Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Easy Homemade Chocolate Milk

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It really is easy to make Homemade Chocolate Milk! And it tastes better than any store-bought chocolate milk you can find. What a treat!

Recently, someone gave us 5 gallons of milk. FIVE! I mean, we have a big family, but it’s still hard to get through five gallons of milk before it goes bad.

I had fun figuring out ways to use up the milk. Pudding ranked high on the list:

Mac and Cheese is also a great way to use up milk, especially this amazing recipe. And then, making Chocolate Milk as a special treat always makes my family happy!

I don’t love for us to drink much sugar. So I made this Easy Chocolate Milk to share with college students when they came over so that the gallon of fun could be spread throughout many of us, not just our family. :)

Ready for the recipe? Keep this one in your back pocket for a fun treat to serve guests on a hot day!

Easy Homemade Chocolate MilkYum

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Easy Homemade Chocolate Milk
 
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Serves: 1 gallon +
Ingredients
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 gallon milk
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, mix together sugar, cocoa, and water.
  2. Cook on low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is well combined.
  3. Turn off the heat.
  4. Stir in the milk with a whisk until the chocolate is evening mixed throughout.
  5. Pour chocolate milk into a gallon-sized serving jar.
  6. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

Try this and let me know what you think? Best Chocolate Milk you’ve ever had? That’s what many of our guests tell me when they try this. :)

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Does Costco Save the Most Money?

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Let’s do some math and determine: Does Costco Save the Most Money?

First, let’s talk about grocery budgets, using wisdom, and loving people.

Hi, I’m Laura and I used to care A LOT about saving every penny. I considered “saving money” to be a part of my job as a homemaker, so I clipped all the coupons, hit all the sales, and hoarded our stockpile. This was in part because we didn’t have much money and we needed to save all of our pennies just to make it. And it was in part because I didn’t understand my time and energy have value too.

I still love a good deal. I still love to save money when I can. I’ll even say yes to freebies, yes I will.

But after 26+ years of marriage, 23+ years of raising children, 15+ years of learning that the quality of our food matters,  7+ years of learning more about loving my neighbor, and 3+ years on a foster care and adoption journey:

I’m tired.

I’m also wiser, I hope. I’m learning more about what really matters, about generosity, and when it’s really worth taking the time to save a buck, you know?

I also have a really big family now. This means that in some ways, I need to be extra frugal to afford all of our family’s needs. But it also means that I have a lot more to do every day, and clipping coupons and looking through store ads doesn’t come close to making my to-do list.

No, these are not all of my children. I actually have two more not pictured. ;)
And also, several of these are our beloved college kids who we claim as our own and feed frequently.

How big is my grocery budget?

Well. I don’t mind sharing that it’s somewhere around $1,200/month. We have seven people still living at home and two college-age sons who come home frequently to eat. They bring their friends. On Sundays, we feed a large army of guests. We love this!

So we go through a pretty significant amount of food every month. And I’m no longer buying the cheapest food options because:

  • I don’t have time to nickel and dime everything
  • I prefer better quality food that sometimes costs more
  • Sometimes I buy convenience foods that cost more but help me stay sane through all the details that fill up my days as we live life as foster parents. (I’m not ashamed of the frozen pizzas I keep on hand. They keep me sane.)

What I’ve found is that it’s great to do a small amount of research to determine my best shopping options. Then I stick with a system, knowing that I’m doing the best I can and saving the most money possible during this season of life. And that’s where Costco comes in.

So, does Costco save the most money?

