I'm pretty sure it's the same around the US, but here where I live they have certain days that a local church will have a "FoodShare" - where families or anyone, actually, can go and get food for free if they need it.
This is the second time we've been blessed by this - they allow families to come once per month. Today I brought 4 of my kids & waited about 15 minutes until they called my number - then received such a bounty, I am so excited! Especially because DH doesn't get paid until the 10th and we're down to bare bones in our budget for groceries. Next time we go we'll be a family of "9" instead of "8" so will receive even more - it's amazing!
The best part is that we got many things that we need AND things that we'd love to have, but don't have the money for. Some of it I'm like BLEH - but I know that I can get creative with it to make tasty meals for my family. Here's what we received:
2lb Pinto Beans
2lb white Rice
1 Box of cheerios
2 peanut butter jars
1 jar of mayonnaise
1 vegetable oil
1 big can of tuna
4 cans of refried beans
2 big cans of pork meat
5lb flour
6 packages Top Ramen
2 boxes macaroni & cheese
big bag frozen carrots
big bag frozen green beans
5lb potatoes
big bag potato instant flakes
big container orange juice
2 containers of milk
20 packets of Tylenol
1lb sausage
2 packages of bologna
4 cans green beans
1 medium can of beef stew
2 cans of tomato sauce
6lb can of pears
1 yellow cake mix
I LOVE the challenge of putting together meals from what we have - and I have been enjoying the ginormous bags of staples I have purchased too: rice, beans, flour, oats. I see so many things I can make - I've been going through my old "Taste of Home" magazines and writing down the recipes I want to try. I love the advice I read from a seasoned mom of 14 a while back - not to plan out my meals and then buy what I need, but to buy the staples and THEN plan out my meals. It's working really well for our family so far, as long as I make sure to buy enough of those staples at the beginning of our paycheck period.
I took the three youngest + DD10 garage sale-ing today...that was fun! I have found that if I go with VERY low expectations (in other words, if we make it to two sales I'll be happy!) then it seems to go well. I found quite quickly that my tummy is heavier than I thought. So anything that had to do with leaning over I quickly decided to skip - although the little ones had so much fun going through the boxes of $.10 toys many sales have. I found a few things - nothing special, just things we need like sippy cups, pacifiers, shoes & a winter coat for Jack, coloring book for Marie, and some special treasures to put in my "treasure box".
The treasure box? It's pretty cool and has worked well for us.
Whenever I catch the children doing something good - like obeying the FIRST time, buckling baby Jack, helping another sibling, picking up their messes without being told - I put a "ticket" in a little jar with their name on it. When Friday comes around, I pick just one ticket and that person gets a special toy from the treasure box. I never let them see everything in the treasure box - I go get something out that I have gotten specifically for them when their name gets picked. So today I found a spider candle for DS8 (he's fascinated by candles and we'll often light them together at night), and a little stuffed turtle for DS6 (he collects little TY realistic looking animal beanie babies).
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Week 38: Day 6 ~ 9 days left!
It was really fun to reach that "10-day" mark yesterday. The final countdown...and even though I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it beyond week 40 like I always do, I'm at the point where it really could be any day now.
I'm trying not to let it, but this tooth pain is really getting to me. It's not bad all the time, thankfully, but it flares up every day at some point or other especially when I eat watermelon, like right now. It's like a dull ache that radiates from my jaw to the middle of my mouth, even though it's actually my wisdom tooth that is hurting. And yeah...I did have an appointment to have it pulled on Tuesday but the doctor pretty much refused to do it because I'm so far pregnant. He wanted permission from my "OB" which I don't have one, so that further complicated the situation. Never mind that it took me an hour to drive there one way, and lots of driving and coordinating babysitters for 7 kids (I was watching my niece). Really, really frustrating BUT - once I got home, I did the bills and turns out....we would have been overdrawn in our checking if I had indeed went through with the $185 procedure of having the tooth pulled. So maybe a good thing? Maybe.
So - for now, I've got an appointment for August 15th to get it pulled and hopefully I can hang in there until then. (Except that I'll have a brand new baby so...not so fun) I'm just really worried it's going to flare up REALLY bad like my other tooth did a while back, where I was practically screaming with the pain for sleepless nights on end. Ugh - but at the same time......things could always be worse, so I'm going to focus on the positive. Hey, maybe the pain will detract from the birthing pain! LOL you never know...at least for now, it distracts me somewhat from the aches & pains of being so far along. I've been trying to hold off on the Tylenol but I had to take some just now.
Speaking of which - while it IS fun to be able to say "only 9 days left" - it is NOT so fun to actually BE in this position. The baby is all arms & limbs apparently, jabbing me here & there, especially in the cervix which is ouch, painful. But not often, thank goodness. I am a TRUE waddler now, and I don't even care - the baby is so far down sitting on my pelvis that I can't really even put my legs together when walking even if I wanted to.
I'm happy about my weight, still holding steady at 160 - but it's not because of anything I've been doing. I've been doing my best to eat all raw until about 1pm, then I eat whatever I want until about 7pm, then nothing else for the rest of the night. It seems to be working OK obviously, since I'm not gaining - I was actually shocked to see that I was still at 160 this morning. I fully expected to be about 167 because of how much NOT raw I've been eating, honestly, but maybe at the end of the pregnancy weight gain slows down? Who knows.
