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This first week of October is a tough one for me. We have teams of almost all women in from the U.S. I want so badly to spend lots of time with them, but the truth is I’m stuck at home. My husband is responsible for the teams, which means he’s with them a lot of the times that he’s usually home. It’s a holiday here, so my kids have an 8 day break. Because it’s a holiday, our house helper has the 8 days off as well.
- 8 days,
- a not-so-present husband,
- an absent house helper,
- people I wish I could see but can’t since I don’t drive in China and can’t get anywhere with 5 kids in tow,
- 4 kids home all day instead of in school plus a baby.
I’ve already shed a few tears this week, and we’re only 2 days into the break!
One of the hardest things for me to manage with Matt gone is meals. I can’t make elaborate meals because I have to watch the kids. Even if I can cook the meals, once I finally get everyone down around 8, I don’t want to spend an hour cleaning the kitchen (no dishwasher here).
My main goal with meals… Make sure they don’t go to bed hungry. Try to put something healthy on the plate so that I can pretend that they were well nourished.
Daddy’s first night gone, we ate like this:
In front of the TV during an undeclared movie night. The menu:
- pepperoni,
- popcorn or pretzels,
- raisins,
- apples with peanut butter.
Remember, I aim really high by making sure they are eating one thing that’s healthy. That was apples. No veggies. Our veggie drawer in the fridge was empty. Popcorn doesn’t count, does it?
Tough days call for simplicity, and sometimes that means the quickest things I can get on their plates with the easiest clean up.
How do you manage meals on days when you have to keep things simple?
My husband is gone off and on for dinner time too (he was gone the first three days of the Oct holiday too!), and I never feel like cooking a big meal just for me and the kids. If we don’t have leftovers, I might make fried rice, popcorn with fruit & yogurt, scrambled eggs and toast or order in jiaozi, which is always a big hit with the kids! Actually, homemade mac & cheese has been a quick go-to meal also. I throw in a little browned meat from the freezer stash and add some finely chopped or grated of whatever veggie I have on hand to try to make it healthier.