Wohm's - How Do You Do It?!! (Scheduling)

I would suggest preparing the meal in advance, so all you have to do is basically cook it.
When I worked- I prepare everything the night before so when I got home all I would do it just pop it in the oven or the pan. Save the meals that need a long cooking time for the weekends. You can always make it and then rewarm it (like leftovers) it is still just as healthy.
He'll get on the schedule, it will just take some time for him to adjust. Maybe for you too :)

Would it be possible for you to prepare a few dinner time meals on the weekends and freeze them so that way you could just reheat them instead of cooking a full meal? Or what about some type of finger food snacks that you could give him prior to finishing up preparing dinner. One great thing is that once he gets older you can include him in with the preparations so that will at least serve as a distraction.

I have 6 & 12 yr olds which you would think makes it easier, but sometimes it is really hard to get everything done in a day - that's why I am so glad there's always tomorrow! Good luck!

Hi
I generally do a lot of cooking on Sunday, so that there are things to eat for dinner at least a few nights of the week. Reheating, instead of starting from scratch makes getting to dinner time a lot quicker. There are lots of meals that keep well throughout the week. Planning your meals for the week over the weekend makes it easier too, even if you are cooking that night. Fast meals like stir fries mean fresh veggies on the table fast! Hope that helps.

I don't work out of the home but I agree with those who suggested cooking ahead of time and freezing meals or doing prep work the night before. Also, try to get errands run during the day or weekend so that you're going straight home and focusing on dinner and getting your son to bed. At this age 9:30 is definitely a late bedtime and if you are having to get him up to take him to daycare he may not be getting enough sleep - not trying to make you feel guilty here just wanting to point out that it might contribute to his crankiness, etc. Does it take you three hours to cook dinner and get him to bed or are you fitting in other chores? My recommendation is focus on dinner and bed and taking care of anything that isn't essential after he goes to bed. It can be difficult but both of you will be happier and feeling less harried. You're in a period of adjustment so you may have to try a few different solutions to see what works best for you.

Good luck.

One thing I did when I was getting home late, before I negotiated a different leave time, was to cook on Sundays and refridgerate or freeze, then reheat on the weeknights.

Can either you or your husband shift your schedule an hour so that you can get your son home and the whole dinner process started earlier? The later a child goes to bed the harder it is for them to fall asleep. I always tried to have my daughter in bed by 7:30, this year it shifted to 8, but she's almost 7yo. When my daughter was 2, a typical meal was Barilla tortellini with a side of broccoli (would have rather had a higher protein entree, but at least she got something green). These both cook really fast, she'd eat, brush her teeth, have a story and go to bed. THEN we'd cook our dinner, many nights we weren't eating until 9:30. Also, she has very dry skin, so -especially in winter- she doesn't get a bath every night. They really don't need one unless they are playing outside in the dirt.

He may be getting by with the 8:30 - 9:30 bedtime now because he probably has at least one nap a day, but I think you need to try to find a way to get him in bed earlier.

My mantra is fix-it and freeze it!

I do this with just about everything - from home made spaghetti sauce to the traditional ziti and lasgna to cooked ham and shredded chicken or pork bits for pulls and stews. I make the "big" meals so there are leftovers and multiple serving meals on the weekends to freeze. Then the night before I will take it out to defrost so that by the time we all sit down at 6:30pm, we are easily eating before 7pm.

I also spend a lot of prep time on the weekends - slicing carrots, cukes and apples; nuking and pre-wrapping potatoes including sweets; chopping and slicing onion to have ready to brown and use with my meats, and so on so that things are more of a "grab and go" mode. I keep my favorite 30 minute or less stand-by recipes (most from Campbell Soup website) at hand too - taped to the inside of the cupboard door - so that in a pinch I can whip up something quickly if we forgot or something else unexpected happened.

Another thing I would not trade for the world is my crockpot!! I LOVE it!

As a side note, try to avoid the errands during the week and if they must be completed, see if they can occur after your child is put to sleep - which means one parent will have to stay home. When possible divide and conquer. In our house, sleep is the priority, even if that means one parent ends up eating dinner alone or while the kiddies have "dessert".

Good luck.
I know it is a difficult balancing act.
~C.

