i can't be bothered

clairewp

kazmeister wrote: »

Hi clairewp

I have PM'd you as it was a long message

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me, there are some really great ideas in there and i will be trying your idea.
Many thanks again claire

Sassamac

the days I dont feel like cooking but cant find any 'emergency' meals in the freezer I ask dh to help. he cant cook in the slightest but just knowing that there is someone to open the tins, grate the cheese, stir the sauce has amazing benefits. it speeds the process up, makes it more fun as you have company, and takes the 'chore' out of it.

develop a back up of meals you can create in 10 - 15 mins.
- pasta, tomato, tuna bake.
- jacket spuds (in microwave) with cheese, beans, ham, tuna, last nights leftovers!
- soup and bread.
just chuck stuff together from your fridge / cupboard with rice or pasta.

and seriously - get tough on the kids! the fussy one in my house is dh - my kids have been brought up on the principle of 'you have two choices - eat it or go hungry' and theyre only 3 and 1.

wannasavemoney

Hi claire,
my ds1 can be a fussy eater sometimes, unlike the rest of us! I nearly fell into the trap of making more of the meals that he likes rather than what we all like.
In the end i had to get tough with him and put it in front of him and he either eats it with the rest of us or goes without or doesnt get pud.
This seems to have worked as he very rarely turns his nose up at different food now and when he does he gets the same answer, eat it or go hungry. I usually find that for those days, he makes up for it at breakfast the next day;)
On the rare occasions that i give any one a choice it is between two meals and there are no alternatives. This works well, otherwise they just eat what gets put in front of them. If i am going to spend the time and effort cooking for them, they can either appreciate it or get thier own! Luckily they usually like what is put in front of them now as that is what they are used to.
I do make all my meals from scratch usually, but I enjoy that, I would hate to have to do it if I didnt enjoy it, you must find a way that suits you. I do have jars in for when I can't be bothered to make my own chinese sauces etc but i justify these with the fresh veg and meat i use to make the meals:o Really, my message to you is to think about how you want to do things in the future and take small steps towards that. Your family will not change overnight but slowly does it introducing healthier meals - they will get used to it and might even get to enjoy it!

mhe

ceridwen wrote: »

..looks like we need input from someone who has managed to "educate" their O.H. into realising the housework is everyones responsibility;)

I'll share with you how i managed to get my DH to help when we first got married. I had a laundry bag on a frame and you were expected to put your washing in it. He put his on the floor by it so one week I only washed the stuff that was in the bag and didnt pick up the stuff from the floor. Hes never missed putting things in again as he ran out of underwear!!!:rotfl:

freyasmum

I'm afraid I'm another member of the 'hard' mothers club. My dd is only 18 months at the moment, but when she's older she will eat what she gets in front of her, or nothing at all Obviously I won't deliberately make things she doesn't like, though. She's good and does try lots of new things. I think you need to be harder on your kids and let them see that you won't just pander to their every want

I LOVE my slow cooker and I just bung everything in (braised steak :drool:) before work, but if you find that too much why not use it at the weekend to make bigger batches?

I too think that you're a bit overwhelmed at the moment but don't worry, you'll get there

mhe wrote: »

I'll share with you how i managed to get my DH to help when we first got married. I had a laundry bag on a frame and you were expected to put your washing in it. He put his on the floor by it so one week I only washed the stuff that was in the bag and didnt pick up the stuff from the floor. Hes never missed putting things in again as he ran out of underwear!!!:rotfl:

I did that too He then learned how to wash his own stuff as I refused to do it for him if he forgot :rotfl: :rotfl:

onlineid

I find it does help to batch cook a couple of times a month and load up the freezer. Ditto earlier comment on reusable containers as they stack and take up no room to store when not in use.

However, I often still end up cooking 2 or 3 different meals a night (ds loves meat and is not too keen on fish, dh loves fish but does not eat any meat, they both love pasta/rice which I avoid and both hate shellfish which I love!).