Praying for your family

I wouldn’t change a thing!

I myself need to remember this, good point! The other day I made burgers, box Mac and cheese and canned pineapple for lunch and found myself apologizing. Dd20 was like why? There’s meat, carb and a fruit. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to eat? And I had to remember most meals don’t need to be a Pinterest creation. We have two Amish auctions that people buy from and resell roadside. None of them take ebt. Several years ago now someone tried to get one of those kind of markets going but it only lasted two seasons. That was before the Amish produce auctions sprang up. I think if they could have had enough produce consistently at a lower price, it might have gone better here. I’ve seen some beautiful markets like that while traveling though.

You get it, that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.

Absolutely. Which is why I asked about the three options upthread. These were her suggestions. She talks about wanting to do better “so her kids dont grow up to be fat”. she has more options than she realizes, it’s the stepping out and trying that is intimidating.

She does have ebt and a regular fridge. Her oldest is second grade. I think the mental hurdle is the biggest part. It still takes energy to oversee helpers, and at least for me, If I’m tired, I would rather not have any help. But thinking ahead, the helping can actually be a nice moment together. It’s the mental block of “we dont usually eat that” “I’m tired “ “ I can’t afford that”

Me too, today is the day I get home right before dinner, drop kids off at lessons, fly to dh’s work to pick him up, fly back to lessons to pick them back up and then get home at 6:30 to everyone starving. Tonight we are having marked down fried chicken from Kroger, box Mac and cheese and salad from a box of marked down greens also from Kroger. It all just depends on time. Last night we had a roast we raised ourselves cooked all day in the crockpot and then the juices used to make a ragu that I served with pasta and green beans we grew and canned ourselves. So I, for my family, do t sweat the convenience meals now and then. Just thinking through how you go from always those foods to sometimes those foods

Good question, I don’t know. I know the Kroger in the next county will let you order online and then meet you at a church on the county line, but do t really know how that works. There is a Walmart, she I don’t think she goes there much because of gas and time. There is a save a lot in the town the kids go to school in, so much easier to pop into

To add to the difficulty, we live in Appalachia. The save a lot and dollar stores are limited in offering

Here is their lunch menu, they get two choices a day, but the choices (listed on the right under deli) are literally similar to fast food. Everything comes to the school frozen. Not terrible since they are offered fruit and veg, but it’s just frozen food on top of frozen food

Herself and three little ones, two in school, one in preschool/daycare

Here, the McDonald’s has what they call a $3.50 bundle. It’s the cheapest chicken sandwich and a small fry-no drink. You can also get a 6 piece nugget and small fry or a double cheeseburger and small fry for the same price. She was weighing the cost of McDonald’s vs. cost + time for homemade

This was the crux of the conversation. Feeling like preparing anything at home was sufficient, as long as it wasn’t eating out. The next step would hopefully be gaining confidence to add frozen veggies. Then trying a recipe that has real food.

I agree with this for sure. I grew up eating 90% frozen/convenience foods and my older kids started out that way too. For the most part I have been a stay at home mom so had the opportunity to teach myself new skills, which I don’t know if I had had to work full time I would have learned. Lots of time for trial and research and brain space to focus on figuring out better ways are in short supply as a full time working mother if the skills and foundation isn’t already there. What foods did you suggest? In this case, the mom was keeping cheap chicken patties or nuggets and frozen fries and pasta roni as a hedge against eating out.

I guess what it really boils down to what convenience foods are ok enough to get a meal on the table that will be good for a family. But the conversation really started with eating the above

After a conversation with a young, working mom, I want to survey some more experienced moms/cooks. We all know scratch food from whole ingredients are the best option. Barring that for any reason, time, money, skill How would you rank 1. McDonald’s mcchicken and fries 2. frozen chicken Pattie’s or nuggets and frozen fries 3. frozen chicken Pattie’s or nuggets and pasta a roni? Or all they equally bad and cost should be the determining factor

A book with a note from you written inside? Recipes that you fix for your family? (Maybe not your moms recipes, but something handwritten of yours) pretty stationary and address books for sending letters back and forth?

Praying for everybody scarlet

((( @gardenmom5)))

Most of us were stuck near home because of work, but dd19 and ds13 took off for a small town an hour and a half from here. She planned all back roads, packed a picnic and they saw totality in a strip mall parking lot with a few other people, bought ice cream sandwiches and came home. No traffic, no fuss, but all sitting around Shari g our varied experiences last night was super cool

None of my people spread around southern Ohio/northern Kentucky heard fireworks

We were 97%. The birds were noisy and active, stopped at peak, then a few minutes later started again. The dog and cats acted normal. The chickens were totally weirded out and kept all bunched up close to the chicken house door til the light was back to normal

Hurray!!!

I’m very proud of my ability to find humor today and to actually work in how talking to adults like they are dumb is hurtful, even if she couldn’t hear it. Dh said “well you are feeling froggy today aren’t you? First you trick Howard into an extra tour and now your mom😆”