I only recently purchased a Costco membership. I make a trip there once each month if I can get away (the closest Costco is an hour from our house). Here’s what I’m learning:

  • Their clothing is awesome and very reasonably priced! (That has nothing to do with groceries, but it was worth mentioning.)
  • Their produce isn’t cheaper than what I can find at our local grocery store or Walmart. But it’s comparable in cost, and Costco offers better quality on produce. So I stock up while I’m there and shop Walmart produce on the off weeks.
  • Their healthy convenience foods are cheaper than what I was paying through Amazon Subscribe and Save. I used to order items like Go-Go Squeeze Fruit on the Go, 100% Fruit Cups, Nuts Packets, Meat Sticks, Annie’s Mac and Cheese, and the like through Amazon. I still do keep some of them on my subscribe-and-save plan. But most of these items are quite a bit cheaper at Costco. So I’m transitioning many items from Amazon to Costco so I can save money!
  • Their sauces and condiments are cheaper. They are also better quality than I can usually find at Walmart. So I now buy bulk ketchup, barbecue sauce, salsa, and other sauces we use at Costco.
  • Their frozen fruit and frozen vegetables are of fantastic quality for a lower price.
  • Their baking items are less expensive and I love buying them in bulk to save effort.
  • Their high-quality lunchmeats, bacon, and hotdogs are all less expensive than I’ve found elsewhere.
  • The above-mentioned frozen pizzas are super tasty and better quality than any other I’ve found. I buy a couple boxes each month and they help tremendously on extra busy days!

Beyond saving money, I’ve found that I love the Kirkland brand, and I love the varieties of food I find at Costco that I can’t find elsewhere in my town. I feel so spoiled when I bring home food from Costco!

I love buying in bulk, not just because it saves money, but because it saves me time. If I can buy a big box, a big bag, an entire case – that makes for less frequent purchasing needs and fewer grocery shopping trips. Sign me up!

I have found that since I only go to Costco once each month, I often need a second cart. This only works if I have a helper with me, and because of that, I do sometimes skip items at Costco that take up a lot of cart space and choose to have Amazon deliver them to my porch instead.

I’m still getting my rhythm now that I’m shopping Costco, Amazon, Walmart, and Azure Standard. But I have definitely found that Costco’s prices are overall cheaper for the wonderful quality they offer.

Here’s how my monthly grocery budget currently breaks down:

Costco $600
Walmart Pick-Up $250
Azure Standard $60
Amazon Subscribe and Save $100
Local Farm Meat, Eggs, and Milk $170

These are all rough numbers and each month varies. But that’s a general idea of where our grocery money goes each month. And here’s a general idea of who enjoys said groceries:

Where do you shop to save the most money?

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Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix + 24 Ranch Recipes!

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Today, I’m resharing the Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix that has been so popular here for so many years. Plus I’m sharing 24 recipes I use with my Ranch Mix. Gotta have this on hand at all times!

First, here’s the delightfully wonderful recipe for Ranch Dressing Mix. Make this in bulk. Fill huge jars of it. Use it to make salad dressing. Use it to make veggie dip. Use it for the 24 recipes below…

Homemade Ranch Dressing MixYum

Recipes with Ranch Dressing Mix
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup dried minced onions
  • ½ cup parsley flakes
  • 4 teaspoons sea salt
  • 3 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
  1. Mix together ingredients for Ranch Dressing Mix and store in an air tight container in a dry, cool place.
  2. For dressing: Mix 2 Tablespoons dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream.
  3. For dip: Mix 2 Tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream or kreme fresh.
  4. Mix up a few hours before serving, so the flavors all blend nicely.

Now that you have a big jar of Ranch Mix, you can make any of these super delicious main dishes or side dishes:

Main Dishes

Snacks and Side Dishes

All of these recipes: SO GOOD. Make you some Ranch Dressing Mix. Keep it on hand for the rest of these recipes. You’re going to love it!

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Simple Ranch Cucumber Bites

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In just a few weeks, this Simple Ranch Cucumber Bites recipes is going to come in very handy. Why? Because people will be anonymously leaving cucumbers from their garden on our doorsteps and running away. This is how it works every summer when cucumbers grow in abundance in people’s gardens!

I love how simple this recipe is! And if you peel the cucumbers before making these, your seven-year-old might forget that he’s eating cucumbers, eat the entire plate of Ranch Cucumber Bites, and ask for more.

