So this week we are going to be super busy. We have our church's VBS program every morning. An appt Monday afternoon. And lots of prep for Princess' 1st birthday. That's right, it's birthday week. I can't believe my baby girl is going to be one this week.
So that leaves me going "ok we need to eat dinner but with VBS every morning that really only leaves my afternoon times for housework and party prep (making decor, making my own fondant and cake, etc.). So I'm going to want fast and easy but I'm going to want fast and easy to include healthy too. So this week lets plan some handy crock pot meals.
Let's start with breakfast. Breakfast is something that is usually leisurely around here, I make it when I'm finally awake in the morning and we generally have something that is cooked. But I'm not going to have that luxury this week. We're going to need breakfast that the kids can grab and eat in the van most likely. So I will get some banana bread made, have plenty of fresh and easy fruit on hand, and maybe even make pancakes one evening/afternoon to last a morning or two since my kids are happy to eat these as is cold from the fridge. Yes I know, weird children. For myself I will scramble a whole batch of eggs ahead of time and probably do egg wraps all week. Cheaper than getting them from McD's right?
Lunches are going to be sandwiches - probably PB&J most of the week, maybe lunchmeat a day or two and tuna a day (maybe). Another easy fruit and maybe a fresh veggie here or there. They will eat in the van on the way home from VBS to stay awake for quiet/nap time. I will eat something once I get home. I will probably cook up a few chicken breasts and do sandwiches and salads with them this week.
Dinner - now this is the toughie because usually it's the most time consuming.
Sunday - tonight we're having BBQ chicken legs and mashed potatoes and glazed carrots (all home made).
Monday - I have a bag of chicken and bean gravy in the freezer that I will pull out and thaw. I will serve it over mashed potatoes and add a side of steamed brocolli.
Tuesday - Chicken with salsa and corn and black beans in the crock pot served over rice
Wednesday - spaghetti and home made Italian bread (already in the freezer, just needs to thaw and rise before baking.
Thursday - easy burger stroganoff with mashed sweet potatoes
Friday - frozen pizza (on sale this week and a family favorite) and maybe home made breadsticks. We'll see. I'll serve a salad with the pizza.
Saturday we'll have a baked potato bar. We can set the potatoes to cooking in the crock pot before Princess' party and come home to a simple but yummy meal.
So there's LOTS of fruits on sale this week. Peaches and nectarines so I'll stock up on those and add in my normal apples and bananas. Cucumbers and zucchini are on sale as well. With the sales and what we already have in our pantry we should have a nice healthy menu without breaking the bank.
Check back tomorrow to see what Sis is getting for her birthday!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Do Everything
Just a word of encouragement on this lovely Friday. Do everything.... unto the Lord.
Sometimes I look around and wonder who cares? Who cares if I empty the dishwasher and clean the kitchen? Who cares if I help the kids clean up the playroom the tenth time this week? Who cares if I change the sheets regularly? Who cares????
Being a mom and wife can be a truly under-appreciated, thankless job at times. There are definitely times I get frustrated at not receiving the praise I so desire and deem myself worthy of from my husband and children and anyone who walks into my home on a "clean" day. There have been times when I have cried and asked "Why do I bother?" when the children have gotten out and crumbled an entire box of crackers all over the recently vacuumed living room carpet. Well I'll tell you who cares. God. He really does. This is not just my job. It's not just something I am doing to get through life until my kids are grown and gone and then I can start me "real" life. This right here is my ministry. I may not reach the masses. I may not go into foreign countries preaching the gospel (anymore anyway). I may not be a head teacher of a Sunday school class. But I have the possibility in front of me to reach hundreds for God in my day to day life. Here's how.
I have four blessings. If I raise them in the way they should go and they even just share the love of Jesus with one person a year for the rest of their lives then I will have affected change in our world. Through my babies. They are my ministry. And even if THEY don't reach one person with the love of Jesus each year for the rest of their lives if they grow to have a real and active relationship with God into adulthood then I will have succeeded in my mission and ministry as their mama. This is my calling. Patiently teaching them, showing them the right way to live, reacting to ridiculous situations with patience, they are learning from me. I get to choose if they learn good or bad. May God help me to teach them right. May He give me the wisdom and patience and ability to love my children the way that He loves me.
