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No matter how old or young your kids are, dinner time may be the biggest hurdle of the day. I have talked to SAHMs, WAHM,s
and WOHM plus dad of the same variety. (Stay At Home Moms, Work At Home Moms, and Work Outside the Home Moms) and nearly all
had the same problem with dinner hour, OR they had a PLAN! I needed to find out what that plan was.
Everyone had their own custom tailored plan, but they all had one major theme in common, routine! If knowing where to be and
what to do at the right time was down to a habit, then the little interuptions were easy.
Menu
Trying to figure out a menu is difficult and annoying for many, trying to do it 30 minutes before dinner, while kids are asking
what/when is dinner, or 'come play with me' is a lesson in futility, or patience, whichever. No woman I know makes it thru
without at least one blow up. So planning in advance is the key. Now if you are smart you do it a week or so in advance,
preferably before you go to the grocery store, if on the other hand you are like me you figure it out around lunch time.
but at the very least know what you are cooking before you start!
Distraction
Not for the head chef, many a pot of water has boiled to nothing with me distracted! But for the 'little chefs' To many hands
spoil the soup, so you might need to limit the helpers and find something else for them to do, having a plan of what that
is in advance is much easier than a last minute request for them to 'get out of your way'.
Many people resort to the TV, That is a lot of TV time every week, and is not particularly helpful if you do not already have
a 'couch potato' who is willing to sit and do nothing while a TV flashes at them. But occasionally it works.
My preference is for Daddy to distract if I am cooking and vice cersa if he is cooking. I have found that since he gets home
right when I start, if he is not distracted, he is telling me about his day, which I like to hear, but not while children
are simultaneously trying to get his attention to tell him about their day, and I am trying to figure out how to cook brown
rice in only 30 minutes.
other methods include:
Game, preferably one that doesn't include a parent to direct.
Letting them help (one or two kids can stir, watch, or make suggestions - save it for a day you really know the recipie
well, or are willing to expirament based on their suggestions)
Reading, if you have a child old enough to read, reading outloud is great, make sure it is something they are capable
of with minimal assistance. (group avctivty if other children alternate the reading or will listen.)
Homework, if they are independant workers
Computer time, if they can work the mouse and navigate alone.
Coloring or other non messy art, assuming they will not eat the crayons.
Kitchen play tools, so they can 'cook' while you do.
The kitchen sink, try it with a young toddler, tons of fun and if clean, not to dangerous (if it is deep enough)
Anything else that means your kids will be busy for a proscribed time!
Food
I know isn't the point of this to make food? But hungry kids don't wait that well, so a snack can help tremendously. Now
in a perfect world that snack would come an hour or two before dinner so that they are not starving while you are cooking
dinner but are hungry enough to eat said dinner. When I get that perfect I so need a medal! In the meantime somedays that
works, others I find a healthy snack and let my kids nibble while I cook.
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