Another thing that is interesting, is that I'm leaning so much more towards self pity these days! It's like I think "I shouldn't have to do this", meaning housework and such, because I'm so far along and so uncomfortable bending over and everything. But I'm really working to go against that whole mindset because who suffers? My family, and of course me, because I have to do it anyway and then I'm just more grumpy than normal.
So on that note, I'm going to head on over to the ever-growing mountain of clean laundry on the couch and finish up 2 full loads. That'll leave 2 more full loads to do tomorrow because....I still have to clean both bathrooms today. And also work on taxes, which we were supposed to have had sent in already this week.
The GOOD thing is - I've already made 2 pizza's for dinner so that's taken care of, except for the chicken which is cooking in the crockpot, to be shredded later and put on the pizza's. I made Ranch Chicken Broccoli and BBQ Chicken Cheese - yum! It's weird, I've totally been on a cooking kick lately. Last night I made a big lasagna, citrus spinach salad, lemon squares, and THE best Amish white bread with garlic herb spread on it, then broiled. DH kept saying the meal was "the bomb" and the best part was that everyone liked it! That always makes it worth it - but I did spend kind of alot of time in the kitchen, much to the detriment of the chores waiting for me that never did end up getting done. =( And, I ate too many lemon squares....I love that tangy taste for some reason. But paid for it in heartburn all last night.
I found out that the free summer lunch program for kids 1-18 has already started in the schools around us. In previous years I've found it to be too much work to drag the kids out at noon to go eat lunch, but not this year. Now that I've got six kids that eat FULL meals (Jack eats an entire sandwich, every lunch!) we go through an entire loaf of bread every day for lunch. So it's been wonderful the past three days to bring them to the school and have all the mess, food, etc taken care of for FREE! No, they don't serve the most nutritious meals but they do include fruit & veggies so that's a plus. This is going to really help with our food budget this summer, too, especially since I'm not doing coupons anymore.
OK that's enough sitting & chatting - I need to scoot on over to the couch now. =)
I'm trying not to let it, but this tooth pain is really getting to me. It's not bad all the time, thankfully, but it flares up every day at some point or other especially when I eat watermelon, like right now. It's like a dull ache that radiates from my jaw to the middle of my mouth, even though it's actually my wisdom tooth that is hurting. And yeah...I did have an appointment to have it pulled on Tuesday but the doctor pretty much refused to do it because I'm so far pregnant. He wanted permission from my "OB" which I don't have one, so that further complicated the situation. Never mind that it took me an hour to drive there one way, and lots of driving and coordinating babysitters for 7 kids (I was watching my niece). Really, really frustrating BUT - once I got home, I did the bills and turns out....we would have been overdrawn in our checking if I had indeed went through with the $185 procedure of having the tooth pulled. So maybe a good thing? Maybe.
So - for now, I've got an appointment for August 15th to get it pulled and hopefully I can hang in there until then. (Except that I'll have a brand new baby so...not so fun) I'm just really worried it's going to flare up REALLY bad like my other tooth did a while back, where I was practically screaming with the pain for sleepless nights on end. Ugh - but at the same time......things could always be worse, so I'm going to focus on the positive. Hey, maybe the pain will detract from the birthing pain! LOL you never know...at least for now, it distracts me somewhat from the aches & pains of being so far along. I've been trying to hold off on the Tylenol but I had to take some just now.
Speaking of which - while it IS fun to be able to say "only 9 days left" - it is NOT so fun to actually BE in this position. The baby is all arms & limbs apparently, jabbing me here & there, especially in the cervix which is ouch, painful. But not often, thank goodness. I am a TRUE waddler now, and I don't even care - the baby is so far down sitting on my pelvis that I can't really even put my legs together when walking even if I wanted to.
I'm happy about my weight, still holding steady at 160 - but it's not because of anything I've been doing. I've been doing my best to eat all raw until about 1pm, then I eat whatever I want until about 7pm, then nothing else for the rest of the night. It seems to be working OK obviously, since I'm not gaining - I was actually shocked to see that I was still at 160 this morning. I fully expected to be about 167 because of how much NOT raw I've been eating, honestly, but maybe at the end of the pregnancy weight gain slows down? Who knows.
Another thing that is interesting, is that I'm leaning so much more towards self pity these days! It's like I think "I shouldn't have to do this", meaning housework and such, because I'm so far along and so uncomfortable bending over and everything. But I'm really working to go against that whole mindset because who suffers? My family, and of course me, because I have to do it anyway and then I'm just more grumpy than normal.
So on that note, I'm going to head on over to the ever-growing mountain of clean laundry on the couch and finish up 2 full loads. That'll leave 2 more full loads to do tomorrow because....I still have to clean both bathrooms today. And also work on taxes, which we were supposed to have had sent in already this week.
The GOOD thing is - I've already made 2 pizza's for dinner so that's taken care of, except for the chicken which is cooking in the crockpot, to be shredded later and put on the pizza's. I made Ranch Chicken Broccoli and BBQ Chicken Cheese - yum! It's weird, I've totally been on a cooking kick lately. Last night I made a big lasagna, citrus spinach salad, lemon squares, and THE best Amish white bread with garlic herb spread on it, then broiled. DH kept saying the meal was "the bomb" and the best part was that everyone liked it! That always makes it worth it - but I did spend kind of alot of time in the kitchen, much to the detriment of the chores waiting for me that never did end up getting done. =( And, I ate too many lemon squares....I love that tangy taste for some reason. But paid for it in heartburn all last night.
