Mean Mom: Eat it or Leave it

   

Let me put this disclaimer out there.  My kids are not underweight nor do they look emaciated.  Both of my kids are active in sports and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Second, I am not judging anyone who does not follow the same ideas as mine.

That being said, I have adopted a "eat it or leave it" attitude.  I am sure I should be more tolerant.  We all have foods we don't like.  I should be the good mom/wife that has a smorgasbord of food that appeal to both kids and the husband each and every night.  I should be spending hours in the kitchen making not only spaghetti sauce from scratch but my pasta noodles too.  I should want to please my family with a great home cooked meal.

But I don't...

Most nights I cook.  Most nights we eat home cooked meals.  Most nights the meal appeals to the entire family.  Last night we had enchiladas and refried beans, and everyone ate it happily.  Monday night was chicken spaghetti.  Chief hates it.  Red "wasn't in the mood" for it.  The hubs and I were the only 2 that ate it.  So I slow cooked 2 chicken breasts for almost 2 hours to make spaghetti that only 2 people ate.  Chief made his own dinner.  Red heated up the homemade mac and cheese from the night before.  This happens maybe one night a week.  I have come to the conclusion that I cannot please everyone.  I am not a short order cook.  I am a working mom who runs a business with 2 busy kids and a great husband who I like to spend time with.  I don't have time to come home and cook everyone's favorites.  On the weekends, it's a different story.  If we don't have a long day of basketball with Red, I like to make a good chicken fried steak with homemade mac and cheese.  Or a great lasagna with homemade garlic bread.  Or chicken avocado enchiladas with rice and beans.  These are things that everyone likes.  But during the week, most days is how quickly can I get dinner on the table.  If it means we only have time for hot dogs after a basketball practice, so be it.  Red will usually make something else.

Tonight as I write this post, hubs and Chief are manning the grill, I have potatoes cooking in the oven.  Dinner will be done soon and we will all eat it happily.  We divided and conquered.  It's nice  when we can do that.  But with the weather heating up, the hubs will be working later which means he won't be able to help out as much.

I know we can't be the only family that faces this issue.  Some families solve it with fast food.  I know families that rarely cook at home.  It's easier for them to eat out 5 nights a week.  I guess we could be like that.  But we prefer not to.  It's healthier (and cheaper) for us to cook at home 5-6 nights a week.  We like being able to sit down as a family and enjoy a meal.  I solve it with my "eat it or leave it."  If you like what I cooked, eat it.  If not, make something else.  This is not a diner and I am not a short order cook.  Some days you will like what I made; other days you won't.

Hugs y'all,
Melissa