The Patient Butterfly

Do You Like Free Food!!!

I don't know anyone who doesn't like to eat. But how much more do we enjoy free food.

I have found a few restaurants that give you free food just for your email address. You sign-up to receive their email specials and they thank you with a free meal. You can unsubscribe your email at any time, but if you keep it active you'll get discounts and might get free meals on your birthday too.

Here are a few links to the free food:

Ryan's Buffet

Zaxby's Chicken

Captain D's

Famous Dave's BBQ

Baskin Robbins

Arby's

Tony Roma's

Firehouse Subs

He Must Have Done Something Bad...

My Great Great Great Grand Father ~James Madison Wood~

Saving While Shopping

Here are four easy ways to save money on your groceries:

1. Don't Go Often
The more you go the more you spend. Try to limit your trips to once a week or longer if possible. Plan ahead!

2. Use Coupons
Use coupons as much as you can. But be careful, companies use coupons to get you to buy things that you normally don’t. There are still places that will double the coupon values.

3. Price Match
This is where we save the most. We get the local sales ads from all the grocers in town and make a list of the best prices. Once we complete our list, we are off to Wal-Mart. They will match all competitors’ ads.

4. Go Without the Children
This idea just gives you more time and patience to find the best deals. When you children are with you, they encourage you to grab and go. Without them you have the time to get what you need and think through your purchases.

Free Chicken Strips

Free Chicken Strips

Today Only!!!!

Wear your favorite football team or school logo and get Three Free Strips!

Larry, The Cucumber, Looks Overwhelmed

Warning Your Children

Let me take you to a passage in the Old Testament that will further define this heart-centered instruction. In Deuteronomy, chapter 6, you have a very important formula given here for the raising of children. Deuteronomy 6, is really a chapter instructing parents. Down in verse 7, it talks about teaching them diligently to your sons. This is all about family instruction, a very, very important chapter. It refers to instructing sons again several times later in the chapter. Now, as you bring them up and as you teach them and as you instruct them, what do you teach them?

Let’s start at the beginning, verse 4:

1. The first thing you teach them in this section, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" The first thing you teach them is to recognize the true God and that He is sovereign. To recognize God, the one God, the Lord who is one. That’s the first thing: teach them about God.

2. Secondly, verse 5, teach them to love God. "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." That’s the second essential in bringing them up.

3. Thirdly, verse 6, teach them to obey God. "And these words which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart and you shall teach them diligently to your sons." Teach them about God. Teach them to love God with all their heart and soul and might and teach them to obey God, all his commands.

4. Then fourthly, teach them to follow your example. Verse 7, "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up…" In other words, show your children that at all times in your life, all experiences in your life, on the tip of your tongue always, is the Word of the Living God. Let them see that your life is dominated by divine truth.

Let them see all of life as a classroom—every occasion in life, an opportunity to teach…every experience in life, an opportunity to point them to heaven. Everything that happens to them is a path back to Scripture. Jesus was the absolute Master at drawing spiritual reality from the world around him—from water, from fig trees, from mustard seeds, from birds, and bread, and grapes, and pearls, and wheat, and tares, and cups, and platters, and nets, and dinners, and vineyards, and foxes, and men, and women, and light, and dark…everything that happened in life opened up a window on divine reality. I must sensitize my children to see the hand of God and hear the voice of God and the "print" of God in every flower, every rock, every mountain, the sea, the sky, the babbling brook, the whispering trees, the cricket’s chirp, the roaring waterfall, the gentle slap of the surf, the fragrance of a flower, salt air, little babies, fresh hot berries, hot buttered baked bread, a puppy, a squirrel, grandma, and on it goes. Everything in life is a classroom to draw them back to God.

Also, it is essential in bringing them up, verses 8 and 9, that they be reminded repeatedly about these truths. Reminded about the true God, about loving God, and about obeying God, and about following your example. How do you do it? "Bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." All of that—simply ways to say keep the reminder going all the time, constantly, constantly, at all times. Have it, as it were, at the front of your mind. Have it right on your hands. Put it on the doorposts of your house and on your gates so that you are incessantly taking them back to the truth of God.

