Family Vacation

As we are knee-deep in planning, dreaming about, and otherwise being distracted by our next family vacation, I thought that I might talk about travel with a large family and what that entails. I have never really considered myself to be a seasoned traveler, as, for some reason in my mind that entails jumping on a plane at every opportunity. However, when I started thinking about all of the trips that we've taken over the course of our 15 year marriage, I have reconsidered. We have flown, driven, been on boats; gone for quick day trips, over-nighters and 3 1/2 week trips, and everything in between. I've travelled alone, with Scott, with just my girls, and all nine of us together. This may be shocking, but for all the noise and mess, taking the whole crew is by far my favorite way to travel. 

Tip #1: Do your homework. 

For me, the planning of a trip is almost as fun as the trip itself. I love to research, read about, plan, scheme, and otherwise throw myself into the planning of the particular trip that we are taking. 

Tip #2: Make a list. 

Surprised? You shouldn't be. And why limit yourself to just one? I have lists of what to pack for me, one for what the big kids need, usually a separate one for the little one, what to pack in our daypacks, what groceries might need to be purchased. All of this, of course, is dependent on what type of trip we are taking, what the destination is, how long we we will be gone, and what our accommodations are. For instance, what I pack to take camping will vary from what I pack to stay at a family's house.  

Tip #3: Enlist help. 

Usually, when we go on any sort of trip, my husband & I each pack for ourselves, I have my big kids pack for themselves & a buddy, I usually pack for the littlest one and handle the packing of miscellaneous things. Plus, I try to get the car loaded before hubby gets home from work as we are usually raring to go by then! We want him to eat his dinner so that we can blow this popsicle stand!

Tip #4: Keep it simple.

You are probably laughing at me right now. What is simple about trotting all over the country with seven kids? What I mean by that is, try to bring just what you need. This is difficult for me, as I am a recovering over packer. However, when Scott & I recently travelled to Chicago for 3 days, I carried all that I needed in a small backpack, and had a very small purse besides. It was a very freeing experience for me. Also, don't let the children bring whatever they feel like for a road trip. Picture yourself trying to juggle your bags, your kids bags, and your kids. We are severely outnumbered, so our kids need to be able to have a manageable amount of gear that they can handle themselves, if possible. On a short trip, they are limited to one duffel. On a longer one, they might also bring a backpack, which can serve two purposes: carrying activities for the car ride, and serving as a daypack once we are at our location. Another way that I try to keep it simple is by visiting the same place more than once. This may seem monotonous, but I can assure you that travel with my crew is rarely boring! The experience together is the most important thing, and that will be different each time you go somewhere, even if you went to the same vacation spot every year for the rest of your lives! That is not what I am suggesting, as I do have various locations on my list of places to take the kids before they grow up; however, there are places that we revisit from time to time. If it is a place that you really enjoy, you will want to go back again, and the planning becomes a bit easier. 

Tip #5: Use technology to your advantage.

Many of us have smartphones, but I'll bet that we don't use them to their full capacity. And, no, playing Angry Birds in the bathroom doesn't count. I've got the internet & travel apps on my phone. It is very handy en route for a variety of things - directions, last minute hotel reservations, etc. I like to have my infamous lists handy on it, and perhaps my itinerary. It may have movies, music, podcasts, audio books or radio shows on it for a long drive. You can snap a photo of your kids & your bags in case one of them gets misplaced. This would be much easier than trying to describe said item. Or kid. Can't remember where you parked? You can snap a pic of that, too. I can text my husband if we went separate ways with kids to plan to meet back up. Alarm clock? Check! You may find this hard to believe, but it even works for making phone calls! Bottom line, remember all the cool reasons that you bought your phone to begin with. Then, start using them again. I also like to bring my Kindle. If I know I'm going to be reading a lot, this is a lot easier for me than bringing a large book. (I'm reading Lord of the Rings right now, and who wants to tote that around?) I can usually go a month between charges, so I rarely even need to bring a charger with me. 

Hope this article helps. Let me know if you'd like to see more like this. Until next time!

