What's your evening like when DC have activities?

[SecondaryPreparation]

We usually eat together around 630-7pm. Either DC are already in pjs or they shower after and bed time is 8, lights out 830.

DC is moving groups from the earlier to the 6-730 session meaning we won't be home until 8 which is a bit late to eat. We'll have to leave at 5 so eating a meal before is not feasible either.

How do you manage to feed everyone? Do you give up on trying to eat as a family once activities are factored in?

Yes! Anybody who is home at a sensible meal time can eat then. Anybody with a late activity gets an early dinner; anybody with an early activity gets a late dinner.

On trampolining nights Dd eats a light tea at after school club and then something similar when we get home at half 7sih after trampoliming. It's not every night so I don't think it's the end of the world to eat separately.

On nights like that I make a dinner that people c

I feed the kids straight from school, take to activities, come home have a snack such as toast/cereal then they go to bed and we eat later.

On nights like that I make food that people can have a portion of whenever. Chilli, stew, shephards pie etc.

I used to make bedtime a bit later when activities got later so that my DC got a chance to unwind.

You just juggle, our evenings changed constantly from about ages 8 to 15 and activities got later and later as did bedtimes. We rarely managed to eat as a family apart from at weekends, but it wasn't the end of the world and they got so much out of their activities. Some activities they could eat beforehand, eg Scouts, some it had to be afterwards with just a snack beforehand eg sports.

Slow cookers are amazing for nights like these, it was a case of help yourself tge 2 nights they had clubs except choir practice on Fridays when we picked up fish and chips later but they were 10+ by then

2DC here and activities mean a constant taxi service and cooking! Actually it's ended up working quite well for us as the children have entirely different food preferences and DC1 has a packed lunch either very early (11.30) or late (1.30) depending on her timetable for that day whereas DC2 has a substantial cooked lunch at 12.30 so they also have different nutritional needs of an evening. DC2 tends to have soup and a sandwich for tea. Fortunately DC1 likes curries, casseroles and that sort of thing so I batch cook & freeze meals and she'll have one of those. I purposefully freeze some individual portions and others as double as then I can eat with DC1 if that suits.

One night I pickup from school and drive straight to cubs. We get there about 20 mins early (not enough time to go first) and I give her a meal in the car.

Either help yourself whenever you're in-type meals, as PP said, or a sarnie in the car before/after the activity.

should say not enough time to go home first.....

We currently just have this one night a week due to swimming lessons from 5-7ish - I usually feed the kids something easy like pizza or chicken nuggets around 4.30 and then me and DH eat later on. often I take the opportunity to have a dinner the kids won’t eat, like curry.

DS would probably have a snack of cheese and crackers or something before bed due to having dinner so much earlier than usual.

Monday - club 5.45pm - 7pm. I don't work Monday so cook a meal straight from work such as chilli or bolognase. We eat and leave the house by 5.30 and I make enough to freeze so the following week I don't cook

Thurs - club 5.30pm - 6.30pm. I work and don't have time to do anything before this one. They have 2 breadsticks with red pepper Humus then beans on toast when we get in. Usually get them to bed for 7.30pm

Sorry meant cook a meal on a Monday as soon as I pick them up from school

Music activity two days a week between 4 and 6pm so we eat as a family before they go out rather than after. They have a light supper when they get home around 6.15/6.30pm.

Dinner on those days around 3.30pm.

There are two nights when they get in after 7. One of them, they have chips from the chippy before the activity then have their proper dinner when they get in. Just means a later bedtime.
The other night, a light snack after school then burger, wings and chips from the chicken shop. Also a later bedtime.

I have given them the choice to stop these as I don't like them to go to bed too late but they won't give up.

Same here!

Ds1 has an activity twice a week over what would be usual dinner / bedtime (6-7:30) on those nights I usually cook something in the slow cooker.
While DH takes ds1 to the activity I feed ds2 and Dd put them to bed etc and then when ds1& DH get home I serve up round 2 of dinner for the 3 of us.

With 4 DC between 10 and 17, we have clubs every night 😔 I batch cook at the weekend so that meals for M-T are pre-prepped. They are generally a one pot type meal - this week has been Chinese chicken curry, lentil and bacon soup, lasagne and sausage stew. We have an instant pot and can leave it on keep warm so people can help themselves. DH works from home so he will do the sides. If we are really pushed for time then I'll use the microwave rice packets.

I would generally feed them about 5 if they had a club at 6 and then they'll have some Greek yoghurt and fruit as a snack when they got home.

Depends on timing of activities. Piano lesson is at 5pm, so we eat later. Beavers is at 630, so we will eat first. I tend to batch cook and take something out the freezer that cooks quickly

4.30 is normal for young kids just feed them then abs give them toast after the activity.

DD has volleyball two nights a week, one night its 5-6:30 so do dinner when she gets home and the other night its 6:30-8 so she has something to eat beforehand if she's at home (she usually goes to a friends house though to get a lift there) and something more when she gets home and the rest of us eat at our normal time.

We usually eat together after the activities. The teens don't like eating before sport. DS (who is 10) gets something light before Cubs but otherwise we eat late.

I cook their dinner when they're at school. They then eat as soon as they're home from school then get changed. Once they're home after the activities and in bed,I cook for DH and I.