Discord: It's what's for dinner tonight -- question for veterans
cathyandgarth
How do you all handle that hour or so before dinner, when not only
does a meal need to be prepared, but babies need to be nursed and
older children need attention? In our house the wicked mix of
hungery, tired, and frazzled doesn't transition well into a very
peaceful mealtime.
Maybe another thread, but related, do you/did you have favorites
recipes that reduced kitchen time at this time of day?
Thanks in advance for your time tested advice.
Cathy
does a meal need to be prepared, but babies need to be nursed and
older children need attention? In our house the wicked mix of
hungery, tired, and frazzled doesn't transition well into a very
peaceful mealtime.
Maybe another thread, but related, do you/did you have favorites
recipes that reduced kitchen time at this time of day?
Thanks in advance for your time tested advice.
Cathy
[email protected]
I make things that can be made a head of time and just thrown in at dinner time.
Crock pot stuff, spinach or broccoli pie, mix up batter for whatever so it's minimal work.
Also, that is a great time of day for water or sand play for my kids. Mellows everyone out.
Barb
Crock pot stuff, spinach or broccoli pie, mix up batter for whatever so it's minimal work.
Also, that is a great time of day for water or sand play for my kids. Mellows everyone out.
Barb
----- Original Message -----
From: cathyandgarth
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 7:40 PM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Discord: It's what's for dinner tonight -- question for veterans
How do you all handle that hour or so before dinner, when not only
does a meal need to be prepared, but babies need to be nursed and
older children need attention? In our house the wicked mix of
hungery, tired, and frazzled doesn't transition well into a very
peaceful mealtime.
Maybe another thread, but related, do you/did you have favorites
recipes that reduced kitchen time at this time of day?
Thanks in advance for your time tested advice.
Cathy
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I personally love anything made in a crockpot and having a veggie tray available.
julie S.
julie S.
----- Original Message -----
From: cathyandgarth <familialewis@...>
Date: Sunday, February 26, 2006 8:40 pm
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Discord: It's what's for dinner tonight -- question for veterans
> How do you all handle that hour or so before dinner, when not only
> does a meal need to be prepared, but babies need to be nursed and
> older children need attention? In our house the wicked mix of
> hungery, tired, and frazzled doesn't transition well into a very
> peaceful mealtime.
>
> Maybe another thread, but related, do you/did you have favorites
> recipes that reduced kitchen time at this time of day?
>
> Thanks in advance for your time tested advice.
> Cathy
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Jane
There are 4 small people in our home ranging from 8 years to 21 months. I've found that if I feed them first (usually via requests for a specific food or a "big, giant food plate"), then nurse the smallest, I'm able to focus on meal prep for dh & I while they enjoy their food and the beginning of their shows, or they play, run laps throgh the kitchen, dining room, living room, or whatever.
I really enjoy cooking the evening meal and frequently have "help" as well!! Sous chefs, even!! As illogical as it sounds, I can't seem to get dinner on the table any earlier than 6:30, no matter when I start. If something's in the crockpot, it's somehow ready to serve at 6:30, if I prepare something, no matter how complicated, it's 6:30, if we order pizza 6:30. For a while I tried to fight it, but at least I'm consistent!! If you're in MD, dinner's at 6:30! :-)
Hope that helps!!
Jane
Jane Powell
Tribe Commander
"If you bungle raising your children, I don't think anything you do well matters very much." Jackie O
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Gandhi
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed." - Sebastien-Roch Chamfort
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I really enjoy cooking the evening meal and frequently have "help" as well!! Sous chefs, even!! As illogical as it sounds, I can't seem to get dinner on the table any earlier than 6:30, no matter when I start. If something's in the crockpot, it's somehow ready to serve at 6:30, if I prepare something, no matter how complicated, it's 6:30, if we order pizza 6:30. For a while I tried to fight it, but at least I'm consistent!! If you're in MD, dinner's at 6:30! :-)
Hope that helps!!
Jane
Jane Powell
Tribe Commander
"If you bungle raising your children, I don't think anything you do well matters very much." Jackie O
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Gandhi
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed." - Sebastien-Roch Chamfort
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Mail
Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
mother_bhaer
I like to have a snack tray for my kids in the afternoon. I put out
my kids favorite things like graham crackers, club crackers, cheese,
marshmallows, nuts, fruit, sliced meat, popcorn; whatever they'd like.
They usually munch on this while watching a show they want to see.
Many times, I use this time to fix dinner. Then I just have to heat
it up a little later, but everyone has had a snack and rest so we're
ok.
Sometimes I cook dinner in the morning right after breakfast. It
seems to be a good time for everyone around here. I like to have a
variety in the frig and when my kids were younger, this seemed the
only way to do that. Then I can help them through the rougher
afternoon times.
I also brown large amounts of ground beef and then seperate it into
freezer bags and freeze it. It's fine when you are adding it to
casseroles and stuff with sauces. I also do that when I boil a
chicken. I'll boil two and freeze the extra meat. That helps a lot.
