What time do you eat your main meal?

[Melenie]

I am interested to see what time everyone eats. My friends thing that I am crazy to eat so early. My kids are young, I feed them their main meal between 4pm-5pm (normally closer to 4) and I eat with them. Dh eats when he gets home and we will sit with him and have fruit or a small snack just to be social. On weekends we have our largest meal in the middle of that day around 2ish and that suits me even better.

 

What does everyone else do?

[Dayle in Guatemala]

Try to do it about 6 pm.

[Erica in OR]

6 p.m., when DH comes home from work.

 

Erica in OR

[Punks in Ontario]

We eat around 6:00. That is except when we have to leave by six (2 nights/week). Then it's 5:15. Sometimes I delay supper until 6:30 so dh is more likely to be able to eat with us. We have snack time between 3 and 4:30.

 

When the kids were little, we would sometimes eat earlier just to ease the routine. I like it later though.

[Jean in Newcastle]

5:30. But on Thursdays we eat at 5 because we have to leave for gymnastics. We used to eat at 4:30 on Wed. because of ministry needs but while it worked, it wasn't ideal for us. We weren't really hungry yet and would end up eating again at 8 or 8:30 at night.

[TravelingChris]

We eat 7 or 8 pm normally. We got used to this time when we lived in Europe (2003-2006) and it works with dh's schedule (leave anywhere from 6:30am to 7:30am and return usually 11 to 12 hours later). We do eat at 6:30 occasionally if something is happening in the evening.

[GaHadley]

normally around 6:30. Ideally we'd eat a big meal at noon. . . and it should be possible having a farming husband, but we bought our house 20 minutes away and he eats at the farm (usually his mom prepares, sometime SIL or I feed them, but we take it to them). I'd like to eat a big noon meal, lighter evening meal and a healthy snack later.

 

but, we eat around 6:30, because that's about the time dh can be home. If he were more consistent with coming home, I'd like to eat more around 5:30 so we could get the rest of our evening done earlier. I feel like we eat, then do evening chores and go to bed. I'd like to have more time to relax. . .

[Sputterduck]

5:30 on the dot with a 6:30 bedtime.

[eternalknot]

Our main meal is more towards the lunch hour. Typically it would be sometime between noon and 2pm, depending on what time we woke up and ate breakfast.

[Mrs Mungo]

Between 6 and 7 pm.

[*********]

5:30 on the dot with a 6:30 bedtime.

 

Sputterduck, do you keep an unusual schedule? I'm curious (some call it nosey :D); how in the world do get your household to bed at 6:30? Or is it just you that goes to bed then, for a certain reason?

[Perry]

Anywhere between 5 and 8, depending on when dh gets home from work and what activities the kids have that night.

[Guest]

breakfast - between 6-8am, depending on the time of year

lunch - between 11:30-12:00

dinner - between 4-5pm, usually our biggest meal

[Melenie]

breakfast - between 6-8am, depending on the time of year

lunch - between 11:30-12:00

dinner - between 4-5pm, usually our biggest meal

 

I could have written this, it is the same as our schedule.

[4kiddies]

We eat around 6:30, although I'm striving for 6. I grew up eating dinner at 4:30 however, so the op time doesn't seem that strange to me.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

Our dinner time (and main meal) is 7pm. Dh doesn't get home until at least 6:30 and he likes to unwind and watch the evening news. I would love to eat earlier, but this is the only way we can eat with dh.

 

Leanna

[Cricket]

We are weird like you. :D We eat dinner around 4 pm. We go to tae kwon do class from 6 to 7 pm 2-3 nights a week and then from 5 -7 pm on Fridays. We eat early enough to let the food settle some before class. We usually get a snack when we get home too. On weekends we eat around 6. Some days we eat the biggest meal for lunch. That seems easier on our bodies.

[OneRoomSchoolHouse]

5:30 on the dot with a 6:30 bedtime.

 

Curious, if you go to bed at 6:30pm, what time do you get up?

