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Parenting
Sometimes I feel like a real crap mom.
Ugh. It's the eating!
Between H and I working FT, I have always had a tough time getting meals done in time for DD to eat. Now add in that her sleep habits are atrocious lately, so we're all exhausted, and we have a puppy... and I just can't pull it off.
Many nights lately, I just ask what she wants, and that's what she has. Fortunately she's requesting things like french toast, or waffles, or yogurt and fruit, kix, etc. so it's healthy. But it's not like sitting down to dinner. However, when I do make us all dinner, she drinks her milk and declares herself done. Last night she ate a bite of tortilla and wouldn't eat anything else.
So on the one hand I think it's good for her to eat the healthy foods she likes, so she eats (she's tall and very lean), but on the other I am sure I'm reinforcing her pickiness, and I feel like a crap mom. Can anyone else relate?
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Re: Sometimes I feel like a real crap mom.
duh: eat the puppy.
no- I don't think you should worry too much- when you can, make super healthy meals, and when you can't...just make sure she's not having m&ms for dinner.
kids eating evolves constantly- do your best. She'll be fine.
You are not a crappy mom!
What are you guys eating every night?
Has she always been picky?
She's not picky at daycare - she eats EVERYTHING there, I think it's peer pressure. Today she had chicklen alfredo lasagne, garden salad, dried apricots, cheerios, whole wheat crackers, apples, water and milk.
Lately, we've not even had dinner every night. By the time I get her to sleep it can be 9:30-10, and we just don't even care at that point. The other night we had apple crisp she helped me make in the evening, b/c it was already made. Sometimes we have cereal. It makes me sad because I love to cook and I make great meals... I just don't have the energy.
DH and I work FT too and it is rough to make a healthy dinner. 2 things help us out:
1) DD gets a healthy snack when she gets home to tide her over (tyically fruit)
2) the crock pot! OMG I love it! I only make simple things during the week (like throw in some chicken breasts, frozen veggies, and soup) and it is ready when we get home. Very little prep time in the morning and a quick clean up.
Other days we have simple easy stuff, like homeade pizza, french toast, etc.
Good luck!
In that case, you need to start making one meal and offering only that, she won't starve if you don't give her anything else.
I usually get B around 6pm and don't get dinner done until 7-7:30. B doesn't go to bed before 10pm EVER, plus, I do bath every single night. I know how you feel. And in my case, she's the only one I really cook for since DH works late and I'm too busy cleaning up while she's eating her dinner.
What time do you get home?
We're usually home by 5:30. Except nights like tonight, when we have to go to the store to get food to make dinner.
The issue is that she gets home STARVING so I give her a snack, and then she's not hungry for dinner... especially because we have to take the puppy out immediately when we get home (H isn't home until later) and that takes some time. So if I just make her something right away she can have that instead of snack and she'll at least get in a balanced meal.
And sometimes, she's just whiney and tantrum-y becuase she's tired and hungry and I can't take it.
Ugh. I just need to plan better. Some nights it goes so smoothly, others are just a battle.
I really do feel your pain!
I never pick B up without a snack. She has a snack every night before dinner too but she does eat great for dinner.
The only thing I can suyggest is keep trying and don't get down on yourself. Being a working mom sucks!
don't beat yourself up. It is so.hard to get home after working all day and make a great meal. I also love to cook but don't do it nearly enough during the week. That is awesome she's requesting healthy items! Be proud that you've created an environment where that is the norm.
Do you have a Dream Dinners near you? I did a demo of it and really liked it. It's one of those places you go and do all your meal prep at one time and freeze it all. All the meals are endorsed/approved/meet guidelines by the American Heart Association for being low salt/nutrutious.
I would SO do it if I worked FT. I work PT and those nights it's a battle to get a decent meal on the table by 8:30 (I work until 7 and commute). It is more expensive than going to the store, but you make that up in time savings.
Anyway, that could be an option. All of their meals are supposed to be made in 30 min. You take it out of the freezer to thaw all day in the fridge. All you have to make is a side or starch to go w/ the main meal.
I'm thinking of doing it before #2 arrives so DH isn't picking up crap on the way home from work if I don't want to cook when on mat leave & right after I go back to wrk.
Christmas 2011
Oh hon, don't beat yourself up! You know I'm a single mom. There are plenty of nights when our dinners consist of cereal or pancakes.
I always have snacks in the car (a little bit of dry cereal, some animal crackers or wheat thins, oatmeal bars) but not a lot of any one of those, just a tiny bit, and only water until dinner so she doesn't fill up on milk. Our rule is that on the nights that we do actually eat dinner with the BF as a family, she has to eat when we eat and she has to eat what we eat or she won't get anything else for the rest of the night. But you have to stick to that, not cave and give her something to eat later because she's *insert whiney voice here* "just so hungry". There have been plenty of times that B has gone to bed hungry. And I ditto the crock pot. Karma has a cookbook of crockpot recipes that I know she would be willing to email you...and I believe I saw a post on TIP maybe asking for crock pot receipes earlier today that she responded to with her email.
B isn't huge on having a set routine so a lot of times we will take a bath while dinner is cooking so that we can get that out of the way. Or we will go outside and play, or read a book or something to keep her occupied and keep her mind off her hunger until dinner is ready....but the BF cooks in our house so it's easy for me to do that. Since you cook, maybe have her help you, get her involved. Maybe if she helps cook, she will be more inclined to eat.
Sorry, that got long....but you aren't a crap mom! You're a great mom!
Missed M/C 11/5/2010 @ 5 weeks, 3 days* D&C 12/3/2010 at 9 weeks, 3 days