I agree, I like the crock pot and fixin' double of everything. I
might fix double of everything several days in a row and then everyone
can pick their favorites.
It helps keep tension and frustration down to know when my kids need a
rest and food. Mine need to eat regularly, so I just stop and fix a
snack tray and take it to them where they are playing or watching a
show. It helps us get through the day if I don't wait until they are
at there explosion level and then try to fix something. I try to stay
ahead of that.
Terri
my kids favorite things like graham crackers, club crackers, cheese,
marshmallows, nuts, fruit, sliced meat, popcorn; whatever they'd like.
They usually munch on this while watching a show they want to see.
Many times, I use this time to fix dinner. Then I just have to heat
it up a little later, but everyone has had a snack and rest so we're
ok.
Sometimes I cook dinner in the morning right after breakfast. It
seems to be a good time for everyone around here. I like to have a
variety in the frig and when my kids were younger, this seemed the
only way to do that. Then I can help them through the rougher
afternoon times.
I also brown large amounts of ground beef and then seperate it into
freezer bags and freeze it. It's fine when you are adding it to
casseroles and stuff with sauces. I also do that when I boil a
chicken. I'll boil two and freeze the extra meat. That helps a lot.
I agree, I like the crock pot and fixin' double of everything. I
might fix double of everything several days in a row and then everyone
can pick their favorites.
It helps keep tension and frustration down to know when my kids need a
rest and food. Mine need to eat regularly, so I just stop and fix a
snack tray and take it to them where they are playing or watching a
show. It helps us get through the day if I don't wait until they are
at there explosion level and then try to fix something. I try to stay
ahead of that.
Terri
> How do you all handle that hour or so before dinner, when not only
> does a meal need to be prepared, but babies need to be nursed and
> older children need attention? In our house the wicked mix of
> hungery, tired, and frazzled doesn't transition well into a very
> peaceful mealtime.
>
>> Cathy
>
Meg Walker
We seem to go through phases where we need to change the time we eat
dinner. For a while, everyone was so hungry and so desperate to snack
around 4pm (including me!) that I just started having dinner ready at
4. The kids and I would eat, and then they'd go off quite happily
full and content and play.
I'd re-heat it for dh when he got home, and sit and chat with him
(and a cup of tea) while he ate.
The kids might need a small snack later in the evening, but it was
never with the desperation of the afternoon craving.
- Meg
dinner. For a while, everyone was so hungry and so desperate to snack
around 4pm (including me!) that I just started having dinner ready at
4. The kids and I would eat, and then they'd go off quite happily
full and content and play.
I'd re-heat it for dh when he got home, and sit and chat with him
(and a cup of tea) while he ate.
The kids might need a small snack later in the evening, but it was
never with the desperation of the afternoon craving.
- Meg
Angela S.
One thing I've done since having kids is to lose the expectation to have
dinner on the table at a certain time or even with us all eating together.
When I first read those studies about families that eat together I didn't
think it through and I thought it was important to eat together and I
stressed myself out with those expectations. But what is really important
is to spend time with your family each day, listening to them and hanging
out with them. It doesn't matter if it is at dinner time or not. When I
let go of that expectation our lives became much more peaceful.
I keep a bunch of cooked pasta and rice in the fridge. You can pull out a
quick meal for a hungry kid and not feel like you have to do a lot of work.
Add some sauce to the spaghetti or cheddar cheese and milk to the macaroni
and throw it in the microwave. Just re-heat the rice with butter or
sometimes I throw a frozen vegetable in the microwave and my kids are happy.
Of course there is most always fruit or raw veggies to hold us over if I did
make a meal and the kids are hungry before it is ready.
I still cook meals several times a week and most often the kids sit and eat
with me (or us if dh is home). I just don't let the expectation to eat
together stress me out. If someone is hungry, I help them find something
they can eat that doesn't take too long to prepare.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
dinner on the table at a certain time or even with us all eating together.
When I first read those studies about families that eat together I didn't
think it through and I thought it was important to eat together and I
stressed myself out with those expectations. But what is really important
is to spend time with your family each day, listening to them and hanging
out with them. It doesn't matter if it is at dinner time or not. When I
let go of that expectation our lives became much more peaceful.
I keep a bunch of cooked pasta and rice in the fridge. You can pull out a
quick meal for a hungry kid and not feel like you have to do a lot of work.
Add some sauce to the spaghetti or cheddar cheese and milk to the macaroni
and throw it in the microwave. Just re-heat the rice with butter or
sometimes I throw a frozen vegetable in the microwave and my kids are happy.
Of course there is most always fruit or raw veggies to hold us over if I did
make a meal and the kids are hungry before it is ready.
I still cook meals several times a week and most often the kids sit and eat
with me (or us if dh is home). I just don't let the expectation to eat
together stress me out. If someone is hungry, I help them find something
they can eat that doesn't take too long to prepare.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
Sandra Dodd
On Feb 26, 2006, at 7:40 PM, cathyandgarth wrote:
or around nursing babies and such.
You might have to do away with the idea of a peaceful mealtime for a
few years.
