It's Works For Me Wednesday at Rocks In My Dryer.  Be sure to visit for many wonderful tips!

LOOK CAREFULLY....

It's a special edition of "Works For Me Wednesday"...the "What Do I Fix?" edition.  In honor of the occasion, I offer a few of my dinner approaches when the pickin's are slim and I don't have time or finances for a quick carryout meal.  This is my 300th post, by the way!  It was going to be video of our red slider turtle, Crush, trying to escape from his aquarium, but since I can't seem to upload video, my WFMW post gets the honor! 


I.  Crockpot Pinto Beans

    If need be, substitute other dried beans, as I did yesterday...an assortment of pintos, black beans, anasazi's.  Minimal ingredients, wonderful flavor, nice and warm.  Accompany with crackers, bread, homemade rolls, tortillas, cornbread, whatever you have available.

     **If you have a pressure cooker, do the beans this way...about an hour's time including the cooling off period, and they are so buttery and creamy in taste and texture!  Yum!

II.  Spicy German Chicken Soup

     This is a delicious soup, and though it includes many spices, the staples are minimal.  I use chicken breasts, which I cut into small pieces.  4 chicken breasts, a handful of carrots, flour, chicken bouillion, plus spices.  Simple, and it lasts 2 days for our household of 10.  Again, accompany with some crackers, rolls, bread, or whatever you have on hand.

III.  Breakfast For Dinner

     Scrambled eggs with toast and perhaps tater tots.  Breakfast Burritos.  Pancakes or Waffles.  Cereal, if you're desperate. 

IV.  Corndog Casserole

     I've seen assorted versions online.  My approach is to follow the cornbread recipe on the bag of cornmeal, and to cut up hot dogs, mix them into the batter, and bake.  The kids love it.

V.  Pot Pie

     Using canned stew, or leftover chicken soup (above), and bisquick, I place the stew/soup in the bottom of my baking dish, and top with mixed bisquick.  I usually mix it a little thin, and bake (about 400 degrees) until it browns on top.  You can also mix it thicker and drop biscuits into the stew or soup.

VI.  Top Ramen

     A Singaporean friend served Top Ramen mixed with interesting veggies and eggs poached in the liquid once upon a time.  I haven't quite got her technique down, but MOST of my kiddos actually like Top Ramen with poached eggs, now.  Fix the package as usual, and when the noodles have cooked, GENTLY break your eggs into the soup and allow them to cook.  This is a little tough to do WELL when you are putting nearly a dozen eggs into the mix, but the broken ones just thicken the soup a bit.  Yum!  Really!

     You can also do a little variation on Ramen, where you don't overcook the noodles, and do drain the liquid.  Get a pan hot with some cooking oil, and lightly fry those noodles with a little soy sauce.  A mild stir fry of sorts.  You could do whatever stray veggies you have sitting around, stir-frying them first and then adding those noodles.  But the noodles by themselves are tasty, too.  And it's a quick fix when you're in a pinch.

I'm sure I could offer many more ideas; certainly, a box of mac and cheese or spaghetti and canned sauce are viable options.  These are some of the more popular in my house, and they work for both the family and me!

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips! 


A few stray tips today from a very disorganized Mom!  I don't do well with paper, and have a tendency to be a piler rather than a filer.  An organizer might be a good solution, but I'd probably place it in a pile somewhere!

The best method I've found for keeping up on items we run out of is keeping an index card clipped to the fridge.  The metal clips with magnets on the backs are sturdy, and allow me to pull the card and put it back multiple times.  Here, my Costco list for dh and my list of needed grocery items can be kept 'til shopping day.  Any place else, they'll meld with other papers and I'll have to trust my faulty memory.  When I remember, I try to keep my menu for the week posted in like manner.

Another new idea has to do with keeping  track of when I purchased a given grocery item.  Label your laundry detergent containers, spices, etc. with a sharpie, noting the date of purchase or the date you opened the container.  By doing this, you will be able to gauge the amount of time/use you got from the product.  My laundry soap changed packaging and products, and I'm trying to determine if the product I've purchased is really equivalent to what was working for us before.  I may keep track of # of loads done by tallying on the next container. 

