Heavenly Homemakers

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Snacks to Take to the Pool or Splash Park

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We all need snacks to take to the pool or splash park!

Playing outside makes kids hungry. But there seems to be a special kind of hunger that comes with playing in water.

I remember those days as a kid. My mom would pick us up from Swimming Lessons and barely say hello to us before handing my brother and me a granola bar. Yep, she knew. Our stomachs were empty and ready!

This summer we have lots of water plans with our kids. We’ll enjoy some pool fun – though it’s not easy taking so many little ones to the pool. We have to have extra adults with us to keep everyone safe in the water.

The splash park though? We’ll go there often. And we’ll play in the water in our own yard too.

I’ve learned to pack a lot of snacks when we have outings of any kind. But water outings need even more sustenance. Our most recent visit to the splash park led to kids eating 7 cheese sticks, 9 apples, and 7 applesauce pouches. They drank their water and they were all still hungry. Oops, I need to take more next time!

Snacks to Take to the Pool or Splash Park

Here are some ideas for snacks to take when kids get hungry from playing in the water. These can be taken on any outing, of course. But whatever you do, don’t go to to pool or splash park without food!

  • Cheese Sticks 
  • Apples (My kids don’t always want to eat an apple without it being cut up. But at the splash park, they eagerly bit in and ate the entire apple – all of them. Some of them ate two!)
  • Applesauce Pouches (These don’t fill them much but it is something extra to help made the snacks stretch.)
  • Peanuts, Almonds, or Cashews
  • Sliced Cucumbers and Carrots (When you’re extra hungry, veggies taste extra good.)
  • Oranges (My kids do best with these when I’ve cut them into wedges at home. Then all they have to do is grab and eat – no peeling needed. Our favorite are Cara-Cara Oranges with the pink center.)
  • Peanut Butter Honey Puffs (If you have these made so that they are easy to grab and go, they travel well and will be gobbled down by hungry people.)
  • Uncrustables (Sometimes these are a meal. But at the pool or splash park, these just fill the empty bellies without ruining dinner.)
  • No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Cookie Bites (Full of protein and fiber, which is perfect for filling an empty stomach – but pack them in a cooler or they will soften and smoosh together. Ask me how I know.)
  • No-Bake Snickerdoodle Bites (Same as above.)
  • No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookie Bites (Same as above.)
  • Any of these Lightly Sweetened Cookies (They’ve played hard and earned a cookie treat.)
  • Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, or Blackberries (Prewashed and ready to eat.)
  • Watermelon or Cantaloupe (Cut and ready to eat)
  • Grapes
  • Muffins (Here are 40+ recipes. These pack up well and are hearty for good snacking.)
  • Banana Bread (Slice it and put it in a container that will keep it from getting smashed. Watch it disappear.)
  • Spinach Cupcakes (The spinach actually makes these so much better in every way.)
  • Peanut Butter Honey Rice Krispie Bars

NOT RECOMMENDED: Anything with chocolate chips. Trust me, it’s too hot and the chocolate will be a melty mess all over your kids’ hands, faces, and swim suits.

What are your favorite pool and splash park snacks?

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Big Family Food and Fun: June 2-8, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: June 2-8, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: June 2-8, 2024

Saturday I had made a huge batch of Mudballs to snack on in the coming days.

They reminded me of No-Bake Cookies so I decided that I should make a batch four our Sunday Lunch dessert. :)

After weeks and weeks of running to Keith’s soccer games after church, we were excited to actually host Sunday Lunch again at the Castle after church! I made a big pan of Hashbrown Casserole with Shredded Pork, Peas, Veggies with Ranch Dip, Toasted/Buttered Rolls, and No-Bake Cookies.

Having so many gather in our kitchen was so great. I had missed this!

For dinner that night I pulled Burritos out of the freezer to warm up. We had them with fruit and cottage cheese, guacamole, chips, and white queso.

After dinner, I gathered kids in the dining room to start putting together 25 lunches to be handed out at Atlas the next day. We had discovered this ministry in our neighborhood the week before and are excited to see how our family can help meet needs in our community. The kids helped me put one fruit and one snack in each bag – with plans to make sandwiches the next day.

This little one missed the point of our project as she removed an apple from a bag and helped herself. ;)

Monday morning, Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and Anna got to start a week of VBS. I made a breakfast of Scrambled Cheese Eggs with Cinnamon Toast for everyone before they left.

While BabyBoy#11 napped that morning and Little Sweetheart kicked around in her bouncy seat, Acacia and Josie hung out with me while I put together 25 sandwiches to add to the lunches we started the day before.

The girls helped Daddy fill the sacks with sandwiches.

We loaded up the littlest four, went to pick up the older four from VBS, then headed to Atlas to give them the lunches we’d prepared. I packed a few items to keep our crew satisfied until we came home for lunch so that we could hang out and visit with people who stopped by Atlas for lunch.

Back at home, we warmed up leftovers for our own lunch. Then I handed the kids their Pocket Folders for Summer School at Home. Brayden and Kiya were excited that one of their assignments included being the “Teacher” for Keith and Anna for a lesson involving how plants grow.

For dinner that night I made a big batch of Spicy Mac and Cheese. I hadn’t been to the store in a while so we were out of fresh fruits and veggies except for some shriveling greens. So I made these Smoothies so we would have some sort of healthy side dish, plus I got out some canned fruit.

The kids piled onto Daddy for wrestling that evening and BabyBoy#11 was very proud to get in on the action. :)

Tuesday morning we ate Oatmeal for breakfast as we got four kids ready to go to VBS. Before leaving, I had everyone scrub 5 potatoes each for our dinner that night.

Our friends Heather and Josalyn came over to help us with Justus and Kelsey’s Little Sweetheart that morning. Our girls love any time they get with Josalyn!

The day was full of case worker visits, phone calls, and advocating for our littles’ needs. Before taking Brayden and Kiya to Food Distribution that afternoon, I finished dinner prep: Sliced Ham, Baked Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli. Eva and our friend Hannah came over to help Matt care for the other kids babes while we were gone.

Here’s a shot of Brayden helping with clean-up after we finished handing out food to the community. There was a very large crowd of people that came through the line that day.

Wednesday morning I warmed up Breakfast Burritos that I’d put into the freezer a few weeks back. We ate them with fruit.

Our friend Robin arrived to help out that morning and offered to keep Little Sweetheart PLUS Acacia and Josie while we took the older four to VBS. Therefore, for two and a half hours, Matt and I had only BabyBoy#11 with us while we did some shopping. We hardly knew what to do with only one little sidekick! BabyBoy#11 didn’t mind the two-on-one attention!

Only one cart?? What in the world?

Our first stop was Walmart so we could pick up some WIC items. BabyBoy#11 is making progress with chewing and swallowing, praise God! But most of his sustenance still comes from the Pediasure we can only find at Walmart. While there, it made sense that we stock up on the summertime necessity: ICE CREAM. Walmart brand (Breyer’s knock-off) is our favorite for only $2.78/container. Such huge savings compared to taking our kids out for ice cream treats!

From Walmart we headed to Costco. Diapers were on sale, woot!

Since we didn’t have all the kids with us and because we still had some time before heading to pick up the VBS kids, I made my way through the clothing section at Costco to check for clearance items. I found lots of two-pack of shirts for just $4.97 and some shirt/pant sets for just $2.97! These will be great fall clothes for the kids!

Back at home all the kids helped carry in groceries.

We thanked our friend profusely for the “date” morning she had provided for us, got groceries put away, then warmed up leftovers for lunch. Anna found a shady spot outside to eat her seconds of noodles.

After some rest time, we put on the kids’ swim suits and played in the water in our yard.

While the kids played, I grilled a package of Costco grass-fed Hamburgers.

We ate our burgers with Baked Beans, Strawberries, Pickles, and crumbs of chips. ;)

We spent the rest of the evening working together to clean up our very messy house.

Thursday for breakfast we had Bagels, Fruit, and Cottage Cheese.

I had gotten eight pounds of strawberries the day before so I baked a Strawberry Shortcake to enjoy after lunch.

Matt took the four older littles to VBS. Our friend Katie came to help with Little Sweetheart, but she was sleeping in so instead Katie read books to Acacia, Josie, and BabyBoy#11 while I threw in some laundry.

While Matt mowed our lawn and BabyBoy#11 took a nap, I went outside with the two remaining girls. We discovered that a Balance Bike we’d ordered had been delivered, so we three girls decided to put it together.

Put me in the kitchen any day with random ingredients and I’ll put together a meal. But put me on the porch with pieces, parts, tools, two preschoolers, and instructions for putting together a bike? Well. This is not my skill set. BUT, I was determined and I got that thing assembled. Fist bump!

Oh wait. I spoke too soon. What just happened to the front wheel???

Hahaha, no worries. I just hadn’t tightened the uh…thingy enough to keep it from swiveling. Repair made, and she was off!

Josie grudgingly rode the “old” balance bike and the rest of the morning was spent breaking up arguments about whose turn it was to ride the new one.

Ah, Josie got a turn.

We warmed up leftovers again for lunch, then enjoyed our Strawberry Shortcake.

That night for dinner we made Spaghetti with Steamed Green Beans.

Friday morning I scrambled 18 eggs for breakfast. Some ate them as-is. Some turned them into Breakfast Sandwiches. All 18 eggs got eaten. :)

It was our final day of VBS for the week. The three littles enjoyed time outside before picking up their big siblings from VBS.

I got out the leftover Baked Potatoes we’d made earlier in the week and cut them into fries for lunch.

Potatoes prepped, we went to watch a final assembly for VBS. They had a great week!

Back at home, I tossed the fries with olive oil and salt then put them into our air fryer. They turned out amazing! We ate them with leftover burgers.

