Here are some ideas for frugal cooking. I really like having "ready-made" meals/components for meals so they can be made quickly. After eating out too much last week due to a sick baby and the exhaustion that comes with it I vowed to do better this week. First of all, I sent Josh grocery shopping instead of me. I tend to browse and buy a lot more food than I planned on. I had him buy three rotisserie chickens. I like the taste of rotisserie chicken better than plain in most recipes but I rarely have one on hand, So I thought I'd stock up a bit. I deboned and shredded the chickens when he got home and I put them in gallon size freezer bags and put them in my deep freeze. Voila! Precooked delicious chicken ready to be made into a simple meal. With the bones and skin of one chicken I made chicken stock which I will use for chicken soup this week. I froze the stock also in gallon freezer bags. I will make delicious chicken tetrazzini with another chicken, and last night I made yummy nachos out of another. My kids loved the nachos which is almost unheard of unless it's pizza, chicken nuggets, or pizza. You could also make burritoes out of the chicken, or a casserole. The possibilites are endless. Here are the recipes for the chicken stock and the nachos:
Chicken Stock:
2 quarts of chicken broth
1 quart water
1 store-bough rotisserie chicken
Bring broth and water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large pot. Meanwhile separate chicken meat from skin and bones. Reserve meat. Add skin and bones to the summering broth. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer until bones release their flavor. 20-30 minutes.
Chicken nachos (could also be filling for burritoes, tacos, or fajitas) I used what I had on hand and it turned out really good:
Shredded rotisserie chicken
frozen corn
Canned, diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, cut up into pieces
In a pan put about 2 T butter and 1 T oil. Add garlic and onion. Cook over medium for about 2 minutes until garlic turns golden. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until hot. About 10 minutes. You could also add jalapenos if you like spicy. Serve with corn chips and salsa.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Flexibility
A big advantage to homeschooling is flexibilty. You can take days off when you need to, adjust the days' activities if you have other plans, and take vacations on off peak times. I need to become more flexible and this week was a good learning experience for me. As you've already read, Monday needed flexibility. Tuesday, Ethan got a cold and became very clingy. That night and every night that followed this week he has refused to sleep except when someone is holding him upright. Both me and Josh have gotten an average of 2-3 hours of sleep a night this week. As the days went on, he gradually got worse and worse. I finally broke down and took him to the doctor today thinking I would be told it was just a cold and I was being an overly paranoid parent. To my surprise he has a double ear infection and a very sore throat. So needless to says school has not been a top priority this week and I've learned a great lesson in how to be flexible.
Now I will address the "big concern" to many non-homeschoolers. "What about socialization?" Many people when they think of a homeschooled child picture a child who sits at a desk all day and studies and never sees any other children and is completely introverted and doesn't make it in the real world. In reality, most homeschoolers are very well socialized and tend to know how to socialize with all ages of children and can have engaging conversations with adults. Many are involved in homeschool groups, lessons, sports, church activities, etc. I know my kids get plenty of social opportunities. This week they went to Sunday school. Then I had one of my very good friends come over for lunch with her homeschooled children ages 13, 11, and 6. Everyone played together and they all got along and had a great time. Every Wednesday night Seth goes with his best friend to Awanas. This week we also had the opportunity to attend a get-together at our church of homeschool moms and their kids from the church. There were several moms there and lots of kids. Once again, all the kids, from teens to toddlers socialized and played together. It amazed me. My kids had so much fun that they didn't want to leave. Finally, this week we went to our small group from church. Once again there were kids there and everyone played together. So needless to say, our experience homeschooling is that the children have plenty of opportunities to socialize, perhaps even more than a child who is in school since you have flexiblity in your schedule.
This week was a challenging and tiring one, but also a fun one. Now I'm ready to enjoy the weekend with my family and hopefully get some good sleep!
Now I will address the "big concern" to many non-homeschoolers. "What about socialization?" Many people when they think of a homeschooled child picture a child who sits at a desk all day and studies and never sees any other children and is completely introverted and doesn't make it in the real world. In reality, most homeschoolers are very well socialized and tend to know how to socialize with all ages of children and can have engaging conversations with adults. Many are involved in homeschool groups, lessons, sports, church activities, etc. I know my kids get plenty of social opportunities. This week they went to Sunday school. Then I had one of my very good friends come over for lunch with her homeschooled children ages 13, 11, and 6. Everyone played together and they all got along and had a great time. Every Wednesday night Seth goes with his best friend to Awanas. This week we also had the opportunity to attend a get-together at our church of homeschool moms and their kids from the church. There were several moms there and lots of kids. Once again, all the kids, from teens to toddlers socialized and played together. It amazed me. My kids had so much fun that they didn't want to leave. Finally, this week we went to our small group from church. Once again there were kids there and everyone played together. So needless to say, our experience homeschooling is that the children have plenty of opportunities to socialize, perhaps even more than a child who is in school since you have flexiblity in your schedule.