Want more awesome Summer Snack ideas? I have brand new recipes here:

  • They don’t require a stove or an oven
  • They don’t take much time or energy to make
  • They’re healthy, but nobody will notice
  • Each of these recipes calls for 5 or fewer ingredients
  • The whole family will love them!

You will love these as much as my kids do (and my kids don’t usually eat cucumbers!).

See how to get this Perfect Summer Snacks recipe eBook here!

And now for our Ranch Cucumber Bites recipe. So easy. So good. Such a good way to eat all the cucumbers growing like crazy in everyone’s gardens!

Simple Ranch Cucumber BitesYum

Simple Ranch Cucumber Bites
 
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Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
  • 4-ounces softened cream cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise (I use Hain Safflower)
  • 3 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing mix
  • 2 medium-sized cucumbers
Instructions
  1. Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and ranch dressing mix together until smooth.
  2. Cut cucumbers to create ⅙ inch slices.
  3. Spread ranch mixture onto cucumber slices.
  4. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Want another great idea? Try subbing the Ranch Dressing Mix with our Italian Dressing Mix! This is also super delicious and fun.

Wondering what to do with the other half of your cream cheese block? Here’s an entire post that shares recipes that call for cream cheese. I heart cream cheese and feel that it makes everything taste better!

 

 

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How to Pack Snacks and Meals to Take on the Road

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Are you planning to travel this summer? Here are some great tips for how to pack snacks and meals to take on the road!

Yes, sometimes we eat out when we’re traveling. But here are some great ideas that we’ve used through the years to save lots of travel money. It goes without saying that we feel a lot better when we do this because we’re eating more wholesome foods!

How to Pack Snacks and Meals to Take on the Road

tourney food4

This picture shows an example of food we packed for a road trip a few years ago. Here are the specifics. We used jars, baggies, and lidded containers to keep our food safe:

  • Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits
  • Turkey Sandwiches
  • Chef Salads with Homemade Ranch and cooked shredded chicken
  • Homemade Pizzas (that we ate cold)
  • Breakfast Sandwiches that we heated and ate during our first stretch of the trip
  • Sliced cucumbers, sweet peppers, and kiwi
  • Summer Sausage and Sliced Cheese (protein in case hotel breakfasts are all empty carbs)
  • Peanuts, Cashews, Crackers, Blueberries, Applesauce, Peach Cups, Pear Cups, Clementines

Here’s another example from a different road trip:

bball food 1

This trip included:

And how about these fun ideas:

Always fruits and veggies!

Apples, carrots, clementines, and containers of berries travel well. These are so refreshing to snack on in the car!

travel food 1

What are your favorite meals and snacks to take on the road when you travel?

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Simple Ranch Taco Chip Dip

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This Simple Ranch Taco Chip Dip can become a super-fast lunch or supper for your family!

Well now. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve created and posted a new recipe. I blame these people:

And also these.

This picture features the gorgeous people of college students and friends who joined our family for Easter this year. Our home is full and so are our hearts. And I suppose that it goes without saying that our hands are a little bit full too. So lately, I’ve been sticking with my favorite tried and true recipes just to keep life as simple as possible in the kitchen.

How amazing is God, by the way? (Well, so amazing, of course.) But specifically, I love how a few years ago, while He was very well aware of the turn of events that would happen in our home, He started me down the road of creating the simplest recipes ever. It all turned into a cookbook, and these recipes are how I survive now!! I love this.

But all that to say, sometimes I still itch to be creative in the kitchen. And sometimes I have a few minutes to tinker. This recipe is the result of such tinkering! It’s simple and can be stirred together with only one hand (while holding a baby in the other, ask me how I know). Enjoy this dip as a snack, a side dish, or a meal with a side of fruit!