The trick is to "prepare" as much as possible the night before. On Sunday, I iron and layout 5 days worth of clothes down to the underwear and socks, I write the menu for the week. You can also prepare a few meals in advance and freeze them... Make meals where leftovers are good the next day, like spaghetti, chili, pot roast, etc...you can always add veggies to the sauce (like I do)... Keep bite size veggies and fruits in the fridge~, I use the Crock Pot at least 3 times a week, and I rely on the George Foreman grill to prepare some healthy meals. The lettuce/salad is washed and cut in a container, etc...I know you say you love to cook him breakfast, but your son would most likley want to eat what the other children are eating. Do you even know what the DAYCARE serves for Breakfast and/or Lunch? Find out, and you can always meet with them and share ideas and recipes!!!!!!You save you some time that you don't actually have enough of... He needs to, and let him develop social skills by letting him eat what the other kids eat...I am all for "good~healthy" food for our children, but no harm in letting him share 2 meals with his classmates...Let him just enjoy being a child and interacting during mealtime...You can maintain that good-healthy high fiber food for Dinner, and all his meals on the weekends. Give yourself a break and let go of all of that control. It will not hurt him to have 2 meals a day of what 'might not' meet your standards... Again, talk to the daycare!!!!!You'll have more regular dinner time if you manage the time you do have better. Change starts with you...I read where you wrote you're "Fanatic"...Fanatic can mean 'irrational', 'extreme'... By the time you get home, you should just have to go to the fridge and take that washed & seasoned meat out to throw on the George Foreman, veggies already washed and cut, potatoes cleaned and ready for the Microwave while the bath water is running. When my daughter and I get home, she takes her bath or shower first, we do or go over homework while dinner is on and we eat and she is in the bed EVERY night at 8:15 or 8:30...It is VERY important for the child to see you organized and in control because you are setting the STAGE for the way they will live their life by the example you're setting!!!! We limit errands to Friday Night, or Saturday. I also Prioritize the errands...I'd be more than happy to be an email buddy to help you as much as I can. I am a GREAT time organizer!!!! All the Best to you... ____@____.com

Why not just focus on making lunch his main meal and his breakfast and snacks as healthy as possible? I work full time out of the home and often am not home until 6- 6:30. I usually just try to keep dinner simple. I've accepted that my son does not go to bed at 7:30 too. Its impossible to do that on a full time working schedule. If he doens't nap he's down by 8:30 most times which is good...basically he just eats, bathes and settles in fast. If he naps he's easily up until 9:30 - 10:00. PLUS my husband doesn't get home until 7:30 so again, he's not sleeping until then. So just look at what you are trying to do and determine if it you aren't just working against yourself to much trying to fit into an unrealistic schedule. My son just turned 3. I've accepted that we have later nights and later mornings. Thank goodness for flex time for me! I give my son breakfast at home before school and send something additional like cherrios if he still wants to eat. I pack two snacks. Fruit, applesauce, lowfat cheese and whole wheat crackers, hummus, etc. I pack his lunch. Protein, carb and veggie. When we get home if I didn't already have something in the crock pot I just cook something quick and easy - grilled chicken breast (using a grill pan), veggie (use frozen - no major prep), sweet potato's are a fave (cook in advance and quick to heat up - I don't use a microwave)! As soon as I walk in I start cooking while he gets settled in himself or while he plays right out the back door where I can see him in our enclosed yard. While things are cooking I play with him, get him out of his school clothes, talk to him about his day, etc. He has been eating around 7ish...then he takes a bath - I usually let him take a long one to really wind him down and just give him some play time in the tub...he gets out, gets his pjs on (usually a battle so I just let him run around naked until he decides he's ready - not worth the fight - LOL!) Then by 8:30 if he isn't already passing out on his own, we get him settled on the couch and its quiet time - bedtime routine. Ive come to LOVE the no nap days though b/c then he just goes right to sleep early! I'm not sure about your son but my son around the age of 2 - 2.5 sit to eat for a bout 10-15 minutes the most and he's ready to move on. I've accepted the late nights and have just started sleeping later and coming to work later. Thankfully I can do that.

Cook on Sunday. I make 3 meals, or as much of a meal so that I only need 15 minutes to sauté a veggie, heat up something or toss a salad.
On Wednesday, while we eat, I cook or bake something for Thursday & Friday. Saturday & sunday we order in food or eat out.
You can do it, just need to be organized & plan ahead. Rachael ray & martha Stewart have great recipe ideas!

J. P.,

Have you thought abt crock pot meals,(can cook all day,ready when you get home) preparing meals on the weekends for all/most of the week? Grilling food on the weekend, cooking it 1/2 TO 3/4of the way thru so when you get ready to heat it ,it takes less cooking time to finish and it doesn't get dried out! Using fast veges like steamables ? or even the Viola brand ,Bertinelli's or other brand fast dinners, I love them because they usually take 15 min or less . And they taste good and usually make in one dish/pan. Give them a try,....C. S.
You didn't say how old your son is?

Is he napping at daycare?
He needs to nap.

Next, you need to plan your menus & grocery lists every week, so you know what to cook & buy, and its not just at the moment cooking.
Then, cook some meals ahead of time, so you just have to heat it up.
Or, freeze it, then thaw/warm it up for dinner.

