Here you go Laura!

Laura in her blog had asked me a couple of questions about my life. So, FINALLY I am getting down to answering her! Here you go Laura!


Cathy - How do you get dinner on the table for 5 kids + 2 adults on time?

A good question Laura! Sometimes we eat cereal for dinner, or oatmeal. Or something like KD, or whole wheat noodles with sauce. Or, sometimes breakfast for dinner, something like scrambled eggs and toast. Those are for those really bad days, or when we need a quick bite so we can get out the door. You know, life gets in the way. Otherwise, we try to stick to a meal plan of some sort. We have regular meals that we break out every week. We try to get the whole family to eat the same things, but with some picky eaters (who shall remain nameless) we have to have a bit of give.

I like to use my crockpot in the fall. I have some great recipes that everybody eats. Like Sweet and Sour Chicken with rice, Chili and a Salsa Pork.

I also make a mean stove top Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch. Takes me two days, but my Dad tells me my soup is better than his Mom's soup. Maybe he is lying, but hey I will take that as a compliment!

We do tacos too. Other stuff like just chicken, with broccoli and potatoes or rice.

We try not to eat packaged foods (too expensive, and not enough for 7/8 people ) because they are not good for our bodies. We try our best. Sometimes Cliff cooks too! He is a great cook. He does a lot of the summer meals like BBQ stuff. Then, I would make the salad or whatever. I think we are a great team in the kitchen. We also get the kids to help us. They like helping.

I would say this, as we eat almost every night as a family at about 5:30 pm. Give or take a half hour. Plan and prepare and it CAN be done! And the kids look forward to dinner, as do we. We like to take a bit of time if we can at dinner to talk about our day. And, we work on table manners too! I know as the kids' activities increase we will lose a bit of time. But thankfully for today, we have that!

When do you start cooking?
Sometimes I prepare stuff for dinner the night before, and sometimes I do a bit in the day. But, I would say our meals are not elaborate or anything. Just fresh and good. I would say around 4/4:30 depending on the meal or when Cliff steps through the door.

What kind of car do you drive and how many car seats are in it?
Well, we do not have a car any more. We drive a van that seats 8 (for now!) and today, we have 3 booster seats, and 2 - 5 point harness seats. In a couple of weeks we will also have an infant seat. That seat is empty right now! No more room after number six arrives!!


Are you going to do the chalkboard paint in the new house?
I would love to, but I cannot find the right spot at this moment. I miss it, and so do the kids. I have a chalk board in my kitchen, and in our bathroom. We do chalk outside in the backyard now!