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Menu Plan for the Week – With a Cooking Assignment For Our Kids

April 27, 2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

I’ve found that letting my boys pick new recipes from books really helps improve their cooking skills. Looking through recipe books is always fun, right? What I love is that for the most part, the boys don’t even have to adapt these recipes because they are ingredients we feel good about eating.

We’re wrapping up our school year this week (yay!), so focusing on other activities like cooking is a perfect “assignment” for our boys this time of year. Since it involves food, they don’t seem to mind. :)

Here’s our menu plan this week:

Sunday, April 27
Oatmeal or poppyseed bread, fruit
Pizza, sweet peppers, carrots, apples
Small group – turkey and rice soup with sides

Monday, April 28
Snickerdoodle muffins, scrambled eggs, strawberries
Chicken patty sandwiches, lettuce and tomatoes, raspberries, milkshakes
Cheesy sausage and potato skillet, peas, fruit salad

Tuesday, April 29
Quick mix pancakes, blueberries
Creamy mac and cheese, green beans, sweet peppers, cucumbers
Beefy enchilada bake, tossed salad, fresh pineapple

Wednesday, April 30
Peanut butter honey toast, fried eggs, green machine milkshakes
Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, carrots, cucumbers, applesauce
Cheesy beef and rice, tossed salad, roasted asparagus, steamed broccoli and carrots

Thursday, May 1
Dark chocolate almond granola, kiwi
Healthier Cheese Dip, tortilla chips, pineapple mango smoothies, sweet peppers, avocados
Alfredo sauce with pasta, tossed salad, steamed veggies

Friday, May 2
No knead whole wheat bread, scrambled eggs, cantaloupe
Pizza boats, fruit salad, carrots and cucumbers, olives
Easy noodle stir fry with chicken, broccoli, carrots, and zucchini

Saturday, May 3
Sweet pecan French toast casserole (recipe in {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook).
Leftovers
Easy cheesy bean dip, tortilla chips, salsa, pineapple, sweet peppers

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Great Homemaking Doesn’t Always Mean “Make it Homemade”

April 27, 2014 by Laura 15 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

If you desire to be a great homemaker, you must:

always have a perfectly clean house
always make homemade food from scratch, using the finest ingredients
keep your closets wonderfully organized
have perfectly behaved children (who never have crusty boogers on their sleeves)
never run out of toilet paper

No pressure.

Drop kick it with me, friends! I despise these expectations we think others are putting on us that we most likely are really putting on ourselves.

The real definition of a great homemaker:

Loves her family {check}
Feeds her family {constantly}
Can close the closet doors {thankfully}
Relies on God’s grace while raising children {unceasingly}
Picks up cheese and apples while she’s making a slightly panicked toilet paper run {might as well be efficient}

Want to see what I made my family for our Sunday Dinner today?

Great Homemaking Doesn't Always Mean Make it Homemade

It’s a take-and-bake pizza from the store. Couldn’t I have made a homemade pizza? Well sure if I….wait – you know what? NO. I couldn’t. That’s why I bought the pizza. Our weekend has been so full of awesome fun, unexpected appliance break-downs (the washing machine and the dishwasher in the same day, really?), oodles of guests, and because it’s springtime – soccer games. If we were going to make it to church and soccer games today with food in our bellies and a mama who had at least gotten a few hours sleep, lunch was either going to be a package of raw, frozen hamburger – or a store bought pizza. We went with the pizza. (You’re welcome, kids.)

Does great homemaking always mean “make it homemade?”

So let’s consider: Since I bought a pizza from the store to feed my family for lunch, am I a homemaking failure? Since my new/used washing machine just got installed yesterday and I have yet to use it or clean up the mess the delivery guys left all the way down the stairs while they took out the old washer, am I a homemaking failure? Since my dishwasher was broken and I pulled out the paper plates for our company on Saturday morning, am I a homemaking failure?

Sigh. I’m pretty sure I am. Woe is me. I failed to be perfect. I may as well throw in the (dirty) towel.

Or not.

Homemaking is homemaking – no matter what it looks like. My heart is for God and for my family. I always work hard and do my best. Today, my best looked like a store bought pizza. Today, I blessed my family by feeding them, worshiping with them, and cheering them on at soccer. Joyfully, I have a case of toilet paper on hand so that I can check that off my list of mama emergencies.

Homemakers…unite! Bring your imperfections, your crusty nosed kids, your broken appliances, and your unmade beds. Be empowered to keep on doing what God is calling you to do. Keep working hard, loving your families, and rocking this homemaking thing.

And if my closet door is ever open when you come to my house, please look away very quickly and act like you didn’t see a thing.

