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Sharla Kostelyk

Creating a Family Newspaper

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Creating a family newspaper is a unique and fun idea that strengthens relationships, develops stronger writing skills, builds self-esteem, and creates a lasting family historical record.

Creating a family newspaper is a great activity.  It promotes family, togetherness, creative writing, and preserving memories.  A family newspaper can be worked on all together or you can assign different sections to each family member.  Simpler tasks, such as making comics, writing jokes or trivia facts, and drawing pictures can be given to the youngest family members, while the older children and parents take care of other sections.  Making a family newspaper can be done on-line, printed on the computer or written by hand.  There are no rules.  It largely depends on the purpose for making the newspaper.

Some families create an annual newspaper, complete with pictures and send it out to friends and family as their holiday letter.  Some homeschooling families see a monthly or quarterly newspaper as an effective and unique way to promote creative writing and teach about subjects such as advertising and record keeping.  Some families just make a one time family newspaper as a fun project to do together.  Whatever your reasoning, hopefully these ideas will make your family newspaper a success!

The possibilities with a project such as this are as limitless as your imagination.  Some ideas include comics, movie or book reviews, family news (such as which cousin is expecting a baby or what dad had for breakfast), community events, neighborhood happenings, weather, accomplishments of family members (a child getting a swimming badge, losing a tooth, or getting a driver’s license), big announcements such as births and engagements, sports (a recap of a child’s last soccer game), recipes, and crafts.  Having a child interview a grandparent or other relative can teach them a lot about history, ancestry, and family, and can be a great contribution to your paper.  You can also add crosswords, jokes, and family trivia for a laugh.  Adding pictures or drawings is visually appealing and will only enhance the look and overall interest of your newspaper.

Working together to create a family newspaper will also make a paper time capsule, a treasure for years to come.  Seeing their accomplishments, writing, and drawings in print will enhance your children’s self-esteem and reading about family history will help them to feel connected to something larger than themselves.  Creating a family newspaper is a great tradition to start.

 

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Filed Under: Crafts and Activities, Homeschooling

The Grocery Challenge

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Can I feed our family of nine people on only $200 in March by being creative and using what is already in the freezer and pantry?

the Grocery Challenge

A few years ago, my husband and I decided to get out of debt and we were almost able to do so by using the system in Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover“. When we were close to our goal, a series of circumstances beyond our control including an unexpected crisis with the adoption we were in the middle of, a real estate holding disaster, the area of my husband’s work being hit hard by the economy, and one of our daughters becoming gravely ill, led us back into a debt as large as the one we had just clawed our way out of. Dave Ramsey’s system is not a “get-rich-quick” scheme or a strategy of getting out of debt easily. It is hard work and just as it took time to get into debt, it takes time to get out of debt.

After we descended back into debt, we abandoned Dave’s system, largely because my husband’s income could not be counted on and because of how overwhelmed we felt. Even though we knew the system worked, we were afraid to look at the numbers (ie: the truth!) and create another budget and debt repayment plan. Things only got worse. Burying your head in the sand helps no one!

Finally, we decided that we would begin Dave’s Total Money Makeover again on the first of March. This week, I sat down to run the numbers and fill out the worksheets and come up with a plan. What I found is that we will need to be very creative to find extra money to put down onto our debt. I came up with a few ideas and the first is a grocery challenge, whereby we could cut $1000 off what we normally spend a month for groceries, cleaning supplies, and toiletries and apply that onto a debt. The way we would do this would be to eat out of our pantry and freezer and buy as few groceries as possible for March.

I have set the amount we are allowed to spend on groceries at $200 for March. Considering that we have seven children, including two teen boys and two pre-teen boys, this is no small feat! What I did was to inventory everything that is currently in our freezer and pantry. I then tried to create as many meals as I could from that list. My goal was to come up with 31 suppers and 31 lunches.  Breakfasts will be oatmeal and perhaps eggs or pancakes on Sundays (if we can fit syrop into the budget!)

Dinners:

Chicken Fried Rice

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Mexican Lasagna

Not-so-chili pasta

Basa topped with Salsa, Rice, and frozen vegetables

Shrimp Stir Fry *will need peppers and mushrooms

Chili

Chicken Teriyaki, Wild Mushroom Rice, and Corn

Beef Hash

Soup made from leftovers

Asparagus and Asiago Quiche

Cod and French Fries

Tamale Pie

Frittata and Hash Brown Casserole

Sweet Chicken Tostadas *will need tostadas

Tortellini Soup

Meatballs and Rice

Soup made from leftovers

Beef Hash

Lemon-Mustard Chicken, Basmati Rice, and Green Beans

Chili

Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, and Peas

Tamale Pie

Beef Stew *will need potatoes and carrots

Lemon Mustard Chicken, Green Bean Casserole

Meatballs and Rice

Teriyaki Chicken, Wild Mushroom Rice, and Creamed Corn

Macaroni Casserole

Pinto Tortilla Soup

Baked Pasta *will need mushrooms and peppers

Beef and Bean Burritos *will need peppers

Voila!  31 Suppers!

