• By Cassidy Novak
• Email the author
• August 12, 2011

Gently Used Items Can Save Families Big Bucks

Having children means having a lot of expenses. But while it’s beneficial to buy some things new, there are quite a few items you can do just fine with buying gently used.

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Once Upon a Child in Orland Park is a great option for gently used items for kids. Credit Lisa Tiess

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When we found out we were expecting triplets, there was much to do in a very short time. We had to move, find a larger vehicle and buy for three babies -- all within about three months time.

I needed to be able to cut costs as much as possible while finding reliable items that would last. I took helpful advice from a few of my friends who are mothers and decided to give rummage sales and consignment stores a try. 

I discovered that in many instances these places can be quite the gold mine. By keeping a few things in mind, you will start seeing savings immediately.

There are a few major differences between consignment shops and rummage sales. Both offer some advantages, if you keep a few things in mind.

Staying Safe When Buying Baby Equipment and Toys

Consignment shops like Once Upon a Child in Orland Park sell products that meet current safety standards. They also make sure the products are all safe from recent recalls.

A recent article in Consumer Reports listed the top five products to avoid buying used:

1. Cribs
2. Bicycle helmets
3. Child safety seats
4. Children’s outerwear with drawstrings
5. Toys, including jewelry

Pricing

Consignment shops often offer brand new items that are still in their original packages or with the tags still attached. This is a plus, but they also tend to be a bit pricey with their clothing sales. The right rummage sales on the other hand, can offer name brand and high quality clothing for very reasonable prices.

Atmosphere

Consignment shops offer products in a more organized manner. The are divided by size, season and occasion. They have also been spot checked and are usually only gently used. You are also only shopping in one location.

At a rummage sale you never know what kind of treasure you might find. You are also not limited to only buying for children. However, the process of finding usable items can take time and patience and a bit of traveling.

Consignment shops are also a great way to make some extra money off of the items you no longer need or want. It’s hassle free, quick and easy to drop off your items and earn some quick cash.

There are however some negative aspects I have found in working with consignment shops. From my own experience you don’t usually end up with much cash. You’re then left to figure out what to do with the items they don’t accept or want (I donate mine to families in need or Goodwill).

I feel there are numerous benefits to buying certain items secondhand. And it has been a huge blessing in our home to accept hand-me- downs. In today's economy, the value of the dollar is going down and prices are going up, so it’s smart shopping to save when you can! After all, “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure“.

I have recently been hired to write a parenting column for patch.com in the Palos areas. Please feel free to share with family and friends and subscribe to receive each new column! Thank you!

https://palos.patch.com/articles/identical-triplets-came-as-a-surprise-for-this-palos-park-mom

https://novaktriplets.blogspot.com/

Why PURITY is so important for a woman

The Lord has laid this subject heavy on my heart the last few weeks.
And there are two questions I want to answer in this blog.

There are few women out their who have kept their purity in our society, and I want to answer the why? And why it’s so important to hold fast to your purity as a woman.

For those of us who have grown up in the church, we are always told “no sex, no sex, no sex”…But why is it not fully addressed is the reason why, or what is considered sexual impurity? So as adolescences we are left to decide what our borders are on the subject, and to tell our screaming flesh “no” just because it’s wrong.

How many teenagers do you know (including yourself at this age) that don’t have an immediate rebellion towards being told not to do something? It seems to sometimes spark an interest or even cause curiosity. So how can we get across to our teens the consequences that will effect them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?

The Lord gives his children these guideline to save them from devastating lifelong effects.
1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

And anyone can resist temptation, or any situation that presents itself to them.
1 Corinthians 6:12
[ Sexual Immorality ] "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything.
1 Peter 5:9
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

As women we should value our worth. Men are attracted to women with confidence, and what a way to show confidence by thinking so highly of yourself to not allow any man to "have you". To know you are a cherished gem that should be pursued and won over before you give up your virtue.

A man will not respect a girl that gives herself to him sexually before marriage because he quickly gained the prize with no effort to win it! And he will feel no challenge in committing to her because she so easily gave herself away. So of what worth or value is she compared to every other woman out there? What separates her from the crowd? What entices him or captivates him to want her for his partner for the rest of his life? As women, we must give our men something to fight for!

In Bringing up girls by Doctor James Dobson QUOTES: "A woman should let the man be the initiator. That is the way he is made." A man needs a challenge ladies.

He also states "If she wants him to be a gentleman, she should require him to act like one, and she should always remember she is a lady." Girls that means he should be the one pursuing you, calling you, asking you out, paying for the dates. Not the other way around. Our society is crippling it's men!