I found out that the free summer lunch program for kids 1-18 has already started in the schools around us. In previous years I've found it to be too much work to drag the kids out at noon to go eat lunch, but not this year. Now that I've got six kids that eat FULL meals (Jack eats an entire sandwich, every lunch!) we go through an entire loaf of bread every day for lunch. So it's been wonderful the past three days to bring them to the school and have all the mess, food, etc taken care of for FREE! No, they don't serve the most nutritious meals but they do include fruit & veggies so that's a plus. This is going to really help with our food budget this summer, too, especially since I'm not doing coupons anymore.
OK that's enough sitting & chatting - I need to scoot on over to the couch now. =)
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Week 37: Day 5 ~ My Little De-stresser Secret
Wanna' know my secret to avoiding the before dinner chaos? I've had some really rough days this week, but yesterday was such a nice change. I really don't function well with chaos, especially when the house is spiraling out of control and I absolutely do. not. want. to. clean. I tend to bury my head in a book, laying on my bed and justifying this because, after all, I AM almost full term pregnant. Yeah right, like that's gonna' fly for one minute with so many littles creating their own messes left & right.
So.
Yesterday I decided - I am going to make it my goal to have dinner completely READY TO EAT by 5pm. DH typically comes home between 6-6:45 every night, so that's when we eat - but it's that period between 5-6pm when I realize that the house still is a mess, the kids are HUNGRY, and crying in the kitchen pulling on my leg and I am still not exactly sure what to make for dinner. Either that, or I decided at about 4pm what to make, but it's one of those things that for some reason keeps getting delayed due to potty training emergencies, and lots of last minute cleaning to do before Daddy gets home.
So yesterday was so so so nice!! I had the best day - and it wasn't that everything was so hunky-dory that I had no trials or temptations to be irritated at all. In fact, I was making a potato & ham stew and all was ready except for the ham. It was sitting on a plate in big chunks waiting to be diced, when Marie (3) asked if she could have some. I said yes, thinking in my head that meant "one" chunk, and ran to the bathroom real quick.
When I came back, 3/4 of the ham was on the carpet (can you say gross? Hairs? Fuzz?) because Marie was trying to carry the entire plate "Is this mine, Mommy?!!" so excitedly to the table. Oops. After a quick rinse, all was well, but for a minute there I was like grrrrr, why is this happening??? Um, duh - so I can find my own selfish demands and deal with them.
But anyway, despite little incidents like that which I know we ALL have each day dealing with the children, by the time DH came home at 6pm, the stew & warm homemade rolls along with sticky gooey cinnamon rolls for dessert were completely ready and warming in the oven. The house was clean & sparkling - he even commented on it, which means it wasn't just my imagination. =) It felt SO good to be leisurely able to sit down with the family without being all hot and sweaty and trying to calm my nerves after an hour of rush, rush, rush.
So, that's my secret. Right now it is a little past noon and the crockpot is simmering with an herb pot roast, and the french bread is cooking in the bread machine. After the babies go down for naps and lunch is finished & I'm done blogging, I'm going to start marinating the Herbed Roasted Potato Wedges to round out the meal.
I have to say that I really, really love made-from-scratch cooking. I love making yummy as-nutritious-as-I-can meals for my family, nourishing them in the body. It's fun and challenging to find new recipes that sound really good and then, to use my creative juices to turn leftovers into another meal for the next day somehow. I especially love the time around the dinner table as the children take turns sharing one special/fun thing they did that day. Several of them look forward to it so much - and it creates a warm time of togetherness that we don't usually have throughout the day especially with Daddy there.
I'm also LOVING the summer vacation so far!!! I have to admit I was a little uncertain as to how it would go with all the children at home - I usually have 3 in school for most of the day, and 3 at home. I was mostly nervous about messes and the ability to keep the house clean and being this pregnant - but you know what? The RELIEF at not having to leave the house 3x per day has been sooooo relaxing and nice!! Now I can spend my mornings doing whatever I need to without always keeping one eye on the clock and knowing that time is, once again, totally flying by with barely anything getting done. It's super nice to be able to go take a nap at 2pm, knowing I don't have to be up & out the door with all the kiddos by 3pm to get them at school.
(Side note - after I wrote this, they all started to fight and tease and.....yeah, I might be changing my mind about the summer vacation. LOL. I think I'm going to implement the old rule: if you tease, whine, say you're bored, or don't obey - I'll find a job for you to do. =)
On another note, my wisdom tooth has flared up and is now infected down in the roots. Lovely, eh? This is a different one than the root canal I had last week that was causing me such extreme pain. I've had the worst time with toothaches - I've been in some form of mouth pain for the past 2 months. So...I have a choice. Either I get the tooth pulled now, before the baby comes, or I just live with it for the next 2 months. I don't really relish the thought of a toothache while going through labor - right now I can't even chew because the tooth is swollen and very tender to the touch. Even after I eat something as mushy as watermelon the pain is fairly intense for about 30 minutes afterwards. Sometimes at night I'll chomp my teeth together in my sleep and the pain of it sends shocks throughout my body and wakes me up with my heart pounding.
