Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: May 5-11, 2024 post!
Big Family Food and Fun: May 5-11, 2024
Keith had a soccer game right after church on Sunday, so once again, we packed a lunch to eat since his game was on the side of town where our church meets. :)
I had made two loaves of Stir-and-Pour Bread the day before so I sliced it and took a container of butter.
I had also marinated chicken thighs and smoked them on Saturday. When I got up on Sunday, I put the chicken into crock pots to rewarm and by lunch time after church, they were perfect and ready to eat! I had cut a watermelon to go with our meal, plus some friends joined us and brought salad, clementines, and drinks. It was a simple but delicious feast!
Keith had a nice cheering section for his game as we all loaded up in our new stroller/wagon to get ourselves settled in.
Coach Elias is doing such a good job. Poor guy had a sinus infection so he was drinking tea, coaching, and reffing all at the same time. :)
Back at home that afternoon, we had all the kids take a rest time with books. Then some went outside to play while Acacia and Josie “helped” me make pizzas for dinner. They were just in it for the cheese. ;)
Monday morning I baked several pans worth of bacon, scrambled some eggs, and got out fruit for breakfast. We also toasted and buttered the last of Sunday’s Stir-and-Pour Bread.
Matt took our three littlest with him that morning to York to drop off with a friend so he could work on the final property that we are almost ready to put on the market. Eva came over and hung out with Keith and Anna and I spent some time working. It was a great morning, then once Keith and Anna got on the bus for preschool, I had time all alone to get something done.
I decided to go shopping all by myself, which almost never happens! I took my time walking through Costco aisles, getting diapers and a few random items we needed. Ah, and I grabbed a Rotisserie Chicken for dinner. Boom. Dinner is ready. :)
I then headed to Walmart for some things we needed and checked for markdowns – of course. I scored Free Range Chicken Thighs for just $1.98/pound!!! I also grabbed two chocolate cake mixes for $1.00 each (their regular price) so I could make our infamous Spinach Cake.
I had picked up a big Caesar Salad kit while shopping and Keith was excited to make it all by himself to go with our dinner. I don’t think Josie was very happy that Keith was on the stool she wanted to sit on. :(
I had the idea to purchase large containers like this for ease in letting the kids make these salads. I found some at Sam’s a few weeks ago and they are working like I hoped they would. We put the lid on and give them a shake!
Dinner was delicious and easy. I had put our Costco Rotisserie Chicken into a crock pot on “Keep Warm” setting when I got home that afternoon so it was still great at dinner time. We ate it with Keith’s Salad plus Green Beans and Watermelon. Soooooo good.
After dinner the kids played and played outside even though it was a bit drizzly off and on. They were a little bit soggy when they came in, but they sure did settle in for sleep well after playing so hard and eating so well.
Tuesday morning I made Eggs in a Nest and prepped some Strawberries.
We are very close to getting our final rental house on the market in York. So once again, we loaded up the kids and headed to Menards for supplies so Matt would have what he needed when he headed back there to work. They only had one of the special carts so we had to take turns. That went…sort of okay. ;)
Back at home, we played outside while we waited for the preschool bus to come pick up Keith and Anna. This sweetheart found a dolly and put a size 5 diaper on her. She was a very proud and sweet mommy.
I picked up Brayden and Kiya from school that afternoon and headed to the Food Distribution site so we could help hand out food. We missed last week because of Keith’s Kindergarten Roundup, so it was great to be back there helping.
Before leaving, I had put some shredded pork into a crock pot with some seasonings so that we could have Shredded Pork Tacos for dinner. Matt and Elias had already fed some of the littles when we got back from Food Distribution then the rest of us ate in shifts. Keith was hanging out with our neighbors, Coleman and Sarah, so I asked them to come over and grab tacos. I love it when they say yes!
Here’s what our kitchen looked like that evening.
We’d brought back some bread and miscellaneous items leftover from Food Distribution so that was all over the island. Plus dirty dishes, packs of baby wipes, kids’ school lunch bags, and who knows what else. I knew what it looked like when I invited our neighbors to come eat with us, and I did hesitate for a few seconds because the messes at our house can sometimes be embarrassing.
But relationships matter more than messes and I invited them anyway. Coleman and Sarah are becoming a part of us and they are understanding about our crazy life with so many kids and so many needs. We chatted around this mess. I put items away as I could. Everyone filled their plates with tacos. It was a wonderful evening. :)
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Wednesday morning I threw out lots of Oatmeal Packets for the kids to pick from plus cut up a Cantaloupe and some Strawberries.