Then, one other lesson: teach them to be wary of the world around them. Verse ten, "Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give you great and splendid cities which you didn’t build and houses full of all good things which you didn’t fill and hewn cisterns which you didn’t dig…" In other words, they’re going to take over a very advanced civilization already in place, "…vineyards and olive trees which you didn’t plant and you shall eat and be satisfied. Then, watch yourself lest you forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery." Warn your children that when they get out in the world and they begin to see all that’s there and they begin to touch, and taste, and explore, and sense, and experience, that they not forget God. Teach them about the true God. Teach them to love Him with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their might. Teach them to obey Him. Teach them to follow your example. Show them that life is a classroom no matter what the scene. Constantly remind them of those things which are precious to them and to you and teach them to be wary of the world.

It was said of Eli’s sons in I Samuel, this tragic statement, "His sons brought a curse on themselves and Eli did not rebuke them." If you read the sad, sad story of Eli’s family, you have the key right there. It wasn’t because of something he did to them, it was because of what he didn’t do. He did not warn them.

The Minnesota Crime Commission says this, "Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it—his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmates’ toys, his uncle’s watch. Deny him these wants and he seizes with rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous, were he not so helpless. He’s dirty. He has no morals, no knowledge, and no developed skill. This means that all children are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in their self-centered world of infancy, given free rein to their impulsive actions to satisfy each one, every child will grow up a criminal, a thief, a killer, and a rapist." Not bad from the Minnesota Crime Commission. What they’re describing is what? Depravity.

Taken from:
A Crash Course in Christian Parenting
by John MacArthur
Copyright 1997

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How to Provoke a Child to Wrath

Number one, by over-protection. Fence them in; never trust them; don’t give them the opportunity to develop independence, and deprivation will instill an angry mood. Parents must give children room to express themselves, to discover their world, to try a new adventure, gradually releasing them to live independently. Let the rope out. Over-protection frustrates and angers a child. We live in a world where that’s a tendency among Christians—to keep them under your control all the time. You have to be very careful about that or they become exasperated.

Secondly, you can do it by favoritism. Isaac favored Esau over Jacob—Rebecca favored Jacob over Esau, and the sad results are well-known. Don’t compare them against each other. They’re each unique. Love them the same without special regard for each…no respective persons. If a child feels that you love another in that family more, that is a very, very frustrating experience.

Thirdly, you can cause a child to become angry by setting unrealistic achievement goals. Some parents, literally, crush their children with pressure. Pressure to excel in school, pressure to excel in sports, in music, in any activity they do. And it really has little to do with the child and everything to do with the reputation that the parent wants. This becomes very frustrating when the child has no sense of having reached the goal, no sense of having fulfilled an expectation…it leads to being angry and bitter. I have dealt with such children who have killed themselves. I think of one girl in particular who killed herself to get her parents off her back. She never could accomplish enough to satisfy them, and she was so angry, she wanted to hurt them in the most profound way she could, so she took her life so they would have to live with the pain of causing that…devastating.

[Fourthly], you can frustrate your child to anger by over-indulgence. By giving them everything they want; by picking up after them always; by allowing them to throw all responsibility and accountability on others. You can exasperate them by letting them sin and get away with it so they learn to do that successfully. Ultimately, when they face the world and people don’t serve them and don’t take all the responsibility for them and for their misdeeds, they will get angry and bitter and violent. It’s just exactly the kind of generation we’re seeing raised today.

Fifthly, you can exasperate your child by discouragement and I think that comes in two ways: lack of understanding and lack of reward because both of those destroy motivation and they destroy incentive. You must understand your children. Understand what they’re thinking. Understand what they’re trying to accomplish. Understand why a certain thing happened, why a certain behavior occurred, why a certain incident went a certain way. Grant them a listening ear and an understanding heart and reward them graciously and generously with love. Give them approval and honor and be patient with them or they get very defeated and discouraged and that turns to anger.

You can provoke your children to anger, number six, by failing to sacrifice for them. In other words, by making the child feel like he’s constantly an intrusion into your life, constantly an interruption, always a bother…you want to do what you want to do. You and your husband want to go where you want to go—you just farm these kids out somewhere. Leave them. Let somebody else take care of them. You’re not about to change your lifestyle—you’re going to do what you want to do. You’re going to have your fun and your pleasure and the kids are just going to have to fend for themselves. Leave them; make them prepare their own meals. Don’t take them places because you can’t be bothered with them, and they will resent your being uncaring, unavailable, and self-centered. One of the things that I’m so very thankful for in my own family is Patricia’s devotion to our children: all the years when they were growing up in the home. Many years when I had to be going and traveling and she refused to do that because she wanted to be with those children all the time.

