Heavenly Homemakers

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Big Family Food and Fun: January 4-10, 2026

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: January 4-10, 2026 post!

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

Saturday, January 3

For dinner on Saturday evening, I’d made a huge pot of Beef Stew with some stew meat I’d picked up marked down at Sam’s that week. The kids didn’t eat it very well, but we grown ups enjoyed it. :)

The evening was uneventful, filled with bath time and the normal mayhem. I did manage to finally cut and individually wrap the Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies that I’d baked the day before. Having these ready to pack in school lunches was my main goal for them.

Big Family Food and Fun: January 4-10, 2026

On Sunday morning after worship, Josie and Auggie helped Matt fill a tote of pantry items to bring home and fill our Little Free Pantry.

Our lunch gathering after church was a huge delight, as usual. Our friend Steve walked in a case of Root Beer to share – and it didn’t take much arm twisting at the mention of Root Beer Floats for him to run right out to the store to pick up ice cream so that we could add Floats to our dessert bar. He was back with “the goods” right as we were getting ready to serve lunch: Ham and Cheese Sliders, Tomato Soup, Fruit, and Potatoes.

I’d put together six foil 12-packs of Sliders to warm in the oven – so 72 Sliders altogether. At the end of our meal? Exactly one slider remained. I guess this meal was a hit!

There were 25 of us gathered that day, with so much joy in our conversation and fellowship.

Matt and I sent the kids downstairs to watch a movie with Elias, Malorie, and Malachi during the afternoon while we enjoyed time with three other couples during our Community Group. For dinner that night, I put a box of Taquitos into the oven, warmed up White Queso, and served up Grapes. Easy and fun!

In an effort to get ahead for our launch into a new school semester after a long break, I made a big batch of Breakfast Burritos.

On Monday morning, Emma came to help with the non-school kids, Auggie had ABA therapy, and guess what I got to do? I ducked out for the entire day for some time of Recovery. First stop: a massage. I’ve been holding onto this certificate from my sweet daughters since August.

My friend Terra is amazing if you happen to be in Lincoln and want a healing massage. I was so relaxed after this that I wasn’t sure it was safe for me to drive, ha. But, drive I did – all the way to Panera where I sipped (well, a ton of water at first to get the most out of my massage and then…) coffee. I had my laptop and spent two blissful hours writing.

I ended my time away from home with a run into Costco to get a couple of things. This is what “a couple of things” looks like for our household…

Back at home, Matt and I took Auggie in the stroller for a walk to pick up the school kids. Mayhem and meltdowns began immediately, then ABA therapy, then dinner. I’d thrown BBQ Sauce on Chicken in the crock pot early that morning, then I made Green Beans and Buttered Rolls to go with it.

As the kids were finishing their meal, I decided to make Cheesecake Parfait to go with the Strawberries I’d picked up at Costco. We went through one two-pound round of strawberries very quickly and I got my blender back out and made another batch of parfait. Four pounds of strawberries later, I’d say this was a huge hit with everyone that night!

On Tuesday morning, Little Sweetheart came over to spend the day. We did some hair styling then played in the container of hair ties – which are very, very fun to throw all over the place.

That afternoon, I took Brayden, Kiya, and Keith to serve at our weekly Food Distribution. They all did well this week, and it was great to see over 100 people go through the food line.

Back at home, Matt finished the dinner I’d started: Leftover BBQ Chicken turned into Meat and Cheese Melts with leftover Veggies.

On Wednesday morning, I baked a batch of Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins.

Arrow came and spent the morning, making a batch of his own muffins in our play kitchen.

Somewhere in there, Josie helped me make Party Potatoes to slow cook for our dinner that night.

It was gorgeous outside, so I grilled Steak and Pork Ribs out on our smoker. IN JANUARY. What a treat!

Before bed that night, Brayden and Auggie helped me put together a large Cheeseburger Casserole for our Thursday night dinner.

On Thursday morning, after we got the kids off to school and settled Auggie in with his ABA therapy, I made a new extra large batch of Granola Bars to have on hand.

All throughout the morning, I baked many pans of Bacon. I had plans to use it with our casserole that night for dinner, for a breakfast-for-dinner on Friday, and just to have bacon on hand for anyone who wanted bacon during the next few days. The grown-ups in our house like it when I have cooked bacon on hand. I also save the bacon grease to use when I make Green Beans.

On my last round of bacon, I put two pans of Spinach Cupcakes into the oven to bake for a snack that night. I felt very relieved after all of this time in the kitchen because now I had a lot of good food items made ahead for upcoming needs!

When Malachi got home from work, Auggie helped him warm up and make a cup of coffee. There’s no way Malachi could have done this without the help of his three-year-old brother.

We enjoyed our Cheeseburger Casserole that night with Bacon for those who wanted to add it, Buttered Corn, and Spinach Cupcakes.

Keith took a break from his ABA therapy that night to make rice with Elias. I love how our younger kids love to be a part of life with their older brothers. And I love how the older kids include their younger siblings in their tasks.

On Friday morning, Daddy took Acacia to Speech Therapy. But first, this Helper of the Day helped me make Banana Bread with all of the bananas I’d been holding onto in the freezer.

We quickly ate our way through one loaf of Banana Bread, but I froze the other two loaves for later.

Dinner that night was a HUGE hit with everyone. I made a mountain of French Toast, 20+ Sausage Patties, and warmed up a large amount of Bacon from what I’d baked the day before. We got out Applesauce and Blueberries and feasted on dinner for breakfast. Everyone ate so well that we ran out of food before all of the adults got home from work to eat. Wow.

On Saturday morning, we took the kids to our favorite Sensory-Friendly Library Storytime. There’d been a break from this during the holidays, so we were very excited to go back! The theme for the day was SNOW, so we got to enjoy snowflakes made of felt, books and songs about snow, and then…

…we got to have a snowball fight!

Ms. Diane is incredible at putting this weekly program together!

Matt helped me load up the kids in the library parking lot, then he left in a different vehicle to drive to Heartlands to support our friends during their mom’s funeral service. I was on my own at home with all seven kids for a couple of hours, which is rare! We planned that we would let them watch a movie to help me survive the time. It all went well, and everyone did ok overall!

Part way through the movie, our friend Paula showed up with a car full of groceries for us to put into our Little Free Pantry. Their church group has been awesome to take part in this ministry with us! We paused our movie so that all seven kids could help bring in food.

It overtook our pantry floor – a great problem to have! So many people will be blessed by this food!

I needed to turn off my computer at this point, so I’ll continue sharing about our Saturday next week!

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Big Family Grocery Spending for October, 2025

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

Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for October, 2025 post!

Curious how much we spent during the month of October and what groceries we bought? Here’s the breakdown…

Big Family Grocery Spending for October, 2025

1. Wal-Mart

On October 2, Matt got a few things for us at Wal-Mart: milk, frozen hashbrowns, spinach, spring mix, and cream. I didn’t get a photo of this. :)

Total for groceries at Wal-Mart: $52.27

2. Freddy’s

On October 4, we took the kids to Freddy’s to enjoy a free ice cream treat that they’d earned during the Summer Library Reading Challenge. We ordered some fries to go with our ice cream, plus we bought Elias and Malorie a treat.

Total out of pocket at Freddy’s: $15.16

3. Costco

On October 6, I went to Costco and got spring mix, bananas, apples, clementines, oranges, pears, potatoes, grapes, raspberries, sweet peppers, shredded cheese, yogurt, taquitos, chicken strips, chicken nuggets, tater tots, sausage links, Fritos, pepperoni, cream cheese, butter, barbecue sauce, ketchup, mandarin orange cups, chicken broth, peanuts, and milk.

Total for food at Costco: $272.36

4. Sam’s

On October 12, I ran into Sam’s on our way home from church. I was almost out of necessities for our daily smoothies, plus I grabbed pancake mix per Kiya’s birthday dinner request. :)

Total at Sam’s: $20.10

5. Costco Lunch

On October 14, we treated the kids to lunch at Costco during their Fall Break. They chose between pizza and hotdogs and we made a fine mess. :)

Total for lunch at Costco: $16.34

6. Aldi

On October 15, I filled a cart at Aldi with many of our needs and favorites. I got milk, sliced cheese, salsa, half and half, heavy whipping cream, hard salami, meat sticks, pear cups, peach cups, fritos, granola, whole milk yogurt, ground sausage, sausage patties, sliced ham, raisins, fruit/veggie pouches, French fries, pretzels, bananas, apples, mixed greens, spinach, grapes, strawberries, pickles, crackers, brownie mix, cake mix, onions, and carrots. I also found a big pork roast for just $1.79/pound so I grabbed it for an upcoming Sunday Lunch.

