Managing the MotherLoad by Jennifer Applin

Larger Families Post

I have a new post up at Larger Families.com. Here you can read all about our breakfast routine (and the fact that I sleep in as late as the kids will let me ;-).

Food Topic at Larger Families

This month's topic at LargerFamilies.com is "feeding our families." Be sure to visit throughout the month to get recipes, meal-planning tips and advice from those who feed the masses large families ;-)

Recipe: Broccoli Chicken Casserole

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

1 large bunch of broccoli

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

6 American cheese slices

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 cup of mayo

1 small canister of Durkee dried onions (or generic)

-line a 9 x 13 baking dish with raw broccoli

-cover with cubed chicken

-cover with cheese slices

-mix soup and mayo and spread over cheese slices

-bake at 375 for 45 minutes uncovered

-sprinkle dried onions on top and bake another 15 minutes

-if onions make the top too greasy you can blot with a paper towel to remove excess

Recipe: German Beef Supper

My mom started making this recipe when we were little and it has always been a family favorite. She got it out of a cookbook, but I don't know which one so I can't share the source. Here is a great recipe that's full of flavor and perfect for the cold weather we're having:

-At first glance you may think that this is a sort of beef stew recipe, but it's not. The final steps of the recipe thickens it up and it's served over noodles. So it is really more like a beef tips over noodles type of recipe

-I estimate that the prep time is about 30 minutes (especially when using a food processor for the apple, carrot and onion) and the actual cooking time is closer to 3 hours. It's a great recipe to start in the late afternoon while the kids are napping or at school and then it cooks for a few hours filling the house with a great aroma.

-This recipe freezes well so it's easy to double and then you have a meal ready to go in the freezer.

GERMAN BEEF SUPPER (4 servings)

1.5 lbs beef stew meat cut in 1-inch cubes

2 Tbsp shortening

1 large apple-peeled and finely chopped

1 medium carrot-peeled and finely chopped

1/2 onion-finely chopped

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup dry red wine or cooking sherry

1 tsp salt

1 clove garlic-minced

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 small bay leaf

1/8 tsp dried thyme

4 tsp cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

1/4 tsp Kitchen Bouquet

4 cups medium egg noodles

1/4 tsp poppy seeds (optional)

-Heat the shortening in a large pot, brown the beef, and drain.

-Return the beef to the pot and add the apple, carrot, onion, 1/2 cup water, wine, salt, garlic, bouillon cubes, bay leaf, and thyme.

-Cover and simmer on low/med heat for 2 hours (stirring occasionally).

-Remove bay leaf.

-Combine cornstarch and the cold water; add to beef mixture.

-Increase heat, cook and stir until thickened.

-Stir in Kitchen Bouquet.

-Serve over cooked and drained noodles mixed with poppy seeds.

Coming Soon....

I have a lot of new plans for this blog all set and ready to go for 2008. The new content includes:

-book reviews

-organization tips

-parenting advice

-suggestions for making time for yourself and others

-ideas for being charitable

-ways to live a faith-filled life

-Featured Resource Friday

Stay tuned....the new blogging format starts today :-)

Benefits of Early Dinners

We're finally getting used to the back-to-school schedule around here. As I mentioned before this is the first time my daughter has been gone all day, every day. Since she still needs an early bedtime we have a lot to cram into those few evening hours (dinner, family time, homework, showers, getting ready for the next day, a few chores, etc.). So I've gone back to our early dinner routine.

Actually I don't know why I ever get away from it. Everytime we start this life is easier and not as hectic. Thanks to the hours my husband works we are able to schedule early dinners. If I'm organized I have everything planned out (and some meals already started) in advance. Here's how it works and why it's beneficial:

-I do most of the dinner prep work while my litlte two are finishing up their nap and the older two are still at school. This allows me to avoid the chaos of cooking with kids underfoot and dealing with any "when's dinner ready?" whininess.

-When my son gets home from school he's the dinner prep person (setting the table, etc.). This is a help to me and keeping him occupied and not fighting with his little brothers is always a plus.

-Shortly after my daughter gets home it's time to eat. Everyone is usually hungry at this point and instead of offereing a snack we have dinner at this piont and a snack later. Also after spending a long day at school I hate to make my daughter get started right away on her homework. This gives her a little break and the entire family has a chance to catch up on the day's activities.

-My daughter helps my husband clean up the kitchen while the rest of us hang out and play. Then we take our time giving everyone baths, getting them ready for bed, ready for the next day, etc. If we waited to eat later all of this would immediately follow dinner which can get pretty tiresome for my husband and I. The relaxed pace is just what we need.

-The rest of the evening is spent tackling homework, playing games, having a snack and on some evenings attending an event (Brownies, church activity, sports, etc.). Again, if dinner was later in the evening these events would immediatley follow and the evening would feel rather hectic and rushed.

So that's it! My mealtime solution for avoiding the hectic dinner hour (or two)/homework/getting ready for bed rush :-)

Jessie Steele Aprons

As part of my Smart Habits Saturday, I'm trying to save my yoga pants for the times I'm actually doing yoga and dress a little nicer on a daily basis. The only problem is that I'm slopping stuff all over my clothes when I'm in the kitchen. A simple solution...wear an apron. The thing is I've really never worn an apron. I can't ever recall my mom wearing one and it's really never occurred to me to do so. Even though I'm a HUGE fan of Little House on the Prairie (seriously..I really do have the books and DVDs from the series), I don't necessarily want to spend my days looking like Ma Ingalls.

