I did not sign up to be your short order cook!

When I think of quitting my job last month to stay home with the kids, an image of Princess Buttercup shoving the Dread Pirate Roberts, aka Wesley, down the hill, hearing his “as you wish,” and jumping after him plays in my head…except I am the one rolling down the hill and Pea is standing on Pork Chop’s shoulders shoving me.  Then they both jump in after me.

I left a job I enjoyed because of Pea’s chronic pain and medical care, my son’s (and my) kindergarten adjustment issues, driving to different schools in rush hour traffic like a bat out of hell and still arriving late, my very public miscarriage (no it didn’t literally happen in front of everyone), parenting, undone daily chores, and dealing with it all alone while my husband is working away…all while working myself, was becoming just.too.much.   Something had to give and the most logical and beneficial choice for my family was my job.  We all got our wish.

But I am not Wesley.  It will not always go as the kids wish.  There are many household changes coming that the kiddies are also going to have to get used to.  The way I cook and prepare meals is going to be the first of several new house policies (you can take the manager out of the workplace but you can’t take the managing out of the manager!)

For too long, I have taken the path of least resistance when it came to making dinner.  We got home each night after 7pm so I really had only two hours to cook, feed them, bathe them, and then get them to bed.  What started out as a way to shorten the time spent on complaints about what I was serving turned into short order cooking.

Staying home with the kids is a two way contract in my opinion.  My part is to create and cultivate a safe, educational, nurturing environment while I teach my kids (to the best of my ability) how to navigate and succeed in the real world.  I will feed them healthier food as part of that environment.  Their part is going to be to eat what they get without making a fuss.  I read these awesome tips of getting kids to be less picky on Living Well Spending Less and decided to try it on my own kids.

I plan on combining these tips with my current leading by example healthy eating strategy (and because I feel better when I do).  I’ll let you know how it goes.  Ironically, my daughter is more open to eating vegetables and new foods than my son is–and she is the one with several food allergies!

The battles are going to be epic.  But we sit down to eat dinner much, much earlier now than we used to, and I have time on my side.