Caden / Coldness & Procrastination / Colorado Dreaming

 Caden, 7, sweet little man... the only boy in this house.  He is by far the easiest of my kids in many ways other than being heavy as lead.  He is thick and stocky and has been breaking my back since he was a baby.  Well, not really... I haven't carried him for a long time.  He is simply too heavy and has been since he was probably about three years old.  

This is how he dresses EVERY.DAY.OF.HIS.LIFE... no joking... minus the hat.  If he could get away with wearing a three piece suit and tie everyday, he would... even Summer.  I don't let him.  It's either this or his red bandana cowboy shirt and boots.. or his pirate clothes... or his knight costume.  He likes to look good and many things about him remind me of my daddy.  He looks like him and makes many of the same expressions... rough skin... thick as leather fingernails... and a little bit vain.  It makes me laugh a bit.  

He is tenderhearted and quite wimpy.  If he thinks he is going to have to take a spanking for punishment you can bet he is going to work himself into such a fit that most of the time we can't bear to spank him.  The girls are not this way.  He nearly hyperventilates.  He cries when someone else gets in trouble and he is seriously afraid of any pain.  Trying to get a sticker out of his foot is like holding down an octopus.  Just yesterday he swallowed one of his own teethe because we could not get him to pull it and it finally fell out while he was easting.  We are still begging him to pull the other tooth that is barely dangly in his mouth (Wimp!)  When he was about two he had to have a particle removed from his eye and it took five adults to hold him down.  He's incredibly strong like his daddy.  

With four sisters he has spent many days in princess clothes and getting his nails done (Daddy put an end to that.), but he is all boy.  One minute he is a ninja or has one of his sisters in a headlock or wrestling on the trampoline.  He is drawn to all things boyish.  The very first time he went outside with his B.B. Gun he came back with a dead bird.  I was horrified, yet had to tell him awesome it was.  He shot that thing out of a tree!!  At 7 years old he did that without ever having practice.  

He is a charmer, too.  He has all the ladies and girls "oooo"-ing and "ahhh"-ing at him since birth.  He is a hunk of cuteness!

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Coldness and procrastination... these are the two things on my mind.  I have so much to do, but it is so cold I just want to sit here near the fire and chill out.  I should be organizing and cleaning while I can... or, at the very least, cooking for dinner.  

In Texas we just don't do cold well.  It is very humid, so the cold here is bitterly wet.  And today it is raining and cold.  It has been a drizzle of rain all day.  I wish the temp would just drop another 10-15 degrees and it would snow, but alas... this is Texas... Southeast Texas.  It is not likely we will get snow.  One can dream.  And I have been dreaming....

This time of year I always get a little fever... not a temperature fever, but "Colorado Dreaming" fever.  I want to go to Colorado so bad this year I, but it just can't be done.  I want to feel the snow, see my kids amazement of it all, sled down a hill, drink hot chocolate with frozen fingers, and all that fun stuff.  I am dealing with it, though.  In fact, I am loaning out our snow stuff at Christmastime.  At least, someone will get to go to snow and that family has never been... ever.  That brings me joy!  

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So, I guess I can't procrastinate for too long.  We have family coming in this week and I have dinner to cook for tonight.  I am thinking of a soup of some sort, but I have chicken breast out and thawed.  Usually, I would go in the direction of gumbo, but I think I will make a chicken and rice soup with fresh bread.  If I am going to cook dinner and do some more cleaning/organizing I better get on it.  So, here I go.....

Emergency Skirt / Sahara / More Randomness

Sahara... that downward frown... that is on her face most of the time... she pouts to get her way and she thinks it works.... she would stay out of trouble a whole lot more if she would just stop it... but she really is the cutest thing which saves her a LOT.

She is bouncy and bubbling going a hundred miles an hour.  She wakes up on full speed and runs that way all day long.  Usually, she is cranky all day, too.... so, that makes for interesting days.  She is not a morning person and she happens to live in a home of all morning people.  When everyone else says something nice like, "Good morning!" or in an overly chipper voice, "It's morning time!!!" she grumbles and stomps around the house.  Or yells.  

She can be an eager helper and will get upset when she does not get to help on certain things.  We have learned recently that she can out clean all her siblings if you tell her to clean her room.  Why?  She is extreme OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) which explains all the fits, too.  Things NEED to go her way or her order is confused.  Things still can not go her way all the time which is why she ends up with more discipline unfortunately.  ;)  We love her in spite of her craZy little attitude and we take responsibility for a great deal of her issues.  This girl had a house full of people that never said no to her for about three years.... bad move on our part.  But she was so stinking cute and she is "our Goo-Goo".