Speaking of Sharpies, these are very useful kitchen management tools.  Leftovers stored in ziplocs are easily labeled, as are items to be stored in the freezer.  And those ziploc bags serve as a space manager in my fridge.  In a small fridge, bowls and containers can take up way too much space, but ziplocs can be worked into odd shaped spaces.

In a large family, little things can really help one to keep some semblance of organization.  These are just a few small things that work for me!

It's the "Backwards Day" edition of "Works For Me Wednesday"

 at  Rocks In My Dryer !  Rather than offering tips, today's participants

are requesting them.  Be sure to scoot on over and offer your "sage words"

to those who seek solutions to all manner of queries!


My own query relates to craving busters.  I have a very definite sweet tooth,and I've found a couple of things that help.  A low carb diet is immensely helpful...when I stick to one !  When snack time rolls around, a piece of string cheese or lunchmeat often kills any sweet cravings, and a chicken breast with salad at lunch is usually a winner for carrying me through an afternoon without endless empty carbs being consumed.  I've found that a nice dandy bag of chocolate chips in the cupboard (Hershey's special dark, especially) last well enough and allow for a small remedy to chocolate cravings, without tempting me to eat the whole thing. 

Hence, my request: When it comes to those awful carb cravings, what works for you? 

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips! 

My tips today focus on shopping with a large bunch of kids, and on price-matching management.  We have a large enough family that taking everyone into the grocery store is a challenge.  Little ones get easily distracted, older children get frustrated with little siblings, and Mom gets frazzled quickly.  This leads to unexpected purchases (an apple grabbed by youngest dd last time...while I filled a bag with galas, she munched on a red delicious), forgotten items, and a poor demeanor and little tolerance for impatient checkers.  Not great.  It's a rare happening that all of the kids accompany me.  But it does happen.  And should I care to pricematch, more frustration!  So here are some of the basics that allow me to shop, with or without children, and maintain sanity.

1.  Leave toddlers at home if possible.   I have babysitting aged children who are able to be enlisted as helpers at home.  This shortens my trip to the store, and saves the older sibling some frustration.  I take the middle group of children, 4-5 of them, and this group generally works well at helping to gather items.  Occasionally, dh is home when I need to shop, and I go by myself, on other occasions he and I go.  These opportunities are also less stressful!

2.  Use a second basket.  If I must take everyone, we use two shopping baskets.  The youngest two sit in the toddler seats, and occasionally, another child will sit in the main part of one of the carts.  On my last trip, I had a brainstorm with that second basket, though...see next tip!

3.  Separate all price-matching items.  Normally, my items to be price matched are placed in the front of the cart (toddler seat area).  On my last big trip, everyone was with me, and I placed my price-matching items in the second cart.  I'll do this from now on when I have a lot of items to price match, even if I don't have all of the dc with me.  It REALLY  helped last time!  Plus...see next tip...

4.  Place price-matching items on the stand FIRST!  I have always put these up last so they wouldn't get by me and get totalled without being discounted.  However, by placing these first, I was able to advise the checker that those items were to be price matched, we handled those details, and I was able to return to loading groceries on to the conveyor belt without worrying about problems in price-matching.  With the extra cart, we placed it in front, unloaded it ( about a dozen items) and moved it forward to receive the first grocery items while the next was still being unloaded.  The added bonus was that it made the line look longer, and we didn't have a bunch of people impatiently waiting behind us!

5.  Label your price-matching items!  I had this brainstorm last time as I stood in line.  If I prepare in advance of the trip, I can label small sticky notes with the item, the price in my grocery ads, and the store offering the price.  When I select the items at the store, placing the sticky notes on top of the items should help me (and the checker) to more quickly identify the validity of the price via the ads. 


More organization on my grocery trips means better handling of budget, and better attitudes in all of us as we make our way through the grocery store.  It works for the kids, and it works for me!

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!  And next week is a backwards themed WFMW, your chance to ask others what works for them!


