP5oyWb9RFiIiqiVlpYHXY1SCxfGpjetgk0Kk9U-ZKe1GP5U1xd5Q74xqGTPW_aWalYDN3cMTxGz8EcjfK1RFrsbavoZ2ooK/s320/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I purposefully booked hotels that either had kitchenettes or at least a fridge/microwave and I packed more food than I ever thought we'd actually go through. I was wrong. Man, we go through a lot of food!! So the trip wasn't totally perfect (blog-wise) but it was pretty darn close - I thought I had us covered but there were a couple of times we had to grab some real food (even I can't survive on fishy crackers, turns out). We were away from home for a total of 16 meals and saved for the fund $135.00. BOOYAH. That combined with some other days makes this a pretty great post for us. </div>
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How I love my husband and children for<b> not </b>turning this into something I have to push alone. I guess I kind of assumed that eventually I would be the mom who had to give daily lectures about sticking to a plan but, no. Sawyer cries when he thinks we are going to use money that is meant for the fund and Neil hasn't complained once....even when I was handing out pb&j's on a Disneyland bench or offering an apple in the car....for the 10th time that week. It's not like it's SO hard all of the time or that I think this is a really huge sacrifice - I know it's little on those scales, but it sure is comforting to try something together and feel united in that alone. I've loved it. I think we are going to make this an annual tradition.....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2MzOsTVHqhXeH_V0GjW6MrVlIcXJee8m5xxQAD0mC8Z-YYEbwhzpeU_URAKPMyasp55kdseTwwa-IM9xfnJU9Sgj-gX5Yae4pgMLdBrhSa1BDsPv3WWQ7dwzjrBLLRqE4Z1eFHmhsUsY/s1600/IMG_2843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2MzOsTVHqhXeH_V0GjW6MrVlIcXJee8m5xxQAD0mC8Z-YYEbwhzpeU_URAKPMyasp55kdseTwwa-IM9xfnJU9Sgj-gX5Yae4pgMLdBrhSa1BDsPv3WWQ7dwzjrBLLRqE4Z1eFHmhsUsY/s320/IMG_2843.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">I am still hoping for some guest appearances on this blog! Substitute one night in a restaurant with a home-cooked meal and donate the difference to charity. Send me a picture so I can spotlight you and your kids can see that they are part of something (even if only slightly) greater! We are ending our experiment soon but I will post guests all year long until we start up again next September, so step on up and Feed the Real Need!!</span></div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-63019506884116775412011-10-11T11:09:00.000-07:002012-10-24T07:52:54.856-07:00Who Says Cheaters Never Prosper....?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Just because we've decided not to spend real $ on food doesn't mean we can't eat out - we know some budget tips so get out your pencil and notepad and save these ghetto-friendly tips for a rainy day:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF47cQAc8CouiOjhRZXpGL0dPFrSWjP062lSSYS_QW6drYjgtE0oZwOdISiBB4WiAbDnGWsVQaRltunyj6ssKjlYy3cUli-9dRU-mL6BqwLSVK1qscKUtN4-6rRptkzVR8YBkoDrAt5FXa/s1600/logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF47cQAc8CouiOjhRZXpGL0dPFrSWjP062lSSYS_QW6drYjgtE0oZwOdISiBB4WiAbDnGWsVQaRltunyj6ssKjlYy3cUli-9dRU-mL6BqwLSVK1qscKUtN4-6rRptkzVR8YBkoDrAt5FXa/s320/logo.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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#1 - Kids Eat Free at Ikea EVERY Tuesday. As long as your offspring are little enough to fill up on the kids menu you are good to go. Swedish Meatballs for everyone! Our total was $6.55. <br />
<a href="http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/IKEA_Food/restaurant.html">http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/IKEA_Food/restaurant.html</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvidxO_JonkW-RvrWhLFGeiUmVGUAn63mK8vlPVYUxYXUS3ZzGo_fUJW8kFxPHoOn73RE5gUylbMWGIF9Vszm1nI5LCw8mVdqe-c5qyADRjVdCz1Qw-sfSN_wHtWA1C9AaIfzeHWQlol_/s1600/2011-Cafe-Rio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXvidxO_JonkW-RvrWhLFGeiUmVGUAn63mK8vlPVYUxYXUS3ZzGo_fUJW8kFxPHoOn73RE5gUylbMWGIF9Vszm1nI5LCw8mVdqe-c5qyADRjVdCz1Qw-sfSN_wHtWA1C9AaIfzeHWQlol_/s320/2011-Cafe-Rio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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#2 - Kids Eat Free Quesadillas if you Dine In at Cafe Rio. </div>