We had plans to go to the Splash Park that afternoon and I knew we’d need dinner right away when we got home! So I smoked a big package of Brats, then put them into a crock pot to stay warm.

Our friend Ella came and stayed with Little Sweetheart while we headed to the park with the other seven kids. It was our first visit to the Splash Park this season and we were so excited to be there! So excited, in fact, that none of us remembered to pack towels. Oops.

What I had packed was apples, cheese sticks, and applesauce. It’s a good thing I did because these kids were starving and ate every last bit of the snacks I packed.

We arrived home and ate our Brats with Steamed Buttered Carrots and Strawberries.

Best part of the night: Elias and Malorie made it back after visiting her family in Texas for two weeks!

Keith was extremely proud of the hat Elias brought back for him. :)

Later that night, Justus and Kelsey made it home safely from their trip and were so happy to reunite with Little Sweetheart. Now we were back to “only” seven littles. :)

Saturday morning we ate a very exciting breakfast of Cereal with plans to enjoy the morning with a brand new friend. A former York University student had reached out to share that her friend Richard had moved close-by. She was hoping to connect him to Christians in the area so we invited him to lunch.

Before lunch, we all walked together to enjoy Sunken Gardens.

Keith used my phone to take this photo of the garden. Pretty impressive!

Hungry and hot, we made our way back home.

Matt handed out Costco’s 100% juice popsicles for everyone while I went inside to work on lunch.

We had two loaves of bread worth of Grilled Meat and Cheese Sandwiches with Chips and Dips and Strawberry Parfaits.

We rested that afternoon, then got ready for Asa’s birthday dinner!! He had invited a large crew and had requested Smoked Chicken with Fettuccini Alfredo, Lasagna, Salad, and Butterscotch Bars. There were 29 of us altogether, and it was my favorite way to enjoy our family and our home.

I smoked 12ish pounds of Chicken Thighs that had marinated in Italian dressing, wondering if it was way too much or perhaps not enough. ;)

The Butterscotch Bars were a huge hit. Only two were left on this tray by the end of the evening.

The night was amazing, perfectly ending our week!

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Big Family Grocery Spending for May 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for May 2024 post!

Big Family Grocery Spending for May 2024

Curious about where we shopped, what we bought, and how much we spent during the month of May? Here’s the breakdown!

1. Sam’s

On May 3 we ran to Sam’s to pick up this wagon/stroller that we’ve been researching. While there, I grabbed milk, butter, grapes, spring mix, spinach, watermelon, apples, pears, strawberries, and bananas. Elias ran in with Brayden a few days later during their Bro Time and picked up a few snack items also (not pictured).

Total at Sam’s: $99.74

2. Costco

We needed diapers so while picking them up at Costco one day, I got some odds and ends that we needed. I also picked up a Rotisserie Chicken for our dinner that night. Best $4.99 a person can spend for a meal!

Total for food at Costco: $150.33

3. Walmart

I needed some items at Walmart early in the month and while I was there, I checked to see if I could score any mark down items. YES! There were four packages of Free Range Chicken Thighs for just $1.98/pound! I grabbed all four. :) Plus I picked up a few other grocery items before heading out.

Total for food at Walmart: $35.18

4. Walmart

On Mother’s Day I ran into Walmart on our way home from church/Keith’s soccer game because I wanted Caesar salad to go with our dinner and berries for our dessert. I used the girls’ WIC card for the produce we got so didn’t have to pay much out of pocket this time.

Total at Walmart: $21.49

5. Sam’s

While I was in Walmart, Matt ran next door into Sam’s to get a box of bacon. (Not to worry – Elias was in the van with the kids.) I thought I had told him that we only needed one box of bacon. Alas, Matt didn’t remember what I’d said and didn’t know how far one box would actually go. So just in case, he picked up THREE. Hahahaha.

I mean, we do go through a lot of bacon at our house, but 30 pounds is a lot even for our family!! We all got a pretty big laugh out of it and well? Challenge accepted. If we have to eat 30 pounds of bacon before it expires, so be it. :) :) :)

And yes, we could freeze it but I’ve found that it then turns into one great big rectangle of bacon that is more difficult to work with in the long run. I shared one box with a friend, we’ve already eaten through another box, so as of the end of May, we only have ten pounds left. I’m quite confident we’ll finish it off before it expires in July. :)

Total for bacon: $107.94 (hahahaha. so.much.bacon.)

6. Walmart and Sam’s May 16

Another day, we needed just a few items at Walmart so we grabbed milk and WIC produce while we were there. Sam’s is right next door and I wanted to take advantage of a couple of items that were on sale. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a low overall receipt for a Sam’s run. But only five items this time meant only $35.94!

Keith enjoyed a free sample of a bite of pizza!

Total at Sam’s and Walmart: $54.20

7. McDonald’s

Wait. McDonald’s? Yep, Matt was working in York and met up with Malachi to switch vehicles. Malachi grabbed a bunch of nuggets for their lunch. We didn’t tell the littles because they would have felt very left out, ha.

I don’t have a photo of this. :)

Total at McDonald’s $7.00

8. Fresh Eggs

One day when Matt went to work on our property in York, he was able to get some fresh eggs from our former neighbor. We were so excited to get these!

Total for 6-Dozen Eggs: $15

9. Aldi

On our kids’ last day of school, Matt and I took our littlest five grocery shopping so we could get stocked up on what we needed for the fun outings we had planned as we launched summer break! First, at Aldi I got milk, coffee creamers, strawberries, pineapple, salad kits, fruit/veggie pouches for BabyBoy#11, pear cups, cheese slices, cheese cubes, brown sugar, chips, and a pork loin priced at only $1.89/pound! I splurged on sugar cones to make ice cream cones sometime when friends come to visit. :)

Total at Aldi: $105.41

10. Costco

After Aldi, we ran to Costco where we got lots of fresh produce: spring mix, apples, oranges, pears, watermelon, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, grapes, and sweet peppers. We got shredded cheese, cheese sticks, laughing cow cheese, and cottage cheese, ha – lots of cheese! 100% juice popsicles were on sale so we got three packages for our summer fun. Plus lunch meat, meatballs, chicken sausage, guacamole, peach cups, chicken nuggets, veggie straws, sweet potato fries, frozen pizza, Italian dressing, peanuts, yogurt, and frozen orange chicken that was on sale for a night off from cooking.

Spindrift and applesauce pouches were also on sale so we grabbed those too!

Total for groceries at Costco: $494.49

Total Grocery Spending for May:

$1091

Early this year, I bumped our budget up to $1,400/month to give myself enough wiggle room to feed 13 of us every day plus frequent guests. I’m thankful that so far I’ve been able to stay under budget every month with plenty to spare if I every need to carry that over for needs during upcoming months!

Running totals for 2024:

January: $1,178
February: $849
March: $1,356
April: $1148
May: 1091

 

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Big Family Food and Fun: May 26-June 1, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: May 26-June 1, 2024 post!

Here are a couple of photos that I didn’t have ready to share yet last week. As we wrapped up our Saturday, I gave myself a night off and made Orange Chicken from Costco, Cilantro Rice, and Steamed Broccoli.

After dinner I surprised the kids with Ice Cream Cones. This was super fun for them and I loved that serving their ice cream in cones meant that I didn’t have extra spoons or bowls to wash. ;)

And now on to the new week…

Big Family Food and Fun: May 26-June 1, 2024

Keith had his final soccer game of the season after church, so once again, I packed a lunch for us to eat between church and soccer so we wouldn’t have to drive all the way home and then all the way back across town.

I packed Salami, Guacamole and Chips, Strawberries, Cheese and Crackers, Veggies, and Hidden-Spinach Cupcakes.

After church and lunch, we headed out to Keith’s final game of the season. Elias had gone to Texas to spend time with Malorie’s family, but thankfully Malachi was back in town (he travels a lot for his work) so he could coach the game.

Justus and Kelsey left for a trip that day and we were given the privilege of caring for their Little Sweetheart while they were gone. Lots of church friends had signed up to come help us since we’d have an extra baby for several days. So Sunday evening was a delight as we got to know our friend Hannah better. And just look at Beautiful Eva and her sweet baby bump. We’ll get to meet that little one soon! Also in this photo is Angela, one of our wonderful housemates. :)

For dinner that night, I stirred together and warmed up all the leftovers from Elias and Brayden’s Pasta Meal from last week. We ate it with salad (made by Kiya), corn, watermelon, and berries.

Monday morning, Asa and Eva came over for a while.

Late morning, we put together sub sandwiches for our lunch. Then we headed out to join church friends at Atlas where they had plans to hand out lunches and serve cold lemonade to people in the neighborhood. We were excited to check out this ministry!

Our crew arrived with wagon and stroller and got to learn how Atlas works. We are thankful to learn more about the opportunities to serve in our city.

Later that afternoon I put water in a pool and took a variety of measuring cups and containers outside. Brayden, Kiya, and I then enjoyed a lesson on measuring based on a fun activity detailed in our Summer School at Home Toolbox. What better way to learn about measuring on a warm day?!

Acacia came out and joined the fun too. :)

I had set out a container of cream cheese to soften so late afternoon I blended up this Easy Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip recipe to have in the fridge.

The Case Family came over to help us with all the kids and Little Sweetheart. Since it was Memorial Day we decided to enjoy a big meal together. Matt and I had tag-teamed on smoking a Pork Loin and I made Baked Beans, Mixed Veggies, Buttered Rolls, and cut up a Watermelon. The Cases brought a tasty Pasta Salad to go with our meal.

We are so thankful for dear friends!

Tuesday morning we warmed up Breakfast Sandwiches I’d premade and put into the freezer.

Our friend Jess came over to help us with the baby and our kids that morning. At one point I walked into the living room to find a bunch of them piled on her watching videos about foxes. :)

Late morning we all grabbed apples and headed out for a walk to Sunken Gardens.

