Make Ahead Meals

So, many of you have posted on my Facebook page that you'd like recipes for the freezable meals I'm doing for the first month of school....so here goes!!  I will try to post blogs throughout my process of doing this!  Hope it helps you!

** I'm 100% sure this process would be easier without 4 kids running around....bringing their massive rock collections in the house (not kidding...a shoe box, 2 easter baskets, and a tin full of rocks!)....and blaring the tv.....but I'll cope!  LOL!  It may require taste testing some of this as I go!!

My process went like this....find a bunch of awesome websites for crockpot and freezer meals on Pinterest, pin them, wait about 3 months before you look at them again, feel very overwhelmed with the amount of recipes to look through, take a deep breath, and dive in!!!  All kidding aside, it was very overwhelming at first.  My approach was to just go through pages of recipes and save what I thought my family would like in a Word document.  Then I printed the documents (one for breakfast, one for lunch, one for dinner), made a grocery list from them, and will go from there.  I did add some of our family favorites to the list as well. 

Make sure you also add things like foil pans, foil, gallon ziplocks, etc to your shopping list!!

My plan was to get about 15 freezer dinners for the month (I figure surely I can come up with 15 other meals!!).  I wanted to get as many breakfasts as possible since mornings are a little crazy around here!  And then I wanted something other than PB&J for my kids' school lunches too, so I found some recipes we can make ahead of time for that too.  I also asked them what kinds of things they want in their lunches and made a list of all that. 

I know it would be so much easier to go out and buy pre-packaged chips and pretzels and all that, but have you priced it?!?  CRAZY!  So, I bought these things at Sam's this weekend and will pre-package my own!  Animal crackers, goldfish, pretzels, crackers, and Veggie Straws are just some of the things I grabbed.  Now...I DID buy individual containers of applesauce & pudding, but you could do your own with that too. 

I still need to go grocery shopping, which will make this process so much easier (I'm talking...we're even out of the basics like sugar and vanilla!!), but I thought I'd go ahead and make up one batch of muffins that I already had stuff for. 

MONKEY MUFFINS

 

 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time. Beat in bananas, peanut butter, milk and vanilla.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in separate bowl; add to creamed mixture until just moistened.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill greased muffin tins (or lined) 3/4 full.  You can also do these in mini-muffin tins.  Bake at 350 for 14-16 min or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 min before removing to wire rack.

I am flash freezing mine before putting them in a ziplock to go in the freezer until school starts.  To flash freeze, just put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour.  Once they are hardening, you can put them in a ziplock.  This just helps them not all stick together in a clump!

These are sooooo good.  It's a good thing I'm putting them in the freezer immediately!  The kids are already begging to eat one too because they are so YUMMY!!!!

 
I'm going to go ahead and post this now....will post more when I return from the store this afternoon!  And will try to get this silly site to add some pictures!!

Update

Wow...it's been awhile since I last posted! Adam is constantly reminding me to update this thing...maybe that should be HIS job! HA HA!

Things are going well in the Page household. I am almost 33 weeks pregnant. I will have one more doctor's appt here on post before starting to have appts at the hospital where I will deliver. Only a few more weeks until our family is complete! We still have no idea what this baby boy's name is going to be! After 178 votes on our poll, you would think we could come up with something, but........he will be named before he comes home! LOL

Adam is back on day shift at work, which is VERY nice for all of us! We actually feel like we get to spend time with him everyday! YAY! I think he is enjoying it as well...and getting more rest, which helps tremendously!

Todd has learned to ride his bike without training wheels!! YAY!! I have never seen a kid take off like he did! Adam took the training wheels off and was holding the bike and running along side Todd....and Todd looks at him and says "WHY are you holding onto me!?" So Adam let him go and the rest is history!! He's a natural!!

Tori & Audrey are both sweet girls! They are so excited about the baby coming and love to pat on my belly and talk to him! It's such a joy to watch them playing together (and with Todd). They have the best time digging in the dirt outside! So much for my girly-girls! HA HA!

We are glad that it appears to finally be Spring here in Maryland!! We've spent lots of time outside with our friends and plan to have many more playdates through the summer!

Lots of our normal activities will be wrapping up for the summer soon....Awana, PWOC, MOPS, choir, etc. We're glad for the break as we've been very busy lately! We're excited that we'll be able to spend some time with family this summer when they come visit for the baby's birth & afterwards! There's room for you too if you'd like to visit us!! The more, the merrier!!

Blessings to each of you!

Easter Pics

Todd Christian - 5 years old

Audrey Rose - 2 years old

Victoria Anne - 3 years old

Our Family

Adam & Me

21 weeks!