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Win Amazing Food Packages from Olive Nation

April 25, 2014 by Laura 430 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Homemaking is Fun Giveaways You likely remember me talking about Olive Nation in relation to buying vanilla beans. Oh yes, they are my favorite resource for vanilla beans each time I make a batch of Homemade Vanilla Extract. But you know they also carry a great variety of other great items? Today, they’ve put together several awesome food packages to give away. We’ll be highlighting each of these packages individually during our Homemaking is Fun Facebook Party from 7-8:30 CST tonight. But for now, check these out!

Package #1

1/2 pound of their wonderful quality Vanilla Beans so that you can make your own vanilla!

Package #2

Tea Variety Pack – 5 different tea varieties, winners choice

Package #3

Gluten Free Pasta – 1 each of 5 different pastas, winner’s choice

Package #4

Baking Supplies – 1/2 pound cocoa powder, 2 pounds sucanat, 4 ounces almond extract

Package #5

Olive Oil – 250 ml bottle Nation Estate Virgin Olive Oil

Wouldn’t you love to win one of those packages! Leave a comment here letting us know which package you would enjoy the most.

I’ll draw a random winner on Tuesday, April 29. Be watching for a post stating the winner as you will be responsible for contacting me if your name is chosen.

This post contains affiliate links.

Be watching for more giveaways, coming up later today!

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

Win a Natural Soap Package from Tropical Traditions

April 25, 2014 by Laura 325 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Homemaking is Fun Giveaways Homemaking is FUN! This is evident in the fact that we all love and look forward to washing dishes three times each day – more if we’re lucky.

Or maybe that’s just a job we do because we have no choice and because we like clean kitchens.

Well, how about if you win some free dish soap? A tub of free dishwasher detergent? Would that make your dishwashing time a little bit more fun? What if we throw in some bath soaps and hand soap? Okay, now we’re talking!

You all know that one of my favorite online resources is Tropical Traditions. Not only do they provide super high quality coconut oil, they are committed to supplying many other nourishing and safe-to-use products too. (Read this article to learn lots of uses for coconut oil.)

Today, Tropical Traditions is offering a lovely package gift to one of you. Be sure to sign up for the Tropical Traditions Newsletter as they require their winners to be subscribers. Here’s what you can win:

Natural Soap, including:
Lavender Liquid Soap Foam Pump

Coconut Soap, unscented

Coconut Soap, Tea Tree

Coconut Soap, Lavender
Dish Liquid
Powdered Dish Detergent

I love all of these products and use them daily. Want to win this great package to help make your homemaking fun? Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. Also, be sure to join us during our Homemaking is Fun Facebook Party from 7-8:30 CST tonight for another chance to enter and win!

I’ll draw a random winner on Tuesday, April 29. Be watching for a post stating the winner as you will be responsible for contacting me if your name is chosen.

This post contains affiliate links.

Be watching for more giveaways, coming up later today!

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

The Many Joys and Frustrations of Homemaking

April 24, 2014 by Laura 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Nothing is perfect this side of Heaven. That’s why we have dust and cobwebs, back aches, lost library books, and challenging parenting issues. It can all draw us closer to God (true perfection!) and help us recognize our need for His strength. We also know that even with all the crazy and frustrating aspects of life, there is also a lot of joy. Hey, if we can’t laugh at our spilled buttermilk…

The Many Joys and Frustrations of Homemaking

As we focus this week on remembering that Homemaking is Fun, I want to encourage you with some posts from the archives.

Let’s begin with a few lessons I’ve learned about dealing with some of those less than ideal situations:

~ My best lesson from Grandma…Every Good Cook Burns Herself Sometimes

~ Best (ha!) sleep-over breakfast ever…The Day I Forgot To Sift the Popcorn Out of the Waffle Mix

~ Ugh, picky children!…I Can Now Accommodate Picky Muffin Eaters and Mix and Match Oatmeal Bars

Now let’s talk to all of you who don’t love to cook:

~ This one speaks for itself…So, You Don’t Like to Cook?

~ Donuts, again?…Start the Day With a Healthy Breakfast

~ My favorite “I don’t feel like cooking” breakfast…Instant Oatmeal in a Jar

dark_choc_granola_3

And we’ll wrap it up by talking about ways to save money:

~ Freezer meals rock…Loads of Make-Ahead-Meal posts

~ This is a HOT deal right now!…Grab Your Free $10 For Whole Food Groceries

~ Our favorite whole food meals that cost about $1 per plate…Dollar Menu Recipes

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

Preparing For a Great Summer With Your Family

April 23, 2014 by Laura 4 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

During all the seasons of the year…homemaking is fun. I love hot chocolate, snow, snuggling up by the fire, and all the fun foods that come with wintertime. But I’m ready for a break from all of that because I LOVE sunshine!!!!! We’re preparing for a great summer together.

