It's always something :) Right ?
So, here's the deal. The kids come home from school STARVING!! Brother will literally eat two pb&j sandwiches and an apple and cookies and milk. Everyone is hungry and wants to eat dinner at 4:30.
DH gets home from work anywhere between 5:30 (on the occasional rare early day) and 7:00. And some evenings have activities.
So family dinner time is important to me and we try and eat together but the troops are starving and filing up on "snack food" and when dinner actually gets here no one is hungry and they cry and fight at the table, and DH gets mad at the waste and I've spent time on food no one wants anyway.
and I don't want them to fill up on snack food, or even sandwiches and carrot sticks. And what about pleasant conversation? and familial bonding?
Solution:
7 comments:
we always had healthy substantial snacks right after school @3:00 even in car and then dinner @6-6-:30
We have this same problem. The kids are STARVING when they get home from school, and if I'm not careful they'll wipe out the enire pantry.
These are the same children who do not really eat dinner. How odd. I try to "close" the kitchen at 4:00 and we eat dinner somewhere between 5:30 and 6:30pm.
Wish I had the solution to this problem. I must admit my 16 y.o. doesn't have too much of a problem eating a huge snack when he gets home from school at 4:00 and then eating dinner around 5:30. (He's a growing boy and always seems to be hungry) Quite often by the time he gets home from practices its dinner time (and I don't know how he waited)
I laughed when you asked about pleasant conversation--yeah, right!!!
I'm dealing with soccer right now. I'm not even bothering with dinnertime till next month.
I loved Dallin H. Oaks' talk, on a completely separate topic. ;)
I'm a meanie about snacks. They will fill up on everything and then not eat dinner if I don't. So, our rule is if you want a snack, you have to have it right at 3:30. You can't wait around till 4 or 4:30 and then decide you're hungry. Typical snack is yogurt and a piece of fruit. Sometimes I limit it to just a handful of crackers! If you want more, tough. ;o)
We usually eat between 5 and 6, depending on the evening's activities. DH understands that if it's a night (like karate or soccer) that we have dinner early, he either eats it re-heated later on, or gobbles it down when he gets in the door (which is usually between 5 and 5:30). Of course, it's nice that he's pretty consistent with when he gets home.
We tried having dinner after soccer or karate, but that's just too late and then they get to bed late and it's chaos and crying and well, you know.
Sorry I wrote so much.
That is tough. We do have a snack right at 3:30 and then we don't eat until 5:30-6:30, but DH works so late that he is never around (bursts my dream world of hubby eating with us, but it is reality for us) for dinner.
Good luck with the solution!
Oh, this is so common for us moms. I try to let each child have a snack at 3:30, and then keep them busy with helping me or doing their homework or playing with friends, so that when dinner time comes (between 5-6pm) they are more apt to eat what's offered.
That said--I still have a child or two in a "that's gross" phase at all times. I try not to take it personally when they tell me that my food makes them want to puke and they are going to just just wait quietly while everyone else eats.
(sad, tired, mommy eye roll)
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