Not that any of this is interesting to you, lol, but it's just what is going on in my life so - I blog about it. My appointment to get the tooth pulled is on Tuesday in a city an hour away, and that will be just 10 days before my baby is due. Hopefully I'll be either on time or late with this baby, so that my mouth will have time to heal completely. I know well the lack of sleep that is coming with the arrival of this wee one, and it would be really dumb to have mouth pain keeping me up as well.
So.
Yesterday I decided - I am going to make it my goal to have dinner completely READY TO EAT by 5pm. DH typically comes home between 6-6:45 every night, so that's when we eat - but it's that period between 5-6pm when I realize that the house still is a mess, the kids are HUNGRY, and crying in the kitchen pulling on my leg and I am still not exactly sure what to make for dinner. Either that, or I decided at about 4pm what to make, but it's one of those things that for some reason keeps getting delayed due to potty training emergencies, and lots of last minute cleaning to do before Daddy gets home.
So yesterday was so so so nice!! I had the best day - and it wasn't that everything was so hunky-dory that I had no trials or temptations to be irritated at all. In fact, I was making a potato & ham stew and all was ready except for the ham. It was sitting on a plate in big chunks waiting to be diced, when Marie (3) asked if she could have some. I said yes, thinking in my head that meant "one" chunk, and ran to the bathroom real quick.
When I came back, 3/4 of the ham was on the carpet (can you say gross? Hairs? Fuzz?) because Marie was trying to carry the entire plate "Is this mine, Mommy?!!" so excitedly to the table. Oops. After a quick rinse, all was well, but for a minute there I was like grrrrr, why is this happening??? Um, duh - so I can find my own selfish demands and deal with them.
But anyway, despite little incidents like that which I know we ALL have each day dealing with the children, by the time DH came home at 6pm, the stew & warm homemade rolls along with sticky gooey cinnamon rolls for dessert were completely ready and warming in the oven. The house was clean & sparkling - he even commented on it, which means it wasn't just my imagination. =) It felt SO good to be leisurely able to sit down with the family without being all hot and sweaty and trying to calm my nerves after an hour of rush, rush, rush.
So, that's my secret. Right now it is a little past noon and the crockpot is simmering with an herb pot roast, and the french bread is cooking in the bread machine. After the babies go down for naps and lunch is finished & I'm done blogging, I'm going to start marinating the Herbed Roasted Potato Wedges to round out the meal.
I have to say that I really, really love made-from-scratch cooking. I love making yummy as-nutritious-as-I-can meals for my family, nourishing them in the body. It's fun and challenging to find new recipes that sound really good and then, to use my creative juices to turn leftovers into another meal for the next day somehow. I especially love the time around the dinner table as the children take turns sharing one special/fun thing they did that day. Several of them look forward to it so much - and it creates a warm time of togetherness that we don't usually have throughout the day especially with Daddy there.
I'm also LOVING the summer vacation so far!!! I have to admit I was a little uncertain as to how it would go with all the children at home - I usually have 3 in school for most of the day, and 3 at home. I was mostly nervous about messes and the ability to keep the house clean and being this pregnant - but you know what? The RELIEF at not having to leave the house 3x per day has been sooooo relaxing and nice!! Now I can spend my mornings doing whatever I need to without always keeping one eye on the clock and knowing that time is, once again, totally flying by with barely anything getting done. It's super nice to be able to go take a nap at 2pm, knowing I don't have to be up & out the door with all the kiddos by 3pm to get them at school.
(Side note - after I wrote this, they all started to fight and tease and.....yeah, I might be changing my mind about the summer vacation. LOL. I think I'm going to implement the old rule: if you tease, whine, say you're bored, or don't obey - I'll find a job for you to do. =)
On another note, my wisdom tooth has flared up and is now infected down in the roots. Lovely, eh? This is a different one than the root canal I had last week that was causing me such extreme pain. I've had the worst time with toothaches - I've been in some form of mouth pain for the past 2 months. So...I have a choice. Either I get the tooth pulled now, before the baby comes, or I just live with it for the next 2 months. I don't really relish the thought of a toothache while going through labor - right now I can't even chew because the tooth is swollen and very tender to the touch. Even after I eat something as mushy as watermelon the pain is fairly intense for about 30 minutes afterwards. Sometimes at night I'll chomp my teeth together in my sleep and the pain of it sends shocks throughout my body and wakes me up with my heart pounding.
Not that any of this is interesting to you, lol, but it's just what is going on in my life so - I blog about it. My appointment to get the tooth pulled is on Tuesday in a city an hour away, and that will be just 10 days before my baby is due. Hopefully I'll be either on time or late with this baby, so that my mouth will have time to heal completely. I know well the lack of sleep that is coming with the arrival of this wee one, and it would be really dumb to have mouth pain keeping me up as well.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Week 37: Day 1 ~ 3 weeks left!
Being pregnant in the summer is HARD!!!! There is so much I want to do --- especially picking fresh produce from the farm this summer because our income is extremely tight and I'm struggling to feed my family good meals on less money. But I'm finding that my energy is limited as well as my physical ability to do things - so it is ALL I can to just to keep up with the housework and the needs of my family - running errands, church, cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, etc.......there's no room for extra things like picking produce.