She is "in love" with her brother and he is "in love" with her.  They think they are going to get married... and sometimes they play like they do.  Just a couple of days ago she walked in the room dressed to go somewhere and her hair in two braids and this was the conversation:

Caden:  She is beautiful!

Sahara:  What?!!

Caden:  She's not really... (trying to act like he was joking)

Caden (looking at me and talking low):  She really is beautiful.

Me:  You know can't marry your sister Caden?

Caden (looking aggravated):  What?!!!

Me:  That is so gross Caden.  You really can't.  

(Caden did not really like that answer.  They are going to be so embarassed by the these stories one day.)

  

She is cute!  Beyond cute, actually.  God blessed me with a lightweight petite little thing after that hunken large boy child of mine that almost broke my back to tote around.  I could toss this little featherweight on my hip and run with it.  At five years old I can still easily lift her. 

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So, how do you like this little skirt she is wearing?  This was an emergency outfit one day when we were on our way to our homeschool choir meeting.  We had a picnic at the park and played on the playground and someone had a potty accident... in her pants.  And with pants you are kind of stuck when that happens.  That was one of those moments when I wished I had dressed her in a skirt that day.  Fortunately, I found these two bandanas in my van and tied them together at the waist.  The edges overlapped nicely to cover the splits in the sides since she is so petite.  Everyone thought I had made her a cute little skirt.  I was just thankful that the shirt she was wearing was a decent match.  With a few simple stitches this really would make a cute little skirt.  It served our purposes well that day, but has since gone back to just being a couple of bandanas.  

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While I am talking about clothing I might as well talk a little about being frugal.  That little shirt in the picture was on clearance a couple of years back for something like $1 and being that it was good quality I bought three of them all in a size 7/8... just a like.  It is the kind of thing that I knew would eventually get used even if it was in storage a while.  Sure enough my now 9 year old wore one for a while when I first got them.  Sahara now fits in one and one day Sienna will have one of them still in new condition.  I don't usually do that, but in this case it has worked out.  

If you want to save money on clothes you want to shop clearance rakes and think ahead for the different seasons.  I can always use short sleeves.  We don't have harsh winters here in Texas, so I try not to buy a lot of long sleeves.  It is just easier to wear a light jacket.  Seasonal items are worth looking at.  I try to avoid things that say "Fourth of July" and such and buy things like this that have the color scheme, but can be worn anytime.  Always think in terms of whether you could use the item for pajamas, too.  Of course, then it really does not matter if it does say something about a holiday.  In fact, you can even get creative and add fabric or other embellishments over the parts you don't want to look at.  If you are paying a low price it really will pay off.

Random Talk / Sierra Pic / Hollister

Sierra.... Fall of 2013.... 9 years old

I love this girl's smile and her bubbly nature.  She is always skipping through the house and is what some refer to as a free spirit.  I would say she is "uninhibited".  She does not see limits usually.  She is confident.  She thinks she can do everything.  She has been telling me how to drive since she was able to utter her first words.  When my oldest was in public school and we would go to pick her up Sierra would sit behind me in her car seat and every time a car would move forward she would say, "Go!  You are going to miss your child!"  I would turn around and say, "I don't need a two year old to tell me how to drive."  It was really cute.  Not as cute the 1,000th time she would say it, though.  ;)  She is the kind of kid that can put together an outfit that you would think was hideous until you saw it on her.  She just has that flair... sort of a trendsetter type.  I never was a trendsetter, so I watch in amazement sometimes when she walks out in some unusual outfit that somehow works... on her.  She likes to be funny... and she likes to aggravate her siblings... only she does not always realize she is doing it.  She just has a knack for getting in other people's business and bossing them around and telling them how to do things.  She refers to herself as "the little momma" and she tries to do my job.  Caden is "her baby".  In fact, Sahara kind of was, too, but the little momma got tired of the "scream machine" (Sahara)... she still mothers her, though.  She just likes to claim the one that screams less.  She has confidence... and uninhibited confidence.  I wish I had a little bit of that... ummmm... wait... I do in some areas.  She has  a servants heart, but already she gets tired of people taking advantage of her because of it.  She is sneaky and likes to trick people for a good laugh.