May He do the same for you, dear mama reading this. He cares so do everything as though you are doing it for him. And listen to this song as a word of encouragement.
Philippians 2: 14-15
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky
1 Corinthians 10:31-33
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Be encouraged and have a blessed weekend with your families!
Sometimes I look around and wonder who cares? Who cares if I empty the dishwasher and clean the kitchen? Who cares if I help the kids clean up the playroom the tenth time this week? Who cares if I change the sheets regularly? Who cares????
Being a mom and wife can be a truly under-appreciated, thankless job at times. There are definitely times I get frustrated at not receiving the praise I so desire and deem myself worthy of from my husband and children and anyone who walks into my home on a "clean" day. There have been times when I have cried and asked "Why do I bother?" when the children have gotten out and crumbled an entire box of crackers all over the recently vacuumed living room carpet. Well I'll tell you who cares. God. He really does. This is not just my job. It's not just something I am doing to get through life until my kids are grown and gone and then I can start me "real" life. This right here is my ministry. I may not reach the masses. I may not go into foreign countries preaching the gospel (anymore anyway). I may not be a head teacher of a Sunday school class. But I have the possibility in front of me to reach hundreds for God in my day to day life. Here's how.
I have four blessings. If I raise them in the way they should go and they even just share the love of Jesus with one person a year for the rest of their lives then I will have affected change in our world. Through my babies. They are my ministry. And even if THEY don't reach one person with the love of Jesus each year for the rest of their lives if they grow to have a real and active relationship with God into adulthood then I will have succeeded in my mission and ministry as their mama. This is my calling. Patiently teaching them, showing them the right way to live, reacting to ridiculous situations with patience, they are learning from me. I get to choose if they learn good or bad. May God help me to teach them right. May He give me the wisdom and patience and ability to love my children the way that He loves me.
May He do the same for you, dear mama reading this. He cares so do everything as though you are doing it for him. And listen to this song as a word of encouragement.
Philippians 2: 14-15
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky
1 Corinthians 10:31-33
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Be encouraged and have a blessed weekend with your families!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
31 days to a clean home update 2
I'd snap pictures but um... NO. It's not the challenge at all. It's me. It's having four small children, warm and sunny weather, and family visiting. It's my inability to say no to a trip to the library or park instead of staying home and cleaning. The routines themselves are solid and I am working still to make them a daily part of my life. We were in and out all week and weekend so the house has gotten to a completely ridiculous state and as soon as I hit publish on this post I'm going to go clean it up using the routine list from this challenge. I LOVE starting in the kitchen because as I've said before it's the heart of our home. I don't mind doing the bathroom because it's a smallish room and while it's supposed to be cleaned on Fridays I didn't get there last week and my family will be by more this week so I will clean it today and probably again on this Friday to get back on task.
I've outlined a list that's slightly more detailed for myself so that I won't forget some of the things that I tend to forget when cleaning.
Now the routine of the challenge is this:
Kitchen
Main spaces
bedrooms
load of laundry
and on Fridays we add bathrooms and on Saturdays we prep our meals for Sunday so we can have a true day of rest Sabbath and on Monday's instead of main spaces we are supposed to catch up on hot spots from weekend. It is a good and simple and solid routine that should keep the house clean even if it is clearly lived in.
There are also "next thing" challenges to help with, well, the next thing. I'm not going to tell you what those are... check out the book. lol
So to add to it I've made myself a laundry schedule and added in morning and afternoon tidy times (10 min each and the kids will be involved in helping).
I also want to aim to tidy through the downstairs before I go to bed. It makes it easier to keep up with the next day. I'm planning to print out these lists on page and laminate them and keep them on a clipboard so I can mark off what I've done and at the end of each week see that it's gone well.
I've outlined a list that's slightly more detailed for myself so that I won't forget some of the things that I tend to forget when cleaning.