 

 

We eat around 5:30pm, if not, the littles are digging through the pantry and end up eating junk before I finish cooking. Dh eats when he gets home around 7pm.

[Tutor]

Noon because everyone in our family is more likely to be home for lunch than supper. Supper is either leftovers or on the light side.

[mcconnellboys]

During the week, my main meal is at lunch. I rarely eat anything at all for breakfast, although I sometimes drink hot tea or something else. We tend to eat lunch during the noon hour.

 

I cook dinner most nights for my husband and children and they eat as soon as he gets home, at 7. I sometimes eat a little something with them, but rarely.

 

On the weekends, we also tend to eat our main/only meal of the day at about 2-4, or mid-afternoon. We began doing this years ago because we eat out on weekends and wish to avoid the typical crowds and waits.

[Guest]

I could have written this, it is the same as our schedule.

 

My kids are about the same ages as yours, too. We can't eat at 6:30/7 because that's bedtime!

[swellmomma]

Supper is at 5pm unless it is a day the kids have early extra currics, in which case they eat a snack at 4, I bring a lunch type meal to eat during breaks between classes, then have a light supper at 8pm when we get home. It was 5 pm all through my growing up years and I have kept it at that.

[Julie in CA]

We have always eaten dinner together as a family, at about 6:30 p.m.

Breaking bread together in the evening is our favorite time of day, and we all look forward to it. I think it's a main component of the "glue" that bonds us together as such a close family. Even when the kids were small, we made it a firm policy to all eat our main meal together, and that has carried us through these teen years. Even my almost-grown-ups still want to have their dinner with us all together. :)

 

I suppose if my dh were home early enough we'd eat a bit earlier, but probably not much.

 

At the same time, I can't imagine some of the bed times y'all have! If they're going to bed at 6 or 7 p.m., and they sleep for nine hours or so, that'd put them up at...4 a.m.? :eek:

Also, I'm curious about the ones who follow a schedule like that--how do your kids get time with dad? Maybe your mornings allow for more time, or are you mostly just together on the weekend?

[Ellie]

Whenever Mr. Ellie gets home. :-)

 

This has varied over the years, depending on where he worked and what mode of transportation he used. It has been as early as 4:30 and as late as 6, but not later than 6 (on a regular basis).

[QueenCat]

Between 5:30 and 6.... just depends on when my husband gets home, since dinner time is a family meal unless there is a good reason for one to not be home (the college kid often stays on campus until after dinner). When hubby worked nights, when the kids were really young, we had our main meal at noon.

[Melissa in Australia]

we et at 6 pm on the dot. Well, that is when I put the food on the table. ring a dinner bell outside just before dishing up. if people don't come straight away, than they have a cold dinner. I always are amazed that even though I have served dinner at that time for 17 years, Members of the family still turn up late!!

[Mrs Mungo]

At the same time, I can't imagine some of the bed times y'all have! If they're going to bed at 6 or 7 p.m., and they sleep for nine hours or so, that'd put them up at...4 a.m.? :eek:

 

I took it to mean 7 is the time they begin their bedtime routine. When our kids were younger, we had 7 pm "bedtime" which meant I gave them baths, dh read stories, etc at that time. But maybe I'm wrong?

 

Even now, my kids are older, take their own showers and go to bed at 8:30-9:00 (bedtimes are staggered). They sleep until 7-7:30 am, when I wake them up. My kids need a lot of sleep.

[Daisy]

Up at 6am

Breakfast at 7am

Lunch at 12:30am

Dinner at 5-5:30.

Kids in BED by 7:30pm.

They read for an hour. Lights out at 8:30pm.

 

Up until about a year ago they were in BED at 7pm and lights out at 8pm.

 

The kids average about 10hrs of sleep at night.

[Julie in CA]

I took it to mean 7 is the time they begin their bedtime routine. When our kids were younger, we had 7 pm "bedtime" which meant I gave them baths, dh read stories, etc at that time. But maybe I'm wrong?