That shirt she is wearing... I just want to say that we don't shop at Hollister.  In fact, we don't even walk in that store or Ambercrombie because of the inappropriate over-sexualization.  The reason she has that shirt is that my husband had his English students write letters to various businesses of their choice asking for free merchandise and Hollister sent a box of shirts for his students.  My kids have two of them.  For several years they wore them as nightgowns.  Now, they wear them as shirts.  We still won't shop there, though.  

So, I felt like sharing a picture and being rather random.  

Dinner Out With Five Kids!! : How do you afford it?!!!

Yes, we do go out to dinner quite often compared to a lot of people with our lifestyle.  It is our splurge in life.  We sacrifice in many areas so that we can afford this treat.  I guess I should mention that we are not wealthy financially, but you would never know it... unless I told you.  People are usually shocked if I tell them our income level especially since my husband has a "professional" career.  He is a Assistant Principal and I think we all assume those people make a nice paycheck.  Assume away... but it just ain't so.  When he promoted up from being a teacher to an Assistant Principal he got a promotion.... we were a bit surprised when we realized that meant his salary increase was $190.83 per month after taxes.  The rest all went to taxes since the salary increase pushed him into the next tax bracket.  

So, I bet your wondering what the salary is for an Assistant Principal that has been in education for about 18 years.  Well, for my husband that is $55,000 gross this year (and that is adding in the next two months of pay to give you an annual salary).  His net take home pay each month is $3,876.01 .  I realize this is sharing a lot of information, but I just don't think I can expect you to take me seriously unless I share this information.  When I write these frugal living posts you need to know that I don't live on a nice fat income.  We have to be good stewards of what God gives us to make it all work.  And sometimes we just have to go on faith alone.  I thank God the numbers don't always make sense, but that He always makes them work.  

So, going out to dinner takes some creativity sometimes.  Last night I did not want to cook.  I have been making a lot of phone calls, preparing for the holidays, trying to find a new dentists and new caregivers, preparing to possibly sell our house and move, etc..  Yesterday was a busy day that started with me being tired already, doing a couple loads of laundry, kitchen cleanup that was not done the previous night, homeschooling, 3 phone calls, early lunch (so we could leave the house at mid-lunch time), extra homeschool choir practice (to prepare for some events), a quick thrift shop run (always a fav with my kids), and a trip to Wal-Mart for groceries.  That brought me straight up to 5:30 p.m. which is dinner time around here and with all the running about we were starved (or so we thought).  

Now, I could have been really frugal and gone inside and cooked some of those fresh groceries I just purchased, but I knew it was 99 cent kid's meal night at Casa Ole' Mexican restaurant just down the road several blocks and the kids love to get to go out to eat.  So, that is what we did!  I did not look at our ticket, but I would guess we all ate for about $35 with adding a tip.  And you may think that is not cheap, but think of the full price cost and you will see it is.  

So, I guess my tips for eating out are:

• Know the local restaurant specials.  Where I live there are lot of Tuesday night specials where kids eat for cheap.  We try to do our dining out on those days.  
•  A few of our favorites are Pizza Hut, Casa Ole', Crazy Jose's.  There are also burger place specials but we don't usually do those.  In our area I know Whataburger and Sonic offer Tuesday specials.  We used to go to Johnny Carino's a lot on Monday nights because they have Grandisimo meals for the same prices as regular entrees and we can eat there for under $20, but the kids got burnt out on it.
• We also, have made careful choices in buying a couple of fundraiser "smart cards" that have savings on them.  One we have is a free kid's meal with each adult meal purchased at CiCi's pizza.  I have learned to like the pizza there even though it is not my favorite.  I know that when we go there there is really good salad and yummy addictive dessert.  Another "smart card" we have allows for Buy 1 Get 1 at a couple of burger places.  We rarely use those, but they are useful sometimes. 
• Know your local cheap places.... let me a elaborate.  
• These are places that you can pick up food in a crunch for on the go or places that you get a lot for a little.  Little Caesar's really can save the day when you are out and about with hungry kids.  One $5 pizza will go a long way!  This is a great option to tide over hungry kids until you get home.  If you want to make it a meal, go ahead and by more.  We usually get three (2 cheese for the kids and one with meat for us) and there are usually leftovers to snack on later.   
• If you are going to be at Sam's Wholesale or even if you are shopping in the area, the deli there is a good option.  Again, pizza is a good option there (maybe $7... not too sure).  I do remember those pizzas are bigger.  We usually get some "treats" there, too.  And Icee can make my kids' day.  They also have several other frugal options for ice cream or yogurt parfaits, etc..
•  Dollar menus are great.  We don't order "meals".  Yep, no "Happy Meals" or other "Kid's Meals" (with exception to Chick-Fil-A... we don't go there when we are being frugal either).  I have found that my kid's can not eat all that food or it is not the right "fit" for them and the toys are junk.  When we order fast food they usually all get a burger or two each (not bad when they are $1... that is just my older two and the burgers are small) and usually ONE (or two) order of fries is enough for the ones that want fries (usually 2-3 of them) and we order water in a cup (not a bottle).
• And don't overlook the grocery store.  Sometimes picking up a corn dog from the deli is a nice treat for on the go.  And if you have no deli to order from you can always grab a loaf of bread, lunch meat, and some bananas (or other snacks) and a package of some type of drinks.  Have a picnic in the park... or parking lot (car).  LOL

