In our home, AWANA days are bursting full with the energy of family ministry. This year, Tim is heading up a new Drama and Serve team with 9 or 10 kids from the AWANA program. (Too much pie in the face last year, Dear?) Daniel is running the games for the Sparks and the T&T groups. David splits his time between being on the Drama Team and working as a leader in Sparks group. Sarah is on the Drama team with Tim, and I’m firmly planted in T&T administration.
Side Note – hugely miss having Rachel and Joshua here!! Joshua was an excellent games director and actor in Tim’s weekly skits. Rachel ran an amazing Sparks group with David as well as acted in the skits. Sigh. These kids who are wonderful and then grow up and go off to college. Harrumph.
Joshua and Rachel – summer 2007
Meals are always a challenge on AWANA evenings. We leave fairly early after, what is often, a crazy AWANA prep afternoon. Tim is usually gathering props, re-writing his scripts, printing things out, or coming up with creative serve projects. The kids are finishing up school, learning lines for skits, or helping me with admin stuff. I’m either already out of the house at a mentor meeting, or racing around printing out paperwork for the Sparks and T&T leaders. Full. Energy. Ministry. Serving. Faithful. I hope those are words spoken about our family.
Dinner?? Um, sorry family. Grab what you can for a snack, we’ll eat later.
David can always be counted on to help when needed.
Over the years of our involvement with AWANA (and I’m sure this is the same for families with busy sports schedules) we have tried all sorts of things:
Freezer crock-pot meals
Take-out
Eating out
Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store
Pasta w/meatballs
Soup
Sandwiches
Eggs and pancakes
Tonight I decided the kids could assemble a simple meal and have it ready for our evening dinner. Sarah filled an oversize casserole dish with frozen vegetables from Costco. Then she placed frozen chicken breasts on top of the veggies. Olive oil and seasoned salt and that dish was ready to cook.
Meanwhile David did the dishes while Daniel prepped a potato dish. He cut up red potatoes and layered them in another casserole pan. Sarah chopped up a big sweet onion and added it to the potatoes. Olive oil and seasoned salt and the second dish was ready.
Both pans into the oven. Timer oven set for 45 minutes. Delay start to make sure dinner was ready when we got home from AWANA. So easy.
Chicken & Veggies plus potatoes and onions. YUM
And then, because I Don’t do dishes anymore, after we enjoyed a delicious dinner, I cheerfully left the children working while I finished up some correspondence. Another busy day.
My evening kitchen crew!
Project 365 – Day 49
Kathy
It was a delicious dinner — thank you to all who helped to prepare it!
We surely do miss Joshua and Rachel … but, then, this gives a chance for the ‘younger crowd’ to shine. Very much enjoyed seeing them in last night’s skit.
That meal was so yummy!! I enjoyed it a lot
Sounds like a perfect solution! And the kids will need these how-to-do-a-real-dinner-when-I’m-busy skills, so it’s excellent for them to be the ones prepping! You are a wise mother.
Love how your family pulls together to make life work. Kudos.