Maybe re-thinking meals would be the way to go.
I think it helps rather than to live by the idealized traditional
model of dinner at 6:00, all at their seats, dinner conversation that
could be reported to the media as an ideal mix of news of the day and
philosophy, etc, to think of food and its purpose. People need to be
nourished physically and it's uncomfortable to go to sleep hungry.
THAT is the purpose of evening food, not the appearance of a well-
organized dinner.
Historically, until pretty recently the only families in the English-
speaking-world-in-general that had that dream dinner were those with
servants to cook and set the table. All the family had to do was
show up and eat. Poorer families tended to have soup or stew that
had cooked all day and eat it out of bowls. Crock pot food, and
probably NOT meat.
Servants became scarce during and after the first world war and the
great depression but the expectation that families would still
maintain those appearances and schedules continued, or some families
tried to use their children as servants. Most mothers just tried to
do all the cooking and ironing that they used to have done by maids,
when the families couldn't afford to pay someone at least to come in
and do laundry and ironing.
Also it's not uncommon (historically) for children to eat first, and
separately, and food kids like, and then for the adults and teens and
guests to eat a little later, at leisure, and not have to worry about
whether their food is something the kids would like.
I have more energy in the morning but I don't always want to use it
thinking about dinner. When I do, I do better. <g> If I start bread
and put something out to thaw, or better yet mix up a casserole or
put something in the crock pot—at least a sauce or something easy
like ground beef or chicken in barbecue sauce—then dinner is easy and
if plans change, the thing that was started earlier can go in the
fridge.
Also, because Keith takes lunch to work, we make large amounts and
put the planned-for leftovers into individual portions in those
reuseable yet eventually disposable Zip-Loc plastic containers. They
can be fridged or frozen.
We've never made our kids wait for dinner. If they're hungry, they
can snack.
There might be ideas here that would be comforting:
http://sandradodd.com/food
Try to ease guilt and expectation and pressure. Those don't help the
family unit.
-=-Maybe another thread, but related, do you/did you have favorites
recipes that reduced kitchen time at this time of day?
-=-
Probably not just another tread, but a question for a whole different
forum. It's not an unschooling issue.
Sandra
> How do you all handle that hour or so before dinner, when not onlyI always put the kids' needs ahead of dinner. Dinner happened after
> does a meal need to be prepared, but babies need to be nursed and
> older children need attention? In our house the wicked mix of
> hungery, tired, and frazzled doesn't transition well into a very
> peaceful mealtime.
or around nursing babies and such.
You might have to do away with the idea of a peaceful mealtime for a
few years.
Maybe re-thinking meals would be the way to go.
I think it helps rather than to live by the idealized traditional
model of dinner at 6:00, all at their seats, dinner conversation that
could be reported to the media as an ideal mix of news of the day and
philosophy, etc, to think of food and its purpose. People need to be
nourished physically and it's uncomfortable to go to sleep hungry.
THAT is the purpose of evening food, not the appearance of a well-
organized dinner.
Historically, until pretty recently the only families in the English-
speaking-world-in-general that had that dream dinner were those with
servants to cook and set the table. All the family had to do was
show up and eat. Poorer families tended to have soup or stew that
had cooked all day and eat it out of bowls. Crock pot food, and
probably NOT meat.
Servants became scarce during and after the first world war and the
great depression but the expectation that families would still
maintain those appearances and schedules continued, or some families
tried to use their children as servants. Most mothers just tried to
do all the cooking and ironing that they used to have done by maids,
when the families couldn't afford to pay someone at least to come in
and do laundry and ironing.
Also it's not uncommon (historically) for children to eat first, and
separately, and food kids like, and then for the adults and teens and
guests to eat a little later, at leisure, and not have to worry about
whether their food is something the kids would like.
I have more energy in the morning but I don't always want to use it
thinking about dinner. When I do, I do better. <g> If I start bread
and put something out to thaw, or better yet mix up a casserole or
put something in the crock pot—at least a sauce or something easy
like ground beef or chicken in barbecue sauce—then dinner is easy and
if plans change, the thing that was started earlier can go in the
fridge.
Also, because Keith takes lunch to work, we make large amounts and
put the planned-for leftovers into individual portions in those
reuseable yet eventually disposable Zip-Loc plastic containers. They
can be fridged or frozen.
We've never made our kids wait for dinner. If they're hungry, they
can snack.
There might be ideas here that would be comforting:
http://sandradodd.com/food
Try to ease guilt and expectation and pressure. Those don't help the
family unit.
-=-Maybe another thread, but related, do you/did you have favorites
recipes that reduced kitchen time at this time of day?
-=-
Probably not just another tread, but a question for a whole different
forum. It's not an unschooling issue.
Sandra
[email protected]
Well, I'm not a veteran but I LOVE the crockpot. I have several things the family LOVES. Crockpot pizza is on of our favorites.
My kids do like to help so that makes things more fun. We have special diets in the house so I will often make 2 sets of meals. I know some people who LOVE once a month cooking. They spend ONE sunday a month and make and freeze all the meals.