Simple Ranch Taco Chip DipYum

Simple Ranch Taco Chip Dip
 
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Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing Mix
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 15-ounce can black beans, drained
  • 10 ounce can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies), drained
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (we prefer Colby jack or cheddar)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder (more or less to taste)
  • Your favorite tortilla chips
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
  2. Cover the dip and chill for at least an hour before serving.
  3. Or just eat it right away, because who can wait an hour?

This is one of those delightful recipes that allows you to quickly dump everything into a bowl and stir it up. All of our kids – even our pickiest eaters – enjoy this dip! See how easy? Dump it in, stir it up, get out the chips. :)

I love dips that can turn into a simple meal for our families!

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7 Meals in Minutes (Grocery List Included!)

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Is it really possible to make meals in minutes? Yes!!! All of these meals I’m about to share can be put together and served on super short notice! No thaw. No fuss. No problem. My family loves these meals, so I think yours will too!

By the way, these are all perfect for summertime when we need something fast on a hot day. And guess what? I have some amazing summer snack recipes ready for you too, so stay tuned!

You’re going to want to keep all of this information handy!

These recipes and ideas are for:

  • the days we forget to thaw meat.
  • the meal times that come around that leave us feeling stumped as to what to make.
  • the times nothing sounds good but the family is getting hungry.
  • the days we don’t feel like cooking.

7 Meals in Minutes

I’m going to give you 7 complete meal ideas plus a quick-grab grocery list. The grocery list will help you to be able to have every ingredient on hand at all times, giving you the ability to make any of these meals in minutes! To make this even easier, I put all of this great info into a (free!) eBook so you can download it and print it to use all the information super easily!

None of these Meals in Minutes ideas are fancy. But for some reason, my family considers them all to be a treat. And so do I, because they are all effortless to make!

When I was putting together the grocery list for these 7 Meals in Minutes, I got extra excited! As it turns out, it only takes 20 ingredients to make all 7 of these meals. And you probably already have most of them on hand!

Get the grocery list and recipe eBook:

Here’s how 7 Meals in Minutes works:

I try to keep every single one of the needed ingredients on hand so that at any time, on any day, I can put any of these seven quick meals together. This is so helpful to just “shop in my own pantry/fridge” for our fast meals!

There are 7 complete meal ideas here. These are great all year ’round, but I’m putting this together now so that we can use them during the summer for lunches when everyone is home from school. And for quick supper ideas after everyone has spent the afternoon at the pool and comes home starving. :)

7 Meals in Minutes

Ask us to send you our complete grocery list and free 7 Meals in Minutes recipe eBook here. Here’s a quick rundown of the ingredients I keep on hand and the meals I can make with them:

  1. Cans of Chicken and Tuna to make Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad for sandwiches or wraps
  2. Refried Beans, Salsa, and Cream Cheese to make Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip
  3. Nitrite-Free Hotdogs and cans of Baked Beans to make Simple Beanie Weanies
  4. Pizza Crust, Pizza Sauce, Shredded Cheese, and Pepperoni to make Pizza or Pizza Boats
  5. Pasta, Milk, and Cheese for Creamy Mac and Cheese
  6. Pasta, Sauce, Shredded Cheese, and Pepperoni to make Pizza Pasta Bowls
  7. Eggs and Cream for Crepes

In addition to the ingredients needed to make the above meals, I always keep a supply of fresh or frozen vegetables, and fresh, frozen, and canned fruits on hand so that I have easy, healthy side dishes to go with all of our meals.

Here is my Go-To Grocery List for fast fruit and veggie side dish options:

  • Canned pineapple
  • Applesauce squeezies
  • Peach, Pear, and Mandarin Orange Fruit Cups in 100% Juice
  • Gala Apples
  • Grapes
  • Bananas
  • Fresh Fruit that is in Season (Berries in the summertime!)
  • Frozen Fruit to make Smoothies
  • Mixed Greens
  • Avocados
  • Fresh Broccoli
  • Petite Carrot Sticks
  • Frozen Green Beans
  • Frozen Peas
  • Frozen Corn

What do you think? Will your family eat all or some of these simple, tasty meals? You will love how quick they are to put together! And if you have all the ingredients on hand? All you have to do is run to the pantry and grab a few items to throw a quick meal together!