Now the routine of the challenge is this:
Kitchen
Main spaces
bedrooms
load of laundry
and on Fridays we add bathrooms and on Saturdays we prep our meals for Sunday so we can have a true day of rest Sabbath and on Monday's instead of main spaces we are supposed to catch up on hot spots from weekend. It is a good and simple and solid routine that should keep the house clean even if it is clearly lived in.
There are also "next thing" challenges to help with, well, the next thing. I'm not going to tell you what those are... check out the book. lol
So to add to it I've made myself a laundry schedule and added in morning and afternoon tidy times (10 min each and the kids will be involved in helping).
Laundry:
Monday: 1 bed of sheets and a regular load
Tuesday: 1 bed of sheets and a regular load
Wednesday: 1 bed of sheets and a regular load
Thursday: 1 bed of sheets and a regular load
Friday: Princess' blankets and a regular load
Saturday: regular load
Tidy:
Morning:
Monday: playroom
Tuesday: boys room
Wednesday: my bedroom
Thursday: office
Friday: bathroom
Saturday: Van
Afternoon:
Monday: living room hot spot
Tuesday: dining room hot spot
Wednesday: kitchen hot spot
Thursday: laundry room
Friday: boys room
Saturday: meal plan and grocery shopI also want to aim to tidy through the downstairs before I go to bed. It makes it easier to keep up with the next day. I'm planning to print out these lists on page and laminate them and keep them on a clipboard so I can mark off what I've done and at the end of each week see that it's gone well.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Muffin Tin Monday: Freedom rings
Happy Independence Day!
Today for our muffin tin Monday we did lunch because well I needed time to actually prep these tins today.
White star shaped marshmallows with blueberries and blue tinted cottage cheese for the blue/star portion of the flag. Mozzarella cheese makes the top stripes, strawberries make the middle stripe, and banana slices and turkey lunch meat makes the bottom stripe.
It was met with great success:
Now I will say that cottage cheese was a last minute add in. There were supposed to have been two things of blueberries in the fridge but the kids got into them before I got up in the morning over the last few days and there were a small handful left. So I improvised. Thankfully my kids love cottage cheese, it is a truly white food so the blue food coloring didn't tinge it green instead, and I had some in the fridge (because it's not something that I have stocked regularly).
As always I'm linking up with Muffin Tin Mom so be sure to click the link and check out all the other great patriotic muffin tins today! And have a safe and happy holiday!
Today for our muffin tin Monday we did lunch because well I needed time to actually prep these tins today.
It was met with great success:
Now I will say that cottage cheese was a last minute add in. There were supposed to have been two things of blueberries in the fridge but the kids got into them before I got up in the morning over the last few days and there were a small handful left. So I improvised. Thankfully my kids love cottage cheese, it is a truly white food so the blue food coloring didn't tinge it green instead, and I had some in the fridge (because it's not something that I have stocked regularly).
As always I'm linking up with Muffin Tin Mom so be sure to click the link and check out all the other great patriotic muffin tins today! And have a safe and happy holiday!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
If there were only one
If there were only one child in my home things would run more smoothly.
I would be able to have that child help with cleaning tasks because having only one child following me around is MUCH easier to keep track of. I would have only one child to even be cleaning up after. Only one child who produced dirty laundry. Only one child to plan school stuff for. Only one child worth of clothes and supplies to be kept. There would be no arguments over what show to watch in the morning while mama makes breakfast. I would be right on top of discipline because with only one child there wouldn't be anyone else in the house to distract me from properly teaching and training my child in the way he/she should go.
With only one child in our home my child wouldn't have to learn to share on a daily basis. They wouldn't have to learn how to prefer their sibling and wait patiently for their turn for mama's attention. My one child wouldn't have to worry about a brother keeping him awake at night.
My children are blessed. They are blessed that they are not just one child in our family. They get to learn how to share right from the start. They get to see love lived out daily and sometimes be the ones living it out as they give their prized toy to a brother or baby sister to stop the tears from flowing. They get to have best friends sleep over EVERY night! They get to learn to wait patiently so it won't be such a hard task to learn as they get older.