We do not like this. Especially ME. I hate eating leftovers. Not sure why I just don't. We are going to do it with pizza since they are frozen anyway.
Michelle
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
My kids do like to help so that makes things more fun. We have special diets in the house so I will often make 2 sets of meals. I know some people who LOVE once a month cooking. They spend ONE sunday a month and make and freeze all the meals.
We do not like this. Especially ME. I hate eating leftovers. Not sure why I just don't. We are going to do it with pizza since they are frozen anyway.
Michelle
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Cally Brown
Okay, I have to ask - I'm a lousy cook and I have never managed this...
Cally
>I keep a bunch of cooked pasta and rice in the fridge.How do you keep cooked pasta without it going sticky and yuk?
>
Cally
cathyandgarth
Angela, You really pegged one of the issues in our house -- and I
just keep going around and around it in my head -- that concept of
the family dinner. DH and I have really wanted to make it work
out. First, because it "seems" like a good idea. Second, because
the kids and DH don't really get any other chance to talk to each
other -- he leaves for work before they wake up and gets home at 6-
ish. Third, because DH feels pretty strongly about this one. After
reading your post and several of the other posts, I feel like maybe
DH and I need to sit down and really hash it out and decide if it is
worth it -- because as many of you have noted, kids are ready to eat
when they are hungry, having to wait for Dad doesn't really sit well
with them.
--- In [email protected], "Angela S." <game-
enthusiast@...> wrote:
Anyone have a good crockpot cook book they could recommend? I have
one, but have been continually disappointed with the results.
We usually do one leftovers night/week -- kind of potluck style.
And one night/week is pizza night, DH picks it up on his way home.
Weekends are more collaborative, so DH or I can hang with the kids
while we switch off in the kitchen depending on needs. So, in
general we have a pretty good thing going 4 out of 7 nights, but I
think that 7 out of 7 would be much better!
So, veggies and snacks will be served at about 4 this afternoon if
you are hungry. And next Sunday you will find me doing prep in the
kitchen for the week's meals.
Thank you everyone!
Cathy
just keep going around and around it in my head -- that concept of
the family dinner. DH and I have really wanted to make it work
out. First, because it "seems" like a good idea. Second, because
the kids and DH don't really get any other chance to talk to each
other -- he leaves for work before they wake up and gets home at 6-
ish. Third, because DH feels pretty strongly about this one. After
reading your post and several of the other posts, I feel like maybe
DH and I need to sit down and really hash it out and decide if it is
worth it -- because as many of you have noted, kids are ready to eat
when they are hungry, having to wait for Dad doesn't really sit well
with them.
--- In [email protected], "Angela S." <game-
enthusiast@...> wrote:
>to have
> One thing I've done since having kids is to lose the expectation
> dinner on the table at a certain time or even with us all eatingtogether.
> When I first read those studies about families that eat together Ididn't
> think it through and I thought it was important to eat togetherand I
> stressed myself out with those expectations. But what is reallyimportant
> is to spend time with your family each day, listening to them andhanging
> out with them. It doesn't matter if it is at dinner time or not.Also, the snack tray/veggie tray sounds like a great idea!
Anyone have a good crockpot cook book they could recommend? I have
one, but have been continually disappointed with the results.
We usually do one leftovers night/week -- kind of potluck style.
And one night/week is pizza night, DH picks it up on his way home.
Weekends are more collaborative, so DH or I can hang with the kids
while we switch off in the kitchen depending on needs. So, in
general we have a pretty good thing going 4 out of 7 nights, but I
think that 7 out of 7 would be much better!
So, veggies and snacks will be served at about 4 this afternoon if
you are hungry. And next Sunday you will find me doing prep in the
kitchen for the week's meals.
Thank you everyone!
Cathy
cathyandgarth
--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
wrote:
the various parts of life, and distinguish which are only
unschooling and which are something else, since it all seems like
one and the same at my stage in the game. Cooking with my children,
nurturing them with good food and a pleasant safe place to eat, and
all that food represents seemed like things that unschoolers would
actually think about and take into careful consideration -- when I
wrote the original post and my response in which I asked if anyone
had a good cookbook -- I just never thought that I would need to
find another forum. I humbly retract the questions about food.
Cathy
wrote:
> -=-Maybe another thread, but related, do you/did you have favoritesdifferent
> recipes that reduced kitchen time at this time of day?
> -=-
>
> Probably not just another tread, but a question for a whole
> forum. It's not an unschooling issue.Sorry, I must admit that with unschooling it is hard to seperate out
>
> Sandra
>
the various parts of life, and distinguish which are only
unschooling and which are something else, since it all seems like
one and the same at my stage in the game. Cooking with my children,
nurturing them with good food and a pleasant safe place to eat, and
all that food represents seemed like things that unschoolers would
actually think about and take into careful consideration -- when I
wrote the original post and my response in which I asked if anyone
had a good cookbook -- I just never thought that I would need to
find another forum. I humbly retract the questions about food.
