When we were in Alaska last June, my friend and neighbor Katie angellicly cared for our crazy trio. Mealtime, with her family doubling in size, wasn't overwhelming to her, she accepted the challenge head-on and changed the way I now do dinners! She had the kids make a meal request then help with the preparation on the day it was to be consumed. It went over really well and the kids were much more willing to, not only help, but eat! Armed with that knowledge and my love for chart-making, I put my organizational skills to use and came up with a going-on-three-months-successful dinner menu.
Next to the shopping list and the magnetic marker/pencil holder is our awesome menu.
This menu is double sided. The left section is a weekly layout with the day, the person who chooses/prepares the meal (written in sharpie) and what the main course is to be (dry-erase). The right section is an on-going "food-bank" with lists (sharpie) of what each member enjoys. On the assigned day, the designated person helps mom in the kitchen, including food-prep and table setting. After dinner is over, dad and the other two kids are in charge of clean-up.
This system has been a lifesaver. I go shopping for the week all at once and rarely have to go back to the store. When the week is complete, we dry-erase the entrées and replace them with new items to be enjoyed in two weeks (since next weeks foods are already decided on the reverse copy).
With this "system" there are less complaints when it's time to help and less waste with each meal. What more could a mother ask for during dinner?
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