I have vivid memories of my eldest at 2 years of age helping me stir brownie batter.  She stood on a chair next to me, grinning until her chair slipped.  She bumped her upper lip on the counter, tore her frenulum, and we had to make the trip to urgent care for stitches.  Sometimes, kitchen ventures don't turn out so well. 

However, some 12 years later, this same dd is the queen when it comes to brownies.  I pick up the mix, she kindly bakes.  When I try to make them myself, it's usually a flop.  Too dry, too undercooked, it always seems to flop.  She, on the other hand, has learned how the batter bakes, what pan works best, and has branched out into reading recipes and requesting ingredients for brownies made from scratch.  She also makes a dandy chocolate chip cookie, and has become quite the champ at using the breadmaker to make dough for pizza crust and rolls.  My second eldest, likewise, has been working at various confections, and does well with muffins, banana bread, and cakes and icing.  It's a blessing because I can call upon the two for help with meal preparation, and they're great at fixing a tasty snack while I'm doing other things.  I'll be working on getting the next 2 to gain some of these skills soon, and of course, there's that nervous glance when my now 2yo youngest dd gets up on a chair to help big sis, saying, "I a good helper."  I don't want anymore torn frenulums, you understand.  However, I look forward to enjoying the help in the kitchen for many years to come!

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!


I don't mind peeling potatoes.  Sometimes such kitchen activities are actually therapeutic.  They give me a chance to slow down, ponder, compose a little rhyme of some sort, pray...many things happen when I am in my kitchen.  But, with a busy brood, sometimes I need to hustle in my food prep.  Sometimes I don't want to deal with the mess.  Sometimes, I need a quick way to do dinner.  Especially with soccer seaon keeping us so busy. 

The idea struck me as I perused the freezer section of the grocery store one day.  Frozen cubed hash brown potatoes would be an easy work saver in my chicken chorizo burritos.  I picked up a pack, and they worked perfectly.  I just thawed them in the microwave and added them to my mixture.  The kids were thrilled.  The potato peeling is one of the reasons I don't make those so often, and a $1.50 bag of frozen potatoes is much better than a $3.00 bag of potatoes that will need peeling.  Yeah, Mom!

My squash soup base was a hit with the kids, but the one thing they agreed on was that it would be a REALLY good soup with potatoes.  Easy with a bag of frozen potatoes.  I made a yummy German chicken soup this weekend, a recipe I found in searching for some remembered tastes served by a German restaurant that closed a decade ago in my hometown.  The family loved it, and eldest dd suggested it as a great pot pie filling.  The leftovers went into a pot pie sort of recipe the next night, with those frozen potatoes as an add in.  The reviews were great!  Mom had a hit!  When the family is happy and my work is minimized, it's great...works for them, and for me!

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!


We've come up with a couple of very helpful things this summer to take a bit of the sting out of our summer power bills.  The first pertains to air conditioning.  We are fortunate to have a swamp cooler, which is a power saver compared with the main a/c.  We noticed last year that some people have shaded their swamp coolers, and in working toward that end, we decided to put up a patio to completely shade it.  It's in the shade all day, and as a result, we have run the a/c unit much less this summer.  Definitely, a savings!

The second thing we did was run an experimental period of having the eldest 2 dd's handwash the majority of dishes.  The deal was that if it made a significant difference in the bill, we'd work out a way for them to earn some money for their efforts.  It made a difference, and so we've worked out a price of 50 cents per load.  They're happy to have a way to earn a little money, DH and I are happy with lower bills.  Works for them and me!

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!


We eat a LOT of oatmeal for breakfast.  A 50 lb. bag lasts approximately 3 months.  Needless to say, even the kids in the house who enjoy it get bored sometimes.  But it's economical, and very healthy, and since I'm the Mom, they don't have a lot of say.  Poor kids!