Also, he should ideally be eating dinner earlier than you both. A kid can't wait until say 7:30 to eat dinner after you are done cooking.
But at the same time, you need to know that he is eating during the day time... it is just not what you cook. So to a certain extent, you need to accept that.... or you will run yourself ragged making extra food for him.
Or, just provide ALL his meals/food for the Daycare too... and tell the Daycare provider he will eat your food, not what they provide. Then that way you will know what he eats... and it will be your food.
But... that means you have to spend EXTRA time cooking his breakfast/lunch/dinner.... as you want him to eat. And even though he gets breakfast and lunch there... you are also making an extra breakfast for him... and lunch. So there is a lot of duplication and extra time you are spending on making meals.
BUT... are you "paying" for the Daycare food? Because you are making him his food... so that may be extra cost for you, if you are also paying for the Daycare meals.
Also though, as he gets older, and then on to Preschool & grade school... a child will be eating at school. Will you continue to make him his own meals.... or "can" he eat at school... thereby you don't "have to" make him all his 3 meals a day???? Or will you still be making him 3-meals a day... even if he gets food/meals at school? Do you know what I mean?

And yes, an overtired kid, cannot eat well. Most kids are that way. Mine included. So, you have to provide him with a snack/meal... BEFORE dinner. Or make that his dinner.

On the weekends when you have time or you have to make time... cook all the entrees/meals you can... then freeze them. So that during the week you can just thaw it in the morning in the fridge before you all leave the house... then when you come home, just heat it up. Thereby cutting down on time expended to make dinner and then eating and then cleaning up after dinners... then he has to bathe and get ready for bed.

And, for errands... try to make a weekly list of errands you need to do. And try to do that NOT after work.... otherwise by the time you get home it will be way past 6:30 that you can get home. Try to do your errands on non-week nights... or just have your Husband do it, so you can be home on time cooking dinner and getting him wound-down and ready for bed. At a reasonable time.

The thing is, he is getting lack of sleep... if his bedtime is late due to dinner and prep and errands. Then the next day if he is not napping... it just compounds the problem of his lack of sleep. Then by the time you all get home in the evening... he is just TOO tired by then... then he can't eat well because he is too tired.

So, adjust your timing for things and prep/make dinners ahead of time... and freeze them.
Or, get a crock-pot, and you can "make" dinner in the morning, the dinner will be cooking in the crock-pot all day, and when you come home it will all be done. Ready to eat.

all the best,
Susan

I don't work but when I can't be home to make dinner early enough I use my crackpot. Prep stuff the night before and toss it in in the morning. Hope that helps.

I also try to eat home-cooked meals at home at least 5 times/week. I'm really lucky in that my husband usually gets home around 6pm each night, so the two of us switch off playing with our daughter and preparing dinner. Is there any way that you can get home from daycare earlier? I have a 2-year old in daycare 2 days a week, but I used to work full-time, so she was there 5 days/week when she was an infant. I found that what was best for her schedule was for me only to work until 4:30, so I could pick her up at 5pm. We would be home around 5:30 (and she usually gets a snack on the way home, which really helps to keep her in good spirits when we get home because she often doesn't snack well at daycare). I aim to get dinner on the table at 6pm, but it usually doesn't happen until about 6:15. Dinner is over by 7pm. She plays for about 30 minutes with me or my husband (while the other person cleans up), then bath/pajamas/books with the goal of having her in her bed by 8pm. Often bed doesn't happen until 8:30, but I feel she is really wiped out from her day when she goes to daycare, so 8pm is still the goal. Daycare evenings always feel like we are madly rushing to get our daughter through everything to get her to bed. We are. It helps that we have a plan in advance for what we'll be eating for dinner, and those on nights dinner is as simple as possible. If things are really hectic in our lives or we're just too wiped out, then we order delivery from the restaurants that we know can deliver quickly so we can still stay on schedule (this happens at least once a week). We need a break sometimes!! In general we all still eat home-cooked meals for breakfast and dinner, so I feel good about our overall nutrition. Good luck. It took us a LONG time before we fell into a workable evening routine.

no question, evenings are hectic. I have been able to tailor my workday to get to work around 7AM, allowing me to leave earlier in the afternoon (7-3:30, with a 1/2 hour lunch). My husband telecommutes most days (when he is not traveling) so he is in charge of drop offs in the morning. When I have to drop off and pick up, I usually get to work between 7:30 and 8:00, leaving between 4-4:30. Most days, the boys and I are pulling in the driveway by 5PM. If you can talk with your employer about working flexible hours you should consider trying that (I have the added benefit of missing rush hour traffic).

