Friday, February 19, 2010

New Rule

So..... as a parent I'm ALWAYS switching up the routine.... Dinner time is now 4:00pm for these two members of our family. They still get up really early and play HARD all day. Waiting until Dad comes for a "nice family
dinner" is no longer an option! They are too hungry and tired to wait. I wish I would have figured this out a long time ago. Evenings are a snap now. When Dad comes home I have them in jammie's with teeth brushed. Dad reads stories (translation: wrestles with them and hangs out) He then finishes up with prayers and tucks Ryan in. Meanwhile I get to cook the rest of dinner in peace and quiet. I'm loving this. The kids are thriving on this. Their behavior has been tons better through out the day. Seriously.....parents of children 4 and under listen up. Feed kids early and take back your evenings! You will thank me.



2 comments:

  1. Hey, friend! Thanks for the comment on my blog - so here I am with a comment for yours (can this really be the only form of communication we have time for anymore?!?).

    I am LOVING the pictures of your boys. I can't believe how much Evan looks like a mini-Ryan. We MISS you guys!

    I think this post is spot-on. I am a huge fan of feeding kids early. There is nothing worse than the whine of a hungry/tired toddler - add in the fact that dinner-making time tends to be when the effects of my sleep deprivation hit me and it is the part of the day when I am totally running low on patience and sanity - and you have a recipe for disaster. Thanks for the great ideas!

    Tell Ryan that Parker says "Hi" and give your hubby a shout out from the Shumards.

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  2. I have been thinking about doing this for some time now. Tim doesn't usually get home from work until around 7:00pm or so, so I usually get the kids bathed and in jammies around 5:30, so they can have daddy time before dinner and bed. I haven't thought about doing dinner for them and then us, but I wonder...

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