Legacy Benevolence Center

Every Saturday that we have no one sick and no immovable plans, the girls and I go up to the church to work in the food pantry. I started going up there last October when I needed volunteer hours for a teaching course I was taking. When I realized that I could bring the kids along that made it all the better! The girls help stock the shelves and pack boxes when needed. They just love doing it and I love that they're being exposed to such an outlet. We have continued to go long since my class ended and I plan to keep it up.

I always make sure to pack a snack and some quiet games and books, and then off we go. Upon arriving, the girls greet everyone there and then immediately set up some toys to play with. Today Peanut sat down right in the middle of the workers with a felt board we'd brought! I guess they've come along so often that they've made themselves at home!

The girls have really impressed me with how well they can behave the past several times we've been. We always have a short talk about the expectation of good behavior on the way to the church, but until recently I have had to leave a little early. The pantry is open from 10am to 12pm and this has been known to be a little long for those of little patience and excess energy!

I did one interview today, partially in Spanish. While I was talking with the clients, Coconut and Peanut found that they could fit under the wooden shelf where the filled boxes are kept. They proceeded to put a basket and a paper bag in front of themselves so as to hide. It was hilarious to see them stick their heads out now and again to make sure they hadn't been seen.

After the people had gone and a lull had returned, the girls wanted to help fill boxes. I walked along the line with the girls, handing them listed quantities of each item. They brought them to another worker who put them in the boxes. We filled six total, two at a time. As we did so, the girls decided that one box in each set was "their" box and the items they were carrying must be placed in "their" box. Only once did I get a complaint about an item I'd handed out. I gave Coconut a red bottle of dish soap as I held an orange one out to Peanut. Coconut really likes orange...sometimes...and whined, "But I want that one." I immediately stated my standard, "You get what you get" mantra and she quietly turned to put her red soap in the box. It is so nice to see that these things I've patiently been consistent with are really starting to stick well.

Singing with the girls!

Those of you who know me know that music is very important to me. I was in band and choir for years in school, and I also took music theory. It made my day on Sunday, when Coconut (five) was singing the hymns at church with me. She matched my pitch very well and was catching words that she recognized on the screen! I was very impressed.

Yesterday I was in a singing mood. I pulled up pandora radio to a show tune station of mine, but it wasn't playing anything one could really dance to. I searched for a couple songs on youtube and found some fun renditions from Swing.

When I was singing "It ain't the melody, it ain't the music," I really confused the girls. Coconut worriedly asked me just what "ATE the Melody?!?" (I have a very close friend by the name). I explained that it was "ain't" and not "ate."

She proceeded to ask what "ain't" meant...oh my!

I tried to tell her that "ain't" means "isn't," but it isn't a word. Coconut, "Then why is it in the song?" To make a long story short, we've reverted back to "ate the melody" and "ate the music," purely because she insists that the song must really be using a real word. Ah.

Food creations with kids!

I've been trying to incorporate some more kid-cooking-friendly foods into our repertoire. Last week Coconut (five) made dinner by herself, except for the use of the oven. Tonight both Coconut and Peanut (three) put their own dinners together and helped with ours as well.

Super Easy Chicken Pot Pie (My five-year-old just loved making the one!)

One can cream of chicken soup
One 10oz package frozen mixed veggies (or soup mix, if you prefer)
One cup leftover chicken, chopped
-or- one can cooked chicken
One package refrigerated biscuits

Have an adult preheat oven according to biscuit directions. In a large, round, glass baking dish, allow child to mix soup, veggies, and chicken together. Next, have child place uncooked biscuits, slightly touching, over chicken mixture in dish. Finally, have an adult put dish in oven and bake according to biscuit directions, or until biscuits are lightly browned. The adult can remove the dish from oven and serve immediately!


Build-Your-Own Individual Omelets

One zippered sandwich baggie for each person eating
At least one egg per baggie (bigger appetites might require more baggies)
Large pot of water
Omelet fixings:
-black olives
-shredded cheese
-bell peppers (can saute ahead of time)
-onions (can saute ahead)
-spinach leaves (have kids rip into small pieces as they add to omelet)
-and whatever else you might have an inkling for!
Toppings:
-Shredded cheese
-Sour Cream
-Salsa

Have the adult start a very large pot of water boiling (about 3/4 full). Also, an adult can chop any veggies that might require it. Then, the adult can saute some veggies, if desired.

Allow each child to hold their baggie while the adult cracks one or two eggs into it (try not to mix it up yet). Next, have the kids add their ingredients to their baggie! Have fun with it and introduce some new things along with old favorites. My kids love fresh spinach, cheese, and olives. After the baggies have enough in them, close them up and have the kids mush on them a bit to mix it all together. Make sure you don't let the mashing of baggies get out of hand or you'll have a "fun" egg mess to clean up.

Have an adult put all baggies into the boiling pot of water. Cook for at least 10 minutes, or until egg is completely set and pulls away easily from side of baggie. (You might want to use thicker baggies, or double bag it. We had three broken baggies out of four tonight. It didn't affect taste or appearance of the food at all, but murky egg water wasn't yummy looking.)

Serve with your choice of toppings and enjoy!