(Make sure to enter the giveaway: details at the end of the post)
Last week, I enjoyed reading your comments about what you would feed a house full of middle schoolers. If you follow my Balancing Beauty and Bedlam Facebook Page, you read my updates throughout the weekend as we hosted 7th grade boys Friday through Sunday.
In fact, not just a few boys, but FIFTEEN 7th grade boys spent the entire weekend, with upwards of 25 boys in our home Friday night. There were moments that evening that I just looked around, shook my head, chuckled and wondered how I could bottle up the bedlam into a post because it surely would go viral. Honestly, it was truly the epitome of why I titled my blog as I did. It was such a wonderful mixture of beauty and bedlam, and it was a joy to open our home to these young men.
My priority was keeping these guys fed and I was up for the challenge. Fortunately, I have just a bit of experience in that department with my own high school guys, and they didn’t miss a beat by enjoying the food especially prepared for our guests. 🙂
It cracked me up because many of 7th graders were in awe of the food. I even got a round of applause. Do you know how long it’s been since my food has gotten that? They kept pestering me, “Do you always cook like this? Do you always make homemade treats? Can you give my mom your recipes?” I tried to have them repeat it when my own children were within earshot. 😉
How can you not want to keep cooking when you get feedback like that, and yet it goes back to what I mentioned last week, “feeding their tummies opened their hearts to some good ‘ole soul fillin’, and this discipleship weekend was about so much more than just food.
So this post is in honor of all my 7th grade guys.
For all the goofiness, wildness, and testosterone that reigned supreme, yet the soft heartedness that emerged as well, this group gave me just a glimpse of these young man/boys and their struggle to do what’s right as they navigate the peer pressure that middle school throws at you.
(All pictures of jumping on furniture, wrestling or breaking of incidentals have been removed to protect the innocent.)
And here’s to our 8 year old daughter, the true thing of beauty that made it through an evening of all that bedlam.
When I received the list that we were to host all middle school boys, she instantly declared that this was going to be the worst two nights of her life. After the first hour, she changed her mind and decided if she couldn’t beat them, she’d join them.
By midnight, I found her on the floor of our bedroom with this eye covering on. I didn’t even know we owned something like that.
This weekend is the perfect close to the campaign I have worked on entitled, “Men: Easier Fed than Understood,” a true theme that resonates in our home. Understanding the guys in our life may be hard, but feeding them doesn’t have to be. Ball Park wants to help and they are dedicated to making food that is juicy, handheld and easy to make for any guy time occasion.
So this week, one of you is going to win some Ball Park Franks.
This picture (taken last year) shows you that they are indeed a staple in our home.
One fortunate winner will receive three product coupons for your choice of any Ball Park product (and I highly suggest the all Angus beef because they are my favorite.) Thank you to Ball Park for sponsoring this giveaway.
You have four chances to win, but only one entry is necessary to win.
1) Answer: How does this theme of Men: Easier Fed than Understood hold true in your life? (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click “Post Comment”. You must be on my site – you can’t do this through a reader.)
2) Follow me on Twitter @beautyandbedlam and tweet:
Enter to win @Ballpark Franks from Balancing @beautyandbedlam http://jenschmidt.life/tag/giveaways/ #food
3) “Like” my Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Facebook Fan page (if you already do, promote this contest on your page) and/or the Ball Park Facebook Page for info and coupons.
4) Subscribe to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam by email or in a reader and stay on top of all of my daily posts! If you already subscribe, please leave a separate comment letting me know that you are currently a subscriber (thank you!).
Entries for this giveaway will close on March 18 at 11:59 pm. The winning entry will be selected via random.org.
Now I look forward to be inspired by all of your delicious Tasty Tuesday recipes.
I know that these guys would have been completely awed by your food as well. Remember to link up to your blog post, link back to me and share some comment love with your fellow bloggers.
I kept reading and hoping that you would tell us WHAT you fed them! I want to know!
It’s funny how different our children’s experiences can be. We can’t afford to shop for food most of the time, while my daughter’s best friend doesn’t have that problem, and eats all sorts of things. But, my daughter introduced her to apricots–from our backyard tree—something she had never eaten.
And one Sunday at church, one of our children’s Sunday School teachers introduced the children to pomegranates. Most of the children had never had them–but since we grow them, our children were very familiar with them.
It’s interesting how different our perspectives can be.