There are a few ways we dress it up from time to time.  Most days, it's done assembly line style with a little margarine, brown sugar, and a splash or two of milk.  For those who like it, myself included, a tablespoon of peanut butter really gives a great flavor and makes for a nice variation...I skip the brown sugar and use a couple of packets of splenda.  When they're in the pantry, I sometimes use nuts...sprinkled on top, they do wonders for the oatmeal blues.  Walnuts and pancake syrup are yummy (butter or margarine, of course, underneath).  Assorted types of baking chips found on sale at a local grocery surplus.  But the all time favorite is to add chocolate chips and walnuts.  When the chocolate melts, the kids get a nice chocolate milk bath for the cereal, and they don't complain much at all. 

Keeping breakfast healthy and inexpensive works for me...keeping it tasty works for all of us!

P.S.  If you have a moment, swing by my article yesterday and leave a comment regarding your favorite use for zucchini or summer squash!  Maybe we'll have more inspiration on making squash tasty!

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!



In "Summer Shape Up 1" and "Summer Shape Up 2", I detailed some of the things I was doing to get more fit this summer.  I'm thrilled to say that I've stayed with it through the summer, and have managed to get rid of lots of inches.  Not the miracle results one might find in the claims of various workouts, but still, better fitting clothing and a lesser size of shorts remind me that "slow and steady wins the race"! 

Hubby and I have done the South Beach diet a couple of times in the past, but have bogged down after a couple of months at it and returned to our old carb heavy ways.  We're going to give it another shot here in the next week or two.  I have a friend who lost 75 lbs. on the "Beach", but her encouragement was that she bogged down and lost nothing for 3 months before she saw any real results.  When I've approached this diet before, I haven't included exercise in the program.  Now, with the exercise in place, I'm hoping that our efforts will see more success.  Just as with the exercise, having a buddy (my hubby in this case) should make for a more encouraging and successful effort. 

A partner, a plan, and a goal...works for me!

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

It all began one evening early on in the summer.  Dad and the big kids were mixing the concrete for the patio posts.  Mom had the task of keeping the toddlers out of the way.  With wet concrete, temptation lurked, especially with my very hands on little guy.  He migrates to tools and Daddy type projects.  You should see how he eyes the lawn mower when he's out in the tool area.

I sat down on the bench in front of the large grassy area out back, and suggested they get ready to race.  Offering a quarter to the winner, I had them line up, 5 of them ranging from ages 1 to 8.  They raced. 

"Can we do another one, Mom?" 

"Sure."

After a few normal races, where the older ones were winning, I changed things up.  The last one to cross the finish line and high five Mom won.  Then it got wacky.  Let's do a skipping race.  Sure!  A jumping race.  A slow race.  A bunny race.  A lizard race.  A partner race.  A puppy race.  A "Your choice" race.  They raced in various ways for probably an hour.  As the concrete mixing finished for the evening, the older kids joined the fray.  Soon, all 8 were racing.  A great way to occupy them, as well as wear them out a bit for bed time.

These days, our afternoons are usually a little windy, often very windy.  Hot Southern winds make afternoons indoors a must.  I have the kids outside swimming in the mornings before the wind kicks up.  After an afternoon cooped up, they are a little cranky, so it's back outside for an hour or two after dinner.  And inevitably, those little guys want to race.  Now, they approach me. 

"Mom, can we do a lizard race?"

"Sure.  On your marks, get set, go!"  Works for me!

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

Travel with youngsters can be a challenge, especially when Dad's moving at a great pace, mind set on reaching his destination, and someone suddenly has to go.  Moreso if we've just barely left the last pit stop.  Or, running errands with a van full of children, no restroom handy, and someone starts wiggling!  The boys aren't too tough.  In an emergency, they can usually relieve themselves with minimal stop time and just a little privacy.  The girls, not so easy.

When stopping  just isn't an option, an empty water bottle is helpful...there's something about boys and bodily functions.  They find great humor in being able to take care of business, and I just don't relate.  The other day, though, we discovered a reasonable not-too-humiliating solution for the girls.  We keep a small plastic garbage can in the front of the van, between driver's and passenger's seat.  A plastic grocery bag inside of the can holds the trash.  Remove bag of trash, and behold, instant porta potty.  A relieved (pun intended) 8 yo dd was a little reluctant, but desperate enough to try it.  Business finished, contents emptied in the desert parking lot, and can wiped out with paper towels (another essential in our vehicle), the problem was solved without damage to the vehicle's upholstery!  Just need to add a can of disinfectant spray to that list of vehicle essentials!