Cathy
Susan McGlohn
At 03:22 PM 2/27/2006, you wrote:
dinner with DH, and then have them come to the table for dessert?
Can they just sit with Dad while he eats and tell him about their day?
Can Dad change his work hours so that the kids' need to eat earlier is
accommodated? It doesn't always have to be the kids who do the changing,
right?
Susan M (VA)
http://radicalchristianunschool.homestead.com/index.html
"Real, natural learning is in the living. It's in the observing, the
questioning, the examining, the pondering, the analyzing, the watching, the
reading, the DO-ing, the living, the breathing, the loving, the Joy. It's
in the Joy." ~Anne Ohman
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>Angela, You really pegged one of the issues in our house -- and ICan you feed them first, get them settled into a video or game, enjoy
>just keep going around and around it in my head -- that concept of
>the family dinner. DH and I have really wanted to make it work
>out. First, because it "seems" like a good idea. Second, because
>the kids and DH don't really get any other chance to talk to each
>other -- he leaves for work before they wake up and gets home at 6-
>ish. Third, because DH feels pretty strongly about this one.
dinner with DH, and then have them come to the table for dessert?
Can they just sit with Dad while he eats and tell him about their day?
Can Dad change his work hours so that the kids' need to eat earlier is
accommodated? It doesn't always have to be the kids who do the changing,
right?
Susan M (VA)
http://radicalchristianunschool.homestead.com/index.html
"Real, natural learning is in the living. It's in the observing, the
questioning, the examining, the pondering, the analyzing, the watching, the
reading, the DO-ing, the living, the breathing, the loving, the Joy. It's
in the Joy." ~Anne Ohman
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Angela S.
<<How do you keep cooked pasta without it going sticky and yuk?>>
Strain the pasta in cold water. While the pasta is still in the strainer
add some butter to the hot pot and let it melt then stir the pasta back into
the pot. Store in an airtight container or in the pot like I do half the
time. ;) Or you could add a little oil to the pasta but I prefer the taste
of butter. If by some reason it still sticks together, reheat the pasta in
a little hot water and it unsticks.
When I worked in restaurants, we'd cook pasta ahead of time and wrap it in
indiviual serving sizes in plastic wrap with a little oil mixed in. Then
during the dinner hour, we'd keep a pot of water simmering on the stove with
a metal strainer in it and it took only a minute in the pot to reheat the
pasta and it still tasted like it was cooked fresh. You left the water on
the stove and just emptied the strainer of spaghetti right onto the plate
then put the strainer back into the water waiting for the next serving.
Just don't over cook it the first time. Al dente is the way to go.
Also, sometimes the really inexpensive store brand pasta is just really
starchy. Prince brand is a reaonably priced pasta that isn't starchy and
gross. I am sure there are others but that's the one I am familiar with.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
Strain the pasta in cold water. While the pasta is still in the strainer
add some butter to the hot pot and let it melt then stir the pasta back into
the pot. Store in an airtight container or in the pot like I do half the
time. ;) Or you could add a little oil to the pasta but I prefer the taste
of butter. If by some reason it still sticks together, reheat the pasta in
a little hot water and it unsticks.
When I worked in restaurants, we'd cook pasta ahead of time and wrap it in
indiviual serving sizes in plastic wrap with a little oil mixed in. Then
during the dinner hour, we'd keep a pot of water simmering on the stove with
a metal strainer in it and it took only a minute in the pot to reheat the
pasta and it still tasted like it was cooked fresh. You left the water on
the stove and just emptied the strainer of spaghetti right onto the plate
then put the strainer back into the water waiting for the next serving.
Just don't over cook it the first time. Al dente is the way to go.
Also, sometimes the really inexpensive store brand pasta is just really
starchy. Prince brand is a reaonably priced pasta that isn't starchy and
gross. I am sure there are others but that's the one I am familiar with.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
Sandra Dodd
On Feb 27, 2006, at 1:33 PM, cathyandgarth wrote:
list becomes a place to exchange recipes and car-repair details and
dog care discussions and the history of Egypt, that will crowd out
the discussions of unschooling.
Unschooling is learning from the real world, and the real world has
LOTS of recipe sources, car repair books and sites, dog care clubs
and magazines... you get my drift, I'm sure. <g>
Don't expect this list to be your one-stop-site for everything in the
whole wide world.
-=-Cooking with my children,
nurturing them with good food and a pleasant safe place to eat, and
all that food represents seemed like things that unschoolers would
actually think about and take into careful consideration --
Unschoolers actually think about and carefully consider LOTS of
things, like how to buy shoes for their kids will like and that will
be comfortable and safe and what kind of bikes or scooters or CD
players or DVDs or...... the whole wide world.
-=-I wrote the original post and my response in which I asked if anyone
had a good cookbook -- I just never thought that I would need to
find another forum.-=-
You asked for recipes. That can go on and on for thousands of posts,
and on lots of cooking sites, it does! <g>
Sandra
> Sorry, I must admit that with unschooling it is hard to seperate outIt will seem MORE like all one thing at later stages, yet if this
> the various parts of life, and distinguish which are only
> unschooling and which are something else, since it all seems like
> one and the same at my stage in the game
list becomes a place to exchange recipes and car-repair details and
dog care discussions and the history of Egypt, that will crowd out
the discussions of unschooling.