Total at Aldi: $271.00

7.Wal-Mart

On October 22, I ran into Wal-Mart to get milk, shredded potatoes, diced ham, and frozen fruit. I checked for meat markdowns and scored three packages of hamburger meat!

Total at Wal-Mart: $84.75

8. Sam’s

From Wal-Mart, we went straight to Sam’s. I got pork chops and a roast marked down. Plus I filled the cart with peanut butter, yogurt, spaghetti sauce, spring mix, spinach, grapes, raspberries, bananas, broccoli, golden kiwi, 10-dozen eggs, half and half, heavy whipping cream, avocado cups, shredded cheese, white queso, laughing cow cheese, tomato sauce, bacon, applesauce, applesauce pouches, brown sugar, minced onion, orange chicken, corn dogs, cereal, butter, egg bites, pie crust, turkey lunch meat, ham lunch meat, pickles, coconut oil, olive oil, and yogies.

Total for groceries at Sam’s: $428.23

9. Hy-Vee

On October 23, Eva picked up our WIC order at Hy-Vee on her way over to our house. We got cereal, cheese, eggs, beans, juice, whole wheat noodles, tuna, rice, and several bags of frozen fruits and veggies. This benefit for our kids is such a blessing! Arrow helped us put it away. :)

Total out of pocket: $0

10. Amazon

Our subscribe and save order this month provided us with several boxes of Go-Go Squeeze applesauce and yogurt plus Annie’s mac and cheese and Redmond’s Sea Salt.

Total from Amazon: $59.60

11. Wal-Mart

On October 29, I went to Wal-Mart to finish off the last few WIC items we still needed to pick up for the month. I also got three gallons of milk, 10 dozen eggs, sausage patties, bananas, spring mix, spinach, clementines, lasagna noodles, cottage cheese, cliff bars, coconut flakes, flax seed, a Caesar salad kit, and hamburger meat marked down.

Total out of pocket for food: $116.05

12. Sonic

We discovered a great deal on Halloween night for $0.50 corndogs so we asked Malachi to bring home 20 of them for our dinner that night before we headed out. It’s hard to pass up a deal like that!

Total at Sonic: $11.00

Total for groceries October, 2025: $1,347

Our WIC benefits provide our littles with around $120 worth of groceries each month. You can read here to learn our 2025 Grocery Budget plus look over ways I’m able to keep our budget at this level.

Running Totals for 2025

January spending: $679
February spending: $1,459
March spending: $1,346
April spending: $1,364
May spending: $1374
June spending: $1,127
July spending: $633
August spending: $1,501
September spending: $1,603
October spending: $1,347

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

Big Family Grocery Spending for June, 2025

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

Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for June, 2025 post!

Curious how much we spent during the month of June and what groceries we bought? Here’s the breakdown!

Big Family Grocery Spending for June, 2025

1. Costco

I ran into Costco on June 2 so that I could get some paper products we needed, plus fresh produce (apples, sweet peppers, greens, watermelon, bananas, cucumbers) and some items we needed for an upcoming event at our house. I snagged some brats on sale for just $2.97/package – a super markdown! I also got hamburger meat, cheese sticks, shredded cheese, milk, sausage links, and mayo.

We’d been blessed with some EBT cards (our kids qualify for free lunch at school, which qualified them for some SNAP benefits for the summer – a surprise blessing!). I had $155 worth on two cards, so I used it to pay for almost all of these groceries. (Paper products come out of a different budget so I don’t count those in our grocery totals.)

Total out of pocket for food at Costco: $2.78

2. Sam’s/Walmart Pickup

We had big plans to host a large gathering at our house on June 8, so a few days before that, I placed pick-up orders and Sam’s and Wal-Mart for Justus to pick up for me. This included hotdog buns, coffee add-ins, and popsicles.

For our family, I also ordered eggs, yogurt, strawberries, milk, ham, a salad kit, and cocoa powder. This picture only shows a tiny portion of it because at the time Justus got it all to our house, there were 21 people there and our house was very hectic. Everyone was working together to manage kids, bring in groceries, and set out dinner. So I snapped this picture quickly in the midst of it all. :)

Total at Sam’s and Wal-Mart: $122.94

3. Donut Festival

On June 7, we loaded up and drove an hour to Nebraska City to enjoy a Donut Festival at Kimmel Orchard. We bought a dozen of their special Apple Cider Donuts to enjoy that morning. Then at lunchtime, we bought a container of their freshly picked Strawberries!

Total at the Donut Festival: $19.24

4. Wal-Mart

On June 12, we took a Wal-Mart and Sam’s trip. I picked up four gallons of milk, mustard, and a roast marked down (already in the bag). I was happily surprised to find several items of 100% juice fruit cups and pouches on clearance, so I got them super cheap! I also got two cans of pineapple and two jars of mandarins. We are going through a lot of chilled fruit cups and pouches this summer as we try to keep the kids full and nourished. These sales were fun to find!

Total at Wal-Mart: $49.59

5. Sam’s

After Wal-Mart, we headed next door to Sam’s. We got spring mix, broccoli, nectarines, cuties, bananas, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, eggs, cream, fish sticks, orange chicken, mandarin orange cups, frozen pizza, yogurt, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, cheese and cracker packs, ham for sandwiches, cheddar franks, peanut butter (x4), honey, chips, mayo, coffee, and almond butter.

Total at Sam’s: $258.77

6. Wal-mart

On June 17, I went to Wal-Mart to get our WIC items for the month: produce, cereal, cheese, tortillas, eggs, and yogurt. I picked a few items that weren’t covered by WIC while I was there.

Total out of pocket at Wal-Mart: $13.55

7. Amazon

Each month, we get a few subscribe and save items. This time, I remembered to take a picture!

Total from Amazon: $45.23

8. Aldi

On June 19, I took Anna and Auggie to Aldi. We got milk (x4), Caesar salad kits (x3), strawberries (x2), apples, potatoes, ground sausage (x4), sausage patties (x2), pear cups on 100% juice (x6), granola (x3), yogurt (x3), ice cream cones, grass-fed hamburger meat (x4), brown sugar, fruit/veggie pouches (x15), cake mix (x2), large bags of tortilla chips (x2), salsa (x2), and 100% juice popsicles.

Total at Aldi: $184.98

9. Cheddars

We’d been given a gift card to Cheddars and finally had a chance to use it on June 26. Matt and I shared a combo plate, which was plenty of food. Plus we splurged on an appetizer! The gift card covered our entire meal and tip, plus we have a little left over for another date another time.

Total at Cheddars: $0

10. Sam’s

On June 27, we were low on many staples so we went to Sam’s to restock. We got milk, cream, half and half, sour cream, butter, shredded cheese, eggs (10 dozen), yogurt, hamburger meat, chicken legs, tator tots, brown sugar, ketchup, peanut butter, chips, maple syrup, mandarin orange cups, peach cups, applesauce pouches, white queso, orange chicken, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, watermelon, bananas, spring mix, spinach, grapes, apples, strawberries, avocado cups, tortillas, pickles, turkey lunch meat, and pistachios.

Total for groceries at Sam’s: $358.77

I was pleasantly surprised that with the kids home and eating SO MUCH FOOD this summer, we actually came in under budget. The summer EBT cards helped, but that amount wasn’t huge. So, I was surprised because we are keeping the kids very active, which makes them extra hungry! We’ve been feeding them lots of fruit and lots of homemade snacks, which is very cost effective.

And also? Often when I come in under budget one month, I go over the next month (when I restock all that we ate the month before). It all averages out. We’ll see how July goes!

Total for groceries in June, 2025: $1,127

NOTE: Our WIC benefits provide our littles with around $180 worth of groceries each month. You can read here to learn our 2025 Grocery Budget plus look over ways I’m able to keep our budget at this level.

Running Totals for 2025

January spending: $679
February spending: $1,459
March spending: $1,346
April spending: $1,364
May spending: $1374
June spending: $1,127

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

Big Family Grocery Spending for April, 2025

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

Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for April, 2025 post!

