Stream-line lunches for the kiddos

So, in the past I have not put a whole lot of effort toward the organization of school lunches. However, with three little ones starting this fall, expectations of yummy, healthy, and fun-filled sacks has made us think about becoming more intentional. After all, in the past I myself, being the loving mommy that I am, have prepared lunches for kiddos daily. This means getting out all the bread, choice fillings for the day, baggies, chips, veggies, extra snacks ect. Not to mention the chaos that sometimes erupts when I supply bowl, spoons, milk and evidently an unlimited amount of tasty cereal choices( or so it seems to our children whose eyes are much larger than their tummies at times) on the table for a quick breakfast. This has lead to a mess not to mention waste. My brilliant husband ( and I do not say that with sarcasm) said to me recently “what if we pre- measure the kids cereal for their breakfast” That question completely inspired me to completely transform the way we do lunches around here. My new found system my seem a bit to predictable, or complicated to some of you however, there are 6 cute little mouths to feed. We have done the math, that is about 100 sandwiches a month!!
In the past I have done different lunches every day for the kids, deciding daily what to pack and preparing it all each day. I have found that I waste a ton of time doing it this way.
Our new system is as follows:
We will have 2 lunch options each week, one for Mon., Wed. Fri., the other choice will be given on Tues. and Thurs.
For example one lunch choice could be
Ham and cheese croissant
bugles
gogurt

grapes

homemade cereal barsjuice

the coordinating lunch would be
peanut butter on wheat
carrots
cheese popcorn
string cheese
juice

homemade granola bars

Now to prep the food, we got the kiddos involved in the process and they loved it. At the start of the line was Gavin(7) he placed the two slices of bread on a small board, and spread one side with jam, then it slid to Jaiden (5),who spread the other side with peanut butter, then on to Maddison(8) who cut and packaged the sandwich. On the opposite side of the table Levi(3) was scooping snacks such as white cheddar popcorn or corn chips into one cup measurements and bagging them, and giving them to Zoe(2) who then put them into snack bins for our cupboards. We then freeze the sandwiches. This weekend we froze 50 meat and cheese sandwiches and 30 peanut butter and jam. That will save tons of time while packing, I also have found that if I just tell myself ahead of time what snacks go with what meal, I waste less time packing. (I use this principle with dinner planning which I do a month in advance as well, I will write about that later) This process only took about one hour for us to do all together.
I do try to be creative with the lunch choices, so we include wraps, filled with veggie cream cheese and lunch meat, and salads. Also warm meals like tacos or pizza, my kids have access to a microwave during lunch.
Our kids attend a “sugar-free” school, so we try to come up with healthy snacks that the kids will enjoy. I love that they never beg for super fatty, sugar-filled treats, because they know they are not allowed to have them at school. We have done a lot of home-made granola bars and home made cereal bars with cheerios and dried cherries ect.

As for breakfast, we will pre-package a “Hill kiddo” sized portion of cereal in plastic bowls with lids.( you can purchase these at gordon food service for about 10.00 for 50, they are deli containers ) Then our little cuties can pick one bowl of choice and pour their milk in and less waste, less mess!

I hope that this has been helpful in your meal prep. We are just excited about being on top of the 100+ lunches we will make this month.  Blessing to you an your family this school year, may you be intentional in what you do for Christ this school year!

What do you do all day?

So what do you do?  At home, how many loads of laundry do you do a day?  Do you always have dinner ready at a certain time?  Must you mop everyday, or once a week?  And what about you, how you dress, do you do your hair and makeup every day, and what about even getting a shower on a daily basis?

These are just a few of the questions I receive from other wives and mothers wondering how to order their days.  This is a concept that has taken me years to understand.  I fell for the “Martha Mentality”.  You know, the thought that I can be perfect at everything I do and always be on top of things,  Just like Martha.  What I never took into account is the many people she has working for her, behind the scenes.  Yes, if  life came pre-measured and prepped, cleaned up and primped, I could do it all with ease.  However, was it ever God’s will that my home be perfect? I knew I had a huge issue with this when someone told me my home looked “lived in”.  Lived in?  LiVeD In?  I thought this was one of the most offensive things I had been told, I spent so much time cleaning and organizing, all to have my house look “lived in”?  That’s when God showed me the pride spilling out of me about our home.  I always chose cleaning over playing, I would even say no to friends who wanted to get together, because then the house would be too messy.  I realized that my ministry is to my family and to other PEOPLE…not to my house!