Let us email you a full, fun (FREE!) pack of resources so you can get your pantry ready! Get it here.

Bonus!

I’d love for many more people to have access to this fun and helpful information. So I created one more fantastic freebie for you! If you share this post with your friends on social media so that they can come to grab the resources too, we’ll send you this brand new recipe eBook! You will love these recipes!!

Perfect Summer Snacking is filled with brand new no-bake recipes. I’m super excited to share this with you because I’ve been recipe-testing these with my kids and the treats have been a huge hit. These are going to be so wonderful to have on hand this summer! OH! And all of the recipes in this eBook only call for 5 or fewer ingredients. So easy!

Here’s a list of some of the great no-bake recipes included in our free Perfect Summer Snacking eBook:

  • Chocolate Chip Energy Bites
  • Strawberry Cheesecake Pops
  • Snickerdoodle Fruit Dip
  • Frozen Yogurt Meltaways
  • Tangy Lemon Yogurt Cups
  • Perfect Peach Sorbet
  • No-Bake Brownies
  • MORE!

All of these recipes include real food ingredients and very little sugar. But the kids won’t care about the fact that they’re eating healthy snacks. They’ll just think their summer treats are amazing! Perfect Summer Snacking even includes a set of gorgeous printable recipe cards for even easier use!

Let us give you Perfect Summer Snacking bonus for free when you help us spread the word about our resources!

Ready to make your kitchen life simpler than ever?

  1. Sign up here so we can email you our fun free 7 Meals in Minutes eBook and grocery list resource packet. (There’s even a big surprise coupon inside this packet. You want this!)
  2. Share this post with your friends on social media so they can enjoy this too.
  3. Email me a screenshot of your social media share. I’ll email you your bonus Perfect Summer Snacking ebook! (There’s another big surprise coupon in this ebook you’re going to love!)

Get all of this for free!

Thank you for joining us, for sharing the fun freebies, and for putting your family first this summer!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Easy Food to Pack for a Game or Picnic

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On the go a lot? Want to avoid concession stand prices? Here are some fun and easy ideas for food to pack for a game or a picnic!

What’s tougher than caring for and keeping up with a bunch of littles day after day? Juggling their needs in with all the big kids’ activities and needs too.

Worth it? Yah. Times a million. Doable? Yes, with help. :) Always say yes to help.

This lovely picnic happened on the sidelines of Malachi’s high school soccer game this spring. With mouths full of burgers, we cheered for “Bubba” and tried to keep Keith from running into the street. Good times.

—-> Not pictured: The second-story window Keith broke right before we left for the game. That pretty much scared this mama out of her flip-flops. <—-

Right after that game, we dropped Keith and Baby Sissy off with sitters, and the rest of us headed to the college campus for Justus’ final choir performance of the year. I had to be very organized with food that day. But hey, what’s new? And I’m sure most of you can relate to the chasing and the events and activities and trying to keep everyone fed while doing it all.

The food list I’m about to give you is great for games, park days, and picnics too!

As spring and summer activities have ramped up, I’ve found myself trying to be a little more creative with the food I pack up. The kids (and the parents) get tired of sandwiches pretty quickly. And while many of the foods I’ve been packing to take along with us aren’t the healthiest of all of our meals, they are at least cheaper than buying concession stand food.

So, maybe this post is more about saving money than it is about eating healthy. And if you’re like me, you’re also happy to have all the food in one bag on the sidelines to avoid taking a parade of small children to the concession stand and dripping ketchup all the way back. After all, we can get ketchup all over ourselves without that added walk to concessions.

Ready for the grand food list I’ve come up with? These ideas are easy, tasty, inexpensive, and fun!

