When one of Zekers' little friends stopped by to take him sledding last Sunday afternoon, I realized something: We have never taken our kiddos sledding! We've pulled them around on a little purple saucer sled occasionally, but they've never had the downhill experience. What kind of parents are we, anyway?! 
So, one day last week when Danny got home from work, I had them all bundled up and we headed out to Memorial Hill - the perfect sledding hill for kids. They lasted about 45 minutes, and we only left when we did because Mr. Moo decided he'd had enough. It was so much fun, though! I've really missed our family bike trips since the weather's gotten colder; so it's nice to have another (FREE) activity the whole family can do together.
The kiddos got another special treat when their cousin Esther spent the weekend with us. The girls all slept in a room together, and Zekers slept in his tent downstairs, so everyone was happy. Saturday we hit Burger King and then the girls, Zekers and Danny hit the slopes again.
Speaking of Burger King . . .
One of my goals for the year was to spend a little less money on groceries. I averaged what we spent last year per week, and determined to spend $25 less per week this year. I got all giddy at the thought of how much cash would become available to us just through food savings. (IKEA, here we come!) For the first three weeks of the month, I furiously clipped coupons and comparison shopped; I planned our menus carefully around what was on sale; I bought in bulk; I went generic on almost everything. I love a good challenge and was fairly certain I could pull it off.
And then they started eating. Around the first of the year, for some reason unknown to anyone but Almighty God, my little birds turned into Tawny Scrawny Lions. They began eating ravenously - all day long. I'm not kidding. They eat a bowl of cooked cereal for breakfast, often followed by 2-3 eggs EACH and/or several bowls of cold cereal. (It's insane the number of eggs we go through in a single day!)They beg for snacks all morning long, consuming crackers, raisins, carrots, pretzels and fruit by the bowlful. They eat a pretty decent lunch (today Karis ate 3 all-beef hot dogs and Malachi ate 4), more snacks after naps on the way to pick Rachel up at the bus stop, and a large dinner. Then, of course, they want more snacks before bed. I try to give them lots of fresh fruit - which is, of course, one of the more expensive things to keep stocked up this time of year.
Also just discovered: Malachi's new favorite food is hummus. That's right, he just couldn't cram it into his mouth fast enough. Since it's a lot less pricey to make than to buy, I guess now I need to start stocking up on tahini and garbonzo beans. I have my wonderful parents to thank for this. They came for dinner on Saturday and brought some with them - and I think Malachi ate more hummus on crackers than the rest of us put together. I guess there are worse things he could be pigging out on. As a result of all this, I've realized with growing dismay that, barring supernatural intervention, I'll be spending not less, but MORE this month than our average from last year. I guess it's back to the drawing board for me. I'm beginning to realize that we may have reached a new phase in family life: the 20-year "phase" where your kids begin to eat you into the poor house! I know all of you with teenagers are probably having a good laugh at my expense (if you think it's bad NOW . . . ) But even at their young ages, it's becoming clear to me that "groceries" is one category we won't be cutting back on anytime soon.
And now, for your viewing enjoyment: proof of my negligence in housework. No, I have no idea how long it's been since I've swept under the bunk bed - probably since we moved it into the room. On the upside, the kiddos have a whole new batch of toys and puzzle pieces - and dust bunnies - to play with now!
13 comments:
let's see - have you tried making your own bread, noodles and biscuits?
really, groceries are a killer expense in our house and have been for years - even when i DID make the above from scratch. and you are frustratingly right that it is more expensive to feed your family healthy foods such as fresh fruit. i still clip coupons and comparison shop, though perhaps less religiously than before. after all, ours are starting to leave home now....
and yep, 20 years is about right :p
somehow it has flown by, though.
Packages are smaller, prices are higher, and keep getting higher. And if you ask my kids, they will tell you that I starve them if I do not feed them at least every 1-2 hours.
You could always ask Granda E about their Depression diet! Also, Dee, I think making noodles is a pain in the 'noodle.' I'd rather buy them and the store has some good whole wheat ones. I did the bread route back when Charity was little...10 loaves, kneaded by hand (and I walked 15 miles to school!) every 2 weeks. No time with the kids! Just an old work horse of a mom...
Signed, The Old Gray Mare
I just noticed an ad for hummus at ALDI!! Too bad they didn't have those in Omaha, NE way back when, eh?
Addie LOVES humus too. Hey, its healthy. The only downside is garlic breath on a toddler. Weird. Enjoy the snow. We're getting a bunch of freezing rain right now. Oh yeah, Karis looks exactly like a little Charity with blonde hair. :)
Sarah
whew. so yosi's not the only kid who is STARVING every 1-2hrs. the way she's been begging you'd think i barely EVER feed her.
I confess, Charity; I was half-way through reading and started thinking to myself, "if she thinks it's bad now..." :) You're right, it doesn't get any cheaper. I like to be as frugal as possible in the grocery, so it helps me tremendously to plan my menus for 1-2 weeks. That stops a lot of impulsive buying. I usually don't use coupons because most everything I buy is off-brand; it's still usually cheaper than using a coupon on name brand. I do a LOT of shopping at Aldi. Here's the other thing I've been doing: I despise the high prices for cleaning supplies, so I've been making my own laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, window cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, etc. I was saddened to find out that it's actually more expensive to make hot chocolate mix than to buy the can of it. Enough already...:)
hey i am with your kids on the eating thing...... not sure what the deal is with that, buts its like i am always hungry.... (just ask my mom, I am driving her insane!!!) maybe its the weather!! oh and by the way i am 21 so you might have some years to go yet!!!!
Sarah - the next time we're all together, Malachi and Addie can hang out and breathe garlic on each other. :)
Lyndie - I know! I'm sometimes tempted to hang a sign on each of the kids proclaiming that they actually have eaten in the past 24 hours.
Margaret - I'm intrigued by the idea of making cleaning supplies. I used to make my own baby wipes until I discovered it's more expensive (not to mention more work!) than buying them.
Nicole - It must be all that intense studying you're doing. FYI, chocolate chip cookie dough really helps when studying for an exams. :)
Charity, only YOU would photograph the debris from under the bed! LOL!!! That is getting desperate for photo subjects!
We started buying a beef in bulk back when the kids appetites started turning adult sized. Wow, you aren't even to pre-teen ages yet though! :) Our eating has cut back a bit this year with Jonathon away at college.
Coupons, bulk buying, meal planning a month in advance, & preplanning what to get at 3 or 4 different grocery stores by what is on sale each week have helped keep my costs nearly the same for the past four years. All are time consuming, but it does help with cost. Check out www.couponmom.com :) Every little bit helps.
Fortify yourself... it'll get worse before it gets better. ;) And the irony is that even when they start leaving, you feel compelled to send care packages of food to your college kid who is eating on a meal plan that provides way more food than you've ever eaten. lol.
Love the photo of the items from under the bed. Looks like an afternoon of fun just in those few items....
So, where are the pictures of the snow! I MISS SNOW!
That picture of Esther and karis is precious!!
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