Momofsix asked how I did OAMC (Once A Month Cooking) with kids around. I laughed as I read the comment. I didn't really manage it that well. Honestly, its probably easier to do without the kids. But here's what I did:

Yesterday started with a trip to the store. We went to three stores, and that got crazy at the last store. Then when we got home, I put the babies to bed, the older two in front of a movie, and the boston butt into the oven to cook all day.  While the kids napped, I chopped veggies and made a plan for the afternoon.

 When it came time to cook dinner, I picked the easiest dish (red beans and sausage) and made it in triple. That wasn't too much harder than making one. When hubby got home, I asked him to take the kids outside while I processed the boston butt and waited on dinner to finish cooking. We had a late dinner and the kids were good and tired, so there was none of the usual bedtime hassles. :)

After the babies were tucked in, the older boys played Mario with dad and I browned six pounds of venison. Once it was browned, I added a cafeteria-sized can of crushed tomatoes for spaghetti sauce. While it was simmering we read a missionary story and did our devotions.

Once the big boys were in bed, I started on another five pounds of meat for chili. It didn't take long to get it together and let it simmer while hubby and I watched Office reruns on the internet. The hardest part was processing the boston butt. It took forever and my hands were cramping from holding the knife for so long.

Today, it didn't go so well. I peeled and sliced 15 lbs of potatoes, and then proceeded to overcook them. I ended up with dinner tonight and two other dishes for the freezer. I lost some due to the overcooking, so I was pretty bummed. We did a good cleaning of the kitchen this evening, and tomorrow I'll spend about 3 hours working on 6-8 meals (depending how much they stretch). I'll either do it during naps or after the kids go to bed.

There is no doubt that spaghetti, chili, and the red beans & sausage are incredibly easy and quickly come together. If you like those dishes, start there and make several. Casseroles are much harder, as I learned today.