Summertime is my very favorite. I love the time off from schooling, the fun projects, the camps, the garden, the family reunions, the swimming, the cook-outs…and the sunshine!! (Someone certainly likes her Vitamin D, doesn’t she?)

Preparing For a Great Summer With Your Family

Our family is wrapping up our school year – as in, we’re down to just a few remaining unfinished subjects, and I’m starting to have boys wander around the house looking for something to do to fill the time. I love this time of year (because the sun is shining!) as we find ourselves with extra time to do the fun projects we’ve not had time to do with a full school schedule.

It is so much fun to see our boys being creative in their downtime. I’m seeing fun Lego projects appear and new videos created. I’m hearing new songs on the piano, our synthesizer, and our music software. I’m seeing games being played that haven’t been pulled off the shelves in months. I’m watching activity outside, loving that the boys can finally run around in the yard again (and mess up the grass that is trying to grow).

monopoly

I’m also already starting to hear the words, “Mom, I don’t have anything to do.” Yep, the dreaded sentence.

I never like to follow that sentence up with, “Well, you can go fold laundry” because somehow I feel that my children would then forever and always run far from me when they’re looking for something to do, thus resulting in much wasted time in the long run. My goal is to come up with ideas for fun projects and activities that will keep them busy and productive. The laundry? Oh yes, they can definitely fold that in their spare time – you know, after they’ve cleaned out the dishwasher and gone outside to bury the compost. ;)

Our boys are ages 9-16 right now, so gone are the days of blowing bubbles and splashing around in a kiddie pool. Your list of ways to keep your kids busy might differ from mine, based on the ages and interests of your kids. But here are a few ideas I have for my kids to keep them busy during the next few months…

Great summer fun ideas

Play card and board games
Create more music and videos
Play games outside
Learn more card tricks
Learn more cooking/kitchen skills
Get together with friends and cousins
Help Dad with home improvement projects
Read books (maybe offer a summer reading challenge?)
Clean out bedroom, boxing up toys they no longer play with
Work through a science experiment book
Clean out the basement (who knows what treasures will be discovered!)
Learn to make homemade ice cream
Swim often and improve water skills (while getting Vitamin D – woot!)

I’d love to hear what ideas you have for making it a great summer with your family. What do your kids like to do, or what would you like them to learn this summer?

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Gratituesday: “Mom, Do You Know How Long I’ve Been Waiting For This?”

April 21, 2014 by Laura 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

gratituesday[2]

You know how much I love butter? That is how much Malachi, our nine year old, loves Legos. The kid plays with them for hours every day, won a $10,000 scholarship because of his Lego dreams, and has ideas for making Legos a part of his career/business once he’s a grown-up.

You can imagine, then, how much Malachi has been wanting to visit LEGOLAND. We’ve not been able to make it all the way to California to visit the Legoland, but we did provide Malachi with a fun trip over the weekend to the Legoland Discover Center in Kansas City. We were headed that way anyway for our church youth leadership (LTC), so we left a day early to make this happen for Malachi.

We arrived and found a spot in the parking garage with one very excited little boy. I wish you could have seen his joy. As we made our way up the stairs out of the parking garage, there in front of Malachi was the Legoland building. He paused, took a deep breath, and said, “Mom, do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this?” Oh yes, Son. I know. :)

For the next four hours, Malachi and Daddy took it all in. They rode the ride, looked at all the exhibits, watched the 4-D movie, visited Lego Academy to learn more about building – basically experienced the most Lego fun ever, according to the nine year old. Tired as he was that night, he couldn’t wind down to go to sleep until after midnight.

In an effort to save money and have more age appropriate fun, the older boys and I went to Union Station and walked the shopping mall during that time. Once we all met back up, it was so much fun to see pictures and hear Matt and Malachi telling all about their day. Here are a few highlights:

legoland4

legoland3

It is amazing all that can be built out of Legos!

legoland 1

Oh yes, Star Wars.

legoland2

Malachi was hesitant to climb on top of the giraffe, but Matt assured him it was okay and threw him up there for some exploration.

legoland5

This next one might be my personal favorite. My son, the owl, with the owl he just built in the Lego Academy:

legoland6

Praise God for fun opportunities and the joy that comes with them. What a fun memory for Malachi and Matt to share!

Now your turn. Share what you’re thankful for! Leave a comment on this post letting us know how God is working in your life. If you’ve written a blog post about what you’re thankful for, leave the link in the comments so we can visit your blog to read about it. We love sharing and reading about God’s blessings!