Waaaaaaaah wah wah. But the truth is - I really am so happy right now. I do love my life so much! I think it's just sort of this impending "thing" that is hanging over me with the birth looming and feeling kind of unsure as to my own strength and what I can do, in these last weeks. Also of course, wondering how it will go with a natural birth again....knowing how painful it was last time but also how GLAD I was afterwards to feel so good as opposed to how I felt after the epidural.
Right now I just want the next two months to be over with so that I can start life "afresh" and be the Mom & wife I want to be. It's hard to be restrained like this by my own body when there is so much my active mind wants to do. And then I'm going to enter into the sleepless nights stage......which WILL be precious time spent with my little newborn (oh yes, I am soooo looking forward to the uninterrupted quiet of the nights with my little snugglebug!), but not so easy to take care of the rest of the family during the day.
I am so thankful to have a good friend of ours coming to help us during the month of July ~ it gives me so much peace to think that my home will be taken care of and I'll be free to heal/sleep as needed. She'll be coming at 8am and staying long enough to make dinner every weekday for the entire month of July. (Nights & weekends DH will be here) Since I'm due on the 5th, that should take care of the immediate postpartum crisis that is always very hard for me to juggle new baby (nursing, healing, sleeplessness, getting to know this particular little one) + still meet the needs of the family. Last time I depended on DH way too much, not that he shouldn't help, but he needs to be free to at least go to work and provide for our family during the week instead of dealing with/being hindered by a crying/distraught/exhausted (trying-to-do-it-all) wife and having to cancel important meetings. LOL.
WEEKLY WEIGH-IN
Pre-pregnancy weight: 127
Weeks 8-15: 130/140
Weeks 16-20: 144/150
Weeks 21-25: 152/153
Week 26-30: 153/156
Week 31: 161 (started 30-day raw challenge)
Week 32: 156
Week 33: 154
Week 36: 158
Week 37: 159
Waaaaaaaah wah wah. But the truth is - I really am so happy right now. I do love my life so much! I think it's just sort of this impending "thing" that is hanging over me with the birth looming and feeling kind of unsure as to my own strength and what I can do, in these last weeks. Also of course, wondering how it will go with a natural birth again....knowing how painful it was last time but also how GLAD I was afterwards to feel so good as opposed to how I felt after the epidural.
Right now I just want the next two months to be over with so that I can start life "afresh" and be the Mom & wife I want to be. It's hard to be restrained like this by my own body when there is so much my active mind wants to do. And then I'm going to enter into the sleepless nights stage......which WILL be precious time spent with my little newborn (oh yes, I am soooo looking forward to the uninterrupted quiet of the nights with my little snugglebug!), but not so easy to take care of the rest of the family during the day.
I am so thankful to have a good friend of ours coming to help us during the month of July ~ it gives me so much peace to think that my home will be taken care of and I'll be free to heal/sleep as needed. She'll be coming at 8am and staying long enough to make dinner every weekday for the entire month of July. (Nights & weekends DH will be here) Since I'm due on the 5th, that should take care of the immediate postpartum crisis that is always very hard for me to juggle new baby (nursing, healing, sleeplessness, getting to know this particular little one) + still meet the needs of the family. Last time I depended on DH way too much, not that he shouldn't help, but he needs to be free to at least go to work and provide for our family during the week instead of dealing with/being hindered by a crying/distraught/exhausted (trying-to-do-it-all) wife and having to cancel important meetings. LOL.
WEEKLY WEIGH-IN
Pre-pregnancy weight: 127
Weeks 8-15: 130/140
Weeks 16-20: 144/150
Weeks 21-25: 152/153
Week 26-30: 153/156
Week 31: 161 (started 30-day raw challenge)
Week 32: 156
Week 33: 154
Week 36: 158
Week 37: 159
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
I made my first pot of beans!
I've been wanting to do this for a while, knowing how much we *love* Mexican food and all of the other things you can do with pinto beans. My first choice is black beans but I can't seem to find them in bulk at Costco. So last night even though it was 11:00 I decided to just *do* it. After sorting them, I dumped a bunch in a pot and filled it up with water a good 2" above the top of the beans.
In the morning, I rinsed and simmered the beans with one big potato buried in them (cuts down on the gas). After draining the beans & removing the potato, I added two heads of roasted garlic, some vegetable oil, and salt. Yum, I thought - and tasted them. YUCK! I had tripled the recipe I was using so I thought I needed to also triple the salt. It was barely tolerable, definitely not something that was going to fly under the radar when I fed my family bean & cheese burritos tonight. Darn it!
I was determined to "fix" the problem somehow, so I let it simmer for about 1/2 an hour with another peeled potato, but that didn't really do much. So....I decided fine, change of program. We'll have soup tonight! I'd read about "leftovers soup" you can make but have never tried a hodge-podge bunch of stuff.
So - my little experiment. I dumped in the crockpot:
2 cups of water + 2 chicken buillion
3 cups of leftover flavored rice + 1 chix breast shredded from last night's dinner
4 cups of salty beans
1 can of stewed tomatoes w/onion, garlic, green pepper - blended this first
2 cups of frozen corn
The result? YUMMO! It now has the perfect blend of salt + the flavors of the tomato really come out and mix with the rice, beans, and corn. I don't have grand imaginations that my kids are going to squeal with glee when given this for dinner, lol, but at least to my taste buds it is perfect. Hopefully, even better as it simmers a bit more in the crockpot before dinner.