Big Family Grocery Spending for April, 2025

Curious how much we spent during the month of April and what groceries we bought? Here’s the breakdown!

1. Costco

April 7 was the first shopping day of the month that I needed groceries. I got restocked on fresh fruits and veggies: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, bananas, sweet peppers, apples, pears, carrots, a salad kit, and oranges. I also got frozen pizza, veggie straws, tortilla chips, cottage cheese, milk, sour cream, half and half, maple syrup, avocado cups, applesauce cups, parmesan cheese, hamburger meat, hot dogs, brats, chicken legs, a Rotisserie chicken, and a case of Kombucha.

I felt great about getting a big Costco-sized cart full of groceries, full of meat and produce, for just over $300.

Total spent for groceries at Costco: $311.25

2. Aldi

On April 9, we headed to Aldi right after it opened because I was hoping to catch some meat markdowns. Once again, there were none. :( But I did get some boneless chicken thighs on sale for just $2.49/pound, so that was a great score! Butter was on sale so I got some, though it wasn’t a fabulous deal so I only got four pounds.

While there, I grabbed some of our Aldi essentials: whole milk yogurt, baking supplies, organic pasta sauce, sausage patties for sandwiches, and pear cups for lunches. I also got two dozen eggs – not because they were a great price but because I didn’t want to run short. I got some (non-hydrogenated) Peanut Butter to hold us over until we could get our favorite at Sam’s. And I got espresso because Malachi has been having fun making tasty lattes each morning!

Total at Aldi: $145.72

3. Walmart

After we left Aldi, we took the crew into Walmart for a little bit of an outing plus to check, once again, for meat markdowns. I only found some boneless chicken breasts, which aren’t our favorite (we prefer thighs). But for $1.92/pound, they rise to the top of the favorite list! That was the only meat worth grabbing that day, but I’m thankful that we at least found a great deal on food we’ll use!

I also got cocoa powder (which has been harder to find lately) and some mixed greens for smoothies.

Total for food at Wal-Mart: $41.12

4. Azure Standard

On April 11, we got an Azure Standard order. I don’t order from them as much as I used to now that we live in Lincoln and I have access to much of what I need from Costco and Sam’s. But I am blessed to accrue a small amount of referral credit each month, and there are certain items from Azure I really love. I used our credit this month and got 25-pounds of whole wheat pastry flour, 30-pounds of frozen hashbrown potatoes, a case of tortillas, two bags of chocolate chips, and some special low-sugar cookies to take on outings for our kids.

Total out of pocket for our Azure order: $0

5. Sam’s

On April 14, I ran into Sam’s and got three 2-packs of peanut butter, a bottle of honey, brown sugar, cheese/cracker packs and meat sticks for lunches, hamburger meat, spaghetti sauce, cream, chocolate chips, and eggs. (Eggs were just $4.00/dozen – the price is slowly going down!)

Total for groceries at Sam’s: $170.93

6. Wal-Mart

I ran next door to Wal-Mart to get a few things we needed, and while there I got a bunch of bananas, four gallons of milk, and a container of spinach.

Total for groceries at Walmart: $20.51

7. Aldi

On April 16, I took Anna to Aldi to grab a couple items for an upcoming family birthday celebration. I only found one of the birthday items I needed – BUT I scored big time on boneless chicken thighs marked down 50% off! There were many packages available so I didn’t hold back and grabbed 10 of them for $1.25/pound. Amazing!!

While there, I picked up a pineapple on sale plus several other of our favorite Aldi items: hard salami and meat sticks for lunches, Caesar salad kits, marshmallows for Rice Krispie treats, several pounds of sausage, sliced cheese, pickles, pear cups, crackers, canned pears, and coffee creamer.

Total at Aldi: $140.04

8. Hy-Vee

On April 18, I put in a pick-up order for our WIC items at Hy-Vee. This makes it so easy and I’m thankful for this online/pick-up option that Hy-Vee offers.

Total out of pocket after WIC benefits: $0.99

9. Scooters

On April 23, Malachi and I took Keith and Anna to Omaha for evaluations and diagnosis so that we can help meet their overall needs more fully. It was an incredibly intense day, beginning at 8:00am and not ending until after 3:00pm. Therefore, afterward I decided that Malachi and I had earned a treat. We ran to Scooters to get special coffee to get us through on our ride home. I didn’t get a picture of the drinks, but here’s Keith pre-appointment!

Total at Scooters: $12.59

10. Aldi

On April 24, I went to Aldi again. I didn’t have a long list, and I mostly went for milk. I grabbed four gallons plus half and half, cream, barbecue sauce, yogurt, bananas, mandarins, fruit/veggie pouches, applesauce, two kinds of apples, blackberries, granola, and cream cheese.

Total at Aldi: $75.00

11. Wal-Mart

On April 28, I went to Wal-Mart to finish using up our WIC produce benefits for the month. (I got two containers of greens, bananas, and strawberries with our benefits). While I was there, of course I checked in for meat markdowns! I found some slider-sized hamburger patties marked down, then happened upon big bags of individually packaged organic veggie straws that were featured at Easter. They were a super cheap clearance steal, so I grabbed six 12-pack bags!

I also picked up cocoa powder, unsweetened coconut flakes, coffee creamers, and banana wax peppers while I was there.

Total out of pocket for groceries at Wal-Mart: $59.46

12. Costco

After Wal-Mart, I went to Costco. I bought a 10-pound tube of hamburger meat, chicken nuggets, frozen fries, peach cups, 100% juice freezer pops, canned chicken, heavy whipping cream, half and half, shredded cheese, pickles, yogurt, guacamole, tortilla chips, raspberries, blueberries, fruit bars, peanuts, and frozen pizza. Brayden had requested Lunchables for an upcoming outdoor fun day at school, so I bought the Costco version of those for a special treat.

Total for groceries at Costco: $351.97

13. Amazon Subscribe and Save

Somewhere in there, we received applesauce and yogurt pouches from Amazon.

Total for food from Amazon: $33.02

14. Bonus Produce

One of our neighbors is a college student who is studying Botany. She and her fellow students have a greenhouse, and every once in a while, she delivers us some fresh peppers, tomatoes, or lettuce that they have grown. It’s so much fun and very tasty!

Meanwhile, she parks her motorcycle in our back parking area – a win-win! (And for the record, we’d let her park there even if she didn’t give us delicious fresh produce.) ;)

Also, Malorie works at a daycare and twice each month, a produce truck hands out a small but nice amount of free fruits and veggies to everyone there. This month, she brought home a fun sack full of onions, cucumbers, peppers, and I can’t remember what else. We make use of everything that comes into our home, and we are thankful for these bonuses!

Total for groceries in April, 2025: $1,364

NOTE: Our WIC benefits provide our littles with around $180 worth of groceries each month. You can read here to learn our 2025 Grocery Budget plus look over ways I’m able to keep our budget at this level.

Running Totals for 2025

January spending: $679
February spending: $1,459
March spending: $1,346
April spending: $1,364

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

Big Family Grocery Spending for January, 2025

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

Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for January, 2025 post!

Here’s how we spent our grocery budget for our large household during the month of January. But first…

This January wasn’t normal

This was a very challenging month with a much lower-than-normal spending total due to illness running through our household all month long (first a stomach bug for 10 of us, followed by Influenza for 8 of us).

Appetites were much smaller overall, and parents didn’t have energy to go grocery shopping the last half of the month. So we ate through our stockpile of food from our pantry and freezer, and we had plenty to work with. Next month might be an extra-large-spending month as we make up for what we didn’t spend this month!

Big Family Grocery Spending for January, 2025

1. Aldi

On January 9, we needed to restock many of our staples so we headed to Aldi where I got many of our favorites: whole milk, whole milk yogurt, granola, oranges, Caesar salad kits, blueberries, ground sausage, ham lunchmeat, Fritos, bananas, fruit/veggie pouches for Auggie, sweet peppers, pear cups, powdered sugar, and salami.

Total for food at Aldi: $87.31

2. Costco

From there, we went into Costco where we really stocked up!

We got a lot of produce: apples, mandarins, mini cucumbers, spring mix, spinach, broccoli, two kinds of grapes, blackberries, raspberries, pears, and potatoes. We also got cream, half and half, beef sticks, almond crackers, yogurt squeezies, mandarin orange cups, avocado cups, eggs, tortilla chips, pasta sauce, rotel, maple syrup, olive oil, coconut rolls, tortelloni, mini corndogs, applesauce cups, granola, two kinds of shredded cheese, frozen french fries, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, chocolate chips, sour cream, and tilapia.