Unschooling is learning from the real world, and the real world has
LOTS of recipe sources, car repair books and sites, dog care clubs
and magazines... you get my drift, I'm sure. <g>
Don't expect this list to be your one-stop-site for everything in the
whole wide world.
-=-Cooking with my children,
nurturing them with good food and a pleasant safe place to eat, and
all that food represents seemed like things that unschoolers would
actually think about and take into careful consideration --
Unschoolers actually think about and carefully consider LOTS of
things, like how to buy shoes for their kids will like and that will
be comfortable and safe and what kind of bikes or scooters or CD
players or DVDs or...... the whole wide world.
-=-I wrote the original post and my response in which I asked if anyone
had a good cookbook -- I just never thought that I would need to
find another forum.-=-
You asked for recipes. That can go on and on for thousands of posts,
and on lots of cooking sites, it does! <g>
Sandra
Angela S.
Maybe the kids and Dad could sit down and talk while playing a game after
Dad enjoys his dinner. Or maybe they could sit and have a snack while Dad
eats his dinner and chat then. It doesn't have to be dinner. Maybe ice
cream sundaes would lure them to the table. :)
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
Dad enjoys his dinner. Or maybe they could sit and have a snack while Dad
eats his dinner and chat then. It doesn't have to be dinner. Maybe ice
cream sundaes would lure them to the table. :)
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
Pamela Sorooshian
Good food and relaxed attitudes toward food DO make unschooling work
better! That's the truth.
A recipe exchange would take up too much list time and be boring to
most people and unschoolers don't necessarily have any better recipes
than anybody else.
But ideas for how to be more flexible in meeting our kids needs -
that is appropriate here, for sure.
Also, thinking about what we really want is good - for example, I
decided from early on, when my girls were little, that it was more
important that they not develop eating disorders than anything else
to do with food. I saw moms constantly nagging at their kids about
what they ate or didn't eat and I could see how that focus on food
was, eventually, likely to backfire. The moms just wanted their kids
to eat healthy foods - I understood that. But even at very young
ages, it was clear that food was becoming part of a power/control/
resistance dynamic.
My husband is likely to walk into our house after work and find it in
a whirlwind of activity - people getting ready to go, just arriving
home, etc. Theater rehearsals tend to start at 7 pm - there is
karate class, or soccer practice, or a Girl Scout event. He's usually
hungry - so he digs around for leftovers right away, if nobody has
any actual dinner going.
But Sunday evenings we all tend to be home - often with an extra kid
or two. So, either we go out to eat or we get take-out - or if
someone isn't busy during the afternoon, they make a nice dinner.
During the summer that's usually barbeque night.
I buy a lot of frozen foods at either Trader Joe's or Costco.
We eat a lot of fast food, too. BUT - not all fast food is created
equal. In spite of the supposed "evidence" of the movie, "Super Size
Me," I eat healthy foods at fast food places all the time. Grilled
chicken places like El Pollo Loco or Charo Chicken are great. I order
hamburgers with just ketchup and with extra tomatoes and lettuce - no
mayonnaise and no cheese, I eat only a few french fries, almost never
a whole order, much less a supersized order. I eat at places that
have side salads as an option to fries, I eat the baked potatoes at
Wendy's. So - in spite of eating fast food nearly every day of my
life for many years - I just got my physical exam results back (ON my
birthday, how is that for timing? <G>) and all the lab tests are in
the "excellent" range. Lots of this is lucky genetics, of course. My
kids will eat like me, for the most part, although more fries and
often a milk shake. But they get way more activity than I do, so they
need those extra calories.
We do keep good fruits and veggies in the refrigerator and on the
dining room table, most of the time. And I spend money on them -
don't buy the cheapest bland-tasting apples, but the best ones, and a
wide variety. That's money well spent. I buy in season stuff that is
ripe - especially things that are grown near us like tomatoes and
strawberries. I know people who buy a bag of fruit without even
caring if it is tasty or not - they put it out and tell the kids they
can't have other stuff (cupcakes, cookies, candy, chips), that they
have to have fruit for a snack. Yuck. If pears are good, I buy more
pears and slice them up and offer them around to whomever is home. I
bought a half-flat of strawberries because they were SO good, the
other day. I buy frozen fruit medleys from Costco, too. Some
partially defrosted frozen fruits with whipped cream on top is a
delicious special treat. I also boil sugar and lemon juice to make a
sweet/tart syrup and sometimes put that over mostly-defrosted frozen
fruit. Sometimes with a little rose water added (that's an Iranian
thing - we love it - not everybody thinks rose water tastes like
something that should be ingested <G>).