So, that is a little peek into how we making dinner out work in the budget.  Sometimes we splurge and forget about the budget.  ;)  Again, that is why we don't drive the latest vehicle or shop for the latest clothes brand new.

Sorry, I have no fun pics.

Getting the Day Off to a Good Start: Sticking to The Plan

Let me just say that having a solid plan works.  It is not always fun, but it does work.  My days with all my crew go so much better when we follow the rules.  So, here is a little peak into how our "little" family does it on the days that we don't bend the rules:

Hubby is up between 6:00-6:30 a.m. and it varies because he is a snooze master.  He is going to hit that snooze button as much as he can get by with.  Ha!

I am sometimes up before him and sometimes I sleep a bit longer, but for the most part I am an early riser.  No alarm or snooze button required. 

After my hubby dresses he awakens the two older ones to get their day started.  This is what they are supposed to do:

• Dress, do hair, etc.
• Feed animals (depending on weather we sometimes do this a little later since we have systems set up to provide constant water and food for the animals)
• Start their schooling

 Hubby goes to work approximately 7:00 a.m..

I let my littles wake up on their own since they do not have heavy work loads and I think little kids need rest.  Usually, I have some early risers and some that sleep late.

When everyone is awake we have breakfast together.

After that each person has there own order.  The older girls do their schooling and come to me as needed for assistance.  My little play and we randomly gather for school.  Sienna tags along and plays or colors mostly during the littles (K and 1st grade) school time. 

Usually I have some laundry going and I clean at things all day long.... all day... never ending.  ;)

Mostly school should be done by lunch, but is not always.  Lunch is usually at noon.

The afternoon continues with completing what needs to be completed (school or whatever).

Dinner is sometime between 5:00-7:00 p.m. and I like it to be on the early side of that, but as life has changed I have had to realize that some rules have to bend or I will stress out over dinner. 

This is just our basic schedule.  I know it lacks detail, but it is a glimpse of how our days go.

Getting the Day Off to a Good Start: Bending My Own Rules

This post should be about my strict schedule because really that is what works best for getting the day off to a good start around here.  And then there are days like today.....

I have been up since long before dawn because I have been having some insomnia lately.  This morning every one has slept in and I needed the quiet.  And as I have sat here in the quiet a steady rain has come and gone and now I am watching out the windows as a squirrel runs about my deck and stops to nibble on some found treasure.

The past few days have been busy and I have been a bit tired.  Friday we took a little field trip to a local fire station and that night my two oldest had birthday parties to attend in two separate towns at the same time (sigh).  Saturday night was a church Youth group hayride party and the whole family attended.  Of course, Sunday morning was church and after church one of my kids had church play practice while the rest of us were upstairs for a Youth Group Worker Meeting.  Later my husband went back for a Youth drama class he is teaching and later than that he went out with some men from church.  It was a full weekend.

So, now I sit and even at 8:17 a.m. I still have four kids sleeping.  My radical 5 year old has been awake for about 10 minutes and as usual she is demanding things and complaining.  She is so not a morning person!  But nonetheless I am starting this morning out with a good start and relaxing in spite of her trying to disrupt the quiet.  It is great training for her that momma does not give in to her tantrums.  ;) 

Sometimes you just need the quiet to start a day... without rigid schedules and all the rules.  We need time to wind down... time to relax... time to ponder our thoughts... time to think straight.  So, that is how I am starting my morning. 