Back at home, as we unpacked from Aldi and Costco, I loved seeing all the variety of fruits and veggies we had to work with as we fed our family meals and snacks.

Total for food at Costco: $429.33

3. Wal-Mart

On January 16, I took Anna and Auggie with me to Wal-Mart so that we could get some of their WIC items and a few other family necessities (boots, tennis shoes – ooh, I scored a pair of shoes for Brayden on clearance for $5!). Elias’ birthday was coming up so I picked up some groceries for his upcoming celebration.

What I find every time I go shopping without Matt or one of our adult kids: One cart is not enough. But with two kids tagging along, two carts wouldn’t have worked either. So I made one cart work – barely!

This shopping trip, WIC provided lots of fruits and veggies (fresh and frozen), eggs, cheese, beans, cereal, pasta, and rice. This is such a blessing!

Total out of pocket cost for groceries at Wal-Mart: $81.06

4. Amazon Subscribe and Save

I didn’t remember to take a picture when our order came in this month, but we got several cases of applesauce, yogurt pouches, pizza crust, and Annie’s mac and cheese.

Total from Amazon: $48.66

5. Wal-mart 

During our time with Influenza, we were not going through groceries very quickly because no one had much of an appetite for many days. But Matt did go get the oil changed in our small car so while at Walmart, he grabbed a few gallons of milk and some bananas to get us by.

Total from Wal-mart: $9.80

6. DaVinci’s Pizza

Someone gave us a gift certificate for Christmas, and we held on to it to use on an evening we needed it. After our many days of Influenza, as appetites were coming back but energy was low, we decided to take advantage. We ordered two extra large specialty pizzas, which was a fun treat after so many days of misery.

Total for DaVinci’s Pizza: $0 (completely covered by gift certificate)

7. Russ’ Market

We don’t normally shop at this local store because its prices are much higher than my go-to stores. But the kids had brought home a $15 grocery certificate at Christmas time (the school sent these home with families who qualify for free lunches I guess?) and it expired this month. So on January 31, I went to use this certificate, plus we had a few WIC items left in our benefits package that needed to be picked up.

Total out of pocket for groceries at Russ’ Market: $21.58

Total spent in January: $679 (would have been closer to $890 without WIC and the grocery gift certificate)

This was less than half of our budgeted amount. But all of our appetites are coming back, plus we have two birthdays to celebrate in February. I’ll take higher spending ANY DAY over having a house full of sick people for four weeks. February, I’m so glad to see you!

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Big Family Food and Fun: June 9-15, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: June 9-15, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: June 9-15, 2024

Our Sunday started out awesome as we grabbed friends after church to come over and eat lunch with us!

I had made a lot of bacon that morning plus cut Saturday night’s leftover smoked chicken into thin strips. We got out a variety of buns and breads, tortillas, and fresh greens with sauces, cheeses, dressings, and dips so people could build Bacon Chicken Sandwiches, Wraps, or Salads. We had Chips and Dips, Grapes, Watermelon, and Strawberries. It was delicious and fun!

We visited all afternoon, then turned on the sprinkler for the kids and moved our party outside to hang out. I put four frozen pizzas into the oven to bake for dinner. While they were baking, I warmed up last week’s leftover steamed carrots for kids to munch on outside.

Two packages of blackberries didn’t last very long!

Nor did the four pizzas. :)

Monday morning after breakfast, Keith and I went to help set up for Tuesday’s Food Distribution. This one-on-one time with him is so valuable. Plus, of course, it’s great to continue teaching our kids to serve in any way God leads us.

We emptied a lot of boxes off the cart, so Keith got to drive it to the storage room.

When we got back home, we all loaded up to head to the zoo to meet up with friends. We had made sandwiches and packed them with chips, pears, grapes, and coconut rolls. Elias and Malorie joined us too!

We ate our pears right away, just like we did last time we went to the zoo. :)

Giraffes are fascinating!

We came home and rested for a while, then I read a chapter of Little House in the Big Woods to the kids. In this chapter, Ma was making butter and bread and the kids were fascinated. So I got a wild hair and told them we could make butter too. It has been a long time since I’ve made butter, but we headed to the kitchen to make it happen!

When I used to make butter regularly, I made it like this. But so that the kids could be involved, we made it in a jar, taking turns shaking and shaking and shaking until we had butter. It was SO COOL. The kids loved this!!!

Can’t have homemade butter without homemade bread, right? There were still three kids napping so Brayden, Kiya, Keith, Acacia and I stirred together a loaf of Stir-and-Pour Bread. They got to learn about how yeast works while practicing their recipe and measuring skills. Basically, it was amazing. So much of our day is usually hard, and this one had been a doozy with screaming and fits from morning to night in between outings and naps. Having this special time with these four helped bring us all down to earth and remind me that there’s a lot of beauty beyond the trauma.

While the bread baked, I rewarmed leftover pasta from Saturday night and heated up meatballs from Costco. Notice how I burned them. I had attempted to trim BabyBoy#11’s hair while dinner warmed up and this was the result of me doing too much at once. Oh well, we ate them anyway.

Eating outside is the best!

Look how beautiful our Butter Ball and our Homemade Bread turned out!!! The kids were SO PROUD, as they should be!

They loved how it all tasted too. It was a perfect way to finish our day before getting everyone to bed.

On Tuesday morning I baked a batch of Spinach Cupcakes. Meanwhile, I air fried a bunch of Chicken Nuggets to take on a picnic with dips, plus Carrots and Fruit Cups.

The Case family and Kelsey met us at a park to play and picnic!

After some rest time in the afternoon, Brayden, Kiya, Elias, and I went to hand out food at Food Distribution. Malorie stayed back with Matt to help with kids and to make dinner for us.

Malorie’s dinner was Migas, a traditional Mexican family meal she’d learned from her mom. Eggs, bacon, and fried corn tortillas – topped with spinach and cheese. We all loved it!

We played outside after dinner until bedtime and only had one scare for about 10 minutes when we couldn’t find Josie anywhere. (She’d slipped inside somehow and was hanging out happily with Elias and Malorie, phew.)

Wednesday we loaded up and headed to York for the day. The kids and I spent the day at our friends house while Matt did some work on our rental house (it’s on the market now!). Our friends have the best back yard in the world and we had so much fun playing and playing!

For lunch we feasted on Hotdogs, Fruit, Veggies, and Chips.

Then it was time to get wet in their back yard. They fed us a Nacho Bar for dinner (we were much too busy visiting and having fun for me to get more pictures). From there, we went to the York University campus for a night of Soul Quest worship. We saw many more friends there – such a gift to us. We didn’t make it back home until after 10pm, which is crazy late for our crew. But it was worth the Thursday morning crankiness. ;)

Thursday morning Acacia found this mask and had the best time “hiding” from all of us. :)

I took BabyBoy#11 to one of his specialists. He’s making great progress with his eating through OT, so we’ll keep plugging away!

That evening we ate Roast with Carrots. I had slow cooked it all day like this – SUPER EASY. The only issue was that I hadn’t started it early enough and we had plans! So we ate the carrots and left the roast to cook a bit longer. Meanwhile I pulled all kinds of random items from the fridge to fill our bellies before we headed out: cottage cheese, pineapple, pears, and leftover grilled cheese sandwiches. :) (The roast got eaten later by the grown ups!)

Then we ventured out for a super fun outing, parking our van right in front of the Capital Building. We see this from afar all the time so kids were incredibly excited to be right there on the property!

Across the street was the Downtown Trolley bus stop, which only costs $0.25. Matt handed out quarters to the kids and they got to clink it into the money slot as we loaded onto the bus.

What a super fun outing for a quarter per person!!! We had the bus to ourselves and the kids were in awe.

This girl does not hold back on letting us know how she feels. When she is mad, oy. And when she is happy: SHE IS HAPPY. I wish you could hear her giggle as she was full of glee on our bus ride!

Josie wasn’t sure what to think. :)

The kids thought that all we were doing was riding the bus. But then we surprised them with a stop at a downtown ice cream shop, an unexpected and rare treat!