We were hot and hungry when we got back so I got out the Easy Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip I’d made the day before and we ate it with veggies and chips.

That afternoon, the Cases came back over to help with kids while I took Brayden and Kiya to serve at Food Distribution. As I was leaving, Christina had the three little girls engaged in cutting veggies for dinner. :)

Our Food Distribution coordinator texted me last minute to see if any of our adult kids might be available to come help because they were short-handed. Malachi to the rescue! He worked alongside Brayden (or rather Brayden worked alongside Malachi) ;) to clean up coolers as food was handed out.

We arrived back home to a full Taco Dinner made and ready. Christina had put it all together while we were gone and had even fed three of the littles!

We had birthday cake outside after dinner to celebrate one of the Case kids.

Wednesday morning the Perez family came to help out with Little Sweetheart.

We went outside mid-morning and worked together on a project from the Summer School at Home Service Suggestions file. Only one flower pot broke, so I’d consider this a success. ;)

Kiya drew animal faces on most of the kids with her make-up. I took cheese and fruit out for a snack on the porch.

Then we gathered lots of non-perishable food from our pantry and loaded it into backpacks. We headed out for a walk together to distribute the food into some of the Little Free Pantry boxes around our neighborhood.

The kids LOVED unloading their groceries into these boxes as we talked to them about how people could come help themselves to the food as the needed to!

Back at home, we pulled out pasta leftovers from Sunday and Monday plus sandwich fixings.

That afternoon we set up a Twister Water Game in our yard and the kids had a great time running through it!

All this outdoor play and long walks are making our kids HUNGRY. For dinner, I made Sloppy Joes and took them outside on a tray for the kids to eat (my cheater way of avoiding dirty plates). The joes were almost all gone before I remembered to take a picture. I had to cut Brayden off at three Sloppy Joes because he’d been playing so hard and was so hungry!

To end our day, we walked to our nearest library to get our kids signed up for the Lincoln Library Summer Reading Program.

Thursday morning I made a quick batch of Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eaters and we ate every single one.

We had made plans to go to the zoo with the Perez family that morning, so I gathered lunch and snack items for us to eat there. I made Tuna Salad for us to eat with croissants or crackers plus packed applesauce, pears, peach cups, cucumbers and cookies.

All the kids were hungry the moment we arrived (at 10:35) so the bag of pears was gone before we made it through the gate!

I didn’t get many photos of our time at the zoo because we were too busy enjoying our friends. But I did get a few at the Butterfly Pavilion. It is only open between Memorial Day and Labor day so this was our first time in this season and we were EXCITED.

They have little q-tips with nectar that everyone can pick up to try and attract a butterfly to “hold.” This is so much fun for everyone!

As we headed back to our van after our visit, the peacock met us to say goodbye.

It rained that afternoon so we spent time reading so we could keep on learning this summer add links to our Summer Reading Book Worm. :)

Keith spent some time putting together his fire truck puzzle.

And it was a tough job, but I did a lot of baby snuggling all afternoon… :) :) :)

For dinner, Brayden helped me make four pizzas and Kiya made a salad.

Our friend Maggie and her daughter came over to lend a hand with the baby that evening so we had fun visiting and playing after dinner.

Friday morning Keith helped me make a bunch of Peanut Butter Honey Sandwiches to take to the park.

The Perez family joined us to help again so we played for a long time and ate at one of our favorite parks.

That evening we had “French Fry Friday” with a super fancy dinner of Chicken Nuggets, Sweet Potato Fries, and Fruit. Our friends Heather and Delaney came over to help with the baby, and I realized after they left that I didn’t get any photos of their time with us. :/

Saturday morning, our housemate Angela offered to make Pancakes for our family!

Our neighborhood was hosting yard sales so we walked around for several blocks to try and meet more of our neighbors.

Then we loaded up and went to a park to meet up with the Case family for a music festival.

I packed a snacky lunch so we could play at the park with friends longer: Chips and Guacamole, Cheese and Crackers, Applesauce, Pistachios, Juice, and Yogurt.

When we got home some of the kids were excited to help our neighbor, John, plant more flowers in his yard.

This is a photo John took a few weeks ago when we went over to “help.” He’s been so good to teach the kids about different kinds of flowers and plants.

We had leftovers for dinner, and that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: May 19-25, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: May 19-25, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: May 19-25, 2024

Our week started off with a precious time of worship with our Lincoln church family. For years now, I have had a difficult time getting through worship without tears. I feel so grateful and humbled by a Savior who knows our needs and cares enough to meet them. This Sunday was especially sweet as I held Justus and Kelsey’s foster babe and saw so many others loving on my babies.

How we all need each other. How we must all be in community. I’ve always known this but while constantly caring for so many special needs kids who struggle to understand their worth – seeing our village love them with us is so touching and precious to me. I was able to capture just a few moments throughout the morning. Acacia spotted her dear Kathi and stood with her to sing.

Josie claimed her spot with Malorie who was here from Texas to visit Elias (and the rest of us, ha!) for a few days.

Acacia made her way over to Elias and spent the rest of her auditorium time with him before she headed to the nursery for Toddler Time. Meanwhile, Brayden was getting loved up on by Kelsey (I wasn’t able to get a photo). I’m so thankful for our village. It is huge and needed. God is faithful.

After church, we headed to a park for a drizzly Picnic with Pals organized by Mandy, our Kids Minister.

Keith had a soccer game but this time we decided to send him off with Elias and Malorie while we took the other kids home for rest time. I had a migraine and went to rest myself. When I came downstairs, I found Matt playing a game at the table with Brayden, Kiya, and Keith. Very sweet!

One of our housemates helped prepare Tortelloni with sauce which we all ate very quickly so that we could head off to a graduation celebration with friends.

Just as we arrived at the party, we were greeted with thunder, lightening, and heavy rain. The party moved inside and the hostess pulled out a fabulous dollhouse for our kids to enjoy. We ended up staying much longer than anticipated because the kids settled in and had such a calm time of play. This meant that we adults got to enjoy a great visit – praise God!

Monday morning I pulled this Pork Roast from the fridge that I’d been thawing. Look at the crazy sale price I got on this! Such a blessing.

I discovered that apparently 8.4 pounds of pork roast is too big for the biggest of crock pots. So I transferred it to my electric roasting pan to slow cook all day. Then I had the kids take turns scrubbing potatoes to cook in a crock pot all day for mashed potatoes that night.

I had several bananas turning black so Anna and Kiya helped me turn them into Banana Bread.

Matt went to York to work for the day, Elias was at work (he’s a special ed para now) so Malorie was my side kick for the day. Is she Elias’ girlfriend? Is she my friend? Is she one of our little kids’ favorite person? The answer is yes. :)

Malorie hadn’t been to “our zoo” (we think we own the place) and we have a Plus One included in our membership. So we loaded up the five littlest kids and headed there, mainly so we could dig in the huge sandbox that morning.

On the way to the sand, we needed to see if our wingspan was as long as an eagle…

I’m not sure what the girls were doing here but wow am I glad I captured their silliness!

Ah. We made it to the sand.

I had grabbed yogurt squeezies, raisins, and graham crackers plus a jar of peanut butter to spread on. They got out of the sand and snacked before we headed back to the van so we’d make it home in time for the preschool bus.

We got some sweet rest that afternoon, then Acacia and Josie and I loaded up to walk to school to pick up Brayden and Kiya.

It was a hot one that day, so cold watermelon tasted extra good when we got home.

Keith was very happy to help me make salad to go with our dinner.

We had Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Caesar Salad, and Buttered Rolls.

Tuesday morning I used two loaves of Cinnamon Bread to make French Toast.

We were privileged to babysit Justus and Kelsey’s Little Sweetheart for a few hours. It had been raining a lot so while the kids wanted to play outside, we didn’t want them to get muddy. Once the rain let up, we loaded them up for a walk – four in our wagon/stroller and two in the double stroller. It worked great and we had a nice long walk through our neighborhood.

That afternoon, I made a double recipe of Creamy Bacon Spaghetti and put it into a crock pot on the “keep warm” setting for our dinner. I planned to pick Brayden and Kiya up from school and head straight over to hand out food to the community at our Food Distribution site. So my goal is to always have dinner ready for everyone before leaving at 3:30 on Tuesdays. I made a pot of green beans also, but didn’t get a photo.

There was an extra big crowd at Food Distribution that day (I wasn’t able to get photos) so we handed food out to well over 100 people. All of this food is donated by grocery stores and restaurants in an effort to avoid food waste. We love this!

Back at home, Elias, Malorie, and Matt had held down the fort. I had been dealing with some “special behaviors” with one of our kids who had gotten triggered by something at Food Distribution so Matt took over with that one. Then I turned right around and got to deal with some behaviors with the other one now that we were home. God is faithful and we continually ask for wisdom as we parent these kids.

Just before bed, I asked Anna and Acacia to help me put some cans of sparkling water into our living room mini fridge and they were very excited to help! (This fridge is usually off limits to them as we keep it full of drinks for guests and the grown-ups in the house. Every once in a while we let the littles pick something special to take to drink for an outing and it is the best thing ever.) :)

Wednesday morning Malorie and I took the five littlest kids to a Music and Movement Library Story Time. We always get excited when we get to dance to music with scarves!

Look who can stand up on his own now! He has been doing this for weeks now, but so far still hasn’t taken steps. He progresses slowly, but he does progress. He’s pretty proud of his standing skills, as he should be. :)

Josie was feeling shy around the big crowd of kids that morning so Malorie took her to the back of the room so she could still enjoy the music and fun.

We got home in time for a case worker visit. After that, we played outside for a while we waited for the bus to come. This kid was high up in a tree before I knew it. There’s never a dull moment with Keith.