For the lunches, the list is mostly soups, (Pumpkin Soup, Minestrone, Black Bean, Mushroom Cheddar, Lentil Soup, Tomato etc.), Bean Casseroles, and Pastas.

Snacks will be the most difficult, but I do have some baking in the freezer that can be used and some of the applesauce left that I made in the Fall.

The only things that are on the” approved list of things to buy” are milk, eggs, Good-Night diapers for Dancing Queen, and the few items needed to finish the above dishes. I am excited to see how it goes!

Not only will this free up a big chunk of money to put towards a debt, it will also clean out the pantry and freezer and ensure that none of the food gets wasted!

I think that this grocery challenge will really get our new financial life off to a great start. I will let you know how it goes!

Here are some of the soup recipes I will be using:

Crock Pot Tortellini Soup

Soups Using Leftovers

Spicy Lentil Soup

Healthy Lentil Soup

Update: You can now read the Grocery Challenge results.

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Filed Under: Cooking in the Chaos

Cool Crafts for Kids – African Masks

By Sharla Kostelyk

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This art project is one that my kids loved doing and the finished products were fantastic.  It was inexpensive to do and easy to adapt for kids of different ages.

Cut pieces of different shapes and sizes in cardboard.  This is something that older children can do themselves, but for younger children, you will want to have the pieces cut ahead of time.  You can use cardboard in a variety of thicknesses.

Provide glue (hot glue sticks work best but to use these, they will need to be supervised) and paint.

Have the kids layer pieces of cardboard to create the look they want.  It’s a good idea to show them pictures of actual African masks to give them ideas.

When the pieces are layered and glued on the way things want them to be, provide the kids with paint and have them use their imaginations to create the masks the way they want them.

This craft is also great to tie in to a homeschool lesson about Africa.  There are many books and Internet sites that can aid you in this lesson and the craft can be a fun way to finish off and to add a hands-on aspect.

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Filed Under: Crafts and Activities, Homeschooling

How to Make Cute Frog Cupcakes

Adorable frog cupcakes - easy to make

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Here are step by step instructions and pictures detailing how I made frog cupcakes for Dancing Girl’s Princess and the Frog birthday party. The cupcakes were adorable and a big hit!

Adorable frog cupcakes - easy to makeMaterials needed for decorating the frog cupcakes:

  • green sour apple rings
  • green icing (green food paste to create green icing)
  • white icing
  • black food paste
  • toothpicks
  • brown M+Ms
  • red shoestring licorice
  • strawberry Fruit by the Foot

Directions:

  1. Start by baking white or vanilla cupcakes using a mix or your favourite recipe. Add green food colouring or green food paste into the batter and mix in. If you can find green cupcake liners, use those. I was not able to find any, so I used white cupcake liners. Bake as directed in the recipe.
  2. Allow the cupcakes to cool. Add green food paste into icing to create green icing. Decorate the cupcakes one at a time so that the candy sticks into the icing. Top a cupcake with the green icing.
  3. Slice green sour apple ring candy in half. You will only be using the green halves.
  4. Place two apple ring candy halves on top of the cupcake.
  5. Add two brown M+Ms, leaning them up against the candy slices and put a dab of white icing in the centre of each M+M to create the frog’s eyes.
  6. Make a smile using a small piece of red shoestring licorice.
  7. Create a nose by painting two lines using black food paste on a toothpick. Cut a tongue for the frog out of strawberry Fruit by the Foot and slide it under the mouth.

Adorable frog cupcakes - easy to makeVoila! A Frog cupcake!

Here is a list of ideas for planning a fun Princess and the Frog themed birthday party.

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Filed Under: Cooking in the Chaos

Princess and the Frog Birthday Party

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Dancing Queen asked for a Princess and the Frog themed party this year. Ever since she saw Disney’s Princess and the Frog movie, she has been talking about Princess Tiana and I was excited to plan this party for her. Princess and the Frog PartyI had a bit of a hard time finding decorations and ideas since the movie had just recently come out, so I’ve made a little list of what I did in case anyone else is looking for ideas for planning their own Princess and the Frog party.

Princess and the Frog cake.

For the Princess and the Frog theme, you could make a castle cake using Wilton’s castle shaped cake pan. For Dancing Queen’s birthday party, I made frog cupcakes.

I have provided step-by-step instructions for making the frog cupcakes here. I also was able to find frog shaped candles. As we were having adults and children at her party and I wasn’t sure if the adults wanted to eat green cupcakes, I also made my delicious chocolate cherry cake for the adults.  Adorable frog cupcakes - easy to make

Decorations.

