The Quest For a Filling Breakfast...For Active Boys!

I have a challenge. I have 5 growing boys who can really eat. A LOT. Especially breakfast. Increasingly, I am getting more and more complaints as we're finishing breakfast or shortly thereafter:

"Mom, I'm still hungry. What ELSE can I eat?"

I didn't get this response often until we moved a month ago. I guess if there is a downside to having lots of space to run and play after being in a small apartment with no yard for so long, it's that these boys can really work up an appetite now! All that exercise and fresh air, you know...

Right now, our breakfast rotation includes oatmeal twice a week, eggs twice a week, cold cereal twice a week, and something a little more special, usually pancakes or waffles, on Saturday. Oatmeal consistently fills them up, but they aren't especially fond of oatmeal, so I only cook it twice a week. And they complain that I make it THAT often. But, they eat it and it fills them up! On the days we have eggs, I cook 18. That's usually for just the boys and I, except for the rare occasion that Jeremy eats with us. I usually serve the eggs with some sort of bread--toast, biscuits, or lately I've started making and freezing extra pancakes/waffles on Saturday to reheat and serve with eggs the following week. On cold cereal days, they will eat several bowls each. I'd like to do fewer cold cereal days, but the boys beg for it and it is, admittedly, easy and convenient. Our cold cereal choices are usually Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats, or Raisin Bran. So we're not talking total sugar-loaded fluff here, although my boys would be thrilled to live on Lucky Charms and Froot Loops--if I would let them!

We used to have a fruit smoothie with breakfast several times a week, but I have to admit I haven't been doing that since we moved. Right now, we're having milk or OJ instead. It's definitely time to start making smoothies again.

So I need to come up with a plan to fill these guys up--hopefully without breaking the bank! I have high aspirations of feeding the boys more than usual while also reducing the amount I spend on groceries--think I can do it? I do have one thing working in my favor: Groceries here are cheaper than they were in the city, and I now have the option to shop weekly and take advantage of specials and loss leaders. When we lived in the city I shopped once a month in New Jersey, then picked up a few things here and there in Manhattan--at a premium price-wise.

I'm thinking I'll try making some breakfast-y foods that can be individually frozen. Then, whoever is still hungry can pop something in the microwave, and I haven't wasted food by cooking extra for those who aren't still hungry. Unfortunately, I can't seem to think of anything but muffins or breakfast taquitos that I could individually freeze.

Any ideas?

More Babies!

Look what came in the mail today!! Yes, they are 26 super-cute little baby chickens. I got a call at about 6:45 this morning that this package was waiting for us at the post office. Jordan and I got dressed and headed over there to pick it up. It was funny, because the second we walked in the door of the post office we could hear them cheeping in the back! The boys are sooo excited about their new "pets" and I'm excited about having fresh, organic free-range eggs in the spring!


I was surprised that they all fit in such a little box. We ordered 3 different varieties--Barred Plymouth Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, and Easter Eggers. The first 2 will lay brown eggs, and the last one blue/green eggs. There is also a free "mystery chick" included--it's chocolate brown and gray--it will be fun to try to figure out what it is as it grows! They are supposed to all be pullets (girls) since we want them for eggs, but that's only 90% guaranteed so I'm sure we'll be guessing genders as well as they grow. Fun, fun!





The boys immediately all wanted to hold them...












Our temporary brooding facilities...I need to contrive a better way to anchor the heat lamp, and then make them a little bit larger home. The feeder and waterer take up almost all of the space that you can't see in the picture. Their coop is almost finished--it's fully insulated, so we're hoping to move the heat lamp out there and use the coop within the next couple weeks.


And the shipping box? Why, it makes a perfect bed for two little kitties, of course! They've latched on to that box and have been caught sleeping in it several times today.


In addition to our newly arrived chicks, we've had some drama here today!! I let the kitties out to play on the porch this afternoon with Jordan and Joey. When the boys wanted to come in, I told them they could leave the kitties out to enjoy the warm, sunny day a bit longer. Well, about half an hour later we went out to get them and little Charlie was GONE! We put Carlie in the garage, where she mewed piteously and LOUDLY for her lost brother, while the boys and I searched the yard. When we couldn't find him, I searched the inside of the house, in case he had managed to sneak in, then I searched under the deck all the way around the house, hoping I wouldn't end up with any spiders on me--ewwww!

The boys were all over the yard, and by this time Jonathan was in tears and Joshua was nearly hysterical. I started doing those silly things you do when you are looking for something with small children--going through a small box of toys on the porch, even though a kitty totally wouldn't even fit there, etc. As I was making one more trip around the porch, I stopped to pick up one of our little straw scarecrows (of the fall decoration variety from Walmart) that had been blown over by the wind. Lo and behold, there was little Charlie asleep under that thing!

I've never seen such relieved little boys!! There was much celebrating, and of course the kitty was passed around so that everyone could give him a cuddle. I'm thinking we won't let them out alone again for a while yet, even though he didn't ever leave the porch!!

October 2010 In Pictures (So Far...)

Jordan's 7th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's...



One of the many bouquets of wildflowers Jordan and Joseph have been gathering for me from our yard...



The "tree house tree" at the edge of our woods--the boys have grand plans for this!



Joanna in the nifty aluminum backpack carrier I scored for $8.99 at our local Salvation Army...



Jonathan helping me take apart the kennels at the back of our shed--it's going to become our chicken coop...



An adorable pajama-ed helper...



Little Miss Princess--she's usually a very smiley baby until I pull out the camera--then she gets serious on me...



Joanna and Jordan...



Joseph and Joanna...



The view from our back porch...



Our new babies--Charlie and Carlie...



A hat Jon is working on with the Knifty Knitter--I found 9 skeins of thick yarn at Salvation Army for 59 cents a piece--now all the boys want to make themselves hats and scarves!

Hopefully it won't be another month before I have a more in-depth update! While we're pretty much completely unpacked, we're still pretty busy getting settled and organized. We are enjoying our new home immensely, though!