Big Family Food and Fun: March 22-28, 2026

Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: March 22-28, 2026

We enjoy a Sabbath rest from Saturday evening through Sunday evening – so I turn off my computer on Saturday afternoons and miss posting some of these pictures. I’ll catch up on our last Saturday activities before launching into our new week!

March 21

Saturday was extremely full! We started by taking the kids to Sensory Storytime that morning.

We set out turkey and ham sandwich fixings for lunch. Funny how we don’t have sandwiches very often, so when we do, it feels a bit like a treat.

After lunch, we picked up a friend then headed to Heartlands for a Kids Ministry event. Families gathered for instructions, then we all headed to Walmart in teams with grocery lists so that we could all purchase items to fill four Free Little Pantries in town.

Was it nuts in Wal-Mart with that many kids? Sure. But did they all love it and did they take ownership in picking out food from the list to share with others? Yes. So that makes it all worth it.

The event culminated in a trip to Zestos for ice cream!

Our family had just enough time to run home and reset, then load back up for Keith’s first soccer game of the season.

Elias, Malorie, and Malachi were able to hop in with us to cheer him on.

Back at home, we put hot sweaty kids into the bathtub, then had a refreshing dinner of Tuna Salad, Boiled Eggs, and chilled Fruit Cups. Phew, what a day!

Big Family Food and Fun: March 22-28, 2026

Before bed on Saturday night, I realized I didn’t have any Breakfast Cookie Bars made. Yikes. Thankfully, I found a loaf of Banana Bread and a loaf of Apple Bread in the freezer. So I pulled those out to thaw overnight for Sunday morning. The change was welcome for some of the kids and very unwelcome for others who really like routine. But we all survived and “choked down” our homemade sweet breads. :)

We didn’t host lunch that Sunday, and instead stayed after church where lunch was provided. I forgot to get a picture of the food spread, but it was beautiful and perfect for our crew: Sandwich fixings with a lovely variety of fruit and veggie options plus chips. All the kids ate pretty well! Then, everyone divided into groups and headed out to meet people in the neighborhoods close to Heartlands as we prepare for Easter.

That afternoon, we did some meal prep for the week. This was a sweet time with Malachi, Brayden, and Kiya as we were all working together on different projects. Malachi was experimenting with making his own White Chocolate Mocha – his favorite coffee shop drink. I got to try a sip when he was finished and it was DELICIOUS. Brayden and I were made a Egg and Hashbrown Casserole. Kiya helped me make a big batch of Breakfast Sandwiches.

Meanwhile, Keith and our neighbor friend were sharing outfits.

For dinner, I baked a bag full of Fish Sticks and served them with Sweet Peppers and Fruit.

On Monday morning, we baked Brayden’s Egg and Hashbrown Casserole for breakfast before school and therapy. I put a beef roast into the crock pot to cook for the day. Emma arrived, two ABA therapists arrived, four kids got out the door for school – then I took off for the day!

My first stop was Aldi were I got lots of apples, asparagus, salad kits, zucchini, brown sugar, sliced cheese, fries, and tator tots. I picked up some graham crackers for Keith’s classroom, plus a couple items for our Little Free Pantry.

I ran over to Marshall’s which was close by to see what I could find for Easter. Then I went to Wal-Mart to get some of our WIC items plus a box of eggs. I found some great markdowns on steak!

My last grocery stop was Costco where I got berries, bananas, milk, cheese/cracker packs, protein balls, cantaloupe, kiwi, 100% juice popsicles, and milk. I’ve been drinking Body Armor every day to help me stay hydrated and it seems to be helping me have fewer headaches. Finally done with shopping – I went to Panera to settle in with coffee and my computer so that I could write for a while! I had way too much fun finishing up this Proverbs 31 post. ;)

Back at home, the roast I’d started in the morning smelled super good. Matt and I got the groceries unloaded and put away, kids picked up from school, ABA therapy started for the night, and dinner prep finished. This kind of meal is one of my favorites: Roast with Carrots, Mashed Potatoes, and Strawberry Parfaits. This was a hit with everyone and there were very few leftovers after this meal!

Oh, and that Egg and Hashbrown Casserole I’d baked for breakfast? Two kids ate it while everyone else decided that they wanted oatmeal. I can never predict what they will eat. SO. That evening, I individually wrapped all the pieces of casserole, put them into a freezer bag, and we’ll put them out as needed for kids who want it for a quick breakfast on other days.

On Tuesday morning, I finally got around to making a big pan of Homemade Granola Bars. Having food like this on hand is a must for our kids!

I was on a roll, so I also made Nutella Oat Bars. By the time I got to these though, we had a lot of ABA therapy adults in our kitchen working with Josie and Auggie and talking to me about their needs. Therefore, I was less focused. So I ended up doubling part of this recipe and not doubling the other part. I really don’t know what I did. BUT, they still taste good so all is well.

Kiya and I are making a sewing project together as part of some in-home therapy we do. She and I sat by the window in our dining room so we could work by the natural light while the therapist worked in the same room with another kiddo.

Later in the morning, these two played a very lively round of air hockey. Ever seen a three-year-old and a five-year-old play air hockey? It’s very, very cute.

Hopelyn came for the day. She played peek-a-boo with Lolli behind the pantry curtain. :)

That afternoon, I took Brayden and Kiya to serve at our weekly Food Distribution. When we got home, we dug into the crock pot full of Chili I’d made that morning. Then Matt took them to Brayden’s band event while I stayed home with the other five and their ABA therapists.