Easy Food to Pack for a Game

1. Hotdogs

While these are cooking on your stove or grill, prepare buns by putting condiments in the fold of the bun. Place cooked hotdogs on top of the condiments (this keeps the ketchup and mustard from seeping out!). Wrap them individually or put them all into a sealed plastic bag. Place them in a thermal lunch bag to stay warm. (Ignore the picture below. It’s trying to be cute, but if you’re packing food to take to a game, you really want that ketchup and mustard UNDER the dog.)

2. Hamburgers

I find that these stay hot for up to two hours or more when I wrap them individually in foil, then place them in a thermal lunch bag before toting them to a game. If I do this, I can also use a sharpy to label which burger is for who, in case there are any picky burger people among us.

3. Quesadillas

These travel best on a paper plate covered with foil. Make them easier to eat by cutting them into triangles with kitchen shears.

4. Pizza

If your family likes cold pizza, make this ahead, slice it and then throw it in the fridge until time to go. (Or, simply take leftover pizza if you have it.) Otherwise, a hot pizza from the oven, sliced and packed with napkins and paper plates works great.

5. Smoothies

I have a cabinet full of cups with lids and straws. I have these big ones and these small ones and I highly recommend them – especially for smoothies on the go! Smoothies are a great way to get some nourishment into all of us while cooling us down on a hot day.

Worth noting: When you put your kids’ smoothies in cups like this,
you can hide the fact that you’ve snuck fresh greens into the blender.
Ask me how I know.

6. Corndogs

Bake a bunch, throw them in a ziplock, then cart them to the game in an insulated lunch bag.

7. Chicken Sandwiches

I buy a big bag of frozen chicken patties for outings like this. Bake or air fry some breaded chicken patties. Prepare buns (we like these with mayo), place hot chicken patties on the buns, and either individually wrap the sandwiches or slide them into gallon-sized ziplock bags, then into an insulated lunch bag.

8. Tuna or Chicken Salad

Pack this in jars and take along crackers for “spoons.” This keeps the kids busy for a while, which is kind of fine with me so that I can watch my sons’ games a little more easily. :)

9. Burritos

I love to make big batches of these Easy Burritos. Individually wrap these in foil before putting them into the oven to heat. Grab the hot burritos and put them into an insulated lunch bag.

10. Chicken Nuggets

Bake or air fry a package of nuggets (or make them homemade), then throw them into a ziplock bag (or individual baggies if that makes it easier to hand them out at the game or picnic). Everyone can enjoy munching on chicken while watching the game! Consider taking small paper plates and some ranch dressing for dipping. And if you’re taking ranch, you might as well take carrots. Which leads me to…

But what about nutrition?

Well, like I said. This post is a little bit more about saving a buck than it is about eating well. However, it is super easy to throw fruits and veggies into to-go bags as well! These travel well and are simple to grab and go:

  • Apples
  • Containers of Washed Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, strawberries)
  • Containers of Washed Grape Tomatoes
  • Bags of Petite Baby Carrots
  • Oranges
  • Grapes
  • 100% peach, pear, pineapple, or mixed fruit cups
  • 100% fruit applesauce cups or squeezies
  • 100% Fruit Leather

Other fun food on the go:

Your turn to share! What are your favorite foods to take to games and picnics?

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Best Gifts for Teachers

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It’s the end of the school year! Here’s a list of the best gifts for teachers. Leave a comment to add to the list!

After an especially difficult school year, I think all of our teachers deserve extra love and some spoiling, don’t you?!

Best Gifts for Teachers

1. Gift Cards

Teachers deserve some big treats after a long school year, wouldn’t you agree?! Write a kind and appreciative personal note, then slide in a gift card that will provide your teacher with free dinner, free ice cream, free coffee, free shopping, or free anything fun from around your community.