It was Keith and Anna’s last day of preschool. The teachers had a water day planned so the kids got to wear their swim suits under their clothes. This was VERY exciting.

The kids’ bus drivers have grown pretty attached to the clan throughout this year. They came bearing gifts at pick up time today.

I had baked a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars the day before so when I had a free minute, I cut them, bagged them, and put them into the freezer to have on hand as needed during the next few weeks.

Keith brought home a gift from one of his bus drivers: a tiny wooden airplane kit with five thousand tiny parts. He was so excited to put it together. Notice Elias’ “you’ve got to be kidding me” face when he saw the impossible task before him. :) :) :) Needless to say, the plane never made it off the ground.

Back in the kitchen (my comfort zone, where I know how to put things together and there are no tiny parts with vague instructions) – Acacia put together a salad to go with our dinner. Josie helped by dumping bacon bits onto the floor under her stool.

With our salad, we had a big batch of Lazy Dogs with pickles and carrots.

We played outside most of the evening. At one point, Keith grabbed a sweet pepper from the counter and started eating it like an apple. Who was I to stop him?

Ms. Kathi had given us a bunch of “Hens and Chicks” from her garden for us to attempt to transplant into our yard. I told her that I keep kids alive, not plants. But she declared that we could give it a try and if they didn’t survive (the plants, not the kids) so be it. So the kids had fun planting them all over our yard.

Thursday was Brayden and Kiya’s last day of school for the year!

Matt and I spent the morning with the five littlest stocking up on groceries to kick off the first part of our summer break. First Aldi…

Then Costco.

I captured this sweet photo of Acacia loving on BabyBoy#11 as we unloaded carts into the van. I can’t stop looking at it:

When we got home and started to unload groceries, Keith found a stick/weapon/tool – which definitely did not help him to be more efficient in carrying in food. But it sure was fun.

Late afternoon, Elias and Brayden spent their Bro Time making dinner together for our family. Matt and I loaded the other six kids in strollers or bikes and walked to a nearby garden/park to get out of their way.

When we got home, our neighbors Coleman and Sarah were out so we stopped to visit with them for a while. I love the relationship we are forming and how they love our kids. :)

Back and home, Elias and Brayden had made a feast! Pasta, three kinds of sauce, meatballs, salad, garlic toast, and cookies.

Friday morning we jumped right in to our Summer School at Home fun. After breakfast we started reading Little House in the Big Woods. The littlest didn’t last long on my lap for this book, but Brayden, Kiya, and Keith LOVED it. And oh, so did I. :) :) :)

After we finished a chapter, I spread out different books at their reading levels for them to choose from. I explained how we’d be building Book Worms as we read and challenged them to see how long our Book Worm might be by the end of summer! (Find the specifics for this idea in the Reading Nook folder in the Summer School at Home Toolbox.)

We finished prepping for a morning outing then by packing a picnic (the Surprise Picnic – as described in the Summer School Cooking Corner Picnic in a Hat book). The kids LOVED THIS!!! I had printed Zoo Scavenger Hunt pages from the Summer School Investigation Station folder and we loaded up for a big zoo day with friends!!

Two families joined us at the zoo as we celebrated our first day of summer break together!

Brayden carried the big kids’ scavenger hunt paper and Keith was in charge of the little kids’ version. They had so much fun with this!

Sometimes at the zoo we just hit one or two areas. Today we did just about everything, spending four hours and having a blast. We got to feed the alpacas…

We all sat together and ate the lunches we’d packed.

We saw lots and lots of animals. We played in the sand. We got wet in the splash area. We fed the giraffes.

And we ended our zoo day by taking a train ride. As you can see, no one was excited about this…

We came home tired and satisfied. Of course, the transition from zoo to home caused several kids to melt down. This is typical for us. We have lots of fun at our outings but then we try to sabotage our day by acting out afterward. God is faithful. He will heal. We pray continually for patience and wisdom.

Three kids’ behavior struggles later, we settled some for a nap/rest time then turned on a show for the others. Matt held down the fort while I was blessed with a much-needed-very-good time with my therapist. I haven’t been able to do that for myself for quite a while – focusing more on kids’ therapy appointments instead. I’m thankful God provided this for me!

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Side Note: I thought it was funny that as we were loading up for home one of our kids asked, “Can we finally start our Summer School at Home now??” Ha! They hadn’t even realized that the morning read-aloud, the books they’d read on their own, the zoo trip, the picnic they’d helped pack, and the scavenger hunt WERE part of Summer School at Home! I guess they thought we’d be sitting at the table for hours all summer practicing math facts. Nope. Learning looks different at home! Summer School at Home is a party, man. :)

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Saturday’s breakfast was simple: Bagels and Strawberry Parfaits.

While the kids ate, I declared it to be Operation Refrigerator Clean-Out Day. We try really hard not to waste food and try to save money by using up what we have before we make more food. I had veggies getting wilt-y in the fridge so I decided to make Stir-Fry for the adults to eat with their breakfast. (The kids were welcome to it too, but shockingly, there were no takers, ha.) Then I used the last of a container of spinach to bake Chocolate Cupcakes.

 

This gave us a great start on eating up items from the fridge before they went bad. The rest of the day we ate more leftovers, got the lawn mowed, caught up on laundry, did some cleaning, and got ready to start a new week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: May 12-18, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: May 12-18, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: May 12-18, 2024

With this many littles, Mother’s Day doesn’t tend to provide pampering and calm, BUT thankfully the kids had helped me do some celebration prep work on the days leading up to our special day. My main goal for Mother’s Day: Enjoy time in some form with all of our kids. Could it happen with this many of us?

Our morning started off with the very special breakfast of boxed cereal, ha. Then we got ready for church, packing up a picnic lunch to stuff down quickly between worship service and Keith’s soccer game. Brayden had helped me make Tuna Salad  for this last Friday and Acacia had helped make Pineapple Fluff. So we pulled those out to pack along with bread, crackers, avocado, and applesauce.

We set out our lunch fixin’s after church in the kitchen and dug in.

The girls and I wore our matching Adoption Day Dresses from the year before. It sounded like a great option for Mother’s Day, and then I realized that Mother’s Day marked exactly 1-year since their adoption day. How perfect!

So there we were at Keith’s soccer game, with all of us girls in our matching dresses. It was fun to see people’s delighted faces as they saw how sweet the girls looked!

Afterward, we ran into Walmart and Sam’s to get some fresh produce and bacon for the week but especially for our Mother’s Day dinner that night.

When we got home, Matt started cooking bacon for the Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole we’d made for that night.

Elias had picked out a very sweet bouquet of flowers for me at Trader Joe’s the day before. Then at church, the kids and some special friends gave me this lovely carnation bouquet.

Ok, but now check out this amazing gift from my friend Charlene!!! She makes these custom Birth Flower Bouquet Signs and surprised me with one featuring all of our kids! What’s extra special about these is that the flowers that go into the bouquet are all of our kids’ birth-month flowers. Isn’t that amazing?! She even included our Bonus Boy (because he lived with us for 18-months and is 100% a part of my heart). I can’t stop staring at this!

Elias and Keith put together a big Caesar Salad to go with our dinner and the girls and I made Cheesecake Parfait for dessert.

Justus and Kelsey plus Asa and Eva joined us. Malachi was out of state working all weekend so I didn’t plan on him being able to join us. :(

But then, look who arrived a half hour later?? Aw, Malachi. He left work early and drove several hours to be here for our time together. :) Dinner was a loud, scream-y event as we had some sick babies, tantruming babies, and in general, a lot of babies. But it was a gift to be all together. Ooh, and take a peek at Eva’s growing baby belly. Incredibly precious!

Monday morning I used some blackened bananas to make a three loaves of Banana Bread.

We’ve discovered that one of our favorite snacks is Peanut Butter Spread on Graham Crackers. Little Miss Independent made her own snack that day. I love how grown up she’s becoming.

Matt got his weed eater working and guess who stopped everything to watch the entire process? Oh how Keith loves all things mechanical and machinery. :)

Josie and Acacia took a few trips back and forth on the sidewalk. Their matching dresses (that I’d picked up at crazy clearance prices at the end of season last year) were too adorable.

I made a double batch of Creamy Bacon Spaghetti with Steamed/Buttered Carrots for dinner that night and it was a hit with everyone! (Truly that is such a big deal – making food that all seven littles will eat. The adults in the house are easy. But the kids? Well…)

Oh look, Anna had a matching dress too. :) I think Acacia ate half the pot of carrots all by her three-year-old self. She just kept coming back for more.

Monday afternoon I pulled some Breakfast Sandwiches from the freezer so that we could easily warm them in our air fryer on Tuesday morning. Not pictured: most of the sandwiches because they were warming up as I got out fruit.

We got Brayden and Kiya off to school just as our little ones’ Speech Pathologist arrived. She was there to work with Josie and BabyBoy#11 this morning, but as always, all three little girls swarmed her. She doesn’t mind at all and gives them all attention at the same time.

As soon as we wrapped up that session, Keith and I headed over to help set up for that night’s Food Distribution. We were put in charge of marking out UPCs with a sharpie, then setting up the bread table.

When we got back home, we had a few minutes before the bus came. Keith found a caterpillar and realllllly wanted to take it to school to show his teacher. I talked him into just taking a picture for me to send to his teacher. You’re welcome, Ms. Kristine. ;)

After school that day, Brayden, Kiya, and I got to go hand out food to about 100 people at the Food Distribution.

Elias and Matt had started warming up leftovers at home so when we got back, we continued to help get everyone fed. Then we took a bowl of grapes outside to munch on while the kids played and Daddy mowed.

