Becoming a Joyful Mother

Simple Journey Bookstore Sale is Extended

Frozen Beef Stew Recipe

Are You Ready for Christmas?
Are you ready for Christmas? This is the time of year when many wives and mothers find a need to refuel their tanks so to speak. The novelty of Back to School time has worn off. The weather is turning cold. The holiday season is around the corner. Fall sports are keeping you running. This makes it a perfect time to plan ahead for the holiday season, but also a great time to refuel your tank. Purposely planning your quiet time with God is the best way to keep your relationship strong at a time when chaos can dominate. Ev

Use Up Those Partially Eaten Apples
It’s apple season! Apples are so inexpensive and delicious right now, you just can’t help but put a bunch of them in your cart. All those awesomely aromatic apples say autumn all the way around. IT is said that an applea day keeps the doctor away, right? But what happens when your littletons leave apples with a few bites taken out of them? What can you do? DON’T throw them

Travel for Less: Part I
I would like to start out by saying this series of articles will be a specific number long. However, since I am a girl with a LOT of experience travelling on a shoestring in a wide variety of ways, I have a lot of information to give you, so who knows how many articles we will be looking at. If you have a specific travel need or question email me: Leslie@leslievaleska.com. I will be sure to answer all questions right here! There is a show tune that begins, “Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start…” so that is where we will begin our “lesson

Holiday Away
Some like to go away for a weekend. Others like to plan long vacations. Still other families consider something in-between as the best type of holiday. There are those who travel by car. Then there are those who prefer flying. If neither of those suits your family, perhaps you travel by train or on a ship? Whatever type of holiday you enjoy, wherever your destination and however you plan to get there you can

Easy, Stress Free, Frugal Entertaining
During this time of year many of us have gatherings with family & friends. We often enjoy having company for dinner because it is a fun way to reconnect. This carries on through the New Year and can create stress for us. The planning and cooking can be overwhelming not to mention the cost of providing a meal for many. Don’t fret! You can host a dinner at your home that is stress free and low cost by trying this simple little plan. Host a crockpot dinner party. Each person or family attending brings a part of the meal in a crockpot. You can plan for you to make the main course and have others bring an appetizer, side di