DH & I are going to a young couple's dinner at our church tonight, so I have a babysitter feeding them dinner. Hmmm...should be interesting. To balance things out a bit, I also made some raspberry jello with mandarin oranges. Yesterday we went strawberry picking so once it gels a bit more, I'm going to put sliced strawberries on the top and sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles. Maybe that will help even out the playing field for those kids who hate any type of soup, lol.
I am, however, excited about the beans! The roasted garlic gave it kind of a "gourmet" taste that I probably won't do again, it's a little too strange of a taste for the kids, I think. But the simple pinto beans recipe with just water & salt should serve our family very well. Dave Ramsey always says to live on "Beans and Rice" when you're trying to pay off debt. He doesn't mean it literally, but those two are some of the cheapest staple foods (as well as potatoes) that I plan to utilyze in the future. It's fun learning how to make "boring" food tasty! =)
In the morning, I rinsed and simmered the beans with one big potato buried in them (cuts down on the gas). After draining the beans & removing the potato, I added two heads of roasted garlic, some vegetable oil, and salt. Yum, I thought - and tasted them. YUCK! I had tripled the recipe I was using so I thought I needed to also triple the salt. It was barely tolerable, definitely not something that was going to fly under the radar when I fed my family bean & cheese burritos tonight. Darn it!
I was determined to "fix" the problem somehow, so I let it simmer for about 1/2 an hour with another peeled potato, but that didn't really do much. So....I decided fine, change of program. We'll have soup tonight! I'd read about "leftovers soup" you can make but have never tried a hodge-podge bunch of stuff.
So - my little experiment. I dumped in the crockpot:
2 cups of water + 2 chicken buillion
3 cups of leftover flavored rice + 1 chix breast shredded from last night's dinner
4 cups of salty beans
1 can of stewed tomatoes w/onion, garlic, green pepper - blended this first
2 cups of frozen corn
The result? YUMMO! It now has the perfect blend of salt + the flavors of the tomato really come out and mix with the rice, beans, and corn. I don't have grand imaginations that my kids are going to squeal with glee when given this for dinner, lol, but at least to my taste buds it is perfect. Hopefully, even better as it simmers a bit more in the crockpot before dinner.
DH & I are going to a young couple's dinner at our church tonight, so I have a babysitter feeding them dinner. Hmmm...should be interesting. To balance things out a bit, I also made some raspberry jello with mandarin oranges. Yesterday we went strawberry picking so once it gels a bit more, I'm going to put sliced strawberries on the top and sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles. Maybe that will help even out the playing field for those kids who hate any type of soup, lol.
I am, however, excited about the beans! The roasted garlic gave it kind of a "gourmet" taste that I probably won't do again, it's a little too strange of a taste for the kids, I think. But the simple pinto beans recipe with just water & salt should serve our family very well. Dave Ramsey always says to live on "Beans and Rice" when you're trying to pay off debt. He doesn't mean it literally, but those two are some of the cheapest staple foods (as well as potatoes) that I plan to utilyze in the future. It's fun learning how to make "boring" food tasty! =)
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Week 36: Day 1 ~ Getting slower....
Wow, this past couple of days I really noticed that things are getting slower for me! Today especially - DH took the three older kids to the state park to hike, and came back at around 4pm. Our church started at 6pm and at 5, I started realizing that we were not going to make it on time. DH told me he needed to take a shower but he was still out raking the grass at 5:10. In the house, the kids still needed fed, dressed, and the house needed a quick tidying - it really stresses me out to have it messy especially when we come home late at night.
I tried to get things started but my body wouldn't cooperate! I kept having these tight, out-of-breath type moments with Braxton Hicks contractions and I felt really overwhelmed. So I decided to just get the children ready and stay home with the little ones. I was feeling the typical stress of having to get everyone ready + myself and wishing DH would help but usually he just barely is able to get his own self ready in time to go.
Then, he surprised me!
I told him I wasn't going to go, and he didn't say anything except for, "Okay" and then gave me a hug, saying he would take all the kids with him (except the baby, who is a DOLL, perfect angel to take care of) so I could have a break. I was so blessed by that! So while they were gone I read the rest of my book, enjoyed my baby boy as he laughed and giggled when I played with him, then wandered off to play happily by himself for the rest of the time. I was able to get some computer work done, in between feeding the lil guy, and even got most of the housework done. They're still not back yet, but I'm taking a little break from getting the kitchen all cleaned up.
Eating-wise, I've been doing well! This is day 3 of eating raw, and I am super happy about that. Also, my weight has been pretty stable since I weighed last, fluctuating 2lbs or so depending on if I eat cooked or not.
Pre-pregnancy starting weight: 127
Weeks 8-15: 130/140
Weeks 16-20: 144/150
Weeks 21-25: 152/153
Week 26: 153
Week 27: 152
Week 28: 151
Week 29: 153
Week 30: 156
Week 31: 161 (started 30-day raw challenge)
Week 32: 156
Week 33: 154
Week 36: 158
I heard a car door slam...sounds like they're home! =)
I tried to get things started but my body wouldn't cooperate! I kept having these tight, out-of-breath type moments with Braxton Hicks contractions and I felt really overwhelmed. So I decided to just get the children ready and stay home with the little ones. I was feeling the typical stress of having to get everyone ready + myself and wishing DH would help but usually he just barely is able to get his own self ready in time to go.
