Large Family Camlebaks

For the last year or so we've used Camelbak Water bottles for all water drinking. These are HUGE lifesavers! Each of the children have their own color and design. We keep them filled and lined up on the kitchen counter. When we leave the house for the day we grab these. And for most meals we use them as well. Generally we drink milk with one meal a day and use glasses for that. We love our Camelbaks! And the parts are pretty cheap to replace as well.

Teaching Children Not to Waste

As a mom one of the many challenges is encouraging my children not to be wasteful with what the Lord has given them. What a tough lesson to learn!

Food:
-Try not to give them an opportunity for failure. Smaller portions of new foods or for finicky eaters. No one likes to through away plates of mashed, played with, or partially eaten food. For my 3 year old I give her a few tiny spoonfuls of foods Im not certain she will eat, or she has proven to not like before.
-Serve what they like! If dinner was a flop for everyone involved dont try it again (unless you  messed it up or they need to learn to like it!) Again tiny portions of what they dont to teach them to eat what they dont always like. Im NOT saying if your kid says they dont like everything but chicken nuggets to only feed them chicken nuggets.. Im saying if that spanish rice recipe came out bad, dont keep it unless you can remake it and like it. It teaches your children that they have an option not to like something. If the food is always good, they will always eat it. But if you child says they "hate" peas, keep serving 4-5 peas at a time or hiding them. In our house eventually the stubborn "I dont like it" gives way when they find a recipe where they like that item. My pea hater LOVES them in chicken noodle soup. ;)
-Always make great food! Dont feed it to your family if you burned it or ruined it somehow and even YOU dont like it. You'll just teach them to turn their noses up at something on their plates. Just make really yummy, good smelling hearty meals! If the plate is full of good food they will always eat whats on it.
-Enjoy family meals together. If its fun, they will come.
-Linger at the table. If you require everyone to sit at the table and enjoy the company, picky eaters will "pick" at their plates while they are waiting. Serving good whole foods, and not encouraging snacking keeps down the temptation towards over eating, so no worrying about that.

Clothing:
-Teach children to care for their clothes. Fold and put away, putting dirty clothes in hampers, helping with laundry by spraying stains. All teaches children not to abuse thier clothing but treat it with respect.
-Have them help select their clothing. If they like it they will care for it better.
-Remind them that there are clothes for play and clothes for going out.
-Napkins and bibs also help protect clothing and teach them to care for them.
-Smaller wardrobes.. No one needs gobs of clothing, just what it takes to get them to the next wash day.

Toys
-We struggle here the most! Teaching children to clean up toys and keep them nice. Not to break them for fun or use them as they werent intended.. Those are all great virtues.

The Home
-Teaching children to take care of the house, participate in chores and cleaning that is not just their things has brought "some" respect of the home to our children. They still can be a bit wild and abusive, we are working on that.

Ultimately we try to teach them that the Earth is the Lords and all it contains and we shouldnt mistreat it but treat it as the gift God intended it to be.

Its a Boy!

Our #7 blessing is going to be a boy! That makes 5 boys and 2 girls for us!

Before Baby Comes List #7

I have dropped off the planet with horrible morning sickness. Just a few weeks back all that passed and now we are enjoying little pokes from #7. So exciting! Let the nesting begin!

• Revamp our OAM menu and grocery list with more veggies and fruits
• Finalize school list for 2012/2013
• Purchase and organize school for 2012/2013
• Complete 2010/2011 school year and 1/4-1/2 of Jadons Kindergarten
• Declutter and organize
• 5 Bedrooms
• Basement School/Play area
• Utility room
• 3 Bathrooms
• Hall and Coat closet
• Pantry
• Kitchen
• Larger Table
• Move Jadon downstairs with Big Boys
• Aquire second crib (acquired but not here yet)
• Purchase new mattress for current crib
• Prepare and Freeze 30 meals or meal starters.
• Big shop before baby comes
• Spring Clothing sort
• Garage Sale?
• Night train my bedwetters (2 down 1 to go!)