Getting the Laundry Done and Methods to the Madness!

First of all, is it ever really done?  Not for more than a few minutes it seems.  And this has always been hard for me since I grew in a home of four people...  Yes, the perfect little American dream family with one girl, one boy, and a set of parents.  Laundry was done on one day of the week usually and consisted of probably four or five loads total.  Well, how's that for a reality killer when you have a family of seven?!!  I can remember there was always a load of jeans, a load of whites, a load of colors, sometimes a small load of reds, and a load of towels, etc..  Mine is quite different!  Ha!

I have tried many methods to tackle the madness of laundry.  And yes, I have even tried seeing it as a joyful opportunity to serve my family.  That's beautiful in theory, but in the interest of true realness it is a task that must be done.  Some aspects of it are fine.  Some or not.  I don't like putting it away and some of that is because I can not reach well to do so.  I seriously can not reach my own top rack to hang my shirts.  It aggravates me.  And it is what it is and it must be done so I disperse some of those jobs to help me survive the madness.  So, here are some methods I have tried:

• Doing laundry everyday...  EVERYday doing a task you do not enjoy is well... depressing.  Kudos to those of you that do it that way and it works well for you.  It makes me sad.  Seriously... and I know that is comical, but why on earth would I want to do the thing I dislike the most everyday of my life?!!  It is simply not necessary and it creates constant chaos for me.  I can not stand to have laundry all over my house in piles and that seems to be what happens with the everyday method.  And I think everyone seems to create more laundry this way.  
•  Doing laundry once a week... I love this method.  The problem is that it works really good for small families and not so much for larger families unless you want to do laundry the WHOLE day long.  Being that there are other things in life that happen in one day this method does not work because at the end of 14 or so loads of laundry you are pretty tired.... or it does not get completed.
• Doing laundry for two days in row... This is better, yet then you have two almost full days of laundry going on.  It's better and I have been using this method for a while and it ends up being Thursday and Friday that I do this or I do it on Friday and Saturday.  Basically, more often than not laundry runs into the weekend when hubby is off and wanting to enjoy life.  Guess what?  Laundry hinders that.  
• Doing laundry during the weekdays with a sort of "system" or "plan"...  This is the method that is working for me right now.  As with all things this is working for my current season, but may not in a future season.  We must always assess our current season of life and be ready to change... and change... and change... Hahahhhhhaaa!  I decided I really do not want to do laundry on the weekends if not necessary since it takes away from enjoying Saturday.  And I don't want to do laundry on Sundays as I feel it is not necessary work and takes away from our day of rest... not that we rest.  Rest is work or a project in my eyes.  ;)   So, on Monday morning I start the laundry and the goal is to conquer what is there with exception to my husbands laundry and that is because I want full loads and I do his laundry completely separately.  By Thursday or Friday he usually has two full loads... one of pants and one of shirts.  That works out well.  Okay... I was not going to say this, but I know there are some they may wonder why I do all his laundry separate... man smells and oils.  I am not wanting this to seem ugly, so don't twist it to be as such, please.  Simply... the oils in his clothes get in our clothes and we smell like a man.  Not what I want... so I do his separately.  Also, his clothes are huge!  He is 6'2"and a muscular guy.  Six pairs of pants and you have a Extra Large Capacity washer load full.  We have several hampers placed strategically throughout the house:
•   There is one hamper in the kids small bathroom.  This has a mix of most everyone's clothing in it.  
• All towels hang on wall hooks to dry and then, are moved to a large cabinet in the master bathroom where there are two mesh hampers (one for whites, one for colors) and they only contain washclothes, towels, and sometimes sheets).  Sheets are washed as needed when needed and usually because someones wets a bed or it is simply time for washing.  I should have a system for this, but they get washed and for now it works.  
• In the family closet are two large laundry baskets on wheels (one for hubby, one for everyone else).
•  So, this sort of how I am doing laundry these days:
•  Monday:  I get the hamper out of the small bathroom and the "everyone" hamper out of the family closet.  This is usually 2-3 loads.  I start with this.  I save the "hubby" hamper for Thursday.  I assess what is in the two mesh hampers and usually it would be a full load together, but separately they would be really small loads.  I save that up for larger loads.  We re-use towels some so they do not accumulate as fast.  So, Monday usually entails about 2-3 loads which I separate out all pants to one load and do 1-2 loads of other clothing.  I do separate out hand washables for later and they get done whenever and whatever day I feel like it.  
