Building Family Unity Series
My 64 year old parents flipped over in a raft on the Clark Fork River in Montana with my {then} 10 year old daughter, and two nephews. The guide had just finished telling them not an hour earlier that he hadn’t flipped a raft in all of the years he’d been guiding. Thankfully everyone made it out from under the raft and today it stands as a badge of courage and a great memory for all of them.
My parents take their grandkids on a trip somewhere when they are around 10 years old. These three got to go to The Cheff Ranch in Montana. My son leaves on his special trip in a week. They are taking him to a Mariner’s game in Seattle, then over to the Olympic Peninsula where they will whale watch, hike in a rainforest, visit a wildlife park, and beach comb.
My parents have always modeled intentional living. They take time out to create moments. And these moments become building blocks for family unity.
Never underestimate the value of TIME.
When we set it aside, and put a little bit of effort into thinking, planning, and creating, big relational pay-offs occur.
If there isn’t a sense of belonging in a family, then kids will go elsewhere to find that place where they feel at home, and that “elsewhere” may get them into lots of trouble. But beyond that, and more importantly, don’t we all want to share in meaningful relationships with each other, ESPECIALLY with those with whom we have life-long relationships?
Unity is something we can help create. Family dinners, shared responsibilities, conflict resolution…. all of these are players, but where I want to focus for the next few weeks is in creating MEMORABLE MOMENTS. During the summer we naturally carve out more time for vacations or time off, and kids are freed up from school and activities. This spells T-I-M-E. Let’s not waste it.
Even if the raft flips and things don’t go as planned along the way, know that simply getting in the boat together is the most important part!
APPLE DAY!!
Apple Day has been a long standing tradition in our house. This picture makes me want to cry because it is from a couple of years ago, and I just cannot stand how fast they are growing up! It makes me realize how special this day is in creating all of the warm feelings of fall — the smell of apples cooking, a pumpkin spice candle burning, Vivaldi playing in the background (my favorite canning music for some reason), happy noises coming from the kids working together, and the familiar “pop” of canning lids sealing. It truly is a day that makes me HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY. It’s all that good in life!
Here’s why. This fantastic gadget peels, cores, and slices the apples. If they are hard, it is a snap. If they are soft…. it turns to a mushy, mashy mess.
Families who camp together, stay together (I’ve done the work for you)!
Gary smalley, a guru from the Smalley Relationship Center, found that close-knit families have an interesting thing in common: CAMPING. Families who camp value shared experiences and spending time together. They are willing to make the necessary sacrifices for the greater good. TRUST ME. I fully understand this concept. It is a lot of work to camp. I spend days planning, shopping, cooking, organizing, loading, and packing. Then there is the laundry, laundry, and more laundry on return! However, smart families know that almost anything worth doing has some form of a challenge to it, and camping is no different.
Below is our camping menu, recipes, and a shopping list for this year’s outdoor expedition. ENJOY!
Monday:
Lunch: sandwiches (made at home)
Dirt Dessert
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Breakfast Scramble
Lunch: Cold Cuts, Crackers, Cheese, Apple Slices
Dinner: Pork Barbacoa Tortilla wraps
Wednesday:
S’Mores
Breakfast: French Toast Kabobs
Breakfast: Apricot Granola
Lunch: Pizza Crackers
Campfire banana splits
Breakfast scramble
Mix together scrambled eggs, chopped bacon, cheddar cheese, chopped onion, a splash of milk, & diced potatoes or a bag of hash browns. Cook thoroughly. Eat alone or in a tortilla wrap.
Pork Barbacoa wraps
Place pre-made pulled pork, black beans, cheese, avocado, tomato, & lettuce in a wrap. Heat wrapped up in tin foil.
Pesto Chicken:
Re-heat the chicken/pesto mixture (which was made ahead by roasting the chicken, shredding it, and mixing with pesto). Add to cooked penne pasta.
Cowboy Supper
Mix together 2 cans bush’s original beans, 1 can northern beans, 1 bottle sweet baby ray’s bbq sauce, ½ c. ketchup, ½ c. brown sugar, 1 lb. cooked and crumbled hamburger. Let simmer together.
Campire banana splits
Cut a banana stem to stem. Leaving the peel on, carefully place chocolate chips, mini marshmallow, or a candy bar inside. Wrap with aluminum foil and let melt in the campfire. You can also do this with butter, cinnamon, & Sugar (and a splash of rum for adults for Bananas foster)
Campire Mac N Cheese
Combine in individual tin pans ½ elbow mac. (cooked), ¼ cheddar cheese, 1 tbsp. parmesan, 1 tbsp. milk, ½ tbsp. butter, salt and pepper. Seal the top in foil. Place it over the campfire to melt the cheese, let cool a bit, then open the foil top and enjoy
Melted Chocolate Trail Mix
Mix together 3 cups nuts (any variety), ½ c. sunflower seeds, ½ c. coconut flakes (optional), 1 cups raisins, ½ c. dried cranberry, & whatever else you want to add! Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Roast at 375 for up to 25 min. (if desired). Let cool. Melt chocolate in the microwave. Pour over the nut mixture in ribbons. Stir to coat everything. Let the chocolate cool and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container. Makes 12 servings.
