Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[Alis girls]

I am so pleased I only have 2 kids as trying to get them to decide on what they want for breakfast is a nightmare. OH leaves early so gets his own - I normally know what I fancy. If I decide to make the choice for them i get " I didnt want porridge" me "tough I asked you 10 times what you wanted so I decided for you" -- ooh hard mum you all cry - not hard just frustrated - stomps off and heard shouting " have you decided yet?" sound of . The other frustration in our house is getting them to put their dishes in the sink so the cat doesnt help herself - who needs a dishwasher when you have a cat

[Lavenders_Blue]

Kids eh?! I'm sure I was never like that at the same age

You'll have to start hanging those breakfast ordering cards (like they have in some hotels) on their bedroom doors the night before; get them to choose good and early, and if it's left blank - Mum chooses their breakfast!

 

I saw a family on the TV last night who had 13 children imagine trying to get them breakfasted and ready for school in the morning!

[Alis girls]

I have romantic notions of them wandering off with a Ready Brek glow on winters mornings - if any cereal makers want 2 kids for their next ad - THERES 2 HERE!!! Feel free to use mine

[The Dogmother]

I saw a family on the TV last night who had 13 children imagine trying to get them breakfasted and ready for school in the morning!

 

I think you'll find that it works for them because they've never been given choices and just either have what they are given or get their own. A friend has 5 children under 10 and runs the house like a bootcamp, mind you, she doesn't work as well.

[craftyhunnypie]

Oh the joys of not having any children! This sort of thing would drive me insane.

How do you all cope? - don't tell me...by having chickens!...

Now 1...2...3..breathe!

 

Emma.x

[Guest]

My friend has 6 kids and her sister has 13 kids. The way she described it to me was you start with one and gradually add another, you have time to adjust slowly.

 

I have 3 of them, david's 11 at the end of this month, he has learning difficulties so the question "what do you want to eat?" always results in the reply "I don't know!" So it's far easier to say "cereal or toast?" and then tell him to go and make it. He also doesn't eat unless you tell him to go and do it! I wouldn't change him for the world though as he is such a loving and helpful child.

[Alis girls]

Yep - what you are saying is I'm too soft - I know - hey ho cant be good at everything.

[chickencam]

I am not a morning person, and for the past couple of years mine have had poached eggs for breakfast, I can cook them on auto pilot, but I do burn the toast quite often They sort themselves out at a weekend.

[bluekarin]

Luckily my 3 get their own brekkies on school mornings. I do 'nice' ones at the weekend sometimes, if I'm feeling awake and a generous mum I do get can you pass me a bowl/sugar when I clearly have my hands full preparing their lunches. That is one thing I insist on doing as otherwise god knows what they'd have for lunch every day. Actually, I do know what they'd have, they just aren't having it! It is hard with 3 kids, especially as mine are about 14months apart so I had 3 under 2

 

The hardest thing for me food wise is deciding what to have for dinner every night. I'm alright most of the time, but every now and then I need a bit of inspiration, and when you have one child who doesn't like chilli con carne or spicy foods, one who doesn't like tomatoes AT ALL!, and one who doesn't like spag bol or carrots in her cottage pie and a hubby who doesn't like garlic to much any more, it gets a bit trying.

[Alis girls]

Dinners Bluekarin - tuts - now thats another thread (have just found a bit of YS's toast in computer keyboard ) but for now I'll stick to breakfast

[Cinnamon]

I am lucky if my girls grab a cereal bar and a Yakult before they race out of the door.

Having breakfast uses up precious hair straightening time.