They sat still for a total of four minutes eating ice cream, and then we were reminded why we NEVER take our crew to a restaurant. Yikes, there are so many littles. Washing chocolate off of faces, keeping chairs from being knocked over, wow. And do you see that big plastic ice cream cone in the window? Well, it makes a loud noise when it gets knocked over.

We made our way back to a Trolley Bus Stop to head back to our van and home to bed. They kids were so excited about this delightful outing!!!

Friday we decided to attempt some sort of “Day of Rest.” This feels impossible during this season in our lives. Yet I feel like I am a 7-day-a-week extreme event coordinator for a bunch of screaming people, and I am tired. Truly, if we don’t keep the kids busy, have outings, and provide constant structure and routine – the behaviors become worse. So we go-go-go because it’s necessary.

Friday though, Matt and I experimented to see how we could keep everyone busy without major outings. I decided that all of our meals would come from the freezer that day – no cooking for me. Paper plates x3 meals. No laundry. Minor upkeep in the kitchen.

The day started off with Bran Muffins from the freezer with Apples and Peanut Butter.

We turned the TV on for the kids for a while – something we don’t do every day. (Too much screen time tends to backfire for us, so it’s a rare treat to watch a show.)

We got dressed for the day and played outside. Acacia and Josie were twinning!

Mid-morning we relaxed with popsicles. I sat in a chair in the sunshine, soaking up vitamin D. It felt so good!

Our friend came and took the kids for a walk and Matt and I had an entire hour to ourselves. Amazing!

We made Fish Sticks, Sweet Potato Fries, and Smoothies for lunch.

While the baby napped, Matt kept the older four entertained and I dropped Acacia and Josie off to Ms. Kathi’s for two hours. All by myself, I went to Walmart and Sam’s. This wasn’t necessarily restful, but we were out of fresh produce and milk, plus I was getting ready for Father’s Day. So it needed to happen. And I didn’t have kids with me so that in and of itself is refreshing!

Back at home, everyone helped bring in and put away groceries. I had brought home cherries and Brayden and Keith dug right in!

We went outside and played in the water while dinner was in the oven.

I had found a Green Bean Casserole with Hamburger in the freezer, so it was easy to slide into the oven to bake without effort. We ate it outside with grapes. The kids are constantly hungry this summer so some of them had thirds!

Matt pitched some balls to Brayden, Kiya, and Keith so they could practice using a bat. They were so excited to improve their skills!

We gave everyone a little bit of ice cream to finish off the day. Then brushed teeth and got cleaned up. We took everyone for a little walk, then headed straight upstairs to bed. (I had high hopes of putting weary children easily to bed at this point but shucks. It did not go as smoothly as I’d hoped. Meh.)

Saturday morning after breakfast (oatmeal) we loaded up and met friends at the Farmer’s Market downtown. Kelsey and Little Sweetheart met us there for a while too.

When we got home, Keith and Josie helped me make Apple Pie for Matt’s Father’s Day dessert.

We made Chicken Sandwiches with Spinach for lunch and had Strawberry Shortcake for dessert.

We cleaned out the fridge at dinnertime so we had a variety of leftovers. This is such a great way to save money on groceries – nothing goes to waste!

Our Apple Pie turned out beautiful and we made this Chocolate Fudge Pie too. We’re all ready for Father’s Day!

We had a drama-filled bath time then got everyone to bed. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: April 7-13, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: April 7-13, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: April 7-13, 2024

We planned to stay after church on Sunday to enjoy a Focus Group meeting as our church family prayerfully considers our mission and vision and how to grow faithfully in the direction God wants us to grow. After the meeting, Keith had a soccer game. So we needed to pack a lunch, snacks, soccer gear, jackets, and oh yeah, don’t forget to pack the kids. :)

The day before, I had put together a 10″x15″ casserole dish full of  Simple Egg Casserole so that I could easily slide it into the oven to bake before leaving for church.

Once it came out of the oven, I cut it into 20 pieces and put it into a crock pot so we could plug it in at church to stay hot for our lunch.

This plan worked great and after church we ate our Casserole with Banana Muffins, Applesauce, and a couple of Pound Cakes we’d been given at last week’s Food Distribution.

Childcare was provided for us during our Focus Group meeting and the kids played hard with their friends. And what about Keith’s soccer game? Ugh. It had been rained out…again. Maybe, maybe he’ll have his first soccer game by the time his third scheduled game rolls around?!

We drove by his soccer field to at least show him where he’d be playing, then we headed home. Some of us couldn’t keep our eyes open.

Later that afternoon, our friend Paula dropped off school lunches for the week and Acacia used all her muscles to drag them into the pantry for me. :)

I made a simple dinner of Chicken Strips and Popcorn Chicken with Fries and Buttered Peas.

When I was cleaning the kitchen that evening and writing tomorrow’s menu on our white board, Anna wanted to practice writing her name. Look at what a great job she is doing!!

We assigned some clean up chores to the kids before bed. Keith used his skateboard to help pick up toys and drive them to the playroom for the night. :)

Monday morning our friend Caitlyn came over to help me all day so that Matt and Elias could go to York and work on a house we’re trying to finish and put on the market. She was amazing and the kids and I loved spending the day with her.

It was beautiful outside that day so we spent a lot of time playing in the fresh air and sunshine.

For dinner that night, I made Spaghetti with Sauce, Meatballs, and Green Beans.

This meal is a huge hit with all the kids. Pasta is one of my least favorites, but I will be making it more often because all the kids eat it very well. I like it when the kids eat well. ;)

Monday we finished off the Banana Muffins along with Scrambled Cheesy Eggs and Apples.

We had almost no fresh fruit or veggies in the house, plus BabyBoy#11 was getting low on his special Pediasure drinks. So after we got Brayden and Kiya off to school, we loaded up the other five and headed to the store to get some WIC items. (Side note, speaking of BabyBoy#11! On Monday I was able to get him to eat five tiny bites of a peach – a huge break through!)

Matt dropped Anna, Acacia, and me off at Walmart, then he took the other three kids to Great Clips so Keith could get a hair cut.

This handsome boy greeted us when we met back up after hair cut and shopping!

That afternoon, Brayden, Kiya, and I went to our weekly Food Distribution to help hand out food to people in the community.

I had made a big bowl of Tuna Salad beforehand. When we got home, I cut up two pounds of strawberries and whipped some cream. It was a super simple meal, but we all loved it.

Malachi surprised us by stopping over and he took kids outside to skateboard for a while. :)

Wednesday morning we had big plans to get Brayden and Kiya off to school, and then Matt, Elias, Acacia, Josie, and BabyBoy#11 off to York. So we just pulled out cereal and fruit for breakfast.

Acacia and Josie were so excited to spend the day at their beloved Emma’s house that when I told them to load up they RAN to the door!

That left just Anna, Keith, and me for the morning. We read some books then Keith had a therapy appointment.

Before the bus arrived, Keith wanted an apple and was excited to try cutting it himself with the special apple cutter.

I had three and a half glorious hours of quiet that afternoon while everyone was away. Thank you, God, for providing what we need!

Once Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and Anna were all home from school we played outside while I grilled burgers for dinner. Brayden practiced his ukulele and everyone enjoyed the concert. :)

Friends were coming over for dinner that night so to go with our Burgers I made Baked Beans and Stir Fry.

When I brought the burgers in from the smoker, I put them into a crock pot to keep them warm.

I cut up 2-pounds of strawberries and whipped some cream to go with two pound cakes for dessert.

Thursday morning I used the leftover hamburger buns to make Breakfast Sandwiches. I cheated and cooked browned sausage right in the eggs and cheese. This worked great for the sandwiches!

I was hoping to get ahead a little bit that morning so I made a double batch of Bran Muffins, made Stick of Butter Rice, and browned three pounds of hamburger meat.

Some friends were coming with their homeschool group to the Lincoln Zoo for the day so we packed up some food to meet them there. I buttered some of the hot muffins to take and they were melty and good when it was time to each later!

With this many kids, I’ve decided that I no longer care if the baby’s socks match so long as he’s actually wearing socks. :)

Not only did we get to see several friends we don’t see very often, we got to enjoy watching the penguins get fed that day.

 

Afterward, our friends came over to hang out at our house. The kids played and played, then ate and ate. :) Malachi wanted to come say hi to everyone before they left so he stopped by.

