I haven't baked with dd for over two years, and we never "get out in the fresh air"

[Gogglemint]

I don't really care how neatly/well she does her homework as long as she gets it done. I never tidy her room. I have left myself two weeks to plan her birthday party and she goes to late stay four nights a week. On the other day my husband picks her up. We live on soup, cheese on toast, yoghurts and chocolate. And yet I still hold the believe that I am a good mum, as I do the best I can.

May you all feel slightly better about your own parenting .

Miss Kitty that is genius! Ok, must get on or will get the sack but I really really do appreciate this!

OK, forget about the week days. That is just how it is going to be. I work full-time and if it wasn't for the fact that DH is a teacher DS2 would probably be in after school club too. My kids go to bed far too late TBH so you are doing that better than me! But I don't think it's impossible to improve your diets - pasta with a home-made tomato sauce, good quality sausages with baked potatoes and veg, savoury rice with a little chicken breast and lots of veg - all doable as long as you get the shopping right.

BTW why isn't DP making his own meal?

Then make the best use you can of your weekends. Make time actually doing things with your DD that you both enjoy - btw I know that's hard as you are usually doing all the things you couldn't do in the week, but try to set aside a few hours each day. DS1 and I have been painting stones recently - they look crap but it was fun collecting the stones and it gives us a chance to sti together and chat in a sort of happy stream-of-consciousness way

There is no such thing as a perfect parent. There are plenty of OK ones - I suspect that you and I come into that category. Chin up OP.

Cailin, we would get on well

X-posted. So it's not bad at all! Stop giving yourself a hard time but do get your dh to do more.

Also shop online and get it delivered if you don't already and do plan in some time for you and time for family.

I would have thought that the cheese in the sandwich would have provided enough salt and fat for a meal CailinDana. Crisps are the one food I hate my children having they are full of fat and salt! And the one of the biggest causes of dental caries amongst children as they stick in the teeth.

Anyone else really fancy a bit of cheese on toast now? With sweet chilli sauce. Yum!

I tend to give DS chicken nuggets/fish fingers (you can get some semi-decent ones) and frozen vegetables, either the steam fresh bags done in the microwave (these are nice) or the bags of carrots, brocolli and cauliflower which you do in a pan of water. (less nice but edible, not like the bleugh vegetable mix you used to only be able to get)

Or the mini pizzas you can buy in supermarkets, and let her put her own toppings on, things like peppers, sweetcorn, ham, or whatever she likes and then top with extra cheese to hold it together.

Pasta with a jar of sauce or tin of tomatoes/passata if they don't like bits, you can add things to this too like mushrooms, peppers, onions, garlic, sausages, chicken, or veg cooked in with the pasta - sweetcorn, thinly cut carrots. Just fry the chicken/peppers etc in a small frying pan or saucepan, cook the pasta (and possible veg) at the same time, drain the pasta when it's done and mix all together in a medium sized pan with the sauce or tomatoes, stir over a low heat for a couple of minutes.

In DS' most fussy phase he was having just chicken, tomatoes and pasta, but he loved it. You can even make a large portion and then add herbs, garlic and chilli powder for adults later and call it Chicken Arrabiata.

Gogglemint - we could sit and drink gin while our children stuff themselves with crisps and coke in front of the tv

Seriously though, I often wonder why people seem to treat children like a bioscience project that's going to go horribly wrong and destroy the world if the perfect equilibrium isn't maintained at all times. If a child happens to have a week of mostly chips and tv it's going to do nothing at all to them, provided they have a mostly healthy diet and some exercise the rest of the time. I feel sorry for kids growing up nowadays, it seems like they'll never be allowed to just chill out and be a slobby pig now and again, which, IMO, is one of life's greatest pleasures!

Ordinary cheddar cheese doesn't contain salt lady.

I DO NOT give my child Coke - that is my one big no-no.

Yes it does. It's added as part of the manufacturing process.

Of course there's salt in it. But i'm not arguing with you.

CailinDana - I agree with you re:love being what kids need, not ticks on a parentling checklist!

Gogglemint - do you have Freecycle in your area by any chance? It's surprising what you can get for free - sofas, freezers, you name it! Alternatively we got a secondhand freezer on ebay for 40 quid (it was local so no delivery cost either). Freezers are certainly handy but it sounds like you're all getting vitamins and healthy stuff anyway...maybe get in a few multivitamins if you're really worried?

Actually you're right, Tesco cheese has salt in it. I'm surprised because when I made cheese with KerryGroup we never added salt. I wonder if you can buy salt-free cheese here.

I posted this last week but what the hell I'll do it again.

I had a hell of a week with dh away and dd1 having terrible 2's while dd2 is 8 months and keeps getting chest infections.

DD1 was being a bugger challenging and I had had enough.

She sat in front of the tv watching Peppa Pig in wellies and a vest eating a GREGGS chocolate cookie for tea.

And do you know what? The world didn't end. Not even a tiny bit. I however managed to maintain my sanity well what is left

Not read whole thread but if it makes anyone feel better I don't even work and DD lives off toast and yoghurt in front of the tv and the idea of baking with a toddler gives me the heebeejeebees! We do spend a lot of time in the fresh air though

There was a good thread in "food" recently about what could be cooked v quickly in that shitty home-from-work-need-to-feed-kids-before-bed gap, loads of great ideas posted, I will try to find it!

Not all of us plan for the half term with scuba diving money, parachuting tuesday.
We like being at home. Load of Harry Potter and Fireman Sam gets watched. We are only going out the park today because I need to get dh's prescription from the chemist.
And whats wrong with crisps? I got scorned the other day by ds2's pre-schol teacher because he had a packet of chocolate buttons. My kids are the unfusiest kids ever and eat everything, chilli, curry, every single veg, loads of fruit. Life is too flippin short to worry about a few packets of crisps and chocolate buttons, along the way.

We do fresh air. We have three dogs and dd2 is never, ever, ever, ever tired. Without the park we'd live in a mad house (well, a madder house)

Atm I am attempting to be super mum. My first attempt at supermum failed badly when I poisioned us with home baked banana muffins , my next attempt was the local adventured playground, we got there just as it started raining [sigh], I have given up today and sent them off out with Granny. I plan to re super myself tomorrow for ice-skating [wibble]

This is odd for us. I feel guilty because dd1 is being bullied at school and has little self esteem, so I am doing family time and fun things to try and build her up. Half terms are normally filled with them being kicked into the park opposite our house and told not to come back until they are hungry.

I think your food sounds fine! (a slow cooker might make life a bit easier?)

You sound like you're doing the best you can in a tough situation.
As long as your dd feels loved and is cared for then you're doing a good job.

How do you spend the weekends?

Take time to take care of yourself - you sound a bit overstretched.

Try slow cooker for food.

You sound like my mum, and I love her loads. And I think I will end up like both of you when my baby is a bit older. I'm sick of hearing about baking too.

in 15 mins I do pasta in a cheesy bacon sauce with all the veg I can find languishing in the fridge.

Or in 30 mins I do bought pie, cheating roast potatoes and veg on the hob.

If I make bolognaise at the weekend I stack the leftovers into a lasagne with bought white sauce and shove that in the oven come monday.

I can sometimes muster the energy to stick a load of stuff in the slow cooker. My mum assures me I could roast a chicken in it but I have never dared to try.

If you do a 'whack it in the oven' dinner you could do the reading or whatever it is while it cooks.

Or you could just be happy that you know you are trying your best and working to support your family :)

I hope that didn't sound sarcastic, it's really hard to tell on here

Can't your DH cook sometimes?