I don't usually think of us as doing a great job handing food needs -
I have a crummy teensy little kitchen, I'm a perfectly good cook, but
don't personally get a lot of satisfaction from the cooking itself
and there are many other things I'd rather be doing. But we're all
healthy and I have three teenage girls who aren't anorexic or bulimic
and they enjoy good food and understand nutritional needs and eat a
wide variety of foods without any apparent "issues." That's good. If
I had a cook, we'd eat better - but we don't employ a cook and I have
other things to do. Choices.
It is interesting how they've each found their own way of getting a
lot of physical activity, too. Rosie plays soccer and does karate,
Roxana dances - tap and ballet and musical theater movement, Roya
goes to a gym almost every day and finds another fun activity to do
once or twice a week - a game of tennis, a bike ride, a hike,
snowboarding - she's into trying new things. Rosie has always been
active - she'd go out and ride her bike for hours, if she didn't have
any other physical activity that day. But the other two have had LONG
periods of very sedentary lifestyles. Now, at 15, 18, and 21 - they
are very healthy and physically active.
-pam
better! That's the truth.
A recipe exchange would take up too much list time and be boring to
most people and unschoolers don't necessarily have any better recipes
than anybody else.
But ideas for how to be more flexible in meeting our kids needs -
that is appropriate here, for sure.
Also, thinking about what we really want is good - for example, I
decided from early on, when my girls were little, that it was more
important that they not develop eating disorders than anything else
to do with food. I saw moms constantly nagging at their kids about
what they ate or didn't eat and I could see how that focus on food
was, eventually, likely to backfire. The moms just wanted their kids
to eat healthy foods - I understood that. But even at very young
ages, it was clear that food was becoming part of a power/control/
resistance dynamic.
My husband is likely to walk into our house after work and find it in
a whirlwind of activity - people getting ready to go, just arriving
home, etc. Theater rehearsals tend to start at 7 pm - there is
karate class, or soccer practice, or a Girl Scout event. He's usually
hungry - so he digs around for leftovers right away, if nobody has
any actual dinner going.
But Sunday evenings we all tend to be home - often with an extra kid
or two. So, either we go out to eat or we get take-out - or if
someone isn't busy during the afternoon, they make a nice dinner.
During the summer that's usually barbeque night.
I buy a lot of frozen foods at either Trader Joe's or Costco.
We eat a lot of fast food, too. BUT - not all fast food is created
equal. In spite of the supposed "evidence" of the movie, "Super Size
Me," I eat healthy foods at fast food places all the time. Grilled
chicken places like El Pollo Loco or Charo Chicken are great. I order
hamburgers with just ketchup and with extra tomatoes and lettuce - no
mayonnaise and no cheese, I eat only a few french fries, almost never
a whole order, much less a supersized order. I eat at places that
have side salads as an option to fries, I eat the baked potatoes at
Wendy's. So - in spite of eating fast food nearly every day of my
life for many years - I just got my physical exam results back (ON my
birthday, how is that for timing? <G>) and all the lab tests are in
the "excellent" range. Lots of this is lucky genetics, of course. My
kids will eat like me, for the most part, although more fries and
often a milk shake. But they get way more activity than I do, so they
need those extra calories.
We do keep good fruits and veggies in the refrigerator and on the
dining room table, most of the time. And I spend money on them -
don't buy the cheapest bland-tasting apples, but the best ones, and a
wide variety. That's money well spent. I buy in season stuff that is
ripe - especially things that are grown near us like tomatoes and
strawberries. I know people who buy a bag of fruit without even
caring if it is tasty or not - they put it out and tell the kids they
can't have other stuff (cupcakes, cookies, candy, chips), that they
have to have fruit for a snack. Yuck. If pears are good, I buy more
pears and slice them up and offer them around to whomever is home. I
bought a half-flat of strawberries because they were SO good, the
other day. I buy frozen fruit medleys from Costco, too. Some
partially defrosted frozen fruits with whipped cream on top is a
delicious special treat. I also boil sugar and lemon juice to make a
sweet/tart syrup and sometimes put that over mostly-defrosted frozen
fruit. Sometimes with a little rose water added (that's an Iranian
thing - we love it - not everybody thinks rose water tastes like
something that should be ingested <G>).
I don't usually think of us as doing a great job handing food needs -
I have a crummy teensy little kitchen, I'm a perfectly good cook, but
don't personally get a lot of satisfaction from the cooking itself
and there are many other things I'd rather be doing. But we're all
healthy and I have three teenage girls who aren't anorexic or bulimic
and they enjoy good food and understand nutritional needs and eat a
wide variety of foods without any apparent "issues." That's good. If
I had a cook, we'd eat better - but we don't employ a cook and I have
other things to do. Choices.
It is interesting how they've each found their own way of getting a
lot of physical activity, too. Rosie plays soccer and does karate,
Roxana dances - tap and ballet and musical theater movement, Roya
goes to a gym almost every day and finds another fun activity to do
once or twice a week - a game of tennis, a bike ride, a hike,
snowboarding - she's into trying new things. Rosie has always been
active - she'd go out and ride her bike for hours, if she didn't have
any other physical activity that day. But the other two have had LONG
periods of very sedentary lifestyles. Now, at 15, 18, and 21 - they
are very healthy and physically active.
