Ok, I think it's my turn to contribute. Not that this is probably a challenge for everyone, but is for me. I've had kind of an epiphany (that's how you spell it...I looked it up) lately about the way I eat, and they way I feed my whole family. Personally, I am a grazer. I've mentioned before that I don't typically sit down and eat "lunch". I think because I don't feel the need myself, sometimes I don't think about it for everyone else. This means I'm more reactive than anything about feeding my kids. For example, the child who is hanging onto my legs and whining will probably get some crackers, the child who is having a meltdown will probably get a snack AND some milk... you get the idea.
So anyway, I am trying to PLAN and PREPARE 3 meals for the whole family every day. Revolutionary? No. Challenging for me? A little. But I am finding it to be worth the effort. This ties in with Jake's treatment too, but that's a long story so I'll save that one for later. :) I am also finding that when I think ahead just a little bit, I am not so frenzied getting everything to the table and trying to hurry and round people up, just to have everyone whine and bawl and throw food. I am more calm, and everyone else seems to follow suit. We have actually had several days in a row where every meal has been calm, with everyone sitting for a longer period of time and everyone eating a decent amount. Everyone's mood is better, probably because we are avoiding extreme hunger and/or sugar spikes and crashes. And I'm sure our health will be better for it too.
Thanks for posting Laura! :)
ReplyDeleteI've also been noticing that I need to plan a lot better. I've started counting calories (today....). As I've gone through the day I've realized that I am running out before I'm ready to have ran out. This would be solved if I planned a little better. I think it's awesome that you're doing so well with sticking to it. It makes sense that it would help everyone be more calm.
This is a great idea! I'm a novice in the kitchen, but since my nerve ablation did so well, I'm hoping to be able to be more active - especially in regards to planning and executing menus! What are some things you do to plan? Like I said, I'm a novice. I can use all the tips and helpful hints I can get!!
ReplyDeletehttp://quickcheapneasy.blogspot.com/2011/04/food-nanny.html
ReplyDeleteThere is a post on some meal planning ideas. When I do it I usually just sit down with a calender and pick out the things that are sounding good. This helps me know what I need to buy so I'm not making multiple trips to the store. It also gives me a set list of things to buy so I'm not buying unneeded things that aren't going to get used.
When I'm on a tighter budget I go 'shopping' in my pantry first to see what I have on hand. This lets me use my storage and know what fresh stuff I need to purchase so I can add a little variety to my food.