That evening, Matt needed to exchange something at Menards and I wanted to pick up some items at Walmart and Sam’s. Hadn’t I just been to Walmart, you ask? Indeed I had. But BabyBoy#11 needs 18 6-packs of his Pediasure every month and each Walmart only carries 5-6 packs at a time. So all month long we hit up every Walmart in town to get what he needs. We’re thankful for the provision, even if it does mean we have to shop a little bit extra.

Before we loaded up to shop, I warmed up leftover spaghetti to feed everyone a fast dinner.

Spaghetti Hack: I’ve found that once it’s in bowls for the little ones to eat, I can easily cut the noodles with kitchen shears so that they can easily eat it with a spoon.

Shopping Hack: NEVER take the Coppinger children to the store in the evening after a full day of going to the zoo and/or school. Don’t do it. They can’t handle it. They’re already overstimulated and exhausted and they will not be able to hold themselves together at the store. The fits will be horrible and there will be many fits. You don’t need groceries that badly.

Oy.

So Walmart was a disaster. Kids back in the van, Matt went into Menards by himself to quickly make his exchange. Then I ran into Sam’s by myself while Matt fed the kids a cookie and apples. I really just went in for these few things but I saw a few other items I needed and this was the result:

Every time I shop I think we’ll be stocked up for a while. Hahaha. The groceries go fast at our house. :)

Friday morning I used the hamburger meat I’d browned on Thursday plus the Stick of Butter Rice to make a huge batch of Burritos. I plan to share them with some friends whose kids currently have some major health struggles.

Well. Sure I’d been to Walmart twice that week and Sam’s the day before. But there are certain items I also needed from Costco (diapers!!) so off we went on Friday morning. The shopping trip went much better than the evening before because the kids were rested and we only had five with us this time. ;)

I wasn’t planning to buy boneless chicken thighs, but wowza! They were on sale for $6.00 off per package, which made them only $2.65/pound. Now that we can grill more, you can bet I stocked up big time!

I also picked up some special treats for a picnic we were planning on Sunday. I almost never buy individual bags of chips, but they were highly discounted and will be very fun for the picnic!

Our friend Malorie was visiting, and Acacia sat still for quite a while letting Malorie braid her hair that afternoon. :)

We had a huge weekend planned with friends coming in from Texas and all of the grown-ups going to Kansas City to watch Messi play soccer.

Justus had been over all afternoon and was smoking two racks of ribs for us to enjoy for dinner when our TX friends arrived. I made hotdogs for the kids and Brayden made Caesar salad. For other sides, I simply washed two kinds of grapes and two pounds of strawberries, got out sweet peppers and tomatoes, and set out rolls with butter.

Dinner was going to be later than normal so we fed the kids at their regular time to avoid extra meltdowns.

All of our older kids were able to come over to join us for dinner, plus our friend Ricky and his son Cooper had arrived from TX. Gathering in our kitchen and dining room like this is my favorite.

Justus’ Barbecue Ribs turned out AMAZING.

 

 

Saturday morning I spent getting ready to go on our day trip and getting everything ready for our kids and their sitters while we were gone.

I made Crunchy Ranch Chicken and Steamed Broccoli for lunch, then sitters came and we got out the door. I’ll share photos of our Messi experience next week!!

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Big Family Food and Fun: February 11-17, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: February 11-17, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: February 11-17, 2024

Sunday morning we had a little bit of extra time since we don’t meet for church until 2:00 pm right now. So we worked on kids’ valentines for their Wednesday parties at school. I had ordered stickers with the kids’ names on them from Delight Design so Keith and Anna put their stickers on fruit cups and fruit strips. Easy and so cute!

We spent the rest of the morning giving baths and showers, fixing hair, and prepping for the Super Bowl. I boiled some noodles for lunch and added some White Queso and milk. We ate it with spinach because we are very fancy around here.

Matt was preaching that afternoon so we got to church a little bit early. Elias and Malachi had brought their skateboards and pulled them out to entertain the kids. Nothing warms my heart more than watching my Bigs with my Littles.

Matt had used one of our dining room benches for an illustration in his sermon, and it took almost every Coppinger to get it back out to the van. :) Daddy is a rock star.

When we got home, we had some time before the Super Bowl started so Kelsey and I took the four littles for a walk in two double strollers so that we could visit. How amazing is this weather that we can take a long walk in February!

We got home and put together Super Bowl Party food: Ham and Cheese Melts, Bacon Ranch Chip Dip, Spicy Ranch Dressing (to eat with these Potato Wedges), and regular Ranch Dip to eat with veggies. and Brownies.

Something had gone a bit wrong with my jar of Ranch Dressing Mix when I put it together last week so none of my dips were salty enough. So I kept stirring in salt and testing them again. Good grief, how does one mess up this recipe??

We had a small crowd but it was perfect. A couple friends from York came, a friend from Lincoln, plus Justus and Kelsey. I didn’t actually get to watch much of the game (or the commercials, ha) until after all the kids were in bed. So I watched the final three minutes of regulation time which was actually pretty exciting! I decided that I don’t hate watching football and actually kind of enjoy it once a year for three minutes. (I had been up since 4:15 that morning so staying up for overtime was a no-go for me.)

Just before bed, Kelsey read part of a chapter book she’s been going through with the kids. I love our big kids’ relationships with our little kids. :)

Monday morning Keith and I went to help set up for Tuesday’s Food Distribution.

Wait. Has anyone seen Keith?

That afternoon, the little girls and I made a double batch of Banana Muffins. Kiya got to enjoy Craft Club after school.

Elias took Brayden to Holmes Lake for their Bro Time. They walked all around the lake, about two miles!

Then they took advantage of Honest Abe’s 1/2 price kids meals for an extra special treat.

Dinner at home for the rest of us that night was Sausage and Cheesy Eggs, Banana Muffins, and Steamed Broccoli.

Tuesday morning, BabyBoy#11 and I were on our own for about a half and hour before everyone else got up. So he helped me get our big freezer a little bit more organized.

For breakfast that morning we ate more Banana Muffins with some yogurt.

Two of our kids had appointments with their Speech Pathologist, then I took Anna for a different appointment. I love reading to the kids in the waiting room during our rare and precious one-on-one time. :)

We came home and made Mac and Cheese with Peas for lunch before sending Keith and Anna to preschool.

Then while Daddy stayed home with napping BabyBoy#11, I took Acacia and Josie to Walmart to get Valentine cards for the kids and to try and find Baby’s new Pediasure drink. (His dietitian is working to make sure he is getting the right kind of nourishment since he is almost 14-months old and still not eating solids. Matt and I are following doctor’s orders and trying not to overthink reading the label on these drinks. The sugar content is reallly high, oy. But God is bigger, right?)

The girls and I found the special cart that allows me to actually have room for groceries while they sit in the blue chairs.

While we were there, I told the girls to look for yellow mark-down labels. You never know what you’ll find marked down at Walmart! (Remember my $5.00 hams?!?!) Half-way through our shopping, Acacia reached over and pulled Josie in for a hug. She’s only 8-months older than her little sister but she’s such a little mommy.

Oh hey, look what we found! Great big pizzas marked down to just $6.88! I bought three and decided that we were having a special pizza dinner for Valentine’s day!

Brayden, Kiya, and I went to had out food at the Food Distribution after school that day. For dinner, Elias and Matt warmed up Burritos I’d found in the freezer that morning.

Then we gathered around the table to finish up Valentine’s for tomorrow’s parties. I’d gotten Keith’s and Anna’s finished on Sunday. But Brayden and Kiya weren’t allowed to take any edible treats so I finally got their cards picked up that day and we put them together just in time to take for the party. Phew.

Valentine’s Day morning I attempted Heart-Shaped Pancakes. They weren’t a total fail, but they also weren’t very pretty. They got eaten though. :)

After getting Brayden and Kiya off to school we loaded up the five littlest and went to Aldi. We’ve found that their organic fruit and veggie pouches are best for BabyBoy#11. We can usually get him to eat 6-7 bites of this in one sitting compared to 2-3 bites of any other kind. So Matt kept the kids in the van while I ran in to restock.

Of course, I always have to check for meat markdowns. SCORE!!!!!! I found three 1/2-price pork butts. These guys were just $5.60ish each!