 

Kiya had the privilege of planting grass seeds in Bible class a few weeks ago to learn patience as she waited for her seeds to grow. Well, grow they did! She has given this guy a “hair cut” at least four times and he’s not slowing down. I took this photo to send to our fabulous Children’s Minister and teachers.

Wednesday morning, we sliced up what was left of the Banana Bread and ate it with yogurt, hard salami, and oranges. While the kids ate, I made a double batch of Peanut Butter Honey Puffs.

Oh look, the Banana Bread was gone by the time I got around to taking this. :)

Sometime later that morning, I was delighted to discover that the kids dumped a bunch of puzzles all over the floor. Note that Acacia’s face looks angry, but she was, in fact, exclaiming happily that she’d found a match! My face on the other hand… :/

Matt went to York for the day to work, so Malachi came that morning to help me. Then that afternoon our friends came over to help get us through until Matt could get back. The Case family has become a part of us here and it is good in every way. Here, Christina is reading a book about Nanette and a Baguette, which she followed with treating all the kids to toasted baguette and Nutella!!

The girls painted their nails about 25 times – a special thing they like to do with Ms. Christina.

Clara and the kids always come up with something creative to do together!

The Cases took all the kids for a walk so that Elias and I could finish putting dinner together. Keith stayed back with us and helped me crack two dozen eggs.

Oh! And they had brought over a couple totes of hand-me-downs for the girls so we had a fashion show with some very proud models.

Dinner that night was a feast! Breakfast for dinner included Cheesy Eggs, Bacon (of course), Yogurt/Granola/Berry Parfaits, Cinnamon Rolls, and Hashbrowns.

Brayden’s food looked so good I asked if I could get a picture. But just look at how grown up he’s looking.

Breakfast on Thursday morning was more of the same from the night before. Then Matt and I loaded the five littles up for a quick (haha, quick isn’t really a thing) Walmart run. We needed some bike inner tubes and milk, plus grabbed a few WIC items while we were there.

Sam’s is right next door to Walmart and I knew of a couple sale items I wanted to take advantage of. The other kids stayed in the van with Matt, but Keith has been wanting to join me for a Sam’s run. So we told him that if he was sweet and calm in Walmart, he could go into Sam’s with me. Look who earned his place in my Sam’s cart! And look who got a sample of pizza. And look how I bought Lunchables…what?

Yep, Brayden and Kiya have fond memories of Lunchables from their time before coming to live with us. They ask for them regularly, and since they were on sale and we have a special church picnic coming up, I decided to surprise them with these!

That afternoon, the girls got into the “new” dresses again and started playing dress up.

Brayden helped me put the dinner salad together. These salad kits may not be the healthiest, but our kids gobble them up and I feel grateful that they are getting some sort of greens in them this way.

To go with our salad, I had pulled out several items of leftovers from our fridge: rice, corn, cooked hamburger meat, and three different containers of half-used salsa. I stirred it all together with a can of beans to warm up and make burritos for dinner. I LOVE doing things like this to avoid food waste and to clean out our fridge to create a brand new meal!

Dinner was a frustrating one that night. :( By the end of the evening, our kids have held it together about as long as they can – so mealtime can often be a time full of screaming and fits. This particular night was extra discouraging. We finally got everyone fed, through fights and consequences and teaching and belly breaths. Then we loaded everyone up and took a walk to Sunken Gardens to end the day.

It was our first trip there for the season and the walk calmed everyone. There aren’t many flowers there yet so it will be fun to continue our walks and watch the progress as spring and summer unfold!

I had cut up a watermelon and put it into the fridge, so we all had a chilled bowlful when we got home – a perfect snack to end the long day.

Friday morning we ate up bits and pieces of odds and ends from the fridge for breakfast. I hadn’t made Peanut Butter Honey Granola in a very long time and decided to make a double batch to have on hand for future breakfasts and snacks.

While the kids were playing, I made a loaf and a half of bread worth of Uncrustables for our busy weekend on the go.

Dinner that night was “French Fry Friday” aka “Mom’s Night Off.” We air fried Chicken Strips, Popcorn Chicken, and Fries. Plus I buttered some bread we’d brought home from Food Distribution for the kids to eat up while the food was cooking.

We ate outside and played until bedtime.

Saturday was a huge, full day. After my quiet God time, I started putting together the day’s food because we were going to leave right after breakfast and not get home until bedtime. For breakfast, I pulled out yogurt and fruit to go with the Peanut Butter Honey Granola I’d made the day before. Then I started making lunch for everyone to eat in the van: Tortilla Wraps with mayo, turkey, and spinach.

I ran out of turkey but decided that Matt and I should have special ones anyway. ;) So I got out Friday night’s leftover popcorn chicken for our Wraps and added some Honey Mustard!

As we were getting everyone ready to go, I was thrilled to see two sisters cooperating to get hair fixed for the day. (Sweet as our kids are, we have a lot of tough behaviors at our house – all day long. So any time the kids are being kind, sharing, cooperating, talking nicely – we really praise them so that we can enforce the positive behaviors we want for them.)

Our first stop for the day: Keith’s soccer game. I had packed bananas for the kids to eat while we watched.

No one sat still for too long. I had dressed the three littlest girls alike to make our day easier as I chased them at an event later that day. Seeing them SO CUTE in their dresses and then like this… Awwww.

After Keith’s game we piled back into the van, handed out our Tortilla Wraps and juice, and drove to York for the rest of the day. We dropped Matt off to work at our rental house, then the kids and I headed to Aaron and Eryn’s.

After playing there for a while, we loaded back into the van to go to a Kids’ Event at a park in York. This ended up being extra fun because we ran into so many friends while we were there!

If you look closely for a kid with red shirt and orange socks up on the stage, you’ll see Keith attempting to play a game he’d volunteered for… :)

Eryn captured this photo of me watching. :)

We were hot and tired by the end of the event and wanted to give Matt a little more work time. So we headed back to Aaron and Eryn’s to kick back for a while. I sliced oranges I had packed and spread peanut butter on graham crackers. Did I mention everyone had been served hotdogs and chips at the park? No matter. When we are outside all day, we EAT ALL DAY.

They have the most magical tree in their front yard to play in!

At dinnertime, we loaded up and went to pick up Matt so we could head home for the night. I handed out the Uncrustables I’d made on Friday plus Applesauce and these special individual milks I’d picked up on clearance a few weeks ago. Those sure have been coming in handy!

Matt gave the three boys a bath before bed but we decided to skip the girls and bathe them Sunday because I was too worn out, ha. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: May 5-11, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: May 5-11, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: May 5-11, 2024

Keith had a soccer game right after church on Sunday, so once again, we packed a lunch to eat since his game was on the side of town where our church meets. :)

I had made two loaves of Stir-and-Pour Bread the day before so I sliced it and took a container of butter.

I had also marinated chicken thighs and smoked them on Saturday. When I got up on Sunday, I put the chicken into crock pots to rewarm and by lunch time after church, they were perfect and ready to eat! I had cut a watermelon to go with our meal, plus some friends joined us and brought salad, clementines, and drinks. It was a simple but delicious feast!

Keith had a nice cheering section for his game as we all loaded up in our new stroller/wagon to get ourselves settled in.

Coach Elias is doing such a good job. Poor guy had a sinus infection so he was drinking tea, coaching, and reffing all at the same time. :)

Back at home that afternoon, we had all the kids take a rest time with books. Then some went outside to play while Acacia and Josie “helped” me make pizzas for dinner. They were just in it for the cheese. ;)

Monday morning I baked several pans worth of bacon, scrambled some eggs, and got out fruit for breakfast. We also toasted and buttered the last of Sunday’s Stir-and-Pour Bread.

Matt took our three littlest with him that morning to York to drop off with a friend so he could work on the final property that we are almost ready to put on the market. Eva came over and hung out with Keith and Anna and I spent some time working. It was a great morning, then once Keith and Anna got on the bus for preschool, I had time all alone to get something done.

I decided to go shopping all by myself, which almost never happens! I took my time walking through Costco aisles, getting diapers and a few random items we needed. Ah, and I grabbed a Rotisserie Chicken for dinner. Boom. Dinner is ready. :)

I then headed to Walmart for some things we needed and checked for markdowns – of course. I scored Free Range Chicken Thighs for just $1.98/pound!!! I also grabbed two chocolate cake mixes for $1.00 each (their regular price) so I could make our infamous Spinach Cake.

I had picked up a big Caesar Salad kit while shopping and Keith was excited to make it all by himself to go with our dinner. I don’t think Josie was very happy that Keith was on the stool she wanted to sit on. :(

I had the idea to purchase large containers like this for ease in letting the kids make these salads. I found some at Sam’s a few weeks ago and they are working like I hoped they would. We put the lid on and give them a shake!

Dinner was delicious and easy. I had put our Costco Rotisserie Chicken into a crock pot on “Keep Warm”  setting when I got home that afternoon so it was still great at dinner time. We ate it with Keith’s Salad plus Green Beans and Watermelon. Soooooo good.

After dinner the kids played and played outside even though it was a bit drizzly off and on. They were a little bit soggy when they came in, but they sure did settle in for sleep well after playing so hard and eating so well.

Tuesday morning I made Eggs in a Nest and prepped some Strawberries.

We are very close to getting our final rental house on the market in York. So once again, we loaded up the kids and headed to Menards for supplies so Matt would have what he needed when he headed back there to work. They only had one of the special carts so we had to take turns. That went…sort of okay. ;)

Back at home, we played outside while we waited for the preschool bus to come pick up Keith and Anna. This sweetheart found a dolly and put a size 5 diaper on her. She was a very proud and sweet mommy.

I picked up Brayden and Kiya from school that afternoon and headed to the Food Distribution site so we could help hand out food. We missed last week because of Keith’s Kindergarten Roundup, so it was great to be back there helping.