This week was a challenging and tiring one, but also a fun one. Now I'm ready to enjoy the weekend with my family and hopefully get some good sleep!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A perspective on life
Please take a minute to watch this youtube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4oqb1LE4Ks
This little boy goes to my church and has an inoperable brain tumor. The doctors have given him about 6 months left. He is returning tonight from a Make A Wish trip to Disney World. He has 4 brothers and sisters. He has lost movement on his left side and his eyesight, hearing, speech, and swallowing are affected. He has told people to stop praying that he will get well. He is ready for Heaven.
Meanwhile, I sit here and am slightly annoyed by my kids running all around the house being loud. What would Johnny's parents give to see him run around like my kids?
As a parent, I have no idea how I would handle having a child with a terminal brain tumor. I can't wrap my head around it. The only answer would be my faith. Johnny and his parents have had such an incredible faith through all of this. Johnny knows that he is going to heaven to be with Jesus.
Thinking about things like having a child with a brain tumor certainly make me more thankful and give me a different perspective on my life when my kids wear me out. I am very thankful to have a healthy family.
Johnny loves getting email. If you would like to send him one, his email address is johnny.the.brave.5@gmail.com. Now go give your kids a hug and tell them that you love them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4oqb1LE4Ks
This little boy goes to my church and has an inoperable brain tumor. The doctors have given him about 6 months left. He is returning tonight from a Make A Wish trip to Disney World. He has 4 brothers and sisters. He has lost movement on his left side and his eyesight, hearing, speech, and swallowing are affected. He has told people to stop praying that he will get well. He is ready for Heaven.
Meanwhile, I sit here and am slightly annoyed by my kids running all around the house being loud. What would Johnny's parents give to see him run around like my kids?
As a parent, I have no idea how I would handle having a child with a terminal brain tumor. I can't wrap my head around it. The only answer would be my faith. Johnny and his parents have had such an incredible faith through all of this. Johnny knows that he is going to heaven to be with Jesus.
Thinking about things like having a child with a brain tumor certainly make me more thankful and give me a different perspective on my life when my kids wear me out. I am very thankful to have a healthy family.
Johnny loves getting email. If you would like to send him one, his email address is johnny.the.brave.5@gmail.com. Now go give your kids a hug and tell them that you love them.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Our homeschooling days can be far from perfect. I know that lots of think that homeschooling families are all perfect, like the Duggar family is portrayed. I love the Duggars and I think that they are a breath of fresh air to television and are the same in real life as they are on t.v. However, my days are nowhere near their days.
Homeschooling is all about flexibility and interruptions. I do try to keep a schedule and a routine. This morning began no differently. I began the day very tired as I had only gotten about three hours of sleep the night before. I somehow made breakfast for the kids in a drowsy fog and got them going for the day. As I was brushing my teeth (and frankly, enjoying 2 minutes alone), I looked down and saw that my 8 month old, Ethan had somehow crawled all the way down the hallway to the bedroom and made his way into the bathroom. To top it off, he had a handful of cat litter in his hand and was about to take a bite of the tasty clay. Not being completely sure whether or not he had ingested any of it, I washed his hands thoroughly with soap and then called poison control. The nice lady was very sympathetic and chuckled when I told her my story. Thankfully, cat litter is made up of mostly clay and silica, both which are non-toxic. So for the rest of the day, he was put in the play yard if I was going to be out of his sight.
Because of that interruption we were late starting school work. Seth took it all in stride though and did his work independently. I spent the rest of the morning trying to do dishes and catch up on laundry which all ended up thrown into laundry baskets unfolded.
Enter the afternoon. Seth bitterly complained that he had had no time to play when I told him he needed to read in his reader and read his science lesson. Sigh. Meanwhile I'm trying in vain to get Ethan to go to sleep for his afternoon nap.
The rest of the day went pretty smoothly until after dinner. The kids were quietly (yay!) watching a t.v. show when I realized that Scott wasn't in the room and was being quiet. This means one of two things: he's either playing with something he shouldn't be such as "playing" with a cat under my bed or sneaking into the closet where he knows the candy stash is and helping himself. It was neither. He was in the bathroom and had painted the cabinet and part of the bathtub with Taylor's blue nail polish.
Thankfully now the kids are all asleep and I finally have some time to breathe (until Ethan wakes up to eat).