Kitchen Sink Pancakes

Today, I tried a bit of an experiment in the kitchen. I have been trying for several years to make our meals more healthy. The difficulty is that, because we didn't start out being so healthy, it is sometimes hard to change, and even harder to stick to those changes; to say nothing of getting the family to enjoy it when I throw things like whole wheat pasta, brown rice, or quinoa at them! I just finished a book called The Guide to Healthy Eating by David Brownstein, M.D. and Sheryl Shenefelt, C.N. It is what I would call Nourishing Traditions Lite. For those of you that are familiar with that book, you may echo my sentiments when I say, "thank goodness!" It inspired me reinvigorate my family's eating habits. Today, when I made pancakes, I decided to make them half white and half whole wheat, figuring that this, at least, was a step in the right direction. Then, I remembered a whole bunch of goodies that I had hanging out in the fridge and the freezer that would get thrown out if I didn't use them soon, so I figured, why not throw them into the pancakes? To the dry ingredients of my regular pancake recipe I added pureed pumpkin, crushed pineapple, a tiny bit of banana, some whipped cream, a stick of melted butter and 4 eggs. Basically, I threw in everything, but the...well, you know. When I stirred these into the dry ingredients, the batter was a little thick, so I thinned it out with some almond milk. I also stirred in some frozen blueberries. The kids ate them right up, and the grown ups in the house enjoyed them, too! I was also very happy to use up something that would have almost certainly been thrown away.

The Finished Result

Here is what dinner looked like when it was all complete:

Sunday Dinner

Here is what's doing in my kitchen today. Some assembly required.

Step one: If possible, pour yourself a glass of wine. I prefer red, but whatever you like. (Don't forget to save some for the roast, now!)

Step two: Season the roast with salt & pepper, then brown it in the fat of your choice. I used bacon grease.

Next, out comes the beef, in go the veggies.

After about five minutes, add that wine that you saved (about a cup), throw in a bay leaf and some thyme, and bring to a boil. Return the roast to the pot, cover, and barely simmer, turning the roast every half hour or so until done. Surprisingly, this only took a couple of hours.

I've got homemade pasta dough resting until cooking time, and root vegetables covered in olive oil and seasoned, ready to go in the oven. I'll cook the noodles in the liquid that is left after the meat & veggies come out.

And, for dessert:

I'll try to get a picture of the finished product, but I make no guarantees. It might be gone before I get a chance! I just tasted the beef, and as far as I'm concerned, it is The Roast to end all Roasts in this house.

(Mostly) Meatless Meals

As promised, here is our menu for Lent. If there is a meal that includes meat or dessert, then it is either a Sunday, a birthday, or a feast day. Also, we try to remember to serve homemade pretzels as part of our Lenten tradition - the pretzel reminds us of our arms folded in prayer. The recipe that I use can be found here. Also, anything that calls for chicken broth can easily use vegetable broth, instead. I plan to try this recipe. Please share this post with anyone you know that would like to try more vegetarian meals, even if they do not participate in Lent as a preparation for Easter. I have included links where I can, as I found many of my recipes online. If there is no link, it is something that I won't be using a recipe for. Hope that you enjoy!

2/22 Veggie Lo Mein (Joy of Cooking
2/23 Bean Burritos, Rice
2/24 Spinach Cranberry Salad
2/25 Pasta & White Beans with Broccoli Pesto
2/26 Pot Roast, Veggies, Homemade Egg Noodles, Maple Cheesecake with Roasted Pears
2/27 Pasta with Vodka Sauce (I make a small modification to this recipe by using only one can of crushed tomatoes)
2/28 Soft Polenta with Roasted Portobellos & Snap Peas
2/29 Marrakesh Stew
3/1 Vegetarian Taco Salad
3/2 Broccoli & Cauliflower Stir Fry
3/3 Potato Hash with Spinach & Eggs
3/4 Shells with Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas & Ricotta
3/5 Cheese Enchilada Casserole
3/6 Three Cheese Macaroni, Broccoli
3/7 Roasted Chicken, Risotto, Corn, Chocolate-Berry Ice Cream Cake
3/8 Pork Tenderloin, Baked Sweet potatoes, Cookie Cupcakes with Raspberry Fluff Frosting
3/9 Mushroom and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole
3/10 Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
3/11 Lasagna, Bread
3/12 Breakfast Burritos
3/13 Hearty Minestrone Soup
3/14 Pasta with Alfredo Sauce, Veggie
3/15 Apple & Cheddar Quesadillas
3/16 Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce, Dirt Cups
3/17 Roasted Red Onion & Squash Pasta
3/18 Steak, Baked Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Garlic Bread, Tapioca Pudding
3/19 Croque Madames, Hash Browns
3/20 Linguine with Asparagus & Eggs
3/21 Broccoli Cheese Soup
3/22 Split Pea-Sweet Potato Soup
3/23 Tortilla Espanola
3/24 Caesar Salad, Bread
3/25 Classic Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Cream Puffs
3/26 Cottage Pie, Pumpkin Chocolate Tiramisu
3/27 Spinach Mac & Cheese
3/28 Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Quiches
3/29 Classic Tomato Soup, Grilled Mozzarella & Caramelized Onion Sandwiches
3/30 Pasta Bianca, Carrots, Dirt Cups
3/31 Kimbap & Crab Rangoon
4/1 Panini, Apple Pie
4/2 Pappardelle with Caramelized Onions & Parmesan
4/3 Veggie Quinoa
4/4 Pasta e Fagioli
4/5 Northern Chicken Cacciatore
4/6 Cauliflower Soup
4/7 Vegetable Pad Thai