 

That makes more sense than what I was thinking! I guess the definition of bedtime is what confused me. ;)

We did have everyone do baths, stories, etc, but they did all of that before "bedtime". Bedtime at our house was when they actually needed to be in bed with lights out, ready to rest for the night. All the rest was "getting ready for bed". :001_smile:

[Mrs Mungo]

That makes more sense than what I was thinking! I guess the definition of bedtime is what confused me. ;)

We did have everyone do baths, stories, etc, but they did all of that before "bedtime". Bedtime at our house was when they actually needed to be in bed with lights out, ready to rest for the night. All the rest was "getting ready for bed". :001_smile:

 

We call the routine "bedtime" and the other "lights out."

[katemary63]

Farm life dictates when we eat. In Winter, it's early since there's nothing to do outside in the dark. I'd say 5:00 p.m.. In Summer, it's not till we come in from the work we are doing (or the fun we are having), sometimes as late as 9:00 p.m..

[MaMa2005]

We eat much earlier than any of our friends - usually by 4:30. DH teaches both high school and college so I have to feed him between jobs. We feel it is important to eat as a family unit.

 

Bedtime is 7:00 with lights out no later than 7:30. DS is a good sleeper and puts in 11.5-12 hours most nights.:hurray:

[IsabelC]

Generally anywhere from 5pm onwards. Sometimes when dh is at home, we'll cook in the middle of the day.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Hotdrink

[joannqn]

My preference would be around 6pm to 6:30pm, though there are MANY days when I don't get the cooking done until later, sometimes as late at 8:30pm.

 

If I eat any earlier too much earlier than 6pm, I'm hungry for a complete meal before I go to bed.

[BikeBookBread]

If I had my way, we'd eat at 5:30, but DH doesn't get home until 6:30 at the earliest. Sometimes the girls and I eat around 6:15 and I keep dinner warm for him. Unfortunately, we don't get to eat dinner as a family as often as we would like.

[gandpsmommy]

We almost always have our main meal in the evening, but the time varies a bit. Usually, if we're just staying home on a weeknight we eat sometime between 6:30 and 7:30. If dd has gymnastics, then dh and ds might eat around that time and dd and I will eat after we get home (8:00-8:30), or we will all eat together when we get home. On the weekend, who knows really? Sometimes we're at home and eat around the usual time. Sometime we go out. Sometimes we're out of town at a gymnastics meet and don't get to eat until 9:30.

[Melenie]

I took it to mean 7 is the time they begin their bedtime routine. When our kids were younger, we had 7 pm "bedtime" which meant I gave them baths, dh read stories, etc at that time. But maybe I'm wrong?

 

Even now, my kids are older, take their own showers and go to bed at 8:30-9:00 (bedtimes are staggered). They sleep until 7-7:30 am, when I wake them up. My kids need a lot of sleep.

 

We start our bedtime routine at 6, bath first, then 1/2 hour or so play with dad and in bed around 7-7:15pm. We read together and they get time to read or look through picture books in their beds before lights-out.

[Ellyndria]

I try to have dinner ready at 6. Sometimes it's not until 6:30. Bedtime for my 4 year old is 7:30 (in reality, sometime between 7:30 and 8.) He usually wakes up sometime between 7-8am.

 

Before having a child, dinner was at 7, as I grew up with it at 7. When DS gets older and stays up later, I imagine dinner might move back to 7...or at least I won't feel too guilty if it's not ready until then. :tongue_smilie: I just would prefer not to start cooking before 6pm.

[Janet in Toronto]

We eat between 6:30 and 7:00. Kids have a snack after school to tide them over to dinner. Actually, I just have one "kid" at home now, and to be honest, he snacks non-stop between the time he gets home and 20 minutes before dinner. But he's (almost) 15. I believe that is to be expected, LOL!

[runamuk]

We usually eat around 6:30pm, when my husband gets home from work. But we've started swimming lessons and our meal times vary. On Monday and Wednesday, I give the kids a snack before we leave and we eat when we get home, around 7:00. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the class starts later so we eat at 5:00 and have a snack when we get home around 8:00. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday dinner is at the usual time.