Number seven, you can provoke your children to anger by failing to allow for some growing up. What does that mean? Let them goof up a little. Let them make mistakes. So they knocked something over at the table—laugh it off! They get don’t quite have the manual dexterity yet, or the coordination. Give them a little job and they do it in an unacceptable way, but it’s a little bit of progress, commend them. Let them share some of their ridiculous ideas. Let them plan some silly things to do and do them. Don’t condemn them. Just expect progress, not perfection. The best of men are not perfect.
The New York Tech, many years ago, defeated Rensselaer Poly (Polytechnic), 21-8. In that game, the only Rensselaer touchdown was set up by a sixty-three yard pass-play, says the newspaper. On the play, there appeared to be a breakdown in the Tech defense. The next week, when reviewing the films, Tech coach, Marty Senall (sp.), noticed that the defensive back on the play, freshman John Smith, stood frozen on one spot while the Receiver flew by his for the winning touchdown. "Hey Smitty! Why didn’t you move?" the coach yelled. "I couldn’t. My contact lens had just popped out and I covered it with my foot, waiting for a time to put it back. If I had left the spot, I never would have found it again in that grass. And, my parents would have killed me for losing it!" Now, I’m telling you, when you’re in the "big game" and you live with that much fear of your parents, you’ve got a problem. Let your kids fail. They’re going to lose things. Hey, I remember when Matt flushed my watch down the toilet. I said, "Why did you do that?" He said, "I just wanted to see what it would look like, going down." Did I spank him? No. In fact, I wished I’d have been there. I’d like to see what it looked like when it was going down. Allowed for a little growing…for a few experiments.

Number eight, you can provoke your children to anger by neglect. If there’s any biblical illustration of this, it’s probably David and Absalom. David spent no time with him, no time shaping him, and Absalom ultimately hated his father with a passion. He tried to pull a coup to dethrone his father and take his place. Neglect—and the worse kind of neglect: lack of consistent discipline. That’s the worst kind of neglect. I’m not talking about the neglect of time and things; I’m talking about the neglect of discipline. Teach them, discipline them…consistently using the rod in love.

Number nine, you can provoke your children to anger by abusive words. You understand that a little child has a very limited vocabulary and you have a very comprehensive one. Verbal abuse is a terrible thing. A barrage of well-chosen words from your adult vocabulary can cut that little heart to shreds. What is as devastating as anything are words of anger, words of sarcasm, or words of ridicule. Frankly, we say things to our children, we would never say to anybody else.

And, lastly, by physical abuse. An angry child is often a beaten, abused, overzealously punished child usually from an angry, vengeful parent who only cares that he has been inconvenienced or irritated—not that the child needs correction for his own good.
Well, those are some very simple, practical things. If you want to provoke your child to anger, you can do it by overprotection, favoritism, setting unrealistic achievement goals, over-indulgence, discouragement, failing to sacrifice for them so that they can see your love, failing to allow for them to grow up by neglecting firm, consistent, loving discipline, by abusive words, and physical abuse as well. Don’t do that.


Taken from:
A Crash Course in Christian Parenting
by John MacArthur
Copyright 1997

A ReMarkable Poem

Too Young to Die



I loved to run through those fields
on those warm summer days.
Then to jump in that lake
that was so cool and clear.

I still remember everyday that I walked
through the woods behind my house.
I can still see the creek that I followed.
I can hear those birds that always sang for me.

That time I fell asleep outside.
I was lying down and watching the stars.
They always seemed to put on a show for me.
It seemed like it was all yesterday. I wished it were.

It’s hard for me to forget those cold days
When I stayed inside next to the fire.
Looking out occasionally at the blanket of snow,
But quickly returning to my chair to dream about summer.

I always loved watching spring arrive.
Watching the flowers, seeing the bees
Always hard at work and never ending.
Seeing that hive dripping with honey.