At bedtime, these two brothers found my chair (the chair I’ve had since I was pregnant with Asa, rocked all our babies in, and can’t get rid of even though it’s broken).

I had a pretty early morning with kids on Wednesday, so I decided to take advantage of the early hour to start making several pans of bacon to get ready for Sunday Lunch.

We ate scrambled eggs that morning with strawberries – but I didn’t remember to take pictures of that. :) Instead, while the kids ate, I cut veggies (carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and asparagus) for Stir Fry that night.

I had picked up a wagon that was ridiculously cheap at Costco on Monday. Keith discovered it Wednesday morning and got ready for school super fast so he could pull it out of the box and put it together.

We spent most of the morning outside because it was sunny and beautiful that day. Arrow came over to join our fun!

We snacked on Apple Bread and fruit at the picnic table.

Acacia brought out a container of leftover Poptarts to munch on. Josie has been on a Bagel kick for several days in a row.

I put several packages of Chicken Thighs in a bag to marinate so I could smoke them for dinner. But did I smoke them for dinner? In fact, I started visiting with Malachi that afternoon and forgot all about the chicken. Maybe I was just getting ahead for Thursday? :)

With no chicken on the smoker, as Auggie and I walked to the school to pick up kids, my brain went into planning mode to figure out a Plan B for dinner. As soon as we got the kids home from school, I grabbed a package of tiny cut steak from the freezer and attempted to quickly thaw it in hot water to cook it in with our Stir Fry. It worked and this meal was delicious! I made a package of noodles and opened a jar of Alfredo Sauce, cut several Kiwi – and everyone found something from this meal that they liked. We adults and Brayden reallllllly loved the Steak Stir Fry!

Matt and I left the kids with the grown up kids that night and we headed out for our weekly date night, phew!

We usually try to spend our time away together just sitting or taking a walk and visiting. But this time, we decided to go to Costco to look for a new TV for our living room. The one we had was pretty small, which didn’t matter to us much. But now that we have a very large living room with ability to host people to come over and watch soccer or basketball games – we decided to invest in a bigger TV that would work better for gatherings like this.

So we spent most of our evening comparing TVs and deciding what to buy. We got it home and let Elias and Malachi take over unloading it and setting it up while we got kids to bed. But right out of the box they realized…it was cracked. UGH.

Matt and Malachi took it back and got a replacement on Thursday morning. There was a big Husker game to happen that evening and all the kids were coming over. The TV had to be in place. ;) Acacia loved watching Malachi make his special coffee that morning before he and Matt went back to Costco…

While Matt and Malachi were working on the TV, I was outside with the kids, including Hopelyn, who has a lovely time pushing toys down our long sidewalk.

Down the block, Auggie had discovered some construction workers demolishing a cement porch. Obviously, we all had to go cheer them on.

Meanwhile, TV #2 was not cracked and the guys worked to get it all set up so we could watch the game that night!

Did I forget that I had a meeting at noon? Indeed I did. But no matter. We were home and pretended we knew that our friends from Early Development Network had planned to come. ;) They did some assessments for Auggie as they rework his program now that he is a big three-year-old.

That afternoon, I smoked the chicken I’d marinated and had planned to smoke the day before. We had lots of fresh fruit plus a salad. I had chips and dip and some bbq smokies in crock pots to go with our game time, also.

Ah, the moment we’d all been waiting for! It was super fun to have almost all of our family and a few friends together that night (plus four ABA therapists who are used to our craziness by now).

We ended up losing the game, but it sure was great to be together! See that huge TV box behind Malachi? That box is the thing of Keith’s dreams (and the cause of a lot of fights between siblings). :)

Auggie had a dentist appointment on Friday morning after his ABA therapy. Poor kiddo has a lot stacked against him which gives him quite a bit of dental work that needs to be done. But he’s completely unaware, and here he is, eagerly running in to “my ‘pointment!”

Matt and I spent the afternoon together resting and visiting. I’m so thankful we have these moments built into our week so that we can stay connected beyond kid appointments and needs!

Dinner that night was very simple – Popcorn Chicken, Spinach or Carrots, and Macaroni Salad.

The girls were all eager to “help me” with some kitchen projects that evening. See? I told you I had “female servants.”

Among other things, we got a pan of Breakfast Cookie Bars made for the next two Sundays.

Saturday was a huge, full day! We went to Sensory Storytime at the library. Then we drove a couple of miles so I could run into my friend’s house to wish her a Happy Birthday.

THEN, we drove across town for a cool Easter Event that we’d heard about through Autism Family Network. This event was perfect for our family because it was geared specifically for kids with special needs. There were no flashing lights, no music, no bounce houses – just a calm environment with a few simple games. Each booth handed out calming toys and fidgets. We met other parents who have similar needs in their home. It was very encouraging!

My favorite part was that our friend Aubrey, who works with autistic kids, was there doing face paint. It was so perfect to see her there and our kids loved this!

My other favorite part is that there was a coffee truck, The Bean Box, and every kid got a free smoothie and every parent got a free coffee. This is a HUGE treat for us as we all enjoyed fancy drinks!! Shout out to Baxter Toyota for sponsoring this wonderful event!

We ran home after this to warm up leftovers for lunch, then we hopped back into the van to enjoy the rest of our day – which I will share next week!