What time is your tea/dinner if you eat with your children? (Olive's food enquiry number 342)

[oliveoil]

dd1 is 3, dd2 is 15 months.

Want to start doing 1 meal for us all (dh inc).

BUT:

dd1 is in bed at 7pm, so to fit in bath etc, seems a rush job to eat any later than 6pm.

I work 3 days and get in at 5pm and don't relish starting to chop when I get through the door.

We normally feed the girls at 5ish and we then eat in civilised peace at 7pm.

Help.

PS - dd1 eats f**k all anyway, or changes what she will eat every day.

I agree with Enid, DH gets home too late to eat with DS and much prefers getting involved in bathtime/bed time instead.
At weekends we all eat together.

oo you are talking to the queen of over analysing

but seriously I feed the dds proper nursery food that dh would never countenance (like your dh he abhors ready meals)

and tbh when I am feeling well and not too pg I enjoy cooking a nice meal for him and me in the evening

he does a roast lunch on a sunday that we all eat and we often all go out on a saturday lunchtime.

We get home around 6 p.m. and eat around 7 p.m. Basically I do start chopping as soon as I get in! ds does his homework at kitchen table and dd can colour - or chat - while I cook. Usually basics : stir fry, spag bol, mince and tatties. Use a slow cooker and chuck stuff in before work so it's ready at teatime (today I've got a chicken pot roasting and the breadmaker set on timer - so dinner's all set!) I also will cook casseroles on a Sunday that will last 2 days.

I must be a bad mother, ds eats at 5pm. dh & I eat at about 7.30-8pm once he is sound alseep.

We all eat at about 6/6.30 depending on when Dh gets in, but mine go to bed at 8 so it fits in well for us.

We all eat together as soon as Dh gets through the door, usually 6:30 ish. The kids have baths 3 times a week, and a quick flannel wash before bed every other night. All 3 kids go to bed at 7:30.
I do cook all the meals from scratch, takes me about 20 minutes to prepare + cooking time. I leave the more timely meals for the weekend, and make quick meals in the week.

Right you can do what I do. I get in at 5.45-6 and we sit down at 6-6.15. Then I play with the kids while DH tidies kitchen and comes and plays.

Like you I work 3 days and you have to cook double when you are not working. So cook two shepherd's pies one day. Then when you all get in at 5, you can get changed, cuddle the girls etc while DH sticks the defrosted shepherd's pie in the oven and puts some veg on. Then at 5.20-5.30 you should all be ready to eat. Should be finished no later than 6. Then you can play for half an hour until 6.30. Then one of you can bath the girls while the other tidies the kitchen. And get them both in bed for 7 having eaten and tidied the kitchen.

.....So that gives you all evening to do the ironing.

good idea! Shall try that.

Now, any idea on how to get her to eat it?

6-6.15. DD doesn't go to bed till 8.

6, all together usually. I used to find life was more relaxing if i did the chopping at breakfast time, but that was when ds used to be up by 6.30 at the latest.

ds defoo eats more when we're all together.

Four days a week DD2 get tea at 4.45ish at her childminder, DD1 gets a school dinner and after school snack and then pitta and hummus at 6ish (in front of the telly, shoot me now). I am returning my unfortunate co-habitees to a Meal Together on the other days at around 6.30.

No. Thats much more tricky. But I think maybe if you are eating your own it distracts you from the fact that she isn't eating hers. Will that do?

DS was getting to be a PITA at the table. He was generally eating but taking 3 times as long as everyone else and loads of back chat, messing about and spilling stuff etc. He was quite poorly with a run of coughs and tonsillitis etc. He also got visibly thinner. But since then he has been a pleasure at the table. Sometimes I'm messing about sorting out 18mo DD and I look up and he has cleared his plate. But all a bit out of my control....