2. Supplies for the Classroom

When I asked for gift suggestions on my Facebook page, Stephanie said this, “I always ask the teachers if they have any classroom needs-supplies, games or activities for inside recess days, etc.” Brilliant gift idea! Restocking some fun and necessary supplies after a school year is a great idea to help them get ahead for next year!

teacher gift4

3. Simple Cookbooks

This is what we gave Brayden’s teacher for Christmas and she was thrilled with the simple, tasty ideas! Get these books here.

4. Breakfast in the Break Room

Meredith shared this fabulous suggestion, “One year I brought in breakfast for the office staff of our elementary. We were newish to the school then, and I didn’t want to bring in homemade food that might make some uneasy, so I made up my own shortened (and with prices that fit in my budget per person) list of breakfast options from Panera and handed it out early with a date on it I needed to collect them. I brought in orange juice and iced coffee from the grocery dairy section and a chopped fruit bowl from the grocer (but bananas and oranges or apples would be good too, I was just really wanting everything to clearly be commercially prepared if that makes sense) to go with each person’s selections. Panera boxed all the other stuff up and I brought it in early before the kids arrived. It was about $6-7 per person and we have a small office staff. They really loved it!”

Fruit tray

5. A Monogrammed Tote

Oh my goodness, how cute are these?! I think teachers will love this gift! Check out the options here.

 

6. Homemade Vanilla

Did you make some vanilla? What a fantastic gift this makes! If you haven’t made some yet, get some started for Christmas gifts or next year’s teacher gifts! Here’s how.

7. Handmade Earrings

I love these so much!! I also love supporting small businesses. Use the code Heavenly to get $3 off your order at Delight Accessories!

8. A Fun Tumbler

I love these! Choose from several different colors and styles. They are simple and practical and fun all at the same time! See these options here.

 

9. Car Wash Tokens

As someone who constantly has a filthy vehicle, I like this idea very much!! Lyn said, “When the boys got into middle and high school and had so many teachers, I started getting gift cards for the local car wash (one or two washes each). Our local place runs a “20 for $100? special each year. It’s inexpensive, different and they love them!”

Fill in the gaps! What are your favorite gifts to give teachers?

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How to Ask for Help

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Here’s how to ask for help. See also: How to say yes to offers of help. Ready? Let’s do this!

Why ask for help?

First, we should probably tackle the reasons we need to ask for help. Is it because we are weak and needy? Well, yes actually. But not in the negative way we typically use those words.

I’ll reshare what I wrote a post a couple of years ago explaining Why You Need to Say “YES” to Offers of Help! The reasons included:

  1. You don’t want to miss out on the powerful work of the Holy Spirit on your behalf through others.
  2. We are called to live a life of humility.
  3. Because…we need it. We. Need. Help.

You can read all the words I said about each of those points here. But in summary, when people offer to help you? Say yes. You’re missing out on more of God’s goodness if you don’t!

So we need help. But…

Why do we struggle to ask for help?

Straight up: I believe that the reason we struggle to ask for help is that we are ashamed. We are holding onto pride. We don’t want to admit to ourselves that we actually need help. We don’t want to appear weak. We would rather be the helper, not the one who needs help.

Stop it.

  1. There is nothing to be ashamed of when asking for help.
  2. Ungodly pride is sinful and keeps us in a place of hurt.
  3. It’s time for us to admit that we most certainly need help!
  4. You can still be a helper. You can also be helped. This is a win-win. Keep reading!

If asking for help is hard for you, it’s time to stop reading this and pray. Ask God to show you how to ask for and say yes to help. Ask Him to heal your pride and to help you acknowledge your needs. Ask Him to fill you with peace and to provide you with answers. Then watch Him be at work for your good!

How I learned to ask for help

The short story is that God didn’t give me a choice. During the past three years, He has filled our home with foster and adopted children, giving us a current total of nine kids as I write this. I currently have three in diapers, one with extra medical needs, and two who are trauma survivors.

My days are so full and the needs in our home are so great that if I didn’t ask for and receive help, I would be drowning.