-pam
On Feb 27, 2006, at 12:33 PM, cathyandgarth wrote:
> Sorry, I must admit that with unschooling it is hard to seperate out
> the various parts of life, and distinguish which are only
> unschooling and which are something else, since it all seems like
> one and the same at my stage in the game. Cooking with my children,
> nurturing them with good food and a pleasant safe place to eat, and
> all that food represents seemed like things that unschoolers would
> actually think about and take into careful consideration -- when I
> wrote the original post and my response in which I asked if anyone
> had a good cookbook -- I just never thought that I would need to
> find another forum. I humbly retract the questions about food.
>
> Cathy
Unschooling shirts, cups, bumper stickers, bags...
Live Love Learn
UNSCHOOL!
<http://www.cafepress.com/livelovelearn>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pamela Sorooshian
On Feb 27, 2006, at 12:49 PM, Angela S. wrote:
instead of giving them the traditional "after-school snack," she'd
give them dinner. It was great - they'd eat and eat all those healthy
delicious foods she'd prepared. Later in the evening, they'd have
snacks. Better to have substantial food ready to eat when the kids
need it - when they're really wanting it. Why "tide them over" with a
carrot or a cookie, either one? Have we all forgotten what it is like
to be a kid and be SO hungry?
I learned from my sister (my oldest kid is a little younger than her
youngest).
She also gave them traditionally "dinner" foods for breakfast choices
- things like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, microwavable
chicken pot pies or hot pockets or leftover pizza or, my favorite, a
hot bowl of tomato soup with crackers. Those were especially great
for kids going off to school because they had to wait so long to have
anything else to eat and had such a short time to eat their lunch.
But it opened my mind to not sticking with "breakfast foods for
breakfast" and all that.
-pam
Unschooling shirts, cups, bumper stickers, bags...
Live Love Learn
UNSCHOOL!
<http://www.cafepress.com/livelovelearn>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> Maybe the kids and Dad could sit down and talk while playing aMy sister's kids went to school - but they'd come home famished - and
> game after
> Dad enjoys his dinner. Or maybe they could sit and have a snack
> while Dad
> eats his dinner and chat then. It doesn't have to be dinner.
> Maybe ice
> cream sundaes would lure them to the table. :)
instead of giving them the traditional "after-school snack," she'd
give them dinner. It was great - they'd eat and eat all those healthy
delicious foods she'd prepared. Later in the evening, they'd have
snacks. Better to have substantial food ready to eat when the kids
need it - when they're really wanting it. Why "tide them over" with a
carrot or a cookie, either one? Have we all forgotten what it is like
to be a kid and be SO hungry?
I learned from my sister (my oldest kid is a little younger than her
youngest).
She also gave them traditionally "dinner" foods for breakfast choices
- things like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, microwavable
chicken pot pies or hot pockets or leftover pizza or, my favorite, a
hot bowl of tomato soup with crackers. Those were especially great
for kids going off to school because they had to wait so long to have
anything else to eat and had such a short time to eat their lunch.
But it opened my mind to not sticking with "breakfast foods for
breakfast" and all that.
-pam
Unschooling shirts, cups, bumper stickers, bags...
Live Love Learn
UNSCHOOL!
<http://www.cafepress.com/livelovelearn>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
cathyandgarth
--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
wrote:
myself as I lay in bed a couple nights ago trying to decide how I
felt about it -- the 12 year old in me kept rearing her uncertain
head, saying "they don't like me!" and "I can never get it right,
I'm such a social misfit!" But, luckily, I have done the Wisdom
Course and I knew who was talking! <g> Isn't it funny how we can so
easily be thrown back in time -- and you didn't even say anything
mean, it was just all that internal interpretation run amok.
I am enjoying this board, and look forward to more "a-ha" moments.
Cathy
wrote:
>and
> It will seem MORE like all one thing at later stages, yet if this
> list becomes a place to exchange recipes and car-repair details
> dog care discussions and the history of Egypt, that will crowdout
> the discussions of unschooling.has
>
> Unschooling is learning from the real world, and the real world
> LOTS of recipe sources, car repair books and sites, dog careclubs
> and magazines... you get my drift, I'm sure. <g>the
>
> Don't expect this list to be your one-stop-site for everything in
> whole wide world.posts,
>
> You asked for recipes. That can go on and on for thousands of
> and on lots of cooking sites, it does! <g>I wholeheartedly agree, Sandra!! I actually came to this conclusion
>
> Sandra
myself as I lay in bed a couple nights ago trying to decide how I
felt about it -- the 12 year old in me kept rearing her uncertain
head, saying "they don't like me!" and "I can never get it right,
I'm such a social misfit!" But, luckily, I have done the Wisdom
Course and I knew who was talking! <g> Isn't it funny how we can so
easily be thrown back in time -- and you didn't even say anything
mean, it was just all that internal interpretation run amok.
I am enjoying this board, and look forward to more "a-ha" moments.
Cathy
>