Dinner and stuff

[AllChangeLife]

Random question... I've not been on mumsnet for ages and not been on this board before so I'd be grateful for your advice.

How do you manage dinner times? My oh gets back about 7/7.15 and by the time he has put little one to bed (normally with me because he can't do it on his own at the moment because toddler is screaming for me) we cook dinner eat dinner and then end up collapsing in front of the TV and get nothing else done including cleaning up after. Which leaves me to do all the housework during the days. Dh does not lift a finger in the week (or much at all really)

Do you eat with your children and leave dh to reheat, eat as a family, eat as a couple but later?

I'm trying to make life into an amazingly oiled machine but constantly feel like I'm pushing custard up hill...

Hi my dp gets home around the same time as yours if not later some days. I tend to eat with our children between 4.30 & 5. I put dp's meal to a side for when he gets home. I then do the pots and clean the kitchen up after we've eaten so that it's all done and there is only the one plate-possibly a pan in soak that needs doing later.

We eat together as a couple. Ds is only 18 months so eats his tea at 5.30. D p gets home at 6.45 ish, we do bath together then he does bedtime whilst I make tea then we eat after ds has gone to bed. Ds and I eat our lunch together though.

We eat together as a family usually. I get dinner ready for around 6pm - DH gets in around 5.45pm. Then DH does DS bath time and bed time routine whilst I clear kitchen.

I make dinner for the children and then dh cooks for the 2 of us once he is home from work. I quite often have done prep work or put something in the oven to slow cook for our dinner

I used to do same as Blusteringblues when DH got home at 7.
Your bedtime routine sounds quite stressful at the moment. I used to do that myself too and then my day had stopped and I could relax when DH came home. If DH was home in time he just said night night to DC before taking his dinner out of oven and then putting plate in dishwasher.
My 2 older dd are 19 months apart and I did start trying to give them separate bedtime routines but it was much easier and happier both together.
Best advice I got was they don't need a bath every night and as soon as baby could sit they went in together.
As they get older you need a free parent for out of school activities so dinner time together becomes impractical. Also I think a parent eating with DC sets a better mealtime pattern for diet and social skills.

We do the same as blustering as well.

Sometimes I cook tea while he puts kids to bed but rarely as like you my just 2 year old is very demanding at the moment and doesn't enjoy bedtimes.

Same as nickyeds.

On an ideal week we eat at 6 all together . When they were smaller we ate as a couple and it was nice but always left lots clearing for the morning which I hate. We still on the odd night eat just two of us and whilst it's nice I like sitting down at 7 having eaten and cleared up. I'm looking forward to sept when my little one starts school, then all three can have dinner at school and a sandwich tea. Easy peasy!

Ps i try where poss to cook in the morning as I'm.less grumpy!

Dh makes it back at a very reasonable time (plus kids are much older now) but a slow cooker is a godsend, make the meal in the morning and then it can be dished earlier for the children and then later for myself and Dh.

I use frozen veg and pre-frozen chicken breast, no chopping or peeling of onions etc. Chicken is then shredded which makes it go further and means children can't just pick out the chicken pieces.

All other meals are plated and then reheated by Dh on return from work. I used to eat two small meals so I ate with the children and then ate again with Dh.

Dh adjusted his day so that he leaves at ridiculous o'clock in the morning to start his day but makes it back for 5.30pm.

Dh adjusted his day so that he leaves at ridiculous o'clock in the morning to start his day but makes it back for 5.30pm. I'd like DH to do this! Although I think sometimes this would just mean that he would leave early and still be back late.

I used to wait for DH and then eat with him, but I found that I was eating far to late. Now I eat with the DCs and bedtimes are better for me as I am not doing it all while starving hungry.

On a Friday I try eat alone which is bliss, no getting up for things or listening to complaints about how they don't like the food that I cooked because they asked for it only a few hours ago... I do a (nice) ready meal or something easy and eat just before I feed the DCs, usually when they are busy playing and while their dinner is in the oven.

I also bought a rice cooker which is good, I open it quickly to plate up our food, then shut it back up and it keeps the rice hot for DH. It also means I can put the rice on and just forget about it, if whatever I am cooking takes too long, or dinner is delayed then the rice can just sit there instead of boiling dry/going cold.