Because I often find myself busy during the day for an hour or more at a time feeding, diapering, and comforting this sweet baby...
I have had to get creative about meeting the needs of the other 3.One of the most challenging has been when they are hungry and thirsty and I just can't get up and fix them something. So in comes the snack cart!
I went to our local health food store, Sprouts and purchased some snacks like lemon wafers, Pirate Booty (a puffed rice snack), dried fruit, and Newman's Own grahams and fig newtons. Then I bagged 3 portions of each snack and filled this little metal shopping cart I have had for years, and put it on a low shelf in the pantry. This way, when the kids are "starving...Mom!!" particuraly in the afternoon- I can send them in to choose a snack. Our house rule is that kids have to ask for food and drink, so it is not like it is a free-for-all at snacktime, ruining their appetites for mealtime. But this way I am out of the process and able to continue caring for Jasmine (the slowest bottle drinker in the universe), while the kids are happy to have so much freedom and selection in the kitchen!
To eliminate them from always choosing the not-so-healthy options that will show up in the shopping cart, I will not refill it until everything has been eaten. And for anyone that may be tsk tsking at all that processed food...there is a lovely fruit basket that is restocked every week, along with the fridge items of light string cheese, grapes, and Horizon organic yogurt tubes. I also plan to purchase those 100 calorie snack packs of Wholly Guacamole.
On the days that I am not tangled up with the baby and can get in the kitchen, the kids enjoy fruit salads, cheese chunks and pretzels, tortilla chips with salsa, Nutella on whole wheat toast, peanut butter and bread rolled up, hard boiled eggs, and baby carrots with hummus. Isaac comes home from school and is a one track mind...EAT. He will eat his way through the kitchen like the Very Hungry Caterpillar does...and always eats his entire dinner and drinks a large glass of milk! We have a hard time keeping this kid full.
Of course with all that snacking comes thirsty little critters. Constantly pouring drinks is not my idea of a fun afternoon, and we don't allow anyone to wander around the house with food or drink...inevitably leaving cups half full to spill or get lost. So, I filled their summer water bottles with water and a few clementine slices and put them on the door of the fridge. This way they can go in, always have a cold drink to sip- put them back and get on the with their play.
I went to our local health food store, Sprouts and purchased some snacks like lemon wafers, Pirate Booty (a puffed rice snack), dried fruit, and Newman's Own grahams and fig newtons. Then I bagged 3 portions of each snack and filled this little metal shopping cart I have had for years, and put it on a low shelf in the pantry. This way, when the kids are "starving...Mom!!" particuraly in the afternoon- I can send them in to choose a snack. Our house rule is that kids have to ask for food and drink, so it is not like it is a free-for-all at snacktime, ruining their appetites for mealtime. But this way I am out of the process and able to continue caring for Jasmine (the slowest bottle drinker in the universe), while the kids are happy to have so much freedom and selection in the kitchen! To eliminate them from always choosing the not-so-healthy options that will show up in the shopping cart, I will not refill it until everything has been eaten. And for anyone that may be tsk tsking at all that processed food...there is a lovely fruit basket that is restocked every week, along with the fridge items of light string cheese, grapes, and Horizon organic yogurt tubes. I also plan to purchase those 100 calorie snack packs of Wholly Guacamole.On the days that I am not tangled up with the baby and can get in the kitchen, the kids enjoy fruit salads, cheese chunks and pretzels, tortilla chips with salsa, Nutella on whole wheat toast, peanut butter and bread rolled up, hard boiled eggs, and baby carrots with hummus. Isaac comes home from school and is a one track mind...EAT. He will eat his way through the kitchen like the Very Hungry Caterpillar does...and always eats his entire dinner and drinks a large glass of milk! We have a hard time keeping this kid full. Of course with all that snacking comes thirsty little critters. Constantly pouring drinks is not my idea of a fun afternoon, and we don't allow anyone to wander around the house with food or drink...inevitably leaving cups half full to spill or get lost. So, I filled their summer water bottles with water and a few clementine slices and put them on the door of the fridge. This way they can go in, always have a cold drink to sip- put them back and get on the with their play. This will make my afternoons SO much more peaceful around here.
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3 friends commented!:
you're a genius! and i love some of your snack options that i wouldn't have thought of! thx!
Took your idea....went grocery shopping today and now we have a snack drawer and a 'refrigerator' snack drawer.
Instead of water bottles, we have a water jug. But I like the idea of cold drinks for them, so I might take that idea too!
anything that helps, right!
You are the BEST Mom EVER...PERIOD! I was just telling a lady today..."My friend Laurie is SO great with special touches!" Sometimes I would like to be your kid for the day! :)
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