Making A Home

Calling All Cooks! (Breakfast)

THANK YOU!  You guys had awesome lunch ideas, and I can't wait to try them out.

I love Stacy's idea of having a daily theme for lunch (and breakfast).  It's something I've tried in the past and then failed to stick to, but that was with 2 kids.  With 5, I think I'm going to have to be a bit more rigid and organized when it comes to meals.  So while I get that lunch routine worked out on paper... can you send me your easy (and cheap) ideas for breakfast?  

Eggs aren't a problem since we have chickens, but it gets old day after day.  And cold cereal (what I fall back on when I didn't plan ahead) is going to be too pricey for 7. 

Oatmeal is a given for one of our days.  The whole family likes it (well the first 5 anyway, not sure about the next 2).  And it's versatile, depending on the toppings I set out (milk, brown sugar, raisins, craisins, coconut, fresh fruit, etc), or I can opt for instant now and then or baked oatmeal, which they love even more.

I made a dutch puff once (eggs and flour and milk in the blender, baked in butter) and discovered the big benefit to that meal (besides being yummy, and remarkably cheap considering the free eggs) was that I could get up and prepare it, and while it baked, I could wash up the prep dishes, set the table, start some laundry and get my day started while it was baking.  I loved that aspect.  It can also be versatile with different toppings.

Pancakes are a good one for versatility (blueberry, chocolate chip, strawberries and whipped cream, or even waffles).

Quiche, perhaps, though 7 people will probably require 2 pans.  That may have to be one option of many for "egg day" - along with scrambled eggs, omelets and the like.

Muffins?  (We often do those for Sunday since I can make them the night before.)

After that, my ideas get sparse.

What else ya got?  Think easy themes, cheap, but with versatility on the days I'm more adventurous.  What do you make for breakfast at your house?

Calling all cooks! (Lunches)

Anyone have any ideas for CHEAP lunches?  I need some new ideas outside the realm of sandwiches and mac & cheese.  And I mean CHEAP!  With 2 new children, (the kind that actually eat) I need some new inspiration.  Crockpot, make-ahead or quick-prep preferred.  (And did I mention CHEAP?)  Enough for a family of 7.

PLEASE leave a comment with your ideas!

Hilary :)

Settling In...

Hey T!  How awesome do your toys look on the shelves in your room?  (The small things are in a special bin under the bed.)

And H, your dolls are settling right in on your bed, waiting for you...

Your dressup clothes are in the dresser and your Littlest Pet Shop and Barbies are in bins in the bookcase.  (And there's a bin under the bed for other things, too).  Per your request, your jewelry boxes are in the closet, waiting for you to come set them up exactly where and how you want them!

We brought 7 boxes of the children's things home with us from Kennewick.  We spent the morning settling them into their rooms.  I was afraid we hadn't made enough room, but their things fit easily.  Granted, they'll be bringing more with them, but round 1 was simple!

Father's Day

On Father's Day this year we went to church, then got coffee, then gave Brian gifts (a new Mariner's Hat from Sam, One of his favorite kinds of gum from Hallie, A sports game for the Wii from R (aka N) and myself, and a promise of a book that hasn't arrived yet, also from me.

Next...

We took Brian out to dinner at Billy McHale's. 

And taught the baby how to "dip."

Before Brian had to head out to work.  (Selfless guy... he takes all of our birthdays and Mother's Day off from work, but works on Father's Day.  I tease him that it's because work is more of a vacation than home some days!)

Brian, we love you and appreciate all you do for us!  Hope your Father's Day was fun!

Day 2, Part 2

As it turns out, Burger King doesn't have ice cream cones (who knew?), so they ended up with milkshakes (T & H) and apple pies (S & H).  They all played great (a miracle... Sam and Hallie have been picking at each other all day.  Brian and I had to remind ourselves that this is all very strange and stressful for them, too.) 

When they got back, we decided to experience our regular "Pizza and Movie Night" a day early, with T & H.  We watched "Meet the Robinsons" on my laptop (though the speakers are so quiet, it was difficult), and ordered in pizza from Pizza Hut.  Knowing our family could eat close to 2 pizzas before the new addition, and hearing that T has on occasion eaten a whole large sausage pizza by himself, we ordered a total of 3 larges.  The whole crew ate about the equivalent of ONE large.  I'm still contemplating what to do with the rest, considering the distance and the drive tomorrow. I just hate to waste it!

When we took T & H home, I gave them each a big envelope of stickers to decorate their moving boxes.  These are children who have been through countless moves, evictions, staying with various relatives, they need something to make THIS move special and different.  I hope the stickers help with that a little.  We also have personalized backpacks for them (for their most special things) that we'll leave with them tomorrow, and they can bring on the day they move in.  We'll be taking as many of their boxes ahead of time as we can, so moving day is about them joining our family, not about the boxes.  We'll also settle in a lot of their toys and belongings, so they can get a visual sense that they belong in our home.

When we got back to the hotel, we got swimsuits on and headed down to the hotel pool.  It was a great way to unwind, have fun and just be together.  (The thought of 2 parents with 5 non-swimmers was too daunting, as much as T & H wanted to swim with us, but the 3 kids did great.)  The children are all asleep and Brian and I are decompressing from the long but good day.

Seriously, these children seem to be the cream of the crop among older children available for adoption.  We are counting ourselves so blessed.

Day 2, Part 1

We picked up T & H at their house at 10am and took them to play minigolf at Golf Universe (it was between that and a park, but they said they'd never been minigolfing, so that settled it.)  Minigolf has been a tradition for Brian and I whenever possible on a vacation.  We can't seem to find a course near Disneyland anymore, but just about everywhere else we've gone, we've found one.