Right now, I absolutely cannot keep up with laundry. I cannot keep up with dishes. I cannot keep my floors clean. I am running and chasing and training and snuggling and disciplining and in general keeping tiny humans alive all day long. Plus I have a calendar full of meetings, appointments, and events. Caseworkers, therapists, doctors, WIC, lawyers – my phone blows up constantly. My door is revolving with people coming in and out. Sometimes I don’t have time to eat lunch.

Also, I have four older kids. Three out of four have launched, but I’m still their mom. I try to attend their events, answer the phone when they call, offer advice when asked. Our high schooler needs help with school work and guidance in many other ways. I’m not complaining! I’m just sharing the many reasons that:

I have to have help. And I love that God has helped me to embrace my needs and to reach out and ask. The response is overwhelmingly beautiful.

You might be saying to yourself, “Well, I don’t have tons of kids. I don’t have any special needs right now. I am not like you. I can handle my life without help.”

But I caution you to be open-hearted as you consider your true needs. We all need help daily. Some days we need more help, some days we need ALL THE HELP, and some days we may just need a friend to pray for us. Whatever it is you’re doing, be prayerful about humbly accepting help.

Here are some examples of the ways I’ve asked for help JUST THIS WEEK:

  • Can you go with me to Malachi’s soccer game and help me chase kids on the sidelines?
  • Can you come help me clean my kitchen?
  • Can you come watch kids so I can get some blog work done?
  • Can you come over at 3:40 and stay with sleeping littles while I go pick up Sister?
  • Can you make those cookies we love so much so I can serve them with our college student lunch on Sunday?
  • Can you fold the laundry piled up on my bed?
  • Can you come stay with the kids while I go to the chiropractor?
  • Can you come help put kids to bed while we go to Justus and Elias’ performance?
  • Are you available to go get my Walmart pick-up order for me?
  • Can you pray for me? Pray for Baby? Pray for…

Sometimes, I don’t even have to ask. Often, because we have been open to help, people reach out and ask what we need.

I have learned that if someone asks to help me, this is God at work in my life for my good. I will not say no to God’s work in my life for my good. So before I answer, I stop and pray. Then I say yes to their offer and tell them what they can do to help me. Why? Because:

I WILL NOT SAY NO TO GOD’S WORK IN MY LIFE FOR MY GOOD.

Say this out loud. Proclaim it for yourself. May God transform us all into people who joyfully receive help when we need it!

Don’t feel guilty. Feel grateful!

Recently I was in the hospital for an unexpected few days with our baby girl. She was my full-time focus, but we had all of our other children at home needing to be cared for. I called on many people to help, and they all went above and beyond.

I didn’t feel guilty about needing help. I didn’t feel bad about asking for help. I didn’t feel weak for needing help.

Instead, I felt grateful that we have such a loving community surrounding our family. I felt joyful that so many were willing to step in and meet our family’s needs. I felt overwhelmed with all the goodness God provides through His people.

Often the Help is Mutual

Here’s one of the biggest truths I’m learning: When people come to help me, I am helping them too. No one is keeping score. This is simply the beauty of how God works!

Some of our biggest helpers are college students. This has turned into a win-win! They bring over their laundry to throw in while they are helping with our kids. They come over as dating or engaged couples and are being given the opportunity to serve together while they grow in their relationship. They bounce babies while I’m cooking and they learn valuable kitchen skills while they observe. They sweep my floor while we talk about Jesus, giving us both the opportunity to grow as I mentor them and they encourage me. Do you see the beauty in this!?!

Start with prayer

It’s time to learn to ask for help. You can do this, and you need to! We all need to! Listen to God’s direction about this, and obey. Ask Him to show you what kind of help you need. Let Him tell you who to ask and how to ask.

Then watch as He provides the answers, the help, and the humility. Be amazed as peace and love fill you in ways they never could before you reached out for help.

God is good. He is the ultimate helper. Say yes to Him!

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