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I have 5 sons. Ages 36, 33, 26, 8 and 3. All different and all unique in many areas but one, eating in Mom’s kitchen. When the older three were teens or even now, if they have a problem they can talk to their dad but it’s in Mom’s kitchen that things are talked out. Without fail, they will be outside with their Dad and pretty soon, they will be hanging out in the kitchen, scrounging in the cabinets, asking for coffee or cookies ( that’s the one thing they all agree on….homemade cookies.). Pretty soon the issue will be shared and while it took me some time to realize, they don’t want my comments, they want my attention. Now my 8 yr. old is slowly making his way into the kitchen therapy sessions.
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I have two boys, 11 and 13. They are at an awkward stage between boys and men, but if they are well fed, they are happy.
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I like you on FB.
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I subscribe through GFC.
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Looks like everyone had fun and no one went home hungry.
Thanks for the linky.
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I have one son and three daughters so it rings quite true in our house. As long as the boy is fed, he’s happy! His sisters are the dramatic ones. Thanks for hosting!!
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Thanks for hosting! I shared a yummy beef dinner with 5 minutes of prep and a post about the incredible healthy benefits of apple cider vinegar (including recipes)
Have a blessed day.
Katie
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I would have to say it is so true, they will eat anything (and everything!) but understanding them, Wowzers!
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I have three boys (now grown) so I can relate.
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That is so true, one minute they are fighting and the next they are all best friends!
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I’m the only woman in a house of men (well, men in training, they’re only 4, 2 and three months!). I just shake my head most of the time at the things they do, but I do also try to feed them the best I can so that they can continue to grow and amaze (& confuse) me.
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As the mom of girls, with a brother who has only daughters and with friends who have only daughters (I’m not even kidding), boys are something of a mystery to me. But girls eat a surprising amount of food themselves!
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I would say that is a true fact! My husband and sons will eat anything and be very happy about it, but understanding them is something totally different!!!
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Followed and tweeted. https://twitter.com/#!/AshleySerrano5/status/179596191426822145
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Liked your page and promoted. https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1079920974
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um… totally agree! My husband will eat just about anything, but figuring out how to motivate him to get things done is a total mystery! LOL
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Well, my man is NOT a picky eater and it is so easy to feed him. Really though, most of the time I don’t think he’s that hard to understand. I’m probably worse that way in all honesty! 🙂
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I subscribe via RSS feed
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I make my husband’s (and my own) lunch every day to save money. Every once in a while, I will ask if his was OK or if he wants a particular thing. He always says, “It is always good–pack whatever you want. I will never complain because you make it for me and I don’t have to do it myself.” In this case, he is fed and understood 🙂
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This theme is daily in my house! Between my husband and my boys (18 and 14), I have learned that you are right: if you feed them, everything else goes better. 🙂 The challenge is to teach the little girl, 7, to be a lady in the midst of all of that overwhelming maleness. lol
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I like you on fb.
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I subscribe to your newsletter.
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I have two girls, ages 3 and 6, and I think I might understand a little bit after spending 45 minutes feeding them breakfast one morning. Not that they were dawdling, they were both in the middle of a growth spurt and could not eat enough! The shocking thing was that knowing this, I started them off with big bowls of oatmeal!
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I subscribe through Google Reader.
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I tell you what, the old ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomache’ is my motto. My husband and son (I have no girls) are happiest during and just after a meal. They give me credit for the food they love and give me advice for those they don’t. It works for all of us!
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I’m just beginning to find this out. My son is almost 12 and starting to eat more, like didn’t I just buy _____ yesterday and there is no more left? My daughter who is 14 goes in spurts with eating.
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We’ve hosted teen-age boys several years for our discipleship weekends – it is SO much easier to feed them, than to figure them out! Too much testosterone in one place!
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I’m an email subscriber/follower!
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I think it is fascinating how some young men brag on their own superior logic, and seem stunned by a lady who offers a thoroughly educated notion that differs from theirs on the subject. Give them a pizza and they forget they were just put in their place.
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I subscribe via email.
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I’m having a hard time keeping up with my fifteen year old son’s appetite. He’s over six feet tall already and growing fast. We’ve really had to increase the grocery budget.
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I am an email subscriber.
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Iam married and my husband can be hard to feed due to health issues, he does like home cooked meals though. Hes not too picky either.
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Iam an email subscriber.
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I like you on facebook.
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Men, can’t live with them and can’t live without them, but I can feed them. I love it when my boys sit down to dinner and say “YES!” to whatever I made.
