I don't know how you do it.

One thing we get asked A LOT is "How do you do it?" or other similar variations "I don't know how you do it," or "I could never do that!" If you would have asked me at the beginning of 2018 if I would like to add 3 children to my household by the end of the year I probably would have had a similar mindset. "I don't know if I could handle that." Thankfully no one asked and it all just kind of happened because I wouldn't change it for the world! I love our large family and even though I'm not sure how long our foster kiddos will be with us, I'm enjoying their presence while I can.

Honestly I don't really have a short answer for "how do you do it?' We just do. But, I do have some tips and ways I do things that certainly make life a little easier. Do we do life the same way we did when we only had 2 children? Absolutely not. I'd probably go insane. Adjustments had to be made, expectations had to be changed, and schedules had to be moved around.

Part of why I started writing again was to have a place to put all of the ways we do things to help life run more smoothly. Including meals that don't take very long to make but are still healthy and inexpensive (crockpot meals are perfect for this), budgeting for groceries and other activities with such a large family, side hustles to help boost your income because we all know that kids are expensive, and much more.

I'm obviously not an expert in the matter of raising large families, but I do have a little bit of an insight and would like to share how I do things in hopes that maybe you'll get a few tips you find helpful to use in your household!

Comments

I will not be deprived!

It's been 1 week without meat and all I want is a milkshake. So being that I am who I am, I will still attempt to get my "milk" shake and not break any vegan "rules." Since I've been wanting one for a few days I decided to google vegan ice cream recipes. To my surprise there were TONS. Ice cream flavors such as cake batter and peanut butter chocolate chunk. I can make those and add in some coconut milk or soy milk and VOILA milkshake. Honestly, meat does not even sound appetizing to me. But meat hasn't sounded appetizing since I watched that documentary. Now, I would very much like some cheese or yogurt, but I am surviving. I absolutely love the new things that I am trying, though. I've made black bean hummus and black bean burgers. Both are ABSOLUTELY amazing. I love that my refrigerator looks extremely healthy and I can grab any snack that I want and not make a "bad" food decision. On a side note, tonight is our nigh...

My Vegan Experience: Cake Pops??

Over a month ago I committed to making cake pops for a friend's gender reveal. Well now that I've changed my eating habits, that means cake pops are out of the question, right? WRONG! It took a few google searches and a little bit of planning, but I actually did it. I made vegan cake pops and surprisingly...they were REALLY good. In case you're interested in making vegan cake pops yourself, this is how I did it: Ingredients: 1 cup white sugar 1 small avocado 1/2 cup apple sauce 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup vanilla rice milk Combine all ingredients and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. I use a cake pop pan for this. And then for the "icing" coating. I bought "allergy-free" semi sweet chocolate and combined coconut oil to help it melt and then dipped the cake pops in that mixture. End result: ABSOLUTE DELICIOUSNESS! Photos by Kristin Marie Dustman Photograph...

Adding On: Week 24

I've been meaning to start this blog weeks ago to document the growing life inside of me, amongst other changes going on in our lives. For those that haven't heard, we're having a little baby girl and we're ecstatic! I still have 16 weeks to go, but I cannot wait to hold that little girl in my arms. You'll probably hear a lot about her, plus a few other things we have going on. I might throw in a few recipes here and there, as well. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Progress: 8 weeks vs 24 weeks How far along: 24 Weeks Total weight gain/loss: 16 lbs Maternity clothes: Some maternity, some regular clothes, but those are becoming few and far in between. Stretch marks: None, so far Sleep: Sleep is okay. I typically wake up about 3-4 times a night to go to the bathroom. Best moment this week: Spending Sunday trying a new restaurant and checking out local shops with Michael. Miss anything:...

Liszak, Party of 3

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