A new solution to a very frustrating problem, this definitely works for me! 

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

A couple of weeks ago, my WFMW post relayed some of the ways I'm working on shaping up a bit this summer, and this week I'm sharing a couple of additional tips.


1.  Kick It Up A Notch:  In the pool or at the skating rink, I'm working on increasing my activities.  I found out the other day that I could actually work up a sweat in the swimming pool.  I think I remember that from days in which I used to take an aquacise class, but it's been a while.  Some hard jogging in place really gets you going!  At the skating rink, I'm working on trying to increase the number of laps I skate each time we go.  Music helps, some upbeat stuff for the pool, and the kids' Disneymania CD at the skating rink...we get there early enough that there aren't many people, and the owner is amenable to playing the cd's the kids bring.

2.  Find A Friend:  I've got a friend doing planned water aerobics and exercise with me.  That's motivating!  The kids love it because they get to see their friends while we work, and they get to swim after we're done.

3.  Research:  I'm looking online a little bit, but also consulting with my Mom about some of the things that her water exercise classes do.  I'm checking for some of the equipment and exercises online.  It's been a decade and a half since I took a class, so it's good to update my information.  

4.  Plan Ahead For Other Seasons:  I'm making progress now, but come fall, the pool won't be an option.  For cold weather, I'm considering bike riding as my most likely way to continue the program.  With that in mind, I'm starting now, just a little bit at a time.  I took my daughter's bike up and down the street once the other day, and boy, did my legs feel like jello afterward.  Hopefully, by the time the pool is done for the summer, it won't be a hard transition.  

Slowly, I'm seeing results, and I'm feeling better, so I definitely want to keep it up.  I think there's a law in physics that says that a body in motion tends to stay in motion, and that a body at rest tends to stay at rest.  Getting mine in motion works for me!

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

Budget is one of my biggest considerations on a shopping trip, but there are times where cheapest isn't always the best for us.  

1.  One of those times is when it comes to ground beef.  If I just need a pound or two for spaghetti, the fat content isn't the highest priority.  However, if  hamburgers or tacos are on the menu, I usually select a lesser fat content.  I nearly always purchase a 5.5 lb package of 93/7 ground beef in these instances.  There is anywhere from 1.50 to 2.00 difference in price from the next highest fat content.    With the lesser fat content, my hamburgers will not shrink as much, and my taco meat will cover two meals in our large household with a little left over for other use.   If there's a decent sale on 85/15 or 73/27 ground beef, I'll purchase these for other uses.  

2.  We enjoy hamburgers with sausage meat mixed in.  Again, it's better here to splurge on the lower (50% less) fat variety, though the price is greater.  Otherwise, the hamburgers shrink a lot.  

3.  Sunday afternoons are a nice time for a barbeque, and a nice time to rest up for the coming week.  A favorite option is to put some chicken tenderloins on the grill, because they cook up quickly and leave plenty of time to enjoy the afternoon.  These are a little pricier, but tasty!  

4.  Paper Products are very subjective.  The cheapest toilet papers and paper towels are almost always frustrating.  They run out more quickly, and aren't worth bothering with.  Likewise, cheap paper plates last half as long because they need to be doubled or tripled for some meals.  In our house, it's better to spend the extra money on something that won't frustrate.

5.  Generic disposable diapers have  usually worked well for me, and I've been changing them for 14 years.  There have been a few occasions when a new brand arrived on the scene with an attractive low price.  However, they have almost always been frustrating because they leaked.  Funny, I don't notice them on the shelves much anymore.  

6.  Generic salad dressings work for us, but occasionally I have purchased a name brand on sale only to find that nobody liked it.  Tried and true is usually the best choice for us, and better to skip the cheap sale price on something we don't normally use.

7.  Generic sodas and juices usually work for the kiddos (on the rare occasions that we allow them in the case of soda), and I can live with them, but dh has his preferences, so there are times where name brand wins out over the generic alternative.  Also, when it comes to root beer, a family favorite, generic usually isn't that great.