Before leaving, I had put some shredded pork into a crock pot with some seasonings so that we could have Shredded Pork Tacos for dinner. Matt and Elias had already fed some of the littles when we got back from Food Distribution then the rest of us ate in shifts. Keith was hanging out with our neighbors, Coleman and Sarah, so I asked them to come over and grab tacos. I love it when they say yes!

Here’s what our kitchen looked like that evening.

We’d brought back some bread and miscellaneous items leftover from Food Distribution so that was all over the island. Plus dirty dishes, packs of baby wipes, kids’ school lunch bags, and who knows what else. I knew what it looked like when I invited our neighbors to come eat with us, and I did hesitate for a few seconds because the messes at our house can sometimes be embarrassing.

But relationships matter more than messes and I invited them anyway. Coleman and Sarah are becoming a part of us and they are understanding about our crazy life with so many kids and so many needs. We chatted around this mess. I put items away as I could. Everyone filled their plates with tacos. It was a wonderful evening. :)

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Wednesday morning I threw out lots of Oatmeal Packets for the kids to pick from plus cut up a Cantaloupe and some Strawberries.

While the kids ate, the little girls helped me crack 48 eggs to bake in sheet pans. When the eggs came out of the oven, I sprinkled cheese on top to melt. Later in the morning, I cut the eggs into rectangles and squares and put together 29 Breakfast Sandwiches. Some of the kids enjoyed a square of Cheesy Eggs while I built sandwiches.

After I assembled the sandwiches, I put some into the fridge to warm up the next morning. Then I wrapped the others in foil so that people could pull them out and warm them in the air fryer as needed.

The weather was gorgeous so we played outside the rest of the morning and early afternoon.

Malachi came by and Acacia insisted that she give him a ride on her little car.

For dinner that night, Matt grilled 18 burgers. While they were cooking, I made these smoothies for the kids to sip on while they played outside.

Since there are so many of us, and because the adults in the house get home from work at all different times, I’ve started putting the meat that we grill into a crock pot on the “keep warm” setting. This has worked great to feed everyone from early to late!

Matt took the littlest four on a wagon ride after the burgers were finished.

Then we fixed burgers for everyone and got out pickles. Some of the kids wanted to try pickle juice. Why?? Because they like juice and figured it would surely be tasty. One child who shall remain nameless definitely didn’t like hers but asked for seconds anyway because of stubbornness. :)

Thursday morning before school I sliced up several pears and warmed up some of the Breakfast Sandwiches I had made the day before.

We were almost completely out of coffee creamer, which forced my hand at attempting homemade. I’ve definitely wanted to avoid the less-than-ideal-ingredient options from the store but haven’t made the time. The Mocha Creamer I attempted turned out good according to Matt and not quite sweet enough according to Malachi. I’ll keep tweaking and then share the recipe!

Matt headed out the door to work in York for the day and Malachi came to help me with the kids. I had a phone appointment as this transition was happening so I turned on a show so that I could talk on the phone with fewer interruptions. Keith was excited to tackle Malachi when he arrived. :)

We played outside the rest of the morning with Malachi making four boxes of mac and cheese for lunch. Frozen peas are their garnish as they cool off the mac and cheese and taste great to the kids!

For dinner that night we were still waiting on Matt to get back so we kept it simple and warmed up leftovers from the fridge. We started with tidbits of Green Beans, Salad, and Chicken. Then we kept getting out more and more food as needed for the rest of the evening.

I took out the remainder of a container of watermelon and let the kids poke pieces with toothpicks. That way I didn’t have to worry about plates or forks!

Daddy got home!! We were all still playing outside – and still hungry – so I sliced several oranges. Those got eaten in about five minutes so I cut up some fresh pears for Matt to hand out.

Friday morning I had an appointment for one of the kids and didn’t get any pictures of our day until the afternoon. We had a very full weekend ahead of us so I pulled kids in to do Mother’s Day prep. We decided that this year we’d make food ahead of Sunday with Mom’s help so that Mother’s Day would be as restful as possible (while still trying to get seven kids off to church, and then to a soccer game…)

Josie helped me make a big Cheeseburger Casserole for Sunday evening’s gathering so that all we had to do was slide it into the oven to bake. The container full of frozen potatoes looked like SUCH a fun thing to play in!! “Josie, don’t touch please…”

“ooh, but I really want to…”

“Ok. Pulling my hands back now…”

Precious girlie. She did a great job and our casserole was put together in just a few minutes.

I had cooked several pounds of hamburger that morning, some of which we used for the casserole. Then I put the rest into a bag to keep in the fridge for a meal or two next week.

Next, Brayden came in and made a big bowl full of Tuna Salad for a quick Sunday lunch between church and soccer game.

Acacia got to help me make Pineapple Fluff for Sunday lunch (while munching on a slice of pear).

That container went into the fridge with the Tuna Salad, all ready for Sunday.

Meanwhile, Matt grilled 12 Cheddar Franks and 12 regular Beef Hotdogs for our dinner.

Saturday morning I made Sausage Gravy and Eggs to go with some biscuits that we came home with from Tuesday’s Food Distribution.

Kelsey and their Little Sweetheart came over for a little while so we got to enjoy some snuggle time.

We were planning to be in York most of the day for some Graduation Parties so we worked out details to meet friends at the park to hang out while Matt spent more time finishing the bathroom on the house we are trying to finish to put on the market. Before we left, I gathered a big variety of food items for us to take to eat all day.

Our friends Pam and Audrey met us at the park, plus later Katie and Bella. It was SO GOOD to catch up with them! A few hours later, we took seven tired, dirty kids to the Grad Party and got to see many more people we love and cherish.


Back at home, we warmed up leftovers and gave thorough baths to all the kids to get sand and grit out of their hair. :) We tucked them into bed, and that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: April 28-May 4, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: April 28-May 4, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: April 28-May 4, 2024

I had put together an Easy Bread Pudding the day before when I was making a big batch of Uncrustables so I baked it for our Sunday morning breakfast!

I packed lunch for us to eat after church with other families who were staying for a fun Sundaes on Sunday event! I had two loaves of bread worth of Uncrustables, four cans worth of Tuna Salad, and a batch of Cream Cheese Salsa Dip. Plus I packed grapes, chips, bread/buns, and sweet peppers.

Keith was supposed to have a soccer game mid-afternoon also, so I packed oranges for us to eat during the game and juice for the kids to drink on the way home.

Keith was prepared to fight a fire that morning but we packed his soccer gear just in hopes that his Fire Chief duties allowed him to play in his game. :)

During church, we got the inevitable “Your child’s game is canceled due to wet field conditions.” I think he’s had more cancelations than actual games at this point. But that did mean that we could stay longer at our church fellowship event.

Our awesome children’s minister had Sundae supplies set up after lunch for everyone!

Those oranges I cut up for the kids to eat during Keith’s (canceled) game? Not to worry – those got eaten right on our kitchen floor when we got home. BabyBoy#11 even got in on the action – sucking out some juice while his sisters gobbled down the fruit.

For about an hour that afternoon, I got all the kids involved in doing some much-needed house cleaning. Were they excited and did they have good attitudes about this? Not really. But did they learn some life skills and life lessons about working as a family team? Yes.

Keith had the privilege of running our steam mop, so he actually LOVED his job. The kitchen floor looked much better after he was finished!

I warmed up leftover pancakes and sausage for dinner that night. Then, our friends, the Bakers, came over to watch the seven littles for us. We grown-ups all loaded up at met up at a nearby church for a…

Rend Collective Concert!!!

This was a Christmas gift we gave our adult kids and we finally got to enjoy it together!

The entire night was full of powerful worship! While the entire group is extremely talented, we were all especially impressed with the fiddler. And look! We found the fiddler and got a photo with him during intermission!! :)

Ah, but you might not have noticed the fiddler in the above photo because Kelsey is holding a tiny babe. :) Indeed. Justus and Kelsey have recently started to foster this sweetheart. She is beyond precious. :)

Monday morning, I packed the BBQ Pork/Cheese Sandwiches I’d put together the week before plus some bags of chips to send with Matt as he headed to York. Malachi and some friends were meeting up at our old house to clean it out one last time before the new owners started to move in.

Elias and Malorie helped me with the kids all day while Matt was gone. I decided it was a piggy-tail day.

A piggy-tail-BUBBLE day.

I had a big meeting with our Case Worker, Casa, and Foster Care Support Person that morning. BabyBoy#11’s adoption is coming up soon and we got more paperwork completed!

That evening, I smoked 14 Brats and 24 Hotdogs for dinner. I threw out Pickles, Fruit Cups, and Chips plus warmed up leftover Baked Beans. We ate as fast as we could then headed out for Brayden’s Ukulele Concert at school.

I could not stop smiling while he performed. Music brings out the best in him, 100%, and I was praising God the entire time for giving Brayden this area of success. I didn’t get any pictures of his fan club, but there were 14 of us sitting in the crowd cheering him on. :)

Tuesday morning Keith took on the task of washing some dishes. These dishes got very, very clean and also very wet.

Meanwhile, in the living room…

Just before taking them to school, I had Brayden and Kiya come in to the kitchen to scrub potatoes for our dinner that night. I’m working very hard to train the kids to serve our family in various ways.

The day before I had discovered a Lilac Bush in our yard that I didn’t know existed. It reminds me of the lane leading up to  grandparent’s house and the scent took me back to my childhood. I’m so excited we have this! I put some lilacs into a vase and took it into our kitchen for us to enjoy!

Late afternoon, Acacia and Josie snacked on grapes outside at their picnic table.

Dinner that evening was leftover BBQ Chicken from Saturday night plus Crock Pot Baked Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli. I also warmed up leftover Corn from the fridge. I needed to be out the door by 5:00 because Keith had Kindergarten Roundup. So dinner was ready by 4:30 and we started feeding kids in shifts.