Then, he surprised me!
I told him I wasn't going to go, and he didn't say anything except for, "Okay" and then gave me a hug, saying he would take all the kids with him (except the baby, who is a DOLL, perfect angel to take care of) so I could have a break. I was so blessed by that! So while they were gone I read the rest of my book, enjoyed my baby boy as he laughed and giggled when I played with him, then wandered off to play happily by himself for the rest of the time. I was able to get some computer work done, in between feeding the lil guy, and even got most of the housework done. They're still not back yet, but I'm taking a little break from getting the kitchen all cleaned up.
Eating-wise, I've been doing well! This is day 3 of eating raw, and I am super happy about that. Also, my weight has been pretty stable since I weighed last, fluctuating 2lbs or so depending on if I eat cooked or not.
Pre-pregnancy starting weight: 127
Weeks 8-15: 130/140
Weeks 16-20: 144/150
Weeks 21-25: 152/153
Week 26: 153
Week 27: 152
Week 28: 151
Week 29: 153
Week 30: 156
Week 31: 161 (started 30-day raw challenge)
Week 32: 156
Week 33: 154
Week 36: 158
I heard a car door slam...sounds like they're home! =)
Monday, June 01, 2009
Week 35: Day 2 ~ Frugality and the Strawberry Patch!
Today has been good for me. This morning I burst into tears when I couldn't find a straw for my green smoothie, if that tells you anything. LOL! I was really hungry and we were all headed out the door for school, and then lots of errands to run. We only have 2 straws in our house to use and DH takes one to work. I was so counting on that green smoothie to get me through the morning and we just don't have any extra to go buy more straws.
Since switching over to a different type of grocery shopping NOT using coupons I'm feeling quite disoriented and not sure how to go about this whole feeding a family of 8 thing. Our food budget is out of whack because instead of spending little amounts often at the grocery store, I'm spending big chunks once a week at Costco/Winco.
Thus, we currently have no food. Well, I take that back. We DO have "food" but not the bare essentials that you can create things with - like, we're out of eggs, lunchmeat, tortillas, milk, and have just a handful of bananas left. My brain is trying to wrap itself around what to make - and it's kind of interesting! And hard. We've been eating alot of peanut butter/jam sandwiches the past few days. DH doesn't get paid again until the 10th and we're down to about $50 left, period, for the next 10 days.
I find myself squirming under this kind of iron hand - like, there's got to be a way that we can figure out how to get more money. But then I ask myself - what is really, absolutely, NECESSARY and a NEED for us grocery-wise? I had to honestly sit back and take a look, and it was an interesting conversation to have with myself.
I dropped the kids off at school this morning and we headed to the local church who does food banks for needy families on certain days. I thought they were doing it today, but evidently not...it was all closed up. Another temptation to feel like everything is going against me today, but instead I started to sing one of our church songs..."Peace so wonderful, filled my heart...." and that really dealt a blow against the spirit of discouragement that wanted to come in.
We headed to Walmart and I prayed that God would give me wisdom with the money I had, to make the right purchases so I can create nourishing and comforting meals for my family. It's so crazy when you go in a place like that especially with two little girls who beg for whatever, with those big pleading eyes so innocent and full of excitement over what they just found. And also, there are things that can be bought that will stretch meals, or will be gobbled up immediately.
From Large Family Mothering's blog, I have found alot of help in the area of grocery shopping for a large family. Especially in this transition period going from coupons to bulk buying at warehouse type stores. I used some of her recommendations for graham crackers, mandarin oranges, & jello.
I carefully got little things that will add to our meals, yet aren't much money in the long run - canned black beans (although I do really want to learn how to make my own!), canned oranges, jello, mini marshmellows, graham crackers, eggs, muffin liners, milk, lunchmeat, and other things/produce we needed. One purchase I had on our list was a water squirt bottle - I use it when I lay in the sun to cool off and also when we fix our hair. It was interesting to see how I wrestled with that purchase - I've really been wanting a squirt bottle! Ever since one of the kids lost the straw on my other one a few weeks ago. But I had to really search myself and realize that it is not a need - and that extra $.97 would buy us another can of beans or something else that could be stretched into part of a meal.
I'm stocked up on lots of flour, rice, pinto beans (just have to learn how to make them!), potatoes, rolled oats, cheddar cheese...and now I've got eggs & milk too. The next task is to figure out exactly what I can make with all this and make it stretch for the next 10 days. I'm hoping to do alot of baking - but that too is becoming a challenge because the hours in the kitchen really wear me out now that the baby has dropped and is really making me uncomfortable at every turn. I have to use the time when I have energy wisely.
Since switching over to a different type of grocery shopping NOT using coupons I'm feeling quite disoriented and not sure how to go about this whole feeding a family of 8 thing. Our food budget is out of whack because instead of spending little amounts often at the grocery store, I'm spending big chunks once a week at Costco/Winco.
Thus, we currently have no food. Well, I take that back. We DO have "food" but not the bare essentials that you can create things with - like, we're out of eggs, lunchmeat, tortillas, milk, and have just a handful of bananas left. My brain is trying to wrap itself around what to make - and it's kind of interesting! And hard. We've been eating alot of peanut butter/jam sandwiches the past few days. DH doesn't get paid again until the 10th and we're down to about $50 left, period, for the next 10 days.