Yes, it's definitely much harder for me to be on top of every minor little thing that happens when there are four kids sometimes running/toddling in four very different directions. Sometimes what others might see as a HUGE discipline issue gets barely any notice but I do the best I can. I have to trust that God put these four babies in our family all together for a reason. I have to trust that He will equip me to teach and train them to the best of my ability and that He will step in where I, as a human, fall short. And I do trust that. I trust that if I teach my children to respect other people that God will be faithful to show them how obedience is a sign of respect. I trust that if I teach my children to prefer one another and share their toys that God will show them the great rewards in living a more selfless life. I trust.
And mostly I remember that if there were only one.... my life would be incredibly mundane and boring.
I would be able to have that child help with cleaning tasks because having only one child following me around is MUCH easier to keep track of. I would have only one child to even be cleaning up after. Only one child who produced dirty laundry. Only one child to plan school stuff for. Only one child worth of clothes and supplies to be kept. There would be no arguments over what show to watch in the morning while mama makes breakfast. I would be right on top of discipline because with only one child there wouldn't be anyone else in the house to distract me from properly teaching and training my child in the way he/she should go.
With only one child in our home my child wouldn't have to learn to share on a daily basis. They wouldn't have to learn how to prefer their sibling and wait patiently for their turn for mama's attention. My one child wouldn't have to worry about a brother keeping him awake at night.
My children are blessed. They are blessed that they are not just one child in our family. They get to learn how to share right from the start. They get to see love lived out daily and sometimes be the ones living it out as they give their prized toy to a brother or baby sister to stop the tears from flowing. They get to have best friends sleep over EVERY night! They get to learn to wait patiently so it won't be such a hard task to learn as they get older.
Yes, it's definitely much harder for me to be on top of every minor little thing that happens when there are four kids sometimes running/toddling in four very different directions. Sometimes what others might see as a HUGE discipline issue gets barely any notice but I do the best I can. I have to trust that God put these four babies in our family all together for a reason. I have to trust that He will equip me to teach and train them to the best of my ability and that He will step in where I, as a human, fall short. And I do trust that. I trust that if I teach my children to respect other people that God will be faithful to show them how obedience is a sign of respect. I trust that if I teach my children to prefer one another and share their toys that God will show them the great rewards in living a more selfless life. I trust.
And mostly I remember that if there were only one.... my life would be incredibly mundane and boring.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
What's for dinner Wednesday... Camping edition
So we're going camping this weekend. With my dad and second mom and little sister, and my other little sisters and all of our children and a couple of our husbands. It's going to be mass chaos.... of course that's a given with 11 kids 7 and under. But it's going to be a blast. At least in my estimation. Now I haven't really chatted with my extended family about meals yet. But here are a few thoughts I'm having on the subject.
We will be camping Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night.
Breakfast:
baked goods - muffins, banana bread (I bought bananas just for this), and I'll probably bring some hard boiled eggs for my kiddos as I know they'll eat them and they should keep ok in the cooler.
I might also try my hand at home made granola bars and graham crackers and cereal bars for snacks.
I plan to bring lots of fruit and veggies as this is something my kids eat pretty regularly anyhow.
For suppers we'll probably do burgers, hot dogs, ?? I got a great tip from an online friend about making chicken and veggie packets in foil and just cooking them right in the fire pit for supper the first night and I'm definitely going to be making that suggestion as it sounds super good.
For lunches we'll probably do sandwiches - PB&J keeps well regardless of weather. KOJ and I might bring some lunchmeat sandwich staples too for ourselves.
And if all else fails we're not going to be in the middle of nowhere. There's a McD's about ten minutes from the campground. Talk about roughing it! lol
What do you eat when you go camping??
We will be camping Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night.
Breakfast:
baked goods - muffins, banana bread (I bought bananas just for this), and I'll probably bring some hard boiled eggs for my kiddos as I know they'll eat them and they should keep ok in the cooler.
I might also try my hand at home made granola bars and graham crackers and cereal bars for snacks.
I plan to bring lots of fruit and veggies as this is something my kids eat pretty regularly anyhow.