In an effort to divide and conquer, Matt stayed home with four kids and I took Keith, Anna, and BabyBoy#11 with me to the elementary school. Keith was very excited and has declared that he is already a kindergartener. :)

We got to meet the kindergarten teachers and Keith made a hat in what might be his classroom next year. Anna made one too, because, why not? And BabyBoy#11 ate some magnatiles. :)

It was still early evening when we got home and everyone was hungry again because we’d had such an early dinner. The snack this tired mom decided to provide for her hungry children? Spoon after spoon of Peanut Butter. It was easy and it filled their bellies!

Matt attempted to mow part of our lawn while the kids played before bedtime. Everything went fine until it was time for me to transition everyone into the house to get ready for bed. That’s when kids started to put grass clippings in each other’s hair and then they all rubbed fresh grass onto their hands, creating grass-stained hands. Things can, and often do, go from calm to crazy in the span of five seconds. But hey, the lawn looks nice and we all survived.

Wednesday morning I baked a batch of Bran Muffins. Notice how I didn’t get the cinnamon stirred in well? That actually ended up being a pretty tasty mistake. :)

Keith had been asking for Breakfast Cookies so late morning, he helped me make a double batch. Having muffins and breakfast cookies in our freezer is so helpful!

In the afternoon I bagged up the Muffins and Cookies for the freezer. I also baked several pans of Bacon to have on hand and to share.

I had the little girls help me crack 2+ dozen eggs, then I made two Breakfast Casseroles in an attempt to get ahead.

For dinner that night, we made a simple meals of Boiled Elbow Noodles, Spaghetti Sauce with Meat, and Steamed Broccoli. Brayden helped make most of this meal, taking big pride in already knowing how to do most of it. :)

Most of the littles prefer their noodles without sauce but with butter and cheese.

With so many littles to chase, it is very rare for us all to actually SIT an enjoy a meal. But here we are, sitting. For two minutes. We attempted to practice some Bible verses with the kids, which is something we like to do at meal time if we can possibly get everyone seated and quiet.

Thursday morning, Matt headed back to York to work. Elias has started a new job as a Special Ed Para (such a great fit for him!) so he got out the door early. Malachi had video work to do so we called our dear friend Christina to come help us this morning!

I captured this photo of the girls enjoying a rare moment of quiet coloring as the adults were trying to get out the door.

Meanwhile, Keith had gotten out string, scissors, glue, paper, and a hole punch to make…a mask?

His creativity was flowing so next he made a light saber!

Christina is the best with our kids! She helped make our morning go very smoothly. :)

For dinner that night, we stirred together Wednesday night’s leftovers and Elias topped it with cheese to bake.

I decided to go with paper boats that night so that I didn’t add extra dishes to our needs of the day.

And we ate outside so that the mess would fall to the ground! After playing more, we ate some fruit cups to refresh us before bedtime.

We had refrigerated Wednesday’s Egg Casseroles so Friday morning, I cut them and warmed some up for our breakfast. Then I put the remaining pieces into baggies, and then into freezer bags for easy packed lunches (adults) and easy breakfasts (everyone).

We ran to Sam’s that morning where I grabbed milk, fruit, and veggies.

But the real reason we went to Sam’s is because I’d been researching the best Wagon/Stroller for our outings and they had a great one! We wanted to pick it up and get it ready for the season. Of course, putting it together was a BIG EVENT when we got home and Daddy could not have done it without all of this great help. :)

We loaded up and took it for a test drive all the way to the kids’ school where they were having a special Walkathon outside that day.

It’s going to be great to have, but it was a bit heavy for me once we put 100+ pounds of children inside. :) At the zoo, soccer games, parks, and other events, it will be fabulous!

To celebrate our kids’ school’s Walkathon that evening, our closest community library hosted a gathering for the students. They had a scavenger hunt, activities, crafts and PIZZA.

BabyBoy#11 was all in for this event. ;)

It felt extra special to eat pizza inside the library.

But the best part of the night was interacting with people from our community. Many are still new to us and this was a great gift to be with them in this way.

Saturday morning we ate odds and ends to finish off Breakfast Cookies and Muffins.

Meanwhile, I cut up the great big watermelon I’d gotten at Sam’s the day before. (I spent just under $8 on this. Read here to learn why I think this is a GREAT PRICE.)

We got to go to our favorite Sensory Friendly Library Storytime that morning.

We came home and warmed up leftovers for lunch. I used leftover baked potatoes and bacon to make a skillet full of something similar to what is described here. Wow was it good! Brayden and Kiya helped warm up veggies.

In preparation for our Sunday lunch, I dumped two kinds of sauces on chicken to marinate. Later that evening I smoked the chicken. I planned to rewarm it and put it into crock pots Sunday morning to take to church for lunch since once again, Keith had a soccer game right after lunch (if it doesn’t get canceled).

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing outside, moving a new housemate into our third floor, and getting ready for Sunday.

Our neighbor, John, was planting more flowers into his gorgeous flower garden. He has been so gracious to teach our kids and let them help. This is big for any kid – but for our kids – the time, energy, and love he is pouring in has been beyond big. Brayden was out having Bro Time with Elias, BabyBoy#11 was napping, and the other five kids and I went across the street to plant flowers with John.

He talked us through how he does things, why he does them, and he let the kids do all the work. It was amazing. When we got back to our yard, our kids used their new skills to plant fake flowers in our dirt while I smoked the chicken I had marinated earlier.

I also mixed up two loaves worth of Stir-and-Pour Bread to go with our Sunday lunch chicken. I haven’t made bread in a very long time, and my intent was to pull kids inside to make it with me. But they were playing so well outside and having so much fun I just let them be. They can make bread with me 100 other times or more. :)

I realized I only had whole wheat pastry flour, which doesn’t work for yeast breads. So I used unbleached white flour and the bread turned out great. Truly, anyone can make this bread. It’s so easy and requires no kneading!

The smell of smoked chicken and freshly baked bread teased us as I saved it for our Sunday lunch and instead pulled out leftovers for our Saturday dinner. This was the last of the leftovers in our fridge and it felt so good to get them all cleaned out! I turned the remaining leftover noodles into Mac and Cheese by making a white sauce. Keith grated cheese for this project and was so proud. Then I cut up the leftover hotdogs I’d smoked earlier in the week and stirred them in. We ate it with peas and the kids gobbled it up!

We put a lot of dirty, tired kids into the bathtub, and that was our week!

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Big Family Grocery Spending for April 2024

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Curious how much it cost us to feed 13 people (give or take plus guests) every day last month? Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for April 2024 post!

When I look back through these posts from the beginning of the month until the end, I am amazed at how much food we eat! I shouldn’t be surprised since there are so many of us. It’s just that every time I get back from the store and see all the food in the house, I always think, “That should hold us over for a while!” But nope. We need another grocery run just a few days later so we can get more fresh produce and milk. And meat. And cheese. And…

Here’s what April looked like at our house!

Big Family Grocery Spending for April 2024

1. Walmart

The 8th of April was the first day I needed anything at the store since I’d gotten so well stocked up toward the end of March. But we were almost completely out of fresh fruits, veggies, milk, and eggs. We also needed more of BabyBoy#11’s special protein drinks, which we can only find at Walmart. So we headed there to fill our cart with the WIC items our littlest kids are allotted through their foster/adoption subsidies.

Total out of pocket I spent $43.00 on some staples that I can only find at Walmart (or that I simply needed and decided to pick up there since I was there anyway).

Total at Walmart: $43

2. Sam’s and Walmart

I needed some of our favorite Sam’s items and got a few others staples while we were there.

There’s a Walmart right next door so I went in for more WIC items and Pediasure drinks.

Total at Sam’s and Walmart: $255.49

3. Costco

On April 12, we headed to Costco to pick up diapers. While there we looked for items we love and use that were on sale so that we could get nice and stocked up.

The best deals that day:

  • Boneless Chicken Thighs – These were $6.00 off each package, making them only $2.65/pound. I bought three big packages so we can do this during the next few weeks!
  • Horizon Organic Whole Milk – They were clearancing out their 18-packs of milk because they are nearing expiration. They are regularly $21.99 and were priced at $5.00!! I bought six cases. These will be great for picnics and outings!

I also bought several fun picnic items we needed for a big gathering we were having, fresh fruits and veggies, applesauce, frozen pizza, crackers, lunch meat, sliced cheese, mayo, and a few other snacks and chips.

Total for food at Costco: $465.44

4. Kansas City Barbecue

This was a super rare treat as we almost never eat out. But THIS OCCASION called for KC BBQ!!

All of our adult kids were with us plus two friends from out of state. Matt and I were happy to treat everyone!

Total at BBQ restaurant: $140

5. Bro Time Meal

Elias and Brayden picked up a few items during a Bro Time outing so that they could make a meal for our family. They made a super tasty Smoked Queso for us, plus a pan of special Oreo Brownies!

Total for Bro Time Meal (beyond the groceries I already had at home): $15.79

6. Walmart Run

We took a morning outing to Walmart so we could pick up diapers for someone. We didn’t need much in the way of groceries, but we grabbed some fruit and ice cream while we were there.

Walmart: $19

7. Another Walmart Run

Goodness, Walmart, again?! A few days later, Matt was fixing the kids’ bike tires for the season so as we went in search of inner tubes, I checked for any grocery mark-downs!

I found these pizzas for $5.74 and $6.56…

Plus I was excited about this Beef Roast for only $3.12/pound!

Total at Walmart: $23.10

8. Aldi

I ran into Aldi for a few items we needed and was happy to discover strawberries on sale! I always stock up on the Fruit and Veggie Pouches there for BabyBoy#11. (We let our toddler/preschoolers eat these too as a snack.) Plus I grabbed sausage and bananas.