For meals, my husband and I have had to compromise on the extensive meal plans so that dinner can be cooked and served before our 2.5 year old gets crazy cranky. We stick to main dishes that can be prepped and cooked in 30 minutes - stir fry, tacos, sausage and peppers, grilled chicken/steak/pork. I prep what I can the night before (marinade meat, prep casseroles, put something in the crock pot). I keep big bags of frozen veggies in the freezer and steam a bowlful in the microwave when I have to.

I hate that our meals are not as healthy or as homemade as I would like; but, it is more important to me to get dinner started at a reasonable time so our evenings are less hectic and more enjoyable. The compromises I have made work for my family. good luck finding what works for you.

It's very difficut to work outside the home with young kids. I try to make nutritious meals for my boys as well. My problem is they don't want to eat anything that is good for them. My 3 year old will hardly ever touch a vegetable. I now buy that V8 splash juice for him because it's said to have a fruit/vegatable mixture. Most of our vegtables are the frozen type and that takes less time.

Our day usually starts about 6:00 a.m. I get the boys dressed and we have breakfast by 7:00 a.m. ( I'm always running late) we usually eat pop tarts and oatmeal. They serve breakfast at school and daycare but I feel more comfortable knowing that they have eaten something before leaving the house.
by 7:50 am they are at their schools and I'm running late for work as usually because I'm to be in the building by 8:00 a.m. Luckily it only takes me 20 minutes when the traffic is good. After work my husband picks up the 3 year old at daycare by 4:00 and then he rushes back home to meet the school bus for our 5 year old.
I leave work by 4:15 p.m. and I get home by 5:00 if the traffic is good. Then we get into our comfortable clothes. Husband heads to his second job. I start making dinner and usually have it ready by 6:00 p.m. sometimes the boys are not hungry until after 7. Hubby lets them snack so when I get home they have usually had something to eat.
By 7:00 we color, practice handwriting, watch tv. 8:00 its time to get ready for bed and storytime. I usually stay up until around 11 p.m. watching soap net, ironing my clothes for the next day, preparing my lunch and just enjoying my free time. The next morning we start the whole thing all over again. Then when the weekend comes I spend it cleaning, grocery shopping and doing laundry. What a life!
I did not plan this schedule. It sort of just worked out this way. I'm not entirely happy with it because it seems as if I don't have much or any downtime until the kids go to bed. sometimes they are in bed playing around until 9:00 p.m.

make meals in advance and reheat them.

It is hard to work and take care of a family, especially if you are committed to cooking healthy meals. You are normal, keep that in mind! The suggestion about making a menu and cooking in advance is a good one. Just heat it up on the stove or in the microwave and things will go much smoother. Maybe he could have a snack with carbs and protein, like fruit and peanut butter, or yogurt, just before leaving daycare so he's not too frantic. From reading about sleep and sleep cycles, you might even want to try putting him to bed at 8:00 or even 7:30 once you've worked out the dinner routine. I hope that helps!

I don't have miraculous advice. This is a hard scenario. I work 2 days a week and felt like this on those days. What I have ended up doing is cooking things so I have leftovers for the kids that can be microwaved in 30 seconds. I have found there are plenty of nutritious foods that can be made ahead of time and that getting the kids to bed by 8:30 far outweighs making something from scratch. Save that for the weekends......and don't be so h*** o* yourself. There is only so much time (less than 2 hours) to get home, feed them, bathe them, read, and put to bed........good luck:-)

We work from our home and it still gets crazy here. We have a 15 yr old daughter.

One thing I've found to be very important is that my daughter does get cranky when she is hungry, blood sugar runs a little low, etc. Here is our routine.... In the am she eats a good breakfast by 7, she gets to school around 9,has lunch at 12:40 for 20 minutes (must have something FAST and QUICK, school's over at 4:15, then she stays at school for cheer practice until 6pm. Even on days she does get to come home by 4:30, she is hungry.

So, she packs her cheer bag with gatorade, water, nuts, granola bars and fruit rollups. She grazes during the day everytime she gets a chance. This keeps her "up". As soon as she walks in the door, she eats something...even if dinner is to be in an hour.

I too, have a great eater, kudos to you mom! I keep items for quick meals that she loves....salad, soup, pasta, home made marinara and fruit and then we have healthy meals for dinner. I prefer to cook as well. I am more hands on cooking vs crock-pot. When I know we have a crazy week I do prepare some things ahead. I do work from home so it is easier for me to get something started in the kitchen which is what I love.

Maybe your little one just needs a snack right after day care pick up to hold him over til dinner. We found that a little healthy snack went a long way for us as far as a peaceful evening.

Best wishes.