RIGHT! I am off work for 2 weeks over Christmas and I expect my children to eat properly at the end of it. Please help me!

[OComeOLIVEfaithfOIL]

They will not eat:

soup
sauces
stews

The do not like 'wet' food iyswim

Individual ingredients - yes. In a mix - no.

Now I did a thread a while back saying pffffff, who cares, but I have changed my mind and now I do care GOD DAMMIT!

I want us all to sit down round the table and EAT without a small person moaning.

I do all the yawnsome stuff of preparing it together yadda yadda and all the stuff the makes you want to lose the will to live, but they would rather go hungry.

So. Tell me how to do it .

No, I don't offer alternatives. This is food, it's edible. Eat it or go hungry. I will very occasionally offer pudding if I know they genuinely don't like what's on offer, eg. if I think it's probably a bit spicy for them.

But on the whole, it's eat my food or go without.

No prisoners in the frogpond.

Yes I don't think you need to be offering alternatives. And I think the vomitting noises from a 5yo need more than telling off - I think she should have to leave the room.

BTW how is she doing at school now?

ok at school now, thanks for asking, no tears now since half term

I went to pick dd2 up the other day and dd1 was in the playground on her own [sob]. But then I realised they were playing 'hide and seek' and she was just hiding very badly against the wall

Children can smell desperation a mile off. if you are silently willing them to love your chicken casserole, you can bet your bottom dollar they will hate it more than anything else in the world. I would seriously go back to your previous state of relaxation on the matter. Don't make food a huge issue.

lol at smell desperation

you are quite right

ok, will do a meal plan and the soapbox list thing and see how we go

at hiding badly. Mine are always hiding badly. Every morning after breakfast and before teeth they hide behind the bathroom door. [sigh]