[Pippen]

Our evening meal these days is when I can get as many people as possible to sit down together! I have 3 kids involved in multiple music activies (lessons, band, jazz band, worship band, etc) plus one dances three times a week, plus church on Wednesdays, and my husband often works late or has meetings. I kept everyone eating together as long as I could but it got to a point where we'd run into situations like my daughter needing supper before ballet so she'd be fueled up, but that made it way too early for my oldest to eat before heading back to marching band by 4:45.

 

Up until this year I could always sit down with all the kids for a hot breakfast, but that's been derailed by the ps moving the start times to a time so early I don't want to wake up my elementary student. I miss that more than the evening meal.

[tabrizia]

Anytime between 5:30 and 8pm, normally around 6:30-7. It has moved a bit later then it was, we were a pretty consistent 6pm for awhile, but since DH makes dinner, it has moved later since he is getting home a bit later then he was.

 

Before children and for DS' first year or so it was between 7 and 9pm and it will likely move back that way as the children get older again. We are all night owls though. DS is in bed around 9pm now he has dropped naps and gets up around 7:30am, he use to be up till midnight when he was still napping.

[Jen in PA]

Anytime between 6 and 7 except for co-op days, which can mean eating around 8. The kids go straight from the table to the tub, but they don't have a "lights out" -- I keep their light on until they have both fallen asleep, usually with a stack of books. 4 would just be too early for us because it's light out here until around 5, and the neighbor klids don't get home until 3:30 or 4, so that's the only time they have to play together on weekdays:001_smile: We keep pretty much the same schedule on weekends.

[Sputterduck]

Curious, if you go to bed at 6:30pm, what time do you get up?

 

 

We eat around 5:30pm, if not, the littles are digging through the pantry and end up eating junk before I finish cooking. Dh eats when he gets home around 7pm.

 

I don't go to bed at 6:30, but my 5 year old does. I go to bed more like at midnight. :tongue_smilie:

[nono]

In the winter, 6:30 -7:30 pm. In the summer, more like 8-9 pm. Our children don't wind down until about an hour after the sun sets, and it seems like our dinner pattern follows that.

[Sputterduck]

At the same time, I can't imagine some of the bed times y'all have! If they're going to bed at 6 or 7 p.m., and they sleep for nine hours or so, that'd put them up at...4 a.m.? :eek:

Also, I'm curious about the ones who follow a schedule like that--how do your kids get time with dad? Maybe your mornings allow for more time, or are you mostly just together on the weekend?

 

My son wakes up at 6:30 regardless of when I put him to bed, just like No Cry Sleep Solution said he would. Since I put him to bed at 6:30 he sleeps 12 hours a night. I'm rather happy with that. On rare occasions that he stays up really late he still wakes up at 6:30 and is just really cranky the next day.

[TN Mama]

 

At the same time, I can't imagine some of the bed times y'all have! If they're going to bed at 6 or 7 p.m., and they sleep for nine hours or so, that'd put them up at...4 a.m.? :eek:

Also, I'm curious about the ones who follow a schedule like that--how do your kids get time with dad? Maybe your mornings allow for more time, or are you mostly just together on the weekend?

 

My 7 year old goes to sleep between 7-7:30 and is asleep within minutes. She usually wakes up between 6 and 7am, though some mornings she's awake by 5:30. The 5:30 wake up does not necessarily follow a 7 pm bedtime. She can go to sleep at 10 and still wake up early. She's been that way her whole life.

 

My 8 year old gets in bed at the same time as the younger, but reads for 30 minutes- 1 hour. She will sleep until 8:30. She has always required more sleep than most, but could stay up reading all night if I'd let her.

[jld]

We eat at 1 p.m. Whoever wants to eat in the evening can make oatmeal or warm up leftovers or something like that.

[Mom22ns]

Dinner here is at 5:15. Dh stops working at 5:00 (home office) and I have dinner ready for him when he comes upstairs. Dd misses it because she doesn't get home from the gym until 8:00 most nights.

[prairiegirl]

Our main meal is usually between 6:30 -- 7:00 p.m.