When I purchase something unappealing, or that results in a lot of waste and ineffectiveness, it's a frustration.  Trial and error are the best teachers, and these are some of the places that I've learned that skimping isn't worth it. 

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

This week's entry is a listing of some of the things I'm doing/attempting this summer in order to get more active and hopefully shape up a bit. 

1.  The Garden:  Raking and leveling have provided some good hard work, although my fingers sure feel the pain.  Gardening and yard work have been a great way to get myself and the kiddos outside and moving.

2.  Home Improvements:  DH started work on a patio last weekend, and the kids helped mix and pour concrete for the posts, while Mom held the ladder, handed nails, lifted beams, etc.  Everyone gets the satisfaction of having constructed, and the side benefit for all, great exercise (and sore muscles).

3.  The Pool:  We invested in a nice sized above-ground pool for the kiddos, and Mom and Dad are enjoying it as well.  It's a great way to get active.  I enjoy getting in and just moving...walking laps, swimming, dog-paddling, volleyball.  It's relatively painless, cool, and easy to keep moving for an hour or so with the youngsters, and we all have a blast in the process.  No programmed exercise, just fun.

4.  Roller Skating:  Our skating rink is a great place, and we go every other Friday, along with other homeschoolers.  There is a short tot-time with ride-on toys ahead of normal skate hours, and I noticed some of the Moms walking laps as they pushed toddlers on big wheels and such.  Another Mom donned skates and pushed her toddler around the rink in a stroller.  I figure that at a minimum, I can spend some of my time walking while the kids skate.  Last week, I actually rented my own pair of skates, and did a good number of laps.  Talk about "feel the burn"...my calf muscles sure hurt, but I got in a great half hour to 45 minutes of skate time. 

5.  Ignore The Scale:  Won't even touch it.  It's probably the most discouraging item in the house when I want to get in shape, so this summer, I'm not going to pay attention to it.  Instead, I'm getting active and enjoying the family.  The more active I get, the less time I spend snacking on useless junk food, and the less I crave that sort of stuff.  I'll be measuring success in loose jeans and shirts that are starting to fit better (yeah!) rather than in pounds and ounces and calories.  So far, I'm seeing/feeling results...which definitely works for me!

Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips for beating the boredom blues this summer!

We have a houseful of children, so the "I'm bored" complaint is pretty well known during the lazier days of summer.  I like to keep the kiddies busy in the mornings with housework and chores, garden help, and outdoor activity.  Outdoors has lots of options:  bikes, swimming, trampoline, soccer, swingset, ds' fort in the mesquite trees, puppies.  My older daughters also like to bake, which is a nice way to curb boredom.  Evenings, also, are directed more toward the outdoors.  Last summer, I taught the older kids to play cribbage, which was lots of fun.

It's the heat of summer afternoons that presents the greatest challenge in terms of boredom, those long hours from midday to late afternoon when the desert sun is brutal.  Fortunately, the kids have solved some of the boredom problem for me!  Puzzles!

Toddlers used to make puzzles very frustrating.  If anyone could get much done, little hands were eager to mess it up.  Large puzzles with LOTS of pieces weren't much of an option, as table space is limited.  The kids found a large framed picture which worked for a while, but that came to an end when someone accidentally broke the glass.  Then they found a large part of an old door, which allows them to fit bigger puzzles, and when they're tired of puzzle piecing, slides easily under the bed.  Countless hours are spent in one room or another working inexpensive second hand puzzles from the library or thrift shop. 

My Christmas watch list will include looking for puzzle mats and fun puzzles for the older kids this year.  In the meantime, an old door and used puzzles are great boredom busters.  Works for me!

It's Works-For-Me Wednesday... 

 Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

A really great Mother's Day gift is that special something that children and Mom can enjoy together, and that's precisely what my lovely brood bestowed upon me!

Doesn't it just look fun?!  When you live in the Nevada desert where it's already hitting 100 degrees or so many days, this is just awesome.  Really!  Snoopy, move aside!