I was able to find the Princess and the Frog themed napkins, Princess Tiana crowns, cups, plates, and tablecloth. I ordered them online as none of the local stores had them. As the Princess and the Frog movie takes place in New Orleans, I also used Mardi Gras necklaces and masks.

As a centrepiece, I put a small crown on a stuffed frog. I also used purple ribbon here and there and decorated a box to hold the treat bags using balloons.

Food.

As the movie took place in New Orleans, Louisiana style food such as Gumbo, Po Boy Sandwiches, and Jambalaya are good choices. I also put green candy, included candy frogs, in decorative bowls that added to the decor of the party.

Activities.

An easy game to play is musical lily pads. The lily pads can be made easily by cutting pieces of green paper or foam sheets.

The Princess and the Frog colouring sheets can be printed for the kids to colour.

The party guests can decorate foam tiaras or wands using craft jewels, ribbons, feathers, and stickers. I was able to find Princess and the Frog stickers for the kids to use to decorate their wands with.

Extras.

I was able to find frog hats for the boys who came to the party to wear instead of the crowns that the girls wore.

For party favors, I included princess notebooks, Mardi Gras necklaces, frog candies, frog pencils, and prisms.

At the end of the party, you can have the guests watch The Princess and the Frog movie while they wait for their parents to pick them up. To tie in the colour purple that was the accent colour for the party, I also put purple and opal beads in Dancing Girl’s hair.

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Filed Under: Crafts and Activities

Leftovers Turned Into Soup

By Sharla Kostelyk

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Saving money on our grocery budget is a huge priority for me trying to feed my husband and I and our seven kids.  Stretching leftovers by turning them into soups is one of the ways that I accomplish that.

Whenever I make a chicken meal, I add one extra chicken breast.  When dinner is done, I cut up the leftover chicken and scoop that, along with all the leftover sauce into a bag.  So if we had teriyaki chicken for supper, then the leftover chicken once cubed gets added, along with all the teriyaki sauce or marinade.  Next, I add whatever side dishes are leftover into the bag.  This usually means vegetables and rice or potatoes.  Even if there is just a handful of peas leftover or two pieces of cooked carrot, they go into the bag.  Nothing goes to waste.  This bag then gets sealed and put into the freezer.  If I have time to make the soup that night or the next morning, then I put these into a pot instead, but usually, they go into a freezer bag.  The freezer bag gets labelled with the type of meat and the name of the sauce it was in.

I have a few variations that I make on the recipe, but the soup will taste different every time because the sauce on the chicken will add to the flavour, as will the seasonings that were on the rice and vegetables.

Leftover Soup

Here are two basic recipes leftovers turned into soup.  At the bottom, I will also add a few tips.

Leftover Soup Recipe 1

1 chopped onion

8 carrots, cut

6 chopped and peeled potatoes

1/2 cup of barley

2 cups of mixed beans

2 cans of tomato soup

3-5 cups of water

bag of leftovers

seasonings: pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, etc. depending on the soup (see below)

Saute onion.  Add other vegetables.  Add everything else and simmer for about one hour.

Leftover Soup 2

1 chopped onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

whatever vegetables you have in the pantry or freezer (carrots, peas, zucchini, green beans, celery, corn, etc.)

28 oz. can diced tomatoes

5 cups vegetable stock (you can make your own by saving the water you have been cooking your potatoes and other veggies in)

bag of leftovers

seasonings: pepper, basil, oregano, chilis, chipotle, bay leaves, etc. depending on the soup

Saute onions and garlic.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer.

Tips For Using Up Leftovers:

Use the bag of leftovers as your base for determining what flavourings to add to your soup.  If you are using a leftover tex mex chicken, then corn and black beans are good additions and chipotle spice works well.  If you are using leftover meatballs, then a tomato based soup with Italian seasonings usually works well.  For leftover curried chicken, adding more curry, along with peas and rice goes well.  For teriyaki or honey mustard chicken leftovers, an Asian inspired soup is delicious.  You can even add noodles in the last few minutes of cooking.  A minestrone type of soup with zucchini, green beans, kidney and/ or white beans, small pasta shells, tomatoes, and Italian seasonings work well with a blander leftover chicken or beef.  Leftover roast can be transformed into a beef barley soup.

Making soups from your leftovers is so cost effective.  It can stretch that one extra chicken breast to feed an entire family for another two meals.  It also uses the sauce and small portions of leftover vegetables that would probably otherwise have been thrown away.  Using this method can prove to cut back on your grocery budget significantly, especially if you make your own stock and buy some of the other ingredients in bulk.

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Filed Under: Cooking in the Chaos

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