But even with all the crazy days and frustration at times I remember why I'm doing this and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Homeschooling is all about flexibility and interruptions. I do try to keep a schedule and a routine. This morning began no differently. I began the day very tired as I had only gotten about three hours of sleep the night before. I somehow made breakfast for the kids in a drowsy fog and got them going for the day. As I was brushing my teeth (and frankly, enjoying 2 minutes alone), I looked down and saw that my 8 month old, Ethan had somehow crawled all the way down the hallway to the bedroom and made his way into the bathroom. To top it off, he had a handful of cat litter in his hand and was about to take a bite of the tasty clay. Not being completely sure whether or not he had ingested any of it, I washed his hands thoroughly with soap and then called poison control. The nice lady was very sympathetic and chuckled when I told her my story. Thankfully, cat litter is made up of mostly clay and silica, both which are non-toxic. So for the rest of the day, he was put in the play yard if I was going to be out of his sight.
Because of that interruption we were late starting school work. Seth took it all in stride though and did his work independently. I spent the rest of the morning trying to do dishes and catch up on laundry which all ended up thrown into laundry baskets unfolded.
Enter the afternoon. Seth bitterly complained that he had had no time to play when I told him he needed to read in his reader and read his science lesson. Sigh. Meanwhile I'm trying in vain to get Ethan to go to sleep for his afternoon nap.
The rest of the day went pretty smoothly until after dinner. The kids were quietly (yay!) watching a t.v. show when I realized that Scott wasn't in the room and was being quiet. This means one of two things: he's either playing with something he shouldn't be such as "playing" with a cat under my bed or sneaking into the closet where he knows the candy stash is and helping himself. It was neither. He was in the bathroom and had painted the cabinet and part of the bathtub with Taylor's blue nail polish.
Thankfully now the kids are all asleep and I finally have some time to breathe (until Ethan wakes up to eat).
But even with all the crazy days and frustration at times I remember why I'm doing this and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Grocery slim-down
Lately I've been trying to trim our grocery bill. I realized just how much we were spending on food every week and it was appalling. Where I live, there is no grocery store competition, so couponing doesn't really work. Here are a few of the things I have done:
-I have cut way back on eating out. On average, it cost us $30 to eat out. The food isn't even healthy. $30 can buy you a lot of healthy food.
-Cut down on convenience foods. Those are very expensive
-Make more food from scratch. I have been making homemade bread in a breadmaker. It's easier than loading up all 4 kids and going to the store. It also tastes a lot better. Here is one of my favorite recipes:
Basic White Bread:
1 cup of warm water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
Put all ingredients in bread maker. I always put in on the light crust setting
-Make a menu for the week based on foods you already have. For example, if you have an abundance of hotdogs, make beans and hotdogs and cornbread for dinner.
-Stretch out your meat. Meat generally the most expenive item you buy at the grocery store. Stretch out the meat you have by making soups, adding brown rice or whole wheat noodles (which is whole grain and fills you up) or adding other forms of protein like beans and cheese.
There you have just a few ideas for a grocery slim down.
-I have cut way back on eating out. On average, it cost us $30 to eat out. The food isn't even healthy. $30 can buy you a lot of healthy food.
-Cut down on convenience foods. Those are very expensive
-Make more food from scratch. I have been making homemade bread in a breadmaker. It's easier than loading up all 4 kids and going to the store. It also tastes a lot better. Here is one of my favorite recipes:
Basic White Bread:
1 cup of warm water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
Put all ingredients in bread maker. I always put in on the light crust setting
-Make a menu for the week based on foods you already have. For example, if you have an abundance of hotdogs, make beans and hotdogs and cornbread for dinner.
-Stretch out your meat. Meat generally the most expenive item you buy at the grocery store. Stretch out the meat you have by making soups, adding brown rice or whole wheat noodles (which is whole grain and fills you up) or adding other forms of protein like beans and cheese.
There you have just a few ideas for a grocery slim down.
Welcome
Well I thought I'd finally enter the world of blogging. After pondering what to write about, what I know well, the answer was simple: write about my life at home. I am a wife to Josh, and a mommy to four great kids. Seth is 6 and is definitely a first born. He is serious, studious, and very cautious. Taylor will be 5 in a few months and is very energetic, creative, loving, and the lone girl. Scott is 2 and goes back and forth from trying to do what his older brother and sister do to begging to be held. Ethan is the baby and is learning to crawl and become independent. He thinks it's a game for him to crawl away and me chase him.
I began homeschooling Seth in November. That has come with it's challenges and joys. Along with homeschooling I have been attempting to be more frugal and to make a home for my family and to fulfill God's plan for me. I hope you all will join me on my journey.
I began homeschooling Seth in November. That has come with it's challenges and joys. Along with homeschooling I have been attempting to be more frugal and to make a home for my family and to fulfill God's plan for me. I hope you all will join me on my journey.
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