• Tuesday-Wednesay:  I just assess it as needed.  These days are more random, but usually include, at least, one full load of random clothes each day and getting the two loads of towels (towels & whites) done.  It is just whatever needs done.  
• Thursday:  This is the day to sort of "try to get it all done" (bwahhhhahhaa) or really to a certain level of completion going into the weekend.  The goal is to leave little to do on Friday, none on Saturday and Sunday.  This is the day to start my husbands clothes going.  It is usually only two loads, but again there is usually another load of everyone clothing, possibly some soiled sheets, and possibly more towels.  
• Extras:  Anytime we have a rainy day my kids make wet laundry for me.  Yes, as long as it is not thundering and lightening and they can tolerate the temperature they are allowed to play in the rain.  It is one of their favorite things to do.  It is a special event at our house which creates a special laundry event of wet clothes and towels for me to do.  Anytime someone wets a bed... special laundry moment.  Anytime there is swimming... towels... special laundry moment.  Anytime a potty trainer is in the house (I have one now!)... special laundry moment.  You get the point.  It truly is madness, but we get it done.  And everyone works on it.  Yes, even the little ones.  And this is how they help:
•  Sienna ,2, can find her panties in the pile and put those in her panty basket in the little bathroom.  She can attempt to fold washclothes.  
• Sahara, 5, can pick her underwear out and put those in her panty basket in the little bathroom.  She can fold washclothes and attempt to fold towels.  She can put her folding clothes away which include pants/jeans and night clothes.  Sometimes we put her clothes on hangers, but have her hang them.  This is hard for her, though
• Caden, 7, can pick his underwear out and put those away.  He can fold washclothes and attempt to fold towels.  He can put his folding clothes away which include pants/jeans and night clothes.  We put his clothes on hangers, but have him hang them.  This is hard for her because he does not want to do it.  He is capable and is learning.  
• Sierra, 9, helps fold and sort everything else.  She can put things on hangers, but is not a good judge of hanger sizes just yet.  She helps put mostly her own things away, but can do others, also.
• Savannah, 12, helps fold and sort everything else, also.  She is the best at helping with laundry since she is the oldest.  I try not to overwhelm her with doing too much of it, though.  She can do it all.  Does that mean she should?  I don't think so.  Cody and I are the parents and the children are not our slaves, but they are required to do a fair share.  The key here is a "fair" share.  Sometimes that is hard to judge in a larger family.  Some days require more of their help and some days I try to do the most of it, so they can do other things. 
• Getting behind & playing catch-up:  I want to add this last issue because we all get behind sometimes.  When you have seven people and you get behind on laundry you are looking at one huge laundry day or possibly a week of several smaller loads.  
• One great way to "fix it quick" is to play a three hour trip to the laundromat.  We have done this and it works great because you get it all done and you can take it home and put it all away.  It is constant unstopping work for those three hours with little break time if any.  I start by sorting.  Pick out all the jeans and quickly start those loads.  Use the largest washers for the quickest solution.  While those jean loads are going start sorting the rest however you prefer and start those loads.  As a washer finishes put those in dryer.  Because everything goes in a little at a time you are going to be in constant work mode more than likely.  As a dryer finishes up fold and sort.  Make sure you are sorting for the easiest put away effort once you get it all home.
• If you want to stay home, I recommend sorting into easy to fold categories:  jeans/denim (if you have a ton you may want to sort by person even like me doing my husbands all as one load; pajamas (I do this often.  Yes, sometimes we have a full load of all jammies!  I include underwear in this load); all a specific color towel (We have green, teal, and white.  I separate out white.); etc..  Seriously, if you can do a whole load of underwear, then do that.  When you have it simple it makes it mindless and you can get it done quicker.  You do have to invest a little more time in the sorting task at the beginning, but it pays off in the end.  

So, this is how we get it done in our little larger-than-average-size-family!  I know it is not an exciting topic, but a I hope it helps someone get their laundry days done better or allows those of you with smaller families a peek into how a bigger family gets it done.  