Campfire Corn on the Cob
Place husked ears of corn in a foil packet and season with butter, salt & Pepper, and whatever other seasoning desired (Cajun, etc.). Place over the fire and roast for 10 min. Unwrap and enjoy.
Go Eat Worms Dirt Dessert
Mix together cool whip, smashed oreos, gummy worms, and gummy critter. You can add pudding if you want & have milk. Serve in bowls. You can make this ahead of time and keep in a container until ready to serve.
Another way to serve this is to layer. Place the oreos on the bottom as “dirt.” Top with whipped topping mixed with pudding. Add some gummy worms to this layer. Top with more oreos and a few worms sticking out of the top.
Peach or Apple Pancakes
Mix pre-packaged pancake mix according to directions. Place a peach or apple slice on the griddle. Sprinkle with pre-mixed cinnamon & sugar. Pour pancake batter over the fruit. Flip as usual. Serve with syrup.
Sausage on a Stick
Unroll 1 package of refrigerated breadsticks. Coil one breadstick dough around a fully cooked sausage link. Repeat with several. Rotate slowly in a pan or over the campfire until the bread is cooked through and the sausages are heated.
Hawaiian Camp Chicken
Mix together 1/3 c. ketchup, 1/3 c. soy sauce, ½ c. brown sugar, 3 tbsp. sherry, 1 piece chopped fresh ginger, & 2 minced garlic cloves. Place all ingredients in a ziplock bag. Add 4-5 lb. chicken breasts. Marinate until ready to grill over the fire.
French Toast Kabobs
Wisk together 8 large eggs, 2/3 c. buttermilk, a pinch of salt & ½ tsp. vanilla extract (this can be done ahead and placed in a container). Cut a loaf of bread into 1 inch cubes (also can be done ahead and placed in a ziplock bag). When ready to cook, mix cubes of bread into the egg mixture to coat evenly. Melt butter in a sauté pan over heat. Add bread pieces in a single layer and cook. Turn over until all sides are cooked through. Thread cubes onto skewers alternating with banana slices, blueberries, and raspberries. Or forget the skewers, and mix it all together on a plate. Drizzle with syrup.
Tuna Salad Sandwiches
Mix together 2 cans tuna, 2 chopped celery sticks, 1-2 chopped dill pickes,, 2 tbsp. light mayo, 2 tbsp. fresh basil (optional), the juice of one lemon, salt and pepper. Add to hearty wheat bread.
Apricot Granola
Mix together 4 cups rolled oats, 1 c. sliced almonds, 1 c. chopped pecans, 2 c. chopped dried apricots, & 1 cup sunflower seeds. In another bowl, mix ½ c. oil, ½ c. molasses, 4 tbsp. brown sugar, ¼ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. nutmeg. Mix well. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Flatten onto greased baking sheets (or I use silpat liners underneath). Bake at 275 for 1 hour, stirring every 15 min.
Pizza Crackers
Start with a grain cracker, such as triskets. Place a dollop of pizza sauce as the base, add pepperoni, and a slice of mozzarella.
Grocery shopping List: Eggs Shredded cheddar cheese ( a very large bag, or a large block shredded) Hash browns or red potatoes Pre-cooked bacon Milk Tortillas Pulled pork 2 cans black beans 2 avocado 2 tomatoes 1 head lettuce shredded chicken 4-6 chicken breasts pesto penne pasta 2 cans bush’s original beans 1 can northern beans 1 bottle sweet baby rays bbq sauce ketchup 1 c. brown sugar 1 lb. cooked hamburger 2 bushels bananas Mini marshmallows (one baggie) Aluminum foil Individual tin pans Elbow macaroni Parmesan (a small bag) 2 sticks butter salt and pepper almonds coconut flakes raisins dried cranberries or cherries 2 bags chocolate chips Corn on the cob 2 cartons cool whip 2 pkgs chocolate pudding gummy worms 1 pkg. oreos pancake mix peaches apples maple syrup 2 pkgs. Refrigerated bread sticks pre-cooked Breakfast sausages 1/3 c. soy sauce sherry (3 tbsp.) ginger (1 Piece) 2 garlic cloves buttermilk vanilla extract 1 or 2 loaves of French bread blueberries raspberries 2-4 cans tuna celery dill pickles mayo basil 1 lemon wheat bread triskets pepperoni pizza sauce mozzarella cheese pitas hummus kalmata olives feta cold cuts rolled oats pecans (1 c.) dried apricots molasses (1/2 c.) nutmeg graham crackers chocolate bars marshmallows capri suns perrier water
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