We are planning to publish a cookbook that is specially designed for frugal families. For now, here is a list of common meals and an explanation of how they are easily expandable (i.e. we can make a lot of it) and how they are inexpensive to make.

1. Marinated Pork Ribs. We typically find pork ribs on sale at our local supermarket. We buy up a bunch when they drop below $1 per pound. We marinate them and grill them. We all love pork ribs served with mashed potatoes.

2. Crock pot meals. Mom has a knack for mixing up basics such as a can of soup, rice/potatoes, and some meat. These are nice for if we are on the go for the day, because we can come home to a meal that has been cooking without supervision. Popular varieties are Tater Tot Hotdish, Chicken n’ Rice and Elk n’ Potato Layers.

3. Italian Pasta. With the help of a Sam’s Club size can of tomato sauce, we can easily feed our family and others. We spice and stretch the sauce with hamburger, then serve it over spaghetti, macaroni, or egg noodles. We often substitute hamburger with shredded zucchini that makes it stretch the penny.
4. Tacos. We buy large packages of tortillas and corn chips for these. Many hands in the kitchen are needed to help shred cheese and chop our lettuce, tomatoes, and olives. With beans, hamburger, and sour cream, everyone designs their own burrito. Another favorite is taco plate or salad, which combines all ingredients to be served over chips. We buy nacho chips at Sam’s Club also to save money.

5. Soups and Salads are a snap when simple things are on hand. Egg, tuna, and chicken salads can be made into sandwiches or sides by adding pasta or bread. Soups are common and fun because they can consist of any dried or canned veggie simmered for awhile.

6. Meat pies are old fashioned and don’t require many side dishes. After it has pressure cooked, any beef, elk, pork, or chicken can be chopped into a crust with gravy and vegetables.

7. Rolling Meals. A good tip to help stretch meals is to roll them into each other. Start with Spaghetti one day, and use the leftover sauce as a base for chili the next. Any chicken n’ rice can be spiced up into an asian meal the next evening with soy sauce.

8. Pizza. Another favorite is Pizza. Many crusts work well if they are rolled out and topped with leftover Spaghetti sauce and Mozzarella cheese. Add any topping you like from pepperoni and sausage to pineapple and onions.

9. Breakfast can be difficult on rushed mornings. We have come to avoid breakfast cereal due to the amount of sugar and air. Oatmeal is far more nutritious and it is warm and filling. Donuts and cake are not to be pushed away in our house. After all, they contain equal if not more nutrients than most cereals, and are easy to serve. On the weekends, we make what we call a “Big Breakfast” consisting of meat, eggs, toast, and potatoes.

10. Bread. I find myself looking for extra time to make a fresh biscuit or bun for a meal. Experimenting with different recipes will help, and chilling the dough ahead of time is also helpful.

My wife and I are about to welcome our tenth child into the world. We are the type of family that, upon entering a restaurant (on “Kids Eat Free” night), cause couples to request the booth farthest from us. Trying to find an empty pew on Sunday morning is a weekly trial. And while our 15-passenger van struggles to keep up with right-lane traffic, we have plenty of room in the far back end for friends to drop off bags of clothes.
We are a “large family” – a modern familial phenomenon that finds comfort in noisy homes, chaotic schedules and lots of little pattering feet. Or at least people assume we find comfort in those things. Read the rest of this entry »

We must be good at this, because we keep having kids! We go out on dates about every-other week. We role a shopping list into a quick meal, and we call it a date. Having teenagers at home able to watch the kids makes this possible. Our hearts go out to parents with very small children; finding a good babysitter is something we haven’t had to wrestle with for many years.

When your children are very small and you feel you need a break, we suggest that you find another family in the same situation. Trade off babysitting afternoons or evenings. We did this many years ago before we had teenage kids. We had a regular schedule worked out with another family so every Friday night we either watched their kids or they watched ours. It was great!

About once every-other year we “get away” to Estes Park for a rendezvous. This last year some friends offered us their log cabin in the winter to enjoy. It was a great blessing!

This is a great question! It is usually asked by parents who spend a good deal of time with their one or two children, then do the math and find out they need 25 hours in a day to fit it in for a family our size. “It is impossible,” they reason, “so a family of 13 kids must be more neglected than a small family.”