While the kids ate, the little girls helped me crack 48 eggs to bake in sheet pans. When the eggs came out of the oven, I sprinkled cheese on top to melt. Later in the morning, I cut the eggs into rectangles and squares and put together 29 Breakfast Sandwiches. Some of the kids enjoyed a square of Cheesy Eggs while I built sandwiches.
After I assembled the sandwiches, I put some into the fridge to warm up the next morning. Then I wrapped the others in foil so that people could pull them out and warm them in the air fryer as needed.
The weather was gorgeous so we played outside the rest of the morning and early afternoon.
Malachi came by and Acacia insisted that she give him a ride on her little car.
For dinner that night, Matt grilled 18 burgers. While they were cooking, I made these smoothies for the kids to sip on while they played outside.
Since there are so many of us, and because the adults in the house get home from work at all different times, I’ve started putting the meat that we grill into a crock pot on the “keep warm” setting. This has worked great to feed everyone from early to late!
Matt took the littlest four on a wagon ride after the burgers were finished.
Then we fixed burgers for everyone and got out pickles. Some of the kids wanted to try pickle juice. Why?? Because they like juice and figured it would surely be tasty. One child who shall remain nameless definitely didn’t like hers but asked for seconds anyway because of stubbornness. :)
Thursday morning before school I sliced up several pears and warmed up some of the Breakfast Sandwiches I had made the day before.
We were almost completely out of coffee creamer, which forced my hand at attempting homemade. I’ve definitely wanted to avoid the less-than-ideal-ingredient options from the store but haven’t made the time. The Mocha Creamer I attempted turned out good according to Matt and not quite sweet enough according to Malachi. I’ll keep tweaking and then share the recipe!
Matt headed out the door to work in York for the day and Malachi came to help me with the kids. I had a phone appointment as this transition was happening so I turned on a show so that I could talk on the phone with fewer interruptions. Keith was excited to tackle Malachi when he arrived. :)
We played outside the rest of the morning with Malachi making four boxes of mac and cheese for lunch. Frozen peas are their garnish as they cool off the mac and cheese and taste great to the kids!
For dinner that night we were still waiting on Matt to get back so we kept it simple and warmed up leftovers from the fridge. We started with tidbits of Green Beans, Salad, and Chicken. Then we kept getting out more and more food as needed for the rest of the evening.
I took out the remainder of a container of watermelon and let the kids poke pieces with toothpicks. That way I didn’t have to worry about plates or forks!
Daddy got home!! We were all still playing outside – and still hungry – so I sliced several oranges. Those got eaten in about five minutes so I cut up some fresh pears for Matt to hand out.
Friday morning I had an appointment for one of the kids and didn’t get any pictures of our day until the afternoon. We had a very full weekend ahead of us so I pulled kids in to do Mother’s Day prep. We decided that this year we’d make food ahead of Sunday with Mom’s help so that Mother’s Day would be as restful as possible (while still trying to get seven kids off to church, and then to a soccer game…)
Josie helped me make a big Cheeseburger Casserole for Sunday evening’s gathering so that all we had to do was slide it into the oven to bake. The container full of frozen potatoes looked like SUCH a fun thing to play in!! “Josie, don’t touch please…”
“ooh, but I really want to…”
“Ok. Pulling my hands back now…”
Precious girlie. She did a great job and our casserole was put together in just a few minutes.
I had cooked several pounds of hamburger that morning, some of which we used for the casserole. Then I put the rest into a bag to keep in the fridge for a meal or two next week.
Next, Brayden came in and made a big bowl full of Tuna Salad for a quick Sunday lunch between church and soccer game.
Acacia got to help me make Pineapple Fluff for Sunday lunch (while munching on a slice of pear).
That container went into the fridge with the Tuna Salad, all ready for Sunday.
Meanwhile, Matt grilled 12 Cheddar Franks and 12 regular Beef Hotdogs for our dinner.
Saturday morning I made Sausage Gravy and Eggs to go with some biscuits that we came home with from Tuesday’s Food Distribution.
Kelsey and their Little Sweetheart came over for a little while so we got to enjoy some snuggle time.
We were planning to be in York most of the day for some Graduation Parties so we worked out details to meet friends at the park to hang out while Matt spent more time finishing the bathroom on the house we are trying to finish to put on the market. Before we left, I gathered a big variety of food items for us to take to eat all day.
Our friends Pam and Audrey met us at the park, plus later Katie and Bella. It was SO GOOD to catch up with them! A few hours later, we took seven tired, dirty kids to the Grad Party and got to see many more people we love and cherish.
Back at home, we warmed up leftovers and gave thorough baths to all the kids to get sand and grit out of their hair. :) We tucked them into bed, and that was our week!