Dobson says later: "If a woman wants a man to marry her, she MUST NOT make herself available sexually. That wrecks a relationship. Besides, it is morally wrong. Under no circumstances should she live with a guy before marriage. She will probably end up getting hurt or living with regret. He will get what he wants, she will get nothing. The number one reason men give for marrying late or not at all is because they can get everything they want--including love and sex--without commitment. A moral self-respecting woman simply will NOT PLAY THIS GAME. If it becomes obvious that a guy is not going to commit, she should send him packing. Period! There is something better out there for you IF you set your standards high."

I can't help but think of so many wonderful women out there who can't find a man to commit to them. Could it be that their lack of sexual purity plays a major role?

As I stated before, there are many consequences of sexual immorality. It is not just another rule from God. It is for our safety, our sanity, and well being.

Joyce Meyer reported at a conference not long ago that there are now over 19 million new STDS showing up every year. But beyond the physical consequences of sex out of marriage, what about the emotional scars that last a lifetime?
When a woman has sex with a man, she opens herself up to him and is emotionally attached. She becomes vulnerable. She gives herself to him out of love. A love that should be saved for her husband. A cherished moment that should be given only in marriage to make that relationship different than all the rest each individual had before coming together in a lifelong commitment.

Sex is rampant in our society. Maybe it's time we all stepped out of comfort zones and stop worrying about offending others and speak the truth in love. These are your daughters, your family, or friends. Don't you want the best for them?

Proverbs 14:25
A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.
John 3:21
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
1 John 1:6
If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

July 6, 2010
BY ELISABETH MARTIN

The soon-to-be nursery in Cassidy and Clif Novak's Palos Park home is mostly what you'd expect, with its lavender-painted walls and baby clothes tucked into the closet. But then you see the cribs.

"I got up this morning and I was like, 'Cribs. Oh, my gosh. There's three of them. We're going to have three kids,' " Clif said. "It's like an army barracks."

RELATED STORIES
• MULTIPLE MIRACLES

Later this summer, those three cribs will be filled with a gurgling set of triplet girls, whom first-time parents Clif, 30, and Cassidy, 26, conceived naturally. While that's a rare enough feat by itself, the arrival of these particular triplets might be best described as a miracle.

Six years ago, doctors warned Cassidy's family that she likely would never walk again after she suffered a severe brain injury in a boating accident. Instead, the Florida native made a full recovery, met the love of her life by chance at a wedding, married him and moved halfway across the country to start their new life together.

"It's been an emotional whirlwind," Cassidy said. "But like everybody says, we do everything out of the norm."

Minutes from death

Both devout Christians, Cassidy and Clif say it was God who saved Cassidy after her accident and later led the couple to each other.

"That was one of the main attracting factors when we first met, just being on that same spiritual level," Clif said.

It was Memorial Day weekend in 2004 when Cassidy fell into the water while tubing at a friend's lake house in central Florida. She bounced three times in the water, she said, and the third time her head connected with something hard.

"I literally felt my brain move," she said.

Unconscious and vomiting, Cassidy was pulled from the water by her friends while others called 911. She was airlifted to the hospital in Orlando, where a surgeon discovered a half-inch blood clot covering half of her brain. The surgeon called Cassidy's parents, who asked him to wait to operate until they could get to the hospital. Not possible, the surgeon told them. She was minutes from death.

Cassidy said she remembers bits and pieces from the day, like seeing her body convulse on the table as she was wheeled into the operating room. But there's one moment in particular that stuck with her.

"While I was lying on the operating table, the last thing I remember is seeing a butterfly on the ceiling," she said. "So butterflies are our thing. It's actually going to be the theme for the nursery. It means rebirth and new life."

After the operation, the doctor gently told Cassidy's parents about the sobering realities of brain injury, which often leave victims unable to walk, talk or read. But Cassidy stunned hospital staff by waking up a short time later and recognizing her family. Days later, she was walking again and was transferred to a rehabilitation unit.

"It was a real reality check because everyone else had the same 12-inch incision that I did, and they were all in wheelchairs. I just walked in," Cassidy said.

Cassidy spent just three days in rehab before she was sent home by her doctor, who called her "medically unexplainable." Still, she struggled to relearn simple tasks like using a fork and writing.

To this day, she suffers from migraines and nosebleeds, and five metal plates now hold her skull together. But Cassidy, who started doing motivational speaking after the accident, said the experience changed her the most emotionally.

"No one was drinking, no one was doing anything reckless (the day of the accident)," she said. "It just shows that you really have no idea when you get in your car and go away what might happen, so just always leave things on good terms with the people you love."