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I follow you by email
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Wow, this is so exciting. My boys are both in college now and although the football experience is still so much fun, it is so different than the littles thru high school. Enjoy all of the boys eating you out of house and home. Enjoy all of the special moments when you get too much information from yours and their friends. It is heartbreaking when you run into those kids years later and hear how your house was “their safe house”. Some weeks you might be lucky to have more money than time or more time than money. We’ve had sloppy joe’s, subs, pizza, grilled cheese, and even been lucky enough to share steak cook outs (always lots of sides and bakery too). I always found that it wasn’t really what was being offered but that it was offered with a happy heart. Men/boys are awesome!
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My hubby and son are big eaters. They will eat most anything so luckily keeping them fed is really pretty easy. But expensive. These BallPark coupons would help. Thanks.
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I follw you on Twitter and tweeted about the giveaway. @sebh55
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I like you on FB and shared the giveaway on my wall.
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I subscribe to your emails.
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My husband is pretty easy to please when it comes to food. To him, food is fuel. He’s not a picky eater, so I can make just about anything and he’s happy.
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I follow on twitter and tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/moeyshay/status/179740079110107137
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I like you on facebook (Moey Shay)
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I’m an email subscriber
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I want to know what you fed them too!!!! WE don’t have any men in our house. We are a house mom with 5 teenage girls ages 12-16. I believe the expression rings true for the girls as well!
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Subscribe via e-mail.
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Like you on FB!
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Men: Easier Fed than Understood. I was getting ready to leave for a women’s retreat this past weekend. I asked my 8th grade son if he was going to miss me. He said, “Yes.” Of course I had to ask for more. He told me the food wouldn’t be the same. When I told him there would still be pizza (dough was made), and that he was scheduled to make his homemade version of mac-n-cheese, he just said, “Oh.”
I never got anything more from him. When he thinks of me, he thinks of food. If he gets fed, there’s not too much else that matters.
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i only have a human daughter, but my two twin boy cats are amazing eaters. they will eat anything not just tuna or meat – eggs, cream cheese, milk and potatoes are all on their list – and hot dogs, of course!
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i like you on facebook.
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email subscriber.
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As long as the food is meaty, especially with seafood, my boys would gram them.
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follow and tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/cistran/status/179789302920790016
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email subscriber
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FB fan (trung nguyen)
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As long as my husband is fed (and he is not a picky eater), he is happy and understood.
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I follow you on twitter @mneuhouser
I tweeted about the giveaway
https://twitter.com/#!/mneuhouser/status/179911703692197888
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I subscribe to your daily e-mails
mneuhouser at gmail dot com
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I have 2 boys, the older is a teen and he’s definitely easier fed than understood. We have his friends over often, and I’ll find myself sitting over a pan of fresh baked brownies pumping them for info. It looks like everyone had a blast! Thanks for sharing and for hosting this recipe swap.
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Loved your story : ) you brought me back when i was a teenager and my mom did this with 15 girls for 2days! you are a wonderful mom!
I follow you via e-mail.
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Men are impossible to understand but I think they could eat 24/7.
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My husband will eat anything but my son is the picky eater.
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I am a Facebook Fan.
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I am an email subscriber.
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I raised two boys and always said that they were easier than girls because all you had to do was make sure they were well fed and they were happy.
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My home has been filled with boy bedlam for the past 15 years! I only have one son but our home was the place to be if you was hungry. Over the years my husband and I have taken in young men in need for a few days to months at a time. I still don’t understand men/boys but I do know how to feed them so that they are full. I have teuly enjoyed this most recent posts and would love to win the Ball Park prize pkg.
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I’m a facebook fan
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I’m an e-mail subscriber.
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I follow you on Twitter and tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/jenalber/status/180493082368806914
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I subscribe via email.
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I’m not sure either is true 😛 My son is a very very picky eater, hahaha. But he does love hot dogs.
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I rings very true in my family!
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like u on fb Julie A Scott Laws
thanks
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email sub using above email
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My husband would rather eat at home than eat out because (in his words) “Your food is always better than anything we get in a restaurant.” so he’s definitely easy to feed.
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I follow you via RSS!
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My bf is happy with food in his tummy and doesn’t give a darn about much of anything else and if nothing else makes him happy, food does.
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tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/fauxpaus/status/181516650321936384 and follow (Fauxpaus)
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I like you on fb already (jen matthews)
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email subscriber
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