I’m not one for resolutions and setting myself up for failure. However, there are changes that I want to make in my life this year aside from the normal eat healthier, exercise more, and get more organized (all of which I plan on doing of course).
The biggest change I want to make is Family Dinner.
We sit down as a family almost every night for dinner. We say grace and we talk about our “favorite parts of the day.” Sometimes those get combined by Finnegan, “My favorite part of the day is going to Mema’s and when we got my brudders and when I pay my game and Mom come home. Amen.” What I mean by family dinner is us all eating the same meal. Please for the love of God, let this happen. This one doesn’t eat hot dogs, this one wants his sauce rinsed off his meatballs, NONE of my kids will eat peanut butter! They refuse every form of chicken that is not a nugget. I’ve baked, grilled, fried, sauted…nope. Now that the two older boys are 7 and 5, and capable of compromise, it’s time to flip the spatula and get more strict. They are going to eat everything I make, or at least try it more than once. Expand their vegetable pallets beyond cucumbers, black olives, and corn.
My first three attempts this week have been surprisingly successful. Although it took Logan FOR-EV-ER to eat half of a pork chop, he did it. He even ate his peas…swallowing them whole one by one. Hey, he ate it all, right? I’ve discovered that Deacon will eat just about any meat if I put A1 on it. Just the smell of that stuff makes me gag. Finnegan…he’s the tough one. Not a single vegetable since he was a baby. He’ll eat fruit, but that’s it. I can’t wait for him to grow out of this stage. They’ve all been through it.
So Family Dinner is my new focus. I need to tune out the whining and complaining and make it happen…as painfully slow as it is. No more making multiple meals because I get all nervous about them not eating enough. Eventually, they’ll get it. I need to stay strong and not break.
Wish us luck!
Good luck for sure! Make sure to share some of the recipes that turn out to be a hit among the gang!
Good luck. Oh, good luck. Lots and lots and lots of good luck. I should be encouraging… but… um, good luck. And I guess keep us posted on how it unfolds?
Thank you, thank you. I need all of the luck I can get.
The complaining and whining is hard to stay calm during but do it Sheri – it is well worth it and you know this topic is important to me. Great luck!
Good luck, Sheri! I can imagine this is a challenge with 3 boys! But they’ll have great memories of your family dinners when they’re older! 🙂
I know this all too well 😉 We struggle to all sit down together most nights and because I’m a vegetarian, my husband’s a semi-vegetarian, my son’s a picky eater and my toddler is a total carnivore, meal planning is VERY challenging. Looking forward to hearing your progress 🙂
I have the opposite going on at my house. Chloe used to eat EVERYTHING I put in front of her. Now, she is starting to get the picky bug! Must be from that darn nursery school she goes to 😉
You can do it and it will be a success! G is two and only eats what we eat. Since she started eating solids she either ate what we ate for dinner or went without. It totally has been a success ever since! Can’t wait to hear what you cook. 🙂
Sheri, be sure to let us know the meal everybody loves all together. Good luck to you!!
Will do. So far they all ate the boneless chicken in the crock pot with cream of chicken soup, cous cous, and corn…the 3 year old refused the corn but ate the rest.
Oh yes, I always hope that everyone will at least eat a little and make up for it at breakfast time. It can get so frazzling trying to come up with a meal everyone will like!
Oh we are totally on the same page with this one. My daughter is the pickiest eater I have ever met and for the last month or so I had basically given up and we’ve eaten nothing but pasta or breakfast for dinner because it was becoming such a waste of time to cook a whole meal for everyone to pick at or complain about! But now, it’s game on (as soon as I can find a few more sneaky recipes). Good luck!
I used to try to accommodate everyone, but now forget it. Now my attitude is,”That’s what’s for supper and that’s it”. It even goes for my husband too. I do try make things that can be broken down ( on the side, etc.) but if they don’t eat, I tell them they’ll have to wait until breakfast. It took me a while to come to grip with the fact they wouldn’t starve overnight. Good luck!
Oooh good luck! Family dinners are awesome, and it’s nice to see another family that makes them such a priority! My kids eat well but all of a sudden my daughter says “I don’t like it” for EVERYTHING. I make her try it, and I refuse to make her anything else. (I try to make sure there is at least one side I know she’ll eat.) Man these kids sure can give us a run for our money 🙂
I am really trying to do a family dinner but it is so hard! With two needy kids, I can barely enjoy my meal a sec. As my kids get older, I really want to do this!
I really want to work on that too! With my daughter’s gymnastic’s schedule it is so hard, but we need to do it!!!
Thank goodness, my daughter has always been a pretty good eater. But when I serve something she’s not excited about, I never force her. I just tell her that’s what I’m serving. She doesn’t have to eat it, but that’s all that’s on the menu. If the kids are hungry, they will eat. But if they know they have wiggle room, they will hold out until you cave. Stay strong!