For suppers we'll probably do burgers, hot dogs, ?? I got a great tip from an online friend about making chicken and veggie packets in foil and just cooking them right in the fire pit for supper the first night and I'm definitely going to be making that suggestion as it sounds super good.
For lunches we'll probably do sandwiches - PB&J keeps well regardless of weather. KOJ and I might bring some lunchmeat sandwich staples too for ourselves.
And if all else fails we're not going to be in the middle of nowhere. There's a McD's about ten minutes from the campground. Talk about roughing it! lol
What do you eat when you go camping??
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Movie going the thrifty way
So I'm sure ya'll heard that Cars 2 hit theaters this past Friday. I know even though I don't have cable I heard about it everywhere I turned on the internet. Store ads weren't too helpful either. Now I live in a fairly small, old Americana town, much like the one in the original Cars movie. And we happen to have a drive in. The drive in used to charge a flat fee per car regardless of the number of people. They switched to per person prices a while ago though. It is still however by FAR the cheapest way to see a new movie in the summer.
Now I didn't particularly have my heart set on watching this movie in the theater but I heard reviews of the movie. Ironically the people were not happy with the movie and upon further inquiry I KNEW that my boys and I were going to LOVE this movie. We watch tons of spy spoof type movies here and I love to watch old detective shows from the 70's and 80's. So I knew that it would be right up our alley. Then the fates came together and both Squirrel AND Howler fell asleep at "quiet time" yesterday. I knew that meant it was THE day. So I took my boys on a date to the movies. I spent less than 20.00 for all three boys and myself to go to the movies AND have some yummy munchies.
Here's how.
1 Adult ticket 8.00
1 child ticket 2.00 (children under 5 are free)
1 bag of chex mix for the boys to split - free with coupon
1 bag of pretzel m&m's 1.00 after coupons
1 bag of bbq potato chips we ate about half 2.00 on sale
2 candy bars that mommy may have snuck .09 each after coupons
Total: 13.18
Wow, that's a great deal. And I was right. We LOVED the movie. Though for those wondering I would advise against taking a 2.5yr old to the drive in. lol He was fidgety through the whole movie trying to keep himself awake. It would have been slightly more enjoyable if he had been more able to sit still. But the older two and I LOVED the movie.
Also in regards to the drive in - ours (and I'm sure most out there) shows two movies in a row. We left after the first last night for two reasons. 1. the next movie on was the Green Lantern and I have no desire to see it and it's not IMO age appropriate for the kids. 2. Spider monkey super needed to go home to bed as did the other two monkeys and the mama.
Now I didn't particularly have my heart set on watching this movie in the theater but I heard reviews of the movie. Ironically the people were not happy with the movie and upon further inquiry I KNEW that my boys and I were going to LOVE this movie. We watch tons of spy spoof type movies here and I love to watch old detective shows from the 70's and 80's. So I knew that it would be right up our alley. Then the fates came together and both Squirrel AND Howler fell asleep at "quiet time" yesterday. I knew that meant it was THE day. So I took my boys on a date to the movies. I spent less than 20.00 for all three boys and myself to go to the movies AND have some yummy munchies.
Here's how.
1 Adult ticket 8.00
1 child ticket 2.00 (children under 5 are free)
1 bag of chex mix for the boys to split - free with coupon
1 bag of pretzel m&m's 1.00 after coupons
1 bag of bbq potato chips we ate about half 2.00 on sale
2 candy bars that mommy may have snuck .09 each after coupons
Total: 13.18
Wow, that's a great deal. And I was right. We LOVED the movie. Though for those wondering I would advise against taking a 2.5yr old to the drive in. lol He was fidgety through the whole movie trying to keep himself awake. It would have been slightly more enjoyable if he had been more able to sit still. But the older two and I LOVED the movie.
Also in regards to the drive in - ours (and I'm sure most out there) shows two movies in a row. We left after the first last night for two reasons. 1. the next movie on was the Green Lantern and I have no desire to see it and it's not IMO age appropriate for the kids. 2. Spider monkey super needed to go home to bed as did the other two monkeys and the mama.
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