We have been drooling over the snowcone machine aisle since a year ago, but never managed to purchase one.  I attempted to use my Mexican ice shaver last year, but it doesn't work so well, or maybe I just don't have the knack, or the muscle, or the...well, I don't get it.  And the blender just doesn't give the right texture when I attempt to crush ice.  But this little dealy-bop is wonderful.  Daddy insisted on a nice one...he figured we would use it quite a bit.

After a nice Mother's Day lunch, we stopped for some crushed ice at a mini-market.  Dh just laughed when he saw that I selected the large bag.  We nary made a dent in the 20 lb. of ice, and filled the snow chamber of our machine.  In approximately 7 minutes, I was able to nearly fill it, making enough shaved ice for all 10 of us, enough that we even had seconds!  The pre-made syrups from Wal-Mart were great, and the kids thoughtfully picked out a couple of sugar-free flavors for me. 

Of course, I like to get creative, and it took little time for me to think of ways to improve on syrups and ice.  Hubby loves to have juice over crushed ice...my tool until now has been a hammer.  The snow cone machine just improved the process!  I even made ice cubes of cranberry juice, which made red snow.  Yum!  A little tart, but great with 7-up. 

The kids were thrilled when I made a simple syrup yesterday, adding a cantaloupe flavored drink mix. 

Cantaloupe snowcones...delicious and refreshing!  Watch for more flavors and ideas!  I picked up horchata and mango drink mixes yesterday, and can't wait to experiment!  Works for the kids, and it works for me!

It's Works-For-Me Wednesday... 

 Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

With lots of mouths to feed, cutting costs without sacrificing quality in foods is really challenging.  I have my share of mac 'n cheese nights to stretch things, and make the most of the case sales at one of our local grocery stores every six months or so.  I also take advantage of warehouse stores when I have the chance, with cheeses, some meats, and fruits and veggies being items I frequently purchase.  I also participate in a food coop, which allows me the chance to purchase natural and organic foods at reasonable prices.  I get my bulk grains, cereals, beans, nuts, and dried fruits this way.  

A 50 lb. bag of oatmeal and a 25 lb. bag of pinto beans last our household the 3 months between orders, and help me keep inexpensive meals in the weekly rotation.    A 5 lb. box of hulled sunflower seeds makes for a great addition to cookies or salads, and a 14 lb. box of banana chips makes for months of great snacks for the kiddies.  Many of the items offered aren't so economical for our household, but but there are many that I find very much worth my while to purchase.  The source of our coop purchases (Shop Natural) also has online shopping, and though  I'm not sure of shipping costs, the prices are comparable to those offered in their coop catalogs. 

Bulk shopping works for our household, so it works for me!

It's Works-For-Me Wednesday:  The Birthday Edition! 

 Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

When I was a child, the most highly requested birthday cake was the magic cake.  We would watch our Mom with eagle eyes to make sure she was not the benefactor, and she skillfully kept the magic alive, keeping us from catching her as she prepared the treat.  The cake would exit the oven with foil-wrapped coins on the bottom.  The birthday child was sure to benefit from generous adults who would contribute their proceeds during the party.  The other children, as well, loved the little bonus!

In our home, we don't do magic anything, but the fun of this cake has taken another form, and is likewise, the most requested birthday cake...The Buried Treasure Cake!

Inspired by a pirate-themed birthday years ago, I wrapped coins with foil and placed them on the bottom of the cake pan, covering them with batter.  The cake is baked and decorated as usual, and if possible, the pan is marked, or a toothpick placed, to note the location of some high value coins (or bills)...a corner is best in this case.  That birthday child, and many since, have enjoyed this fun cake!  **Be careful of young cake eaters...help them with their coins, or be sure that parents are aware of the *extra* contents.

In the midst of our busiest birthday season of the year (3 birthdays from mid-April to mid-May), this one is on the list for next week!  Works for me!