And this is kind of my theory on laundry... and therefore, what drives me actually get it done:

Dinner in a Crunch & on a Budget Sequel

Well, it seems I had unexpected company drop in "for just a moment" right around the time I should have been cooking dinner.  It's a good thing I had already made plans for those leftovers from last night's "Dinner in a Crunch & on a Budget"!  Yippee!  I had about a third of it leftover, so it was either eat more taco salad for lunch today or change it up a bit and make it dinner for tonight.  And since I am so bad about forgetting to take meat out of the freezer (which, of course, I did again today until about 2:PM... and since it is church night and the kids have activities that start at 6:PM I needed something quick).  So, this is what I did.  It is not glamorous but it is good, and healthy, and filling.  

Again, I had about 1/3 of my taco salad mixture left over from last night.  I put the pot back on the stove.  Added a cup of water to it.  Turn on the heat and gave it a stir.  I poured in half a bag of frozen whole kernel corn.  Then, I opened a large can of Petite Diced Tomatoes and poured them in.  That is about it folks.  Simmer a little while (or boil on full blast like I do but stir constantly because this will burn quick... don't ask how I know this stuff... hehehe!).  Now, you have a quick Taco Soup. 

I had intended to make fresh rice to serve it over, but when my company stayed way longer than "just a moment" I was pretty happy that I remembered I had leftover rice.  I should not admit that it was still in the pot it was cooked in, but... it was.  In this case that was a good thing because I added a 1/4 cup of water to the rice and turned the burner on high, AGAIN (I have a problem... I like to do things way too fast).  I let that QUICKLY moisten up and then, I dumped the whole thing in my pot of Taco Soup.  So, I guess I really made a pot of Taco RICE Soup!  Whatever you want to call it, it was good and quick to serve because the rice was already in the soup.  Everybody got a bowl with their option to sprinkle in cheese and sour cream.  

For the record I will say that the kids had veggies and fruit at various times throughout the day, so they are getting a variety of food groups even though it may not look that way from these two dinners.  ;)  Happy FAST cooking!  This can be done in under 10 minutes not counting making rice. 

Dinner in a Crunch & on a Budget

Some days there is just not enough time for everything you need to do.  In fact, that is most everyday around here.  There's cleaning to be done, meals to be fixed, homeschooling of four of the kids to be done, guests to socialize with, and all the other normal stuff that life throw your way.  When I am in a crunch to pull together dinner in a hurry I go to one of my old standby meals.  Fortunately, it is also one of my favorite meals and it is versatile.  You can keep it simple or complicate it and it is still a well rounded meal.  T

Yesterday was one of those days, so when I realized I was going to be short on time and somehow managed to end up with four heads of lettuce in my fridge I knew it was good day to have Taco Salad.  This is how I do it:

Taco Salad
-Brown a pound of ground meat in a pot.  Add 2 packages (or 1/2 cup) of taco seasoning to that and four cans of Ranch Style Beans (or Great Value Southern Beans which does not have the high fructose corn syrup) and about a cup of water (to preference) and simmer that for 5 minutes or so.  
-While that is simmering cut up your lettuce, tomatoes, and whatever other veggies.  Set the table and set out any condiments you want to go with it, such as, cheese, sour cream, salsa, chips, cheese dip, bean dip, etc..
-Dinners done!  And if you don't have a thousand interruptions you can pull this dinner together in under 20 minutes.

This is a frugal dinner because a little meat goes a long way.  Way back in the day when it was just my husband I made this with one pound of hamburger, 1 package of seasoning, and one can of beans.  As our family has grown I added extra beans to make it bigger and since my kids are the type to pick out meat I have never had to add more meat.  The flavor is there with the texture it adds to the meal without the expense or need for more meat.  And I have learned over time that this really is much healthier anyway.  Beans are so beneficial to the body and more red meats in the diet or not as beneficial. 

Affording the Holiday: Fall Festival Time

Well, this is not going to be about the controversy of Halloween.  So, I will get that out of the way.  We do not celebrate the creepy stuff and we don't encourage it.  We do still take our kids trick-or-treating usually in a nearby small neighborhood because we enjoy the dress up aspect and we use it as a time to discuss avoiding the evils of this world and how many people get caught up in participating in evil things (scary costumes, scary decorations, haunted houses, etc.).  I always ask my kids this question.... "If it doesn't honor God then, who does it honor?"  I let them think about it and they always know the answer.  Many will say we are participating in evil just by going trick-or-treating, but I think it is what you make it.  I personally would have given it up a few years back, but my husband does not share the same conviction.  For now we go. 

