One of the hardest things for me as a mom is to invent myself each time by deciding who will eat what. Including the animals at the house, which are one dog, two cats, and two fish, and they are very picky, except for the fish… I sometimes find myself running after my tail to make sure everyone ate properly.
Sometimes during the kids’ growth spurt, I will find myself all day long in the kitchen. Especially my younger daughter. One thing I know, if she eats very well for breakfast, she will eat well for the rest of the day. When my husband is at home, it is less complicated. He will help in cooking and especially because he has great ideas on what to cook. I always try to find good ways to make this challenge easier. I really like the Waldorf weekly menu in the kindergarten. Unfortunately, it will not work with my family in the long run. They would want a fancier menu, and also they will get tired of a weekly routine quickly. What more, that we are eating outside at least once a week, so it is hard to keep up.
The last idea I came with was when my daughter had a hard time choosing what to eat and had to have a selection in front of her. She is learning in school how to write and decided to try to write down the options she has to eat. With my daughter, it is always easy to see what her needs are and work accordingly. Then I realized it! She needs a menu in front of her. Then I understood, why not?! She is not the one cooking or deciding what food to buy. The same as we go to a restaurant and need to know what selection they have, she needs to know what selection I have in my kitchen.
I took a board and wrote down everything I am willing to make for them. Taking this in mind, the selection should not be too long, because then it will be too confusing for the kids. Obviously, the menu will be seasonal, as we want to eat different food during hot or cold days, as well as we are trying to eat what is in season. I made sure the selection is well feeding and is varied in terms of nutrition. No doubt I will have to shape the menu list and to turn better into the best.
I really hope it will make everyone happy, including me… just make sure the kids really like the items on the menu. I think the cats and the dog will have to eat what I offer after all, and wait until they know how to read…
Do you have any good method for managing the house menu selection?