Chore Jars

Every other week or so, we try to take the morning off of school and attack the house cleaning. Usually, there is a lot of foot dragging, grumbling, going to the bathroom, complaining, and exclamations of "I forgot". And that is just from me, you should hear how the children object! We have tried lists, chore wheels, assigning rooms, and, my personal favorite: not cleaning at all. However, that is only acceptable to me for so long before I get a little crazy. Today, I was inspired to make these chore jars in a final act of desperation the hopes that this, THIS would be the magical thing that never fails me, that keeps us on track and the house presentable when the random guest drops by. I printed a list of all the chores that needed to be done: regular weekly chores like clean the bathroom, empty all trash cans, sweep all floors. I added a few fun and silly things, like do 10 jumping jacks, take a 5 minute break, give someone a hug & kiss. Then I cut them all into strips and placed them in the jar marked "To Do". When their task was complete, it went into the other jar. Everyone had to participate, even Mom, and everyone had to do whatever task they pulled out - no trading for an easy or more desirable job! We must have had the house cleaning done in about an hour flat, and my older kids even commented on how painless it was. Which is far more rewarding than a clean house!

Preparing for Lent

Today I began thinking about what our family should do for Lent this year. In addition to our usual practices, each year I try to do something a little different - to dig a little deeper, and to make Lent a time of true spiritual growth. Something that I like to do when making my preparations is to listen to this talk: Lent: Our Spiritual Tithe. There are several very doable, practical suggestions to help you to prepare. I haven't listened to it yet this year, but I likely will soon. Also, there are several other worthy talks on this site that would be appropriate to listen to, whether it be during Lent or any time. I keep a binder for each Liturgical season, and my Lenten one includes many ideas, things we have done, or haven't done yet but want to try. Here are some things that we usually do:

• increase Mass attendance and confession
• reduce internet usage
• only spiritual reading - lives of the saints or works written by saints
• no coffee
• pray the Sorrowful mysteries of the rosary each day
• pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays
• reduce treats & celebrations (this is a tough one for us, as we have 4 birthdays during Lent!)
• clean the house during the first three days of Holy Week in preparation for Christ's coming to us on Easter - a symbol of what our souls should be like as well.
• cover religious images in the home with purple cloth, as they do in the church

The purpose of all of this is that our outward actions can be a useful tool in helping us prepare inwardly, as well. Some of my goals for this year include:

• no meat for the duration of Lent
• attend Mass more frequently - namely, Tuesdays, Fridays & Saturdays, in addition to Sunday
• read the daily Mass readings with the kids
• no alcohol
• read The Story of a Family
• a pseudo technology fast - restrict internet usage to necessary things only, reduced TV or movie watching, and e-mail when needed

One of my favorite books in planning our Liturgical year is Around the Year with the Trapp family. It is available here in .txt format from EWTN. 

In years past, on of our school assignments has been for the children to illustrate their own Stations of the Cross. This is especially useful for the younger kids, and has been interesting for me to see how they see the Passion & Crucifixion. They then flip through these when we pray the Stations together. The thing that has made the most impact on me in recent years has been to really try to keep the Triduum - the 3 days preceding Easter - as austere as possible. In this way, Easter indeed seems a much more glorious feast. Overall, I do what I can to shut out the world so that I can prepare my soul, my children, and my home for God.

I plan to post our vegetarian menu when I have it completed. Stay tuned for some tasty looking meatless suggestions! I am about halfway done with the planning, and I am actually kind of excited about it. It feels wrong somehow, but, there it is. Most of the recipes have been taken from the Everyday Food magazine.

What are your thoughts on preparing your household for Lent?