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We spent 2.5 hours looking at tile for our bathroom remodel one Saturday. That's right - TWO AND A HALF HOURS and we didn't even finalize anything - probably because we were so hungry that it was debilitating (if you know me you also know that this happens to me quite easily). We were starving when we finally got out of there. I looked in my wallet and suddenly angels appeared and began singing the Hallelujah Chorus because I found a Cafe Rio card with 10 Stamps! Free Meal! We got a salad, drink, burrito and 2 kids' quesadillas for $5.93. The quesadillas are pretty little so I shared my salad with Sawyer and we were both very satisfied.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0H_KJORe6E7kJD1mLInEvcaWer3WXs003xEhy12r-zHWOj3sMGkNBrpUp2e9d4KzkOKAYV9C9UyLz6fGPry9udEI9vgfWehC-zKzANQixyrXn0OFSC27NezQ-V7vSPQSHzgiBhGUnBKoy/s1600/reciept.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0H_KJORe6E7kJD1mLInEvcaWer3WXs003xEhy12r-zHWOj3sMGkNBrpUp2e9d4KzkOKAYV9C9UyLz6fGPry9udEI9vgfWehC-zKzANQixyrXn0OFSC27NezQ-V7vSPQSHzgiBhGUnBKoy/s320/reciept.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
Check out that receipt! I love you, Cafe Rio - I will be back as a real customer in January :)<br />
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-12010670853613455992011-09-11T18:11:00.000-07:002011-09-11T18:11:04.513-07:00Sawyer the Blogger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHLNF4Uz2Loj8ZhCj_phigu4QjGcBKzIJzITIBdZCOyhHYSwUZOplOApUGajC44NY6SuYShwsINYcYEkrfpZaTB5ziKHU_-sRGynVJWahAqXkLPfoxdnbN9Lg9U6sbDmVKiAdLkfu06ty/s1600/IMG_7745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHLNF4Uz2Loj8ZhCj_phigu4QjGcBKzIJzITIBdZCOyhHYSwUZOplOApUGajC44NY6SuYShwsINYcYEkrfpZaTB5ziKHU_-sRGynVJWahAqXkLPfoxdnbN9Lg9U6sbDmVKiAdLkfu06ty/s320/IMG_7745.JPG" width="280" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hello this is Sawyer. I am 6 years old. I like to ride my scooter off of the picnic table but without getting hurt. I'm not allowed to do it anymore. We are not going to go to a restaurant for 5 months. I was hanging out with my cousin and I got to go to McDonald's with her family but I felt sad because I knew I was breaking the rules. My Mom said it's OK though. I did not feel sick and then I went to their house. I played there for a long time and I got to play Wii and PlayStation. Hello-whoever you are! You can join the Blog but you don't have to. Bye!</div></div>milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-31056693519868096662011-09-11T17:46:00.000-07:002012-10-24T07:54:06.356-07:00Sweet Sacrifice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Well it had to happen sooner or later - driving home from a picnic Friday night Gemma saw a McDonald's and cried, " Mom! I don't want to donate all of my Old McDonald's! I don't!". This followed a somewhat sad situation as we had just passed The Purple Turtle ( local Mom and Pop burger joint ) and I had promised the kids a few months ago that the next time we drove past it I would get them ice cream there. The boys were very mature about the whole thing - they saw it, remembered the promise of treats, and knew we couldn't because of our 'deal'. It broke my heart to see them be so great. In a good way. I had a little chat with Gemma and she came around quickly, especially for a 4 yr old. I knew the 'fun' of this little experiment would wear off sometime, but I think that's an important part in all of it.</div>
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Luckily I am the new, very proud owner of a BlendTech blender. We came home and made Oreo milkshakes with whipped cream for an estimated $3.50 total. Not much cheaper than dollar cones at McDonald's but less expensive than ice cream splendor at The Purple Turtle. And thanks to my BlendTech (I swear I'm not getting paid by them) our milkshakes were not depressing in comparison. YUM I want another one!