Ever wonder what large family life looks like on a day-to-day basis? This post shares a photographic peek behind the scenes of the family here at Maggie’s Milk.
You can see what we’re up to, and find posts related to the topics discussed.
Enjoy!
Family Walks
I really enjoy walking with my kids, and try to go on a family walk as often as possible. Last Saturday, several of the kids and I headed down to the creek. We played Pooh Sticks, threw in some rocks, and just watched the water skippers glide.
Then we got goofy and I caught this fun pic:
They make the cutest funny faces!
Notice they’re mostly all in jackets. The weather has been a bit crazy. We’ve already had snow once and it’s pretty cold!
Traveling in One Car
Going to church is so much nicer now that we’re all in one vehicle! This 15-passenger van is seriously such a blessing and we are so thankful that it was purchased for us.
On Sunday, we all loaded up and headed for church. We had a special evening service, with music by Forever Be Sure and a taco buffet afterwards. Special time with church family, good food, and God honoring music is a good way to spend an evening!
One benefit of all being in one car is that the whole family can play car games again! Here are some of our favorites:
7 Engaging ELA Games to Play in the Car
5 Thanksgiving Themed Car Games for Kids
Ministry & Business Stickers
Bryan ordered a customized sticker for the back of his laptop, and he ordered me one too! His computer now sports our ministry logo – Tanners 2 Missionary Acres. My computer displays my business logo for Lisa Tanner Writing.
They’re so fun!
I had my logo resdesigned this year, and completely redid my whole site. My new theme is incredible – if you haven’t checked it out for a while, I’d be honored if you’d go take a peek!
Snack Time
After quiet time each day, we do a quick clean. When that’s done, it’s time for snack. The kids each picked out the snacks on their day of the week. On Tuesdays we have popsicles.
This week, I surprised the kids with Strawberry Shortcake bars. (They normally just get Otter Pops!) Tyler really enjoyed his. I still can’t believe he’s going to be 1 next week.
It seems each year just goes by faster and faster…
Dentist
With a large family, it seems like we’re always heading out to appointments. This week, we had three different trips to the dentist.
On Monday, one of my kiddos had an appointment for a filling. Tuesday morning, I had a dentist appointment. And on Wednesday, three kids had cleanings.
Whew – that was a lot of driving! The kids really enjoy the waiting room at the children’s dentist we go to in Spokane.
Getting Lost Getting Grapes
After the appointment on Wednesday, we headed out to Hayden Lake, Idaho to Bryan’s Grandpa’s house. He grows grapes and each year blesses us with them.
We loaded up the car with three totes of grapes and headed back home. I got lost on the way back. I saw a sign for Newport, and thought I could connect to Highway 2 and take a shortcut home.
And that would have worked…if I would have remembered where to turn.
As it was, my phone died so I couldn’t use Siri to help us. And I couldn’t call for directions. So I planned to just head all the way into Newport and then cut home.
Thankfully, there was a gas station in little Blanchard, Idaho that sold lightning to USB cables. So I was able to get my phone turned back on and get directions.
The trip home still took longer than it should have, but we made it, praise the Lord!
And we enjoyed listening to one of the “Fudge” books on audio.
Preserving the Grapes
Today, we worked to preserve the grapes. It’s a multi-step process to turn them into jelly.
Today’s tasks included taking the stems and leaves off, cleaning, and turning them into juice. My Grandma gave me a steam juicer several years ago, and that thing makes juicing so easy!
On Saturday, my mom and I have a date to make grape jelly. I’m looking forward to it!
Kittens…
A couple of months ago, my husband called from work and said he had a surprise for us. And that it was alive, so I should come pick it up.
One of the shop customers was moving and asked Bryan if he knew anyone who wanted a cat. He volunteered to take her. So Princess Luna joined the family.
The lady mentioned that there was a chance she could be pregnant. And she was!
About eight days ago, she gave birth to six kittens. They’re just starting to open their eyes, and they are so cute! We’ve got three white kittens, two gray-striped kittens, and one black one.
And they will either be transitioning to barn cats after they’re weaned, or being rehomed. So if you’re local and you want a kitten…let me know! They will be very used to being handled by kids, and friendly.
What have you been up to? I’d love for you to share in the comments.