It wasn't long before I realized I wasn't going to be able to play, chase R, keep the children out of the way of the ones swinging their clubs and take photos all at the same time.  (I know, it's just some simple multi-tasking, but there was a toddler and several small bodies of water!)  So I bailed after the first hole... which is a bummer, since I really do love minigolf.  The girls stuck it out through hole 2. 

Then they started challenging each other to pushup contests or something...

 

The boys played all 18 holes and had a great time.

After golf, we went to a local park to let them all get wet in the spray area, run, climb, and dry off again.  Then we headed to lunch...

We chose a local burger joint (Ruff's) because it looked quaint... until $46 later!

After lunch it was back to the hotel to show T & H where we were staying, and to give R a nap.  (She's sleeping now, allowing me this mid-day computer time.  Thank you R!)  Brian took the big kids to a fast food joint for a small ice cream cone and some "playland" time while R sleeps.  (Thank you Brian!)  It's a bummer that the hotel housekeeping didn't come during the FIVE hours we were out of our room.  And now I've had to hang out the "do not disturb" sign for naptime.  I'm guessing we'll have to make our own beds and beg for new towels and coffee. 

Thanks to all who prayed for Sam and Hallie's behavior last night, it was evident!  They really did quite well.  DON'T STOP!  They are particularly wound up (Hallie) and cranky (Sam and R) today after the long drive, the lack of sleep, and the excitement of being with their new brother and sister.  I'm afraid these poor children will say "PLEASE don't send us to live with them!  The children aren't fun to be around!"  So far, no indication of that.  Though H did say last night "Am I going to live with CRAZY people???" after we'd been there for less than an hour... but I think she meant that in a good way.

A few other tidbits... we almost got attacked by a wayward tumbleweed on the highway on the way here.

The coffee stand we stopped at this morning asked us to TRY our drinks before we drove away so she could be assured we were totally happy with them.  I thoroughly appreciated that (and yes, they were delicious!)

The children's aunt handed me a something before we left their house last night... T & H's baby books.  What a treasure to read through, to have access to, and to be able to save for these children when they are grown.

Day 1

We started off this morning - 5 goofballs wearing shorts in a rainy drizzle. 

We drove on and on, before stopping for lunch in Yakima at Miner's.

It occurred to us while we were there, that we need to make another stop on the way home to get a photo for R - one of her tribes is from the area.  Lunch was quite good.  Sam ate a burger as big as his head.

We arrived in Kennewick (and a blast of 95 degree heat) at the precise right time to check in to our hotel.  I tried to connect the computer to the free WiFi, and the other 4 took a rest.  Then we headed out to the home of the children's aunt and uncle, with whom they have been living for over a year.  I thought T, particularly would be pretty standoffish at first, but T & H ran right up to Sam and Hallie and whisked them away to play.  And within an hour, they were wrestling with "Daddy Brian."

The children all had dinner together (the aunt and uncle had a BBQ for us and invited the local relatives to meet us and help the children feel at ease.)

When I asked H what we should do tomorrow, she said "Go to your house!"  I assured her it was too far away for one day, but that we'd go there soon.  When it was time to leave, T & H both tried to stow-away in our car.  I take that as a very good sign.

I'm exhausted!  Off to bed!

Our Visit

We are off!  I'm setting this up to auto-post while we are gone. 

We are on the road right now, driving to Eastern Washington to see our new children.  We'll be at their aunt and uncle's house this evening, having a BBQ with the children and some of their extended family.  (Pray that our other children behave themselves and don't make us look like the world's worst parents in front of this family that is giving us this most precious gift.)

I'm planning to bring my computer (and camera, of course) along, so I'll hopefully be able to post updates each day. 

I have it in writing...

This just in from T & H's state social worker...

"I wanted to update you guys that I was misinformed about home schooling and it is okay for T**** and H***** to be home schooled by Brian and Hilary. I just became aware of this today."

You can bet I'm saving THAT e-mail in a safe place.  :)

We had decided (at the advice of our agency social worker) not to push the issue by even responding to her inital "no" until after the children were home, so as not to make waves, and it feels like God has rewarded our stillness by swinging that door wide open behind the scenes. 

See, I have this little problem sometimes with forgetting to let God do His job, and not trying to do it for Him.  Crazy, huh?  He's just so much better at it than I am.

Narnia!

We've been reading the Narnia series aloud.  We finished "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and are about halfway through "Prince Caspian."  Time for a party!!  We invited a bunch of friends and had a full day of fun with details from the stories:

Costumes. (I went simple this time.)

 

While Renee's were AMAZING:

Movies (we watched both Narnia movies during the party, one in the morning, one in the afternoon.)

Games.  We played a "balloon darts" game with a bow and arrow (Judah was awesome at helping the younger kids figure out how to use the bow.  He had incredible patience.)

And a puzzle hidden among the trees.  I put names of characters from the books on laminated cards (good thing, since it was raining a bit that day), and Brian posted them to trees in the back lot of Renee's yard.  The names of the good guys had a letter of their names underlined, the bad guys had none (the first book references that some of the trees are spies for the While Witch).  The teams had to find all the letters, then unscramble them to spell "For Aslan!", a phrase from the second book.

Good food - (tea sandwiches, rolls, cheese, devilled eggs, fruit, veggies, and turkish delight.)

 

We had a craft (of which I have no pictures, unfortunately.)  The girls made wands and beaded necklaces, and the boys painted wooden shields.

And ended the party with a pinata (Mr. Tumnus' packages.)

 

Head over to Renee's blog to see more photos.