</div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-19636331498993891942011-09-03T15:57:00.000-07:002012-10-24T07:56:24.015-07:00Temptation Get Out of My Face<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This post has no picture. It is a sad little post all about how we've been tempted to cheat twice in one week. Neil and I went out the other night and all of our plans basically imploded and we found ourselves sitting in a booth at Mimi's Cafe - just for a little dessert that we would be paying for with a Visa gift card. As we perused the menu our tummies started pleading for, "maybe also an appetizer....just a little one - it's on a gift card anyway...". The waiter had already brought us waters when my sweet husband said to me, " Is it OK if we just go? We don't need this." We apologized and left the building even though I could hear my favorite dessert, bread pudding beckoning. Neil told me to be sure to donate that almost-spent money to the fund. We ate a bowl of cereal when we got home and were totally satisfied. + $17.00<br />
Then yesterday I just felt like I had been doing housework ALL DAY. I wanted to get out of the house and had a headache and didn't want to cook and mess up the kitchen. Sound like a recipe for going out to dinner? Well it is. So I made hamburgers and sweet potato fries and it was so yummy. Cha-Ching + $25.00</div>
milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-78647272252479941082011-08-28T12:44:00.000-07:002012-10-24T07:54:29.897-07:00Friends and Food<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span id="goog_1894990205"></span><span id="goog_1894990206"></span>I set up a little baby shower/dinner for my little sister a couple weeks ago before we started this blog. We were going to one of my favorite restaurants so I admit that I was a little sad as I made dinner at home and ate with the family. I didn't want to miss the whole event so I thought I'd just get a small something and donate the rest but my sister, Emilie was sneaky and paid my tab so I will donate it all - yipee! You know, I anticipated to feel somewhat envious as everyone else ate delicious, profesionally created meals around me but I gotta say that, with a full tummy I was totally content with the tiny cup of soup I ordered. How much excess do I spend just because hunger is such a powerful motivator? We're about to find out! Thanks for a fun night, sistas and thanks, kids for double and triple checking with me when I got home to make sure I was sticking to the plan :)</div>
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milo, sawyer, gemma and pearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01472478819827059713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5289327914264168024.post-6206311075350486322011-08-21T16:42:00.000-07:002012-10-24T07:57:26.591-07:00Starting Somewhat Skimpy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Neil's car broke down the other day so we had an unexpected trip to Salt Lake City right at dinnertime. We had 35 minutes to burn while the car was repaired and very hungry kids. This was our first test. We were surrounded by restaurants and drive-throughs. I had actually already decided that, as long as we could eat for $10 or less as a family some 'convenience' foods would still be OK since I wouldn't be spending any more than I do on a typical meal that I cook - but the kids were excited to start our experiment, so we went to Smith's grocery store. We bought bagels, cream cheese, 3 Powerades, 2 apples and 3 bananas for $8.51 and had a picnic under a tree. A typical cheapskate dinner at a drive-through window would cost us $15.00. I have to admit that as I was announcing to the family that we were starting our fund with a whole, "...six dollars and forty-nine cents!", it was a little disheartening. Was it worth it? We did this for $6.49? But I have decided that I am not going to be discouraged just because I'm not going to raise much money at a time. As Mother Theresa said, " We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span">It's true that someone who typically eats out every day would have much more success than us, and it's true that $6.49 is not much, but we've decided that a little is better than none. That $6.49 is full of love and I'd rather sit under a tree and eat an apple than in my car with a cheeseburger any day.</span><br />
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