Surprise!

Cassidy's hair still was growing back slowly over her surgery scar when she met Clif 10 months after her accident. In a scenario worthy of a Hollywood rom-com, the two were each standing up for a friend in a wedding in Florida and were paired together by chance.

"He went to walk me down the aisle and said, 'This is the first time, but not the last,' " Cassidy said. "I was like, 'Who is this guy?' "

Exactly one year later, the two married on a Florida beach at sunset, then settled in Illinois. Clif, a Lansing native and Thornton Fractional South High School graduate, had courted Cassidy long distance before their marriage, so the two pledged to wait a couple of years before trying to start a family. The couple said they weren't trying to conceive when they discovered earlier this year that Cassidy was pregnant - and then the surprises kept coming.

"We went for our first ultrasound, and they're like, 'Surprise! You wanted more than one kid, right?' They said it was twins," Cassidy said.

As that news sank in, Cassidy went for her first multiples specialist visit, where a nurse pointed out what her regular doctor had missed: One of the sacs in her uterus contained two fetuses, not one.

"I said to the doctor, 'You better check in there pretty good, because if we come back again and find something else, I'm going to have a heart attack,' " Clif said.

With the extra babies have come extra complications in Cassidy's pregnancy. First, she developed hyperemesis, a rare complication that made her constantly sick to her stomach for the first four months; more recently, her resting heart rate has shot up to the low 120s. As of June, she was as big as a woman carrying a single child about to give birth, and she's due to get much, much bigger.

The babies "should be right between 5 1 / 2 and 7 pounds apiece when she delivers," said Dr. William Meyer, the director of maternal fetal medicine at Hinsdale Hospital, where Cassidy is a patient. "She loses a tremendous amount of weight right away."

Message received

Despite Cassidy's various maladies, Meyer says her triplets look great and that her accident hasn't raised any red flags during her pregnancy, either. She'll deliver the babies by Caesarean section at the end of August or early September, and if everything goes according to plan, they'll all head home three days later.

"She was cleared by her neurologist to have a pregnancy," Meyer said. "She's doing quite well."

On the home front, Cassidy and Clif have been trolling garage sales for baby clothes and furniture and frantically prepping their three-bedroom ranch home before Cassidy gets too big to move around much.

"I hear strains from the other room, and I'm like, 'Are you OK?' She's like, 'I'm just getting up!' " Clif said.

When the girls do arrive, the couple has their names ready: Cadence Lily, Cailynn Juliet and Chloe Glo. Other things, like telling the girls apart when they're newborns, still are up in the air.

"We've heard painting their nails, and we've also heard about getting their ears pierced at six months," Cassidy said. "His sister's looking at getting ID bracelets."

"We don't want it to be like that episode of 'Full House' where Jesse can't tell his kids apart," Clif said jokingly.

The couple admit they're nervous about the prospect of three kids at once, and Cassidy says pregnancy's been harder than she expected. But unlike the last time she struggled with health issues, this time she has a partner.

"With brain surgery, my family was so supportive, but it's completely different when you're married," Cassidy said. "It's been a lot better."

Every night, the couple says, they sing to their unborn girls and then pray over them. Sitting on their couch at home, Cassidy goes through the laundry list of concerns that they've laid at God's feet.

"We're praying for their well-being and mine during the pregnancy, that we have wisdom as parents and that we have great lives together," Cassidy said.

And with that, an answering machine clicks on in their kitchen and chirps, "Message received." Clif and Cassidy burst out laughing.

"That is so funny," Cassidy said through giggles. "He got it. He got it."

THE DETAILS ON TRIPLETS

It's pretty uncommon to conceive triplets, which account for just one of every 652 pregnancies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But conceiving triplets naturally is even rarer. Though firm statistics are scarce, the odds are estimated to be about 1 in 8,000.

"For triplets, (the mothers) are virtually all in fertility or (in vitro fertilization)," said Dr. William Meyer, the director of maternal fetal medicine at Hinsdale Hospital.

While some have surmised that parents of multiples are more likely to have multiples again, Meyer says there's no hard and fast proof that that's true. Still, he says genetics do predispose some people to having a brood all at once.

"If they're in fertility treatment, it's all dependent on that," he said. "For spontaneous multiples, you always hear these stories about people who have twins and then triplets, so it kind of makes sense."

Women carrying triplets often experience more complications, including hyperemesis, which causes chronic and severe vomiting, as well as hypertension, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. Triplets generally are delivered electively by Caesarean section at 36 weeks, when Meyer said they'll typically be just as healthy as if they were carried to term.