Well the Internet has helped me again. Check out the site for Jessie Steele. Here you will find vintage, yet hip-looking aprons in a wide variety of styles and fabrics. They've been featured on Oprah, numerous magazines, and even Desperate Housewives. Now these I could wear! I found the best prices on eBay for new ones (free shipping too) :-)

Smart Habit Saturday

Check out this great new banner Lara at The Lazy Organizer has for Smart Habit Saturday! Of course my habit of participating in SHS hasn't exactly taken off, but I'm giving it another shot. Here's my previous list and my progress:

EXERCISE-let's start with 30 minutes 3x's a week for now.~uhh no, this one hasn't been happening, but I knew it would be the hardest to fit in.

LAUNDRY-2-3 loads a day Mon-Sat. But here's the kicker-it has to be put away!!~I was doing pretty good here until this week with getting back from the lake. I am doing a major downsizing with the amount of clothes everyone has in general, so this should help.

READ TO MY KIDS DURING LUNCH-I do read to them regularly, but I've found that reading during lunch helps keep their lunchtime goofing off in check.~I need to work on this more. My babysitter who is here three mornings a week has started doing this and it seems to be working pretty good.

DAILY SCRIPTURE/DEVOTION TIME-I'm really working on having a Christ-centered life and keeping His plan for me at the forefront of my mind.~This will never be perfect, but I'm happy with my progress.

MEAL PLANNING-Must do this. NO excuses!~This is still not a habit, but getting there.

READ DAILY-DURING THE DAY-I love to read for pleasure, but I usually wait until I crawl into bed around midnight. Therefore I get through about a page and a half before I fall asleep. I want to treat myself to about 30 minutes of reading somewhere, somehow before going to bed.~Nope, not yet. Maybe now that school is starting back up I'll be able to fit this in.

BE MORE DILIGENT WITH MY PLANNER-I flaked on a doctor's appt this week-enough said!~I've been doing a ton of work setting up a new planner system and home organizer. It's great!

STICK WITH A TO-DO/ROUTINE LIST FOR THE KIDS- they benefit from habits just as much as I do. I just need to help them manage this more.~Still putting the finishing touches on this now that school is starting.

LISTEN TO MUSIC DAILY-I have a wide range of music on my computer, so there's sure to be something to suit my mood. In the evenings when I like a little background noise while I work, music is a better choice over the TV. It's inspiring and uplifting without being distracting.~I'm doing this about half of the time.

GO TO BED EARLIER-I think sleeping 11-6:30/7 is best for me. That way I can get up a little before my kids do and actually wake up before I start meeting the needs of four little ones.~Most nights I'm getting to bed earlier.

Here's my new habit to add to the list:

START DRESSING NICER EVERYDAY-I'm a yoga pants junkie! I love just being comfortable everyday especially since I'm at the computer so much. But I think the "just-got-back-from-the-gym" look (when I haven't even been) is getting old. So I'm focusing on dressing nicer, yet still selecting clothes that I'll be comfortable in.

For more SHS check out The Lazy Organizer!

New Post up at Larger Families

I'm a contributor to the group blog at Larger Families. This is an informative, inspirational, and entertaining blog dedicated to those with more than the "average" number of children. The current topic is about some of our favorite resources (books, blogs, websites, etc). Here's A Few of My Favorite Reads.

S.M.A.R.T. Habits Saturday

Okay I compiled my list of wanna-be habits and it is quite long. So I've decided to just post 10 now and I'll add one a week until I get to 20. By then at least one of those original 10 should actually be a habit and can be replaced with something else (right?!?). So here I go:

EXERCISE-let's start with 30 minutes 3x's a week for now.

LAUNDRY-2-3 loads a day Mon-Sat. But here's the kicker-it has to be put away!!

READ TO MY KIDS DURING LUNCH-I do read to them regularly, but I've found that reading during lunch helps keep their lunchtime goofing off in check.

DAILY SCRIPTURE/DEVOTION TIME-I'm really working on having a Christ-centered life and keeping His plan for me at the forefront of my mind.

MEAL PLANNING-Must do this. NO excuses!

READ DAILY-DURING THE DAY-I love to read for pleasure, but I usually wait until I crawl into bed around midnight. Therefore I get through about a page and a half before I fall asleep. I want to treat myself to about 30 minutes of reading somewhere, somehow before going to bed.

BE MORE DILIGENT WITH MY PLANNER-I flaked on a doctor's appt this week-enough said!

STICK WITH A TO-DO/ROUTINE LIST FOR THE KIDS- they benefit from habits just as much as I do. I just need to help them manage this more.

LISTEN TO MUSIC DAILY-I have a wide range of music on my computer, so there's sure to be something to suit my mood. In the evenings when I like a little background noise while I work, music is a better choice over the TV. It's inspiring and uplifting without being distracting.

GO TO BED EARLIER-I think sleeping 11-6:30/7 is best for me. That way I can get up a little before my kids do and actually wake up before I start meeting the needs of four little ones.

There it is-on paper, well the computer at least, for all to see and keep me accountable. Be sure to check out Lara's blog, The Lazy Organizer, for more SHS, and check back next week to see how I did!