Food Waste Friday: What to do with leftovers?

We are all bound to have  a billion leftovers after thanksgiving and if you are like me you probably were good about keeping the fridge clean to hold those leftovers. But what do we do with all those leftovers when another turkey dinner doesnt sound good at all?

Turkey Lattice Pie
Using your leftovers from Turkey Day layer chopped turkey, green beans, stuffing, cover with gravy, top with strips of crossaint dough (you know from the can). Bake till bubbley! Yum!

Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes!
Mix 1 cup leftover mashed potato per 1 cup pancake batter.Or eyeball it. :) Cook as usual. I suppose you could do this with sweet potato as well. Yum!

Leftover Oatmeal Pancakes!
Mix 1 cup LO oatmeal per 1 cup pancake batter. Or eyeball it! Cook as usual.

Leftover Iced Tea
Pour over your plants.

Soup Veggies
In your freezer keep 2 gallon ziploc baggies. One for veggie scraps to use for making broths, either  veggie or add to your soup bones for flavoring. The second bag use for cooked chopped veggies to use in your soups. :)




*I did throw out one rotten tomato.. ;)

Weekly Menu Plan

Sunday
A. Hot dogs and Fries
B. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
C. Leftover Chili Frito Pie
D.Chicken and Tots.

Monday

A. Chicken and Dumplings

Bread

B. Beef Stew

Bread
C. Hamburger Soup
Bread
D. Leftover Stoup
Bread

Tuesday

A. Chicken Rotel Rice

Salad

B. Beef Taco Rice

Salad
C. Tatertot casserole
D. Other Casseroles using Rice, Meat, Sauce, Veggie

Wenesday

A. Bean Bowls

Chips, Salad

B. Chili

Cornbread
C. Lentil Casserole
Canned Veg
D. Cowboy Beans, "My Best Beans", Italian Beans
fried potato

Thursday

A. Spagetti

Salad

B. Chicken Etti

Salad
C. Homemade Mac and Cheese
Salad
D. Homemade Hamburger Helper
Salad

Friday

Homemade Pizza and Topings

Saturday

A. Fish Hot Pot

Bread

B. Baked Fish Rice and Peas

C. Roaster Chicken, Potatoes, Carrots

Bread

D. Roast Beef, Potato, Carrots

Bread

Lunches

Sandwiches on Homemade Bread

(Tuna Salad, Egg Salad, Peanut Butter and Jelly)

Hot Side Dish

(Mac and Cheese, Ramen Noodles, HM Veggie Soup, or leftovers)

Sunday Evening before Church "Lunch"
Popcorn, Protien, Veggi, Fruit

Breakfast

Dad's Pancake Breakfast on Saturday

Muffins on Sunday

Waffles

Oatmeal

HM Granola 

My First Ever: Food Waste Friday!

Shame on me!!! Ew! Yuck! In my defense I'm newly pregnant.. Ha!

1. White correlle dish: Burnt potato soup that I couldnt toss Monday Night.
2. Pyrex #1: Failed attempt at homemade butter from this summer
3. Pyrex #2: Failed attempt at pickles I made this spring, dont ask.
4. Out of date Stoney feild farms yogurt from weeks ago.
5. Some taco soup in the cottage cheese container that was a fail. Its probably 3 weeks old.
6. My DD's leftovers from last weekend.
7. Little containers of different failed babyfoods for the baby. He's allergic to a lot. They are MONTHS old.
8. Out of date Tatar sauce, like a year out of date!
9. Mountain Dew that my 4yo one at the Fall Carnival at church that NO one likes in our family.
10. Dried out Cream Cheese from Who knows when.
11. And what you dont see, some corn from Tuesday night.

Frugal Living Lessons:
1. Clean your fridge  more.
2. Toss the "failures" right away.
3. Dont cook during the first trimester, you'll burn it.


This was a great excersize! Thanks Frugal Girl!