I find myself squirming under this kind of iron hand - like, there's got to be a way that we can figure out how to get more money. But then I ask myself - what is really, absolutely, NECESSARY and a NEED for us grocery-wise? I had to honestly sit back and take a look, and it was an interesting conversation to have with myself.
I dropped the kids off at school this morning and we headed to the local church who does food banks for needy families on certain days. I thought they were doing it today, but evidently not...it was all closed up. Another temptation to feel like everything is going against me today, but instead I started to sing one of our church songs..."Peace so wonderful, filled my heart...." and that really dealt a blow against the spirit of discouragement that wanted to come in.
We headed to Walmart and I prayed that God would give me wisdom with the money I had, to make the right purchases so I can create nourishing and comforting meals for my family. It's so crazy when you go in a place like that especially with two little girls who beg for whatever, with those big pleading eyes so innocent and full of excitement over what they just found. And also, there are things that can be bought that will stretch meals, or will be gobbled up immediately.
From Large Family Mothering's blog, I have found alot of help in the area of grocery shopping for a large family. Especially in this transition period going from coupons to bulk buying at warehouse type stores. I used some of her recommendations for graham crackers, mandarin oranges, & jello.
I carefully got little things that will add to our meals, yet aren't much money in the long run - canned black beans (although I do really want to learn how to make my own!), canned oranges, jello, mini marshmellows, graham crackers, eggs, muffin liners, milk, lunchmeat, and other things/produce we needed. One purchase I had on our list was a water squirt bottle - I use it when I lay in the sun to cool off and also when we fix our hair. It was interesting to see how I wrestled with that purchase - I've really been wanting a squirt bottle! Ever since one of the kids lost the straw on my other one a few weeks ago. But I had to really search myself and realize that it is not a need - and that extra $.97 would buy us another can of beans or something else that could be stretched into part of a meal.
I'm stocked up on lots of flour, rice, pinto beans (just have to learn how to make them!), potatoes, rolled oats, cheddar cheese...and now I've got eggs & milk too. The next task is to figure out exactly what I can make with all this and make it stretch for the next 10 days. I'm hoping to do alot of baking - but that too is becoming a challenge because the hours in the kitchen really wear me out now that the baby has dropped and is really making me uncomfortable at every turn. I have to use the time when I have energy wisely.
After going to Walmart, we picked up DS6 from Kindergarten and headed to the strawberry patch! I am super lucky to have this awesome farm just a mile down the road from us - their produce is always pesticide, herbicide and chemical free. Last night I got an email from them saying their strawberries are ready for U-pick starting today! SUPER prices too, $5 for a 6.5 pint bucket or $1 for one pint. One of the best things is that the area is completed fenced in (near a busy road) so I can let the children roam nearby without worrying or chasing after them.
Also, the lady who runs it is older and very kind - especially towards the children. She was delighted to see my little helpers and gave them each a bucket, then let us go - no hovering or admonishing them to do this or that. That in itself really creates a fun atmosphere for all of us - and we're definitely going back. We were able to pick 13 pints (same as 13 lbs) for just $10. The kids are already talking Strawberry Pie....yummy! DH love love loves fresh local strawberries so I did it primarily for him...he's going to be loving it tonight!
My back didn't really appreciate the bending over though, so we only stayed for about 1/2 an hour. I was proud of DD5 who picked over a pound, and DS 6 who picked 2 1/2 pounds! Kids ARE good for something after all! LOL J/K
Jack (17mo) was also quite annoyed at the whole thing - he was already tired when we got there, and so didn't have ANY patience for the uneven ground (he is a brand new, unsteady walker), the tall grass, and the weird looking rows of green stuff that kept him from being able to walk directly to Mama. It was cute to see his little complaining noises letting me know he was NOT happy.
Tonight I have a wonderful little appointment at the dentist for....a root canal. But I am NOT complaining - while things are back to normal for the most part as far as my toothache goes, I still cannot chew on that side because the tooth is still swollen higher than the rest of my bite. So I lopside chew on the left side, if that makes sense. The OUCH part of it (besides the obvious ouch of the procedure, lol) is that they called to inform me a few days ago that the quote I got was wrong. It's not going to be $615, but rather $845 - due immediately with no payment plan.
But I feel like Job (not that this compares, it's rather lame compared to what he had to go through, lol!) in that I REFUSE to give in to the spirit of helplessness and discouragement/blame with our finances. We do not use credit and are giving this area as well into God's hands - I know He will take care of us! It is ALL for our best...yes, even this! And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. When I have faith - He is rich and just to honor that faith.
Our finances and being a good steward with the money coming in has really put me in alot of need, though - that I search out His help because I know that if I try to do things on my own, without His Word as a strength for me, I will utterly give up.
One blog I read recently, the author was writing about how she was just overcome with hopelessness at one point in her life and was crying out to God. She said she heard in the spirit, "Shutup and be a Woman of God!". LOL that was super good for me to hear - STOP thinking it's going to be easy! Hello??!! Why do I want an easy life here on earth, when it is not my home? This is just a time, a season, when He is forming me to become more like Him. The ONLY way I will grow is to go through hard times - and oh yes, how I am SO thankful for them when I look back and see the person He has formed me to be, through those hard times.
See, pep talks are good for the soul. =)
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