The golden syrup, oh, so sweet,
Many times that taste was on my tongue.
Oh, how I loved those mornings.
The sun was always waiting when I awoke.

So many things I did.
So many things I’ll never forget.
So many more things I could’ve done.
I thought I was too young to die.

That Didn't Sound Right???

I thought I would share a little funny story:

Phoebe and I take turns praying each night. The other night it was her turn. She asked if I had any prayer request. I told her that I didn't have anything new, but mentioned that I hoped I could sleep better that night.

She went ahead and said her prayer. It the middle of the prayer she decided to pray for me. She was praying that I would get better rest. But technically she said,

"I pray that Mark sleeps well tonight and that he doesn't wake up..."

I was wondering what she meant by that.

After a short pause she said, "...until morning."

God and Gas!

I normally don't turn the TV on on Sunday mornings. But today, I did. I was flipping through the channels and I came across Smiley. No not Miley, but the smiley preacher. You may know him by Joel Olsteen. While I haven't read his books nor have I listened to an entire sermon speech of his. I have seen a couple interviews and quotes. And that's been enough to know that he's not that scriptural.



This morning I just happened to flip the channel when he took a breath and then he said,

"God will give you better gas mileage."

I don't know the context of his paragraph around this. He did say, before I got him turned off,

"He [God] will keep you out of rush hour."

Now, I know that God is capable. But I haven't seen these in the Bible nor do I feel that these are things that he is just wanting us to pray for.

I would rather ask that He keep supplying peace, giving abundant life and keeping us out of temptation.

My Money Saving Tip

More often friends have been asking for advice on finances. Ideas on investments, ways to save while shopping, and even frugal family activities. I'm not sure why I'm the one most asked, but I love to share ideas.

I thought I would share a few ideas from time to time. Especially since I haven't really blogged in a long while.


My tip: Price Points

Price points is a term I learned in retailing, i think. I have a weird memory when it comes to numbers so this is easy for me. But I recommend writing down the items that you use the most. Maybe a top ten or more. The more you keep track of the more you save.

Once you get your list, keep track of the prices. Over several weeks prices always fluctuate in the grocery isle. Once you find the lowest price point then you stock up on the item.

I know this doesn't work with milk, eggs, or produce since they won't keep very long in the pantry. I do get joked about when the word is out that I just bought 25 cans of spaghetti sauce.

This price point method will save you hundreds in a years time.

We use this for meat (we freeze) and any dry good that can be stored.

I'll give you an example on how much you can save in a short time:

Frozen boneless chicken breast: Reg: 3lbs/6.97 PP:3lbs/4.99
Saves: $2 a bag We have 3-4 bags a time

Manwich (name brand) reg: $1 PP: .50
We bought 20 cans and saved $10

Spaghetti sauce (name brand) reg: .92 PP: .69
We bought 25 cans and saved 5.75

Canned veggies (off brand) Reg: .50 PP: .39
We by a mixture of 50 cans. Saves $5.50

These are a few examples to see what you can do. I hope this helps. I would love to hear ways that you save or you thoughts on this!

Living on $50,000....now what????

How to Communicate With Your Spouse About Money

The Truth About Money and Relationships

Myth: My spouse and I shouldn't talk about money because it only leads to fights.

Truth: You can't have a great relationship until you can communicate and agree about money.

Larry Burkett, noted financial author, says, "Money is either the best or the worst area of communication in our marriages." After years as a financial counselor and working with marriage counselors, I know that money and money fights are the #1 cause of divorce, not to mention the thing we fight about the most.

So if you are married and have money fights, you are normal. But if this is a real problem area for you, there is also an opportunity to improve your relationship and maybe even reach agreement with your spouse. I'm not talking about agreement brought on by surrender, but rather by each person getting a vote, understanding the other's view, and finding common ground.

Let's face it - if we can agree on the checkbook, there would be nothing left to fight about except who gets the remote. But there is so much to fight about and so many opportunities to be misunderstood.

Men and Women are Different
When it comes to money, men tend to take more risks and don't save for emergencies. Men use money as a scorecard and can struggle with self-esteem when there are financial problems. Women tend to see money more as a security issue, so they will gravitate toward the rainy-day fund. Because of their need for security, ladies can have a level of fear - my wife, Sharon, calls it terror - when there are financial problems.

