Wednesday, December 29, 2010

My biggest Challenge as a Homeschool Mother

Well the schedules are all entered into homeschool tracker for the next part of the year. I am ready with books, worksheets, science kits and more. I have each day planned out and it should run like clock work. Should being the key word. Everything hangs in the balance of the children's (and even mine) attitudes. You know those days where you have a perfect day planned out only to have it ruined by a sulking kid not wanting to write their spelling words or dead set on forgetting every math fact you ever taught them. And the tears oh those big tears...

But that is not the reason for this post. I can handle that and have even come to expect it like clockwork.

My biggest challenge is dinner. If only win a years worth of food gift certificates and we could have fast food and hoagies, I would be fine with that! Not seriously - I could in all good conscience just be blessed and enjoy :) But that is not the case. And I have to find healthy meals and more than just chicken nuggets and pizza each night.

I am horrid at it. I stink. I have no creative cooking gene... and my poor husband is awesome at it! But he is off to work and left with me cooking for him.

So this new years - instead of resolutions that I will NEVER meet of loosing 50 pounds... I am making a goal to TRY to have more home cooked meals. And actually decide on dinner before 5 at night and then be messed up because things are not ready before Dh is out the door to grab yet another Sheetz hot dog.

So how do you do it? How do you fit in school and baby naps and still come up with dinner? And what are your families favorite meals?

3 comments:

  1. Try planning meals for the week over the weekend with your outside-the-home schedules and other obligations in mind. Purchase foods that you need to complete the menus over the weekend as well or pull what you need from the freezer (like meats).

    Double up recipes, freezes 1/2 for another meal.

    Or cook lots of a protein one night and serve in different ways for a couple of meals. For example, I'll bake 3 pounds boneless chicken with simple seasonings on Monday and serve with long grain and wild rice and steamed broccoli. On Tuesday, I'll shred the other 1/2 of the chicken and throw it in a pot with chicken broth, frozen carrot coins, chopped celery and 1/2 the long grain rice to make chicken and rice soup.

    Utilize the crockpot. My kids could live on Crockpot Meatballs! I drop a bag of pre-made small beef meatballs in the crockpot, add Chili sauce and the same amount of grape jelly and cook for the afternoon. Serve with brown rice and steamed veggies.

    Have breakfast for dinner. Scrambled eggs with sausage, toast and pineapple or banana are a hit here and quick and easy. French toast with sausage or bacon (baked in the oven) with fruit is great too.

    Jessy

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  2. Yes, what Jessy said! :) I menu plan for a month (check out the "other recipes" label in my blog). I don't make everything on the number day, it's just a list of ideas and I grocery shop to make everything on the list (monthly trips, blah). Sometimes I change it up and don't even make what's on the menu. Just depends on time, too. Making ahead and freezing is a wonderful idea, as well as all the Jessy said! :) one of the dreaded things we must do. I sometimes get "brain block" in the kitchen. Not fun times. Anyway, like schooling, it takes planning. You'll do fine! :)

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  3. Oh Linda, I TOTALLY understand where you're coming from with this!! I do NOT like to cook, I'm not very good at it, and I'm not very good at remembering to plan ahead either. *sigh* My ideas, similar to what's already been offered...

    -crockpot - my DH doesn't care for very many crockpot meals, so I stick to about once a week or the recipes that I already know we like. It's good for days when we are at co-op or something in the afternoon and I know I won't have time in the late afternoon.

    -double recipes and stick one in the freezer

    -have an all-you-didn't-eat-the-first-time (leftovers!) buffet once a week. And think ahead to the leftovers when you're planning the first time around meals.

    -I recently started a list of Family Seal of Approval meals so that I can base my menu plans around things that I know for sure they like.

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