It's Works-For-Me Wednesday!  Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

Here's a quick and easy tip for potentially free fertilizer for the garden.  If you have a dairy nearby, check and see, you may be able to get all the cow manure you want for free (we did).  Also, check with people who have horses or goats, they may be happy to share.  You should have seen our tomato plants the year we got a truckload of goat manure...alas, our one little goat can't possibly produce as much as we need for our garden. 

On another note...

This is the day to help Heather by going to BooMama's and making a love offering.   

Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry is handling a giveaway for anyone that adds the

“For Heather” button on their blog and directs their readers to BooMama’s site on Wednesday, April

18^th (today)  to give a minimum of one dollar...

I'm making my e-version of I AM MOMMY available free today only for anyone who

contributes.  If you've participated, you may follow the link above and download a copy...I hope they

will be a blessing.  (If you haven't participated, you can still follow the link, of course, but I know it

would be a blessing if you do participate .)

It's Works-For-Me Wednesday!  Check out Shannon's site,  Rocks In My Dryer, for lots of great tips!

 I've been given a couple of nice crocheted washcloths in the past, which I particularly like for the kitchen.  Recently, I decided to try making a couple.  Since I didn't have much yarn on hand, but did have lots of thread, I used the thread.  I used a couple of approaches, and found that by using 2 to 4 strands of #10 cotton thread together, I got a really nice washcloth. 

I did all in half double crochet.  The 2 strand version with a size G hook, about 40 chains across and half doubles for probably 25 rows (adjust to a size the "Works for You"  )...not bad. 

My 3 strand version was about 30 chains to begin, half doubles for approximately 20 rows (size G hook).  I used 2 strands of white and 1 of a variegated pink thread, and it gave a nice dainty appearance.  I liked the texture of this washcloth best, and find it's nicer than those poofy netted things for the shower.

With 4 strands and a size G hook, I worked approximately 25 stitches across, and 18 rows.  This was a little thicker than I would like, but it is nice and sturdy.

One word of caution, they shrink in the dryer...I found that out the hard way.

Now, if anyone has tips on helping stiff fingers, my biggest deterrent to doing the above!

Blessings!

It's Works-For-Me Wednesday:  The Car Edition at Rocks In My Dryer.   Check out Shannon's site for lots of great tips!

When we go on a short road trip, eating out is a huge cost.  Therefore, we don't do it at every meal.  Following are some of the things we do in order to curb that expense.

1.  Sandwiches on the Road:    I make peanut butter and jelly or cheese sandwiches, using a whole loaf.  Sandwiches are cut in half, re-loaded into the bread bag, and ready for lunch or snack.  The little ones may only eat a half, while bigger kids may eat 3 or 4 halves.  Dh handles half sandwiches better while driving, also.

2.  Burritos:  Sometimes a simple bean burrito makes a nice filling snack or mini-meal.  I make enough for everyone to have 2 or 3.  Sometimes I do peanut butter on flour tortillas, which are also well-liked.  Dh enjoys plain tortillas, also, so a pack of those is great.

3.  Sliced Fruit:  Healthier than chips and such, although we might do those as well .  Sliced oranges or apples are easier for both little ones and hubby to handle, not too messy, and great for little (and big) appetites.

4.  String Cheese:  Great snack on the road!

5.  Granola bars, breakfast bars, pop-tarts:  the sugary snacks...well, maybe the breakfast we pack.  I usually pick up a couple of boxes to use as breakfast, and if we stay near a mini-market, we'll get a gallon of milk and eat in our room.

6.  If we plan in advance, we'll look for a motel with a continental breakfast.  Compared with eating out, a nice continental breakfast is worth the convenience and extra price sometimes.

7.  Our toddlers get really cranky after a couple of hours on the road, so by dinner time they are very ready to get out and stretch their legs.  We try to travel at night when we go somewhere in order to let them sleep, but if dinner is part of that time, we'll stop at Mickey D's or someplace with a playground so the tots can play.

8.  Given our penchant to drive at night, we often make our main eating out a mid-afternoon meal, and hungry kids can snack on healthy stuff in the evening. 

9.  Liquids:  Lots of water bottles, some juice boxes or packets, but limited. 

These are just some of the things that allow us not to go nutty on the road!  Works for me!