The Wisdom of Solomon

Have you ever sat down and read the story of Solomon?
I want to share just a few of the early blessings from his life:
 

1-He was the 2nd son of David and Bathsheba, their first son was killed due to the sin David committed. When Solomon was born- he was immediately blessed by God and David spoke that he would one day rule as King.
That in itself speaks to me. The Lord blessed them even after the curse of sin. He gave them another chance! What a merciful and loving God we serve- It says in 2 Samuel 12: 25-God had a special love for him, and wanted him named “God’s Beloved”.

2-When David was dying another son attempted to take over the throne. But Bathsheba cam to David and shared with him what was happening in his kingdom and reminded him of the promise for Solomon. David quickly made arrangements for Solomon to be crowned king.
The Lord had already ordained Solomon. He didn’t need to fight for his justice. This reminds me to not justify my case- that the Lord will bring about his perfect will for my life in his right timing.

3-When Solomon became king gained power quickly. But what amazes me the most is he poured out his heart to God, presenting his request. When the Lord asked him what he wanted? His response was 1 Kings 3:9- Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?
The Lord was so pleased with Solomon’s heart that he gave him over and above what he asked for! 1 Kings 3:12-14- I’ll give you what you asked for- I’m giving you a wise and mature heart. There's never been one like you before; and there'll be no one after. As a bonus, I'm giving you both the wealth and glory you didn't ask for—there's not a king anywhere who will come up to your mark. And if you stay on course, keeping your eye on the life-map and the God-signs as your father David did, I'll also give you a long life.

The Lord weighs our hearts. He blesses those who seek him! And what better gift to ask for than that of WISDOM?

Why all the suffering?

Another great message from Harvest Bible Chapel that I want to share with you! From the recent disaster in Haiti I’m sure many are questioning why things like that happen. Answer- because this world is under the curse of sin.
There are 3 types of Suffering:
1- as a result from foolishness, wrong choices, bad decisions.
2- as a result of faith (1 Peter 4:13)
3-as a result of humanity (ex-diseases, disaster, death)

And since we live in a cursed world- sin is damaging our planet (Romans 5:12). God has promised to give us a new earth as we see in Revelation 21, and that creation will be set free from decay and bondage (Romans 8).
The world indeed is a mirror to what is happening in us Romans 8:19-21.

John 9- tells us that the reason things happen is to bring God glory!
**Suffering exist for us to: 1- Identify something 2- To remind us of our need for God**

So why is God blamed when tragedy strikes? Why should he have to go on the defense for OUR irresponsibility and sinful nature? Suffering instead should be where we shine to glorify God. For we his children are to Devote ourselves to do good works (Titus 3:14).

In closing, in times of suffering we need to remember Galations 6:10- Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

What you put in- Comes out!

As I was flipping through the channels last night, I couldn’t believe the amount of inappropriate shows, commercials, and movies that were on “basic cable”. It amazes me how much has changed in just the past 5 years!
Then I started to take inventory on how many times I have sat through a movie or show that was not glorifying God? How many times have I casually dismissed the cursing, the inappropriate lingo, or just turned my head away? Or what about the lyrics in the songs we sing along too?
You may think I’m being extreme- but as Christians shouldn’t we be extremely different from the world’s standards? Romans 12:2 states-Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

If we don’t behave or live any different than non-Christians how are we sharing the light- the truth? It was quite the eye opener when I realized I was born to glorify Christ. Our entire purpose of living is to win souls for the kingdom of heaven.

Bottom line- what we put in comes out. Especially in our day to day witness. There are many times we are being watched and don’t even realize it. In fact, that just happened to me! We had a guy working at our home, and he over heard something Clif and I were talking about and asked if we were in the ministry. It got my thinking- how do I behave and what am I talking about even in the confines of my home?

What we put, will in come out! It spoke to me- maybe it impacted you as well?
Proverbs 27:5
Better is open rebuke than hidden love.=)

We have an amazing story to share with your youth! And we very passionate about our future leaders and motivating them to be all Christ has created them to be. My husband and I feel a deep connection and calling to share what the Lord has done in our personal lives and together.

Clif knows the importance for young men to guard their thoughts and eyes. He has a unique way of getting "the guys" to relate to his testimony with his years of sports experience.

Cassidy knows all about dealing with insecurities after overcoming an eating disorder of 8 years. She wants to reach out to women of all ages to show them how TRUE beauty comes from the inside. After her experiences gained at Miss Florida for Miss America, Cassidy has learned that the only way to lasting happiness is knowing who you are in Christ!

Together we love to lead worship and share the love of Christ!