From Aldi, we ran to Costco because we were almost out of diapers. Matt took the kids and gassed up our van while I ran in and grabbed diapers, strawberries (for Valentine’s day dinner!), and butter. Oh look. Annie’s Mac and Cheese was on sale so I got two cases. :)

We were close to Scheels so we went to look at fish and play in their play place. On our way out, Matt and Keith picked up a package of plastic practice golf balls to use with the small golf clubs we’d acquired.

The weather was lovely that afternoon so we played outside while we waited for Keith and Anna to come home on the bus. Then everyone was excited to pull out their valentine cards to show us.

Our neighbor, John, walked over when he saw us playing. Anna had received a ring in her Valentine sack and John was a good sport about letting her try it on his pinky. :)

I baked the marked down pizzas I’d picked up the day before so that we could have a special Valentine dinner. Plus I cut up strawberries and made Cheesecake Parfait to enjoy with them.

Elias and taken Brayden out for a Bro Time session and they had been making big “surprise Mom for Valentine’s Day” plans! They snuck in and spread little gifts on our tub for me to discover.

Brayden walked in ahead of me so that he could be standing there with the rose and card they’d picked out.

Wow, wow, wow. I was not expecting all of this, that’s for sure. Elias is doing an amazing job pouring into Brayden and this day he taught him to think of Mom and to show appreciation and honor. They were both pretty thrilled with how they spent their outing time that day, but not as thrilled as I was. :)

Thursday morning I made Scrambled Cheesy Eggs and Smoothies for breakfast.

Matt and Elias went to work in York for the day and Malachi came over to help me. Josie and I made a pan of Butterscotch Bars for our birthday celebration for Justus that evening.

Days without Matt here are always a bit of a blur. But we see a light at the end of the tunnel as we get more of our properties fixed up and sold so that Matt doesn’t have to go back and forth so much.

After school, Brayden and Keith played outside with our neighbor while the girls helped me prep for a big birthday dinner for Justus.

These salad kits are so helpful and easy and the kids love making them (and eating them, woot!). We put three kits together this night since there would be extras eating with us. Kiya made two of them…

And Keith came in and made one. This was the first I’d turned one over to him, but it really is as simple as cutting open the bags and tossing it all together. Did it make a mess? Sure. But messes wipe up. He was very proud.

Justus’ birthday meal request was this Italian Cream Cheese Chicken. I always forget about this recipe until he requests it and every year I tell myself that I have to make it more often. It is so easy and good!

I put candles in his Butterscotch Bars, but not 24, ha.

Friday was a day off school for the kids so we loaded them up after breakfast and headed to the Children’s Museum. We have a membership there that we bought with Christmas money so we decided to take advantage!

The trickiest part of this outing was staying with all seven kids by myself while Matt ran a few blocks to get the van and pull up to the front for us. Somehow we all managed not to scatter back into the museum. Phew!

We got home in time for a visit with case workers and CASA for BabyBoy#11. While I visited with them, Matt warmed up Hotdogs and sliced apples and got out carrots for the kids for lunch.

We cleaned out the fridge to eat up leftovers for dinner. Then to end the evening I told the kids that if they got the toys all picked up and put away we could get out our drawing paper and pencils and watch a “How to Draw” video on YouTube.

Before I went to bed that night, I put one of the pork roasts into a crock pot to cook all night. We woke up Saturday morning to a delicious smell and I turned it into Pulled Pork for our Sunday evening meal.

Friends came over to spend several hours with us on Saturday. They brought Rotisserie Chicken from Sam’s and fruit. I steamed broccoli and buttered some rolls. This visit was so rich and encouraging.

For dinner that night I boiled some 5-Cheese Tortelloni from Sam’s which we ate plain (little kids) or with spaghetti sauce (the rest of us). This is such a great “cheat” meal to make when we want a night off from cooking!

And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: December 10-16, 2023

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: December 10-16 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: December 10-16, 2023

Sunday we were blessed to have friends join us for lunch after church – a precious family of five that we have known for many years. Living in Lincoln with them now is a huge blessing so that we can worship and spend time together.

I made a Spiral Cut Ham, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans. Their family brought Salad, Cucumbers, Cornbread Muffins, Brownies, and a Trifle. It was an amazing feast!

When our kitchen looks like this, it is my favorite. I will stare at this photo and praise God for all He’s given.

We visited and the kids played a good part of the afternoon. Then I turned some of the leftovers into casseroles. I used leftover ham to make an Easy Egg Casserole and put it into the freezer for Christmas morning. Then I made two Ham and Hashbrown Casseroles – one for us to eat this week and one to give to a mom who just had her first baby.

At dinnertime, we finished off some of the side dishes from lunch along with Roasted Chicken. After we got the kids to bed, Matt finished getting all the chicken off the bones. Throughout the week, we can have easy chicken meals, plus I can make broth with the bones!

Monday morning Eva came over to help with the kids. I took BabyBoy#11 to a WIC appointment. Then I was blessed to spend two entire hours visiting with my friend Charlene – a rare and awesome treat!

Monday evening, Brayden had a Ukulele Concert so I made a big pan of Cheesy Chicken and Rice (this recipe but with chicken instead of beef) so we could have an early dinner before his performance.

Most of us were able to watch his concert and he was so excited (and nervous) that so many were there!

Justus and Kelsey surprised him with flowers afterward. :)

Here’s our crazy concert crew:

Tuesday after breakfast I used the chicken bones from Sunday night’s chicken to make a big pot of broth.

Keith and Anna had home visits from their preschool teachers that morning. Then as soon as all the littles went down for naps that afternoon, I headed out by myself to shop at Costco. I got a few more Christmas gifts plus milk, fruits and veggies, olive oil, chicken nuggets, diapers, and a few other needed items.

I got home just in time to unload the van and then pick up Brayden and Kiya to head to the Food Distribution where we help hand out food each Tuesday afternoon. I had used the last of Phyllis’ pulled pork to make BBQ Pork Melts, which Matt and Elias baked at dinnertime. So we got home and ate them along with leftover potatoes and fresh spinach.

Wednesday morning I used leftover ham from Sunday to make Ham and Cheesy Eggs and then let the kids choose a bread item. (We almost always bring home quite a bit of bread leftovers from the Tuesday Food Distribution.) That day we had a couple varieties of loaf bread plus bagels and Cranberry Orange Muffins.

Our morning was full of appointments and meetings. As we were getting kids dressed, Keith requested to comb Acacia’s hair for her. I usually let the girls look at pictures on my phone while I brush their hair (to keep them still) and Matt was able to capture this sweet sibling moment. Acacia actually let Keith brush her hair for quite a while!

I had a lot of tortillas from Azure Standard in our freezer and I wanted to make a big batch of these Burritos, so for lunch I made a Burrito Bar so that I could the leftovers to put together freezer burritos.

For dinner that night I used the chicken broth I’d made on Tuesday to make a pot of Chicken Noodle Soup (with spaghetti noodles since that’s what I had on hand). I also made a blender full of these smoothies because I had a lot of greens in the fridge to use up.

Justus had come over to give Brayden a piano lesson so he grabbed a bowl of soup too.

I was going to get out a Christmas craft for the kids to work on that evening, but I discovered a wrestling match that then turned into an I Spy game with Daddy. And before we knew it, it was bedtime. :)

Thursday evening we had signed up to deliver a meal to friends who just had a baby. So we decided that we would eat an early dinner, load everyone up to look at Christmas lights since we needed to head out to drop off food.

Brayden saw what we were having and asked if he could make dinner. Yup! From start to finish, he made our Orange Chicken and Steamed Broccoli. (This may not seem like a big deal for an almost-10-year-old. But for this guy, it is a very big deal and we are so thankful he has come so far as to do something like this.)

Meanwhile, I pulled out some frozen Christmas cookies to frost and decorate for the new parents we were delivering food to. Following these methods of making cookies with kids is sooooo helpful and this night proved it! The cookies were already rolled out, cut out, and baked. All we had to do was frost and sprinkle. Kiya loved helping me with this job and wanted to know who else we could make food for. :)

After we ate Brayden’s delicious dinner, Matt loaded all of the littles while I finished putting together the meal we were going to deliver: Ham and Hashbrown Casserole, Steamed Broccoli, Grapes, and Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies.

After we dropped off the food we found fun neighborhoods with lots of Christmas lights to enjoy. When we got home, Elias had pulled up the Husker volleyball game – perfect timing! We won the game just in time to get the kids to bed. :)

Friday morning I made a loaf of bread worth of Eggs in a Nest. Kiya had requested them since I hadn’t made them in a while. Perfect!