 

Weekends are better though and they usually make themselves tomatoes on toast with dijon mustard

[Alis girls]

Yes I now remember why i like boys - no hair straightening - just " wheres my football boots / trumpet/ homework / lunch * delete as necc. At least theres no washing up with Yakult and a cereal bar so cat will miss out

[The Dogmother]

Yes, Rosie tends to lag along in the mornings these days, she has an hour and a half to get ready but still thinks she doesn't have time for breakfast it's not like she's doing make up or her hair either

[Guest]

Oh how I'd love all of mine to be able to sort themselves in the morning, but I suppose that day will come all to soon and I'll be wishing they were 2 and 1 again. When Caitlins hogging the bathroom and Andrew Jnrs screaming for her to hurry up cause hes bursting. Andrew Snr shouting you're NOT going to school looking like that. Me shouting at Andrew Jnr cause he's trying to go to school in the same dirty trousers he was playing football in the day before.

 

Ah............... I've got sooooooo much to look forward to.

[ubereglu]

Have to say, I don't think any of my siblings did this particularly.

 

Mum is not a morning person, so we generally had to sort ourselves out-hence we all made our own sandwiches from about the age of 6/7, as Mum got the fillings wrong and got them mixed up, then we would be late to school!

 

What did make me go was someone sat in college this morning, moaning about his sandwiches, egg and salad I think...guess what his Mum had made them, and he's 18.

[sage]

I too have it all to come. My 2 1/2 year old this morning refused point blank to have her t-shirt on. "No that no that" and she then threw it on the floor. I picked it up walked out of view of a few seconds and went back to her with the same t-shirt, I asked her if this one was Ok she looked and said "Yes" all at 6am. Who need teenagers

 

Sage

[Alis girls]

Oh Sage that does bring back memories - why do we mums have to be so devious, tell little white and down right sly - cos its the only way to stay sane.

[BeckyBoo]

And when I think that before my first was born I was going to be "I'm not doing three different types of breakfast / lunch / dinner" person. Now small boy has Golden Nuggets (solidified sugar cubes effectively ) middle daughter will have either weetabix, rice crispies or bacon (decided on at about a minutes notice when I'm either in the shower or doing the packed lunches, or hunting for PE kits) eldest has sausages, unless she's decided not to in which case the dog gets sausages and she has cereal. Unless it's the weekend in which case they all have pain au chocolat (if I've remembered to buy any).

I have one who eats mash but not roast, one who eats roast but not mash one who eats NO potatoes (not even chips) small boy eats no meat unless it's chicken dippers (they don't count ) none of them eat anything with tomato unless it's ketchup or on a pizza, cheese is currently persona non grata, they're basically living on yorkshire puddings and carrots (apart from MD who only eats sweetcorn and brocolli except she's gone off brocolli now as well ) And they don't eat ANY cake unless its chocolate, except eldest who won't eat ANY cake with icing in the middle, but MD won't eat jam so we have cake with nothing in the middle.

 

I don't get it - I LOVE food, how did this happen????

[The Dogmother]

I feel you pain Becky.. after being brought up to eat anything, Rosie now takes exception to some foods, usually having told me that she likes it so that I buy some in, then she goes off it

[Guest]

I must be incredibly cruel, my kids don't get a choise when it comes to dinner everyone gets the same and if they don't eat it then they go hungry. When they are old enough to make it themselves then they can have a choice.

 

However, I can sympathise with you Becky. When I was looking after my friends six kids they all eat different things or should I say won't eat. Spag bol something most kids love. Nope not this lot.

 

2 had plain pasta with grated cheese and tomato ketchup.

1 had plain pasta with grated cheese and BBQ sauce.

1 had plain pasta with dry mince.

2 had Spag bol with the adults.

 

I'm glad it was only for a couple of weeks I couldn't have coped with that for any length of time. This is only one example it was like this every single day!

 

However, I shouldn't really complain about anyones eating habbits. I am one of the fussiest eaters out. I only eat red meat if I've bought it and cooked it myself after removing every trace of fat. Most of the time I will only eat white meat and if I'm in a resteraunt I've never been in before I will not eat any meat. Most days I don't eat breakfast or lunch I only eat my main meal in the evening but I think that has something to do with my medication I'm on. I think the painkillers dull my appetite.

 

Anyway speaking of food it's time to make lunch for the little ones. Mini sausage rolls I think, nice and easy to cook, chuck in oven for 20 mins.