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

Menu Plan for the Week ~ Happy Easter!

April 20, 2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

I hope you are having a wonderful day celebrating the resurrection of our Savior! Happy Easter to all!

We are keeping our plans very simple today, focusing on worship and rest. After a weekend of travel, we wanted a nutrient filled (but easy to make) lunch. Therefore, we put together Easy Taco Salads and ate outside in the sunshine. Awesome!

I’m excited to use several of the freezer foods I’ve been making the past few weeks. Catch up with all the Freezer Cooking Challenge posts here. My freezer is full, and I’m loving it!

Here’s our Happy Easter menu this week:

Sunday, April 20
Instant oatmeal packets with dried fruit
Easy taco salad, sweet peppers
Small group potluck – I’m making Black bean salsa with chips, a bowl of grapes, and a veggie tray

Monday, April 21
Whole wheat waffles, fresh blueberries, whipped cream
Tuna salad on lettuce and tomatoes, sweet peppers, peaches and cottage cheese
Cheesy Beef and Pasta Casserole (recipe in {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook)

Tuesday, April 22
Strawberry cream muffins, scrambled eggs, bananas
Spicy avocado dip with chips, fresh pineapple, carrot sticks
Bacon wrapped cream cheese chicken (recipe in {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook), tossed salad, green beans, creamy orange cooler

Wednesday, April 23
Dark chocolate almond granola, kiwi
Popcorn chicken, ranch potato wedges, peas, sweet peppers
Calico beans, tossed salad, cantaloupe

Thursday, April 24
Poppy Seed Bread with Orange Glaze (recipe in {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook), fried eggs, apple slices
Easy cheesy bean dip with chips, pineapple, cucumbers and carrots with ranch
Baked three cheese chicken pasta, tossed salad, steamed broccoli and carrots

Friday, April 25
Easy breakfast casserole, clementines
Lamb burger patties, sweet potato fries, creamy coleslaw, strawberries
Grilled barbeque chicken, baked potatoes, tossed salad, roasted asparagus

Saturday, April 26
Scrambled cheesy eggs, fruit and kefir smoothies
Leftovers
Italian pasta bake, tossed salad, corn, green beans

Just a reminder to grab your free $10 to spend on whole food groceries. I’m so thankful for resources like this to help us feed our families well while sticking to the budget!

I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to this Easter. :) Also – be watching for some very fun posts and giveaways coming up this week. We’re throwing a party! You’ll receive the official invite in a couple days. Join us for some spring-time fun!

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My April Subscribe and Save Order Came!

April 18, 2014 by Laura 6 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Is there anything more fun than the UPS man bringing big boxes of food to the door? Yes, probably. But cases of groceries on my porch make my day. Wanna see part of what we got this month in our Amazon subscribe and save order?

subscribe and save april 1

This time around, I got several different “grab-and-go” snacks to take with us to the soccer field. And yes, I even got a case of Annie’s mac and cheese. We love my homemade Creamy Mac and Cheese, but sometimes it’s nice to have the boxed stuff on hand for the boys to make when Matt and I aren’t around. I got it for super cheap, and the boys were really excited to find it in our boxes!

Are you wondering why I got a case of black tea? (800 tea bags, baby!) I’m going to get a batch of kombucha started, and have big plans to keep it going throughout the summer for a healthy, refreshing drink. I also ordered a scoby so I am all set! If you have no idea what I’m talking about (kombucha, scoby, what’s that?!) – never fear. I’ll take pictures and share more about it once I figure out what I’m doing. :)

subscribe and save april 2

I think we’re set on olives for a while. I couldn’t pass up the huge discount, plus I really like this brand. Opening a can of olives to help stretch a meal is always great!

subscribe and save april 3

I’m almost out of my home-canned tomato sauce, so I took advantage of the coupon offer at Amazon and bought a case of Natural Value brand to hold me over. It was a super deal! That rice was also an incredible price, and I figured it would be a fun change of pace.

I also ordered a few other items like toilet paper, which I didn’t figure needed to be featured with a picture. It’s toilet paper. What more do you need to know? But yay for a discount and for having a case of tp on hand, which was lovingly delivered to my door by my dear UPS man.

I took advantage of many of the coupon offers to go along with the 20% discount I got from Amazon Prime/Mom.

Want to learn more about using Amazon Prime and Subscribe and Save to get the greatest Amazon discounts? Read this post for more information. Also, always check in with our Amazon Deals page which I try to keep updated with the latest awesome deals at Amazon. Some of the items I talked about are still being offered at a great discount. Details here.

Did you (or will you) receive an Amazon Subscribe and Save order this month? What did you get? (It’s so much fun to talk about food…)

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