SNOW!!!!!

Daddy's Snow Angel

Ahhh...it's so nice to be on the downhill side of pregnancy! I am SO excited about having another little boy, but I must be honest and say that I will NOT miss being pregnant...the sciatica, the morning sickness, all that lovely stuff that comes with it! LOL We have been blessed so far with a mostly healthy pregnancy...aside from having a cold for about 4 1/2 weeks! We are still discussing names....I am stuck on one and Adam isn't ready to settle on it yet! HA HA!

The girls and I are getting ready to go back to Texas on Feb 16 for a couple of weeks. We will bring Todd back with us. He's been there since Christmas with my family and having the time of his life! He fishes with GrandDad, helps with the chickens, does school with Hannah, and plays and plays and plays outside! And Mom said he's eating her out of house & home! He'll have gained 10 lbs when we get him back! LOL

We will be getting new "big girl" beds for the girls next week. They are ordered and on their way. Tori is excited about her bed. I'm not so sure Audrey is ready for her's yet, so we'll play that one by ear! Tori has finally decided that she's done with Pull-Ups and has been doing so good with her potty training the last 3 days....only 1 accident so far! YAY!!!!

It's A............

BOY! We had an ultrasound this afternoon and the tech was pretty sure that we're having a boy! Adam was pretty proud that he's getting "his way"! LOL Here are photos. Todd was thrilled when I called to tell him he's having a brother! He said "Can he sleep with me?!" Tori just said "OH" and then "Is there a baby in your tummy?!" Kids are funny!

Happy New Year 2009!!

I pray this finds all of you well and ready to begin an awesome New Year!! We are currently still in Texas finishing up the last of our Holiday Trip! We have really enjoyed being with our families and are really not looking forward to the 22 hour drive back to Maryland on Sunday!! My sister Abby will be returning with us though, so that's something to look forward to!

We look forward to the great things God is going to do in our family in 2009 and pray many blessings on your families as well!

Christmas Greetings

Christmas Travels

WOW...it's been awhile since I lasted blogged! Things have been CRAZY around our house...my parents & sister came for a week, Thanksgiving, decorating for Christmas, Creative Memories Open House, shopping for & making Christmas gifts, PWOC Christmas party, MOPS activities, AWANA, along with all the normal day-to-day things a mom does!! It's been a wild couple of months!!

My first trimester is officially over! YAY!! I was pretty sick from week 9-13, so I must say I'm glad to see it pass! I will be 15 weeks tomorrow. We should be able to find out what we're having in late January, early February, although if it's not a boy, Adam & Todd have already decided to send it back! HA HA!!

Adam and I have been involved with our church's Christmas Cantata. We are singing a duet in it. Tonight was our first performance...tomorrow is the last! YAY! I can't say that I'll be sorry that it's over...it's a lot of work!!!

Tomorrow night, Adam signs out on 16 days of leave and we drive to Texas for the holidays! YAY! I'm excited to be going "home" for Christmas this year...although not so excited about the 20+ hour drive down there! We're praying for decent weather, traffic, etc!! The kids are very happy to be going to see all the grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins... this is going to be a fun year because all the kids are old enough to really have fun with Christmas...and really be able to play together.

So, I close this post with a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all and your families! May God richly bless you in the New Year!!

Updates

Well, it's been a few weeks since I blogged last! I even missed Tori's 3rd birthday!! YIKES!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TORI on the 30th!! She is working hard towards getting potty trained...and doing a pretty good job so far! YAY! We had the kids' Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday on the 25th with LOTS of friends over. Every year I say "Boy I'm not doing THAT again," but I guess it's just one of those things! LOL We had a fun time playing games like "Find Pluto's Bones," "Pin the Bow on Minnie" and "Guess the Mouskatool".

We're looking forward to Mom, Dad & Hannah coming to visit next week. Mom will be speaking at the Post Prayer Breakfast here, so they all decided to come with her!

Wednesday is my first Dr appt. We're hoping to be able to at least hear the heartbeat...and maybe even get an ultrasound?! This will be the last time I have to go to Bethesda until later in the pregnancy. I'll be able to be seen by the midwife here on Ft Detrick in the meantime. I've been feeling OK so far this time...been sick a couple of times, but nothing like with the first 3 kids! YAY!

Page #4

We found out this week that Page #4 is on his/her way! It looks like I'm about 8 weeks along (although I'm not 100% sure of that!), which makes the baby due May 28. I'm feeling great so far...just tired a lot. Guess that's to be expected chasing around 3 other kids in the meantime!! The kids are excited about "the baby in Mommy's tummy"! However, it took them a couple of days.....the day we told them, we paused the movie they were watching, said "We're going to have a baby. THere's a baby in Mommy's tummy." Todd said "Oh." like it was just one of those things you hear everyday and Tori looked at us and said "I wanna watch my movie!!!" I did hear Todd telling one of his friends' about it today though, so they are warming up to the idea! Todd is praying for a boy. Tori wants a sister. LOL We're just praying for a healthy baby!!