So, on to the topic.  And this may be a series (if I can remember as the year goes by... hahaha!).  When having a larger family how do you afford the holidays throughout the year?  How do you afford all the stuff for the Halloween/Fall Festival season?  As we have added to our family we have had to change how we handle Fall Festivals and such.  We used to attend everything there was going on.  Now, we avoid the high cost ones.  That includes elimating the very Fall Festival that my husband helps put on each year.  Every year the elementary school he works at does a Fall Festival as a fundraiser for their PTO group.  In turn they purchase something big with the money for the school like playground equipment or a computer lab, etc..  It's a good cause, but at $15 a wrist band to play carnival games plus food on site that all kids want it can add up quick.  I am not about to spend $75 at the school festival.  When we had one or two kids I could get away with spending about $20 and it was not a big deal.  

So, now we do the local free stuff.  And I don't go looking for extra events like I used to.  For the last few years we have attended our church Fall Festival on a Wednesday night and gone trick-or-treating on Halloween night.  We also usually attend a nearby church festival but last year my kids came home with a bunch of creepy stuff from there, so we skipped that this year.  We will also be attending a Costume Party on Saturday.  

We also ate 50 cent corn dogs from Sonic with fries for a quick on the go dinner... topped off with way too much candy and soda, of course.  This is not a night for being healthy!  

You may look at all the costumes and wonder how on earth we can buy all those costumes and call it frugal.  Well, I am glad you asked!  I don't think I spent over $10 on the whole lot.  

• First of all, Savannah is the Renaissance Princess and I had that costume.  It is an adult medium that I wore several years back.  It has five safety pins in it to bring it down to a girls size 14.  I had scrap fabric and quickly made her headband for free.  Total cost:  $0
• Sierra is a butterfly.  Most of the costumes you see here are from a local children's resale shop that is going out of business.  The prices are already low like 5.99-7.99 and take off 75% and you are down to $1-$1.50 per costume!!  The thing is you don't always get all the pieces when you buy resale, so then the details have to be added.  This one was missing wings.  We headed over to Goodwill and got wings for 49 cents which I took home and tore all apart since they were pink and rather old.  I basically bought them for the wire structure.  I wrapped the wire in orange satin ribbon (I would have splurged on a can of spray paint had I realized this need to be done, but I was not packing five kids back in the car to go to Wal-Mart.  No way!) and... oops!  I forgot... I also bought a yellow Princess skirt at Goodwill for 99 cents for the fabric.  I cut it up and used the fine tulle to wrap and glue, and wrap and glue, and wrap and glue on the wing structure.  It was time consuming, so this was my biggest "investment" on all these costumes, but she was so happy with her wings so it was worth it.
• Caden is the White Ninja which is a G.I. Joe Storm Shadow costume that we got in NEW packaging at the same resale shop.  When we got home we realized it was missing the white mask.  Yippee.... :(   ... but I had white t-shirt fabric that was perfect for making one and it took just a few minutes.  He kind of panicked when I put it on his head to size it and acted like he could not breath in a most dramatic way, but we talked, he got over it, and we moved on.  That thing has been on his face for the last three days.  Seriously, I have overly dramatic children.  
• Sahara wanted to be a Princess... as every little girl her age does.  And she would have been content with anything as long as it looked "pretty".  The resale shop had this little Thumbelina costume which I am sure was missing a lot of pieces, but she did not care.  Again, we went to Goodwill and picked up wings for 49 cents and it was done.  This was the easiest costume.  She is the most craZy child sometimes, but she is the easiest to shop for because she is content with what she gets... as long as she gets something.  If she does not get something then, she is all drama about how she never gets anything... which is sooo not true.  
• Sienna is the little fishy.  The pictures do not do this costume justice.  It is so sparkly and cute.  She, of course, would rather be naked!  This was also from the resale shop.  I think I got it for about 75 cents.  It has the cutest little fine popping up off the back and and legging that have tulle fins down the back.  So stinkin' cute!  
• I also picked up an afro wig and black straight hair girl wig just for fun at the resale shop because they were under $1 each and brand new in the packages.  We hit the jackpot there!!!

And you may wonder what I would have done if I had not hit this bargain sale..... Well, I would have found another bargain.  I always do.  Sometimes we splurge and spend more, but I always find some great bargains.  And that is how it is done.