Need Idea's

Hi
http://www.verybestbaby.com/CoolTools/RecipeFinder.aspx
This website has a lot of good recipes for the family.

God Bless You for having the capacity to love all those children who need it so much! You are at the top of my prayer list girl. Crayola has a great website at www.crayola.com where you can join for free and get lots of great creative ideas for those blessed little minds. ;-)

WOW! not much but I just heard on a nutritional segment that beans are hands down the most nutritious item on the market if you have to make tough choices (probably why they're so popular in mexico). And of course foodnetwork.com has TONS of bean recipes, from cajun and creole to refried to spinach and lentil recipes.

Also, check out your local freecycle.com network. LOTS of things are recycled that you may want or need (beds, clothes, toys), including extra vegetables and fruits out of peoples' gardens sometimes.

good luck and we will be praying for you!

Hi K.:)
My husband and I have 2 boys but often have 4 of our Godchildren come and stay. Couple of years ago social services took the kids away from the parents due to the housing situation(no drugs or drinking though)and we offered to take the kids since they too were going to be split up.(we ended up with 2 of the younger ones and a nice family from our church took 2 older girls during the week since we lived way too far to drive them to school every day).I am suprised that you do not get the food stamps though, we just had theirs transfered.........Lots of moms already mentioned many good food and activity ideas. Ours are on the younger side, so we go to the park a lot, ride on toys, bikes ,scooters. Our community also has a pool so we live there during summer time:)Another great thing is a Little tykes blow up bounce house. It was only $200 from Walmart("only" I know, but with so many kids taking them to one of those jump places it would be $50 each time for just 2 hours)It fits in the average living room, so when kids are going crazy,or it's a rainy day....unroll, let them run/jump anergy out and away it goes in the nice compact bag.
Another thing, try to contact local YMCA, tell them the story, they might be able to help you with some after school activities for the kids.
May God give you lots of patience!!!!!!!!!

First, let me say that those children are so blessed to have you in their lives. It's a lot to take on, but you did the right thing.
I'm not sure of what ages you're dealing with, but there are a lot of simple fun activity ideas at the familyfun website. (different versions of tag, arts and crafts, etc.) And for meals, you could save by making meatloaf or chili using half ground turkey, half ground beef. (It's healthier and cheaper!) We like to have a "breakfast night" dinner also, with pancakes and eggs. There is a website called www.hillbillyhousewife.com that has the cheapest meals/recipes to help people save money at the store. I know the name sounds goofy, but it is an interesting site.
Since you're dealing with so many kids at once, I would highly suggest getting everyone into a good routine, and letting everyone have responsibilities around the house. It is good for the children's self esteem, and also your sanity! I know it's easier said than done, but everyone would benefit.
Best wishes to you and your family!

R.

K.,

God Bless you. The only thing I have is www.kraftfoods.com this sight has a great 5 meals, 1 bag section that are very easy meals and you can print the grocery list off the computer too...I'm sure this can help your budget too....also try www.allrecipes.com you can plug in anything you need in the search to find food and ideas.

Jen

Kraft has a magazine that you can get a subscription to or you can get on line and check things out... I think its kraftfoods.com My boys really like alot of the stuff I make from there..
good luck!
C.

Hi K.!
I have 4 kids in my house now but have had up to 7, not including any friends who might be tagging along. Plus I grew up in a LARGE family, so it's a good thing my mom taught me how to cook for the masses. Inexpensive, nutritious, easy to prepare food? Casseroles! I'm big into the one-dish meal. It's just so much easier. I think the usual kid-friendly foods- chili, spaghetti (or any Italian dish or pasta), stews (beef, fish, vegetable, take your pick) and soups of all kinds- work well for large families. I'm a vegetarian, but my kids eat meat, so I get whatever buy-one-get-one-free meat there is at the grocery store and use that. Hamburgers (or sloppy joes!) are also quick and easy. Stuffed baked potatoes (maybe not as fast, but you can plan ahead), tacos and various other Mexican food, a salad bar (set it up like a buffet and the kids can fill their own plates- add beans or cheese or diced meat for protein), hoagies (hot or cold), and breakfast-for-dinner are also fun. I like to take leftovers (especially from taco night) and make a frittata. Serve with a salad and dinner's ready in 20 minutes. Some nights, during the summer when it's REALLY hot, I just make yogurt and fruit smoothies. Those are also good as a nutritious dessert.

As far as activities- family game night! We play a lot of board games. My kids also love bowling, going to the park, bike riding, movies (we're lucky enough to have a second-run theater here that's $1.50/person, or we just rent one- they take turns picking it), even just hopscotch on the sidewalk. Anything that gets some of their energy out is great!

Good luck!

When we suddenly went from 4 members of our household to 8, we had to change things fast. Every child had chores, right down to my 3 year year-old. Each evening, the older ones--me included-- (not the 3&4 year-olds) took turns making lunches for the next day and putting them in the fridge (we had an extra one in the garage). We put a chart on the fridge with lots and lots of lunch ideas. Every night after they went to bed, I prepared the dinner for the next night - all but the cooking. For example, I prepared meatloafs full of veggies, covered them and put them in the fridge so all I'd have to do after work was put them into the oven. I used crockpots a LOT. I'd prepare it, cover it and refrigerate, and just start it going in the morning.

I made a lot of brown rice to go with the meals.

I had a big stew pot and made a lot of what we called "stewp" which was a cross between stew and soup. We made chicken, turkey, beef... every pot came out different using whatever we had available. Put that over brown rice.