Men and women are different in how they view money, and it is largely because they process problems and opportunities from different vantage points. On top of the fact that men and women are different, opposites attract. So what does that mean?

It means that chances are, if you're married, one of you is good at working numbers (the nerd) and the other one isn't good at working numbers (the free spirit). That isn't the real problem. The problem is when the nerd neglects the input of the free spirit or when the free spirit avoids participating in the financial dealings altogether.

Marriage is a Partnership
Marriage is a partnership. The preacher said, "And now you are ONE." Both parties need to be involved in the finances. Separating the finances and splitting the bills is a bad idea. Listen up, nerds. Don't keep the finances all to yourself. Don't use your "power" to abuse the free spirit.

Free spirits, don't just nod your head and say, "Yeah, that looks great, honey." You have a vote in the budget committee meetings, too. Give feedback, criticism and encouragement. Work on the budget together!"

But what if my spouse won't get on board with me?" many of you wonder. It is tough, but with patience and kindness your spouse will eventually see the light (don't beat them over the head with the need for a budget, and please don't subject your spouse to a lecture of "Dave Says").

As you work on your finances together, you will begin to change your family tree. One of your main goals in your marriage should be to pass a legacy down to your children and grandchildren.

A ReMarkable Photo

A Christmas Ornament on our tree!

The Truth About Credit Card Debt

Myth: Aren't there positive uses of a credit card? Like rebates and airline miles?
Truth: Responsible use of a credit card does not exist. Credit card debt is a major problem in America.

There is NO positive side to credit card use. You will spend more if you use credit cards. Even by paying the bills on time, you are not beating the system! But most families don't pay on time. The average family today carries $8,000 in credit card debt according to the American Bankers' Association.

Now let's talk about the rebates. If you were using a credit card at 5%, you would have had to have spent $80,000 to get $4,000 rebates on new cars that lost $6,000 of value when you drove them off the lot. That is not a good deal!

Cash vs. Credit Cards
When you pay cash, you can "feel" the money leaving you. This is not true with credit cards. Flipping a credit card up on a counter registers nothing emotionally. If you use credit cards instead of cash you will spend 12-18% more. This is money you could have saved.

If you "have to" use plastic, I suggest a debit card. I use them for travel and the occasional convenience of ordering something over the Internet or phone. Other than that, I use cash.

Personal finance is 80% behavior. You need to cut out habits that make you spend more. You do not build wealth with credit cards. Use common sense. When you play with a multi-billion dollar industry and you think you're going to win at their game, you are naive. You cannot beat the credit card companies.

Taken from daveramsey.com

A Remarkable Poem

We The People

We the people
Would rather point a finger
Than lend a helping hand.
We the people
Would rather push
Than hug someone.
We the people
Would rather fight
Than to forgive.
We the people
Would rather make money
Than to make great friends.
We the people
Would rather sleep in
Than attend a church.
We the people
Need to change.


2004 Mark Edward Leslie July 4, 2004

Parental Warning: Golden Compass Movie

Parental Warning: Hollywood's Golden Compass cause for concern

The Golden Compass is a film from New Line Cinema based on the first book of a series, His Dark Materials, written by English atheist Philip Pullman. It is set to release December 7 in theaters nationwide. From watching the trailer, it's easy to see that the film has a C. S. Lewis/Narnia feel to it, but don't be deceived.

Pullman's book trilogy is the story of "a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow God," BBC News reported. The Guardian, a British newspaper, goes even further to describe the books as "metaphysical fantasies encompassing parallel worlds, the death of God and the fall of man ...."

"I don't know whether there's a God or not. Nobody does, no matter what they say," Pullman said in an interview posted on his website.

"One of the [book] series' main themes -- the rejection of organized religion and in particular the abuse of power within the Catholic Church -- is to be watered down," according to the Telegraph, a newspaper in the U.K. "But when the film is released in December the Magisterium will be shown as a critique of all dogmatic organizations, thereby avoiding a religious backlash."

Therefore, without yet seeing the film, OneMillionMoms.com and OneMillionDads.com is alerting Christians to the potential dangers of The Golden Compass. Because of Pullman's clearly articulated anti-Christian motives, we are warning all movie-goers to avoid the film.