Large families know that this isn’t the case. We believe it is because parents are overly emphasized. The kids help each other and develop sibling relationships that, amazingly, substitute for the need for parents to fill that relational need. We try to find time for all our kids and work hard to accommodate, but we often will group them together. The older kids often stay up later than the little ones to enjoy one another or have the deeper conversations that they require.

Other ideas that allow us to find time for each child:

• Chris takes one kid to work one per week. It takes nearly three months to work through all the kids, but the time is rich.
• I (Wendy), when having to run to the store for something, will take one child. This gives me the time to talk individually with him or her.
• When a child brings me a cup of coffee in the morning, I take the time to talk with them.
• I give the child one-on-one time in our daily school.
• We pray corporately at night before sending the kids to bed, but I (Wendy) tuck the kids in bed individually.

We do a number of things to keep the noise down in our house. One, whenever too many kids are talking or shouting over one another, I (Wendy) will yell “Tower!” and the kids must reply in unison, “Babel!” Then silence is expected. I then get the chance to talk and everyone listens to me.

We also have a daily “quiet time” where the children are required to find something to do by themselves that is quiet. This can include reading, doing homework, playing a game, or working on a project. This is usually the time I take advantage of to take a nap!

A general rule that we try to keep is avoiding talking over other people. When eating a meal together, we practice this often. This teaches the kids to be considerate of others and listen or join in conversation. This is challenging for little kids, but not impossible.

Believe it or not, this is only 4 families enjoying one another on New Years Eve 2004.

We have probably the most creative solution for birthdays imaginable. Our birthday bash was featured on TLC. We gather our friends and family together once a year for a “jeubilee” where we have games, a pi�ata, food, fellowship and much more.

On the kids’ real birthdays, we have our simple traditions. First, we serve the child breakfast in bed. This is where siblings shower the birthday boy or girl with presents. Next, we cook their favorite meal. Lastly, we bake a cake or cookie for them and sing happy birthday to them in the evening. Their individual birthdays are low key, and we let all loose at the yearly Birthday Bash.

I (Wendy) tell parents that there is no silver bullet in home schooling. Every school is unique, and that is what home schooling should be. Be creative to come up with solutions that work for you and your family. We like to share what works best for us, but when we see families try to copy us exactly, it never works out nicely. Please, be creative and enjoy the freedom in your home school!

Chris is the English teacher. He brings Lydia, Isaiah, Micah, Noah and Tabitha to the office twice a week for grammar, handwriting, reading and writing. Cynthia and I keep Keilah, Hannah and Joshua to do basic reading. On the days when I have all of them, we read literature and tie unit studies to them. We also enjoy science projects. Chris brings Cynthia, Lydia and Isaiah to debate club on Thursday nights. We study for AWANA which we attend weekly as an entire family. We attend PE+ (a phy ed class) every week.

I (Chris) own three businesses, one of which is a nonprofit ministry. Between the three businesses, we bring home about $40,000 per year. This is enough for us to live comfortably and contently. I love the work that I do and, when I can, I incorporate the kids in the hustle bustle of it all. Here are explanations of each business:

1. Training Minds Ministry, an educational nonprofit 501c3 organization registered with the IRS, hosts academic debate camps across the nation. Based off 1 Peter 1:13 “Train the mind for action,” the ministry’s purpose is to train young people how to think, speak and persuade (in that order). The ministry is going through a tough time financially right now, so if you want a great ministry to donate to, 100% of your contributions are tax deductible. Click here for more information.

2. Monument Publishing is the publishing firm for the ministry (and also the taxable side of the work we do). We publish curriculum, textbooks, handbooks, DVDs and CDs, study helps, and other resources that help prepare the student to compete in academic debate. In 2007, Monument Publishing wants to expand its product line to include family products. Arrow in His Hand is a storybook espousing Psalm 127 and is a unique book that every large family should have. Click here for more information.

3. Internet Asset Management & Consulting. I have my MBA with an emphasis in Electronic Business. My firm specializes in building websites, online applications, electronic marketing campaigns, and personal and business strategies. Though we specialize in Internet development, we like to say we’re not as much in the Internet development business as we are in the “business development business.” We build online business solutions that run alongside already-existing offline businesses. I have two developers who help me take care of my clients, two of whom are the businesses above. Click here if you are interested in building an Internet development plan.