Todd is 5 tomorrow!!!

Five years ago tonight, I was in full blown pitocin-induced labor with Todd (after my water breaking at 7:30 am and NOTHING happening until pitocin that evening!!). What an event! He was finally born at 5:50 am on Oct 11...Germany time! So that's 11:50 on Oct 10 our time here in Maryland. So...I guess technically, he'll be 5 in 3 hours!! WOW!! He has brought SO much to our family! I can't imagine life without him! He is such a wonderful kid...funny, happy, ALL BOY, sweet, sensitive to others! I can't wait to see what God has in store for him!! THANK YOU, LORD, FOR MY SON!!

For all you parents out there...

It is inevitable that one child will always get into mischief. While Todd & Tori NEVER colored on the walls, Audrey LOVES to!!!! She will color with anything she can get her hands on....and while most of the time it's just a pencil which is an easy fix, today it happened to be a bright blue Dry Erase Marker. And while those are fantastic and easy for Dry Erase boards, they are NOT meant for white doors!!!!! It was quite a stunning display of artistry! However, not such an easy thing to clean off! I tried Magic Erasers because they get EVERYTHING off.....except Dry Erase marker!! I tried baking soda paste because that's what everyone said to do online. NOTHING budged it. Until I got out the nail polish remover....and Q-tips. There is still a lovely blue tint to Todd's white bedroom door, but I guess at least it isn't huge sweeping lines now!! TIME TO LOCK UP THE WRITING TOOLS!!!!!!

Marriage Retreat

Last weekend, we were able to attend a Marriage Retreat made available to us through Adam's Unit Chaplain, James Choi. We spent 3 days in Lancaster, PA. Childcare was provided, so we were able to bring the kids with us. They had a great time in the pool, playing games at a local shopping center, and playing with all the other kids in the hotel. We even got the experience of a "Family Style" meal, which we shared with James & Christina from New York City, and Kathy & her 2 sons from New Jersey.

Great Frederick Fair

We had a great time at the Great Frederick Fair today! The kids got to see all kinds of cool tractors, animals, people's entries including photos, jams & jellies, baked goods...even bug collections! After about 3 hours of walking around, Audrey was wiped out and asleep on Adam's shoulder! Enjoy these photos of the kids!!

Follow my Blog

You can now sign up to be a FOLLOWER of our blog! Scroll down to the bottom on the left side and follow the links to sign up! Who will be first?!! HA HA!!

Also, our Ft Detrick PWOC Chapter has a new blog page. Find it at www.fortdetrickpwoc.blogspot.com We will be updating it with upcoming events, photos from past events, and other 'need to know info'!

MOPS

Our MOPS Kick-off is today! We've had some great MOPS trips over the summer and now it's time to start back with our school year programs. We have some great stuff planned....speakers, crafts and other fun things! If you're in our area and not part of a MOPS group, feel free to contact me for more info!

PWOC

Our Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) Kick-off was yesterday morning! We had a great time worshipping our Lord together and getting back in touch with each other after the summer break! We'll start studies next week. I've decided to fully jump in and do the Beth Moore study being offered. This will be the first time I have completed one of her studies. I know it will be lots of work, but I'm ready!

Last night I stopped by my friend, Kim's, to return some candleholders and we ended up at her house until 1am doing HAIR! LOL Our friend Stephanie came to get her hair touched up and we ended up highlighting mine too! Guess we needed a girl night!! We had a great time visiting and laughing with Kim's daughter, Anja, too.

Todd's 1st Day of School!!

Todd started Kindergarten today!! I'm homeschooling him using Rod & Staff and Alphabet Island curriculum. This is our trial year to see if homeschooling is for our family or not! He did a great job this morning! He's excited about learning this year! We took him to Applebee's for lunch to celebrate...it's his FAVORITE!!

Audrey woke up from her nap yesterday with a red, swollen eye. Not sure what's going on with that, but it's still swollen today. I guess we'll take her in to the dr tomorrow if it's not any better.

If anyone has any ideas about what it could be, let me know!!

Funny Todd

I had to share this...Todd is just TOO funny!!! I was sitting on the couch and Todd, laying beside me, looked up and said "Mom, have we ever aten (eaten) chicken pox?!" HA HA HA HA I sure hope not!!! These kids keep me laughing!!!