That morning I also made a batch of Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins with some bananas that were turning black.

Putting the muffins into festive paper liners turns them into Christmas muffins!

We loaded all the kids up that morning to run errands. First stop: Trader Joe’s to look for a few gifts to put together for teachers, etc.

Keith got to push a kid-cart, which totally made his day!

After school that afternoon, Keith proudly pulled out an ornament he had made at school and wrapped by himself.

Look at who is learning to write his name!

That evening, we all put on our snuggly-est jammies and headed to church for a Christmas Pajama Party! The children’s ministry team did a wonderful job putting together a super fun evening for the kids. We had a great pizza meal.

We had a dance party.

A grinch and an elf showed up and started a “snowball fight” which was a huge hit!! Well, except for with Acacia and Josie who weren’t so sure what to think about the whole thing, haha.

More dancing!

There were crafts and a bingo game and a chocolate fountain – a WONDERFUL party that we all loved! Best of all, the kids were all jammied up and ready for bed as soon as we got home. :)

Saturday morning I set out the Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins  I had made the day before. I also baked the remainder of the box of bacon I had bought a few weeks ago. We had a few yogurt cups from Aldi so we finished those off too.

Mid-morning we loaded up snacks and kids and headed to the indoor play place at the zoo.

I had made a big bowl full of Tuna Salad so we could eat right away when we got home.

During naptime that day, we spent time getting ready for a Christmas party with some friends who were coming from out of town. Kiya set out fun Christmas plates and juice pouches.

Then the kids watched as I attempted to put together Santa Bananas. Hahahaha, you got me, Pinterest. We were all giggling the entire time I was putting these together – especially every time I tried squirting the whipped cream onto the Santa hats and into Santa beards. The whipped cream didn’t cooperate very well.

Oh – and then the red M&Ms started to bleed so by the time we served these, Santa had quite the bloody nose. Sorry ol’ fella. It was FUN though and I’m glad we tried these. Good luck if you decide to try too. :) :) :)

We set out a buffet of Hotdogs, veggies, and other fruit to go along with our Santa Bananas.

Justus and Kelsey came over to help, thankfully! Altogether there were 8 adults and 16 kids. Was it loud? Do you even have to ask? But look at this precious, full table…

After dinner, we all loaded up in our cars/vans and drove around to enjoy Christmas lights. When we came home, Matt and Justus had popcorn ready and then Justus and Kelsey helped serve Hot Cocoa to go with it.

What a night! Matt had already bathed four of the kids earlier while I was working on the infamous Santa Bananas. Kelsey threw two of the girls into the tub after Hot Cocoa. Our guests headed out and we tucked everyone into bed after a fun time together!

And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: December 3-9, 2023

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: December 3-9, 2023 post…

Big Family Food and Fun: December 3-9, 2023

Sunday before we left for church, I put a huge Lasagna  into the oven to bake plus made a pot of buttered corn and buttered hoagie buns to warm up later,  (The day before, I’d made a bunch of lasagnas to try and get ahead.)

We invited another family to come over and eat with us, plus all of our older kids came, plus one of our kids’ friends.

Altogether there were 21 people who ate, which made our pan of Lasagna look like this by the end of the meal. It was an awesome time!

For dinner that night, I made a big pot of Chili. I froze the leftovers so we can have an easy meal another day.

Monday, we had “leftover breakfast.” Leftover Warm Vanilla Soother, leftover Breakfast Sandwiches, and leftover  Flourless Chocolate Banana Muffins. With blueberries and yogurt.

Eva came over to help with kids and I took Keith to the dentist for a checkup. He did awesome!

When we got home, I sliced apples and served them with peanut butter and sprinkled cinnamon for a snack. We ended up going through five apples for four kids. It hit the spot!

Having Eva’s help meant I had extra time and hands! So I took advantage and made Mudballs (x5) and Snickerdoodle Bites (x8). These are some of our favorite snacks.

We were out of baby carrots so in the late afternoon while dinner was cooking, Keith helped peel carrots so I could make carrot sticks.

For dinner that night, I boiled two pounds of whole grain angel hair pasts and stirred in a container of white queso from Costco along with a little bit of milk. Then I added diced ham. It was so good! We ate it with leftover peas.

During the evening we got out some craft kits to keep the kids busy. We started by making Reindeer Hats. Then we wore those while making Sticker Cards with Christmas scenes.

Even this guy got to be a Reindeer!

We gave up on gathering all 9 kids for a picture (our 7 plus two friends). But here’s what we managed to get. You can’t hear it through the screen, but you should know that this picture is LOUD. ;)

Ah, here’s another Reindeer.

Tuesday I didn’t get many pictures. We had Scrambled Cheesy Eggs for breakfast with fruit then cheese/crackers/avocado cups for lunch. I picked Brayden and Kiya up from school and headed to our Food Distribution site to help hand out food.

The kids have become great at helping vacuum after the giveaway ends…

We got to help ourselves to some of the leftover items – mostly bread, rolls, and buns but also some greens, fruit, and sweet potatoes.


One of our housemates treated us all to Costco pizza and salad for dinner that night! (This was all that was left after we all enjoyed four large pizzas.)

Wednesday morning I used some of the biscuits we’d been given at the food distribution and made Sausage Gravy to surprise Matt. (Biscuits and gravy is a favorite meal for him.) The kids had biscuits with butter and jelly plus clementines.

They were still hungry and I didn’t want to fill them with more empty carbs so I got out last week’s Crustless Cheesecakes for them.

In the midst of fixing breakfast plates and taking kids potty, I started a big pot of broth for our dinner that night.

We loaded up all seven littles, dropped Brayden and Kiya at school, then took the other five to Wal-mart for a few essentials. Somewhere between the girl’s clothing and picture frames, one of the girls peed her pants. This picture does not accurately share how much pee was on the cart and floor.

Clean up on aisle nine!

We got it cleaned up, changed her into new leggings that I was planning to buy anyway, got some groceries, and headed back out to the van. PHEW. (Have I mentioned lately that Matt is a rock-star dad??)

Our dear friend Phyllis came all the way to Lincoln to visit us that afternoon. She is one of our biggest prayer warriors, a huge support, and precious encourager. She always spoils us with her delicious cooking and baking when she comes. I texted this picture of our favorite Phyllis cookies to Malachi saying, “Guess who’s here??” He was like, “No way! ON MY WAY!” He loves Phyllis. We all love Phyllis.

Here are some of the littles hanging out in the kitchen later while I finished making dinner.

I used that morning’s broth to make Beef and Noodles (like this except with beef. and store bought noodles). We had loads of veggies in our soup broth – such a great way to guzzle down nourishment!

Thursday morning I made two loaves worth of French Toast like this plus four pans of bacon. Having this big box of bacon that I scored on sale a couple weeks ago has been SO NICE!

I have loved the ease of these Flourless Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins, so I experimented with making Flourless Banana Muffins (without the chocolate). They turned out ok but I’m going to make some tweaks to make them a little bit better. Then I’ll share the recipe with you!

Thursday night we warmed up Pulled Pork that Phyllis had made and brought to us. It was delicious with corn, spinach, and fries.

Friday evening our church had a Christmas party. Then a friend of mine and I snuck out to go to our monthly Adoptive Moms Support Group. THEN, Saturday morning our church hosted a lovely Christmas Brunch for ladies. It was all so much fun and so very good. But I was too busy enjoying it and didn’t get many pictures.

Before leaving for the brunch on Saturday morning, we made pancakes and sausage. I had helpers and a fit thrower, but we got the job done.

Eva dropped off Asa to help Matt with kids, then I hopped in with Eva to head to the brunch. Before leaving I made a bowl of Chicken Salad and Asa was using it to make the kids sandwiches when we got back. I made a blender full of these Smoothies to finish off lunch.

For dinner that night I made 5 Cheese Tortelloni with sauce, plus Garlic Butter Shrimp, steamed broccoli, and Caesar salad. It was a great feast – and super easy to make.

I had an idea to make these cookies with the kids and maybe watch a Christmas show, but then we turned on the Husker Volleyball game and really enjoyed watching that instead. The game ended just in time for us to give kids baths before bed. Here are the three littlest girls with clean and braided hair at bedtime. :)

And that was our week!

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