What is my role as a wife and mother?  If I stay home all day, What is the expectation of my day?  What should be my top priorities of each day?  Alas, the answer is all too easy, yet taking the answer and applying it everyday is the most difficult part for me.

Be busy seeking God.  Intentionally imitate Christ.  Create an environment where the Holy Spirit can work in the lives of you and your family.  That is my calling.  Wow…no list of to-do’s to check off as I go?  Sure keeping a home in working order falls into place here, but seeking God is the focus.  Imitating Christ is the goal.  Seeing the Holy Spirit at work in our lives is the result.  Not the kudos from visitors on the polished look of a house.  So how?  Here are a few things I’ve learned to do,

Meet with God.  Meet with him in prayer, study and worship.  If this is the only thing you accomplish in a day, meet with Him.  Invite God into your home and ask him to help you order your time. Understand that you can continue your conversation with him ALL day.

Know your family, understand what helps them function well through the day and what stresses them out.  For my husband, one of the ways I can bless him is by making the phone calls he asked me to make.  I could procrastinate all day on that one task, cook a fabulous meal and have  a spotless house, but the biggest blessing to him would have been the calls being made and mac and cheese and a messy house.  That is one example. Go the extra mile and ask “How can I bless you today?”  And actually do it!  I tend to be quite the procrastinator, so for me this helps me remember to focus on one key thing that I can do that day that is out of the ordinary busy work.

Pray.  Pray for your children as you fold their clothes,  pray for their future as you tidy their rooms, pray for the choices they make at school as you file their homework.  So many things we do throughout the day can be accompanied by prayer, and what an impact that makes in the lives of our loved ones.  Keep scripture in a highly visible place in your kitchen, at the sink or above the stove, so that you can pray that scripture while doing dishes or making dinner. Pray out loud with your children as you drive them to school, this will be a blessing that will stay with them through the day.

Pray for your husband the same.  Pray for the future of your family as you prepare meals and clean up from them.  Pray for the future spouse of your child while you prepare special events, asking God for a full and joyful home in the future.

Set the atmosphere.  Help create a playful atmosphere when it its time to be playful, and a serene atmosphere when it is time to rest.  For some reason women set the tone of the home weather we mean to or not, so be intentional about how you set the stage.  The best days for me are those where the home is set to the atmosphere of peace and rest, since that is what I often view our home as, a place to find peace and rest.

Teach your children.  Play with them, show them how to love and how to enjoy life.  Dance with them and paint with them.  Teach them to cook, read with them.  Spend time loving on them, they will remember it for the rest of their lives and that is what they can pass down to your grandchildren.  Dishes won’t even remember being dirty, let alone the fact that you cleaned them.

Be passionate.  Find out what God gifted you to do and do it with passion.  Love the lord with ALL your heart soul strength.  Pass that on to your kids.  Talk about your faith with them at home and when you are out.  Impress it on them.(see Deut.6:4-9)

So maybe my floors aren’t mopped every day, or every week for that matter.  So maybe my home looks “lived in”.   So if you come by and see the lack of perfection in my home just know, it is because I have spent more time with The Lord and the ones I love than I have spent with the cleaning rags…and that is the joy I have found in everyday life!

Stand in the Light

A couple of weeks ago I was going up stairs to wake the kids for school when the house went dark…we lost power!  We continued to get ready as Jaiden went around the entire house testing all the lights we own, “This one is broke too” she announced. We loaded up the gang and off to school we went, only to realize the entire city of Grand Haven had lost power.  As we drove past the homes on our daily route, I noticed the number of people standing in the front window of their homes.  With a strong sense of uncertainty as to why power was withheld from all of us, folks went to the most well-lit area of the house, the front(often picture) windows.  I’m pretty sure this was because of the amount of light given by the morning sun, and the thought of catching a glimpse of why we were not receiving electricity.

Do we do this?  In times of darkness and uncertinty do we step into the light?  Not only hoping for the comfort and peace brought out by the Son, but also to possibly catch a glimpse of hope.  To catch a glimpse of reason and what the future holds.

Sleepy Time….

Ah yes, the time of the evening when all rests.  Not always sleeps…but rests.  The home is straighted up from the undoing of the day, and the lights are dimmed.  The infant sleeps and the pounding of tiny feet upstairs has seized for the time being.  I sit in the living room with a handsome man (my husband) and we sip our sleepy time tea.  AHH…. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t think of taking for granted the chaos that is our daily life, but for now I enjoy the quiet of the evening.  I hope to use my writings to give insight to our lives and I hope you enjoy my thoughts, as random as they may be. enjoy….