Total at Aldi: $39.31

9. Sam’s

Once again, we were almost out of fresh produce. And cream. And milk. So on April 25 we picked up those items at Sam’s along with a few other sale items and staples.

Total at Sam’s: $146.78

Total Grocery Spending for April:

$1148 

Our family’s grocery budget is broken down here.

Running totals for 2024:

January: $1,178
February: $849
March: $1,356
April: $1148

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Big Family Food and Fun: April 21-27, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: April 21-27, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: April 21-27, 2024

Sunday morning was a bit less intense compared to the past few weeks. Instead of having to pack an entire lunch for our family to eat after church and before Keith’s soccer game, we were planning to enjoy a potluck lunch with our church family. My only responsibility was to take Frosted Brownies, which I had baked and frozen last week.

So while feeding all the kids breakfast, I put BabyBoy#11 into one of our kitchen sinks for his “bath.” A couple of the kids had fun helping me.

We loved spending extra time with so many friends after church while we ate.

Then we loaded up and headed to Keith’s soccer game. I had packed apples and pistachios to snack on at the game because even though we had just eaten lunch, we seem to always still need snacks. ;)

I tried to capture a picture of Keith’s fan club as we all trailed out after the game. We are quite a parade.

I had put a a Pork Roast into a crock pot early that morning for our dinner that night. But it was still not quite done at mealtime. So I left it to continue cooking and pulled out leftovers to fill our bellies.

It was a boring and no-veggie dinner of leftover Smoked Chicken, Mac and Cheese, and Toasted Sourdough Bread.

I had made some Peanut Butter Cup Whipped Cream that afternoon so we all enjoyed it with graham crackers as a treat after dinner.

Monday morning for breakfast I scrambled eggs and the kids made toast for themselves to go with their eggs.

It was a warm day so the girls were so happy to put on new summer-y outfits!

I attempted to take Anna to Food Distribution where Keith and I go on Monday mornings. Once Keith starts Kindergarten next year, Anna will be my Food Distribution sidekick. I instructed Keith to show her how it’s done and he did – sort of. They got pretty distracted by toy donations in the room where we were working, oy.

I just had the two of them for the rest of that morning because Matt and Elias had taken the three youngest kids to York for the day to spend time with our friend Nancy. So I spent my time and energy working extra on some of Keith and Anna’s behavior needs. And I taught them both to help me load the dishwasher.

After school, Kiya set up a nail salon on our back steps. :)

We had lots of visits from friends that afternoon/evening as our dear friend Phyllis came to see us. She showers us with love when she comes and our time with her is such a gift.

Then friends Charlene and Samantha came for the evening. Once our girls discovered Samantha’s purse, it was all over. Thank you, Sam, for letting them use up ALL YOUR LOTION AND CHAPSTICK. All of it. Gone. Plus dental floss. Bless.

I was so busy enjoying friends that evening that I didn’t cook or take pictures of what I didn’t cook. ;)

I asked Elias to throw in four frozen pizzas for us, which he did, and here’s what that looked like at the end of the night:

Tuesday, Matt and I made a plan to run to a couple of stores and then go to a park before heading home. I packed lunch, knowing that we would need to eat through all of these plans.

We had some lunchmeat that needed to be eaten up so I put it on buns with cheese and melted them in our air fryer just before we left for our outing.

Matt stayed in the van with our littles while I ran into Walmart for inner tubes so he could fix bike tires later that day. While in the store, I couldn’t not run over to see if there were any food mark-downs, right? Woo – marked down pizzas!

And a beef roast for $3.08/pound!

Our time at the park was windy! But it was a good outing for the kids so that we could get their energy out.

We dropped Acacia and Josie off at Ms. Kathi’s on our way home for their special time with her that day. Then we got home and put away groceries we’d picked up that afternoon. Here’s what I got at Aldi:

Keith and Anna didn’t have school that day. Anna was excited to help me load the dishwasher, seeing as she’d been taught how the day before and was now an expert.

Keith played in the dirt all afternoon and came in with a mustache.

Justus, Kelsey, and Kelsey’s mom, Nicole, came for dinner that night! Brayden, Kiya, and I had just arrived back from helping at the Food Distribution but I had all the food in crock pots or ready to rewarm on the stove. We had Sunday night’s Pork Roast, Crock Pot Baked Potatoes, Corn, Green Beans, Rolls, and Strawberries with Whipped Cream.

We don’t get to see Nicole very often so it’s a huge treat that she is in town!

Wednesday morning, I made French Toast and Bacon. I also blended up a smoothie full of greens for Matt and me.

It is worth a mention that I do very well keeping children alive. But plants? Not so much. (Water perked these back up, thankfully.)

While the plants were suffering and dehydrated, I also failed to pull the last of our  bacon out of the oven at the right time. I decided to make as much bacon as possible that morning to get ahead. But then I forgot about these pans when I went upstairs to get myself dressed and ready for the day.

Can’t win ’em all.

Matt and Elias spent the day in York working again and they took the youngest three kids to our friend Emma’s for the day. They loved this!

That night for dinner I grilled some Pork Steak I’d picked up on the cheap a few weeks ago.

They turned out amazing! We ate them with strawberries and salad.

Thursday morning I let Brayden and Kiya toast their own bagels or toast in the air fryer (they consider this a huge privilege). We ate them with applesauce or bananas.

Matt needed some items at Menards so he dropped three kids and me at Sam’s while he took the other two kids across the parking lot to Menards to do his shopping. My main goal was to get fruits and veggies because we go through them so quickly. Beyond spinach, spring mix, broccoli, oranges, salad kits, and grapes, I picked up some kleenex, plastic containers, barbecue sauce, pickles, heavy whipping cream, almond butter, hot dogs, milk, eggs, and fig bars.

We dropped Acacia and Josie off at Josalyn’s where they spent some time painting. :)

Late afternoon I handed everyone a box or two of kleenex from the case we’d bought at Sam’s that day and we all paraded up the stairs to put them on our storage shelf.

Kiya is quite the organizer, so she helped everyone put their box in its place.

We had to be at the kids’ school that evening for a special Preschool Family Open House so for an early dinner I baked the Walmart pizzas that I’d picked up earlier in the week.

Keith and Anna were so excited to introduce us to all their friends. Brayden was excited too because he has had the privilege of helping in a preschool classroom a few mornings recently. He felt like a celebrity when he walked in and was swarmed by little ones who were happy to see him!

There were activities set up at tables for us to enjoy.

Of course Anna found the flamingos at the photo booth!

Friday the kids didn’t have school so I made a huge batch of pancakes with sausage.

I was planning to make these Chocolate Cupcakes (with spinach) but discovered that I didn’t have any chocolate cake mixes. Not to worry – I just added a little bit of cocoa powder to the yellow cake mix to cover up the green spinach. :) While I was using greens, I made another batch of these smoothies for Matt and me.

Mid morning I packed up a lunch for us to take on our outing for the day. It was rainy and wet outside so we decided to take everyone to the indoor mall play place to get energy out. For lunch I packed Cheese, Salami, Crackers, Grapes, and the Cupcakes with a container of frosting to surprise the kids.

The mall play area was a big hit!

At lunchtime we took all eight kids (our Bonus Boy was with us again this weekend) to potty and wash hands. Then we sat in the Food Court and handed out the lunch we’d packed. It was both sweet and crazy. :)

Back at home, there were tornado sirens off and on all afternoon, which was a bit nerve-wracking for some of our kids. As many of you heard, there ended up being a lot of tornado-action here in Lincoln and in Omaha and surrounding areas. THANK YOU SO MUCH to all who emailed to check in on us. Thankfully, we are all safe and sound.

Because of the craziness of the afternoon, we stayed in that night and warmed up leftovers for dinner. Kiya was excited to be our food-warmer-upper. :)

While Kiya was working on dinner, I used Sunday’s leftover Pork Roast to get ahead for future meals. I put together a huge pan of Party Potatoes with Pork Roast. Then I turned the rest of the meat into sandwiches like this. All of the adults in our house love having individually wrapped sandwiches on hand to grab and go for work needs.

Saturday morning we had No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites. (I had intended to make No-Bake Snickerdoodle Bites but realized too late that I didn’t add cinnamon. So I switched to chocolate chip and no one complained!)

While the kids played outside, I prepped our Sunday lunch. We were going to have a fun Sundaes on Sunday event with church friends right after worship service and everyone was to bring their lunch. I made two loaves of bread worth of Uncrustables to take with us. Then I used the crusts to make Easy Bread Pudding for our Sunday breakfast.

I headed outside so Matt could come in and get something done. I discovered that Brayden and Kiya were across the street with our neighbor, John. He is a plant and flower expert and they were helping him and learning as they went. This is so good for them!

Then John came over and started teaching our girls about the weeds in our yard that look like flowers. Note how Acacia has her arms around Josie and Anna. She is such a little mama. :)

The weather was decent so we decided to load up the eight kids and go to the zoo for a few hours. I grabbed a random assortment of whatever was easiest to grab for us to eat for lunch an snacks while we were there.

After we finished eating, the kids lined up on a wall to watch a Porcupine lesson being taught in the exhibit area.

We headed over to look at other animals and were stopped by a Peacock with all its feathers spread wide. Amazing!

We played in the sand area for quite a while before loading up for home. We had a huge afternoon/evening with people stopping by for visits including overnight guests. Our friend Malorie has turned into Elias’ girlfriend Malorie. :) :) :) She graduated from college that day and her family came to spend the evening and night with us. It was a wonderful time getting to know each other better!

For dinner I made a meal similar to this one with Smoked Chicken Legs, Caesar Salad, Corn, Baked Beans, and Rolls.

We got a bunch of dirty, tired kids through the bath and that was our week!

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